Shadow Slave Cinema (reaction fanfic)-Chapter 16: Shadow Frenzy

The wind crashed furiously into the colossal figure of the shadow of Condemnation, shattering against its dark nebulous bulwark in a litany of chilling wails. The radiant trail of essence shrouding the colossal shadow was torn apart and scattered, submerging the world in impenetrable darkness once again.

For now. A powerful gust slammed into Sunny's back, almost making him stagger. As it did, a few more sparks of light shot past him. The particles of pure essence were being carried by the wind, moving at astonishing speed. Even more shocking was the fact that they were somehow able to affect the material plane — otherwise, there would not have been a new scratch on his vambrace. Far below, countless such particles were striking the body of Condemnation, producing tiny sparks when colliding with cold stone. The body of the Cursed Tyrant was too vast to notice it yet, but when the swirling mass of the essence storm arrived...

Sunny shuddered. No wonder the mysterious archer had rushed to seek shelter. Having survived in the Shadow Realm for thousands of years, they must have known how to survive the passing of a storm well. It was just that this time, they had been caught in the open, riding a colossal shadow far above ground — that was why the archer chose to dive into the depths of Condemnation despite how perilous it seemed.

'No, that's not quite right...'

The radiant storm clouds were still some distance away, so was there really a need to act so decisively? Suddenly, Sunny felt a chilling sense of urgent danger. Spinning around...

He just barely had time to see a swirling torrent of silver sparks rushing at him on the wind currents. A split second later, the light had already reached Sunny and passed through him, disappearing into the darkness of the distant sky. Sunny let out an inhuman shriek and fell, clutching desperately at his chest. The claws of the Mantle's armored gauntlet dug into his skin, leaving deep cuts on its surface.

"Aaaargh!" He almost bit off his tongue from the harrowing pain.

The particles of soul essence had pierced his body, entering his chest and exiting from his back... however, they were so infinitely small that even being pierced by a hundred of them did not deal his body any lasting damage. But... The same could not be said about his soul. It was shredded and ravaged by hundreds of radiant blades, torn asunder and mangled terribly, whole swaths of it being utterly destroyed. It was as if his soul was hit by a wave of explosive shrapnel.

Everyone helplessly watched as Sunny screamed from the pain of scream, a mixture of concern, awe and some hidden amusement. Rain was especially troubled by the sight as her face twitched into a pained expression, wanting to do something, anything to help him.

But all she could do was helplessly spectate the scene.

Utterly weak and powerless as always, her despair and self-loathing at her incompetence to act out and not be a victim of circumstance, only growing. Her Shadow offered no attention or reassurance, as it also looked at the scene in concentration, seemingly drawn in by the spectacle of events it had never seen or experienced.

A hand landed softly on her own, as she turned to the side and saw Ananke looking at her with a reassuring smile, slightly calming her down.

To her side, Nephis was not doing any better.

The sight was troubling to watch with her growing feelings and perception of him, but more troubling was her body's reaction which betrayed no ignorance to oblivion. Everytime his wails pierced the room and his body convulsed in pain, her body would react, as her fingers twitched in agitation.

Her eyes narrowed in concern,

'Am I trying....to heal him?'

Their bond seemed to go even deeper than she imagined, as even her body unconsciously was grieved by his state, wanting to seemingly act out of instinct to heal him....and help him. Her lips curled in agitation, as her grip on her armrests tightened. She detested being in such a helpless state at the behest of something she valued being tormented before her.

A large hand landed on her shoulder, momentarily disrupting the ugly butterflies in her stomach.

"He'll be fine, he's probably the hardest bug to kill in all worlds" Effie murmured in reassurance, her face firm. Nephis looked at her with confusion and relief, slightly perturbed by a sentence that wasn't lewd or provocative that came out of her mouth. But it was a welcomed comment that brought her calming reassurance.

Cassie nodded in agreement, "My intuition also says the same.." she chimed in, nodding in affirmation.

