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Chapter 1522: Break of Dawn
Shadow Slave

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  1. Offline
    Pro100zver25
    + 32 ⋅ 0 -
    1527: Leaving Twilight.

    The Chain Breaker left the drowning remains of Twilight behind and turned away from the rising suns. Drifting above the currents, it traversed the dreadful battlefield and escaped into clear waters.

    The Great River flowed below them. By now, the sight of the world in constant motion was both familiar and calming. Sunny had a feeling that returning to reality, where the ground was solid and unmoving, would be a strange experience.

    There were no Nightmare Creatures in the vicinity of Twilight, so they could relax for a few days. The members of the cohort rested and recuperated, not doing anything in particular. They slept, consumed delicious meals, and spent their time in idleness.

    Even Mordret's presence did not dampen the peaceful mood. He was nothing if not accommodating, even pleasant to be around. Of course, he was... true monsters knew better than anyone how to appear sympathetic and friendly, after all. And the Prince of Nothing was a singular existence even among the insidious monsters.

    But that was fine. Sunny did not mind sharing a ship with him, as long as Mordret was an ally. Gods knew that the cohort needed all the help it could get in this dreadful, utterly unreasonable Nightmare.

    Sunny himself did not do much in the first few days of their journey across the Great River. He slept some more, spent some time staring at the sky, and chatted with Kai, describing the past events of the Nightmare in more detail.

    The month he had spent with Nephis on the carcass of the Black Turtle, the battle with the Azure Serpent. Their meeting with Ananke and the visit to forlorn Weave. The journey to Fallen Grace and their reunion with Cassie. The battle against the Defiled sybil... the dreadful months they had spent on Aletheia's Island, and their eventual escape.

    In the process, Sunny also spoke about the many mysteries they had solved and the startling revelations they had received in the Tomb of Ariel. Looking back... he had truly learned a lot here, both about the past and the present.

    And about himself.

    Kai was the perfect audience for his outrageous tales. Sharing his experiences with a friend soothed Sunny's conflicted heart, a little. He was not quite alright — after suffering so much in Antarctica and on the Great River, how could he be? But he was at least back to being his usual spirited self.

    Almost.

    There was still the issue of what had happened at the end of Twilight to deal with. If there was a way to deal with that, even. Sunny felt that he at least owed it to himself to have a talk with Nephis, pointless or not.

    But with Nephis being in that strange dispassionate state, talking with her about deeply emotional issues did not seem like a good idea. She was slowly recovering, at least. So, Sunny decided to wait until she was back to her usual self before broaching the topic.

    With that, there was nothing for him to do.

    Eventually, the Chain Breaker traveled far away from Twilight. They were still bathed in the beautiful blaze of the endless dawn, but the waters the graceful ship was braving had imperceptibly changed. They were surrounded by danger once more.

    From here onward, there would be untold horrors hiding beneath the waves once more. The radiant sky would harbor terrifying abominations once more. And so, the members of the cohort would have to maintain vigilance at all times once more, ready to fight for their lives.

    The mood aboard the Chain Breaker subtly changed.

    That said... strangely, Sunny was not too concerned.

    Perhaps it was arrogance, but looking at the seven people gathered on the graceful ship, he felt confident in their chances of at least reaching Verge unharmed.

    Had there ever been a more deadly cohort of Masters? Surely not.

    Kai and Effie were veterans of both the Forgotten Shore and the Antarctic campaign, with plenty of incredible feats under their belts. Soul Reaper Jet was one of the most feared individuals in the world, with even Saints being wary of her sinister blade. Cassie was someone whose lethality could not even be evaluated by mundane means.

    And then there were Sunny, Nephis, and Mordret. The three wielders of Divine Aspects, unheard of in history. Their individual power was already outside the scope of what Masters were supposed to be capable of, and when put together...

    If anything, Sunny should have felt concerned for their enemies.

    Speaking of Mordret...

    Sunny had wished to avoid him entirely, but having access to the well of knowledge the Prince of Nothing possessed was simply too tempting. Granted, the bastard lied as easily as he breathed, so anything he said had to be taken with a grain of salt.

    In fact, as a rule of thumb, nothing Mordret said could be trusted. But Sunny still wanted to ask him a few questions, especially those that almost no one else could answer.

    Mordret could usually be seen at the bow of the Chain Breaker, where Saint stood guard with Morgan's Warbow in her hands. He seemed to be very interested in the graceful stone knight, or maybe the bow she held. In any case, he could be found there most of the time.

    Sunny left his usual spot under the branches of the sacred tree, walked past Ananke's ketch, and approached the Prince of Nothing. Sensing his gaze, Mordret looked up.

