Chapter 2012  Hint of Fear


    The Lord of Shadows was faltering. It was hard to notice due to his fearsome appearance and the aura of cold arrogance emanating from the strangely graceful figure of the tenebrous colossus, but the mercenary Saint was losing ground. Already, his right hand was missing. Silent Stalker''s arrow had pierced his onyx chest, and Beastmaster had poisoned his mind. Of course, the Lord of Shadows was too strong to be entranced by her power quickly... but his movements had slowed down, losing some of their deadly precision. Lonesome Howl could see it clearly, so she went for the kill. ...If that strange Transcendent form of his could even be killed like a living being. It bled darkness instead of blood, and was capable of splitting itself in half to avoid a blow. She had never seen anything like it. Of course, that was entirely the problem with the Lord of Shadows — no one seemed to know anything about him, including the true extent of his abilities. Clan Song had compiled an extensive database on all the living Saints — Clan Valor had as well, without a doubt. There were some secrets still kept hidden by the more cautious of the Transcendent champions, of course, but each of them was mostly a known existence. Except for the Lord of Shadows, who had come out of nowhere about a year ago.


    There was some information about him now, of course, gathered during the war. For example, they knew that his Transcendent form was not really that of an onyx giant — rather, it was a malleable mass of shadows that could seemingly take any form, the giant simply being the most common one he used. A troublesome Transformation, to say the least...


    But not an indestructible one. ''He might not bleed, but does he feel pain?''


    Lonesome Howl was eager to find out. The Lord of Shadows was on the back foot, staggered by her sister''s sharp arrow. Sadly, Silence failed to destroy the supposed core of the dark colossus, but she still made him sway. That was Howl''s chance to press the advantage. Spitting out the torn hand of the enemy, she aimed for his throat and leaped...


    However, she never managed to sink her fangs into his flesh. ''Wha...''


    Suddenly, she felt something cold and alien wrapping around her snout, and then, her vision was obscured. Instead of ripping the enemy''s throat open, Lonesome Howl crashed into something hard, and was then unceremoniously tossed aside. Falling to the ground with a thunderous boom, she rolled and clawed at her face, trying to get the slithering presence off... before her eyes were pierced and destroyed. Thank the gods, she managed. With her vision blurry, Lonesome Howl looked down and recoiled. A mass of dark tentacles had latched onto her neck, just below the jaw, three of them strangling her while four more extended to wrap themselves around her snout and loop around her head, thus covering her eyes.


    At the center of the mass... the broken plates of polished armor could still be seen, serving as the source of the revolting creature. The gauntlet. This vile thing had been born from the severed hand of the Lord of Shadows, and was either an extension of him or being controlled by him. ''What... what the hell is he...''


    She had hunted down and feasted on numerous Nightmare Creatures. But this... this was not something she had expected from a human...


    ''How are you going to fight seven of us with one arm, sellsword?''


    And as she looked up...


    A low, reverberating, chilling laughter resounded from beneath the terrifying black mask. Then, it turned even lower, resembling the voice of an actual demon.


    The figure of the beautiful onyx colossus suddenly shrunk a little, becoming a few meters lower. At the same time, it changed, shifting into something far more bestial. Black horns rose from his head like a crown, glistening darkly in the blinding light of the radiant sky. A long tail with an onyx spike on its end whipped through the air. His knee joints seemed to reverse, and his feet grew, enormous claws scratching against the ancient bone. Most importantly of all...


    His severed hand seemed to regrow, and two more arms shot from his torso, each covered by the onyx carapace of the enchanted armor and ending with sharp claws.


    A few moments later, a towering, terrifying dark demon was standing on the battlefield instead of a colossal human warrior...


    One with six horns and four arms, the eerie mask hiding his inhuman features. Looking at it, Lonesome Howl felt a bit of... unease. Dejection, even.


    And a tiny spark of fear.


    ''How... how do we even destroy this thing?''