"Too weird to live, but too rare to die....or was it too angry to die? Either way, I doubt such a spiteful person would go out like that" Kai commented, a hopeful smile on his face.

"..."

"Well, I hope not" he muttered quickly, his attempt at bravado slipping into quiet concern.

Jet clicked her tongue, "If he is a streetrat like me, then he didn't escape that hell just to roll over and die"

Nephis briefly looked at them as they stared at the screen, their eyes filled with hope, a desire to see him live and triumph like he always had. A rare, and honest smile found itself on her face, unseen by anyone as their attention remained glued to the scene.

It seemed she had forgotten that she wasn't alone anymore.

She had friends who shared and accepted her, a healing and accepting warmth that didn't come from her flames. And for the first time in four years, he wasn't fighting alone. Though he didn't know....they were watching him, cheering him.

"Please don't die Sunny.." she quietly whispered.

Whether the people in the theatre held disdain or admiration for Sunny through pieces and glimpses of his tumultuous life, their differences and ideologies were briefly cast aside in that moment. In that fleeting moment, beneath the weight of silence and held breaths, something unspoken connected them all—a humane emotion. Whether they saw him as a hero, a villain, or something in between, none could deny the fire he carried, the relentless will that had defied fate time and time again. He had stumbled, suffered, and endured where others would have long since broken. And now, as he stood at the precipice once more, facing an impossible trial, they did not just watch—they willed him forward. Because if there was one undeniable truth about Sunny, it was this:

He would never submit.

Not to Fate.

Not to the world.

Not to anyone.

And he wouldn't start now.

At this point, most beings would have simply died, their souls crumbling due to the scope of sustained damage. However, Sunny's soul was held together by Soul Weave — it could maintain its integrity no matter how much of it was destroyed, as long as at least a small part of it remained. So, despite writing in terrible pain, he was still alive.

'Curse it all...'

Sunny had to escape. This first torrent of pure essence was merely a harbinger of what was to come... soon, there would be more and more such swirling flashes of light being carried by the hurricane wind, and before too long, the shadow of Condemnation would plunge into the storm clouds. Then, nothing would be able to survive on its surface. Groaning, Sunny rolled onto his stomach, then pushed his body to the edge of the obsidian island.

As he crawled, a few more sparks of essence pierced his arms and legs, bringing with them more pain.

'Curse it all!'

Finally, he reached the edge and pushed himself over it without hesitating even for a moment.

'Thank the gods...'

As Sunny fell into the depths of Condemnation, a cold darkness enveloped him. He could only vaguely see and sense the outside world. Out there, powerful gusts of wind crashed into the body of the colossal shadow, striking rains of sparks from its surface.

But here inside... Everything was silent and at peace.

A gust of relief traveled through the room, as people sighed in relief, their stress lessened by Sunny having escaped the unnatural natural disaster. Now that the danger had been averted, their minds focused as they pieced together the other information they had learned. Naturally Julius was the first to speak up.

"Are all Divine beings like this? How potent must his soul, or souls, be to withstand something that even a dead Sacred was fearful of?" he hummed in thought.

"Maybe he's just him" Luster grumbled in dejection, as Kim's hand quickly smacked the back of his head.

Morgan turned to Nephis with unreadable eyes, "Is such a thing normal?" she echoed, her tone cold, like a dirty cop searching for information.

All the other Saints leaned forward slightly, their eyes twinkling, hungry for information about the unfathomable Divine Aspect holders. Nephis valiantly remained unperturbed, as she considered something in silence before replying.

"I would have no way of knowing, any answer I give would just be an assumption"

"Assumptions and speculations are welcomed more than answers in science" Julius replied, his voice filled with amusement. Still, Nephis remained silent, both unwilling to divulge more information about the nature of her Aspect and to lower her guard.

"It would be that Soul Weave thing he mentioned" Mordret hummed, answering in Nephis's place, as he looked at Valor with strange eyes that evoked amusement and rage.

None of them took up his response, as they coldly stared back at him, causing him to shrug his shoulders.

