Ranobes » Shadow Slave » Chapter 2064: Fragments of War (1) » Comments

Chapter 2064: Fragments of War (1)
Shadow Slave

This page is for comments only. To read the chapter, click on the chapter title.

Warning: Opening the reading page will reset your reading progress in the system!

The system only saves your last viewed page, regardless of chapter numbers.

Comments 46

  1. Offline
    Eternity of Reading
    + 13 ⋅ 0 -
    Rain has one Flaw, Sunny has one Flaw and two Pseudo-Flaws, and yet, Rain is worse off in this aspect.
    Damn.
    Read more
    1. Offline
      Milkman
      + 4 ⋅ 0 -
      Tbf, I think Sunny's flaw corresponds to a dormant aspect, since that's what he started with, while Rain's flaw corresponds to a much higher Rank aspect
      Read more
  2. Offline
    nikaido
    + 3 ⋅ 0 -
    the fcking aura
    Read more
  3. Offline
    YoUrBrUh
    + 8 ⋅ 0 -
    Here we go again
    Read more
  4. Offline
    nobodyknow
    + 9 ⋅ 0 -
    Here we go again 🙄 😒
    Read more
  5. Offline
    Unholy_Titan
    + 14 ⋅ 0 -
    numbered chapter. my god. Falcon Scott ptsd. its gonna be a long long road
    Read more
  6. Offline
    GoatBom
    + 2 ⋅ 0 -
    Numbered chaps have returned
    Read more
  7. Offline
    kollosus_na
    + 4 ⋅ 0 -
    Makes you wonder if she would become a murderous monster if she put on the mask…
    Read more
  8. Offline
    Patchumz
    + 1 ⋅ 10 -
    This is going to get old real fast if Rain doesn't acclimate quicker. Her being unable to cripple enemies is a terrible piece of writing imo. She was such an amazing master of traps and stratagems before she awakened, but now if she can't kill it, she can't stop it?
    Read more
    1. Offline
      Bastard Son of Fate
      + 6 ⋅ 0 -
      That monsters she put in traps before were a lot weaker and most of the traps were with prep time and she studied them before too, she can’t do all that here
      Read more
  9. Offline
    FRIEND
    + 5 ⋅ 0 -
    2065 Fragments of War (2)


    Eventually, the battle was over. The Nightmare Creatures had been eliminated, and the tired soldiers sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily.

    Rain was sitting on the scarlet moss, as well, cradling her bruised side with a somber expression. The sweltering heat of Godgrave was felt especially suffocating today, so she summoned the Green Canteen and poured cool water over her head.

    '...I won't survive like that.'

    She had thought that dealing with her Flaw was possible… and it was, most likely. However, learning how to deal with required time, which was hard to come by during a war, and tools that she lacked.

    Rain had managed so far with Tamar's help, but how long could it last?

    Shifting her gaze, she looked at her shadow.

    Her brother was right there. His offer still stood. If she so wished, she could desert the Song Army at any moment and be whisked away to safety.

    Leaving her comrades — and her principles — behind.

    Looking away from the shadow, Rain studied her fellow soldiers.

    'Fourty, fourty-one…'

    There were forty-two of them left. Less than half of the initial number… some had perished during the conquest of the Collarbone Citadel, some while subjugating the wild reaches of the Breastbone Reach. Many fell during the Battle of Godheart, and finally, many more died during the retreat north.

    Most of the forty-two Awakened had suffered minor wounds, while some were wounded severely. There had been two healers in the centuria before, but now, there was only Fleur. Her essence, sadly, wasn't endless.

    Mercifully — or perhaps cruelly — there were relatively few people who were wounded heavily enough to require her immediate treatment. That was because the Nightmare Creatures dwelling in the jungle were too powerful, and most people who became their prey simply died.

    It was a terrible thing, but also somewhat fortunate for these tired soldiers — after all, they were pursued by the members of the Sword Army.Each person who could not march on their own would slow the rest down.

    Just as Rain considered this matter, Tamar's voice resounded across the recent battlefield.

    "Alright… you have ten minutes to rest! We will continue north after that."

    Her order was not unexpected. It was unwise to remain in the vicinity of the battlefield, where the scent of blood could attract swarms of abominable scavengers. There was also the Sword Army to worry about, so they had no time to tarry.

    Everyone understood that. And yet, many dark gazes were aimed at Tamar, the faces of most soldiers turning resentful.

    It couldn't be helped.

