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Chapter 1877: Secrets of Past
Shadow Slave

Sunny glanced at the valiant man, Sir Gilead, from behind his mask.

Honestly, Summer Knight was not that bad. Back in the Nightmare Desert, he took Morgan away and left the rest of them behind — but before that, he had given away his most precious Memories to Nephis, hoping to help her conquer the Third Nightmare.

He had been reluctant to abandon her and her companions, but his duty had demanded for Morgan to be saved at all costs.

Sunny didn't know what to think of the man.

On one hand, Summer Knight was quite likable — even admirable, in many ways. He was a benevolent warrior who valued loyalty above all else.

On the other hand, that devotion of his made Sunny feel uneasy. He had a personal issue with the concept, and more than that… loyalty was usually seen as a noble virtue, but considering that the subject of Gilead's loyalty was the King of Swords, was it really?

What did it say about Summer Knight that he had chosen to serve a lord like that faithfully?

Sunny often found himself wanting to think about Sir Gilead in the same manner he thought about Harus, the zealous servant of the ruler of the Bright Castle. However, he never quite managed to draw a parallel between the two — no matter how many times he tried, they just felt too different from each other.

So, he was conflicted.

As Sunny was considering the matter, Sir Gilead looked at him once more.

"Can you ask you a question, Lord Shadow?"

Sunny shrugged indifferently.

"You certainly can."

Summer Knight turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

"I heard that you had refused the invitation of Clan Song. However, you did not refuse Lady Nephis, and came to fight under the banner of the Sword Domain with her. I must admit that I am curious as to why."

Sunny traced his gaze and saw a white flash illuminate the world far in the distance. Nephis was unleashing her flames somewhere out there, on the battlefield.

He grinned behind the mask.

His voice was emotionless when he spoke:

"I thought that if it's Changing Star, she would win."

Sir Gilead smiled and drank more water.

"She does have a habit of making impossible things possible. Just like her father."

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"Broken Sword? You knew him?"

Summer Knight chuckled.

"No… I wish I did, though. He died shortly after I became a Sleeper — but, before that, he was somewhat of an idol of mine."

A sad smile appeared on his face.

"I only grew to admire him more after hearing stories told by those who had met him.Many of the older retainers of Clan Valor had a good relationship with Broken Sword and Smile of Heaven — after all, they were comrades of the patriarch's son. Smile of Heaven in particular, since she and Lord Anvil practically grew up together."

He sighed.

"It's a shame, what happened to them in the end… but they would be happy, I think, to see how beautifully their daughter has grown up."

Sunny looked at him with doubt.

Did Gilead not know how Broken Sword died, and that Anvil was one of his killers? Well… to be fair, even Sunny himself did not know that. He was only sure that the Sovereigns had engineered Broken Sword's death because they tried to eliminate Nephis later — without that first clue, finding the rest was close to impossible.

It wasn't strange that Summer Knight would not know anything about it. After all, he would have indeed been a teenager when the betrayal happened, just like Saint Tyris.

There was something else about what he had said, though…

Sunny felt a little curious.

"Practically grew up together?"

Sir Gilear seemed confused by the question for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes. There weren't really great clans back then, but a few families were certainly more renowned and powerful than the rest. Lord Valor and Immortal Flame were patriarchs of two such families, so their children were quite close — since His Majesty and Smile of Heaven were more or less the same age, they were childhood friends."

He smiled.

"Sir Jest has many stories about the mischief the two of them got up to. Of course… listening to his stories is not for the faint of heart. Be warned, Lord Shadow!"

Sunny remained silent for a while.

"I see. Thanks for the warning."

It made sense that Anvil and Smile of Heaven had known each other since childhood. Their families were two of the most prominent families of that time, after all. Their parents had been the most distinguished champions of the First Generation, and would have fought side by side many times. The future great clans had been a small and tight-knit circle.

Still, Sunny had not considered that fact before. In truth, he rarely thought about the Sovereigns as real people, if at all. It was strange to imagine that they had been children once, no matter how reasonable such a conclusion was.

In light of the strange revelation, what Nephis had suffered as a child seemed even more vile. Not only had the Sovereigns killed their comrade and tried to hunt down his descendant, but in the case of Anvil,he had even conspired to kill his childhood friend's husband and eliminate her daughter.

