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201	Chapter 201 Lord of the Dead The giant underground chamber was circular in shape and as immense as the grand hall of the Bright Castle. Its walls were built out of the same grey stone slabs as the mighty walls of the Dark City, but unlike them, the walls of the chamber were covered with whispering streams of cold, nebulous black water. In the center of it, a vast mountain of human bones rose from the ground, reaching almost halfway to the distant ceiling. Thousands… no, hundreds of thousands of people must have perished to create it. With a harrowing realization, Sunny finally understood where the people who built the ancient city and the impregnable wall surrounding it had disappeared to. They were all here, piled onto each other in this vile monument of death. This horrid dark chamber was their final resting place. An old memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.The speed was too fast, and with a swoosh, w.a.n.g Xuan was pulled into the whirlpool, like a little crucian carp that had been hooked and was violedntly pulled out of the water. Back beneath the branches of the Soul Tree, Ca.s.sie had seen a vision of a bloodsoaked hill formed from countless corpses. On top of it, a tiny black seed was floating in a pool of blood. Was there a similar mountain of bones hiding under the soil of the Ashen Barrow? Was that how the Soul Devourer had been born? Sunny shifted his gaze, only now noticing the veins of crimson coral growing from the harrowing hill of white bones, almost like muscle tissue of some colossal creature. Following the coral pillars up, he finally saw that the dome of the immense chamber was broken, with pale sunlight streaming through the breach and falling on the ghastly visage below. A giant stone hand was reaching down through the broken dome, its palm open, as though trying to caress the mountain formed from the bones of those people who had once populated this dark, forsaken land.If your dare to fish against him like this, no matter if it's a strange thing on a mobile phone or that ferocious giant fish, you'll have to pay the price. ReadNovelFull.me ᴘᴀɴ ᴅᴀ ɴ ᴏᴠᴇʟ Looking at the stone hand, Sunny suddenly realized where they were. The vast underground chamber was situated directly underneath the headless statue of the graceful woman who had once saved them from drowning in the black waters of the cursed sea. One of her hands was raised toward the heavens, as if trying to embrace them. The other had broken off and fell down thousands of years ago, lying in the mud at the base of the giant statue. …Reaching into the depths of h.e.l.l, that was the hand Sunny was looking at right now.A fisih is mocking him! It was also their way out of here. "Doofus! Wake up!" Brought back to reality by Effie's yell, he shuddered and looked around with a new understanding. So the exit the huntress had told them about was the breach in the dome of the underground chamber. With Kai's Aspect Ability and the help of the golden rope, escaping through it was not going to be a problem.Then, it was noisys and motionless, instead of reviving here, it chose to disguise it. But… where was this Lord of the Dead that she had mentioned? From Effie's colorful description, Sunny had expected to see a giant monster slumbering in the heart of the catacombs. If memory served, her exact words were "a big fat b.a.s.t.a.r.d of a Nightmare Creature". But he couldn't see anything. Unless…If ones piece of sword energy can't solve the problem, then take a few more pieces. w.a.n.g Xuan is going to kill it. His eyes narrowed. And just at that moment, the mountain of bones suddenly moved. \\\* When the mountain moved, everything suddenly made sense. At first, Sunny thought that the unknown creature was sleeping inside the ghastly hill of bones. But then he realized that no, it wasn't. The mountain itself was the Nightmare Creature. This was the Lord of the Dead. Each of the countless bones piled on top of each other in the underground chamber was a part of its body. For a moment, Sunny was paralyzed by fear. 'Fat b.a.s.t.a.r.d?! That is what you call a fat b.a.s.t.a.r.d?!' But then, the disparate pieces of information clicked in his mind, a.s.sembling into a vivid chain of cause and effect. 'Of course. Why didn't I realize sooner?' The mountain of bones, the horde of immortal skeletons, the Lord of the Dead… it all connected. The Nightmare Creature in front of him was a Fallen Tyrant. Tyrants were a fifth step in the evolution of Nightmare Creatures, and the name of that cla.s.s was not coincidental. The fifth step represented rule and authority. That's why the blind monstrosity he had faced on the slopes of the Black Mountain was named a King, and that's why the abomination in front of him was named a Lord. Cla.s.ses differed from each other in terms of pure might, but most of the distinction between them was caused by a more fundamental reason. Higher cla.s.ses possessed characteristics that, while not directly affecting the quant.i.ty of their power, gave it a qualitative change. For example, while beasts were mindless, demons and those above them were intelligent. That's why a demon, even if it was only slightly stronger than a monster, was in fact ten times more dangerous. The characteristic of the Tyrant cla.s.s was that these Nightmare Creatures were capable of creating and controlling large amounts of lesser creatures. The Mountain King's Larva that Sunny had slain during his first trial, which was born when a tiny worm living inside the Mountain King's body entered the corpse of a dying slave, was one such lesser creature. However, this power had its limitations. The minions created by a tyrant couldn't be of the same rank as it. That's why the Larva was a dormant beast, while Mountain King itself was Awakened. Similarly, while the skeletons that the cohort had faced were Awakened, they had to be created by a Fallen Tyrant. …And something told Sunny that their immortality was tied to the Lord of the Dead, too. If someone wanted to destroy the undead army, they would have to destroy the abominable bone colossus first. Said colossus, meanwhile, was slowly waking up right in front of Sunny. And if when it did… 'd.a.m.nation!' Nervously gripping the Midnight Shard, he glanced at Nephis. The golden rope was already in her hands, and she was pa.s.sing it to Kai. Before the beautiful archer could take it, though, the mountainous creature suddenly rippled. A moment later, a twisted pillar of bones shot from its body, flying in their direction with the force of a siege ram… ReadNovelFull.me?
202	Chapter 202 Risk and Reward Nephis and Kai dove away, and the ma.s.sive pillar of bone shot past them. Before the thunderous sound of it crashing against the wall of the chamber even reached Sunny's ears, the pillar was already moving, whipping sideways with tremendous force. Luckily, he and Ca.s.sie were behind it… but Effie and Caster were not. Both of them reacted with admirable speed and fell to the ground, allowing the terrifying limb of the gargantuan creature to fly above their heads. Rising from the stone floor, the huntress screamed: "It's just thrashing in its sleep! Move! We need to get out of here before the b.a.s.t.a.r.d wakes up!" Cursing, Sunny dismissed the Midnight Shard and faced the mountain of bones, trying to predict its next move. He was beginning to understand how Effie's original hunting party had perished in the catacombs.The speed was too fast, and with a swoosh, w.a.n.g Xuan was pulled into the whirlpool, like a little crucian carp that had been hooked and was violedntly pulled out of the water. A sword wouldn't be of any use in this situation. The Lord of the Dead was slowly coming to its senses. The bones const.i.tuting its repulsive body moved and rippled, unfurling from within the white ma.s.s like giant, twisting limbs. It seemed to be slowly turning from a shapeless hill into some semblance of a creature. What shape that creature would a.s.sume once it fully awoke, Sunny didn't want to know. Another twisting pillar… limb?... suddenly shot from the ma.s.s of bones, blindly striking at the empty s.p.a.ce behind the giant abomination. Sunny gritted his teeth, his ears ringing from the thunderclap of its impact against the wall. What followed was a deafening noise of thousands of ancient bones sc.r.a.ping against weathered stone.If your dare to fish against him like this, no matter if it's a strange thing on a mobile phone or that ferocious giant fish, you'll have to pay the price. ReadNovelFull.me The ma.s.sive pillar whipped left and right, then fell to the ground and slowly retreated back inside the body of the Lord of the Dead. Meanwhile, Nephis was back at her feet. Dashing toward Kai, she pushed one end of the golden rope into his hands and pointed to the breach in the dome of the chamber. In the next moment, the archer soared into the air, flying to his destination with incredible speed. With a terrifying sc.r.a.ping sound, the whole white mountain rippled once again, and several devastating pillars of bone shot to intercept him. However, Sunny had no time to check on Kai.A fisih is mocking him! Because the Lord of the Dead had extended two more limbs in his direction. Diving under the first one, Sunny felt a wave of fetid air rush past him. Knowing that he only had a second left to live, he then strained his muscles and jumped with all his shadow-augmented might. Sunny's body flew several meters into the air, avoiding the rushing bone tentacle only by a few centimeters. Landing in a roll, Sunny cursed and got back to his feet. 'What kind of an infernal jumping rope game is this?!'Then, it was noisys and motionless, instead of reviving here, it chose to disguise it. The Lord of the Dead was slowly coming to its sense. More bone tentacles appeared from the ma.s.s of corpses, each moving with growing precision. But Kai was already standing on the palm of the giant stone hand, the golden rope looped around one of its fingers. Ca.s.sie was the first one to climb up. With the flying rapier loyally hovering over her shoulder, the blind girl effortlessly moved up the rope, reaching the distant ceiling of the underground chamber less than ten seconds later. It was easy to forget that she had absorbed as much soul essence as the rest of them. Her delicate arms hid much more power than one would a.s.sume. …However, back on the ground, those seconds were a real h.e.l.l. The mountainous creature was waking up, making it hard for the rest of them to stay away from its blindly thrashing limbs.If ones piece of sword energy can't solve the problem, then take a few more pieces. w.a.n.g Xuan is going to kill it. They needed to get out of here fast. Effie was the next one to take the rope. The huntress practically flew up, pushing herself with agility and herculean strength worthy of an ancient hero. Then, it was Caster's turn. Effortlessly dodging a pillar of bone with his incredible speed, the Legacy grabbed the rope… and turned into a barely visible blur. A second later, he was already landing on the giant stone palm. ᴘᴀɴ ᴅᴀ ɴ ᴏᴠᴇʟ Nephis and Sunny were the only ones left in the reach of the Fallen Tyrant. Glancing at Sunny, Changing Star yelled: "Your turn!" …However, Sunny did not respond. His eyes were fixed on the base of the gargantuan abomination, where, amidst the ancient bones… A weak golden glow emanated from a small, partially concealed object. ReadNovelFull.me Sunny lingered for a moment, his thoughts moving with incredible speed. He knew that he was a greedy person by nature, and one cursed with insatiable curiosity, too. However, first a foremost, he was someone who put a tremendous amount of value on his own survival. That's why, right now, his reasoning was cold a sober. It was a question of risk and reward, as well as his ability. Would he be able to reach the object shining with the light of divinity and come back alive, or not? A second later, he looked at Nephis and answered: "You go. I'll be just behind you." ...It would be a shame to go through all of this and not receive anything in return. He had to try. With that, Sunny turned around and dashed toward the Lord of the Dead. The decision was made, and now all that was left was to execute it. Summoning the Prowling Thorn, he threw it at the mountain of bones. Of course, Sunny didn't hope to wound the tyrant. He just wanted to lodge the kunai in its body. Just as the throwing dagger pierced the ma.s.s of bones, a white limb suddenly shot in his direction, obstructing everything with its repulsive expanse. Commanding the invisible string to contract, Sunny jumped high into the air and flew forward as though launched from a cannon. Landing on the other side of the pillar, just a few steps away from the unencompa.s.sable ma.s.s of bones, he gritted his teeth… And then thrust his hand inside the Fallen Tyrant's body. A moment later, his fist closed around the concealed object, and with some effort, Sunny pulled it out in the clatter of breaking bones. A sharp pain pierced his forearm. Opening his fist, he saw… a small, intricate iron key. It looked almost ordinary, if not for the ethereal golden glow emanating from within it. In the next moment, Sunny suddenly staggered, feeling a wave of weakness washed over his body. Rotating his forearm, he stared blankly at it for a split second, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. And when he did, his eyes widened in terror. ReadNovelFull.me?
203	Chapter 203 Corpse Eater Glistening in the dim twilight of the underground chamber, an enormous leech was attached to his forearm. The creature was about a meter long, its slimy skin slightly translucent and red as dried blood. It was indescribably repulsive. …What's worse, though, was that its sucker had effortlessly broken through the leather vambrace of the Puppeteer's Shroud and sunk deep into Sunny's arm, splitting open his skin and muscles. Currently, the leech was gorging on his blood, its belly slowly ballooning as crimson fluid rushed into it with frightening speed. 'Ah… ah… aaaah!' With a sense of disgust and horror, Sunny slammed his fist into the spongy flesh of the revolting monster. Augmented with the power of shadows, his punch was powerful enough to easily break a human skull. The abhorrent slug, however, did not even react to it. It just continued sucking out his blood. All Sunny achieved was sending a wave of pain rolling through his body.The speed was too fast, and with a swoosh, w.a.n.g Xuan was pulled into the whirlpool, like a little crucian carp that had been hooked and was violedntly pulled out of the water. 'Not good…' Instantly summoning the Midnight Shard, he enhanced its edge with the help of the shadow and hacked at the leech, putting all his strength behind the strike. The blade of the tachi was as sharp as a razor, and with the augmentation provided by shadow, it… ReadNovelFull.me …Slid helplessly off the leech's skin, not leaving even a scratch on it. The slug wasn't affected at all. It was still drinking his blood, consuming a dangerous amount of it with each second. Sunny stared at the disgusting creature, dumbfounded. His body was already starting to suffer from blood loss, a sickening weakness slowly spreading through it. There wasn't much time left until it would cause him to lose consciousness. And then, inevitably, die. 'Think, think…'If your dare to fish against him like this, no matter if it's a strange thing on a mobile phone or that ferocious giant fish, you'll have to pay the price. The leech had broken through his tier-five awakened armor without any effort. It was immune to the damage done by the Midnight Shard, which had never failed to cut down any monster he faced before. This could only mean one thing. The d.a.m.n slug was a Fallen Beast. Sunny blinked in disbelief. 'That thing is a Fallen One? Are you kidding me?' If this was true, then nothing he could do would harm the leech. Maybe if he was at the very peak of his rank, there would be a chance. But with his core mostly empty and his Aspect Ability focused on versatility as opposed to pure might, like Effie's, there was none. The gap between their ranks was just too wide.A fisih is mocking him! …Stone Saint could probably wound it. But it would take several seconds for the taciturn monster to appear and take action. Seconds that Sunny didn't have. By the time she was able to do anything, he would already be dead, either sucked dry by the abominable slug or crushed to death by the Lord of the Dead. That left Sunny with only one option. If he couldn't get rid of the leech… He was going to have to cut off his arm. Maybe Nephis would be able to grow him a new one. Or not. In any case, he had to do it in order to survive... Raising the tachi over his head, Sunny gritted his teeth and hesitated for a moment. Despite understanding that this was the only way, he was still struggling with the idea of crippling himself so terribly.Then, it was noisys and motionless, instead of reviving here, it chose to disguise it. ᴘᴀɴ ᴅᴀ ɴ ᴏᴠᴇʟ 'Don't think! If you want to live, just do it!' With a desperate resolve, he forcefully brought the Midnight Shard down… but then stopped it at the last second. The sharp blade hovered mere centimeters away from his skin. This was not due to the lack of determination, but because Sunny noticed a subtle change happening to the leech. Its belly, which had been expanding rapidly as his blood filled it, stopped ballooning at some point. Now, strange spasms were running through it. 'What the…' In the next moment, the vile creature suddenly convulsed. Letting go of his arm, it dropped to the ground and writhed in agony. Through the translucent film of its skin, Sunny could see the innards of the giant slug bursting open. It was as though it was being torn from within by some invisible force.If ones piece of sword energy can't solve the problem, then take a few more pieces. w.a.n.g Xuan is going to kill it. No, not a force… it was being killed by his blood. The d.a.m.n leech got poisoned by it. …It seemed that Blood Weave was far more odd and tenacious of an Attribute than he had thought. A second later, the whole body of the Fallen Beast simply ruptured, spilling blood everywhere. Sunny stared at it with a blank expression. Bringing him out of the daze, the voice of the Spell whispered: [You have slain a Fallen Beast, Corpse Eater.] [Your shadow grows stronger.] 'Huh.' [You have received a Memory.] As his eyes grew wide, Sunny shook off his astonishment and lunged forward. He still had to escape from this d.a.m.n place. Grabbing the bloodied soul shard from the eviscerated remains of the abominable leech, he turned around and sprinted to the golden rope. Dodging a bone tentacle that burst from the body of the gargantuan tyrant to pursue him, Sunny rolled on the ground, jumped over a pile of broken bones, and finally reached his destination. As soon as he grabbed the rope, it began contracting, bringing him out of the underground chamber. When Sunny was nearly reaching the hand of the stone G.o.ddess, a deafening roar thundered from below, washing over his body in an almost palpable wave. The Lord of the Dead was finally awake. But it was already too late. His prey had escaped. \\\* Climbing out of the mud, Sunny fell to his knees, and then tiredly lowered himself to the ground. The breath was escaping from his lungs with laborious, raspy sounds. Weak. He felt so weak. And tired. But it was so good to see the sun again… The wounds he had received in the catacombs had finally caught up with Sunny. With adrenaline gone, he was now in a sea of pain. A quiet groan escaped from his lips. 'That... that was not fun.' While Sunny was contemplating this, a shadow fell over him. Looking up, he saw Nephis glaring at him with a dark expression. She was bloodied and battered, with a deep frown contorting the graceful lines of her usually calm face. "...What?" Kneeling beside Sunny, Changing Star grimaced and said: "Are you insane? Why did you do that?" ReadNovelFull.me. He tried to chuckle, but ended up twisting in an excruciating coughing fit. When Sunny was finally able to breathe again, he said weakly: "Yes, no? Maybe. I don't know. I just… saw something shiny." With that, he opened his fist and showed Changing Star the glowing crystal of the ascended soul shard he had scavenged from the corpse of the vile blood-sucking leech. She stared at it for a few moments, and then sighed. Without saying anything else, Nephis placed her cool hands on his chest and closed her eyes. A moment later, the purifying white flame spread through his body like a warm embrace, repairing any damage done to it. Even knowing how much pain this cost her, Sunny couldn't help but be happy to feel its touch again. Soon, his pain disappeared. With his head cleared of the fog, he realized that they had done it. They had successfully escaped the Dark City. Who knew it would be so hard? ReadNovelFull.me?
204	Chapter 204 Mysterious Key A while later, they were resting in the shadow of the giant statue. Every member of the cohort looked nothing short of terrible, however, beneath the bloodied сlothes and broken armor, their bodies were whole and sound. Changing Star had healed them all, and now, she was the only one who was weak and exhausted. Using the white flame so much had taken a heavy toll on her. Sitting in the mud, Sunny raised his head and looked at the giant statue of the faceless woman. She was just like the last time he had seen her, slender and graceful, with her light flowing robe rippling in the wind, as though made out of actual fabric and not hard stone. The statue was tilted slightly to the side, with its one remaining hand reaching high into the sky. A long time ago, on the night of their harrowing escape from the Ashen Barrow, Sunny, Ca.s.sie and Nephis had taken shelter in her palm. It was from its height that he had first seen the walls of the Dark City. Looking down, Sunny stared at the other hand of the giant statue, which had broken off a long time ago and fell down, crushing through the dome of the underground chamber.The speed was too fast, and with a swoosh, w.a.n.g Xuan was pulled into the whirlpool, like a little crucian carp that had been hooked and was violedntly pulled out of the water. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and thought: 'Thank you for saving us again.' Then, his face darkened. ReadNovelFull.me Remembering the events that had transpired in the catacombs, Sunny felt his good mood evaporating. Although he had found the answer to one of the mysteries that had been plaguing him for a while now, he wasn't happy about it. The fate of the inhabitants of the ancient city had always been something that Sunny was very curious about. As an amateur explorer who spent most of his free time studying the ruins of the Dark City, he was familiar with subtle details of their culture more than most. Learning about the mundane facts of their lives was somewhat of a pa.s.sion of his.If your dare to fish against him like this, no matter if it's a strange thing on a mobile phone or that ferocious giant fish, you'll have to pay the price. He had known that the history of this ancient civilization ended in tragedy, of course. A cataclysmic disaster had destroyed it, turning the once prosperous land into the desolate h.e.l.l it was today. But against all logic, Sunny still hoped that these people had somehow managed to survive. Perhaps they had migrated somewhere, leaving the ruins of their city behind. But now he knew that it wasn't so. All of them were right there below him, buried forever in a damp underground chamber, piled onto each other high enough to form a ghastly mountain of bones. More than that, their remains had been soaked in the cursed waters of the dark sea and turned into a vessel for the soul of a vile Nightmare Creature. There were a lot of questions about the fate of these people still lingering in his mind. How did they end up in that dark chamber? Had they died there, or had their bodies been brought there by someone… or something… later? How was the Lord of the Dead born? Was its inception the same as that of the Soul Devourer? But he didn't really want to know the answers anymore. He felt that learning them would only break his heart.A fisih is mocking him! With a sigh, Sunny decided to distract himself from these depressing thoughts with something uplifting and summoned the runes. One cl.u.s.ter, in particular, interested him the most. Shadow Fragments: [322/1000.] He had received four fragments for killing the Corpse Eater… even though the manner of its death was rather peculiar. Having now killed Nightmare Creatures of the Awakened, Fallen, and Great ranks, Sunny could surmise that his initial theory was right. The Spell gave him double the fragments for killing enemies of higher ranks, according to the number of soul cores they possessed. An Awakened creature would land him two fragments for each core, a Fallen one four, and a Great one sixteen.Then, it was noisys and motionless, instead of reviving here, it chose to disguise it. It was easy to guess that killing a dormant creature, which was equal to him in terms of rank, would result in one fragment per core, while killing a corrupted one would result in eight. Made sense. It was the same as absorbing soul shards, with the difference being that shadow fragments entered his core at the moment of the kill and without making a distinction between Nightmare Creatures and humans. Looking up, he glanced at the list of his Memories. Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Prowling Thorn], [Endless Spring], [Blood Arrow]. The last one was new. Slightly intrigued, Sunny read its description.If ones piece of sword energy can't solve the problem, then take a few more pieces. w.a.n.g Xuan is going to kill it. ᴘᴀɴ ᴅᴀ ɴ ᴏᴠᴇʟ Memory: [Blood Arrow]. Memory Rank: Ascended. Memory Tier: I. Memory Type: Weapon. Memory Description: [A debt of blood must be paid in blood.] Memory Enchantments: [Rain of Blood], [Rest.i.tution]. Enchantment Description: [The arrows are created from the wielder's blood, and as such, can rain on the enemies for as long as the archer has any left in their veins.] Enchantment Description: [If the arrow finds its mark, it will drink the blood of the prey and restore that which had been taken from the archer. If it misses, the archer's blood will be lost forever.] 'Huh. Creepy.' Since Sunny didn't know how to use a bow, this Memory was useless to him. Which was a real shame, because it was the first Ascended one he had ever received. Memories of that rank were extremely rare on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. He could either feed it to the Stone Saint for a couple of shadow fragments, or… Sunny glanced at Kai and frowned, lost in thought. While the Blood Arrow was of no use to him, it would be a real boon for the charming archer. With it at his disposal, he wouldn't have to carry a quiver with him, not to mention that each shot he made would be much more devastating. …As long as Kai didn't miss, of course. If he did miss, he would be sacrificing his blood for nothing. Transfering the Blood Arrow to Kai would have made the cohort much stronger. But Sunny wasn't sure that he was ready to give up his first and only Ascended Memory. Not for free, at least. Torn, he dismissed the runes and decided to think about it later. ReadNovelFull.me. In other news, the Blood Weave had revealed a new trait. Turns out, Sunny's blood was poisonous — or rather, damaging to anyone who ingested it. At least it seemed that way from the manner of Corpse Eater's death. He would have to experiment to find out more later... Or not. Honestly, Sunny didn't even know how one would go about checking something like that, and wasn't particularly eager to find out. After dismissing the runes, Sunny finally decided to take a look at the mysterious key. Subtly glancing around, he furtively took it out from beneath the vambrace of the Puppeteer's Shroud, where he had hidden it earlier. The intricate iron key lay on his palm, glowing with a pale golden light. The light of divinity. Sunny had no idea what the key was supposed to open. He had taken an insane risk and almost died to get it. Was it worth it? Honestly, he wasn't sure. But deep down, Sunny felt that it was. For some reason, he sensed that the small iron key would turn out to be extremely important to him. ReadNovelFull.me?
205	Chapter 205 Journey to the South Sadly, the cohort did not get a lot of time to rest. Despite the fact that it wasn't even noon yet, they had a lot of ground to cover before sunset. The plan they had made at the start of the day was to leave the Dark City from the south by climbing the wall near the grandiose Main Gates and then travel through the Labyrinth to the next safe height, which was about ten kilometers away. However, due to the fact that they had ended up in the catacombs instead and had to escape through the chamber belonging to the Lord of the Dead, the party was now to the east of the ruins, near the beautiful statue of the faceless woman. Not only did they have to circle around the city now, but there was also less time to reach safety before the flood of darkness devoured the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e once again. Standing up in a chorus of disappointed groans, the cohort a.s.sumed the marching formation and set out south. Walking through the mud of the colossal crater was not easy, but for the time being, they had no other choice… unless they wanted to scale the monumental stone wall and return to the Dark City, of course. Luckily, with both Sunny's shadow and Kai scouting the way ahead, they didn't have to worry about being ambushed by monsters. So, for the time being, the only thing the party had to struggle with was moving their feet through the wet dirt. The monotonous silence was broken only by laborious breathing and slurping of mud. …A while later, the impregnable and seemingly endless grey wall that loomed some distance away and above them slowly twisted, drifting away from the edge of the crater. They were finally leaving the cursed ruins behind. ReadNovelFull.me Turning around, Sunny looked back and studied the sight of the city that had been his whole world for these past four… almost five months. Far away, the floor of the gargantuan crater sharply rose, forming a tall slope. On it stood the una.s.sailable wall of polished grey stone, firm and unyielding despite the thousands of years that had pa.s.sed since the demise of its creators. From where he stood, Sunny could see the flood of crimson coral swelling at its base, sharp blades powerlessly sc.r.a.ping against the cold stone in hopeless attempts to find purchase. It looked as though the city was being besieged by the land itself. 'If it knew what awaits inside, the Labyrinth would be trying to escape as far as possible from that d.a.m.ned place instead.' With a sigh, Sunny looked up and noticed a lone human figure standing on the wall, watching them disappear into the distance. That figure was crooked and dark, emanating a cold feeling of foreboding. A few moments later, it turned away and disappeared from view. Harus had chosen to return to the Bright Castle. Trying not to shiver, Sunny lingered for a few seconds, and then hurried to catch up with the group. They were safe from him, at least… 'For now.' \\\* Because the crater was too big, the bent of its edge was almost imperceptible. Only by looking far into the distance could one say that it was actually curved. Because of this, the cohort could have continued traveling through the crater for a long time without having to move farther away from the goal of today's journey, which lay to the southwest of their current position. However, they had to leave the crater and return to the Labyrinth sooner or later — not only to escape the black water, but also because there was nothing to hide behind on this vast muddy plain. If any flying Nightmare Creature decided to attack them from above, the cohort would have no defense against it. The Labyrinth, while hiding its own fair share of terrifying threats, at least offered some measure of protection. That's why, at some point, Nephis led the party to the sharp slope of the crater, and the six of them climbed out of it. With the help of Kai and the trusty golden rope, the task wasn't hard at all. For some time after that, they walked on the ridge separating the crater from the Labyrinth proper, but then, finally, had to turn west and enter the maze of crimson coral. Sunny couldn't help but sigh once the familiar coral walls surrounded him once again. He didn't miss the first months of his infernal voyage into the Dream Realm at all. Well… maybe a little. But not because of the d.a.m.n Labyrinth itself, that's for sure. The crimson forest was simultaneously the same and vastly different from the region of it that he had traveled through before. The coral maze itself was pretty much identical to how it had been east of the gargantuan crater. However, the creatures populating it in these parts were vastly different. There were no members of the carapace legion around, at least not anywhere Sunny could see. Instead, the dominant tribe of Nightmare Creatures in this region seemed to consist of nasty, spider-like critters that had a habit of decorating the walls and pa.s.sages of the Labyrinth with endless amounts of grey, incredibly sticky cobwebs. What's worse, their web seemed to be made not out of spider silk, but out of thin metal wires that were as tough as iron and could cut the victim into little pieces if it thrashed too much after getting caught. Needless to say, getting yourself stuck in these webs was tantamount to a death sentence. The deeper into the Labyrinth they went, the more of these cobwebs surrounded them. It came to the point where they had to use Ca.s.sie's flying rapier to clear the path ahead every few minutes, slowing down the speed of the cohort to a crawl. During one of these stops, Sunny rubbed his face and thought: 'I just hope that nothing attacks us while we wait.' Turning to him, the shadow glared for a few moments and then tiredly shook its head. It then placed one palm across its face a looked down, as if defeated. '...What? What did I say?' A moment later, several ma.s.sive spider-like creatures jumped out of the cracks in the coral and attacked them. ReadNovelFull.me?
206	Chapter 206 Triumph The spiders were about the size of a human, incredibly fast, and had plates of something that resembled iron covering parts of their repulsive bodies. They looked like armored battle machines created for the sole purpose of slaughtering living things. They also looked strangely familiar. With a little effort, Sunny realized that these abominations looked a lot like lesser, much smaller versions of the giant Fallen Beasts that had destroyed the original Stone Saint and her kin. It's just that their size and armor weren't nearly as formidable. If so… 'I have bad news for you, fools.' As soon as the spiders attacked, the members of the cohort reacted with the deadly calmness of experienced Dark City hunters. Weapons flashed in the air, severing limbs and piercing through iron as though it was paper. Effie straight up flattened one of the creatures with a devastating strike of her battered shield. The poor beast didn't even have time to understand what a huge mistake it had made. The others were no less efficient. Sunny himself threw the Prowling Thorn and pulled on the invisible string as soon as it sunk into the flesh of one of the spiders, bringing its jump to an abrupt end and sending it crashing to the ground. Before the beast could stand up, Quiet Dancer streaked through the air and pierced its head clean through. Just a few short seconds after the spiders had tried to ambush the group of humans, the battle was over. Three dead Nightmare Creatures were sprawled in the mud, while the fourth one ended up pinned to a coral wall with several arrows. They could have even shaved a second or two if it weren't for the need to look out for the spiderwebs. ReadNovelFull.me Sunny shook his head. 'Disappointing.' Wait.. why was he disappointed? Great! This was great! Not every victory had to almost cost him his life. If there was one thing to feel disappointed about, it was that this one was so swift that he had not even gotten the chance to finish any of the enemies himself, thus not receiving any rewards from the Spell. But even then, he would be glad to only fight easy battles like this in the future. Nephis cleaned the blade of her sword with a piece of cloth, listened to the silence for a few moments to make sure that nothing else was going to attack them, and then gave the cohort a go-ahead to start dressing the monsters down. Soon, soul shards, strips of meat and other useful parts were cut, cleaned, and put into Effie's enchanted bag. Everything was done with efficient speed and professionalism that could only come from a lot of experience. Sunny could only shake his head again. They were able to dispose of the iron spiders with such ease because of two reasons. First, as far as Nightmare Creatures went, these ones were not on the same level as, for example, carapace scavengers. They had a slight advantage in speed, but were not nearly as strong, agile, and ridiculously tough. If Sunny could guess, he would say that the iron spiders relied heavily on their webs and battlefield advantage to defeat the prey. Because the cohort had destroyed the webs in advance, their main advantage was gone. The second reason was the cohort itself. They were some of the deadliest humans on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Sunny was sure that at least four of them could kill a Pathfinder of the Host in single combat… if not one of the lieutenants themselves. They were the best and the brightest the outer settlement could offer, after all. Effie had been right when she said that there had never been such a powerful cohort outside the walls of the Bright Castle before. All in all, the six of them were more than equipped to handle just three awakened beasts. The Labyrinth was going to really try harder if it wished to see them dead. Sunny chuckled. "Just" three awakened beasts… yeah. How crazy did this sound? And yet, it was true. Finishing up with the dead spiders, the cohort indifferently left their eviscerated bodies behind and continued on their way. \\\* After several more minor skirmishes with the iron spiders, they had finally reached their destination. Not too far away from them, colored pink by the evening sun, a magnificent arch of white marble rose high above the sea of crimson coral. The giant structure was clearly created by the same people who had built the Bright Castle, and made from the same stone. It looked like a much larger sibling of the pristine arch that guarded the entrance to the white road which climbed all the way to the outer settlement. Only this one was much more weathered, bleak, and damaged. Signs of corrosion and deep cracks covered its surface, with one of its sides being partially collapsed. Sunny studied the arch and looked at Nephis: "This is our stop for the night?" She gave him a simple nod and said after a short pause: "We need to pick up our pace. The night is close, and we might have to fight to clear the top of it." Sunny sighed. Fighting again… when would they finally be able to rest? It had been such a long day. However, he kept his mouth shut. Changing Star was the most tired out of all of them… due to healing all their wounds, no less. And he didn't see her complaining. So it wasn't his place. To his left, Effie suddenly cursed and groaned: "More fighting? Come on! When are we finally going to eat?" Sunny blinked. 'Well… that works, too, I guess.' Staring at the huntress, Nephis shook her head and silently walked forward. Soon, they reached the giant arch. Kai summoned his bow and flew up, only to return a few minutes later and report that no terrible monster was nesting on top of the ancient structure. With sighs of relief, the members of the cohort climbed the golden rope one after another and were soon standing far above the Labyrinth, silently watching as the flood of black water drowned it in the lightless depths. As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, they were left on a rectangular island made out of white marble. All around it, there was nothing but the undulating waves of the dark sea. Sunny was once again surrounded from all sides by nothing but darkness and black water. He did not like the feeling. ReadNovelFull.me?
207	Chapter 207 Beach Episode The night pa.s.sed with no incidents. In the morning, Sunny was woken up by the sound of the surging waves and opened his eyes to see the sun slowly rising from beyond the horizon. Rubbing his face, he sat up and looked around, noticing that most of the cohort was still asleep. Only Kai, who had been the last one to stand watch, was awake, sitting on the edge of the arch and admiring the dawn with a dreamy look on his face. Sunny wanted to call out to him and warn the charming archer not to sit this close to the edge, but then remembered that Kai could fly. 'Yeah. Like I would forget it again!' Using the opportunity, he dove into the Soul Sea and summoned Stone Saint from the depths of the Shadow Core, where she was sleeping in the embrace of nurturing black flames. Just like before, the Shadow did not appear from a sphere of light like an Echo would, but stepped out from a whirlpool of dark fire. Then, she stood motionlessly in front of Sunny like an actual statue, seemingly indifferent both to his presence and the wounds covering her body. Sunny walked around the Stone Saint, studying the extent of damage done to her by the undead horde. The armor of the taciturn knight was battered and broken, pierced in several places by the claws of the countless skeletons she had fought. The ruby dust wasn't flowing from the breaches anymore, but he could see deep gashes on her smooth, grey skin. 'b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.' ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴡᴇʙɴᴏᴠᴇʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ ᴏɴʟʏ. Who dares to hurt his Shadow? ReadNovelFull.me Shaking his head, Sunny dismissed the Saint, sending her back into the restorative darkness of the Shadow Core. The damage, while extensive, was not really threatening to her existence. In a couple of days, his pet monster should fully recover. In fact, she already looked better than she had yesterday. Leaving the Soul Sea, Sunny inhaled the fresh air, lingered for a few moments, and then turned to Kai: "Hey, Night. Are you stupid? Don't sit this close to the edge!" The charming archer looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I can fly, remember? If I fall…" Sunny scoffed. "I'm not worried about you falling into the cursed sea. I am worried about something dragging you off into it. That'd be terrible, right?" Quite happy with himself, he grinned and turned away. 'What a nice way to start the day…' \\\* Because everyone needed some time to rest and recuperate, they decided to spend a day on the marble arch and continue their journey tomorrow. As the result, Sunny was currently staring at the sight that wasn't really funny, but filled him with mirth nevertheless. Back in the real world, when he had time to consume some entertainment, Sunny had noticed a certain popular trope. In most dramas, webtoons, and cartoons aimed at young boys and teenagers, the heroes would inevitably end up spending a day at the beach during their adventures. He didn't quite know why such a trope existed, but suspected that it was just an excuse to show the female characters in nothing but revealing swimsuits. Not that he had anything against it… In any case, Sunny had never imagined that he was going to end up in such an episode himself one day. 'This is… simply hilarious!' Barely holding himself from laughing out loud, Sunny glanced at his companions. Because everyone's armor and weapons were damaged during the battle in the catacombs, they had to keep these Memories inside the Soul Sea for a bit of time to allow them to restore themselves — just like Stone Saint was currently doing in the depths of his Shadow Core. As the result, all of them — including Sunny himself — were currently wearing nothing except for some loincloths and, in the case of the girls, makeshift bra.s.sieres. Provided, these crude undergarments weren't really swimsuits, and the marble arch could barely be considered a beach even at night… but still, the situation was funnily similar. They were all half-naked and relaxing in the middle of a something that someone could call an adventure, so it was close enough. 'Ha!' He was in a rather good mood. Everyone was busy doing their thing. There was a fire in the middle of the arch, with roasting meat filling the air with an appetizing aroma. Effie was tending to it. The tan and lean body of the muscular huntress looked like it was cut from stone, as if she was a sculpture of an ancient G.o.ddess come to life. Sunny tried to count her abs and got distracted halfway through by… uh… not so stonelike parts of her robust figure. After a couple of seconds of thoughtless bliss, Sunny had to hurriedly look away. The last thing he wanted was… 'Pure thoughts!' Nephis was helping Effie with the breakfast. Next to the vigorous huntress, her figure seemed especially slender and lithe. However, she was also extremely athletic in appearance. Her ivory skin was pleasantly contrasted against the olive skin of their boisterous pathfinder. 'What a sight to behold...' Uh… from a purely aesthetic standpoint, of course. Seeing Changing Star like that reminded Sunny of the early days of their stay in the Dream Realm. Things had been much simpler back then. Suddenly wistful, he looked away and checked what Ca.s.sie was doing. The blind girl was resting near the fire, wrapped in her beautiful cloak. With her delicate features and small stature, she looked extremely lovely. And then… there were Kai and Caster. Sunny sighed and looked down at his own scrawny body. Honestly, after all these months spent hunting monsters, eating meat and absorbing shadow fragments, he looked much better than he used to. In fact, by human standards, he was nothing short of… well, above average. Even as far as Awakened went, he could probably compete with some in the looks department. …But those two specimens were simply on another level! Kai was tall and shaped like a young G.o.d, with lean muscles rolling under his flawless skin and a svelte figure that begged to be sculpted into a marble masterpiece. Sunny could swear that even sunlight was attracted to him, illuminating the charming archer in just a way to make him look as gorgeous as possible. Currently, Kai was tending to his arrows, somehow managing to make even that simple task look glamorous. Caster was much the same, with a perfect body and broad shoulders that simply screamed of power, appeal and potency. With a darker skin to match his gallant and manly image, he was basically the epitome of masculinity. This was contrasted by a handsome, but gentle face and humorous green eyes, creating a rather tempting visage. Sunny grimaced and turned away. 'You know what? To h.e.l.l with this beach day nonsense! Let's do something productive…' ReadNovelFull.me?
208	Chapter 208 Something Productive Walking over to Kai, Sunny cleared his throat and forced himself to not cover his eyes. The d.a.m.n archer was just too dazzling. Him being shirtless in crowded places should have honestly been categorized as a public hazard back in the real world. If not, there was a gross oversight. 'I wonder how he was made. Probably in a secret government laboratory or a magic cauldron of some sort. I mean, there's no way that this dude is the same species as me… right?' After a few seconds of Sunny blankly staring at him, Kai smiled politely: "Uh, Sunny? Did you want something?" Sunny flinched and covered his eyes. "Ah! Don't smile at me!" Kai blinked. "...Alright." ReadNovelFull.me Breathing heavily, Sunny glared at him and slowly lowered his hand. "That's better. And yes, I did want something." Kai suddenly livened up and pointed at his chest. "What is that? An accessory?" 'What is he…' Lowering his gaze, Sunny noticed the mysterious key hanging on a thread tied around his neck. He didn't really want to show it to anyone, but with the Puppeteer's Shroud restoring itself in the Soul Sea, there were not a lot of places where he could hide it. None that he was willing to use, at least... Plus, no one else was supposed to be able to see the light of divinity, so to them, it just looked like a small iron key. Sunny frowned. "It's not an accessory. It's a key. " Kai hesitated. "Oh. What does it open?" Sunny shrugged. "How should I know?" The charming archer seemed a little confused. "But if it's not an accessory and it doesn't open anything, why are you carrying it around?" His questions were starting to get tiresome. Sunny sighed. "To open something, of course!" Kai scratched his nose. "But you just said that you don't know what it opens." Sunny gritted his teeth. "It's a d.a.m.n key, right?! So it has to open something! I just carry it around in case I find something that can be opened by that d.a.m.ned key! What's so hard to understand?!" The beautiful archer gave him a strange look. "Oh… I see. That definitely makes sense." 'Curses! That's not how I planned to approach him…' Sunny instantly changed his expression and looked at Kai with a wide smile. ...The sudden shift looked sort of creepy. "Uh, what I wanted to say, Night, my dear friend… we are friends, right? Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I hope that this answer satisfies your curiosity. That's something a friend would say… right?" The charming young man gave him a dubious look. "I guess?" Sunny made his smile wider, feeling his face hurt a little. "Great! So we are friends. Well, some might say that it's your lucky day, buddy. Because today — and only today, probably! — Sunny's Gorgeous Emporium offers customers an exclusive friendship deal. Just for friends of the establishment. Aren't you lucky?" Kai suddenly coughed. "...Wasn't it Sunny's Brilliant Emporium last time?" Sunny blinked. "Was it? Well, doesn't matter. The deal still stands. Are you interested or not?" The archer lingered for a few moments, and then cautiously said: "But Sunny… you still haven't told me what exactly that deal entails. Is it a deal for customers you consider friends or are you trying to sell me your "friendship"? Or wait, do you want to buy mine? Or both? Ah, I'm confused." As if waiting for that response, Sunny nodded energetically. "Yes! I'm glad that you asked. In fact, I have an incredible item that I want to sell. It's so incredible that I am even reluctant to part with it. But since you are my friend, I am willing to give it away. Practically for free. Full friendship discount, just for you. No need to thank me, really." Attracted by the noise, the others left what they were doing and were now staring at the two of them. Effie got distracted from preparing meat and was now observing the circus with an expectant grin. Realizing that he is now the center of attention, Kai sighed. "Alright, I'll bite. What is that incredible item you want to sell me?" Sunny remained silent for a few moments, and then suddenly stopped smiling. "Oh, just something I had gathering dust in my Soul Sea. It's a Memory that can serve as an endless supply of arrows. As long as you don't miss." The beautiful archer's eyes suddenly lit up. He glanced at his quiver and said: "Wait… really? You really have such a Memory?" After thinking about it for a long time, Sunny had decided to give the Blood Arrow to Kai. Having the archer of their cohort armed with it would make a lot of things easier during this journey. He could potentially earn himself a bow in the future and learn how to use it, but it wouldn't be anytime soon. Plus, with how dangerous the enchantments of the Blood Arrow were, nothing short of excellence would fly. And excellence took a lot of time to achieve, time that he didn't have. So, giving it to a skilled archer like Kai was a better decision. Their recent encounters with the iron spiders only made Sunny more certain that this was the right thing to do. But he wasn't going to give it away for free. "Yes, I do have such a Memory." Then, he casually added: "Oh, did I forget to say? It's can provide an endless supply of arrows, and also all those arrows will be of the Ascended rank." A grave silence settled over the marble arch. "You… you're in possession of an Ascended Memory?" That question was asked by Caster. Kai didn't have to ask, because he already knew that Sunny was telling the truth. His eyes slightly widened. On the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, Ascended Memories were exceedingly rare — for an obvious reason. Sleepers could only get one by defeating a Fallen Nightmare Creature, and there weren't a lot of people capable of such a feat. Added to that was the fact that not every kill provided a Memory. In fact, most didn't. To receive one was the dream of every inhabitant of the Dark City. Sunny shrugged. "Oh, I have a couple. Why?" …The other being the onyx armor. Which was broken and useless. But they didn't need to know that, honestly. He grinned. "Only the best wares in the Sunny's Astonishing Emporium! Wait, uh… was it astonishing? Ah, who cares. You get the sentiment." Caster shook his head. "How did you get an Ascended Memory? You?" The grin froze on Sunny's face. When he spoke a few moments later, all humor was gone from his voice, replaced by coldness. "Well, if you have to know. I got it by killing a Fallen Beast. Before you ask... this time, I didn't have to shake my finger or spit. I just looked at it, and it died." Then, he turned his head and looked straight at Caster: "I am very proficient in killing things, you know." ReadNovelFull.me?
209	Chapter 209 Fireside Banter In the end, Kai agreed to his deal. In exchange for the Blood Arrow, he gave Sunny three Memories: the two weaker arrows he had and a small charm capable of producing fire. Sunny fed all three to the Stone Saint, bringing her amount of shadow fragments to thirty-one. That was four more than she had in the past, which meant that he received the same amount of fragments that he would have gotten by feeding her the Blood Arrow itself. He didn't really gain anything, but also didn't lose anything. Kai was the one who really profited from their exchange. So Sunny didn't lie when he said that it was an incredible deal. After breakfast, which transpired in somewhat awkward silence, Sunny sprawled on the ground and smiled happily. "You know, guys. These past few weeks made me realize something. Actually, it was all thanks to Kai, who introduced me... introduced me... uh... to Stev." Effie stretched, making Sunny stutter and lose the train of thought for a second, then smiled with satisfaction and glanced at him. "Really? And what is that?" Sunny hesitated for a few moments and said: ReadNovelFull.me "When I was a little kid, I loved reading webtoons about the Awakened. You know, the ones where they always explore ancient ruins, battle Nightmare Creatures, and grow more powerful with each victory." He chuckled. "The hero and his cohort decide on an adventure, vanquish evil, gain mighty Memories, then return to the real world and sell their spoils at the adventurer shop. They spend their money to upgrade their equipment, and immediately set out on a more epic and dangerous adventure." Ca.s.sie smiled. "I loved to read those too." Sunny glanced at her and sighed. "Yeah. But when I got older, I couldn't help but think — what are they thinking about? Exploring ancient ruins is not a wise thing to do. In fact, only crazy people would do it. No matter how good you are, sooner or later, you will meet something more terrifying than any human can handle and die. If this was real life, why would all those adventurers go into the ruins over and over again?" The blind girl tilted her head and opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Sunny smiled. "But then it hit me! They were not doing it to vanquish evil. They were doing it to collect a wide variety of powerful Memories. You see, the real dream is not to be the hero, one of their companions, or even the love interest. The real dream is to be the owner of the shop where the hero sells his trophies and buys new equipment! That way you can live a pretty life without risking your neck. That's the real goal." He crossed his arms and added: "After a few short years of adventuring around the Dream Realm and collecting Memories, you can retire, open a shop, and leave comfortably for the rest of your life. All you need is to sell a Memory once every couple of years. Maybe make some money off the younger, less fortunate adventurers, too." Kai laughed and looked at Sunny with curiosity. "So… say that we somehow manage to return to the real world and become true Awakened. Is this what you're going to do?" Sunny thought about it for a few moments and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really have a lot to do in the real world, apart from compiling all the things I've learned about the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e into a report and giving it to a teacher who was kind to me back at the Academy. So… maybe? I don't have enough Memories yet to open a real store, though." He glanced at the charming archer and smiled. "What about you? What is the thing you really want to do if you return to the real world?" Kai suddenly turned away with a look of embarra.s.sment on his face. "Oh... I don't know. I haven't really thought about it." But after several seconds, he suddenly said in a shy voice: "...Avatar Singer." Sunny blinked. "A what?" The archer hesitated for a while, and then explained: "Avatar Singer is a music compet.i.tion show. Popular singers compete with each other, but the twist is that they are all using the stock VR avatars to perform. So the judges can only evaluate their voices and skill. They only learn the singer's ident.i.ty after." Effie giggled. "Why would you want to hide your pretty face, Night? It's your best feature!" Kai was silent for a few moments, and then smiled gently. "I just… I just think that it would be nice, to be judged based on my skill and talent alone, with nothing else getting in the way. Also, that would be such a great way to announce my return to the fans! Just imagine… they would be so excited! That would be a perfect media storm." Sunny shook his head. It seemed that Kai was really a celebrity. Talking about things like fan reactions and media storms with a straight face… did he even hear himself? But it was a nice dream, at least. Better than his own stupid desires, by far. Turning to Effie, he asked: "What about you? What would you do in the real world?" The huntress grinned. "I don't even have to think about it. I would go eat chicken wings… the real ones. And then start preparing myself for the Second Nightmare. Pretty simple." Everybody grew silent. After a while, Ca.s.sie said: "Are you sure that you want to challenge another Nightmare?" Effie shrugged. "I have my reasons. So yes. For me, that is the only choice." The blind girl was quiet for a bit, and then said: "I would go and spend time with my mom and dad. That's the thing I want to do most in the real world." Caster glanced at her and courtly nodded. "I agree with Ca.s.sie. Family is the most important. When I come back, I will greet my father and look him in the eyes with pride, knowing that I did not let our clan down. Then, I will try to do everything in my power to grow as fast as possible, to relieve him of his worries and propel our bloodline to new heights." 'How very… Legacy-like of him.' Finally turning to Nephis, Sunny looked at her with a subtly dark expression and asked: "How about you, Neph? What are you going to do when you return to the real world?" Changing Star was silent for a while, looking into the distance with a calm expression. Then, she sighed and answered in a quiet voice: "I would go visit my mom, too." Everyone grew silent. Sunny blinked, a little confused. "Wait. Your mom? I thought she was dead." Nephis lingered for a bit, and then turned her face away. "She is. Technically." ReadNovelFull.me?
210	Chapter 210 Shadow of the Past 'Technically dead? What does she mean?' Sunny glanced at the others and saw that they, too, were confused. Everyone except for Caster, that is, who seemed like he knew something. A few moments pa.s.sed in tense silence, which was broken by Changing Star's sigh. Looking at them, she said evenly: "My mother is one of the Hollow. She became Hollow while pregnant with me, actually. So I never really met her. Just her… body." Nephis grew silent. After a while, a strange smile appeared on her face. "It's funny, really. When my grandmother was still alive, I made a point of treating that body as nothing but a corpse. But once she pa.s.sed away and we were the only ones left… well. I found myself getting a bit confused." Nephis shrugged and turned away once again. "Anyway, before leaving for the First Nightmare, I used what little money there was left of our estate to buy her a VIP spot in a specialized Hollow care facility. They are treating her really well. But still… I don't like the idea of her being alone there. So when I return, that's what I'm going to do. Visit her." No one said anything, heavily affected by her words. ReadNovelFull.me Sunny stared at Changing Star, trying to imagine what it must have felt like, growing up in the company of your parent's soulless sh.e.l.l. With death staring at you through those empty eyes every day, always looming over you like a dark shadow... both of your past and your future. Maybe that was a part of the reason why Neph hated the Spell so much. Sensing the heaviness in the air, Changing Star glanced at them and smiled darkly. "What? Is this your first time meeting a hollowborn? Well, I can't blame you. Creatures of my breed are pretty rare. In fact, even I have never met another one." Then, she sighed and stretched her legs, moving them closer to the fire. "So yeah, that and dye my hair. These are the things I would do in the real world first." Sunny blinked. "...Dye your hair?" Nephis nodded. 'How is that a priority?' Feeling that he was missing something, Sunny scratched his head and asked: "Why?" She glanced at him in surprise. "What do you mean, why? I'm not used to it, and it's weird. Do I need another reason?" He stared at her with a perplexed expression. Noticing it, Changing Star frowned and asked with a tiny hint of amus.e.m.e.nt in her voice. "Sunny… did you, perhaps, think that this is my natural hair color?" He was silent for a while, then opened his mouth and closed it again. "...It's not?" Nephis looked at him for a while with a strange expression, and then suddenly exploded with laughter. Her laugh was melodic, pure, and very pleasant to the ear. With regret, Sunny realized that he had never heard it before. He wished that their lives were different, so that people could hear Nephis laugh more often. But they weren't, and would probably never be. After a while, she glanced at him and smiled. "Sunny, it's silver, for Spell's sake. Who has natural silver hair?" Luckily, at that point, Kai suddenly came to his rescue: "Actually, I thought that it's natural too. Ah… it suits you very well, Lady Nephis." Changing Star turned to him with an expression of utter surprise. Then, she glanced at Effie with a silent question. The huntress nodded. Free Web Novel "Yeah, me too. I mean… who knows what you Legacies are even made of?" Nephis blinked a couple of times, then shook her head in bewilderment. "Well… no, it's not natural. It became like that after my First Nightmare." Kai leaned forward with curiosity: "Really? What color was your hair before?" She shrugged. "Black. A normal human color." The charming archer stared at her, and then smiled: "That would suit you very well too, Lady Nephis. Ah, I can just see it." However, Sunny couldn't. The idea of Changing Star without her arresting, eye-catching silver hair simply could not fit into his head. Let alone the fact that she was a brunette! How was this even possible? 'That would look so wrong! Right?' Well… as it turned out, life was full of surprises. Today, he learned not one, but two entirely new things about the person he had thought he knew the best in the world. Who would have guessed that this would happen? '...There might be something else except for skimpy swimsuits to these beach episodes, huh?' \\\* After that, they spent some time resting and lazily conversing with each other. However, pretty soon, people started to get restless from boredom. To combat it somehow, Sunny suggested the idea of playing a sports game. …His motives were not at all dictated by a secret desire to see a bunch of absolutely gorgeous young people jump around and wrestle with each while very lightly dressed. Nope, not one bit. However, things didn't go as he had envisioned them. Pretty soon, Sunny found himself cursing as he was desperately pulling on the golden rope in a furious match of tug of war. …Well, it was supposed to be furious. But what was actually transpiring was Effie casually holding the rope with one hand while the four of them — Sunny, Ca.s.sie, Kai and Caster — were trying to move her from the spot with no visible results whatsoever. After a while, the huntress simply pulled on the rope and sent their entire team to the ground. 'That's... that's cheating!' With a satisfied grin, Effie walked over and towered above him, her arms akimbo. Looking down directly at Sunny, she smirked. "Weak. When did you lose your spirit, shorty?" Then, she winked and said in a mischievous tone: "Back at the cathedral, you were able to perform better. Not to mention last longer…" Sunny grew bright red and gritted his teeth: "Shut up! People will misunderstand!" The huntress looked at him with a shocked expression. "Mis—misunderstand? What are you… oh!" Then, she pretended to be horrified and covered her mouth with one hand. "You… what kind of a degenerate are you?! Training! I meant while you were training!" While Sunny was staring at her in utter disbelief, his mouth wide open, Effie snorted, then turned away and exploded with laughter. Shaking her head, the boisterous huntress giggled one last time and walked away. '...No more sports games! Ever! That wretched troublemaker will win them all, anyway!' He needed to teach himself how to come up with better ideas... ReadNovelFull.me?
211	Chapter 211 Game of Lies With a bit of disappointment, Sunny realized that all types of physical activities were out of the question. Not only because Effie was going to win every d.a.m.n game, but also because Ca.s.sie couldn't partic.i.p.ate in most. If that was the case, they would have to settle for a battle of wit, instead. After thinking for a while, he made a few preparations and addressed his companions in a mischievous tone: "Alright, let's have another compet.i.tion. This time, it will be a challenge for your minds." Sunny paused for a few moments and then smiled. "And to spice things up, this time, there will be a prize. The winner will get this!" With that, he produced the ascended soul shard that he had gotten from the Corpse Eater from behind his back and showed it to everyone. The beautiful crystal shined with an alluring, ethereal light. Except for Nephis, who was resting with her eyes closed, everyone stared at the shard with a lot of interest. Sunny grinned. Of course, they were interested! It was very rare to see one of these, after all. ReadNovelFull.me He didn't really have a use for this thing right now, though. And making the cohort stronger would, in turn, increase his own chances of getting through the expedition alive. So parting with the shard was not that detrimental. Especially if he could have some fun in return. Effie was the first one to speak: "What are the terms of the compet.i.tion?" Sunny put the crystal away before answering: "It's really simple. I'll give you a riddle, and the first person to answer correctly wins. How does that sound?" The huntress looked at him with doubt and shrugged. "Sounds boring. But alright, let's play." Smiling, Sunny commanded the shadow to separate from him and put the Ordinary Rock on it. Then, he turned to Effie and said: "Listen carefully. Imagine if you will that the two of us, my shadow and I, are in possession of a rare treasure. One of us is an honorable, extremely attractive Awakened that can tell no lie, while the other one is a vile, ugly, stupid devil that would never tell a word of truth. But you don't know which one is which." Effie grinned. "I mean… isn't it obvious?" Sunny blinked. "Shut up! Also, it's an imaginary situation. Okay? Anyway, you have to find out which one of us is hiding the treasure. If you do, you'll get the treasure. If you don't, the devil will kill you. You can only ask one question, either to me or the shadow. Understand?" The huntress giggled and flexed her muscles. "Can I just beat the answer out of you?" Sunny observed her vigorous figure for a moment too long, and then smiled. "You can. Also, you're dead." Effie stared at him in bewilderment. "What? Why?!" He shrugged and glanced in her direction with disdain. "Did I not tell you that you can only ask one question? Well who told you to ask whether you can beat me up or not? What a stupid way to waste a question!" While the unruly was huntress was throwing daggers at him with her eyes, Sunny turned away and said: "Next!" FREE WEB NOVEL Kai smiled apologetically at Effie and approached him. "Alright, Night. What's your question? Do consider that our roles might have changed since the last round." The charming young man gestured at the marble beneath his feet and addressed the shadow: "What color is the stone I am pointing to?" Since Sunny had expected such a turn of events, the Ordinary Rock immediately answered in the deepest voice he could muster. "...White." Kai looked at Sunny with a triumphant smile and said: "So… I win? The shadow is obviously the honorable Awakened." Sunny gave him a nod. "You indeed learned which one of us is a dirty liar. Surprise... it was me. However, that was not the task. The task was to find out which one of us is hiding the treasure, and you have already used up your only question. So… sorry, buddy, but you're also dead. I'll miss you very much! In this hypothetical situation..." The charming archer sighed and looked at him with reproach. Sunny raised his eyebrows. "What? Why are you looking at me like this? Be grateful that I allowed you to play at all! With your Flaw, you are like a walking cheat as far as this game is concerned." He scowled, then added: "In fact, the mere fact that you claim to have a Flaw is an affront to us, truly Flawed people!" Kai lingered for a bit and walked to the side to sit near Effie. Sunny had to suppress his laugh when he noticed that the boisterous huntress reacted to being this close to the charming young man's deific body pretty much exactly the same as he himself sometimes reacted to her. 'Get your head out of the gutter! Pure thoughts, Effie!' A wide grin still found its way onto his face. Shaking his head, Sunny turned away to call the next contestant, but Kai suddenly spoke, interrupting him: "You're not entirely right, you know," he said gently. Sunny raised an eyebrow. "About what?" The archer looked down before answering. "About my Flaw. Yes, it is not as heavy of a burden as many others have to carry. But it's still a curse." 'What is he talking about? It's almost entirely like a second Aspect Ability!' Looking at Kai with a doubtful expression, Sunny asked: "Yeah? How, exactly? Please explain, because I really can't think of a situation where this Flaw of yours could be a burden." The beautiful young man was silent for a while, and then looked up at Sunny with a sad smile. "Imagine hearing the person who is the most important to you in the whole wide world telling you that they love you, only to realize that they don't. Imagine listening to your friend's words of encouragement, only to understand that he secretly wishes for you to crash and burn…" He sighed. "Ignorance is bliss, Sunny. After returning from my First Nightmare, I had to come to terms with the fact that most of the people in my life were not who I thought they were. And that what hid behind their smiles was ugly and vicious." Kai gestured to himself and said: "Because of who I am... and how I am... there was always a whirlpool of people around me. But after learning their true faces, I couldn't… well. Let's just say that, if I had the choice, I would have preferred to stay blissfully blind to the truth forever." He grew quiet. 'd.a.m.n.' Suddenly, Kai smiled. "But that's why I enjoy spending time with you so much, Sunny! No matter how bizarre the things you say are, they're always true. I never met anyone as stupidly honest as you. It's very refreshing!" Sunny shifted uncomfortably. 'Uh… did he just call me stupid?' Now he was kind of sorry for mocking the charming young man about his Flaw. Perhaps it would be useful to someone like Sunny. But to a person like Kai, who always attracted the worst kind of attention from people, it could really be incredibly painful. The Spell knew what it was doing. It always. .h.i.t you in your most vulnerable spot. 'd.a.m.ned Spell. The being that weaved it must have been the worst kind of a sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d...' ReadNovelFull.me?
212	Chapter 212 Knights and Knaves "Uh… sure." One day Kai would inevitably learn that Sunny was not as honest of a person as he considered him to be, but until then, having the naive archer believe in this ridiculous notion was rather... beneficial. Turning away with a bit of awkwardness, Sunny glanced at Caster and called: "Next!" The proud Legacy was looking at Nightingale with a heavy expression. Hearing Sunny's voice, he lingered for a moment and then shook his head. It seemed that Caster did not want to play his game. Sunny was also suddenly painfully aware that between the six of them, four people had openly shared their Flaws with the rest, be it out of necessity or because of trust. Only two had not. One of the two was Sunny, and the other one was Caster. Sunny knew why he was hiding his Flaw from everyone, but what was the proud scion's reason? It sort of went against his whole honorable and dependable persona. With how devoted he acted toward Nephis and the cohort, it was strange to see him keeping secrets. ReadNovelFull.me Was his reason the same as Sunny's, a dire vulnerability that the Flaw would uncover? Or was there some other reason? Maybe he didn't trust the members of the cohort as much as he tried to make them think he did. And if so… why? With a shrug, Sunny left Caster alone. There was no point in lingering on these thoughts now. Until he had more information, any conclusion he could make would be useless, anyway. Looking at Ca.s.sie, he smiled and said: "Hey, Cas. Wanna give it a try?" The blind girl hesitated for a bit, and then slowly approached him. While she was walking over, Sunny couldn't help but think back to a conversation he had with her in the distant past. Back then, Ca.s.sie had told him that knowledge could be the heaviest thing in the world. The burden of her Flaw, while completely different from Kai's, was at the same time eerily similar. They both longed for the bliss of ignorance, but were doomed to always bear the crushing weight of unwanted knowledge. When Sunny thought about it, he found that all members of the cohort were connected with each other by invisible strings. Many things about them were like reflections, simultaneously the same, but also completely opposite. Like the fact that he could tell no lie, while Kai could not be lied to. Or the fact that Nephis was like sunlight, while he was made of shadows. Ca.s.sie could not see, while he had basically two pairs of eyes. Changing Star dreamed of destroying the Nightmare Spell, but Effie dreamed of making it her paradise. And so on. Were these the strings of fate? Or was he just making empty connections because that was what humans were p.r.o.ne to do? Come to think of it, only Caster didn't seem to be connected to any of them in any kind of a meaningful way. What was that all about? Ca.s.sie sat down near Sunny, pulling him out of his thoughts. He forced out a smile. "Ah, right. Just like I said, the roles might have switched. So, what is your question?" Ca.s.sie smiled and gestured to the shadow. "My question is: if I were to ask Sunny which one of you has the treasure, what would he say?" Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then gave the Ordinary Stone a mental command to speak one of the answers that he had whispered to it in advance. In the same comically deep voice, the shadow seemed to speak: "...The shadow has it." Ca.s.sie nodded and turned to Sunny with subtle glee on her exquisite, doll-like face. "Sunny, you have the treasure. Give." With that, she expectantly outstretched her hand. With a disappointed sigh, Sunny put the ascended soul shard in her palm and said in a listless voice: ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴡᴇʙ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ "Congratulations. You've won. Great job, yay." Ca.s.sie grasped the shard and giggled. Meanwhile, Effie leaned forward with a bewildered look: "What?! That's it?!" She stared at the blind girl in astonishment, and then asked: "How the h.e.l.l did you do it?" Ca.s.sie smiled and crushed the shard in her small fist, absorbing the soul essence. Then, she shook her head and said: "It's simple, really. No matter who you ask about the other person's answer, their answer will always be the opposite of the correct one. That's because the Awakened would have to tell the truth about the lie, while the devil would have to tell a lie about the truth. Do you understand?" Effie thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nope. All the words you said seem to be familiar, but I don't understand c.r.a.p. What do you even mean?" Ca.s.sie laughed. "Well, you should think about it in your free time. Or, you know… just beat Sunny up the next time he decides to tease you with such riddles." With that, she went away, quite happy with herself. Sunny watched her go with his mouth wide open. 'Did she really just say that?!' Meanwhile, the perplexed huntress was staring at Sunny with a deep frown. "Yeah… I might just do that the next time…" He paled. "What's up with that? This was an honest compet.i.tion! Don't be a sore loser!" Effie grinned menacingly. "Sore? Let's see which one of use will be sore when I'm done with you." 'What… what kind of soreness does she mean, I wonder? Wait, no! Why would I wonder about that?!' Standing up, Sunny glanced at Effie and scoffed. "Who's going to be done with who? Don't flatter yourself, beanpole." With that, he walked away with contempt clearly written all over his face. His pace, however, was suspiciously hurried. \\\* A while later, the day was drawing to a close. Some of the Memories had already restored themselves, so almost everyone was wearing their clothes and armors. Which, as far as Sunny was concerned, was a real shame. ...From a purely aesthetic point of view, of course! However, something else attracted his full attention. At the far end of the marble arch, Nephis and Caster were standing facing each other, with sharp swords in their hands. They were about to clash... ReadNovelFull.me?
