A massive scythe flashed through the air, carving effortlessly through chitin and bone. The Scavenger was split in half before it even realized death had come for it. Before the two pieces of its broken body could crash to the ground, a second scythe followed, plunging into the mangled corpse and tearing out a glowing crystal.
With a smooth, practiced motion, the Echo flung the soul shard into the air.
"Nicely done," Sunny said, catching the gleaming fragment without so much as glancing up.
The towering abomination rampaged through the labyrinth like a living disaster, tearing through everything in its path with mechanical efficiency. Blades slashed. Spikes pierced. Soul shards rained.
It roared past another group of Scavengers, leaving behind nothing but blood and carnage.
Slash. Slash.
Pierce. Pierce.
The Centurion turned the twisting paths of the labyrinth into a slaughterhouse, while the three Sleepers rode on its back like spectators enjoying the best seats in a theater of violence.
Sunny let out a small chuckle.
Awakened abominations getting shredded like fodder... from the hands of a Sleeper. If someone had told him he'd be doing this in his previous life, he would have laughed in their face.
"We'll reach the next high point in half an hour," Nephis said, lifting her hand to catch a shard tossed toward her. The sunlight caught on its surface, refracting red. She glanced at the rising sun and sighed. "Still more than half the day left."
"We're skipping it," Sunny declared casually. "There's plenty of time to push for the one after."
Nephis nodded as the Centurion barreled into another pack of five Scavengers. One of the creatures managed to land a blow on the abomination's leg—only to be reduced to a shredded pulp a heartbeat later.
Sunny watched its mangled corpse fall, a fleeting flicker of pity stirring in him.
Then the soul shard glimmered—and pity turned to greed.
The thirtieth one.
A wide grin spread across his face.
The Centurion had slaughtered thirty Scavengers in just a few hours. And to sweeten the haul, Sunny had claimed a couple new Memories along the way, even if they were useless to him at the moment. All things considered, it was turning out to be a very productive morning.
With a pleased expression, he summoned his runes.
Name: Sunless
True Name: Lost from Light
Rank: Dreamer
Shadow Core: Dormant
Shadow Fragments: [460/1000]
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Epitaph of Silent Rebirth], [Chrysalis of Eternal Eclipse], [???], [Abyssfang], [Azure Blade], [Mandiblade], [Mistcloak], [Spineless Thorn], [Crimson Arrow]
Echoes: [Carapace Centurion]
Shadows: [Soul Serpent]
Four hundred and sixty fragments. Almost halfway there.
At this rate, by the time they reached the Ashen Barrow... his core would be ready to evolve.
With a flick of thought, he shifted to inspect his Echo's runes.
Echo: Carapace Centurion
Echo Rank: Awakened
Echo Class: Monster
Echo Description: [A cursed commander of the fallen legion. The Carapace Centurion is a talented warrior, able to quickly master and adjust to different techniques and strategies.]
Sunny tilted his head and sighed.
Underwhelming.
Sure, the Echo was powerful—brutishly so. Its physical resilience was top-tier, and the thorns gave it an advantage in melee. But compared to his first partner, the Stone Saint, it didn't hold up. Saint had not only superior combat prowess, but also resistances in areas the Centurion couldn't dream of.
Especially mental and soul-based defenses.
He sighed and shook his head.
It wasn't fair to compare the two.
The Stone Saints were hand-crafted by the Lord of the Underworld himself. They were creatures of true darkness, forged for war. The Centurions? They were just mortals in the armies of long-forgotten empires of the Forgotten shore.
Sunny leaned back, watching the blood-streaked path behind them.
With a sigh, Sunny dismissed the runes. Either way, this Echo would be invaluable... at least until he got Saint back.
He swallowed hard.
'What if I don't get Saint this time?'
The thought sent a cold jolt through his chest.
There were no guarantees. Echoes were the result of fate and chance. Even if he killed her with his own hands, there was no guarantee the Echo would return to him.
His fingers clenched into a tight fist.
If he couldn't bring Saint back, everything would get harder. ...Much harder.