    The warriors of the Song Army were still reeling from the Battle of Godheart. Even before that, their morale had been harmed grievously by the ghastly horrors of Godgrave — a literal Death Zone where no human was supposed to exist. And things were only turning harder now.

    They were tired, rattled, and afraid.

    How could they not feel resentful when the empty space left by their fallen comrades was so obvious as to almost be palpable?

    Therefore, the soldiers had little warmth left in their hearts for the leadership of the Song Army at the moment. And since Tamar was the only officer here, she had to receive the brunt of these negative emotions.

    Her situation was even worse than that of other officers, most likely, because she was a young Awakened doing the job meant for a seasoned Master. It did not matter how competent she was or how deadly of a fighter — all that mattered was that soldiers were dying, and she was a convenient target to place blame.

    Looking at Tamar, the soldiers, who had followed her with fervor just recently, could not help but wonder now… how many of them would have been alive if there was an Ascended leading them instead of this Legacy youth?

    The more tired and afraid they were, the more dejected they became.

    The same was probably true for how they felt about the higher officers of the Song Army.

    Perhaps even the Queen herself.

    …Tamar, meanwhile, did not seem to pay the resentful gazes any attention. Walking over to Rain, she sat on the ground and nodded at the Green Canteen.

    "Give me that."

    Receiving the canteen, she drank the cool water greedily.

    Exactly ten minutes later, the battered troop left the scene of the battle, not even bothering to harvest soul shards from of the bodies of the Nightmare Creatures.

    Time was too short.

    They hurried north without making any stops. From time to time, a stray abomination would wonder into their path, forcing the soldiers to fight. Luckily, there were no more battles as sudden and dire as that last one had been, so Rain did not have to engage in melee.

    She was much safer, as well as much more effective, with a bow in her hands.

    [Heavy Burden], [Outskirts at Noon], and [Don't Cut Yourself] — the three arrows crafted for her by Sunny — were far more excellent at slowing down and immobilizing the enemy than her deadly sword. Especially with how unerring Rain's aim was. Once a Nightmare Creature was hit by one of them, it was much easier for other soldiers to finish it off.

    So, even though she was unable to kill anything anymore, she was still contributing plenty.

    Most of the soldiers did not even notice that the way Rain fought had changed. Only Ray and Fleur were attentive enough to know that something about her was different.

    "Are you… alright? Your aim is strangely off today."

    She simply forced out a smile.

    "Yeah, I'm fine. Just exploring what my new Memories can do."

    Ray seemed unconvinced, but nodded and left her alone inthe end.

    They braved the northernmost tip of the Breastbone Reach, fighting the many perils of the scarlet jungle on the way.

    There were several more skirmishes, but luckily enough,the veil of clouds above them broke after a few hours. A vast swathe of the jungle was annihilated, and once the clouds repaired themselves, Rain and her companions continued on their way north.

    After two more days of marching… they finally reached one of the two Crossing Strongholds.

    2066 Fragments of War (3)


    Godgrave was a strange land. Although it was vast like a continent, to the point that it was easy to forget its true nature while traversing the vast plains of white bone, the titanic skeleton was just that — the remains of an inconceivable giant.

    As such, its topography was strange and alien at times. The same was true to the points where the colossal breastbone connected to the immense collarbones. There was no smooth transition from one to another — instead, the ground simply sloped downward, rolling into a vast and seemingly bottomless chasm.

    Of course, it was possible to descend into the darkness, reach the distant bottom, and climb back to the surface on the other side, then completing the crossing. But transporting entire armies in this manner was not feasible… not to mention that the lower part of the chasm was covered in a thick layer of soft ash, and all kinds of horrors could be hiding under its surface.

    So, the Song Army had constructed fortified bridges at the two points where the chasm was the narrowest, and built mighty strongholds to guard them.

    The greater stronghold was located at the point where Breastbone Reach connected to Western Collarbone Plain directly. The other was technically a chain of two lesser strongholds at both ends of the Western First Rib.

    Both of the Crossing Strongholds had been built to withstand terrible sieges, so taking them by force was a daunting task.

    The Song Army also fully intended to destroy the bridges before the enemy arrived…

    But they had not destroyed them yet, because there were still Song soldiers trickling into the strongholds after spilling blood to slow down the approaching Sword Army.

    The Greater Crossing Stronghold made for an impressive sight. It was hard to deliver building materials to Godgrave, so it was mostly built from local materials — namely, lumber scavenged from the ancient jungle of the Hollows.

