Sunny picked up the two jars containing parts of the centipede oil. The mixing of these two substances was substantial to their plan. The demon was too tall for them to reliably attack and wound it, even if they were strong enough to hold on and fight, they would not be able to land a finishing blow.
That's why they were going to let something else do it for them.
Nephis looked up at the general direction of the branch, knowing he could see her through the darkness. She had a questioning look on her face.
"Yeah, wait, I'm coming!" He yelled out, dropping down and landing next to her.
"You can light your fire now…" Nephis nodded, holding out her hand and calling for her ability. Neph grimaced in pain as white sparks started dancing behind her gray irises. The fire lit up in the ashen barrow. looking like a lone star in a lightless world.
Suddenly, a shout tore through the air. "YOU BASTARD! I'M ON YOUR ISLAND! COME AND GET ME IF YOU CAN!" Of course, it was Sunny calling out to the Carapace Demon. He already had the jars in hand, ready to throw them.
When his gaze tore through the darkness beyond Neph's light, he could see the towering figure of the steel colossus moving towards them like a train, ready to rip them apart. However, Sunny was not going to let that happen. When it had reached his range, he took aim and threw both of the jars at him.
The Demon did not mind it, though. It ran through both jars like nothing, shattering them and covering itself in the oil. Sunny grinned. 'Just as planned.' For the Carapace Demon, being covered in unknown liquid was nothing, but for Sunny and Nephis, it was their ticket to victory.
Nephis shot her hand away, where the small flame was burning, extinguishing the light. For a small moment, the ashen barrow had embraced the darkness once more, then a radiance purer than any it had met before ignited, moving from Changing Star's body to her blade.
Sunny could almost see the grimaced expression Nephis was making behind her visor. He knew the pain she went through. But to Sunny's dismay, there was no other choice.
Seeing its victim light up like a beacon, the Carapace Demon's eyes shone with a murderous light, lunging at Nephis with the force of a truck behind it. Getting within swinging range with her, it started flailing its scythes and arms, trying to hurt the delicate girl.
However, Neph's appearance was deceiving. She might have looked graceful, delicate, and supremely beautiful. But she was actually a true murdering machine. The fury that burned in her heart was stronger and more ferocious than anything the Demon had experienced, and that fury was directed at it, almost like it didn't know where to go.
Nephis danced around the Demon's pitiful attempts to hurt her. The range it could attack from was naturally much larger than the range of her blade, so she had to get closer. With each dodge, each step, she would get closer. Until she was close enough.
However, piercing the armor was not what Nephis wanted to do. She wanted to set it on fire, to spread her light. So when the flaming sword met the Demon who was covered in flammable oil, her desire flared, and it burned like a shining beacon in a lightless world.
For a second, it was almost as if time had stopped. Sunny stared at the flaming demon, his eyes wide, almost failing to believe that she had pulled it off. Nephis was staring at the enemy she ignited in shock, as well. However, she snapped out of it quickly, taking a few, slow, measured steps back, and then rushing towards Sunny. Standing to his side.
They watched the incandescent glow of the fire together. Seeing the demon roar in fury, flailing its arms out to put out the fire, no doubt, brought joy and satisfaction to both of them. Maybe Cassie, who no doubt heard it all, felt satisfaction, as well.
After all, why would Sunny and Nephis face an enemy they could not even hope to finish off head-on? Why not let something else do it for them? Nephis had learned early that lighting a fire in the night was not the best of ideas. Later, she fought the Carapace Centurion while letting out that light herself. She did not necessarily remember herself back then. But she still had extinguished everything quickly, ending the fight in a matter of seconds.
However, this time the demon burned for much longer than a second. So when Sunny saw the dark waters ripple, he felt excrement and fear rushing through his heart. When he saw what came from the waters, though, his heart almost stopped dead in its tracks.
'N-Nothing…'
Immediately, Cassie called out from the branches in a hurried tone.
"Don't look! No matter what happens, don't open your eyes!" The sound was barely audible, eerie silence settling over the island.
Sunny froze. He closed his eyes immediately, almost as if a divine titan had made the command, and not a frail sleeper girl. Calling out for his shadow sense, he could see Neph having closed her eyes as well.
But when he felt the cold fog touch him directly, he called off his sixth sense, not daring to use it. The horrifying creature of the dark sea, which Sunny could only associate with the creatures of Nothingness that lay in the hollow mountains, seemed to be caressing his cheeks gently.
Then, a sudden, soothing voice rang directly above his ears. It was Cassie's voice. However, this time it was distorted and wrong.
"Don't look… don't look… don't look… don't look…"
Sunny stood frozen. The distorted voice of his blind friend echoed in the fog, getting louder and overlapping with each other.
"Don't look… don't look… don't look… don't look…"
"Don't look… don't look… don't look… don't look… don't look… don't look…"
"DON'T LOOK! DON'T LOOK! DON'T LOOK!"
Sunny's hairs stood on end, feeling cold dread creep down his spine. His knees almost started trembling, but he tried to stand still.
Suddenly, the distorted voices of the blind seer stopped. Silence settling over the ashen barrow, the white fog seemed to be gone, as well.
"Open your eyes." Sunny heard Cassie's voice whisper into his ear again.
He was about to do as told…
Then he stopped.
Her voice did not sound terrifying or distorted. Instead, being sweet and melodic as usual. But something still felt very wrong with it.
The sound rang straight in his ear. But the warmth of her breath was nowhere to be felt. And how would Cassie even whisper into his ear? Wasn't she staying on the tree?
He did not listen.
"Open your eyes! Open your eyes! OPEN… OPEN!" The creature got more overbearing, commanding Sunny to open his eyes. For a moment, he had been tempted to listen and obey, but he did not falter.
Soon, the sound had returned, the rustle of the leaves seemed much louder in contrast. He could hear Neph's and Cassie's haggard breathing around him. They were assaulted by the fog monster as well.
He was contemplating opening his eyes until he heard the metal devil roar. Its voice seemed to pierce the heavens and call down indescribable fury, but the fog had not stopped. Soon after, he could hear the terrifying clash between the two.
The island was quaking under the might of two titans; then, he heard something shatter in the deafening thunder. The island shook again, swaying the great tree's branches and almost snapping them off.
Sunny trembled, reaching for Nephis and pulling her closer. The more time he spent here, the more he was surprised that he had not died yet. But he still did not doubt that he could survive here. If they had gotten this far, they could get even farther. If it got more difficult, they would simply have to become stronger.
The time had seemed to halt during the battle between the Carapace Demon and the Depth Dweller. Soon, silence had settled back on the ashen barrow, time continuing its flow. Sunny shuddered in the quiet aftermath of the harrowing battle, listening for anything that might indicate the guest from the dark sea had not left.
"I think we can open our eyes now," Neph said in a raspy voice next to him. She pulled herself away from his arms.
Sunny lingered before opening his eyes. It was hard to see after having his eyes closed for so long, but after blinking a few times his vision returned.
The pale light of dawn was settling on the island, showing the scene of carnage. The ground looked like it had been barraged with multiple rounds of artillery fire, cracked and fractured all over.
On the surface, he could see the injured and mangled figure of the Carapace Demon limping from the island's edge. Two of its arms were completely torn off, leaving it with one pincer and one scythe. Its metallic carapace was marred with a web of cracks; it felt like nothing could remain pristine in the presence of the Depth Dweller, not even the demon's armor.
Sunny gritted his teeth and glanced at Neph.
"So, I guess we finish it off now?"
Changing Star looked down. There was a cold glint in her calm gray eyes.
"Yes."