    «Ah, Sunless. What a pleasant surprise. Did you want something?»

    Sunny glared at him for a few moments, then sighed and summoned the Shadow Chair. Noticing it, Mordret raised an eyebrow, as if remembering something unpleasant.

    «Uh-oh.»

    Sitting down, Sunny remained silent for a bit, then said evenly:

    «Yeah, I did want something. Just... to chat for a bit.»

    He glanced at Mordret and asked, trying to keep his tone devoid of hostility:

    «So, how is Ravenheart treating you?»

    The Prince of Nothing gave him a curious look.

    «Ah, you know. The weather is not great, but the people are really... charming. Well, you've met Seishan and Beastmaster, so you must have an idea. It's like I'm living in a flower garden.»

    Sunny smiled, nodded, and asked cordially:

    «I see, I see... so, what are the Sovereigns up to? Are they really going to abandon the waking world?»
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    1. Offline
      Pro100zver25
      + 28 ⋅ 0 -
      1528: New Eden.

      Mordret studied him with a neutral expression. Then, he smiled pleasantly.

      «How should I know? Am I a Sovereign?»

      Sunny stared at him silently for a few moments. Eventually, he shook his head.

      «No... but you are a son of one, was raised by another, and currently serve the third. If you don't know, then who would?»

      Mordret laughed.

      «Well, if you put it like that, it does sound like I should know. However, Sunless, you seem to be mistaken about something. The thing is... I don't care to know. Why should I care about the waking world? Whatever happens to it has little to do with me.»

      Sunny frowned.

      Indeed, Mordret had spent most of his childhood in the Dream Realm, so he had little attachment to Earth. More than that, he was not someone who would care about the lives of hundreds of millions of innocent people, let alone feel inclined to do something to save them.

      All Mordret cared about was his revenge against the Great Clan Valor.

      A faint smile appeared on Sunny's face.

      «Sure, you might not care about the waking world. But you do care about your father's plans — at least as far as to be able to try and ruin them better. So cut the crap and just tell me what you know. If you don't mind.»

      Mordret stared at him with amusement for a while, then sighed and shook his head.

      «Well, why not? But I'm afraid that you are overestimating me. I really do not know what my father and the Queen of Worms are planning. I am not exactly on speaking terms with the former, and the latter does not trust me enough to share such secrets. All I know is that they are serious about having a war with each other. That was why I joined Ki Song.»

      He lingered for a moment and added, his voice losing its usual lightheartedness:

      «I'll warn you, though. Don't presume to understand the Sovereigns, Sunless. You might think that you have them figured out, but you don't. They are far older than we are, and far more powerful. They are also not some cardboard villains. My father, Ki Song, and the third one... are the most exceptional individuals of their generation, or maybe even of all generations. They did not end up on their thrones by accident.»

      Sunny looked at him somberly.

      «What are you trying to say?»

      Mordret shrugged with a smile.

      «I'm just saying that you might find it hard to understand their plans. Abandoning the waking world? Well, that surely sounds like something they would do. But if you think about it, why would they do that? Even if the Sovereigns only care about the Dream Realm, they still need Awakened to populate it. And Awakened cannot exist without mundane people. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, and you can't get a stable supply of eggs without a poultry farm. Something like that.»

      Sunny remained silent for a while, thinking about what Mordret had said. Although the terms he used were very cynical, the underlying message held true. Indeed, there had to be an immense population of mundane people for a comparatively small amount of Awakened to emerge.

      If the waking world was indeed destined to be consumed by the Dream Realm, the Sovereigns could not allow themselves to abandon it completely before that happened.

      Which went against what Sunny had learned about them before.

      He frowned, feeling confused.

      Eventually, Sunny shook his head and asked, his voice somber:

      «What about the third one? Asterion, what does he want?»

      As soon as those words were spoken, Mordret's smile dimmed, growing strangely... forced. He leaned forward slightly.

      «Sunless... do me a favor, try not to speak that name aloud. Otherwise, he might actually hear you.»

      Sunny blinked a couple of times, staring at him incredulously.

      «Come on. Really?»

      Mordret let out a long sigh, then shook his head reproachfully.

      «I'm not saying that to scare you, I'm just telling the truth. The old man... his powers are a bit beyond comprehension. If you feel threatened by Ki Song or my father, wait till you meet him. Better yet, hope that you never will.»

      Sunny leaned back, crossing his arms.

      «What's so scary about him? If he's so powerful, why isn't he participating in this war Song and Valor started? Where is he? Come to think of it, where does he come from? There is almost nothing written about him in the history books. Is he a Legacy? Does he have a clan? An army?»

