Chapter 916 Divide And Conquer
Sunny faces a critical juncture as two distinct Nightmare Creature swarms approach, their combined might a terrifying prospect. One swarm, roughly two hundred strong, features many Awakened led by dozens of Fallen, while a smaller, fifty-creature force of only Fallen, including four Corrupted, lags behind. The potential for them to merge is a grim reality Sunny cannot ignore; the creatures’ primal hunger for human flesh outweighs any internal animosity. A battle is unavoidable, but the narrow mountain road offers little tactical advantage, risking an overwhelming surge of bodies. “Curses…!” Sunny exclaims, realizing the Irregulars must advance into the open valley ahead to confront the threat before the swarms unite, the fate of the convoy hanging precariously in the balance.
With the Rhino halted, blocking the convoy’s path, Sunny and his cohort prepare to disembark. Captain Sunless receives a query from Gere regarding a new obstacle, to which Sunny responds, “Negative. There’s trouble ahead… deploy your soldiers and prepare to defend the convoy. My cohort will advance to engage the enemy, but if something gets past us, it will be up to you and your men to stop it.” Gere’s limited resources, including a lone Sleeper and a meager supply of charged ammunition, highlight the dire disparity between the mundane soldiers and the encroaching abominations, leaving the defense of the convoy a desperate gamble.
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The Irregulars must now choose between engaging each swarm sequentially or attempting a perilous simultaneous engagement in the valley. The narrow mountain pass, while limiting the enemy’s numbers, offers no escape from their relentless advance should they breach the Irregulars’ defenses. Sunny’s keen awareness of the creatures’ potential abilities, coupled with the civilians’ vulnerability, weighs heavily on his decision. The chapter ends with Sunny’s cohort poised to leap from the Rhino, marching towards an uncertain and brutal confrontation in the open, their every action a gamble against annihilation.
Chapter 917 Black Tongues
Sunny, clad in the Mantle of the Underworld and drawing his bow in the oppressive darkness, launches fourteen arrows into the encroaching swarm before their descent. He wears the Mantle, a fused Dying Wish within, to rescue Saint later, remaining a near-invisible silhouette against the crimson aurora. The Nightmare Creatures, emaciated and bestial with sharp fangs, reveal themselves, particularly the ferocious Fallen with bone protrusions and venomous snake-like tails, a new abomination dubbed “Black Tongues.” This new threat emerges from a previously unknown, desert-like region of the Dream Realm, teeming with Nightmare Seeds. Sunny’s cohort, hidden by his command, awaits his signal as the wind carries the stench of blood and rot.
The unsettling silence from Saint’s engagement with the second swarm gnaws at Sunny, his impatience building as he forces himself and his hidden cohort to remain motionless. He desperately needs the entire swarm of Black Tongues to enter the valley, urging them forward. “Hurry, you damned wretches! There is no way you have not seen, heard, or smelled the convoy! Aren’t you hungry for some delicious human flesh?!” he silently curses. The abominations finally flood the valley, moving with clear purpose towards the frozen lake, their hunger for human flesh their driving force.
Sunny waits until the vast mass of creatures reaches the center of the lake before initiating his plan. The chapter leaves the reader in suspense, the fate of the convoy and Sunny’s next move hanging precariously as he prepares to unleash his assault on the unsuspecting swarm.
Chapter 918 Voiceless Wraiths
Sunny’s devastating attack decimates the first wave of Black Tongues, leaving the mountain lake a boiling, charred wasteland. He accounts for nearly a hundred kills with a single arrow, a feat almost overshadowed by the immediate threat of the remaining, heavily damaged creatures diving beneath the ice. The air crackles with the aftermath, and Sunny, despite the carnage and the promise of salvaged Memories for Saint, knows no rest.
As the crippled survivors regroup in the frigid water, Sunny delegates command of the remaining creatures to Dorn. “Have Samara take out the strongest ones, and finish off the rest as they come up with Belle and Luster,” he instructs, before turning to his next critical mission. He doesn’t wait for Dorn’s shocked query, “…There is a second swarm?”
Leaving the ravaged lake behind, Sunny races towards Saint’s location, a shadow consumed by urgency. The stark reality of his mission hits him as he surveys a narrow ravine below, where a desperate battle rages. Grotesquely tall, armored humanoids with empty eyes and unnervingly still faces clash with Saint, their dark metal forms exuding a palpable danger.