Of course, Smile of Heaven had been… gone, by then. Still, it seemed like an extreme shift in attitude.

Just what the hell had happened to them?

It also made sense that Saint Jest would have known the future King of Swords since childhood — he had been a member of the cohort led by the founder of Clan Valor, after all.

Therefore, he would have known Broken Sword and Smile of Heaven, as well.

Maybe he even knew something about how Broken Sword had died, and how Anvil attained Supremacy.

Sunny's expression turned a little grim behind the mask.

He and Cassie were determined to investigate the Sovereigns to learn their Flaws. Getting to the bottom of the Immortal Flame clan's fall was not directly tied to that investigation, but then again, it very well could be.

There were very few people who knew enough to be a useful source of information for them, and even fewer of those people were within their reach. Saint Jest was one such person.

However, Sunny doubted that the amicable older gentleman would be inclined to share what he knew with them.

'How troublesome.'

He suppressed a sigh and looked at Summer Knight.

'Should I try to pull more information out of him?'

No… it was probably not a good idea, at least not now. Even if he did not really show it, Sir Gilead was already doubting the Lord of Shadows — which was reasonable. A man who put so much value in loyalty had to have reservations about a person who seemingly only cared about self-interest.

So, Sunny could not appear too eager to learn the secrets of the King of Swords. Gilead's convictions might have been naive, but the man himself was no fool. He was carefully scrutinizing his every word, no doubt, evaluating how dependable the Lord of Shadows really was.

For now, Sunny's motives for joining the Sword Army were indeed seen as unclear, and therefore questionable. Not only that, but he had not even pledged his allegiance to Clan Valor itself — instead, he made a pact with Changing Star as an individual.

Should Sunny make his motives seem a little more transparent, and a bit less suspicious?

'Why not?'

He smiled.

"You said that Lady Nephis has grown up beautifully, yes?"

Summer Knight raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused by the sudden question.

"I did."

Sunny stared at him for a few moments.

"Do you think about Changing Star's beauty often?"

His already cold tone grew even chillier at the end.Gilead blinked a couple of times.

"...Do you?"

Sunny responded evenly:

"Quite a bit."

Summer Knight stared at him in bewilderment for a few moments, then looked away and coughed.

"That… huh… I see. I am sorry to disappoint you, Lord Shadow, but Lady Nephis already has a young gentleman in her heart…"

Sunny grinned behind the mask.

"So what? I hear that he's a pampered fool of a Master. Pleasant to look at, but nothing much beyond that. A useless person."

Sir Gilead coughed again.

"I'm not… I don't think... ah, look at the time. My war party will have to enter battle soon. Actually, I was supposed to perform a few inspections … if you'll excuse me, Lord Shadow."

With that, the valiant Saint rose, gave Sunny a polite bow, and jumped down from the platform. His movements weren't hurried at all.

Sunny watched him leave with a satisfied smile.

'Well, then… that went well.'

After that, the motives of the Lord of Shadows should seem quite clear.

Albeit perhaps just as questionable as before…

Shadow Slave
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Comments 61

  1. Offline
    GridDokja
    + 10 ⋅ 0 -
    I hope its not a lily snape situation sigh
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  2. Offline
    Pareidolia
    + 16 ⋅ 0 -
    Pretty good idea honestly. Not only is it entertaining, but it also does give him a good alibi as to why he's on their side. It'll be hilarious if all of Valor starts having ship wars between who deserves Nephsis. The only issue is as far as Valor's elders are concerned... They're probably going to push for Shadow over Sunless, so Sunny might have just shot himself in the foot here and made things more troublesome for one or both persona.
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  3. Offline
    Disarmed
    + 0 ⋅ 1 -
    Wtf with that simp???
    He literally fight with him self... imbest
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  4. Online Offline
    Gerhman_Sparrow23
    + 5 ⋅ 0 -
    Just what the hell had happened to them?