213	Chapter 213 Sword Saints Back when Nephis was teaching Sunny how to use the sword, he had never been good enough to be her sparring partner. Once he learned enough to be of any use in a training fight, their fragile alliance had already broken and shattered to pieces. So, apart from that short altercation on the somber slopes of the Ashen Barrow, they had never actually crossed swords with each other. Now, it seemed, Changing Star had found a reliable sparring partner. Caster had not only replaced Sunny as her right-hand man, but also filled the roles that Sunny had been either reluctant or unfit to take on. 'Well… good for them.' Once the Memories of the cohort were close to being fully restored, Nephis and Caster moved to the far end of the white arch to practice. Now, they were standing opposite each other, ready to begin. Although no one called him over, Sunny approached the two Legacies and sat down, ready to enjoy the spectacle. He was keenly interested in observing these two immensely skilled swordsmen in action. Both of them had been trained for combat from the day they could walk. Watching them would surely be helpful to his understanding of battle styles and techniques. Not to mention that he was very interested to see the rematch between Nephis and Caster. The last time he saw them fight, Changing Star had lost, but not by much. She also had held back her Aspect Ability at that time, but he doubted that that would change today. Neph's flame could be used both to heal and annihilate, but sadly, not to train. Caster glanced at him and frowned with visible displeasure. ReadNovelFull.me Was he irritated because Sunny was about to learn a thing or two about his technique, or because Sunny was ruining his alone time with Nephis? 'Either way, I don't care.' "What are you doing?" Sunny shrugged. "Watching. Why? Does this part of the arch belongs to your clan or something?" The proud Legacy shook his head and turned away. "Do as you wish." Neph glanced at Sunny and didn't say anything. However, he could tell that she didn't mind. In fact, it was almost as if she was approving of his decision. Without wasting any more time, the two of them clashed in a whirlwind of steel, moving with the kind of speed that made it difficult for Sunny to follow along. The clangor of swords filled the air. A bit stunned, he stared at the furious fight with a blank expression. '...d.a.m.n.' After the months of hunting monsters in the Dark City and his lessons with the Stone Saint, Sunny thought that he had developed his skill a lot. And he did. It's just that compared to Nephis and Caster, he was still so far behind that it was nothing short of disheartening. Before, he had sometimes entertained the thought of maybe being able to stand against them… well, at least one of them… on equal ground. But now, this illusion was ruthlessly broken. If things went south and he ended up on the opposite sides of the barricades with Caster, facing him would be tantamount to committing suicide. For now, at least. Which, of course, simply meant that instead of facing him, Sunny would have to stab him in the back. free web novel 'Duly noted.' He wasn't going to take on an enemy of this caliber in a forthright manner, anyway. What was he, a fool? Concentrating on the fight, Sunny watched attentively. With the benefit of his new experience, he was able to discern more and learn more from how these two experts moved and acted. Sometimes, he was even able to predict what they were going to do next. However, as time pa.s.sed, a subtle frown appeared on his face. 'What is she doing? That doesn't make sense." Sunny had been able to notice two unexpected things from how Nephis fought against Caster. The first one was rather easy to spot. While Caster did not use the full extent of his incredible speed, he did use a fair share of it, making it almost impossible for Nephis to win any of their matches. She lost much more than she won, almost always by a few fractions of a second. Which was seemingly not conducive to training at all. What was the point of training if one of the partic.i.p.ants had almost no chance of winning because of how large the gap between them and their opponent was? There was a reason why Neph had never used Sunny as a sparring partner in the past, after all. But then, with a bit of amus.e.m.e.nt, he realized that Changing Star was doing exactly what he had done with the Stone Saint. She was tempering herself against an overwhelming force. That's why she had instructed Caster to use just enough of his Aspect Ability to always be much faster than her. Losing in a fight against a superior opponent was truly the best way to learn. 'Ha! So I was right in my approach, after all.' If Changing Star was doing the same, he had to be right. The second thing he had noticed, however, was much more perplexing. It was that Nephis was not using her usual flowing and unpredictable battle style. Instead, she was moving with precise and firm elegance, hiding behind a carefully woven wall of defense and patiently waiting for an opening to appear — instead of creating one herself. While intricate and impressive, this style was still a bit lacking in comparison to her real one. What's more, while it was deliberate and dependable, it was also rigid. If there was one thing that Nephis would never tolerate in her battle art, it was rigidity. Her whole worldview was built around the idea that nothing had more value than adaptability. That's why the style she had taught Sunny suited her so well. It was designed to be the epitome of changeability. So, the question was… Why the h.e.l.l she was using something so alien to her against Caster? The answer was pretty obvious. Either Nephis was trying to experiment with something new in an effort to adopt elements of this style into her own… which didn't seem very likely... Or she didn't want Caster to know her true combat style too well, for some reason. But what could that reason be? Sunny rubbed his chin. 'Interesting…' ReadNovelFull.me?
214	214 Transient Shadow Did Nephis distrust Caster for some reason? Sunny surely did, and to be entirely honest, he didn't even need any reason to do so. His intuition and general paranoia were enough. But Changing Star was different. He had learned a bitter lesson and now knew that everything she ever did had a firm logic behind it. Even if that logic was entirely different from that of a normal person. So if Nephis was hiding her true battle style from Caster, there was a reason for it. But it didn't make any sense. From everything else that she had done, he was her most trusted lieutenant. Changing Star entrusted more to Caster than she ever had to anyone else. Caster himself also had never acted against Neph's interests. In fact, he was even a bit too loyal. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d was always near Nephis, as though glued to her side. He also didn't seem to like it when others got too close to her. In that regard, he was almost like that flying rapier of Ca.s.sie's. During their entire day on the marble arch, the unfriendly Echo somehow always managed to remain between the blind girl and any men who tried to approach her for whatever reason. The message it was sending was quite clear. I'm watching you! It was honestly rather comical. ReadNovelFull.me Sunny shook his head. The dynamic of Changing Star's relationship with Caster was really weird. But once again, he didn't have enough information to make any conclusions. All he could do was keep his eyes open and try to sleep with one of them open when the handsome Legacy was on watch duty. Maybe it was some strange Legacy thing? Like guarding the secrets of the clan against the prying eyes of other clans. Who knew? Glancing at the fighting swordsmen, Sunny suddenly got an idea. After considering it for a bit, he looked at them again. This time, his eyes were burning. 'That… that actually might work!' The problem with his technique at the moment was that it lacked true individuality. Sunny knew that there was a secret hiding inside his shadow that could become the foundation of his own unique battle style. He just couldn't understand what that secret was. His progress at deciphering it had stalled. While training, Sunny had trouble keeping his eyes both on the Stone Saint and on the shadow. Whenever he tried, the taciturn knight would inevitably send him into a sea of pain. But even if he managed it somehow, there was an invisible wall standing between him and anything even remotely resembling understanding. He was in a dire need of a breakthrough. So what if… his shadows tried to imitate someone else instead of him? And not just someone, but a real sword expert in the middle of a fight? Not only would Sunny be able to observe every tiny detail of its movements, but there would also be something to compare them against. The shadow was a part of him, after all. It was hard to tell where Sunny ended and the shadow began. That's why the difference in how it moved and how he moved was almost imperceptible. But if it followed someone else, he would be able to separate the cadence and pattern of that person's movements from the shadow's by contrasting it against his own. This had to work! Burning with antic.i.p.ation, Sunny waited for Nephis and Caster to take a short break, and then send the shadow over to the handsome Legacy. Leisurely strolling over the white marble, the shadow approached Caster and brazenly glued itself to his feet. Then, it crossed its arms and glared at the Legacy with almost palpable disdain. Caster stared at the shadow for a couple of seconds and then raised his head to look at Sunny. There was a very strange expression on his face. "What… what are you doing?" His voice did not sound happy at all. Sunny shrugged with a carefree smile. "Oh, don't mind him. This cretin just lost me an ascended soul shard. As a form of punishment, I've decided to make him your shadow for a bit. So, you know. Just do your thing and don't worry about it." The shadow turned its head and pierced him with a menacing look. Sunny could practically hear its thoughts… ...Who are you calling a cretin, you cretin? 'That had to be it. Did I guess right, huh? Oh, sorry. I forgot you cannot answer.' Not paying the offended shadow any more attention, he just smiled wider. Caster frowned, hesitated for a few moments, and then said through gritted teeth: "I would prefer if you wouldn't." Sunny sighed. "Ugh, alright. Whatever." With that, he gave the shadow the command to leave the proud Legacy alone. It separated itself from Caster, pretended to wipe its legs in disgust… and sauntered over to Nephis, only to get attached to her feet with visible delight. It even bowed gallantly to her own shadow and made sure to not get in its way. 'What… what is this moron doing?' Of course, Sunny had ordered the shadow to approach Neph himself. But he didn't expect it to be so visibly pleased by it. It was as if the shadow was simply beyond itself to finally follow someone competent. 'You traitor!' Nephis looked down on the shadow, smiled, and didn't say anything. 'Well... good. Now, fight!' The two Legacies did not make him wait long. A few moments later, they were once again locked in a furious battle. Only this time, two shadows were following Nephis. Both of them loyally imitated her movements, however, one of them was slightly… almost imperceptibly… different. Sunny looked at it with an intensity that threatened to burn two holes in the white marble. Soon, his eyes widened. 'I… I see it! I think I see it!' There, in the tiniest difference between the way Changing Star's own shadow moved and the way his shadow moved, he finally saw it. He had found his breakthrough. ReadNovelFull.me?
215	Chapter 215 Shapeless Observing the motions of two shadows that followed Nephis, Sunny was finally able to understand the foundation of the elusive shadow style. Before, he only sensed a hint of its essence. He knew that just like the shadow, the hidden battle art was insidious, shapeless, and everchanging. But this was where lay the problem: a battle style was, by definition, a structured framework of patterns and principles, a doctrine that dictated how one should act to defeat an enemy. That doctrine was used as a foundation and expanded into a variety of specific movements to create a style. But If something didn't have a shape and its form was constantly changing, how could it ever be stable and structured? Sunny had no idea how the concepts he felt were at the core of the shadow style could create something even remotely applicable to practice. Insidious, shapeless, everchanging. What was he supposed to do with that? But now, he understood. The key to it all was so simple and evident that he almost laughed. Why had he not guessed earlier? It was so obvious. The idea that tied everything together was as innate to the nature of shadows as formlessness and elusiveness. It was imitation. After all, what were the first two things that came to mind when one thought about shadows? That they lived in the dark and imitated the things that hid them from light. ReadNovelFull.me The foundation of the shadow style was indeed insidious, shapeless, and everchanging. Its core concept was to steal that which made the enemy strong and use it to destroy them. To master that style, he had to learn how to behave like a shadow. Sunny stared at Nephis and Caster, but didn't see them. His mind was consumed completely by the sudden revelation. He had no time to pay attention to their fight anymore. This style… this style had endless potential. If he managed to master it, he would be able to counter any style or technique used against him, not to mention become an immensely unpredictable opponent. What could be more unpredictable than a formless shadow? Of course, it was easier said than done. To begin with, while the ability to imitate the enemy was incredibly powerful, it also demanded an incredible amount of talent, experience, and insight from the user. You couldn't imitate that which you didn't understand, after all. More importantly, this was just the foundation of the style. He still had to expand it into the actual collection of specific principles... and retrain himself accordingly. That was a mammoth task. Creating a complete style from scratch could take a true battle master years, if not decades. Sunny had not even scratched the surface of this ambitious underetaking. However, this was alright. It was a start. Personal battle arts were not created in an instance, anyway. It was a long and arduous process, with endless iterations coming and going while being tempered by the crucible of combat. It's not like the style would be useless until it became perfect. Sunny just had to get it to the point where it could be applied in battle in one form or another. That alone would tremendously enhance his technique. He smiled, congratulating himself. However, the next moment, a deep scowl appeared on his face. 'Uh… but how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?' \\\* A while later, when the sun was already touching the western horizon, Sunny was sitting by himself and staring at his shadow. He was motionless like a statue and deep in thought. On his face, there was a troubled frown. When someone approached him, Sunny lingered for a few moments and then slowly looked up to see who was disturbing him. To his surprise, it was Nephis. The leader of their cohort stood there for a bit, her graceful figure illuminated by the setting sun. Then, she sat down near him. Sunny blinked. "Uh… hey Neph." Npehis gave him a nod. "Hey, Sunny." He waited for a few moments, and then asked: "...Did you want something?" The corner of her mouth slightly curled upward. With a sigh, Changing Star glanced at him and said: "It's nothing much. I just wanted to say that I saw you fighting in the catacombs. You have improved a lot in these three months. Well done." Sunny smiled. "Ah, that. Well, it's not like there's a lot of opportunities to lead a peaceful life in the Dark City. I was bound to improve a little, no?" She shook her head. "Don't sell yourself short. You really did well. Very few would have been able to grow so much and as fast as you. Especially without a teacher." After hesitating for a while, Sunny shrugged. "You said it yourself. One real battle is worth more than a thousand hours of training. There was… a lot of battles. In those three months." Nephis nodded, and then asked: "That firm and grounded style you weaved into your technique… where did it come from?" He scratched the back of his head and, remembering the h.e.l.lish training sessions with his pet monster, held back the urge to shiver. "I just observed how the Stone Saint fought and tried to replicate it." Changing Star smiled: "As I thought. I've seen her fight, too. It's a very formidable Echo. One of the finest I've ever seen." Coming from a Legacy, this meant a lot. Sunny was indeed really lucky to be in the right place at the right time to get the Echo of the Stone Saint. If the Fallen siblings of the iron spiders had not brought her to the brink of death, he would never have been able to survive a battle with the living statue, let alone defeat her. He was even luckier to have a Divine Aspect that allowed him to turn Echoes into creatures that were even more fearsome. All in all, Sunny was extremely fortunate. His fortune was exactly as incredible as his misfortune. He grinned. "You know my Attributes. I do get lucky a lot." She lingered for a few moments, and then said: "I'm glad that you were able to understand the true design of the battle style I taught you." So he was right on this point, too. The style Changing Star had given him was indeed designed to be as adaptable as possible and seamlessly incorporate elements of other styles. It was a perfect foundational battle art… for those talented enough to make use of it, of course. Which were, most likely, extremely few and far between. Sunny glanced at Nephis and, after some deliberation, asked: "That style of yours is truly unique. Where did it come from?" He had been too inexperienced to realize this at the time, but what Neph had taught him could have been considered a rare treasure. The style he took for granted was, in fact, a work of pure genius. It deserved to be famous and ubiquitous. But it was not. Which suggested that this treasure was a secret one. Changing Star lingered for a bit, and then said: "It's a part of my inheritance." Sunny blinked and stared at her, stunned. 'Then... then why the h.e.l.l did she teach it to me?!' ReadNovelFull.me?
216	Chapter 216 Tacit Understanding Sunny stared at Nephis with a complicated expression. After a while, he asked: "Why did you entrust me with something so precious?" She glanced at him, lingered for a few moments, then shrugged. "We had a deal, remember? My knowledge in exchange for your share of the spoils we earn." There had indeed existed such a deal. However, he had not exactly acted in good faith when proposing it. After all, he had no use for those spoils, in the first place. Sunny scowled. If Changing Star had really revealed a family secret to him because of a lie, she had a valid reason to be resentful of him. Just like he was of her. With a dark smile, he looked away and said: "You must have realized by now that I have cheated you in that deal." ReadNovelFull.me Nephis turned to him and said, her voice calm and even: "You mean the fact that you don't need to absorb soul shard to grow stronger?" Sunny froze for a moment, then gave her a nod. "You don't seem very surprised." Figures. When Sunny first learned about this ability of his, he was stunned. But Neph seemed to know a lot more than a normal person did. She didn't even try to pretend otherwise. "It's a very rare Aspect trait, but not unheard of among the upper echelons of the Awakened. In fact, I am capable of something like that myself. Although your case does seem to be especially unique." Sunny glanced at her. "How so?" Changing Star remained silent for a few moments and then said, her voice hinted with a bit of wonder: "Usually, when an Awakened absorbs the soul essence directly, the process leaves the remnants of the soul core empty. But when you do it, the shards are left br.i.m.m.i.n.g with it. This is very… unusual." He shifted uncomfortably, and then said: "Yeah, well… you have your share of secrets, too, Neph. Don't think that I didn't notice. Lineage Memories, Domains…" Nephis interrupted him with a heavy gaze. When Sunny fell silent and looked at her with a frown, she said in a strangely somber tone: "Never say those words aloud again, Sunny. I am serious. Just knowing them might get you killed." He stared at her for a long time, and then scoffed. "No problem. Since you showed me the courtesy of not prying into my secrets, I won't pry into yours. I don't really want to know, anyway. The mysterious "upper echelons" you mentioned can play their dirty little games all they want, as long as they leave me out of them." Then, Sunny frowned and added: "But there is one question I have to ask you, because it involves me personally." She raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Ask away." He grimaced. "Why are you hiding the true core of your technique from Caster?" Changing Star looked at him for a bit, and then smiled. "So you've noticed. That's good, too. Yes… I've been using a different style when facing Caster." Sunny looked at her with a humorless expression. "Why?" She shrugged. "Why did you incorporate elements of the Stone Saint's technique into your own?" He shook his head. "To become stronger. Also, nice try at misdirection, but I won't fall for your tricks. I'm the one who taught them to you, remember? So just stop. Answer my question." Nephis sighed and turned away, glancing at the silhouette of the Crimson Spire that loomed in the distance. After a while, she said: "I'll answer you when we return to the Dark City. It won't change anything until then, anyway. Your safety won't be compromised in any way." 'What is that supposed to mean?' As he glared at her, Changing Star stood up and turned to leave. Before that, however, she lingered for a moment and said: "Keep sharpening your sword, Sunny. I expect big things from you." With that, she walked away, leaving him speechless. 'And what does she mean by that?!' \\\* After Nephis left, Sunny returned to staring at his shadow. However, despite the fact that he had figured out the essence and foundation of the elusive battle art that hid inside it, he had no idea how to go about creating an actual style out of them. He did not have enough experience and mastery to be able to create something out of nothing. It was a dead end. 'Curses! Why even hide that d.a.m.n mystery inside the Aspect if I can't do anything with it?!' Perhaps in the distant future, he would be able to. But right now, it was as though he had found the door, but was not strong enough to turn the key and unlock it. It just stood there and teased him endlessly, just like the d.a.m.n Gateway inside the Crimson Spire. It was pure torture. 'Maybe I wasn't supposed to notice the existence of the hidden style so soon...' But he did! And he worked so hard to gain insight into its secrets. Was it all for nothing? All the pain, all the effort? Why would Spell do this to him? 'Do you have to ask? That's the d.a.m.n Spell we're talking about! Why wouldn't it do something like this to you?" With a bitter sigh, Sunny turned away and tried to forget all about the shadow, techniques, and battle styles. It was almost dark, anyway. 'Time to sleep.' Walking over to the center of the marble arch, Sunny lay down beside the other members of the cohort and tiredly closed his eyes. The beach vacation was over. It was funny, visually stunning, and unexpectedly emotional... but ended on a bitter note. Tomorrow was going to be another long day. 'To h.e.l.l with this. This… this…' Exhausted by all of it, he fell asleep before even finishing the thought. \\\* '...this c.r.a.p.' Sunny opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. The world was enveloped in a strange, dim twilight. Deep shadows surrounded him, shrouding the tall walls that were cut from black marble. Looking between the mighty columns, Sunny saw the black circle of the sun burning in the lightless sky. 'An… an eclipse?' No, wait… what walls? What columns? Wasn't he supposed to be sleeping at the top of the white arch? ...What was happening? Suddenly, a woman's scream tore the silence like a sharp knife. It was full of pain and suffering. Sunny tried to summon the Midnight Shard into his hand... only to realize that he had no hands. Then, something else resounded from the darkness. ...A baby's cry. 'Wh—what the…' Almost at the same time, Sunny realized something terrible. This was a dream. He was dreaming. …People were not supposed to dream in the Dream Realm! '...Not good!' ReadNovelFull.me?
217	Chapter 217 Origin When Sunny realized that he was dreaming, the first thing that came to his mind was that there was another soul tree growing somewhere near the white arch. However, after a few moments of panic, he quickly dismissed this idea. After all, he had never actually dreamt while under the mind hex of the ancient fiend. He had just mistaken the broken memories of his conversation with Ca.s.sie for a dream. But this… this one was real. The dreamscape that surrounded Sunny was ephemeral, shifting, and shrouded in shadows. Above him, the sun was like a circle of darkness, with crimson light drowning in a burning sea of clouds. However, none of that light reached him. In the tenebrous hall of black marble, there was nothing but empty silence. …Which was now destroyed by the sound of a baby crying, of course. The woman's screams had long grown silent. Peering into the stygian depths of the dark marble hall, Sunny saw nothing but endless shadows. The baby's cries were coming from somewhere beyond them. …Or from within them. A subtle thought entered Sunny's mind. The monumental walls, the colossal columns, the grandiose hall… all of it looked strangely familiar. As though he had already been here once, a long time ago. ReadNovelFull.me All that was missing were the signs of desolation and a large altar cut from a single block of black marble. In fact, it should have been standing right where the crying sounds were coming from. Familiar words appeared in his mind, now full of new meaning. '...Child of Shadows?' In the next moment, everything disappeared. \\\* The world was swaying. A seemingly endless surface of black stone was flowing past his vision, moving up and down. …No, it wasn't the stone, but Sunny himself. He was the one swaying. 'Wh—what?!' In fact, Sunny found himself in the body… of a toddler. He was currently held gently by a young woman who was walking down a long stone corridor, which was dimly lit by burning torches. Hence, the swaying. The girl was very young, not older than Sunny himself — his actual body, that is. She was slender and exquisitely beautiful, with soft porcelain skin and long raven hair. The lissome beauty was dressed in a flowing silk tunic that left her delicate neck and shoulders exposed. A black serpent was coiled around her arms and neck, its scales so intricately tattooed that sometimes, it seemed as though the creature was moving. Whoever marked the girl's skin with this image was a true genius of their craft. Sunny had never seen anything like it in the real world. However, he had seen similar markings in a Nightmare. …This was the mark of a slave who belonged to the Shadow G.o.d. The young girl was a temple slave, just like he had been in his First Nightmare. The serpent coiled around her neck and arms served both as her collar and her shackles. She was also the toddler's mother. Sunny could tell from the love with which she held the child and the quiet smile that appeared on her face every time she looked at him. Sunny might have lost his own mother at a young age, but he still remembered that much, at least. 'If the mother is a slave, then the child is, too.' Finally, Sunny began to understand what was happening to him. The dream he found himself in did not belong to him. Instead, it belonged to the nameless temple slave whose role he had a.s.sumed during the First Nightmare. The original child of shadows. This vision was his memory. \\\* Soon, the young girl entered a vast hall that was shrouded in darkness. Judging by the black marble walls, they were in another part of the ancient temple. Sunny couldn't see much of his surroundings, but he could somehow tell that they were underground. In the center of the hall, seven tall braziers were burning with strange, pale flames. On the edges of light, motionless, stood a dozen or so people. Sunny shivered, suddenly reminded of the silent shadows populating his Soul Sea. However, these were not ghosts, but humans. There were several other slaves, while the rest appeared to be priests. To tell the truth, there was not a lot of difference between them. It seemed as though the servants of the Shadow G.o.d did not pursue opulence and status. In fact, many of the priests bore the same markings as the slaves, suggesting that they themselves had belonged to the temple once. 'What are they doing here? What is happening?' Approaching one of the elder slaves, the young beauty entrusted the child to her. Separated from the warmth of his mother's chest, the toddler… Sunny… felt cold and scared. However, the older woman consoled him with gentle words, preventing the child from crying. Then, she moved back to stand with the rest of the people gathered in the underground hall. Their faces were calm and solemn. The young woman, meanwhile, slowly walked into the circle of light. Her movements were elegant, flowing, and graceful. Stopping at the very center, she stood motionlessly between the seven pale flames, surrounded by seven shadows. Sunny stared at the beautiful slave, feeling that something important was about to happen. But… what? As he became pensive and uneasy, a sudden sound broke the silence. It was the deep and reverberating ringing of a zither. As the musical instrument sang, the slave girl suddenly moved. As she did, her seven shadows moved with her. 'This… this is…' With his eyes wide open, Sunny watched the young woman. She was dancing. The beautiful slave danced in the circle of light surrounded by impenetrable darkness, her every move full of indescribable grace and clear, but elusive purpose. Her young body was flexible and lithe, but also strong and trained as much as a warrior's. Her skill as a dancer was like that of a battle master. It was mesmerizing. The young woman weaved a beautiful pattern with her movements, their cadence and nature simultaneously firm and flowing, sharp and gentle, clear and unpredictable. She danced alone but also with seven partners, effortlessly controlling both her own body and the seven shadows cast by it. At times, it was hard to tell which one of them was real. Her dance was… insidious, shapeless, and everchanging. Sunny froze. He recognized these movements. They were the same as how his shadow moved. This was the source and origin of the battle style he wanted to create This was Shadow Dance… ReadNovelFull.me?
218	Chapter 218 Shadow Dance Sunny opened his eyes. The grand arch of white marble was exactly the same as when he had last seen it. The sun was already climbing the grey dome of the sky, chasing the remnants of the dark sea away. The rest of the cohort had woken up some time ago and were now preparing for the journey ahead. He had overslept. However, it didn't matter. With eyes burning with excitement, Sunny sat up and recalled everything that he had witnessed in his dream. The memories were still there, clear as day. He could recall every movement, every step, every breath of the dance that the beautiful slave had performed. ..The nameless slave's mother. His eyes dimmed slightly. That dream of his, while a precious gift, was also a source of numerous questions. Now that he was awake, Sunny was able to see a few things with more clarity. ReadNovelFull.me The scene that he had witnessed at the very beginning of it was that of the nameless slave's… the original Child of Shadow's… birth. He was born during a solar eclipse, not unlike Sunny. That fact put a lot of things into perspective. Everyone knew that the Spell did not choose the role an Aspirant would play during their First Nightmare randomly. That was apparent from the fact that the bodies they inhabited in it, while different, were very close to their real ones. However, the actual principle of how the Spell chose these roles and the events of the Nightmares were largely unclear. But now, Sunny knew that he shared more than simply outer appearance with the temple slave whose body he inhabited for a few short days. Both of them were born in similar, extremely rare circ.u.mstances. Both of them were at the very bottom of society, oppressed and unwanted, surviving against all odds instead of because of them. Both of them were left without a family at a young age. The tough life in the outskirts took Sunny's parents and sister away. To the nameless slave, it was the servants of the mighty War G.o.d that destroyed his childhood home and life. Sunny didn't know what happened to the beautiful dancer after the last temple of Shadows was destroyed by them... but he doubted that it was anything good. With a heavy sigh, he looked down. …Fate. It was fate. What he shared with the temple slave was a similarity of fate. Sunny was growing more and more convinced that the Spell was connected to the Strings of Fate in some way. Perhaps it was weaved from them. Remembering the void he had found himself in after completing his first trial, Sunny looked into the distance with wonder. That void was filled with a myriad of stars that served as nexuses for an inconceivably complex net made of countless strings of silver light. Were those the strings of fate? He shook his head. Whatever they were, and whatever the Spell was, it was not something he could know or understand… yet. Numerous people, most of them better informed and smarter than him, had tried and failed. It was wiser to concentrate on something within his reach. The Shadow Dance! Sunny smiled. He wasn't so engrossed by the dancing of the beautiful slave girl because it was truly stunning and enchanting. He was riveted beyond belief by it because he recognized the pattern of the battle style hiding in his shadow in her graceful movements. Turns out, it wasn't a battle art at all. It was a dance. But was there a difference? Not in this case, not really. It wasn't a coincidence that people often described the way true masters of battle fought as dancing. At their core, fighting and dance were very close. That's why combat, when brought to a truly impressive level, was like a dance. So why couldn't a dance, when mastered to perfection, be like a battle art? Sunny was certain that he was right. He had already comprehended the essence of Shadow Dance and gained insight into its foundation. With the memory of the beautiful dancer moving as one with her seven shadows, he now had the last piece of the puzzle — the actual set of moves and principles that he could use to create an actual battle style in their image. He didn't have the battle art yet, but he did now possess all the components needed to create it. Of course, it was not going to be easy. Even with all that knowledge stored in his mind, he would still have to spend a lot of time and effort and spill a lot of blood, both his own and that of his enemies, to turn the graceful dance of the beautiful slave girl into a deadly dance of steel. It wasn't even certain that he would succeed. But Sunny would be d.a.m.ned if he wasn't going to try. Shadow Dance would become his personal battle art. He was going to make it happen. As if echoing his last thought, the familiar voice of the Spell suddenly whispered into his ear. When Sunny heard what she said, his eyes widened. [You have received an Aspect Legacy, Shadow Dance.] \\\* Sunny stared into the emptiness, stunned to his core by what the Spell had just whispered. Aspect Legacy… did it really just say those words? He gulped. Aspect Legacy was something that every Aspect contained, but very few Awakened ever received. Unlike the Boon of the First Nightmare, and every Nightmare after that, as well as the reward Sleepers received after returning from the Dream Realm for the first time, each Aspect Legacy had a unique set of requirements that the owner of the Aspect had to meet to unlock it. When they did, they were rewarded with a powerful relic. Usually, it was a Memory that synergized perfectly with their Aspect Abilities, or sometimes even an Echo. Legacy clans weren't called that accidentally. While not every clan possessed an Aspect Legacy, most of them did. In fact, it was the acquisition of the Aspect Legacy that laid the foundation for the creation of many of these clans. By now, some of the most powerful clans even had several. But getting an Aspect Legacy was not an easy feat. Most of them were received by Saints, followed by Master, and only a few were won by mere Awakened. Getting the Aspect Legacy while still being a Sleeper… that was simply unheard of. 'Just like getting a True Name during the First Nightmare, I guess.' Sunny couldn't believe his luck. Of course, he worked bitterly hard to be able to grasp it. And yet, the magnitude of the harvest he reaped was utterly unbelivable. However… why was his Aspect Legacy not a Memory, but a battle art? That was really strange. Not wasting any time, Sunny summoned the runes and hungrily searched for new ones. …What he saw made him tremble. ReadNovelFull.me?
219	Chapter 219 Relics of the Past Right there in the glimmering field of familiar runes, in the cl.u.s.ter describing his Aspect, a new string of them appeared. Aspect: [Shadow Slave]. Aspect Rank: Divine. Aspect Abilities: [Shadow Control]. Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance]. As soon as Sunny concentrated on the Aspect Legacy, new runes shined to describe it. Shadow Dance Description: [Once an elegant dance, now a deadly battle art. This mysterious style was created by the treacherous Lost From Light after witnessing a graceful slave dancing with her shadows. Who else could have taken something so beautiful and turned it into something so vile?] Sunny coughed, trying hard not to think too much about the manner in which the Spell had described him. 'Again with this treacherous stuff… I'm not that treacherous, okay? So what if I lie, manipulate, and backstab people all the time. That's just being smart…' ReadNovelFull.me However, what grabbed his attention was not the description itself, but what glimmered beneath it. Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [0/7]. First Relic: Unearned. Second Relic: Unearned. Third Relic… There were a total of seven lines of runes, each promising him a Legacy Relic once he achieved the corresponding level of mastery with his newly envisioned battle style. Seven of them! Not one, not even two or three. But seven. Whole Legacy Clans were created around a single Legacy Relic. Sunny couldn't even imagine what he would be able to do with seven. Start a family and turn it into the most powerful clan in the world? No, that would mean putting all his eggs into one basket. Better create several clans! Right! Why start a family when you can start seven? Wait, no… that didn't sound right… Right? Consumed by avarice, Sunny looked at the rising sun with an excited grin. This was great! This was incredible! However, his excitement was short-lived. 'Yeah, right. I would have to get back to the real world first. And that's not going to happen…' Turning his head slightly, he stared at the distant silhouette of the Crimson Spire and lost himself in thought. A while later, Effie's voice brought him back to reality. "Hey, doofus! Breakfast is ready. Why are s.p.a.cing out and smiling like an idiot?" Sunny answered without thinking. "Just thinking about creating a Legacy Clan. Have you ever thought about creating a clan, huh, Effie?" The robust huntress stared at him for a few seconds with a strange expression, and then grinned. "...Is that an invitation?" Still lost in thought, Sunny tilted his head and glanced at her astutely. 'Huh… not bad, not bad. The choice of a partner has to be of utmost importance when starting a Legacy Clan. Take Effie, for example. She is a very fearsome Awakened. Her Aspect is extravagant and powerful beyond belief. Plus, her physique is nothing short of divine. Any heir she gives birth to is bound to be both strong and gorgeous… a very suitable candidate, I guess…' "...Huh, what? No, not an invitation. Just considering different options." At that moment, Sunny suddenly realized that he had been unceremoniously ogling Effie up and down for a better half of a minute, and that her grin had long turned dangerous at some point. The huntress stretched her neck and said lazily: "I see. So you have chosen death…" He blinked. "No! Wait! I didn't mean it like that! I was just, you know, theorizing!" The unruly huntress cracked her knuckles and smiled menacingly. "Oh, so you were "theorizing" about me, huh? Do tell, do tell…" "No, no! Wait! Stop! Sto…" \\\* Surprisingly, Sunny survived. ...Barely. Soon after that, they left the grandiose marble arch and continued their journey into the depths of the Labyrinth. Before the expedition started, Nephis had told him that they had a fast and comparatively safe way to reach the southern edges of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e — as much as anything could be safe in this cursed place. Without it, getting to their destination would have taken them months. Now that they had left the Dark City, Sunny finally decided to satisfy his curiosity and asked what that mysterious method of traveling with incredible speed was. When he heard the answer, he just stared blankly at Changing Star for a few minutes, trying to guess if she was kidding or not. She wasn't. In the end, he didn't even ask any questions and just waved his hand dejectedly. There was no point. If Nephis had come to know of this secret from Ca.s.sie's visions and believed that it was doable, then he did not have to worry. Too much. It's not like he could turn back now, anyway. Plus, the expedition had shown itself to be extremely lucrative for him so far. Mere days after its start, he had already gotten plenty of shadow fragments and an Ascended Memory, not to mention making a breakthrough in his exploration of battle styles and earning an Aspect Legacy for his effort. In any case, they had to travel about a week's worth of time south to get the chance to access that fast method of travel. The heights they were going to use on the way as shelters during the nights there were planned in advance with the help of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e map Nephis had created. To make sure that these shelters were really where the map showed and remove any possibility of ending up stranded in the middle of the Labyrinth with no way to escape the dark sea, she had even employed Kai during the week that Sunny had spent with Effie. The charming archer scouted the way ahead and confirmed that her map was correct. Now, the only danger they really faced from the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e itself was that of a sudden storm. However, with a true oracle in the ranks of the cohort, this danger was dramatically diminished. Now that Ca.s.sie had grown into her powers and absorbed a lot of soul essence, she was often able to warn them in advance if something like that was going to happen. …There were also the usual perils of the Labyrinth, of course. And as they went deeper into its deadly maze, the situation slowly began to turn from bad to worse. ReadNovelFull.me?
220	Chapter 220 So You're a Spider,So What? As they ventured deeper into the southern reaches of the crimson Labyrinth, the situation slowly turned worse and worse. The iron spiders that had been not too threatening to the cohort of powerful, experienced Dark City hunters at the start of it all were growing more and more deadly with each step of the way. Their numbers grew exponentially, becoming a real danger pretty soon. More and more often bigger and stronger monsters appeared at the head of the attacking beasts, bringing with them all sorts of problems. What's worse, the spiderweb they used to trap their prey was changing, too. The metal wires from which it was weaved became so thin that it was at times almost impossible to notice it, and sharp enough to cut through armor and bone — while maintaining the resilience of superb steel. The whole Labyrinth was covered in it, turning from crimson to dull grey. The cohort bled much more because of the invisible webs than they did because of the spiders themselves. Of course, the iron spiders were cunning creatures, too. More often than not, they only attacked once one of the humans was caught in their nets, leading to a few really harrowing experiences for the members of Changing Star's party. And there was a wide variety of other terrifying creatures waiting to ambush them in the twisting pathways of the crimson coral, too. What made them so dangerous was that the cohort didn't know anything about their anatomy and abilities. Every fight was a gamble, often resulting in one or several of them sustaining serious wounds. There were three things that made the situation somewhat bearable. The first one was Nephis and her healing flames. Although using the Aspect Ability took a toll on their leader, it was often worth it, especially if one of the members of the cohort received wounds that limited their mobility. ReadNovelFull.me One thing was far more dangerous than any Nightmare Creature that lived in the Labyrinth, and it was not reaching safety before the torrent of black water flooded the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, bringing inconceivable horrors with it. Thanks to Neph, they didn't have to worry about anyone slowing the cohort down. The second reason, unexpectedly, was the iron spiders themselves. Because of the peculiar way they hunted, a lot of creatures found their deaths in the cutting embrace of the wire spiderwebs. Finding these eviscerated corpses or cac.o.o.ns containing old carca.s.ses became a common occurrence once the party invaded the depths of the spider territory. Thanks to that, six humans were able to study and antic.i.p.ate many of the monsters they had to face in this region of the Labyrinth. A lot of potentially deadly surprises had been avoided due to the cohort stumbling onto a corpse of a similar creature prior to fighting against a living one and spending some time to learn about its strengths and weaknesses. The third reason was the Blood Arrow. In the hands of an experienced archer, it was almost as deadly as it would have been in the hands of an inexperienced one… the difference being that the latter would mostly be a danger to themselves, quickly turning into a bloodless husk. The first time Kai had used it, Sunny experienced a disturbing feeling of shock. That time, they were facing a large group of iron spiders led by a much larger arachnid — the awakened monster of their tribe, similar in status to a carapace centurion. These creatures were much heavier and more powerful, with thick plates of iron armor covering their bodies almost completely. Even Caster's enchanted sword had trouble cutting through their defenses. What's worse, due to the speed with which the wretched abominations moved, it was especially hard to catch them in a gap between the armor plates. Sunny was facing two smaller iron spiders at once while the Stone Saint was butchering the third one. With his shadow observing what was happening behind his back, he didn't miss the moment when the cunning awakened monster suddenly disengaged from Nephis and dashed into his direction, its mandibles moving in antic.i.p.ation of tasting human flesh. Calmly preparing to dodge, Sunny tensed his muscles… and narrowed his eyes. Whistling over his shoulder, a menacing black arrow suddenly streaked through the air. Its shaft was made out of dark polished wood, with black feathers for fletching and a vicious white arrowhead that seemed to be cut from pale white bone, like a sharp fang of some terrible creature. The arrow easily pierced the thick iron plate protecting the spider and tore deep into his body. Even though Kai messed up his shot a bit and hit the monster in its abdomen instead of the head, the results were nothing short of harrowing. In the next moment, the awakened monster suddenly slowed down and staggered. Then, it tried to lunge forward once again, but ended up losing its balance and weekly falling to the ground. Its limbs moved slightly, quickly losing any form of cohesion. Their movements grew slower and slower and then stopped. Beneath the iron plates, the spider's body grew taut and shriveled, like that of a mummy. Soon, it seemed completely… drained. Sunny blinked, shaken by this disturbing image, and couldn't help but glance briefly at his forearm. …If not for the Blood Weave, he might have ended up as a shriveled corpse, too. He would have gone through with cutting off his arm and survived, most likely. But if he had been a couple of seconds too late… 'Better not to think about.' Anyway, he was glad that the Blood Arrow was on their side now. Not too far away from him, gliding through the air, Kai suddenly made a strange gasping sound. Sunny didn't know what it felt like to have your blood magically drained and then suddenly returned to your body, but he doubted that it was pleasant. Also, there was this question… if Kai's blood was used to create the arrow and then returned to him — if he had hit his mark, of course — then… where did the blood drained from the prey went? He wasn't sure that he wanted to know. In any case, with Nightingale in possession of the morbid Ascended Memory, their battles with iron spiders and other inhabitants of the Labyrinth became a bit less perilous. The Blood Arrow did not have any enchantments that needed to be activated by manipulating soul essence, so the charming archer could use it to its full potential. Although Sunny was still a bit bitter about having to give such a menacing weapon away, he was now more confident than ever that his decision was the right one. …Just like that, six more days pa.s.sed by. During this time, he didn't gain any new Memories, but managed to acc.u.mulate eighteen more shadow fragments, bringing his total to three hundred and forty. He was still not as strong physically as he had been before creating the Shadow Saint, but getting closer and closer. In the evening of the sixth day, bloodied and exhausted, the cohort had finally approached the goal of the first leg of their expedition. Looking at it, Sunny couldn't help but stop in his tracks. His eyes slightly widened. 'Of course…' ReadNovelFull.me?
221	Chapter 221 Zenith In front of them, the ground was shattered, creating a t.i.tanic fracture. The canyon was so deep and vast that Sunny had to strain his eyes to see the other side of it. Crimson coral clung to its walls, spilling over the edge like a torrent of blood. A long time ago, a graceful bridge of white stone connected the two sides of the canyon together. Now, however, it was broken, with only its base remaining in place. Looking at the bridge, Sunny realized that there must have been an ancient road somewhere beneath their feet. It led directly to the main gates of the ancient city, moving across the colossal canyon by means of the miraculous bridge and pa.s.sing beneath the grandiose arch of white marble. Come to think of it, the headless knight, the Ashen Barrow, and the graceful woman whose hands had saved him twice were also situated in a straight line. Perhaps there was another road leading east, too. However, this thought disappeared from his head as quickly as it had appeared. All his attention was drawn to the remnants of the stone bridge, where... Stood another giant statue. Right above the weathered ruins stood a colossal stone warrior. He was clad in an archaic cuira.s.s, with a beautiful spear resting on his shoulder. The warrior was facing south, as though greeting the travelers who traveled on the road to reach the ancient city. …Of course, his head was missing. More than that, the whole statue was covered in vast sheets of dull grey spiderweb, as if dressed in a solemn burial shroud. Sunny shivered, afraid to imagine what kind of creature was capable of creating the thick metal cables of the web that encompa.s.sed the stone colossus. ReadNovelFull.me Noticing his expression, Effie smiled. "Scary, huh?" Sunny gave her a nod, hoping against all hope that they would not have to find out the answer to his question. For once, his hopes were not shattered to pieces. The vivacious huntress sighed. "I haven't seen it myself, but I heard stories of the creature that used to make its nest here. It was the mother of all these d.a.m.nable spiders we've been dealing with for the past week. A huge menace of a Nightmare Creature, as big as a house and utterly deadly. Armored like a hover tank, too." Sunny gulped and cast a sideways look at Nephis. "What's a hover tank?" Effie blinked a couple of times, then answered in an amused tone: "Oh, right! You're a school dropout, I almost forgot. You've seen a PTV before, right? PTV stands for a "personal transport vehicle", as you know. I hope. Well, a tank is sort of like that, only much bigger and heavier, with thick armor and a kinetic or energy cannon installed on it. The government sometimes employs them to support Awakened when a Gate opens near populated areas." Sunny tried to imagine such a vehicle and hazily remembered seeing something like this on the news when he was a kid. Mostly, these tanks Effie had described were shown opened like tin cans, with their crews pulled out and eaten by attacking monsters. He shivered. Mundane people had no business fighting against Nightmare Creatures. To be completely honest, even Awakened were had no business facing them. It's just that they had no other choice. "...We're not going to try and kill that big spider, are we?" Effie laughed. "Actually, it's you lucky day. We won't be meeting the Spider Mommy. In fact, no one ever will. She's long dead." Sunny sighed with relief and glanced at the huntress: "Yeah, great. But how do you know?" She shrugged. "She was killed by the second ruler of the Bright Castle — before he went and got himself killed trying to conquer the Crimson Spire. The huntress who showed me the ropes when I arrived on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e had actually been one of the members of his cohort once, if you can believe it. In fact, she was the one who dealt the finishing blow to that abomination." Effie looked at the giant ma.s.s of spiderwebs and shook her head. "It must have been one h.e.l.l of a battle, huh? Anyway, I'm glad that she did. That's how she received the Zenith Shard, which I then inherited." Sunny frowned. "What exactly are you talking about?" The huntress leaned on her beautiful bronze spear and patted its shaft. "My spear. It's a tier-five Awakened Memory, so the big bad spider was an awakened tyrant, I guess. Can you imagine? All these creepy crawlers serving a sentient commander. Thank G.o.ds it's dead." Sunny looked at her with a dubious expression. "Why would that mentor of your gave away such a treasure?" Effie was silent for a few moments, then smiled. "Ah, we were kind of close. Plus, she had no idea how to use a spear. Sorcerers, am I right? In any case, she gave the Zenith Shard to me." Despite her carefree tone, he could tell that that smile was fake. Effie did not let it show, but Sunny could tell that the death of this huntress whose name he didn't even know had met affected her more than she was telling. Who knows. Since Effie's original cohort had perished in the catacombs, their corpses might still be somewhere there, in those cursed tunnels. However, something else was on his mind. Sunny furrowed his brow. Midnight Shard, Zenith Shard. Was there a connection? He didn't know. There might have been. He had received the Midnight Shard from Nephis, who had gotten it after killing the Carapace Demon. The Demon, even though it had been enthralled by the Soul Devourer, appeared as the leader of the Nightmare Creature in that region of the Labyrinth… just like the brood mother of the iron spiders had been. Two headless statues, two powerful abominations, two Memories with similar names. Wasn't it a little bit too much to be a coincidence? Glancing at Effie, he asked: "Was your spear forged from a shard of a fallen star, by chance?" Just as he said it, Ca.s.sie slightly turned her head, listening to their conversation. That small detail told Sunny everything he wanted to know. The huntress raised her eyebrows. "It was, at least according to its description. Who told you?" A corner of Sunny's lips slightly curled upward. "No one. I just guessed." With that, he left Effie alone and walked forward. It seemed as though he was right. There was some hidden meaning behind the names of these two Memories. Ca.s.sie seemed to know something about it, and that meant that Nephis did, too. And yet, they chose to keep it from Sunny and the rest of the cohort. He sighed. 'So this expedition is not as simple as it seems.' Not that it ever seemed particularly simple, to begin with. He had guessed a long time ago that Changing Star had some hidden motive to want to leave the Dark City, but now, his suspicions were as good as confirmed. The smile disappeared from Sunny's face. He didn't like being kept in the dark at all. 'Kept in the dark, huh. Oh, the irony…' At that moment, his shadow reached the base of the giant statue. With a deep frown, Sunny summoned the Midnight Shard and glanced at Nephis, putting all needless thought aside. "There's a nest ahead. We will have to destroy it to access the statue. Lots of spiders... some bigger ones, too." She gave him a nod and turned to face the others. "We need to clear the nest and climb the statue before the sun sets. Prepare for battle..." ReadNovelFull.me?
222	Chapter 222 Clearing the Nest A clear and melodic sound of a ringing bell reverberated through the air above the Labyrinth, alerting the monstrous spiders hiding in the enormous coc.o.o.n of grey webs that a new prey came knocking on their door. Moments later, swift bodies clad in heavy plates of iron armor shot from beneath the grey spiderweb, moving through the steel wires with terrifying speed. There were enough Nightmare Creatures in that wave to obliterate anything that stood in their way… seemingly. However, what stood in their way were two figures — one tall and boisterous, the other one on the shorter side and radiating a strange feeling of indifferent firmness. They were Effie and the Stone Saint. Both held their shields raised, the tips of their weapons resting on their edges. As the huntress grinned, the Shadow silently struck the rim of her shield with the blade of her sword twice. As if answering that call, a vicious black arrow suddenly appeared from somewhere above, hitting the leading spider right in one of its many eyes. The monster's legs buckled, and it fell to the ground, forcing those creatures that followed behind to either dash around or jump over the ma.s.sive body. A fraction of a second later, the wave of spiders crashed into the small shield wall. A deafening roar of iron striking against iron resounded under the grey skies of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e like a thunderclap. Despite the furious force if the a.s.sault, Effie and the Stone Saint somehow held — at least for now. As soon as the momentum of the iron spiders was slowed down a little, Nephis and Caster appeared out of nowhere and attacked the ma.s.s of repulsive creatures from the sides. At the same time, a stonelike sword and a beautiful bronze spear lashed out from behind the shields. Black blood splashed into the air. Meanwhile, Sunny softly landed on the ground behind the Nightmare Creatures and stealthily moved through the shadows, swiftly approaching them from the back. The Midnight Shard flashed, sending one of the spiders into the embrace of death. ReadNovelFull.me [You have slain an awakened beast…] Without listening to the Spell, Sunny used the precious moments before the enemy noticed his presence to wreck as much havoc as possible. His tachi moved twice more, severing several limbs and heavily wounding another abomination. After that, the spiders finally reacted to his treacherous attack… 'Not treacherous... just... smart!' With Effie and the Stone Saint holding the front, Nephis and Caster attacking from the sides, and Sunny closing the trap from behind, the monstrous arachnids were now surrounded from all sides. …Well, sort of. Of course, a small group of dormant humans could never hope to truly surround this many superior Nightmare Creatures, not even with the help of a monster of their own. Trapped or not, as soon as the iron spiders had the time to react, they could easily overwhelm and tear them to pieces. Especially Sunny, who was behind the line these vicious creatures and all alone. If the spiders decided to shift the focus of their attack, he would be dead in seconds. As another black arrow hit one of the larger spiders in the abdomen, Sunny hissed and dove under a spider scythe, then thrust his sword forward, ruthlessly piercing the head of the beast through its open, salivating mouth. [You have…] With no time to tear the Midnight Shard from the spider's corps, Sunny let go of its hilt and jumped back, narrowly avoiding being crushed by another ironclad creature. The few seconds of the advantage they had were coming to an end. A moment or two later, the spiders were bound to come to their senses. Even though the cohort had managed to kill ten or so in this short window of time, there were still enough of the deadly creatures to rip them to shreds. Sunny didn't even have to look at Nephis to feel the shift in her movements. The silent understanding the two of them developed during their journey through the Labyrinth many months ago was still there, allowing them to cooperate perfectly without the need to use any words, as though they were two parts of the same whole. In fact, despite the rift in their relationship, this bond was stronger than ever. Perhaps because they understood each other so much better now... for better or for worse. Ah, it was so exhilarating to fight side by side with Changing Star once again… Just before the spiders were able to turn the tide of the battle in their favor, Effie and the Stone Saint — who was following Sunny's command — suddenly moved to the sides. Nephis, Caster, and Sunny braced themselves. Behind the improvised shield wall stood Ca.s.sie. She was holding a wooden staff in her hands, while an elegant rapier hovered in the air above her shoulder. The tip of the rapier pointed directly at the spiders. As though following the direction of the Quiet Dancer's blade, Ca.s.sie moved her staff and activated its enchantment. Immediately, a powerful gust of hurricane wind slammed into the ma.s.s of the Nightmare Creatures, sending several of them reeling and throwing clouds of dust into the air. Of course, it wasn't strong enough to truly throw these abominations off their balance or damage them in any way. However, that wasn't the plan. Spider kin of these creatures back on Earth had a uniquely powerful sense of hearing. Which was rather strange, considering that they had no organs that resembled ears at all. The truth of the matter was that spiders were able to feel the vibrations of sound waves. They were also masterful architects, using the vibrations in the specially created threads weaved into their webs to sense the movements of their prey from afar. These Nightmare Creatures were much the same. As the powerful wind threw dust into the air and made every wire of every surrounding spiderweb vibrate all at once, they were momentarily disoriented. The members of the cohort were waiting for this exact moment. Instantly, they attacked with ferocious determination, spilling rivers of viscous black blood onto the ground. Sunny himself had already gotten his austere sword back, and now used its razor-sharp blade to gut the beast that had forced him to retreat a couple of seconds ago. [You have slain…] By the time the iron spiders came back to their senses, their numbers were significantly diminished. …But there were still so many of them. After that, the battlefield became consumed with chaos. There was no time for plans or tactics anymore. Every member of the cohort had to face off against multiple opponents, fighting with desperate resolve against enemies that surpa.s.sed them both in terms of personal power and numbers. Only the Stone Saint was calm and indifferent, moving through the ranks of the iron spiders like a graceful incarnation of pure darkness. The battle fell apart into several small pockets of fearsome violence. Kai was trying to support his companions from above, but with how intense the fighting got, he was having trouble finding the opportunities to take shots without risking hitting them. He was too afraid to take a risk, knowing all too well how harrowing the effects of the Blood Arrow were. If even the Nightmare Creatures of higher rank were doomed to succ.u.mb to a torturous death after being wounded by the ghastly Memory, humans like them had no chance of surviving. For now, people on the ground were on their own. ...Sunny was struggling against two ironclad abominations, gritting his teeth in exasperation. The d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.ds were too fast to reliably hit them in the gaps in armor and too d.a.m.n powerful to face them directly. As the result, he was forced to constantly dance between the two of them, dodging the whirlwind of strikes that rained on him from all sides. "Curses!" Jumping back, he held the Midnight Shard with one hand and used another to throw the Prowling Thorn in the direction of one of the spiders. The creature easily dodged the kunai and continued its attack, threatening to slice Sunny's hand clean off. He had no choice but to retreat once again. …Behind the menacing beast, the throwing dagger continued to spin. A few moments later, it cut a smooth arch in the air and flew back, as if turning into a boomerang. Sadly, just like the spiders back on Earth, these repulsive creatures had an almost absolute field of vision. The seconds spider simply moved its head down at the last moment without even bothering to turn it, dodging the heavy kunai that approached it from behind. But Sunny was never trying to wound the Nightmare Creatures with the Prowling Thorn, to begin with. Instead, he wanted to let them taste their own medicine. A moment later, the invisible string of his kunai drew taut, wrapped around two ma.s.sive bodies. Just like prey used to be caught in their webs, the iron spiders were now caught by the invisible string of the Prowling Thorn, tripping over it and crashing into each other. Sunny dashed forward and let the Midnight Shard sing. The graceful blade flashed twice, sending two ugly spider heads spinning into the air. [You have slain an awakened beast, Iron Spider.] [Your shadow grows stronger.] Kicking one of the heads away, Sunny swiftly glanced around, searching for a new enemy. But there were none. [...You have slain an awakened beast, Iron Spider.] [Your shadow grows stronger.] [You have received a Memory.] The gargantuan coc.o.o.n of steel spiderwebs was empty. Corpses of its previous inhabitants littered the ground, oozing with black blood. The cohort had cleared the entire nest full of Awakened abominations. No matter how incredible, this was the undeniable truth. They had won. ReadNovelFull.me?
223	Chapter 223 Natural Selection The danger was gone, so Sunny allowed himself to tiredly kneel on the ground, his breathing heavy and laborious. The strenuous battle against the host of spiders had not lasted long, but he was utterly exhausted. The intensity of these perilous minutes was enough to bring anyone down to their knees. 'Too weak. I am still too weak.' With a heavy sigh, he summoned the runes and glanced at the number of shadow fragments. Shadow Fragments: [362/1000]. Not bad. Clearing the nest had given him twenty-two fragments — ten for the five iron spiders he had killed himself, and another twelve for those slain by the Shadow Saint. With the taciturn monster serving as his murderous pet, the speed with which Sunny was able to acc.u.mulate power was twice as fast, at least. If things continued like this, the Stone Saint was going to return his investment of a hundred shadow fragments in no time. 'If I live long enough.' With a grimace, Sunny dismissed the Midnight Shard and slowly got up. The sun was already rolling down toward the horizon, so they had to hurry with collecting soul shards from the corpses of the iron spiders. ReadNovelFull.me There were a lot of corpses… Cutting one of the beasts open with the Prowling Thorn, Sunny struggled with the idea that they had eviscerated this many Nightmare Creatures. Of course, he had expected this much. After all, Nephis and Sunny had been able to fight against two or three carapace scavengers back when it was only the two of them. Both of them were much weaker, less experienced, and barely equipped with Memories back then, too. Now that they had spent seven whole months in the Dream Realm — many times more than most Sleepers ever had to — and tempered themselves against the perilous h.e.l.lscape of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, both their skill and level of power had dramatically increased. Add the fact that there were two other powerhouses fighting alongside them, as well as Nightingale and the menacing Stone Saint, and the outcome of the battle ceased to be that surprising. And yet, observing the carnage that they had left if their wake still made Sunny doubt his eyes. These were Awakened Nightmare Creatures, still. The real reason why the cohort had won did not lie in the individual prowess of its members, but in their ability to cooperate and control the battlefield. The iron spiders were powerful and deadly, but at the end of the day, they were still mindless beasts. That's why they had allowed themselves to be surrounded and trapped. Had they been commanded by a creature of a higher Cla.s.s, one that was as cunning and smart as the humans it faced, things would have turned out very differently. Sunny sighed. Come to think of it, the Labyrinth was a curious place. It teemed with abominable creatures of all kinds, but almost all of them were of the mindless variety. The only two exceptions he knew about were the Carapace Demon and the Spider Matriarch, who had been either a devil or a tyrant. Perhaps it was just the nature of this place. Nothing too big and strong could escape from the flood of black water that drowned the world every night. Only comparatively small monsters were able to run away or hide — both from the dark sea itself and from the hungry terrors that inhabited it. These monsters were an almost insurmountable threat to those unfortunate young people who were sent to this forsaken h.e.l.l by the Spell, but by the standards of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e itself, they were nothing but insects. A horde of parasites who fed on the crumbs left behind by the true masters of this place. 'What a depressing thought.' This notion poured cold water on Sunny's pride over their achievement. 'Well. Whatever…' Soon, they were done with the gruesome job of fishing out the soul shards out of the dead spiders. While Nephis was dividing the spoils among the members of the cohort, Sunny used the chance to dive into his Soul Sea and inspect the Memory he had received during the battle. It turned out to be a cloak weaved from spider silk. Judging from the description, the cloak could provide him with a small amount of protection against physical attacks, simple by virtue of being very hard to piece. Without thinking too much, Sunny fed the cloak to the Stone Saint. It was just a tier-one Memory, so no amount of protection it could provide would be of any help in this d.a.m.ned place. He would also rather kill himself than go into a battle while wearing a cloak. There were easier and less painful ways to die. Plus, it was white. Didn't exactly go along with the dark grey fabric of the Puppeteer's Shard, not to mention being a hindrance to anything having to do with stealth. The Stone Saint absorbed another shadow fragment, at least. Receiving his share of the soul shards and entrusting them to Effie, who had more than enough s.p.a.ce in her enchanted bag, Sunny glanced at Nephis. Changing Star was looking at the sun, calculating something in her head. After a few moments, she sighed and said: "We still have some time. Let's explore the nest before ascending the statue." Sunny grinned. As an amateur explorer, this was exactly what he wanted to hear. \\\* The nest was formed by endless wires of the strange metal web and resembled a vast sphere. It was built around one of the legs of the stone colossus, effectively blocking the path to the bridge. The entrance was situated high above the ground, and extremely wide. Looking at the diameter of that hole gave Sunny an understanding of just how big the Spider Matriarch had been. He shivered. The second lord of the Castle had been a very powerful individual. Sunny didn't even want to imagine what the battle with the giant arachnid must have looked like. Inside, it was dark and damp. Drops of black water were falling from above, creating an ominous melody. Peering into the darkness, Sunny suddenly stumbled and froze for a moment. This… he didn't expect. ReadNovelFull.me?
224	Chapter 224 Pyre Inside the giant nest of spiderwebs, a desiccated corpse of the colossal Matriarch lay shriveled on the floor, its iron carapace shattered by some devastating blow. The creature was long dead, but the sight of it was still terrifying. The vast abdomen of the brood mother, however, appeared to have been severed much later than her fatal battle against the Lord of the Bright Castle. It almost looked as if it was… torn apart from within. Inside the terrifying wound, Sunny noticed the shattered remnants of five giant, metallic eggs. The size of them was about the same as that of the five monstrous Fallen Beasts that had destroyed the original Stone Saint and her brethren back in the Dark City. 'So… that was where they came from.' Looking away with a shiver, Sunny noticed numerous coc.o.o.ns of spiderwebs attached to the walls of the nest all around the dead Matriarch. Inside them, withered carca.s.ses of Nightmare Creatures of all shapes and sizes were preserved in a strangely good condition. This was a true museum of terror. The Nightmare Creatures appeared as though they were kept alive inside the coc.o.o.ns for a long, long time before finally succ.u.mbing to death and turning into mummified corpses. Perhaps the abominable spiders stored them there for later consumption. Or… not. Noticing a few coc.o.o.ns that had been broken open and what was inside of them, Sunny had to try hard to stop himself from vomiting. ReadNovelFull.me The iron spiders did not use the monsters caught in the coc.o.o.ns for food. ...They used them as incubators. The creatures in the broken coc.o.o.ns had been devoured from within. A few of them still had hundreds of small, moist eggs embedded into their flesh, with embryonic spiderlings moving weakly behind the slightly transparent sh.e.l.ls. 'Curse… it all…' d.a.m.n these spiders, d.a.m.n the Labyrinth, d.a.m.n the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e… and especially d.a.m.n the d.a.m.ned Nightmare Spell that had brought him here. Sunny suddenly felt tired of this long, feverish, neverending nightmare he had found himself in. But the worse was still to come. He was the first to notice it. With a dark grimace suddenly appearing on his face, Sunny called out to his companions. Then, he led them deeper into the nest, where, attached to the wall, hung a coc.o.o.n that was different from all the others. Because this one hid a rough silhouette of a human body. The six of them stood somberly around the coc.o.o.n, each consumed by their own dark thoughts. Finally, Nephis turned her head to Caster and said: "Can you sword cut it open?" With a short nod, the proud Legacy summoned the enchanted jian and took a step forward. Approaching the coc.o.o.n, he stopped and hesitated for a few moments. "Be careful." Glancing back at Changing Star, Caster lingered for a second, and then faced the coc.o.o.n with grim determination written on his face. As ghostly green light emanated from the blade of his sword, he swung it with the graceful precision of an expert swordsman. The tip of the jian cut through the metal wires of the coc.o.o.n, splitting it open. A shriveled human body fell to the floor, making the Legacy jump back. Nephis, Caster, and Sunny stared at it, their faces pale and full of ghastly resentment. Then, Sunny bent over and emptied the contents of his stomach. …This was just too much. The young man whose corpse they found in this harrowing place did not die an easy death. In fact, being eaten alive from the inside by a hundred of tiny Nightmare Creatures was probably the worst fate imaginable. At least Sunny couldn't think of anything worse. But even worse still, he recognized the dead Sleeper. His face was strangely intact, with an expression of horrifying agony frozen on it forever. Despite the overall condition of the corpse, Sunny knew who it was just from one look. It was the young man who had attended the Academy with them, the one who had called him a shorty when Sunny first approached Caster to create the impression that he was a boastful lunatic. Looking at their condition, Effie frowned: "Did you guys know him?" After a few moments of silence, Caster slowly nodded. "Yes. His name is… his name was Stephen. He was the youngest heir of the Pandavar clan. 'Stephen…' Sunny had not even bothered to learn the name of this arrogant young man back when they were preparing to venture into the Dream Realm at the Academy. In fact, he had really disliked him, and for a good reason. But looking at the hideous, terrifying corpse in front of him, he had forgotten all about it. Sunny would never wish this fate on anyone, let alone one of his fellow students. Slowly, a solemn mood took overtook the cohort. They had already known that the other three Sleepers sent to the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e this year never made it to the Dark City, which meant that they had perished somewhere in the Labyrinth. However, finding one of them served as a stark reminder of how fragile their own lives were. Who knew what would happen to them in the future? If not today, death could be waiting for them tomorrow. Perhaps years from now, it would be their corpses that someone would stumble upon by accident. Some time later, Nephis gritted her teeth and turned away. Then, she said, her voice suppressed and hollow: "We need to leave. The sun is setting." Her words broke the silence and brought everyone back from their grim reveries. Caster lingered for a few minutes, then spoke in a hesitant tone: "Aren't we… aren't we going to bury him?" Changing Star shook her head. "There's not enough time. I also don't want anyone touching the bodies infected with these eggs. It's too dangerous." The members of the cohort looked at each other. No one had a reasonable objection, but it felt wrong to just leave their fellow human here. Finally, Nephis sighed. A complicated expression appeared on her face, and then she said: "...Alright. Go. I'll catch up with you guys later." Sunny stared at her for a few moments, and then slowly turned away. One after another, the five of them glanced at Changing Star and left, leaving her alone with the dead young man and numerous coc.o.o.ns, each hiding a slain Nightmare Creatures. As soon as the last member of the cohort climbed out of the nest, a beam of pure radiance suddenly shot from the dark hole of its entrance, followed by a wave of scorching heat. The purifying fire unleashed by Changing Star engulfed the remains of their fellow student and then spread to the numerous coc.o.o.ns, the Nightmare Creatures inside of them, and even the corpse of the Spider Matriarch herself. The insides of the nest turned into an incandescent, incinerating furnace. Everything inside of it was doomed to be annihilated and turn to ashes. A few minutes later, the whole structure was consumed by furious white flames. Nephis had escaped the burning nest shortly after the rest of her cohort, her face pale and tired. Leaving the grandiose funeral pyre behind, they began ascending the statue of the ancient warrior. The night was approaching. ReadNovelFull.me?
