The last night for all the Sleepers arrived. Everyone already knew what was coming and decided to prepare themselves mentally for what tomorrow would bring.
In a small room, the eight Sleepers—the core of the massive campaign—were gathered.
They were Uriel, Sunny, Cassie, Nephis, Caster, Kai, Effie, and Seishan.
"Alright, everyone, summon the fragments," said Uriel.
A phantom stiletto materialized in Uriel's hands. A black tachi appeared in Sunny's hand. A long war hammer with a pickaxe appeared in Seishan's hand. A spear and shield appeared in Effie's hand. Then, a white cloak, and finally, the crown appeared in Nephis's hands.
"Place the Memories together," Uriel instructed.
Everyone did so and watched as something happened. They saw a whitish flame envelop the different Memories. Unlike Nephis's flames, they seemed more like the flames of the sun.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot out, piercing Sunny's chest, causing him to stagger slightly.
Sunny nodded his head.
"We're ready."
...
When dawn arrived, the castle gates opened for the last time. A long procession of humans passed through the gates, abandoning the ruined city that had protected them for so long.
They walked under the swinging skulls without paying them any attention. Nearly a thousand Sleepers advanced in silence. Nightmare creatures lunged at them but were torn apart in seconds. Each Sleeper was a warrior polished in dozens of battles against monstrous and fallen abominations and had emerged victorious.
After scaling the ancient wall, they stopped and watched as the shining castle was hidden in fire, consumed by flames. Surprisingly, the idea came from all the inhabitants of the Dark City, saying it was an act to bring closure to this cursed city.
Advancing westward, they headed towards the titanic Crimson Spire that rose into the sky like a reddish pillar over the world.
After a week of travel and massacring countless abominations—where none of the Sleepers had died—they arrived near the tower, making preparations for the siege.
After night fell and everyone rested, Uriel was lying on the ground, looking at the starless or moonless sky of the Forgotten Shore.
Hearing footsteps, Uriel watched Sunny and Nephis chatting. A mocking smile was on his face before he ignored them. Uriel looked at Cassie, who was chatting with the craftsmen, explaining some things to them.
He remembered his conversation with the girl the previous day.
...
Uriel and Cassie were alone, listening to the sound of the cursed sea under the platform. In the distance, they could see the silhouette of the enormous red tower.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"It's about what I told you a few months ago."
"The vision?"
"Yes. The version I told you is the real one and what will happen, but I told a different one to Sunny and Neph."
"Why?"
"Because I couldn't choose. Fate is hard to change, and knowledge is the heaviest thing in the world. That's what you said, and it's true. If I told them the truth, all three of you would be trapped in the Dream Realm, but if I didn't, they would die."
"So you used truth and lies, letting them arrive at an idea where they would fight to the death."
Cassie nodded.
"When I spoke with you, I trusted you and told you my real vision, trusting that you would make the best choice. And you've already made your choice, even though it's difficult."
"Yes, that's true," said Uriel. A cold breeze made his hair move.
"If you want, you can simply leave the tower and return to the waking world."
"No."
"Just like you, Cassie, I'm trying to break that fate. I'll make those two leave this place, and I'll take their place, even if by doing so, they end up hating me."
"Why take so many risks? Why can't you be selfish for once?" asked Cassie, clenching her fist angrily.
Uriel smiled and looked at Cassie.
"Because I'm that kind of person." Cassie opened her mouth but said nothing. Finally, after a few seconds, she sighed and gave up. There was nothing more she could do.
Cassie placed her hand on Uriel's shoulder, transferring her Infinite Spring Memory to him.
"I guess this will be a very long goodbye," said Cassie.
"I guess. Cassie, I want you to do me a favor: don't mention any of this to those two, especially Sunny."
"Alright, I'll try."
Uriel stood up.
"Well, Cass, see you in a few years, maybe in Antarctica, who knows," said Uriel, walking away with an amused smile.
Cassie was confused, as Uriel had mentioned Antarctica without any apparent reason.
...
Uriel snapped out of his memories upon seeing the first rays of the sun rise, bringing with it the promised day—the day when they would put an end to the life of a fallen Terror and seal a great Titan.
After the final preparations, everyone was ready. The enormous machines made by the craftsmen were loaded and prepared. The archers had their arrows ready. The warriors of the first, second, and third lines were tense.
In the rear, Nephis was further back, activating the enchantment of the Dawn Memory. Even further back was Sunny, who would have the mission of sealing the dark sea.
On the front line was Uriel, who had summoned his two Echoes: the Dark Knight and Gunlaug's Echo.
