Shadow Slave novel Chapter 1994

Chapter 1994 Call to Arms

The writing was on the wall.

The Sword Army seemed to be prevailing against the enemy, for now, but as its losses mounted and the horde of the dead puppets grew… there was no escaping the eventual defeat.

If Sunny could see it, then Anvil could see it, as well.

And yet, the King of Swords was not doing anything. The only orders he gave were minor commands, like sending reserve units to reinforce the faltering sections of the battlefront or pulling back heavily battered battalions. His tactical prowess was immaculate, true, but that was hardly enough to remedy the situation.

At the moment, the Sovereign was simply watching the carnage silently, his steely eyes not revealing any emotion. It was as if he was waiting for something, or maybe simply putting too much trust into his domineering authority.

His presence was, indeed, more suffocating than the sweltering heat. Sunny scowled behind his mask.

'...He's not planning to obliterate both armies, is he?'

Out of the two Sovereigns, only Anvil possessed such an option… thanks to Saint Tyris, who could break the veil of clouds above the battlefield. But no, that could not be true. Not because Anvil wasn't capable of implementing a monstrous strategy like that, but simply because Sky Tide would never agree to heed such a command. She had a will of her own, after all, and had disobeyed the Sovereigns before. More than that, her own daughter was currently down there, somewhere, fighting on the frontline with other warriors of the White Feather clan. Even if Anvil threatened to cut Tyris down, she would simply invite him to try. So… what then?

As if to answer these thoughts, the King suddenly turned away from the battlefield and looked at something. Sunny was confused for a moment, not knowing what he was looking at, but then realized that the answer was obvious. Ignoring the people crowding around him, Anvil was gazing at Nephis, who stood some distance away. He studied her for a few moments, and then asked evenly:

"What do you make of it?"

Sunny's scowl deepened. Why was that bastard putting Nephis on the spot? Sure, she was technically his adopted daughter… but everyone knew that it was merely a charade to justify a political alliance. Even if it had not been, Anvil wasn't known for treating his children with warmth or attention. Nephis seemed surprised by the question, as well… of course, to everyone except for Sunny, her expression would have looked just as calm and composed as ever. She looked up at the King of Swords, remained silent for a few moments, and then shrugged. "It's appalling."

Something unexpected happened in the next moment. The King of Swords… smiled. His smile was faint and cold, but it was undeniably there. Anvil looked back to the battlefield. "...I see that you are more like your mother than your father."

His voice was just as emotionless as ever, but there was a hint of something personal in it. It almost sounded human.

Nephis frowned. "In what way?"

Anvil did not respond for a few moments. Eventually, he spoke in a detached tone:

"Your mother… cared about everyone. But your father only cared about himself, and that which was his." He lingered for a moment, and then added quietly:

"Perhaps that was why she left before the rest of us."

The King of Swords then glanced at Nephis, his heavy gaze crushing into her with almost physical force. "Since you are appalled by this slaughter, you must care about the soldiers below." A corner of his mouth rose subtly once again.

"...Or do you simply consider them yours?"

Sunny felt a cold chill run down his spine. Was that an innocent question? Or was it aimed to test Neph's loyalty to the Sword Domain?

Or… _{freёweɓnovel.com}

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