Shadow Slave novel Chapter 2208

The femur of the dead deity turned from a great inclined plain into a labyrinth of vast, deep canyons near its southern edge... the end of Godgrave.

That was because both legs of the titanic skeleton had been shattered by a harrowing blow once, thousands of years ago. Both of its femurs were heavily damaged near the knees, deep cracks marring the surface of the ancient bone. Some cracks led to the Hollows... some were even deeper, going all the way to the Sea of Ash far below.

The knee joints themselves were out of sight, buried in the ash. Since nobody knew how deep the Sea of Ash was, it was impossible to tell if the dead god's tibias and fibulas were hidden under the endless grey carpet, or if something had severed them completely in the distant past.

The Citadel Gilead had been ordered to conquer was situated at the very last bone plateau, standing on the shore of the Sea of Ash...

The journey to the end of Godgrave had been harrowing. The battle for the Citadel, located so close to the endless expanse of ash, promised to be more harrowing still.

"Are you sure that we can even take it?"

The voice sounded tired.

Gilead kept his gaze aimed across the last canyon, then turned slowly to look at his last companion.

The two of them were all that remained of the expedition.

His lustrous armor had long been destroyed, and his skin had turned the color of bronze under the merciless radiance of the overcast. Even his tunic had been bleached by the light, losing all color.

The woman's parasol was in the same sorry state. The beautiful patterns that used to cover its surface were now faint and feeble, barely noticeable in the bright light.

It was a miracle that the flimsy thing had survived at all.

Looking at the woman, Gilead suddenly found the situation comical.

So many brave warriors had died... skilled Awakened, fearsome Masters. Even a powerful Saint. And yet, this mundane luxury item the woman had brought with herself on a whim was in one piece.

He sighed deeply.

Gilead's blue eyes were vivid and feverish, but the woman's green eyes were dim and calm.

After endless days of horror and suffering, they had finally reached their destination. Now, there were only these few last obstacles left for them to overcome... the last canyon, the last plateau, and the Citadel itself.

He remembered that she had asked him a question and nodded belatedly.

"We must take it, and therefore, we will."

The lower part of the woman's face was hidden behind a scarf, but he could tell by her eyes that she smiled.

She had not smiled in a while, so that was probably a good sign.

"It's just the two of us now. Two Saints against whatever profane horror guards that Citadel... I'd say the odds are not in our favor."

Gilead pursed his lips, then shook his head grimly.

"We've made it so far. So, we'll take it."

The woman studied him for a while, then leaned back and laughed.

Then, she folded her parasol and looked at him coldly.

Confused, Gilead turned to the canyon.

"Let's rest here. I will carry you to the other side once we have recovered our essence..."

"No."

He paused, unsure if he had heard her right. Looking back, he frowned.

"...No?"

The woman was smiling.

"Yes... no?"

She leaned on her parasol and spoke, her voice remaining calm.

"I was going to tell you a while back... on the day we lost half of the remaining soldiers, and you refused to turn back. But then, I decided to wait a bit. To crush your spirit better." Ŕ𝐀ŊＯᛒËS̈

Gilead blinked, staring at her in confusion.

"What do you mean? The Citadel..."

The woman chuckled.

"I refuse."

Noticing his incomprehension, she shook her head.

"Everyone is dead, but I am alive. I am alive because you've kept me alive, and you've kept me alive because you need a homeless Saint to claim the Citadel. But I won't. I refuse. Honestly, I'd rather dive into the Sea of Ash head-first. Oh... and you go to hell, Summer Knight. There is a special place there prepared for people like you, I'm sure."

She laughed again, sounding more than a little unhinged to his ears.

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