Nephis allowed herself a small smile in her mind as she watched Sunny in that state. Throughout the entire conversation, the black-haired young man remained resting against her right shoulder. She could feel his slightly uneven breathing and notice how his eyes avoided meeting hers at all costs.
To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure why she had purposely put Sunny in that position. She simply... enjoyed seeing him nervous. Watching him try to maintain his serious and cold gaze in front of the others, when in reality, he was as tense as a thread about to snap, was an amusing sight.
And of course, it worked on Morgan and Seishan. Maybe on someone else, too.
But on her...
No.
Nephis could feel it. His shoulder was slightly tense, and his onyx eyes refused to meet hers. She knew exactly why.
During the time they had spent together, she had discovered this little detail about him.
When Sunny was nervous, he was embarrassed to look her in the eyes.
That was...
Cute.
But, like all things, it had to come to an end.
It was time to move forward with her plan.
And, of course, there was only one solution to the problem they faced.
Not that they had many options, anyway.
For Morgan and Seishan, the priority was finding the citadel that their clans had been searching for. In fact, that had been the main reason for going to Antarctica: to find a citadel where they could anchor, clear it, and establish an outpost.
And, conveniently... they had a target right in front of them.
The pyramid.
In the distance, dominating the horizon, a colossal structure of black stone stood as if it had been waiting for them all along. She wasn't sure of its exact size, but if it was visible from here, it had to stretch for several kilometers, at least.
Of course, that wasn't what was impressive.
What was impressive was what it represented.
The Tomb of Ariel.
One of the Daemon.
Creatures compared to gods.
Divine beings.
Approaching that pyramid, let alone attempting to conquer it, was an ideal objective for both clans.
An unexplored territory, filled with ancient knowledge and possibly forgotten treasures. A prize too tempting to ignore.
But Nephis...
Nephis knew the truth.
She knew that the goal of both clans was futile.
Unless Anvil himself or the Queen of Song came personally to aid their clan's vassals and their saints...
That citadel would not be conquered.
Not even the transcendent were safe here.
Shit.
Maybe even Anvil or Ki Song wouldn't be safe here.
After all...
It was the tomb of a divine being.
But that was a problem for later.
Right now, there was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss.
It was the perfect moment for their entire cohort to challenge their third nightmare.
To become saints.
It wasn't just an option.
It was the only option.
She had a bad feeling about the citadel. And the only other alternative...
Returning home.
Unacceptable.
Sure, the saints could take one or two people back to the real world, but priorities were clear.
For Valor, the priority was Morgan.
For Song, the priority was Seishan.
Besides, Cassie and herself were also part of Valor. No saint from the Song clan would risk their life for them.
And even if they managed to convince someone to help them, they couldn't take everyone.
At best, if the Summer Knight could take two, it would be Morgan and her.
If Saint Tyris were alive and could take two more, maybe...
Sunny.
And Cassie.
That would leave Kai, Effie, and Soul Reaper Jet behind.
Abandoned.
With no way to escape.
And she wasn't going to allow that.
Sunny wouldn't allow that.
So the option of returning wasn't even a possibility.
The infernal desert, with its extreme and suffocating heat, seemed to burn not just their skin but also the very soul of those present. Here, the sun showed no mercy. It did not forgive.
It didn't matter that they were ascended. The heat crushed them with its invisible weight, slowly draining their strength.
Sweat dripped onto the burning sand, evaporating instantly. Their heavy, elegant armor, designed for battle, now only served to make them sweat even more.
Except for Sunny.
With his transcendent armor, he seemed almost... immune to the heat.
Was Fate helping him with his memories?
Nephis didn't know.
But she didn't have time to think about it.
The group was heading toward the citadel.
Fortunately, Morgan and Seishan knew its exact location. With their guidance and the help of Sunny's shadows, which scouted the terrain for any dangers, they avoided any immediate threats.
For now.
So far, they hadn't encountered any nightmare creatures. But that didn't mean they were safe. The scorching sun was already enough of an enemy.
They had been walking for hours.
The mood was still alive, largely thanks to Effie, who never let silence completely take over. But even so...
Things could have been better.
Of course, they could have been worse too.
So complaining was pointless.
All that mattered was survival.
And now, they had a problem.
Nightfall was approaching.
The oppressive heat and the blinding sunlight would soon disappear. But the real danger wasn't the cold.
The real problem was what awakened when darkness fell.
The dead.
The corpses scattered across the desert would rise again.
They weren't just lifeless bones. They were humanoid skeletons, some still clad in tattered armor, others gripping rusted weapons in their skeletal hands. But they weren't the only ones.
There were also larger ones.
And some... with shapes that defied all logic.
But their appearance wasn't the main problem.
Their strength was.
The weakest warriors among them were strong enough to kill everyone present.
The strongest...
It was better not to think about them.
If they didn't want to be caught in the crossfire of an ancient war—one that had likely been waged for centuries—
They needed to find shelter before nightfall.
Even witnessing those battles was dangerous.
Hearing them was enough to shatter the sanity of any ascended.
Luckily, Sunny had found a refuge.
It wasn't exactly close.
But it was better than nothing.
The group remained quiet, following his lead without question. Despite the tension, the atmosphere wasn't entirely grim.
And then, Nephis saw it.
In the distance, three humanoid figures trudged through the sand, their bodies drenched in sweat and dust.
Masters.
Two from the Song clan.
One from Valor.
She knew by the emblems engraved on their armor. The one from Valor had it on his right shoulder.
All three looked exhausted. Desperate.
One of them raised a hand in greeting and approached.
More allies.
Or so it seemed.
But something wasn't right.
A shiver ran down Nephis's spine.
Her instincts screamed.
The fear... wasn't like what she had felt with the skin-walker from the night before.
It was worse.
She didn't know how to describe it.
Her body reacted before her mind.
She trembled.
And then, she looked at Sunny.
His expression...
Was that of a killer.
His onyx eyes were pure darkness, like a bottomless abyss.
And then she heard it.
Not with her ears.
In her mind.
The message resonated in the heads of everyone present.
[All three are skin-walkers.]
His voice was cold.
Sharp.
Sunny's eyes narrowed.
The hunt had begun.