Sunny sat comfortably on the elegant wooden chair, staring at Mordret with all four of his arms crossed. The chair was a bit small for his prodigious body, but due to the quality and durability of the materials it was made of, managed to carry the weight rather well.
Noctis really knew the value of good craftmanship!
The old man, meanwhile, met his deadpan gaze with a mildly surprised expression slowly appearing on his face.
All around them, the Ivory City was being devoured by fire.
After a while, Mordret shifted a little, and then said with amusement:
ââŠTo be honest, I expected you to attack me.â
Sunny scoffed.
âWhy would I bother? You seem to be hellbent on committing suicide. I can just wait until Hope kills you, then carry on with my initial plans.â
He thought for a bit, and then added:
âPlus, in the improbable case that you somehow succeed, I donât really lose anything. I will still become a Master. Sure, the great and mighty clan Valor might suffer as the result, but what do I care? I have no relationship with them.â
The old man glanced at him with a pleasant smile.
âThat bow of yours suggests otherwise.â
Sunny chuckled.
âMy warbow? Do you like it? Well, I like it very much. What a beauty⊠your family really knows how to craft a Memory! However, you are mistaken if you think that I received it for rendering some service to Valor or being close to your father. In fact, they donât even know that I have it. Uh⊠I would prefer if it stayed that way, too.â
Mordret tilted his head a little.
âHave no worry, Sunless⊠your secret is safe with me! All your secrets, actually. I have to admit, though, with how paranoid you are, I thought that you would try to silence me at all costs. Arenât you afraid that I will reveal them after escaping from the Nightmare?â
Sunny smiled lazily, then shrugged.
âNot really.â
He sighed, and then said in a serious tone:
âWhile it pains me that you know so much about me, you and I are similar in many ways. We both believe that knowledge is the origin of power, donât we? So, sharing my secrets would be no different from giving your power away. Why share the leverage you have on me with anyone when you can have it all to yourself?â
Sunnyâs expression grew a little dour.
âOf course, I would gladly kill you to destroy that leverage. However, the benefit of destroying you is not worth the risk of fighting you. You are one scary bastard, Mordret, you know that? Plus⊠I donât even know how to kill you⊠so whatâs the point?â
He was not lying. Although Sunny had grown more powerful than he had expected inside the Nightmare, Mordret was much older and had vastly more experience. He also had a far greater background.
If Sunnyâs suspicions were correct, not only had the Prince of Nothing inherited the lineage of War God, but he had also been raised by both Great Clan Valor and Asterion⊠he was a monster created by not one, but two Sovereigns.
A monster capable enough to, maybe, outshine both of them.
How could an outskirt rat like Sunny compete with that upbringing?
He couldnâtâŠ
Yet. At least not in a direct fight.
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A competition of wit, on the other handâŠ
Who could say which one of them was more devious?
As Sunny stared at him with a smile, Mordret remained silent for a few moments, and then slowly stood up.
âWhat remarkable restraint⊠are you sure you donât want to attack me, Sunless?â
Sunny shook his head.
âI really donât want to.â
The old man looked at him, then said with uncertainty:
âWell⊠Iâll be going then?â
He lingered for a few moments before turning around and taking a step away.
Sunny cleared his throat.
âThere is one problem, though.â
Mordret froze, then faced him again, an amused smile appearing on his lips.
His eyes glistened dangerously.
âOh?â
Sunny sighed.
âAs much as I donât want to fight you⊠and as much as I wish you luck in ending this Nightmare⊠I am a very, very petty person. I also have a great memory. I tend to remember my grudges.â
He raised a hand and started counting on his fingers.
âYou used me, lured me into a trap, put me in hot water with clan Valor, caused me and my friend weeks of terrible suffering, almost cost us our lives, and then even tried to kill me yourself! You really, really owe me a lot, Mordret⊠donât you think?â
The old man grinned.
âAh, I see how you could have been a little upset with my actions. Well, how do you suppose we should settle my debt, Sunless?â
Sunny made himself more comfortable and smiled. Then, he said in a cheerful tone:
ââŠI accept Transcendent Memories. Six or seven should do.â
Mordret stared at him for a bit, then laughed.
âI see. Sadly, that would not be very convenient for me. Anything else you might consider?â
Sunny looked at him with regret.
âWell⊠in that case, there is one other thing. I guess I can just prevent you from killing Hope, ruin the plans youâve been making for the better part of the decade, torture you ruthlessly for a few weeks, and then slowly destroy your body. That should make us even, I think.â
Mordret looked at him with a somber expression.
ââŠI thought you couldnât lie. Didnât you say that you wouldnât attack me?â
Sunny shook his head.
âI said that I donât want to attack you. Never said that I wonât.â
The old man sighed.
âYes, I noticed. Pity. I hoped to avoid thisâŠâ
With that, the shadows around Sunny suddenly shifted and moved.
A moment later, five identical four-armed devils rose from them, each at least three meters tall. They wore fearsome onyx armors, with darkness veiling their bestial faces and black eyes.
Each had four horns, and each had one of them broken. The devils radiated a suffocating, frightening feeling of malice and furious power.
Still sitting on his chair, Sunny stared at the five shadowspawns that surrounded him with trepidation. His face grew still.
Gripping the Extraordinary Rock, he shivered and said glumly:
âWell, thatâs⊠thatâs not good at allâŠâ