Saint was barely holding on to life. Her armor was broken and painted red by the crimson dust that flowed from a dozen terrible wounds. The visor of the helmet was shattered, together with the side of her face. One of her ruby eyes was missing, replaced by a jagged black hole.
As he ran, a vicious blow of the Knight's sword got past the Shadow's defense and bit into her shield arm, severing it at the elbow.
Saint staggered and awkwardly lashed out with her sword. Then, she took a step back and fell heavily to one knee.
The menacing figures of the golems towered above her, approaching to deliver the final blow. The war hammer of the Builder rose, ready to fall down like a herald of destruction. The spear of the Hunter flew forward like a hungry predator.
The Shadow slightly tilted her head and faced her death. Her eerily beautiful alabaster face was calm and indifferent. The weapons of the profane constructs reflected in her one remaining eye, growing larger and larger as they drew closer.
…But in the end, all they managed to pierce was emptiness.
The wounded Saint dissipated into shadows, summoned back into the nurturing black flames of Sunny's core at the last second.
In the next moment, a wall of darkness swallowed the empty space in front of the Crimson Spire, bringing with it pelting rain and hurricane winds.
The storm was now upon them.
The six golems lingered for a few seconds, staring into the raging expanse of the terrifying tempest. They were submerged into its darkness, with only a rare flash of lightning illuminating the world. The wall of rain was so thick that it was almost impossible to see anything through it.
Suddenly, they discerned a hint of a movement to their left and swiftly turned, ready to attack the enemy. However, there was no one there.
A moment later, though, one of them suddenly shuddered, and then crumbled to the ground, its head flying off into the darkness. The flash of the blade that had decapitated it was so swift and unexpected that none of them had time to react.
It also came from the wrong direction.
The golems spun and raised their weapons… but instead of an enemy, all they saw was a heavy kunai appearing from the wall of darkness and hitting one of them in the neck.
The blow was powerful enough to make the golem stagger, but not that dangerous. The wounded abomination simply raised its hand and tore the dagger out of its coral flesh.
As it did, however, the figure of the Slayer that stood behind the rest of the golems suddenly fell to her knees. A moment later, her head slowly slid from her neck and tumbled down, revealing a perfect, smooth cut.
Sunny, who hid in the darkness, bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
'This is my domain, wretches. You are my guests now…'
Two dead, four to go.
Realizing that their enemy was capable of hiding in the shadows and seeing in the dark, the golems changed their tactic. The Knight, the Stranger, and the Hunter shifted to stand in a circle, protecting the Priestess with their bodies.
The Priestess, meanwhile, raised her hands to the skies.
In the next moment, a blinding light shot into every direction from her open palms, revealing Sunny and Sevatar, who had been just a few meters away from them and preparing to launch another attack.
'...Damnation.'
***
On the bloody battlefield, the remains of the Dreamer Army were besieged from all sides. They continued to fight with doomed determination, abandoning all fear and doubt. Even though the black water was already high enough to reach their knees, the humans continued to resist the horde of the frenzied Nightmare Creatures, slaying three for every one of them killed by the terrifying abominations.
Illuminating by the radiant light of Changing Star, not one of them tried to run.
Instead, they stalwartly stood their ground and fought. Some were smiling, and some were even singing.
…As more and more of them fell, forever disappearing under the cold surface of the cursed sea, the black water kept rising.
***
The blinding radiance burst from the Priestess's outstretched hands, cutting through the dark tempest and banishing the obscuring shadows.
Sunny flinched, half-blinded, and immediately rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the savage cleave of the Knight's coral greatsword. Sevatar, faster by far, vanished in a blink — a silver flash darting through the light like a ghost.
The four remaining guardians — the Knight, the Stranger, the Hunter, and the Priestess — pressed the attack. With the Priestess empowering the others through her radiant aura, their already tremendous strength was boosted once more. Their once sluggish movements now carried deadly speed.
Sunny gritted his teeth.
They had to destroy the Priestess quickly. Otherwise, neither he nor Sevatar would survive the next few minutes.
