Chapter 710: Departure
The next morning, Sunny woke up in a strange mood. Knowing that they were nearing the end of the Nightmare — and, perhaps, their own — he had expected himself to be consumed by somber trepidation. But, surprisingly, Sunny felt fine. It was as though the scope of the approaching battle was simply too large to be evaluated, and so, his mind had not bothered with it at all.
Instead, he had practical problems he needed to solve. Sunny still did not feel completely comfortable in his new body — he barely had any time to get accustomed to its size and weight, after all. The next several days were going to be crucial, in that regard.
His previous garments had been torn when he evolved, and so, Sunny summoned the Puppeteer's Shroud to wrap itself around his towering body. Although not as powerful as his other suits of armor, the Shroud was much more comfortable. It was a bit nostalgic to wear the light armor once again, but also a bit sad to see it relegated to serving as a bonafide training suit.
Remembering how he had planned to slaughter countless dormant Nightmare Creatures while being invulnerable thanks to his new, incredible Awakened armor of the fifth Tier just a few years ago, Sunny smiled wistfully and walked out of his room.
The Sanctuary seemed… different, somehow.
The ring of giant menhirs was the same, and so was the beautiful garden. However, the people living in the ancient shrine had changed. They were hurried and full of fear, moving with panicked speed and feverish determination.
Sunny noticed a few familiar faces. The old woman he had seen on his first day here was standing alone, a lost look on her face. The young woman was carrying the frightened child in her hands and a heavy pack on her back. The kind man with a neatly trimmed beard was gritting his teeth, his hand resting on the worn hilt of his sword.
He sighed and looked away.
An immortal Transcendent had started this war to free a daemon from a prison built by a god… but these little people were the ones that were going to suffer the most as the result. In fact, they had been the ones to suffer the most throughout all of this, from the destruction of the Kingdom of Hope to the madness she had cursed this land with, to now.
He had been one of the little people himself, once...
Now, he was a devil destroying their lives.
Sunny remained motionless for a few moments, then looked up at the sound of steps approaching him. He saw Effie and Kai, both wearing their armors and packs, as though ready to go on a long hunt.
He raised his eyebrows.
"...Going somewhere?"
The little girl glanced at the masked cripple, and then shrugged. Kai, meanwhile, smiled… even though Sunny could not see his face, he could tell by his eyes.
He could also tell that the smile was tinted with sadness.
The archer simply nodded.
"Yes... we are leaving."
He hesitated for a moment, then added:
"Not for long, of course. We will be back before the week is over. You see... the Sanctuary, it was a shelter for those who wanted to find peace in this land of madness. But now that Noctis started a war and both the Sun Legion and the Warmongers are marching to raze it to the ground, that shelter is no more."
Effie shook her head, then sighed.
"The west belongs to the warring cults of War and Sun, the south is abandoned and overtaken by Nightmare Creatures, the north… well, you know. These poor fools have nowhere else to go. So, we are going to guide them to one of the Great Chains and help them cross to the other side. And leave the Kingdom of Hope behind, forever."
She scratched the back of her head, then said thoughtfully:
"...Actually, we are not even sure if the Nightmare goes that far. Maybe there's nothing out there, beyond the Chained Island. And yes, we know that these people are not even real. Still… we thought that we'd at least try. Cassie even went and convinced Noctis to lend her the ship, to help transport them."
Sunny stared at her, surprised. The little girl raised her chin:
"What? I know that it's stupid. People need to do stupid things sometimes, you know?"
He slowly shook his head.
"...No. Actually, I don't think that it's stupid at all. It's just… the three of you are going, so why didn't you invite me as well?"
Effie grinned.
"You have stuff to do! How are you going to get used to that lanky body of yours while babysitting a bunch of refugees? So, don't be lazy and get that stone girlfriend of yours to beat you black and blue while we are gone. We have a date with two whole armies in a week's time, remember?"
Sunny made a sour face, then looked away.
"Believe me, I remember. I am going to train hard."
Kai gripped his shoulder for a moment — well, the top of one of his lower arms that were in reach, anyway — and then, the two walked away without saying anything else. There was no need to say goodbye.
With them gone, Sunny suddenly felt a bit… lost.
Shaking his head, he threw stupid thoughts out of his head and walked to the center of the garden, intending to spend the rest of the day practicing with the Cruel Sight. Saint would have probably healed enough to be summoned, too… so, he had his work cut out for him.
Finding a secluded spot near the clear lake, Sunny went through the intense set of steps and exercises that he had developed to condition his body for the Shadow Dance. Of course, that had been in his human body. The shadowspawn, meanwhile, was a very different beast… or rather, devil.
Despite its size, the gaunt body of the devil was incredibly nimble and swift. It was also capable of bursts of monstrous, explosive strength that would leave many people stunned. In addition, it was itself a weapon — with his talons, claws, fangs, and horns, Sunny was capable of delivering a lot of damage even unarmed.
He could even kill things with the spike at the end of his tail.
After that initial practice session, he summoned Saint and started the real training.
As they sparred, Sunny observed the departure of the inhabitants of the Sanctuary. They left in a column, with Kai in the front, and Effie walking behind. Some were carrying their meager belongings, while some were empty-handed. Some cried, while some remained silent and stoic.
Some even smiled.
Above them, the flying ship moved, carrying those who could not walk. Sunny could not see, but knew that Cassie was controlling it. For a moment, he was curious about how she was able to communicate with the Sailor Dolls… however, that short distraction cost him dearly when Saint delivered a painful blow to his abdomen, and so, Sunny decided to concentrate on himself.
Turning his full attention back to the training fight, he thought:
'I wish them well… even if they are not real, I wish them all the best…'
Long hours passed in arduous training. Slowly but surely, he was growing accustomed to the new proportions of his strange and powerful body. His height, his reach, his might… all of it was starting to click, making him feel confident in his own skin once more.
At some point, dead tired, Sunny decided to take a break. Commanding Saint to stand down, he crouched near the lake and drew some water to wash the sweat off his face. Then, he poured some on his head and sighed, looking at the clear surface of the lake.
The graceful figure of Saint reflected on it, and near her, his own. Obsidian skin, bestial features, eyes that seemed like pools of liquid darkness, twisting horns… Master Jet had once joked that he would be a flower boy one day. Remembering it, Sunny smiled.
'I wonder what she would have said if she saw me that way…'
And then, he froze.
His sweat turned cold.
...There was a third reflection on the surface of the lake.
It was a tall and slender young man, with pale skin and raven-black hair. His face was sharp and thin — not exactly handsome, but at the same time charming and strangely beautiful. His striking eyes didn't seem to possess a color of their own, and instead reflected the world back on itself like two pools of liquid silver.
Currently, they were as blue as the boundless, vast sky.
The young man smiled pleasantly, and then raised a hand in greeting.
A painfully familiar voice suddenly resounded in Sunny's mind.
"Ah, Sunless… how nice it is to meet you again, after all this time. Just look at you… goodness! I almost failed to recognize you behind that fearsome face…"
Chapter 711: A Simple Task
Hearing Mordret's pleasant voice reminded Sunny of the time they had shared in the Sky Below, and the closeness that had existed between them back then. A long time ago, he had considered the mysterious prince if not a friend, then at least an ally. He had been fond of the owner of the disembodied voice enough to worry when it disappeared.
Of course, all of that had been a lie. A masterfully crafted net of deception that Mordret had created to lure Sunny into bringing the mirror shard into the Night Temple, and setting him free.
The memory of the dark conclusion of that story — the fear, the pain, the shame of having been led astray and betrayed... the slaughter — gripped his hearts with icy claws. Sunny glared at the reflection of the young man for a few moments, then gritted his teeth.
