Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

Eirwen blurred ahead as dust and stone erupted beneath his feet. Everything around him remained frozen, locked in place by the shriek of his whistle, everything except the Aegis Mirror, which blitzed beside him, responding to Andromeda's will.

Eirwen exhaled sharply, his breath ragged but steady and focused. Only about ten Imps remained, their bodies scorched and barely holding together after the Mirror's devastating blast. The whistle's Enchantment hadn't drained much of his Essence, leaving him more than enough for the massacre. His wide golden eye sparked.

The metallic claws on his fingertips glinted in the cavern's dim, orange light as he carved through anything within reach, tearing through flesh and bone. He moved like a storm until the whistle's Enchantment ended.

The Spell's voice grew louder, echoing through his skull as headless corpses collapsed and fountains of dark blood sprayed into the air.

With a sharp inhale, he drove his foot into the ground and launched himself sideways at blinding speed. Both arms stretched forward like twin blades, slicing clean through another Nightmare Creature's torso. Chunks of grey flesh burst apart, splattering him in thick, hot blood. But even the blood didn't stay on him for long, most of it flying off him as he blurred forward.

The remaining three Imps finally snapped out of their stupor, but it was already too late.

Eirwen surged forward, his breathing steady and eyes wide. Before he even reached them, one of the creatures jerked violently, its limbs contorting at unnatural angles. Bones cracked and folded inward, flesh twisting and collapsing until it was nothing more than a grotesque ball of meat.

Seraphiel's work.

Eirwen didn't stop. The two remaining Imps were still standing, and he had no intention of letting them live.

Eirwen's grin stretched wide maniacally as he stopped just short of the nearest Imp. His claws shot upward, tearing through the Nightmare Creature's torso in a grotesque slash. Dark, slimy organs spilled out, splattering across the cavern floor. The creature collapsed, its twisted face frozen in fury.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Elfenlied's spawn]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

Rumble

But before he could turn to the last remaining Imp, a deafening shriek echoed through the cavern, far more powerful than his whistle. The walls trembled, cracks widening as debris and dust rained down from above.

Eirwen's eyes snapped toward the depths of the Fissure. That had to be the Great Nightmare Creature. The one everyone was fighting.

The last remaining Imp seized the opportunity. Its claws swiped viciously toward Eirwen as its fallen brethren collapsed, spilling its guts onto the ground.

Clang

Aegis Mirror blitzed, effortlessly intercepting the attack without a hint of struggle.

Eirwen's grin only widened as he noticed the last imps attempt. 'Let's try this again,' he thought, as he seized the furious creature by its throat. The Imp lashed out with a violent snarl, its claws slashing across Eirwen's thin chest plate, digging deep dents into the metal.

Raising his free arm, Eirwen grabbed the imp's face, his claws sinking deep beneath its skin. With a brutal tug, he tore, the imp screeching in agony as its flesh was ripped away, exposing its lizard-like skull beneath.

His grin widened as he drove his fist into the exposed skull, shattering it with a sickening crunch, silencing the creature and ending the last of them.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Elfenlied's spawn]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

He cursed under his breath before opening his mouth wide again. The sound of his cheeks tearing with sickening snaps echoed through the silent cavern. At that moment, a grown man's head could've fit inside.

The voices returned, echoing like the deafening roar of an enraged ocean, as the imp's corpse was pulled into him, vanishing into the vast depths of his Souls and leaving no trace of it.

[You have Devoured an Awakened Beast: Elfenlied's spawn]

[You grow stronger!]

Eirwen immediately felt a surge of Essence flood into him, filling his Cores to about a third of their capacity.

'No Attribute this time?' he wondered, shaking his head to clear away the persistent voices and sounds. His torn cheeks healed almost instantly, returning to normal with incredible speed.

