Shadow Slave: World's Favorite

"So what are the steps of the attack plan?"

A melodious voice responded to Effie's question.

"Step one, attack."

Baldr and his cohort approached the gates of the Bright Castle, they all looked as if they were back from a stroll through the ruins of the Dark City.

It was to the point that the guards at the entrance simply let them pass without so much as questioning their purpose here... Or it might have been the utter terror at seeing the hunter come back with the head of Harus held by the hair in one of his hands.

More than that, while his expression was the same smile he always wore, Baldr's attire was different from his usual modern clothes, instead having been replaced by an armor made out of reptilian scales with scars of different size running across it. It showed that the radiant teen was about to challenge a terrifying foe in their eyes.

And who could that be other than Gunlaug?

So all the guards could do was hold their breaths and hope the man that slayed dozens of the Dark City Fallen creatures and hundreds of Awakened ones simply had his eyes on their Leader. Fortunately they were right.

Entering into the Castle, the opulent hall greeted the cohort, with it still being the day, the windows of stained glass gave off an air of radiance to the whole place, not accounting for the reception desk that had been crudely moved here.

Behind it a young man had a stupid expression, his mouth open so wide you'd think his jaw dislocated. he was pale with sunken cheeks as if he lacked food in the last months, knowing who he was, that didn't really surprise Baldr.

"Hey Harper!"

The receptionist flinched, closing his mouth shut when his name was mentioned, he didn't know from where Baldr had gotten it but he wasn't going to ask and risk the danger of angering the hunter.

"So you know I don't really know the workings of this place, could you guide me to where Gunlaug might be?"

Harper lifted his trembling arm, preparing to show the hunter the directions, before his desk was cleaved in two crumbling under the assault of the radiant teen's arm.

"Personally of course."

Baldr smile wasn't too dissimilar to that of a Demon at the moment. The receptionist hence quickly took on the role of guide, even though Kai knew this place and where to go it seemed like the radiant teen held a certain disdain for the Sleeper.

It was visible in his smile, after a month of staying together, the members of the cohort had learned the subtle shifts in Baldr's expression, the miniscule ways negative emotions were shown didn't go past them.

As they walked through the hallways of the Bright Castle Baldr summoned his [Formless Toga], after a few seconds the Memory manifested but he didn't wrap it on himself instead focusing to significantly alter the shape of the Memory.

As it wrapped in and on itself becoming a bundle of clothes, the memory suddenly expanded as it took the shape of a lance that only he was familiar with.

'My very own Rhongomyniad...'

That was his secret weapon, the binds had already proven their durability and healing capabilities on multiple occasion, a spear simply needed two things to be considered a weapon of the mighty.

Have a sharp tip and be durable.

Making the clothes as tight as they were now required an active effort on Baldr part, fortunately while the process consumed a big amount of essence for a Sleeper his Cores allowed him to sustain it for at least thirty minutes without much trouble.

A number that would only grow exponentially as he augmented in both rank and class. And right now it provided Baldr a weapon that was in itself on par with Ascended ones, if only in term of raw power.

With a stroke of Eros the set of doors were blasted off their hinges, half a circle having been perfectly cut in both doors as they fell down to the ground. Today again the atmosphere of the Bright Castle took a hit.

■■■

Gunlaug held a feast at the end of the week, he prepared to do so the last day of every week for the next month until the head of the hunter was given to him, when that time would come he'd display it for everyone to see. What arrogance would cost them in his Castle, his City.

His generals would once again learn that in this cursed Shore, only he was eternal, sticking to him being the only sure way of survival. At least that was what Gunlaug first hoped to achieve.

The doors of the throne room were blasted off in the distance as a melodious voice echoed with a certain warmth. For the guards in the Castle however, it felt as if a torrent of heat washed over them.

He had arrived.

"I hope I'm not stopping something am I?"

The hunter asked around but none dared to respond him, something that irked at the Golden Lord's mind as fear was an essential tool he possesed, wich he only shared with those he held in trust.

"Hey catch!" Sending something toward him, the radiant hunter smile never faded even as Gemma, intercepting what he thought was an attack came face to face with the disfigured head of Harus.