    The mystical wood was tougher than any mundane alloy could ever be,to the point that it sometimes seemed nearly indestructible. Sadly, it had an apparent weakness — it burned all too well, which made it vulnerable to fire attacks. Even if Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan was not fighting on the enemy side, this vulnerability could prove fatal.

    So, there was an additional layer of protection atop the mystical lumber — the hides of countless abominations were stretched over the entire fortress, serving as a shield against flame.

    Much of it had belonged to the Great Demon who the Queen had slain immediately after descending to Godgrave. The bones of the gargantuan ape, meanwhile, had served to reinforce the structure of the fortress wall and of its gates.

    The fortress built from the bones of a Great Demon oversaw the entrance to the bridge, while a tall wall stretched in both directions for many kilometers, serving as a barrier for any being that could try climbing out of the dark chasm.

    The bridge itself was long and wide, built to accommodate a great army of countless Awakened, transformed Saints, and abominable thralls of Beastmaster.

    The battered remains of Tamar's centuria were currently crossing it, having finally reached safety.

    Two people were standing on the protruding bastion above the gates of the stronghold, looking down at their tiny figures from great height.

    One of them was Seishan, the Lost Princess of Song, while the other was her sister, Beastmaster.

    Beastmaster was looking down with a somber expression on her enchanting face. The scar marring her beautiful features seemed especially sacrilegious in the bright light of the overcast sky.

    She sighed.

    "These ones are yours, aren't they? They should be one of the last."

    Seishan nodded.

    "Yes. It's the daughter of the Saint of Sorrow and her soldiers… I am glad that she returned alive. She is a good kid."

    Beastmaster slowly shook her head.

    "How long will she remain alive, though? At this point, is it even possible for us to win?"

    Seishan looked at her with a hint of amusement.

    "What are you talking about? Of course, it is possible."

    She leaned on the parapet of the rampart and studied the horizon.

    "Sure, the situation does not look good. We only have one Citadel while Anvil has two… perhaps three. Most of Godgrave is under his control now, and his soldiers are stronger. No one seems to be able to deal with Changing Star or the Lord of Shadows, either, which makes our superior number of Saints pointless."

    Beastmaster smiled crookedly.

    "You… really know how to lighten the mood, Shan."

    Seishan smiled, as well.

    "But war is unpredictable. It can turn on a dime."

    She pointed to the dark chasm and the mighty wall of the fortress.

    "And this… is our dime."

    Beastmaster grimaced.

    "You think we can break the Sword Army with this fortress?"

    Seishan shook her head.

    "No… but we can make the Sword Army break itself against this fortress."

    Then, a sudden smile illuminated her graceful face.

    "I know a thing or two about castles, you know."

    Beastmaster chuckled. Seishan remained silent for a few moments, and then added calmly:

    "A direct siege can be disastrous for the attacking side, if things go wrong. And that is what the King of Swords will do — he will throw his soldiers at the walls of this fortress without holding anything back. Because time is not on his side. If he waits for too long, he will lose Bastion, and his power will be severely diminished."

    She shook her head.

    "After all, the outcome of this war will not be decided by the battles of mortals. It will be decided by the battle between the King of Swords and our mother. Everything we do is ultimately to give our Supreme a better chance at victory."

    Beastmaster did not respond for a while.

    Eventually, though, she said quietly:

    "I am not sure if you are overconfident or simply being a contrarian, but things are way worse than that. Look behind you… the soldiers are tired and terrified. The morale is low,and it will continue to plummet as the siege drags on. Whatever loyalty they have will dwindle, until, in the end, the Song Army army will break instead. No matter how great our fortress is, you can't win a siege with a broken army, sister.. So, time isn't on our side either."

    Seishan remained silent.

    Some time passed, and a few more battered groups of soldiers crossed the bridge.

    She looked at Beastmaster somberly.

    "...It's not like we have a choice, though, do we?"

    Her words hung in the air, full of many meanings.

    Then, Seishan turned away and sighed.

    "That should be the last of them. We must blow up the bridge now."

    Soon, there was a thunderous explosion, and the great bridge connecting Collarbone Plain to Breastbone Reach shuddered. With a groaning sound, its central section collapsed into the darkness. Wreathed in a cloud of dust, debris rained down, and wisps of ash rose from below.

    The Greater Crossing Stronghold was ready for battle.
    Read more
  10. Offline
    Jeraldir
    + 0 ⋅ 0 -
    Главы?)
    Read more
1 2 3