Shadow Slave novel Chapter 1171

Indeed, the treasure Knight Shtad had discovered in the desert was a Citadel.

Not the Tomb of Ariel itself, of course - no scout had managed to get anywhere near the black pyramid, yet. It just always loomed far in the distance, never getting closer, like an ominous mirage.

But he did find a Citadel.

At this point, both Valor and Song were scouting the outer reaches of the desert in search of a suitable position to establish a base camp. Once they found one, numerous soldiers would be brought there through the corresponding Nightmare Gates, and the expeditions toward the pyramid would be launched.

However, a Citadel had the potential to drastically change the balance of power between the two great clans in their pursuit of the Demon's tomb.

The clan that possessed one would hold an overwhelming advantage. The clan that did not would fall behind before the race even started.

A Citadel was not only better fortified and safer than a makeshift stronghold. Connected to the waking world by a Gateway, it would make it much easier to ferry Awakened into the Dream Realm, transport supplies, and establish logistical chains.

Some regions of the Dream Realm held only one Citadel, while some held many. At this point, it was unknown if Knight Shtad's discovery was the only Citadel in the white desert, except for the Tomb of Ariel itself, but even if Song were to eventually discover a second one, the delay would put them at a great disadvantage.

So, needless to say, taking the Citadel was of paramount importance.

However... it was guarded by a fearsome Nightmare Creature.

More than that, even though Valor put a lot of effort into keeping Shtad's prize a secret, there was no guarantee that Song would not try to take it by force eventually.

So, Warren and his people were dispatched into the desert as the first wave of reinforcements. Their task was to assist the fearsome Knight in conquering the Citadel and lay the groundwork for the arrival of further forces.

Of course, there was a problem with that plan.

The fact that an insidious creature had long taken the place of Squire Warren, and came to the desert in his place.

"Valor!"

Mordret let out a fierce battle cry as he led his people into the tide of Nightmare Creatures.

The Citadel was right in front of them.

It was not a fortress, nor was it a pyramid built of black stone. In fact, it was not a man-made structure at all.

Instead, it was a gargantuan black skull that towered above the white dunes, staring at the azure sky with the dark pits of its empty eye sockets.

There were three of them - two where a human's eyes would be, and the third one above them, right in the middle of the skull's vast forehead.

Each of the empty eye sockets was the side of a stadium, and currently, a flood of revolting Nightmare Creatures was flowing out of them onto the white sand.

"Hold fast!"

Roaring such stupid things, Mordret plunged into the mass of abominations. His sword rose and fell, cutting them down, and his shield rang under a barrage of attacks.

'How... tedious.'

He felt slightly frustrated by the need to hold himself back. Mordret could not unleash his power as a Master, but even more disheartening than that, he had to imitate the combat skills of the long-dead Warren.

As a retainer of the great clan Valor, Warren had been at the pinnacle of what Awakened warriors strived to be. And yet, to Mordret, that level of skill was dull and suffocating.

Limiting himself to such a mediocre level of mastery was harder than surviving in the tide of Nightmare Creatures.

He endured the frustrating limitations and fought, struggling to keep his body intact. Sadly, Warren had been a heroic type, as well, so to play his role faithfully, Mordret had to act accordingly.

He did not hesitate to put himself in danger's way to protect his soldiers, risking life and limb to make sure that all of his companions survived.

"Stay strong, Varo! Agathe, back! Lean on me, Crass!"

His companions seemed empowered with him by their side.

It was strange.

Mordret was leading soldiers of Valor into battle, all of them connected by a shared sense of duty, belonging, and devotion. They spilled the blood of Nightmare Creatures and fought with valiant resolve, refusing to give ground.

Wasn't that what he was supposed to become, if things had been different? Wasn't leading the brave warriors of Valor the fate that had been stolen from him?

'Ah. Such irony.'

After an eternity of blood and agonizing heat... the battle was over.

The Nightmare Creatures were dead. The Tyrant that had made the Citadel its lair had been slain by Knight Shtad himself. The Awakened - both those brought to the desert by Mordret and those that belonged to Shtad's personal elite unit - were mostly alive, and victorious.

They had won.

Now, all they had to do was reap the spoils of their triumph.