Chapter 2003: Morning Star

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Comments 45

  1. Offline
    + 20 -
    Neph us so cool. ehh yeah
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  2. Offline
    + 70 -
    This side of neph (this I am the best of the best, girl boss attitude) stinks worse then a rotting piece of shitt


    Little child seeks acception of his terrible opinion from reasonable people. (I can’t believe that even 4 people liked the comment).
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  3. Offline
    + 173 -
    Quote: YoUrBrUh
    This side of neph (this I am the best of the best, girl boss attitude) stinks worse then a rotting piece of shitt

    Shut up nigger I will graped you
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    1. Offline
      + 413 -
      I hope a bbc finds it’s way up ur ahh🙏🙏
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    2. Offline
      + 50 -
      nah that's crazy
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    3. Offline
      + 00 -
      What the f#ck are these comments?
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  4. Offline
    + 120 -
    She's not Escanor.
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  5. Online Offline
    + 190 -
    WHO GON STOP ME!!!
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  6. Offline
    + 466 -
    This side of neph (this I am the best of the best, girl boss attitude) stinks worse then a rotting piece of shitt
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    1. Online Offline
      + 502 -
      What tf r u talking about 😭. Bro sees a female character being a bit dominant and assertive and immediately says “girl boss.”
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    2. Offline
      + 121 -
      Yea idk what you talking about and she literally is the best of the best except for the supremes, also she just doesn’t want to see more people die for no reason when she can stop it, and this will help her get a domain/ gain supremacy
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    3. Offline
      + 52 -
      Huh she IS the best
      no saint can defeat her in 1v1 not even sunny
      and this attitude doesn't means arrogance it's her right
      the right of powerful
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    4. Offline
      + 50 -
      Please die a gruesome death🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
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  7. Offline
    + 80 -
    I don't know if this gonna help in anyway but they are just stopping the inevitable. More people gonna die not now but maybe later warmly
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    1. Offline
      + 20 -
      That makes no sense? We're all gonna die eventually. Does that mean I should jump off a cliff now and get it over with?
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  8. Offline
    + 140 -
    Ch 2004: seeds of rebellion

    Sunny was not having the greatest of days.

    In fact, he was in quite a grim mood.

    Not only was he forced to watch the senseless and wasteful deaths of too many Awakened warriors — who were supposed to be the blade mankind wielded against the Nightmare Spell, not against itself — but his own sister was hopelessly mired in the very epicenter of the slaughter, as well, a hair's breadth away from being killed herself.

    Sunny had promised himself not to trample her agency unless there was no other choice. So, he could not simply pull Rain into the shadows and whisk her away to safety... whatever safety looked like, in this godforsaken place. All he could do was remain as alert as possible, ready to interfere at a moment's notice to save her life.

    This constant state of alarm and tension was taking its toll.

    More than that, he was having the worst luck today.

    Why did Rain and the members of her cohort have to clash with the warriors of the White Feather clan, of all people? Worse still, Rain just had to go and encounter Telle of White Feather.

    From the moment their brutal duel started, Sunny had to focus his full attention on the two young Awakened. Obviously, he couldn't allow Rain to die... but now, he couldn't allow her enemy to die, either.

    Despite having first met Telle many years ago, on the Chained Isles, Sunny did not know her well. Still, he had a good impression of her. Much more importantly, her parents were none other than Tyris and Roan — their daughter could absolutely not be killed on his watch, let alone with his assistance.

    So, he waited, getting ready to stop Rain at the last moment — should she win. Or stop Telle should she lose.

    Needless to say, watching them trying to kill each other with all their might was quite nerve-wracking.

    In the end, however, Sunny had not been forced to do anything.

    Strangely enough, Rain never tried to deliver the fatal blow. He felt a complicated storm of emotions in her just before that, and then a brief moment of striking, unrelenting clarity.

    And something else, as well. Something deep and vast, almost... inexorable. But hidden from his senses at the same time.

    Both her inexplicable lack of action and this strange emotion confused Sunny to no end. He struggled to understand what could have stopped Rain from at least trying to finish off the deadly enemy... he would have definitely used the precious opportunity himself, and he had taught her better than to lose composure in the middle of a lethal fight.