225	Chapter 225 On the Shoulders of Giants Once they climbed all the way to the broad shoulders of the statue and found a suitable place to make camp, everyone looked down without having to say anything. Far below them, the giant nest was still aflame. The cables that const.i.tuted it were melting and turning into rivers of liquid metal, flowing down from the edges into the vast abyss of the canyon. The turbulent black waters were rising from below to meet them. When the two streams met — one lightless, the other incandescent — billowing columns of hot vapor shot into the air. For a few moments, it seemed as though light and darkness were on equal footing. But then the cursed sea rose from the depths of the canyon in a surge and washed away the brightness of melting iron away. The flood of blackness crashed into the burning nest, dousing it. A minute a so later, the white flames were gone. The surface of the dark sea continued to rise, as though nothing had ever happened. Sunny sighed and turned to Nephis. Now that they had reached their goal, it was time to face the real danger. With a grim expression on his face, he asked: "So… now what?" ReadNovelFull.me He knew the general concept of how she was planning to reach the southern edges of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e in a short time, but not the details. Changing Star glanced at him, lingered for a moment, and then said: "We arrived at the canyon faster than I expected. There are still two days left before we can act. So, make yourself at home. We'll rest tomorrow and start preparing for it the next day." Sunny smiled. Rest… that sounded swell. Plus, he wasn't really looking forward to making use of the "fast and comparatively safe" method of traveling through the Labyrinth that Nephis had talked about. In fact, he would rather never have to use it at all. \\\* Just like that, the cohort found itself with nothing to do for the next two days. Before leaving the Dark City, Changing Star had antic.i.p.ated that various things could slow them down and padded the schedule of the expedition with extra time. Who knew that they would actually make it to the broken bridge so fast? In any case, Sunny wasn't complaining. He had a lot to do and think about. For example, the mysterious connection between his tachi, Effie's spear, and the headless statues that stood around the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. The statues represented the seven valiant heroes that had made an oath to return light to this cursed land thousands of years ago. Sunny had seen three of them by now: the knight, the graceful woman, and now this mighty warrior. Did every statue have a connection with a specific Memory? If so, what was that connection and why was Nephis so reluctant to share this information with everyone? Well… it wasn't like he and Changing Star were very close now. Sunny had drawn a clear line to denote the nature of their relationship himself. He insisted that he was not a true member of the cohort, but merely a hired specialist. Why would she share her secret with him? This was a logical conclusion, but Sunny couldn't help but feel a bit resentful. Despite the fact that he was her first partner, now, the situation had changed. Nephis had other people to rely on… like Caster. So why would she say that Sunny was the only person she trusted on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e except for Ca.s.sie, and then hide her technique from Caster? Everything felt so complicated. In any case, there was an invisible line drawn between the core members of the hunting party and the outsiders — Sunny and Kai. No one consciously avoided them, but it was clear that the line existed. When all was said and done, the four true members of the cohort preferred each other's company. That's why Sunny and Kai ended up spending a lot of time together, chatting about this and that and generally having a nice time. Honestly, Sunny couldn't complain. As far as companions went, the charming archer was not the worst option. Plus, their conversations were extremely entertaining. Kai had a lot of fun stories about his life as a celebrity, while Sunny had plenty of macabre anecdotes about his life in the outskirts. Their life experiences were so vastly different that it was almost as if they were from different worlds. As a result, both felt like they were listening to fictional stories about some strange and fantastical land that they had never heard about before. Sunny spent the rest of his time training with the sword, trying to turn Shadow Dance from an ethereal concept into a practical set of core principles. The progress was painfully slow, but now there was progress, at least. He was having so much trouble because his chosen battle style was so strange and elusive. Unlike most styles, which started with certain movements and steps, this one was supposed to imitate any movement and any step instead of introducing its own. So it was more about the state of mind and the flexibility of his physical behavior. Sunny had to create a set of training exercises that would allow his body and muscle memory to become capable of adapting to any style and turn pliable like a shadow. On the first day of trying, his whole body ached. Despite his incredible physical shape and experience with tough training, Sunny ended up straining the muscles that he didn't even know he had, and force those that he did know about to behave in a way that was utterly different from what they were used to. Actually, his previous training was even detrimental to the whole process. He had to make himself unlearn a lot of things to allow for this strange style to take root in his very bones. Thankfully, the foundation of his technique was Changing Star's flowing style, which itself was designed for maximum adaptability. If Sunny learned another style or was further into mastering any existing technique, this would have been ten times harder, if not impossible. …Needless to say, his exercises were in no way similar to the beautiful and graceful dance he had seen in his dream. In fact, from the side, Sunny must have looked as though he was having a seizure. He caught more than one amused stare while practicing. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that he was slowly pushing himself toward mastering the basics of Shadow Dance... and, hopefully, receiving his first Relic. ReadNovelFull.me?
226	Chapter 226 The Fool On the evening of the first of the two days that they had at their disposal, Sunny climbed all the way to the highest point of the statue and sat there alone, looking at the setting sun. He felt as though he had to find a sense of balance that he had lost at some point along the way. Not because he missed it, but because he was going to need that balance to remain firm and steady when the moment of truth came. If he was right about the future, then this was probably the last day of peace he would experience until this whole thing was over. Not only the expedition… But all of it. Looking back, his behavior in these past few months was highly erratic. Where were the cold rationality and ruthlessness that saved him so many times in the past? The caution and devious cunning that allowed him to survive the First Nightmare? He had not been acting like himself for a long time. Yes, his mental state had suffered greatly because of everything that had happened. But was it the only reason? Come to think of it… The first blow dealt to him was the bitter revelation that there was no Gateway in the Bright Castle. After everything that Sunny had endured to make it to the Dark City, the crushing intensity of their journey through the Labyrinth, the diabolical trap of the Soul Devourer and their escape from it, the cold and harrowing night of traversing the dark sea… all of it turned out to have been for nothing. Not only were they not rewarded for their efforts, but all of their hopes were mercilessly destroyed and obliterated instead. ReadNovelFull.me This alone was enough to drive a person mad. Then came the feeling of alienation he felt while living with Nephis, Ca.s.sie, and all the newcomers in the outer settlement. Instead of finding support and solace in the company of his friends, Sunny fell into his old habit. Unconsciously, he turned himself into an outcast to prevent anyone from making him one. This was the most noticeable, but not the only instance of him regressing to his old self. After fighting so hard to change and grow, Sunny ended up abandoning most of the lessons he had learned after becoming infected by the Nightmare Spell. He was almost like an addict relapsing after a few days of sobriety and giving up completely because of this one small mistake. But who could blame him? Sunny was already shaking under the pressure of the situation. One little push, and he would fall under its weight. In the end, it was not one, but three blows that shattered him completely. As though the world wanted to make sure that he was truly broken. First was the terrible epiphany of what Ca.s.sie's vision really meant. Almost instantly after that, while Sunny was still reeling, came the fatal mistake in the conversation with Harper and the brutal murder that followed. And if that was not enough, the person he relied on the most to keep his sanity in this cursed place, Nephis, made it impossible for him to trust her any longer. Anyone would have collapsed under that weight. And yet Sunny managed to keep his balance, even if just barely. The final straw that finally broke him was the excruciating, neverending sea of torturous pain he suffered after being mortally wounded by the Black Knight. After that, Sunny had relinquished all pretense of having control. And now here he was. Playing the fool, acting like a fool, and fooling around with Kai and Effie. Wasn't it fun? Wasn't it easy? Yes, his mental state wasn't great. But it was also very convenient to blame everything on this condition. The truth of it… The truth of it was that Sunny did not try to reign himself in at all. In fact, he welcomed this madness. Being a bit crazy was comforting, simple, and safe. It protected him from having to look at the heartbreaking truth and remember it. Sunny needed the shield of madness to save himself from the bottomless despair that threatened to destroy him completely. So what if he was p.r.o.ne to act recklessly in this state? So what if he made mistakes here and there and took unnecessary risks? Anything was better than having to face that despair. Just like Nephis had said, one had to become a little insane to survive in the world that had gone mad. …And yet, Sunny knew that what he was doing was nothing but hiding his head in the sand. And now that the end was approaching, he had to stop hiding from the truth. He had to admit and endure it. This was the only way for him to survive. …As the sun disappeared behind the horizon and the absolute darkness drowned the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, he sighed deeply and whispered: "Alright. Alright. It's time to wake up." \\\* The next day, six humans were standing at the edge of the vast canyon as the twilight of dusk drowned the world in shadows. Far below them, the black waters of the cursed sea were raging, rising from the depths in a terrifying, obliterating wave. In a few minutes, all light was going to be completely gone. And then, the flood of darkness would wash over the world, destroying anyone left standing in its path. …And yet, the humans were not rushing to get away. Instead, they just stood there and waited. Looking down into the canyon, Sunny gritted his teeth and shivered. Then, he glanced at Nephis and licked his dry lips. "Are you sure about this?" Changing Star did not spare him a look and simply nodded. Despite the fact that the rising black water was quickly approaching them, her face was calm and composed. A moment later, the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared, leaving them in utter darkness. The silence that surrounded them was broken only by the sound of waves rushing against the walls of the canyon. Getting closer and closer. "Prepare yourselves." Sunny sighed. 'Here we go.' Suddenly, a blinding burst of white light pierced the darkness. Holding the incandescent sword in her hand, Nephis closed her shining eyes for a second… And then raised the sword high above her head, as if calling the monsters of the depths to come take her. ReadNovelFull.me?
227	Chapter 227 Comparatively Safe The embrace of impenetrable darkness was broken by the furious white light of Changing Star's incandescent sword. Illuminated by it, six people were standing on the sh.o.r.e of a raging river. Their faces were pale and grim. The canyon had disappeared, consumed by the rising surge of the black water. Now, the cursed sea was flowing over its edges, ready to swell and flood the narrow pa.s.sages of the great Labyrinth in an unstoppable wave. Sunny felt cold water wash over his feet and shivered. The rest of the cohort reacted exactly the same — even Kai, who could escape into the lightless skies at any moment, seemed to be deeply unnerved by the closeness of the encroaching sea. Among the six of them, only three had truly experienced the perils of this dark abyss. They knew that the real dread came not from the sea itself, but from the terrors that hid in its cursed depths. Like the host of the of whispering voices that they had heard beneath the branches of the Soul Tree. Or the gargantuan creature that had almost cost Nephis her life. However, Sunny was not going to make a remark to educate the rest of the cohort. After all, what they were trying to do right now was to summon one of these terrors from below. One that was different from all the others. "Sunny?" ReadNovelFull.me Peering into the darkness, he lingered. "I don't see anything… yet." The water was already to his shins and rising swiftly. Sunny grimaced and struggled with the desire to turn around and run away without looking back. If he was fast enough… if he was lucky enough… he could still make it to the giant statue before the torrent of darkness drowned him under its crushing weight. Instead, Sunny glanced at Nephis and Ca.s.sie. The blind girl had glimpsed this secret of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e in her visions and shared it with Changing Star. Changing Star had devised a plan to make use of it. Both of them were confident that they were going to succeed. So, he was going to be confident, too. Sunny didn't fully trust either of his former companions, not anymore. But he trusted their judgment. …Just as that thought appeared in his mind, there was a subtle movement at the edges of his vision. Turning his head, Sunny stared into the darkness… and trembled. "...It's here." Out there in the distance, a ma.s.sive shape was moving through the waves, attracted by the light of Changing Star's incandescent blade. The sea seethed and swirled around it, the black ma.s.s of water easily pushed away by the approaching creature. Nephis gritted her teeth and somehow made her flames burn even brighter, forcing the darkness to retreat another dozen steps. "Get ready!" A few moments later, the furious sounds of a ma.s.sive body moving through the dark water reached their ears. The creature was a true giant, easily towering above the waves even though it was walking on the bottom of the canyon. …Well, no surprise. Full of terror and awe, Sunny watched as the thing they were waiting for came closer. Soon, he could discern the general shape of it. Two hills that rose above water were its shoulders. And right between them, where the head should have been… There was nothing but emptiness. There were seven headless statues on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, but only six marks on the map created by Nephis. Not because she had failed to learn of the seventh one… But because the seventh statue never stayed in one place for too long. And now, that stone colossus was walking through the flooded canyon, his shoulder sc.r.a.ping against one of its walls. The wide chest of the headless giant pushed the water away, creating whirlpools in his wake. Raising one colossal arm, the statue easily destroyed the protruding remnants of the ancient bridge that got in its way. The debris rained into the black waves, disappearing into them without a trace. This… this was their fast and safe — comparatively — method of traveling to the edges of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. 'Truly insane,' Sunny thought, stunned by the sheer scale of everything that was happening. Come to think of it, it was really ironic. The next day after he had decided to return to some semblance of sanity, something this crazy was about to transpire. It was as though the whole world was mocking him. Shaking his head, Sunny turned to the cohort and yelled: "He's coming!" The black water was already to their knees. The members of the cohort tensed and prepared themselves for what was about to come. They only had one chance to do this. Failure meant death. A few moments later, the ma.s.sive shape of the stone colossus entered the circle of light created by Nephis. Its shoulders rose above the waves, close enough to the now invisible sh.o.r.e of the flooded canyon for them to see every tiny crack on the surface of the weathered stone. Now wasting any time, Changing Star ran forward and jumped. A moment later, the blade of her sword hit the surface of the statue and slid deep into it, as if melting the ancient stone. Using the sword as purchase, Nephis started to climb to the giant's shoulder. The other members of the cohort were following closely behind her. Kai was carrying Ca.s.sie in his arms, flying to the top of the colossus with no problem at all. Caster seemed to simply disappear and appear a moment later on the giant's shoulder, standing side by side with Changing Star. …Only Sunny was having trouble. With him not being very tall and the water level rising with each second, he found it hard to gain enough momentum for a proper jump. 'd.a.m.n... how irritating...' However, before he could come up with a solution, Effie simply grabbed him by the collar… and tossed Sunny into the air. 'W—what?!' For a few short moments, Sunny was flying. All he could hear was wind whistling in his ears. Then, he landed on top of the giant statue, rolled, and barely prevented himself from falling back into the cold embrace of the dark sea. Before he could even stand up, the mighty huntress landed near him and grinned. "Such a light…" However, before she could finish the phrase, the stone colossus moved, making everyone stumble and fall. Leaving the ruins of the bridge behind, he turned around and indifferently began walking away from it. He was walking south. ReadNovelFull.me?
228	Chapter 228 Crossing the Canyon The stone colossus wandered the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e aimlessly for thousands of years. Ca.s.sie did not know what power had brought him to life, nor what he was searching for in the depths of the dark sea. She had seen a vision of the headless giant pa.s.sing the ruins of the ancient bridge on a certain day and then traveling south to the very edges of this desolate land. She also knew that the leader of the cohort that had conquered the Bright Castle pursued the seventh statue across the Labyrinth for a long time before leaving on his doomed journey. His reasons for doing so were, presumably, unknown. Sunny wasn't sure that the blind girl had told him the whole truth about the wandering colossus. In fact, he was certain that there was a deeper layer of secrets surrounding the seven ancient statues and their importance to the riddle of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. However, he was in no hurry to hunt these secrets down. Sunny knew that all three of them — Nephis, Ca.s.sie, and himself — were bound together to this cursed place. The strings of fate were wrapped around them tightly, stretching far into the future, where the final revelations waited. He was going to learn the truth sooner or later. Until then, Sunny was content knowing no more than he needed to know. …The stone giant walked across the dark sea, cutting its surface with his wide chest. The six humans were gathered on the circular platform of his severed neck, pressing themselves against the swaying stone. The cold water was spraying into their faces and the furious winds were threatening to throw them off the moving statue into the deadly waves below. Nephis had long extinguished her flames, so they were surrounded by absolute darkness. Sunny was the only one who could see what was happening around them, so his role was to serve as the eyes of the cohort. Using the strength of the shadow to hold onto the slippery stones, he looked forward with a grim expression on his face. ReadNovelFull.me Currently, there was only one thought on his mind. Were they going to make it in time? The colossus was swiftly approaching the other side of the canyon. Sunny could identify it by the remnants of the ancient bridge that were still above the turbulent black waves. However, the water level was rising much faster. "Sunny?!" Looking toward Effie, who called out his name, he lingered for a few moments and then yelled: "Prepare yourself! We're going to be underwater for a couple of minutes, at least!" A chorus of curses served as the answer. Unseen by anyone, Sunny smiled darkly. This was going to be his second time diving into the dark sea. Wasn't this how Gunlaug had begun his journey to the throne of the Dark City? Maybe Sunny would be a king himself, one day. "...Now!" The black water rose higher and higher. The shoulders of the giant were already submerged in its lightless depths. The circular platform was going to be next. They were so close to the sh.o.r.e… As the stone colossus moved across the bottom of the canyon, the platform rose and fell. After another fall, it was finally lost beneath the waves. The cold, salty water crashed into them and then swallowed the entire world. The members of the cohort desperately held onto the cracks in the stone, trying to prevent themselves from being washed away by the raging current. No one would be able to save them if they were. Sunny closed his eyes, knowing that he would not be able to see anything through the impenetrable darkness of the cursed sea. Instead, he relied on his Shadow Sense, hoping that it was going to help him feel if something approached them from the depths. Now, all Sunny had to do was hold tight and hope that the headless giant would reach the sh.o.r.e of the canyon before he ran out of breath. Thankfully, everyone present was strong and powerful. Their physical form was either at the pinnacle of human ability or slightly above it. Several minutes underwater were not going to kill them… most likely. Placating himself with this thought, Sunny waited, and waited, and waited, struggling against the terrible current with all his strength. At some point, he thought that he sensed an unclear shape swim close to the walking statue, but then the sensation disappeared. 'Any second now… any second…' But the relief he was so desperately waiting for was not coming for far longer than Sunny had expected. Soon, his lungs began to burn, and his muscles began to spasm. 'd.a.m.nation…' If he was having trouble, then others must have been in far worse shape. After all, oxygen traveled through human bodies with blood, and their blood had not been altered and comprehensively enhanced by the forbidden legacy of the mysterious Weaver. Just as he thought so, Sunny felt one of the six shadows slipping from the circular platform. It was Kai… 'c.r.a.p!' Fortunately, before the colossus plunged into the dark depths, the charming archer had been worried about Ca.s.sie and tied himself to her with the help of the golden rope. Surprisingly, the blind girl turned out to be more resilient than him in the end. Now, she was holding both of their weights, desperately grabbing onto a narrow crack in the ancient stone. Kai's unconscious body was floating a few meters behind her. He was safe, for now. But how long would Ca.s.sie herself be able to hold on? …When Sunny felt his mind weakening, his body was suddenly slammed into the platform with tremendous force. The stone giant was climbing out of the canyon. His ma.s.sive hands grabbed onto the edge of it, and with one devastating pull, the colossus threw himself upward. 'Ugh… curse it!' Sunny felt as though he was aboard the worst amus.e.m.e.nt ride in human history. His bones groaned, being pressed down upon by an invisible weight. A few moments of this torture, and they were above water once again. Desperately grasping for air, Sunny inhaled several times and then weekly looked at the unconscious form of Kai. Crawling toward the archer, he grabbed him and dragged the body back to the rest of the group. Entrusting him to Ca.s.sie, Sunny looked down at the dark water below… and suddenly growled in a low voice. Turning her head, Nephis asked with a deep frown on her pale face: "Sunny? What is it?" Looking at the torso of the giant statue, he gritted his teeth and lingered for a few moments before answering. Then, in a voice that was dreadfully grim, Sunny said: "...We have a pa.s.senger." ReadNovelFull.me?
229	Chapter 229 The Pa.s.senger The colossus rose from beneath the turbulent waves, rivers of black water streaming down his stone body. Now that the walking statue had climbed out of the canyon, the cursed sea was barely up to its abdomen… for the moment. Once the dark waters reached higher, the giant would be submerged in them up to his shoulders once again. Sunny had to get rid of the unwelcomed pa.s.senger until then. Far below, flattened against the chest of the colossus, a strange creature had attached itself to the ancient statue. It looked like a cross between a translucent jellyfish and an eel. However, Sunny could see a deformed skeleton of a giant humanoid being trapped within the transparent flesh of the repulsive abomination. He shivered. Compared to the stone giant, the eel looked rather small… however, this was just an illusion. Really, the creature was as large as a train. Its jaws were full of sharp fangs and wide enough to swallow a human whole. 'Curses.' If there was one good thing about the situation, it was that the eel did not seem to be a Corrupted Nightmare Creature, but merely a Fallen one. Perhaps it survived in the cursed sea by attaching itself to the true terrors of the depths and feeding off the remains of their prey. As soon as Nephis spoke, Sunny noticed long feelers of the creature tremble and move, as though reacting to the sudden sound. The eel turned its head slightly in their direction. ReadNovelFull.me When he answered, the feelers rippled once again, and the monstrosity turned its head once more, this time staring directly at Sunny. 'c.r.a.p…' A moment later, translucent tentacles appeared from beneath the abomination's body and shot up, finding cracks in the weathered stone and pulling it toward the neck of the colossus. …Where the cohort was. Changing Star must have felt something, because tiny white sparks suddenly ignited in the depths of her eyes. Sunny put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Don't." Stone giant or not, lighting a beacon in the middle of the cursed sea was not the best of ideas. Now that it had escaped the confines of the canyon, the real horrors were out and about. Just like the cohort had discussed before, light was their last resort, something they would summon only if the moment came where there was no other choice but for all of them to fight. And whether Sunny liked it or not, that moment was not upon them yet. With a reluctant scowl, he turned away and said: "I'll handle it." …The giant eel was his problem to solve. 'Yeah, that's great and all. But how the Spell am I supposed to get rid of this thing?' Looking down, Sunny calculated that he had a dozen or so seconds left before it was time to act. The repulsive abomination was slowly crawling toward them, scaling the torso of the giant statue at a disturbingly steady pace. 'Think, think…' Several seconds later, Sunny approached Effie and kneeled by her side. Taking the huntress by the hand, he put something into her palm and said: "Do you feel the colossus moving up and down? That's his steps. I need you to start counting them. If I'm not back after thirty steps, throw the thing I gave you in that direction as hard as you can. Alright?" Effie gave him a nod. Her usual humor was gone, replaced by grim determination. "Good. Well… wish me luck." The huntress lingered for a moment and then said: "Good luck." When he was ready to walk away, she suddenly gripped his arm. Sunny stopped and raised an eyebrow. "What?" Effie hesitated before speaking. "Listen, Sunny… if… if you die… I can have your soul shards, right?" He stared at her for a second, his face twitching. 'This wench!' "Absolutely not! If I die, all my shards are to be thrown into the sea. No one is to get anything, understand?" With that, he left the cohort behind and walked to the edge of the swaying stone platform. '...Here goes nothing.' Jumping dowm, Sunny slid to the giant's shoulder and caught himself from falling all the way into the raging waves by grabbing onto a crack in the stone. To his right, the shoulder was slowly moving as the colossus swung his hand. To his left, a curved path of stone led all the way across the chest of the statue to its other shoulder. This curving path was, in fact, the collar of the giant's tunic, carved masterfully from stone by the unknown sculptor. Stepping on it, Sunny struggled to keep his balance on the swaying slippery surface and hurried forward. Soon, he was directly above the climbing eel. The abomination was already close, allowing Sunny to discern every repugnant detail of its translucent, giant body. 'What the h.e.l.l. Why does everything have to be so disgusting?' A moment later, he sighed. 'Let's… try this.' Summoning the Prowling Thorn, Sunny gritted his teeth and cut his forearm, smearing some blood on the blade of the kunai. Then, he used all the strength he had in his body to hurl the dagger down. The Prowling Thorn spun in the air and hit the giant eel right in the place where its eye should have been. Sunny did not notice any visual organs on the creature's body, but on the deformed humanoid skull hiding beneath the flesh, that's where the eye socket was. The kunai wedged itself deep into the monster's head, causing a small fountain of crimson blood to erupt upward. Of course, such a tiny wound was nothing for a creature of this size. For a moment, everything became silent. …Then, hundreds of slender tentacles suddenly exploded from the eel's flesh and shoot in Sunny's direction in a chaotic, slithering ma.s.s of translucent flesh. 'd.a.m.n it!' Forced to dismiss the Prowling Thorn to avoid being thrown off the ledge, Sunny lunged forward. A moment later, the tentacles reached his previous position and crashed into the stone, sending shards flying into the air. Sunny kept running, knowing that the tentacles were just a second away from piercing him. The sounds of breaking stone were thundering just behind his back, getting closer and closer with each moment. The Prowling Thorn appeared in his hand one again. Reaching the end of the path and with nowhere left to run, Sunny cursed… and jumped straight into the darkness. ReadNovelFull.me?
230	Chapter 230 Precarious Battle The eel tried to catch him, but was a second too late. "c.r.a.p!" Falling toward the dark waves, Sunny threw the kunai in the direction of the stone giant's hand. Instead of a weapon, the colossus was holding a tool that resembled a mason's hammer. The kunai curved in the air and wrapped the invisible string around its shaft. 'This is going to hurt!' Sunny plunged into the darkness. A moment later, the string drew taut, and he found himself swinging through the air at a terrible speed. Flying underneath the colossal stone fist, he almost touched the black water with his feet, but then the inertia pulled him up and away. After a few seconds of weightlessness, Sunny landed on the hammer's head and let out a shaky breath. Without wasting any time, he dislodged the Prowling Thorn and pulled it into his hand, then wedged the dagger in a narrow crack on the surface of the giant hammer. Landing on it was one thing. Staying here, though… that was something else entirely. The colossus was swinging his arms as he walked, so Sunny basically found himself on top of a giant pendulum. Not only was the hammer swaying back and forth, but the angle of the surface he was standing on also constantly changed, making it hard not to fly off or slid into the raging sea. ReadNovelFull.me Almost kneeling, Sunny held onto the kunai and tried to keep himself from falling. Then, his face pale and grim, he looked up and glanced at the eel. "I'm right here, you slimy worm!" The abomination lingered for a few moments, considering whether it should continue to climb up or follow the sound made by the prey. Finally, it twisted its long, repulsive body and slid over the shoulder of the giant, crawling down his arm. Toward Sunny. 'Come on, come on!' He was hoping that his blood will have the same effect on the giant eel as it had on the Corpse Eater. Both were, presumably, Fallen creatures. If one was poisoned to death by Blood Weave, why couldn't the other? Sunny had not cut himself with the Prowling Thorn for the fun of it. …Sadly, his blood seemed to have no effect on the eel whatsoever. The monster continued to pursue its prey without showing any signs of being poisoned. 'So… it's not poisonous, really. It just tore that leech from inside because the stupid thing swallowed a whole lot, and the Weave embued my blood with the odd quality of always being attracted back to the larger ma.s.s of it. The Corpse Eater's innards were in the way, so... d.a.m.n it!' His hopes of killing the eel were crushed. Now, Sunny was stuck on the swinging hammer, with his only path of escape blocked by the swiftly approaching abomination. "d.a.m.n it all!" Letting go of the kunai, Sunny summoned the Midnight Shard and slashed at the slender tentacle that approached him. Even enhanced by the shadow, the blade of the tachi failed to cut the flesh of the Fallen creature, and instead simply batted it away. 'Not good, not good…' The eel had two types of tentacles. Some were thick, powerful, and few in number. These ones were used to push its ma.s.sive body forward and hold onto the swinging arm of the colossus. The other tentacles were slender, long, and numerous. These were the ones that Sunny now had to dodge and fight against. The closer the eel got, the more tentacles a.s.saulted Sunny from all sides. Dodging and deflecting them while maintaining his balance on the chaotically swinging hammer was an almost impossible task. Luckily, Sunny had practiced the firm battle style of the Stone Saint and incorporated it into his own technique. Its steadiness and indomitability were translated through grounded footwork, which allowed him to plant himself on the stone surface of the hammer and refuse to be thrown off or moved even by an inch. Between choking breaths, Sunny couldn't help but think that Nephis was right. The best fighters weren't those who were the strongest, but those who were the most adaptable. The foundational style he had learned from her had served him well on the streets of the Dark City. But if he had continued to follow it narrowly and neglected to add flexibility to his technique by incorporating the Stone Saint's style into it, he would be dead by now. The Dream Realm was wild, unpredictable, and often defied logic. It threw all kinds of horrors at those unfortunate enough to step foot inside its vast expanse. Take this situation, for example… what kind of a person would imagine that, one day, they would have to fight a translucent eel the size of a train atop a walking stone colossus? Sunny certainly never expected to find himself in such a situation. Only a complete lunatic would. That's why adaptability was the most important trait an Awakened fighter could possess. …But even though Sunny had taken all the right steps, the seconds he had left to live were numbered. The onslaught of the slender tentacles was already too much for him to handle. And they were only growing in number. 'Twenty-eight.' With an inaudible sigh, Sunny allowed the shadow to slide off his body and rush toward the approaching eel. Instantly weakened, he gritted his teeth and tried to resist the attacking tentacles as best as he could. One of them hit against the blade of the Midnight Shard with tremendous force, sending it flying from his hand into the darkness of the night. The other hit him across the chest, causing Sunny to yelp in pain and roll back, almost sliding off the surface of the hammer. Catching himself at the last moment, he pushed away and rolled, barely avoiding being pierced through the chest by the third. He had nowhere to retreat anymore… But it was fine. 'Twenty-nine.' Back at the circular platform, Effie strained her muscles and hurled the thing entrusted to her by Sunny into the air. It was the Ordinary Rock. Flying away, the Memory suddenly screamed: "Thirty steps!" Its loud scream caused the feelers on the eel's head to ripple. The giant creature suddenly turned its head in the direction of the noise, its terrifying maw opening in hunger. For a moment, it paid Sunny no attention. Its weight also shifted, leaning over the abyss of black water. Right then, a human shadow glided right in front of it, and two crimson eyes ignited in its depths. The Stone Saint stepped out of the shadow, which then instantly wrapped itself around the taciturn monster and filled her with immeasurable power. The Shadow's sword flashed. Sunny wasn't trying to kill the eel. Despite all of the Stone Saint's might, she was too weak to slay something that abominable. He just wanted to sever one of the main tentacles that supported most of the eel's weight. Augmented with the power of shadows, the stone knight easily cut into the flesh of the eel and sliced one of the thickest tentacles apart. Losing its purchase, the repulsive creature shuddered… and slid helplessly from the swinging arm of the colossus, falling into the turbulent black waves with a splash. Then, it was gone, pulled away by the strong current. Sunny fell to his knees and drew in a deep breath. Then, he said in a cold, raspy voice: "This ride ain't free, b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Next time, buy a ticket." ReadNovelFull.me?
231	Chapter 231 Stone Giant Sunny remained on the swinging hammer of the colossus for a while, resting and trying to catch his breath. However, very soon, the dark sea rose high enough to make his position perilous. With a deep sigh, he stood up and dislodged the Prowling Thorn from the stones. Waiting for the colossus to raise his hand, Sunny jumped down. The wind whistled in his ears, and a few moments later, he landed on the wrist of the giant in a roll. As soon as Sunny got back to his feet, the stone surface beneath plummeted down. Thrusting the kunai in another crack, he gritted his teeth and held on to his dear life. Soon, the ground he was standing on sloped down, and then turned into a vertical wall, with nothing but the dark abyss of the cursed sea visible below. Hanging off that wall, Sunny cursed and waited for the colossus to bring his arm back up. When it finally happened, Sunny immediately dashed forward. He had several precious seconds before the pendulum swung again, and had to cover as much distance as possible with each swing of the giant's arm. Too slow, and the cursed sea would catch up to him. The closer he got to the elbow of the walking statue, the more inclined his path was. Eventually, Sunny had to climb instead of run. His hands were tired from fighting and supporting his weight, but he stubbornly continued moving forward and up. Once Sunny reached the elbow and climbed higher, the amplitude of the swinging reduced considerably. Now he just had to scale the vertical wall and reach the shoulder of the giant. Climbing the slippery stone was not easy, but he had gotten used to such tasks a long time ago. In any case, it was way better than that time Sunny had to race against the rising sea during a furious storm, only to get swept away by the black water and be saved by Nephis at the last moment. This time, at least, he didn't need her to save his life. ReadNovelFull.me That would be embarra.s.sing... Some time later, Sunny climbed over the edge of the circular platform, crawled to its center, and sprawled beside the other members of the cohort, who were waiting for his return with tense expressions on their faces. "Sunny? Are you alright?" Kai was back to his senses, looking a little bit disheveled, but still ridiculously gorgeous. Sunny stared at him in dismay, then sighed. "...I'm alive." A short while later, Nephis called out to him: "What were you fighting?" Sunny grimaced. "A big ugly worm. I threw him back into the water." With that, he reluctantly sat up and looked at the surface of the dark sea, which was already flowing over the shoulders of the stone giant. Its surface was black and tranquil. No one was pursuing them, it seemed. "It's gone now, so rest up. I'll keep watch." \\\* He stayed awake until the break of dawn and then woke the members of the cohort. When they rose to their feet, Sunny lay down on the cold stone and tiredly closed his eyes. Yesterday, he had thought that he would not be able to fall asleep atop the walking stone giant. However, Sunny had underestimated how exhausting this long night would end up being. Even the body of a powerful Sleeper needed rest. Actually, the swinging of the stone platform was sort of soothing. Soon, he was fast asleep. …When Sunny woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Yawning, he sat up, summoned the Endless Spring and greedily drank some water. Someone had left a plate of food near him, so without thinking too much, Sunny picked it up and had himself a late breakfast. 'Ah, that hits the spot.' Recognizing the taste of Neph's cooking, he glanced at their intrepid leader and smiled. It was nice to laze around while others were working. While Sunny was sleeping, the stone platform had transformed. Plates of iron stripped of the abominable spiders and stored in Effie's bag were inserted around its perimeter, with the golden rope strung between them as an improvised railing. More of these plates were shaped into makeshift rods and placed in the center to serve as throwing spears in case the cohort was attacked from the air. Currently, Kai and Effie were building additional battlements on the left shoulder of the giant while Nephis observed their progress from above. They were taking no chances. A trip through the Labyrinth, no matter how fantastical, was still full of danger. It was better to be safe than sorry. Sunny scoffed. 'So much work. What's the wors… uh, no. I'm not going to finish that thought. No thanks!' On the stone beside him, the shadow applauded sarcastically. Shaking his head, Sunny finished his food in silence and moved to the edge of the platform to look down at the vista of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Far below, the landscape of the Labyrinth was slowly moving past them. The stone giant was marching south, indifferently crushing mountains of crimson coral under his feet with each step. The view was simultaneously hypnotic and depressing. In every direction, as far away as Sunny could see, there was nothing but red coral, with rare heights protruding from it into the grey skies here and there. The Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was truly vast. And every inch of it was full of unspeakable dangers. Not too far from him, Caster was also busy studying the landscape. However, his interest wasn't purely idle. Changing Star's map was on the stones beside him, and the proud Legacy was drawing new marks on it from time to time. Sunny sighed. The cohort might have caught a ride on the shoulder of the stone giant to reach their destination at the edges of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, but they were going to have to walk all the way back to the Dark City by themselves. That was months of traveling through this treacherous h.e.l.lscape, with nothing but their own strength and wit to keep them alive. The information Caster was putting on the map today was going to be priceless to them in the future. …But that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, Sunny deserved a little respite. Turning away from the handsome young man, he lowered his gaze and peered at the sights below. ...It was not every day that one got an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful view of h.e.l.l. ReadNovelFull.me?
232	Chapter 232 Before The Storm In the next few hours, Sunny did nothing but leisurely gaze at the vistas of the Labyrinth. While monotonous, they were still picturesque and breathtaking. ? ?? ??-?? ???. ??? The Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was a harrowing, but beautiful place. The somber grey sky and the black earth created a perfect backdrop for the vibrant crimson sea of twisting coral blades. Here and there, strange landmarks broke the dullness of the landscape, igniting the flames of curiosity in Sunny's heart. After all, he was nothing if not a pa.s.sionate explorer. Provided, most of his explorations ended with something dying at the end of his blade. But still… Out there in the depths of the Labyrinth, Sunny saw many things that piqued his interest. The skeletal remains of colossal monsters, with signs of ferocious battles written in the marks on their bones. Broken wrecks of giant vessels, with terrible breaches in their mighty hulls. Abyssal chasms that were full of darkness and emptiness, leading into the depths of this cursed land where true horrors dwelt. And things he couldn't even describe, let alone identify. He even saw several vast ruins that must have been entire cities once. Now, only unclear shapes of magnificent buildings remained, overgrown with crimson coral and barely resembling anything made by a human hand. He didn't know if they had existed before or simultaneously with the Dark City. Regardless, it seemed that no other human settlement on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e had withstood the curse of darkness as the cursed city had. They were all destroyed and devoured, first by the crimson coral, then by the ruthless flow of time. Now, no one was left to remember that these proud cities had ever existed. ReadNovelFull.me The seven heroes that created the Starlight Legion were described as those born in all-consuming darkness. That suggested that humans had resisted the curse for a while, at least. Maybe the Dark City was built long after the darkness had devoured this land, as the last sanctuary and fortress for those who remained. …A lot of good had that done, in the end. His reverie was broken by Ca.s.sie, who suddenly turned south and frowned. Her quick movement drew everyone's attention. Sunny instantly had a bad feeling. Nephis turned to the blind girl and frowned. "Ca.s.sie? Do you feel something?" Ca.s.sia lingered for a few moments and then said, her voice uncertain: "I think… I think a storm is coming." Sunny looked at the sky, which like always was covered in a grey veil of clouds. Nothing seemed to indicate that there was going to be a tempest turning it impenetrably dark and furious soon. But that was just how things worked on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Storms came out of nowhere and destroyed everyone unfortunate enough to be caught in their murderous embrace. If Ca.s.sie said that she felt one approaching, then it was. Their oracle had a good track record of sensing such things. 'd.a.m.n...' A storm meant that the cursed sea would rise from the depths earlier than usual. It also meant that there would be rain and lightning, which would make the behavior of the dwellers of the depths unpredictable. It also meant hurricane winds, and that was really bad news when you were stuck on a moving colossus two hundred meters above the ground. Nephis gritted her teeth. "You heard her. Prepare…" However, the blind girl interrupted her. "Wait. There is something else." Changing Star lingered for a moment, then asked: "You are sensing another threat?" Ca.s.sie scowled, then said in a strange tone. "No, not sensing. I just… I can hear something strange. It's like a rustle." Everyone stared at her for a few seconds, trying to understand the meaning behind her words. Strangely, Kai was the first one to react. Suddenly pale, he spun around and summoned his bow. Before anyone could understand what was happening, something whistled in the air, and a dark shape forcefully crashed into the stone platform, smearing it with blood. A black arrow was protruding from its body. Sunny jumped out of the way and gasped, stunned by the force with which the monster impacted against the stone. It had to have been in a long dive before being pierced by Kai's arrow, mere moments away from s.n.a.t.c.hing one of them away. The creature looked somewhat like a giant locust. Its body was covered in black chitin and comparatively small, no bigger than that of an adult human. Its wide wings were thin and transparent. As it convulsed in death throes, the wings moved, threatening to push the members of the cohort off of the platform. Nephis dashed forward, grabbed the disgusting creature and threw it down. Kai was already grabbing another arrow. There was an expression of panic on his face. Sunny blinked. 'Why is he panicking? The monster is already…' As though hearing his thoughts, Kai glanced at the members of the cohort with wide eyes and yelled: "Swarms! These fiends hunt in swarms! Get ready!" Before he could finish, Sunny was already summoning the Midnight Shard and the Stone Saint. '...dead!' By now, everyone could hear the rustling sound Ca.s.sie had told them about. It seemed to be coming from nowhere, surrounding them like a wave. For a few moments, nothing happened. The members of the cohort tensely stared up, wai… Suddenly, a black dot appeared in the grey clouds and swiftly fell down, covering the distance to the neck of the colossus almost instantly. Before it could attack, though, Effie's spear collided with it. The giant locust practically exploded, sending a rain of blood splattering against the stone back of the colossus. But by the time the huntress dismissed her spear and before she had the time to summon it again, there was another dot, and another, and another… Kai shot one more creature out of the air, while Caster used a strange sling he summoned from his Soul Sea to break the wings of another. Nephis raised her sword and yelled: "Ca.s.sie! Wind!" Flinching, the blind girl began to call upon her wooden staff. While white sparks of light were still weaving the shape of it in her hands, the Quiet Dancer flew out of its scabbard by itself and flashed into the air, piercing an approaching locust clean through. A few moments later, a powerful gale shot from the wooden staff into the skies, slowing the attacking locusts down and sending them staggering. One of these stragglers somehow managed to land on the platform and immediately jumped at Sunny. Changing his stance on the fly, Sunny slashed with his sword, decapitating the repulsive creature. However, because of the inertia, the ma.s.sive body continued to move forward, slamming into him at great speed. With a curse, Sunny flew back and fell over the railing. Sliding on the stone, he rolled down to the stone giant's shoulder and caught himself on the part of the defensive fence built by Effie and Kai. Then, he stood up and spat a mouthful of blood. A moment later, Sunny froze, his eyes widening. Because of the tumble, he accidentally looked down to the ground. What he saw there made him shiver. ...Numerous dark shapes were appearing from the Labyrinth and jumping at the colossus, swiftly climbing up his giant stone body. ReadNovelFull.me?
233	Chapter 233 Swarm As the members of the cohort killed several giant locusts, their repulsive black bodies fell to the ground, raining blood on the walking colossus and the crimson coral of the Labyrinth. As soon as their corpses. .h.i.t the ground, it suddenly moved. Dark figures appeared from beneath the mud, rushing at the dead locusts to devour them. Hundreds of monsters were suddenly competing for the few sc.r.a.ps of meat. After several b.l.o.o.d.y fights broke out and the winners were decided, those who had not gotten to satiate their hunger turned their heads and followed the smell of blood. …Right back to the moving stone giant. Looking down with dark resentment, Sunny saw numerous creatures jumping at the legs of the walking statue from the mounds of coral and quickly climbing up. They were headed right to where the cohort was being besieged by the swarm of winged abominations. He couldn't see the shape of them clearly, but there was no doubt that these monsters were bad news. 'd.a.m.nation…' [...slain an awakened beast, Flesh Reaver.] [Your shadow grows stronger.] ReadNovelFull.me Turning around, Sunny summoned the Prowling Thorn and hurled it upward. A moment later, using the invisible string as support, he was flying through the air. Grabbing onto the edge of the circular platform, he hoisted himself up and once again faced the carnage. The kunai flashed, cutting the wing of one of the locusts clean off. Suddenly crippled, the creature toppled and plummeted down, no doubt to be devoured by the horde of Nightmare Creatures approaching from below. The battle with the swarm was not going too great for the cohort. The turbulent winds summoned by Ca.s.sie's staff bought them some breathing room by making it hard for the locusts to approach the platform at high speed, but there were just too many of them. Kai was setting one arrow after another loose. After that one first shot, he had not used the Blood Arrow, choosing instead to rely on his mundane ones. In the chaotic mess of this sudden battle, it was too easy to miss. Plus, he didn't need a lot of power to deliver debilitating wounds to the locusts. They were basically skewering themselves on the arrows themselves by diving from the skies with incredible speed. Still, the abominable reavers were awakened beasts. It wasn't easy for a Sleeper to kill one with just a single shot. Just as Sunny grabbed the kunai and spun to avoid a glancing blow from one of the creatures, another one landed on the platform. Two arrows were sticking from its cracked chitin, but the locust was still alive. …Not for long, though. Just a moment after the repulsive bug landed, Neph's sword flashed through the air, slicing it in half. Sending the mangled body off the platform with a powerful kick, Changing Star turned to Kai and yelled: "Don't try to kill them! Break their wings!" With a sudden light of understanding in his eyes, the archer changed his approach. Indeed, that made sense. The members of the cohort didn't need to slay the locusts. They just needed to make it so the flying scourges weren't able to reach the stone platform. Effie, meanwhile, did not need this advice. Everything she hit simply exploded into a disgusting puddle of b.l.o.o.d.y goo. The problem the huntress faced was that there was no powerful range weapon she could use. Her beautiful spear was not really suited to be thrown that often. The Memories were created from soul essence. Once a Memory was dismissed, that essence returned to the core of the Awakened that had summoned it. However, if it was too far away from them, the essence was simply wasted — unless the Memory had a special enchantment like that of the Blood Arrow. The essence wasn't lost forever, as it would slowly acc.u.mulate inside the soul core until the peak capacity was reached once again. But this process took time, so one could not endlessly throw their Memories at the enemy during a battle. Especially not once they reached a rank where managing one's soul essence was of higher importance. Effie had not reached such a rank yet, but she was still limited by that principle. That's why she resorted to using makeshift darts fashioned out of plates of spider iron. There wasn't much of them left, however. Once the last dart was gone, she would have to either exhaust her pool of soul essence or risk fighting the attacking locusts in melee. Just like the Stone Saint was doing right now. As Sunny rushed toward Nephis, he noticed the Shadow lowering her shoulder and raising her shield. In the next moment, one of the repulsive creatures crashed into it at full speed… and simply crumbled, black blood exploding into the air through the cracks in the shattered chitin. [You have slain…] The huntress, however, did not have the benefit of weighing a literal ton. Despite her graceful appearance, the Saint was made out of stone, and stone was much heavier than flesh. It was also much harder to rip and slice apart. Once Effie was forced to fight the locusts with nothing but her spear and shield, her life would be in real danger. 'Curses, curses, curse it all!' Swiftly approaching Changing Star, Sunny kicked a disgusting piece of a killed creature off the platform and yelled: "We have a problem!" Nephis sharply looked at him and scowled. "What?" ? ?? ??-??? ??, ??? Sunny hesitated for a moment, and then gestured down. "There's a couple of hundred Labyrinth creatures crawling all over the colossus. They'll be here pretty soon!" Nephis gritted her teeth, then glanced at the members of the cohort. Ca.s.sie was holding the wooden staff, sending powerful bursts of wind into the sky to slow down the attacking swarm. The Quiet Dancer was flashing through the air, protecting her from the locusts to the best of its ability. Caster was spinning his strange sling, aiming at the wings of the repulsive creatures. His face was calm and grim. Everyone was barely holding on and one mistake away from death. With a dark look in her cold grey eyes, Nephis looked at Sunny. Then, she said: "...Come with me, then." ReadNovelFull.me?
234	Chapter 234 Horde Briefly giving Caster a few instructions, Nephis walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down. When she saw the numerous creatures climbing the stone giant, a grim expression appeared on her face. Sunny weighed the Prowling Thorn in his hand and asked: "So, what's the plan?" Changing Star glanced at him and smiled darkly. "What else? Kill as many as you can." With that, she jumped down and landed softly on the shoulder of the colossus. With a sigh, Sunny followed. 'Figures!' A moment later, they separated. Nephis dashed to the opposite side of the moving statue, running on the wide stone path of its collar. She was going to try and deal with those creatures that were climbing the front and the left side of the giant. Sunny was going to have to stop those coming from the right and the back. He wasn't sure that just two of them were going to be enough to cover all that s.p.a.ce, but they didn't have a lot of choices. ReadNovelFull.me Sunny and Nephis at least had the high ground advantage against the enemy. Those fighting against the swarm of monstrous locusts, however, did not. The cohort couldn't spare anyone else for this task. Looking down, he was finally able to discern the shape of the attacking Labyrinth dwellers. They looked like ma.s.sive primates covered in dirty, grey fur. Their arms were strong and muscular, easily pulling their heavy bodies up the ancient stone surface. Each had a mouth full of sharp teeth, with two curved tusks protruding from it, as long as daggers. The most disturbing fact about these beasts was that there were crimson flowers growing from within the b.l.o.o.d.y gaps in their flesh. Some even had pale stems slithering from one eye socket to another. With a shiver, Sunny realized that this tribe of Nightmare Creatures were simply hosts for a different, much more terrifying one. The primates were nothing but meat puppets for those ghoulish flowers. 'Oh G.o.ds…' Summoning the Ordinary Rock, Sunny wrapped his body in the shadow, strained his muscles, and threw it down as hard as he could. The small rock plunged through the air and collided with one of the creatures far below, hitting it right in the forehead and splitting its rotten skull apart. Not paying any attention to the fact that half of its head was missing, the primate continued climbing up. Sunny gritted his teeth and dismissed the rock. '...Just as I thought.' Nothing could ever be simple on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. The cohort would never be just attacked by a swarm of flying abominations. There had to be a horde of monstrous primates attacking them from the ground, too! And G.o.ds forbid those powerful beasts were not parasitized by even more ghastly horrors. 'At least their bodies are not so tough due to their partially decomposed state.' That was something he could work with… Just as the first primate climbed into the range of the Prowling Thorn, something thundered above Sunny, and in the next moment, he was doused from head to toe in fetid black blood. A mangled corpse of a giant locust flew past him and fell down. Sunny frozen for a second, then growled. 'I am a walking target now, aren't I? Well… great! Let them come! The more, the merrier!' \\\* Extending the invisible string to its maximum length, Sunny aimed and hurled the kunai down. He guided it by ever so slightly pulling on the string. The dagger flashed through the air and spun, drawing a curved path. A few moments later, it cut across the wrist of one of the menacing primates, cleanly severing its hand. Suddenly losing purchase, the beast instantly fell down. After plummeting from the deadly height, it hit the crimson corals below and practically exploded into b.l.o.o.d.y chunks. Sunny listened to the emptiness, a tense expression on his face. [You have slain an awakened monster, Blood Flower.] [Your shadow grows stronger.] A relieved expression appeared on his face. At least these things weren't indestructible… Raising a hand, he caught the returning kunai and instantly threw it again. There wasn't much time left. Countless beasts were climbing up the stone body of the ancient colossus, covering a frightening amount of distance with each second. He had to slaughter as many of them as he could before they reached the battlement constructed on the giant's shoulder, or else they were going to rip him apart. In the next few minutes, Sunny did nothing but control the Prowling Thorn as it flew through the air, cutting through flesh and bone alike. The heavy kunai never stayed in his hand for more than a second, reaping a bountiful harvest of lives. More than a dozen beasts — those who were ahead of the approaching horde — were thrown off the statue and fell to their deaths, rewarding Sunny with an enviable amount of shadow fragments. However, he was still too slow. Sunny had to be both swift and precise when throwing the dagger, lest he wanted to be pulled off the giant's swaying shoulder himself. What's worse, he had to constantly pay attention to the sky and dodge the attacking locusts when they dove from above to devour him. The horde of terrible beasts was getting closer and closer, their arrival as inevitable as it would be fatal. The situation got even worse when another group of them reached the gargantuan statue's back. Now, Sunny not only had to deal with the monsters climbing its side, but also rush from his perch on the shoulder of the steadily moving colossus to the treacherous path of his collar to prevent the fastest climbers from reaching too high. 'Bad, bad, this is bad…' Covered in blood and with his muscles burning, Sunny continued to slaughter the ghastly beasts as fast as he could. But he wasn't fast enough. At some point, Sunny realized that the climbing monstrosities were now mere meters away from him. He could see every disturbing detail of their rotting bodies, with strangely graceful flowers growing from the b.l.o.o.d.y gaps. Their crimson petals trembled as they smelled prey. Suddenly, one of the primates strained its powerful legs and jumped into the air, instantly covering the remaining distance to Sunny's position. Before it could land, however, the Midnight Shard slashed the creature across its ma.s.sive body, cutting it apart. …What flowed out of the terrible wound, however, was not blood, but a vast cloud of red pollen. Before Sunny could register the fact, he had already breathed in a whole lungful of it. His eyes widened. 'Oh... oh no! This is not good!' ReadNovelFull.me?
235	Chapter 235 Flower Boy As the red pollen settled in his lungs, Sunny suddenly sensed something subtly moving inside them. Then, a wave of excruciating pain pierced his chest. With a loud scream, he fell to his knees and grabbed at the Puppeteer's Shroud. A stream of blood escaped from his mouth and splashed on the ancient stone. In it, tiny blooms were sprouting roots, greedily drinking the crimson liquid and growing with visible speed. Looking at them with dark resentment, Sunny gritted his teeth and slowly stood up. By the time he straightened his back, the pain had subsided a little. The bloodthirsty flowers were already turning black and dying, destroyed by the odd blessing of the Blood Weave. The insidious Nightmare Creature tried to devour him from inside, but really, it just signed its own death sentence. In a few short minutes, it would be destroyed completely by the furnace of his tenacious body. And even if some part of it survived, Neph's purifying flames were going to finish the job. …Until then, he would just have to endure this torture. "Come... come closer, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" As the Midnight Shard appeared in his hands, another monster was already climbing onto the shoulder of the walking colossus. ReadNovelFull.me Lunging forward, Sunny brandished his sword and decapitated the foul creature, then kicked it in the chest to send it flying down. A moment later, he jumped back, narrowly avoiding being grabbed by another primate. Before the beast could even react, the razor-sharp tachi flashed across its body, severing both of its arms. More red pollen burst into the air. Holding his breath, Sunny shifted his stance and attacked once again in one swift, fluid motion. The Midnight Shard pierced the knee of the ma.s.sive primate, making it topple. The creature wasn't dead, but any kind of mobility it once had was pretty much gone. 'Good enough…' But it didn't really matter. Three other monsters were already there, ready to take the fallen creature's place. And a few seconds later, there was going to be even more of them, and then even more still — until, eventually, Sunny was torn apart by the unstoppable flood of these harrowing fiends. He would have to think of something before that happened. 'If only I could breathe…' Fighting through the excruciating pain that was tearing him from inside, Sunny grimaced and dashed forward to face the enemies. In the next minute or so, he forced himself to cut out all unnecessary thoughts, turning into a ruthless hurricane of steel. The Midnight Shard danced from one Nightmare Creature to another, piercing, slashing, and severing their rotting flesh. The air was soon obscured by a vast cloud of red pollen. At some point, Sunny gritted his teeth and disengaged from the fight, leaving a carpet of bleeding bodies in his wake. Launching himself back a few meters, he slid on the stone and left the cloud of red mist. Only then, finally, he allowed himself to draw in a deep breath. Sensing that their enemy was gone, the primates rushed forward. However, a moment later, something glistened in the mist, and a heavy triangular blade suddenly pierced the head of the leading creature. The Blood Flower did not react to its host being damaged and continued its lunge. But in the next second, the head of the monstrous ape was violently jerked backward, and, losing balance, it fell down. The string of the Prowling Thorn was coiled around the support pillars of the makeshift battlement, creating an invisible trap. By moving forward with the kunai still stuck in its skull, the unfortunate creature pulled the string taut, causing an invisible net to rise into the air. Entangled in it, half a dozen creatures tumbled to the ground, blocking the others from pursuing Sunny. Neither the battlement nor the invisible string were going to last long, but at least it bought him a few seconds. [You have slain an awakened monster, Blood Flower.] [Your shadow…] '...Finally.' The Nightmare Creature in his lungs was finally dead. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Sunny groaned, wiped his lips, and glanced back. What he saw made him curse. The group of monstrous primates climbing the back of the colossus was about to reach the collar of the stone tunic. Sunny was about to be surrounded. And he was all out of ideas. '...If I die today, I am at least going to drag as many of you as possible with me into a deeper, darker h.e.l.l. Prepare yourselves, gangrels!' Lunging forward, he ran on the narrow stone path and got to the middle of the giant's back just in time to collide with the first of the advancing primates and send it flying all the way down to the distant surface of the Labyrinth. Unlike the shoulder of the colossus, Sunny had no room to maneuver on the narrow path. In fact, he was having trouble simply keeping his balance due to the constant swaying. But the primates, with their wide shoulders and mighty frames, were in an even worse situation than him. On that narrow stone path, one man would be able to stop an entire army. …Provided that nothing attacked him from behind, of course. Which was bound to happen... Cursing, Sunny slashed and slashed, sending one monster tumbling down in a billowing cloud of red pollen after another. Despite all his efforts, he had to retreat step after step to avoid being surrounded and killed by the ferocious abominations. The situation was becoming desperate. Especially so because the creatures that had been slowed down for a bit by the string of the Prowling Thorn finally wrestled free of it, and were seconds away from reaching his current position. 'd.a.m.nation!' Sending a primate that was facing him staggering with a devastating blow of the Midnight Shard, Sunny desperately spun to deflect the attack from the creature approaching him from the back. However, he was a fraction of a second too late. Realizing that he won't be able to block or dodge the paw of the monstrous ape, Sunny feverishly tried to come up with a way to minimize the damage, at least. …But just as the claws of the creature were about to grab onto his neck, a swift shadow suddenly fell from the skies. Catching the primate with its sharp mandibles, one of the locusts easily tore its head off and dashed back, devouring the prey with terrifying speed as it flew. In the next moment, more Flesh Weavers fell from the skies, aiming at the climbing primates. The two tribes of Nightmare Creatures were suddenly locked in a ferocious battle, with the six humans hopelessly stuck in-between. ReadNovelFull.me?
236	Chapter 236 Ex Machina With his back to the stone surface of the ancient statue, Sunny stared as the two tribes of Nightmare Creatures clashed in a cacophony of eerie roars and rustling noises. Discovering a new target, swarming locusts swiftly fell from the skies and cut into the horde of the Blood Flower hosts, devouring scores of unfortunate primates in mere moments. Torn and eviscerated by the sharp mandibles, their flesh seemed to almost melt in the terrible maws of the flying abominations. However, the ma.s.sive beasts were not entirely defenseless. Any locust that lingered for a fraction of a second more than it should have was immediately grabbed and torn to pieces by the powerful primates, its black blood falling like dew on the petals of the crimson flowers that grew from their rotting bodies. Some hosts even jumped off the colossus to grab onto diving reavers and tumble together to the distant ground. In just a few seconds, the surface of the ancient giant and the air around him was consumed by utter chaos. Indifferent to everything, the colossus steadily marched south. '...Come to your senses!' Shaking off his astonishment, Sunny swiftly finished off the primate that he had staggered a second before and pushed the heavy creature from the narrow path. Despite the fact that their enemies were now fighting each other, the pressure on the cohort did not decrease. In fact, it only grew heavier. ReadNovelFull.me Cursing under his breath, Sunny threw the Midnight Shard at another lunging monster, turned his back to the enemies, and jumped. Grabbing onto a crack in the ancient stone, he pulled his body up and nimbly scaled the neck of the ancient statue. For several seconds that seemed to last an eternity, Sunny was completely defenseless against the potential attacks by the monstrous locusts. However, to his luck, Nephis had chosen that exact moment to unleash her flames on the other side of the statue. A blinding flash of white drowned the skies for a second, confusing the reavers and buying him enough time to reach the stone platform. Climbing over its edge, Sunny rolled away and sprawled on the cold stone, trying to catch his breath. His body was in agony. The Blood Weave might have destroyed the flower growing in his lungs, but the damage was already done. Sunny had trouble breathing and felt b.l.o.o.d.y foam bubbling on his lips. Every time he inhaled, a sharp pain pierced his entire being. 'Not… not too terrible...' Although troublesome, these wounds were not going to kill him. Sleepers healed better and faster than mundane humans, and Sunny in particular was also transformed by the drop of Weaver's ichor, making him much tougher and harder to kill than most. ...Sort of like a c.o.c.kroach. As for the pain, he had been through worse and survived. As long as Sunny had adrenaline numbing it to some degree, he was capable of giving a fight still. Not that it would be pleasant... With a moan, Sunny picked himself up from the ground and looked around. Things were slowly turning from bad to worse. Kai was long out of arrows and had to resort to using his morbid Ascended Memory. Judging by how pale his face was, he had already missed a few shots, losing a lot of blood as the result. Ca.s.sie was still trying to maintain the powerful winds that slowed the attacking locusts down, but her face and hands were covered in blood. It seemed that even the powerful enchantment of her armor and the ardent protection of the Quiet Dancer were not enough to fully save her from harm. Effie was now fighting the flying abominations in melee, having only a fraction of a second to react every time they attacked her. Blood was streaming down her legs, her white chiton torn and soaked with it. Her bronze helmet was gone, lying shattered on the stones. Caster did not seem to be wounded, but his face was dark with exhaustion. Maintaining his incredible speed was taxing on both the mind and the body, so he would not be able to last much longer, either. The Stone Saint… was the Stone Saint. The taciturn Shadow was covered in black blood from head to toe and completely indifferent to it, which only enhanced her dark and menacing visage. She continued to move with elegant grace, protecting the members of the cohort to the best of her ability. But she couldn't be everywhere all at once. …And then there was Sunny himself, who was in the worst shape out of all of them by far. 'Curses!' And the worst news was that now that he had to retreat back to the platform, the abominable primates were about to follow him, forcing the cohort to defend itself from two sides simultaneously. Even worst still, unlike Sunny, the other members didn't have Blood Weave to protect them from the red pollen. 'Bad, bad, this is bad…' Just as Sunny was thinking that thought, a bloodied hand suddenly appeared from the other side of the platform. A moment later, Nephis slid under the golden rope and shakily rose to her feet. Changing Star had white flames dancing in her eyes. Her skin seemed to shine with a soft glow, as though there was fire burning beneath it. …That fire, if Sunny had to guess, was responsible for annihilating the red pollen as soon as it entered her body. The Starlight Legion Armor was heavily damaged and seemed to be on the verge of melting, but still held, protecting the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan to the end. Not paying any attention to the members of the cohort, Nephis turned her head and looked south. 'What is she…' Before Sunny could finish the thought, he was distracted by the sight of an ugly primate head rising above the edge of the circular platform. Cursing, he grabbed a jagged piece of chitin laying nearby and shoved it into the creature's eyes, forcibly pushing it back down. At the same moment, an especially large locust suddenly fell from the sky. Batting the Quiet Dancer away, it dove right for Ca.s.sie. Before anyone could react, its mandibles clicked. However, instead of soft flesh, all they caught was the hard wood of the enchanted staff. The blind girl had managed to defend herself at the last moment. The impact was still strong enough to throw her far back, nevertheless. Breaking the improvised barrier with her back, Ca.s.sie screamed… and slipped from the platform, plummeting down like a broken doll. 'No!' The Prowling Thorn was damaged and restoring itself in the Soul Sea, and the golden rope was tied around the platform. He didn't know what to… As the sound of a bow clattering on the stone reached his ears, Sunny saw Kai diving down from the neck of the colossus. Flying with incredible speed, he caught up with Ca.s.sie and grabbed her by the arm. The two of them froze in the air for a moment, absolutely defenseless against the approaching locusts. 'No, no, no!' …But the fatal attack never came. Suddenly, the cacophony of the battle died down, turning into deathly silence. Sunny blinked. Several locusts were hovering in the air mere meters away from Ca.s.sie and Kai, but they were in no hurry to devour the helpless humans. In fact, they, too, seemed frozen. A moment later, the locusts suddenly turned around and dashed away. In fact, the whole swarm was swiftly retreating, flying away from the stone colossus with as much speed as the gluttonous abominations could muster. It was as if… they were fleeing from something. Many of the locusts were carrying dead primates in their claws. It seemed as though the reavers were the ultimate victors in this terrible battle against the monstrous apes. …But Sunny was pretty sure that, soon, the whole tribe of these terrible creatures was going to have crimson blooms growing from the cracks in their chitin. Blood Flowers were truly a horrifying enemy. Who knew what they would be capable of after subjugating a whole swarm of flying abominations? The more pressing question, however, was… what were the locusts running from? Sunny looked down, only to realize that the giant primates were also retreating, rushing down the body of the ancient statue in something that almost resembled panic. Then, finally, he turned and looked south, following the line of Changing Star's gaze. His face paled. Out there, directly in the path of the walking statue, an inconceivably vast wall of furious darkness had devoured the whole world. It was swiftly moving in their direction, bolts of lightning illuminating the raging depths of clouds almost every second. The storm was approaching. ReadNovelFull.me?
