Chapter 1112 Different Kind Of Deception

Led by Nephis, Sunny, and Jet, the Fire Keepers surged forward. They were aiming for the section of the joint army's formation where the flood of Nightmare Creatures had broken through the dam of human bodies, threatening to consume them all.

Somewhere out there, far ahead, Effie and Kai were already trying to stall the fatal advance of the frenzied abominations as they waited for reinforcements to arrive. Their soldiers were fighting fiercely, without a doubt - and yet, the horde had already gained momentum, so the Wolves and the Nightsingers had no hope of stopping it on their own.

They were just two hundred men and women who had volunteered to join the Second Army, after all - no matter how elite of a status the two companies earned because of their strength, valor, and the fame of their commanders, they were still ordinary Awakened.

The Fire Keepers were different.

Even though there were just about fifty of them, each of the people following Changing Star was a seasoned veteran of the Dark City - they were the best and the brightest of what humanity had to offer, simply for the fact that nothing less would have allowed one to survive the cruel crucible of the Forgotten Shore.

They had only grown stronger and more experienced under Cassie's guidance after escaping that starless abyss, too, and especially now that the mighty - and opulent - clan Valor stood behind the personal troops of its adopted daughter. The Fire Keepers had undergone a comprehensive upgrade of their soul arsenals, with those who needed it receiving enough shards to finish fully saturating their cores.

There were seven cohorts of them, each more than comparable to the most elite household troops of the great clans in terms of power. So, despite their modest numbers, the Fire Keepers were a force to be reckoned with.

...And that was without even mentioning the three masters who were leading them into battle.New n0vel chapters are published on

Due to their superior physical prowess, Sunny, Nephis, and Jet naturally ended up at the head of the rushing force. There was no clever plan to their advance - the situation prohibited careful maneuvering and strategic placement of the Awakened according to their specializations. But there was no real need to waste time on it, either.

Every Fire Keeper knew what they were doing. The remains of the Dreamer Army had long become a well-oiled, perfectly synergized combat machine. They all knew what their comrades were good at, what quirks their Aspects and Memories possessed, and how to work together in a seamless, deadly harmony.

...Well, maybe Sunny did not quite know all those things, exactly. He was more or less familiar with what the members of Cassie's former personal cohort were capable of, as well as a few other people with whom he had fought side by side during the civil war of the Bright Castle. Really, he lacked the qualifications to effectively lead these veteran warriors.

They had already flashed through the ranks of the retreating soldiers that belonged to the crushed companies. He could already see the Wolves and the Nightsingers fighting ahead, stubbornly refusing to give ground to the onslaught of abomination. A glimpse of Effie's lustrous steel figure ignited his heart, flooding his body with strength and vigor.

There were... really, really a lot of Nightmare Creatures in front of him.

'Damn.'

Sunny summoned the Dying Wish, slotting it into the Mantle and activating the [Underworld Armament] trait of the onyx armor.

'Now, for the finishing touch...'

Finally, he summoned the Extraordinary Rock, placing it into the mouth of the Shadowspawn and activating the [Sonorous] enchantment to make the transferred voice sound as loud as possible.

As the Fire Keepers closed in on the desperate melee, the towering four-armed fiend that moved at the head of Changing Star's force raised his horned head...

And let out an earth-shattering, chilling, bloodthirsty roar.

For a moment, it seemed as though the whole battlefield around them was momentarily frozen.

Even the Nightmare Creatures seemed a little taken aback.

Cradled in the embrace of shadows, Sunny smiled with satisfaction.

'Yes... I think that will do the trick...'