9 : A Shadow's grudge

The long awaited Winter Beast fight reaction(will be in 2 parts it's so damn long). This chapter has 6k plus words alone and I still have like 5k words to write with a reaction which is a lot (4 chapter of ss). Also there's a chance that I will change the premises of the fic after this winter beast fight since I picked a quite difficult time line to write with. Maybe I'll go with the current chapters as the next time line. Also realized I'm not built for a reaction fic but I'll still continue to write until I can. Oh and I also need to focus on my novel more because I'm still stuck on how to make it readable.

The latest chapters are such anice chapters it motivated me to do this thing. I want new chapter asap.

Update while I'm writing: Shadow Slave is about to get a webtoon babyyy. I prayed for times like this.

Merry xmas everyone I'm writing this while eating a damn cookie

- _Baleygr

*****

Nephis couldn't remember anything that she have ever thought about this simple yet huge problem. How did she ever not thought of the possibility of someone being with them from the very start? Is she that confident on herself that she thought she could've survived alone in the Forgotten Shore with a blind Cassie on tow? Or maybe something is messing with her mind.

Suddenly, Neph remembered that when the screen first showed Sunny and Cassie's first interaction, Cassie weirdly forgot what she's about to ask the man. Hence, Neph came to the conclusion that she too was the same. It wasn't that Neph didn't think about the possibility nor did she not think about it despite all the longing she's feeling.... it's just that fate itself is intervening on what she has been doing.

Neph couldn't help but wonder, how many times did she think of him? and how many times she had forgotten? If she could've retain her thought just like now, would she have met him much earlier?

Neph raised her hand to her face, failing to feel a single tear in her eyes, she sighed and continued to watch the video in the front amidst the turmoil of emotions she's currently feeling.

A torrent of shadows flowed into the corridor, submerging it in total darkness. The light of the glowing gemstones was swallowed and disappeared without trace, turning them bleak and lifeless.

The mystery still persist even with all the answers already given. Hence why the crowd was gleeful with the appearance of shadows on the screen. It was another video with Sunny starring it. Maybe they will get further information on who and what Sunny have done in the past that they have forgotten.

Sunny had summoned a swarm of vast and ancient shadows to do the job. These old shadows were unfathomable - it would have taken an equally potent source of light to dispel them. The gemstones had been created from the mind of the Demon of Imagination, true... perhaps they would have chased away the darkness if the shadows were alone.

Saint Jests frowned, making his transcendent old face look even more older. This place, these walls and corridors... he's familiar with it, and knows exactly where this is.

'Bastion... the King's castle! '

Although he have taken a liking to Sunny, he still haven't forgot about his conversation with Song of The Fallen.

'How have he known? Is he someone truly from Bastion and just forgotten? or...'

A click escaped the old Saint's mouth as he looked towards Changing Stars cohort. She couldn't be planning betrayal isn't she? No matter does she know the truth about the fall of her family, she surely will not fight against a Sovereign of humanity.

It isn't just Saint Jest who was having these thoughts. There were also Summer Knight, other vassals of Valor, and Morgan herself.

Morgan looked at her sister as her eyes became as sharp as her skin.

'I know how capable you are dear sister. I know that you know it yourself too... but this is impossible.'

Morgan's hand turned into a fist as she gripped within the gloves that covers her skin. A part of herself too wanted her father gone... all her life she was not treated as a daughter but as a weapon, a tool, a sword, for her father as he expected her to grow, to become his greatest weapon.

Morgan didn't like it now, but all her life starting from her childhood she lived with that hope in her heart. That one day she will be that weapon her father wishes. She will be the perfect weapon that her father desire to create and give him happiness.

Or so she thought.

The fire of thoughts constantly burning in Morgan's mind wanted to be free from her father as she grew older. Yet the child of the past that is still sitting on the anvil of her heart opposes that idea. Both fight in the forge of her whole existence making Morgan an incomplete sword, still contradicting with slashing or protecting her father who have created her.

But they were in the presence of their Lord, and that alone made them much more tyrannical.

A few moments later, a long stretch of the corridor had turned completely lightless. The infinity mirror of its walls was now dull and empty. Nothing reflected on their dim surface, and no reflection haunted the hidden sanctum.