"Strange, you ask for an answer, yet respond with such unfair brashness when you get one? So spoiled." he chortled, a smile of content on his face.

Morgan only stared at him with restrained wrath, unwilling to let her emotions get the better of her and fall for his goading, although she would love nothing more than to insult and denounce him. She simply held his gaze with narrowing eyes are her lips curled in disgust, only enlightening his mood.

"Do you have something similar then?" Seishan echoed with an equal tone.

Mordret paused before his smile widened, "I have no such thing as far as I can recall, but maybe I did and forgot, if my Aspect and Soul Sea are unsealed, I could possibly check for you." he cooed, looking up to the ceiling like a blissful puppy trying to please its owner.

The room however, did not respond to his request, causing him to slump his arms in disappointment.

"Then it's an exclusive attribute he has" Noctis replied with a smile

"Likely something related to Daemons..." Daeron echoed with a low voice.

Everyone stiffened at the comment. He already had Weaving which he somehow inherited from Weave, along with the Shadow Lineage. But now....there was more? It was like he was stacking cheat-like buffs.

Julius nodded with enthusiasm, "Rightfully said, it would then explain the unique nature of his skin and bones we saw in earlier viewings"

"So you're suggesting," Saint Cor said slowly, as if trying to process the absurdity, "that he doesn't just possess one, but three distinct, elusive attributes? Skin, bones, and now soul—all correlated with Daemons?"

"Well, it's just a working theory," Julius admitted, his excitement unfazed. "But who's to say it stops at three? What if there are more? For all we know, he could have seven unique attributes he hasn't revealed yet!" His enthusiasm was almost childlike, the fervor of a scientist uncovering an impossible discovery.

'Multiple attributes...'

"That would make him less of a human and more of a..." Kai hesitated, uneasy. "A Shadow Daemon."

"He's a damn good looking for a supposed Daemon" Effie retorted, folding her arms in protest

Rain shuddered at the phrase. Flashbacks of her brother's rambling filled her mind, sending a chill down her spine. A Nightmare creature playing human... Maybe she hadn't been too far off after all. But her unease was short and taken over by enthusiastic speculations.

What other attributes did he have? And if so, he could possibly share and bestow them on her, she almost drooled in bliss at the possibilities.

Gazes swept to Ananke for plausible answers, but she could only smile meekly and raise her arms in defeat, insinuating that she herself was oblivious to such matters.

Effie smirked as she nudged Nephis's shoulder, "So you fell in love with a Daemon, huh?"

"Your husband could say the same thing" Jet grumbled under her breath

Nephis looked at her blankly, "I still don't remember anything" she said flatly, causing Effie to narrow her eyes and scowl in disappointment.

Her reaction was a small victory for Nephis, but didn't deny that she was in fact harboring growing feelings for him, feelings that exponentially grew by every passing moment. She could only hope to learn more about him and their relationship, so the feelings were not kindled lies, or glimpses from what had been.

She wanted to love him for who he actually was to her, not from a fabricated truth that appeased and snared her feelings.

Nephis closed her eyes, as she processed the speculations from others.

Well, it didn't seem too far off, in fact....it was quite ironic in a humorous way. How could she have imagined that the one she had feelings for was someone with such a contrasting blasphemous origin.

She had no right to complain, as she herself held a connection to Nephilim.

One who held the lineage of the Sun God, who was the light, was infatuated with someone who held the lineage of the Shadow God, someone who lived by darkness?

Two beings with origins despised by both the Divine and the Profane. And yet, despite it all, they had found each other.

Fate seemed to have poetic tastes.

Poetic, but twisted.

Their attention wavered, as despite having seemingly found refuge and safety, the scene began to shift, alluding to a new unseen danger that Sunny had found himself in.

Everything was strange and alien. Everything was...

