So, he had told what needed to happen to Cassie, who relayed it to Nephis.
And as a result, the Lord of Shadows was dying now.
[She says that you owe us a good explanation later.]
Sunny forced out a smile.
[I'll… try.]
Would he even be able to explain? Probably yes, with some trouble.
'She trusts me enough to go along without asking why... why is this so sweet?'
With that, Sunny pretended to convulse…
And then dissolved into shadows.
At the same moment, his dark legion disappeared, as well, returning into his soul.
Nephis was left standing alone, like a sole island of light in the ocean of darkness.
Victorious.
The long war... was over.
***
Some days later, a towering Dream Gate opened in the clear sky above Bastion, and the stunning silhouette of the Ivory Island slowly emerged from it, drifting among the clouds to hover high above the great castle.
Millions of people had gathered on the streets of the city to watch the triumphant return of Changing Star, the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan…
The new ruler of humanity.
High above them,Nephis was looking down at the familiar sight of the sprawling city that had grown on the shores of Mirror Lake. Then, with a sigh, she turned away and left the balcony.
Descending the stairs, she walked through the corridors of the Ivory Tower and entered a spacious room.
There, a stunning woman sat in a wheelchair, positioned in front of the window. Her face was emotionless, and her gaze was strangely hollow… as if she was not there at all.
Placing a vase with fresh flowers on the table near the bed, Nephis walked over to the window, leaned against the windowsill, and looked at the woman quietly.
She did not speak for a while, then sighed.
"Hi, mom. I am sorry if you are uncomfortable… it's just that it's difficult for me to come to NQSC, these days. And I don't know how much longer it will be safe for you to remain there. So… I asked Cassie to bring you here."
Nephis lingered for a few moments.
"I am Supreme now. And I avenged dad. His killers are in the grave… well, two of them are, at least."
A shadow suddenly ran across her face.
"Oh. Right. You wouldn't know… for you, they would have been your friends, still. In that case, I am sorry. Your friends have passed away."
Then, she smiled awkwardly.
"By the way — I guess I have a boyfriend now. He is very handsome. I'm sure you would have liked him… oh, but things are a bit complicated between us at the moment. Things are complicated in general."
With a sigh, she looked in the window and said wistfully:
"Our world is being consumed by the Dream Realm. There's so much to be done before it is swallowed entirely… I am terribly busy, and he is too."
She looked at the woman and smiled.
"We need to become gods, after all."
With that, Nephis inhaled deeply and headed for the door.
She did not know how much time they had left, but it was probably not as much as they hoped.
***
Somewhere far away, a desolate land lay under a starless sky, shrouded in eternal darkness.There was a colossal crater at the heart of that land, and on its edge, a dark city stood, empty and forlorn.
Nothing moved in that city…
Until, suddenly, a magnificent black temple appeared there, as if it had stood in the darkness all along.
Soon enough, two figures emerged from the temple.
One of them was a young man with pale skin, wearing a simple black tunic.
The other was a petite woman who floated a few centimeters above the ground, with a grim expression on her face.
Looking around, Aiko shook her head in disbelief.
"Gods. I really never thought I'd ever return to this hellhole. Hey, boss, do we really need to be here?"
Sunny looked at her and shrugged.
"There's almost no Nightmare Creatures here anymore. It's one of the safest places in the Dream Realm, really… plus, can't you see in the darkness? What are you so angry about?"
Aiko stared at him with indignation.
"What am I angry about? My job! I'm jobless again! All the effort I spent on building the Brilliant Emporium brand, and my boss just had to go and become the most villainous scum of humanity! And then die. Couldn't you at least have the decency to stay dead after dying, huh, boss?!"
Sunny coughed.
"Decency? What is that?"
Then, he patted the petite girl on the shoulder.
"Don't be sad though, Aiko. Do you think that war profiteering is all that? Let me tell you…"
He gestured to the dark, desolate streets.
"Colonialism! That's where the real money is at. And Forgotten Shore is a prime colony location."
Sunny smiled.
"So… what do you say? Shall we build a city here?"
A peaceful city away from all the strife.
It would stay peaceful for a bit, at least...
[End of volume nine: Throne of War].