"Okay now that this is established, I want to do that sacred challenge thing or whatever..."

Most people threw confused glances at each other, not sure about what he was referring to but inside his armor Gunlaug smirked.

A direct confrontation? Surely he couldn't be that stupid, even if he possessed a Transcendent weapon something borderline impossible- He wasn't going against an armor but an echo, something that would be hard to destroy without access to the Memory's abilities through essence.

"Make way."

Gunlaug commanded the Sleepers in the throne room to stand aside, the place was teeming with a hundred Sleepers each preparing to go on their task, that number quickly grew as they heard of Baldr's challenge.

"So you murdered my general huh?"

Murdered, as if he wasn't the one that attacked them first, a murder, like Harus was the victim, not the original perpetrator making it seems like Gunlaug's next actions- his revenge, was justified

The smarter ones of the Sleepers, those with at least a little wit knew that this did not matter, in the end only the strong would prevail. The hunter had a fair chance to take the throne in the eyes of most, his fabled invisible sword surely had the power to cut through Gunlaug's Transcendent Memory.

Because of this a strange excitement spread among the Sleepper at the thought of the oncoming bloodshed. Wich would prevail? The immovable object or the unstoppable force?

The radiant teen's next words only served to ignite the fire further.

"But don't you think it'd be a waste? Losing either my Weapon or your Echo when one of us dies... We wouldn't want that would we?"

"—!"

Roars of surprise echoed in the room as it exploded in a chaos of sound, most Sleepers thrown off by the statements made by the Hunter.

Gunlaug's Armor was... an Echo!??

Even the generals, standing on each sides of the throne seemed taken aback, had Harus spilled the beans just before his death, pleading with the informations he had about his Lord? That couldn't be.

But most importantly, make Gunlaug even stronger...

No one doubted the strength of the hunter, but Gunlaug's Echo was self sufficient, it's abilities didn't need an active use of essence, something that differed quite a bit with that sword of Baldr.

Other than it's invisible nature the sword had only displayed it's ability to cut down Fallen creatures, and not with ease all the times. Assuming this was simply the appearance of the blade that meant none of it's enchantments could be used.

Matter of fact the Hunter wasn't even using it, it could have possibly been broken in his fight against Harus, the last moment of the executioner who's loyalty knew no end could have led to that, Gunlaug didn't miss to mention it for everyone to hear.

"But I don't see it do I? That invisible stick of yours. This desperate gamble you're making amuse me so I will humour you."

The Bright Castle ruler rose from his sit, slowly descending the steps of the dais that elevated him as a figure of power, continuing his speech with his serpentine voice.

"Do you think you will be any different? You don't have your sword to help you win this time, and you're not fighting against a Nightmare creature but me. You have nothing to offer but you know what? I'll take your cohort, hang them somewhere along the exterior walls of the Castle and let one of two Night passes. Then when all that is left is their broken remains, their arms attached to the place I chained them too, I will show it to everyone, what happens. When you cross me!"

At some point the voice of the Golden Serpent turned into more of a furious hiss than anything, screaming with beastial furry. It seemed revealing the nature of his armor to everyone had touched upon his reverse scale. Liquid gold flowed from his hands, taking the form of a heavy battle axe.

Even at this moment Gunlaug didn't dare underestimate the skills of the Hunter, this could all be a ploy to lure him in, the Bright Lord had prepared. He had closed all possible airways in this room and made micro holes in his golden skin as to feel the winds that would emanate from the blade of the radiant teen.

What surprise was it when he didn't feel any! But maybe the winds were never a part of the Transcendent weapon enchantments, simply a result from the man's Aspect. Even after a month, not that many things were known about him, even with the information given by Caster. His flaw was easy to figure out, that unnerving smile of his, he wouldn't wish to be cursed with that at least.

And that was understandable, from the day he arrived here, the Sleeper was seen as special in Gunlaug's eyes, something about him, other than his hypnotic appearance, hinted that he had something that put him above the rest.

The way the man held himself from the day he arrived to this moment, even under the passive fear that Gunlaug's echo formed. As if nothing in this world could ever threaten him unnerved the ruler of the Bright Castle.