    There was no time to focus on Rain's emotions, though, because almost at the same time, Nephis plummeted from the sky and landed in the middle of the calamitous battlefield like a falling star.

    Sunny let out a mental sigh of relief.

    'Just in time.'

    He watched her raptly.

    His star... was so breathtakingly beautiful.

    Even surrounded by blood and tragedy, her radiant light was pure and full of splendor.

    Neph's arrival halted the fighting across the entire center of the battlefield. And she...

    She did not hold back.

    Her flames spread outward, healing countless people — both the soldiers of the Sword Army and the soldiers of the Song Army, not making any distinctions between friend or foe.

    Of course, there was still a limit to whom Nephis could save. Her healing flames would only affect those who were connected to her as part of her nascent Domain from a distance — if a person was not integrated into the net of longing she had inspired deep enough, however, she could only affect them through direct touch.

    Just as she did with the dying Handmaiden.

    Had she sensed Seishan approaching, or had she truly wanted to save the former member of the Dream Army?

    Sunny wasn't sure.

    He could not help but admire Neph's showmanship, though.

    The entire battlefield was enthralled by her and her actions, without a doubt. The seeds of longing were falling into the fertile soil of countless hurting souls, thus expanding the foundation of her future Domain. People needed hope the most in the depths of hell, after all, and this battlefield was no different from a hellish nightmare.

    At the same time, the seeds of political intrigue that Cassie, Nephis, and Sunny had sown far in advance were blooming, as well.

    Nephis had already established herself as a reluctant participant in the war and the only voice of dissent among the warmongers. Considering her previous feats and her flawless adherence to the noble duty of an Awakened, her reputation was stellar among the warriors of both the Song Domain and the Sword Domain.

    And now, that reputation was being cemented in their hearts. The countless soldiers she had saved, and everyone who had seen her saving them, would never forget the grace and mercy of Changing Star of the Immortal Flame... contrasted sharply against the ruthless will of the Sovereigns.

    ...And the more disillusioned and tired of the war they grew, the easier it would be for them to accept her eventual rebellion.

    They might applaud her for betraying her adopted family and engaging in a little bit of royal patricide, even, when the time came.

    Even Sunny was having trouble discerning if Neph's actions at the moment were sincere or calculated.

    They very well could have been both of those things...

    He did know that she was putting on at least a bit of an intentional show, however.

    That was because Nephis had never attempted healing on such a massive scale before. Not only would saving countless soldiers have consumed a truly terrifying amount of soul essence, but it would have also brought her immeasurable pain.

    Her humanity would have been scorched and burned by the agony. It was a miracle that she had managed to keep the suffering from showing on her face, really... in any case, she would not be in a state to show benevolence, let alone compassion.

    So, at least some of her actions were a coldly premeditated act.

    The soldiers saw her as a beautiful, merciful, and noble savior.

    And she was all that — but at the same time, beneath the surface and above all else, she was a ruthless, calculating, and chillingly ambitious destroyer.

    A herald of change and ruin.

    ...She was beautiful in either case, though.

    As Nephis spoke to Seishan, challenging the Saints of the Song Domain to battle, Sunny smiled.

    The goddess had already descended onto the battlefield.

    Now, it was time for the devil to make his entrance, as well.

    Ch 2004: Seeds of rebellion



    Sunny was not having the greatest of days.

    In fact, he was in quite a grim mood.

    Not only was he forced to watch the senseless and wasteful deaths of too many Awakened warriors — who were supposed to be the blade mankind wielded against the Nightmare Spell, not against itself — but his own sister was hopelessly mired in the very epicenter of the slaughter, as well, a hair's breadth away from being killed herself.

    Sunny had promised himself not to trample her agency unless there was no other choice. So, he could not simply pull Rain into the shadows and whisk her away to safety... whatever safety looked like, in this godforsaken place. All he could do was remain as alert as possible, ready to interfere at a moment's notice to save her life.

    This constant state of alarm and tension was taking its toll.

    More than that, he was having the worst luck today.