237	Chapter 237 Wall of Darkness Kai landed on the stone platform, gently placing Ca.s.sie down. The blind girl was deathly pale and visibly hurt, but her life didn't seem to be in danger. The archer smiled rea.s.suringly and gripped her shoulder. Then, just like the rest of them, he turned his head and silently looked south. A wall of impenetrable, furious darkness was approaching from there, devouring vast spans of the Labyrinth with each second. To Sunny, it felt like an endless ocean of deranged shadows was rushing to drown them. The pressure he felt was almost as bad as that of the ominous Crimson Spire. The colossus was marching toward the darkness, completely indifferent to its menacing oppression. The wind rustled Sunny's hair. In the stunned silence, Effie suddenly fell to her knees with a pained groan. Her hands were pressed against the breach in her archaic cuira.s.s, bright blood streaming from beneath them. That sound brought everyone back to reality. With a grim expression on her face, Nephis walked other to the wounded huntress and gently placed her hands on her body. A moment later, soft white radiance shone through the cracks of Effie's armor, healing her wounds and taking the pain away. Changing Star closed her eyes and bit her lip, drops of crimson blood rolling down her ivory skin. To take away her companion's suffering, she had to endure a much more harrowing torture. Sunny coughed, b.l.o.o.d.y foam flying from his lips, and weakly lowered himself to the ground. He didn't feel too well. ReadNovelFull.me The wall of darkness was growing closer with every moment. The wind was picking up, whistling in the cracks of the ancient statue. It brought the smell of the sea with it. Sunny grimaced and commanded the Stone Saint to walk over and stand above him. "What are we going to do now?" Kai shivered, glanced at the raging wall of clouds, and said: "Climb lower? The lightning is bound to be drawn to the neck of this giant." Sunny shook his head. "We can't. The sea is going to rise, so most of the statue will be submerged underwater. We will be lucky if the waves aren't high enough to reach this platform." The archer sighed and looked down. "So then… we're dead?" Sunny smiled darkly. "Don't worry. Stone doesn't conduct electricity too well, so we will be safe from lightning. Most likely. What you should really be afraid of are the things that all that commotion might attract." After that, he bent over in another fit of painful coughing. 'Ugh… that stings a little…' By that time, Nephis was done healing Effie. Walking over, she kneeled and looked at Sunny. ...Unexpectedly, there was an expression of sincere worry on her face. "You… did you inhale that pollen?" Sunny tried to grin, but ended up coughing up more blood instead. "Yeah. A little. But don't fret, it's not… there are no flowers growing in my lungs. Anymore." Neph's face twitched, and she outstretched her hands to place them on Sunny's chest. However, he caught them in the air with his own and stopped her. Her skin was soft and cool to the touch. "Don't bother. I'll be fine. Take a look at Ca.s.sie instead." Changing Star stared at him for a few moments. Then, she suddenly asked: "But doesn't it hurt?" He pushed her hands away and shook his head. "Not as bad as it going to hurt you." Nephis frowned. "...I am used to it." Sunny looked at her for a long time, his expression hard to read. Then, he said evenly: "I know. But I don't want you to be used to it. You shouldn't be. Especially not on my account." The weight of the things he left unsaid hung between them for a few moments. Nephis t.i.tled her head slightly, then turned away. Finally, she sighed, lingered for a few seconds, and walked away without saying another word. Sunny lowered his head and remained motionless for a while. 'Better… it's better this way.' Being afraid of pain was the most human emotion there was. He couldn't help but feel that every time Nephis silently endured the terrifying torture of her Flaw, a part of her humanity was burned away by the merciless purity of the radiant white flames. He didn't want to see it happen. Not to mention that he was the last person in the world that Changing Star should have been helping. Because… Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap rolled over them, forcing the members of the cohort to flinch. The light of day dimmed, and the cold wind furiously crashed into them, bearing drops of salty black water with it. Done checking up on Ca.s.sie, Nephis glanced forward and scowled. They were almost out of time. "Get ready! Hold!" With that, she summoned her sword and held it with both hands. As the incandescent light ignited the silver blade, Changing Star thrust the sword deep into the stone, melting it. Kneeling down, she gripped the sword and prepared for the onslaught of the storm. But he side, Effie sighed and grabbed onto a crack in the stone with one hand. With the other, she drew Ca.s.sie close and hugged her. Caster followed their leader's example and used his enchanted jian to anchor himself to the platform. Sunny glanced at them and grimaced. Standing above him, the Stone Saint discarded her shield and lowered one shoulder, preparing to withstand the hurricane winds. Without anything better to hold onto, Sunny hugged the thigh of his Shadow on closed his eyes, embarra.s.sed by the indignity. Before he could really revel in it, though, something plopped on the ground near him. Opening one eye, Sunny was surprised to see Kai. "...What? What are you doing here?" The archer smiled with embarra.s.sment and coughed. "Uh... well, you see. I don't have a sword that can cut stone or herculean strength. So, ah… mind if I hold onto the other thigh of your beautiful stone companion?" Sunny glared at him for a couple of seconds and then scoffed. "Fine! Whatever. Just don't grab onto me by mistake…" As the endless wall of darkness approached, the headless colossus steadily walked forward and then dove straight into the furious embrace of the harrowing storm. ReadNovelFull.me?
238	Chapter 238 lnto the Storm A stray drop of rain fell on Sunny's cheek. The howling of the wind grew louder. A moment later, the whole world suddenly darkened, and he was a.s.saulted by a furious gale. The water pelted him in the face, drowning the curse Sunny was about to yell. 'D—d.a.m.n!' The storm descended on them with terrifying violence. The corpses of repulsive locusts that were left on the platform suddenly moved. Then, picked up by the wind, they were thrown off the neck of the steadily walking colossus, disappearing into the darkness. Their black blood was washed away by the torrent of rain. A blinding flash of lightning pierced the veil of clouds, followed by a deafening thunderclap. As the stone became slippery and wet, Sunny felt his body being forcefully pushed away from its surface by the gale. Gripping the Stone Saint tighter, he gasped and grimaced. Pain pierced his damaged lungs. 'Worst… worst amus.e.m.e.nt ride ever…' Fortunately, the heavy Shadow was not moved by the tremendous pressure of the hurricane. Firmly planting herself on the surface of the platform, she turned her torso and lowered a shoulder, cutting the wind with her solid stone body. To her side, Nephis, Caster, and Effie were desperately holding on against the a.s.sault of the hurricane. With some effort, they were also able to resist it. But the worst was still to come. ReadNovelFull.me Hidden from the sun, the dark sea was rising from the depths. Sunny could hear the deep rumbling of the black water rushing through the twisting pa.s.sages of the Labyrinth and washing over the mounds of crimson coral. Soon, the stone giant was walking through it, creating a furious whirlpool with each step of his gargantuan feet. Another lightning tore the skies apart, illuminating the world made of nothing but wind, water, and darkness. Hit by an especially violent gust of wind, the Stone Saint slid a few centimeters back and sent Sunny's heart into a momentary panic. The stone giant walked forward. After a while, the black water covered his knees, then his abdomen, then his chest. Following a long and torturous span of time spent holding onto the Shadow and enduring the onslaught of the storm, Sunny saw the raging waves flowing over the broken battlements on the shoulder of the ancient statue. His face became grim. During the previous night, the dark sea had not risen high enough to reach the stone platform they were sheltering on. However, with how high the waves were, things were bound to change. As though answering his thoughts, a ma.s.sive wave crashed into the neck of the colossus, washing over the platform. The members of the cohort were hit by a wall of blackness and instantly drenched from head to toe in salty seawater. Luckily, no one was washed away… for now. The howling wind, the furious onslaught of rain, the constant flashes of lightning and the violent cacophony of thunderclaps were already enough to instill in them the feeling that the whole world was about to split apart and crumble. With the dark waves rising to strike at the stone platform over and over again, the situation became truly disastrous. And yet, they held on. Minute after minute, against all odds, the six humans clung to the ancient stone, refusing to be taken away by the raging tempest. Sunny didn't know how much time had pa.s.sed or how far the stone giant had walked into the depths of the storm, but there was no sign of it growing weaker. In fact, it was only becoming more ferocious and terrible. However, this wasn't even what he was really afraid of. His true fear hid not in the skies that had gone mad, but in the lightless depths of the cursed sea. And soon, inevitably, his worst fears came true. With a harrowing sense of premonition, Sunny suddenly lowered his head and gazed down, as though trying to see through the ma.s.s of ancient stone. Deep beneath them, he felt a gargantuan shadow rising from the depths. …One of the unspeakable terrors of the dark sea was crawling from whatever abyss that had sp.a.w.ned it to face the marching colossus. 'Curse it all…' Looking up, Sunny saw Kai desperately clinging to the Stone Saint beside him. For once, the archer did not seem dazzling. He was just wet, pale, and scared out of his wits. Behind him, Nephis was kneeling on the stones, gripping the hilt of her silver sword, her fingers white and bloodless. Straining his hurting lungs, Sunny yelled: "Be! Ready! The dwe…" However, before he could finish, her eyes suddenly grew wide. Swiftly turning around, Sunny saw a gargantuan tentacle slowly rising from the seething waves. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, it looked like a tall, grotesque black tower. It pierced the skies and froze for a moment, looming over the ancient colossus. …Feeling his heart skip a bit, Sunny realized that he knew the sight of it. This was the same gigantic black tentacle he saw on his first night on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, the one that had effortlessly pulled the enormous monstrous shark under the waves and tore it in halves like a little fish. The abomination that even Corrupted Nightmare Creatures were afraid of. …Falling from above, the gargantuan tentacle crashed on the moving statue and coiled itself around its neck. 'Oh no!' \\\* Before Sunny could react, the gigantic tentacle was already wrapped around the neck of the colossus. Its bulbous flesh suddenly contracted, as though trying to strange the stone giant. …And pull him beneath the waves. Without ever slowing down, the ancient statue continued to walk forward. Then, in a roar of falling water, its colossal hand rose from the depths of the cursed sea and grabbed onto the tentacle. Grasping it in his stone fist, the colossus lingered for a moment… and easily tore the tentacle apart. Sunny's eyes widened. One part of the gigantic black tentacle convulsed and slid off the neck of the ancient colossus, falling into the raging waves. The other part stubbornly tried to coil around his arm, but was pushed away by the stone palm and disappeared back into the depths of the cursed sea. For a few moments, the black water was silent. 'Oh... G.o.ds!' …And then, the whole surface of it suddenly exploded into the skies. ReadNovelFull.me?
239	Chapter 239 Clash of t.i.tans The surface of the cursed sea seethed and boiled, then exploded into the skies. Following the disappearance of the gargantuan tentacle, six others appeared from beneath the black waves. They rose and loomed above the marching colossus like twisted mountains, blocking the clamor of the storm for a fleeting moment. Sunny gritted his teeth and stared at the terrible image, trying to comprehend the scale of the approaching battle. How were tiny humans supposed to survive the fight between t.i.tans? A second later, the tentacles collapsed from the skies to a.s.sail the stone giant. Because of their size, it seemed as if they were moving in slow motion. However, Sunny knew that it was just an illusion. Four of the arms of the unseen leviathan submerged back under the water to coil around the legs and the torso of the colossus, while two remaining ones slithered toward his hand. The ancient statue continued to walk south, seemingly unperturbed by the furious a.s.sault of the terrifying dweller of the depths. It batted one of the tentacles away, and allowed the other to wrap around its wrist. "Hold fast!" Sunny didn't register whose shout that was, but followed the advice and grabbed onto the Stone Saint even tighter. ReadNovelFull.me 'Curse it all!' In the furious roar of thunder and blinding lightning, the stone giant suddenly staggered and slightly careened to the side. The tentacle that was coiled around his wrist had tensed, trying to pull the hand down. The power hiding in its black, oily, bulbous flesh was so harrowing that several cracks appeared on the surface of the ancient stone. It almost looked as though the wrist of the colossus was going to snap and explode into a torrent of shards. Instead, the giant turned his palm and grasped the tentacle, then squeezed it in an obliterating grip. The tentacle was trying to crush the ancient stone while being crushed in the fist of the stone giant in return. For a few moments, it wasn't clear which creature was more devastatingly powerful. But then the fingers of the colossus slowly submerged into the black flash, sending rivers of dark, fetid blood spilling down into the sea. Soon, the tentacle was torn to shreds and had to retreat. However, the other five were already attacking the colossus from below. Sunny couldn't see through the black waters of the cursed sea, but he could vividly imagine two of them coiling around the legs of the ancient statue, two wrapping around its torso, and another one holding down the hand and the mason's hammer. Whatever the gigantic tentacles were doing seemed to have worked. The pace of the walking statue slowed, as if it had to struggle against an unimaginable weight that was dragging it back. The colossus staggered once more, then suddenly lurched forward, and finally stopped. 'Not good…' Through the soles of his feet, Sunny could feel the vibrations running through the ancient stone. The giant was trembling, as if straining to move his colossal body with all his strength. The circular platform they were hiding on slowly began to slope to the side, allowing even more waves to wash over it. The furious storm grew even stronger, as though celebrating the battle between two enormous creatures. The hurricane wind crushed into the cohort, pelting them with rain and seawater. The thunderclaps merged into one continuous, deafening roar, and the flashes of lightning were surrounding them like a net woven from celestial flame. Suddenly, the ancient statue shuddered and changed its angle. It was almost as if… as if the colossus was bending his waist and leaning forward. Sunny's eyes widened. He instinctively understood what was about to happen. …He wasn't the only one. As the Stone Saint followed his command and fell to her knees to thrust a hand into a crack in the stone, Nephis screamed: "We're going under! Hold your breaths!" 'Here we go again!' In the next second, the colossus leaned forward and dove under the turbulent surface of the waves. Sunny barely had time to inhale deeply. Then, the cohort was once again in the cold embrace of the cursed sea. Only, unlike the previous day when they had to cross the canyon, this time they were being pulled deep into the void of darkness instead of across it. Feeling a powerful current rush past him, Sunny held on for his dear life and waited. If he was right about what the colossus was doing, they still had a chance to survive. As the pressure of the black water grew heavier and the cold of the lightless void seeped into his bones, the circular platform suddenly stopped and swayed lightly. Despite being submerged deep underwater, Sunny could hear a loud, indescribable sound spreading through the vast expanse of the cursed sea. 'G.o.ds, G.o.ds!' Even though he knew that the G.o.ds were dead, he couldn't help but call out to them. But all that answered him was silence. …Then, finally, the body of the colossus swayed once more, and suddenly began to move up. With the same speed that they were pulled into the depths, the cohort was now being lifted from the darkness of the cursed sea back into the furious embrace of the storm. Sunny was barely conscious by the time the shoulders of the colossus broke the surface of the water and the circular platform appeared above the waves. Glancing around, he counted the members of the cohort and made sure that no one was washed away during this harrowing dive. Then, he steeled himself and turned his head to peer forward. The ancient giant had not been pulled into the black water by the unseen horror of the depths. Instead, once the gigantic tentacles had proven to be a nuisance, he had simply leaned forward… and scooped the abyssal creature from the bottom of the sea. And now the colossus was holding it in his hand, rising the leviathan into the raging skies. Even knowing that gazing upon the true appearance of the horror of the depths was not the safest of ideas, Sunny couldn't help but look. What he saw made him shiver. ReadNovelFull.me?
240	Chapter 240 Shadow Slave Held in the ancient statue's hand was a gargantuan skull that looked almost like that of a human, but simultaneously vastly different. Apart from the size, the shape of it was all wrong. If Sunny had to describe what exactly was different about it, he would have trouble putting it into words, but everything about the skull screamed of wrongness, malignity, and evil. The vile aura it radiated was almost palpable to the touch. Sunny suddenly felt nauseous and weak, as if just looking at the gargantuan skull was seeping the life out of him. This sensation was somewhat similar to that he had experienced when trying to read the runes describing the Unknown, only magnified by a thousand times. …The most prominent and obvious difference, though, was that the gargantuan skull had three eye sockets instead of two, the third one situated above the other ones, right in the middle of its forehead. Its canines were also more prominent and heavy than that of a human. The lower jaw of the skull was missing, and it was from there that the seven gigantic tentacles protruded. Surprisingly, looking at the tentacles themselves did not have the same sickening effect on Sunny. With a sense of dark astonishment, he realized that the horror of the depths was using the terrible skull as a sh.e.l.l, hiding inside of it like a weak and vulnerable sea creature would… only, of course, nothing weak or vulnerable would have ever survived the corruption of these ancient bones. In fact, he could see the black oily flash bulging from the dark chasms of the skull's three cavernous eye sockets. In a flash of lightning, Sunny noticed that the tentacles were moving, coiling themselves around the arm of the stone colossus. Three of them were heavily damaged, but the remaining four were still full of unimaginable power. Their combined strength was more than enough to shatter the ancient stone. ReadNovelFull.me Despite the fact that his arm was already starting to crack, the colossus seemed indifferent to the devastating embrace of the abyssal creature. 'What… what is he doing?!' As if answering his question, the dark sea suddenly surged and split apart, releasing the stone giant's other arm from its cold depths. With rivers of black water streaming from it, the hand of the colossus slowly rose, reaching all the way into the raging skies. The hurricane winds broke against it, powerless to move the arm of the colossus even by a centimeter. The hammer gripped in his hand was suddenly enveloped in a ghostly blue glow. …No, it wasn't really a glow. In were arcs of electricity running all over its surface. They were the harbingers of… Sunny's eyes widened. In the next moment, a bolt of lightning connected the hammer to the skies. And then another, and another. Dozens of lightnings landed on the stone hammer in short succession, the roar of thunder almost shattering the whole world. Enveloped in the raging shroud of electricity, the ancient stone heated and turned incandescently bright, emanating a furious orange glow. For a moment, everything was still. And then, with the same calm indifference, the colossus brought his burning hammer down and delivered a devastating blow to the abhorrent skull. The beak of the hammer easily shattered the ancient bone and sank deep into the flesh of the horror hiding within. Sunny stared, paralyzed by awe. But in the next moment, he was thrown back by a terrible, ear-piercing, cacophonous wail. That wail was like nothing that a living being should ever have been able to produce, and much louder than even the deafening thunder tearing the raging skies. It came from the dweller of the depth, whose body was deeply wounded by the stone colossus. Peering at it, Sunny saw a vast wave of dark blood gush from the terrible wound delivered to the abyssal creature. No… not blood. It was something different. What flowed from the body of the horror of the depths was nothing but pure darkness. …And the wall of it was heading right for them. Suddenly, Sunny was overwhelmed by a sense of mortal danger. 'W—what…' To the rest of the cohort, the darkness spilling from the terror's body must have looked no different from the tenebrous ma.s.s of storm clouds that surrounded them, the black surface of the sea, or even the fetid blood of the giant locusts that they had slain earlier. But Sunny, who could see through any shadow, knew instantly that it was not the same. Because his gaze could not penetrate the lightless, undulating surface of it at all. Somehow, he was certain that if that darkness touched their bodies, all of them would be done for, doomed to a fate a hundred times worse than death. The kind of fate he couldn't even conceive of, let alone imagine. Twisting his body, Sunny opened his mouth and screamed as loud as he could: "Neph! Light!" There was no more than a second left before the wave of darkness washed over them. If Changing Star was late even by a moment or wasted time thinking over his words and deciding whether she should listen to him… But she didn't. As soon as Nephis heard the unreserved panic in Sunny's voice, she instantly summoned her flames and channeled them into her sword. A blinding white radiance suddenly enveloped the cohort, pushing the blackness of the storm away. When the wave of true darkness that flowed from the abyssal creature's wound touched the pure light, it simply… ceased to exist, disappearing like a vestige of nightmare in the brightness of the day. Sunny exhaled and fell to the stones, drained of all strength. Glancing forward, he saw the ancient colossus remove his hammer and indifferently drop the harrowing giant skull back into the surging waters of the cursed sea. The black tentacles weakly convulsed and unwrapped themselves from his arm, disappearing into the waves a few moments later. …Without paying them any attention, the ancient statue lowered the hammer and continued its march south. It was as if nothing had happened. Sunny gritted his teeth and gathered whatever endurance he had left to grab onto the Stone Saint once again. The storm was still not over. However, somehow, it didn't seem as frightening and dangerous anymore. Indeed, nothing else happened to them. Hours later, the raging winds grew weaker, and the torrent of rain slowly turned into a light drizzle. The veil of tenebrous clouds was slowly torn apart, and the rays of sunshine shone through the tears. The storm was over. Lying on the cold stone surface, Sunny stared at the sky and grimaced. 'Comparatively safe my a.s.s...' ReadNovelFull.me?
241	Chapter 241 Halfway As it turned out, the cohort had endured the fury of the heavens for almost an entire day. Before the storm had appeared, the night had still been far away, and now, it was already a new morning. The colossus was steadily marching south, completely unshaken by his terrifying battle with the abyssal leviathan. Sunny was growing more and more certain that the ancient statue, while brought to a semblance of life by some unknown power, was not truly sentient. The headless giant was more like an Echo than a living thing, but then even Echoes seemed to possess some remnants of a personality — at least his poor Scavenger had one. Quiet Dancer often behaved like a prudish and cantankerous young woman, too… no matter how strange it was to describe a flying rapier in that way. Not to mention Shadows, who were much more alive than Sunny felt comfortable admitting. Compared to all of them, the colossus seemed rather… lifeless. Just what kind of a being was he? Sprawled on the ground, Sunny glanced sideways and observed the Stone Saint, who was standing indifferently at the edge of the platform. He wondered what this living statue thought of her strange colossal sibling. Was she in awe of him or didn't care one way or another? It was hard to tell. But then again, he was not in the mood to think too much right now. Sunny was truly exhausted and hurting all over. Everyone was, really. ReadNovelFull.me Despite the incredible achievement of surviving the onslaught of two entire tribes of Nightmare Creatures, the storm, and an encounter with an actual horror of the depths — or rather, because of it — the members of the cohort looked truly pathetic. Each of them was either laying on the stone surface of the swaying platform or sitting with a lost look on their face. They were all wounded, tired, and wet. Even Kai had lost his usual l.u.s.ter, and that alone screamed of how rough this recent hardship had been on them. Even when compared to the usual ruthless reality of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. …Well, no matter. They had survived. More than that, if Sunny wasn't wrong, the stone giant had already brought them more than a thousand kilometers to the south. And by the evening, that number was going to double. A quick way to travel across the Labyrinth, indeed. In two days, they were going to traverse ten times more ground than Sunny, Nephis and Ca.s.sie had managed in two months of their b.l.o.o.d.y journey to the Dark City. And they had only achieved that much thanks to the desperate decision to travel by boat. Not bad, even if they had to endure a few hours of pure torture and a couple of near-death moments. …Plus, the speed wasn't the only benefit that riding atop the ancient colossus had brought them. With a subtly satisfied expression, Sunny listened to his body and smiled. Even without summoning the runes, he knew that he was once again at the same level as he had been before creating the Shadow Saint, and even above it. But there was no harm in looking, right? As the shimmering runes appeared in the air in front of him, Sunny found the familiar cl.u.s.ter… and blinked. Shadow Fragments: [494/1000]. 'This is… this is… what?' Although he knew that the battle against giant locusts and ghastly flowers brought him a bountiful harvest of fragments, he was still astonished to see just how many he had gained. In the short span of time after Ca.s.sie had warned them about the coming storm and before the wall of darkness appeared on the horizon, Sunny managed to reap more than one hundred of them. One hundred and thirty-two, to be exact. 'Incredible!' Most came from the Blood Flowers. In a direct confrontation, Sunny would have never been able to kill that many, but yesterday, all he had to do was cause their hosts to plummet to the ground and let gravity do the rest. Between those sent to their deaths by the Prowling Thorn and those he had cut down with the Midnight Shard, about two dozen abominations had died by his hand. …And another one by his blood, but Sunny didn't want to even think about that experience, ever again. Each of the ghastly flowers was an awakened monster, bringing him four fragments per kill. With the addition af a dozen or so locusts slain by the Stone Saint, Sunny ended up with this mind-boggling windfall. Not only did he return to his peak form, but he was now stronger by just shy of a hundred shadow fragments. 'All in a day's work…' Still stunned, Sunny couldn't help but shake his head. If this continued, he was going to come close to fully saturating his Shadow Core by the end of this expedition. …Which was one of the reasons he had joined it in the first place, but before today, his ambitious plans had been just a conjecture. Now, they were becoming reality. By acc.u.mulating a thousand fragments and saturating his core, Sunny was also going to learn yet another secret of his divine Aspect. What exactly was going to happen once the runes showed "Shadow Fragments: [1000/1000]"? He was now almost halfway to finding out. But even that wasn't all. Looking at another cl.u.s.ter of runes, Sunny read: Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Prowling Thorn], [Endless Spring]... And right after that, two new sets glimmered in the air: ...[Blood Blossom], [Dark Wing.] 'Two new Memories. Jackpot!' The only thing that slightly ruined his exhilaration was the fact that, recently, Sunny was having trouble finding Memories that were actually useful to him. Of course, the Stone Saint had a ferocious appet.i.te and could consume anything that he wasn't going to incorporate into his a.r.s.enal. But simply feeding his spoils to the Shadow, while rewarding in its own way, was not as pleasant as acquiring a new powerful tool. With a sense of cautious antic.i.p.ation, Sunny concentrated on the new Memories. 'Well… let's take a look. Maybe it's something useful after all.' ReadNovelFull.me?
242	Chapter 242 New Toys Sunny decided to take a look at the Dark Wing first. 'Let's see what my Shadow brought me.' He looked at the glimmering runes. Memory: [Dark Wing]. Memory Rank: Awakened. Memory Tier: I. Memory Type: Garment. Memory Description: [This cloak is as light as a dragonfly's wing… and as durable.] Sunny stared at the description, his eyes twitching. ReadNovelFull.me 'Cloak? Another d.a.m.n cloak?! And what does the Spell mean, as durable as a bug's wing? Those aren't durable at all!' Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down and read at the runes again. 'Well… maybe it has an incredible enchantment.' Memory Enchantments: [Glide]. Enchantment Description: [Allows one to levitate slightly above the ground and slowly move in any direction, or glide down softly from any height.] Sunny frowned slightly, thinking about whether that Memory could be useful. Then, he dove into the Soul Sea and summoned the sphere of light containing the Dark Wing to take a look at its spellweave. The descriptions provided by the Spell were not always very informative. It was better to study the thing himself. At first glance, the ability to fly was nothing short of incredible. Amazing, even! Sunny had heard that there were Memories that gave their owners literal wings, but never expected to encounter one before becoming an Awakened, or even a Master. However, their usefulness differed from case to case. There were questions of height, speed, and control. No Memory could have given someone the ability to fly as fast and as unrestrained as Kai could. But some came close… However, as far as these Memories went, Dark Wing turned out to be of the lowest standard. It seemed that it only allowed a person to levitate or hover a couple of meters above ground and move with a very, very modest speed. Sunny could achieve pretty much everything that such an ability provided with the help of the Prowling Thorn and its invisible string — and do it better, too. Of course, he couldn't fight while using the kunai to swing around on the string. In that regard, this new Memory was better. However, after imagining himself fighting while using the Dark Wing to hover above ground or even worse glide in the sky, Sunny shuddered. The beautiful transparent cloak indeed looked like a pair of dragonfly's wings. It was extremely thin a brittle. The slightest strike would rip it apart, causing the wielder to plummet down. So, unless Sunny wanted to die, using this Memory in a battle was out of the question. In short, it had little utility value compared to the Prowling Thorn and couldn't be used for aerial fights. Sunny glanced at the Stone Saint. 'Should I feed it to her?' But after thinking about it for a couple more seconds, he shook his head. No, despite all its flaws, the Dark Wing was still a real boon. The ability to glide alone was priceless. With it, he did not need to be afraid of falling down from deadly heights. Like from the height of an ancient walking colossus, for example. '...I'm keeping it.' The thing would only give his Shadow one fragment, anyway. Looking up, Sunny noticed a transparent cloak that looked like a pair of dragonfly wings suddenly appear on Ca.s.sie's shoulders. The sunlight refracted through it, making the wings glimmer slightly with all the colors of the rainbow. With an expression of wonder on her face, the blind girl made the wings move. A moment later, they disappeared into a blur, and Ca.s.sie suddenly hovered a few centimeters above the ground. She giggled. …So, the Quiet Dancer had earned her the same Memory his Shadow had earned him. This was good. While the weak levitation ability was mostly useless to Sunny, to the blind girl, it would be of tremendous help. The terrain of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was often uneven and treacherous, so being able to float above it was a true gift for someone who could not see. Sunny smiled softly and looked away. 'It's nice that she still knows how to laugh.' A moment later, his expression darkened. Closing his eyes, Sunny sighed heavily and turned his attention to the second Memory he had gotten. 'Don't think about it.' Memory: [Blood Blossom.] Memory Rank: Awakened. Memory Tier: II. Memory Type: Charm. Sunny's heart skipped a bit. Charms were a rare type of Memories that took the form of a small accessory — most often an amulet or a talisman. Unlike weapons, armor and tools, they obviously had no practical value. However, charms made up for it by possessing unique and powerful enchantments. Among the elite Awakened, these were the Memories everyone hunted for the most. …And now he got one! 'Please be good, please be good…' Memory Description: [No matter how much blood was spilled, her hunger only grew.] Sunny blinked. '...Creepy.' Memory Enchantments: [Flower of Evil.] Enchantment Description: [This beautiful charm imbues all Memories and Echoes of its wielder…] As Sunny read the description, the runes suddenly changed right before his eyes. After a moment, a new one appeared between them: [This beautiful charm imbues all Memories, Echoes, and Shadows of its wielder with an unquenching thirst for blood. They receive an overall enhancement when used against a bleeding foe, and grow more powerful the more their prey bleeds.] Not even paying attention to the way the Spell changed the runes on the fly, Sunny froze. 'Aura… it's an aura enchantment.' Aura enchantments were an extremely rare thing. Unlike the usual enchantments, they affected not only the wielder, but everything that fit their target criteria in a certain radius. …No need to mention how precious such things were. And Sunny didn't just get an aura charm, but also one that provided a comprehensive augmentation to the power of all — all! — his Memories, Echoes and Shadows, as long as his enemy bled. And the more they bled, the stronger that augmentation would grow. "Beautiful…" Sunny was so stunned that he accidentally whispered that word out loud. A moment later, he suddenly shuddered and quickly glanced around to make sure that Effie wasn't anywhere near him when he had said it. To his relief, the huntress was on the opposite side of the platform, working on the map of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Sunny exhaled and furtively wiped the sweat off his forehead. 'Phew. That was close!" Then, a wide grin slowly appeared on his face. With a satisfied sigh, he rested his head on the stone and thought: 'Sorry, Saint. Today, you shall remain hungry…' ReadNovelFull.me?
243	Chapter 243 Fangs Of A Dragon By the middle of their second day of traveling through the Labyrinth atop the ancient colossus, an ominous dark line appeared on the horizon. With every minute, it slowly grew closer. Pretty soon, Sunny was able to tell that they were headed toward a vast mountain chain. The mountains seemed to serve as a border between the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e and the rest of the Dream Realm. They were tall and jagged, piercing the skies like the fangs of a giant dragon. Their distant peaks were covered in pristine white snow and wrapped in a veil of mist that streamed into the ravines and onto the ridges below. This was the place where the first lord of the Castle had disappeared all those years ago, as well as the goal of their own perilous journey. As the stone giant came closer to the mountains, Sunny finally understood just how tall, magnificent, and imposing they were. Even the colossus himself looked like a tiny ant in front of these towering peaks. It was hard not to feel small and insignificant in their oppressive shadow. Slowly, the terrain of the Labyrinth began to rise. The mounds of coral grew smaller, the distance between them increased, until finally there were as much black soil and stone outcroppings visible beneath as there were islands of vivid crimson. Finally, the blades of coral became scarce. It was as though the Labyrinth was reluctant to approach the foothills of the misty mountains... or simply unable to. As the gargantuan statue approached the border of the crimson forest, its steps slowed. The colossus seemed to be struggling to move any further. His body was slightly bent, as if he was fighting against strong wind or some invisible force that was relentlessly pulling him back into the Labyrinth. Even his prodigious might was not enough to defeat the pull of the ancient curse. Finally, the stone giant staggered and stopped. ReadNovelFull.me This was the moment they were waiting for. Caster, Effie and Nephis were already climbing down, while Sunny, Ca.s.sie and Kai stood at the edge of the circular platform. Looking down, Sunny sighed and glanced at the charming archer. "If this doesn't work, you're going to catch me, right?" Kai raised his elegant eyebrows, then smile at him dazzlingly. "Why, of course. It would be my pleasure!" Sunny's eye twitched. Shaking his head, he summoned the Dark Wing and turned away. Immediately, a cloak in the shape of two transparent wings appeared on his back. If there was one thing calming Sunny down, it was that his shadow was already on the ground. He had sent it down in advance to scout out the landing zone and make sure that nothing was waiting for the members of the cohort below. The Stone Saint was now standing there, looking like a tiny black dot from the height of the ancient statue's neck. 'No sense in prolonging this.' Gritting his teeth, Sunny commanded the Dark Wing to raise him above ground… and stepped into emptiness. For a moment, he was consumed by primal fear. But then Sunny felt that instead of plummeting down to shatter on the rocks, his body was smoothly gliding through the air. He was still losing alt.i.tude, but at a safe and pleasant pace. Two transparent wings had turned into a blur behind his back. Actually, this feeling was… exhilarating. pan da-nov el ,c`o`m Trying to keep a wide smile from appearing on his face, Sunny reminded himself how brittle his wings were and tried to control the direction of his descent. All it took was a slight shift of his posture and a mental command to the Dark Wing. Soon, Sunny was gliding down in a wide spiral, enjoying the feeling of wind whistling in his ears. 'It's a shame that others can't experience this.' Initially, he was planning to take Effie on the ride of her life. With Kai and Ca.s.sie carrying the other two members of the cohort, reaching the ground would have been really easy. However, after a little bit of experimentation, they had found out that Memories left behind by the terrible locusts couldn't carry too much weight. Even supporting Sunny himself was already close to the Dark Wing's limit. So he got to enjoy this pleasant feeling of weightlessness all by himself. After a few minutes of smooth gliding, Sunny softly landed near the Stone Saint and looked up. Kai and Ca.s.sie were right behind him, and slightly above, already reaching the knees of the colossus, were the other three members of the cohort. '...This Memory might be better than I gave it credit for. Still not usable in a battle, but very handy nevertheless.' Soon, they were all reunited in the shadow of the ancient statue. A few moments later, the colossus trembled. Slowly, it turned around and took a giant step. The ground trembled as his feet landed on it. The six humans stood silently, watching the ancient statue walk away. It was heading east, moving parallel to the impregnable wall of the draconian mountains. Sunny suspected that the stone giant had walked all around the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e thousands of times, and now was at the start — or the end — of another loop. The Stone Saint was watching the headless giant walk away, too. Sunny glanced at her, wondering once again if his Shadow felt something toward this enormous creature. He got a strange sensation that she did. ?? n?? - ? o? ?? , ?`?`m However, it wasn't awe as Sunny had suspected. If anything, the hint of emotion hiding deep in the ruby eyes of the Stone Saint was that of… disdain. '...Curious.' Back at the ruined cathedral, Sunny had noticed that the Black Knight's armor bore a visible resemblance to that of his taciturn Shadow. However, it didn't seem as though both came from the same source. It was more like the armor of the Fallen Devil was derived from that of the living statues. Almost as if someone had tried to replicate their armaments, but only managed to create a lesser facsimile. Was the stone giant the same? A failed attempt at repeating the same miraculous act of creation that had put a spark of true life into the Stone Saint and her brethren? There was no way to know. But still, Suny couldn't help but wonder… Soon, the ground stopped trembling and the figure of the mechanically marching colossus disappeared into the grey fog. A few moments later, Nephis sighed at turned around to face the mountains. It was time to find a place to spend the night. Tomorrow morning, they were going to start their search for the lost expedition. ReadNovelFull.me?
244	Chapter 244 Death Zone This high into the foothills of the mountains, they didn't have to look long for a suitable shelter. In fact, they could have simply camped in the open. The dark sea couldn't get to them anymore. As the night descended and enveloped the world in the familiar veil of absolute darkness, Sunny volunteered to be the first one to stand watch. Gazing down the sloping surface of the rocky ground, he watched as the black water slowly rose from the distant crimson forest of the Labyrinth. It crawled up the steep slope of the foothills, straining to devour as much of them as it could, but then stopped hundreds of meters away from the place where the cohort had made their camp and swayed gently, unable to move any further. Just like the headless colossus had not been able to. Looking at the powerless waves, Sunny finally allowed himself to believe that they were now outside of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Or, more precisely, at the very edge of it. In any case, the cursed sea was no longer a threat to them. 'How strange.' Sunny had grown accustomed to living in the constant fear of this transient abyss. Even in the Dark City, he was constantly aware of its oppressive presence. No one was free of the frightening thoughts about what would happen if the seemingly una.s.sailable wall of the city finally gave in and fell, opening the way to the flood of darkness. ReadNovelFull.me But now, they were safe from it. …For now. With a sigh, Sunny summoned the Blood Blossom. An intricate pendant in the shape of a beautiful red flower soon appeared, hanging on a black thread around his neck. He admired it for a few short moments, and then hid the charm under his armor. It was better to be safe than sorry. Relaxing now was not the brightest of ideas. Yes, the dangers of the dark sea were now behind them. But he was ready to bet that actually escaping the clutches of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was not going to be that easy. And who said that the place beyond this desolate h.e.l.l was any better? With his luck, it was only going to be worse. Consumed in thought, Sunny stared at the dark sea and waited. \\\* In the morning, the members of the cohort prepared to start the search. But before they could get to it, Nephis suddenly stopped them and peered at the towering peaks that loomed above in a veil of mist. There was a dark expression on her face. After a while, Changing Star suddenly kneeled and picked up a large rock. Straining her muscles, she crushed it in her fist and then looked at the shards with an inquisitive look. Finally, she threw the shattered pieces away and sighed. A few seconds later, Nephis spoke in a heavy tone: "...I know where we are." What was that supposed to mean? Echoing his thought, Effie scoffed. "We all know where we are, princess. The southern edge of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, about two thousand kilometers away from the Dark City. No?" Nephis shook her head and stood up. "I mean I know where we are in the Dream Realm." Everyone froze. "What… what did you just say?" The members of the cohort stared at her with their eyes opened wide. The words Changing Star had said hit them like a bolt of lightning. She pointed at the draconian peaks and said, her voice even:pan da-nov el ,c`o`m "We are north of the Hollow Mountains. I am sure of it." 'Hollow… mountains?' The name rang a bell, but Sunny couldn't quite put his finger on where exactly he had heard it. Glancing at the other members of the cohort, he noticed that everyone shared the same expression — except for Caster, who seemed to know something. His face grew pale. Nephis lingered for a few moments, and then explained: "Human sphere of influence in the Dream Realms is not very large, but it has been slowly expanding for the last thirty years. There are three great Citadels, the most prosperous of which, Bastion, is ruled by the n.o.ble scions of the Valor clan. And numerous lesser ones." Then, she grimaced. "For a time, the allies and va.s.sals of Clan Valor used to conquer one lesser Citadel after another, expanding human territory far into the north. But then their expansion in that direction stalled. Because they encountered Hollow Mountains." 'Oh… right. I think I heard that from teacher Julius. The northern border of the human territory is a wild place.' Sunny frowned. "Are these… Hollow Mountains very dangerous?" Changing Star gritted her teeth. "As dangerous as it gets. Actually, beyond that. The mountain chain stretches for thousands of kilometers, forming a whole region of its own. It is marked as a death zone. Even Saints don't come back from there alive." Sunny shivered. Death zones were regions of the Dream Realm populated by Nightmare Creatures of the three highest ranks — Great, Cursed, and Unholy. Since no human had survived the Fourth Nightmare yet, facing even the weakest of them was a death sentence to anyone below the Saint rank, and even Saints had only a slight chance of prevailing against a Great creature… let alone a Cursed one. Somehow, Sunny managed to become one of the few people alive to slay a Great Devil. But he had only survived that encounter by pure luck — if not for his weird trait of possessing a Shadow Core instead of a Soul Core, the unborn sp.a.w.n of the Vile Thieving Bird would have stolen his life force and killed him on the spot. …And if Nephis was right, the Hollow Mountains were populated by many creatures of that caliber and higher. Sunny sighed. "So what you're telling us is that this place is even worse than the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e?" Without having to say anything, Nephis simply nodded. He smiled. "Figures." He had been right after all. Escaping the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was simply impossible. The only way out lay in the cursed Crimson Spire, and that… That was where they were headed, whether he wanted to or not. With a dark expression on his face, Sunny stared at the jagged peaks of the Hollow Mountains and said: ?? n?? - ? o? ?? , ?`?`m "So… we are going there?" Nephis lingered for a few moments, and then answered calmly: "Let's hope not. We only need to get as far as the First Lord had gotten. That… that should be close to where we are right now." Sunny looked at her and nodded. "In that case, let's not waste any time. The sooner we return into the Labyrinth, the better." 'Gee. I never thought I would be impatient to return to that d.a.m.ned h.e.l.lhole. You just never know what the future holds, huh?' ReadNovelFull.me?
245	Chapter 245 Theatre of Giants Armed with the understanding of just how dangerous the beautiful mountains towering above them were, the cohort set out deeper into the foothills. Because they didn't know much about the area and what type of creatures populated it, they decided to stay together. While it would have been much easier to send Kai to take a look around from above, no one wanted to take this risk. As the result, the six humans moved in a tight group, much like they had on the narrow streets of the Dark City and in the Labyrinth. …However, the landscape around them was vastly different. There were no growths of crimson coral covering the ground, just gra.s.s and outcroppings of grey rock. It almost felt like they were back on Earth. Strangely, that made Sunny feel uncomfortable. Looking around, he could see far in every direction, with no walls of coral or ancient, ruined buildings obscuring his view. That made it harder for the Nightmare Creatures to ambush the cohort, but also impossible for the cohort to hide from anything that could have been watching. 'That is true, but… where are all the monsters?' Indeed, no matter how hard Sunny looked, he couldn't see any movement whatsoever. It was as if the entire area was completely dead. They were surrounded by complete silence, which was broken only when a member of the cohort made a sound. The picturesque scenery could have been peaceful, but felt eerie instead. Even Sunny's shadow seemed uncharacteristically listless. Full of unease, they continued to move forward. ReadNovelFull.me The plan was very simple. Because of Ca.s.sie's vision, they knew that the First Lord and his companions had traveled to the mountains the same way that they did, or at least followed the same route. That meant that both cohorts entered the foothills at approximately the same spot. The other thing Ca.s.sie had told them was that they were searching for a vast pit in the stone. It was hard to miss something like that, so all they had to do was to move deeper into the foothills and look around. The ground beneath their feet gently sloped upward. As time pa.s.sed, it grew more and more rocky, and the incline became rather steep. Soon, they were surrounded by tall boulders and had to walk on bare stone. At some point, Sunny looked back and was surprised to realize how high above the labyrinth they had climbed. By now, it was far away and below them, looking like a vast crimson sea. A strange sensation settled in his heart. With a bit of introspection, Sunny realized that it was something he had lost a long time ago. The feeling of being connected to the rest of humanity. Even though all of them understood that crossing the Hollow Mountains was an impossible task, simply knowing where they were in relation to the rest of the Awakened made all the difference. They might have been just as stranded as they had been before… but at least they weren't lost anymore. 'What a nice, but useless thought.' With a sigh, he turned around and hurried to catch up with the rest of the cohort. The sun was still high in the sky when they found the pit Ca.s.sie had described. It was situated in a valley just at the point where the foothills turned into proper mountains, and turned out to be something different from what everyone had imagined. Disturbingly, throughout the whole day, they had not met a single living thing. In any other circ.u.mstances, Sunny would have been glad because of this strange lack of Nightmare Creatures, but now it was just making him nervous. Standing at the edge of it, he looked down with a feeling of awe. Cut into the flesh of the mountains, a vast quarry lay below them. Despite its incredible scale, it was clearly made by humans. A road clinging to the slope of the circular pit led to the bottom of it, wide enough for ten carriages to ride side by side. At the far end of the quarry, the grey slope of the mountain was cut and hollowed, creating something that resembled either colossal steps or seats of an amphitheater built for giants. Here and there, ma.s.sive blocks of stone stood, as though ready to be transported back to the ancient city. Sunny studied the monolithic blocks of grey stone, then the size of the deep quarry. Something connected in his mind. 'So… so this is where the materials for the mighty wall of the Dark City had come from.' He was certain of it. To think that the ancient inhabitants of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e had transported all that stone from this far away… the thought of it was nothing short of humbling. Effie, meanwhile, was staring at something with a tense look on her face. Suddenly. she pointed to the center of the deep quarry and said: "Over there, look." Following her gaze, Sunny strained his eyes. For a couple of moments, he couldn't understand what the huntress was talking about, but then his heart skipped a bit. At the bottom of the quarry, there was a giant Nightmare Creature. The abomination was enormous, easily twice the size of the Carapace Demon… who had already been as tall as a house. It looked like a strange insect, somewhat resembling a weird mix of a rhinoceros beetle and a praying mantis, with a smooth carapace, ma.s.sive horn, and deadly blades attached to the joints of its limbs. The whole creature seemed to be made out of stone and was the same color as the floor of the quarry. In fact, if not for Effie's warning, Sunny might have not even noticed it. …That flesh, however, was broken and shattered, lying in piles on the ground. The giant stone demon was dead. And from the looks of it, it died by a human hand. Sunny turned to Nephis and hesitated for a moment. "What do you think? Those are sword cuts, aren't they?" Changing Star was silent for a bit, and then said in a dark tone: "It's hard to tell. We'll need to get closer to take a proper look." ReadNovelFull.me?
246	Chapter 246 lrrefutable Proof Ready for the worst, the cohort summoned their weapons and slowly moved down the wide road that lead to the bottom of the quarry. From reaching the foothills of the Hollow Mountains till now, they had not met a single Nightmare Creature... but that was not a reason to lower their guard. Walking on the ancient path, all of them couldn't help but steal glances at the corpse of the giant stone demon, as though expecting it to come back to life and attack them at any moment. If living on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e had taught him anything, it was to always expect the worst. Some time later, Effie spoke: "See those deep fractures on the floor of the quarry? I think that this thing had burrowed from below. So watch your step." Remembering his encounter with the Rolling Stone, Sunny looked down with a sour expression. That clumsy creature was more funny than dangerous, but only because its teeth were vastly outcla.s.sed by the Puppeteer's Shroud. If something with more bite were to ambush them from below, who knew what was going to happen? With a simple thought, Sunny summoned the Stone Saint and ordered her to keep close. The taciturn monster stared at the tall peaks of the Hollow Mountains for a few moments, as though subtly affected by the sight of them. Then, she lowered her head and silently followed his command. After tense and exhausting half an hour of descending into the deep pit, the cohort finally got close to the remains of the giant stone insect. Cautiously stopping a few dozen meters away from it, they hesitated, not sure how to proceed. Finally, Nephis sighed and walked forward, approaching the shattered body of the dead demon. If that was what it had been… or was. ReadNovelFull.me As their leader came close enough to the carca.s.s to touch it with her hand, all of them held their breaths. A few seconds went by, then a few more. Nothing jumped at Changing Star from below the stones. The giant creature had not moved, nor had it shown any signs of coming back to life. The demon just lay there, its body shattered and broken, terrifying even in death. And it indeed was truly, really dead. Glancing at the indifferent Saint, Sunny let out a sigh of relief. Even though he was prepared for a tough battle, he hoped that this time, they would be able to avoid it. The members of the cohort had yet to fully recover from the harrowing journey atop the walking colossus, so they weren't in the best of shapes. Well, at least Sunny was not, partially because he had refused Neph's offer to vanquish his wounds with her purifying flame. They were healing fast thanks to the Blood Weave and the five hundred shadow fragment… almost… that he had acc.u.mulated, but his body was yet to fully recover. Turning her head, Nephis looked at them and said: "Come closer." Encouraged by her words, the members of the cohort finally put their caution to rest and walked over to the dead creature. Of course, they were still prepared to instantly react in case something unexpected happened. The six of them spent a few minutes studying the remains to determine whether the terrible creature was killed by a human or something of its own kind. Sunny glanced at the tall mountains and spent a few seconds watching as the white mist rolled down from their peaks, flowing down the jagged slopes like a waterfall made of clouds. '...How beautiful.' With a sigh, he turned away from the wall of mist that was still some distance away from the valley where the quarry was situated and concentrated on the corpse of the stone demon. Whatever had killed it was not something Sunny would wish to meet in a battle. The flesh of the creature was, indeed, made of stone. That had not stopped the fearsome attackers, however. The carapace of the giant granite abomination was shattered in many places, and melted in others. …But mostly, it was cut and pierced. Apart from a few enormous wounds, there were numerous smaller ones, many of them looking as though they could have come from a sword, an axe, or a spear. And yet, he wasn't sure. Sunny was not really an expert in such things. However, he was an expert in all things having to do with greed and avarice. Instead of focusing on the nature of the damage done to the giant abomination, Sunny walked around and found its abdomen, which was damaged especially severely. With a reluctant sigh, he climbed atop the stone corpse… and then inside of it. The other members of the cohort stared at him with expressions ranging from surprise to revulsion. A couple of minutes later, Sunny climbed out of the dead demon and shook off stone dust from his armor and hair. Then, he glanced at his companions and frowned. "What?" Kai stared at him with a complicated expression, and then asked: "Sunny? Ah, do you want to tell us something?" Sunny gave him a nod and grinned. "I do, actually. This thing was indeed killed by a human." The charming archer raised an eyebrow and asked in a dubious tone: "Really? How do you know?" Sunny jumped down and shrugged. "The Soul Shards are missing." A few moments later, an expression of understanding appeared on Kai's face. Indeed, most Nightmare Creatures had no use for the soul shards. Just like humans, who directly absorbed soul essence after killing one of their own kind, they fed from the kill itself as opposed to the act of retrieving and crushing the remnants of broken soul cores. …If they weren't bizarre terrors like the Soul Devourer, of course. But the chances of encountering another one of those here were rather low. It was reasonable to a.s.sume that the soul shards were removed by humans. His discovery was solid enough proof of the fact that it was indeed the First Lord's cohort that had battled and slain the terrifying creature. They had really found the signs of the lost expedition. But there was another proof for this conclusion, this one irrefutable. Nephis, who had wandered away from the remains of the demon at some point, suddenly called them over. The members of the cohort glanced at each other, then slowly approached her, trying to understand what was it that she had found. Changing Star was standing near one of the piles of rocks that were littering the ground around the body of the dead creature, looking at it with a solemn expression. Most of them came from its shattered carapace, while some were created because the floor of the quarry was broken apart and churned during the ferocious battle. Why was Nephis so interested in that one in particular? Looking closer, Sunny suddenly realized that this pile of rocks was different from all others. It was lower, roughly oval in shape, its contour too perfect to be the result of a pure coincidence. It seemed as though each rock was painstakingly placed here by a human hand, perhaps in hopes to make the pile as orderly and st.u.r.dy as possible. Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down Sunny's spine. He finally realized what he was looking at. This was not really a pile of rocks. It was a grave. ReadNovelFull.me?
247	Chapter 247 The Mist Standing around the cairn, the members of the cohort looked at it with somber expressions — except for Ca.s.sie, who turned away and faced the mountainside, as though trying to hide her emotions. Now that they knew what they were looking at, their mood suddenly became forlorn and solemn. People stranded on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e were well acquainted with death and tragedy, but finding this lonely grave so far away from any place where another human could find it, lost under the alien grey sky of the Dream Realm, was still a poignant revelation. None of them had ever met the Dreamers of the first cohort, but after living in the shadow of their legendary achievements and hearing stories of their deeds for so long, it felt as though this grave belonged to one of their own. Because of how bleak and tense the reality of the Bright Castle was, it was easy to forget that in this cursed world, all of them were fellow humans. But in front of the quiet grave, the truth was stark and cutting: it was them alone against the endless tide of Nightmare Creatures, and every human life lost diminished them all. Sunny sighed and noticed that there were words carved into one of the stones placed on top of the cairn. It took him a while to make sense of the inscription, because it wasn't written with the runes he had grown accustomed to. Instead, it was written in simple letters of the human language, which looked strange and alien in this forsaken land. Cut into the stone by unknown means, a single sentence was left behind on the otherwise unmarked grave. "Her nightmare is over" With a heavy heart, Sunny silently repeated it several times. It was strange how much meaning could be expressed with so few words. They echoed in his mind and lingered there, leaving a deep and mournful mark. '...Rest in peace, whoever you are. I... I hope that your dreams are sweet and serene now.' ReadNovelFull.me With that, he turned away and gritted his teeth. When would their own nightmares be over? The other members of the cohort were slowly coming back from their sudden reverie. Kai sighed and looked at Changing Star, his face full of sadness. "I guess… I guess this is what we've been looking for. The First Lord and his expedition definitely pa.s.sed this way. But what now?" Nephis threw a last glance at the grave and turned to face the charming archer. "There should be an entrance to an old mine somewhere nearby. From what Ca.s.sie had seen, this is where they went." Sunny frowned. Something in what she said made him uneasy. But why? Turning his head, he looked at Ca.s.sie, who was still silently standing a few steps away from them, her head turned to the mountains. It seemed as though the blind girl was enjoying the sight of white mist that was flowing down the mountain slope, slowly approaching the valley. She had been awfully quiet all this time. With an ominous feeling suddenly gripping his heart, Sunny gestured to Nephis to draw her attention. Changing Star frowned, then followed his gaze and slightly changed in the face. Walking over to her friend, she carefully placed her hand on the blind girl's shoulder. Instantly, Ca.s.sie flinched at turned around, her face pale. "...Ca.s.sie? Did you see something?" There was an expression of terror written on the blind girl's face. For a few moments, she just breathed heavily, as though trying to control herself. Finally, she spoke, her voice quiet but steady: "The mist... we must get underground before the mist comes. If not, all of us will die!" Nephis didn't waste any time questioning Ca.s.sie further. Turning around, she shouted: "Sunny, Night! Find the entrance to the mine, quick!" A moment later, Kai rose into the air and dashed toward the giant amphitheater on the opposite side of the quarry. Sunny did not hesitate, too: his shadow detached from his feet and glided away with startling speed. Despite the urgency of the situation, he remained calm. 'So… I guess there is a reason why we haven't met a single living creature in this place, after all.' Sunny had expected something like this to happen from the very moment they entered the foothills of the Hollow Mountains. Even before learning about how dangerous these peaks were, he had already known that no land that the crimson coral was incapable of growing on could be safe. "Caster, Effie! Prepare to move as soon as the scouts find anything!" Glancing at the white wall of mist that was already starting to seep into the valley, Nephis lingered for a moment, then summoned her sword. Behind her, Ca.s.sie rose slightly above the ground and unsheathed the Quiet Dancer, holding the elegant rapier in her left hand. Two transparent wings turned into a blur behind her back. Looking at them, Sunny sighed and walked over to stand near the Stone Saint. His mind was preoccupied with perceiving the world through the shadow. Then, he closed his eyes to concentrate on his other senses. The shadow and Kai found the entrance to the mine almost simultaneously. A tall archway was cut right into the side of the mountain, with false columns carved into the rock around it. The mouth of the tunnel was dark and ominous. There was a twisting path leading away from the mine into the quarry. Sunny couldn't see where it exited the maze of stone blocks, but was sure that Kai would see it from above. Opening his eyes, he noticed that the wall of mist was now looming above them, mere seconds from falling down into the quarry, and said: "Follow me!" With that, he ran toward the general direction of where the mine was situated. The others ran behind him, exerting as much speed as they could manage — except for Caster, of course. Halfway to the wall of the quarry, Kai landed near them and gestured to a barely visible opening between the stone steps. "There! Hurry!" They entered the hidden path and ran as fast as they could, soon approaching the wide tunnel. At the very edge of darkness, Sunny stopped for a second and looked back at the swiftly approaching wall of mist. As he gazed into the milky fog, a cold and heavy feeling of dread suddenly grasped his heart. Not wasting any more time, he turned around and dove into the shadows. A few moments later, the mist swirled around the entrance of the tunnel and devoured the rest of the world. ReadNovelFull.me?
248	Chapter 248 Those Who Survived Leaving the mouth of the tunnel and the swirling white mist behind, the cohort cautiously went further into the darkness. As they walked, they summoned the Memories that produced light to illuminate the way. The tunnel leading into the mine was wide and s.p.a.cious. Despite the ruthless flow of time, it had remained in perfect condition — just like the ancient wall that surrounded the Dark City. The floor was inclined and led down, deep into the belly of the mountain. Sunny sighed, not happy with the idea that they had to travel further into this deadly region of the Dream Realm. Who knew what horrors lived in the darkness at the roots of the Hollow Mountains? The only thing that consoled him was that, with some luck, the cohort wouldn't have to go too far. They just had to find the remains of the doomed expedition that had disappeared somewhere down below. He wasn't entirely comfortable hoping that those people had died sooner rather than later, but they were dead either way. What Sunny cared about the most was for him and his companions to not follow suit. Walking at the back of the party, he glanced at the five people in front of him. How did Changing Star's cohort stacked against that of the First Lord? Were they weaker, stronger, or just about the same? His brow furrowed. ReadNovelFull.me Regarding Nephis herself, he doubted that the young man who had led a group of Sleepers to conquer the Bright Castle could have been more powerful or driven than her, at least not at the start. However, he had much more time to acc.u.mulate power and resources before venturing into the Hollow Mountains to find his death. Fifteen years ago, when he had entered the Dream Realm and got stranded on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, things were much different from now. The Immortal Flame clan was yet to fall, for one. In fact, it was not long after Broken Sword, Neph's father, had become the first human to conquer the Third Nightmare and achieve the rank of Saint. Would the world be different if the First Lord managed to find the way out and returned to reality? Yes, most likely. If the era of the Nightmare Spell had shown anything to humanity, it was that history was often changed by individuals, as opposed to events and invisible currents. The influence one extraordinary person could exert on history in a time of adversity was hard to deny. From everything that Sunny knew about the First Lord, a man like him could have done a lot to improve the position humanity was in. What a shame that he had perished in this G.o.dforsaken h.e.l.l, the story of his incredible deeds known only to a handful of people as unfortunate as him. But how many were there of such brilliant youths, killed before their time by the Nightmare Spell? In the end, history was not written by the best, but by those who survived. Glancing at the people walking in front of him, Sunny couldn't help but think: 'How many of us will survive?' Each member of the cohort was incredibly strong. Just like Nephis was at least an equal to the First Lord, her companions were most likely equal to his. Because of Effie's light-hearted and carefree demeanor, it was easy to forget how fearsome of a warrior she was. The huntress had not survived three years of stalking monsters on the cursed streets of the Dark City alone by accident. Hundreds upon hundreds of vicious Nightmare Creatures fell by her hand. As much as Sunny hated to admit it, Caster was a true powerhouse among the Sleepers, too. His incredible Aspect Ability, outstanding skill, cold intelligence and the wide a.r.s.enal of inherited Memories made him a deadly threat to anyone foolish enough to become his enemy. Kai was not as ferocious of a fighter as the core members of the cohort, but his ability to fly coupled with the mastery of the bow and the Ascended arrow that Sunny had sold him made him a real menace in a battle, too. Ca.s.sie was not much of a fighter, but her gift was arguably more important than any combat Aspect Ability could ever be. Especially so on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, where inconceivable dangers lurked under each rock. …And then there was Sunny himself. Sunny was, perhaps, the deadliest of them all. If he wanted to, he could have killed every member of the cohort twice over. With the exception of Nephis himself, of course. If the two of them had to face each other in battle, he didn't count his chances too high. …At least for now. \\\* As they walked deeper into the mine, there were more tunnels forking away from the main one. The cohort turned a few times, choosing the path that led further down underground. Soon, the walls surrounding them changed. More and more, they were decorated with the intricate stone carving that the inhabitants of the ancient city had loved so much. At first, these carvings were strictly decorative and mostly senseless, shaped into beautiful patterns of lines and simple images. But then, slowly, something about them changed. Sunny was, perhaps, the only one who paid attention to the carvings. Due to his pa.s.sion for learning the history of this ancient civilization, he had spent a lot of time doing the same back in the Dark City, where there were a lot of similar things. He was still planning to clear the floor of the ruined library of rubble and study the vast fresco that was hidden beneath — the project he had been working on before the events of these recent weeks had taken him away. However, the condition of the carvings back in the ancient city was mostly terrible. The unknown disaster that had wiped out its inhabitants, the pa.s.sage of time, and the Nightmare Creatures left most of them in ruins. Here in the remote mine, however, the carvings were preserved in pristine condition. When Sunny finally saw what was depicted on them, his breath became faster. The answers to many questions that were tormenting him were right there, carved into these walls. ReadNovelFull.me?
249	Chapter 249 Curse of Darkness Depicted on the ancient engravings, a beautiful land was bathed in sunlight. Lush forests, glistening rivers, and fields of flowers surrounded human cities built of stone. From what Sunny could tell, this was the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e before the mysterious and terrifying curse had turned it into the desolate h.e.l.l it was today. In the next mural, the beautiful land rested under the sky that was full of stars. Suddenly, one of them fell to the ground, causing a wave of destruction to wash over the human cities. When people approached the center of the crater left behind by the falling star… Sunny almost stumbled when he saw the next engraving. In it, a naked human figure was standing at the bottom of the crater, wreathed in light. The inhabitants of the stone cities were surrounding the radiant figure, dressed in archaic garments and armor. The figure seemed beautiful and pure, as though untouched by the imperfections of the mundane world. What made Sunny lose his composure was not its beauty and not how eerily familiar the soft radiance emanated by its skin was, but... Its face. On it, three eyes were burning with pure, incandescent light. Two were just like that of a human, with the third one situated above the other ones, right in the middle of the creature's forehead. …Just like that of the terrible skull that the walking colossus had shattered with his stone hammer in the middle of a raging storm. '...What does it mean? What is this thing?' ReadNovelFull.me To Sunny's dismay, the next engraving was heavily damaged. He couldn't discern anything of what was depicted on it. However, the one after that was in almost perfect condition. On it, the radiant figure was kneeling on the ground, its chest pierced by the spear of the tallest human among the inhabitants of the beautiful land. What flowed from the terrible wound, however, was not blood, but an endless flood of pure darkness. 'Why... why did they attack it? What happened?' Left without an answer, Sunny walked forward and soon reached the next mural. He saw darkness devouring the humans gathered around the fatally wounded creature and spread. Soon, it devoured the crater left by the fallen star, too. And then, it devoured the entire world. "...The curse of all-consuming darkness," he whispered. Finally, Sunny got a glimpse at the origin of the terrible disaster that had destroyed this land and turned it into a h.e.l.lish nightmare. Although the details of it were still unclear, one of the mysteries he had been trying to solve now had an answer. But the story told by the engravings was not yet over. Walking further into the ancient mine, Sunny learned of what had happened next. As the darkness spread across the world, it reached the skies. The stars were either devoured by it or fell down, turning the sky into a terrible, lightless abyss. The starless void. The sun never rose above the cursed land again, leaving humans trembling in the cold. Soon, horrifying creatures came from the darkness to devour them. The best and the brightest of the ancient civilization took arms to defend their cities, and for a while, they were able to resist the tide of monsters. …But then, humans themselves started to turn into abominable horrors. At that point, Sunny felt a cold shiver running down his spine and couldn't help but tremble. Not because he was affected by the tragic disaster that had befallen these ancient people. But because it all seemed so terrifyingly familiar. The details might not have been the same, but the end result was eerily similar to what was happening in the real world right now. A curse that suddenly appeared and spread across the entire world. The horrible monsters that came from nowhere to attack settlements and devour humans. The champions who had taken charge of defending their kind from the abominable creatures. And the fact that some humans had begun turning into those creatures themselves. Was it not the same as the Nightmare Spell spreading like a plague across the globe, the Nightmare Creatures coming through the Gates, the Awakened rising to fight against them, and the unfortunate soles who failed their First Nightmare transforming into monstrous abominations? The only difference was that the story of the civilization of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was already over. Eventually, the curse had destroyed it. The people of his own world, however, were still trying to resist such fate. But was it even possible to defeat fate? The inhabitants of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e were proud and mighty. They were capable of building cities that stood for thousands of years and fighting against the most terrifying monsters on equal footing. And yet, in the end, they were utterly obliterated and wiped out. Their land had become a cursed desert. Would the real world turn into a desolate h.e.l.l like the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e too, one day? With a dark expression on his face, Sunny turned away from the engraving he was staring at and walked away. There were a few more left ahead, still. On one of them, seven heroes came together from different parts of the dark land. Under their protection and guidance, people living in the darkness migrated from their half-destroyed cities and came to the sh.o.r.e of the vast crater. There, they built a new home for themselves, one surrounded by a mighty wall that no monster could scale or breach. One of the heroes, a man depicted with a mason's hammer in his hand, was in charge of building the wall. Despite the fact that the part of the engraving depicting his face was damaged, it was unmistakably one of the seven founders of the Starlight Legion, the man whose statue had carried them across the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. In the second to last engraving, the mighty wall was finished, and the city was prospering amidst the darkness. The seven heroes stood at some distance from it, surrounding… Sunny's eyes narrowed. The seven heroes were surrounding an inconceivably tall tower. It loomed above them, connecting heaven and earth like the axis of the world. Despite its cyclopean height, the tower was still unfinished. The Crimson Spire. Only it was not crimson yet, as there were no growths of cursed coral covering its walls. On the last engraving, the tower was complete, and on top of it… On top of it, a new sun was burning bright, bathing the land and the celebrating people in the light once again. The darkness was gone. ReadNovelFull.me?