Through the painful afterglow left by the burst of light, Sunny saw the Hunter charging at him. The monstrous figure's spear gleamed with unnatural sharpness, cutting through the storm with vicious precision.
Sunny shifted, his body melting into a flicker of darkness, avoiding the lethal thrust by the width of a hair. The spear grazed his armor, leaving a shallow gouge.
Before the Hunter could recover, Sunny counterattacked, his Midnight Shard flashing toward the creature's chest — only for the Stranger to interpose himself, absorbing the blow on his massive shield.
The shock of the impact traveled up Sunny's arm, making his bones rattle.
'Damn it… they're still coordinating!'
Nearby, Sevatar was locked in a dance of death with the Knight. His two short daggers clashed again and again against the brutal downward swings of the coral greatsword. Where Sunny met force with cunning, Sevatar met force with speed — always slipping just outside the edge of death, retaliating with quick, precise cuts.
But neither of them could reach the Priestess while the three warriors protected her.
The radiant figure of the Priestess stood at the center of the formation like a pillar of burning light, weaving more waves of strength into her allies. She was their foundation.
As long as she lived, they were visible to them.
Sunny retreated a few steps, breathing hard. Blood dripped down the side of his face. His muscles ached, and his lungs were burning dangerously close to exhaustion.
They couldn't win like this.
Through the corner of his eye, he saw Sevatar disengage in a sudden feint, flipping backward and disappearing into the chaotic gloom of the storm for a heartbeat.
The golems instinctively turned their attention to Sunny.
And that was their mistake.
A silver dagger sliced the air.
It came from above — fast, vicious, unseen.
The dagger buried itself deep into the Priestess's shoulder.
The radiant coral figure staggered for a moment, her glow flickering.
Sunny reacted immediately.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward with all the remaining strength he had, the Midnight Shard driving low in a brutal thrust.
The Stranger saw him coming and raised his shield to block — but Sunny didn't aim for the shield.
He shifted at the last possible second, twisting around the cumbersome block, and rammed his blade upward through the Priestess's exposed side.
The blade punched through.
The Priestess shuddered violently.
A second later, Sevatar was upon them, his second dagger slashing horizontally across the Priestess's neck.
The blow was clean and merciless.
The radiant coral figure froze… then shattered into a cascade of crimson shards.
The blinding light winked out.
For a moment, everything was silent except for the howling storm.
Then, the three remaining golems let out a strange, inhuman groan — as if something vital had been ripped from them — and faltered.
The link binding them was broken.
Their movements slowed once more, their coordination gone.
Sunny didn't wait.
Wounded and burning with exhaustion, he pressed the attack.
Sevatar was right beside him, striking with clinical precision.
Together, they tore into the disoriented remnants of the guardians.
First, the Hunter fell — its spear shattered by Sunny's shifting blade, its body torn open by Sevatar's relentless daggers.
Next, the Stranger — shield splintered, chest pierced and hollowed out by coordinated strikes.
The last to fall was the Knight.
Despite its towering strength, the loss of its comrades and the severed bonds made it vulnerable. Sunny dodged a clumsy overhead slash and carved a deep wound into its knee, while Sevatar hamstrung it from behind.
The coral giant crashed down onto one knee.
Sunny moved in for the kill.
With a final cry, he drove the Midnight Shard deep into the cracked helm of the Knight, splitting the golem's head apart.
The giant crumbled into dust.
The battlefield grew still.
Only the storm and the distant roar of the ocean remained.
Panting, drenched in rain and blood, Sunny and Sevatar stood over the shattered remains of the seven guardians of the Crimson Spire.
They had won.
But there was no time to celebrate.
Ahead of them, the vast gates of the Spire loomed, silent and immense, waiting for the keys.
Sunny and Sevatar exchanged a look — both battered, bloodied, and barely standing — but resolute.
"...Let's finish this."
They turned and moved toward the star-shaped locks embedded in the ancient stone.
The final phase had begun.