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Chapter 1924: Pit of Despair
Shadow Slave

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Comments 24

  1. Offline
    ScoredItalics
    + 6 ⋅ 0 -
    Although, she is a necromancer sunny is the heir of death so he gonna destroy her
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  2. Offline
    Porcelain Doll Sunny
    + 8 ⋅ 0 -
    Holy aura

    She’s not even physically there bruh and she’s decimating what their legion was struggling against in a couple minutes treat ohno ehh
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  3. Offline
    GridDokja
    + 28 ⋅ 0 -
    Necromancer are a bit too op
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    1. Offline
      Rakha Purnomo
      + 5 ⋅ 0 -
      That's why the 'solo leveling' sounds lower
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  4. Offline
    ominami
    + 34 ⋅ 1 -
    1925 Missing Oracle

    Far away, Sunny — his original body, donning the guise of the charming Master Sunless — was sitting on the edge of the Ivory Island with a resigned smile on his face, suffering in silence.

    'D—amn... nation. Its torture.'

    His nose was itching.

    It had been itching for what felt like an eternity already, but sadly, he could not scratch it. He could not move at all, really, because the Cloudveil was torn above the warcamp of the Song Army, drowning the world in a blinding white light.

    The camp stretched below him, resembling a city — there was no movement on the orderly avenues, and the countless people populating it had all turned into motionless statues. Their silhouettes were like black shadows painted on the blurry white backdrop, melting in the stark radiance.

    Mercifully, that was simply because his eyes were tearing up, not because they were turning to ash.

    Now that Saint Tyris had left to accompany the expedition force on its quest to conquer the Citadel, the main camp of the Sword Army had lost her protection. That was why everyone had been forced to learn how to survive the annihilating gaze of the incandescent abyss —now, several weeks later, people rarely died when the clouds parted.

    Of course, there were measures in place to alert them of the imminent danger in advance.

    Sunny was not entirely sure how that was achieved, but there were countless talents in the Sword Domain, both mundane and Awakened. He did not doubt that someone would have come up with a method to predict the movement of clouds — granted, the warnings rarely came more than a minute before the cloudbreak, so the method clearly still required some improvement.

    This time, the clouds parted while Sunny was searching for Cassie, leaving him no choice but to sit down and patiently wait for the danger to pass. It had been close to an hour since then, and the grey veil was finally starting to show signs of repairing itself.

    Ten minutes later, the blinding radiance finally subsided, and Sunny furiously scratched his nose.

    "Ah... damn it..."

    He wondered if anyone in Godgrave had died from sneezing yet, then rose to his feet and looked around.

    Sunny had already checked everywhere on the Ivory Island, including the underground level of the Ivory Tower and Cassie's personal quarters. He had checked every cabin of the Chain Breaker, as well, and asked around among the Fire Keepers.

    No one had seen the blind seer, which could only mean one thing — that she was performing her duties as the Seneschal of the Great Clan Valor somewhere in the camp.

    Unless something out of the ordinary had happened...

    Frowning, he walked over to one of the seven chains anchoring the Ivory Island to the ground and descended by walking across it. Sunny was reluctant to unleash his shadow sense here, so his best choice was to go check personally.

    Fortunately, Valor Keep — the stone stronghold that served as the headquarters of the Sword Army and the residence of the King — was not far. He reached it in a matter of minutes and hesitated at the entrance, feeling uncomfortable under the dubious gazes of the guards.

    The thing was... Sunny had only ever entered the Keep while accompanying either Nephis or Cassie. He had never been here alone, and wasn't sure if he was even allowed inside.

    Clearing his throat, he hesitated for a moment, cringed inwardly, and addressed the guards in a commanding tone:

    "I am Sir Sunless, Knight Commander of the Ardent Wardens. Move aside."

    'Gods, I actually said it...'

    The guards stared at him some more. Eventually, one of them sneered.

    "Oh, yes. We know precisely who you are... Sir Sunless."

    The derision in his voice was not even hidden, but the guards did move aside.

    Sunny glowered at them for a moment, then walked into the gate.

    Halfway across the threshold, however, he halted, backed a few steps, and looked at the rude guard for a moment.

    Then, a pleasant smile appeared on his face.

    "...Do you, perhaps, want to challenge me to a duel?"

    The guard paled a little, shivered, and slowly shook his head.

    "N—no... Knight Sunless, sir."

    Sunny's smile brightened menacingly.

    "Thought so."

    With that, he entered the stronghold without looking back.

    Nephis was gone from the camp, as well, so people were getting braver as far as showing him their contempt was concerned. Sunny did not really mind, but it was starting to get tiresome. Perhaps it was time to teach them another lesson in humility...

    But not now.

    Sighing, Sunny found the nearest person wearing the colors of Clan Valor and inquired if Song of the Fallen was nearby.

    He had not really expected a positive answer, but to his surprise, the man simply nodded and gave him directions to a certain chamber in the depths of the keep.

    The chamber was guarded by several Knights, which gave him pause. Although nothing showed on his face, Sunny felt his whole body tense up for a moment, and his heart started to race.