Beholden to a single foreign force. That force was the shadow of Condemnation, and nothing, not even laws of reality, could exist within it without being subjugated and subsumed by that force. The islands of glossy obsidian were now part of Condemnation. The vast expanse of ancient shadows was, as well. So were the pale light of the distant essence storms, the clouds of black dust, the fragments of broken winds, and the pieces of the silent sky... time and space themselves were consumed by the shadow of the dead deity, becoming parts of it. And naturally, now that Sunny was here... that invisible force had started to make him a part of itself, as well.

He was suddenly filled with horror.

That was because Sunny suddenly felt that his own body did not belong to him anymore. His hands were not his. Even though they were attached to him, they were not a part of him. His eyes belonged to someone else, gazing at the world with a cold and unfamiliar indifference. The heart beating in his chest was a foreign object. His chest, as well, was merely an external vessel.

His wounded soul was a small part of a much greater being, and he did not feel pain anymore, since even that pain did not belong to him. Even his mind was not his anymore, the thoughts entering it becoming alien one by one. His body shifted strangely, bending at unnatural angles. The invisible force was pulling it apart, the flesh straining on the verge of ripping, to better fit into the great structure of the shadow of Condemnation. His bones groaned, ready to break.

'D—damn it...'

Someone else's eyes widened in horror.

Someone else's mouth opened to let out a terrified scream.

Faces contorted in horror, as everyone clenched their seats. Despite being Awakened who had experienced their fair share of horrors and struggles, this was too much. It was almost unbearable to watch, like they were witnessing a live victim of the medieval Rack torture.

No, they were witnessing something worse than the Rack, as his limbs were not just being stretched, but also twisted and contorted into unnatural positions.

"Brother..." Rain whispered, her lips trembling as tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes, unable to contain her worry.

"Holy fuck.." Effie mumbled with remorse, as she quickly moved Ling back to her seat and covered his eyes. He didn't object, now shivering in fear as she leaned into her embrace.

"Is uncle Sunless hurting?" he shakingly whispered, tears now forming in his eyes.

Effie looked at him with remorse and even deeper sadness, unable to bring out her usual banterful spark. She could only pull him closer to hide his face, while brushing the top of his head, not wanting to show her weakness to her child.

"I-I..."

"...."

"....I don't know" she painfully whispered, aggressively wiping her face to rid the forming tears.

The rest of the cohort was doing no better, as Jet and Kai watched with a pained expression, while Cassie cupped her face in her palms, hiding herself as a sniffle sounded from between her fingers.

Nephis was by far the worst, as she couldn't escape her spot directly in the center at the front, with his pained face screaming in full view to her. Seemingly chained like a condemned soul in purgatory, she remained rooted to her seat as she endured her own torment of listening to his lonely and pained screams, her fingers now twitching even more.

Her flames could scorch cities, could reduce armies to ash. But here?

Here, they could do nothing.

Here, she could only sit, as his screams carved into her very bones.

Her heart and face, a mixture of pain and regret, both in not being able to do anything to help him, and being so confused and scared of the situation that she couldn't even spare him a tear.

Nobody else spoke up either, Luster now holding and comforting Kim, while Telle and Windflower watched silently in horror. Noctis now still, his face laced with an uncomfortable amount of concern, compared to his usual mask of joy and banter. The other Saints remained still, their faces a collective expression of complicated grimness and confusion. Even Mordret had a placant and distant look, but who knew what he was really thinking or feeling. The sick bastard might be enjoying the moment for all they cared.

Even Daeron, a king who had lived long and seen many atrocities, watched the scene with a subtle look of concern in his eyes.

"Ignite your will, set the world ablaze with your desire...."

It was merely a whisper, but in that moment, it was all he could offer.

And maybe... just maybe...

It was enough.

Having found safety from the essence storm within the shadow of Condemnation, Sunny ended up in a different, but equally dreadful peril. The dead deity subsumed everything around it to construct its gargantuan vessel. The great, nebulous body of Condemnation was built from things that had been torn from the fabric of the world to become parts of the colossal shadow instead. And so, Sunny was currently being torn apart and subsumed, as well. His body, his soul, his mind... everything was slowly being swallowed by Condemnation.

