To what do I owe the pleasure of such exalted people?"
They could now feel and hear something they couldn't before: an enormous presence and what sounded like the scales of a Titanic serpent scraping against the marble temple walls. The blood sisters gripped their weapons tightly. Mordret stepped forward and politely bowed to the voice in the impenetrable shadows. " Greetings, Lord of Shadows? Or would you prefer we address you as something else?"
The voice was cold, devoid of emotion, and elusive; strangely, they could hear a hint of arrogance. "I would not. You may call me Shadow, Prince of Nothing. My question is, what do you want with me?"
This time, Lonesome Howl stepped forward, answering the voice in the darkness.
"We would like to extend an invitation to join Clan Song. It would benefit both parties and expand our Queen's domain to protect all of humanity. After all, no one survives alone in the dream realm, not even someone like you who lives in a death zone."
They all tensed; even Mordret's smile dimmed a little when they heard a chilling laughter reverberating throughout the temple.
"Oh? Is that all? You want me to join forces with The Great Clan of Song. Surely, it has nothing to do with the inevitable war between the Queen of Worms and The King of Swords? Surely, it is not because your Clan wants to use me as a weapon and not use my citadel to help gain control of the battlefield that will be on Godgrave?"
The Lord of Shadows' voice grew colder. " You all wouldn't be trying to deceive me, would you?"
Beastmaster, seemingly amused by Lord Shadow's personality, smiled beautifully at the voice in the darkness.
" It is good to see you are already informed, Lord Shadow; that saves a lot of discussion between us. But onto the figurative elephant in the room, Since you are already aware of the inevitable war between the Clans and that it will be here on God Grave. I assume you are aware of the fact that escape is impossible unless, of course, you want to abandon your citadel and flee to the waking world. You must choose a side; I think you already have."
Even though she couldn't see him through this darkness, she felt his gaze fixed on her. The Lord of Shadows answered coldly.
"Have I? Wouldn't you be making quite the assumption, Princess Beastmaster? "
Beastmaster's smile never wavered. "Well, haven't you? You have not mentioned Clan Valor once, so it's evident that you either have no desire to join or you declined their offer."
"Says who?" his voice ever aloof
This time, Beastmaster's smile visibly dimmed. "I beg your pardon?"
"Who says that I refused the emissary of Clan Valor? I did not."
Sunny was slightly startled that Queen Song had brought so many people to negotiate with him. He could have sworn the Queen was only to send Mordret, and it would have made sense after all. Why put your daughters at risk when you can send your guests instead? Sunny was utterly wrong to think that, but it didn't matter now. When he started the conversation with them, he was grateful to wear Weaver's mask because everything he said was a lie. But now he was progressively getting annoyed because everything came out as a lie!
He watched Beastmaster's beautiful face twist into confusion. " You didn't?"
"I did not refuse the emissary of Valor; however, I did not accept them either. Instead, I gave the Emissary that Anvil of Valor sent a chance to prove if they were truly worthy of my strength; it is needless to say that I was very disappointed with them. You see, I despise the idea of fighting alongside people who are weaker than me. So, I will offer you all the same chance; if any of you manage to leave a scratch on my armor, I will accept your invitation to ally with your Clan and to make it easier for you all. I won't use my aspect; I will crush you with strength and skill. What do you say?"
Revel scoffed at him. "You're Arrogant"
Sunny laughed, not caring about how sinister it may have sounded. " Arrogant? No, if anything, I am being humble and modest, well? Do you accept my challenge?
Beastmaster turned around and walked a bit to get a good look at her companions and sisters, asking them a silent question. When they all nodded, she returned to where she thought the throne was." We accept your challenge, Lord Shadow. "
The Blood Sisters, Daughters of Song, and The Prince of Nothing felt it before they could see it. Movement in the hall was currently drowned in shadows. They all felt the shadows shift and move as if they had come to life and were celebrating the arrival of their master. The Blood Sisters tensed, looking around with somber expressions.
A thud.