    Same question sunny same question
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  5. Offline
    Lrb
    + 5 ⋅ 1 -
    Se for como o Barão Idiota diz pobre Sunny vai ter que desistir do seu amor por nefis (de certa forma), pra acender ao supremo. Seria legal se Sunny morresse na luta contra os soberanos, mas em meio a morte ele encontra alguma "iluminação" e ascende, muito clichê, mas eu gostaria que acontecesse assim.
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    1. Online Offline
      Ninjamaster98
      + 0 ⋅ 0 -
      It would be pretty cool because he would be the most likely to come back from death if he develops his domain since his shadow powers are related to death. The shadow god could deny death (kind of) when it responded to Sunny’s call. So he should be able to do the same thing but on a smaller scale.
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  6. Offline
    Deathseeker
    + 7 ⋅ 0 -
    One chapter today, three tomorrow

    troll25
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  7. Offline
    Максим Довбняк
    + 32 ⋅ 0 -
    Chapter 1879: Bone Crack

    The second war party left the camp, but the first one did not return.

    That was because Nephis had conquered the fissure, and for a while, the expedition force was busier than usual.

    While Summer Knight and his soldiers clashed with the sprawling jungle, the entire encampment was dismantled and moved forward, chasing the vanguard to the edges of the abyssal chasm.

    The great fissure used to look like a jagged wound on the surface of the sun-bleached bone, its terrifying depths full of impenetrable darkness. That darkness was gone now, replaced by a boiling mass of black smoke and brilliant flame. A billowing pillar of smoke was rising into the overcast sky, falling into the stormy clouds.

    The great bridge of vines connecting the Hollows to the surface was on fire, but it was stubbornly clinging to life. New sprouts of scarlet growth were shooting out of the smoke, trying to crawl their way onto the surface of the white bone. There was a chain of sweaty soldiers positioned along the edges of the fissure, burning the monstrous saplings down before they took hold.

    Looking at the vermilion tendrils slithering out of the crack, Sunny couldn't help but think that they looked like fibers of bloody muscle tissue.

    …Perhaps that was what the scarlet jungle truly was — the flesh and tendons of the colossal skeleton that were desperately trying to regrow and envelop its bones once again, but were burned away by the merciless sky before the dead god could rise from its deathbed each time.

    Over and over again, for eons…

    'What a disturbing thought.'

    Sunny arrived near the fissure at the head of the marching column. The camp of the expedition force was relocating here — both to make building an extermination outpost around the chasm easier and to lessen the return time for the troops battling the jungle. The first war party, which had recently finished its shift, did not have to return at all this time.

    He left the soldiers behind and walked to the very edge of the fissure, where a lonely figure could be seen, looking at the billowing flames. Nephis had dismissed her Transcendent form and the outer layers of her armor, enduring the suffocating heat in light clothes. Her fair skin was smeared in ash and soot, with beads of sweat glistening on it like tiny jewels.

    He glanced into the infernal depths of the burning chasm and then turned to face her.

    Sunny remained silent for a moment.

    "Did you… melt down your armor again?"

    Nephis looked at him with no emotion in her cold, grey eyes.

    Eventually, however, a subtle smile twisted her lips.

    "Wouldn't you like to know?"

    She chuckled, then shook her head.

    "No, I was careful. I can't keep requesting new suits of armor from the enchanters of Clan Valor. They are already quite cross with me, to be honest…"

    In this camp, wearing this mask, Sunny could not make Nephis delicious food and comfort her, chasing away the emotionless coldness dwelling in her eyes with the warmth of human touch and connection. However, he could at least show her that there was someone she could lean on here.

    Master Sunless could do the former, but only the Lord of Shadows could do the latter.

    So, wearing the mask was not all bad in the end.

    He sighed, then said with a hint of envy in his voice:

    "Well, you are fighting Great Nightmare Creatures every day. I am sure you will receive a durable Memory armor sooner or later."

    Nephis looked doubtful.

    "Maybe. But haven't you noticed? Now that we are fighting more powerful abominations, the rate at which the Spell bestows us Memories seems to have reduced considerably. I am not even talking about Echoes… I'm not sure I've even seen a Supreme Echo before, except for that silver devil of yours."

    Sunny was surprised.

    "Really? I... haven't noticed."

