There were a few moments of silence. In these moments, Sunny managed to dodge a spiked tentacle, slice through it with his sword, grab the bleeding stump, and toss the slithering creature over his head, impaling it on the horns of a different abomination. Then, he sidestepped the charging beast and cut through its legs, causing it to topple to the ground.

A third strike of the Sin of Solace finished both creatures off.

That was when Neph's response finally arrived:

[...It's a bit distracting, you know, to have someone speak in your head all of a sudden.]

Sunny grinned.

The connection the Blessing of Dusk established was a mental one, so it was not exactly like hearing her voice. Nevertheless, Changing Star's... thoughts... sounded a bit strained.

[You didn't answer my question.]

Now that Sunny lost the protection of the shadow fiend shell and retracted the Mantle back into his skin, he had to be more careful. Receiving direct blows was not out of the question, but it could throw him off balance. He had to use the [Feather of Truth] judiciously to account for the difference in mass between him and the opponents. ...And, of course, being struck by anything Corrupted could end in disaster.

Something flashed from the direction where Nephis was fighting, and a moment later, her voice resounded in his head:

[As expected, I guess. But, Sunny... what has gotten into you? You don't... don't seem like yourself today.]

'Ah, so she noticed...'

His grin widened.

A dozen or so meters to his left, the air rippled slightly. A chameleon-like creature was moving there, unseen... if not for the subtle fluctuation of the shadows, he would have never noticed it. The abomination had already moved past Sunny, swiftly approaching the Awakened soldiers behind him.

Which was not good - since it had enough presence of mind to ignore the pull of the Dying Wish, the chameleon had to be at least a Demon, and a strong one at that.

Sunny twisted his torso and tossed the Sin of Solace into the air.

The soldiers were all busy desperately resisting the flood of Nightmare Creatures, but they could not help but take glances at the spectacularly brutal slaughter that was taking place in front of them. Those who knew Sunny were all surprised and a little startled. Those who did not were chilled to the bone and in awe of his vicious lethality.

Which was why many people noticed the jade sword seemingly slipping out of his hand. Their eyes widened.

The Sin of Solace spun as it flew away... and then stopped abruptly, floating above ground. A stream of blood suddenly flowed out of thin air, and then, a revolting reptilian creature was suddenly there, its chest pierced by the white sword. The creature swayed and fell down.

The soldiers paled. The demon was mere steps away from reaching the formation.

Before the chameleon could stand up or crawl forward, several spears pierced its flesh, killing it.

As for Sunny... he was already busy fighting another abomination. Sin of Solace dissipated, so that he could summon it back.

[Don't seem like myself? Well... I did have many new and exciting experiences in the Antarctic Center, so I was bound to change a little. Don't mind it, though. I'm just performing in front of your sister. And speaking of your sister...]

He counted the seconds until the jade jian returned, dodging a flurry of blows like a slippery eel.

[Is she trying to get rid of you, or what? Surely, you've noticed that the reinforcements that were supposed to replace us are nowhere to be seen. If this continues, we will have to retreat... or die. Wait, it's not some sort of stupid test, is it? A true daughter of Valor will never surrender to the Nightmare Creatures, or some such crap?]

Nephis lingered for a moment.

[No... I don't know what she is doing. There must be a reason, but it is hard to say. Perhaps it has to do with putting pressure on Seishan to reveal some of what her Handmaidens are capable of. Perhaps there's something else.]

Sunny grimaced.

[You're awfully calm, considering the situation.]

He saw her through the gaps between the rushing Nightmare Creatures. Neph had summoned her helmet, brilliant white radiance shining through the slit of its visor and the seams of the graceful armor. It was as though there was nothing beneath its black steel but pure light.

Sunny could not see her face, but he knew how much pain fighting like this, for that long, was causing her.

Nephis was most likely approaching her limits, too.

[Do I... seem calm?]

He finally felt the slight weight of the Sin of Solace in his hand. Shifting his stance, Sunny immediately switched from being evasive to being ruthlessly lethal.

[Don't you know? You always seem calm.]

He killed the abomination that was trying to crush him with a stone hammer by severing both of its arms and its head, then added:

[Should we go all out?]

Each of them was holding something back. They could reveal their full power to save their lives...

But it would only save them once.

Nephis answered after a long second of silence.

[No. Trust in Cassie. If she chose to put us here, there must be a reason.]

Sunny smiled.

Her thinking was very similar to his own.

But trusting someone was not easy for him. Trusting Cassie and trusting in Cassie... those were different things, and neither of them was simple.

'Well, what the hell is her reason?'

He would have loved to ponder that question more, but at that moment, a deafening shriek suddenly shook the world.

Sunny was rather proud of the battle roar he had produced earlier with the help of the Extraordinary Rock, but compared to this sky-splitting wail, it seemed like a placid whisper.

Looking up, he saw...

An enormous scaled beast plummeting from a whirlwind of crows, its body wreathed in arcs of searing lightning. One of the rotting wings of the flying horror had been completely torn off, a river of vile miasma flowing from the terrible wound like a waterfall of corruption.

It seemed that Sky Tide and Wake of Ruin were the first to overcome their opponent.

The problem was...

Sunny's eyes widened.

That the wounded titan looked like he was falling... directly on his head.