One followed by another, then another; someone or something was descending from their unseen dais with unhurried steps. The Enchanted Lanterns on the walls suddenly came to life, shining with a bright, radiant glow. As soon as they did, a dark figure came into the light of the lanterns, with shadows surrounding them like a cloak.
The Song sisters rarely felt fear, but they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines at the sight of the Lord of Shadows. Even Mordert, who rarely felt anything, looked weary. The Lord of Shadows figure was as elusive as his voice. He wore a terrifying demonic mask with three horns and eyes filled with darkness. It displayed not a shred of his facial features—it was like he had no face. His body was encased in fearsome onyx armor that showed no hint of skin if he had any. Perhaps he was just as his name said, a Shadow.
Oddly enough, none of them could determine how tall the man was. But it felt as if he was looking down at every single one of them with cold arrogance. The Song sisters and Mordret took a step back, and the Blood sisters took a step forward.
Lord Shadow tilted his head. " You all aren't going to fight me?"
Beastmaster shook her head and smiled, "It is nice to put a mask on a name finally. But no, I'm afraid we will not fight at the moment. We don't just draw our weapons for anyone. It's as you said yourself, prove your worth to us."
Mordret politely smiled. "I have absolutely no say in this! My sincerest apologies, Lord Shadow!"
The unnerving dark demon mask stared at them for a few long agonizing seconds, and then his arrogant voice resounded from the mask once more.
"Fine, No matter, all of you come at me at once."
The moment he said those words, the Lord of Shadows raised his hand, and the darkness flowed around him, forming a long odachi. Its blade was so dark that it seemed to dim the lanterns with its very presence. Slightly uneasy, the Blood Sisters moved forward.
Four Blood Sisters, each of them wore a blood-red dress. Master Felis, an old friend of Master Sid, was among them; he knew her back when she was one of Seishan's handmaidens in the Dark City. Each Blood sister was as powerful as a cohort full of Ascended. Sunny had never seen them in action, so he was excited to see what they offered. "Well? What are you waiting for?"
Before he could finish his words, wielding a large spiked mace and a cut lasse, two Blood sisters were already in front of him. They struck at his front and side with speeds that impressed even Sunny. He deflected each of them with minimum effort. While he was doing that, two arrows flew towards him at startling speeds. The two Blood Sisters that drew the arrows were already upon him, each covering where the other couldn't. Two more arrows flew at his left and right sides while the melees prepared to strike at his front and back. He could have evaded all of them by shadow-stepping, but he said that he wouldn't use his aspect and had an audience to impress. The Four of them operated like an oiled machine 'Amazing.'
The five of them watched the Lord of Shadows with varying expressions. Hel stared at the battle with wide eyes, while Mordret had a smile plastered on his face. Eubin had raised an eyebrow with a slight smile, and Revel had her usually gloomy expression. Lonesome Howl looked intrigued, and she turned her attention to Eubin.
"What's going on in that head of yours, Bin? What do you think of him?"
Bin's smile widened a bit. " Well, his personality is asocial and arrogant; he hides his face, and his voice is dark, sinister, and indifferent. He is also powerful and seemingly independent. Unfortunately, he is much too gloomy for me and too similar to Rev. I want someone more upbeat, humorous, and pleasant to be around. But then again, I'm certain that with enough time and much effort, I could fix Lord Shadow."
Lonesome Howl looked at her as if she had grown two heads. " Lord Shadows fighting style! What do you think of his fighting style?! Not if he has the qualities of a potential lover!"
Bin smiled innocently. "Hm? Oh, that? Yes, it's fascinating! It almost looks like he's dancing. I like what I see."
Lonesome Howl gave Eubin a long look and eventually nodded. "Yes, I noticed it too."
As soon as they finished speaking, it seemed as if Lord Shadow had gotten tired of the Blood Sisters and rushed at them with frightening speed. He appeared in front of Felise, grabbed her by the face, and then slammed her into the ground. Before the others could react, a second blood sister was already being effortlessly thrown aside into the onyx walls of the temple, hitting them and causing a small shockwave. The Lord of Shadows had already brought the remaining two to their knees, holding one's neck and pointing his odachi at the other's neck.