Chapter 919 Defying Gravity
Sunny descends into the ravine, a daring aerial assault against the Corrupted abominations overwhelming Saint. Disregarding conventional combat wisdom that disdains airborne attacks and limits power generation, he activates his bow’s [Death Dealer] and his mantle’s [Feather of Truth], transforming himself into a living projectile. His initial, brutal strike severs an abomination’s arm, shattering its dark armor and leaving it reeling.
Before the first blow fully registers, Sunny lands like a meteor on a second Corrupted creature assaulting Saint, the impact of his augmented weight and gravity causing its armor to buckle and break, sending both crashing to the ground. Despite the bone-jarring landing that would have broken him without his Bone Weave, Sunny is alive, his brutal, unrefined entrance incapacitating two of Saint’s attackers in under a second.
With Sunny temporarily incapacitated, his shadows spring to action. One shadow envelops Saint, while the other streaks towards the remaining Corrupted creature, setting the stage for a desperate, coordinated defense.
Chapter 920 Sum Of Its Parts
Sunny and Saint, despite facing creatures capable of decimating entire citadels, prove their superior skill and resolve. Working in tandem, they lure the two initial abominations into a series of traps, their combined combat prowess allowing them to overcome the monsters’ terrifying power. Even with one abomination already injured, the fight is a testament to Sunny’s growth; he’s no longer a mere Sleeper and can now contend with threats that once dwarfed him. However, Sunny’s focus is split, as he simultaneously manifests shadows to aid Nightmare, who is valiantly holding off the remaining Fallen abominations.
The ensuing battle against the swarm of Fallen is a brutal, draining affair. Sunny pushes himself to the brink, his body riddled with wounds, his mind nearing collapse from exhaustion, all while ensuring his shadows survive. The synergistic assault of the Sin of Solace’s blade, Nightmare’s ferocity, Sunny’s Cruel Sight, and his shadow swarm overwhelms the lesser creatures, driving them to succumb to the palpable fear they project. The ravine becomes a charnel house, littered with the corpses of the Voiceless.
The final confrontation is with the Corrupted whose mind Saint had previously shattered. This creature proves incredibly resilient, requiring dozens of arrows from Morgan’s Warbow. Even when finally brought to its knees, impaled by countless projectiles, it resists death, the black threads piercing its lips holding firm. The unnerving, unchanging expression on its face as it claws at the restraints speaks volumes of its enduring torment. Ultimately, its strength fails, and with its final stillness, the Spell confirms the kill: “[You have slain a Corrupted Devil, Defiled Herald.]” Sunny, utterly spent, collapses, the convoy safe, a silent testament to their harrowing victory.
Chapter 921 New Pets
The surviving cohort members, including a bewildered Luster and the typically quiet Kim, approach Sunny and Saint. While the Irregulars appear remarkably unscathed, Sunny and Saint are severely injured, with Sunny having dismissed his severely wounded shadow, Nightmare, for healing. Sunny desperately needs Saint’s continued presence to protect the convoy, as dismissing a seriously wounded shadow means a lengthy recovery and inability to summon. Luster, echoing the Irregulars’ curiosity, questions Saint’s identity, prompting Sunny to explain, “This is Saint. She is… an Echo, of sorts.” He clarifies Saint is an “Ascended Demon,” not a divine being, and announces she will be accompanying them, a prospect the cohort gladly accepts, recognizing her immense power.
The situation shifts dramatically when Quentin reports an unusual discovery after the swarm’s defeat. “We received a few Memories after wiping out the swarm, as usual. But, this time, there was something else,” he reveals. A whirlwind of sparks erupts around Quentin and Samara, coalescing into two monstrous, hound-like apparitions. One is wolf-sized, the other larger than a PTV, both featuring ferocious maws with venomous black tongues.
Sunny’s confusion regarding Kim’s respectful tone towards Saint, even more so than him, underscores the enigmatic nature of his companion. He dismisses Luster’s speculation, stating, “What kind of idiot would believe something like that? Gods…” before asserting Saint’s identity as an “Ascended Demon” and her crucial role in protecting the convoy. This revelation solidifies the Irregulars’ respect for Saint and foreshadows the challenges ahead as Sunny navigates both his own recovery and the unexpected introductions to their desperate journey.