But there was nothing he could do now. Nothing but hope. Hope that his cursed [Fated] attribute would finally do something useful.
His expression darkened. His brow furrowed.
Trusting that damn Attribute was just asking for trouble.
A voice broke through his grim thoughts.
"What are you thinking?"
Sunny didn't answer at first. He let the silence stretch for as long as his flaw would allow. Eventually, he spoke.
"Let's hunt as many of these wretches as we can before reaching the next high point."
His voice was tight.
This was a rare opportunity. The Scavengers—the dominant creatures of this part of the labyrinth—were barely even a threat to them anymore. Which made them perfect prey.
He tossed the rack of collected soul shards toward Nephis.
"Absorb them all."
She caught the rack without a word, but her gaze drifted toward Cassie. A breath escaped her lips.
"We've become too strong," she murmured. "A few fragments won't make much of a difference anymore."
Sunny frowned. What was she trying to say?
He turned to glance at the blind girl, still seated quietly on the Echo's opposite shoulder. His frown deepened.
"...Let's wait until we reach the castle," he said after a pause. "We'll give her enough fragments to catch up then."
Nephis hesitated.
"You think we'll have to stay there for long?"
He didn't answer right away. His eyes lingered on the distant horizon, where the bright castle was supposed to be.
"Cassie said there were a lot of people inside. That either means the Gateway hasn't been conquered yet... or there isn't one at all."
Nephis nodded slowly. She must have reached the same conclusion.
"In either case," Sunny continued, retrieving a shard and pressing it into her palm, "we need as much strength as we can get. Every bit matters."
She looked at it for a moment, then sighed and crushed it. Then another. And another.
Each shard pulsed as its essence surged through her, strengthening her subtly.
She must've crossed well into the 300s by now. She didn't share with Cassie since Sunny told her not to. Even though she felt guilty, the result had made her stronger. And it was strength they needed desperately.
A single shard wasn't much at this point. But dozens? Hundreds? That would make a difference. Especially if they had to face the Carapace Demon on their own.
He looked back at Cassie. His fists tightened.
Something was going to go wrong. He could feel it. The visions she had seen but not shared yet... they would change everything.
There were too many loose ends. Too many unknowns.
The unknown being that had nearly killed her through the veil of prophecy was no ordinary creature. Not Even Great Nightmare Creatures should be able to do that.
Then there was the silent predator tailing them from the depths of the sea—what the hell was that?
Even the Centurions. Their numbers had grown unnaturally fast. At first, he thought it was due to the dozens of corpses he had left behind during his first blood-soaked night in the dark sea.
But... was that really enough to justify so many?
It didn't feel right.
And then there was the vision he was the most curious about...
Cassie hadn't spoken of it yet, but he was sure it must have appeared in some form. The one with the Shadow devouring an angel.
Perhaps he should ask her again.
"Cassie—"
"Ouch!"
The blind girl flinched, clutching the protruding thorn just in time to stop herself from tumbling off the Echo. A small jolt had caught her off guard.
She turned her head toward Sunny and offered him a pleading expression, her lips curling into a faint, hopeful smile.
"Can we please stop here, just for a moment?"
Sunny's brows furrowed. "What is it?"
"...It's, uh, something important."
She didn't elaborate.
He lingered for a moment, then sighed and ordered the Echo to halt. The massive abomination came to a gradual, thudding stop, and Sunny helped Cassie down.
She stood still for a second, facing the endless red maze as if momentarily forgetting she couldn't actually see it. Then her head turned, her sightless eyes settling on Nephis.
Cassie walked to her and whispered something quietly in her ear. Nephis's face remained perfectly still. After a beat, she nodded and turned to Sunny.
"We'll be back in a moment," she said, guiding Cassie behind a coral outcropping.
Sunny watched them go, his expression shifting from confusion to—
...Embarrassment.
A wave of heat crawled up his neck as an entirely inappropriate string of thoughts crashed into his brain.
'Pure thoughts, Sunny... pure thoughts.'