He was ruthless. The battle had lasted no more than one minute, yet Seishan's Blood Sisters were defeated in less than two seconds. They heard his arrogant voice; this time, hearing a hint of irritation from behind his eerie mask. " Well? Impressed? Are we going to fight now?"
His previous dueling opponents had slowly gotten to their feet, either glaring at him or eyeing him wearily. He paid them no mind for the moment; his true challenge was walking towards him. The four Song Sisters and their guest had stopped a few meters before him; Mordret smiled and started clapping.
"Well done, well done indeed, Lord Shadow! Your fighting was truly a sight to behold. I sincerely hope we live up to your expectations!
He stared at them. " I know I will be dissatisfied. Let us make this quick."
The moment his opponents summoned their weapons, he was already aiming for the throat of Lightslayer. Beastmaster's nightmare creature bone came flying towards him from her slingshot, deflecting his strike; he shifted his weight and swapped the odachi to his right hand, effectively blocking the strikes aimed at his chest of Lonesome Howl, Deathsinger, and the Prince of Nothing. They all exchanged dozens of strikes a second, with Sunny moving so fast that they looked like blurs to the current spectators, each block and strike creating shockwaves throughout the temple.
Without Sunny augmenting himself or manifesting his avatars, he was being pushed to his limits and loved every second. It had been far too long since he had fought anything other than Nightmare Creatures. It was highly refreshing to fight against beings, transcended ones at that, who used their skills, cunningness, and nonverbal communication. He figured it was time to seal the deal and end this fight. He had not seen nearly enough and wanted more, but he didn't want this to drag out any longer than it had to. This is why he started shadowing the sisters' battle style; they immediately noticed and slowly shifted to other patterns of attacks.
'I should end it here.'
He leaned his head slightly to the right, dodging another piece of bone from the Enchantress's slingshot while catching Lonesome Howl's fist gauntlet with one hand and Lightslayer's katana that was just centimeters away from his breastplate in the other, stopping them dead in their tracks, resulting in a loud boom that shook the temple.
Sunny stared at them, "I've seen enough, I'm satisfied; we will end this here; otherwise, my temple will suffer irreparable damages."
They all seemed surprised, and Lonesome Howl gave a boisterous smile. "You're that impressed, huh?"
Sunny looked at her, watching her suppress a shiver. "No, not in the slightest."
Lonesome Howl tilted her head, and he saw her handsome face scrunch into a frown. "Then what about our duel? And who taught you our battle styles?
Sunny turned his back towards them and started walking back to his throne. "I'm willing to admit defeat, and you all did. But I have no interest in joining forces with your Great Clan Song, Lonesome Howl, only personally with you and your sisters."
Of course, he was still going to assist Nephis in achieving supremacy and making her a soulbound memory, but before any of that, his first step was with Cassie to help Sunny get Nephis to trust him. It was already a huge plus that Cassie knew he was the Lord of Shadows, but he would leave that for him to worry about in the future.
The Confident Woman nodded. "Very well, you will not regret this, Lord Shadow. But what about your payments? The seven of us can't guarantee it will be a vast amount of riches like our entire Clan would be able to provide."
The Lord of Shadows stopped and turned around, looking at her with those unfathomably dark voids where his eyes should have been. "What about them? I do not desire or need them; I will take it for myself if I want something. Now leave"
All nine of them bowed, then started to walk back the way they came, with the onyx lady knight guiding them outside the temple. Then, as usual, she left without a word. Soon after, they set up camp 20 kilometers from the Nameless temple. Staring at the fire, their minds were racing, wondering who the man behind the fearsome mask was. Perhaps it was a Saint from a Long Fallen Clan? That wouldn't make any sense; no saint in existence just appeared out of thin air. There was always a public announcement whenever someone had transcended.