    Why did Rain and the members of her cohort have to clash with the warriors of the White Feather clan, of all people? Worse still, Rain just had to go and encounter Telle of White Feather.

    From the moment their brutal duel started, Sunny had to focus his full attention on the two young Awakened. Obviously, he couldn't allow Rain to die... but now, he couldn't allow her enemy to die, either.

    Despite having first met Telle many years ago, on the Chained Isles, Sunny did not know her well. Still, he had a good impression of her. Much more importantly, her parents were none other than Tyris and Roan — their daughter could absolutely not be killed on his watch, let alone with his assistance.

    So, he waited, getting ready to stop Rain at the last moment — should she win. Or stop Telle should she lose.

    Needless to say, watching them trying to kill each other with all their might was quite nerve-wracking.

    In the end, however, Sunny had not been forced to do anything.

    Strangely enough, Rain never tried to deliver the fatal blow. He felt a complicated storm of emotions in her just before that, and then a brief moment of striking, unrelenting clarity.

    And something else, as well. Something deep and vast, almost... inexorable. But hidden from his senses at the same time.

    Both her inexplicable lack of action and this strange emotion confused Sunny to no end. He struggled to understand what could have stopped Rain from at least trying to finish off the deadly enemy... he would have definitely used the precious opportunity himself, and he had taught her better than to lose composure in the middle of a lethal fight.

    There was no time to focus on Rain's emotions, though, because almost at the same time, Nephis plummeted from the sky and landed in the middle of the calamitous battlefield like a falling star.

    Sunny let out a mental sigh of relief.

    'Just in time.'

    He watched her raptly.

    His star... was so breathtakingly beautiful.

    Even surrounded by blood and tragedy, her radiant light was pure and full of splendor.

    Neph's arrival halted the fighting across the entire center of the battlefield. And she...

    She did not hold back.

    Her flames spread outward, healing countless people — both the soldiers of the Sword Army and the soldiers of the Song Army, not making any distinctions between friend or foe.

    Of course, there was still a limit to whom Nephis could save. Her healing flames would only affect those who were connected to her as part of her nascent Domain from a distance — if a person was not integrated into the net of longing she had inspired deep enough, however, she could only affect them through direct touch.

    Just as she did with the dying Handmaiden.

    Had she sensed Seishan approaching, or had she truly wanted to save the former member of the Dream Army?

    Sunny wasn't sure.

    He could not help but admire Neph's showmanship, though.

    The entire battlefield was enthralled by her and her actions, without a doubt. The seeds of longing were falling into the fertile soil of countless hurting souls, thus expanding the foundation of her future Domain. People needed hope the most in the depths of hell, after all, and this battlefield was no different from a hellish nightmare.

    At the same time, the seeds of political intrigue that Cassie, Nephis, and Sunny had sown far in advance were blooming, as well.

    Nephis had already established herself as a reluctant participant in the war and the only voice of dissent among the warmongers. Considering her previous feats and her flawless adherence to the noble duty of an Awakened, her reputation was stellar among the warriors of both the Song Domain and the Sword Domain.

    And now, that reputation was being cemented in their hearts. The countless soldiers she had saved, and everyone who had seen her saving them, would never forget the grace and mercy of Changing Star of the Immortal Flame... contrasted sharply against the ruthless will of the Sovereigns.

    ...And the more disillusioned and tired of the war they grew, the easier it would be for them to accept her eventual rebellion.

    They might applaud her for betraying her adopted family and engaging in a little bit of royal patricide, even, when the time came.

    Even Sunny was having trouble discerning if Neph's actions at the moment were sincere or calculated.

    They very well could have been both of those things...

    He did know that she was putting on at least a bit of an intentional show, however.

    That was because Nephis had never attempted healing on such a massive scale before. Not only would saving countless soldiers have consumed a truly terrifying amount of soul essence, but it would have also brought her immeasurable pain.

    Her humanity would have been scorched and burned by the agony. It was a miracle that she had managed to keep the suffering from showing on her face, really... in any case, she would not be in a state to show benevolence, let alone compassion.

    So, at least some of her actions were a coldly premeditated act.

    The soldiers saw her as a beautiful, merciful, and noble savior.