Nephis was just helping Cassie with something private. Probably. It must be hard for the blind girl to manage even basic things out here. Especially in her current condition.
That had to be it.
...Right?
His heart clenched as an unwanted thought welled within him. He pushed the emotion down and glanced around, more to distract himself than anything.
Something rustled.
Sunny turned his head, and his eyes narrowed.
A lone Centurion limped into view, dragging its wounded body across the terrain. One of its scythes was gone. A couple legs were mangled.
He blinked.
This wouldn't take much. His Echo alone was more than enough to deal with a crippled Centurion.
But then he paused.
A sly smile stretched across his lips.
'A talented warrior...'
He glanced at the Echo towering beside him. This could be a good chance to test just how "talented" it really was.
His mind flipped through the endless catalog of battle styles etched into his memory. His eyes flicked between the incoming Centurion and his Echo, then narrowed.
'What would suit this guy?'
The Echo was all carapace and thorns. Scythes for arms. Spikes on spikes. Its body was a weapon in itself.
That reminded him of someone.
Sunny gulped.
There was one person whose battle style might fit it perfectly—someone whose form was even more of a living blade than the Echo itself.
He summoned both [Azure Blade] and [Abyssfang], their familiar weight settling into his hands. Then, after a second's hesitation, he withdrew his shadow from the Echo.
If the damn thing killed the enemy too fast, it wouldn't learn a thing.
He stepped forward, lifting both blades, mimicking the posture of the monstrous scythe-wielder.
"Watch closely," Sunny said, shifting into a stance that was at once graceful and brutal. "I'm going to teach you the battle style of the Princess of Valor herself."
Morgan's combat art had given him a 'heart-touching' experience. It had made him attain breakthrough and achieve the Second step of shadow dance. Her battle style was engraved deeply in his mind.
There was just one problem. He hadn't remastered it in this life yet.
A sheepish grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Oh well. We'll just learn it together."
He stared at the Echo and smiled.
In the distance, the wounded Centurion finally raised its head. Its soulless eyes locked onto them, a maddening hunger igniting within. Without hesitation, it lunged forward, a frenzied predator eager to devour its prey.
Sunny exhaled slowly, raising his swords.
"The first step," he said calmly, "is to treat every part of your body as a weapon."
The twin blades gleamed in his hands as he pointed them at the charging abomination.
"You are not the one wielding the blade," he continued, "you are the blade itself."
The Echo stood motionless for a moment, then tilted its grotesque head, as if in understanding. Slowly, it raised its scythes, mimicking Sunny's stance with uncanny precision.
The Centurion closed the distance in seconds, letting out a high-pitched screech as it lunged. Its remaining scythe sliced through the air, aiming straight for Sunny's chest.
His shadow wrapped around him.
Sunny stepped forward, his twin blades flashing as he intercepted the strike. Metal screamed against carapace. The Centurion's attack was deflected just enough to throw it off balance. It staggered.
Sunny recoiled, but composed himself faster then the Centurion. His physical strength was nearly on par with his opponent's now. And he didn't waste the opening.
His next strike was smooth, elegant, deadly. His movements were fluid and natural, as if wielding the weapons was as innate to him as breathing. His swordmanship was as though the blades were a mere extension of his body. Every movement he made was the purest expression of cold, killing intent.
At first, the battle was even.
But as time passed, something changed.
His body adapted, catching up to the memories ingrained in his mind. His movements became sharper, smoother. Swifter.
Morgan's battle style was carving itself into his bones, one strike at a time.
Deja vu.
He had faced this before.
Only now, he was the one wielding it. And the Centurion... the Centurion was the prey.
With a final, decisive motion, he severed its front leg. The Centurion faltered, collapsing into the dirt.
This was it. The perfect moment to finish it. If he struck now, the opponent would die.
Instead, he took a step back. He waited for it to stand up before raising his hand.
"Show me what you've got."
The Echo lunged.