    Were these Ascended guards sent to protect Cassie as a sign of how highly she was valued by Clan Valor... or were they here to make sure that she couldn't escape? Was there a sorcerous cage inside the chamber that cut off her powers, similar to the one in which the two of them had spent an unforgettable time in the Night Temple?

    This was the burden of being a double agent for a regicidal insurgency... Sunny never knew if he was one heartbeat away from having his treasonous ways revealed.

    He lingered for a moment, then asked with decorum:

    "Is Saint Cassia inside?"

    One of the Knights looked down at him sternly... then nodded and turned around to knock on the door politely.

    "You have a visitor, my lady."

    Hearing Cassie's response, he opened the door and let Sunny inside.

    The chamber was sparsely furnished, but quite comfortable. There was a soft sofa, several armchairs, a wooden table with succulent fruit and refreshments, and even a Memory keeping the air cool, not to mention a few bottles of beverages from the waking world. Vermilion curtains moved slightly in the wind, and sunlight was pouring through a narrow window.

    Cassie was half-sitting, half-laying on the sofa, her beautiful face showing signs of extreme fatigue. One of the hands was lowered powerlessly, while the other was holding a silver goblet.

    Sunny was worried for a moment, then determined that there were no wounds on her body and let out a sigh of relief.

    The blind seer, meanwhile, turned her head in his direction.

    "...Who is it?"

    He frowned.

    Shouldn't she know already?

    Then again... their mental link seemed to be inactive, which meant that Cassie's Ascended Ability was suppressed, for some reason. If the same was true for her Awakened Ability, which allowed her to sense what would happen a few seconds in the future, then she would be truly and utterly blind.

    Sunny's frown deepened.

    "It's me, Saint Cassia. Master Sunless."

    He threw a glance at her Ascended guards and unceremoniously closed the door. That would not prevent them from eavesdropping on their conversation, but it was better than nothing.

    A pale smile illuminated Cassie's face.

    "Sunny... it's good that you're here. I was just thinking about asking someone to escort me back to the Ivory Island."

    Sunny took a deep breath, considered his thoughts for a moment, and then asked bluntly:

    "What happened to you?"

    He thought that he already knew the answer. In hindsight, it was quite obvious.

    Cassie sighed, then dropped her head on the soft armrest of the sofa.

    Her voice was a little tired:

    "...Essence exhaustion."
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    1. Offline
      ominami
      + 30 ⋅ 1 -
      1926 Enhanced Interrogation

      A few moments later, Sunny led Cassie out of the stronghold. Since she was currently robbed of all her Abilities except for the Dormant one, she once again turned into the helpless girl he had once guided across the Forgotten Shore... which was both nostalgic and a little heartbreaking to see.

      Sunny offered her his arm, and she took it tentatively. Their physical closeness earned him a few scornful looks from the passerby, who seemed ready to beat him up as if he was some kind of despicable philanderer... with a healthy dose of envy mixed into the anger, perhaps.

      He was momentarily happy that Cassie could not see these reactions.

      Ignoring the idiots, Sunny led her toward the Ivory Island.

      'Essence exhaustion...'

      Of course, it was the most obvious answer. He just failed to consider it seriously because Cassie, unlike Nephis and Sunny himself, had very rarely driven herself to that state before, if ever.

      Which posed the question.

      What exactly had made her burn so much essence?

      The answer would have to wait until they were in a more private setting, though.

      As they walked, Cassie asked quietly:

      "Did something happen? I've been told that the King has left for the waking world. Considering how difficult it seems for him to do so... I assume that Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows had conquered the Citadel."

      Sunny lingered with the answer.

      Eventually, he said neutrally:

      They did. However, there were complications: Cassie's grip tightened.

      "What... what kind of complications?"

      He grimaced.

      It was not impossible for Master Sunless to know, but it was definitely a bit strange. Sadly, Cassie seemed to have been too agitated and left him no choice but to answer.

      Sunny looked ahead somberly.

      "There was... an ambush. Quite a devious one, so much so that it almost ended in disaster. Well, technically, it did. Several Saints of the Sword Army are dead."

      He paused for a moment, and added:

      "Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows are fine, though."

      Cassie let out a shaky breath, then asked somberly:

      "How?"

      He sighed.

      "Four daughters of the Queen, each a Transcendent of divine lineage. And four Reflections. They also..."

      Sunny hesitated for a bit before finishing the sentence.

      "They also knew too much, while we knew too little. There seems to be a powerful diviner among them, as well as a few talented spies hiding among us."

      His tone was neutral, but it must have sounded like an accusation to Cassie. After all, she was the premier diviner of their small faction — no, of the entire Sword Army. This failure was, in no small part, the result of her personal failure to outperform the oracle of Clan Song... Death Singer, most likely.

      It could be easily misjudged as an indictment of her inadequacy.

      The delicate young woman grew quiet and did not speak again until they reached the Ivory Tower.

      Sunny guided her to her personal quarters. As they were ascending the stairs, Cassie seemed to finally regain a little of her essence. She gently let go of his hand and walked the rest of the way on her own, tracing her fingers across the cold stone of the great pagoda's wall.