He hated to admit it, but there was no escaping the fact that he feared Mordret. Sunny had met many powerful men and even more terrifying abominations, but the Prince of Nothing was perhaps the only one whom he was truly scared of. Not because of the Divine Aspect or the lineage of War, but precisely because of how insidiously cunning and inexplicable the Prince of Nothing was.
It was like what Teacher Julius had said… what humans feared the most was the unknown. And no matter how many times Sunny tried, he simply could not understand how Mordret thought, what his motives were, and what was he scheming behind that friendly smile. Because of the eerie wrongness hiding in the depths of his eyes, the Prince of Nothing was impossible to predict.
Hell, he was even impossible to kill. The whole of the great clan Valor had tried, and failed.
…Grasping the Extraordinary Rock, Sunny made sure that there was no one really standing behind him, and addressed the reflection in a gruff voice:
"...Oh. It's you. What are doing inside the lake? Don't be a stranger, Mordret… come, enter my Soul Sea, and let's talk face to face."
The reflection of the young man lingered, its smile turning a little forced. Then, it spoke again:
"How strange… I can hear you speak, but I don't see your lips moving. Have you been learning new tricks, Sunless? Ah, good for you. I've been doing some of that myself…"
Sunny scowled, shadows veiling his eyes.
"I have… I've heard. A whole region of the kingdom, Mordret? Really? I thought you did not enjoy killing innocent people. Or did you tell yourself that it was alright because they were not real?"
Mordret tilted his head a little. Then, he said with the same pleasant smile:
"What would have been the point of killing them if they were not real?"
Hearing that, Sunny shivered.
The reflection, meanwhile, shook its head.
"They were real enough to serve a purpose... don't get me wrong, however. I would not have done the same in the waking world. Those I killed were all already dead, Sunless. All of them were doomed, and uselessly so. I simply gave their deaths a different meaning."
Mordret did not seem pleased with himself, but neither did he seem remorseful about slaughtering thousands of people. Just… uncaring.
Which was much more unnerving.
The Prince of Nothing looked at Sunny and chuckled:
"So, that little oracle of yours told you all about my adventures, then? Well, wonderful. I will not have to describe them myself. Time is of the essence, after all… sending a reflection across such a distance is not easy, even for me."
Sunny lingered for a few moments, then sighed and crossed his four arms.
"She did, even if I would not have used the word adventures to describe it. What do you want, Mordret?"
The reflection remained silent for a bit, then smiled.
"Why, what else? To conquer the Nightmare, of course. Don't you?"
A low growl escaped from Sunny's mouth.
"I do. Stop playing games and just tell me what it is that you want from me."
Mordret sighed.
"Well, if you insist. What I want is rather simple… which is not to say easy. I want you to keep Noctis alive, at all costs."
Sunny blinked.
'What is he trying to make me do… does he really want me to protect Noctis, or is he hoping that I will do the opposite of what he wants and kill Noctis instead? Why would he want Noctis dead before the war even started? No, wait… maybe he really does want Noctis to live… argh! Damned Mordret… I hate that lying bastard!"
He stared at the reflection with a dark expression, and then said evenly:
"Is that all?"
The Prince of Nothing smiled:
"Yes, that is all. If you can accomplish this simple task, I can guarantee that we will conquer the Nightmare and escape it alive."
Sunny snorted.
"You can guarantee it, can you? How? What are you planning? What about Hope, will you try to free her, or have you found a way to restore her prison to its original state?"
A gust of wind suddenly disturbed the surface of the lake, and the reflection of the banished prince became distorted, swaying with the water.
He spoke again, his voice sounding a little distant.
"Ah, how inconvenient. It seems that I have run out of essence… until we meet again, Sunless..."
Sunny clenched his fists.
"This again? Disappearing just when you have to answer a question… bastard, you do understand that we are on the same side right now? We can kill each other after we Ascend… but first, we need to survive the Nightmare!"
Mordret laughed, his voice growing ethereal and almost inaudible.
"...not… a bastard. Ah, I wish I was…"
With that, he was gone. The reflection disappeared from the surface of the lake, and Sunny was left alone once more.
He glared at the clear water for some time, then grimaced.
"A simple task… as if anyone can keep up with that lunatic, let alone keep him alive…"
With that, he gritted his teeth and rose to his feet.
It was time to continue his training. Time was short...
Chapter 712: Leaving the Sanctuary
A few days passed.
The Sanctuary stood empty and silent. The beautiful garden was devoid of its usual liveliness, and the winds howled as they passed through the ring of giant menhirs. Here and there, mundane things left behind by the people that had departed in a hurry lay, forlorn and forgotten. No one was ever going to return for them.
Sunny had never seen the Sanctuary this desolate and hollow… not in the future and not now, in the distant past. The sight of it was sad and eerie.
He had spent these days training tirelessly and learning to control his new body. This latest transformation had not been as fundamental as becoming a demon after living his whole life as a human, so his progress was swift. More than that, mastery of Shadow Dance made Sunny especially attuned to his physicality and change.
In truth, he did not need a whole week to achieve the goal. But practicing with Saint reminded him of the simpler times, and so, helped him prepare himself for the battle ahead mentally.
…On one of the last nights he had to spend in peace, Sunny woke up suddenly, thinking that he had heard a distant scream. Had he really, or was it just a vestige of a dream?
He sat up and glanced into the window, a deep scowl appearing on his face.
'What dream, you fool? Awakened don't dream…'
But who could have screamed in the Sanctuary? There were only two people left here. Sunny himself…
And Noctis.
He hesitated for a moment, and then stood up, summoning the Puppeteer's Shroud. After thinking for a bit, he also summoned the Cruel Sight, wrapped his shadows around himself, and walked outside.
The full moon shone in the night sky, drowning the world in ghostly blue light. Guided by it, Sunny walked across the empty garden and approached the residence of the sorcerer, where the immortal had disappeared to days earlier and never came back out.
The door stood open, and the Sailor Dolls guarded it silently, their wooden faces devoid of any sign of worry.
Passing between them, Sunny entered the residence and studied the familiar chamber. It had changed slightly… the stone floor was even more broken and littered with deep cracks, the piles of shards had grown taller.
However, there were no tremors running through it from time to time anymore, as if whatever it was that had hidden beneath had either died, fallen into a slumber, or gone elsewhere.
Noctis was in the middle of the room, sitting on a pile of rubble with a pained look on his face. The sorcerer looked… unwell.
His skin was deathly pale, with dark circles under his eyes. His lustrous hair had grown dull and was disheveled. Even his elegant garments, which had always been flashy and immaculate, were now wrinkled and in disarray.
What's more, Sunny could have sworn that there… that there was something moving beneath the sorcerer's skin. It appeared for a moment, and then was gone, making him unsure if he had seen it or just imagined the whole thing.
Noticing his presence, Noctis slowly turned his head and smiled weakly.
"Ah… Sunless. You are just in time. How do I look?"
Sunny stared at him for a moment, and then said:
"You look like crap."
The sorcerer blinked a couple of times, then threw a hurt look at him.
"No, not me, you idiot! How does he look?"
With that, Noctis gestured at a Sailor Doll that stood motionlessly a few steps away.
Sunny had grown so accustomed to the silent mannequins that he did not pay the doll any attention after registering its presence and position. Now, he took a closer look and raised his eyebrows, confused by what he saw.
The Sailor Doll was about the same height as Noctis, dressed in his best silks, and wearing a gorgeous black wig. It stared senselessly in front of itself and held a glass of wine.