"So it's on then?" Was the simple answer Baldr offered, with those words Gunlaug exploded forward, prepared to bring hell upon his enemy. Wether or not the sword was here was inconsequential he had solidified an important amount of the liquid gold on his vital parts, making them virtually unbreakable especially against a weapon that could barely unravel it's abilities.

A foreboding feeling in his guts warned Gunlaug of something, but he simply pushed it down, like he did when he first braved the Dark Sea all those years ago, or when he plunged into the retreating waters. If he listened to his guts had that time he wouldn't be where he was today.

Unfortunately it seemed the Bright Castle luck had run out.

■■■

"It's easy to think chaos would erupt if I fight on par with Gunlaug and defeat him, I don't have his stupidly good defense, and I don't expect to get it, even if we make an oath I'm pretty sure I won't get the echo. He's one spiteful and greedy guy after all."

"One of those guys that'd bury themselves with their riches I bet."

Effie snickered as they walked through the streets of the Dark City completly free from navigating it, any time a creature was foolish enough to attack them it simply found itself cleaved in two, most learned to not cross them of course.

"Yeah, so I can only do one thing..."

"And that is?"

Kai humoured Baldr, letting him have his little explanation, having grown used to his antics years ago.

"One shot!"

This statement almost made Effie and Caster trip and fall.

"What now!??"

"One of the way to assure no one think they can dethrone me after I take on the position of leader is by being vastly superior to Gunlaug, I can earn their trust with time but I need them to understand how vast the gap of power between us is. I need to be the strongest."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Baldr smile turned into a smirk, he turned to Kai and clasped his hands together before pleading.

"Kai can I borrow an armor from you please?"

■■■

One thrust.

That was all it took.

The atmosphere in the Castle chilled to a near zero. Only the sound of organs falling to the ground could be heard. The Bright Lord had been... utterly defeated

A gaping hole was present in his stomach, blood and visceral spilling out of it like a fountain, even Gunlaug himself was stunned, unmoving he simply looked at his wound.

"Sooo... about that Echo? What's it's name anyway"

"[Golden Deceiver]... good name right?"

Gunlaug asked the curious man with a quizzical look as if he expected this exact outcome. He lifted his hand up and as Baldr was about to readily clasp it, he did one motion that hadn't been lost even after the Nightmare Spell arrived.

"Fuck... you..."

Then the Golden Serpent went into shock, the blood and organ loss would kill him in the next seconds, and without having given Baldr the Echo!

"You're really despicable, even in your last moments!"

Baldr laughed out loud, to everyone in the throne room it sounded like a hunter being amused by the last struggles of his dying foes, the generals steadied their spines, no one here held a particular loyalty to Gunlaug, he was before everything else a tyrant after all.

None were also dumb enough to oppose Baldr, he had proved his incredible attack power could even destroy Corrupted creatures as the echo was one in the end... He might be their only chance out of this hell.

Before long Gunlaug armor turned into motes of light, but the eyes of Baldr gleamed with something.

'Will I be able to do it?'

At worst he would lose the Echo, at best he'd discovered a new Aspect of his Innate Ability.

"Come here [Golden Deceiver]!"

Baldr tried grabbing at the motes of light and everyone would have laughed at the futility of his act if it wasn't the new Lord trying to do so... and if he didn't succeed.

The motes of light coalesced into a ball of light that Baldr held tightly in his palm, under the eyes of all habitants of the Bright Castle, someone was rewriting history.

Baldr was containing the Echo in his hand but the motes of light refused to enter his body as if it wasn't enough for him too have contained it.

"By the Spell, why is it so hard—!"

It seemed the echo itself was fighting back! Or it could possibly be the Nightmare Spell, Baldr needed to do something, anchor it.

"I am Son of Earth!"

Further intent was carried behind those words, come to me, into my Soul Sea, become mine. This part alone drained Baldr of almost all the essence present in both of his Cores, leaving him with next to nothing, something he preferred to not show, instead keeping the same warm smile as [Golden Deceiver] finally calmed down and went into his Soul Sea.

"I... did it? Hah!"