    And she was all that — but at the same time, beneath the surface and above all else, she was a ruthless, calculating, and chillingly ambitious destroyer.

    A herald of change and ruin.

    ...She was beautiful in either case, though.

    As Nephis spoke to Seishan, challenging the Saints of the Song Domain to battle, Sunny smiled.

    The goddess had already descended onto the battlefield.

    Now, it was time for the devil to make his entrance, as well.
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    1. Offline
      + 150 -
      Ch 2005 : Strength in numbers



      "...Who will stop me?"

      This simple sentence that Nephis had spoken hid many meanings and carried plenty of weight.

      Although very few people knew her well enough to understand the true burden of these words, they were a proclamation of who she was — and how unyielding her will was, as well. It was her defiant challenge to the world, calling the world to come and try to stop her... if it dared.

      But, at the same time, there was a far more obvious meaning to what Nephis had said.

      First, she was hinting that Seishan and the Saints of Song had no choice but to fight her — because once Nephis entered the battle and unleashed her flames upon the Song Army, only they would be able to contend against her.

      At the same time, she was also telling Seishan something else. It was that no one could prevent her from entering the battle... except for two people.

      Anvil of Valor and Ki Song, the Sovereigns of humanity.

      By joining the battle, Nephis was going directly against their will. However, she was so powerful that no one except for the person who had given the order or his adversary could punish her for breaking it.

      That would require the Sovereigns to interfere personally, though, thus escalating the battle even further and inevitably resulting in a direct clash between them — because if one of them moved, the other would not remain still.

      The two Supremes, however, were not willing to fight each other just yet.

      Which led to Neph's last point.

      It was that even if there was someone who could stop her, there was no one who would.

      That she could break the will of the Sovereigns with impunity, and nobody could do anything about it.

      ...It was a powerful message to send.

      But not an unwelcome one, as far as Seishan was concerned — for one simple reason.

      It was that what Nephis had proposed — stop the bloodshed and decide the outcome of the battle with a clash between only the Saints of both armies — favored the Song Domain greatly.

      There were many more Saints in the Song Army, after all.

      They had already held an advantage in that regard at the very start of the war, and their advantage only became greater after Morgan's departure and the battle at Vanishing Lake.

      The situation had worsened even further since then.

      Three expeditions had been sent into the depths of Godgrave to conquer its remaining Citadels. Revel and her First Royal Legion had gone into the darkness of the Spine Ocean, accompanied by Moonveil... while a punitive expedition had set out from the camp of the Sword Army to destroy them.

      Considering how powerful the daughters of Ki Song were, that expedition numbered seven Saints.

      Additionally, Summer Knight was heading south with two Saints accompanying him, while the Queen of Worms had given up on conquering the Femur Citadel, thus sending no one.

      So, in the end...

      The Song Army, which had only lost one Transcendent champion since the start of the war, could muster forty-six Saints in this battle. The Sword Army, meanwhile, could only muster twenty-four... twenty-three, really, considering that Saint Tyris was too important for Anvil to risk losing her.

      In short... Seishan had no less than twice as many Saints to accompany her into battle as Nephis had.

      What reason did she have to refuse?

      'Ah... it's going to be a long day.'

      Still embracing Rain as a shadow, Sunny sent her a mental message:

      [That is your cue to get the hell away.]

      His sister flinched, then helped Tamar stand up and rushed away from where Changing Star and the Lost Princess of Song were facing each other.

      All around her, the warriors of the Song Army were following suit, receding like a tide. A vast open space was opening between the two retreating armies, painted by blood and littered with mangled corpses.

      Sunny let out a mental sigh and shifted most of his focus to the Lord of Shadows.

      The fighting at the center of the battlefront might have stopped, but on the flanks, the Awakened were still clashing and killing each other. Sunny headed for the left flank, where both armies were in great disarray.

      His entrance was far less spectacular than Neph's.

      Sunny simply rose from the shadows amidst the slaughter, silently and without drawing any attention.

      Suddenly, a fearsome figure in black onyx armor was standing among the desperately fighting soldiers, darkness nestling in the gaping abyss of its demonic eyes.

      His long white hair — a permanent fixture whenever he wore either of his masks now — was moving slightly in the wind.