He titled his head, opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
"...What the hell?"
The sorcerer shrugged.
"Well, we are going to unexpectedly attack the Ivory City, are we not? Surely, the other Chain Lords would notice if I suddenly disappear from the Sanctuary… so, I prepared this doll to make it seem like I'm still here!"
He smiled proudly and looked at Sunny with a glint in his eyes.
Sunny covered his face with a palm for a moment.
"Do you really think that this… thing… will fool anyone? Have you lost your mind? I mean, lost it even more?"
Noctis glanced at him in confusion, and then laughed.
"Oh, I forgot the last touch…"
With that, he raised his hands and clapped them a couple of times. A moment later…
There were two sorcerers in the chamber, one sitting on the pile of rubble, the other standing a few meters away and staring at Sunny with an obnoxious smile. Even though he knew that the second one was just a Sailor Doll, he couldn't tell the difference.
"How about now?"
Sunny gulped.
"Yeah… it looks fine."
The Sailor Doll remained motionless for a bit, then raised the glass of wine to its lips, pretending to drink. The likeness was uncanny… but more than that, Sunny could feel that the real enchantment went much deeper than just looks. He could actually feel a suffocating presence radiating from the mannequin, similar to what he had felt on the Iron Hand island from Noctis himself.
Looking beneath the surface of the Sailor Doll, he was stunned to see something that looked exactly like a Transcendent soul core burning in its chest. Sunny slowly inhaled.
If Cassie were to look at the mannequin, would she have seen an Aspect Name and a list of Attributes?
"...Better than fine. It is very convincing."
Noctis grinned, then rose to his feet with a grimace. Once again, it seemed as if something moved under his skin… but a second later, he seemed fine.
"Good. Well then… one last thing left to do before we leave. Follow me."
Sunny threw one last look at the broken floor of the stone chamber, and then turned around.
He knew that he would never return here again.
Together, the two of them entered the garden and walked across it. Sunny did not know where Noctis was leading him, but felt that it was important. One of the Sailor Dolls followed them, carrying something heavy.
As they walked, the sorcerer suddenly spoke:
"I thought a lot about what you have told me, Sunless. About wanting to return home."
Sunny glanced at him with surprise, but did not say anything.
Noctis remained silent for a few moments, and then said in a wistful tone:
"I used to have a home too, you know? A long time ago. There was a beautiful temple where my siblings and I grew up, being taught by priests and priestesses. It was surrounded by a vast forest where we played and hunted. There was a lake where we caught fish and swam to escape the summer's heat, without a care in the world."
The smile slowly disappeared from his face, and his eyes shone softly, reflecting the pale moonlight.
"...I returned to that place some time ago. Ah, but it was not... it changed. The temple lay in ruins, the forest had been chopped down. The lake had dried up. Everything felt unfamiliar and strange, like a distant dream. And for a moment, I felt as if my whole life was just a dream that I have dreamt... and maybe was dreaming still."
He paused, sighed heavily, then suddenly smiled and looked at Sunny.
"But hey, by then, I already had this. This sanctuary that I have built with my own two hands, the people that I saved, the land that I tried to protect, the duty I made mine to uphold… this was my home."
He inhaled deeply and looked around, enjoying the sight of the Sanctuary…
Sunny suddenly realized that the sorcerer was, perhaps, seeing it for the last time.
His face grew heavy.
After a few moments, Noctis said:
"What I am trying to say, Sunless, is that you don't need to belong somewhere, or to something. You just need to make something belong to you. That is how you can find home…"
The sorcerer hesitated, and then added with a proud look on his face:
"...I mean it as a metaphor, of course."
Sunny looked at him for a long time, then smiled.
"That was a great metaphor."
Noctis grinned.
"It was, wasn't it? Well, why wouldn't it be? I am the most learned man in all of the Kingdom of Hope, after all!"
At that moment, they passed between the menhirs and approached the edge of the island, where the ugly monstrosities that Noctis had called statues of him stood. There were fourteen of them, each at least twice as tall as Sunny and cut of solid marble. He had not looked at the fruits of the sorcerer's labor after that first time, and was momentarily disturbed.
If the first statue could have been remotely called an image of a person, the rest of them, without of doubt, resembled terrifying abominations much more. They were giant and heavy, with talons, claws, fangs, spikes, and horns that made Sunny's own look pathetic in comparison. The giant gargoyles looked frightening, unsightly, ferocious...
And each had mighty stone wings.
Surrounded by monuments of harrowing creatures, he suddenly felt small and weak.
Feeling uneasy, Sunny glanced at Noctis and asked:
"These are… statues of you?"
The sorcerer laughed.
"Oh… well… I might have lied a little. These were never meant to look like me."
With that, a Sailor Doll silently appeared from the darkness, carrying a heavy box that was wrapped in thick, heavy chains.
As soon as Sunny saw the box, he felt his heart turn cold, and muffled whispers invade his ears. Involuntarily, he took a step back.
"What… the hell… is in that thing?"
Noctis calmly took the box, which trembled slightly, as if something inside was trying to break free. At the same time, Sunny thought that he noticed a movement under the sorcerer's skin.
The immortal grimaced, and then said:
"...Souls. A few especially vile souls that I have collected across the centuries."
Sunny scowled, gripping the Cruel Sight tighter.
"And what, exactly, are you planning to do with these souls?"
Noctis glanced at him, smiled, and then easily tore the heavy chains keeping the box shut.
"What else? I am going to create a few little helpers for you and your strange friends. What, were you really going to take on the armies of the Ivory City and the Red Colosseum all by yourself? By the Moon, Sunless… I do trust in your abilities, but what would people say if I turned out to be the only Chain Lord without an army? How would that look? Ah, no, such an embarrassment would simply not do…"
With that, he opened the box, his eyes shining with cold moonlight.
…And in the next moment, the fourteen terrifying stone beasts suddenly moved.
Chapter 713: War Drums
The flying ship was moving through the deep darkness of the Sky Below, escorted by fourteen stone fiends. With the ocean of flames burning below and vast nothingness above, it seemed as though they were sailing through purgatory.
Noctis stood at the steering oars, slouched, with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes. He did not seem to be doing too well, but his hand was steady as it controlled the ship.
On the upper deck, the Sailor Dolls were preparing for battle. They were moving wooden ballistae into position and loading heavy bolts into them, with an especially fearsome siege engine placed at the bow. The bolts themselves were not that simple, too. Their surfaces were carved with runes, which shimmered with stored soul essence and brimmed with power.
The mannequins themselves were armed, as well, their elegant liveries replaced with chainmail. They carried heavy bows, sabers, and hatchets — both to kill the enemies and defend the ship from boarding hooks. There were plenty of quivers full of arrows around, as well as barrels of water to douse the flames should the sails catch on fire.
The sails, meanwhile, were turned at a strange angle to catch the hot air rising from below, surrounding the vessel from the sides like wings.
The ship was flying swiftly, but in the emptiness of the Sky Below, it was hard to measure how much distance they were covering. Sunny could only tell that their speed was tremendous because of the powerful torrent of essence flowing through the ancient wood, and the howling of the wind that was being cut by the armored ram of the ship.
At this rate, they were going to reach the Ivory City soon.
The cohort was preparing for battle, too.
Kai had summoned his white and gold armor — a Memory he had earned while commanding a centuria of the Sun Legion. Behind the charred wooden maks, his eyes were serious and focused. He was examining the fletching of arrows in his quiver, a mighty bow resting at his feet. This bow had come from a champion of the War Sect he had slain, and was a deadly weapon.