    He had killed some Great abominations before being erased from the tapestry of fate — the Vile Thieving Bird's Spawn, Daeron of the Twilight Sea... he had received a Memory both times, but then again, Sunny used to be Fated. Chance and probability had always been in a mess around him, before.

    Nephis nodded.

    "I slowly realized it over the past four years, and these days in Godgrave only confirm that suspicion. Well, it makes sense. It must take more… more of whatever it is that the Spell uses to create Memories and Echoes to fashion them out of truly powerful abominations. One Supreme Memory must be worth ten thousand Awakened ones, so it is being frugal."

    There were a million Awakened in the world, but only three Sovereigns. So, her conclusion made sense.

    Sunny still felt bitter about not being able to receive bountiful rewards from the Spell, but his bitterness had been alleviated a bit.

    'Come to think of it, it's good news for us. Otherwise, with more than a decade to prepare, the Sovereigns would have been drowning in Supreme Memories and Echoes… maybe even Sacred ones.'

    They could still possess those, but at least not a vast arsenal of them.It also made Sunny much more valuable, since his knowledge of weaving was deep enough to craft Supreme Memories, provided he had suitable materials and a few Supreme soul shards.

    Looking into the billowing flames, Nephis asked suddenly:

    "Do you remember what you felt when you received your first Memory?"

    Sunny raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question.

    "My first Memory? Well… if I remember correctly, I was full of indignation. Because it was so useless."

    He paused for a moment, then added with a smile:

    "But after a while, I came to appreciate it. In fact, I value it more with each year that passes. It might not be powerful or useful, but it is a… a memento of the things that I left in the past. Being able to remember is a precious thing, sometimes."

    Sunny glanced at Nephis asked:

    "What about you? What did you feel when you received your first Memory?"

    She blinked a couple of times.

    "Me? Honestly, I was in no state to feel anything when I received it, since it happened at the very end of my Nightmare. But later, when I had time to examine it… I guess I felt humiliated. Because of how glad I was to receive a boon from the Spell."

    Nephis sighed.

    "That Memory served me well, though. I wielded it for many years. Across the Forgotten Shore, the Nightmare Desert, and the Underworld... it never betrayed me. These days, it is too weak for me to use, but I still cherish it a lot."

    Sunny remembered the Memory Nephis was talking about — the Dream Blade — very well. After all, that sword had saved his life many times.

    It had also tasted his blood, mangled his flesh, and caused him terrible pain in the Crimson Spire.

    Considering Neph's historic accomplishments, that Awakened Memory of the Sixth Tier had had a spectacular career before retirement.

    He chuckled.

    "I guess we are both quite sentimental."

    Nephis looked at him with a surprised expression. Her sincere confusion was quite endearing.

    "Me? Sentimental?"

    Sunny smiled.

    "I did not specify which sentiments make us sentimental, though… bloodlust is also a sentiment, for example…"

    Neph's expression changed slightly.

    "Wow. The thirst thing that came to your mind has to do with lust?"

    He froze, trying to think of an answer.

    '...That damned Flaw!'

    Far away, in the main camp of the Sword Army, Master Sunless stopped what he was doing as well and stared into the distance with a contemplative look.

    His eyes narrowed, as if he was considering something.

    After a while, he mumbled quietly:

    "Dream Blade, huh?That is… promising, I think…"
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    1. Offline
      Максим Довбняк
      + 33 ⋅ 0 -
      Chapter 1880: Hell March

      The expedition force continued to push into the depths of Godgrave.

      The First Rib had a bending shape, so for the first week, they were facing a literal uphill battle. Sometimes, the treacherous slope under their feet was so steep that the fallen soldiers rolled down the bloody ground, crashing into the second row of the battle formation. The unforgiving pace of the offensive was only made more cruel by the difficult terrain and the battering heat.

      With each passing day, the scarlet infestation was growing. The jungle was turning more nightmarish, and the abominations populating it were becoming more powerful. However, the soldiers were also growing stronger — those of them who had yet to saturate their cores were absorbing the scavenged soul shards, and many were receiving powerful Memories during the long days of slaughter.

      All were gaining valuable experience and growing more used to the dreadful peril of Godgrave.

