The eight Saints that had followed the enigmatic Lord of Shadows into battle were both rattled and elated. The battle was a gruesome ordeal, but they had expected that much.
What they did not expect was to learn just how powerful their sinister commander had turned out to be.
The Lord of Shadows was a singular existence because, unlike the rest of them, he was not a vassal of the King of Swords. He was a mercenary Saint that Lady Nephis had somehow convinced to pledge his blade to the Sword Domain's cause — therefore, she knew him best. So, nobody had doubted her promise that they would not be able to defeat him in a fight.
Nevertheless, it was a startling shock to witness the Transcendent sellsword in action.
Not only was he immensely powerful and chillingly lethal, he was actually an existence of the same caliber as the other two field commanders of the expedition force — Changing Star herself and Summer Knight, the most renowned paladin of the Great Clan Valor.
The Saints had thought that the expedition force had two pillars, but now, they knew that there were three.
By the time the shrill wail of the war horn signaled them to retreat, the way they looked at the Lord of Shadows had changed completely.
...Sunny was a little bit amused by their change of attitude.
'I used to live in this damned place alone, of my own free will. What else did they expect? That I'm a weakling?'
Hearing the war horn, he let out a tired sigh and prepared to pull back.
He could sense Nephis enter the range of his perception, followed by the Fire Keepers. Once she and the other Saints of the first war party advanced, Sunny commanded his Shadows to retreat and followed suit.
Soon, he found himself behind the battle line, surrounded by his eight Transcendent subordinates.
Now that their shift was over, Sunny suddenly felt the weight of fatigue crash into him like a mountain. He was tired, dehydrated, and covered in sweat... it was to the point that he did not know what he wanted to do more, summon the Endless Spring to quench his thirst, or summon it to wash himself.
'In hindsight, Antarctica wasn't that bad. At least it wasn't so damn hot there...'
Dismissing his Shadows to let them mend the scrapes they had received in the nurturing darkness of his soul, Sunny gazed at the exhausted Saints and raised an eyebrow behind the mask.
"What are you waiting for? Retreat to camp. We only have sixteen hours to recover before the second round starts."
Rivalen of Aegis Rose sighed."...You really know how to raise morale, don't you, Lord Shadow?"
His usually gallant voice sounded a little bitter.
Sunny stared at him coldly.
"Why yes, I do. I doubt you'll like my methods, though."
Shield Wall almost seemed to shiver, then looked away with a cough.
Not paying him any more attention, Sunny headed in the direction of the distant camp. His armored boots scraped against white bone.
Since the Lord of Shadows did not have to sleep, he walked to the lifts and climbed some way up the slope of the collarbone to observe the distant battle.
To his surprise, there was another figure sitting on the edge of the wooden platform, doing the same.
It was a strikingly handsome man with a valiant profile and a thoughtful gaze. His lake-blue eyes were calm, and his glistening hair was moving slightly in the wind.
Sunny almost failed to recognize Summer Knight out of his lustrous armor, but that angelic beauty was hard to forget.
"Sir Gilead."
He sat down nearby, looking in the direction where Nephis was currently reducing the scarlet jungle to ash.
Summer Knight glanced at him, then turned back.
"Lord Shadow."
The valiant Saint remained silent for a moment before saying in a neutral tone:
"I observed your battle. Your reputation is well-earned."
Sunny smiled crookedly behind the mask.
"You're not so bad yourself."
He paused for a moment, and then added evenly:
"Not as good as me, though."
Sir Gilead chuckled.
He raised a beaten alloy canteen, drank some water, and then looked at Sunny with a subtle smile.
"We'll know who's better once we cross swords. However... I hope we'll never find out."
It could have been a sincere wish, a mild joke, or a veiled threat. Summer Knight took his oaths very seriously, and since he had sworn allegiance to the King of Swords, his loyalty was beyond reproach. He might have had some reservations about the selfish mercenary Saint.
These were the kinds of people Sunny would have to fight one day, if things went wrong.
Glancing at the camp where his subordinate Saints were resting, he wondered how many of them he might have to kill in the future.
In the end, Sunny let out a sigh.
"I hope so, too."