'That is... not good.'

He fell into the cold darkness, losing his sense of self as he did. Then, his hand moved, slashing the darkness with the splinter of the ivory fang. That bought him a few moments of respite. Regaining some clarity of mind, Sunny pivoted in the air and crashed into a giant slab of polished obsidian that drifted in the vast expanse of the colossal shadow. He still did not feel like himself, and there was still an invisible force pulling at his body. But he could at least think for himself, for a moment or two.

'Right.'

Sunny tried to remain calm... as calm as he could be, considering the circumstances.

The situation was bad, but it was not hopeless. How did he know that? Because the mysterious archer had plunged into the depths of Condemnation first. That maniac had survived thousands of years of obliteration in the Shadow Realm, so their will to live was not in question. The archer would not have jumped into this cold darkness if it meant committing suicide.

There had to be a way to survive.

Sunny just had to find it.

Sain Cor smiled, "The new generation is quite terrifying..." he whispered as his fists clenched in anticipation, "Even in this moment you use your wit and resourcefulness, the future is quite bright...."

Saint Roan leaned over and enthusiastically smacked him on the shoulder, raising a look of amusement from Tyris, "You think he's trapped in the Shadow Realm with that thing? If anything, it's trapped in there with him!" he barked.

Jest nodded with eager honesty, "Well said!" he chortled.

Smiles began to break out among the Saints of Valor, as one by one, warriors rose to their feet. Even a lone figure from Song rose along with them.

"He's my chosen one for a reason" Beastmaster murmured in acknowledgement.

The other Blood Sisters looked at her with confusion, they did not know what "chosen one" meant, nor did they care at this moment. Their existences were ignited by the scene before them, as they unanimously rose.

Soon, more than half the audience was now standing, silently supporting him. Because right now, at this moment, his struggle was their struggle.

His fight was their fight.

The audience stirred, energy crackling through the air like an oncoming storm.

Nobody loves the protagonist more than the ones who witness their story.

Because in the end, a story is never just about one person.

It belongs to everyone who believes in it.

And they watched, unblinking, hearts pounding in their chests, as invisible flames ignited one by one.

'...Isn't it all too simple, then?'

Someone else might have succumbed to the irresistible pull of the sinister force easily, becoming condemned to be a part of Condemnation forever. In fact, maybe that was how the cursed deity had received its eerie name, in the first place... but Sunny was different.

That was because he had crossed the Hollow Mountains once,and was well-versed in maintaining his sense of self against all odds. Even without a True Name, his will to exist was far more cohesive and powerful than that of most of his peers — of all his peers, perhaps. It had been trained and sharpened arduously in the white mist of nothingness, and so, destroying his sense of self was not an easy task.

Even with the shadow of Condemnation trying to assimilate Sunny, his natural defense mechanisms were resisting the assimilation furiously.

'What if I resisted consciously, then?'

Focusing on his sense of self, Sunny poured all of his fierce will into maintaining its independence.

'Becoming a part of some dead god? In your dreams! How ridiculous... being killed by a measly Sovereign, I could never...'

Daeron's smile widened, as his eyes twinkled.

"How terrifying"

Windflower turned to him, her eyes wide, a look of shock on her face.

"Does that mean...is he there yet?" she murmured, causing him to turn to her.

He smiled with a rare look of enthusiasm, "Close, very close" he replied, causing Windflowers shoulders to stiffen.

Slowly, Sunny managed to regain control of his body.

A dreadful force was still trying to pull it apart, and an insidious influence was still trying to steal his thoughts, but he could at least maintain this measure of control over himself. His will to exist clashed against the will of the shadow of Condemnation, and pushed it back a little. Of course, Sunny had far less willpower than the shadow of a dead deity.

But he was merely a tiny speck for the shadow of Condemnation, so it did not use more than a tiny fraction of its will to consume him — even then, what little will it did use was not used consciously.

