Shadow Slave novel Chapter 1418

Chapter 1418 Point of Return

Luckily, Sunny managed to slide down the hill and escape into the mist before Devouring Beast noticed him. Still, he didn't dare to leave the embrace of shadows for a while.

'Effie...'

Effie's Aspect had always been uniquely powerful - which was no surprise, considering its Transcendent Rank. Even on the Forgotten Shore, there had been few people more capable than her. Some, like Caster of Han Li Clan, had been superior to the solitary huntress in certain facets of physical combat, but none had been as well-rounded. That was one of the reasons why Effie had survived years of hunting the Dark City abominations alone.

Her Aspect was all about battle and physical prowess... so, Sunny was not sure that Devouring Beast even had means of destroying his intangible form. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.

...His heart was cold and heavy.

'How do I fight something like that?'

Effie's Dormant Ability granted her a powerful and, more importantly, comprehensive physical augmentation. She was inconceivably strong, fast, enduring, resilient... now that Sunny was a Tyrant, the gap between them was not vast, but she was still superior to him in certain aspects.

The same went for her Awakened Ability. It basically made her skin as tough as steel... Sunny, on the other hand, had his Marble Shell. The two could be compared, but although the Shell was more versatile, it was not as stalwart in terms of pure defensive potential.

Of course, he had Shadow Step instead, making him much more mobile and elusive on and outside the battlefield. He had Shadow Manifestation, as well, while Effie's Ascended Ability was meant to empower her allies.

So, there was no question about who would win in a duel. No matter how much Sunny admired his boisterous friend, he knew that she stood no chance in a fight against him. With Shadow Dance, it would not even be close... much more so if his Shadows were involved.

But that was Effie. Devouring Beast, on the other hand...

Was a Defiled Saint. Her Transformation was to become a towering giant, and that giant inherited the benefits of her other Aspect Abilities, as well - all of them elevated to a higher Rank. The strength of a dozen men, the skin of steel. Her gargantuan figure would also be much more visible on a battlefield, making it so that entire armies would be able to see her and benefit from her Ascended Ability.

'What a monster...'

Sunny was already terrified at the thought of having to face the mist wraith in a battle. The bestial giant... was, in a sense, even more harrowing.

'Damn it! Damn it! Since when do I have to fight Saints on a constant basis?! And how did the Plagues all Transcend, anyway?!'

Facing Dire Fang was supposed to be an exception, not the rule!

Eventually, he decided that there was enough distance between him and the tower to return to his human form. Diving out of the shadows, Sunny leaned on the trunk of a pine tree, breathed in deeply, and then looked at the Guiding Light.

This escape through the shadows had consumed a lot of his essence, probably because he had brought the sacred staff with him. Usually, Sunny was able to pull a certain weight of inanimate objects into Shadow Step... but perhaps because of the staff's divine nature, it had taken a lot of effort to carry it with him.

To his relief, the Guiding Light was still pointing forward, not back to the tower. For a few moments there, Sunny had been concerned that it would lead him to Devouring Beast instead of Effie.

He hesitated for a bit, then thought about the bestial giant. The radiance of the soul crystal did not change.

After a moment, Sunny remembered how Cassie had described getting the sacred staff to work and coughed in embarrassment.

'Come on... really...'

Then, he concentrated and thought:

'M... Miss Guiding Light, can you guide me to Devouring Beast... please?'

Despite how foolish Sunny felt, the staff did not react. Its workings were really mysterious.

Shaking his head, Sunny thought about Nephis. The radiance of the soul crystal changed, pointing back to where the Chain Breaker was. When he thought about Effie, it returned to its previous state.

'Strange.'

Pondering the mystery of how the Guiding Light worked, he commanded Nightmare to emerge from the shadows, climbed into the saddle, and continued traveling through the mist.

Wind Flower... turned out to be extremely dangerous, but not as dangerous as Sunny had imagined it to be. There were many harrowing abominations trapped in its fog, certainly - but not as many as he had feared.