Chapter 922 Little By Little
Saint undergoes repairs in the Rhino’s cargo hold, her stoic, stony flesh a stark contrast to the meticulous work Quentin performs on her armor. With the healer occupied, the Irregulars are left to tend to their own minor injuries, a task Beth unexpectedly volunteers for, revealing a surprising aptitude for medicine that even Luster finds intriguing. Sunny, meanwhile, surveys the wreckage of his once-magnificent black bodysuit, a testament to the brutal battle, and acknowledges his own pervasive pain. The convoy, however, presses onward, the surviving mundane soldiers and civilians shaken by the gruesome aftermath of the swarm’s defeat, a chilling testament to the Irregulars’ power.
The Irregulars secured two valuable Echoes from the recent conflict—monstrous hounds that will bolster the convoy’s defenses on their arduous journey. Sunny immediately puts these new assets to work, commanding his soldiers to harvest soul shards from the fallen abominations, leaving the more challenging retrieval of the Black Tongues to the elements and the coming freeze. While his subordinates benefit from the spoils, Sunny remains focused on his own growth, though a flicker of annoyance surfaces at their ease in acquiring valuable resources. The Memories he gained offer a more immediate path to power, but before he can delve into them, Beth interrupts his contemplation with a medkit.
“What do you mean, what? I’m here to treat you,” Beth insists, her tone urgent as she confronts Sunny’s stoic refusal. He dismisses her concern, claiming, “I do not bleed.” Beth, incredulous, points to the ravaged state of his bodysuit, but Sunny, revealing a deeper truth about his resilient body, reiterates, “Bleeding is too pedestrian.” This exchange highlights Sunny’s extraordinary resilience and hints at the unique, almost unnatural, nature of his existence, even as the convoy moves forward into the unknown.
Chapter 923 Secret Of The Estuary
Sunny, recovering from his near-fatal encounter, feels the unnerving itch of his own resilience as his wounds knit. While his subordinates process the spoils of war, Sunny’s focus remains keenly on personal advancement, a sentiment tinged with annoyance at their ease. He turns his attention to the spoils of his victory, specifically the Memories he acquired. He isolates an Ascended Rank Memory, [Bitter Cusp], drawn to its unique potential beyond feeding Saint. The cryptic description hints at a venomous chalice, a potent tool he recognizes could be wielded for more than simple utility, perhaps even in covert applications.
Beth, still insistent on tending to him, finds Sunny dismissive. When she points to his ruined bodysuit as proof of his injuries, Sunny rebuffs her with the assertion, “I do not bleed.” He reveals a deeper truth about his body’s remarkable healing capabilities, stating, “Bleeding is too pedestrian,” a declaration that underscores his extraordinary, almost alien, nature. This exchange further highlights Sunny’s singular resilience as the convoy continues its perilous journey, leaving the mundane soldiers and civilians to grapple with the chilling display of the Irregulars’ power.
His attention then shifts to another powerful acquisition: [Stifled Scream], a Transcendent Rank Memory, which he eagerly anticipates, recognizing its significant potential for his own growth. The prospect of wielding such potent enchantments promises to further solidify his power as the convoy pushes onward, facing the unknown dangers that lie ahead.
Chapter 924 Wear And Tear
The convoy pushes deeper into the desolate, icy mountains, seeking refuge from the Chain of Nightmares. They establish a temporary camp at a derelict meteorological station, a brief respite where Sunny oversees the tactical enhancement of mundane soldiers’ ammunition with poison derived from the [Bitter Cusp] Memory, a delicate process entrusted to the Sleeper. Amidst this grim progress, an old woman succumbs to her First Nightmare, her soul unable to form a stable core and instead collapsing into the Hollow state, a solemn fate Sunny personally handles, followed by a somber aurora-lit funeral.
Subsequent days bring smaller skirmishes with Nightmare Creatures, a stark contrast to previous battles, yet the convoy’s overall situation deteriorates. Sunny’s strategic use of his new Echoes, particularly the fearsome Ascended Abomination, bolsters their combat readiness, while the Sleeper shows promising growth. The mundane soldiers, armed with poison-laced bullets, can now contend with lesser threats, and Saint’s strength slowly returns. Despite these outward signs of improvement, Sunny perceives a grim reality: the further north they travel, the denser the enemy presence becomes, increasing the frequency and ferocity of encounters.