      A few soldiers noticed him and staggered away in fright, some of them falling to the ground. But that was all.

      Sunny sighed.

      'No, this won't do... it won't do at all...'

      And as he did, the shadows across the battlefield stirred.

      Suddenly, the world shuddered, and a towering black wall soared from the ground into the sky, sending countless Awakened flying. It seemed to be made from obsidian, its surface rough and uneven, almost absorbing the light.

      The great wall stretched for several kilometers, effectively cutting the left flank of the battlefield in two.

      The Sword Army had remained on one side of the great wall of obsidian, separated from the Song Army by its tenebrous width.

      Of course, there were stragglers left on both sides — but no one was in the mood to swarm them and bring them down.

      Just like at the center before, the battle suddenly and abruptly came to a halt. Everyone was staring at the vast expanse of black obsidian in fear and shock.

      ...And at Sunny, too.

      It was quite a spectacular way to leave a strong impression.

      He nodded in satisfaction.

      'That's better.'

      Just at that moment, a Master from the Sword Army finally recognized him. Falling to one knee, the young man looked up with awe and terror in his trembling eyes.

      "L-lord Shadow! Sir!"

      Sunny stared at him silently for a few moments.

      'Well... I'll be damned.'

      It was his old friend — young Master Tristan of Aegis Rose. Rivalen's son. Somehow, the fool was still alive.

      Sunny smiled faintly behind the mask and looked away.

      "Retreat. This is the King's command."

      The young Master opened his eyes wide, then bowed and dashed away, shouting orders.

      Soon, the Sword Army started to pull back.

      Sunny allowed the obsidian wall to crumble into a tide of shadows — the damn thing was consuming too much essence — and watched the Song Army retreat. The stragglers were already hurrying to catch up with their retreating comrades.

      The real mess was about to start.
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      1. Offline
        + 150 -
        Ch 2006 : The Real Mess



        Sunny was on the left flank of the battlefield, while Nephis was in the center. The right flank, meanwhile...

        [Cassie?]

        There were a few moments of silence, and then the blind seer's voice resounded in his mind.

        [I've arrived.]

        Indeed... today's battle was so important and terribly skewed in favor of the enemy that even Song of the Fallen, the Seneschal of the Great Clan Valor — someone who was not supposed to appear on a battlefield often, serving her King and Domain in other ways — had no choice but to enter the fray.

        In fact, every Saint of the Sword Army was either already here or on their way — except for Sky Tide, who had been ordered to remain with the King of Swords in the rear.

        Their enemies were already here, too. As the tide of Song soldiers receded, dozens of motionless figures were revealed, standing apart from each other across the expansive battlefield.

        Sunny felt a strange mixture of somber wariness and anticipation.

        Each Saint was a force to be reckoned with... and the enemy had twice as many Saints as his side.

        There were the puppets of the Queen, as well. There was also the horde of Nightmare Creatures enthralled by Beastmaster...

        And he had not forgotten that there were still three of Mordret's Reflections left intact, somewhere out there.

        The odds did not seem very promising for the Sword Saints.

        'How many will die?'

        Sunny suddenly felt a chill.

        It was hard to kill a Saint, and even harder to prevent one from escaping should they wish to flee. Those who had reached Transcendence also possessed an incredible wealth of martial experience — they would know when to continue the fight and when to retreat.

        ...Still, Saints were going to die today.

        Countless soldiers would be spared from the cold embrace of death, but death would not remain unfed. It was just that the souls it swallowed would be far more nourishing and potent.

        Of course, the number of the fallen would be infinitely smaller...

        But not the significance.

        In fact, the two Domains would sustain far more damage if a handful of Saints were killed than if a myriad of Awakened died.

        That was because only Saints could claim Citadels, thus expanding a Sovereign's Domain over vast territories. Currently, there were more Saints in the world than there were conquered Citadels — but not by much.

        If enough Transcendent champions were killed today, some of the strongholds of humanity in the Dream Realm would be left without masters. And therefore... the Domains would shrink, losing some of their overall power... a directly opposite result to what the Sovereigns had wanted to achieve by fighting over land in Godgrave.