Effie was standing nearby, leaning on the runic spear Sunny had given her. The Dusk Shard was propped against the board of the ship, almost as tall as the little girl, and there was a white cape that seemed to be weaved from starlight resting on her shoulders — the Starlight Shard, which she had received after slaying the Lord of the Dead.
Of course, Effie had a whole arsenal of other Memories at her disposal — those that she had collected over the years on the Forgotten Shore, and those she received for slaying countless abominations to saturate her Awakened core before venturing into the Seed of Nightmare. Weapons, tools, charms… she was going to summon them when the need arose.
Knowing that the battle ahead would be long and arduous, the little girl was hungrily devouring a pile of roasted meat.
Cassie was quietly observing Nocts, her hand resting on the hilt of the Quiet Dancer. Her role in the approaching battle was going to be especially important… when the sorcerer clashed with Solvane and Sun Prince, she would have to control the flying ship and command the Sailor Dolls, drawing the bulk of the enemy's ire.
…Sunny was getting ready, too.
He had summoned the Mantle of the Underworld, which covered his demonic body like an onyx carapace. Since this battle was going to be against humans, and not mighty Nightmare Creatures, he had judged that its utility would be more valuable than the impregnable defense of the Undying Chain.
There was no Elyas around to heal a mortal wound should he receive one, as well, so its incredible enchantment was less useful.
The Blood Blossom rested in the onyx armor's breastplate, ready to grant him its strength. In his four hands, he held the Cruel Sight, the Midnight Shard, and Morgan's Warbow.
Three Shadows rested in his soul, ready to be sent forth to destroy and slaughter.
He was ready…
Well, as ready as he could be.
Just as Sunny thought it, Noctis suddenly moved, and then looked up, a wild smile slowly appearing on his lips. His voice sounded hoarse, but clear:
"...Ah. They finally sensed us."
The members of the cohort turned to him, their faces calm and collected.
The sorcerer grinned, and then moved one of the oars, sending the ship flying up. His eyes glinted with distant moonlight.
"No point in hiding anymore. We are close enough, anyway… oh, what a night to be alive, my friends!"
His laughter rolled across the deck as the ancient vessel climbed higher and higher, swiftly approaching the dark side of the Chained Island.
Sunny stared up, knowing that just in a few minutes, the end of this Nightmare was going to begin.
...As he did, Cassie silently approached him and stood nearby for a few moments, silent.
Then, she said:
"No matter what happens… don't let him enter the Tower."
Sunny frowned, looking at her with a somber expression.
"Who? Noctis?"
She lingered for a second, and then shook her head.
"No. Mordret."
Sunny smiled and turned away.
"Why? Was his guarantee of conquering the Nightmare if we do as he says a lie?"
The young woman did not speak for a while, then said simply:
"No. I don't think so."
Sunny glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Why should I try to stop him, then?"
She hesitated for a moment. Then, Cassie asked:
"What happens after the Nightmare?"
Sunny sighed, then chuckled wryly.
"...Alright. I'll take your request into consideration."
He could already see the dark underbelly of the Kingdom of Hope above them… and hear the distant whisper of war drums.
Caught by surprise, the two armies were hurriedly preparing to meet them.
Looking at his friends, Sunny sighed, and then said in a neutral voice:
"I guess this is it. Good luck, guys. Don't die out there."
Kai and Effie looked at him, and then nodded. The little girls smiled crookedly.
"Why would we die? It's just a couple of armies and three Transcendents. No big deal…"
She hesitated for a bit, and then added in a somber tone:
"However, let's make a promise to not do suicidal battles beneath giant towers again, okay? I mean, at this rate, it might become a habit…"
Sunny looked at her and grinned.
"So, what… next time, we should do battle on top of a giant tower?"
Effie sighed.
"No... no towers. Let's try to avoid giant towers in the future entirely. How does that sound?"
Sunny laughed, then turned away and stared at the approaching islands.
"Sounds fine to me… can't promise anything, though..."
Chapter 714: Dread Naught
As the silver circle of the full moon reached the highest point in the sky, a sudden movement tore through the darkness of the night. In the clamor of drums and human voices, an armada of wooden ships flew forward, each vessel illuminated by the orange flame of lanterns. Some had red sails, and some had white. In the pale moonlight, all of them looked grey and colorless.
The ships rushed forward, seeming like a river of lights. On their decks, human figures moved, feverishly preparing for battle. The soldiers were drawing their weapons and nocking arrows on the strings of their bows, while the captains stared at the radiant moon, their faces tense and grim.
…Soon, a lonesome black dot appeared on the surface of the silver disk, and then slowly grew as it drew closer. A single ship, this one much larger and more graceful than the rest of them, was fearlessly flying to meet the luminous armada. There was a beautiful tree growing around its mast, and a man with pale skin and raven black hair standing at the oar, guiding the vessel forward. His eyes were grey and clear, shining with the reflected light of the moon.
Standing near Noctis, Sunny could not help but feel a dark resentment grip his hearts.
'Curse it…'
They had chosen the time of the attack to catch the armies of the Chain Lords unprepared. Most of the soldiers were still on march to the Ivory City, their formation broken and in disarray. It was not easy to unite two large forces, and Noctis had chosen the precise moment when the chaos was at its worse to stage his assault.
And yet, there was still a considerable force ready to defend the city. At least a hundred ships rose into the air to intercept and destroy them, each carrying dozens of warriors — some of them Awakened, and some even Ascended… but all the absolute elite the warring factions had to offer.
And somewhere out there, two immortal Transcendents were waiting to take their turn.
That is what Noctis and the cohort were up against.
Sunny lingered for a moment, and then glanced past the approaching river of lights, at the distant shapes of the Ivory City. It was as beautiful during the night as it was during the day… the graceful arches of the tall aqueducts, the aerial bridges that connected the islands, the buildings made of white stone...
The streets of the city were empty, but he could feel thousands of frightened souls trembling behind the walls that they had considered solid and safe. Not knowing what calamity he, and his friends, were bringing to their doorstep.
Suddenly grim, he had to remind himself that these were the people that had tried to sacrifice Kai to satiate a dragon's hunger, and then burned him alive for daring to survive.
And the dragon himself was there, too, powerless for now… at least until the dawn came.
Gritting his teeth, he took a step forward and closed his eyes for a moment.
'Just a hundred ships… what is there to fear? I just have to bring ten or twenty down. Maybe kill a few Ascendents. Big deal…'
The armada was already close enough to make out the distant shapes of humans rushing on the decks. A gust of wind brought with it a chorus of voices. Sunny shuddered, recognizing the familiar chant.
…Glory! Glory! Glory!
He opened his lightless eyes, all doubt and remorse disappearing from them. Leaving behind only the cold will to kill.
Somewhere behind him, Noctis suddenly grinned, and then whispered in a hoarse voice:
"Now… witness us, gods..."
A moment later, the massive siege engine standing at the bow of the ship suddenly rang, sending a heavy bolt flying through the darkness. As it pierced the sky, a weave of ancient runes shone on its surface, and the winds howled, cut by its sharp blades.
Streaking toward the distant armada like a falling star, the bolt struck the hull of the forward vessel… and crushed straight through it, pulverizing a large part of the bow. It tore through the innards of the enemy ship, and then, an explosion of pale light suddenly illuminated the vessel from within for a split second, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of bloody debris.
The whole ship was destroyed in an instant.
Noctis laughed madly, and as he did, the Sailor Dolls were already rushing to reload the engine. While they were busy with it, the sorcerer moved one of the oars, throwing his own ship into a turn to let its left bort, and the loaded ballistae situated there, face the rushing enemy fleet.