Of course not all of the people in the theater know anything about this place full of mirrors. They do not know about the real Bastion unlike the people of Valor and maybe even people of Song.

But Rain know something. That this place is a scary place.

Her master continuously reminded her everyday about being away from mirrors or anything that reflects something. Even though she still doesn't know why, seeing her master be so serious about it made it sure to her that mirrors are not a good idea at all especially within the Song domain.

Though it made her curious on where this place is. If mirrors in the Song domain were so dangerous, where would this place full of mirrors is located?

Sunny let out a quiet sigh.

'Who knew that I would use this trick today?'

What he had done was not pure improvisation.

Instead, it was one of the methods he had contemplated when thinking about how to deal with Mordret.

The whole theater was puzzled for some time. But then they all slowly paused in a somehow the same time. They all looked at the man on the seats of the Song as he just sat there menacingly not paying all of them attention.

What in the hell did this man do to make someone who broke fate think of numerous methods on how to deal with him? No one knows except Mordret. Maybe even he doesn't know as he also have forgotten.

"I told you we were old friends. "

As always the Prince of Nothing says things that will make people's sanity go down. He will always answer in a tone that neither will make you know if he's serious or not.

"Shut your mouth fiend. We do not want to hear anything from a creature like you. "

Mordret smiled at Saint Jest as he raised his hand and placed one finger just in front of his lips making a gesture of silence.

"Insolent... How could you be like this when countless of people died because of you. Awakened, Ascended alike and even a Transcendent just the moment you escaped from your prison! "

"One Transcendent? Should've been more."

Mordret glanced at Saint Tyris for a brief moment and then shrugged it off as he looked at Saint Jest.

"Old man did you really expect that I will willingly stay in that prison? Not when my own father imprisoned me there and treated me like a monster."

Saint Jest grumbled upon the unexpected serious answer from Mordret.

"If you say it like that... It's acceptable. "

Saint Rivalen who was listening to the two couldn't believe what the old man have just said.

"Saint Jest! "

"Oh poor dear Rivalen, you are too naive. If I am the same as that creature I would do something much worse just to escape. And also..."

The old man's face remained the same yet the glisten of his eyes were different.

"You shouldn't contain beasts as they become more beastial when their fangs are locked. "

Cassle seemed impressed.

"These shadows... obey you?"

Sunny shrugged.

"If I treat them nicely."

Wild shadows were like that. Most were devoted to Sunny, but some were obstinate and willful. The former would obey him out of affection or reverence, but the latter needed to be coaxed and enticed.

Effie blinked blankly for a moment as she looked at Cassie.

"Cas... isn't that you know... obvious? "

Meanwhile Cassie who still have visible wet spots on her blindfold looked at Effie ignoring the fact that she just cried a few moments ago.

"How would I know? I'm blind. "

Grumbling about the cliche answer, Effie was once again bored. The recent videos showed them a lot. Sunny is an amazing and scary at the same time. The image of the gentle shopkeeper in Effie's mind completely crumbled. But at the same time it created a new version of Sunny. This made her tired of the information and just wants to see the man fight with his fullest.

'I guess we gotta wait again.'

Her thoughts will soon be blown as she will soon witness one of the greatest one man massacre this world has ever seen.

"Let's go."

The two of them returned to the corridor. It seemed much smaller without the countless reflections stretching endlessly into the ghostly distance.

Cassie suddenly spoke, drawing his attention:

"Are we going left again?"

Sunny smiled.

"That is a good question!

"No... let's try right this time."

The crowd however was confused. Two of the greatest Saints out there is lost? How? And also Song of The Fallen's ability of perception should help them to escape this mirror maze yet why still can't they find the right path?

The people of the theater were getting nervous. What truly is this place? And why haven't they knew about this place?

They turned right and started walking at a measured pace. The shadows moved with them, keeping the corridor dark both ahead and behind. Just like that, Sunny and Cassie advanced forward for a while,

Some Intersections formed four paths, some only three... there were even bizarre ones that had six, seven, or eight turns. There were dead ends, as well, and corridors that led to one of the crossroads Sunny and Cassie had already passed. The corridors themselves weren't straight, either, bending and twisting at unexpected angles.

It was a mirror labyrinth.