        The Domains would grow weaker.

        ...Was that part of Neph's calculation, as well?

        It surely was.

        'How devious.'

        Sunny should know... after all, he had come up with the plan himself.

        In the end, her enthralling display of grace and noble virtue had not just empowered her nascent Domain, but would also lay the groundwork for weakening the Domains of her enemies.

        Sunny smiled sadly behind the mask.

        He felt a little dirty.

        Neither of them really wanted to see Saints die — each Saint was a treasure of humanity, after all. So, usually, they would not take steps to ensure the loss of Transcendent lives.

        However, the situation was different today because these lives were weighed against the lives of countless Awakened and Ascended warriors. Those were a treasure of humanity, too — both as they were, and due to their unrealized potential.

        So, in a zero-sum, the conspirators were justified to choose the sacrifice that would further their goals more. And on a purely human level... it felt less shameful to sacrifice a few for the benefit of many. Especially if they themselves would be risking their lives side by side with those few.

        But still, Sunny did not feel good about the situation.

        He had no doubt that Nephis would not be feeling very pleasant at the moment, either — if she was still capable of feeling anything, having been numbed to emotions by the pain of her Flaw.

        The Saints themselves were going to be troubled, too — those who survived, of course. The loss of life among the soldiers was already painful enough, considering that White Feather had not been the only clan to send its warriors into battle. But dying and killing their former friends and comrades personally was both far more visceral and far more poignant an experience.

        And as the loyalty the Saints had for the Sovereigns diminished and their discontent grew, no matter how little, Neph's position would improve further still.

        Because the doubts the people fighting for the two great armies felt were only useless in the lack of an alternative to the iron rule of the two Sovereigns.

        If an alternative did present itself one day in the future, though...

        Well.

        No matter how unpleasant it was, Nephis had made a brilliant move.

        There would be consequences later, without a doubt. Anvil would definitely not be happy with her defiance... but those were problems for the future.

        Now, all Nephis, Sunny, and Cassie had to do... was actually survive the battle and make sure that the overwhelming advantage of the Song Domain did not lead to a wholesale slaughter of the Sword Saints.

        'They have twice as many... hell...'

        Sunny was not alone on the left flank of the battlefield. A few other Saints had joined him, as well — now, what remained was to see which strategy the Song Domain would choose.

        They could just send two Saints of Song to fight each individual Sword Saint. Of course, that was unlikely — after all, they knew how powerful Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows were. They also knew about Saint, Fiend, and Serpent. Cassie might give them an unpleasant surprise, but in the grand scheme of things, her presence on the battlefield was not too impactful.

        Sunny could see Saint Rivalen in the distance. He had assumed his Transcendent form, squaring against a single Saint of the Song Domain — the giant reptile with powerful legs and strangely short arms that Rain had seen tearing Nightmare Creatures apart in the Hollows.

        On the other side, Helie was facing a Saint who had chosen to maintain a human form.

        And a little further away, there was Roan.

        ...Also faced by a single opponent.

        Sunny suddenly felt a bad premonition.

        'Just... how high is their opinion of me?'

        Looking straight ahead, he lowered his head slightly.

        'One, two, three...'

        The darkness nestling in the eyes of Weaver's mask stirred slightly.

        ...Apparently, it was extremely high.

        Because there were thirteen enemy Saints moving to surround him in a wide half-circle
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        1. Offline
          + 20 -
          So thirteen Saints is already dead. (Of course, I'm exaggerating)
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          1. Offline
            + 20 -
            23/46
            rather 26 saints (obviously not all will die) 13 on Sunny, 13 on Neph
            then 20 by 21 the rest
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  9. Offline
    + 90 -
    Need my daily dose..
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    1. Offline
      + 01 -
      Bhai chapter kitne bje ate hain? In general? Ist
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      1. Offline
        + 11 -
        f#cking indian
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  10. Offline
    + 40 -
    Actually that's the best way to solve this
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    1. Offline
      + 20 -
      Most definitely especially with her goal of actually fighting the soverigns. Everyone will see her as their savior protecting the innocent so no one will think she is in the wrong (at least the majority)
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