Chapter 1520 Dreadful Soul

Chapter 1520 Dreadful Soul

'What a sight...' Mordret watched as Nightingale, picturesque despite being bloodied and covered in dust, drew his bow and let an arrow loose. He had fled to the floating fortress after noticing the Denial Amulet fused into the Dread Lord's scales — and just in time. Something truly curious had happened in Twilight, destroying all the reflections he could have used to take a look. It was probably Changing Star's fault... or Soul Stealer's fault. In any case, Mordret would have been burned to a crisp if he had not left the city. After traversing the still water and reaching the fortress, he hid in the reflections and observed what was happening inside. Sunless was fighting like a madman... more of a madman than he usually was... while the Dread Lord viciously mauled and battered him. Truly, it was a miracle that Sunless had been able to battle the tyrant of Verge for so long, and even deliver countless wounds to the mighty dragon. What other Master could have done the same? That guy really boggled the mind.

Nevertheless, there was something strange about their fight. The Defiled Saint could have gone for the kill a long time ago, but he was restraining himself. Probably because he wanted to capture Sunless alive.

And make him a slave again. That made sense. Although Mordret mostly knew about the Six Plagues from the records he had spied in the frozen reflection of Twilight, the Mad Prince seemed to have been the deterrence the tyrant of Verge used to keep the other five Defiled champions in check... especially Soul Stealer. Now that Soul Stealer had finally turned on him, Sunless and his sinister soul were the best weapon the Dread Lord could use against the rebellious fiend. Mordret studied Nightingale for a while, amused.

'...Have I really submitted to that naive fool?'

Well, he must not have remained naive for long after becoming Defiled. Still... how had Soul Stealer missed the chance to become the master of the Mad Prince himself, after Changing Star was gone? The impostor... was really a disappointment.

Regardless, Mordret had spoken to the Nightingale — the original carrier of the Denial Amulet — just before Twilight went up in flames. The charming archer had a part to play...

And now, it seemed that he had played it brilliantly. A red arrow whistled through the air and struck the small scale on the chest of the giant dragon, cracking it. 'What a shot.'

How hard would it be, to hit a target so small, and a moving one at that?

Mordret allowed himself to admire the precision of the Ascended archer for a split second. And then dove into the Dread Lord's corrupted soul. 'Here we go...'

Smiling, Mordret found himself surrounded by darkness. The darkness extended its revolting tendrils, trying to catch him. A forest of them rose from all sides, slithering like snakes. Trembling slightly, he evaded the grasp of Corruption and dashed forward. 'That's why I hate invading the souls of Nightmare Creatures...'

At least he possessed both of his hands here. Sadly, Mordret could only reflect the powers and weapons of the master of the invaded soul, not use his own. And since the Dread Lord had surrendered to Defilement and was thus banished from the Nightmare Spell, there were no Memories here for Mordret to summon.

A slender rapier hovered in the air above the blind girl, seemingly concerned. Cassie concentrated on it, feeling her consciousness begin to slip. "Go..."

The Quiet Dancer hesitated for a few moments, then disappeared into the darkness. Cassie sighed and allowed her battered body to relax. Laying on the blackened carapace of a dead abomination, she turned her head to face the ruins of Twilight. A cold, pale smile appeared on her lips. ***

In the heart of the destroyed city, Nephis slowly opened her eyes. Soul Stealer was no more. The bright radiance suffusing her skin slowly grew dim and disappeared. The white flames dancing in her eyes were extinguished. Her silver hair, which had been flowing in an ethereal wind, fell down.

Standing naked amidst the scene of utter devastation, she shivered and looked around. Her mind was empty. After a while, Nephis realized that her tunic had been destroyed, and summoned another Memory. The familiar weight of the Starlight Legion Armor — the only one she had left — settled on her shoulders, making her feel comforted. That armor...

It felt as if she was forgetting something.

'Twilight... Soul Stealer... the Dread Lord...'

As she remained motionless, considering her thoughts, a slender rapier fell from the dark sky and hovered in front of her, trembling slightly. Nephis looked at it impassively.

The rapier turned, its tip pointing into the darkness.

"You want to lead me somewhere?"

Quiet Dancer... that was Cassie's Echo.

The rapier trembled again, and then flew forward. Frowning slightly, Nephis followed.