257 Nightmare Champion

'Ah. So that is how it works.'

Initially, Sunny had suspected that the mysterious Shard Memories were just rewarded to those who managed to slay certain powerful Nightmare Creatures who dwelled close to the headless statues.

The truth, however, turned out to be more complicated. The creature itself, most likely, did not even matter — it was the act of vanquishing a powerful foe after coming in contact with a statue that summoned the Memory from oblivion.

That was why they had received the Midnight Shard before even learning about how important these ancient monuments were. Sunny, Nephis and Cassie had taken shelter atop the statue of the ancient knight and killed the Carapace Demon long after.

But no, that didn't make a lot of sense. If this was true, Sunny would have received another Shard Memory after defeating the Corpse Eater. So… not any powerful abomination would do.

Each statue seemed to have a... a Nightmare Champion tied to it by some invisible bond. The Carapace Demon, whom the creatures described as cursed soldiers of the fallen legion used to obey, was connected to the statue of the Knight.

The Iron Matriarch was tied to the statue of the Hunter.

Which statue had the Dawn Shard come from? The Builder, whose monument had somehow come to life and was now wandering the Forgotten Shore? Rumors said that the First Lord chased it around the Labyrinth for a long time, after all.

But somehow, Sunny felt that the metal headband had nothing to do with the walking colossus.

'So many questions.'

How many champions were still around, anyway? Nephis had not even tried to search for one tied to the Builder, nor for one tied to the Priestess. How many Shard Memories were already in the hands of humans?

Among the members of the cohort, there were now three. And they were about to challenge some abominable horror for a chance of receiving the fourth one.

'...Why do I even assume that there are only three?'

Sunny tilted his head.

Indeed, the fact that he had only seen the Midnight Shard, the Zenith Shard, and the Dawn Shard did not mean that Changing Star had not gotten other ones already. Not counting the Memory they were currently hunting, three more were unaccounted for.

How many had she found already?

He smiled darkly.

'Well… it's going to be revealed sooner or later. Right now, however, there is a more pressing issue...'

Glancing at Nephis, he asked:

"What happens if I get the Memory? As you reminded so astutely, I am not one of your lackeys. That would throw a wrench in your plans, wouldn't it?"

Sunny couldn't imagine Changing Star leaving something that important to chance.

However, to his surprise, she just shrugged:

"Keep it, if you want."

He frowned.

Why was Nephis so nonchalant about the possibility of a Shard Memory falling into his hands? Wait… why was she so indifferent about him already possessing the Midnight Shard?

One possible explanation was that it didn't matter who held the Shard Memory — as long as it was in human hands. The other explanation… made Sunny very uncomfortable.

Maybe she was just sure that fate would push the two in the same direction. If this was true, then it didn't really matter which one of them possessed the Shards.

He lingered for a bit, then shake his head and said:

"...Well, what are we waiting for? You didn't really expect any of us to stay behind while others fight, right? Let's go and hunt this monster."

Honestly, while Sunny couldn't even imagine what type of terrible creature guarded the hidden statue, he was almost excited to find out.

He wanted to see what the six of them were capable of under the miraculous effect of the Dawn Shard...

Himself in particular.

***

Eventually, they arrived at a vast cavern situated somewhere in the depths of the draconian mountains. The cavern was large enough to fit the entire Bright Castle — and the hill it stood upon — inside of it. Witnessing its size, Sunny got an inkling that there was a reason why these mountains were called Hollow.

As his sight pierced the darkness ruling over the vast cavern, Sunny couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe.

The floor of it was covered by black sand, while its walls glistened like obsidian. In the center of the cavern stood a giant pillar of dark stone. It was surrounded by massive scaffolds, which nevertheless looked tiny and insignificant on its surface.

The silhouette of an unfinished statue was easily discernable, cut from the giant pillar by the unknown sculptor. Its upper torso was almost finished, while the lower half was still encased inside the stone.

It was as though a dark giant was struggling to free himself from the pillar of stone that imprisoned him.

With a feeling of surprise, Sunny realized that he recognized the details of the unfinished giant's armor and shield. They were eerily similar to the armaments that the Black Knight guarding the ruined cathedral wore.

…And to the ones the Stone Saint wielded, too.

Looking up, he made sure that the head of the giant statue was missing.

'...Of course it is.'

All of that only took a fraction of a second.

Then, Sunny hastily looked down, trying to notice the guardian of this obsidian cave before the creature noticed them.

…But it was too late.

As soon as the members of the cohort entered the cavern, something moved in the darkness at the base of the statue, and then stepped forward.

Sunny shivered.

'Damnation!'

Standing on the black sand, a monstrous creature that resembled a cross between a lion and a raven stretched its numerous limbs. Its body was pale as a corpse, while its head and chest were covered with dark feathers. It was massive in size, with muscles rolling like steel cables under the skin.

The creature had two powerful hind legs and six more protruding messily from its wide chest, each ending with a set of deadly claws. But the most terrifying feature it possessed was a long, jagged black beak.

It was a Spire...

"Messenger!"

That was all Sunny had time to yell before the vile abomination lunged forward, exploding into a whirlwind of hunger, madness, and death.