Song Eunbin, the Beastmaster smiled at the sight of the Valor higher ups. Of course she knows the true nature of Bastion, her mother knows about it so the information naturally was passed down to her and her sisters. And now, she's enjoying the sights of the Valor people on the edges of their seats as the secret of their beloved citadel being shown to the public.

'How amusing that these trained warriors are now just a few seconds away from destroying this screen.'

After a while, Sunny sighed and stopped, covering his face with a palm.

In front of them was an open door leading to a small stone chamber. The same chamber they had left behind.

"Have you noticed it?"

Cassie's voice was calm.

He lingered for a while, then nodded.

"Yeah. Damn it."

Sunny had been counting his steps this whole time.

It was hard to keep track because of how convoluted the maze of mirrors was, but he was certain of it they had walked more in each direction than the width of the mountain was.

Which meant that the labyrinth was not beholden to the size of the mountain. It could be endless, for all Sunny knew.

Mordret seeing the struggles of the people of Bastion, his people, wanted to stir their souls for a bit.

"I didn't know that it was this big. Well the king didn't allow me to venture that much but this is unexpected. "

Rivalen then countered, wanting the man to shut his mouth.

"Shut it scum. Or else... "

"Or else...? "

Mordret feigned his own ignorance as he celebrated managing to stir someone up, especially a Saint. Now Mordret wanted to return to Bastion as there could be something there for him. Literally as a citadel full of mirrors should be a perfect citadel for a man of reflection isn't it?

Shaking his head, he leaned on the wall and summoned the Endless Spring. Drinking deeply from the beautiful glass bottle, he then handed it to Cassle.

The young woman took the Memory and frowned for a moment. Then, forgetting the meaning that it held, she brought it to her lips and then returned it to Sunny.

Although only a few, some have noticed that Cassie have forgotten about that memory.

"There is it again. That weird thing that happens and Saint Cassia just forget something. "

A firekeeper said, visibly shaken by the scene.

"I wonder what that memory is... It looks like a normal memory, something a sleeper or awakened will keep. "

Another fire keeper chimed in.

"It looks like a utility memory that produces water which is very useful. But I don't think he's keeping it because of that. There must be history behind that memory. "

"We can try again."

He hesitated for a bit, then slowly shook his head.

"No. We've been here for too long already. There is still some time before sunrise, but I won't be able to solve this maze quickly. This... is going to be a long project."

Cassie raised an eyebrow.

"We have only agreed that I will bring you inside the castle once."

"Just what is this place? Where could it be. "

Some government awakened questioned with a relative hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Didn't these two talked about it earlier already? The Bastion, the real Bastion! "

Said a superior of the government awaken in a whispery voice as he cautiously looked at the Valor side.

The awakened on the other hand lit up. It seems the information made a lot of sense towards the current state of the theater. The smug looks of the Song people and the cautious and fragile look of the Sword people. It all made sense to the awakened now why this is happening.

She looked at her superior with a small happy smile and gave him a thumbs up.

"You're really a superior for a reason. "

"I'll take that as a compliment. "

Sunny smiled.

"Yes. And I have only promised to show you one of my memories. Surely, you want to see more... and I want to explore this place more. It works out perfectly, does it not? We can meet once a month, during the full moon. This way, both of us will slowly gain the knowledge we desire."

She hesitated.

"I don't know how long I'll remain in Bastion, though. Maybe there is something else you want?"

His smile turned a little darker.

"There are many things I want, Saint Cassia. But this is the deal I am offering."

"Their conversation is more of a friendly conversation not a professional one. "

A blood sister said to her fellow bloodsisters, clearly amused with this very confusing relationship that these two have.

"What do you mean? They're literally friends. "

A fellow blood sister answered.

"Yeah but not anymore, at that time at least."

Cassie frowned, remained silent for a few moments, then nodded.

"Fine. I will guide you inside the castle once again, next month. In exchange for another memory."

Sunny dismissed the Endless Spring and suppressed a chuckle.

"Why did she put on a show if we both knew that she would agree?"

"It's a date, then."

Some of the people in the theater accidentally choked on the drinks they're currently drinking with that statement by Saint Cassia.

The drinks and foods appearing like memories on the side of the theater is seriously a surprise but hearing such words from Saint Cassia is much more unexpected.

However something expected could be seen in the seats of Neph's cohort. After all, Nephis is just seating there... menacingly. Emanating a dangerous aura while having her normal expression haven't change at all.