Their progress is further hampered by the ravaging effects of an earthquake, destroying roads and forcing the Rhino to falter in clearing paths. This escalating pressure forces Sunny into increasingly perilous maneuvers, utilizing his own strength and shadow chains to secure vehicles precariously traversing crumbling mountain passes. He is even drawn to the unnerving, abandoned tunnels dotting the landscape, potential shortcuts that fill him with a profound, unsettling dread, suggesting an unseen peril lurking within the very heart of their desperate journey.
Chapter 925 Low Growl
The looming blizzard threatens to cripple the convoy, turning their perilous journey into a desperate gamble. Sunny grapples with the difficult decision of pushing forward into the blinding snow, which will neutralize his tracking abilities and endanger the already fragile civilian transports, or hunkering down and risking a stationary vulnerability. His internal debate is punctuated by the sight of Abomination and Blackie, seemingly unaffected by the approaching storm, as if they too sense the shift in the icy winds.
Upon reaching a broken-down transport, Sunny confronts a grim assessment from Samara: “Captain. It is serious this time… there was a charge overload in the hub relay, causing the main battery to be cut off from the rest of the systems.” The vehicle’s critical systems are fried, and Quentin will need approximately two hours to make rudimentary repairs. This delay is a critical blow, eroding their narrow window of safe passage and forcing Sunny to consider the unthinkable option of abandoning the compromised vehicle, a decision that will further strain their already overextended resources.
The weight of command presses down on Sunny as he contemplates the ramifications of this setback. He questions the sanity of Nephis, wondering if she ever endured such mundane yet critical logistical nightmares during her tenure as Bright Lord. The growing realization that leading hundreds of individuals, each with their own needs and vulnerabilities, is far more taxing than he anticipated, begins to dawn on him. He begins to understand the immense pressure that drove past Sovereigns to the brink of madness.
Chapter 926 Stormfront
As repairs on a disabled transport stall, Sunny, standing atop the formidable creature the Irregulars acquired, seeks a better vantage point. He asks Sergeant Gere for the convoy’s best binoculars, a request that makes the soldier uneasy. Upon receiving the modern optics, Sunny focuses on the eastern haze. What he sees is not an oncoming blizzard, but a terrifying expanse of bat-leech hybrids, a seemingly endless horde of abominations moving swiftly towards them. The sight drains the color from his face, leaving him with a bleak, almost hollow expression.
Sergeant Gere, sensing the captain’s distress, inquires, “Sir? What is it?” Sunny, his mind reeling from the magnitude of the approaching threat, can only repeat the question inwardly. He confirms the horrifying truth: the distant haze is a vast, rolling stormfront of creatures, not snow. This revelation crushes any hope of a safe passage, and his first, desperate order is for Gere to evacuate the stranded soldiers and load them into the infirmary transport, pushing for impossible speed.
Sunny’s internal turmoil intensifies as he grapples with the horrific reality. The infirmary transport, meant for the sick, is now the only viable option for sheltering the injured and vulnerable from the imminent annihilation. He dismisses all extraneous thoughts, his focus narrowing to the immediate, grim task of survival. The convoy, already hampered by mechanical failure, now faces an existential threat of monstrous proportions, forcing Sunny to make impossibly difficult decisions under unimaginable pressure.
Chapter 927 Racing Against Time
The Rhino, a heavy armored vehicle, hurtles through the treacherous mountain pass, its lights cutting through the swirling snow, with Luster at the controls, his focus absolute. Behind them, the civilian transports and military vehicles struggle to keep pace, a precarious dance on the crumbling road. Sergeant Gere and his soldiers work frantically, loading poisoned ammunition and swiveling the turret cannons eastward, their spotlights probing the approaching gloom. Sunny, utilizing his shadows, scouts ahead, desperately seeking any sign of shelter, but finds only darkness and the ever-closer, unnatural veil.