      Hidden safely in her office and protected from any potential eavesdroppers by a few special Memories, they could finally talk. Luckily, Anvil himself was currently away, as well.

      Cassie sat down in her chair and let out a heavy sigh.

      "What exactly happened?"

      Sunny leaned on the wall and crossed his arms, then said somberly:

      "...They went after two Citadels at the same time. The army marched where we expected it to march, but a small team of powerful Saints went directly to our destination instead. They got there faster than us, as well... of course, we don't know if they lost anyone in the process, and how many. However, they killed the Great Terror defending the Citadel and claimed it. Needless to say, once we entered, we found ourselves inside Ki Song's Domain:'

      With each word he spoke, Cassie's expression darkened. Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then continued:

      "Worse than that, they were prepared to face me and Nephis in particular. Dark Dancer Revel and Moonveil managed to counter our Aspects almost perfectly. They might not have managed such a feat alone, but with Mordret's Reflections mirroring their powers, it worked. It... was a tough fight. I have not felt that pressured in a long, long while."

      He slowly shook his head.

      "We managed to drive them away in the end, but not without heavy losses. I even gained quite a valuable boon in the process. Still... it might have gone much better if you had not suffered essence exhaustion at the same time."

      Finally, it was his turn to ask the questions.

      "What did you do? How did you end up like that in the middle of the warcamp?"

      Cassie did not answer immediately, troubled by what he had said.

      After a while, she sighed and leaned back in the chair, touching her blindfold briefly.

      "You mentioned that there are spies hidden among us."

      Sunny nodded.

      "I did."

      Cassie's expression turned dark.

      "I was... interrogating those spies. That was how I spent all my essence."

      'Huh.'

      He considered her words for a few moments.

      "Since when have you become Valor's interrogator?"

      A bitter smile twisted her lips. Cassie took a deep breath, then shrugged.

      "Since Anvil decided to use me as one, I guess. The situation was... difficult. I don't know how Valor managed to sniff out and capture those spies, but they proved too seasoned and zealous to betray the secrets of their Queen. None of the Memories Valor usually uses to get the truth out of people worked, and their interrogators failed as well. Torturing these people would have been of no use, and so... I guess the King remembered that I can read people's memories. So, I was summoned."

      Sunny scowled.

      Cassie's Aspect did, indeed, make her a terrifying entity to those who wanted to keep secrets. However, violating the memories of captive people seemed like quite a vile affair, and one ill-suited for the beautiful Song of the Fallen.

      The fact that Anvil had forced her to do something so dirty irked Sunny to no end. Not that he thought that Cassie was above doing such vile things... he was pretty sure that she would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, no matter how brutal or distasteful.

      It was just that the King of Swords did not know that, so what right did he have to make such a demand of Cassie?

      'That bastard. I'll kill him slowly one day.'

      Or swiftly, from the shadows, and stabbing him in the back. Either worked.

      Cassie, meanwhile, rubbed the bridge of her nose.

      "Reading someone's deep memories against their will can be an... intense process, for me. Especially if their mental resilience is high. That was why I had to expend a lot of essence to get the answers Anvil wanted."

      She lingered for a few moments, and then suddenly smiled darkly.

      "...But that was not the reason why I exhausted it completely."

      Sunny walked over and sat on the chair across from her.

      "Oh?"

      Cassie nodded.

      "No. The real reason is that I used that chance to get the answers I myself wanted. Answers about Song and Valor, which might lead us to learn more about the Sovereigns... perhaps even their weakness."

      Her smile faltered, then disappeared.

      "And I did. Although... it is only a thread. We will need to keep pulling it to find the truth."

      Sunny leaned forward a little.

      "And what exactly is that thread?"

      Cassie hesitated for a few moments, then raised a hand and pulled her blindfold off.

      "It... will be easier if I simply show you."

      He frowned, considering the implication of her words.

      "You mean?"

      She nodded.

      "Yes. Before, I took a look at your Memories. Now, I will share mine with you, instead. If... if you'll accept them."

      Sunny blinked a couple of times, suddenly reluctant to look in her beautiful eyes.

      But then, he forced himself to gaze into them deeply.

      His lips twisted into a dark smile.

      "Sure. Why not?"

      In the next moment, Cassie's eyes changed.

      But Sunny once again failed to perceive the nature of that change, because he was suddenly pulled into a strange and stunningly vivid memory.
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  5. Offline
    IzuChukwu
    + 3 ⋅ 0 -
    No new chapters..?
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    1. Offline
      ArMiks
      + 9 ⋅ 0 -
      the titles were announced on discord hours ago, but still no news from telegram. dunno about the link they've been posting the last few days

      edit- there we go. thanks!
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  6. Offline
    Blizzard
    + 10 ⋅ 0 -
    i rly wanna see this scene
    The countless corpses littering the vast swath of the jungle all moved at the same time.

    The dead Nightmare Creatures, the fallen humans... they all stirred, moved, and then slowly rose from the ground.

    Far behind her, the slain Great Demon was rising from the bloody water, as well, its dead eyes staring forward with no emotion.
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    1. Offline
      AD9M
      + 3 ⋅ 0 -
      There is a seen like that in "Game of thrones"
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