Slightly behind him were Effie, Genma, and Caster.
Finally, Effie spoke with a loud voice, calming the Sleepers. After a few seconds, she shouted:
"First Mark!"
The shout reached the second line and then the third line, where the archers were. Six enormous metal spears, each two meters long, were launched at dizzying speeds, hitting the nightmare creatures and destroying several of them, halting part of the abominations' advance.
Almost immediately, a rain of arrows fell upon the monsters, wounding many and killing several in the process. Some used slings, crossbows, or projectile weapons. Others used their Aspect abilities.
After the second bombardment of arrows, Uriel sighed and summoned the black sword in his right hand, observing the sea of creatures approaching. He estimated there were at least five times more than all the gathered Sleepers.
After a few seconds, the first line advanced, clashing against the horde of abominations in a chaotic collision.
Uriel ordered his two Echoes to kill every nightmare creature that crossed their path.
Both Echoes moved at a terrifying speed, being the first to reach the horde of monsters, beginning to cut and disembowel every beast in their path, leaving a trail of death.
Then, the Sleepers, using their weapons, launched themselves, beginning to kill the Awakened Beasts and the Awakened monsters.
Uriel observed this calmly and finally took a step, then another, then another until he began running, becoming a blur of speed.
His black sword transformed into a black blur, cutting down everything that entered his field of vision without any mercy. His dark cloak also deflected the creatures thanks to the living cloak enchantment, which reacted to attacks with killing intent.
Uriel looked at a carapace centurion that lunged at him. However, he jumped, driving his sword into the chitin and cutting it cleanly.
In the sky, the rain of arrows continued, eliminating and slowing down the more distant monsters.
Uriel jumped, dodged, blocked, and attacked without stopping for a moment. His body was like a well-oiled machine whose only function was to kill abominations.
In his mind, the voice of the Spell continuously whispered each death committed by his Echoes.
[You have killed an Awakened]
[You have killed a Fallen]
[You have killed...]
He ignored the voice of the Spell; he didn't even have time to form thoughts due to the speed he was using and the decisions he had to make instantly.
However, it still wasn't enough. Uriel became faster, more lethal, more precise, and more daring, holding an entire line alone so that the Sleepers on the front line could move and attack.
To anyone else, they would only see how, from one moment to the next, several nightmare creatures had been cut down, falling lifeless to the ground.
Uriel jumped over the scythes of another centurion, using the jump to dive down onto a large worm, which he completely cut through. Landing on the ground, he rolled to avoid a stone sword from a petrified humanoid.
His dark cloak blocked the advance of a blood horse, which he cut with a flick of his wrist.
Jumping to the side, he avoided a scythe, which he cut, followed by an Awakened creature.
Then, he continued his one-sided massacre without a moment's rest.
...
On the second line, Scarlet observed the situation calmly. She could see how the Sleepers resisted the intense combat, keeping the abominations at bay. Her gaze passed over Effie, who fought with overwhelming ferocity; over Caster, who moved among the nightmare creatures, eliminating them at great speed—undoubtedly the fastest among all the Sleepers.
Then her gaze passed over Genma, who fought and constantly regenerated without stopping.
Finally, her gaze passed over an area where the nightmare creatures seemed to die from one second to the next, cut down by devastating attacks.
She could only see a blurry figure moving from side to side. She couldn't distinguish its combat movements, but the fact that it held an entire front alone without help was admirable.
Many Sleepers looked at the battlefield with seriousness. The rain of arrows continued falling without stopping.
Soon, the second line advanced, reinforcing the first line in combat, gaining ground against the nightmare creatures. Many Sleepers died, but more beasts than Sleepers were killed.
For every Sleeper killed, ten abominations died.
Uriel had long stopped counting how much time had passed since the battle began. All he could do was kill, kill, and keep killing.
The second defensive line reached his area, relieving some of his burden. Taking a second breath, he gritted his teeth and immediately moved to another area to continue eliminating the creatures.
Soon, Uriel arrived where Nephis was, who was using her Aspect to have an overwhelming advantage. For a moment, he observed the Crimson Spire. Higher up, he saw how the enormous net of steel threads would soon collapse, but Caster was already moving to cut it and prevent it from falling on them.
Moving again, Uriel continued massacring the nightmare creatures, saving other Sleepers who were surrounded on all sides so they could join the main group.
Uriel didn't stop and continued cutting and cutting with the same intensity and ferocity he had at the beginning. Even though his body was beginning to reach its limits, he pushed it more and more.
His two Echoes were still engaged in an endless battle.
Using his Dark Body, Uriel decided to use his remaining energy.