Sunny, however, was using all of his will to stay alive... to stay himself, rather. And he was doing it with all the focus and discipline of a seasoned explorer of the most dreadful corners of the Dream Realm.

So, he was able to maintain a fragile balance and keep himself from being consumed.

It had merely switched locations. Smiling darkly, Sunny pushed himself off the cold stone and lunged himself at the enemy. Battering the bone knife aside with the splinter of the ivory fang, he crashed into the nebulous slayer and pushed them both off the slab of obsidian.

"How does your side feel, huh, bastard?!"

As they fell, Sunny slammed his fist into the wounded side of the mysterious shadow, hoping that it would hurt like hell. At the same time, he spread his wings and directed their fall, intending to slam the damned maniac into the closest piece of obsidian with enough force to shatter the entire thing. The archer had already driven one of his knives into the base of one of his wings, though, severing it entirely.

Sunny cursed as he lost control over the trajectory of their fall.

"You!"

A moment later, they both crashed into the slab of obsidian with terrible force. Even as the impact threw them away from each other, the obsidian knife flashed, and the splinter of the ivory fang blocked its blade.

Sunny and the mysterious archer rolled on the polished stone, then rose slowly and faced each other once again.

He grinned. "Hey, little shadow... you don't look too good."

The dark silhouette of the mysterious archer was more vague and unclear than ever, black smoke still flowing from the deep wound on their side. Their strength and speed had reduced quite a bit, as well, hinting that the murderous shadow was struggling to resist the will of Condemnation.

Well, then again... Sunny did not look too hot either.

"How about you kneel before your Lord and die peacefully? I promise, my Soul Sea is far more pleasant than this damned place. You'll even have great company..."

Instead of answering, the archer simply attacked.

Fists clenched as short breaths escaped spectators lips, leaning forward as their smiles widened. It was reassuring and motivational to see his horror short lived as he regained his stature and wielded both his will and his rage, his most deadly weapons.

Even Effie was now shaking in excitement as she bounced Ling on her lap.

"What did I tell you, your Uncle's the strongest!" she laughed, as he giggled.

Nephis and the rest of the cohort also looked a lot better, color now returning to their complexion as their morale soared.

Even Solvannes was beaming with a rare, madened look as her deranged chant continued, "Glory...glory....glory...glory....glory....glory"

Amusingly, it was like her and Noctis had now swapped demeanors, as he seemed to push himself away from her in agitation, trying to get away from the creature of war which he loathed.

He almost wanted to plead in protest, 'Screen! Please take me away from her!'

But he was fearful that it would respond quite literally, and return him to his now comparably mundane situation back on his ship. He would rather die than be ripped away from this land of wonders, again, not that he could die. Thus, he sulkily ate his own complaints, as his teeth grated against each other in agitation.

The two of them continued to fight viciously, wreaking havoc inside the shadow of Condemnation.

When the slab of obsidian they were clashing on cracked and shattered, Sunny and the mysterious slayer leaped through a cloud of black dust to the next one, and when that one was split in two, they chose the larger half to continue their battle.

Meanwhile, outside...

The hurricane winds had grown truly terrifying, and the darkness was chased away by the bright silver radiance. The shadow of Condemnation leaned its colossal body forward and plunged into the essence storm, making the vast wall of swirling light part with its immeasurable mass.

"It seems the crescendo is near" Mordret hummed in amusement, his face more alive than it had ever been in his life.

Telle took note of the murmur, as her eyes twitched and she looked over at Windflower who felt her gaze and paused.

"What?"

"How long has this been going on for again?" She replied flatly, causing Windflower to raise an eyebrow.

"You're complaining?"

Telle blinked at her blankly.

"No complaints" she flatly responded, as they both turned back, popcorn once again leaving the bucket.

The deeper into the storm Condemnation went, the faster its massive body was being ground by the raging torrents of essence. Like a shadow was slowly melting in light. Within the vast darkness of its body, meanwhile...

