Хорон Ир

Four shadows flew across the snow, following the swarm of Nightmare Creatures. As a shining slug flashed through the darkness, gruesomely tearing apart one of the monsters, they surged forward and fused with a lonely figure that was running to meet the charging abominations.

In the next moment, several streams of tracer rounds swept across the first row of the swarm, sending pieces of bone armor and chunks of flesh flying into the cold air.

Sunny wrapped one of his shadows around his body, one around his armor, and one around his blade. The last slid past and flew back to the tall wall of the LO49 installation. Its task was to find Professor Obel and stand watch, should something unexpected happen in the civilian shelter.

…Sadly, the turrets had not been as effective as Sunny had hoped. Several abominations were slowed down or wounded, but most of the bullets bounced off their tough hides ineffectively. The defense systems of the fortress continued to rain hellfire on the Nightmare Creatures, though, tearing the silent night apart with bright muzzle flashes and the thundering staccato of the fusillade.

Long plumes of fire bloomed from the thick barrels of the turrets like the breath of a dragon.

'I need to be careful not to be shot in the back…'

Lunging forward, Sunny clashed with the vanguard of the approaching swarm. He did not really have time to engage with the mass of grotesque Scavengers, especially because each of them possessed unique shape and abilities. Even with Sunny's power, there was a risk of drowning in the tide of abominations simply for the lack of understanding of them.

Still… he could slow them down a little bit, at least.

The jade blade of the Sin of Solace drew a line across an Awakened Monster's body, seamlessly parting it in two. Sunny was still amazed by the power of the beautiful, cursed sword. It felt so light in his hands that it almost seemed as though they were empty, and cut through the bodies of his enemies so easily as if not meeting any resistance at all.

It felt like he was cutting water with a blade made of air.

Despite its length, the jade jian was incredibly nimble and swift. It almost demanded to be used, to dance gracefully through the air while shedding rivers of blood. For that reason, Sunny had to adjust his technique a little.

The Sin of Solace was comparable to the odachi he had grown accustomed to in terms of sheer size, but it was much lighter. It had a double-edged blade, too, and a sharp point that was perfectly suited for lethal thrusts. Although the foundational mechanics of using the two-handed jian were the same, it was better suited for a more agile, swift, unpredictable, and devious swordplay.

Luckily, Sunny was proficient in using all kinds of weapons and battle styles, weaving them together to achieve the optimal outcome.

…Not that he needed a lot of technical skill to slaughter these pathetic abominations. For these waifs, pure speed was enough.

Severing the first creature in half, he shifted his weight slightly, made a step to the side, and easily beheaded another. This one was a Fallen, so its flesh presented more resistance to the jade blade of the Sin of Solace… however, it was still eerily easy to cut it down.

Black blood rained on the white snow.

By the time Sunny finished off the two stragglers that had broken away from the swarm, the mass of abominations already reached him. Instead of clashing with countless Nightmare Creatures, he simply dissolved into shadows and appeared two dozen meters away, in the midst of them. The Sin of Solace whistled through the air, reaping another life.

Then, he was gone again.

Just like that, jumping from one abomination to another, Sunny soon reached the heart of the Scavenger mob, where the Gate Guardian towered above the lesser creatures.

The Corrupted Demon… was different from the rest of them. It was taller, stronger, and seemed much more ancient. Most importantly, it filled Sunny with a cold feeling of dread. His intuition was ringing alarm bells, screaming at him that this foe was strong, dangerous, perilous… deadly.

The creature resembled a giant with a body that was covered by pale, strangely organic, bone-like armor. It was littered with deep scars and signs of corrosion, but seemed almost impossible to break. On the Demon's face… or rather, instead of its face… a single bone protrusion extended forward like a vicious horn.

Sunny hesitated for a split second.

'...You're an ugly one, huh?'

Then, there was no time to think. The Demon noticed him almost before Sunny had appeared from the shadows, and brought his devastating fists down, aiming to crush the enemy into a puddle of blood.

Sunny silently cursed and jumped back. The Gate Guardian struck nothing but the cold ground, splitting it open and causing a small earthquake with this single blow.

A powerful shockwave spread from the point of impact, throwing several Nightmare Creatures down. If a mundane human had happened to be nearby, just this shockwave alone would have been enough to rupture their organs, killing them on the spot.

Sunny, fortunately, was not mundane. His armor and Ascended body absorbed the shock, and all he felt was a little rattle. The localized earthquake, nevertheless, was violent enough to throw him to the ground.

'Ah, not good…'

Usually, in a battle against something so powerful, losing his footing would have meant death. A Corrupted Demon was fast enough to unleash a finishing blow long before the enemy managed to get back up and regain their mobility… in this case, however, no attack followed.

The shadows in the place where the creature's fists landed suddenly surged forward and wrapped themselves around its wrists like black shackles. The Gate Guardian tried to straighten and unleash another blow, but was pulled back down by the shadow bindings.

It let out a rambling growl that rolled across the battlefield like an ill omen, and strained its mighty muscles. A moment later, the dark shackles exploded into a myriad of shards, and it was free again.

That moment was all Sunny had needed, though.