Shadow Slave

The Burned Forest stretched beneath an ashen sky like a bleak and lifeless monument to total destruction. Here and there, the blackened trunks of colossal trees rose into the sky like broken towers, their branches vanished, their leaves long reduced to ash. Beneath them, an impenetrable labyrinth of charred deadfall soared hundreds of meters above the ground, completely hiding it from view.

Sunny stood atop one of the rare burned trees that had stubbornly remained upright even after death, gazing down at the vast sprawl of scorched tangle from an immense height or rather, two versions of him stood there, one clad in a stunning suit of black jade armor, the other dressed in plain dark fabric.

The one in armor looked down with a smug expression.

”I think we’re going to lose again.”

The one in the dark clothing smiled faintly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

”Don’t underestimate our legion.”

Beneath them, a dreadful battle was underway.

The scorched thicket had come alive, frothing with a slick black substance. That substance was composed of countless monstrous millipedes, some several meters in length and others stretching dozens, their bodies encased in glossy black chitin.

The millipedes surged up from the depths of the fallen forest, flowing to the surface like a frenzied tide.

Each one was at least a Corrupted Beast, and some had reached the Great Rank. There were terrifying champions among them as well Monsters, Demons, and Devils, the latter surrounding the indistinct forms of the swarm’s elusive Tyrants. A few bore carapaces that shimmered with vivid colors and haunting patterns, pulling attention to their ominous figures.

The sight of the enormous vermin was enough to unnerve even someone like Sunny.

”And here... we... go...”

Facing the flood of monstrous millipedes was another army, equally shadowy, but far more haunting. This force encircled the massive tree Sunny stood upon like a wall — composed of silent shadows who met the oncoming tide of abominations without a hint of fear, hesitation, or uncertainty.

At that moment, the first ranks of the Shadow Legion advanced, pushing forward to halt the momentum of the enemy wave.

In a cruel twist of fate, the vanguard consisted of those very same monstrous millipedes they were the shadows of Nightmare Creatures that Sunny and his legion had previously slain within the Burned Forest.

Despite his incredible strength, Sunny and his undying army were still not formidable enough to claim the charred remnants of the Heart Realm. In the earliest stages of his bold invasion, he could scarcely step into the Burned Forest without being forced to retreat.

Most of the shades under his command were drawn from creatures of lower Ranks. Only a few hundred were Great Nightmare Creatures, and although these silent shadows could not be permanently destroyed, they could be driven back into his Soul Sea to recover. That recovery was not immediate either, with stronger shades taking longer to mend.

Thus, in those early days, the Shadow Legion had been easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of Nightmare Creatures populating the forest’s periphery. Their endless onslaught had smothered the undying army of the newly risen Sovereign.

Once most of his forces were crushed, Sunny had no choice but to flee. Progress wasn’t just slow it was nearly nonexistent.

However...

There was something insidious about the Legion of Death. With each battle, even the ones they lost... Sunny and his Domain only grew stronger.

Every abomination slain by him or his minions during these hopeless battles was absorbed into the ranks of the silent shadows. At first, he had a dozen shadow millipedes fighting on his side. Then, he had a hundred. ṟå𐌽ꝊＢĚs

As the days passed, their number grew into the thousands, and the Shadow Legion began to push deeper into the Burned Forest, slowly but steadily gaining ground.

Now, after a full year, he had ventured close to the nests of the millipede tribe. That was why their elusive Tyrants were finally appearing on the battlefield in person.

Sunny’s objective was to locate and destroy the nests. Once those nearby were found and eradicated, the southern outskirts of the Burned Forest would fall under his control. He even held a faint hope that one of them might conceal a hidden Citadel.

Of course, these were just the edges of the Heart God’s ruined domain. Far deeper into the cursed land, beings far more horrifying than the monstrous millipedes waited. It would likely take years for Sunny to conquer the Death Zone entirely if he could even achieve such a staggering feat.

But that was acceptable.

Subjugating the Burned Forest wasn’t his main goal. His true aim was to fill the ranks of his Shadow Legion with powerful shades and in that pursuit, he was making remarkable progress.

Down below, the wave of millipedes clashed with the shadows of their fallen counterparts. A shrill chorus of chitinous grinding and inhuman screeches echoed across the scorched landscape, and the ground trembled.

Sunny had never imagined that he would command a force composed of thousands of Corrupted Nightmare Creatures or rather, the transcendent shadows of thousands of such beings. And yet, today... that same force was consumed by the overwhelming flood of his enemy in under a minute, vanishing without a trace.

The shadows of the millipedes were obliterated and returned to his Soul Sea.

”...Almost a full minute today. Not bad.”

His armored self glanced at the smiling version and scoffed.

”Not impressive either.”

Still, the shadow swarm had accomplished its purpose, they had been sacrificed to blunt the force of the enemy, inflict significant losses, and allow Sunny to acquire a few hundred more shades.

Now, it was time for the cavalry to honor that sacrifice and carve further into the enemy.

The armored incarnation smirked.

”There she is.”

Far below, a graceful knight in fearsome black onyx armor urged her terrifying steed forward.

Her sword cut through the air, and the Shadow Legion stirred to life, shrouded in a chilling veil of absolute silence.

Even if they were defeated again today, they would eventually triumph.

Death, after all, was patient.

And more than anything else, it was inevitable.