      Mordret shrugged.

      «The thing you need to understand about him... is that his Domain is different from those of the other two. Yes, Domains can be different in nature. Most are like what my father and Ki Song possess, territorial. That is why Valor and Song are fighting over territory. But not his... his is more of an idea than a place.»

      He remained silent for a few moments, then said somberly:

      «You must have realized by now that the Great Clans were built by those who inherited the Divine Lineages. Valor was born from the Lineage of War, Immortal Flame from the Lineage of Sun, House of Night from the Lineage of Storm. Clan Song rose to prominence later, after Ki Song discovered the Lineage of Beast. The old man is the one who has the Lineage of Heart... however, there is no clan he belongs to. Do you know why that is?»

      Sunny shook his head.

      «The lineage of Heart God...»

      Heart God was also the god of souls, as well as emotions, memory, hunger, and growth. What kind of Aspect could Asterion possess, then? What powers did he wield? What was the nature of his Domain?

      Mordret took a deep breath, then smiled.

      «Well... it's because he does not come from the Legacy Clans. Legacy Clans have been in power since before we were born, so we are conditioned to assume that it has always been like that. But, in fact, there were many powers competing for the right to shape the world as they saw fit, back in the chaotic time after the Spell first descended. Some more terrible than others. The old man is the last remnant of one of those vanquished powers.»

      Sunny remembered hearing about that. From what he knew, the current system — with the government and the Legacy Clans maintaining the world order together — was established after several other, fringe factions had been defeated by the first Legacies. Even with all the sins of the current regime, the ones that could have been would have been much more terrifying.

      At least that was what he had been told by Professor Obel.

      Mordret lingered for a moment.

      «Ah, by the way... the old man is not that old, actually. It's just what I call him. The faction he comes from, you see, was a small group of the Path of Ascension zealots. Real fanatics, far more extreme than anyone you could have met among the Legacies. Now, those people... they were really in favor of abandoning the waking world completely, believing that the Nightmare Spell was meant to pave the way for a new beginning. That the Dream Realm was a wild garden meant for a new breed of humans.»

      He shook his head.

      «And they did abandon the waking world, establishing an isolated colony in the Dream Realm not long after the first Masters Ascended. The man who would one day become the third Sovereign... was actually born there. In fact, he was the first human child born in the Dream Realm. The original Dreamspawn.»

      Mordret smiled.

      «Well, in any case. Those reclusive extremists did not last long. Their colony was eventually overtaken by Nightmare Creatures, and he was the only one who survived. In the end, he found his way to Bastion, met my father, was brought back to the waking world, and joined Broken Sword's cohort.»

      The Prince of Nothing looked at Sunny with a strange expression, then frowned.

      «I hope that satisfied your curiosity. Ah, all this talking made me thirsty. I think I'll go find myself something to drink...»

      He rose and moved to walk away, but then lingered for a moment.

      Looking back, Mordret said in a friendly tone:

      «Oh, by the way. I said before that you'd better hope to never meet that guy. Sorry... I don't think you'll have a choice. The old man, you see, is very interested in people with divine bloodlines. Considering your connection to Shadow, the only missing Lineage, he'll probably come find you someday. Your precious Changing Star, as well, since there might not be another Dreamspawn anywhere in the two worlds.»

      With that, he smiled pleasantly and walked away, leaving Sunny alone.

      The Chain Breaker continued moving west, the leaves of the sacred tree rustling gently in the wind.

      Sunny stared silently at the vast expanse of the Great River, his head full of dark thoughts.

      «...Goddammit.»

      It was really unfair. He did not even have the Lineage of Shadow God — Blood Weave had greedily devoured it a long time ago.

      Why did he have to deal with a mysterious and sinister Sovereign?

      It was not as if Sunny did not have a host of other terrible problems he had to deal with already.

      «Mordret might have been lying, as well.»

      It was only then that Sunny thought back on their conversation and uttered a quiet curse.

      The Prince of Nothing had talked for so long, but did not give a straight answer to a single question!

