Shadow Slave: The Holy Emperor

'The Dark Sea has finished residing.' Keter stared at the corpse of the corrupted devil. 'Looks like they've finally come for the last transcendent shard. We can't handle a Centurion right now.' Keter looked at Nephis before she could say anything.

"We can't leave, not today." Keter stared into her eyes. After a while, she answered.

"I don't want Cassie to spend another night near this statue. Let's leave now."

"No, we can't the Centurion's are far too close." Keter points to the three huge monsters grabbing the last transcendent soul shards. Keter hesitates, looks over to the sleeping Cassie, and then back at Nephis. "And I'm about to be out of commission." Keter gaze shifts slightly.

Light Fragment:[943/1000]

A small forced frown appeared on Nephis face, though Keter could tell the emotions were real. 'A good attempt though'

"Explain" Nephis demanded.

"Only if you tell no one else of this, after all this is my secret to tell," Keter demanded in return. Nephis nodded slowly.

"My aspect is of the divine rank and my core is almost filled," Keter said leaving the rest to implications.

Nephis eyes widened noticeably, Keter could see countless conflicts going on in her mind. It took her a while to put her thoughts together. "We will stay but, WE are going hunting." She stressed as she summoned her echo to protect Cassie while they were gone.

------------------------------------

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[You have Slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

"I need nine more" Keter looked over his runes as Nephis absorbed the last of the soul shards.

Light Fragment:[983/1000]

Nephis ears caught the sound of something crushing the coral then stood up with her sword at the ready. "Not anymore, they're here. The Centurions."

Keter tensed instantly after hearing Nephis. A faint glow appeared around his ears allowing him to hear it as well. "all of them?!" A hint of fear appeared in his eyes, before he crushed the feeling under logic. 'We don't have time for fear and we don't have time to run either, they are far too close for that. Wait why are they coming this way the Soul devouring tree is to the west?" Keter tried to find the reason quickly spotting it. "A storm is coming from the west."

Nephis looked at him with fierce determination. "The only spot nearby is the statue." Keter nodded.

"We have to kill them or we won't survive the night. I will handle two of them, you deal with the other then come assist me afterward, also switch with me." Keter grabbed Nephis's hand and transferred both [Azure Armor] and [Shattered Sea Charm] while gaining [Robes of The Lost] back.

[Shattered Sea Charm]

Memory Rank: Awakend

Memory Tier: I

Memory Type: Charm

Memory Description: [A once-common military equipment]

[Azure Armor]

Memory Rank: Awakened

Memory Type: Armor

Memory Tier: I

Memory Description: [The Azure, the lowest level of the Starlight Legion. Were the vanguard against the darkness and those who stood tall against it were granted the right of starlight.]

"The charm enhances the strength of armor." Keter releases her hand, with a golden spark, and jumps up onto the coral. "Good luck Nephis, and you better not go and die on me."

"Same to you." Nephis runs to the furthest one, faster than ever before.

Keter summoned the [Azure Spear] pulling his arm back, readying it for launch. 'I only have a basic mastery over the spear but I'm damn good at throwing them." Golden sparks flared around the spear pushing it far beyond its limit, as Keter did so strange runes began to carve themselves on his back. 'It will break but that doesn't matter, as long as I survive I can find another.' As the two Centurions got close Keter launched his spear at the joint between the arm and the scythe, Keter could hear the spell sound out the destruction of his memory as one of the scythes fell off. Letting the transcendent soul shard fall to the floor.

'That one of the main weapons gone.' Keter summoned his sword, a golden circle appearing around both of his ankles. 'With my amount of fragments, I can make some enhancements constant but I can't do any others if I do so' Keter cut through one of the eyes of the injured Centurion. Immidetly dismissing his sword he began to resummon it as he dodged the attack of the injured one, then threw himself under the scythe of the other. Keter attempted to slash at the armor of the injured Centurion to slow himself down only for it to harmlessly slide off.

'Only the weak points, got it.' Keter kicked the ground, sending him flying away from them. More blood fell from the carving runes as he applied an enhancement to his sword. Keter dodged the legs of one by diving under the other. Baiting it to drop Keter used Miricle to make a small hole in the ground pumping the blade full of temporary enhancements as he barely missed it dropping on him.

The Centurion shrieked as the blade pierced it through. Keter quickly summoned it back to him. 'It's barely holding together if I don't use Miricle to keep it together it's going to fall apart at the slightest graze.' Keter tried his best to keep it together as he jumped forward pricing the concave.

[Your Memory has been destroyed]

'At least it kept together for that last bit.' Keter felt the scythe of the other Centurion Cleave him through.

[You have Slain an Awakened Monster, Carapace Centurion.]

[You have Received a Memory: Starlight Legion Longsword]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

Keter pushed Miricle to its limit as the scythe made contact. Blood began to pore in droves from his back as his torso pieced itself back together. Keter grit his teeth while summoning his new memory. Using his body and Miracle he forced the scythe to stall in his body. enchanting his left arm he cleaved through the joint connecting to the scythe. Keter buckled under the weight of the scythe, as he fell he tilted his body and let the scythe cleave itself out of him.

"argh" Keter gasped at the pain barely pulling himself up as the Centurion tore his shoulder off. 'Fuck this hurts.' Keter flinched as Miricle worked even harder to keep him alive. Keter was thrown backward with the force of the blow, crashing directly into the transcendent soul shard. Keter readied his sword as the Centurion was barrelling towards him. Keter weakly aimed at the place where the carapace met the torso. A beautiful golden light extend out of his sword faintly scratching the transcendent soul shard right before piercing directly through the exact area. 

[You have Slain an Awakened Monster, Carapace Centurion.]

[You have Received an Echo: Awakened Monster, Carapace Centurion]

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

Keter fell weakly on the floor as he heard those words. As the Nightmare spell rang against his ears once more.

[Your Light Grows Stronger]

[...Your Light is overflowing with power.]

[Your shadow is taking shape.]

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH" Keter screamed in horrifying pain. It felt like his soul was being torn, cut, clawed, and beaten. His Brain felt like it was melting. Keter felt like he was dying in every way all at the same time, he felt like he was being torn apart and rebuilt. Keter clawed at the ground, cracks forming as he did so. Keter couldn't form a thought under so much pain but even if he could he wouldn't have been able to understand why it was so painful. Under such horrid pain, he couldn't hear the mutters of the Nightmare Spell.

[More than a Beast but less than a Demon, So thus he must be a Monster]

The very existence of the being named "Keter" grew to accommodate the concept of "Monster".

[Your Light is Complete]

Keter could gasped for breath as the pain finally subsided. The last thing he could see was a woman in shining silver armor being chased by the endless drowning tides of the Dark Sea.