Even Sunny had noticed that the nebulous sea of darkness around him was growing smaller, and that the outer edges of the dead god's shadow were drawing nearer. He had no way of knowing what was happening, however, since the very nature of space within Condemnation was strange and alien. Sunny had other matters to worry about, anyway.

Namely, the damned archer. Just as he thought that he saw a glimmer of endless silver radiance somewhere far away, the obsidian knife flashed toward his heart, and as Sunny turned his torso to avoid it, a crushing kick came barreling at his ribs from the side. This time, however, he was ready for it. Not because of his intricate mastery of Shadow Dance or insight into the vicious shadow's ruthless battle style, though. It was simply because, considering the circumstances, this kick was the optimal and most damaging action his enemy could perform — in short, it was because Sunny would have done the same. So, he managed to catch the calf of the mysterious archer, feeling surprised for a moment by how slender it was despite packing such a devastating punch... well, devastating kick, really.

The momentary surprise did not slow Sunny down, however. Holding the archer's leg in place, he instantly brought the splinter of the ivory fang down with dire force, piercing the base of their thigh and ruthlessly pulling the blade toward himself to slice the enemy's leg open to the very knee. The archer shuddered. It was a definite win for Sunny, but one that he knew would come at a cost — because by using both of his hands to deliver the terrible wound, he was leaving himself open to a fatal retaliation. The obsidian knife flashed toward his throat, but Sunny lowered his head and caught it with his teeth.

As his lips were cut open... He grinned and tightened his jaw, biting through the black blade and shattering it completely.

'My teeth are no joke, you fool...' They were altered into a deadly weapon in their own right by Bone Weave, after all. Finally, the archer seemed taken aback a little. But it only lasted a split second. Then, leaving one of their legs in Sunny's grasp, the vicious shadow jumped up and delivered an absolutely crushing kick to the side of Sunny's head with the other one. Sunny saw stars. Falling to the ground and choking on sharp shards of obsidian, he let out a stifled laugh.

"Ouch. Ouch... that one really hurt..." The archer landed on their wounded leg, stumbled, and fell to one knee. A split second later, without any pause, they instantly unsheathed the discarded bone knife and lunged at Sunny, aiming to finally end his life. Raising a hand weakly,he tried to stop the enemy from landing on him.

...Or so it seemed. Instead, as soon as Sunny's fingers touched the mysterious archer, he smiled wider... and pulled them both into the embrace of the shadows. Using Shadow Step was dangerous, but being killed by the damned maniac was, obviously, more dangerous. That was why he had conceived of this plan. Diving into the familiar darkness, Sunny found it not familiar at all. That was only to be expected, considering that the shadows he dove into were not the caring shadows he had known before. They were a part of Condemnation now, and therefore, their dark depths were a part of Condemnation, too.

The eroding nature of the Shadow Realm affected Sunny even here, though. He had known that it would — the radiant trail of essence behind the dead god was proof, and the occasional motes of light that drifted both from himself and from the mysterious archer as they fought were, as well. Now that Sunny had abandoned his corporeal form — and forced his enemy into abandoning theirs — the Shadow Realm tore into them with a much more obliterating pace. Their dark souls were dissolving now at a much faster rate than before... which was a cause for concern, without a doubt.

However, Sunny's soul, while damaged, was still empowered and held together by Soul Weave. And the murderous archer had not looked too solid and unscathed even before being plunged into the embrace of shadows.

'Let's see which one of us lasts longer.' Sunny felt a sense of vicious glee.

The archer, now a formless shadow, tried to escape from his grip and rush back to the material plane. But Sunny just held them tighter, now allowing the enemy to flee.

'Where are you going now, bastard? Why, what happened?! Weren't you hellbent on killing me?!' Piercing him with arrows and cutting him with sharp knives... the wicked thing had to pay. The archer just struggled more desperately. Sunny, of course, did not let go. He wanted to laugh, but sadly,he had no mouth at the moment.

'Die!'