He froze for a moment, then added hurriedly:

"No, wait. It's not a date. I misspoke. It's a... well... an arrangement. You know what I mean."

Cassie observed him with a hint of amusement, then shrugged.

"As you wish. Now... I think it's time for me to receive my payment."

Sunny sighed. He had not been looking forward to this part...

We were once back at the government awakened as she again grumbled with her bad memory.

"Who knows about the payment? I forgot. "

Her superior sighed at her and then answered.

"A memory, not the spell memory but a literal memory. Saint Cassia can see memories."

The awakened blinked blankly.

"Isn't that the perfect information gathering method?"

"Thank you for that wonderfully obvious answer. "

"Fine. We have a bit of time left, so let's do it here."

As long as he returned to the lake before sunrise, there was no safer place in Bastion than this labyrinth, Here, they were hidden from the King's gaze, and no one would disturb them.

'I still hate it!

Sunny led Cassie into the stone chamber, called the shadows back into the lantern, and closed the door

Then, he sat on the floor, cross-legged. Cassie sat down in front of him and calmly looked him in the eyes, her back perfectly straight.

People of all kinds, mundane to Saints and even one Sovereign was curious, excited about the memory Sunny will show the. Or rather will show Cassie. All of them here are just eavesdropping but in the way of the eye not the ear.

"Here it comes! "

"Can't we please see something normal for once? "

"Hell nah! It should be a fight. We haven't seen him fight yet! "

"He massacred the damn tree and its minions! That's not enough? "

"Nope!"

"One memory. Of your choosing."

Sunny nodded slowly.

She took a deep breath.

"Then think about what you want me to see."

He did.

It felt weird for the audience to see, maybe even dizzy to them. Cassie's eyes were scary as if looking into a deep foggy ocean full of doubt and clouded by mysteries.

For someone like Cassie who's very popular, very few people have actually saw her eyes as after the Forgotten Shore, she have covered it with a blindfold all the time.

The bitter cold. The dim twilight. The cracking of ice as he broke through it and climbed onto the desolate shore... the dark storm of seething emotions raging in his hollow heart...

And in the next moment, Sunny gasped.

Anticipation, excitement and anxiousness were just few of the emotions the people of the theater were feeling.

What will Sunny show them again? Is it something new? Something someone have never done before? They don't know, but they will... soon.

A cold ocean washed the shore of a desolate land, its waves frozen and unmoving. The empty sky seemed dim and uncaring, the sun hidden behind a somber veil. The land itself was silent and forlorn, its lifeless expanse buried in snow.

Not far from the shore, the layer of ice shackling of the ocean suddenly fractured and exploded, revealing the restless surface of the dark water.

Where could this be? Another part of the Dream Realm or a place somewhere in the mundane world? There is no way to know because of the sheer things Sunny does. How can you predict something that does things no one have ever seem before? You simply can't.

A pale hand rose above the edge and dug into the ice with crushing force. A moment later, a gaunt young man climbed from the cold water, stepping on the frozen waves with a chilling expression on his sunken, alabaster face.

His appearance was both tantalizing and frightening. The young man only wore the tattered remains of a military bodysuit, which was mostly gone. His fair skin was as white as snow, marred by countless gruesome, but eerily bloodless wounds. His eyes, on the contrary, were as dark as the depths of a lightless abyss. The black silk of his wet hair moved slightly in the frigid wind.

He looked like the wretched corpse of a drowned deity that had crawled out of a frozen hell.

All of those in the theater were surprised by Sunny's appearance. Of course they have already seen Sunny become frenzied with killing the Soul Devourer tree but they have never seen him this damaged before. Well, except the journey to the Hollow Mountains but that isn't like this who is full of physical damage. Something you can physically see, not things that you can't such as the erasure of the Hollow Mountain's fog.

His slender torso was mostly bare, revealing an intricate tattoo of a coiling serpent that covered most of his arms, chest, and back. The dark serpent was so lifelike that it almost seemed like its onyx scales were moving under the young man's skin.

Sunny remained motionless for a while, looking at the desolate landscape in front of him. Then, he took a step forward.

A lot of women basked at the sight. Seeing a Saint's body, and such a special one too can be something you can only see once in your lifetime. Unexpectedly, it is not just any women, it even involved those who were high in the world of awakened.