      The main reason why the progress of the expedition force was so swift, though, and why the casualties among the soldiers were not nearly as terrible as they could have been, were the three leaders of the expedition — Changing Star, Summer Knight, and the Lord of Shadows.

      Changing Star was like a ruinous herald of annihilation. The battlefield transformed into a radiant, fiery hell when she entered it. Her cleansing flame, her incandescent sword, and her brilliant resolve were both a solace and an inspiration to the warriors of the Sword Army.

      Those who saw her fight found strength that they had not known they possessed and raised their swords to follow her without hesitation. More than that, the Memories of those who fought by her side would be imbued with a newfound power, and all but the most fatal wounds her followers received were quickly healed by her soothing flame.

      The first war party was the fiercest, and pushed the jungle back the furthest.

      Summer Knight was no less radiant. Woven from light, he was like a beacon that dispelled the darkness of the abominable jungle. Seemingly knowing no fear or hesitation, he barred the path of the most harrowing Nightmare Creatures and cut them down both nobly and valiantly, showing the soldiers what a true knight was meant to be with his own example.

      His personal power might not have been as devastating as that of Lady Nephis, but his valor and martial prowess were beyond reproach. He was the most seasoned commander among the three,and led his fellow Saints with the greatest measure of understanding of how to use their powers . Even though there were more Transcendents in his war party than in the other two, their coordination was just as seamless, if not more so.

      The second war party was the most steady and stable, moving forward at a measured pace.

      And lastly, there was the Lord of Shadows.

      The mysterious Saint of Godgrave was like a dark revelation for the soldiers of the Sword Army. No one had expected him to be this deadly, this ruthless, and this insidious as he rampaged on the battlefield, shifting from shadow to shadow and slaughtering the Nightmare Creatures of the scarlet jungle. His silent ferocity was both chilling and astounding, making his soldiers feel a sense of wary awe.

      He did not seem to possess a great affinity for combat, as far as his Aspect went, but seemed like a personification of death despite that — simply due to his lethal skill, devious intelligence, and merciless killing intent. With his three powerful Echoes and unfathomable awareness of every peril facing the battle formation, the sinister Saint was in no way inferior to the most renowned champions of the Sword Domain.

      The third war party was not the fastest, but it suffered the fewest casualties during the gruesome march.

      The expedition force slowly conquered the Eastern First Rib, moving from one fissure to another and cutting off the sources of the scarlet infestation one by one.

      By the time the great elevation of the Breastbone Reach drew near, a small team of the strongest Saints split off from the main force to escort Sky Tide of the White Feather clan to its slopes.

      The Cloudveil parted, revealing the boundless white abyss beyond. Torrents of blinding light poured down, and the soldiers of the expedition force witnessed the unforgettable spectacle of the vast expanse of the Reach being devoured by flames in terrified silence.

      They were far enough away from the breach in the clouds to be safe from the white abyss, but not far enough to be spared the fear of watching half of the world burn.

      After that, the progress of the expedition force slowed down considerably, and grew much more perilous.

      That was because Saint Tyris had finally exhausted her essence after protecting the soldiers for more than a week. Without the aegis of her power, nothing could save them from the merciless heavens anymore.

      They suffered the first breach three days later,while scaling the slopes of the dead god's breastbone. It was a short one, only lasting a few hours, but many soldiers still lost their lives and became ash, their bodies scattered by the wind.

      If there was one small consolation, it was that the abominable jungle and the vile creatures populating it burned with them.

      The Cloudveil broke one more time before Saint Tyris regained her powers, to the same result.

      The expedition force pushed south, slowly carving a path across the vast expanse of the enormous breastbone.

      The soldiers were tired. The sixteen hours of rest they received between having to go to battle were nowhere near enough for them to regain their vitality. The battles themselves were long and harrowing, reaping too many lives each time. The tide of Nightmare Creatures seemed endless, and the suffocating heat was hard to endure.

      Worst of all, the geography of the Breastbone Reach prevented them from permanently cleansing its surface from the scarlet infestation — at least now that they were pursuing a different objective. Even if an extermination outpost was established around a fissure, the jungle would sooner or later spread to it from another direction.

      Therefore, the expedition force moved south without leaving itself a path of retreat. A few days after they moved on, the infestation reclaimed the cleansed portions of the bone plain, enclosing the human army from all sides.