      «That bastard...»
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      1. Offline
        BlankDjinn
        + 5 ⋅ 0 -
        Thank you gracious hero, your generosity as always is most appreciated.
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  2. Offline
    SrgtLock
    + 5 ⋅ 8 -
    As much as I like the chapters post in the comments, I would much rather like to read them outside the comments. Anywho I want to see what Kia got for the kill.
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    1. Offline
      Dudeyouneedtochill
      + 2 ⋅ 0 -
      It’s already shown it in one of the last couple chapters
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      SrgtLock
      + 8 ⋅ 1 -
      You guys don’t get it, I’m not hating on Pro100zver25 for posting the chapters in the comments. I just don’t want to read them there. Don’t know why I’m getting this hate.
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    Turnc4406
    + 18 ⋅ 0 -
    People, don't ask for chapters. Those who drop chapters know they are our heroes, virtual gods among men. They require adulation and praises, not whimpers and greed. Do not show yourselves as unworthy of their blessings.
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  4. Offline
    Royalty Ducky
    + 12 ⋅ 2 -
    I think our king has finally abondend us, I am not upset or angry. Just glad he lasted until there where no longer any cliffhangers

    Thank you Proviser100 u served us well 😔
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      Royalty Ducky
      + 5 ⋅ 0 -
      Just realised it's early so he might not be late, I might be early
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        Rei-absolute
        + 3 ⋅ 0 -
        21:16🇧🇷
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        1. Offline
          Royalty Ducky
          + 4 ⋅ 0 -
          It's 3am for me
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      ZEXOS
      + 6 ⋅ 0 -
      By his nickname i can say his from Russia or somewhere near, so it might be early for them, and also his nickname is NOT Proviser100 but Pro100zver which means JustaBeast
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  5. Offline
    GoodKnight_
    + 2 ⋅ 3 -
    waiting...
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    1. Offline
      shaakh
      + 0 ⋅ 5 -
      Bro is late...
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      1. Offline
        BlankDjinn
        + 13 ⋅ 0 -
        Respect the Hero he doesn’t need to do this, this is just a kindness we can’t take it for granted
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        1. Offline
          shaakh
          + 6 ⋅ 0 -
          I shall repent by stacking chapters for 100 years
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          1. Offline
            BlankDjinn
            + 6 ⋅ 0 -
            A proper penance indeed
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      2. Offline
        GoodKnight_
        + 8 ⋅ 0 -
        He's not late, the clock decided to sprint ahead.
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    Rei-absolute
    + 3 ⋅ 0 -
    ....
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  7. Offline
    Gabrielxd12
    + 9 ⋅ 0 -
    Why can Sunny never kill a titan? They always give the reward to someone else, that is sometimes frustrating
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    1. Offline
      Dummybaron
      + 4 ⋅ 0 -
      Because Dread Lord is a Tyrant
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      1. Offline
        Gabrielxd12
        + 8 ⋅ 0 -
        Sorry for wording my question wrong, why can't Sunny receive rewards from the enemies he faces and someone always appears to deal the final blow?
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      Jru
      + 8 ⋅ 0 -
      He killed two titans, the Goliath and the weird corruption one which he stole the kill from tyris, thats how he got the mirror of truth, what are you talking about exactly?
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        Slayer0710
        + 6 ⋅ 0 -
        Mirror of truth was a Fallen Titan, no way he could have slayed a corrupted one back then.
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          Jru
          + 4 ⋅ 0 -
          No I mean that it had a weird corruption ability, not that it was the corrupted rank
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            Slayer0710
            + 5 ⋅ 0 -
            Ah, makes sense. My bad!
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    3. Offline
      Slayer0710
      + 6 ⋅ 0 -
      You mean Dragon? If so, that was a Corrupted Tyrant, no Titan. Also, he did kill the Goliath though, one shot at that. Killing your evil counterpart seem to unlock some ability, I guess author is trying to buff the cohort.
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        Gabrielxd12
        + 5 ⋅ 0 -
        thanks for answering me
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      Doksoo
      + 6 ⋅ 0 -
      What murders besides the Dragon were stolen from Sunny? I only remember how he stole murders from saints several times (1 dragon and Jade Beetle Queen))
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        HeikyZX
        + 10 ⋅ 0 -
        It is more to a decent finishing blow than kill steal as he did it with the Saints. I understand the anger though, Sunny is always the one that gets the worst stuff, even though he faces the worst hell in every scenario... and when he beats an enemy, he either can't/refuses to kill and lets to another or needs to do something else instead.
        Worst of all? It is a basic tactic of authors to keep their b*tch (sandbag/MC) weak as much as possible before the level raises again, so they can give some sweets here and there to keep the MC decent but still beatable by like... 99% of the enemies :v
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          Yog-sothsoth
          + 5 ⋅ 0 -
          The best thing? He is still pretty much the strongest Master ever. Even in the cohort. Maybe Nephis can be considered stronger now, but I don't doubt that he can kill her even with the bond.

          All in all, I think it's not about nerfing Sunny, but more about buffing others, so they can keep up and not be just useless 95% of the time how it goes most of the time.

          Also, I think everyone kills they corrupted counterpart, when possible. I like this.
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