One particularly stood out. Song Eunbin who is been finding someone for her was scouting Sunny from head to toe.

'I don't have any problems with the physical state. What's left to check would be everything else other than that. '

Saints are the pinnacle of human beauties so there isn't anything left as a problem there. What's the dealbreaker for a lot of people are their actions, personalities and views. And that's what the Beast master is looking out for.

Finally, after so much time had passed, he was back at the Antarctic Center.

He had returned to Falcon Scott.

Everyone's eyes widened at the sight. Why are they so careless with the small clues shown in the screen? The ice, the ocean, and the animosity in Sunny's eyes. It's not a place in the Dream Realm. It was a place in the mundane world they are all familiar of.

A hell of a place and a museum for everyone's worst memories.

Antarctica.

When he took the second step, his gruesomely torn skin was already healing. When he took the third, the intricate plates of a battered onyx armor covered his mangled body, shielding it from the cold and wind.

"It looks the same."

Revel's eyes grew sharp with the scene in front.

'Just what is he? Isn't his aspect connected to shadows? That doesn't explain the rapid regeneration...'

Her eyes returned to normal, leaving a slight glimpse of emotion behind. Curiosity.

Crossing the ocean alone had not been easy.

Turning into the Onyx Serpent, Sunny dove into the lightless depths, where the darkness nurtured his soul and was rich in spirit essence. Sadly, even empowered by Soul Weave, he could not maintain such an enormous Shell constantly.

But, luckily, there was no shortage of unimaginable horrors populating the oceans of the waking world.

"Uhh.. excuse me? Did it just say cross the ocean? "

A fire keeper said with confusion. Morgan hearing thus couldn't help but sigh with the lack of common sense the people of the theater have.

The same fire keeper opened his mouth once again.

"Youre saying he crossed a whole ocean alone? Like no ships? Just swim? "

Morgan sighed.

"Haven't you watched the past videos? This guy have done things more insane than that."

Staying in the Shell for such a long time was potentially dangerous now that Sunny did not possess a True Name, but the Onyx Serpent form was one of the few that he could assume without the risk of losing himself - perhaps it was because he knew it so well, or perhaps it was because he shared a kinship with serpentine creatures as an inheritor of Shadow God.

It had taken Sunny weeks to reach Antarctica. And those weeks... had been a cold and dreadful nightmare. Out there in the dark depths of the ocean, he had faced horrors so hideous and dire that no words were enough to describe them. He killed some, and escaped from others. His body had been torn and broken, but in the end, he survived.

The very idea of crossing the ocean alone had seemed preposterous before, but now that Sunny was a Transcendent Terror, he somehow made it a reality.

"Yeah... you somehow made everything look so achievable. "

"What the hell did his parent feed this guy... " (probably nothing, synthpaste and cockroaches)

"I bet he fed himself as a baby... "

(Nah but he fed himself something from a baby bird)

The cold darkness currently reigning over his soul was much more terrible than the ocean, anyway, Now that Sunny had left everything behind... his mental state was far from ideal. The pain and anguish had turned into dark anger, and the anger was seething and boiling, refusing to be contained or controlled.

In this world, there was no place for Sunny anymore, and nothing left for him to do.

Except to pay his debts.

The sudden realization of the audience flashed in their minds as the memories of the past videos replayed on their head.

The devil of Antarctica

He is from Antarctica, and one of those from the first evacuation army. One of the few who have survived the fall of Falcon Scott.

And so everyone understood what he wants already since he is in Antarctica.

And the first score he needed to settle was with the Winter Beast.

...Walking across the frozen waves, Sunny reached the shore of the Antarctic Center and looked around without expression. His eyes were like two pools of darkness, full of cold, ruthless killing intent and murderous resentment.

Some distance away, the port fortress of Falcon Scott lay in ruins, half-buried in snow. The city itself was frozen above it, standing silently on the tall cliffs. The buildings were encased in ice, and so were the remains of the millions of people that had been killed by the Winter Beast just before the end of the long, dreadful night.

Sunny stared at the cliffs for some time, then turned his gaze away. He wasn't quite ready to enter the city yet.