…And, just like that, the battle that was meant to change the course of history forever started.
***
The sorcerer's ship had an advantage in size, speed, power of enchantments, and the reach of its weapons. However, the difference was not insurmountable. Before the bow engine could be reloaded, they would already be being pelted by arrows and harpoons of the enemy.
"Get ready, my friends!"
The Sailor Dolls pulled the levers of the portside ballistae, sending several smaller, but still devastating bolts flying toward the approaching armada. Others readied their bows, staring forward with indifferent wooden faces.
Sunny raised Morgan's Warbow, ready to draw it, and threw a question over his shoulder:
"What of Solvane? What of Sun Prince?"
Noctis smiled wickedly.
"Can't you feel? They are approaching. Song of the Fallen, my lady… I am afraid you will have to take the oars soon. Do not worry, however. As long as the moon shines, I will make easy work of those two."
He lingered for a moment, sending the ship into another turn, and then added:
"Do worry about the enemy ships, though. If you are not careful, they will tear my beauty apart in no time… not to mention peppering you full of arrows."
The ships he mentioned were almost in range to shoot their own onagers and ballistae. Even though the sorcerer's vessel was graceful, swift, and stalwart, it seemed impossible for anything to survive the devastating rain of projectiles. Sunny tensed, his pupils narrowing into two vertical slits of pure darkness.
A few moments before the onslaught came, however, fourteen fearsome shadows suddenly flew from below the islands and flashed upward, colliding against the first row of the enemy ships. Splinters of wood and torn limbs shot into the air, and for a moment, the enemy's formation was broken.
Using that moment, Noctis send the ship into a dive, narrowly avoiding the aim of the armada, and at the same time presenting its starboard. Another set of ballistae shot their bolts, adding to the mayhem.
The sorcerer glanced at Sunny, Effie, and Kai with a wild smile.
"It is your turn, Sunless! Now or nev…"
Then, however, he abruptly grew silent and flinched.
Noctis's face, which had already been pale, turned white as a sheet. He groaned, and then slowly turned his head, looking up with a stunned expression.
A moment later, Sunny heard the immortal let out an ominous whisper.
"Oh… this is not good… not good at all…"
Feeling a cold shiver run down his spine, Sunny turned and followed the sorcerer's gaze, up and up, into the night sky.
Then, he froze.
'W—what?'
The moon…
The moon was disappearing.
Chapter 715: Boarding Party
Out there in the sky, the silver disk of the moon was slowly being devoured by darkness, as if drowning in a vast and impenetrable shadow. One of its edges was already gone, and with each moment, more and more of it was being erased by the shadows. It looked…
Like an eclipse.
Noctis paled, and at the same time, Sunny suddenly felt reinvigorated. It was as though every shadow in the world had just become deeper and darker, and as one of them, he did, too. The feeling was strange and euphoric.
But Sunny knew that this eclipse was an ill omen for all of them.
Turning to the sorcerer, he asked:
"What is going on?"
Noctis stared at the disappearing moon with a dark expression, and then shivered.
"I… I guess Sevras had a trick of his own up his sleeve. I did not expect him to get his hands on a piece of Shadow's domain, though… how is this even possible?"
Seeing a lost expression on the sorcerer's face, Sunny growled:
"How severe is your Flaw? How weak are you going to be when the moon is fully gone? What do we do now?!"
The fleet of the Ivory City was still closing the distance to obliterate them, so there was no time to waste. They had a few moments before the clash, at best. He had to know what was going on…
Noctis glanced at the dimming moon for one more second, then turned away and sighed.
"Well…"
A pale smile appeared on his lips.
"...Do you guys remember how I told you that I will take care of both Solvane and Sun Prince while you distract their armies?"
The sorcerer's smile grew wider, a mad glint appearing in his eyes.
"Change of plans! You will have to keep the Prince busy for a bit, too. I, uh… will try to deal with Solvane. Best of luck to you, my friends! And to me, as well…"
With that, he stepped out of the magical circle and gestured for Cassie to grab the oars, which she hurriedly did. A moment later, Noctis was already standing on the bort of the ship, his raven black hair dancing in the wind.
Sunny opened his eyes wide and screamed:
"Wait! How the hell are we supposed to keep a Transcendent busy?!"
The sorcerer threw a quick glance over his shoulder and laughed.
"I don't know! Figure something out… try to stab him with my knife, maybe? No, stabbing that steel behemoth won't do anything…"
With that, he simply took a step forward and fell down, disappearing in the darkness and the howling wind without a trace.
Just like that, Noctis was gone.
Sunny stared at the empty space where the sorcerer had been just a moment ago with a stunned expression. His momentary stupor was broken by Cassie's shout:
"Sunny! There are only a few seconds left! What do we do?!"
The blind girl was controlling the flying ship, desperately trying to right its course so that it wouldn't take the full brunt of the armada's siege weapons all at once. Sunny had no idea how she was able to fly the ancient vessel without being able to see, and it did not matter right now. He hesitated for a moment, then turned away and let out a resentful growl.
"We follow the plan. Nothing really changed…"
Effie raised the Dusk Shard and asked, her voice grim:
"What about the big bastard?"
Sunny gritted his teeth.
"Last I checked, that monstrosity cannot fly. As long as we stay in the air, we should be fine…"
Cassie pushed one of the oars down, then frowned. Her voice sounded hesitant:
"But how do we stop him from going after Noctis?"
He looked at her, then cursed.
"No idea! Shoot him with the damned bolt thrower! The big one!"
With that, Sunny left the blind girl behind and rushed forward.
The enemy ships were already close… close enough for him to feel shadows dancing on their decks.
Which meant that it was time for him, Effie, and Kai to join the fight…
***
A large fleet was closing in on a swift vessel, its formation in a mess because of the fourteen ghastly stone abominations wreaking havoc on the flying ships. Each of the massive gargoyles bore the soul of a vile Corrupted creature, so their might and ferocity were terrifying — not entirely on par with the original fiends that Noctis had slain, but close to it.
And yet, they alone were not enough. In fact, the fourteen gargoyles were merely a distraction.
The main strike was yet to come.
As the graceful ship came within range of the fleet's siege weapons, it dove down, and at the same time, several figures jumped off its deck into the air.
A few moments later, the air was suddenly filled with the smell of blood.
The captain of one of the vessels shouted something, pointing upward. Then, however, he swayed and fell down, his neck pierced by an arrow. At the same time, something fell from above… it was a young girl carrying a heavy round shield. Just above her, a man in a charred wooden mask hovered in the air, already drawing the string of his bow once again.
Effie, who had been tossed down by Kai, hit the deck of the ship, slid on the Dusk Shard for a moment, then rolled and jumped to her feet, the runic spear in her hand glowing with an angry red light. That shine only grew brighter when the spear pierced a man's chest and was painted with crimson blood.
As another Awakened toppled over with a scream, struck down by an arrow. Effie twisted and shook her spear, throwing the corpse of her first victim at the rushing enemies. Her shield flashed, its rim crushing someone's chest. Then, an enemy blade fell from above, landing on her shoulder… and bounced off her skin, not leaving behind even a scratch.
A split second later, the attacker was already dead, and the young girl continued her slaughter, fighting like a demon released from the depths of hell… like a perfect vessel of war.
There were only two pupils of the Red Sect left alive in the whole world, after all. One of them was Solvane…
And the other was here on the ship, killing Solvane's followers one after another with a feral grin on her childish face.
If warriors on the other vessels of the fleet could have seen what was happening, they would have felt lucky to be safe from the little beast and her guardian's deadly arrows…
But their relief would have been misplaced. Because the young warrior and the flying archer were not the only ones boarding the flying ships.
