Chapter 2286: Bountiful Harvest |
As Nightmare leapt across the twisted surface of the charred deadfall and landed on the trunk of a massive fallen tree, easily hundreds of meters wide, the champions of the Shadow Legion surged forward.
The rushing millipedes recoiled as the oppressive aura surrounding the black steed washed over them like a wave of cold dread. A heartbeat later, Saint’s dark blade descended, slicing through their chitin as if it were paper.
Not far behind her, something massive stirred, the ground trembling in its wake, as though a dark mountain were shifting across the ruins. Then, the towering form spread its four arms and released a guttural, terrifying roar that rolled across the battlefield like the voice of an erupting volcano.
Infernal flames flared in the depths of the steel giant’s throat, and his eyes burned with fire.
Fiend had experienced a tremendous transformation following the war in Godgrave.
The tiny imp who had once barely reached Sunny’s knee now loomed over the battlefield at more than forty meters tall, his immense frame encased in an invulnerable steel shell, bristling with countless jagged spikes, like a demonic colossus forged from a thousand greatswords.
As the crimson fire within him roared to life, Fiend lunged forward, flattening millipedes underfoot and tearing through them with his monstrous, razor-edged claws.
A moment later, King Daeron charged into the fray, clad in regal armor forged from shadow and wielding a massive mace. Wind Flower, the twin shadows of Solvane, and the seven Saints of Song followed soon after, some in human form, wielding sleek weapons, others having taken on their Transcendent forms. The latter were also protected by armor tailored to their bestial shapes, forged by the shadow of Anvil.
So too were the shades of the Great Nightmare Creatures that Sunny had slain in Godgrave. These ancient predators of the abominable jungle had always been deadly, but now, with their horrifying bodies reinforced by forged armor and their claws and fangs honed by steel, they were not only more enduring, they were far more devastating.
Behind them, a sea of Corrupted shades surged into the tide of monstrous millipedes.
A scene of unspeakable violence unfolded beneath the watchful eyes of Sunny’s incarnations.
Countless millipedes were being annihilated, only to rise moments later as new additions to the Shadow Legion. His shades fell as well, vanishing beneath the ashen sky in stoic silence.
"Do you think we’ll win today?"
Sunny looked at himself and answered his own question with a casual shrug.
"Unlikely."
Then, he turned back to the battlefield and smiled coolly.
"But today’s harvest will be quite satisfying."
He laughed quietly, shaking his head with amusement.
"Listen to you, talking like the Grim Reaper."
The Shadow Legion stood firm against the overwhelming tide of abhorrent black millipedes. Though the enemy vastly outnumbered them, Sunny’s shades fought with ruthless precision and total fearlessness. His champions, Saint, Fiend, and the others were especially brutal, leaving trails of torn and shattered bodies in their wake.
Still, it was not quite enough.
Before long, his forces would be worn down, most of them returned to his Soul Sea, and Sunny would be forced to retreat once more.
Not yet, though.
The earth quivered beneath them.
His armored incarnation sighed.
"I warned you. They’re adapting. They used to rush us mindlessly, but now their tactics are becoming more refined."
Just then, another wave of millipedes burst from beneath the deadfall behind the Shadow Legion, encircling them. A moment later, his shades were struck from the rear, many of them crumbling and dissolving into streams of darkness.
The millipedes had already begun to display intelligent behavior once the Demons and Devils of their cursed tribe joined the battles. Now that the Tyrants themselves were participating, their strategies had evolved significantly.
For example, they made expert use of the chaotic terrain of the Burned Forest, moving silently through the depths of the deadfall to launch ambushes and strike unexpectedly from behind.
The armored incarnation let out a low laugh.
"Isn’t it your turn to do something?"
Sunny smiled.
"Indeed..."
Taking a step forward, he leapt from the edge of the massive trunk, plummeting toward the scorched ground far below.
A torrent of darkness erupted from the Shadow Lantern, engulfing his body.
By the time Sunny landed, he was encased in the Shadow Shell, the body of a towering colossus of shadow, easily one hundred meters tall.
At last, he was just as large as Effie’s Transcendent form.
Drawing upon the shadows, he summoned a dreadful odachi and summoned the Jade Mantle to wrap around his titanic frame. He then charged at the enormous centipede attempting to devour a dozen of his shades in a single bite.
His appearance on the battlefield caused a commotion, prompting several of the Great Devils leading the millipede tribe to converge on his location.
Left standing on the scorched trunk, Sunny drew in a deep breath.
He was far stronger than any of his champions, of course. However, unlike his shades, if one of his incarnations was destroyed, it would be lost forever, so he had to be cautious when entering a hopeless battle like this one.
Especially since he was using himself as bait.
As dozens of millipedes swarmed up the limbs of the shadow colossus, searching for vulnerabilities in his armor where they could slip inside and bite into the Shell with their mandibles, Sunny exhaled slowly.
"I already gave you my blood. So now, if you will..."
A moment later, he stepped into the shadows, reappearing hundreds of meters away, and wrapped himself around Slayer’s lithe frame.
"Go and hunt."
The deadly Shadow moved.
By now, she was armed with a wicked bow that Sunny had forged specifically for her, a quiver filled with eerie arrows, and two terrifying short swords strapped at her sides.
Emerging from the shadows of the Burned Forest, Slayer moved like a specter, drawing the bowstring in one fluid, elegant motion.
A breath later, a sharp arrow pierced the skull of one of the Great Tyrants leading the monstrous swarm, causing thousands of millipedes to convulse and collapse into chaos.
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