Shadow Slave-Chapter 2388 Bait

There had been twelve Snow pieces positioned against the three pieces of Ash on the playing field. Now, only three of them survived — two Devils and the Tyrant itself.

And Sunny was half a move in front of the Devils, too.

The route to the Tyrant was nearly open, but there remained a possibility that the Devils would chase him. If they did, the roughly human-shaped Tree Devil would pose no threat, since it was further south than Sunny and his allies. The dragon, though, was north of the Shrine of Truth — so, if it traveled east, they would need to fight it sooner or later.

Sunny hoped to avoid battling a Cursed Devil if possible. In truth, he feared that conflict — even if there were three Sacred shades under his control now.

So, he positioned Slayer in the Shrine of Truth.

It was uncertain how clever the Snow Tyrant was and how thoroughly it understood the pieces of the Ash Domain. However, it had demonstrated at least some capacity to think tactically. So, it would most likely be reluctant to abandon the square of the Shrine to the opposition.

Not only because the strength of the Ash Domain would expand the more squares it controlled, while the strength of the Snow Domain would weaken accordingly — it was also because Sunny could easily go back to the Shrine if his route to it wasn't blocked.

The reality of the situation was straightforward — the Snow Tyrant didn't have enough pieces anymore to capture its foe unless its foe chose to be captured. Sunny could roam the board endlessly, playing a dangerous game of hunter and prey with the two Snow Devils. He could delay for as long as he desired.

Until his injuries fully healed, for instance, or until all of his shades recovered themselves.

Moreover, he had in his hands the jade figurine left by the Rat King. His strength would grow even more if he was ever permitted to reach the Shrine of Truth, the Ash Castle, or — presumably — the Shrine of Fear.

He didn't even need to keep Kai and Slayer with him. He could send them to explore the miniature world of Ariel's Game on their own, capturing peak after peak until the Snow Domain lost its territorial edge entirely.

So... Sunny was wagering on the fact that at least one of the Devils would spend a move to capture the Shrine of Truth. And to make it even more tempting for them, he positioned one of his pieces — Slayer — on the ceiling of the drowning temple.

Sunny and Kai sat on the rocky slope and observed the sunrise quietly. There was the gorgeous golden light of morning, and the columns of snow hardening to become ghostly bridges. Neither of them talked, still exhausted after the fight against the Rat King, and although much was going to be determined by what the Devils decided to do — or were ordered to do — both felt...

Calm.

Even if there were frightening battles coming, they weren't going to occur until many days ahead. And although they were still trapped in Ariel's Game, the board was almost completely empty of horrible Nightmare Creatures, which meant that they wouldn't be surrounded and attacked without warning.

For the first time since the Death Game began, Sunny didn't feel like a trapped animal.

He breathed deeply, appreciating the sight of the brilliant sun.

'Come on...'

At last, the crystal bridges were completely formed, and the Devils acted. Sunny held his breath, feeling his heart jump a beat.

'...Yes!'

A broad smile crossed his ash-covered face.

His guess was proving correct — and in the most favorable way.

"The Tree Devil is traveling east."

Kai's voice was quiet.

The human-like monster was walking across the crystal bridge, advancing to the mountain directly south of their location. It was being sent on a futile chase.

The dragon, however...

Sunny didn't need Kai to inform him, because he could see the dragon soaring across the ocean of clouds himself. The massive creature looked like a small speck from the distance, but there was no doubt — it was flying south, toward the Shrine of Truth.

Which meant that nothing blocked between Sunny and the Snow Tyrant anymore.

He grinned cheerfully.

It was odd...

Maybe the Snow Tyrant didn't care to block his passage. Perhaps it even wanted Sunny to arrive as quickly as possible, before he could completely heal from his injuries — in that case, moving the dragon away and creating a clear route served the same goal as leaving Slayer alone in the Shrine of Truth. It was a trap.

...Maybe the Snow Tyrant simply couldn't control the dragon — after all, a Cursed Devil was a creature of tremendous power, not much weaker than its own. freēwēbnovel.com

In any case, the outcome matched what Sunny wanted.

"We're free, Kai. We're free..."

At last, the conclusion of the Ariel's Game was in sight. There was only one fight left for them to win — the most terrifying of them all, but still the final one.

The fight against the Snow Tyrant itself.

Sunny breathed out slowly and watched the dragon soar across the enormous gap separating the two mountains.

He thought he even spotted explosions appearing as Slayer sent arrow after arrow flying.

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And just when the dragon was about to reach the lake of magma...

Sunny squinted and dismissed her, summoning her back into the protective darkness of his soul.

Somewhere far away, the elegant figure of the deadly huntress melted into the shadows.

A few moments later, the Shrine of Truth trembled as the enormous dragon landed on its ceiling. Denied its target, the Cursed Devil released a horrifying roar — its echoes traveled across the golden clouds, reaching Sunny and Kai on the slope of the distant volcano and making them shake.

And shortly after that, the Snow Domain's move was finished.

Sunny released a satisfied sigh and looked at Kai.

"See?"

He smiled contentedly.

"Let me inform you, friend... a game hasn't been created yet that I can't manipulate..."