      It would only be banished from these lands permanently if the Citadel in the Hollows was conquered, and the authority of the King of Swords spread to the Breastbone Reach.

      Advancing forward was getting harder with each day…

      And yet, after three weeks of the nightmarish marathon, the battered army finally reached its target.

      In front of them, an enormous crack split the white surface of the ancient bone, and in the darkness below, unknown horrors awaited.

      From here, the best warriors of the expedition force would attempt to brave the Hollows to reach and conquer the Citadel that lay in the dark depths.
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      1. Offline
        Dummybaron
        + 10 ⋅ 1 -
        (Edit:honestly idk why I wrote first part you can skip it, I didn't even use it in second part)

        1.I have few theories first how Natural(Without Nightmare Spell) ascension works:
        Dormant = Mundane Being.
        Awakened = Mundane Being with a bit of essence control.
        Ascended = Mundane Being with good essence control and a bit of Aspect/Elemental control.
        Transcended = A tiny bit of mundane in a Being with very good Essence control, good Elemental(Aspect) control.
        Supreme = Essence and Elemental being almost no mundane left.
        Sacred = Essence and Elemnetal being with properties of Divine.
        Divine = Divine being, defy all mundane and elemental logic.

        Edit 2: I remembered why I wrote it. I wanted to say that since Supremes are more Aspect/Elemental being than mundane, Sunny's original body probably will become Shadow Like same way his Shadow Soldiers ability works.

        2. Second is about Sunny's Domain catalyst, this talk betweend Lord of Shadows and Neph, gave me an Idea.
        He chuckled.

        "I guess we are both quite sentimental."

        Nephis looked at him with a surprised expression. Her sincere confusion was quite endearing.

        "Me? Sentimental?"

        Sunny smiled.

        "I did not specify which sentiments make us sentimental, though… bloodlust is also a sentiment, for example…"

        So We know that life is a desire, then death means something that supposed to make you let go of your desire, your will to live and after that you will truly die.

        So if Sunny's catalyst for his Domain is his own Death, then maybe it means that Sunny have to let go his most valuable desire and die in that state, therefor learn what Death truly means and so gain the ability to rule it.
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        1. Offline
          Rei-absolute
          + 1 ⋅ 1 -
          Faz sentindo , até pq apesar de ele tecnicamente ser livre, ele provavelmente vai se torna escravo de novo, pois se ele abrir mão do seu maior desejo, ele tem que abri mão da liberdade, agora um teoria interessante que eu pensei, é que o nome verdadeiro de sunny pode acabar mudando, os nomes verdadeiros são o destino deles, e o dele tecnicamente já se cumpriu, pois ele tá perdido( quando ninguém lembrava dele, e ele cortou laços com todos) da luz( a luz poderia ser considerada nephis quase com certeza) você também disse na sua teoria sobre ele ter que morrer, e eu não nego que seja uma possibilidade pois, nome verdadeiro de Cassie, significa que ela vai ver as pessoas importantes pra ela cair/morrer e faria sentido já que ele é importante



          It makes sense, because even though he is technically free, he will probably become a slave again, because if he gives up his greatest desire, he has to give up his freedom, now an interesting theory that I thought of, is that the sunny's real name may end up changing, real names are their destiny, and his has technically already been fulfilled, as he is lost( when no one remembered him, and he cut ties with everyone) from the light( the light could be considered nephis almost certainly) you also said in your theory about him having to die, and I don't deny that it's a possibility because, Cassie's real name, it means that she will see the people important to her fall/die and it would make sense since he It's important
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          Ryuk
          + 0 ⋅ 0 -
          hlst gad daimm
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  8. Offline
    Dummybaron
    + 4 ⋅ 2 -
    I love self-reflection chapters.
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  9. Offline
    Elrenegat
    + 17 ⋅ 5 -
    Poor guys paying for that chapter
    It must feel like the scam of the century xD
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    1. Offline
      Aliyah Sulaiman
      + 2 ⋅ 0 -
      😂😂😂
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  10. Offline
    ArMiks
    + 8 ⋅ 0 -
    I feel like lightslayer is closing in on the expeditionary party
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