Eventually, Hel was the first to speak. " Well, at least we know where the Shadow god lineage went! We have all the proof that The Lord of Shadows has it. All of them nodded, silently agreeing with her. Suddenly, they all jumped to their feet, feeling the ground violently trembling
As they prepared for battle, the saints of the cohort felt a new presence and saw the figure of Lord Shadow standing in front of them, his back facing them, calmly peering into the darkness. He seemed to have discarded his mask, but they couldn't see his face due to the darkness and attire. Their subordinates took a few steps back in shock, and the Song sisters slightly frowned at how he appeared out of nowhere, standing there for who knows how long.
Revel frowned even more. " What is it?"
They heard the mysterious Saint sigh tiredly. " It's nothing to fret over; it's only one of the Great Slumbering One's awakening. I thought I could keep them asleep for at least a few more days, but I seemed to have misjudged."
A Great Nightmare creature? That he kept asleep? Who exactly was this man?
Lightslayer took a step forward. " We should deal with it together, then."
The Lord of Shadows put his arm in front of her. "No need; it is only a beast." He then stepped forward, and the shadows surged around him, dissolving his figure and becoming one with them. Then, the shadows silently exploded upward, forming a titanic shadow replicating its maker's exact form. First, the torso formed, showing rippling lean-back muscles. His colossal form was instantly covered by the glossy onyx armor he wore when they sparred; by then, the lower torso had already formed.
He seemed to be kneeling but slowly rose, becoming as tall as the ancient nameless temple. Due to his immense height, the shadows hid his face. It quickly dawned on them that he had copied Saint Athena's transformation. They were silently startled at the sight.
Was this his transformation ability?
Then, they heard the same sound from inside the temple, scales scraping against the surface and a dreadful loud hiss. They all turned just in time to see an enormous serpent with jet-black scales, each as thick as an APC, a terrifying maw large enough to swallow several APCs whole, and two pitch-black eyes slithering out of the temple. Passing the Blood Sisters at a frightening speed, it raised its head high. It started coiling around its master's leg, then reaching his left outstretched arm.
They watched in silence as it changed. Where the serpent's head was previously, the tip of an impossibly dark and inconceivable odachi took its place. As the enormous shadow took a step, making the ground shudder, the odachi finished forming just in time for a disgusting creature of what looked to be made of jade and the head of a jackal. Still, if one took a closer look at it, they would find an incomprehensible mass of maggots where its face should have been. The abomination lunged at him, roaring, revealing its mouth full of nothing but torn flesh and dozens of rows full of teeth.
The enormous odachi calmly fell towards the beast.
For several long moments, they heard only silence, followed by a thunderous boom resulting from its head falling to the ground.
The Titanic Shadow shook his head in disappointment and disappeared into a tide of shadows, leaving just as he had appeared without a trace. The spectators were stunned. They suddenly thanked the dead gods for impressing the enigmatic Saint and having him as an ally. They shuddered, wondering what would have happened if he had been an enemy instead.
Back at the Emporium, Sunny was pouring his coffee into his mug in the kitchen and shaking his head at the events that transpired only a few days ago. Having Nightmare wake up the Great Beast from its slumber just to kill it, Why did that guy have to be such a showoff? Well, at least he had managed to get allied with the Song Sisters and get them off his back for a while. It would probably be a few weeks before they returned to Godgrave to review the Queen's plans with him.
So, he found his original body again, having plenty of free time to do anything he wanted; maybe he could go for a walk again. 'Not a chance in hell.' He immediately dismissed the thought, not wanting to somehow run into that lunatic again. Sunny wanted to relax more than anything. He had more than earned it, after all!
Just as Sunny was about to sit down, the silver bell melodically rang, signaling that another customer had arrived. Setting his mug down, he walked into the dining area with a polite smile. His smile wavered a bit when he saw who had walked in. Wearing a red dress, an easygoing yet captivating smile, and a breathtaking face with a scar running from her forehead to the tip of her chin, it somehow only managed to add to her beauty. Beastmaster stared at him surprisedly, slowly turning into a bright, gorgeous smile.
Snapping out of his trance, Sunny deeply bowed. "Lady Eubin, welcome to the Brilliant Emporium! How may I help you?"
Gods, out of all people, why did it have to be the prettiest sister in the bunch?! Why couldn't he catch a damn break?!