250	Chapter 250 Defiant Oath Sunny stared at the last engraving for a few moments, and then continued walking. The revelations he had uncovered on the walls of the ancient mine gave him a lot to think about. The truth that he had been piecing together for a very long time was finally more complete than fragmented. So, something had indeed fallen from the sky and put a start to the eventual destruction of this land. Sunny had suspected that this was the case for a while now, especially after witnessing the colossal impact crater that was situated between the Dark City and the Ashen Barrow. At times, he had been almost ready to believe that it was really the result of the Vile Thieving Bird dropping the Weaver's eye "on the mortal realm below", as written in the description of the Lineage Memory he had consumed. The Thieving Bird had gone mad after looking at the reflection of the -unknown- which was apparently forever frozen in the depths of Weaver's pupil. The madness and corruption that reigned over the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e were similar enough for him to draw a parallel. However, now he knew that it had been an actual being that had fallen from the skies, wreathed in light and flame. A beautiful figure that emanated brilliant radiance and had three eyes on its terrible, perfect face. Sunny didn't know what led the ancient humans to attack it, but they had killed the creature — perhaps managing such a feat only because it was already weakened by its fall from the heavens and the events that had sent it plummeting down. But by doing so, they had unleashed the flood of darkness and caused the destruction of their land. ReadNovelFull.me Sunny was under the impression that the annihilation of the ancient civilization had been instantaneous, but as it turned out, humans had continued to fight against the curse for a long time. Generations, even — that's why the founders of the Starlight Legion were described as being born in the all-consuming darkness. He didn't know whether the monsters that came to feast on the human flesh had been contained within the body of the fallen being along with the ocean of darkness, or whether they were all humans corrupted by the curse — with those present at the moment of the creature's death becoming the most terrifying ones. What he did know, however, was that the Starlight Legion had managed to push the monsters back and build an impregnable fortress for the humans under their protection. That fortress would later become the Dark City. And then, the founders of the Legion had achieved something even more inconceivable. They had built the cyclopean Spire and somehow used it to… To create an artificial star. Yes, the sun shining above the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was not real. It was, in fact, a human creation. '...Speak about ambition.' It was hard not to feel awe after learning that those seven madmen had actually managed to create a sun. They had made a defiant oath to return light to the cursed land and gone about it with terrifying resolve and sincerity. The story depicted in the ancient engravings ended with a celebration. The forces of good had vanquished the curse of darkness and brought a new era of light and prosperity to the inhabitants of the ancient city. …However, that was not where history ended. Something happened between then and now that had caused the obliteration of the ancient civilization, the corruption of the Spire, and the appearance of the Crimson Labyrinth. But what? That was a mystery for another day. Perhaps he would be able to find the answer to it back at the Dark City. What Sunny did note, however, was the difference between the dark reality shown in the engravings and the state the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was now. Ads by PubFuture Yes, the ancient murals showed a world completely devoid of light, but it was different from the h.e.l.l that Sunny and the other members of the cohort knew. The engravings did not show the curse of darkness as a literal sea. With no sun and no sea, there was no cycle of tides that turned the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e into an ocean of black water every night. The dark sea had appeared at the same time as the Labyrinth, then? Or at least as the result of the same event. Sunny was sure that the two were connected. But he didn't know what significance that information hid. ...The other thing he had noted was that, while other members of the party were initially indifferent to the ancient engravings, at some that changed. When they had been walking past the mural depicting the radiant being with three incandescent eyes, Nephis had stopped and looked at it for several long moments. Then, she turned her head away, lingered for a second, and continued walking. Sunny had not missed that detail. However, he couldn't even begin to guess what it meant. \\\* Some time later, they entered a wide circular hall. In the center of it, a dark chasm opened into the depths of the mountains, leading so far down that Sunny couldn't even see its bottom. It looked like the gates of the Underworld. Thousand years ago, there were wooden ladders and platforms leading down the main shaft of the mine, as well as a system of ropes and pulleys to lower the miners and lift containers full of precious ores up. Of course, all of that had rotten and collapsed a long time ago. With a sigh, Sunny glanced at Nephis and asked: "We are climbing down, aren't we?" Instead of answering, she simply summoned the golden rope and shrugged. He shook his head. "Wait. At least give me some time to scout ahead and see if anything is waiting for us at the bottom of this thing." With that, he sent his shadow down the wall of the endless shaft. The shadow wasn't very ecstatic at the prospect of gliding down into the depths of the scarry well, though. Giving Sunny a resentful glare, it sighed and dove down with visible reluctance. A few minutes later, the shadow reached as far down as the range of Shadow Control allowed. It was still not at the bottom of the mine, but at least there were no primordial horrors in its sight. Sunny summoned the Dark Wing and gave the members of the cohort a nod. "We can proceed. Be ready, though. Who knows what might happen?" ReadNovelFull.me?
251	Chapter 251 Boundary of the Underworld Standing on the edge of the bottomless well, Sunny sighed and summoned the Prowling Thorn. Then, he commanded the Dark Wing to come to life and took a step into the emptiness. The dragonfly wings of his enchanted cloak were too fragile to rely on them alone in a situation that posed unknown risks. It was better to have a backup at hand. Softly gliding down, he descended in a straight line for a few moments, then made a turn and glanced at the other members of the party. The golden rope had been thrown into the darkness. Nephis, Effie and Caster were already climbing down, while Kai hovered near them, ready to draw his bow should anything attack the cohort. Ca.s.sie was by his side, holding the Quiet Dancer in her hand. The elegant rapier served as her guide as well as support, allowing the blind girl to make better use of the transparent wings. With it, she was able to zip around with considerable speed or stay in one place without any surface beneath her feet. 'Handy.' Just like that, the cohort descended to the bottom of the ancient mine. Sunny was gliding down in a wide spiral, sometimes close enough to the wall of the well to touch it with his hand. He was slightly ahead of the rest of the group. When the distance between them grew too much, he would insert the dagger into a crack in the stone and wait for others, attached to the vertical wall like a strange insect. His shadow moved further and further down, exploring the darkness below. ReadNovelFull.me Despite the tension that permeated the air, in the end, nothing had attacked the group of descending humans. They discovered the reason for this unexpected respite at the bottom of the mine. Sunny was the first one to land on solid ground. With other members of the cohort still a few dozen meters away, for some time, he was left in complete darkness. As soon as he took a step, something crunched under his foot. Looking down, Sunny saw a piece of pale bone. A few meters away from him, the remains of a giant skeletal creature lay broken on the ground. It resembled a snake with hundreds of tiny claws growing from its belly and a terrifying, round maw. Glancing up, he judged that the length of the dead abomination was enough to coil around the whole shaft of the mine at least several times. While Sunny was thinking, the other members of the cohort approached the ground. The light of their lantern Memories fell on him, then shone further, revealing the remains of the colossal bone worm. Exposed by this light, a nimble shadow glided on the stone and attached itself to Sunny's feet. Nephis was the first one to jump down. Glancing at the repulsive Nightmare Creature, she outstretched one hand and asked: "Sunny?" ReadNovelFull.me He shook his head. "It's dead. Nothing is moving out here." Soon, all of them were on the ground. Gathering around the giant worm, everyone had the same thought: 'Fighting that thing on the vertical wall of the well would have been a true nightmare.' Sunny didn't know how the members of the lost expedition had managed to defeat the terrifying creature, but was thankful to them. He would not have wanted to test the durability of the Dark Wing if that thing suddenly lunged at him from the dark. There was a disturbing question now in his mind, however. If the cohort of the First Lord was strong and capable enough to slay the stone abomination that used to guard the quarry and the worm that lived in the well of the mine… Then was kind of a horror had killed them all in the end? With a dark expression on his face, Sunny turned away from the dead creature and walked into the darkness. Not too far from the corpse of the abominable worm, they stumbled upon an abandoned campsite. Ads by PubFuture A makeshift firepit was built on the rock floor, with five large stones surrounding it for the humans to sit on. A bit further, a low barricade was constructed out of the rubble, protecting the camp from unwelcomed visitors. The lost expedition had definitely been here. Since they had been walking, climbing and running for the better half of the day, the cohort decided to settle for the night and continue the search tomorrow. Soon, the orange glow of a bonfire chased away the darkness. It was a bit strange to relax and cook food in the same place where the First Lord and his companions had rested and prepared theirs all those years ago. Sunny felt as though he was touching history. Or, rather, making it. However, he didn't have too much time for empty thoughts. If what Nephis had told him at the start of this expedition was true, tomorrow… tomorrow was going to be his time to shine. \\\* The next day, the cohort ventured further into the tunnels of the ancient mine. No one could tell how deep underground they were exactly, but the feeling of countless tons of stone looming over their heads, ready to come crashing down and bury them under their terrible weight, was not a pleasant one. They were in the belly of the mountains now. After several hours of walking through narrow tunnels, Sunny suddenly felt a soft breeze touch his cheeks. A few minutes later, a distant rustle reached his ears. The deeper they went into the darkness, the louder that rustle became, until finally turning into an easily discernable murmur of running water. Soon, they reached the dark sh.o.r.e of a wide underground river. The running water was black as ink, but not in the way that the waves of the cursed sea had been. There was no smell of salt in the air, too. Wisps of mist were rising above the surface of the subterranean river, swirling in the silent darkness. It looked like a boundary of the Underworld. There was a stone pillar built on the sh.o.r.e, and tied to it, a beautiful boat made of pale wood swayed gently on the cold black surface of the dark river. Looking at the graceful boat, Sunny sighed. It was time to earn his keep. ReadNovelFull.me?
252	Chapter 252 Unseen This was the last secret about the fate of the lost expedition that Ca.s.sie had gleaned from her visions. But even then, the knowledge she had received was fragmented and incomplete. All she could tell the members of the cohort was that, once they crossed the dark river and until reaching the next boundary, they had to keep their eyes closed at all cost, no matter what happened. No living thing could see what lay beyond these cold waters and remain... whole. At least that was what she told them. Ca.s.sie didn't really know herself what would happen if someone failed to follow that rule, but said that she had never felt more terror than in the short moment before the vision showing her the fate of the lost expedition had shattered and everything had grown dark. This was telling a lot, considering what kinds of horrors the blind girl saw in her vision routinely. …In any case, this was where Sunny came in. While looking through the eyes of the shadow was still too dangerous, he could lead the cohort to their destination with the help of his ability to sense s.p.a.ce through the shapes of shadows populating it. At least in theory. Standing on the sh.o.r.e of the dark river, six humans tied the golden rope around their waists. When everyone was ready, Nephis took out six strips of cloth and a block of wax. Lighting a small white flame on her palm, she sighed and turned to Effie. ReadNovelFull.me "You're first." The huntress made a complicated face, but then obediently approached their leader. What followed next looked simultaneously intimate and disturbing. Using her flames to melt the wax, Changing Star gently took Effie's face in her hands and, after the huntress shut her eyes tightly, sealed them with melted wax. Then, she tied the strip of cloth around Effie's head to hold it in place. One after another, every member of the cohort went through the same procedure. When Sunny's turn came, he shifted slightly when Neph's cool hands touched his cheeks. A few moments later, he was blind. 'That is… is this how Ca.s.sie lives?' Commanding his shadow to not see anything, Sunny was left in utter darkness. However, he still had it better than the blind girl. His Shadow Sense was still working, at least. With its help, Sunny could more or less tell what was where. This form of perception was vastly different from sight, but could serve the same purpose in a pinch, be it very poorly. If conditions were right. Luckily, he had practiced navigating the world with the help of nothing else but Shadow Sense in the past. This was how he had defeated the strange basilisk creature in the Dark City, among other things. Leading the group of staggering humans to the graceful boat, he helped them to board it and untied the rope holding it in place. Then, Sunny found the oar and pulled on it, propelling the boat across the dark river. Soon, cold mist shrouded everything around. The deeper into the mist they sailed, the more it felt like they were leaving one world behind and entering another. A much darker, much more ancient, much more terrifying world. No one felt compelled to speak, so the silence was broken only by the murmur of rushing water and the creaking of the wooden oar. 'This is not too bad. Yeah. I am not scared witless, at all.' Calming himself down with these silly thoughts, Sunny continued to guide the boat. However, one thing kept making him shiver. Being surrounded by mist and having to keep his eyes closed, Sunny couldn't help but remember the harrowing encounter with the being that appeared in a veil of fog and tried and lure him into gazing at it using a stolen voice. …Was this where it came from? After some time had pa.s.sed — he couldn't tell how much no matter how hard he tried — Sunny suddenly sensed a solid ma.s.s in the distance. This was the opposite sh.o.r.e of the dark river. Ads by PubFuture Soon, they were drawing near to it. As the bottom of the boat sc.r.a.ped against stone, Sunny jumped to the pier and tied the rope around the stone pillar. Then, he helped the others disembark. Turning his head, he sensed another shape swaying on the surface of the water. There was a second boat here, presumably the one First Lord and his companions used to cross. But unlike Nephis and her cohort, there had not been an oracle in their ranks. No one had warned them to keep their eyes shut. Maybe this was the reason why none of them had returned. Turning his back to the river with a strong feeling of unease, Sunny faced the mouth of the tunnel that led deeper underground. Letting out a resentful sigh, he slightly tugged on the golden rope and took a step forward. The other members of the cohort had no choice but to follow him. A few seconds later, they disappeared into the tunnel, leaving the sh.o.r.e of the silent river behind. As soon as Sunny stepped into the tunnel, he felt cold shivers running down his spine. Although he couldn't see anything about it, he could tell that it was different from the ones they had traversed earlier. This one still felt like it had been cut through the flesh of the mountains by someone — or something — as opposed to being formed by a natural process. However, its creators were unmistakably different from the humans that had created the mine and the quarry outside. Everything about it was more p.r.o.nounced, more skillful. The shadows populating the tunnel were different, too. They were much deeper, much darker. And much, much more… ancient. Soon, the tunnel turned into a maze of wide pa.s.sages, all filled with nothing but mist and silence. 'Another maze. Of course it's a maze. Everything in this d.a.m.n place just has to be a maze…' Before Sunny could finish the thought, though, he suddenly froze, paralyzed by fear. Because right in front of them, he felt the presence of a shadow that was different from all the others. …A human shadow. ReadNovelFull.me?
253	Chapter 253 without a Master The human shadow stood lonesomely in the mist, strangely aloof and motionless. As Sunny pulled on the golden rope to command his companions to stop, it shifted slightly and turned away, then became still once again. Sunny sensed a cold, dreadful feeling settle in his heart. The possibility of encountering another human in this dark and terrifying place was already unsettling enough. He did not consider even for a second that one of the members of the lost expedition could have survived down here, in the darkness, for all these years. Not unless they were no longer human. But even that was not the cause for the coldness and dread he felt. The real reason had nothing to do with logic and everything to do with his unique Aspect. Because of it, Sunny sensed that there was something terribly, utterly wrong with the shadow. The feeling he got from it was one of eerie and utter wrongness. However, it didn't seem to be dangerous or hostile. Instead, it felt lost, empty, and… mournful. The shadow was full of sorrow and anguish that he could not describe with words. Sunny was not that empathetic when it came to humans, but strangely, he couldn't help but share in the suffering of this lonely shadow. Maybe because, in a sense, they were kin. As he was observing the shadow, unsure what to do, it made a few steps in a random direction and then stopped hesitantly, lingering there without moving. Then, it walked back and froze once again. It was as though the shadow was lost. ReadNovelFull.me A few moments later, Sunny finally understood the nature of the deep feeling of wrongness he felt in the lonesome shadow. When he did, a cold shiver ran through his entire body. The reason why this shadow was so strange and eerie was because it wasn't connected to anyone. There was no human casting it. Not anymore, at least. The human that the shadow had once belonged to was gone, cut from existence by some unknown power. Sunny couldn't sense any bones anywhere, either. It was as if the human had not been killed, but simply… erased. While the shadow remained to wander aimlessly in the mist for all eternity. 'What a terrible fate…' But the question remained… what was he supposed to do now? The shadow was in his way. Sunny had to either walk past it or return back and try to find another way through the maze. But what threat could this pitiful thing pose? It was just a shadow, after all. His own couldn't harm a fly no matter how hard it tried. This one had to be the same. With a deep sigh, Sunny slowly walked forward. With each step he took, he could sense the lonesome shadow better. …At some point, it sensed him, too. Turning to face Sunny, the shadow hesitated for a few moments, then tentatively glided closer. He could feel an outburst of muted emotions radiating from it: surprise, hope… and then, sudden despair. Realizing that he wasn't its long-lost master, the shadow froze. Its shoulders dropped. Sensing the deep well of loneliness, anguish and sorrow in front of him, Sunny tilted his head to the side. Then, following an impulse, he outstretched his hand to the shadow: 'Here… take my hand. You don't have to be alone anymore.' The shadow trembled, as if it heard his silent invitation. Then, it lingered for a few moments and approached him with uncertainty. Finally, it raised its hand and tentatively placed it in the hand of his own shadow. A moment later, it disappeared. Sunny sighed. ғʀᴇᴇᴡᴇʙɴᴏᴠᴇʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ [Your shadow grows stronger.] Diving into the Soul Sea, he walked along the rows of silent shadows standing on the surface of the tranquil water. And there, just as he had expected, he saw a new one. A shadow of a graceful young woman was standing among them, as motionless and still as the rest of them. Her anguish, sorrow, and loneliness were gone. The shadow seemed to finally be at peace. Ads by PubFuture Sunny looked at her for a few moments, his heart heavy. Finally, he said: "Welcome. Rest now. Your… your nightmare is over." With that, he left the silent sea and sighed again. Standing in the darkness with his eyes sealed shut, Sunny remained motionless for some time. Then, he pulled on the golden rope and led the cohort further into the mist. Sunny didn't know how long they wandered around the dark maze. More than once, he had ended up at a dead-end and had to search for another path. It was hard to not lose track of all the turns of the twisting tunnels, but he had somehow managed to stay on track. On the way, he had found three more shadows. Each of them was just like the first one, lost and lonesome. And just like the first one, they eventually took his hand and were absorbed into his Soul Sea. The four of them — one young woman and three men — now stood silently together, united once again even though their masters were long gone. ...Seeing them together gave Sunny a little solace, no matter how misguided it was. There were five stones arranged around the fire at the campsite left behind by the lost expedition, hinting that five people had descended into the ancient mine. Four of them had eventually perished in this eerie, dark place. But no matter how hard Sunny searched, he couldn't find the fifth shadow. The First Lord himself was not here. Could it be that he had somehow managed to survive and leave the maze of mist? At some point, Sunny felt someone pull on the golden rope. Turning around, he walked a few steps back and stopped near Ca.s.sie. Feeling his approach, the blind girl raised her hand and pointed at one of the tunnels. Understanding what she wanted to say, Sunny led the cohort in that direction. Soon, the sound of rushing water reached his ears. Some time later, they came to the sh.o.r.e of another subterranean river. They had reached the second boundary. ReadNovelFull.me?
254	Chapter 254 The First Lord For a moment, Sunny was afraid that they had been walking in circles all this time and now returned exactly to where they had started. But then, he calmed himself down and noted that this river, while as eerie as the one they had crossed on a wooden boat, was rather different. He couldn't exactly explain it, but it didn't feel the same. Plus, there was no pier with two boats tied to stone pillars anywhere in sight… or rather, sense. Instead, there was a bridge. Sunny could feel its shadow falling on the cold water, solid and firm as the stone it was built from. The bridge arched over the river, leading far into the distance. Not wishing to spend another minute in the terrible maze that no living thing could see if it hoped to remain alive, Sunny led the cohort toward the bridge. If Ca.s.sie was correct, they would be safe after crossing the second river. Sunny surely hoped that it was true, because the long journey where he had to play the role of a guide for five blind people had been nothing short of exhausting. After spending seven… or was it eight by now?... months on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, Sunny had thought that he possessed a high tolerance for terror. But this last ordeal tested the limits of his mental endurance. Walking through that dark place with his sight taken away… ReadNovelFull.me It was a miracle that Ca.s.sie had somehow managed to remain sane at all. He tensed up when they entered the bridge, expecting for something dreadful to happen at the last moment. But the silence was not broken by anything except for the sound of rushing water, their steps, and laborious breathing. The cohort walked on the bridge, leaving the dark maze behind. Soon, they could feel the mist surrounding them grow thinner. And at some point, it was gone. They crossed the river without any trouble and returned to solid ground again. Making several more steps, Sunny stopped and finally allowed himself to tremble. Then, he opened his mouth and said in a hoa.r.s.e voice: "Are we through?" Although Ca.s.sie had not said anything about the need to remain quiet, each of them subconsciously avoided speaking ever since entering the mist. Because of that, the sound of his own voice startled Sunny a little. A few moments later, Ca.s.sie answered in a hesitant tone: "I… I think so?" Without wasting any more time, Sunny untied the cloth that covered his eyes and removed the wax from them. Then, he carefully opened them and looked around. They were standing on a stone sh.o.r.e inside a vast cave, through which the underground river was flowing un.o.bstructed. Some distance away from them, the wall of the cave came down, with a mouth of a wide tunnel visible in it. By his side, other members of the cohort were removing the strips of cloth. Sunny could hear the sighs of relief coming from them. However, his attention was instantly drawn to Nephis, who had already opened her calm grey eyes and was looking at something behind him. Turning around, Sunny followed her gaze… and froze. Just a few meters away from them, on the sh.o.r.e of the dark river, he saw a human skeleton. It was sitting on the cold stones, its back straight, facing the water. Unlike the ferocious undead from the catacombs of the Dark City, this one was tranquil and untouched by the corruption of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. …This was the place where the First Lord of the Bright Castle had died. \\\* The young man whom the members of the cohort only knew by his t.i.tle had died on the sh.o.r.es of the cold underground river, just a few meters away from the bridge that he had used to escape the terrible place which, according to Ca.s.sie, no living being should have been able to escape. Somehow, he had survived even without knowing that anyone entering the mist had to keep their eyes closed at all times. But in the end, the wounds he had received there — or somewhere up ahead, perhaps — turned out to be too grievous. Ads by PubFuture Before the last vestiges of life abandoned him, the young man — the First Lord who had wrestled the Bright Castle from the Nightmare Creatures, created a safe place for the humans sent to the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e to live, and lead an expedition to find a way out of this cursed place — sat down and looked in the direction of the misty, dark maze. …The place where his friends and companions had died, leaving him alone in the darkness of this forsaken underworld. Looking at the skeleton that sat quietly on the sh.o.r.e of the river, Sunny couldn't help but feel a deep feeling of awe… and sorrow. He had never met this young man, but somehow, it felt as though they knew each other very well. Everything that humans had on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was thanks to his bravery, power, and skill. …What a shame that he had died here, in this lonesome place, with no one to share his last moments and tell the tale of his last deeds. The skeleton was strangely well-preserved. It was sitting with its legs crossed, back straight, its hands resting on the hips, as if meditating. The skull of the First Lord gazed at the river with the dark chams of its empty eyes, strangely calm and at peace. What Sunny noticed, though, was not the whiteness of the bone nor the eternal grin of the bare skull, but a thin strip of light metal resting on it like a humble crown. There was a single bright gemstone on the metal band, placed right above the middle of the skull's forehead. After the six of them gathered around the remains of the First Lord and stood there for a while in silence to express their respect for this extraordinary human, Nephis sighed and approached the skeleton. Gently, she took the strip of metal and removed it from the First Lord's head. …A moment later, the band suddenly broke into countless sparks of light, which then disappeared, absorbed into her soul core. Sunny's eyes widened. The crown of the First Lord… was a Memory. ReadNovelFull.me?
255	Chapter 255 Dawn Shard As the last spark of light disappeared, Nephis tilted her head to the side and remained silent for a few moments. Then, she lowered her gaze and said, addressing the First Lord: "Thank you." She hesitated, as though wishing to say more, but eventually just took a step back. Kai, however, wasn't that reserved. Bowing deeply, he remained with his head down for a while, then straightened his back, looked at the skeleton, and voiced something that a few of them must have been thinking: "Thank you. We will… we will finish what you started." His words echoed above the cold water, eventually disappearing into the darkness. A heavy silence settled above the sh.o.r.e of the underground river. A few seconds later, the charming archer turned to the rest of them and asked with uncertainty: "I think… should we bury him?" The members of the cohort looked at each other. Before anyone could voice their opinion, though, Sunny suddenly spoke: ReadNovelFull.me "No. Just leave him as he is. He wanted to be closer to his friends when he died, so… just don't touch him." With that, he turned his head and looked away. Since the First Lord died outside of the terrible maze, his shadow was gone, too. Now it was just dumb and empty, like most shadows cast by inanimate objects. He had not shared in the harrowing fate of his companions, which meant that Sunny couldn't help him reunite with them… even slightly. Neither could they bring the remains of the First Lord back outside, to bury him near the girl who had died in the quarry. It was better to just leave him be. 'Forget about it. Think of something else.' Sunny had other matters to consider, anyway. That strange Memory that Nephis had absorbed… he had never even heard of a Memory that could exist outside of someone's soul. Had the First Lord somehow relinquished the ownership of it, or was this a quality that all Shard Memories possessed? And it was, without a doubt, another Shard Memory — just like Effie's spear and his own stalwart blade. That Memory was the reason why Changing Star had ventured on this expedition, to begin with. The thing that was supposed to somehow give her a chance of defeating Gunlaug. Sunny stared at Nephis, then said: "That headband… what is it called? No, actually, let me guess. Dawn Shard? Dusk Shard?" Neph looked at him and didn't answer. Her ivory face was calm and inexorable. Sunny grinned. "...Full of secrets, are we?" A hint of some deep, sharp emotion appeared in her cold grey eyes. A few moments later, she said: "Weren't you the one who made it clear that you don't want to be a true member of this cohort? You chose to be a hired blade yourself… did you not? Why should I share my secrets with you?" Sunny remained silent for a bit, then sighed. "Well… fair enough. I did, and you have no good reason to share anything with me." Suddenly, Nephis smiled. "You can change your mind, you know. If you do, I'll naturally tell you everything." He stared at her for a while, then shook his head. "No, no need. Answer me one question, though. How exactly is that thing supposed to help us defeat Gunlaug?" Changing Star lingered for a bit, then simply shrugged. "See for yourself." A moment later, the headband left behind by the First Lord weaved itself from sparks of light on her forehead. The bright gemstone in its center softly gleamed. And then, something about the world around Sunny changed. 'W—what…' He blinked a couple of times, then slowly lowered his gaze and looked at the fabric of the Puppeteer's Shroud. Or, rather, on the spellweave beneath it. What he saw left Sunny breathless. The five glowing embers that served as nexuses for the complicated pattern of ethereal strings permeating the Memory suddenly shone brighter. Ads by PubFuture Much, much brighter. In fact, their radiance was now almost as intense as of those inside the black onyx armor he had purchased at the Memory Market. Which was… which was… An Ascended Memory. 'What the h.e.l.l?' Pulling on the thread tied around his neck, Sunny fished out the Blood Blossom from under his armor and stared at it, perplexed. The two embers inside the intricate pendant had become much brighter, too. Not knowing that Sunny had the ability to peer into the inner weave of Memories, Nephis explained: "The Dawn Shard possesses a single, but also singularly powerful enchantment. It empowers all Memories around it. The area of effect of the enchantment is very large… but the enhancement it provides is ever larger." '...You don't say!' Staring at his Memories, Sunny felt as though he was on the verge of being dumbstruck. Singular was the right word to describe the effect of the Dawn Shard. He had never heard of a Memory being capable of rising the power of another one by almost an entire rank… 'Wait, did she say… all Memories?' All Memories… all of them… in a very large radius? 'Impossible!' With that crown on her head, Nephis would not only be able to stand a chance in a fight against Gunlaug, but also make each one of her followers so much more dangerous. She would become a perfect general for a small army of Awakened. … But wasn't there something wrong with that statement? Sunny frowned. 'All Memories… hold on. All?' Glancing at Changing Star, he asked: "So that thing makes every Memory around you vastly more powerful?" Nephis gave him a silent nod. Sunny's frown deepened. "Then do you not see a problem here? Won't it enhance that d.a.m.n golden armor of Gunlaug's, too? How exactly does it give you a chance against him, then?" She lingered for a few moments, then smiled slightly. "It would not, would it? But, hey… do you want me to tell you another secret?" Sunny glared at her without saying anything. He knew better than to get himself into such a clumsy trap. Only, as it turned out, there was no trap. Nephis just waited for a bit and continued: "It will help me because the golden armor Gunalug wears is not a Memory." Before he could say anything, she added: "In fact, it is an Echo." ReadNovelFull.me?
256	Chapter 256 True Reason Sunny was silent for a while. An Echo… that weird golden armor was actually a copy of some strange Corrupted Nightmare Creature? What kind of creature took the shape of an armor? But then again, the fact that it looked like an armor didn't mean that it was all it could look like. The main trait of the golden armor was that it seemed to be made out of liquid metal. That metal always flowed and moved around, enveloping Gunlaug's body like a second layer of skin. The only thing that never changed was the mirror-like surface that served him as a face. It wasn't impossible to imagine that the ma.s.s of living metal was, in fact, not a Memory but a bizarre Echo. Not impossible, but a bit of a stretch. Glancing at Nephis, Sunny asked: "How do you even know this?" ReadNovelFull.me She hesitated for a few moments, then said: "You already know that we have an ally inside the castle. She was the one who told us." That mysterious spy again… Sunny became even more convinced that this person was of a very high rank among the Bright Lord's servants. Only someone extremely close to him would know such an important secret. In fact, Sunny expected that the paranoid tyrant would never let anyone learn of it. Why would one of Gunlaug's most loyal minions help his enemy? Was it all an elaborate trap orchestrated by the Bright Lord himself? Looking at Changing Star with a deep scowl on his face, he asked: "Can this ally of yours even be trusted?" If he was right in his guess about the ident.i.ty of the spy... well, things would become complicated. She was silent for a while, then said evenly: "Trusted? Not really… never, actually. However, we can trust in the information that was provided to us." He raised his eyebrows. "And why is that?" Nephis shrugged and then answered, her voice indifferent: "Because I am the only chance anyone here has of ever getting out of this cursed place. And Gunlaug is not." 'Interesting…' So, one of the top ranks of the Bright Lord's forces was an opportunist who desired to return to the real world desperately enough to risk betraying the ruthless tyrant. That person had been loyal to Gunlaug because there was no better alternative, but then changed sides once the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan appeared like a miracle and promised to save the people of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. That ally of hers was either swayed by Neph's rhetoric like the rest of the unfortunate fools in the Dark City or was confident of ending up among the few lucky people who would actually have the chance of surviving what was about to come. …Or just knew something that Sunny did not. In any case, Changing Star seemed to be confident in the information the spy provided, so he did not see the point of doubting it. She wasn't any more naive or trusting than he was, after all. Nephis had learned the art of cynicism from the best. Kai, who had been listening to their conversation with a fair bit of curiosity, suddenly cleared his throat. "Uh… I am very sorry to interrupt you guys. But I just wanted to ask — since we have found the remains of the First Lord and came into possession of this Memory you were discussing… does that mean that the expedition is over? Have we actually accomplished our goal? Really?" That, indeed, would seem to be the case. However, Sunny knew better. With a friendly smile, he shook his head. "No. No, buddy, the goal of this expedition has not been achieved yet." The charming archer looked at him with surprise: "But… didn't we get the thing that will help us defeat Gunalugh?" Nephis was staring at Sunny too, a subtle smile on her lips. "Yeah, Sunny. What else do we have to do? Do tell." He grinned. "Well, it's very simple, really. Yes, you told us that the reason for this adventure of ours was to find the means of overthrowing the Bright Lord, and it certainly was a reason. But it's not the whole reason, is it?" Ads by PubFuture Ca.s.sie turned her head slightly to listen to him and sighed. Caster's face, meanwhile, had turned grim. Effie didn't seem to care one way or another. Nephis, on the other hand, just smiled wider. "What is the whole reason then?" Sunny gestured at the mouth of the tunnel in front of them. "To finish what the First Lord had started, of course." Kai was looking between him and Changing Star, unsure of what was going on. "Uh... what do you mean? Exactly?" Sunny shrugged. "Think about it, Kai. We saw the same map. What were the symbols drawn at the very edge of it, near the place where the First Lord's expedition had disappeared?" The charming archer frowned. "That… uh. There were… three of them? A crown, a question mark. And a red cross?" Sunny smiled. "Exactly. There were six crosses drawn on the map, each marking one of the headless statues. Two to the east of the Dark City, one to the north, one to the west, and two to the south. We had visited one of the two statues situated to the south already. That's where the Spider Matriarch had weaved her nest." He turned to Nephis and said, his smile gone: "So the truth of it all is that the First Lord never really intended to find a way through the Hollow Mountains, isn't it? He wasn't a fool who would do something so misguided. No, he came to this G.o.dforsaken place for the same reason that we are here. To find the last statue." Changing Star was silent for a bit. When the silence was on the verge of growing uncomfortable, she suddenly said: "That is correct." Kai stared at her in astonishment. "But… why? No, wait… what's so important about that statue?" Nephis sighed. "This is something that people can only volunteer to do. Anyone who doesn't wish to proceed can stay behind and avoid risking their lives in the battle. In fact, some of us probably should." She turned to face the tunnel, remained silent for a bit, and then said: "Yes, somewhere up ahead lies another ancient statue. There will be a powerful creature guarding it. I don't know what that guardian is, exactly, but we have to kill it. Anyone who is willing to fight can join me. Others can stay back and wait for my return." She glanced at the members of the cohort and added: "However, if you do join me, you'll have to follow one simple rule. No matter what happens, it's imperative that you don't deliver the final blow to the creature... unless you have reached and touched the statue first." ReadNovelFull.me?
257	Chapter 257 Nightmare Champion 'Ah. So that is how it works.' Initially, Sunny had suspected that the mysterious Shard Memories were just rewarded to those who managed to slay certain powerful Nightmare Creatures who dwelled close to the headless statues. The truth, however, turned out to be more complicated. The creature itself, most likely, did not even matter — it was the act of vanquishing a powerful foe after coming in contact with a statue that summoned the Memory from oblivion. That was why they had received the Midnight Shard before even learning about how important these ancient monuments were. Sunny, Nephis and Ca.s.sie had taken shelter atop the statue of the ancient knight and killed the Carapace Demon long after. But no, that didn't make a lot of sense. If this was true, Sunny would have received another Shard Memory after defeating the Corpse Eater. So… not any powerful abomination would do. Each statue seemed to have a... a Nightmare Champion tied to it by some invisible bond. The Carapace Demon, whom the creatures described as cursed soldiers of the fallen legion used to obey, was connected to the statue of the Knight. The Iron Matriarch was tied to the statue of the Hunter. Which statue had the Dawn Shard come from? The Builder, whose monument had somehow come to life and was now wandering the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e? Rumors said that the First Lord chased it around the Labyrinth for a long time, after all. But somehow, Sunny felt that the metal headband had nothing to do with the walking colossus. ReadNovelFull.me 'So many questions.' How many champions were still around, anyway? Nephis had not even tried to search for one tied to the Builder, nor for one tied to the Priestess. How many Shard Memories were already in the hands of humans? Among the members of the cohort, there were now three. And they were about to challenge some abominable horror for a chance of receiving the fourth one. '...Why do I even a.s.sume that there are only three?' Sunny tilted his head. Indeed, the fact that he had only seen the Midnight Shard, the Zenith Shard, and the Dawn Shard did not mean that Changing Star had not gotten other ones already. Not counting the Memory they were currently hunting, three more were unaccounted for. How many had she found already? He smiled darkly. 'Well… it's going to be revealed sooner or later. Right now, however, there is a more pressing issue...' Glancing at Nephis, he asked: "What happens if I get the Memory? As you reminded so astutely, I am not one of your lackeys. That would throw a wrench in your plans, wouldn't it?" Sunny couldn't imagine Changing Star leaving something that important to chance. However, to his surprise, she just shrugged: "Keep it, if you want." He frowned. Why was Nephis so nonchalant about the possibility of a Shard Memory falling into his hands? Wait… why was she so indifferent about him already possessing the Midnight Shard? One possible explanation was that it didn't matter who held the Shard Memory — as long as it was in human hands. The other explanation… made Sunny very uncomfortable. Maybe she was just sure that fate would push the two in the same direction. If this was true, then it didn't really matter which one of them possessed the Shards. He lingered for a bit, then shake his head and said: "...Well, what are we waiting for? You didn't really expect any of us to stay behind while others fight, right? Let's go and hunt this monster." Honestly, while Sunny couldn't even imagine what type of terrible creature guarded the hidden statue, he was almost excited to find out. He wanted to see what the six of them were capable of under the miraculous effect of the Dawn Shard... Himself in particular. \\\* Eventually, they arrived at a vast cavern situated somewhere in the depths of the draconian mountains. The cavern was large enough to fit the entire Bright Castle — and the hill it stood upon — inside of it. Witnessing its size, Sunny got an inkling that there was a reason why these mountains were called Hollow. As his sight pierced the darkness ruling over the vast cavern, Sunny couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe. The floor of it was covered by black sand, while its walls glistened like obsidian. In the center of the cavern stood a giant pillar of dark stone. It was surrounded by ma.s.sive scaffolds, which nevertheless looked tiny and insignificant on its surface. The silhouette of an unfinished statue was easily discernable, cut from the giant pillar by the unknown sculptor. Its upper torso was almost finished, while the lower half was still encased inside the stone. It was as though a dark giant was struggling to free himself from the pillar of stone that imprisoned him. With a feeling of surprise, Sunny realized that he recognized the details of the unfinished giant's armor and shield. They were eerily similar to the armaments that the Black Knight guarding the ruined cathedral wore. …And to the ones the Stone Saint wielded, too. Looking up, he made sure that the head of the giant statue was missing. '...Of course it is.' All of that only took a fraction of a second. Then, Sunny hastily looked down, trying to notice the guardian of this obsidian cave before the creature noticed them. …But it was too late. As soon as the members of the cohort entered the cavern, something moved in the darkness at the base of the statue, and then stepped forward. Sunny shivered. 'd.a.m.nation!' Standing on the black sand, a monstrous creature that resembled a cross between a lion and a raven stretched its numerous limbs. Its body was pale as a corpse, while its head and chest were covered with dark feathers. It was ma.s.sive in size, with muscles rolling like steel cables under the skin. The creature had two powerful hind legs and six more protruding messily from its wide chest, each ending with a set of deadly claws. But the most terrifying feature it possessed was a long, jagged black beak. It was a Spire... "Messenger!" That was all Sunny had time to yell before the vile abomination lunged forward, exploding into a whirlwind of hunger, madness, and death. ReadNovelFull.me?
258	Chapter 258 Herald of the Crimson Terror Sunny had already faced off against a Spire Messenger once. Back then, the vile creature had killed several experienced hunters in a span of just a few seconds, and the rest had only been spared this fate because of Effie's strength… That and the fact that the Messenger had no need to fight them and chose to retreat and search for easier prey. There was nowhere to retreat in this hidden cavern. Sunny didn't even know how the flying abomination had gotten here in the first place. However, he was not the same inexperienced kid he had been all those months ago, either. Sunny had grown considerably stronger. His a.r.s.enal of Memories was better now. His skill and technique were far beyond what he had known in the past, and his kill count had crossed a hundred Nightmare Creatures a long time ago. There was the Stone Saint, too. But, most importantly, his Memories were empowered by the Crown of Dawn. ReadNovelFull.me Theoretically, Sunny could stack three augmentations on the Midnight Shard — one from his shadow, one from the miraculous crown, and one from the Blood Blossom, as long as someone managed to make the Messenger bleed. Hopefully, that would be enough to breach the gap between a dormant human and a Fallen Beast and allow him to actually wound the abomination, unlike the previous two times he had tried to cut into the flesh of similar horrors — Corpse Eater and the giant eel that had tried to hitch a ride on the ancient colossus. …But first, he had to survive. Judging that the Puppeteer's Shroud had a decent chance of withstanding a blow from the Messenger thanks to the enhancement of the Dawn Shard, but also not even reamotely willing to put that to the test, Sunny dove to the side. A moment later, the ma.s.sive abomination collided against two shields — one belonging to Effie, the other to the Stone Saint. The terrible beak came down, aiming at the huntress… If it was before, the round shield that protected Effie from knee to shoulder would have been easily pierced and torn apart, as if it was made out of paper instead of metal. But due to the empowering aura that emanated from the Dawn Shard, it somehow held. The force of the impact, however, still threw both of them back. Even Shadow Saint, whose flesh was made of stone and weighed accordingly, was launched into the air like a doll made of feathers and rags. But they had bought the cohort the precious second to regroup and counterattack. As Kai and Ca.s.sie flew in different directions, creating some distance between them and the ferocious abomination, Nephis and Caster attacked from the sides. One sword shined with brilliant white radiance, while the other gleamed with ghostly green light. However, the Messenger was still terrifyingly formidable. The Memories wielded by the cohort might have been enhanced, but their masters remained the same. They couldn't compete with a Fallen creature in terms of raw power and speed. Two of the beast's six front limbs swiped forward, deflecting the swords. Two more shot at the attacking humans, forcing them to retreat while barely staying alive. …Then, the Messenger twisted its neck and caught Kai in its sight. Its powerful black wings lashed down, creating a small hurricane that threw Nephis and Caster aside. Using powerful hind legs to throw itself into the air, the abomination lunged at the retreating archer, who twisted his body in a desperate attempt to aim his bow. ...And then, suddenly, a triangular blade cut an arc around one of the legs and tied an invisible string around it. 'c.r.a.p!' That was all Sunny had time to think before his hand was jerked forward with incredible force. However, this was exactly what he wanted. With the Dark Wing turning into a blur behind his back, Sunny used the momentum of the pull to turn his laughably slow levitation into real flight. In fact, he shot in the direction of the Messenger as though someone had launched him from a cannon. The Midnight Shard flashed through the air and bit into the abomination's flesh. 'Do it!' Indeed, with both the shadow and the Dawn Shard augmenting it, the stalwart blade was able to cut into the flesh of the Fallen Beast. Granted, it felt as though he was trying to cut stone. But it was enough. Sunny aimed at the base of the Messenger's wing. With all the speed given to him by the combination of using the Dark Wing to levitate and the Prowling Thorn to create momentum, the blow Sunny had delivered was truly devastating. In fact, it was so forceful that every bone in his hand almost shattered. But he wasn't the one on the sharp end of the sword. The Midnight Shard cut deep into the wing of the vile abomination, sending rivers of blood streaming down its pale body. As soon as they did, the enchantment of the Blood Blossom awakened, making the blade even sharper. The elegant tachi tore through the wing, crippling it. The Messenger suddenly lost control of its flight and crashed back to the ground. 'Eat dust, b.a.s.t.a.r.d!' After a moment of glee, however, Sunny hurriedly dismissed the Dark Wing and plummeted down, landing on the sand some distance away from the monstrous beast. While gliding all the way back to the floor of the cavern would have been more comfortable, he wasn't going to become a sitting duck. Crippled wing or not, the Messenger could still jump and use the other one. Maybe... At the same time as Sunny hit the ground and rolled, a menacing black arrow suddenly fell from above, piercing the second wing of the fearsome creature. There was no blood coming from the wound, though — the arrow greedily drank it, preventing the Blood Blossom augmentation from growing a bit stronger. The abomination did not stagger and slowly turn into a mummy like the iron spiders had, however. It simply shook its body, causing the arrow to shatter and crumble into a stream of white sparks. But Sunny didn't see any of that. With his back to the Messenger, he was already running toward to giant statue with all the speed he had. ReadNovelFull.me?
259	Chapter 259 b.l.o.o.d.y Mayhem Sunny ran to the statue with every bit of speed he could manage. Which was quite a considerable amount, by human standards... no, even by those of other Sleepers. As the wind whistles in his ears, the shadow flew off the blade of the Midnight Shard and turned around, observing the wounded abomination. Despite the fact that its wings were mangled, the Messenger did not seem perturbed. On the contrary, it opened its terrible beak and let out a blood-curdling shriek, then lunged at the tiny humans with even more b.e.s.t.i.a.l fury. '...I think it's not happy!' Despite the mortal peril his companions found themselves in, Sunny did not stop to help them. Nephis had said that the creature guarding the cave had to be killed by a person who had touched the ancient statue — until someone did, this battle was nothing but a futile and stupidly dangerous game. The essence of combat was murder, after all. If no one truly aimed to kill the d.a.m.n thing, how could they ever hope to survive? So Sunny was helping them after all, in a way. Behind him, things weren't going well for the cohort. The Messenger was too big, too strong, too swift for a group of Sleepers, no matter how talented. It was already a miracle that none of them had been torn to pieces already. But how long would that last? As the shadow watched, the terrifying beak came down again… and once again, bounced off Effie's stalwart shield. ReadNovelFull.me However, this time, a wide crack appeared on the surface of the round shield. Before the huntress could even react, several powerful limbs shot at the cracked shield, each striking it with the force of a cannonball. Finally, the Memory gave in and shattered — along with Effie's arm. Sunny saw fragments of bone piercing her olive skin as it twisted at an unnatural angle. 'd.a.m.n! Faster!' As the pillar of dark stone approached, he watched the Messenger try to finish the wounded huntress off and be thwarted by the Stone Saint. Simultaneously, Nephis managed to penetrate the barrier created by the creature's front limbs. Her sword flashed and bit into the pale flesh, leaving a deep gash on the abomination's side. Judging that he was far enough to not be afraid of a sudden attack aimed at his back, Sunny commanded the shadow to turn around and return to his side. His view of the battle immediately disappeared, and soon, the shadow caught up and wrapped itself around his body. Sunny's speed doubled. Pursued by the sounds of a ferocious battle, he neared the unfinished statue. However, before he could touch it, a human figure suddenly appeared in front of him in a blur and slid on the black sand, stopping right in front of the stone pillar. It was Caster. The proud Legacy didn't look all too well. His shiny scale armor was torn by the claws of the terrible beast, leaving four deep wounds on his muscular chest. Blood was streaming from them, leaving the handsome young man pale and disheveled. No, it wasn't just that. Caster seemed a bit off, somehow… Sunny just couldn't tell what was wrong with him exactly. He did notice, however, a crystal amulet in the form of an hourgla.s.s hanging on a silver chain around his neck. 'What is that? A charm Memory? I didn't know that Caster had a charm…' Not wasting any time, the Legacy put his bloodied hand on the statue and closed his eyes for a moment. '...He wasn't wearing one back on the marble arch. Right?' Opening his eyes a second later, Caster glanced at Sunny with a dark expression and turned into a blur once again, rushing back to rejoin the battle. Just as soon as he disappeared, Sunny crashed into the stone pillar, unceremoniously using it to stop his momentum. Bouncing off the hard surface, he rolled on the ground and shakily rose to his feet. 'Agh! Dammit! That hurt!' That counted as touching the statue… right? Had to. Glancing back, Sunny saw another Blood Arrow piercing the flesh of the Spire Messenger and shattering a moment later. It wasn't destroyed, at least, just returned to Kai. Quiet Dancer was zipping around the ma.s.sive abomination, aiming at its eyes. The elegant rapier was an Echo, and as such did not enjoy the gift of the Dawn Shard, so it was more of a nuisance than a real threat to the beast. Still, it managed to deliver a couple of shallow cuts, causing the b.a.s.t.a.r.d to bleed. That was exactly what Sunny needed — blood, as much blood as possible. Launching himself forward, he held the Midnight Shard behind him and dashed toward the Messenger. 'Let's see which one of us is can kill it first, Caster. Wouldn't it be funny if an outskirt rat like me got a third Ascended Memory, while a lofty Legacy like you still had none?' Some distance away from his prey, Sunny commanded the Stone Saint to switch her battle style. The one the menacing Shadow liked to use the most — or simply saw as most suited to her equipment and the situation — was deliberate, elegant, and steady. But that wasn't what Sunny needed right now. What he needed was carnage, savagery, and b.l.o.o.d.y mayhem. Lingering for a fraction of a second, the Stone Saint suddenly threw her shield away, grasped her sword with both hands, and lunged forward. Any sort of grace she had possessed earlier was now gone. Instead of a n.o.ble knight, the Shadow now appeared as a barbarous butcher. It seemed as though she cared neither about self-preservation nor about protecting the members of the cohort anymore. She didn't even care about killing the enemy that much. All she aimed to do was inflict the maximum amount of pain, the maximum amount of damage, and, most importantly, the maximum amount of bleeding. Just like Sunny had commanded her to do. As he ran back, more and more small, but heavily bleeding wounds appeared on the Messenger's ma.s.sive frame. It's pale body was now half-covered in dark blood. Caster's enchanted sword added one or two, but most came from the berserk Shadow and Changing Star. Effie was still in the fight, as well. Despite the fact that her arm was severely broken and there was b.l.o.o.d.y foam on her lips, the beautiful spear broke through the abomination's defenses and left a b.l.o.o.d.y mark on its skin, too. But none of these attacks were powerful enough to end the creature once and for all. Already nearing the scene of the ma.s.sacre, Sunny willed his shadow to flow onto the Midnight Shard. The power of the Dawn Shard was burning inside of it, making the stalwart blade sing. And on top of it all, the vile Blood Blossom was filling it with insatiable bloodl.u.s.t and hunger. Without slowing down, Sunny lunged at the Spire Messenger… and fell on his back. As momentum pushed him forward, he slid on the black sand and thrust the Midnight Shard upward. Piercing the abdomen of the terrible creature, the razor-sharp sword easily cut through skin and muscle, gutting the abomination and causing it to stagger and fall. ReadNovelFull.me?
260	Chapter 260 How to be a Hero Indeed, with so much blood streaming down the Messenger's pale body, the savage augmentation of the Blood Blossom had grown vastly more powerful. If before Sunny had felt as though he was cutting stone, now the Midnight Shard sliced through the tough flesh of the abomination with just a moderate amount of trouble. Of course, the fact that it was aimed at the soft belly of the monster instead of the adamantine black feather also played its part. The tachi cut through the pale skin and muscle tissue, tearing its abdomen open. As blood, guts and viscera fell from the terrible wound, Sunny slid from under the ma.s.sive creature — just in time to avoid being crushed under its weight. Even then, however, the Messenger was not yet dead. '...What?! Curses!' Lying on his back in an awkward position, Sunny was momentarily left defenseless. He had hoped that his strike would if not kill the monstrous abomination outright, then at least leave it stunned for a few seconds, giving him time to disengage and get away to a safe distance. But the creature seemed to be impervious to pain and the fear of death that all living beings felt. Despite receiving a mortal wound, it only became more ferocious. Staggered by the unexpected attack, the Messenger lost balance and fell to the ground. Its head hit the black sand, sending a cloud of it into the air. ReadNovelFull.me …Then, its round corvine eye locked onto Sunny and flushed with eerie madness. Knowing that he was not going to be fast enough, Sunny desperately tried to roll away. But it was too late. The terrifying jagged beak shot in his direction, threatening to impale him through the chest. 'd.a.m.n it a…' However, at the last moment, a human figure in an elegant black and white armor suddenly appeared between him and the abhorrent beast. The incandescent sword lashed out, pushing the beak slightly to the side. As the result, the Messenger failed to kill Sunny. Instead, the beak pierced the Starlight Legion Armor and tore through Changing Star's shoulder, almost severing her left arm. Nephis was thrown aside in a rain of blood, while the abomination opened its mouth and let out another deafening shriek. For a moment, time slowed. Sunny, who had just rose to one knee, noticed a sword surrounded by ghostly green lights approaching the Messenger's neck. Caster was seconds away from finishing the cursed creature off… But before he got the chance, a heavy triangular dagger flashed in the air and sunk into the creature's eye, penetrating through it deep enough to reach the brain. The Messenger froze. Its ugly raven-like head swayed slightly. The beak fell open, revealing rows of sharp teeth and a long, wet, crimson tongue. Looking at the monster with a dark expression, Sunny pulled on the string of the Prowling Thorn, wreaking havoc inside its skull. The kunai tore through the round black eye on the way back, flying into the air in a stream of blood, bone, and chunks of brain matter. Finally, the creature convulsed and crashed onto the ground. Its eyes dimmed, then glossed over. The corner of Sunny's mouth curled upward. [You have slain a Fallen Monster, Cursed Herald.] [Your shadow grows stronger.] 'Come on!' [...You have received a Memory.] A triumphant gleam appeared in his dark eyes. \\\* The cohort was in a pathetic state. Effie had the bones in her arm shattered into tiny pieces, with sharp splinters tearing through her skin. Her ribs and lungs were wounded, too. Caster was bleeding heavily from the four gashes left on his torso by the Messenger's claws. Kai lost too much blood to the Blood Arrow and was now on the verge of fainting. Neph's left arm was partially severed and barely attached to her body. The sight of it was ghastly. Even the Stone Saint was severely damaged. Only Sunny and Ca.s.sie were more or less in one piece. It was all worth it, though. The Spire Messenger was actually dead, while they were not. Lying on the black sand, Effie suddenly laughed. Sunny gave her a strange look. "Have you lost your mind? What are you laughing at?" The huntress shrugged, then grimaced from pain. "Oh, it's just… I was thinking whether we are legendary heroes now or just, you know… fools of legendary proportions. All of us in the outer settlement — the Castle too, I guess — heard the stories about the incredible exploits of the first cohort hundreds of times. Killing a Spire Messenger who made its nest in the throne room, and all that. But I never once thought that I would actually do something that impossible as well." She grew silent, and then added: "It's weird." Sunny sort of understood her feelings. However, he wasn't going to admit it. He didn't want his name to ever appear in the same sentence as the word "hero". After everything he had experienced, Sunny had become allergic to it. He sighed. "You do know how one becomes a mythical hero, right? It's really easy, you just have to do something outlandish and then die. The death part is the key, actually. So I would rather not be a hero, ever." With that, he stood up and tiredly dismissed his battle Memories and the Stone Saint. Since only Ca.s.sie and he were unscathed, it fell to them to help everyone treat their wounds. Well, in this case, they just had to make sure that no one died before Neph summoned her flames and healed everyone. Sunny wasn't sure that she'll be able to remain conscious after that, though. Walking over to their leader, he sat down, looked at her, and then asked: "...Are you stupid? Why did you do that?" She glanced at him with her usual indifferent expression, straightened her back, and said: "What do you mean?" Sunny sighed. "Why did you get between me and the Messenger? Look at the state you're in." She looked at him, then shrugged with one shoulder. "I can heal myself, remember? You can't." He shook his head. "I also remember that my armor is two whole tiers above yours. Chances are, I wouldn't be even wounded that terribly." Nephis was silent for a bit. Then, she simply said: "...Too risky." Sunny couldn't help but laugh. "G.o.ds! I just don't get you. I really don't. You are so morbidly cunning sometimes, but other times, you are so stupidly naive. It doesn't make any sense." Changing Star did not respond for a long time and just stared at him. When she responded, her tone was as flat as usual: "Right back at you." ReadNovelFull.me?
261	Chapter 261 Moon Shard Some time later, Sunny found the time to dove into the Soul Sea and take a look at the new Memory he had gotten. It was a heavy round shield forged from dull, l.u.s.terless, dark steel. Inside of it, visible only to him, a complex weave of ethereal strings shone with stark radiance. Memory: [Dusk Shard]. Memory Rank: Ascended. Memory Tier: II. Memory Type: Weapon. Memory Description: [Forged from a shard of a fallen star, this shield contains the weight of the heavens. Depending on the heart of its wielder, it can be light as a feather or heavy as regret.] Memory Enchantments: [Indomitable]. Enchantment Description: [Following the will of its master, the Dusk Shard can change its weight.] ReadNovelFull.me Sunny frowned. This enchantment… at first glance, it seemed very una.s.suming. People usually thought about the weight of their weapons only when they considered how much endurance they would need to wield them. In that regard, the lighter the weapon was, the better — a light weapon could allow a person to fight longer without growing tired, which often meant the difference between victory and defeat. However, things changed when it came to the Awakened, who often possessed inhuman strength and endurance. Light weapons had their role to play, but more often than not, what you really needed was force. And the more ma.s.s something had, the more force it could produce. In the past, Sunny had only considered shields as a defensive tool. But after watching Effie and Stone Saint use them in battle, he realized that in the hands of a trained warrior, a shield could be as destructive and deadly as a sword. Sometimes much more so. Just imagining Effie bashing someone with a shield that weighed a few hundred kilograms sent shivers running down his spine. Not to mention that the weight could be changed on the fly, making it light to maneuver faster, then turning it into an improvised siege ram at the right moment. But even in terms of pure defense, a shield that could be turned into a literal wall was priceless. He could see a monster such as the Spire Messenger colliding with it… and simply bouncing off in the chorus of shattering bones. ...Maybe. Granted, Sunny never trained with a shield, and the sword he used demanded two hands to be wielded properly. But where there was a will, there would be a way. With a slight smile, Sunny summoned the Dusk Shard. The sparks of light appeared in a whirlwind around his arm. A few long seconds later, the silhouette of a large round shield weaved itself into reality. After a few more seconds, and the Memory was fully formed. 'How ni… oh c.r.a.p!' With a surprised yelp, Sunny staggered and toppled over. Luckily, he fell on top of the dull iron shield — otherwise, he might have been crushed under its weight. 'This... is so heavy!' The d.a.m.n thing was heavier than he had ever expected. In fact, it was probably too heavy for him to even lift, let alone carry around. The members of the cohort glanced at Sunny, who was struggling to stand up, with perplexed expressions. Gritting his teeth, Sunny rose to one knee and awkwardly tried to lift the shield off the ground. However, no matter how hard he tried, he only managed to drag it by a few centimeters. "Curses!" ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴡᴇʙ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ. ᴄᴏᴍ 'Alright, I admit it. It's too d.a.m.n heavy! Let's reduce the weight a little…' But a few seconds later, his face froze. '...This can't be. No way!' However, the truth was hard to deny. He... couldn't change the Dusk Shard's weight at all. The enchantment that was supposed to allow Sunny to do that was there, but it required him to actively manipulate the soul essence — shadow essence, in his case — to access it. The most powerful enchantments were all like that. And the higher a Memory rank, the more probable it was for the enchantments it possessed to be really powerful. The problem was that Sleepers had no way to control and manipulate their soul essence. Sunny didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What were the chances of him coming to possess not one, not two, but three whole Ascended Memories… only to find out that two of them were completely unusable, while the third one required him to somehow become a master marksman to avoid dying from blood loss? 'd.a.m.n it! d.a.m.n it all! But especially d.a.m.n that d.a.m.ned Fated attribute!' While Sunny was grinding his teeth in outrage, Effie approached him and glanced down from her considerable height. Then, she leaned forward, took the Dusk Shard by the rim, and lifted it — along with Sunny — from the ground, seemingly without too much strain. "That's it, then? The Memory you got from the pale b.a.s.t.a.r.d?" Finally standing up with the help of the huntress, he stared at her for a long time, his expression unreadable. Then, he suddenly smiled: "Yes. By the way, Effie. We're friends, aren't we? See, I couldn't help but notice that your shield Memory was destroyed in that last fight. How about…" She rolled her eyes. "Wait, don't tell me... Sunny's Shady Emporium is open for business again?" He blinked a couple of times, then grinned: "Why yes! How did you know?" The huntress glanced down at the heavy shield, squinted, and said in a cautious tone: "Well… what do you want in exchange?" Sunny thought for a bit. "That bottomless bag of yours. And two other Awakened Memories." Before Effie could come to a decision, though, Nephis interrupted their conversation. Coming closer, she glanced at the huntress first, then at Sunny, and finally at the shield. Finally, she asked: "How about giving it to Effie in exchange for another Ascended Memory? One more suited to your technique. " Sunny dismissed the Dusk Shard and hesitated for a bit, looking at Changing Star with doubt. Was this her ploy to get the Shard Memory from him? If she had an Ascended Memory all this time, why had she been hiding it? And where could she have gotten one, to begin with? After a while, he said: "I don't know. Show me the Memory, and then we'll decide." Nephis silently stepped closer and took his hand. Then, a spark of energy traveled from her body to his. The Spell whispered: [You have received a Memory.] Throwing a dubious glance at Nephis, Sunny summoned the runes and found the name of the Memory he had received. His shadow tilted its head, surprised. Shimmering in the air in front of him, a string of runes read: Memory: [Moon Shard]. ReadNovelFull.me?
262	Chapter 262 Path to d.a.m.nation 'Another Shard Memory?' Sunny raised an eyebrow, glanced at Nephis, and turned back to the runes. His eyes glistened. Memory: [Moon Shard]. Memory Rank: Ascended. Memory Tier: I. Memory Type: Weapon. Memory Description: [When the stars were extinguished and fell, a lonely moon remained in the empty sky. With no sun to shine upon it, the moon grew dim, withered, and died. As the last remnants of moonlight were devoured by darkness, one small shard was forged into this subtle blade.] Memory Enchantments: [Unseen]. Enchantment Description: [Forged from moonlight, this blade appears in the hand of its wielder without delay.] ReadNovelFull.me Sunny's pupils widened slightly. With a tense frown, he summoned the Moon Shard. A graceful dagger with a long and slender blade appeared in his hand. It tapered to a needle-like point and had a simple cross-guard, with a handle made from glossy black wood. The most striking feature of the dagger was that it seemed to be forged out of clear, misty gla.s.s. That gla.s.s, however, appeared to be as strong as steel… and much, much sharper. In the darkness of the underground cavern, the ghostly stiletto was nearly invisible. What really stunned Sunny, though, was not its look or its rank, but the fact that the moonlight blade had appeared in his had instantaneously. There had been no sparks of light, no process of weaving itself into existence from nothingness. The dagger was simply suddenly there, as if it had always been that way. This… this was an incredible enchantment. It might not have seemed that powerful, but Sunny instantly understood that there was a lot more to this simple trait than most people would a.s.sume. Once summoned, Memories took time to form. The Dusk Shard had weaved itself into existence in about six to eight seconds. But even if it was just a single second, like the time it took Neph's silver sword to appear, the process was still not instantaneous. What's more, the appearance of a Memory was telegraphed in advance by the dancing sparks of light. In short, it was very hard to take the enemy by surprise by suddenly summoning a Memory. A skilled opponent would always have enough time to notice it and react accordingly — unless they were lured into a cunning trap by a sword savant like Changing Star. But even then, it wasn't easy to plan and execute such a move. Yet all of that didn't apply to the Moon Shard. The slender blade of the ghostly dagger could appear out of nowhere in an instant and immediately strike at the target. '...What an insidious little thing.' It was uniquely suited to Sunny's preferred method of engaging the enemy, indeed. He liked to strike from the shadows and kill with one strike. With the ghostly blade in his a.r.s.enal, though, he would not even have to hide in the darkness in order to deliver an unexpected and deadly blow. No one would see it coming. Not to mention that it was an Ascended Memory. Armed with the Moon Shard, Sunny would finally be able to wound and kill Fallen creatures — even without the miraculous enhancement of the Crown of Dawn. His own shadow would be more than enough. Granted, he would have to get really close and personal to a monster in order to use the dagger. But still, at least with it, he stood a chance. Suppressing a satisfied smile from appearing on his lips, Sunny turned to Nephis and asked in an incredulous tone: "Where did you get this thing?" She lingered for a few moments, then said: "North of the Dark City." Sunny nodded. That made sense. There was another red cross on her map, about a week's worth of traveling time north of the ruins. It was drawn near a symbol resembling a grotesque, misshapen skull. Changing Star had indeed been busy in the three months that he had spent hunting monsters on the dark streets of the cursed city. Now, five of the Shard Memories were accounted for: Dawn Shard, Zenith Shard, Dusk Shard, Midnight Shard, and Moon Shards. Only two remained. Sunny wondered which statue they were tied to, and whether someone out there already held them in their hands. …It didn't matter that much for now, though. With a sigh, he dismissed the ghostly dagger and said: "I have to warn you that the enchantment on that shield requires an Awakened to activate it. It is supposed to be able to change its weight and ma.s.s freely, but actually, it's just stuck being stupidly heavy." Nephis glanced at Effie, who just shrugged. "I'm fine with it as is." Sunny finally allowed himself to smile. "...Ah, that's great then. We have a deal." \\\* In the end, they had to spend a couple of days in the vast underground cavern. Nephis had to recover from her ghastly wound and the strain of healing the rest of the cohort, while all of them had not liked the idea of venturing back into the mist with their Memories damaged. Eventually, though, they were ready to head back. Sunny used this short moment of respite to rest and practice Shadow Dance, slowly moving toward his goal of mastering its first step. He knew that there was nothing but bloodshed ahead of them. First, they would have to fight their way through the untold horrors of the Labyrinth. And once they reached the Dark City… The last act of this messed-up play would begin. Looking back, he couldn't believe how far he had come in these past eight months. When Sunny arrived on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, he was weak and inexperienced. His first fight against a single carapace scavenger almost cost him his life. And now, here he was, standing near the corpse of a Fallen Monster he had killed with his own two hands. From barely killing a single carapace scavenger, to almost losing his life in a fight against a carapace centurion, to summoning a horror of the depths and finishing off the Carapace Demon. From entering the Dark City not knowing anything about it to hunting down dozens of Nightmare Creatures on its cursed streets, to fighting against a horde of undead monsters in the catacombs beneath it. From venturing back into the Labyrinth of his own free will and waging war against the tribe of monstrous spiders to riding on the shoulder of an ancient giant and battling Fallen abominations and hordes of Awakened creatures. From finding a nameless grave in the foothills of the Hollow Mountains to witnessing the last resting place of the First Lord in their depths. He had lived through so much, endured so much, and accomplished so much. Of course, there had not been only victories. He had tasted defeat, too... a lot of it. Both in battle and in his tentative attempts to build human relationships with other prisoners of this desolate h.e.l.l. He had experienced pain, sorrow, and despair. ...And he was going to taste even more of it soon. Turning his head slightly, Sunny looked at his companions. Nephis, Ca.s.sie, Kai, Effie, and Caster were busy with final preparations for their long return journey. How many of them would be alive by the end of all of this? Closing his eyes, he sighed. It was not going to be easy to survive the finale. But Sunny was determined to show the rest of the world what he was really made of. He was going to win. He was going to be the last one standing. No matter what he had to do. …Even if doing it would break him. ReadNovelFull.me?