This time his laugh seemed tyrannical, Baldr moved toward the throne, followed by his stunned cohort. As he moved his spear unraveled as his essence couldn't sustain it's form anymore, changing back into the form it was made into instead, Baldr wrapped the nebulous toga around himself as he unsummoned Kai's Memory to resplenish some essence.

Sitting on the throne atop the dais with a relieved sigh he looked around the room. Most people waited in bated breath for him to give a speech, an order, anything, even the generals standing on the sides of the throne hadn't moved since he obtained the Echo.

Baldr himself was currently busy studying the runes of what he had gained

Echo: [Golden Deceiver]

Echo Rank: Transcendent

Echo Description: [From the wounds of the Angel, blood flowed down into the Darkness below, the Great Titan didn't waste a second corrupting the ichor into an herald of it's will, as it infiltrated the creature's of it's Master it's arrogance grew, for it punishment was necessary, sealing it completly in the body of a small fish."

'The Darkness, the Dark Sea? The Dark Sea is a Great Titan!?'

A shiver ran down Baldr's spine, this explained why Gunlaug didn't believe one bit that they could make it out of here, why he completly stopped venturing into the Dark Sea after obtaining the armor, the man was scared, and rightfully so.

With a sigh he dismissed the screen before looking toward his cohort, his eyes squinted as his gaze alternated between Kai and Effie, not even considering Caster. Before long the radiant teen made a decision.

"Effie I got a gift!" He called out to the Huntress, using a spear had left a bad taste in Baldr's mouth and he wouldn't have access to part of his abilities if he used the Echo. it's property covered the entire body but Baldr had to be in contact with the world to use his abilities.

They would surely get more powerful than his current weapons as time passed and as he obtained more Cores, so using the Echo would simply serve to undermine his progress.

Baldr knew that Nephis aversion toward the Spell would become a main plot point, possibly making it an enemy. So why focus on other source of powers given by a future foe when he could simoly develop his own?

As he grasped the ravenous Pathfinder's hand she lingered next to the throne for a few seconds before grinning.

"There's no way you just did that sugar."

Many tense seconds passed before a golden fluid shimmered into existence was summoned at the feets of Effie creeping up it before wrapping around her body like a second skin.

The... great assets of the huntress were fully displayed before she simply summoned her garment Memory over it, minus the few bronze plaques that barely served as protection on her limbs. Due to the thin nature of the Memory it was possible and advised as it calmed the hearts of many men in the throne room

The echo didn't cover her face as it's ability to instill fear seemed indiscriminate, something the woman had no use for at the moment, while all this was happening Baldr finally stopped thinking about having to seal a Great Titan as a Sleeper and finally gave a speech.

"I'm not like Gunlaug, I don't have the same charisma that he does, neither do I have the experience at leading people. But I have one thing that no Sleeper- nay, Awakened has. I have ultimate strength and I can pass it down to everyone ready to learn. I won't teach you guys how to survive. I will teach you how to to conquer and win.

It might take months or years for the worst ones among you guys. But I'll make sure everyone willing to fight will become strong enough to slay Awakened Creatures alone easily. You might not believe me so I will simply take those willing to believe in me.

I will be using all the Soul Shards we currently have to become more powerful. Now you either have two options, to stand behind me or on the side. There is no possible reality where an opposition survives long enough against me, but you are welcome to try and fail.

So I will give a verdict, the goal of the Bright Castle and every habitant in it is to provide, for themselves and every person that they can, weapons, armors, entertainment, do what you will, but Shards must be used for the singular goal of growing stronger.

We will conquer this land."

The last statement echoed as an immutable truth, many would not agree with the early part of this speech as Balr charisma shone almost as bright as his smile, filling the habitants of the Castle with the warm feeling of hope.

Training picked the interest of most, Guards might not have noticed it but the more experienced ones of the old factions had seen it, how perfect that singular attack at Gunlaug was.

Hope filled the future, with a force like him to lead them it seemed like the Fourth Lord of the Bright Castle was the one that would be the one to conquer the Forgotten Shore.

■■■

Training comes soon for everyone in the Dark City! Baldr's goal is obviously for the most amount of people to survive.

You're going to see exactly what he teaches them later on by the way.