The dark surface of the water exploded, and a gargantuan shape rose from beneath it. Sunny struggled to contain his revulsion as he saw its grotesque form... the creature looked so appalling and alien that he did not even know how to describe it. It was as if a mass of slithering eels was wearing a messy cloak of tangled seaweed, its countless limbs ten times longer than its vague, slender body.
'How... how did it even manage to stay hidden?'
The great hall of the lost temple was flooded, but the water was not that deep. As the revolting depth dweller continued to reveal its twisted shape, the dark water boiled, and countless Drowned revealed their presence.
These ones were similar to the abominations that had attacked the Chain Breaker in the past, but also different.
Their bodies were humanoid, with powerful black tentacles instead of a pair of legs - however, instead of gaunt outcasts who were overgrown by barnacles, the true Drowned looked much more strong and fearsome. Their weapons were of much higher quality, and some even wore strange but durable armor made out of shell and bone.
The black eyes of the sentient Nightmare Creatures burned with bloodlust and malice.
'Damnation!'
Most of them were Corrupted Demons, while the few most powerful ones seemed to be Devils.
And then there was the sybil herself, of course. Sunny still couldn't see her clearly.
By the standards of the waking world, the three of them were a truly formidable battle force. Sunny was pretty sure that he and Nephis were among the most powerful Ascended humans to have ever lived, with Cassie trailing not far behind them. They were accompanied by two Transcendent Devils, a Transcendent Beast, an Ascended Terror, and an Ascended Monster.
Their Memories were also empowered by a Supreme Memory, the Crown of Dawn.
Still, this battle was not going to be easy. It promised to be extremely perilous, in fact.
As Sunny's pupils narrowed, the time seemed to slow down. His mind entered the state of battle clarity, banishing all unnecessary thoughts. He lingered only for a moment, waiting for Nephis to make a decision...
Every battle force needed a commander, and for their cohort, the burden of command lay squarely on Changing Star's shoulders.
"I'll handle the depth dweller. Sunny, if you will... slaughter these Drowned. Cassie, you will have to occupy the sybil."
Sunny was already moving, the blade of the Sin of Solace slashing through the air. As he did, though, a transient thought entered his mind...
This was it. This was what he knew best. After the endless onslaught of bloody warfare in Antarctica, he had thought that he was sick of and nauseated by battles, bloodshed, and violence. But after experiencing these strangely peaceful months in the Third Nightmare...
Had he secretly missed the dark splendor of combat?
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