The human formation seed to be balancing on the very edge of collapse.
It was at that mont that Nephis, who had been calmly ditating through all of that, suddenly opened her eyes.
In them, two blinding white flas were burning. Her pale face beca illuminated by this radiance, like that of a rciless celestial creature.
Turning to Sunny, she remained silent for a mont, and then said:
"It's ti."
He sighed.
Indeed, it was ti for the two of them to enter the fray and play their roles.
As Neph stood up and summoned her sword, he flexed his shoulders and stretched his neck. The Midnight Shard, however, remained hidden in the depths of the Shadow Core.
Sunny glanced at Cassie, hesitated for a few seconds, and then smiled.
"Hey, Cas. I'll… see you on the other side, I guess."
She lingered for a bit, then nodded slowly and turned away.
He sighed.
"That's my cue, I guess—"
"I see you guys are finally moving."
Sunny let out a tired sigh, "Can you at least let finish?"
Asher frowned, "I did."
Sunny walked over to the edge of the coral mound and jumped down. it was useless to argue with that guy anyway.
"I'll et you in the spire."
With that, he turned in the direction of the battlefield and inhaled deeply.
He turned back up looking at Asher one last ti, "Don't die. I an it."
Stepping into the darkness, he suddenly beca almost invisible. The shadows embraced him as one of their own, hiding his figure and movents. Veiled in their embrace, he steeled his will and dashed toward the battlefield.
Of course, with Asher's eyes, he could follow Sunny without much worry.
e turned to Nephis, who had stretched just enough to flex her muscles before the leap. He summoned the Dao, and Boomlet hovered faithfully at his side.
"Shall we?" he asked.
Nephis t his gaze for a heartbeat, then nodded. With a blur, she jumped first, her blade ablaze with searing white flas that carved through the air.
Asher allowed himself a small, grim smile. He looked at Cassie. "I don't think I'll be an idiot this ti."
Her lips lifted in a faint, knowing smile.
He turned forward, eyes sweeping the battlefield below.
"I just hope you made the right choice, Cas," he muttered.
Cassie's brows shot up in surprise, but there was no ti for words.
Asher leapt.
The wind tore past her, tugging at her hair, whipping over the battlefield. Her chest tightened, her fingers curled involuntarily. Her heart pounded so loudly she feared it might betray her panic.
"No way…" she whispered, disbelief slipping into fear.
He knows.
He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows.
Her mind spiraled. Panic flared hot, squeezing her thoughts into frantic knots.
'How?!'
How did he know? Did he… did he also know Sunny's true na? And if he did… how?
Her fingers twitched again, gripping nothing, grasping at invisible threads of control. But, her plan?!
If he understood, did he intend to intervene? No, no… he asked if she had made the right choice. That ant… he wasn't intervening. Right? RIGHT?!
She drew ragged breaths, in and out, trying to ground herself, trying to slow the torrent of terror. But each heartbeat only echoed louder, reminding her of the fragility of the mont.
Asher's role… he had always been in her vision. At first, she thought Sunny had killed Gunlaug—but no. It had been Asher. And at the end of the dream, it was him again. She was certain of it.
The void. The Abyss.
It wasn't a coincidence—that had to be his true na.
'A void that consus all.'
Her mind recoiled at the thought. What was Asher going to do? What could he do? What could she do?
Her stomach twisted. Fear coiled around her chest, tightening with every passing second.
Was Nephis going to be fine? Was... Sunny going to be fine? Was he going to be fine?
She was scared. Terrified. And she couldn't stop it.
***
Almost at the sa mont, the darkness behind Sunny was obliterated by a blinding eruption of light. The battlefield itself seed to pause, then roar louder than before as Nephis descended into the fray, her blazing sword carving a line of dawn through the abyss.
Changing Star had finally joined the fight.
A heartbeat later, hundreds of voices rose as one—hoarse, desperate, but thunderous in their fury. The army had been monts from collapse, but her presence reignited them like dry tinder to fla.
But it wasn't just her.
A different pressure rippled through the battlefield. The weight of his presence pressed down like an invisible storm.
Asher tightened his grip on [Cicada's Cry]. Gravity rippled outward from him, twisting the air, augnting his body until his limbs thrumd with power. Three tis stronger. Any more, and his body would break apart. For now, this was his limit.
Nightmare Creatures lunged for him—hulking, grotesque things with too many claws and too many eyes. He couldn't crush them directly; they were ranked too high. He pulled his hand up, pushing a sleeper away from a threating maw. He was still thinking. He could sowhat influence the weaker sleepers since they were the sa rank as him but had a lower class. But...
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
His eyes flashed the front, calculating the most direct path through the mob of monsters.
Cicada's Cry howled as he waded forward, each slash angled for joints, throats, the softest flesh. Monsters collapsed under him, their legs severed, their wings shredded, their weight turned against them. He was moving toward the front. Toward where he could let loose.
Back across the whirlpool of black water, the Drear Army was still furiously resisting the horde of Nightmare Creatures. By now, all of the monsters had left the coral bridge and descended upon the Sleepers, consud by the mad desire for human flesh.
There was no distinction between the first and the second line now. All those still alive were engulfed by the bloody chaos of the slaughter, desperately trying to survive in the midst of absolute chaos.
Asher rose above them, wings of gravity carrying him aloft. His blade beca a cot of silver, streaking through the air.
[You have slain a…]
[You have slain a…]
[You have slain a…]
Deford bats, locusts the size of horses, and chittering, alien beasts fell from the skies in a rain of shredded wings.
The Sleepers glanced up. To the center, Nephis blazed, untouchable. But near her, another shadow carved through the heavens. His abilities weren't beautiful—they were brutal. Corpses hung suspended midair, skewered by their own mandibles, before Asher hurled them down like boulders.
Then, Boomlet's shrill cry cut through the din:
[Don't stop shooting, wretches! I can dodge the arrows just fine!]
The archers startled, then gritted their teeth and obeyed. They loosed. Mundane arrows and fanged replacents scread through the sky. A few missed—at first. But gravity bent them back. They curled, snapped, and spun in midair, ripping into monsters that had thought themselves safe.
One by one, winged horrors were shredded from above.
And then, it began to rain.
Blood.
All colors. Viscous Black. Scarlet streaks. Sickly green. Purple sludge. It fell in torrents, splattering armor, soaking the sand, staining every inch of the battlefield.
The Drear Army roared, their cries drowned beneath the rain of gore.
Above it all, Asher rose higher, casting his gaze on the entire battlefield.
He glanced at his hands. They dripped, slick with blood that wasn't his. Red, black, and colors that had no na. His stomach twisted, his throat burning. For an instant, he wanted to wretch.
But he forced it down.
His face hardened, returning to that cold, impassive mask.
"…Just a bit more."
______
[A/N: If I reach 216 PS by the end of today... I may think of a double chapter tmrw...]
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