Grins of madness bloomed on faces, as not a single bit of information was properly self-realized in their minds. Nothing else mattered in the moment, as his fight became their own, fists now clenched with force as they watched with wide eyes.

And Nephis...

She was captivated, yet distant. Watching, but untouched by the madness that gripped the others.

She had always been drawn to the cold, methodical art of battle. The precision of the blade, the calculation behind each move. Yet, what she saw now was nothing of the sort. It was not a battle of skill. It was not a war of strategy. It was a dogfight. A vicious, bloody contest of endurance, pain, and sheer refusal to fall first. And though she told herself she preferred the purity of measured combat, that she found little appeal in the chaotic nature of brutality— Somewhere, in the deepest, quietest corner of her soul, she knew it was a lie.

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Because there was something visceral, something undeniably true about the way Sunny fought.

He was not trying to win.

He was trying to outlast.

Victory was not his goal. Victory was merely the byproduct of surviving longer than the other.

And that—more than talent, more than skill, more than destiny itself—was the battle of a godkiller.

Nephis in fact, did not detest it.

She watched as the struggle reached its fever pitch.

She watched as the archer writhed, their formless shadow twisting in desperation.

She watched as Sunny, on the verge of disintegration, grinned in the face of annihilation.

And she understood.

Because she had felt it before.

In the burning ruins of Twilight, when she had finally let go.

When she had unleashed—unshackled from hesitation, from restraint, from the burden of conscience—and incinerated everything in her path.

She remembered the Soul Stealer's screeching wails, its grotesque form writhing in absolute terror as it was consumed.

She remembered the roar of her own flames, devouring the world around her.

But more than anything...

She remembered the feeling.

The rush.

The absolute, unshakable truth of that moment.

It was the best feeling in the world.

And so, she could only imagine the murderous glee Sunny felt now, as Condemnation rumbled and finally started to fall apart.

Everything began falling apart as the room followed the debris, the ground rushed to meet them.

The watchers could only stare, mesmerized, fists clenched, breath stolen from their lungs.

Julius swore under his breath, eyes wide. "They're—they're taking the entire mountain-thing down with them!"

Jet let out a low, awed chuckle. "Animal? Nightmare creature? They need to make a new word for him."

Noctis, the ever-jovial madman, stood frozen, his arms spread wide as his face twisted into sheer, manic delight. "Glorious! Truly spectacular!"

Beside him, Solvane gave him a strange look—something between disbelief and amusement at his choice of words.

Even Rain's concern selfishly dissipated, as she also found herself lost in the moment, her fists pumping up and down like a cheerleader.

But all of them, every single one, felt it.

The raw, uncontrollable force of will that crashed against the world itself, shaking it to its core.

The sheer, unrelenting madness of the two figures who fell from the heavens, locked in battle.

The final remnants of Condemnation's shattered husk burned in the storm above, breaking apart like a dying star—as two figures shot out of the dust, spinning through the ruin of the sky, all sense of direction lost to pure, frenzied carnage.

Daggers flashed. Fists struck. Blood burst into the air like fleeting embers, vanishing into the abyss below.

They ripped into each other, their bodies drenched in wounds, their spirits fraying at the edges.

And yet, through it all....

Through the storm, through the blood, through the sheer devastation raining down upon the world.....

One sound cut through everything.

The sound of his maddened laughter, as the Condemnation and everything crashed into the floor of the Shadow Realm.

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Wanted to make this Chapter longer, since I had an ending planned

But I already delayed it by a day, so I compromised.

I still think it's a decent ending. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(What are you gonna do about it?)

I know it might push the buttons of some people, to make it feel more dramatic that it should be...

But I thought it worked (Also cus this is one of my favorite Shadow Slave fights) :)

Well, at least I have a very clear idea for the next two Chapters, so that will go smoothly.

Been getting very heated and hyped in the last few Chapters, so we gonna hit the brakes soon.

Or not, lol.

(!Yapping inbound!)

Closer, and closer we get to another moment I've been dying to write.... (☉_ ☉)

I wonder what it could be?

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