Much more terrifying than them…
Were the coming shadows.
Chapter 716: Head of the Snake
A swift figure streaked across the sky, and then, a black steed landed on the deck of a flying ship, its eyes burning with crimson light. The stallion had a coat that was as black as night, two horns of adamantine metal, and fangs that resembled those of a wolf.
On its back rode a graceful knight clad in onyx armor, the scarlet blade of her odachi matching two ruby lights shining behind the visor of her closed helmet. Without pause, the dark rider sent her steed forward, and her sword flashed, beheading the nearest warrior of the Sun Legion in one smooth strike.
The other Awakened froze for a moment, suddenly grasped by a cold feeling of dread.
And as fear crawled into their hearts, the terrifying crimson flames burning in the eyes of the tenebrous stallion ignited even brighter. It moved its head, biting into the neck of another soldier and tearing it wide open. More blood flowed onto the deck...
On another ship, the soldiers suddenly screamed and aimed their bows up as a massive shadow suddenly covered the deck.
But they were too late.
As a gale of wind raised by mighty wings threw some of them off their feet, a repulsive creature crashed into the deck. It resembled a giant lion with the head of a raven, its body gaunt and entirely black. The creature had two powerful hind legs and six limbs protruding from its wide chest, each ending with a set of long talons.
Lean muscles were rolling under its skin like worms, and its terrifying beak was open, revealing rows of sharp, needle-like fangs and a long tongue. Both the fangs and the tongue were of the same black color as the rest of the abominable monstrosity.
Using the momentary shock of the warriors, the Soul Serpent, who had assumed the form of a Spire Messenger, reached out with its six arms and sliced six bodies apart with its talons. Blood sprayed into the air, and a chilling, ghastly wail escaped from its beak.
…And lastly, on the stern of yet another ship, a towering devil wearing black armor simply appeared out of the shadow, silently and without anyone noticing him for a split second.
That one second was enough for a bolt of lightning to fly off his bow and hit a warrior in red armor that had been preparing to pull the lever of a ballista on the bow of the ship. Instantly, arcs of furious radiance chained to a dozen nearest soldiers, killing several, burning a few, and stunning the rest.
Dismissing Morgan's Warbow, Sunny dashed forward and brandished the Cruel Sight, as well as the austere tachi he held in the other two of his four hands. He knew that his time was short… yes, Sunny was powerful, and so were his Shadows. But when the defenders of the Ivory City recovered from the initial shock, they were going to show that each of them was an Awakened, too.
And then, who knew how long he would be able to survive?
The first thing to do was to cut off the head of the snake…
Ramming into a tall soldier with his shoulder, Sunny sent him flying away and raised the Midnight Shard for a devastating downward slash. The captain of the ship — a grey-haired man with a noble face and a thick beard — reacted too fast, throwing his own sword up to block the attack.
However, the tachi never came down… if Sunny really wanted to attack it with it, he would have never telegraphed his strike so clearly. Instead, the Cruel Sight shot forward from below, piercing the captain through the chest. Infused with divine flame, it easily went through his armor and flesh, killing the man on the spot.
The Warmonger only had time to look at Sunny with eyes clouded by pain… and smile happily. Then, he fell down like a tree that had been cut down by an axe.
'Damned crazies…'
The captain was dead, which would make things easier for Sunny. However, there were still dozens of Awakened warriors on the deck of the ship, now fully aware of his presence and clamoring to spill his blood. Sunny had fought plenty of Solvane's followers in the Red Colosseum, and knew very well how skilled and powerful they were.
He was not sure of his ability to survive a battle against that many, especially now that he had no shadows augmenting his body.
Three of them were with Saint, Serpent, and Nightmare, and the fourth one lay on the bloodied deck behind him to serve as his eyes. With the enemy possessing such a terrible numeric advantage, he judged that being aware of his surroundings would be more useful than a bit of physical might.
…Regardless, Sunny was not going to fight them all unless he absolutely had to.
Throwing the captain's corpse out of his way with a powerful kick, Sunny dashed forward… and grabbed one of the steering oars the man had been holding.
He might not have known how to fly a ship, but from watching Noctis and Cassie do it, he at least knew how to crash one.
As the Shadow Lantern appeared on his belt and devoured all light nearby, thus hiding him in a cloud of darkness and making it harder for the archers to hit him, Sunny pulled the steering oar all the way to the right.
Slowly, the flying ship started to turn left, going off course and breaking formation.
A few arrows zipped past Sunny, one bouncing off his helmet and throwing his head back. He could see ten or so of the closest Warmongers already running at him, and further back, even more rushing to join their comrades. Those who had been stunned by the Strike of Thunder were coming to their senses, as well.
'Crap…'
Forced to keep the oar in place and thus immobilized, he gritted his teeth and threw the Cruel Sight as a javelin, aiming to kill the nearest of the approaching enemies. However, his spear simply froze in the air, as if the attackers were surrounded by an invisible barrier.
In the next moment, a ball of furious light invaded the cloud of darkness that protected him, dimming somewhat, but not disappearing instantly.
That was the problem with fighting against Awakened… every one of them had an Aspect, and each Aspect was unique, making them excruciatingly unpredictable and hard to deal with.
As more arrows were aimed at his head, Sunny cursed, let go of the oar… and dissolved into shadows.
Left with no one to hold it in place, the steering oar returned to its natural position.
...But the damage was already done.
Before anyone could get to it, the flying ship careened… and rammed straight into the side of another one, piercing it with the metal beak of the forward ram and wedging itself deep into the allied vessel.
Both ships were heavily damaged by the collision, but the situation was still not unsalvageable. If an experienced captain acted with haste, at least one, or maybe even both vessels could be saved.
…But before that could happen, a four-armed demon suddenly appeared from the shadows on the stern of the rammed ship.
And a few moments later, its captain was dead, too.
Just like that, Sunny had doomed two ships and a hundred souls to death with two strikes of his weapons.
He glanced into the night sky for a moment and groaned.
'Just ninety-something or so left... great!'
A muffled, mad laugh suddenly escaped from his lips.
Chapter 717: Slick With Blood
As a hundred souls plummeted to their deaths in a rain of wooden debris, the four-armed devil who had doomed them to death laughed madly.
Of course, he was falling with the rest… but, unlike most of the warriors on the broken ship, the devil had long grown accustomed to plummeting from great heights. After all, he had once spent a whole month falling into the endless darkness of the Sky Below.
Dissolving into the shadows, Sunny appeared on the deck of the nearest ship. His sword flashed, ending the life of a Sun Legion soldier that stood in his way and sending blood spraying into the night air. There was only a moment before the enemies would shrug off the shock of his sudden arrival… and so, he did not waste any time.
Lunging forward, Sunny struck another warrior in the back with the Cruel Sight, slashed the Midnight Shard across the throat of an enemy archer, and wrapped his tail around the neck of a third soldier. Sending the last one overboard with a powerful throw, he bared his teeth and briefly glanced into the night sky.
Out there in the lightless void, Effie and Kai had managed to slaughter the entire crew of one of the ships and sent the vessel crashing into the rest of the formation. The little girl jumped off the rails at the last moment, and the swift archer caught her, carrying both of them away, toward the next target.