263	Chapter 263 The Beginning of the End Three months later, a group of six battered humans appeared from the sea of crimson coral and approached a magnificent white arch. Moving with the precision of experienced predators, they swiftly slaughtered a few transient creatures that hid in the deep shadow cast by the ancient structure, stripped them down for meat, and swiftly climbed up. Against all odds, the cohort had survived the journey back to the Dark City. …If only barely. Looking north from the top of the marble arch, Sunny saw the distant grey wall. His gaze lingered on it, full of exhaustion, triumph, and dark apprehension. Finally, they had returned. The past three months had been an endless b.l.o.o.d.y nightmare, with countless horrors and battles leaving their marks on him. And yet, they had also been an anvil against which he was tested, tempered, and made stronger as the result. Sunny didn't have a mirror, but was sure that his appearance changed a lot. He could tell just by looking at other members of the cohort. Changing Star's white armor was now covered by numerous scratches and tears that even the restorative effect of the Soul Sea couldn't heal. Her silver hair was longer, reaching to the middle of her back. The ivory face of their leader had grown thin, with dark circles visible under her striking, burning grey eyes. ReadNovelFull.me Caster changed even more. The neat and dignified young scion was nowhere to be seen: instead, a man with disheveled hair and a short scruffy beard stood in his place, his face dark and grim. Sometimes, Sunny thought that he could even see a grey hair or two in his luscious mane. Kai was still beautiful and elegant, but most of his charm was hidden under layers and layers of dirt, dust, and dried blood. The stylish armor he had worn was now long gone, destroyed in one of the vicious battles they had fought, and replaced by a rather unflattering garment that seemed to be woven out of bluish seaweed. The archer also wielded a new bow, this one long a powerful, fashioned out of two curved horns that had belonged to a creature that Sunny would rather not think about. Suffice it to say, this Memory was of the fifth tier and truly deadly. Effie was much the same, except for the fact that she had become even leaner, her robust musculature not covered even by a gram of fat. The huntress wielded two Shard Memories, both responsible for sending dozens upon dozens of Nightmare Creature to their deaths. Her archaic bronze armor was dented all over, but somehow still held together Ca.s.sie was the youngest of them, so the changes that had happened to her were perhaps the most p.r.o.nounced. By now, she had lost most of her childish softness and had turned into a beautiful young woman that looked to be on the cusp of adulthood. She had three Echoes tied to her core now, one given to her by Nephis, the other one by Kai. With the help of her Echoes and the Dark Wing, Ca.s.sie was now able to move and partic.i.p.ate in battles almost as if she was not blind. …Almost. And then there was Sunny himself. He was perhaps even more beaten and battered than the rest of them, the Puppeteer's Shroud almost coming apart at the seams. His hair was long, messy, and in desperate need of a good wash. Sadly, his skin was still as pale as that of a corpse. He was also unable to grow even a bit of scruff, let alone a real beard. But, oh well… why care about the little things? Summoning the runes, Sunny found a particular cl.u.s.ter and glanced at it. The runes shimmered in the twilight of the approaching night. Shadow Fragments: [938/1000]. A dark smile appeared on his lips. 'Almost.' \\\* In the past three months, Sunny had partic.i.p.ated in countless battles. His main responsibility was that of a scout, and as such, he was not a part of the cohort's main strike force. But even then, he had faced and slain more than a hundred Nightmare Creatures. Closer to two hundred, in fact. Among them were beasts, monsters, as well as a few demons and even a devil or two. Sunny absorbed the remnants of their shadows and used his share of the soul shards to trade for Memories with other members of the cohort, which he then fed to the Stone Saint. And now, he was so close to reaching full saturation of his Shadow Core. His prowess and physique were considerably enhanced, too. Somewhere along the way, Sunny had crossed the line of humanly possible and was now firmly in the realm of inhuman ability. He was faster, stronger, and more enduring than any mundane human could ever hope to be. His shadow had grown much more potent, too, since its enhancement increased proportionally to his own power. …Or was it the other way around? In any case, Sunny felt that when the shadow was wrapped around his body, he was now almost at the level of an actual Awakened. Very few Sleepers on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e could challenge him in terms of raw power. Of course, all of them had deadly Aspect Abilities of their own. …And several of the most deadly Sleepers among them were all right here, with him, setting up camp and getting ready to cook him food. Sunny wasn't sure, but guessed that Effie and Caster had already fully saturated their Soul Cores, beating him to it — the huntress because of the years she had spent hunting monsters on the streets of the Dark City, and the Legacy because of the soul shards his clan must have provided him before his first journey into the Dream Realm. Nephis… Sunny wasn't sure. Logic dictated that she should have reached the point of saturation before Sunny did, but he still saw her absorbing shards after each battle. So either she did not, or her Aspect had other uses for the excess soul essence. Or she was just putting on an expensive show. Kai and Ca.s.sie were behind him in terms of the amount of acc.u.mulated essence, but not by much. Each of them was now a powerhouse, just like the rest of the cohort. Looking at the people busying themselves with mundane tasks of setting up the camp, Sunny inhaled deeply and smiled. "Ah. Aren't we a sight to behold?" ReadNovelFull.me?
264	Chapter 264 First Things First They truly were. When leaving the Dark City behind, Sunny had known how powerful the members of the cohort were. However, he had not quite realized just how well-rounded and perfectly suited to face various challenges presented by the Labyrinth their group was. With Nephis, Effie and Caster leading the charge, most Nightmare Creatures populating the forest of crimson coral had little chance to survive, not with the Crown of Dawn pouring raw power into the armor and weapons of the cohort, at least. Each of the three was a deadly and versatile fighter, with their own unique approach to combat and strengths that complemented each other. With the three slayers holding off the opponents while being supported by Kai from above, very few things could stand in their way. Night himself had turned out to be an astonishingly deadly presence on the battlefield, as well. With the Blood Arrow providing him with a conditionally endless supply of arrows, he could just stay in the air, out of reach of the abominations that had no way to attack at range — which was most of them — and pick them out with well-aimed shots. With the addition of the formidable horn bow, the distance at which he could hit the target had increased tremendously, allowing him to eliminate some of the enemies long before they had gotten close enough to the cohort for an effective attack. His opening salvo had made a lot of battles much less problematic. Of course, Kai couldn't fly above the Labyrinth with impunity. The grey sky was full of danger, too, and by separating himself from his companions, he risked being attacked and torn apart by the abominations that populated it. He had to maintain a fragile balance. But the flying Nightmare Creatures were a threat to the cohort regardless of whether or not the charming archer rose into the air or not. Actually, this was the type of enemy they were equipped to fight the least. That's why Kai's ability to fly had turned out to be priceless. ReadNovelFull.me Especially because he was usually able to fly faster or at least maneuver better than most of the creatures that dwelled in the sky. More than once, they had survived only because the archer was able to draw the fury of the aerial abominations and dodge their attack long enough to either fell them with a perfectly aimed arrow or give his companions a chance to join the fight. Sunny and Ca.s.sie usually protected the rear of the cohort to prevent anything from attacking their companions from the back — which happened more often than one would hope. With the help of the Stone Saint and the Quiet Dancer, and later the other two Echoes belonging to the blind girls, they were able to hold off anything until the main force was done with their share of the opponents and joined the fray. That was not to say that their role in the cohort was less important. If anything, Sunny was convinced that what they did was more vital to the survival of each member of the cohort than what the fighters were doing. It was true that, with the help of the Dawn Shard, the cohort was well equipped to handle most monsters of the Labyrinth. What they truly had to fear were the creatures that defied all logic, the perils that the human mind could not even comprehend, and the Labyrinth itself — as well as the dark waters of the cursed sea and the ancient horrors that dwelled beneath them. That was what Sunny and Ca.s.sie had to protect the group from. Free Web Novel . Com As Sunny absorbed more and more shadow fragments, the range at which he could control his shadow grew exponentially. By now, the shadow could move almost as far as a whole kilometer ahead of the cohort, scouting for any potential threat and giving them plenty of time to decide if they wanted to fight or change course and avoid the danger entirely. If anything, it had become a little feral and now preferred to wander around aimlessly and far away, returning to Sunny only when specifically commanded to do so. But regardless of that, the value of being able to see and identify their enemies in advance was impossible to overestimate. It was just too valuable. In battle, the tiniest advantage could decide the difference between life and death, and the advantages of knowledge and the first strike were possibly the most important. However, there were things on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e that even Sunny could not see, predict, or escape from. That was where Ca.s.sie's affinity to revelations and miraculous intuition came into play. She was responsible for preventing the cohort from stumbling into anything that would destroy their very souls before anyone could even understand what was happening, or something that simply could not be defeated. If not for Ca.s.sie, a sudden storm or a creature aking to the Soul Devourer — or something even more terrifying — would have ended their lives long before they returned back to the Dark City. But even with all that, every day in the Labyrinth brought them to the very verge of death. No matter how strong, well-rounded, and well-equipped the cohort was, the nightmares of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e were always more powerful, unpredictable, and bizarre, making any and all preparations useless. In the end, the only reason that none of them had died from grievous wounds, sickness, or infection was because of Changing Star's healing flames. In the three months that they had spent traveling through the Labyrinth, Sunny fully understood why healers were so sought after among the Awakened. He knew it before, in theory, but only after being subjected to the daily terror of their journey had he realized how life-changing — literary — the presence of a healer in the cohort truly was. And so, just like that, they had done the unthinkable and managed to travel all the way from the edges of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e back to its center — thanks to their power and resolve, their foresight, their strength, and their ability to rely on and help each other. As well as, in large part, pure dumb luck. And now that they were about to return to the cursed haven of the Dark City, their luck was about to be tested as it had never been tested before. …But that was for later. First, the members of the cohort had to fulfill their obligation to Sunny. He had joined this expedition on a certain condition, after all. Glancing once again at the distant grey wall, Sunny clenched his fists. The corner of his mouth curled up in a vicious grin. '...Wait a bit more, b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Your day of reckoning is coming.' In two days, they were going to kill the Black Knight. ReadNovelFull.me?
265	Chapter 265 Hateful Shadow Turning away from the distant wall of the Dark City, Sunny closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and let go of his anger. He had to keep his head cool, for now. Killing a Fallen Devil was not going to be an easy task. It might even turn out to be his undoing. ...But he was determined to see it done. The debt of blood he owed that creature had to be repaid, no matter what. Walking over to the fire, Sunny sat down and tried to remember the details of their previous stay on this old, weathered marble arch. What a fun couple of days that had been. Rather pleasing on the eye, too... His shadow shook its head dejectedly and turned away. Soon, Nephis handed him his share of the food. Her culinary skills had improved a lot during these months — despite the fact that there had not been a large variety of ingredients at their disposal. Still, being able to turn the most repulsive of monsters into a delicious meal was something that not everyone was capable of. 'This should be a separate course at the Academy.' Teacher Julius had taught him how to consume various things in the Dream Realm without ending up poisoned to death, but he had neglected to go in-depth on how to actually make them taste good. ReadNovelFull.me Sinking his teeth into a juicy piece of meat, Sunny forgot about his troubles for a bit and simply enjoyed this rare moment of bliss. Disposing of the meat, he smiled in satisfaction and wiped his hands on the soft fabric of the Puppeteer's Shroud. Then, he glanced at Nephis and asked: "We should be able to reach the city tomorrow, yes?" She gave him a nod. "...If nothing happens." Sunny thought for a bit, then said in a curious tone: "Do you think Gunlaug knows that we are coming back?" Nephis thought for a few moments before replying. Her voice was calm and indifferent. "Definitely." Sunny sighed. This was his conclusion as well: back when he had first entered the Bright Castle, he had learned from Caster about a certain Artisan that could track the general location of anyone a person had ever met. This was how Caster knew how many Sleepers of their crop had been sent to the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Even if Gunlaug possessed no other method to learn of their approach, all he had to do was ask that woman. Sunny shifted a little and asked: "Should we expect a welcoming party?" Changing Star shook her head. "I don't think so. There's no need for him to do anything. Gunlaug knows that we will come to him of our own free will… simply because there's nowhere else for us to go." She fell silent for a while, and then added: "But most of all, this has never been about killing me or my people. It was always about destroying the ideas I represent. What's the point of crushing me if no one is there to see it? Gunlaug won't do anything without an audience. He had sent Harus to stop us from escaping the stage, but now that we are back on it, there is no need for him to rush the inevitable." Everyone listened to the conversation with dark expressions. Sunny glanced at them, hesitated for a bit, and asked: "Are you confident that you can defeat him?" Nephis stared at the fire. After a while, she simply said: "Yes." Hearing that, Sunny smiled sweetly. "Well, good for you, but I am not. So let's finish our deal before the lot of you get killed by that maniac. Alright?" A corner of Neph's mouth curled upward. "You are talking about the Fallen Devil?" He nodded. "Yes. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You promised to help me kill him, remember?" Meanwhile, Kai was looking at him with a complicated expression. Finally, not able to hold back, he asked: "Sunny… are you really not going to join us? Don't… don't you see that we only have one chance to escape this place? Not to mention all the lives we can save!" Sunny shrugged. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure on that point himself. On one hand, he had no desire of helping Nephis achieve her insane goal. On the other hand, things that she had set in motion were going to happen with or without him. What was he going to do, hide in his cathedral and wait until there was no one else left alive on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e? Some fate that would be… "Maybe I'll join you, and maybe I won't. Who knows what will happen?" He fell silent and cast a sideways glance at Ca.s.sie. Actually, at least three people here knew what would happen… more or less. 'It's hard to escape fate.' "That's not the point though, is it? The point is that you should conclude our deal first and do whatever it is you wish to do later..." Changing Star faced the two of them and calmly ended that conversation: "Sure. No problem. We'll go to the cathedral first. A deal is a deal, after all." Sunny smiled with satisfaction. Nephis glanced at him and added: "But, Sunny… how exactly are we supposed to kill a Fallen Devil?" His smile widened. "Oh! I'm glad that you asked…" \\\* Sunny had been making plans on how exactly to kill the Black Knight for more than half a year now. Prior to leaving the Dark City, he had spent two entire months observing the terrifying fiend and trying to learn everything there was to know about him. Needless to say, the task of slaying a creature that powerful was not going to be trivial. In fact, it was going to be the hardest battle they had fought yet. It almost seemed impossible. But was it, really? The fight against the Spire Messenger, who had turned to be a Fallen Monster, nearly cost several members of the cohort their lives. They had barely been able to hold off against the creature of its cla.s.s, and a devil was ten times more dreadful. However, there was a big difference between the Messenger they had faced and the Black Knight. That difference was, basically, very simple. It was that Sunny did not hate the Messenger with all his dark, vindictive heart. And now, that hate was going to tip the scales in their favor. ReadNovelFull.me?
266	Chapter 266 The Devil You Know At the core of it, things were indeed rather simple. Sunny hated the Black Knight enough to do his due diligence and thus spent an incredible amount of time studying it. He was so motivated to kill the creature that had hurt him that he had even gone so far as to settle in the same old cathedral as the devil. As a result, Sunny had become a singular expert on everything having to do with the Black Knight. He knew his strengths, he knew his weaknesses, the patterns of his behavior… And, most importantly, he knew what type of unnatural powers the devil possessed. Unlike Nightmare Creatures of lower ranks, devils had access to bizarre and harrowing powers that were akin to the Aspect Abilities of the Awakened. That was what made them so dangerous, and that was why the fact that Sunny had learned the Black Knight's power was so vital. Unlike the Spire Messenger, whom they had to fight blind, the cohort was going to go into battle with the Fallen Devil fully aware of what they would face. As such, they could plan, come up with strategies, and make preparations. Knowing your enemy was half the victory. The second half was knowing yourself. The smile disappeared from Sunny's face. Leaning forward, he said: "The Black Knight is truly a living nightmare. He is as strong, fast, and indestructible as you would imagine a Fallen Devil to be. I've seen countless creatures fall to his sword — no matter their shape, size, rank, or cla.s.s. He is just too powerful." ReadNovelFull.me Effie giggled. "You're not really making your case, Sunny. You know that, right?" He glanced at her and grinned. "That's not even the worst part. What really makes him an incarnation of death is not his astonishing might, but the darkness that lives in the grand hall of the cathedral and seems to obey him. When wrapped in that darkness, the Black Knight can move fast, unseen, and without making a single sound. His physical traits are vastly enhanced, turning him into an unstoppable engine of slaughter." Sunny grimaced. "What's more, any damage done to him is instantly repaired as long as he is surrounded by the darkness. Inside of it, he is basically immortal." The members of the cohort glanced at each other with dubious expressions. Only Changing Star remained indifferent. A tentative smile appeared on Sunny's face. Turning to Nephis, he said: "But that is where you come in, Neph. With your radiant light, that darkness will vanish. Your flames can strip the b.a.s.t.a.r.d of his greatest weapon. Without his dark power, the Black Knight is nothing more than a powerful abomination. He will be only slightly more dangerous than a demon of the same rank." Caster stared at him and said, his voice flat: "You say it as though a Fallen Demon is an easy enemy to face." Sunny shook his head. "No, I am not saying that. I fully understand how hard that fight will be. In fact, I understand it better than any of you. The truth of the matter is that even with the Dawn Shard, our weapons won't be able to wound him. Not because his flesh is too tough, but because he is covered in heavy armor from head to toe. I am not even sure that there is any flesh beneath it, to be honest. There is only one c.h.i.n.k in his armor, and that is the visor of the helmet." The Black Knight had two burning red embers instead of eyes, so Sunny didn't even know if the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had a face. Kai shifted a little and said with uncertainty: "So the only way to kill him is to hit the crack of the visor? I am… I am not sure that this is possible. On a fixed target, sure. But on a moving one, especially one that fast and deadly… I can't promise that I'll manage that." The others nodded, expressing their agreement. Sunny smiled. "Ah, yes. That would indeed be tough. Luckily, we don't have to." He paused for a moment, and then revealed the secret that had taken him a long, long time to uncover: "The truth is, the visor is a trap. It seems like a weak spot, but it's not. The real weakness of the Black Knight is not even protected by the armor." A dark expression appeared on his face. "It's his sword." Indeed, after observing the devil for months, Sunny had come to the conclusion that the secret to destroying the d.a.m.ned thing hid not in finding a way to pierce the b.a.s.t.a.r.d's armor, but in destroying his terrifying greatsword. By watching the Black Knight fight against countless Nightmare Creatures, Sunny had been able to notice a curious pattern. Just like the members of the cohort, the abominations who wandered into the cathedral tended to instinctively go for the eyes of its guardian. But the b.a.s.t.a.r.d didn't care about those attacks at all. He did, however, tend to protect his sword against most powerful blows, going so far as to receive them with his body instead of blocking or deflecting them with the obliterating black blade. As if wary of any damage being done to it. By focusing on this pattern, Sunny had confirmed that the sword was indeed the only thing that the Fallen Devil seemed to be reluctant to put in harm's way. It was his true weakness. Nephis tilted her head slightly and echoes his words: "...His sword?" Sunny nodded. "Yes. If we want to kill the Black Knight, we will have to destroy his greatsword. That is the only way." Effie blinked a couple of times, then glared at him in outrage. "Is that what you call not being protected by the armor? Of course it's not protected by the armor! Because it's even tougher than the armor, you doofus!" She shook her head. "How are we supposed to break a sword fit to be wielded by a Fallen Devil? Huh?" Sunny smiled. "Oh, you don't have to. In fact, I insist that you don't. You are there to help me, but no one can kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d except for me. No one, you understand? So, your task will be to hold that fiend off. Leave the sword to me." The huntress scoffed. "That's not really an answer. If none of us is strong enough to even come close to breaking such a powerful armament, how are you going to destroy it?" Sunny stared at her for a bit, then shrugged. "I am not going to destroy it. Do I look like someone who can destroy it? No, I don't. And I can't." A dark grin appeared on his lips. "...But the Stone Saint? I am willing to bet that she can." She was able to slaughter two Fallen Beasts before even becoming his Shadow. Not that Sunny's own shadow had grown strong with almost a thousand fragments fueling it with power, there were very few things in the Dark City that the Saint couldn't destroy with its help. So yes, he was willing to bet that she would be able to break the sword of the Black Knight. In fact, he was going to bet his life on it. 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267	Chapter 267 Let There Be Light Two days later, they entered the Dark City once again. Nephis was right — no one from the Castle was there to ambush them. Gunlaug seemed to be content letting them come to him instead, so his Hunters and the dreadful hunchback were nowhere to be seen. Just as well. The cohort scaled the impregnable grey wall late in the evening and spent the night in one of its towers — almost like how Sunny, Neph, and Ca.s.sie had done all that time ago. When the morning came, they headed toward the ruined cathedral. The ruined streets of the cursed city surrounded them once more. After months spent in the Labyrinth, their monotone colors seemed strange and bizarre. There was nothing but dark stone and dust around, with rare islands of crimson leaves and moss growing through the rubble. And swarms of terrifying Fallen Creatures, of course. …It was nice to be home. Sunny caught himself thinking that and blinked. He had never thought that one day he would feel sentimental about returning to this cursed, ancient prison. And yet, there was a strange feeling of comfort deep in his heart now. It had been there ever since they had crested the city wall. ReadNovelFull.me 'What weird creatures we humans are. Truly, there is nothing we can't get used to.' Glancing at his companions, he noticed that they were feeling the same way — especially Effie, who had spent years surviving, hunting, and even thriving on the streets of the Dark City. She even called it a paradise once. …The only kind that humans deserved. Sunny sighed. Regardless of the strange ideas the huntress had, he believed that humans weren't meant to live in a paradise. If they were to ever find one, they would quickly turn it into h.e.l.l. …Just like what the humans trapped on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e were doing right now. \\\* Soon, the ruins of the magnificent cathedral were in front of them. The members of the cohort stopped some distance away, looking at the ancient temple with dark expressions. The journey through the Dark City had turned out to be uneventful thanks to Effie's masterful guidance and the shadow scouting ahead to help her learn of any dangers ahead of time. But the real danger hid at the end of the path, and now, they had reached it. Sunny had spent the last two days teaching the rest of the group everything that he knew about how the Black Devil fought, what his habits were, and how they had to approach the upcoming battle. They were as ready as they were ever going to be. Turning to them, he lingered for a few moments, and then said: "...Remember — I must be the one to deal the final blow. It is very important to me." Looking at him with a complicated expression, Kai sighed. "Why are you so obsessed with killing this devil, Sunny? Won't it be better to leave that creature be? I just don't understand this whole endeavor." Sunny smiled. "Have you ever been gutted, Kai? And I don't mean emotionally. I mean literally, with a sharp piece of metal? The charming archer shivered. "Uh… no. Were you?" The smile disappeared from Sunny's face. "Yes. I was. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d over there cut me open with his big sharp sword and left me bleeding to death in a ditch. So… it's only fair that I do something similar to him, is it not? I don't know how it works with you citizen folks, but out in the outskirts, you don't let things like that go. Simple as that." The day you let a person who hurt you walk free was the day you announced to the world that anyone could stomp on you with impunity. After that, it was a short road to the grave… or worse. So people in the outskirts were very serious about their grudges. Granted, the Black Knight was not really a person. But the same principle applied. Kai stared at him with a complicated expression, then asked in a strange voice: "Really? Then… how did you survive?" Sunny turned away and moved his shoulders slightly. "A combination of good Attributes and powerful Memories. That's how I survived. Well… most of me did." With that, he shook his head and gritted his teeth in anger. "Enough talk. You all know the plan… so let's get it over with." Today, Sunny was going to reach the pinnacle of his hunter career. He was going to hunt the devil. \\\* Inside the tenebrous grand hall of the majestic cathedral, darkness reigned unopposed. It drowned the vast hall, clinging to its walls and tall columns. The rare beams of light falling through the narrow windows only served to make it seem deeper. Six humans entered the temple, the light of their lantern Memories failing to pierce the veil of darkness even slightly. For a moment, there was utter silence. And then, a sudden yell broke it apart: "Now!" A tall young woman with silver hair and calm, striking grey eyes raised her sword. Then, a wave of brilliant white light shone from it, reaching far and wide. The darkness was instantly torn apart and obliterated, vanishing into the deepest, darkest corners of the cathedral. …And there, right in front of them, a giant clad in black steel armor was revealed, his sword already on its way to reap the lives of unfortunate fools who had dared to desecrate the silence of the ancient temple. The greatsword he wielded seemed as heavy as the stone pillars that supported the roof of the temple. Falling from above, it looked like a vertical tear in reality that revealed the impenetrable darkness hiding beneath. What could stop such a monstrous blow? ...Perhaps the shield that contained the weight of the heavens themselves could. Effie dashed forward, raising the Dusk Shard. The heavy shield received the terrible impact of the devil's unstoppable attack. A deafening sound of steel clashing against steel rolled across the grand hall like a sound shockwave, growing louder as it reflected from the stone walls. The shield held. The floor beneath Effie's feet, however, did not. It cracked and shattered, sending the huntress reeling back. A pained yelp escaped from her lips. The Black Knight lingered for a moment, seemingly surprised by the obliteration of the darkness that had shrouded him. However, his hesitation lasted only for a fraction of a second — not nearly enough for the humans to prepare themselves for his next attack. …And it was already coming. Without paying any attention to Effie, who was flying back, the devil turned with astonishing swiftness and aimed his sword at Nephis. But before he could perform his second strike, a ma.s.sive piece of rubble the size of an adult human suddenly flew through the air and crashed into the armored giant at full speed. All the Black Knight could do was lean forward and meet it with his shoulder. The boulder exploded into a thousand pieces, leaving the devil unscathed. The creature that threw it walked through the dust with utter indifference, two ruby flames burning behind the visor of her helmet. The Stone Saint had arrived to face the Black Knight. ReadNovelFull.me?
268	Chapter 268 Clash The Stone Saint walked toward the Black Knight with stalwart indifference. Her body shone with dark radiance, and there were wisps of ghostly grey fog dancing on her elegant armor. The ruby eyes of the taciturn monster burned with menacing crimson flames. The darkness that served the devil had been vanquished by Changing Star's incandescent light, but the shadows populating the ancient temple only grew deeper because of it. Now, they were shifting, as if reaching toward the Saint to fall upon her shoulders like a mantle. Without slowing down, the Shadow raised her shield and hit its rim twice with the edge of her sword, as though challenging the Black Knight to a battle. ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴡᴇʙ ɴoᴠᴇʟ. coᴍ With the two creatures finally facing each other, it became even more apparent that there was a mysterious connection between the two of them. Despite the fact that the Black Knight towered above the graceful living statue, their general appearance and the design of their armaments were eerily similar. It was just that in front of the intricate stonelike armor of the Shadow, the devil's own formidable full plate, which had been masterfully forged from indestructible black steel, seemed almost… crude. Facing the original masterpiece, he looked like a clumsy imposter. Sunny knew that his intuition was right when he caught a hint of the same dim, nascent emotion that the Shadow had shown toward the walking colossus. Despite the fact that the Fallen Devil was vastly more powerful than her and both outcla.s.sed and outranked her, witnessing him, the Stone Saint felt nothing but disdain. ReadNovelFull.me Contempt, even. All of these observations had not taken Sunny more than half a second. In the next moment, both creatures dashed forward and collided in a furious clangor of metal. The battle had begun! Now that his core was close to being saturated to the brim by the shadow fragments Sunny had collected from hundreds of Nightmare Creatures — and a few humans — the augmentation provided by the shadow was able to make him powerful enough to almost reach the level of an actual Awakened. By the same logic, the Stone Saint should have been brought very close to the power level of a Fallen abomination. Sunny even suspected that she was enhanced by the shadow even more than he would be himself. The Shadow and the shadow seemed to intertwine perfectly, almost as if this was the true purpose of the augmenting facet of his Aspect. The Saint had slaughtered two Fallen Beasts even before becoming a Shadow, although it had been at the cost of her life. What would she be able to do now, reborn and reinforced by the mystical power of his divine Aspect? …Kill a deadly b.a.s.t.a.r.d of a Fallen Devil, hopefully. But still, the gap between the two of them was just too vast. Even with the help of the shadow, the Stone Saint was clearly not a match for the Black Knight in terms of sheer power. Luckily, she was not alone. As the two creatures collided and turned into a whirlwind of steel, the humans joined the fight to support their monster. Caster appeared at a terrible speed, striking at the giant black sword with his elegant jian. The ghostly green blade slid off the surface of the greatsword without any result, but the impact of his strike managed to slow the Black Knight by a fraction of a second.ʟ That was all the Stone Saint needed to deliver a blow of her own. Closing the distance to the giant fiend in order to turn his size and reach superiority against him, she struck upward at the pommel of the greatsword with her shield. The hands of the Black Knight were thrown above his head, and using that opening, she bulldozed into his abdomen with her shoulder, sending the giant reeling. The violence of the impact was so fierce that several fractures appeared on the surface of her stonelike pauldron. As the dull metal sound rang across the grand hall, shards of stone flew into the air. But it was not in vain. The momentary gap in the defense of the devil allowed Nephis to deliver a devastating thrust with her silver longsword. Enhanced by the annihilating white flame and the miraculous enchantment of the Dawn Shard, the sword hit against the breastplate of the Black Knight's armor… And broke through, sinking deep into the body of the fiend. For a moment, everyone froze, stunned at the ease with which they were able to pierce the seemingly impregnable armor of the Fallen Devil. Just a moment before, Caster's jian didn't even leave a scratch on the black steel of the fiend's greatsword… But then, things took a sharp turn for the worse. The Black Knight did not seem to care about several inches of incandescent steel penetrating his chest at all. Regaining his balance, he indifferently swiped his sword down, forcing both Nephis and the Stone Saint to stagger back. The black blade hit the marble floor, causing the ground to shake and throwing Neph to the ground. Before anyone could react, the devil let go of the hilt of his sword with one hand and delivered a shattering backhanded blow to the Shadow. The strength of that strike would have been enough to pulverize any human, but the Stone Saint was made of a far more enduring material than flesh. Still, the living statue was thrown back like a broken doll. Almost instantly, the Black Knight turned to Nephis once more. The terrifying sword flew into the air, ready to split her apart. 'I was right!' A savage smile appeared on Sunny's face. Brandishing the Midnight Shard, he dashed forward and screamed: "...Plan C!" Plan C was very simple. It was born out of the prediction Sunny had made when discussing how they were going to kill the devil. He had suspected all along that since Neph was a perfect counter to the Black Knight's most dreadful power, he would concentrate all his attention on dealing with her first. In short, the devil was going to make killing Changing Star his number one priority. Nephis was indeed a perfect counter against the living darkness, but even better than that… She was the perfect bait. ReadNovelFull.me?
269	Chapter 269 Incarnation Of Death The black blade fell down, missing Nephis only by a hair's breadth. She rolled back and performed an impossible handspring, launching herself into the air from the ground. Landing on the marble floor with an effortless grace of a trained acrobat, Changing Star slid back a few meters and came to a stop some distance away from the devil. But he was just as fast... no, much faster. The giant was already lunging forward to skewer her on the tip of his terrible greatsword. She shifted slightly, dodging the deadly attack, a dashed forward along the vast length of the black blade. Her sword flashed through the air and impacted against the vambrace of the menacing armor, leaving a deep scratch on its dark surface. …Everything was happening so fast that other members of the cohort were having trouble joining the fight. The Stone Saint had just landed on the marble floor a moment ago and was currently rising back to her feet. Effie had recovered from receiving the full brunt of the Black Knight's first attack and was rushing forward, but she was still a few meters away. Kai had drawn his bow, but couldn't send an arrow flying without the risk of hitting one of his companions. With how potent the enchantment of the Blood Arrow was, this was something he could not allow to happen. Ca.s.sie mostly relied on Echoes to fight, and since they were not enhanced by the Dawn Shard, their utility in this battle would not have been high. More than that, they risked being destroyed by a single strike from the devil. As such, she was relegated to holding back for now, and would only join the fight if things really went south. So for now, it was up to Sunny and Caster to slow the fiend down. Their only saving grace, and the point that Sunny had explained in detail, was that the terrifying greatsword, while deadly and utterly unstoppable — well, almost — was ultimately an unwieldy weapon. The Black Knight was strong enough to throw it around as though the giant blade weighed no more than a feather and skilled enough to turn momentum and inertia into useful tools as opposed to obstacles, but he still had to obey the laws of physics. Even more importantly, the d.a.m.n thing was very long. ReadNovelFull.me Which meant that they had to stick to the Fallen Devil like glue in order to use its long reach against him. As the steel giant sidestepped and pulled his greatsword into a vicious horizontal swipe aimed at Changing Star, Sunny closed the distance between them and approached the devil from the opposite side. The Midnight Shard flashed, striking at the elbow joint of the plate armor. All Sunny achieved was leave a small scratch on it, but he also pushed the Black Knight's hand down and closer to his body a bit, changing the angle of the swipe slightly. At the same time, Caster dove under the terrible blade and suddenly appeared right in front of the devil, thrusting his jian at the steel helmet. p??da n?vel The Black Knight just turned his head slightly, causing the ghostly green blade to slide off the helmet without doing any damage. At the same time, he let go of the sword with one hand and threw his elbow back, almost smashing Sunny's skull in. …All the while continuing his deadly strike at Nephis. Nevertheless, their tandem attack helped Changing Star avoid being cut in half. Taking a swift step forward, she raised her own sword and received the blow on its blade. Since she had time to close the distance and was now mere centimeters away from the devil, the part of the greatsword that hit her was close to the cross-guard, and as such, did not carry too much destructive force. Still, it was enough to send her crashing onto the ground, the sword sliding from her hand. Even with the three of them fighting together, they couldn't slow the cursed creature for more than a moment. But then, a moment was all they needed. Because it gave Effie enough time to rejoin the fight. It also gave Kai the opportunity to take a shot. A black arrow streaked through the air… and plunged right into the crack of the devil's visor. Sunny noticed a startled expression on the charming archer's face. He himself was stunned, too: no one had expected Kai to actually hit the b.a.s.t.a.r.d right in the only c.h.i.n.k in his armor, least of all Kai himself. The head of the Black Knight was violently jerked backward. …But in the next moment, Kai staggered and groaned. 'Curse it! Why am I always right?!' Sunny had antic.i.p.ated that result, too. He had guessed a long time ago that there was no flesh beneath the menacing black armor. Rather, the armor itself was the Nightmare Creature, or at least the vessel for the evil soul of a powerful revenant. As such, there was no blood for the ghastly arrow to drink. That's why Kai had been affected by the backlash of his Fallen Memory despite hitting his target. Just in case something like that happened, Sunny had tasked the charming archer with fashioning a few mundane arrows out of splinters of bone that was everywhere on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. So Kai wasn't entirely out of the fight, yet. However, the amount of damage he would be able to do to the terrifying devil was not extremely low. 'd.a.m.nation!' But Sunny had no time to lament this turn of events. The battle was only growing more chaotic and fierce… Thanks to the incredible precision of Kai's shot, the Black Knight was disoriented for a moment. Effie arrived just at the right time to use it to their advantage. Leaning low, the used the momentum of her lunge and the bone-breaking weight of the Dusk Shard to deliver a devastating blow to the thigh of the steel giant. As another shockwave of sound rolled through the grand hall, the fiend staggered. But a fraction of a second later, he brought his armored fist down on the mighty huntress, causing her to reel away with a pained scream. The pommel of the black sword lurched forward, catching Caster in the chest despite how fast the proud Legacy was moving. He crumbled to the floor like a broken mannequin. Lastly, the Black Knight turned his blade to Sunny, causing him to retreat. The d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d was simply unstoppable. None of their attacks had achieved anything except for annoying him a little. 'Not good, not good...' …Pushing herself off the ground, Nephis looked at the Fallen Devil that towered above her like a bastion of darkness. Her face was pale, and there was blood flowing from her mouth. What's worse, the silver sword had slid far away and was now out of her reach. The incandescent radiance disappeared from its blade, allowing for the darkness that hid in the corners of the grand call to slowly begin crawling back. Nothing stood between her and the Black Knight anymore. Suddenly opening his eyes wide, Sunny glanced into the depths of the cathedral. And then, a simple scream escaped from his lips: "Neth! Run!" ReadNovelFull.me?
270	Chapter 270 Runaway As the silver sword was extinguished, Changing Star lingered for a moment. White flames ignited in her eyes, and suddenly, the pristine white breastplate of the Starlight Legion Armor was enveloped in blinding white light. The darkness that had begun to seep back into the grand hall of the ancient temple reeled away once more. It appeared as though Nephis changed the target of her miraculous Aspect Ability and used her armor as its conduit instead of the sword. But from the side, it simply looked like there was a furious white star burning in her chest. …That momentary delay almost cost her her life. As soon as Sunny's scream echoed through the cathedral, the terrifying black blade came down once again. This time, Nephis seemingly had no chance to escape. But, somehow, she did. Pushing herself off the marble floor, she twisted her body and barely avoided the falling guillotine of the Black Knight's greatsword, then swiftly rolled away. The next moment, she was already on her feet. As the devil lunged forward to crush her, Changing Star did something that no one would ever expect the proud daughter of the Immortal Flame Clan to do. She turned her back to the enemy… and ran. ReadNovelFull.me From their early days in the Labyrinth, Sunny knew that Nephis could be incredibly fast when she wanted to. And indeed, just a second later, she was already far away. Cursing under his breath, he followed. p??da n?vel No matter how fast Nephis was, the Black Knight was faster. The devil was already pursuing his runaway prey, moving with a celerity that seemed strange for a creature of his size, especially one clad in an incredibly heavy suit of steel armor. With each moment, he drew closer and closer to Changing Star, his sword ready to reap her life. Straining his muscles to their limit, Sunny ran as fast as he could, too, desperately trying to catch up to them. With Effie and Caster temporary put out of commission and Ca.s.sie and Kai sidelined, he was the only one left. He had to make it in time, no matter what. If he didn't… 'Come on!' Gritting his teeth, Sunny somehow managed to accelerate even more. Nephis was already halfway through the grand hall of the cathedral. The statue of the nameless G.o.ddess on the far side of it must have appeared in her sight. It was then when she suddenly stopped and turned around, sliding on the marble floor a few meters because of the momentum. The silver sword had already been dismissed and summoned back from her Soul Sea. It seemed as though out of desperation, Nephis decided to mount one last, suicidal attack on the swiftly approaching steel giant. Or maybe she had just gone crazy. But it only seemed that way. …The corners of Sunny's mouth curled upward. 'That's my girl!' Plan C was about to come to fruition. Changing Star had performed her role perfectly. Well, what else did Sunny expect from her? All that remained was to stall the Black Knight for a few seconds. The devil descended upon the silver-haired girl in a fury of obliterating black steel. Nephis met him with her usual calm resolve, dodging strike after strike with incredible skill. Just like a lifetime ago, when she had been facing Caster at the dojo of the Academy, she used her understanding and control of the flow of combat to breach the gap in speed between her and her opponent. She wasn't as much reacting to the deadly blows delivered by the devil as predicting them, moving to evade the strikes of the black greatsword before they could even happen. Of course, this deadly dance could not last. The tiniest of mistakes would have been her last. And even if she didn't make any, Nephis was not going to be able to keep this level of concentration for long, not to mention the insane toll this fearsome clash took on her stamina and endurance. But she didn't have to. All she needed to do was to keep the b.a.s.t.a.r.d busy for a couple of seconds. And when those seconds ran out… A sudden crack of breaking stone resounded in the darkness of the ancient temple. \\\* In all the commotion, the Stone Saint had strangely disappeared. After Sunny had confirmed that the Fallen Devil was targeting Nephis above everyone else, their strongest combatant — his Shadow — was nowhere to be seen. That, of course, was on purpose. She was laying the groundwork for the plan to work while the rest of them kept the Black Knight distracted. The plan, however, could only happen in a certain spot in the grand hall. That was where Changing Star had to lure the Black Knight in case he fixated on her. Following the descriptions provided to her by Sunny, she led the devil deeper into the cathedral and stopped just in the right place. And then, she engaged him in a fierce battle to give the Sait time to close the trap. …Which she did by taking a running start and crashing with all her weight into one of the tall, magnificent pillars supporting the roof of the cathedral. This pillar, in particular, was damaged at the base, making it uniquely unstable. Sunny knew every corner of the ruined temple like the palm of his hand, so he knew about this flaw of the pillar as well. That had been what he based Plan C on. As Sunny ran, he could see everything that followed in all its majestic brutality. The breaking of stone resounded in the vast hall of the ancient temple. A net of cracks appeared on the ma.s.sive, incredibly tall column and quickly spread to a deep gash in its base. Shards of stone flew in every direction, and the column began to topple. It seemed slow at first. But in fact, it wasn't. In the center of the hall, the Black Knight paused his relentless onslaught for a moment and turned his head, following the sound of cracking stone. …He was a second too late. As Nephis dashed away, the pillar fell on the devil, crushing him under countless tons of hard stone. ReadNovelFull.me?
271	Chapter 271 Insurmountable The ma.s.sive pillar plummeted down and fell right on the Black Knight. The devil turned slightly at the last moment, lowering his sword to the ground. His crimson eyes flashed with una.s.sailable menace. As a thunderous crash resounded in the dark hall of the ruined cathedral, pieces of stone and clouds of dust flew into the air. 'Got you!' A feeling of savage joy ignited in Sunny's heart. Without slowing down, he dove into the dust. Of course, he didn't think the fiend would be destroyed by his trap. But it had to do some damage to the fearsome black armor, at least. Nearing the place where he had last seen the tall dark figure, Sunny witnessed an incredible sight. The pillar... was floating high above the ground, its crushing weight resting on the shoulder of the steel giant. In the place of the impact, its surface had cracked and shattered. The Black Knight, however, had not escaped unscathed as well. His heavy breastplate fractured, revealing nothing but a ma.s.s of impenetrable, living darkness within. The pauldron on the shoulder that had received the blow was practically destroyed, leaving that whole arm hanging listlessly, twisted at a strange angle. The helmet of the devil was dented and covered by a net of small cracks, each seeping with ghostly crimson light. ReadNovelFull.me The Black Knight did not look good, if utterly terrifying. What was even better, though, was the fact that he was currently stuck under the pillar, unable to move. Sunny had to make us of that situation… But before he could, the devil raised his broken arm and placed it on the column. Then, he lowered his head, as though gathering his strength… and effortlessly threw the monumental stone pillar into the air. Sunny's eyes widened. Diving down, he barely avoided the flying wall of granite. The pillar flew above his head and crashed down onto the marble floor, then rolled several times and came to a rest in a deafening rumble of shattering stone. The length of it blocked the grand hall, cutting the way for the rest of the cohort. And also Sunny's path of retreat. …Not that he had any plans of retreating. Regaining his balance, Sunny brandished the Midnight Shard and dashed toward the wounded Black Knight for a vicious attack. Both he and the Stone Saint arrived at the same time. However, the Fallen Devil was still a force to be reckoned with. Despite the fact that his armor was cracked and his speed was somewhat diminished, there was still enough power in his body to obliterate all of them. Holding the greatsword with one hand, he suddenly pulled it into a fearsome slash. The black blade whistled through the air, cutting a chaotic arc around the fiend. Sunny was forced to jump back, but the Shadow managed to deflect the blow with her shield and redirect its power, slowing down only a little. In the next moment, she closed the distance to the Black Knight and delivered a terrible strike of her own, aiming at the base of his sword's blade. The Knight simply moved the sword away, then violently bashed her in the head with the pommel, casing bits of the stonelike metal to fly into the air. The Saint staggered back, the visor of her helmet shattered. …Unlike the ma.s.s of darkness hiding in the black suit of steel armor, there was an actual face beneath hers. Sunny allowed himself to stare for a fraction of a second. This was his first time seeing the face of his Shadow, after all. The Stone Saint looked just how he had imagined. Her skin was grey like granite, and the features of her face were almost like that of a human — with the exception that they were just too flawless. It was as though she had not been born, but actually cut from stone by a mad sculptor, one obsessed with absolute perfection. As the result, what should have been beautiful looked eerie and hideous instead. In fact, glancing at the inhumanly perfect face of his Shadow, Sunny felt nothing but a cold sense of revulsion. …Fright, even. The fact that her haunting face was utterly devoid of any hint of human emotion only made it even more disturbing. The Shadow caught herself from falling and dashed to the side, avoiding another strike from the terrifying giant, which was effortlessly chained after the first one. The greatsword fell down once more, shattering the marble plates of the floor in the spot she had been just a moment ago. It was then that Nephis rejoined the fight. The three of them attacked the Black Knight simultaneously, perfectly coordinating their a.s.sault. Changing Star threw her longsword forward, aiming to sever the broken arm of the devil entirely. The Stone Saint went after the greatsword again. And Sunny did something crazy. Dashing to the enormous black blade, he… stepped on its surface and ran up, using it as a ladder. He had a solid second of stability before the greatsword was pulled into another attack. Feeling it moving beneath his feet, Sunny used the momentum to jump up and grab onto the helmet of the terrifying fiend. Mounting the devil, he hung from the Black Knight's neck and delivered a savage stab at his shoulder. His aim was just a centimeter away from the edge of the pauldron. Sunny's hand was empty when he started the strike, but by the time it reached its mark, the Moon Shard was already grasped in it. During their journey back to the Dark City, he had noticed that Ascended Memories received a less dramatic enhancement from the Crown of Dawn. Unlike the Awakened ones, they weren't elevated by almost an entire rank in terms of power. The augmentation, however, was still significant. Enough to breach the gap between the ghostly stiletto and the armor of the Fallen Devil, at least. The needle-sharp point of the Moon Shard broke through the impenetrable steel and sunk deep into the shoulder joint of the indestructible black armor. Obviously, Sunny knew that this strike would not do a lot of damage to the fiend. But dealing damage was not his goal. Devil or not, Fallen or not, the Black Knight still had to obey the laws of physics. In particular, having several inches of steel… gla.s.s?... stuck in the joint of his armor was inevitably going to reduce the mobility of his arm. Indeed, with both of his arms damaged, the speed with which the fiend was able to move his greatsword around considerably diminished. It was still utterly terrifying, nevertheless. But not insurmountable anymore. Just a moment faster than the Black Knight, the Stone Saint stepped over the black blade and pinned it to the floor with one of her grieves. Using all of her weight to keep it down, she threw her sword aside and raised her shield high above her head with both hands. p??da n?vel For a moment, time slowed down. And then the Shadow brought the shield down, delivering a devastating blow to the weakest point of the greatsword. The rim of the stone shield hit against the black steel… And with a deafening ringing, the greatsword shattered. ReadNovelFull.me?
272	Chapter 272 Shadow And Darkness Augmented by the shadow and with the help of nine hundred fragments that Sunny had collected, the Saint had become incredibly strong. The graceful stone body of the taciturn monster hid incredible power to begin with, and now, it was vastly enhanced. Holding her shield with both hands, the Shadow delivered a devastating blow at the weakest point of the black blade. The blade, which was pinned between the marble floor and her greave, rang deafeningly… and shattered. Still mounting the Black Knight, Sunny grinned with vicious joy. Then, he let go of the dented helmet of the devil and pushed himself off, performing a backward flip and landing nimbly several meters away. Nephis immediately disengaged, too. Both of them knew that there nothing was more dangerous than an enemy on the brink of death. With nothing to lose, humans often relinquished any sense of self-preservation and turned berserk, taking their killer with them to the grave. Nightmare Creatures were much the same, only more terrifying. Despite the fact that Sunny was sure that the devil's weakness hid in his sword, he wasn't certain what would happen if the blade was actually broken. Hopefully, the Black Knight would just crumble into a pile of steel. If not… it would be better to be far away when they found out. ReadNovelFull.me As the shards of the black blade rained on the floor and the Stone Saint fell on one knee, a shudder ran through the devil's body. The darkness hiding in the corners of the ruined cathedral suddenly boiled and lunged forward in a wave. But none of it reached the Black Knight, annihilated by the radiance of Changing Star's intricate white armor. The devil froze in a twisted pose, his hands powerlessly hanging down, his back bent. The black steel of his armor was… rusting. It was swiftly turning dull brown, its l.u.s.ter gone, its once impregnable surface looking corroded and brittle. Then, he slowly and laboriously raised his head and turned it slightly to the side. As if staring at the face of the nameless G.o.ddess whose statue oversaw the dark hall of the ruined cathedral for thousands of years. As the devil looked at the G.o.ddess, the crimson light of his eyes slowly weakened and dimmed… …And then, suddenly, exploded into furious red flames. The rusty armor came apart, exposing the ma.s.s of darkness hiding within. The darkness stretched its limbs and rose above the kneeling Shadow, the parts of the armor that floated in it giving the creature a vaguely humanoid shape. Revealing its true form. A ghostly colossus made of darkness and rusting steel towered above the taciturn monster like an omen of death, two crimson fires burning furiously in the black depths. Another flame appeared just beneath them, like a twisted mouth made from the flames of h.e.l.l. And then, a terrifying roar shook the ancient temple. Sunny took an involuntary step back, a feeling of dread rising from the depths of his soul. His eyes searched for Nephis and found her standing a few meters behind the Stone Saint. Changing Star was hesitating, looking at the dark apparition with an uncertain expression. She caught his gaze, lingered for a moment and then nodded, understanding what Sunny wanted to convey without the need for any words. Then, Nephis cautiously backed away, not letting the devil out of her sight. What was going to happen next was not something a human could survive. Not a Sleeper, at least. With a harrowing fury, the creature of darkness crashed down on the Shadow. Its hands tore through the air and wrapped around the taciturn monster's neck, then raised the living statue in the air as if her stone body weighed nothing. The devil brought the Saint high above the marble floor of the ruined cathedral and squeezed her neck, as if trying to strangle the her. A net of cracks streaked through the Shadow's armor, bits of stone falling down. …Through all of it, the emotionless expression on the hauntingly inhuman face of the Saint did not change one bit. But in her ruby eyes, a hint of a feeling appeared, much stronger than ever before. p??da n?vel …Disdain. Letting go of the shield, she raised her hands, grasped the vambraces of the rusting armor, and easily shattered them in her grip. As another roar resounded in the darkness, the taciturn monster fell back to the ground. Landing with nimble grace, she instantly dodged the claws of the apparition, which had bent down to shatter the living statue once and for all. Then, she took a step forward. The Stone Saint was right beneath the leaning devil now. As her ruby eyes flashed with ruthlessness, she lunged forward and delivered a crushing blow to his chest. Her gauntlet tore through the breastplate of the rusted armor and sank deep into the living darkness, right where a human heart would have been. …Or a soul core. A moment later, the crimson flames burning in the depths of the dark creature exploded into a wave of blinding red light. …And disappeared. The dark essence of the devil dissipated like fog, its remnants vanquished by Changing Star's radiance. The pieces of armor fell to the ground in a clangor of steel. The terrifying devil of the cathedral, the Black Knight, was dead. Sunny threw his head back and let out an exhilarated, vengeful laugh. 'Die! Die, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Die and go to h.e.l.l, forever!' Oh, revenge tasted so great! A moment later, the voice of the Spell whispered sweetly into his ear: [You have slain a Fallen Devil, Forsaken Knight.] [Your shadow grows stronger.] Sunny smiled. 'Anything else you want to add? A Memory? An... an Echo?' However, a moment later, he forgot all about the Spell. A cold shiver run down his spine. Because right in front of him, something very strange was happening to the Stone Saint. Her hand was still raised, frozen in the same position as when she had pierced the heart of the living darkness with her fist. And in it… 'What the h.e.l.l is that thing?!' ReadNovelFull.me?
273	Chapter 273 Chrysalis Grasped in the Shadow's fist was a strange, beautiful, and ominous gem. It was utterly black, as though suffused with impenetrable darkness. The glossy black surface seemed to devour light, turning the vast hall of the ruined cathedral even darker than it had been before. Deep within that black void, crimson flames burned with a menacing red glow. It was pulsating in a slow and bizarre rhythm, drowning everything around in dim red light. Painted by it, the Stone Saint seemed to be drenched in blood. The gem she held looked like a b.l.o.o.d.y, still-beating heart that she had torn out of someone's chest. Gazing at it, Sunny felt a strange sense of foreboding. 'What the h.e.l.l is this thing?' The gem looked sort of like a soul shard, but… different. He had never seen a black shard, to begin with, or one radiating such an intense glow. It also didn't seem like a piece of a broken core. On the contrary, it appeared… whole? 'Is that what a soul core of a Nightmare Creature looks like?' No, not a soul core. A soul? Stunned, Sunny counted the crimson flames burning in the depths of the black gem. One, two, three… four. ReadNovelFull.me Four flames for the four cores of Fallen Devil. The thing that his Shadow held in her hand was the Black Knight's soul… or some sort of his essence, at least. By how had it turned into a material form? Did the Stone Saint do it? If so, how… no, why? 'What is she doing with it?!' As Sunny and Nephis looked in stunned silence, the Shadow finally moved. Bringing the black gem close to her face, she lingered for a moment. A hint of a dark, macabre emotion appeared in her eyes. And then, the Stone Saint… swallowed it. Sunny blinked. '...What?' The Shadow opened her mouth, bit into the eerie crystal, and swallowed it. Just like that, the soul of the Black Knight was devoured. The red glow it emanated disappeared, returning the world to its natural shade. And a moment after that, the Stone Saint fell into the shadows and disappeared, too. 'Wait… I didn't dismiss her. What the h.e.l.l is happening?' Nephis looked at him with a perplexed expression. "What just happened? What did she do?" For once, Sunny didn't have to twist the truth and deceive anyone. Opening his mouth, he honestly said: "I have no idea." Walking over to the pile of rusty steel that remained after the devil had been destroyed, Sunny moved it around with his foot for a bit and then mumbled: "There's no shards left. It's empty." Changing Star remained silent for a few moments, then frowned. Finally, she said: "...You Echo is very peculiar." \\\* While everyone was recovering from the fight and tending to their wounds, Sunny walked to a secluded corner and dove into the Soul Sea. The tranquil expanse of still water met him with familiar silence. Glancing at the rows of motionless shadows standing at the edge of it, Sunny noticed that the Black Knight had joined their ranks. The steel giant stood among all the other creatures Sunny had slain, just as empty as the rest of them. There was no trace of the menacing and deadly Fallen Devil left. Now, he was just one of the shadows. Sunny grinned. "Welcome, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Make yourself at home. You're not going anywhere else ever, anyway." A feeling of deep, dark satisfaction grasped his heart. Staring at the motionless form of his sworn enemy, Sunny had to stop himself from kicking the Black Knight with all his strength. He was just a shadow now, after all. Kicking him would have been like kicking the air. Plus, Sunny wasn't vindictive to that degree. Killing the b.a.s.t.a.r.d once was enough for him. "Who's the one laughing now, huh? I won't deny it, you got me good. But I'm still breathing while you're dead. At the end of the day, that's all that matter." This world — no, both this world and the real one were full of creatures that were bigger, stronger, and more powerful than Sunny. Many of them had either threatened his existence or felt compelled to treat him like dirt to show their superiority. But he was still here despite all of them, neither destroyed nor subjugated. He was free, alive, and growing stronger with each day. One day, they would be the ones cowering in front of him or be destroyed by him. Just like the Black Knight had been. With a dark expression, Sunny turned away and walked to stand beneath the black sun of his shadow core. Then, he summoned the Stone Saint. …But nothing happened. Sunny frowned, then repeated the summon again — to the same effect. Suddenly worried, he willed the runes to appear in the air in front of him. Luckily, his worst fears did not come true. The Stone Saint was still listed as his Shadow. 'Then what is going on with her?' Concentrating on the runes describing her name, Sunny made it expand and read: Shadow: Stone Saint. Shadow Rank: Awakened. Shadow Cla.s.s: Monster. Shadow Attributes: [Battle Master], [Stalwart], [Spark of Divinity]. Shadow Description: [Shadow Saint was created by the treacherous Lost from Light in the cursed darkness of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e.] Shadow Fragments: [80/200]. So far, everything was the same. Even the number of shadow fragments he had fed her did not change. However, there was a new string of runes shimmering beneath that number, where nothing had been before. When Sunny saw it, his eyes widened. The runes read: [...The Stone Saint is evolving.] He lingered for a few moments, and then looked up at the Shadow Core. p??da n?vel Somewhere inside, his Shadow was resting in the waves of nurturing dark flames, her very being going through a mysterious transformation. It appeared as though consuming the soul of the Black Knight had allowed her to enter a stage of growth that Sunny had not antic.i.p.ated. How long would that evolution process take? And what kind of a transformation the Saint was going through? Sunny had no idea. However, he couldn't wait to find out. ReadNovelFull.me?
274	Chapter 274 Salvation Evolving… the Stone Saint was evolving. Leaving the mindscape of the Soul Sea, Sunny furrowed his brow. His eyes, however, were full of excitement. What exactly about her was going to change, though? There weren't that many possibilities. It could be either her rank, her cla.s.s, or her attributes. It was logical to a.s.sume that by defeating an opponent of a higher rank, the Shadow would be able to ascend to a new rank herself. However, there was a flaw in that logic. The Black Knight wasn't the first Fallen creature Sunny and the Saint had slain. In fact, he was the third, with the Corpse Eater and the Spire Messenger being the first two. That's not even counting the two Iron Spiders the living statue had butchered before falling to Sunny's blade herself. But she had not done anything like pulling a black gem out of their corpses before. So, most likely, what allowed her to absorb the soul of that particular Nightmare Creature was not the mere fact of its incredible power, it was the strange but obvious kinship that the two of them shared. At least Sunny felt that this guess of his was right. That didn't help him understand what changes would occur to the taciturn monsters, though. Still, it was a very valuable piece of information to learn. ReadNovelFull.me In the future, if Sunny wanted to evolve his Shadows, he would have to find not only a powerful, but also a suitable opponent for them to defeat. A kindred abomination of higher rank or cla.s.s. Tilting his head, he tried to remember if there was another creature on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e he knew of whose soul could be fed to the Saint. For a moment, the image of the walking colossus appeared in his mind. 'Yeah, no. Not gonna even think about that.' Shaking his head, Sunny smiled slightly and walked over to his companions. Now that their deal had been concluded… The future he was so afraid of was finally upon them. \\\* The light of lanterns invaded the s.p.a.cious room that had once belonged to the priestess of this ancient temple. With six people entering its peaceful haven, however, it didn't seem so vast anymore. Sunny looked around and sighed. The hidden quarters were just like he had left him. There were pieces of simple, but luxurious furniture carved out of pale wood, with a few mismatched things that he had scavenged from the ruins. The stone walls were decorated with intricate engravings. An empty chest that used to be full of shimmering soul shards stood dark and empty. Feeding the Stone Saint had really bankrupted him. Sadly, being the master of a hungry Shadow was not the cheapest of ambitions... On one of the walls, sets of lines were scratched into the stone, marking all the days he had spent living in the ruined cathedral. For a long time, this had been his home. The best home he ever had, really, which was a sad thing to say about a windowless stone room hidden in the middle of a cursed city. But Sunny liked it a lot. He was going to miss this dark, quiet place very much. The other members of the cohort, with the exception of Effie and Ca.s.sie, were looking around with interest. Even Neph showed a bit of curiosity. With a strange look on his face, Kai turned to Sunny and asked: "This… this is where you lived?" Sunny raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Yeah. Why?" The beautiful archer smiled with visible delight. "No, nothing. It's just that… this place is so tasteful! I did not expect your residence to be this chic." 'What is that supposed to mean?' Sunny frowned. "...What did you expect it to be?" Kai looked down, suddenly fl.u.s.tered. "Oh, you know. For some reason, I always imagined you sleeping on a floor in a cave. Yeah, stupid, I know. Why would there be a cave in a temple?" Hearing that, Effie couldn't help but laugh. "Uh… wait till you see what's in his closet, Night." Sunny gave her a menacing look, but thought better of saying anything. He understood that the huntress was just trying to lighten the mood. Knowing what was going to come next, every member of the cohort was consumed by fear and doubt right now. Effie more than the rest, because her role in the spectacle that Gunalug had planned for them was especially cruel. Sunny sighed. A bit later, they were sitting around the hearth, the smell of food still lingering in the air. Everyone was silent, looking at the fire, their minds consumed with dark thoughts. Sunny knew that he had to make a decision now, but felt reluctant to do so. Instead, he just watched the shadows dance on the walls of the hidden chamber. After a while, Nephis finally broke the silence. Turning to him, she lingered for a bit, and then asked: "We will be leaving in the morning. Will you come with us?" Her voice sounded even, as always. But Sunny knew her well enough to discern notes of a suppressed emotion in it. Hope… 'Hope is the poison that will get you killed.' But no. This was the old Sunny talking. One who was comfortable hiding behind his insanity, one who had given up. Who was too afraid to face the ruthless truth and pay the price to take what belonged to him, was his by right. Triumph. Salvation. ...And hope. Sunny was done being afraid. With a calm expression, he looked at Nephis and said: "The day after tomorrow. I still have things to finish in the Dark City. I will join you the day after tomorrow… for better or worse." She was silent for a few moments, and then a soft smile appeared on her face. "...Thank you. I have some preparations to make, too. We will return to the Bright Castle together, then." He gave her a nod and turned away. Nephis had never shown any sign of being able to feel fear, at least not that he remembered. But he knew that it was just a front. In fact, she knew fear all too well. Better than anyone here, except maybe for him. She was introduced to it at a very young age, after all. So he suspected that behind her indifferent face and even voice, she must have been scared, too. She was just a young girl, after all. And it was she who was going to fight the immortal Bright Lord to the death soon, not them. Sunny looked at the shadows. 'One day. After one day, the prophecy will begin to come true.' ReadNovelFull.me?
275	Chapter 275 Secrets of the Ruined Temple As soon as the dawn came, bringing with it the mournful sound of retreating waves, Nephis and her cohort left the ruined cathedral. Sunny remained alone, standing on the edge between the darkness of the old temple and the light of the new day. Lingering in the ornate doorway, he remained motionless for a while and watched as the artificial sun rose into the bleak grey skies above the cursed city. After months spent in the company of other humans, being by himself once again felt strange… just like it had felt strange to be with other people after all the time he had spent on his own here before that. Turning around, Sunny returned into the darkness. The grand hall of the ruined cathedral was peaceful and quiet. Without the menacing steel guardian, there was no one here to disturb the silence anymore. Even the darkness that populated the corners was empty and docile now, not at all the living ent.i.ty it had been once. …It felt sort of lonesome. Freely walking through the echoing expanse of the magnificent hall, Sunny looked around, taking in the sight of the cathedral that had sheltered in the past from a new perspective. Despite spending so much time here, he had never seen it like this — in the same way the inhabitants of the Dark City must have seen it all those years ago. Sunny had only looked down on the hall from the height of one of the ancient temple's support beams. It looked majestic. But it was also not safe anymore. ReadNovelFull.me With the Black Knight dead, no one was left to defend the cathedral from the Nightmare Creatures that would want to claim it as their nest. So Sunny couldn't stay here for long. Not that he had the luxury of that choice anymore. Throwing one last look at the beautiful dark hall, Sunny sighed and began climbing the statue of the nameless G.o.ddess. \\\* Back in the hidden chamber, it was once again utterly dark. Sunny hesitated for a bit and began collecting his belongings. It didn't take him long. Growing attached to material things was pointless on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. There was no way to take them with him to the real world, after all — if he was even going to survive that long. But he still felt sad leaving all of his spoils behind. Back in the real world, Sunny never had a home like this, nor a lot of stuff to call his own. He had dreamed of enjoying a lavish lifestyle after becoming an Awakened, but got stuck in this h.e.l.l instead. This s.p.a.cious room he called his home was a form of consolation. But now he had to leave. In the end, he only took the bare necessities and then tidied the place up, wishing to leave it clean and orderly despite knowing that there was little chance of anyone stumbling on this place again. After everything was done, Sunny glanced at the tranquil room and hesitated for a bit. Then, he walked over to the wall where he had once scratched countless lines into the stone to count the days and summoned the Prowling Thorn. He wanted to leave a mark of his presence here. Something to tell that he had lived in this hidden chamber, in the ancient ruined cathedral, in the Dark City, on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e… In this world. A small mark to witness that he had been here, had struggled here, and then left to fight for a chance to escape. Sunny wanted to come up with some profound words, but nothing came to mind. He wasn't really a profound person, anyway. What he really wanted to carve into the wall was his True Name. But even now, the paranoia stopped him. What if someone would come here one day and read it out loud? What a funny disaster that would be. Finally, he raised the kunai a carved something beneath the lines that marked the days he had spent living in the ruined cathedral. Then, Sunny turned around and walked away. There were two runes left on the wall behind him. One meaning sun. The other meaning loss. \\\* There were two things Sunny wanted to accomplish before tomorrow morning. One was in the ruins of a library that he had never finished exploring, and the other one was right here in the ruined cathedral. Returning to the grand hall with his rucksack on his shoulder, Sunny walked past the statue of the nameless G.o.ddess and dove into one of the doors leading into the temple's inner sanctum. He had never been there before, kept away by the living darkness and the Black Knight. But now that the devil was gone, Sunny was finally going to see what was hidden inside. Walking through the rooms and corridors that the priests and priestesses had once used, he looked around and didn't notice anything of interest. Everything was pretty much destroyed and ruined, with only a few mundane things remaining untouched. There was nothing here at all — at least that was what others would think. Sunny, however, suddenly stopped in front of a certain wall and tilted his head. There was nothing special about that wall, at least nothing that could be seen. But he could feel a heavy ma.s.s of shadows hiding behind it, as though there was a hollow s.p.a.ce there. After searching for a while, he found a hidden lever and pressed it. Or at least he tried. The ancient mechanism had rusted through and disintegrated over the thousands of years of neglect, of course. With a sigh, Sunny summoned the Midnight Shard, looked closer at the hollow wall, and inserted the tachi into the seam between its moving parts. Then, he unceremoniously used the unbreakable blade as a lever and pushed with all his inhuman strength. With a terrible sc.r.a.ping sound, a part of the wall slid away. The air rushed past Sunny, entering the dark mouth of a narrow corridor. Behind it, a set of stone stairs led down. Deep down underground. With a resentful grimace, Sunny flourished the Midnight Shard to shake off the dust that clung to it, put it on his shoulder, and entered the secret pa.s.sage. ReadNovelFull.me?