He spent several hours roaming the shore aimlessly, as if looking for something. The frigid cold was absolutely lethal, but Sunny paid it no attention. His shadow sense spread far and wide, enveloping a vast area of the desolate land.

<<<Where is it... where>>>

"He's finding something..."

A blood sister said under her breath but that didn't go unnoticed to Seishan.

"Well whatever that is he's finding is probably gone. Swallowed by the harsh cold. "

Although she looked and sounded indifferent, Seishan wanted to know what the man is looking for so eagerly.

In the end, he stopped and stared at the ground silently, Finally, there was a hint of emotion on his face. Sunny raised a trembling hand and covered his eyes, a brittle smile twisting his lips.

He couldn't find it. The grave where he had buried his soldiers... he had not been quite in right mind back then, and the terrain had been changed a lot by the snow and Ice. So, he simply did not know where the resting place of Belle, Dorn, and Samara was anymore.

<<<Ah... damn it...>>>

A surge of gloom surrounded the theater after hearing what Sunny is finding for. A grave for his soldiers... Every good higher ups in the crowd knew how painful it was to lose a comrade, especially someone you fought with side by side.

Even those who do not lead soldiers and merely mundane people. They too felt bad for Sunny, as losing someone close to you is considered as a loss, may it be the most powerful awakened or just mundane people, everyone is the same.

A stifled sound escaped from his mouth, and then, Sunny angrily struck the rusted remains of a broken MWP that lay nearby, covered with snow.

There was a thunderous boom, and the massive machine exploded. Jagged pieces of alloy shot into the distance like deadly shrapnel, while its torso was sent flying. It collided against the cliffs a hundred or so meters away, causing an entire section of the cliff side to fracture and collapse in an avalanche of shattered rocks.

Unfazed, Sunny raised his head to the sky and let out a distorted scream, then looked down, his eyes boiling with dark fury.

<<Kill it... I will rip that thing apart...>>>

Even though the man isn't there with them physically, they could feel it, feel his rage, the pure emotion incorporated in his words. With the majority already know how all of this will end as the news of the Winter Beast's disappearance in the both worlds are already circulating, they still couldn't imagine a single Saint defeating a monstrosity that Sky Tide and more Saints struggled with.

Gritting his teeth, he breathed in the cold air of Antarctica and headed for the ruins of the city.

Some time later, he was sitting on the snow, shielded from the wind by a wall of onyx scales.

That wall, of course, was Serpent's side - his Shadow's Soul Beast form had grown truly Immense now that it was a Transcendent Terror.

"Is that an echo?"

An awakened from the Song domain questioned quite loudly.

"Dumbass... Of course it is. What you need to ask is how the hell does an echo grow? And a Transcendent Terror for the dead god's sake! "

Of course everyone else is also puzzle with Sunny's statement. An echo that can grow is something unheard of. Just imagining an echo that actually grow is such a nightmare especially to those who really have been in war before.

If your enemy is the same rank as you, the only few things that can differentiate you from them is your aspect, aspect rank, memories and echoes. But the aspect rank isn't really that helpful unless the enemy is someone with a divine aspect like changing star who's miles away from normal saints

Echoes on the other hand could be a pivotal point to your victory, especially a growing echo. You might have beaten a guy who's power is at the same level as you but what if he's echo now is much stronger? The gap between the two of you will be gone and who knows in the next battle with him that you will die because of that echo?

That is just how special and detrimental a growing echo could be. As humans can only grow stronger past their saturated core by going to their next nightmare, something like a growing echo is such a life changer.

Serpent was still far from reaching Daeron's size, of course, but it was rather daunting nevertheless. Its maw looked like it could swallow an entire military APC whole.

Daeron's eyebrow raised with the mention of his name. Indeed, the serpent looked far from his transcendent form but it's not that far. (This Daeron is not corrupted so I assumed that his transcendent form is a smaller compared to the one Sunny fought. That thing probably grew as nightmare creature eating other abominations) He is also curious on how Sunny have met him. As Noctis said a while ago, the spell mechanics have already explained to them which made Daeron wondered which Nightmare of Sunny did they met and if they ever got along. (you they did, even shared a meal)

The two of them were in the middle of the icy plain that had been Erebus Field once. Most of the destroyed siege capital was buried under lava rock and snow, with only a few ravaged structures protruding above it like skeletal remains.