The ship where Saint and Nightmare landed was silent and dark, with not a soul moving on it. Everyone was already dead, and the vessel was careening to the side, ready to plummet down. The black courser galloped across the bloody deck and soared into the sky, breaching a gap of a hundred meters with a single jump and landing among fearful Awakened on a different ship. Saint's scarlet odachi flashed…
The Soul Serpent crashed on the deck of another flying vessel, the previous one he had visited breaking apart as it fell into the darkness. Before the warriors could react to the appearance of the ghastly abomination, its shape suddenly shifted, turning into a mass of liquid darkness. Then, the darkness flowed into a figure of a menacing knight, his black armor forged from a lusterless, anthracite steel and decorated with intricate engravings. The great sword of the knight rose and fell like a guillotine, severing flesh and bone.
Sunny grinned.
'Not bad…'
Effie and Kai had taken out two ships, while he and his Shadows took out four. The gargoyles had destroyed even more… at this rate, obliterating the entire fleet was not going to be as impossible as it had seemed.
But, of course, that was just an illusion.
The main reason for that was a simple but inescapable fact… that their reserves of essence were not going to last that long. Every time Sunny used Shadow Step to travel between ships, he wasted a big chunk of his… not to mention the fact that using multiple active enchantments at the same time was constantly draining it, as well. The Shadow Lantern was especially gluttonous.
Every time Serpent killed an enemy, a small amount of essence flowed into Sunny's cores. However, the formless Shadow was consuming its own essence at a terrible speed — not only did it have to expend it to maintain the form of other creatures, but using their Abilities had a cost, too. The Soul Serpent was not going to be able to keep it up for long.
The second reason was that for now, the cohort had the element of surprise on their side. As soon as the fleet realized what was happening, taking down the ships were going to grow much, much harder.
So, all Sunny could do was deliver as much damage as he could, as fast as he could… and then hope for a miracle.
Of course, with his luck, chances were that he would have to create that miracle himself.
…Killing another enemy, Sunny threw his corpse aside and dashed toward the captain of the ship, hoping to slay him and sow discord in the coordination of the vessel's crew. However, this time, he failed to behead the snake with one swift strike — the officer of the Sun Legion that commanded the ship deflected his attack with frightening ease, and then delivered a blow of his own, throwing Sunny back.
An angry hiss escaped from his lips.
'Damnation!'
The captain… was an Ascended, and one of remarkable might, as well.
Throwing a quick glance at the dozens of warriors surrounding him, Sunny gritted his teeth…
And fought.
He fought, fought, fought… as he had in front of the Gate in the waking world, surrounded from all sides by Nightmare Creatures… using everything he had, every trick and deception he could muster, and every little bit of skill and experience he had earned in the past years.
Soon, the deck of the ship grew slick with blood, most of it human, but not all.
There were a few drops of his own mixed into it, as well, shining with the invisible light of divinity.
Sunny killed as many enemies as he could, and then killed even more. The Mantle of the Underworld rang as a rain of blows landed on it, a few blades finding their way through the thin cracks and biting into his flesh. He spun and danced, reaping lives and jumping through shadows to avoid being entirely surrounded. The Awakened warriors were bad enough…
But their Ascended captain was simply a menace. No matter what Sunny did, the man simply shrugged off all the attacks and pursued, closing distance in a split second no matter how far away from himSunny jumped. This could not go on any longer…
'I… I need to kill this bastard… now…'
Once again forced to cross blades with the Ascended and struggling to withstand the blow, Sunny activated the [Gates of Shadow] enchantment, drowning his immediate surrounding in darkness. The soldiers stumbled, failing to adjust in time. The Ascended, however, had already learned of this ability of his and continued to attack, as though his eyes could adapt to the lack of light.
This would have been very bad for Sunny... if he had not counted on exactly that fact.
Deactivating the enchantment abruptly, he poured his essence into the Cruel Sight instead. Instantly, the darkness was replaced by a flash of brilliant sunlight. The captain might have been able to adjust his eyes to see in the dark… but could he do the reverse in an instant?
Surprised by the sudden burst of radiant light, the Ascended was blinded for a second. And a second was all Sunny needed…
Guided by shadow sense, his spear shot forward, and pierced the man's heart. A pulse of divine flame was all it took to make the terrible wound inescapably lethal.
The rest was if not easy, then at least simple. Sunny faced the remaining soldiers of the crew and slaughtered them one after another. He was this close to victory when his shadow noticed something streaking through the air, aimed at his back.
Sunny flinched, then fell sideways. In the next moment, a massive bolt flew past and struck one of the warriors in the abdomen, throwing the man back like a rag doll and pinning him to the mast, which then exploded into splinters and toppled.
Sunny's eyes grew wider.
...It seemed that the defenders of the Ivory City had finally understood the nature of the threat facing them and responded to it.
Two more ships were hovering some distance away, both aiming their ballistae, as well as numerous arrows, at one spot…
Him.
Sunny gritted his teeth, and then dashed forward as fast as he could…
'Crap!'
Chapter 718: Heavenly Carnage
Sunny rolled over his shoulder, and just as he did, countless arrows hit the deck in the spot where he had been just a split second ago. Sent from powerful bows made for Awakened archers, each carried enough force to pierce plate armor with ease. Of course, the Mantle of the Underworld was not just any armor…
And yet, Sunny was extremely apprehensive of the threat posed by archers. Being battered by a rain of arrows was going to take a toll on his body, and all it took was for one to slide into the slit of his visor… not to mention that there were all kinds of Aspects the enemy could possess, and all kinds of runes the bows and the arrows could be enchanted with.
The heavy javelins sent flying by the bolt throwers came next...
Streaking through the air with terrifying speed, they hit the ship like missiles. Each possessed enough momentum to tear a hole in the deck, sending an explosion of splinters into the air. Sunny was not sure if he would be able to survive being hit by something like that, so he took no risks, diving into the shadows and turning into one of them.
The wisest move right now would have been to step onto the deck of a different ship… however, only the two attacking vessels were close enough to not require a truly vast expenditure of essence to perform a jump, and their crews were undoubtedly already prepared to resist an assault.
Plus, Sunny was reluctant to leave without killing the remaining soldiers and destroying the ship completely. He had a very good reason for that.
While the gargoyles and the four boarding parties were harassing the formation and slowly whittling down the number of enemy vessels… the fleet's main target still remained the same.
All of them were attacking the graceful ship with a beautiful tree growing around its mast, surrounding it like a murder of hungry crows.
Cassie was the fifth and final part of the cohort's assault force, and the one in the most danger. While Sunny and the rest fought with the soldiers of the defending fleet… she was battling the fleet itself.
Guided by her hand, the sorcerer's ship maneuvered between the enemy vessels, barely dodging constant shots of their harpoons and siege weapons while responding with its own attacks from time to time. The bolts sent by its ballistae were much more devastating due to runes carved into them by Noctis, taking whole chunks out of the enemy ships or obliterating them completely. It was larger, faster, and much more durable…
But it was also alone against countless foes.
As Sunny rushed through the shadows toward the stern, he caught a glimpse of the graceful ship as it dove down, the figures of Sailor Dolls bracing themselves against rails and releasing the strings of their powerful bows. There were deep scratches on its hull and holes in its sails, dozens of arrows sticking out of the deck like needles… but it was still in one piece.
Due to Cassie's intuition and uncanny Aspect Ability, she had been able to predict and avoid the enemy attacks, at least to some degree… for now. But the pressure on the lonely ship was mounting with each second, and no matter how many enemy vessels she destroyed, this deadly aerial dance could not continue much longer.
Knowing that, the young woman threw the ship into a dive, falling from the dark sky like a star. She was leading the fleet down, toward the surface, where she would be able to maneuver between the flying islands and use their solid mass as a shield.
That was extremely dangerous, since any ship moving that low ran a risk of crashing into an island or, even worse, into one of the heavenly chains. But Cassie had no choice… she had to limit the amount of vessels that had a direct line of sight of her ship if she wanted to turn the threat posed by the enemy's overwhelming numerical advantage from insurmountable to simply lethal.
