Shadow Slave

3116 Princess of the Underworld

Shadow: Jade Saint.

Shadow Rank: Supreme.

Shadow Class: Tyrant.

Sunny looked at these runes for a short while, feeling deeply satisfied. Finally, after a long while, Saint had evolved to a new Class once more — this time reaching the coveted title of a Tyrant.

There was a qualitative jump in power between a Devil and a Tyrant, marking the latter as the first of the higher Classes, so he had high expectations for his oldest and most loyal Shadow.

Sunny continued to study the runes.

They read:

Shadow Attributes: [Princess of the Underworld], [Warmaster], [Stalwart], [Flame of Divinity], [Heart of Darkness], [Vessel of Nothing].

Shadow Abilities: [Royal Banner], [Weapon Sage], [Underworld Armament], [Mantle of Darkness], [Blade of Darkness], [Shield of Nothing].

There were two new additions — one Attribute and one Ability. Saint had absorbed a great deal of both true darkness and nothingness, as well, meaning that her elemental Abilities had grown far more potent.

The new Attribute had quite a catchy name. Sunny focused on it, reading the description.

Attribute: [Princess of the Underworld].

Attribute Description: [This Shadow has inherited the crown of the Underworld, and with it, the legacy of endless war.]

Sunny stared at the short description for a while, contemplating it.

‘The crown of the Underworld...’

It was not difficult to understand the hidden meaning of these words. A long time ago, Nether had bestowed seven suits of armor to his most flawless creations. However, those suits of armor — the Mantles of the Underworld — were both a gift and a trial. Sunny suspected that those of Nether’s favorite children who had passed the trial would have been recognized as his heirs, the Princes of the Underworld — like the Titan of Tainted Jade, the Prince of Darkness.

After all, Sunny had completed that trial himself, and that was the name of the enchantment responsible for tallying his victories.

However, all of the Princes were dead now, having either been destroyed in the endless war their creator had started or consumed by Corruption. The last of the seven Princes had been slain by Saint — so, ironically enough, she was the one who proved herself worthy of Nether’s inheritance in the end, not them.

Only Saint was not one of Nether’s favored creations, and neither had she received a suit of armor from him. Instead, she had forged her armor herself and had chosen her own path, walking among the shadows through true darkness and nothingness.

It was quite fitting, actually, for someone created by the Demon of Choice.

Sadly...

The kingdom she was supposed to inherit was long gone. Her people were extinct, the cities of the Underworld lay in ruin, and even Nether himself was dead. So, this crown of his was an empty promise — a symbol of a long-forgotten past that carried great weight, but offered very little to its wearer.

Maybe that Attribute did grant Saint some benefit, like gaining recognition among the creatures of the Underworld or being able to control ancient sorceries left behind by Nether better. But mostly, it must have simply functioned as a symbol of her authority — a spiritual mark that proclaimed her status as a Tyrant.

The Ability she had gained was much more interesting.

Sunny shifted his gaze to the runes that described it.

Ability: [Royal Banner].

Ability Description: [Those who fight under this Shadow’s stalwart banner are connected to her by the bond of loyalty, and are therefore bestowed the boon of her command. They are vessels of her will and conduits of her power, becoming living armaments for their commander to wield.]

Sunny’s gaze grew sharper.

If he was not wrong... then the [Royal Banner] Ability allowed Saint to fulfill the role of a general. Those who followed her command would be connected to her by a mystical bond, and through her to each other. That would allow Saint to command her soldiers directly, and therefore any army she commanded would act with an extreme level of unity, cohesion, and tactical excellence.

She possessed the [Warmaster] Attribute, after all, which expressed her profound knowledge of all kinds of warfare.

That alone was a tremendous boon. However, the description implied much more... it implied that Saint’s soldiers would be enhanced by the connection to their general, sharing in her might.

What did it mean?

It meant that they would be infused with her Will, as well as inherit a measure of her power.

Not all of her power, of course — at least Sunny did not think so. The [Underworld Armament], [Mantle of Darkness], [Blade of Darkness], and [Shield of Nothing] Abilities were too specific, after all, and could only function because of Saint’s [Heart of Darkness] and [Vessel of Nothing] Attributes.

However, that left one Ability... perhaps the most important Ability of them all.

It was [Weapon Sage].

If all soldiers under Saint’s banner inherited a lesser version of her sublime and varied martial skill — while already benefiting from the direct control of a Warmaster on a tactical level — then the army she commanded would be truly terrifying. It would be nearly impossible to defeat unless the enemy forces were utterly, overwhelmingly superior in terms of raw power.

Among soldiers, experience was more valuable than gold, as were ability and talent. Those who dwelled on the battlefield rarely lived long, so experience was difficult to come by — a seasoned veteran was worth ten inexperienced recruits, or maybe more. If that veteran was not only seasoned, but also competent and gifted, though, they were simply priceless.

What the combination of the [Warmaster] Attribute’s influence and the lesser version of the [Weapon Sage] Ability did... was make every soldier under Saint’s command equal to such a priceless veteran.

An army composed of only seasoned, indomitable elites... was an army Sunny never wanted to face on the battlefield.

He would rather be the commander of that army — or rather, the liege lord of that army’s commander.

And now, it seemed that he was.

‘Damn.’

In short, Saint was now a force multiplier that could dramatically elevate the power of the entire Shadow Legion.

Sunny had gained a legion of Shadow Saints and the shadow of the Prince of Darkness, as well, not to mention Shadow Weave. Overall, the expedition to the Underworld had proven to be quite fruitful... despite its disastrous ending.

As Sunny rushed across the desolate expanse of the Shadow Realm, carrying Nephis with him, he could not help but feel a hint of dark exhilaration.

He did not know what the future held, but he knew one thing.

Now that Saint was a Tyrant...

Those damn Barrow Wraiths would learn what sorrow meant very, very soon.