From his body emerged tentacles that grabbed, crushed, and pierced dozens of beasts and monsters in a matter of seconds.
In the middle of the furious battlefield, Cassie moved fluidly, eliminating the nightmare creatures that crossed her path.
Her Memories helped her orient herself in the chaotic battlefield, putting her in the right place at the right time to attack, block, or dodge enemy attacks.
Somewhere within the limits of her detection sense, she could feel Uriel moving, having activated his inactive ability to eliminate abominations faster and with as little time as possible.
Elsewhere, she could feel Nephis opening large areas with her flames, freeing dozens of Sleepers who covered her back.
Far in the distance, she knew Sunny was fighting against the golems that protected the seals opening the gates of the Crimson Spire.
...
Scarlet sighed. She was covered in cuts and wounds; however, she wouldn't give up. She could see Uriel, who had saved her life on the first day she fell into the Dark City and whose valor and courage made her stronger.
Scarlet used her inactive ability, burning herself to increase her power and range. Without hesitation, she created a flaming hell, killing innumerable Awakened abominations.
Without stopping, she continued burning her own body, creating more and more flames, killing more monsters.
...
Originally, the Dreamer army consisted of a total of 978 Sleepers at the start of the siege.
However, that number was rapidly decreasing. In the span of 20 minutes, the total number of Sleepers still alive was 798. Two hundred Sleepers had died and continued falling one after another.
But their expressions weren't of fear or despair—they were of joy, determination, and anger towards the abominations. They knew they would die, but they would do so on their own terms.
Slowly, the endless wave of abominations stopped crossing the bridge, continuously reducing their numbers.
But soon, a storm arrived, and with it, the slow return of the dark sea. The nightmare beasts became animated and attacked the Sleeper army with fervor.
Slowly, the ground began to fill with saltwater, making the surface more slippery.
...
Uriel smiled internally. He continued tearing through, moving from side to side without caring about the rain.
Returning to his human form, Uriel joined Nephis, beginning the fight again. This time, both fought together, creating a united front that made the Sleepers increase their intensity.
After a while, the storm ended abruptly, and a ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, causing the sea to reverse direction.
In a few minutes, the seawater had completely disappeared, and the sunlight became more intense than before, painting the world with a white light.
Uriel stopped suddenly and felt a sharp pain, as if he were being burned alive from the inside out. The light that had never bothered him before now felt unbearable.
'It's soul damage,' he thought, looking at the nameless sun that had begun to claim the souls of all beings on the Forgotten Shore.
Uriel wiped the blood from his mouth and nose, but it continued flowing without stopping.
An instant later, the sound of a bell resonating from the Spire echoed across the entire battlefield. Nephis pointed towards the Spire, and all the Sleepers ran towards it as fast as they could.
Uriel tried to shift into his dark form but couldn't. He felt that if he did, he would die. So instead, he began running along with the other Sleepers.
Finally, after almost a minute of running, Uriel reached the shadows of the Crimson Spire. His condition was terrible.
His skin was abnormally pale, large burns covered his body, and he was thin. However, slowly, his body was returning to normal.
'Shade, how are things?' he asked, dissipating his two Echoes.
'Bad, very bad. The soul damage was terrible. The darkness is agitated and gone crazy, and the cores are cracked. It will take us at least a few days to recover, so we won't be able to use our abilities beyond the physical.'
Uriel sighed and summoned the Infinite Water Bottle, quenching his thirst.
After recovering a bit, Uriel counted the survivors and saw that there were roughly 700 Sleepers still alive. Two hundred seventy-eight had died.
Uriel slowly stood up and looked around for Scarlet, who had severe burns and was being bandaged by some of her followers. It was clear the girl had given her all during the battle.
Uriel approached Scarlet, who looked at him.
"U-Uriel."
"Don't talk, save your strength. We're almost out of this place. I need you to take care of Scarlet," he requested, looking at the Sleepers, who nodded.
After a few more minutes of rest, Uriel spoke.
"It's time to go! Gather your strength! Soon, we'll leave this place!"
All the Sleepers looked at their leader with tired eyes, and a light of hope ignited within them with renewed strength. Slowly, they stood up. Those who were less injured helped the wounded to get up and move forward.
Soon, the horde of humans advanced, with Uriel, Nephis, Sunny, and Cassie at the forefront.
Nephis was talking to Sunny, thanking him for the warning. Meanwhile, Uriel was already visibly better than before. His complexion had regained its natural color, along with his mass, no longer appearing thin. There were still things he didn't know about himself, but he was grateful to any deity that he was constantly healing.