276	Chapter 276 Black Door The hidden pa.s.sage led Sunny underground, twisting and turning through the ma.s.s of stone. Despite the fact that he had been cautiously walking forward for a few minutes now, Sunny felt that he was still beneath the cathedral. In fact, by his estimation, he was approaching its center. And indeed, right beneath the spot where the statue of the G.o.ddess should have been, the narrow pa.s.sage opened into a larger room. In it, a deep well leading even further down was situated, with a winding staircase spiraling down into the darkness. Sunny frowned. 'What is it with this place and creepy dark wells?' Going further down was going to place him dangerously close to the catacombs. He knew all to well what kind of danger that would pose — the last time Sunny had ventured into the maze of ancient tunnels below the city, he barely escaped alive. After hesitating for a while, he stepped onto the staircase and began descending. Deep, ancient shadows surrounded Sunny, giving him a little comfort. At least he was among his kin. After a minute or so of walking down the stairwell, Sunny entered a large chamber that seemed to be carved into the bedrock, as opposed to being constructed by human hand. On the other side of it, a large door forged from black steel stood, illuminated by two burning torches. Two thoughts entered Sunny's mind simultaneously. ReadNovelFull.me The first one was that the metal from which the monolithic door was made looked eerily familiar. It was the same dark, l.u.s.terless, impenetrable alloy that the Black Knight had been made of. The second thought was even more disturbing. '...How come those torches are still burning?' Had they been aflame for several thousand years? Come to think of it, the torches looked very strange. They seemed to be producing light, but it was pale and ghostly. There was no heat that came with it, too. The shadows cast by the ghostly flames were the most disturbing, though. Because of the movements of the fire, they were supposed to be dancing on the floor. But instead, the shadows were absolutely motionless. It was as though the light of the torches had trapped and paralyzed them somehow. Sunny thought for a while, and that ordered his own shadow to stay back. The shadow did not protest — in fact, it was visibly relieved. Taking a few exaggerated steps back, it merged with the deep darkness at the exit of the stairwell and waited there, glancing nervously at the strange motionless shadows from time to time. Sunny cautiously approached the black door and lowered the Midnight Shard into a protective stance. He was ready to face any sort of danger. …But nothing attacked him. The only thing that happened was a sudden shill that run through Sunny's body when he had entered the circle of light cast by the two ghostly torches. 'These torches are… they are definitely some sort of a protective charm. I am almost sure that their power can harm even shadows.' The question he had to ask himself, though, was this — were the torches meant to keep something from entering the s.p.a.ce that hid behind the black door… Or were they meant to keep something in?panda-novel,c,om Well… there was only one way to find out. What Sunny was doing seemed absolutely crazy. But in fact, it was not. He had not come into this underground chamber just because of idle curiosity or because of being blinded by greed and the prospect of finding a treasure. What led him here and pushed him to study the black door was his intuition. By now, Sunny had to admit that his intuition was more than a mere manifestation of his subconscious. It had turned out to be correct one too many times. Especially ever since he had consumed the drop of ichor. After that day, he was able to sense the presence of divinity. And sometimes, he was even drawn to it — like he was drawn to this cathedral and to the mysterious key that lay buried in the body of the Lord of the Dead. The two seemed connected… And Sunny felt that he was about to find out how and why. But it was not all his intuition was capable of. There were other aspects to it, too. In fact, Sunny suspected that it had more to do with his [Fated] Attribute than it had to do with the [Spark of Divinity.] If he were to guess, he would say that after he had been changed by the ichor, that Attribute was slightly enhanced, giving him the ability to sense subtle tremors that ran through the strings of fate from time to time — the strings that were, apparently, tightly wrapped around his body. The combination of the change that happened to his eyes and his close relationship with those strings gave Sunny a slight affinity to revelations and fate — similar to the one Ca.s.sie had possessed, but infinitely less potent. It was enough to guide him to this door and make him want to open it, nevertheless. Stepping close to the monolithic black door, Sunny gazed at it and came to the conclusion that not even an entire army would have been able to break through this monstrous barrier. There was, however, a small keyhole hidden on its dark surface. Pulling on the string tied around his neck, Sunny took off the small metal key that hung on it and gripped it tightly in his hand. After hesitating for a few moments, he carefully inserted the key into the lock of the black door. …It fit perfectly. As soon as Sunny put the key into the lock, the faint light of divinity it emanated suddenly became a little bit brighter. Sunny sighed, then readied himself and turned the key. Something clicked inside the metal door, and then it silently opened. The pale light of the ghostly torches swayed, as though moved by an otherworldly wind. Behind the door, a small room was carved into the rock. And in it, a corpse in a dark mantle was chained to the floor inside a circle. Sunny couldn't tell if the corpse belonged to a man or a woman, because there was a strange mask covering its face. The mask was made out of black lacquered wood and carved to resemble the face of a ferocious demon. Its teeth were bared, with four fangs protruding from its mouth. The mask was crowned with three twisted horns. Inside the black chasms of its eyes, there was nothing but utter darkness. ReadNovelFull.me?
277	Chapter 277 Demon of Fate Sunny held his breath, affected by the disturbing scene in front of him. The corpse was kneeling on the floor of the small cell, its hand chained to the floor. There was a circle carved into the stone around it, with countless symbols that Sunny could not understand surrounding it. However, the circle was broken. In the thousands of years since the fall of the Dark City, the floor of the dungeon cell had cracked, with several fractures running straight through the intricate engraving. Whatever it was the circle was meant to contain had either perished or escaped a long time ago. Now, the only thing that remained was a withered corpse. Coming closer, Sunny took another look at the person who had been imprisoned and died under the ruined cathedral, in a cell situated exactly beneath the statue of the nameless G.o.ddess. Because of the dark mantle and the black lacquered mask, Sunny couldn't glean a lot of information about the corpse. It seemed to belong to a human, but other than that, everything about it was a mystery. What terrible sin had this person committed to be condemned to this awful death? Strangely, Sunny's intuition was silent. It was as though there was nothing in front of him at all. To his sixth sense, the prisoner of the underground cell appeared as an empty s.p.a.ce. ReadNovelFull.me '...Weird. This person had clearly been either hated or feared a lot to be locked behind all these barriers. Surely, finding such a creature would affect my fate… why don't I feel anything, then?' With a tense frown, he took a deep breath and carefully stepped inside the circle. …It was then that Sunny noticed a chaotic mess of runes drawn on the floor near the prisoner's left hand. The sight of them almost sent him into a seizure. Staggering away, Sunny fell to his knees and threw up. 'Agh… d.a.m.n it!' Those runes… those were the same runes the Spell used to describe the mysterious Unknown. Only here, the intensity of the terrible effect they had on the mind of anyone who saw them was much, much stronger. 'What the h.e.l.l?' Wiping his mouth, Sunny grimaced and glanced at the masked corpse with a bit of resentment. Then, he picked himself off the floor, took a deep breath… a looked at the terrible runes once again. Immediately, Sunny felt a splitting headache and a sickening, terrible sensation spreading through his mind. It was as though all his thoughts and memories were being torn and twisted. But despite all of it, Sunny persevered and kept staring at the final message that the prisoner had left behind. He knew he couldn't read the runes — he didn't know that particular language, and the Spell either was forbidden, incapable, or refused to translate them. But for some reason, Sunny felt compelled to try. Fighting through the intense pain, he slowly studied the strange runes. And then, suddenly, his eyes widened. Because right below the chaotic mess of them, a line of text was written in the script he was familiar with — the usual runic language that the Spell always used. This time, it did not provide any translation. Luckily, Sunny had studied these runes and knew enough about them to understand what was written himself. The last thing the person imprisoned under the cathedral wrote before succ.u.mbing to death made him shudder. Scratched into the stone was a short prayer: "Hail Weaver Demon of Fate Firstborn of the -unknown-" \\\* Sunny stared at the runes until he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Only then did he turn away and closed his eyes. The nauseating dissonance of the terrible runes stayed carved into his mind. Only after several minutes pa.s.sed did it fade a little, allowing him to breathe again. So… the mysterious Weaver whose forbidden lineage he had inherited was, in fact, a.s.sociated with fate. Just like Sunny himself. What were the chances? '...That's Fated for you, I guess.' The word he translated as "Demon" wasn't the one used to describe Nightmares Creatures of the third rank, but a different one. Perhaps calling it a spirit or a daemon would have been more suitable — a mortal, but powerful and ominous deity. One different from G.o.ds, but sharing the same nature. However, Sunny wasn't that versed in mystical terminology. All he knew was that the runic language was incredibly rich in words describing all types of monsters and creatures, while the human language wasn't. Hence "Demon" was fine with him. Apart from the tantalizing revelation about the mysterious Weaver, he had noticed one other important thing by forcing himself to study the runes. Before, Sunny had thought that there was a single ent.i.ty that the Spell refused to call by its name and simply described as "-unknown-" — leading him to call it the Unknown. …Yes, Sunny was not that imaginative when it came to word choice. Whether the Unknown were a kind of beings, a single existence, or a force of nature, he did not know. But now, he realized that there were actually two types of forbidden runes, and two things that the Spell did not know how or did not want to mention. One was the same as those used in the description of the Drop of Ichor, which stated that the Vile Thieving Bird was hated both by the G.o.ds and by the Unknown. It also said that the reflection of the Unknown stayed forever frozen in the depths of Weaver's pupils, and that just looking at it drove the Thieving Bird mad. The other was the same as those used in the description of the Stone Saint, which was created by "the last child of the -unknown-", and now here by the dead prisoner, who had called Weaver the firstborn of the "-unknown-". 'What the h.e.l.l does all of this supposed to mean?' His suspicion that Weaver had something to do with the creation of the Nightmare Spell only grew stronger after learning that he… she… it?.... they had something to do with the domain of fate. After all, the Spell seemed to be weaved out of numerous strings of fate, and there was this being called Weaver, who had the blood of G.o.ds in their veins, but was also somehow connected to the Unknown. Feeling his headache only growing stronger, Sunny winced and shook his head. 'Later. I will think about it later.' There would be time to ponder about all this later. Or not, if he dies trying to escape the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Either way, that time was not now. Turning back to the chained corpse, Sunny cautiously avoided looking at the dangerous runes and kneeled in front of it. He wanted to know what was hiding behind the mask. But as soon as he touched it, the corpse suddenly shattered and fell apart, turning into dust right in front of his eyes. Even its dark mantle rotted and disappeared, as though the thousands of years that had pa.s.sed since the fall of the Dark City and the destruction of the cathedral finally caught up with it. Soon, all that was left was a pile of dust. …And the lacquered mask lying on top of it, its black surface glinting slightly in the pale light of the ghostly torches. ReadNovelFull.me?
278	Chapter 278 Weaver's Mask Sunny looked at the black mask and the darkness hiding in its eyes. Its features were not as much contorted as fearsome by nature. It was simultaneously fearsome and somber, b.e.s.t.i.a.l and regal. As though existing at the border of all things. But most of all, the striking mask radiated a sense of mystery. The vicious fangs, the twisting horns, the black lacquered wood of it all… once again, his intuition was silent. There was nothing he felt toward the black mask, as though it didn't even exist. 'How strange.' Sunny waited for a few moments, then picked up the mask and brought it to his face to take a closer look at it. But just a moment after his fingers touched the sleek surface of the polished wood, the mask suddenly disintegrated into a swarm of countless white sparks. Acting like water, the stream of light flowed toward Sunny's chest and entered into his body, disappearing into the dark depths of his shadow core. The voice of the Spell thundered suddenly, louder than it had ever been before: [You have received a Memory.] \\\* ReadNovelFull.me Sunny remained motionless for a few seconds, thinking about what just happened. By now, he knew that some Memories could exist outside of the soul cores, just like how Shard Memories did. Was the black mask one of them? Somehow, he felt that it wasn't. 'Why I am even guessing? Let's… let's just take a look?' The reason he was lingering was because of the magnitude of the situation. Sunny didn't know anything about the mysterious mask, but he believed that this relic of the past was truly unusual. The circ.u.mstances that had led to its discovery were too extraordinary, and the place it was hidden in was too uncanny to think otherwise. So he was understandably apprehensive. With a bit of tension, Sunny dove into his Soul Sea and looked up at the spheres of light floating around the black sun of the Shadow Core. There was a new one there, which seemed to be much brighter than the rest. Summoning it down, he soon found himself looking into the eyes of the dark mask that hovered in front of him. It was as though he was facing an invisible person wearing it. Shifting uncomfortably, Sunny lowered his gaze a little and looked beneath the black lacquered wood. A moment later, he had to suppress the involuntary desire to cover his eyes with a hand. Inside the black mask, seven radiant embers were burning with such intensity that it almost blinded him. All around them, incalculable ethereal strings were weaved into a pattern so vast and intricate that it almost seemed boundless. 'Seven anchors… G.o.ds!' Stunned by the visage of the mask's spellweave, Sunny hesitated for a bit and summoned the runes that described it. What he saw made him take a step back and gasp. Memory: [Weaver's Mask]. Memory Rank: Divine. Memory Tier: VII. Memory Type: Tool. Memory Description: [Weaver believed that knowledge was the origin of power and so always hid behind numerous lies, wearing them as a mantle. No one knew Weaver's thoughts, Weaver's face, and Weaver's heart. Even the G.o.ds could not see what hid behind the mask.] Memory Enchantments: [Mantle of Lies], [???], [Simple Trick]. Sunny had to look away for a moment to take a breath. 'Divine Memory of the seventh tier… holy h.e.l.l!' Words weren't enough to describe his astonishment. He was, however, surprised to see that the mask only had three enchantments. Sunny expected such a powerful Memory to have dozens of them — judging by how boundless and insanely complicated the weave of it was, there had to be that much, at least. Just what were these three enchantments to require a myriad of diamond strings to support them? Turning back to the runes, he concentrated on the enchantments and read further: Enchantment: [Mantle of Lies]. Enchantment Description: [Hides the ident.i.ty of its master.] That description sounded very simple, but looking at the spellweave of the black mask, Sunny could tell that this enchantment was anything but. In fact, it was so vast and powerful that his mind was failing to even comprehend the scale of it. The enchantment was indeed designed to protect the ident.i.ty of the person wearing the mask from prying eyes, but what it actually meant was that any form of detection was powerless against it. And Sunny suspected that "any" was not a figure of speech in this case, but simply a constatation of fact. For example, Ca.s.sie's Aspect Ability, which allowed her to see a person's Attributes, would not work on someone wearing the mask. There were countless similar abilities among the Awakened... none of which would work either. 'I guess that explains why my intuition was silent about the prisoner and the mask itself. Whatever kind of fate-related sixth sense I have is also countered by that thing.' Even more terrifying was the fact that the enchantment was not aimed at just the Awakened. The description of the Weaver's Mask stated that even the G.o.ds could not see through it, and it was honest truth. Nothing could penetrate the barriers of the Mantle of Lies, not even the sight of a G.o.d. Sunny gulped. '...Scarry.' But then, this incredible and frightening enchantment did not even take up a tenth of the volume of the ethereal diamond strings hiding beneath the surface of the black lacquered mask. The second enchantment was much the same. It was called [???], by which the Spell was telling Sunny that it wasn't going to say anything about it. Its description was also empty. However, Sunny could tell that it had something to do with sight just by looking at the weave. He could also tell that it was not a pa.s.sive enchantment, but an active one, meaning that currently, he could not access it. Usually, that would mean that he would be able to once he became a true Awakened, but in this case, the amount of soul essence required to keep the enchantment activated for more than a fraction of a second was so vast that no Awakened would have been able to. Only a Saint would, perhaps. However, Sunny was not sure that he wanted to try even if he had the ability. The things Weaver saw were capable of driving Unholy creatures insane, so it was wise to avoid going anywhere near that enchantment in the future… most likely. ...Most of the spellweave of the Weaver's Mask, however, was dedicated to the third enchantment, one that was called a "Simple Trick". Judging by the mind-boggling complexity of the pattern that made it possible, that trick of Weaver's was anything but simple, though. It was the most bizarre, intricate, and ingenious thing that Sunny had ever seen. Curious, he glanced at the description… and froze, his eyes opened wide. The runes gleaming in the air read: Enchantment: [Simple Trick]. Enchantment Description: [Reverses the effect of one's Flaw.] ReadNovelFull.me?
279	Chapter 279 Guilty Conscience Sunny remained silent for a long time, staring at the black mask. The tranquil sea of his soul was still and silent... not at all like the storm that was currently raging in his heart. After a while, he thought: 'That Weaver was one sly guy… girl… person… being? Well, the fact that I don't even know that much only serves to prove the point. And I thought I was good at deceit and manipulation.' How devious one must be to not let even the G.o.ds, even the Nightmare Spell know anything about them? But it was fitting, in a strange kind of way. If Weaver's domain was that of fate, there was no other way. Fate was a terrifying, but subtle tool. Manipulating it to your advantage required a very special kind of genius, one that was directly opposite to any kind of directness, straightforwardness, and brutal power. However, if given the choice, Sunny would have preferred to face War G.o.d in battle than to make someone like Weaver his enemy. Masterful liars were far more dangerous than deadly warriors. He knew it better than most. …Exiting the Soul Sea, Sunny hesitated for a little and then summoned the Weaver's Mask. The cool wooden surface of the mask appeared on his face, held in place by some invisible force. Immediately, his vision changed slightly. Everything became sharper, clearer, more vivid. Sunny could feel the mask reaching into his eyes and connecting to something — the strange legacy he had inherited by consuming the drop of Weaver's blood. He sensed his intuition becoming more potent, too. ReadNovelFull.me It was as though he could almost see the mysterious strings of fate that span across the entire world. …Almost. Glancing at the pile of dust that remained of the prisoner, Sunny frowned slightly. The ident.i.ty of the person who had been wearing the Weaver's Mask remained a secret. Just who had this corpse belonged to, and how had they ended up chained to the floor in a hidden dungeon cell beneath the majestic cathedral? The easiest thing to a.s.sume was that it was Weaver themselves, but Sunny dismissed that theory immediately. From everything he knew about the original master of the mask, the power of that creature was just below that of the G.o.ds… and that of the Unknown, perhaps. If Weaver appeared on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, the whole Dark City would have been wiped out of existence before any harm was done to them. So who could have been wearing Weaver's Mask? Some powerful carrier of the Nightmare Spell that had received it as a Memory, just how Sunny did? 'Well…' If Weaver was really a daemon, which was a strange kind of a lesser deity, were there a cult dedicated to them? Had there been priests and followers of Weaver? The message the prisoner had left behind sounded awfully close to a prayer. Had that person been deemed a heretic and condemned to this place for that reason? Sunny sighed. There was no way to know. Hesitating for a bit, he turned away and left the somber dungeon cell behind. He only had this one day to finish all the things he had left undone in the Dark City. There was no time for fruitless pondering. Once outside, Sunny walked over to the place where he had left his shadow and took a look at himself through its eyes. What he saw made him blink a couple of times. 'Huh…' The black lacquered mask sat snuggly on his face, hiding his features. He couldn't even see his eyes, which were drowned in darkness. What's more, even his height was somehow unclear. Sunny didn't actually become taller, but from the side, it looked as though he did… sort of? One second, it did, and the next one, it did not. It was sort of similar to how people's faces changed when lighted from different directions. In any case, he couldn't tell for sure how tall the person facing the shadow was. 'How fun!' It was not that Sunny became completely unrecognizable, though. He would still have to be careful to hide the context clues about himself while wearing the mask. Mundane things like the way he walked, his usual mannerisms, and other subtle but unique details of his behavior could still betray his ident.i.ty despite the fact that it was masked from all unnatural means of detection. To truly make himself appear as something else, Sunny would have to put on a performance. ...Good thing he was practicing the Shadow Dance, then. Was it not designed to fully imitate someone else's battle style and physicality? 'What a wonderful coincidence...' Finally, the moment he had been dreading came. It was time to test if the [Simple Trick] was really capable of turning his Flaw upside down. Needless to say, Sunny was nervous. His lips became dry, and he unconsciously tried to lick them… but now there was a mask on his face, so he couldn't. That bad habit of his had to be put to rest, apparently. '...Great. Alright, let's do this.' Opening his mouth, Sunny said out loud: "I am… very tall!" In the process, he grimaced, expecting the familiar pain to invade his mind. …But there was nothing. Sunny froze, blinked a couple of times, and waited. Still, nothing happened. Beneath the mask, a wide grin appeared on his face. "I am not only tall, but also exquisitely handsome. But that is not all, I am incredibly honest and nice, too. Every girl I meet immediately falls in love with me. Boys, too! That's just how lovable, handsome, nice and tall I am. Everything I have just said is absolutely true." His mind was peaceful and quiet. There was no pain, no pressure. In fact, Sunny felt great. 'Wow…' Feeling an almost overwhelming desire to continue spouting lies, he laughed in exhilaration. "Amazing! This can be…" But then, a tremendous explosion of pain suddenly threw him to the ground. With a startled yelp, Sunny grasped his head and then groaned through gritted teeth, feeling as though it was about to burst. 'What the h.e.l.l?!' He just wanted to say how useful the ability to lie could be. 'Wait…' The ability to lie would, indeed, be very useful. Which meant that by stating that fact, he would be telling the truth. And the Weaver's Mask did not remove his Flaw, just reversed it. So... it seemed like while wearing it, Sunny could not tell even a word of truth. 'Uh...' That seemed like the right conclusion to make. But he needed to test it to be absolutely sure. With a doomed sigh, Sunny waited for a moment and then said: "My name is…" A moment later, another pained scream resounded in the darkness of the underground chamber. ReadNovelFull.me?
280	Chapter 280 One Last Job Some time later, Sunny emerged from the ruins of the cathedral with a rucksack on his shoulder, took one last look back, and left. Whatever his future was going to be, he doubted that he would come back here any time soon. It was a bittersweet goodbye. Cautiously walking through the familiar streets of the Dark City, where he knew every turn and every piece of rubble — in this district of it, at least — Sunny kept his guard up. Many things must have changed in the months he had been away traveling through the Labyrinth. The Nightmare Creatures he knew and, more importantly, knew how to avoid might have wandered away or perished, and new horrors might have taken their place. He had to stay prudent and careful. But still, his next and final goal was not that far away. As he sneaked toward it, Sunny thought about the Weaver's Mask and the ways it could change his life. At first, he thought about simply never taking it off and walking around while delivering a deluge of lies. This way he would be safe from revealing his most guarded secret and becoming someone's slave, at least. But after considering this seriously, he came to the conclusion that it was not the best decision in his current circ.u.mstances. ReadNovelFull.me First of all, one couldn't be a part of any collective while lying all the time. Sunny had an unpleasant experience of being expelled from various groups for various reasons, and not being sincere and honest was one of the surest ways to make people want to avoid you at all cost… eventually, at least. And no one was able to survive alone in the Dream Realm. Not in a way that a person would want to live, anyway. Sunny knew a lot about this side of things, too. But most importantly, he was not going to be able to keep this lying for long, anyway — not when dealing with people that already knew him. Kai and Ca.s.sie would notice the strange effect of the mask immediately: Kai because of his Ability to sense lies, Ca.s.sie because her Ability to see Attributes would suddenly stop working. But others would catch on that something strange was going on with him pretty quickly, too, simply because of how drastic the change in his behavior would be. Especially Nephis, who knew him so well. After that, they would inevitably have a lot of questions, and answering those questions — even with lies — would put him in more danger than he already was in. So, sadly, Weaver's Mask was not a panacea to Sunny's current situation. At best, it would be able to help him avoid certain predicaments if used sparingly. But really, he didn't want anyone to know that he was in possession of that Memory at all. Sunny had to think of the future. If he was lucky enough to survive the fall of the Bright Castle and return to the real world… that was where the black mask could create miracles for him. It would allow him to have a hidden persona that was in no way connected to an Awakened named Sunless, and as such, allow him to do and achieve things that would have been impossible or too dangerous to try as himself. To that effect, no one could know that the strange black wooden mask was connected to him, not even people whom he… somewhat… trusted. Both for his own good and theirs. 'It is such a pity, though.' It was. Just imagining Caster's face if he were to ever learn about what type of treasure Sunny had somehow found this time was tempting enough to change his plans. Caster… Sunny's face darkened. He had not forgotten about the promise Nephis had made him at the start of their journey to the Hollow Mountains. Tomorrow, he was finally going to learn what was the deal with the proud Legacy, and what exactly the relationship between Changing Star and him was. …And how big were the chances of Sunny having to face Caster in battle. Despite all his dislike for the handsome scion of the Han Li clan, Sunny was reluctant to actually fight him. No matter how much progress he had made to get ready for the b.l.o.o.d.y conclusion of this disastrous chapter of his life, Caster was still not someone to be taken lightly. He was a tremendously deadly opponent just based on what Sunny knew about him. And there were secrets that the Legacy had been keeping, as well. 'That charm of his… what does it do?' He was certain that he would defeat Caster if push came to shove. But the cost he would have to pay for that victory would be heavy... perhaps much more heavy than he was willing to pay. Suddenly uneasy, Sunny silently shook his head and continued on his way. As the sun began to roll toward the western horizon, he approached his goal — the ruins of an ancient library that stood lonesomely among the decimated buildings. Back near the end of his lonely months of hunting monsters on the streets of the Dark City, Sunny had begun exploring this ruin for bits of information about the history of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Because of his chance encounter with the Stone Saint, and then with Kai — which lead to him abandoning the ruins for a long expedition into the Labyrinth — he had never finished this project. There was this one vast mosaic, in particular, that Sunny was interested in. It sprawled across the entire floor of the library's main hall and was mostly covered by rubble. In the past, Sunny was not strong enough to move the rubble out of the way. He had been hoping to make the Stone Saint do it for him, but sadly, the Shadow was currently slumbering in the depths of his Shadow Core, evolving into whatever it was she was going to turn into. Just to be sure, he checked one more time to see if the mysterious process was still going, and sighed in disappointment. Luckily, he had grown much stronger himself during these months. Sunny was pretty sure that now, he would be able to clear the mosaic with his own two hands. It was just going to be a lot of work. Sending his shadow into the library to make sure that no abomination had made its nest there during his absence, Sunny entered its cool shadow of the ruin and sighed. '...Better get started.' Soon, the sc.r.a.ping sound of heavy boulders being moved could be heard under the partially collapsed roof of the ancient building. ReadNovelFull.me?
281	Chapter 281 Seven Heroes In the depths of the night, Sunny was finally done with the arduous task of clearing the floor of the ruined library. Tiredly standing in the center of the circular hall, he found himself in the middle of a vast mural. The mosaic had endured the pa.s.sage of time in an almost pristine condition. Most of it was preserved perfectly, with only a few small sections destroyed by corrosion or the ill will of the creature that inhabited the Crimson Spire. By now, Sunny was certain that it was the Terror of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e that had obliterated any depictions of the seven heroes' faces. He didn't know how it was possible, but felt that the same furious force that had decapitated the ancient statues was responsible for the damage done to the engravings in the ancient mine and to this mural. It was as though the Terror wanted to erase any sign of the founders of the Starlight Legion from history. Their names were forgotten, every person that had known of their stories turned into dust, and even the stones that bore their image were desecrated and shattered. How great the resentment that the evil creature harbored toward them must have been, for it to go to such lengths in its mad desire to obliterate their legacy? With a sigh, Sunny turned slightly and walked to the edge of the mural. He was searching for the start of it story. Depicted on the mural was not one image, but a long series of them, spiraling from the edges of the mosaic to its center like a long scroll. On them, the history of the land consumed by darkness was shown, ending with the coming of a new dawn. Sunny already knew what events had brought the curse of all-consuming darkness to the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e and how the ancient inhabitants of this land fought against all odds to resist it. ReadNovelFull.me Now, he was going to learn the final mystery — the reason for their eventual downfall. Finding the first image, he studied it and lingered for a bit. Then, he walked on, watching the history unfurl itself beneath his feet. As the curse subdued the world under the veil of everlasting darkness and terrible creatures started to attack the human settlements, one after another, mighty champions began to appear to battle them. But no matter how strong, brave, and valiant those champions were, none of them was able to resist for long. Especially not when their own allies started turning into monsters. It was impossible to face the terrifying foes hiding in the darkness when no one was there to cover your back — or even worse, if those you trusted the most to do so were the ones delivering a deadly blow instead. But still, humanity persisted. Months pa.s.sed, then years. And eventually, a new generation grew up in this horrible world. "Born in the all-consuming darkness, seven valiant heroes gave an oath to return the light to the cursed land." Sunny whispered. ReadNovelFull.me The people who would later create the Starlight Legion were indeed born in the darkness. They never even saw the light that they would swear to bring back. All they knew of it were the tales their elders had told them, tales of a time when people never turned into nightmares, and the beautiful stars shone even in the darkest of nights. This new generation grew up surrounded by nothing but darkness and horror, and was forged by it into a far more fearsome force than their parents had ever been. Hard times created hard people, and their time was as unforgiving and harrowing as one could imagine. Beyond so, even. And so, the people it created adapted to match this dark reality. Eventually, seven of them rose above the rest, each leading their faction in the constant battle against the encroaching doom. Sunny stopped and studied the image that showed all seven of them… even if their faces were damaged beyond recognition. There was a knight in an intricate plate armor forged of white metal, with a stalwart blade grasped firmly in his hands. ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴡᴇʙ ɴoᴠᴇʟ. ᴄᴏᴍ A graceful priestess in a light flowing robe, her delicate hands shining with gentle light. A mighty hunter in an archaic cuira.s.s leaning on a beautiful bronze spear. A masterful builder holding a mason's hammer in his calloused hands. A regal lord with a humble crown resting on his head, a single gem decorating its simple design. A subtle and merciless slayer with a ghostly stiletto hidden cunningly behind her back. And a stranger from a misty land who wore a stonelike armor and never showed his face, with a heavy round shield resting at his feet. Sunny looked at the seven heroes, thinking. "Knight, Hunter, Lord, Stranger, Slayer, Builder, and Priestess. Midnight Shard, Zenith Shard, Dawn Shard, Dusk Shard, Moonlight Shard. And the other two… Sunlight Shard and Starlight Shard?" The fate of the last two Shard Memories remained unknown to him. Nephis must have known something, though. Otherwise, she would not have ventured into the dangerous expedition to the Hollow Mountains to seak out the Crown of Dawn. Although the history of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was presented in more detail here, it did not give him any revelations yet. Thoughtful, Sunny turned away from the image of the seven heroes and continued on. At some point in history, the heroes came together, created the Starlight Legion, and united the surviving remnants of humanity under its banner. It was also then when they gave their defiant oath. 'They must have been mad…' Weren't striving to achieve something impossible the definition of madness? Sunny frowned, knowing full well that, in this case, the seven heroes actually managed to fulfill their crazy ambition. It was all a little too close to home. He also knew someone who liked to set impossible goals and had an infuriating track record of proving them possible. But how did it all end? Yes, the heroes achieved their dream. But the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e still turned into a desolate h.e.l.l. What happened to their light? Looking at the next images of the mosaic, Sunny got a feeling that he was about to find out. ReadNovelFull.me?
282	Chapter 282 Sacrifice As Sunny walked in circles, drawing near to the center of the mosaic, he saw the depiction of various deeds that the Starlight Legion had achieved. The warriors led by the seven heroes were truly a fearsome force. Forged and tempered by the relentless malice of their dark world and the una.s.sailable will of their leaders, they drowned the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e in the blood of the cursed creatures. Even though many of them had turned into monsters themselves — especially those who had allowed themselves to falter in their conviction — the rest continued on, unbroken. Sunny couldn't tell how powerful exactly the members of the legion were, but from some clues of their battles, he guessed that they were at approximately the same level as the Awakened of his own world, at least at the beginning. With time, however, it seemed as though the warriors of the cursed land had grown much stronger. If most of the creatures they were fighting were of the Corrupted rank, then that would put the Legion far above the humans back in the real world. Sunny wasn't sure if the seven heroes and their soldiers were carriers of the Nightmare Spell, though, and if the same hierarchy of power could be applied to them. Eventually, the surviving humans migrated to the sh.o.r.e of the colossal impact crater and built an impregnable wall around their new city. This endeavor alone was so arduous and ambitious that he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. Sunny slowed his steps. On the images in front of him, the construction of the Crimson Spire… no, it wasn't crimson yet back then… had begun. The cyclopean tower was built west of the city, reaching high into the sky like an axis of the world. ReadNovelFull.me Like a stairwell that was designed to allow humans to touch the heavens. This was what he was truly interested in. Sunny wanted to know what happened in the Spire, how the artificial sun was created, and how the darkness that consumed this land was turned into a transient black sea. What he saw next made him falter, and then close his eyes with an expression of deep, exhausted resentment. In the second to last image, the seven heroes were depicted standing apart in the seven spots of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. In front of each of them, a crowd of thousands of people kneeled, waiting. Among those people were the warriors of the legion and the civilians from the city, men and women, old and young. Each of the heroes held a weapon in their hands. 'Of course. Of course, this is what happened. What else would it be?' ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴡᴇʙ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ A feeling of dark, bitter disappointment grasped his heart. Sunny didn't even know why he felt this way. It was not like he knew anything about the seven heroes, really. But at some point, maybe because he needed to believe that there was a tiny glimmer of light in the vast and endless night, he had begun thinking of them as a symbol of the best humanity could be. ...What a foolish thought. He of all people should have known better. "Curse you all." In the last image, one that took the center of the mosaic, seven tall hills made of dead bodies surrounded the Spire. Tens of thousands of people had been slaughtered, their blood flowing like rivers toward the dark tower. On top of each hill stood one of the valiant heroes, their hands stained red to the shoulder. As the last sacrifice, the slaughterers turned their weapons on themselves, thrusting them into their hearts. …And somewhere out there, he knew, a tiny black seed floated in a pool of blood. Sunny grimaced in disgust. 'This was your dream? This is how you decided to bring back the light? You sick wretches…' As the rivers of blood flowed to the Spire, seven streams of glowing crimson light moved above them and entered it from seven directions. These streams represented the soul essence of numerous humans who had been sacrificed to create the artificial sun. But theirs wasn't the most terrible fate. In the center of the Spire, a lone human figure was drawn, convulsing in harrowing agony as the raging storm of soul energy entered her body. The conflux of all that power, the sacrificial vessel meant to be its conduit. The anchor of the sun. Sunny recognized that figure, too. To him, the features of her face were painfully familiar. It was the same face as that of the nameless G.o.ddess whose statue stood in the ruined cathedral. The crimson light entered her body and shot from her screaming mouth and eyes upward, pure and white. It rose to the height of the Spire, where a new sun was being born. Frightened by its light, the darkness retreated underground, where it was locked behind seven seals that were left behind by the heroes as their last deed. The rest was easy to deduce. After the heroes perished to create the artificial sun, everything was fine for a while. But then, maybe after a few decades, or even hundreds of years, the light of the sun began to dim. So the people of the Dark City had to make a new sacrifice. Perhaps, the second time, only seven people had been killed to renew the power of the Spire. But then it happened again, and that time, seven was not enough. So they sacrificed fourteen. And when it happened again, they sacrificed a few dozen. And eventually, hundreds of people were being slaughtered every year to keep the sun burning. Because of the simple fact that the seven heroes and their people… all of them had terribly mighty souls. But their descendants, who didn't have to grow up in utter darkness and fight terrible monsters to live through the day, did not. And at some point in this vicious cycle, the Vessel that had been imprisoned in the Spire and served as the anchor for the bloodthirsty sun was corrupted. Whatever kind of conscience it had left had been completely shattered. The nameless G.o.ddess of the Dark City became the Crimson Terror of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. All that pain, all that rage, all that blood exploded from the Spire and infected the very land itself, growing into an endless labyrinth of the strange crimson coral. The seven seals came undone, releasing that darkness that had been imprisoned underground for hundreds of years. This was what Ca.s.sie had seen in the vision. The darkness and the fury of the newborn Terror fell on the humans of the Dark City like a tide and wiped them all out, erasing even the memory of them from the face of the world. …This was how the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e was born. ReadNovelFull.me?
283	Chapter 283 Final Piece of the Puzzle 'So this is how it is.' Sunny stared at the last image of the mosaic, a dark and resentful expression frozen on his face. Depicted in the center of the mural, a sun fueled by blood shone on the mountains formed by dead bodies. Tens of thousands of people had been slaughtered to create it, and thousands more must have been butchered later on to keep it burning in the indifferent sky. The first sacrifices had died willingly, lured into submission by their fanatical rulers. What about those who came after? Somehow, Sunny doubted it. And for what? How did it all end? The seven seals had been broken, and the ancient civilization had been obliterated. But the sun created and nurtured by it was not destroyed… just corrupted. It still rose in the morning and fell beyond the horizon after the dusk, illuminating the desolate h.e.l.l of its own creation. As long as its vessel, the Terror of the Crimson Spire, existed at the center of the Labyrinth, it would continue to shine in the cold grey skies. And as long as it did, the darkness that had escaped its underground prison and turned into the cursed sea was going to continue coming and going, scared of its light. 'Great. The two deserve each other…' ReadNovelFull.me He didn't know why the all-consuming darkness had become a literal sea of impenetrably black water, but had a guess or two. Either hundreds of years spent locked away behind the seals had affected it that way, or the artificial sun had. The Terror had been changed by the curse, so why couldn't the curse be changed by the Terror in return? 'Why wasn't that sun extinguished, though?' There was no one alive on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e to make sacrifices to the Spire anymore, but Sunny suspected that there was a reason for why the crimson coral seemed to grow either out of or toward bones. If he was right, the whole Labyrinth was a giant maw with which the Terror absorbed the soul essence of every creature that bled on the coral before it died. It was all a part of its body. Sunny shivered, realizing that both the Labyrinth and the dark sea were, in fact, colossal living creatures. It was just that the scale of them was so boundless that they seemed like forces of nature. Compared to the eternal struggle of the two t.i.tanic beings, the struggle of a handful of tiny humans was nothing short of insignificant. …Or was it? Suddenly, he frowned. What about Nephis and her plan? How did the Shard Memories come into all of this? At first, a dark thought entered his mind. He imagined that Changing Star was preparing a ma.s.s sacrifice of her own, a hecatomb to appease the Crimson Terror. The number of the Sleepers being sent to the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e each year was too eerily similar to the number of sacrifices made to the Crimson Spire by the inhabitants of the Dark City to be a simple coincidence. But he quickly dismissed that thought. After all, the sacrifices were meant to renew the power of the Blood Sun, and that was not Neph's goal. If anything, she meant to destroy it once and for all to gain entry to the Gateway hidden in the Spire. So… what did it all mean? Sunny scowled, remembering every piece of information about the seven heroes and their cursed land he knew. And most importantly, those that came directly from the Spell. After a while, he muttered: "...Time has erased their names and their faces, but the memory of the defiant oath still remains." This was the second part of the description that the Spell had given the Starlight Legion Armor. His eyes widened. All this time, he thought that this sentence simply meant that the legacy of the seven heroes lived on even after their deaths. But now, he suddenly realized that the truth might have been far more straightforward. The key to understanding the secret of the Shard Memories was right in front of him this whole time. In fact, it came from the first Memory he had ever gotten on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. The Azure Blade. "On this forgotten sh.o.r.e, only steel remembers," he whispered, a sudden understanding dawning on him like a revelation. The memory of the defiant oath remained… and only steel remembered. Sunny rubbed his face. "I am such a fool." Everything he needed to learn the truth had been at his disposal from the very start of it all. The heroes were long gone, but their terrible oath was still here, preserved in cold steel. It was not the memory of it that remained… but the Memory. The Shards were that Memory. "Of course. It all makes so much sense now…" But then, what was their purpose and why was Nephis so motivated to find each one? That was easy to guess, too. Ca.s.sie had basically told him, all those months ago. "...In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads were guarding seven locks." In its fury, the Terror of the Crimson Spire had beheaded the statues of its creators and brought their heads as trophies to guard the entrance to its lair… where Ca.s.sie had seen them, as well as seven mysterious locks. What did a lock need? A key. All locks required a key to either open them or shut them closed. Sunny slowly exhaled. The seven seals that kept the all-consuming darkness locked underground came undone, but they weren't destroyed. If one had all the keys, it was still possible to seal the cursed sea once again. That was what the seven heroes had left behind. …And with the cursed darkness locked away, the Spire would lose its most deadly line of defense. Finally, everything became clear. Sunny remained motionless for a long time, looking at the b.l.o.o.d.y images beneath his feet. After a while, he sighed and turned away. There was a bitter taste in his mouth. "...Sick. I am sick of this place. So sick of all of this." Ca.s.sie's vision showed her fire and rivers of blood? Good. It could all burn to the ground. He didn't care anymore. ReadNovelFull.me?
284	Chapter 284 Nothing Serious In the cold light of dawn, Sunny approached the spot where the other members of the cohort and he agreed to meet. The shadow had already located their camp in the ruin of an ancient building and was currently watching them, hidden in the darkness. The five youths were busy preparing for the last stretch of the way to the Bright Castle. They were calm and collected, not at all like people who were about to face the horrifying wrath of the Bright Lord. What kind of horror had they not faced already? Climbing over the rubble, Sunny let Nephis and the rest know of his approach and jumped down. Landing just a few meters away from the group, he straightened his back and gave them an indifferent look. "Hey." They greeted him in a reserved manner. A palpable tension permeated the air, making everyone reluctant to speak too much. Only Effie was seemingly unaffected by this dark mood. Leaning on a stone wall, the huntress was enthusiastically gnawing on a juicy bone. Her white teeth were effortlessly crushing it into tiny pieces, which were then chewed and swallowed along with the marrow. Noticing Sunny, she smiled. "Hey, doofus." ReadNovelFull.me He gave her a nod and wanted to turn away, but then noticed a slight frown that appeared on Effie's face. Looking at him with a bit of uncertainty, she asked: "Uh… you alright?" Sunny was silent for a few moments, then smiled. Finally, he said in an even tone: "I'm perfect." Leaving the doubtful huntress behind, he walked past Caster and approached Nephis. The Changing Star was standing with her back to the group, looking up at the silhouette of the Bright Castle that loomed in the distance. Hearing his steps, she turned around. The gentle light of dawn reflected in her eyes, making them appear to shine. "...You've made it, Sunny. I am glad." He shrugged. "Why? You didn't expect me to show up?" She was silent for a while, and then looked away. A lock of silver hair fell on her eyes. Nephis tucked it behind her ear and sighed. "Could I not? It's not like I know the future." After that, she smiled. '...Amusing.' In the eleven months they had spent on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, this was only the second time Sunny heard Changing Star tell a joke, and the first time it was actually funny. If a little macabre. But what was the harm in indulging in a bit of dark humor, at this point? Sunny did not return the smile, however. Glancing in the direction of the Bright Castle, he asked: "So, what's the plan?" Nephis shrugged. "This time there is no plan. We have confirmed that Gunlaug is still pretending to be looking for Effie to bring her to justice for killing the missing Guards. Once we enter the outer settlement, the members of the Host will come for her. Then, I will most likely be forced to challenge him. We'll… see after that." Sunny looked at her with a dark expression. 'Pretty much exactly what I expected.' He didn't hesitate to ask: "Can you really break his armor? Even with the Dawn Shard, your sword is barely equal to an Ascended Memory. And that thing is a true Transcended Echo." She lingered for a while before answering. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm and even: "I don't have to break the armor. I just have to break the man." Sunny shook his head with a humorless smile. "Good luck achieving one without the other." He paused for a moment, and then said without a hint of levity in his voice: "Anyway. You owe me a conversation." Changing Star glanced at him, then nodded. "Alright. But not here." With that, she gave the others a sign to wait and walked away. Sunny followed. His shadow stayed, making sure that no one was going to try and eavesdrop on them. It was staring directly at Caster, following his every move with intense attention. As they walking, Sunny suddenly said: "By the way, I have something to tell to you, too." Nephis glanced at him and slightly raised an eyebrow. "Yes? What is it?" Sunny was silent for a bit. Then, he smiled. "Oh, it's nothing serious. Do you remember a guy called Harper?" She frowned, then shook her head. "Should I? Who is he?" Sunny shrugged. His expression remained neutral. "Just a guy that I killed. He was one of Gunlaug's spies." Neph looked at him for a few moments, then asked with indifferent confusion: "What about him?" A slight shadow ran over Sunny's face. However, his smile remained exactly the same. "...No, nothing. Just wondered if you knew him." When they walked far enough and were concealed from the eyes of the cohort by several tall walls, Changing Star stopped and turned to face him. Looking at Sunny, she said: "It is good that we can speak privately. Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor." He blinked. 'Well, that is unexpected.' "What is it?" She hesitated for a few moments. "After my fight with Gunalug is over, if… when I win, I might not be in the best shape. Even if I am, there will be a flood of soul essence pouring into my body. It will incapacitate me for a bit." The changes that happened to the body after a small portion of soul essence was consumed were subtle, but in large quant.i.ties, it could be disorienting, sometimes even debilitating for a short while. Sometimes, experiencing these changes and getting used to them took a little time. Sunny tilted his head. 'A flood of soul essence? What does it matter if her core is either full to the brim or at least almost saturated?' He frowned, trying to guess what he wanted from him. "So what do you need me to do? Keep Harus busy while you recover?" She shook her head, then looked away. A light sigh escaped from Changing Star's lips. "No. I want you to make sure that Caster is nowhere near me when that happens." Here it was. The truth was about to come out. Sunny stared at Nephis, his expression cold and dark. After a few moments of tense silence, he asked: "Why? What's the deal with you and Caster?" She looked at him, her striking grey eyes calm and deep. Then, she said: "It's very simple, really. Caster has been sent here to kill me." ReadNovelFull.me?
285	Chapter 285 Kill Order Sunny remained silent for a few moments. Finally, it became clear that Nephis wasn't going to continue. Feeling a slight sense of exasperation, he asked: "Why would Caster want to kill you?" Despite the calm appearance, there was a tempest raging in his mind. The revelation of Caster's true intention had shaken Sunny. Yes, he disliked the proud Legacy, and yes, their dynamic with Changing Star had always been a bit strange, but he never expected to hear something like this. In his mind, Caster was more of an opportunist with distasteful ambitions, most likely having to do with the purity of his clan's bloodline, than a cold-blooded killer. In what world did him wishing to kill Nephis made any sense? He was her number one fan. The only logical explanation Sunny could find was that the proud scion had been secretly working for Gunlaug all along. But then, that theory also didn't hold when subjected to a close inspection — the Bright Lord was determined to kill Changing Star with his own two hands and in front of hundreds of people. What would he need Caster for? Nephis lingered for a bit, then shrugged. "People have been trying to kill me for as long as I can remember. Have you forgotten?" Sunny slowly shook his head. ReadNovelFull.me "No… no, I did not. But what does that have to do with Caster?" She smiled. "They were not going to stop just because I came of age, survived my First Nightmare, and was sent into the Dream Realm. If anything, that would have been the perfect opportunity to finally make me disappear forever. Sleepers enter this cursed world alone, away from the protections of society and whatever allies they might have in the real one. Do you see?" He gave her a nod, his expression growing dark. Indeed, no one was as vulnerable as young Sleepers entering the Dream Realm for the first time. Nephis sighed and looked away. "In any case, when I enrolled into the Academy, I knew that someone among our cla.s.smates had to have received orders to make sure that I never return from the Dream Realm. I just didn't know who it was." Suddenly, she glanced at him. The corner of her lips curled upward. "...Actually, for a long time, I thought that it was you." Sunny blinked and stared at her in disbelief. "What? Me? Are you cr… actually, never mind. What exactly about me made you think that I'm an agent of some secret Legacy cabal? Do I look like a Legacy to you? Nephis calmly looked him in the eye. "Honestly? Not any Legacy that I know. But there were too many things about you that didn't make sense." He frowned. "Do tell." She slowly raised her hand, then began counting on her fingers. "Let's see… you claimed to be an orphan from the outskirts, but somehow managed to survive both the First Nightmare and the arrival on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. You didn't consume any soul shards, but kept growing more powerful. You said that you had never held a sword in your hand, but absorbed my lessons with astonishing speed. And finally, every other word you said was a lie, especially when it came to your origins, your past, your strength, and your Aspect." Running out of fingers on one hand, she made a fist and pointed to it: "Need I continue?" Sunny cleared his throat. "Uh, no… well, when you put it like this…" She smiled and shook her hand, then lowered it. "But after some time, I realized that my suspicions about you were wrong. If you were really tasked with killing me, you could have just left me on the Ashen Barrow. Back then, I was as good as dead. But you didn't. In fact, you risked a lot to take both Ca.s.sie and me with you." The smile slowly disappeared from her face. "So when we reached the Bright Castle and Caster immediately appeared, insinuating his way into my inner circle, I knew pretty much instantly that it was him." Sunny frowned. "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Don't get me wrong, I'm the last person in this world who would want to defend that pompous b.a.s.t.a.r.d, but there were hundreds of Sleepers in our crop, and out of those, only seven were sent to the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. And only four lived long enough to see the Castle. What are the chances that the person with orders to make you vanish was among them? Isn't it a bit too big of a coincidence?" Changing Star slowly shook her head. "Who said it was a coincidence? People often tend to forget that the Spell has a mind of its own. It sees all and hears all. And it really loves to play with fate. If there was someone among those hundreds of people tasked with killing me, the chances of me having a fateful encounter with them in the Dream Realm would be all but guaranteed. That is how the Spell always does things." Sunny had to agree. The Spell, indeed, loved to play with fate. His whole d.a.m.n life was proof of that. Meanwhile, Nephis continued: "Of course, despite my suspicions, I wasn't sure at first. But the more I observed Caster, the more convinced I became that I was right. He did everything in his power to get close to me, and then tried his hardest to subtly isolate me from everyone I could have trusted. He spent his time studying my every move, while keeping his secrets close to his chest. It's him. I've been sure of it for a long time." Sunny tilted his head, trying to digest this new information. After a while, he asked: "If Caster wanted to kill you, why hasn't he made a move to kill you yet?" She lingered for a bit, then smiled slightly. "Because among all of the humans on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, he knows what the scions of the Immortal Flame clan are capable of the best. Isn't it ironic? He respects my ability too much to be careless… maybe even fears it. And he can't allow himself to fail. His honor won't allow it. So, Caster won't attack until he is absolutely sure that I won't be able to resist. He'll make his move when I have no chance to escape." Sunny scratched the back of his head. "Let me rephrase that. If Caster wants to kill you, why is he still alive? Why didn't you kill him already?" He was sure that if Nephis wanted to, the proud Legacy would have been dead a long time ago, Changing Star hesitated, and then said in an even tone: "Because I need him for what is to come. It doesn't matter that he intends to betray me. Traitor or not, he is of use." ReadNovelFull.me?
286	Chapter 286 Blessings of the Fire Some time later, the six of the left the secluded ruin and made their way toward the Bright Castle. The Dark City was silent and bleak, its streets devoid of life and movement. Even the Nightmare Creatures seemed to remain hidden in the lairs today, as though the feeling the tension that hung in the air like a harbinger of a disastrous change. A lonely star was about to ignite in the sky above the cursed city. Nephis was the first one to walk under the marble arch and step on the road that led to the outer settlement. Her face was calm and motionless, any hint of emotion hidden behind her usual mask of indifference. It was as though she was returning home in triumph, not marching to her own execution. There was a slightly distant look in her eyes. Sunny abandoned his usual position at the back of the group and was now walking side by side with her. Maybe it was just a whim, but he felt unwilling to follow in her footsteps as he had always done before, from the first day they met. As they ascended the tall hill, Changing Star suddenly asked: "Sunny, do you remember your First Nightmare well?" Her voice sounded relaxed and idle. He cast a sideways glance at her and hesitated for a few moments. Then, he answered in an even tone: ReadNovelFull.me "Like it was yesterday." She smiled slightly. "Was it hard?" Slowly, a grin appeared on his face. "Hard? No, not hard. Impossible. It was a ghastly, despicable, and torturous ordeal. Truly the stuff of nightmares. Calling it hard would be an injustice." With a dismissive shrug, Sunny drove the memories of the black mountain away and asked: "...What about yours?" Nephis looked away, remembering. After a while, she said: "Mine wasn't that bad, actually." He stared at her in disbelief. "What, you only had to kill a measly thousand Unholy t.i.tans with your bare hands, or something like that? Knowing you, "not that bad" means that it was nothing short of a true horror show." She slowly shook her head. "...No. I mean it. I didn't have to fight anyone, really. Up until the very end." Sunny blinked. "Wait, seriously?" A strangely sad smile appeared on her lips. "In my First Nightmare, I was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper. My family lived in a beautiful tower on the sh.o.r.e of a beautiful sea. Every morning, the warm sun rose from beyond the horizon, bathing the endless expanse of azure waves in beautiful light. The winds were gentle and the world was kind. It was me, my parents, and my younger siblings. We lived together in harmony, humbly but needing for nothing." He frowned. "And then what? A sea serpent destroyed the lighthouse? Some rotten horror rose from the depths?" Changing Star's eyes became distant. A few moments pa.s.sed before she spoke again: "No. Nothing happened. That was the point of it, I think. My Nightmare... it was actually a paradise. It was everything I dreamed about when I was a little kid. Only much more wondrous and human than I could have ever imagined." Sunny looked at her in utter shock. As he watched, the hint of sorrow disappeared from Neph's face, replaced by a subtly harsh expression. "But that was what made it so hard to overcome. Impossible, even. Just like you said. Because all I had to do to conquer the Nightmare... all I had to do was to walk away and leave it all behind. Knowing that I could just stay there, in that paradise. Forever." He hesitated for a while, then asked cautiously: "So what did you do?" A heavy sigh escaped from Neph's lips. Her eyes grew dim. "...I searched for a way out of the Nightmare for a long time. But no matter how hard I looked, there wasn't any. Day after day, night after night… as time went by, it became harder and harder to force myself to continue searching. I grew accustomed to that bliss, that warm and beautiful life. And eventually, a day came when I thought that, maybe, I should stop. Maybe I can just stay." She tilted her head slightly and said, her tantalizing voice reaching the deepest, darkest parts of his heart: "...That was the day I went to the top of the lighthouse. You see, Sunny. You have to light yourself on fire... to rip the blessings of the fire. That was what my grandmother used to say. So that was what I did. I doused myself in oil, and set myself aflame." The white flames suddenly licked her hands, and she stared at them, her face slowly turning pale, her eyes reflecting the terrible agony she felt. As her ivory skin continuously boiled, darkened, and then healed to become pristine again, she said simply: "...And I burned." Suddenly, the flames disappeared, and she made a fist. Her voice grew a little strained. "And after a long, long time, when all of it was over... I found myself in a dark cave, nestled in a slimy coc.o.o.n of black silk. All around me, thousand upon thousands of people were sleeping in similar coc.o.o.ns with their eyes open, with happy smiles on their empty faces. And above us… was a creature so revolting and abhorrent that I can't bring myself to describe it to this day. It was feeding on our dreams." She grew quiet for a bit, and then added: "That creature was convulsing in pain, as though it shared in the agony I felt, too. Somehow, I managed to break free of the coc.o.o.n. And kill it before it fully regained its senses." She glanced at him and smiled. However, there was no warmth in that smile. "...That was how I conquered my First Nightmare." Sunny looked her in the eyes for a long time, silent. Then, he slowly turned away. "...Just as I said, the stuff of nightmares. I guess we call them that for a reason." Changing Star laughed. "I guess. But really, fighting that Terror wasn't the hardest part. Waking up trapped in a repulsive coc.o.o.n wasn't the hardest part. Even... even burning alive wasn't the hardest part." She grew silent for a few moments and then said, looking at the white road beneath their feet. "The hardest part was walking up the steps to the top of the lighthouse. Not because of what waited for me in the future, but because of what I was leaving in the past." ...Soon, the familiar shapes of the outer settlement appeared in their sight. They had finally returned to the Bright Castle. ReadNovelFull.me?
287	Chapter 287 Lonely Star The outer settlement had changed from the time Sunny saw it last. At the point where the white road widened into the vast platform that the settlement stood upon, a tall stone barricade was built, with watchful sentries observing the approach to the crest of the hill. Each of them was wielding a Memory weapon and a st.u.r.dy armor, their faces full of dark determination. The makeshift watchtower constructed on the roof of Neph's lodge loomed above them, with several archers ready to rain arrows on any Nightmare Creature that wandered close. The slum itself was much the same, but the people populating it seemed different. Many of them were bruised and bandaged, but their eyes shone with the subtle light of hope that wasn't there or as strong before. That hope was contrasted against the suffocating feeling of tension that hung in the air. From time to time, someone would glance toward the castle and frown, a dark expression appearing on their face. There was another detail that surprised Sunny. On the sleeves of many slum dwellers, a piece of pure white cloth was tied, as if announcing their allegiance to some G.o.d or G.o.ddess. There had been none of that when he left this place a few months ago. There were also graffiti drawn on the walls of the most derelict hovels, some of them depicting a shining star, some the image of a beautiful bronze spear. '...What is that all about?' The white armbands and the star were, obviously, meant to represent Nephis. But when had Effie suddenly become an apostle? ReadNovelFull.me Glancing at the voracious huntress, he raised an eyebrow. "Anything you want to tell me?" She scratched the back of her head, then shrugged. "I've become a bit of a folk hero, apparently." Sunny shook his head and didn't press the issue. 'Whatever...' When the sentries saw who was approaching, their faces first became shocked, and then lighted up with intense jubilation. "Lady Nephis! It's Changing Star!" "Lady Nephis has returned!" "She is alive!" The hum of voices spread through the entire settlement in an instant. If Gunlaug had not known that they were back in the Dark City, he would have learned of it now. …But he knew, of course. He knew it long before the people of the slum ever laid their eyes on their supposed savior. Sunny looked past the outer settlement, at the mighty walls of the Bright Castle. How long before its Lord throws them a welcome party? …Soon, the cohort was surrounded by a crowd of exhilarated people. Everyone wanted to see that Saint Nephis was alive and well with their own eyes. The other members were bathing in attention, too. Especially Effie. "Effie!" "Huntress Athena!" "Welcome home, Effie! Show them!" The huntress grinned in bewilderment and kept quiet. In the crowd, there were a few faces that did not share in everyone's joy. They were the leaders of the outer settlement's hunting parties. The gazes they threw at Nephis were grim and full of meaning. She gave them a nod, letting the experienced hunters know that she understood the message they were trying to relay. Then, Changing Star faced the inhabitants of the slum and took the bag that Effie handed her. Slowly unclasping it, she spoke, her calm voice effortlessly making the crowd grow silent. "I am not good with words, so… please accept my grat.i.tude, Dreamers of the Dark City. The past few months have been harsh on me and the members of my cohort, but they must have been equally as harsh on you. However, we have persevered. You here in these cursed ruins, and we out there in the ghastly depths of the Labyrinth. But all of it was not in vain." With that, she took something from the bag and tossed it to the ground. Suddenly, a deathly silence settled over the crowd. Everyone was staring at the object laying on the stones, expressions of fear clearly written on many faces. It was a terrifying, jagged black talon, which was as sharp and long as a sword. And then, another one fell near it, and another, and another. Eventually, thirty-eight of these dark blades lay in a pile in front of Nephis — thirty from the six front limbs of the Spire Messenger, and eight from the two hind ones. Closing the bag, Nephis put it on her shoulder and said, her tone dark and piercing: "Out there in the Labyrinth, we have fought and slew one of the cursed Messengers of the Crimson Spire. I bring you its claws as a gift, to become your weapons." Stunned whispers ran through the crowd. The Messengers were both a symbol of terror and a symbol of hope to the people of the Dark City — terror because of their horrifying power and appet.i.te, as well as their connection to the dreaded Spire, and hope because of the legends that once, a long time ago, a group of powerful Sleepers had managed to kill one. And now, the legend came alive right in front of their eyes. Nephis lingered for a moment, and then sighed, a somber note appearing in her voice. "Many years ago, we, those who were sent to the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, weren't yet imprisoned by fear. Enthralled by the sin of those cowards who had forgotten that they are, first and forever, humans. Back then, there were people among us willing to risk their lives to conquer this h.e.l.l. Escape it. The First Lord and his companions were the greatest of them. And now…" Brilliant sparks of light suddenly appeared around her head like a sacred halo. Changing Star's eyes shined with pure white radiance, and, as the Crown of Dawn weaved itself from light and fell upon her head, she spoke. She didn't rise or even strain her voice, but the impact of her words only grew because of it. "...I have brought his legacy back to the Dark City. This is the crown of the First Lord. We have retrieved it from a place of eternal darkness where he had fallen in battle. He died trying to find a way out of this cursed land for all of us to follow." She paused for a moment and then said, her face illuminated by the brilliant white flames that burned in her furious eyes. On her forehead, the single gem decorating the Dawn Shard shone with that brilliance, too. Almost like a third eye. "And with it, we will finish what he started!" ReadNovelFull.me?
288	Chapter 288 Progress Report Some time later, they entered the stone lodge and found themselves in the middle of another, smaller crowd. Around thirty or forty people gathered in the main hall of Changing Star's dwelling, making it look even smaller than it had before. However, these were not just any Sleepers from the slum. Most of them were experienced fighters from the outer settlement few hunting parties, as well as people who Nephis had recruited into her faction during her time in the Dark City. Back when Sunny had been a part of the group, they were weak and hopeless young men and women who were barely surviving in the cruel reality of the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e. Now, things changed. Neph's little helpers were armed with makeshift weapons and wearing armors fashioned from a wide variety of scavenged materials, while some were even in possession of Memories. They also held themselves very differently from before. Honestly, the difference between them and the hunters was not that big now. If Sunny didn't know which were which, he might have mistaken one for the other. Changing Star walked through the crowd and approached the window that opened on the bleak view of the cursed ruins. She looked at it for a short moment, and then turned around, a dark expression on her face. "...Tell me." The leaders of the hunting parties glanced at each other. One of them, a stocky young man with long messy hair and three ugly scars running all the way from his forehead to his chin, spoke with a bit of uncertainty: "Welcome back, Lady Nephis. It is good that you are alive and well." She gave him a nod. The hunter paused, then continued, his voice somber: ReadNovelFull.me "We, uh… have followed your orders and advice for these past months. The militia you created has been reinforced and organized to protect the settlement from the attacking monsters. With the Memories you and your cohort hunted for us in the ruins, the casualties were low both among the watchmen and among the civilians. Compared to before, I mean." Changing Star remained silent and just stared at him. The young man sighed. "About the other thing… it went almost exactly how you told us it would. Members of the Host came into the settlement shortly after your departure, demanding that Effie surrendered herself to be judged for the disappearance of those Guards. When we told them that she was gone, they got violent. Several people were injured, but no one died." Effie scoffed. The hunted gave her a complicated look and scratched his cheek. "After that, they would come again every week or so, hurt a few people and break things, always with the same demand. But we kept our cool and just… well. Took it. Like you told us to do. That seemed to only make them angrier, but they had no real reason to escalate things. In the end, they just settled for making our lives difficult and pushing people around." The tall huntress shook her head. "What's with the people foaming at their mouths to greet me? What's that really about?" The young man looked down in embarra.s.sment and cleared his throat. "Uh, that… well, you see, the more the Castle proclaimed that you have to answer for the murder of those Guards, the more people in the settlement became, how do I say this… appreciative of you?" Effie looked at him with a perplexed expression. "Because I am beingly unjustly accused?" He smiled sheepishly. "Ah, no. Actually, the opposite. They really appreciate the fact that you had… allegedly… killed half a dozen Guards. In fact, their only regret is that you didn't kill more. There are tales about how exactly you dealt with them, too, one more colorful than the other. The most popular one is that, uh… the Guards wanted to rob you of your, eh, honor, so that's why you had to teach the Castle folks a lesson." The tall huntress blinked. "My… honor? Since when do I have honor?" The young man grinned. "Hey, don't look at me. I did not come up with this one, alright? Blame Park, it was his idea." Effie looked darkly at another hunter, who just shrugged. "Lady Nephis told us to do our best to make people in the settlement root for you. It worked, did it not?" The unruly huntress rubbed her face with an exasperated expression. "But... I didn't kill them, though?" The hunter looked at her with no humor in his eyes. "Who cares?" Effie opened her mouth to say something, but Nephis interrupted her: "Time is short. Don't waste it on useless chatter." Then, she turned to the hunter with scars on his face and asked: "What about my last instruction?" He frowned, then took out a small wooden box from a leather pouch tied to his belt. The young man held the little box like it was the most terrible Nightmare Creature. Handling it with extreme caution, he approached Nephis and handed it to her. There were drops of sweat on his forehead. "This... is what the person from the castle brought. I don't know what they used to make Hide create that thing, but the result was exactly as you wished, at least according to the note they left." He hesitated. "The box and the note simply appeared on my pillow one day. I almost died of a heart attack when I read what that thing is supposed to be." Sunny stared at the box with interest. Hide was one of Gunlaug's lieutenants, a young woman in charge of the Artisans. Her Aspect Ability allowed her to manipulate certain qualities of plants, which was of tremendous use here on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e, where the food was scarce and monotonous. But what could Nephis want from her that was so important? And why was the hunter so scared of the little box? Carefully taking it, Changing Star looked at the box for a few moments, and then handed it to Caster. "You know what to do." With a short nod, Caster walked toward the door and disappeared. Nephis, meanwhile, turned to the hunters and said in a steady tone: "You did well. Thank you, all." As wide smiles appeared on their faces, she took Effie's bottomless bag and opened it once again. Turning the bag upside down, Changing Star said: "This is… not a reward, nor is it a gift. This is just something that all of you deserve, and going to need very soon." A moment later, a river of glimmering crystals flowed from the bag, scattering on the table's surface. There were hundreds and hundreds of them, each shining with subtle, alluring light. Soon, the crystal spilled over the edges of the table and fell to the floor. A few moments later, more than a thousand soul shards appeared before the stunned people who were gathered in the room. The bottomless bag finally ran empty. Sunny stared at the tall pile of shining crystals and sighed. Back before all of this had started, he had a pile like that of his own... only much, much smaller. His pride and joy. It was all gone now, sadly. 'What a sight. And I thought I was rich…' ReadNovelFull.me?