Instead of simply standing and asking useless questions he opened up his Runes. They read:

Name: Eirwen

True Name: Archon of Wrath and Mercy

Rank: Dreamer

Cursed Core: Dormant

Sacred Core: Dormant

Souls consumed: [47/500]

Souls satisfied: [1/500]

Memories: [Whistle of Dread], [Bone Gauntlets], [Shadow Mantle], [Ashneedle], [Latchclaw], [Dwarf's hand], [Bulwark Harness], [Seraphic Visage], [Steel Shroud], [Solid Point], [Heavy Argument], [Behemoths Step], [The Sanguines Necklace], [Undying Rage], -

Echoes: ----

Attributes: [Lucky Bastard], [The child of Gods], [Gluttonous Depths]

Eirwen whistled in satisfaction before opening the new Attribute's description. It sounded good.

Attribute: [Gluttonous Depths]

Attribute Description: [Those who drown in its embrace are never truly lost, for the depths remember, the depths consume. And through its chosen vessel, the depths rise again.]

Next Insight: [2/50]

His brow moved up as he examined the description and the additional line about some 'Insight'.

'Well, the description sure doesn't explain shit,' he cursed, 'I will gain next Insight once I consume 50 corpses?' Eirwen thought, hoping that Leviathan would stop being so useless, but no answer to his question came.

'What's with him all of a sudden?'

"You sure are violent," a calm and emotionless voice sounded close behind him, interrupting his thoughts.

Eirwen turned to see Seraphiel and Andromeda standing behind him. The girl was covered in blood up to her waist, her expression frustrated, tired and scared. Seraphiel, on the other hand, was relatively clean, with only a few droplets of dark blood on his snow-white cheeks.

Eirwen rolled his eyes, dismissing the Runes as he wiped dried blood from his chin and mouth. "Says the one crushing everything into pulp," he groaned.

"And can you really call it violence? They're just monsters with no intelligence." Eirwen shrugged, turning to walk toward Andromeda. Reaching out, he grabbed her forearm and focused on transferring a Memory.

Seraphiel watched the exchange silently.

Willing the Spell to follow his command, Eirwen transferred the [Shadow Mantle] Memory to Andromeda, and she had no choice but to accept it.

"It won't do much to protect you, but at least it can divert attention from you," Eirwen explained. "Its main Enchantment masks your presence."

Andromeda looked up at him, her expression a mix of gratitude and nervousness.

Sparks flickered around her as the mantle materialized, its form solidifying on her. The design was simple yet elegant, a midnight blue cloak with a hood.

The outer layer shimmered with various, black, nearly invisible runes, while the inner lining was a deep, blood-red crimson. The cloak settled around her, its aura subtle but noticeable. His own armour meanwhile was filled with blood, scratches and holes.

Eirwen gave Andromeda a quick thumbs up before his attention shifted back to Seraphiel. "Let's get moving before they get rid of the monster. I still want to see it," he said to the young Dreamer.

Seraphiel nodded without a word, his expression unreadable, and silently turned toward the path leading further down into the depths. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the silent cavern.

The three of them carefully stepped over the mangled corpses, each one clearly disgusted by the grotesque mess that littered the ground. Even Eirwen, who had been ripping through them with moments ago, couldn't help but frown at the sight. The stench of blood and the slickness of shredded flesh made him feel rather disgusted. He did not really wish to get dirtier.

For Eirwen, there was a clear distinction between getting dirty in a fight and getting dirty outside of one. In the heat of battle, his emotions became unstable, turning him into a madman consumed with the singular urge to slaughter. His focus would narrow, and all that mattered was killing his enemies, his mind too clouded with rage and adrenaline to care about the mess.

Did he feel bad after he was done? Not at all.

'Is it Leviathan's influence?' Eirwen wondered as they walked down the ravine, the stone beneath their feet clear of any corpses now. It didn't cross his mind that he could be the source of his own violent tendencies. He simply assumed it was some external force that made him act like this. The idea that maybe he was just twisted in the head never occurred to him.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Eirwen focused on what was before him. There wasn't much to see, just a narrow path that continued to wind down.