Sunny was sitting with the tall peak of Mount Erebus behind him. In front of him, far in the distance, the world was slowly disappearing beneath a veil of swirling snow.

The already dismal temperature was dropping by the minute, and the winds were growing more violent.

He looked disinterested, staring at the snow with a frozen expression. The deep darkness of his eyes was cold and placid... like the surface of an ocean ready to explode into a raging storm.

"It has finally arrived, huh?"

Effie was grinning ear to ear. She could finally see it, the power of someone who fought skinwalkers alone, destroyed fate and ventured the damn Hollow mountains for godamn months.

Someone she have treated with respect with the only thing lacking is strength. And now that man is revealed to be one of the strongest Saints right now... maybe even the whole history of man kind. Effie was excited to see what he truly is capable of, against humanity's cold terror that is.

Sunny took a deep breath and finally looked up, studying the distant snowstorm. Its approach was deceptively slow, but he knew that the wall of snow would consume everything around him very soon.

"...It's time to start, then."

Sunny's words hung in the frigid air for a moment and were swiftly swallowed by the howling of the wind.

The anticipation once again surged as the people of the theater watched Sunny observing the snowstorm made by the winter beast approach closer and closer.

As split second later, though...

The world shook.

Cracks formed on the vast field of snow, and far behind him, the mouth of Mount Erebus suddenly exploded with a gargantuan pillar of ash. A terrifying gust of hot wind rolled across the

desolate landscape, pushing back the cold for a moment. Then, the volcano shone with an angry red glow, and a fountain of incandescent lava shot skyward with a deafening roar.

Mount Erebus was erupting.

Gasps could be heard all across the room as no one has expected Mount Erebus to erupt at this moment.

"This is surely not a coincidence "

Summer Knight exclaimed stating something some people might not have caught.

"Yes, if we look at his standpoint right now it surely is not. The Winter beast is an ice abomination making the high temperature of the volcano as a good counter. The question is... will it work? "

The Beastmaster said, looking at the Summer Knight with her eyebrow raised.

If it will work or not, we will soon know.

Of course, it did not just happen to erupt precisely when Sunny needed it. Instead, he had sent Fiend into its depths to find a ripe magma chamber and cause an eruption when the time was right.

With Goliath having already destabilized the entire region, doing so was not too hard. And with Fiend's robust steel carapace and fire affinity, he could survive inside a volcanic explosion without much trouble, Granted... the little hoodlum would not be happy with its master once he returned.

"What in the actual fuck is that! "

Said Effie while pointing at fiend. A vicious giant black knight bathing in magma. It's sole appearance gave the audiences fear and surely nightmares—even if nightmares doesn't exist in the Dream Realm.

The audiences too wondered if the same echo is similar to Serpent who is an echo that can grow. And if it is, then they just couldn't imagine how dangerous this man could really be. Some might even say that he can be a threat to the Sovereigns themselves.

If both of them survived what was coming next, of course.

As the wall of swirling snow approached Sunny from the front, devouring the world, a rolling cloud of ash spread from Mount Erebus behind him. The stench of sulfur permeated the frigid air, cold wind crashing into a wave of heat in an invisible collision.

The devastation of the whole place and the amalgamation of ash and snow was a spectacle to behold. Some have heard and saw the Winter Beast from afar. Some heard stories the destruction it caused. Yet no one have ever managed to see a glimpse of it. Or will they finally will?

Sunny's hair danced as a vast darkness swallowed the sky, plunging the icy plain in its shadow.

As everything around him became enveloped in shadows, a sinister smile appeared on Sunny's pale face.

"It's that damned smile again.."

They have already seen this smile happened before and it resulted to a one sided battle. But the real question is... will the Wiinter Beast turn out the same as the Soul Devourer Tree?

He stretched, and then slowly rose to his feet.

The cold darkness dwelling in his eyes finally exploded, turning into vicious glee.

Looking at the approaching storm, Sunny raised his fist and said, his voice trembling with barely suppressed rage:

"Hey, Winter Beast... do you remember me?"

Then, his voice grew calmer, and colder, full of murderous wrath.

"...Probably not, But I remember you."

"He surely have the way of the words... reminds me of myself back then "

Saint Jests said proudly with his chin up high which gained him a lot of questionable looks.