289	Chapter 289 Start of the Play Back in the Labyrinth, Sunny wasn't the only one who had killed countless Nightmare Creatures. In fact, due to his primary role as a scout, the three main fighters of the cohort had killed many more. He knew for a fact that at least two of them — Effie and Caster — had fully saturated their soul cores long before their return journey was finished. Absorbing any more shards would have been useless for them. At some point, Nephis had begun to abstain from consuming her share of the spoils, too. Added with the shards that Sunny traded for the unwanted Memories that the members of the cohort had acc.u.mulated, a truly incredible amount of the alluring crystals had been placed into Effie's leather bag. He had often wondered what Nephis would use them for, and now, he had his answer. The people gathered in the main hall of the hunting lodge — her most trusted subordinates — stared at the tall pile of soul shards in utter shock. Here in the Dark City, this was an inconceivable wealth. One shard was enough to buy a person a week of food, comfort, and safety behind the tall walls of the Bright Castle. Too many had died because they lacked these things. So, in a sense, the mountain of crystals in front of them was tantamount to a thousand human lives. The scarred hunter slowly tore his eyes away from the glittering shards and looked at Changing Star, his face pale and his voice suddenly raspy: "What… what is this, Lady Nephis?" She remained silent for a few moments, and then said in her even, reserved, strangely affecting voice: ReadNovelFull.me "This is for you. To nourish yourselves, and grow stronger. You are going to need every bit of strength for what awaits us in the days to come." The young man watched her, a dangerous flame slowly igniting in his eyes. A flame of resolve, adoration… Almost worship. Hidden in a shadowy corner, Sunny smiled with dark apprehension. Back at the start of it all, he had told Nephis that Gunlaug could not be defeated because he controlled every facet of life here in the Dark City: food, safety, hope and fear... even power itself. Then, he had watched as she gave the people of the outer settlement free food, placed them under the protection of her sword, and ignited the embers of the long-forgotten hope in their hearts. All that remained was power. And now, she had brought them power as well. No wonder they were ready to worship her. In their eyes, Changing Star was a n.o.ble savior. …No one knew that their messiah was a counterfeit one. Glancing at the stunned people, Effie sighed and took her bag from Neph's hands. Looking inside the empty Memory with a bit of a sad expression, she said: "What are you waiting for? Gunlaug's men are probably already arming themselves to come here and break your thick skulls. Share the shards among yourselves and absorb them, dimwits!" The Sleepers did not make her say it twice. \\\* Not long after the last shard had been absorbed, one of the watchers ran into the room, breathing heavily "Coming! They are coming!" There was a hint of unrestrained fear in her voice. Sunny flexed his shoulders and stretched. 'The show is about to start.' The people gathered in the room glanced at each other, their faces full of tension. Only Nephis remained indifferent, watching out of the window at the dead city that sprawled below her like a desolate, lonesome graveyard. "Stay calm, everyone." Her voice settled them down. The hunter with scars on his face turned to Changing Star, a deep frown on his face. After hesitating for a few moments, he said: "But… but… they are coming to take Effie! We can't allow that to happen. I'm done watching good people be taken into the d.a.m.n Castle and never return. If they want to make an example out of her, like they did with Jubei… over my dead body!" The hum of angry voices rose in the hall, accompanied by heated glares. "Exactly!" "They will pay for Jubei's death!" "Your dead body? Why not their dead bodies?!" Nephis lingered for a moment, then turned to them. A slight smile appeared on her face. "...Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to Effie. You have my word." That seemed to calm them down a little. It seemed as though they were willing to believe anything she said, regardless of how impossible her promises were. Was that the definition of blind faith? Before anyone could answer, however, a crashing sound came from the direction of the entrance to the stone lodge. It seemed as though someone had just smashed through the door. The was a short scream, which quickly grew silent. Something fell on the floor. Then, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, drawing closer to the hall where all the people had gathered. A few moments later, its door was shattered, too, exploding into a shower of splinters along with the bits of stone that surrounded it. A giant of a man walked into the hall, his mere presence making the entire s.p.a.ce look tiny. Compared to him, even Effie seemed to be of average height. There was a morose expression on his face and a dark glint in his cold, cruel eyes. The giant did not wear any armor, allowing his monumental muscles to strain the fabric of a sleeveless silk shirt. It appeared that Tessai, the fearsome leader of the Castle Guard, had decided to welcome the cohort back to the Dark City himself. Neph's followers paled, their fiery indignation replaced by fear. 'What a monster,' Sunny thought indifferently, pondering on what the quickest way to kill the morose giant would be. Behind Tessai, a group of Guards, each wearing a st.u.r.dy armor and wielding Memory weapons, could be seen. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the robust figure of the tall huntress, and then, hateful smiles appeared on their faces. The Guards seemed very happy to finally find the woman accused of murdering their own. The giant only glanced at Effie and then turned to Nephis. His deep, low voice resounded in the stone hall, sending shivers running through the hearts of many Sleepers gathered there. "Changing Star. So you're alive after all." She met his gaze and endured it without flinching. "You must be Tessai. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The giant lingered before answering. The corner of his mouth twitched and slowly curled upward. Finally, he said: "Oh, no. The pleasure is all mine." Then, he raised his mighty arm and pointed at Effie. "Lord Gunlaug has invited this one to the Castle, to face punishment for her crimes. You should have trained your dogs better, Changing Star. See what happens when they go around biting people?" He lowered his hand and flexed his shoulders, then looked at her with a dark expression. "Now. I would advise you rats to step aside and let me take that she-wolf with me." Nephis crossed her arms and stared at the giant, cold sparks igniting in the depths of her calm grey eyes. A few moments later, she said evenly: "...Or what?" ReadNovelFull.me?
290	Chapter 290 Judgement Day Changing Star's words brought the room to dead silence. On both sides of it, people were slowly preparing themselves, dark resentment burning in their eyes. It felt as though the tension reached critical ma.s.s and was about to explode into a storm of violence. Only three people remained calm and unaffected by the direness of the situation: Nephis herself, Sunny… and Tessai. The giant bared his canines in a grin. His eyes, however, remained cold as ice. "What a… revelation. And here I was, thinking that you are a great defender of justice. Were you not, Changing Star? Or is your sense of justice reserved only for the crimes of those who don't serve you?" He sighed and added, his voice full of disappointment: "That huntress of yours is accused of murder. Why are you trying to prevent me from bringing her to justice? I thought that you, of all people, would not get in the way of fairness." Nephis frowned. "Accused does not mean convicted. Why do you claim that she is guilty?" Tessai stared at her and said, his low voice sending tremors through the stone hall: ReadNovelFull.me "There is plenty of evidence. There are plenty of witnesses. So many people came forward to give a testimony! Her guilt is undeniable. How will you answer that, Changing Star?" Sunny smiled slightly. 'How peculiar. So many people apparently saw Effie slaughter those fools. Did I imagine killing them or what? I was a bit crazy at the time, to be fair. Ha.' Before Nephis could answer, Kai suddenly took a step forward and shouted: "That is impossible! I…" However, she made him stop with a stern look. The charming young man hesitated, then gritted his teeth and fell silent, glaring at Tessai with burning indignation. Changing Star turned to the imposing giant and smiled. "...Well, well. That changes everything, then. Please forgive me, if you can. I have been away from the Dark City for so long, and wasn't informed of these… developments. If this is the case, then by all means, take her away." Effie grimaced and looked at her with an amused expression. Sunny did not take his eyes off of Tessai, however, his shadow stared at Nephis, too. The smile suddenly disappeared from her face, replaced by boundless coldness. "...However, I am coming with her. All of us are, in fact. We are awfully curious to see that evidence and hear those witnesses. And, most of all, we are all dying to see justice done and those guilty punished. Surely, Lord Gunlaug would not mind." An expression of dissatisfaction appeared on Tessai's face. With a deep frown, he looked down on Neph from his oppressive height and said in a growling voice: "Why do you think that you can come, wench?" Changing Star was silent for a few moments, calmly looking at him. Then, her eyes suddenly shone with furious white light. In a voice that promised agony and death, she said with contempt: "...Who's going to stop me?" The giant stared at her with a complicated expression. It seemed as though he was being torn between pride… and fear. It was all a mask, though. A masterful performance to hide his true emotions… Triumph and jubilation. He had come here with the excuse of bringing Effie to justice, but his true goal had always been Nephis. She was the one Gunlaug wanted to destroy. And now, she was bringing herself to him, like a lamb going to slaughter. What Tessai did not know was that Changing Star was as far from a lamb as one could be. '...More like a demon in sheep's clothing.' Sunny glanced at the morose giant with something that resembled pity. Meanwhile, Tessai slowly shook his head and said, his voice full of false reluctance: "...Fine. Do as you wish. Come with me to the Castle, if you want. Bring your rats with you. All of you will witness the brilliance of our Lord!" \\\* All together, they exited the lodge. Tessai was walking in the front, holding the tall huntress by the shoulder. Her hands were tied behind her back with a flimsy rope — more of a symbolic gesture than a real restraint, considering Effie's strength. Nephis was keeping close, her face calm and indifferent. The Guards and the members of Changing Star's faction were right behind them, throwing menacing looks at each other. Their faces were grim and full of resentful indignation. Sunny had hidden himself in the crowd, not wishing to draw any attention. Now, he was moving with it, feeling the restless agitation through the chaotic movement of the surrounding shadows. As they moved toward the Castle, more and more slum dwellers surrounded them, their faces full of shock and anger. "They got Effie!" "b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! Let her go!" "Lady Nephis! Do something!" Glancing at the growing number of people who were gathering around them, she smiled rea.s.suringly and said: "Stay calm! Come with us if you want. Today, we'll see justice done!" However, her appeal to remain calm had the opposite effect on the crowd. It ignited it instead, and soon, a clamor of shouts rose above the outer settlement: "Justice! Justice!" …However, at some point, the tone of it changed, an almost palpable sense of bloodl.u.s.t finding its way into the people's voices. The word they were shouting was also replaced, and soon, the crowd was chanting something else. Calling not for justice, but for… Judgment. "Judgement! Judgment!" Sunny observed the raging beast of the human crowd with a troubled frown. A cold, familiar emotion grasped his heart. He knew this sickening feeling all too well. It was the same way he felt when facing frenzied Nightmare Creatures. 'h.e.l.l...' As they drew close to the stairs leading to the entrance of the castle, almost a hundred people were following them. The Guards standing at the gates stared at the crowd with a bit of fear in their eyes. …And at some point, Caster appeared out of nowhere and took position right behind Nephis. The proud Legacy looked pale and a bit disheveled, but it seemed that he had managed to complete the mysterious task given to him by Changing Star without receiving any wounds. A few moments later, they entered the Bright Castle. ReadNovelFull.me?
291	Chapter 291 Eye of the Storm The crowd poured into the castle, their faces contorted with anger and resentment. However, as soon as the slum dwellers pa.s.sed beneath the swaying skulls that hung above the gates, their fury turned cold. In the echoing stone halls of the Bright Castle, it was hard to forget that Gunlaug's power was absolute. For as long as any of them remembered, he had ruled over the Dark City with an iron fist, elevating those who bowed to him and destroying those who did not. Countless men and women had tried to challenge the Bright Lord in the past… great people, terrible people, and everyone in-between. It was their skulls that now stared at the crowd, darkness nesting in their eyes. Finally, doubt and fear appeared in the hearts of the inhabitants of the outer settlement. Many of them stared at Nephis, their faces turning dim and listless. Changing Star did not react to this sudden change in one way or another. Looking straight ahead, she calmly walked forward, an indifferent expression on her face. Her usual mask was in its place once again, preventing anyone from knowing her true thoughts. Trying to remain unnoticed, Sunny made his way to the front of the crowd to be closer to Nephis, Effie, and Caster. No one paid him any attention. In the grand scheme of things, people thought of him as an insignificant piece, if at all. Just like he wanted them to. From his point of view, the atmosphere in the Bright Castle seemed to be a bit strange, and not because of the invading horde of slum dwellers. Its halls and corridors were too empty, too lifeless. He didn't see any people hurrying on their daily business, as they always would. Even the opulent desk in the entrance hall was empty, the clerk usually present behind it absent for some reason. ReadNovelFull.me 'Where is everyone?' His question was soon answered. Entering the throne room, he saw hundreds of Sleepers standing along its walls, waiting to meet them. It seemed as though the whole population of the Bright Castle had gathered here. There were the Guards, the Hunters, the Artisans, the quiet Handmaidens. Even people who paid tribute to remain in the Castle were all there. Sunny noticed a few familiar faces. Stev, the large man in charge of the Memory Market, stood uncomfortably near the members of the Host. There was also Aiko, the owner of the gambling den, and many others whom he remembered from his brief stay in the Castle. The air was tense and heavy. It seemed that not all of these people had come to the throne room of their own free will. Many of them had troubled, frightened expressions on their faces. Others were relaxed and joyful, waiting for an entertaining show with dark fascination burning in their eyes. What disturbed him the most were the several figures of Nightmare Creatures standing among the humans. Those were the Echoes belonging to the inhabitants of the Castle, each one more terrifying that the other. '...Why are they out of their owners' Soul Seas?' On the raised dais at the far end of the great hall, illuminated by the false stars that were carved into the wall of the dark alcove, the four lieutenants of the Bright Lord stood. There was Gemma, the leader of the Hunters, Kido, the chief Artisan, and Seishan, who was in charge of the Handmaidens. …and Harus, of course. Sunny stared at the dreadful hunchback, who just stood there with his usual bored expression, looking at the wall. He was pretty sure that today, at least one of them was going to die. As if feeling his gaze, Harus suddenly turned and glanced at Sunny. This time, however, Sunny did not look away. He stared straight into the hunchback's gla.s.sy eyes, a calm and calculating expression on his face. 'I wonder how he killed all those people without being seen even once. With so many victims, somebody had to catch a glimpse of this butcher hard at work. What Aspect Ability does he possess? How do I counter it?' Harus stared at him for a few moments, then tilted his head and smiled with strange amus.e.m.e.nt. A second later, he turned away and looked at the wall again, seemingly losing all interest. Meanwhile, Tessai walked to the middle of the hall and threw Effie down, forcing her to kneel on the floor. Then, he gave Nephis a dark look and joined the other lieutenants on the steps leading to the throne. The two hundred or so slum dwellers were standing at one end of the throne room, their faces grim and full of dark apprehension. With the exception of those directly serving Changing Star, most of them were dressed in dirty rags, with only a few wearing a proper armor. Some were unarmed, some had Memories or makeshift weapons hanging on their belts, and some even had swords hastily fashioned out of the talons of the slain Spire Messenger. Opposite them, with their back to the throne, stood the people of the castle. Many of them looked like they didn't want to be here, but more had contempt and indignation in their eyes. Those were mostly the members of the Host, who were more than two hundred people strong. Each of them was clad in a st.u.r.dy Memory armor and wielded enchanted weapons. They were strong, well-fed, and experienced in combat. The hunters, especially, were a formidable presence despite their comparatively small number. They were looking at Nephis with intense hatred, the memory of her killing one of their own in this very hall still fresh in their minds. Changing Star stood beside Effie in the middle of the empty s.p.a.ce between the two groups, looking at the white throne. Her ivory face was cold and indifferent, and her silver hair glinted in the rays of sunshine that fell through tall windows. Sparks of light were dancing in the depths of her calm grey eyes. She was the focal point of everyone's attention and the target of the dark storm of emotions that raged between the ancient walls of the Castle today. If it bothered her, she did not show it. And then, finally, the Bright Lord himself appeared. Sunny knew that Gunalug entered the great hall even before seeing him. He knew it because of the sudden change in the people that surrounded him. It was as though a wave of invisible pressure had crashed into the crowd, forcing them to groan and bend, almost buckling to the ground. Their legs trembled, their faces paled, and drops of sweat appeared on their skin, as well as fear and panic in their eyes. The mastermind behind this ghoulish spectacle had finally arrived. ReadNovelFull.me?
292	Chapter 292 Just Cause Gunlaug looked just like the last time Sunny had seen him. …Like a golden demon born of some harrowing h.e.l.l. The Bright Lord was tall and had broad, powerful shoulders. His body was clad in a strange armor that seemed to be made out of molten gold. It was both solid and liquid, flowing over his mightly muscles and covering him from head to toe. Not even Gunalug's eyes were exposed. In the place where his face should have been, there was nothing but a smooth and empty expanse of polished gold. The great hall of the Bright Castle reflected in it, and all the people gathered there did, too. As soon as Sunny saw the golden mask, he felt the oppressive aura that radiated from the Bright Lord. Even knowing what was going to happen, he couldn't help but shake a little and bite his lip. The mind a.s.sault of the golden armor was truly hard to endure. Even with the protection of the Puppeteer's Shroud, he felt it pressing on him, making it hard to breathe. Deep inside, a primal, b.e.s.t.i.a.l fear was clawing at his heart. But this fear did not belong to him. It was fake. With a dark grimace, Sunny strangled it and made it disappear. Walking out of the darkness of the alcove like a golden apparition, Gunlaug glanced at the ma.s.s of people below him and sat on the throne. His pose was relaxed and casual, as though he was here to leisurely resolve a trivial matter, not decide someone's fate. ReadNovelFull.me Hundreds of fates, perhaps. However, despite his laid-back att.i.tude, everyone gathered in the great hall swayed a little, pressed down to the ground by the incredible force of his presence. The Bright Lord lingered for a few moments, and then said, his serpentine voice full of mirth: "Ah, what a sight. All my precious wards gathered here, united in the desire to see justice prevail. This dedication, this fervor for the rule of law… oh, it just makes my blood boil with appreciation. Don't you think it's wonderful?" He laughed and turned his head slightly, peering directly at Nephis. She lowered her head a bit, an almost imperceptible tremor running through her body. To Sunny, though, it seemed as though the plates of marble beneath her feet were about to crack from the terrifying pressure of Gunlaug's gaze. Nevertheless, she endured it without showing much of the tremendous strain she was under. The Bright Lord paused and then echoed his words, a note of some dark emotion finding its way into his voice: "Don't you think it's wonderful, Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan?" Nephis greeted her teeth, struggling to remain steady under the psychic onslaught of the golden armor. When she finally answered, her voice sounded suppressed: "...Indeed." Gunalug remained silent for a bit. Although his face was hidden behind the golden mask, Sunny had a feeling that he was smiling. Finally, he spoke: "How nice. Somehow, I was under the impression that you would disagree. I've been told by my most loyal aids that you are a disagreeable person. I guess you just can't trust anyone these days." With that, he glanced at his lieutenants, making them pale and shiver. Sunny shivered, too. The message hidden in those words was clear: Gunlaug was letting Nephis know that he had known that she had a spy among the highest ranks of his people all along. And didn't care. Maybe even silently allowed it to happen. 'd.a.m.nation…' How much did he know? Finally, the Bright Lord looked at Effie. After a few seconds had pa.s.sed in tense silence, he spoke to her with a hint of sadness: "We meet again, Effie. What a shame that it is in these tragic circ.u.mstances. If only you had listened to me and joined the Host… perhaps then you might not have fallen so low. Such pity…" He shook his head and sighed. "I had high hopes for you. But, alas… murdering innocent humans is not something that can be forgiven. Look at yourself! Instead of a n.o.ble Hunter, you have turned into a wild beast. But that is what happens when people refuse my grace. They become no better than Nightmare Creatures." His somber words echoed in the silence of the great hall, making people lower their gazes. Effie trembled, pressed down by the force of his undivided attention. But then, she grinned and answered, her raspy voice sounding relaxed and carefree. She only said two words: "f.u.c.k off." Gunlaug laughed and raised his hands in a helpless gesture. "I rest my case. You all see how unrepentant this vile murderer is. There's not a drop of remorse left in her corrupted, rotten soul. That is why, with a heavy heart, I have to sentence this once-promising young woman to death. She has to answer for her crimes, and leaving her alive would put you, my wards, in danger. I am left with no choice." A hum of voices rose from the crowd. Slum dweller or an inhabitant of the Castle, everyone was affected by his last words: "Don't you dare, b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" "Kill that murderer!" "Effie! We're here!" "Make her pay!" "Lady Nephis! You can't let them!" "Kill her!" "Kill all of them!" Unaffected by this outburst of boiling emotions, Nephis put a hand on Effie's shoulder and looked at the Bright Lord with a cold expression. Staring directly at the golden mask, she frowned and said, her voice clear and loud: "I object." The storm of voices suddenly grew quiet. Everyone turned to her, two kinds of expectation hiding in their eyes. One was full of hope. The other full of vicious glee. Gunlaug tilted his head. "Object? What do you mean? Her guilt has been proven without any room left for doubt. There is nothing you can do to change the outcome." He paused for a moment and then suddenly leaned forward, his insidious voice washing over the great hall like a wave: "Well. Unless, of course…" Changing Star looked at him with dark resolve and lowered her chin stubbornly. Then, she said: "I want to invoke the right of challenge." ReadNovelFull.me?
293	Chapter 293 The Challenge An echoing silence fell on the great hall of the ancient castle. The fateful words had been spoken, and now there was no turning back. For better or for worse. Gunlaug tilted his head and stayed quiet for a few moments. Then, the sound of his laughter rolled over the crowd. "The right of challenge? Oh, that old thing. You are awfully fond of that tradition, it seems. Not even a full year since you have arrived under my roof, and I had the pleasure of hearing you say those words twice. Insolent girl…" He paused for a few moments and then leaned forward. His voice suddenly turned cold, full of dark undertones. "To be honest, I am very tired of your insolence, Changing Star." Before Nephis could answer, the Bright Lord suddenly rose from his throne, towering above the crowd like a statue cast from pure gold. Then, he took a leisurely step forward and began descending the stairs of the dais. With each step, the sound of his serpentine voice resounded, growing lower and lower, until it turned into a fiendish, wrathful growl. "Your little games were fun at first, but the more I observed your clumsy attempts at playing the hero, the more disgusted I became. I couldn't believe how naive, self-righteous, and stupid you turned out to be. It made me sick. It made me want to do things that I promised myself to never do again. Ah, I expected better from the daughter of the Immortal Flame! To disappoint me so thoroughly…" His growl reverberated through the great hall and then abruptly disappeared. A moment later, Gunlaug suddenly threw his head back and laughed brightly. ReadNovelFull.me "Oh, but then it hit me! I was such a fool. You fooled me so beautifully! Brilliantly done, Changing Star. Please, do accept my compliment! After I saw the real you, ah, it was such a joy to watch your performances." He left the stairs and stepped on the marble floor of the throne room. The crowd of the Castle inhabitants parted in front of him, people hurrying to get as far away from the oppressive aura of the golden armor as they could. The Bright Lord sighed. "It's such a shame that all of this will has to stop now. You see… while I can't help but applaud your effort, in the end, you still turned out to be just another fool." He glanced at Effie and asked, his voice full of mockery: "A challenge? I don't think it's your place to demand such a thing. You are not the one accused of the crime, after all. If someone has to invoke the right of challenge, it should be Effie herself. Don't you think?" Nephis gritted her teeth, struggling to remain poised under the a.s.sault of the psychic pressure. Refusing to turn away from the polished mirror of the Bright Lord's face, she said: "...It's just like one of your minions said. I am responsible for the actions of my people. Any crime they commit… is my crime." Gunlaug watched her, his expression hidden. Neph's pale face was reflected in his mask, staring back at her with merciless grey eyes. After a while, he spoke: "Sound logic. Who are you going to challenge, then?" She hesitated for a few moments, then said steadily: "Whoever it was that pa.s.sed the guilty verdict." The Bright Lord chuckled. "Oh? But by the same logic... that would be me." She smiled darkly and glared at him, white flames dancing in her eyes. "Then you are the one I challenge!" Her words resounded in the great hall, sending hundreds of people gathered there into a state of stunned shock. \\\* 'So, this is it.' Sunny looked at the crowd of stunned people, mentally separating them into two groups. Those who were going to be a threat and those who were not. Regardless of how the fight between Nephis and Gunlaug ended, the small enclave of humans living in the Dark City was going to descend into utter chaos. If Changing Star was killed, her followers would make her into a martyr and go insane. The Host would not just let them off, either. If the Bright Lord fell… No matter how much of a b.a.s.t.a.r.d Gunlaug was, he was also the glue that held this whole place together. Without a tyrant enforcing some semblance of order, no matter how ghoulish, things would get really ugly really fast. Who was going to stop the Nightmare Creatures from wiping the humans out then? In any case, there was going to be a bloodbath. But he was done worrying about these matters. In the upcoming mayhem, Sunny's goals were very simple. Remain alive. Protect Nephis. Make sure that she becomes the new tyrant of the Dark City. ...So that she could carve the way back to reality for a few lucky survivors. If she doesn't die right here and now, of course. In the silence that enveloped the great hall, the Bright Lord laughed and tilted his head, staring at Changing Star from behind his golden mask. Then, he said: "How audacious! I wonder what gives you the confidence to dare challenge me. Various people have tried to kill me, you know. I have a little hobby, actually — collecting their skulls. Come to think of it, your pretty head would look really well in my collection." Suddenly, he raised a hand and gestured to his forehead: "Don't tell me… don't tell me that it's all because of that little toy that you took off the First Lord's corpse? Oh, no! That would be terrible. You didn't really think that one powerful Memory would be enough to defeat me?" Nephis lingered for a while, glaring at Gunlaug. Then, she said evenly: "My bare hands would be enough to defeat a worm like you. The Memory is just to make it quicker." Gunlaug stared at her for a moment, and then chuckled. "Great! This is great! Such spirit! I will really enjoy breaking you, Changing Star. When this done." He flexed his shoulders and said, his voice sending shivers into the hearts of hundreds of people gathered in the hall: "Alright. I accept your challenge." ReadNovelFull.me?
294	Chapter 294 Song of Steel The great hall of the Bright Castle grew silent and still. However, that stillness was not tranquil, but like a predator that fell low to the ground, ready to explode into a violent lunge to tear its prey apart. The Sleepers pressed themselves against the walls, giving Changing Star and the Bright Lord s.p.a.ce for their battle. Effie was dragged away from the middle of the hall by two Guards, and now, there was nothing but emptiness separating the two fighters. From one side of the hall, the five lieutenants — Gemma, Tessai, Kido, Seishan, and Harus — were looking at their master with complicated emotions. On the other side of it, Kai, Caster, and the leaders of the outer settlement hunting parties were doing the same. Ca.s.sie was also there, her hand resting on the hilt of the Quiet Dancer. There was a grim, somber expression on her beautiful face. Sunny glanced at the blind girl, and then turned to the center of the throne room. Two people were standing opposite each other there. One was a tall man encased in a strange golden carapace that followed the lines of his mighty body. The other was a young woman in an elegant plate armor forged of white metal. There was a subtle similarity between them. Both were emanating a striking, compelling sense of power and confidence that very few people ever possessed. Both were fearsome and deadly. Both were at the apex of their kind. However, this was where the similarity ended. 'This… doesn't not look good,' Sunny thought, evaluating the two fighters. ReadNovelFull.me He knew better than anyone what Nephis was capable of, but even then, the sight of her facing Gunlaug made a deep scowl appear on her face. The Bright Lord was much taller than her and weighed probably twice as much as Changing Star. He was stronger, had longer reach, and much more experience in slaughtering people. That was not even considering that d.a.m.ned golden armor of his. Even with the miraculous augmentation of the Dawn Shard, Neph's silver sword could barely be considered at the same power level as an Ascended weapon would have been. That was still a whole rank below Gunlaug's strange Echo. Trying to break through that armor was going to be as hard as cracking the sh.e.l.l of a carapace centurion with a sword forged from mundane steel. Incredibly hard, if not impossible. And unlike the carapace of a scavenger, the golden Echo did not seem to have a weak spot. At that moment, sparks of light appeared in the air in front of Changing Star. The silver longsword appeared in her hand, and she pointed it to the ground… for now. 'What weapon is that b.a.s.t.a.r.d going to use?' That would decide a lot. Sunny was sure that Gunlaug possessed an a.r.s.enal of powerful Memory weapons... but how powerful were they exactly? He glanced at the Bright Lord, expecting to see the same sparks swirling around his hands. However, there was none. Instead, the liquid gold flowed forward and a.s.sumed the shape of a heavy battle axe, which Gunlaug then grasped and leisurely put on his shoulder. The polished mirror of his mask reflected the slight frown that appeared on Neph's face. 'Dammit.' The weapon the Bright Lord was going to use was also a part of his Echo, and as such, possessed the quality of a Transcended weapon. It was going to cut through the Starlight Legion Armor without much effort. 'This is even worse than I imagined…' As Sunny gritted his teeth, Gunlaug said in a serpentine, insidious voice: "Any last words, Changing Star?" Nephis tilted her head a little and remained silent for a while. Her helmet weaved itself from strings of light, hiding her face completely, with only calm grey eyes visible through the crack of the visor. Finally, she answered with only one word, her usually even voice full of furious contempt: "...Traitor." A wave of whispers spread through the crowd. People were guessing what exactly she meant by that, but Sunny suspected that he was the only one who knew. Neph wasn't accusing Gunlaug of betraying his fellow humans or causing the deaths of numerous young men and women. She was accusing him of betraying the true duty of the Awakened and submitting to the Nightmare Spell instead of fighting it to the bitter end. In her mind, that was a far greater crime. The only crime, even. The Bright Lord laughed. "That's too bad. I heard that one before…" And then, without wasting even a fraction of a second, he suddenly exploded forward in a terrifying, lightning-fast lunge. ReadNovelFull.me The shift between peace and violence was so instant and swift that most people gathered in the great hall did not even realize what was happening until a few moments later. With each of Gunlaug's strides, the floor of the throne room shook a little. He flew at Nephis like a furious giant made of gold, swinging his battle axe with both incredible agility and horrible force. She barely reacted in time, shifting her body and raising the sword to deflect the killing blow to the side. However, then something unexpected happened. The shaft of the battle axe suddenly elongated, the liquid gold comprising it flowing forward to a.s.sume a new shape. As a result, her deflection ended up being almost useless. With an awkward stagger, Changing Star reeled back. The very edge of the battle axe's blade bit into the helmet of the Starlight Legion Armor and effortlessly cleaved through it, leaving a shallow cut on her cheek. In the next moment, Gunlaug's foot crashed into her ribs, sending the young woman flying through the air. Nephis landed in a roll and used one hand to stop herself from sliding on the marble floor. As drops of blood fell from beneath her helmet, merciless white flames ignited in her eyes. A moment later, she jumped forward and met the onslaught of the Bright Lord with an equal amount of fury. The deadly song of clashing steel resounded in the ancient hall... Like a promise of much greater bloodshed yet to come. ReadNovelFull.me?
295	Chapter 295 The Duel The breastplate of Neph's armor cracked from the force of Gunlaug's blow and there was blood streaming from beneath her helmet, but that didn't slow Changing Star one bit. Jumping forward to meet the Bright Lord's a.s.sault, she dodged the blade of the battle axe, twisted, and tried to deliver a strike of her own. A furious clangor of metal exploded in the silence of the great hall, both fighters moving with incredible speed, precision, and skill. In a span of several seconds, they exchanged numerous blows, but each was either deflected, dodged, or blocked. This terrifying clash was not at all like Sunny had imagined. There was nothing elegant, graceful, or elevated about it — all there was was barbarous violence and cruel brutality, each of the fighters doing everything in their power to break, cripple and kill their opponent. Their voices sounded like that of wild beasts, partially from the incredible strain of the duel, but also to let out the suffocating bloodl.u.s.t and murderous intent that were drowning their minds. That was not to say that any one of them had lost control of their thoughts and actions. Both were cold-blooded killers and knew how to remain calm in the throes of the most terrible rage. A few seconds later, Gunlaug and Nephis disengaged and staggered away from each other, letting the spectators draw in shaky breaths. The Bright Lord's golden armor was pristine and unscathed. Nephis, however, had several b.l.o.o.d.y cuts on her body, the black material encompa.s.sing it torn and ripped. Another crack appeared on one of her pauldrons. She glanced at it briefly and then indifferently turned back to watch her enemy. Everyone in the throne room, in one way or another, was thinking about the same thing, a cold and sickening feeling slowly spreading through their chests. How would they fare in such a fight themselves? The answer was simple — they would have been long dead, eviscerated in mere seconds by one of these awesome fighters. ReadNovelFull.me Everyone felt death breathing down their necks. Among all the people watching their fight, however, there were two who observed Changing Star's every move with a special kind of attention. They were Sunny and Caster. Their reasons were studying how Nephis fought were entirely different, but also almost the same. …Just a second of rest, and the two fighters lunged at each other once again. This time, however, their behavior was different. The first clash was just a test to gauge what the enemy was capable of. Now, they were not holding anything back, throwing everything they had at the enemy. At least that was how it seemed. Changing Star's sword suddenly flashed with brilliant radiance. Removing one hand from the hilt, she grasped the incandescent blade with her armored gauntlet at the middle to better control its tip and raised it to shoulder level. With Gunlaug's ability to change the length of his weapon at will and almost impregnable armor, this grip was more advantageous. The Bright Lord absorbed the battle axe back into his armor. Then, two straight blades grew out of his forearms, creating weapons that resembled long, heavy punching daggers. They clashed once again, this time with even more fury. The people pressing themselves into the walls of the throne room trembled. Nephis seemed to abandon a lot of her defense, willing to take much bigger risks to obliterate the enemy. The reach of her sword was much shorter now, but the silver blade also grew much more agile and unpredictable. Gunlaug's daggers were a true menace to resist, however. They flew at her from all sides, either in tandem or in a staggered rhythm, making it hard for the young woman to predict and deflect each blow. But she wasn't trying to. Changing Star seemed willing to receive many shallow wounds to get a chance to land a strike on her opponent. More b.l.o.o.d.y lacerations appeared on her body, the Starlight Legion Armor barely holding together. But she achieved her goal, in the end. Catching one of Gunlaug's daggers between the blade of her sword and her body, she forcefully twisted the sword sideways and caused him to turn his torso. Then, Nephis sidestepped and suddenly appeared behind the Bright Lord, with a fraction of a second left before he could turn around and defend himself. Her incandescent sword finished its arc high above her head, and, changing back to the standard grip, she brought it down with all her strength on Gunlaug's shoulder. The radiant white blade flashed through the air and bit into the golden armor. ...And then, it slid fruitlessly off its bright surface, not leaving even a scratch on it. 'd.a.m.n it all!' In the next moment, Gunlaug threw the sword to the side with one arm and delivered a terrifying blow with the other, his dagger aimed at Neph's face. She managed to turn her head at the last moment, avoiding instant death, but was still caught by the enemy's fist. The impact was so strong that Changing Star was thrown backward several meters. The helmet had shattered completely, revealing a pale, bloodied face, with bits of metal piercing the skin. She rolled several times and came to a stop, then rose to her feet with some effort. The white flames dimmed a little, and there was a dark, disoriented emotion in her eyes. The gem of the Dawn Shard shone gently right above them, illuminating Neph's wounded face. A moment later, she dismissed what little remained of the helmet and stared at Gunlaug with resentment, blood running from the cuts on her cheeks. The Bright Lord laughed and made a step toward Changing Star, his voice echoing under the roof of the great hall like a death sentence. "What? That was all?" Nephis did not answer. Instead, she placed both hands on the blade of her sword, holding it with its hilt and crossguard up, like a makeshift mace. The radiance of the silver sword spread to encompa.s.s all of it. But it didn't stop there. Sunny opened his eyes wide. 'What?!' The furious white flames spread from the sword to Changing Star's hands, her arms, and then devoured her figure completely. But they weren't burning in the white, cracked metal of the Starlight Legion Armor. Instead, the brilliant radiance was emanating from her skin. ReadNovelFull.me?
296	Chapter 296 Creature of Light Sunny stared at the shining figure in front of him, a myriad of thoughts appearing in his mind. With her skin emanating blinding white radiance, Nephis looked beautiful and pure, as though untouched by the imperfections of the mundane world. Wreathed in light, she was like a heavenly angel that descended into the mortal realm. The sight of it was both breathtaking and terrifying. …It was also eerily similar to the image of the radiant creature he had seen on the walls of the ancient mine. Especially with the gem of the Dawn Shard burning on Neph's forehead like a third eye. But that wasn't what gave Sunny pause. 'How is possible?!' But then, why wouldn't it be possible? At the start of their journey, he had guessed that Changing Star's Aspect was of the Divine rank, just like his. Her powers seemed to be able to either augment Memories or heal, while his own could be used to scout, enhance Memories, or augment Sunny himself. Because Nephis had never used the white flames to achieve that last effect, he had a.s.sumed that she was incapable of doing so, and thus her Aspect, while powerful, was less versatile. But augmenting herself was exactly what Neph was doing right now. Sunny knew it instantly — she wrapped her body in light just like he had wrapped his own body in the shadow countless times. With this enhancement, her physical prowess had to grow exponentially. ReadNovelFull.me Had she always been capable of doing so and hid that facet of her Aspect intentionally, or was this something she learned how to do only after growing more powerful and absorbing hundreds upon hundreds of soul shards in the Labyrinth? That question was going to remain unanswered, at least for now. Because the battle between Changing Star and the Bright Lord was far from over. Just like Sunny suspected, with her body wreathed in light, Nephis suddenly became much stronger and faster. If before she was visibly weaker and slower than Gunlaug, even if not by much, now, it seemed the other way around. She dashed toward the enemy, batted away one of the daggers, and delivered a crushing blow right to the polished mirror mask. This time, there was a slight mark left on the surface of the golden armor by her sword. The two of them became locked in a ferocious battle, dozens of attacks flying at each fighter. The clangor of metal grew in volume, turning into an almost deafening cacophony. Changing Star was fighting with abandon, more and more wounds acc.u.mulating on her radiant body. However, she also managed to land several more blows, each striking at the golden mirror of the Bright Lord's face. Slowly, a hint of a crack started to appear on its surface. Sunny also noticed that her wounds weren't healing. It seemed as if Nephis was only capable to support two effects at the same time — one augmenting her sword, the other her body. To summon the healing power of the white flame, she had to sacrifice one or the other. But she was unwilling to. A few moments later, it seemed as though Gunlaug was slowly starting to lose ground. His enemy was just too fast, powerful, and ferocious. More and more strikes landed on the golden armor, and although it seemed to hold, for now, it was clear that the continuous blows were taking a toll on both the Bright Lord and his Echo. …However, the Golden Serpent had a few tricks up his sleeve, too. When the momentum of the fight began to favor Nephis, he suddenly chuckled and turned his face to catch her reflection in the mirror mask. A second later, the sound of m.u.f.fled groans could be heard escaping from the mouths of hundreds of people. The psychic pressure emanated by the Bright Lord suddenly increased manyfold, throwing some people to the ground and making others stagger. Sunny saw blood flowing from people's noses, eyes, and mouths. He himself also felt it and greeted his teeth, struggling to remain standing. He almost failed. Changing Star, who was at the center and the true target of the mental a.s.sault, let out a pained yelp and staggered. …That was the moment when Gunlaug stepped forward and stabbed her through the chest with one of his daggers. As the long blade pierced the lithe body of the young woman and exited from her back, he said in a calm and friendly voice: "There, there. That's enough. Go die now, stupid girl." Then, he twisted the dagger, making her scream once again. Nephis stared at him, blood flowing from her mouth. Then, she raised her sword and hit him in the face with the pommel, again and again, until a small crack finally appeared on the surface of the mirror mask. But the crushing wave of mental pressure did not go away. Instead, it only increased. Gunalug laughed. "Are you done? No? Well, let me help you then…" His second daughter flashed through the air, slashing Nephis across the wrist. With the tendons cut, the silver sword fell from her hand, its radiance dimming. Nephis used her other hand to push the Bright Lord away and slid off the blade of the dagger, then staggered away, eventually falling to her knees. The white radiance emanated from her body grew brighter, and the wound on her body began to heal. A low groan escaped from her lips. Gunalug approached the kneeling young woman, laughing. "Did you think I wouldn't know about that little trick of yours? Go ahead and heal. See where it gets you." With that, he grabbed her by the neck and stabbed her again, reopening the terrible wound that had just closed once again. "How's that? Come one, heal it again!" With a ferocious growl, he continued stabbing her, over and over, his hand quickly becoming painted red with blood. "Oh, this is really fun! But a bit tiring. How about I just cut off your pretty head right now and end this?" Nephis spat some blood and turned her head to face him. And then she… closed her eyes. Back when they had first arrived in the Dark City, Sunny had noticed that Ca.s.sie wasn't affected by the psychic pressure of the golden armor at all. From that, he deduced that the source of the mental a.s.sault was not the armor itself, but the golden mirror of its face — or, to be exact, seeing your reflection in it. After returning from the Castle, he had shared that insight with Nephis. It seemed that she remembered it. With her eyes closed, Changing Star raised her hands and grabbed the Bright Lord that was strangling her by the shoulders. Then, she used her whole body to deliver a devastating blow to his face, the gem of the Crown of Dawn hitting Gunalug right where his nose should have been. Finally, the surface of the golden mirror cracked and shattered. Through the small breah, a blue eye full of murderous joy was revealed. Shocked by the sudden blow, Gunlaug staggered away. "You b.i.t.c.h!" The daggers were instantly absorbed into the golden armor, replaced by the heavy battle axe again. …But he didn't get the chance to use it. With her eyes still closed, Nephis swiftly turn to the sound of his voice. Then, she raised her hand, opened her fist… and blew on it. In the next moment, a cloud of red sand shot from her palm and enveloped Gunlaug. Sunny stared at it in shock, an expression of sudden recognition appearing on his face. He knew the look at that cloud all too well. It wasn't sand. It was the Blood Flower pollen. ReadNovelFull.me?
297	Chapter 297 Red Flower The red cloud enveloped Gunlaug, seeping through the crack in his helmet. A second too late to react, the Bright Lord reeled away… but not before inhaling the pollen of the nightmarish flower. Sunny didn't know when and how Nephis had gotten it, but he knew that he wasn't mistaken — this was the pollen of the Blood Flower, the grisly parasitic blossom that he himself had the misfortune of inhaling once, a long time ago. The memory of the bloodthirsty red flowers growing through his lungs sent shivers through Sunny's entire body. Back then, the only reason for why he had not become a host for the insidious Nightmare Creature was because of the Blood Weave. Without it, he would have been devoured from the inside in mere minutes. …And now, the Bright Lord was going to fall to the same fate. 'She… she really did it…' The rest of the Sleepers gathered in the great hall did not know that Gunlaug was already as good as dead, however. Including the tyrant himself. Bending over in a fit of violent coughing, he growled: "What? What have you done to me, b.i.t.c.h?!" Nephis was still where he had dropped her, kneeling on the floor. Her armor was shattered and torn, with rivers of blood streaming down the cracked white metal. The brilliant radiance of her skin had been extinguished, but there were incandescent flames burning under it. ReadNovelFull.me The horrible wounds on her chest were slowly closing, and the lacerations on her face were already gone, leaving it just as perfect as it had been before. That face, however, was bloodied and pale, contorted in an expression of terrible agony. In her eyes, however, there was dark malice. A chorus of whispers rolled through the crowd when they witnessed the ghastly wounds healing themselves. Be it the members of the Host or the slum dwellers, all of them had two words on their lips: "Immortal Flame!" "Immortal Flame!" And then someone shouted, their voice full of stunned awe: "This… this is the blessing of the fire!" Deaf to all of it, Changing Star moaned and slowly rose to her feet. Then, she struggled to look at the Bright Lord and said, her voice shaking from pain: "I... I killed you." Through the crack in the golden mask, Sunny saw Gunlaug's blue eye first narrow, and then suddenly open wide. In the next moment, the Bright Lord began coughing again. This time, a suppressed scream escaped from his lips. '...It's about to start.' Sunny shifted a little, subtly positioning himself closer to Caster. Gunlaug, meanwhile, staggered and groaned. There was blood dripping from beneath his broken mask. Then, a shaky laugh resounded in the throne room of the ancient castle. "Ah… did you really? What a… surprise…" He dropped his battle axe, which then turned into a puddle of liquid gold and merged with the strange armor. He took a step toward Nephis, but then swayed and fell to one knee. For a few moments, the Bright Lord remained motionless. Then, his body convulsed, more blood spilling through the cracks in the visor of his golden helmet. A m.u.f.fled scream could be heard once again, full of torturous pain. Hundreds of people were watching him, stunned, their eyes full of disbelief, anger, and terror. The Bright Lord raised his head and glanced at Nephis, then hissed: "What a… joke! I can't… can't die like this!" Changing Star looked down on him, her face cold and motionless. There was no triumph or gloating in her eyes ReadNovelFull.me. But there was also no mercy. Turning away, she hesitated for a moment and then said, her voice strangely gentle: "...Rest easy now. Your nightmare is over." Gunlaug stared at her in disbelief, and then suddenly laughed. There was a disturbing, gurgling sound coming from somewhere deep in his throat, as though he was drowning in blood. "Good… this is too good. Yours is… only starting, though…" With that, he slowly rose and then turned away. Swaying, the Bright Lord took one step forward, then another. The crowd watched silently as he arduously made his way to the steps that led to the throne of white marble and climbed them, blood spilling from the cracks in his helmet, his golden armor flowing and swirling around his body in a state that resembled panic. Finally, Gunlaug reached the dais and fell on his throne, looking down on the great hall of the ancient castle with a strange, wistful expression. Then, he strained to say something, but became twisted in a violent coughing fit instead. In the end, he just whispered a few almost inaudible words and leaned on the back of the throne, his body relaxing. Sunny was perhaps the only one who had heard him, due to the fact that his shadow was hiding in the darkness of the alcove all along. "I... tried. In the beginning… I really did…" This was what Gunlaug had whispered. And then, he grew still. The Bright Lord of the Dark City was dead. Sunny knew it instantly because of the fact that the terrible psychic aura pressing him to the ground suddenly disappeared, letting all the people around him move and breathe free. Knowing what was about to come, he glanced at the far end of the great hall one last time. A corpse in golden armor was sitting on the throne, a beautiful red blossom appearing from the crack in his polished mask. A few moments later, the armor suddenly shined with white light and then disintegrated into countless sparks, revealing the man who had ruled this cursed place for many years with an iron fist. Gunlaug was surprisingly handsome. Even though his face was covered in blood, it was easy to tell. He had a short beard and long blond hair. One of his eyes was gone, eaten through by the Blood Flower, and the other was quickly turning gla.s.sy. What surprised Sunny the most, though, was how young he looked. It was hard to imagine the Bright Lord as anything but powerful and ageless, but in fact, he was no older than twenty-seven. Somehow, Sunny had forgotten that fact. '...Kids. All of us here are just lost kids.' He didn't waste too much time thinking about that, though. Because in the next few moment, Tessai, who had been staring at his dead lord with his usual morose expression, turned around and looked at the crowd of slum dwellers, then at the members of the Host. The giant lingered for a second and then said, his deep, dark voice reverberating through the ancient hall: "...What are you waiting for? Kill them all." And then, everything descended into madness. ReadNovelFull.me?
298	Chapter 298 Fire and Blood The first Guard to follow Tessai's order lunged forward, summoning his weapon… and fell to the ground, a heavy kunai suddenly appearing in his eye. Due to the everyone's attention being drawn to the bloodied figure on the throne, no one noticed as Sunny moved his hand slightly, letting the Prowling Thorn fly. He wasn't looking at Gunlaug, though. His eyes were drawn to Nephis, while his shadow watched Caster. When the Bright Lord died, something strange happened to Changing Star. Her eyes opened wide, losing focus, and then she swayed a little and fell to one knee. Her body was busy rearranging itself after absorbing a huge amount of soul essence, which made Nephis vulnerable for a few moments. That was when Tessai had given his order, and that was when Sunny threw his kunai and killed the Guard rushing to attack the slum dwellers. Someone screamed, and in the next moment, the great hall of the Castle descended into chaos. Unnoticed by anyone, Caster suddenly turned into a blur. 'Not so fast!' ReadNovelFull.me Sunny was thrown of his feet and awkwardly fell, his wrist screaming in pain. He had achieved his goal, though: even while falling, he saw the proud Legacy rolling on the marble floor, tripped by the invisible string of the Prowling Thorn. A second later, hundreds of Sleepers clashed against each other, their suppressed rage, bloodl.u.s.t, and murderous resentment finally exploding into a storm of violence. The white marble was instantly painted red with blood. The Guards slaughtered indiscriminately, their powerful Memory armaments and training giving them a vast advantage over the disorganized crowd of slum dwellers. But they weren't killing just those who came from the outer settlement: in the panic and havoc that engulfed the throne room, differentiating friend from foe was not an easy task. Sunny saw several Artisan a.s.sistants fall to their blades, as well as a few unlucky people who had paid a heavy tribute in exchange for the promise of safety. With Gunlaug gone, that safety was now gone, too. It almost seemed as though the Guards didn't care who they killed, or were even glad to be let off the chain. Even if there were those among them who had preserved some vestiges of conscience, now, it was utterly gone, devoured by the crowd instinct and the exhilaration of being free from all restraints. Their faces were contorted with ferocious grimaces, and their eyes burned with rage, hatred, and tenebrous joy. This was perhaps the most disturbing and frightening thing that Sunny had ever seen… and he had seen some of the most chilling horrors the Dream Realm had to offer. 'How can humans do this to other humans?' But that question was moot, and also hypocritical. Humans were indeed the most adaptable of creatures. When they needed to, they were easily able to devoid their victims of the status of a human being, thus absolving themselves of any guilt or sin. Why feel guilty for slaughtering cattle? Creatures worse than cattle, even. Hateful pests. Sunny had practiced that simple mind trick himself in the past. These thoughts only took him a fraction of a second. Jumping to his feet, Sunny summoned the Midnight Shard and dashed toward Nephis. The slum dwellers, meanwhile, came to their senses and met the a.s.sault of the Host with as much fury and bloodl.u.s.t. Even though they were less experienced, well-fed, and armed, their resolve and exalted fury made up for that. "Protect Lady Nephis!" "Kill the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" "Judgment!" The two forces clashed, eviscerating anyone who had the misfortune of being stuck between them. Screams of terror and pain filled the great hall. The floor turned slippery with blood, and dead bodies piled on it, staring into emptiness with wide eyes. Sunny saw the scarred hunter from before dive under the strike of a young Guard and drive the tip of his sword into the enemy's throat. He saw several Hunters of the Host lunge at Effie, who had easily tore the rope that bound her arms and met them with a ferocious grin, the beautiful bronze spear weaving itself from sparks of light in her hands. He saw Tessai crushing a random Sleeper's skull with a heavy mace. The poor youth was only guilty of getting in his way. He saw people screaming in fear as they tried to flee the hall. Many fell on the floor, and were then crushed under the feet of the panicking crowd… The problem was, he didn't see Caster. Arriving near Nephis, Sunny batted someone's sword away and then punched his opponent in the face, causing him to fly back with a pained scream. He looked around, trying to notice the proud Legacy, his mind cold and collected… And there, he saw him. Caster may have had plans to kill Changing Star at the moment of her weakness, but thanks to Sunny's subtle intervention, he had lost that chance. Now, the Legacy had bigger problems on his plate. With the enchanted jian in his hand, he was fighting none other than Gemma, the leader of the Hunters. No matter how strong and skilled Caster was, this was not an opponent that would go down easily, if at all. He couldn't extricate himself from that fight without risking being killed. '...Well. That problem seems to be solved.' But now, there was another. Much bigger one. Back at the steps leading up to the white throne, Harus was standing with his back turned to the slaughter below, a strangely disoriented expression frozen on his face. Sunny could see his face because the shadow never left the darkness of the alcove, watching the dreadful hunchback's every move. Harus was staring at Gunlaug's dead body, his gla.s.sy eyes confused and empty. But then, slowly, a hint of a dark and deadly emotion appeared in them. Turning around, he studied the great hall, not disturbed even a little by the b.l.o.o.d.y chaos, the clangor of steel, and the scores of people dying in front of him. And then, his gaze fell on Nephis. 'c.r.a.p.' At that moment, both Kai and Ca.s.sie appeared by Sunny's side. Turning to them, he gestured to Changing Star and yelled: "Protect her!" At the dais, Harus tilted his head, piercing Changing Star with a murderous gaze. Slowly, his face contorted, turning b.e.s.t.i.a.l and terrifying. Pure hatred and insanity burned in his eyes, making anyone who accidentally glanced in his direction shudder. With a low growl, the hunchback took a step forward and outstretched his hand, ready to summon a weapon. …But in the next moment, someone crashed into him at full speed. Even though Harus had dodged the flying blade at the last moment, the force of the impact was such that both men flew back, into the darkness behind the throne. Breaking through a wooden hatch that was hidden there, Sunny and Harus rolled down a long flight of stone stairs and left the havoc of the great hall behind. A few moments later, they landed on the floor of a wide corridor and were thrown away from each other. Sunny twisted his body to regain his balance and used the Midnight Shard to stop himself from sliding even farther away. Then, he rose to his feet and looked darkly at Harus, who were similarly just standing up. A cold glint appeared in his eyes. Just like Sunny had expected… today, one of them was going to die. ReadNovelFull.me?
299	Chapter 299 Twisted Reflection Out in the great hall of the ancient castle, the air was full of screams and clangor of steel, with rivers of blood being spilled on the white marble floor. But in the wide corridor Sunny and Harus had found themselves in, the havoc that reigned above seemed m.u.f.fled and distant. It was just the two of them here. Picking up the Midnight Shard from the cold stones, Sunny flexed his shoulders and looked at the hunchback. There was a dark, icy fire burning deep within his eyes. "...How wonderful. We are finally alone." The hunchback tilted his head and stared at him with his gla.s.sy eyes, not saying anything. A slight smile appeared on Sunny's lips. "What, no reaction? Well, fair enough. Allow me to introduce myself, then. My name is Sunny… and I've been craving to kill you for a long, long time." Harus remained motionless, looking at him with the same indifferent, bored expression. A hint of anger appeared on Sunny's face. Taking a subtle step sideways and slightly turning his torso, he said in a casual tone: "To tell you the truth, Harus, I have killed many monsters. Some of them were Nightmare Creatures, and some were men. I killed a person or two, as well. But I have never done it out of malice. I've never enjoyed it… too much." He paused and then spat, his voice shaking: ReadNovelFull.me "But I will enjoy killing you." Sunny grasped the hilt of the Midnight Shard with both hands and took a step forward, piercing the hunchback with a furious gaze. "You embody everything that I despise. The mere fact of your existence offends me. You sicken me, and for that reason alone I am going to end you. You don't deserve to live." Harus blinked and continued staring at him, motionless. Sunny stopped a few meters away and snarled, frustrated at the lack of response. "Do you have any idea what I had to do, what I had to sacrifice, how many things I had to let go of to save myself from becoming someone's slave? And here you are... living as one of your own free will… b.a.s.t.a.r.d, what gives you the right? Who gave you the idea that you can breathe the same air as I do?!" The hunchback finally showed a sign that he had heard Sunny. With a slightly irritated expression, he shook his head and said: "Talk, talk, talk. You talk too much, little worm." Sunny grinned. A dangerous spark appeared in his eyes: "Yeah? Well, what are you going to do about it?" Harus smiled, too. His smile was cold, unnatural, and frightening. "Break you. Apart. You will have to die, anyway. All of you will." Sunny raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? Why is that?" The hunchback shrugged and outstretched his hand. Weaved from the sparks of light, a heavy chain appeared from the air, wrapped around his arm from wrist to elbow. Then, he grimaced and straightened his back as much as his deformity allowed him. Before, he seemed to be of the same height as Sunny. But now, Harus towered above him almost as much as Tessai had, his twisted figure radiating a sense of vicious, b.e.s.t.i.a.l power. As two menacing lights ignited in his pale eyes, he growled: "Because this is the will of the Lord." Sunny laughed. "Lord? The Bright Lord? I don't want to disappoint you, fool, but your lord is dead." Harus stared at him with sincere confusion. Then, a corner of his lips curled upward. With something that almost resembled pity, he said: "Poor worm. You don't even understand what loyalty means, do you? Alive or dead… it doesn't matter." Sunny snarled. "You're right! I don't understand." Finally, he raised his sword and prepared to attack. "You know… I spent so much time trying to learn what your Aspect Ability and Flaw are. But now, I am glad that I don't know. I don't want to kill you using a trick. I just want to obliterate you…" Harus listened to him. A mocking grin appeared on his lips. …And then, Sunny suddenly became blind. \\\* A moment before, Sunny was looking at the hateful figure of the fearsome hunchback. Then, suddenly, his sight was gone, replaced by nothing except for boundless darkness. 'Wh…' Almost immediately, a monstrous blow sent him flying back. Sunny hit the wall of the corridor and then fell to the floor, leaving a trail of blood on the cold stones. His bones groaned, but held together, if barely. Harus, who had hit him in the chest with a fist, the heavy chain wrapped around his knuckles, lunged forward with terrible speed, aiming to crush the enemy's skull under his boot. His movements were swift and utterly silent. To his surprise, though, the little wretch somehow managed to roll away and jump back, avoiding death by a hair's breadth. Sunny slid backward and rose to his feet, blindly swinging the Midnight Shard in a wide arc in front of him. The blade of the tachi missed the murderous hunchback entirely, but bought him a second to gather himself. Not that it was going to help. He was still blind. 'Of course… it all makes sense now.' Sunny finally unraveled the mystery surrounding Harus. He understood why so many Sleepers, no matter how skilled and with no regard to the might of their Aspect Abilities, had been somehow rendered powerless and easily slaughtered by Gunalug's executioner. He also understood why there were no witnesses to the countless murders that Harus had committed. No one had ever seen him killing his victims — their bodies were always found only after the slaughter was over. It was not because the terrifying hunchback was able to move like a ghost or possessed such great power that no one could even try to resist it. …It was because his Aspect Ability could literally make people not see him. Or anything, for that matter. It didn't matter how skilled or mighty his opponents were. Once they were blind, all their technique and Abilities were made useless. Killing a blind person was an easy task. It also did not matter if someone was there to see Harus kill — as long as he wanted, he would remain unseen for as long as he wished. That's how the legend of the horrifying butcher was born. People were always more afraid of things that they couldn't see, after all. Sunny spat a mouthful of blood and grimaced. It was nice to reveal another secret. The question was… would he be able to survive knowing the truth? ReadNovelFull.me?
300	Chapter 300 Bright Lord's Slave By a twist of fate, today, Harus was facing possibly the worst opponent he could have faced on the Forgotten Sh.o.r.e… among the Sleepers, at least. However, Sunny wasn't surprised. He had always felt that he and the murderous hunchback were destined to end up fighting each other to the bitter end. Before, he had thought that this was just intuition, but now he knew that his occasional and subtle premonitions were anything but random. All that time ago, he had already sensed that the two of them were connected by a string of fate. Was it such a surprise, then, that his Aspect happened to counter that of Harus to large extent? And it did counter it, although not completely. If anyone else was in Sunny's place, they would have been already dead. Robbed of their sight, very few people — if anyone at all — could have resisted the furious a.s.sault of the terrifyingly strong hunchback. But Sunny wasn't just anyone. Even while blind, he had Shadow Sense on his side. While it wasn't the same as being able to see Harus, by sensing the movements of his shadow, Sunny was able to predict his attacks with at least some level of precision. It wasn't perfect, though. At least he had not reached the level where this form of perception could fully replace vision. ReadNovelFull.me So, now, Sunny had a choice to make. While his shadow was wrapped around his body, it gave him an incredible boost in strength, speed, and endurance. It wasn't able to provide him with a second pair of eyes, however. So he could either continue to rely solely on Shadow Sense and keep this boost, or let the shadow go and fight Harus with just his own strength while being able to see. 'Decisions, decisions…' Sensing the hunched shadow of the murderous butcher lunge forward, Sunny dodged left and heard something whistle past his temple with terrible speed. A fraction of a second later, and his skull would have been crushed by the links of the iron chain wrapped around his enemy's fist. He missed the hunchback's other hand, though. His wrist was suddenly caught in an iron grip and twisted, forcing Sunny to yelp and let go of the Midnight Shard. Another second, and his bones were going to shatter… Following the direction of the twist, Sunny performed an aerial cartwheel to save his arm and reluctantly ordered the shadow to slip off his body. As he landed on the stones, Sunny was finally able to see again. Harus was holding him by the wrist with one hand, his other raising to deliver a crushing blow. Sunny doubted that there would be anything left of his face if he were to allow that blow to land. …He still held the Midnight Shard in his free hand. Turning the tachi upward, Sunny thrust it in the direction of the hunchbacks' throat. As a hint of surprise appeared in his enemy's eyes, Harus changed the direction of his strike, turning it into a block instead. The razor-sharp blade bit into the links of the heavy chain wrapped tightly around his forearm and bounced off. However, that gave Sunny the opportunity to wrestle his wrist free and jump back. Despite the fact that his bruised hand was shaking, he put it back on the hilt of the Midnight Shard and faced Harus once again. The hunchback t.i.tled his head and stared at Sunny with an amused expression. "Slippery worm... how are you doing that?" Sunny grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Then, he grimaced and added after a few moments of pained silence. "...I can still see you thanks to my Aspect." Harus grinned. "Oh? Good… it is nice of you to tell me…" With that, he suddenly threw his hand forward. 'What is he doing?' The distance between them was too large to land a punch… But in the next moment, Sunny realized his mistake. It was too late, however. The chain suddenly flew off the hunchback arm and instantly covered the distance between them. Before Sunny could react, it was tightly wrapped around the blade of the Midnight Shard. Then, Harus pulled it back with tremendous force. Sunny could either allow himself to be thrown to the floor right in front of the cruel executioner or let go of his sword. He chose the second option. The Midnight Shard flew far away and fell on the marble floor with a melodious ringing. There was little hope of retrieving it… and Sunny doubted that Harus was going to give him enough time to dismiss and summon the tachi again. Indeed, almost instantly, the fearsome hunchback was already lunging at him, the iron hammers of his fists ready to break every bone in Sunny's body. 'Go die, b.a.s.t.a.r.d!' Sunny growled and dashed forward. Dodging a deadly, strike, he twisted his body and delivered a ferocious blow of his own. His fist connected to the hunchback's chin, making Harus reel back. Sunny might have been lean and not as tall as most men, but he wasn't a weak outskirt kid anymore. The power of nine hundred shadow fragments, each earned in a deadly fight against unimaginable horrors, coursed through his veins. He was much stronger than he looked. Strong enough to shatter stones with his bare hands. …And yet, he wasn't nearly as strong as Harus. While shaken by the blow to the face, the hunchback didn't look seriously hurt. But his next strike almost made Sunny buckle. For a few short moments, the two of them became entwined in violent, barbarous combat. Using their fists, legs, and even teeth, they did anything in their power to destroy the enemy. Harus fought with the measured skill of an experienced killer, while Sunny fought with the desperate, feral cunning that his cruel upbringing had taught him. The hunchback was at a dire advantage in that fight. With his tremendous might and much larger weight and reach, all he had to do to win it was to wrestle Sunny to the ground. Knowing that, Sunny had done everything in his power to avoid being grappled. He twisted and moved, dodging the hunchback's large hands and delivering strike after strike. Soon, Harus was bleeding from a half-dozen cuts on his angular face. Sunny, however, was in much worse shape. The hunchback's fists, and especially that d.a.m.ned chain of his, had left terrible marks on his body. The skin on his forehead was split open, and a stream of blood was flowing down his face. Usually, that would have blinded a person. But both of his eyes were already blind; he was using his shadow to see. '...How ironic.' Still, it was just a matter of time before Sunny made a mistake. And very soon, he did. Sunny was only a fraction of a second late, but it was all Harus needed to land one of his wide palms on his shoulder. Then, he gripped it with enough strength to make Sunny's bones groan, thus robbing the enemy of his only advantage — mobility. As Sunny's eyes opened wide, the hunchback grinned. "...Time to die, little worm." With that, he threw him against the wall, making a net of cracks streak through its stone surface. Hurt and disoriented, Sunny felt something cold and inevitable grip his neck. Looking his victim right in the eyes, Harus squeezed Sunny's neck and smiled. "Good. It's good that you can see. Usually, they don't. Such a pity…" Sunny raised his fist and hit the hunchback in the face, but to no result. He couldn't find the proper purchase or move his torso to deliver a proper blow. Regardless, he tried again, then again, then again. The skin on the face of his strangler split, letting more blood flow, but Harus just continued smiling, looking at him with fascination. "Good. Good. This is so good… so, so good..." Sunny weakly raised his hand again, but lingered, hesitating before trying to hit the hunchback again. With what little air remained in his lungs, he wheezed: "Hey, b.a.s.t.a.r.d… do you remember… how I told you… that I didn't want to use a trick… to kill you?" Harus simply grinned. "...well… that… that was a trick…" At the same time, he struck the hunchback in the face again. Knowing that these punches were not strong enough to change anything, Harus didn't react. But this time, a ghostly blade suddenly appeared in Sunny's hand at the last moment. Unlike normal Memories, this one weaved itself from nothing and almost instantaneously. Then, it pierced Harus's temple and sunk deep into his brain, killing him on the spot. The grin froze on the hunchback's lips. His eyes widened, then slowly turned gla.s.sy. His terrible grip on Sunny's throat weakened. Then, he crumpled to the ground like a broken mannequin, his empty eyes still open and staring into nothingness. Sunny fell to his knees and drew a hoa.r.s.e breath. "Die... you b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Die, die, die…" A wicked, furious grin appeared on his face. "Die and go keep your lord company in h.e.l.l!" Shaking, he used the wall to stand up and looked at the dead butcher with a strange mix of hatred, triumph, and contempt. After a while, he said: "Don't want to doesn't mean I won't, you fool." ReadNovelFull.me?

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