As they descended further, the sounds of the battle grew louder. Explosions rang out in the distance, followed by shrieks that mixed with deep, guttural roars.

"We will soon reach the Fissure. Don't get close to it and stay with me," Seraphiel explained. Eirwen rolled his eyes at his orders but didn't say anything.

---

The cracks in the floor multiplied, growing larger with each step. The ground beneath them felt unstable, as if it could break apart at any moment. If they weren't careful, one misstep could send them plummeting into the cracks filled with bubbling magma.

"Andromeda, don't look directly at whatever they're fighting," Eirwen warned as they neared a narrow entrance carved into the wall at the end of the path. "Some Nightmare Creatures can sense when you're looking directly at them," he added, allowing Seraphiel to take the lead.

Another titanic shriek reverberated through the entire cavern, sending a visible shockwave bursting from the entrance ahead. Dust and debris swirled violently into the air.

Eirwen's eyes widened and he immediately turned around, embracing Andromeda and tightly closing her ears with his palms. Her mantle billowed wildly in the rush of wind as she instinctively ducked into Eirwen, taking cover behind his tall form.

"Looks like they still aren't done," Eirwen remarked with a chuckle after the shockwave died down, turning back to the entrance and moving his arm to take Andromeda's hand into his own, his sharp claws long gone.

Seraphiel nodded, stepping toward the entrance. Orange light spilled from behind the entrance. Rumbles and explosions reverberated through the cavern, shaking the ground beneath them. "I think it's a Great Tyrant," the white-haired boy said.

Eirwen supported that thought. It would make sense, after all the imps they fought not even ten minutes ago were only spawns of something entirely different.

"Or maybe it's a Great Titan," Eirwen joked with a chuckle.

To his surprise, Seraphiel let out a quiet chuckle as well, covering his mouth with the back of his delicate hand. Eirwen raised an eyebrow for a moment.

Andromeda, however, did not find it amusing at all. Her face was tense with fear, eyes wide as she stared ahead, clearly terrified. The thought of being caught in the middle of such a battle was enough to make her feel like collateral damage. She understood how easily things could go wrong if they weren't cautious.

Before she could argue about Eirwen's safety, the two Dreamers had already stepped through the entrance. Eirwen, with a firm grip, tugged Andromeda along by her wrist. It wasn't like she would stay behind anyway. If Eirwen told her to follow, she would, no matter how scared she was or how dangerous it could've been.

Once they stepped through the narrow crack, Eirwen's eyes opened wide in awe.

They stood on an elevated platform, gazing down at a massive crater that stretched at least a kilometre in length and was a hundred meters deep. The moment they stepped through the entrance, it felt as if they had entered an entirely different realm.

The sensation probably came from the overwhelming battle unfolding below them. Explosions and waves of force rippled through the air, shaking the very ground beneath their feet, as if the clash of titans was changing the space around them itself.

In the centre of the crater, a colossal fissure split the earth, its edges jagged and deep -glowing with red and blue shades- as if reality itself had been torn open there.

Surrounding the Fissure, the ground was a chaotic mix of phenomenons, one side engulfed in roaring flames, the other encased in thick and bright ice. The two forces collided and intertwined, creating a breathtaking scene.

But what caught Eirwen's immediate attention was a gargantuan, grey, lizard-like creature. Its scales reflected the light of the flames as it clashed against at least ten humans and a massive crimson Oni Ogre with four muscular arms.

The battlefield around them was a terrifying sight, filled with countless grey corpses. Some had been maimed, others cleaved clean in multiple pieces, and a few were simply torn apart with brutal strength.

Even from such a distance, Eirwen could feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from both the humans and the Great Nightmare Creature. Andromeda's fear only intensified at the feeling, her grip on Eirwen's hand tightening.

"Good God," Eirwen mumbled, standing frozen in place and witnessing the godly battle under him.