Shadow Slave-Chapter 2387 Divine Flesh

Right before the final traces of the dying sun vanished into the ocean of blazing clouds, Sunny drew a long breath and gazed at Slayer.

Wrapped in tendrils of spectral mist, she was polishing her sword's edge. His Shadow appeared... frayed, somewhat. One arm remained twisted and drooped uselessly, her protective gear was ripped apart, and even her covering was damaged.

Beneath the covering lay a face that Sunny recognized intimately by now — the stunning visage of the woman he had witnessed in the prophetic scenes... or more precisely, a variant of it apparently sculpted from perfect black volcanic glass.

She was the unrelenting tracker whose destiny had been to destroy the Demon of Fate. Her shadow, anyway.

...Certainly, even after discovering the incredible reality of Slayer's history, Sunny harbored reservations about its accuracy. Weaver was the lord of lies, after all. Would it be impossible for that mysterious rogue to slip deceptions into the contest their sibling created to expose only facts?

He couldn't tell.

Not that it was important...

With a breath, Sunny cast one final glance at Slayer and ordered the darkness to part, drawing her into their black void.

A moment afterward, she disappeared from the ruined mountainside.

Exactly as the ghostly pathway linking it to the far Shrine of Truth collapsed into dust, her elegant form materialized in the distance, atop the angled ceiling of the sinking temple.

Kai touched down on the earth beside Sunny as the peak trembled, streams of molten rock pouring from its broken summit to herald the conclusion of the Ash Domain's shift.

He stared westward with a shocked look.

"...Sunny?"

Sunny released another breath and rose, massaging his face with his working hand. He stayed quiet for several heartbeats, then grinned wearily.

"Don't panic. I'm not abandoning our local maniac to perish."

With the shift complete, he couldn't feel the darkness blanketing the molten lake anymore. He also couldn't spot Slayer from this range... but he understood that she was there, standing isolated on the ancient temple's ceiling and watching him.

"I have a strategy, so calm down."

Kai paused for several moments, then breathed out and settled beside Sunny, setting his bow down with a shaking hand. He appeared completely drained, having pulled its massive string repeatedly with incredible velocity.

Kai wore an odd look, so Sunny inquired casually:

"What's wrong? You look somewhat distracted."

His companion waited briefly, then gestured dismissively.

"Oh, it's simply that we... we destroyed another god. The earlier occasions, it was mainly your achievement, but this evening, Lady Slayer and I played the primary parts. Obviously, it was only achievable due to your Will and the offerings we provided to the Altar of Truth, but nonetheless. We slaughtered a deity."

Sunny observed him for a short time, then grinned.

"That you accomplished." freёweɓnovel.com

Kai breathed out gradually.

"I simply feel like I ought to be amazed and horrified by that reality, but truthfully, I'm not even troubled. Seeing gods perish... has become ordinary, it appears. Incredible as that may seem."

He released an unsteady chuckle.

Sunny watched him quietly, then moved his head.

"I mean... aren't you the person who battled a group of Spire Messengers as a Sleeper? And then leaped into the throat of a Transcendent dragon as an Awakened? Oh, and then there was the crazy act you performed in Verge. Why would you be amazed, much less horrified?"

Kai grinned bashfully and rubbed his nose tip.

"Well... correct. Still, this disgusting horde of rodents was a deity."

Sunny chuckled, then surveyed the area, wincing at the smell of rat hair burning in the flowing magma.

"Speaking of that... hey, how about we grill some divine flesh?"

Kai's expression changed, becoming almost sick.

"T—the rodents? Consume them? T—appreciate it, but no way!"

Sunny burst out laughing.

"Huh? Why refuse? You realize, we mainly consumed standard meal packages in the outskirts — also called rodent packs. It was all artificial paste and the most dry, flavorless biscuits you could picture, plus a throwaway water cleaner. So, I actually always desired to try a genuine rodent. Real rodents were a scarce resource, though — the tougher children caught them before the rest of us could."

Glancing around, Sunny breathed in the awful smell of burning hair and grinned.

"See how far I've advanced! Ah... aspirations do become reality."

Kai examined him for a while, then managed a courteous grin.

"They're... completely yours, then. By every means! I'd prefer not to interfere with achieving your aspirations."

Sunny snorted.

'How selective.'

Kai hadn't desired to consume the shredded pieces of the Cursed Monster because the way it died had been too unsettling, and both sections of the monstrous body were too revolting. And now, he was declining to eat completely acceptable, if slightly cursed, rodents too...

There was simply no satisfying that person!

Sunny gave Kai a disapproving look, then rose and brushed off his torn garments.

"Well, do as you wish. I'm starving, though."

Sunny might have shared Kai's opinion regarding the disturbing body of the Cursed Monster, but he wasn't going to restrain himself tonight. The unfortunate Rat King had never succeeded in satisfying its appetite, so it was only fitting to respect its cursed memory by satisfying his.

He discovered the Beast figurine while searching for rodent meat. And a bit later, he located the single soul fragment left by the Rat King, too — it had been hidden beneath the rockslide, which was now covered in magma, but Sunny recovered the small crystal without much difficulty.

...The rodent meat proved to be infected, and possibly even cursed. It was still tasty, though, and Blood Weave quickly dealt with the toxins.

Looking back, it was likely fortunate that Kai had declined to participate in eating the fallen deity's flesh.

There was more remaining for Sunny!

'Is his survival sense really keen, or have mine become totally numb?'

Full and content, Sunny went back to the western slope of the newborn volcano and sat beside Kai to observe the sun climb.

The closing scene of Ariel's Game was going to be determined once it appeared.