Its scythes moved with deadly precision, intercepting the Centurion's desperate retaliation and deflecting it with an elegance that hadn't been there moments before. It twisted its torso slightly, angling the next strike just right—two scythes flashed, severing another leg.
The Centurion barely had time to stagger before the final strike came.
Two scythes rose. A single, nimble motion. The Centurion's head tumbled to the ground.
For a moment, silence. Then, the Echo turned toward him.
One of its scythes was raised, the severed head impaled on its blade. The Echo's grotesque mouth opened slightly... just a little wider than usual, as if it was smirking.
Then, with a strange sense of ceremony, the Echo extended the impaled head toward him, as if presenting its hard-won trophy.
Sunny's jaw dropped.
"...Well, I'll be damned." The words escaped him before he could stop them.
The Echo's technique was still rough, but... it had more or less learned the basics of Morgan's battle style just from watching him use it once.
Sunny let out a low chuckle.
It was more talented than he had expected.
Shaking his head in amusement, he took the severed head his Echo so proudly offered and promptly threw it away.
"That's not right," he said, nodding toward the fallen corpse. Two soul shards glimmered in its split-open chest. "You're supposed to bring those."
The Echo paused, then nodded with eerie obedience. It stepped forward, sliced through the carapace with expert precision, and plucked the shards free—then placed them neatly at Sunny's feet.
Sunny chuckled, shaking his head. Then his gaze dropped to the shadow sprawled at his feet.
"You should learn something from him."
The shadow tilted its head and shrugged, as if it had no idea what its master was talking about.
'Yeah... sure.'
Before Sunny could pick up the soul shards and slide them into his rack, another sound caught his attention.
A faint rustling.
Something moved behind a large coral in the distance.
'Another Centurion?'
His eyes flicked to the fallen creature at his feet. Must be the one that injured this guy.
His head turned towards the Coral where Nephis had led Cassie. There were no signs of them coming back anytime soon. He took in a deep breath and sighed.
"Let's kill another one," he muttered. The Echo nodded in silent agreement, following him toward the source of the sound.
The closer they got, the clearer it became.
A wet, crunching noise. The distinct sound of something being torn apart. Mandibles grinding against chitin.
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
His shadow coiled around him, responding to his unease.
"We'll ambush it," he whispered, gesturing for his Echo to move.
They halted right behind the coral. His fingers tensed around his blades. One quick strike—
Then, an odd feeling settled in his gut. Instead of lunging, Sunny extended his leg slightly. His shadow slithered forward.
It hesitated for a brief moment—just long enough to convey a wordless jab. You should have done this from the start.
Sunny ignored its silent mockery.
The shadow slipped behind the coral. What it saw made him flinch. A large Centurion was munching on the limb of another Centurion. Around it lay three... no, five Centurions, each one battered and sliced apart brutally.
Sunny stared in disbelief.
'What in the hell...?'
Did this creature really defeat five of its kin... that too without sustaining any serious injuries?
His shadow crept closer, weaving through the carnage, until it was right in front of the abominable creature. Then, it noticed something. Etched into the corner of the Centurion's face was a symbol. A complex design of interwoven circles and squares, carved deep into the chitin.
It looked unnatural, like it didn't belong to the creature at all. It was the work on something external... something sinister. Worse, the pattern wasn't whole. It was incomplete, as if half of it had been severed from the original design.
Sunny pressed his temples.
'Just what the hell am I looking at here?'
Then, the creature stopped chewing.
Its eyes fixated on the shadow. A shrill, distorted cry tore from its maw. It tossed aside the leg it was munching on and raised its scythes. It slammed down onto the ground, aiming directly where the shadow had been.
'It recognized my shadow spying on it?'
This thing... was intelligent? Monsters weren't supposed to be. But the thing in front of him clearly was...? Just what the hell was happening in this forgotten hell?
'Damnation.'
AN: dem thx for the reviews and comments yall. You really finished the quota in a single day lmao. Alright, here's the quota for next chapter - 4 new reviews (final count 22 and no duplicate reviews allowed) or 12 comments (comments like tftc and peak don't count :))