Chapter 41

Nephis had fully recovered and was managing the aftermath of the bloodied battle. As she walked and healed the injured, her thoughts couldn't help but sway towards Kiyotaka's actions.

From the moment she returned to Dark City, she couldn't stop thinking about Kiyotaka's actions. When he got information about the impending meeting in the hall, the first thing he did was to meet Nephis at night under the cover of [Darkness Veil] and give her the information, along with a flask of blood, saying she could use it as a poison. The flask wasn't a memory; it was just a simple flask with blood that didn't seem particularly useful. Only when she asked Cassie about it and she confirmed that it could potentially help kill Gunlaug did Nephis believe it and start forming a plan in her head. In the end, she used it, and Gunlaug was set ablaze by crimson flames.

What followed after was something she would never forget. Despite being warned by both Kiyotaka himself and Sunny, who had previously witnessed Kiyotaka lose his mind in madness, she was still both amazed and terrified at the sight of him slaughtering his enemies left and right. His maniacal laugh, muffled by partial madness, sent shivers down her spine.

In the end, everything came to a close, and Kiyotaka turned fully back to normal. Many Sleepers didn't dare to move as they were still shocked from what they had witnessed. The members of the cohort, however, swiftly moved to help their friend, including Nephis herself. Only Sunny was nowhere to be seen, as well as Harus. It was clear that during all the chaos, they had changed locations and fought somewhere else.

As she healed Kiyotaka, she saw his Human Echo disappearing and returning back to the soul of its master. Nephis was also amazed at the strength of this Echo. Looking at the unconscious Kiyotaka, she couldn't help but have many questions. There were many mysteries shrouding his figure, and she was very curious to know them.

But she would refrain from asking. After all, Kiyotaka was her ally, and she respected him.

Sighing to herself, she stood up and acted as the new leader. Her people needed her the most right now. Besides political complications, there was also the threat of nightmare creatures that might attack the castle.

---

By a twist of fate, today, Harus was facing possibly the worst opponent he could have faced on the Forgotten Shore... among the Sleepers, at least.

However, Sunny wasn't surprised.

Looking at the corpse of the Executioner beneath him, he sighed and stood up, his body aching from the heavy fight. The information provided by Kiyotaka had helped Sunny a lot, but it didn't mean the fight was easy.

Diving into the shadows, he left the corpse and disappeared.

---

It had been two weeks since Nephis became the leader. The Bright Castle that had been filled with blood and corpses was now crystal clear, as if nothing had ever happened.

In the same hall where all the carnage occurred, the cohort members stood, each of them mentally exhausted from the aftermath. After the fight, there were only around 600 Sleepers out of 1000 left. Losing 40% of the populace heavily impacted the humans as nightmare creatures began creeping into the Dark City. At first, it was hard since the usual order that Gunlaug had created was gone, and many capable fighters who should have been guarding the castle were dead.

Fortunately, Kiyotaka and Sunny took care of things as they and their Echoes brought back the safety. Kiyotaka by day, while Sunny by night.

There was also the matter of punishing evildoers. Nephis herself took care of it as she ruthlessly killed those she deemed right and extended an olive branch to those whom she would need.

Currently, there was a meeting going on in the same place where the carnage happened. There stood seven humans that represented the apex of humanity in the Forgotten Shore.

Effie, a tall, imposing gluttonous woman who exhibited an aura of strength.

Kai, a handsome archer with inhuman accuracy and bowmanship.

Caster, who was fast.

Cassie, the blind girl who was always by Nephis's side and had proven herself to be crucial in planning and mentioning future dangers.

Kiyotaka, whose reputation was at its peak after his performance two weeks ago. Many feared him, and some even had hallucinations of the half-crazy man who turned the hall into a slaughterhouse.

Sunny, who was only known to the masses as Changing Star's scout, but the members of the cohort knew how deadly he and his Saint could be.

Finally, there was Changing Star herself. The silver-haired girl who led hundreds of people and carried their fates on her shoulders. She was now the one and only leader of humanity here, the 4th and perhaps the last.

Kiyotaka spoke first.

"I have finished the distribution of memories that I got and were useless to me. As for the training of non-combatants, it's going okay."

Nephis nodded at him. After the initial danger of nightmare creatures subsided, she assigned Kiyotaka to the distribution of memories and the training of forces. Basically, Kiyotaka became a military general, and he was raising a Dreamer Army. Kai and Effie also helped him from time to time, training spearmanship and bowmanship respectively.

Cassie spoke next.

"The strength of our people is great, but we still need information about our enemies. Sunny?"

Sunny leaned back on the pillar.

"I have scouted the area near Crimson Spire... and it's filled with dreadful nightmare creatures, not to mention what might be inside the Spire itself."

Everyone's moods became a little somber. Yes, now that Gunlaug and his followers were no more, there remained only one enemy. The Cursed Nightmare Spell.

As the meeting went on, many plans were discussed and revised. Cassie helped out here and there, and Kiyotaka, with his analytical prowess, also talked about what could be done.

After a long discussion, everyone dispersed, only Cassie and Nephis remaining in the hall. Kiyotaka looked at the two girls and then at Sunny's disappearing figure.

Kiyotaka always believed in his calculations and acted on them, but right now he wanted them to be false.

'Why does everything have to be so complicated...'

Sighing, he followed Sunny and disappeared in Darkness.