Shadow Slave

Sunny and Jet looked like quite the pair. Both were wearing black, which made for a stark contrast with their pale skin and raven hair... granted, Soul Reaper looked more imposing in her fitting black leather armor. Sunny, on the other hand, wore a simple silk tunic and a pair of dainty shoes. He was also unarmed.

...Actually, he was perhaps the more threatening of the two. People were used to seeing Awakened wear suits of impregnable armor and wield powerful weapons. It was the sight of someone who didn't feel the need to do so, even in the deadly reaches of East Antarctica, that was truly frightening.

He made the last jump, landing softly on the ground not too far away from Effie. From here, Sunny could sense hundreds of shadows somewhere nearby. He looked around, noticing mundane soldiers and Awakened hidden here and there along the river shore, all keeping watch on the surrounding area.

The First Irregular Company had numbered forty-two Awakened and seven Masters. The two companies Effie and Kai commanded, however, were different. Unlike the special unit Sunny had belonged to, these were companies meant for general combat.

Each of them consisted of close to a hundred Awakened and ten times that many mundane soldiers, complete with a platoon of mighty MWPs and a robust stable of specialized vehicles that ranged from heavy artillery to support and resupply.

Two of these companies together made for a small army.

Effie walked over, a wide smile on her face. "Sunny! Long time no see!"

She looked... quite impactful. His friend had always been a sight to behold, with her impressively tall stature, athletic build, and generous figure. Now, however, Effie resembled an incarnation of a beautiful war deity much more than she resembled a mere mortal. The main reason for this was her armor.

It was as though Effie had been dipped in liquid steel, which then clung tightly to her body, tracing every toned, graceful line of it. Sunny had once thought that the Undying Chain felt like a second layer of skin... however, in his case, that was simply a metaphor. The armor of the vibrant huntress, on the contrary, could be described the same way quite literally.

There was a piece of white cloth tied around her waist, and another one covering her chest, but other than that, Effie's whole body was exposed and seemed as if it had been cast of lustrous steel. Only her head was uncovered, for now.

That armor, of course, was the Transcendent Memory she had received after slaying one of the immortal Chain Lord of the Kingdom of Hope, the Sun Prince.

Sunny coughed. Just looking at Effie would make one's blood run hot. But that wasn't all... currently, she had not even activated her Ascended Ability. Once she did, the fire burning in the hearts of the soldiers who saw her would become quite real, coursing through their veins and granting them actual power. It was as though Raised by Wolves was sharing some of her astonishing physical might with her followers.

An involuntary smile found its way onto Sunny's face. "...What are you talking about? We saw each other two weeks ago."

Effie shook her head energetically. "That doesn't count! Every time you come to the island, you and Cassie immediately slink to the basement to spend a few quality hours closely studying the floor. The two of us, though, haven't had proper fun in ages."

She grinned and then shifted her gaze to Jet, who was listening to their conversation with a strange expression on her face. "Oh, and welcome to you too, Ms. Soul Reaper. Thanks for keeping this doofus alive. I know he's a handful."

After saying that last part, Effie lingered for a moment... and winked.

Jet blinked a couple of times. The two of them met a few times, but she had not really been exposed to Effie's personality before. Sunny couldn't tell if she was bewildered or amused.

Eventually, Soul Reaper smiled a little. "Sure. Call me Jet."

He stared at them with a glum expression. "Keeping me alive, really? That's funny... don't you have a habit of occasionally trying to kill me?"

Soul Reaper's smile turned into a grin. "Oh, come on... I haven't tried to kill you in at least a couple of months. So I don't know where this is coming from."

Sunny shook his head, then glanced at Effie and smiled. "...It's good to see you too, Effie."

He looked around and asked: "Where's the other one?"

She nodded, then gestured for them to follow. "He's asleep. Now that the battle is drawing close, the two of us take turns sleeping. Both of us need to be fresh for the battle with the Tyrant, while at least one has to be awake at all times before that, so... that arrangement works."

They walked up the slope of the shore. Gradually, the hidden camp of the small army revealed itself, with hundreds of soldiers soberly preparing for the upcoming battle. Awakened, mundane soldiers, MWP pilots, operators of combat vehicles... all of them were throwing wide-eyed glances at the three Masters.

"Who is that with the boss? Are those the SRU scouts?"

"...Is it me, or is our boss acting too friendly with that guy?"

"G-gods... isn't that Soul Reaper Jet?!"

"Holy hell! That's Soul Reaper and Devil!"

"No way... let me see!"

"I heard the two of them fought a Corrupted Titan in the Antarctic Center... that can't be right, can it? They wouldn't be alive if they did..."

"Soul Reaper might be tough... but our boss is definitely tougher..."

"I once saw Devil slaughter an entire swarm of Nightmare Creatures without lifting a finger. He just stood there, and they were all shredded into little pieces. I swear to gods, it's true!"

Sunny ignored the whispers and followed Effie. His shadows, however, took a good look around - he was about to go into battle side by side with these people, so he had to know all about them.

The soldiers of the two companies looked competent, determined, and in high spirits. The Wolves and the Nightsingers were technically not counted as special forces, but among the rank and file of the Evacuation Army, they had already earned the reputation of elite units. They were led by two of the most fearsome Masters in the world, after all.

The soldiers were mixed among each other, but funnily enough, it was easy to see which belonged to which company. The Wolves were more boisterous, lively, and rough around the edges. The Nightsingers were more calm, reserved, and good-natured. It was as if they had assumed the personalities of their leaders.

Sunny smiled with the corner of his mouth, then shook his head.

They walked along a row of camouflaged tents and approached a particular one, which looked no different from all the others. Effie suddenly made a fist and banged it against her bare thigh, producing a loud metallic ring.

"Wake up, birdie! The most honest person in two worlds is here!"

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Erdiul Notes: 1 more later maybe, depends on if I fall asleep or not before the author releases the last chapter for the day.