She was barely hanging on to life…
And so, Sunny could not allow himself to leave this ship before it was disposed of completely. Sure, it was already damaged, and the few soldiers that still lived were not going to be able to both control it and mount the onagers and ballistae… but it would take just one heroic fool with a death wish to ram the damaged vessel into Cassie, taking out the main force of their small army.
Emerging from the shadows at the stern, Sunny used the second or two it took the enemy archers to notice him and take aim again to push one of the steering oars all the way up, wedge the Prowling Thorn into the wood, and then secure the handle of the oar in place with the invisible string attached to the heavy kunai.
The ship shuddered, and then its bow turned down, sending it into a downward dive. Sunny made it just in time — not a moment after he finished the task, a heavy arrow hit him in the back, sending a jolt of pain and a concussive shock running through his body.
He was roughly thrown forward and hit the deck, which was slowly turning into a vertical wall. Sunny allowed himself to slide down, dodging a few more arrows that way, and saw the remaining soldiers falling into the night sky with terrified screams.
A feral grin appeared on his face.
'Done!'
It was time for him to abandon the ship, as well…
By pure conscience, at that very moment, the falling vessel happened to be at the same altitude as the descending ship that Cassie controlled. Pushing himself off the deck to dive into the shadows, Sunny noticed the massive siege engine on the bow of the sorcerer's ship take aim at an enemy boat. It seemed as if another enemy was going to be destroyed in a second...
Then, however, Cassie suddenly gave up on the sure-shot and threw the ship into a desperate spin, changing course so abruptly that one of the Sailor Dolls was thrown overboard.
Sunny frowned.
'What…'
Before he could finish the thought...
The vessel he was still standing on suddenly exploded into debris as something massive tore through it at a stunning speed and then streaked through the lightless sky, missing Cassie's ship by a hair's breadth. Instead, the thing hit one of the sorcerer's gargoyles and obliterated it completely, turning the terrifying creature into a cloud of stone dust in a blink of an eye.
It was only a second later, when Sunny found himself falling down with nothing there to support his weight anymore, that he registered what the thing was.
…It was a narrow pillar of polished steel, at least fifty meters in length, that ended in a sharp point. That pillar, it looked like… like…
Like a javelin worthy of a giant.
Stunned, Sunny turned his head and looked in the direction of the Ivory City as he fell.
His eyes widened.
He did not like what he saw.
...He did not like it at all.
Chapter 719: Dark Side of the Moon
Out there in the distance, just outside of the Ivory City, a steel colossus towered above a desolate island, his gargantuan body shrouded in darkness. The terrible wound delivered to him by Noctis was mostly repaired, with broken scaffolds hanging from the giant where he had torn himself out of them to join the battle. However, he was still missing an arm.
The face of the giant was stoic and unmoving, and his eyes drowned in deep shadows. In front of him, dozens of enormous javelins were thrust into the soil, each tall enough to dwarf a siege tower. As Sunny looked, Sun Prince calmly grabbed one of them, then pulled it out of the ground and moved his hand up, preparing to make another throw.
'...Crap!'
Plummeting down, Sunny balanced himself in the air and then dove in a certain direction. A few moments later, he crashed into a large fragment of the destroyed ship's hull and disappeared, diving into the shadows on its surface.
In a blink of an eye, Sunny rolled onto the deck of one of the two attacking vessels and jumped to his feet, ready to fight.
He could not do anything to the steel colossus… all he could do was continue playing his part and prey that Cassie manages to survive. If she failed to draw the giant's attention away from Noctis, all of them were going to die… but he could not do anything about that, either.
Sunny could make sure that there were fewer enemy ships pursuing her, however, and that was what he intended to do.
Killing things was one of his greatest talents, after all.
With a loud roar, he dashed forward, toward a battle formation of Awakened soldiers. Unlike the crews of the ships he had destroyed already, these warriors had been waiting for an attack, and so were prepared… but it would not save them.
They were still going to die.
Just a split second before the four-armed devil collided against the front row of the enemy, a sickening feeling suddenly permeated their souls, sapping their hands of strength and filling them with insidious pain. Augmented by the [Underworld Armament] enchantment of the onyx armor, the Broken Oath spread its eroding influence, slowly destroying the very souls of everyone around Sunny.
…Of course, his own soul was being damaged as well. But it was much stronger than that of mere beasts, and protected by the Mantle of the Underworld on top of that. He was not going to be able to endure the effect of the vile charm for long, but that did not matter. He just needed to last longer than his enemies.
Turning the Cruel Sight into a sword and summoning the Patient Avenger into a free hand, Sunny crashed into the formation of weakened enemies and spun, dancing as he sowed death among them. His two blades and his tail moved as if possessing their own lives, and the charred kite shield soon started to emanate an angry orange glow as a rain of strikes fell on it.
As it did, the blade of the Cruel Sight suddenly shone with incandescent white light, and the austere tachi with dim orange one. Infused with flames — one divine, the other mundane — both blades cut through steel armor as if it was made of paper. Screams of terror and agony rose above the deck of the flying ship, disappearing into the moonless night.
…Similar slaughter was happening on other ships of the fleet, as well.
Effie was rampaging on a slippery deck, moving like a wrecking ball across its blood-soaked surface. When someone tried to attack her from the back, they were killed by sharp arrows falling from the darkness. Kai moved swiftly above the ship, dodging enemy archers and never missing a kill shot. He was dealing almost as much damage as the feral girl.
Just like what had happened to Sunny, other vessels moved to assist the one where the two were fighting. But as they did, a black steed landed on the deck of one, while a dark abomination with the head of a raven landed on another. For a few minutes, the defensive formation was in chaos, and then, even more ships had to abandon the hunt for the graceful vessel of the traitorous sorcerer to come to their rescue.
When they did, however, the stone gargoyles attacked them, causing even more mayhem.
Some distance away, Cassie had managed to reach the Sky Below and was now being pursued in a deadly race between the flying islands, causing several of the enemy ships to break apart as they collided with the heavenly chains and allowing the Sailor Dolls to shoot several more down with the siege engines.
Down there, she was protected both from the unobstructed attacks of the fleet and from the steel giant's javelins.
For a moment, things seemed to be going well…
But that was exactly the problem.
Left without a target, the steel colossus threw two more javelins, destroying one or two gargoyles with each of throw, and then paused, his gaze traveling across the lightless islands.
Just as it did, one of them quaked viciously, and a large chunk of it suddenly crumbled, falling into the abyss of the Sky Below in a cloud of stone debris. The heavenly chain attached to it was released and whipped across the sky, pulverizing a couple of unfortunate ships that happened to be in its way.
Then, something strange happened.
The shadow devouring the moon finally spread across all of it, leaving nothing but an empty circle of darkness on the surface of the night sky. But then, that circle suddenly became infused with a dim red glow, and the moon slowly revealed itself once again. Only now, it was not silver anymore…
Instead, the moon was red as blood, and drowned the whole world in an eerie crimson radiance.
…Still fighting on the deck of the ship and being poisoned by the soul erasure of the Broken Oath, Sunny spared a moment to glance at the sky, and then pulled his attention back to the battle. Moving through the dim crimson light, he killed another human, gritted his teeth, and then thought:
'I wonder… If this… is good news for us, or bad…'
A distance away, Sun Prince stared at the crimson moon for a few moments, as well. Then, he shifted his gaze back to the broken island…
And raised his hand, aiming a javelin at something only he could see on its dark, shattered surface.