Suddenly, a Nightmare Creature, a blur of claws and fur, lunges from a cliffside crevice towards the Rhino. Before impact, a black arrow from Saint’s Warbow pierces its neck, impaling it to the stone. “That was a close one, sir,” Luster murmurs, jolted but maintaining control. Sunny, his mind racing, urges Luster to accelerate. The fear gripping the convoy is palpable, and Sunny pours over maps, seeking an escape, but the encroaching swarm devours the horizon with terrifying speed.
The convoy encounters another Nightmare Creature, swiftly dispatched by the Echo and the Ascended Monster, which then pause at a road fork, uncertain. Sunny, however, guided by his shadow’s reconnaissance, directs the Rhino onto the right path, the only viable route to outrun the airborne abominations, though a significant, undisclosed problem looms.
Chapter 928 Devouring Cloud
The convoy descends into a deep gorge, gaining a brief respite as the Rhino accelerates. However, the encroaching swarm, the Devouring Cloud, consumes the distant mountains, leaving only hazy peaks. Flying abominations, the Brood of the Devouring Cloud, begin to dive relentlessly, forcing the soldiers to engage in a desperate, continuous cannonade against the darkening sky, illuminated by spotlights and tracer rounds. Sunny, frustrated by his lack of a ranged weapon while his Shadow uses his bow, climbs atop the Rhino. Saint continues his deadly accurate archery from nearby, while Samara lays down suppressing fire from a civilian transport. Even the Sleeper’s poisoned arrows contribute, yet Sunny laments the futility of their efforts against the overwhelming numbers.
Sunny curses his own foresight, realizing his countermeasures against swarms of flying creatures were inadequate for this overwhelming threat. “Why did I not account for it… fool, damned fool!” he mutters, the weight of their inescapable situation pressing down. There appears to be no escape, no shelter from the aerial onslaught. The soldiers fight on, Saint and Samara continue their deadly dance with death, but Sunny perceives it as a pointless struggle. The sheer scale of the abominations continues to grow, and the Devouring Cloud draws nearer, promising a gruesome finale as it prepares to engulf the gorge entirely.
The chapter emphasizes the sheer hopelessness of the convoy’s situation as the sky itself becomes the enemy. The relentless assault of the flying abominations highlights the limitations of their current defenses, even with the combined efforts of Saint, Samara, the Sleeper, and the soldiers. Sunny’s internal struggle with his perceived failure to prepare for such a catastrophic event underscores the rising dread. The approaching Devouring Cloud looms as an insurmountable obstacle, painting a grim picture of their likely fate.
Chapter 929 Swarm
The Devouring Cloud descends, plunging the gorge into an impenetrable darkness as the convoy desperately seeks refuge in an old tunnel. The deafening roar of countless wings assaults Sunny’s ears as the swarm, a tidal wave of abominations, breaches the Rhino’s armor. Despite the soldiers’ desperate, aimed-fire becoming futile against the sheer numbers, Sunny borrows Saint’s Warbow, unleashing a bolt of lightning that momentarily illuminates the horror and disintegrates a portion of the brood. “Not enough…” he mutters, realizing his powerful attack is too slow to recharge, a critical delay that could doom them all.
Samara, on a civilian transport, overcharges her rifle, unleashing a devastating shot that detonates with staggering violence, consuming a swath of attackers. Though severely depleted, her effort, along with the poisoned bullets and Memories of the other Irregulars, buys precious seconds. The tunnel entrance draws nearer, but the rearmost military vehicle is already being torn apart, its crew succumbing to the frenzied assault. Sunny, with his Strike of Thunder now back, prepares to unleash caged lightning once more, the desperate struggle for survival intensifying with every passing moment.
Chapter 930 Old Tunnel
Safely inside the tunnel, the convoy’s immediate terror subsides, replaced by the quiet dread of the unknown depths ahead. Sunny, depleted from his desperate maneuvers against the Devouring Cloud, faces a grim necessity: sealing the entrance. Recognizing the fragility of the tunnel’s ancient structure, he orchestrates its collapse, a calculated gamble to sever their pursuers from their escape route. “I’ll feel really awkward if there’s a collapsed section of it further ahead,” he muses, but the chilling reality of the alternative—being consumed by the swarm—solidifies his resolve.
With explosives from Sergeant Gere, Kim’s uncanny ability to discern structural weaknesses, and Professor Obel’s scientific acumen, the tunnel’s maw is sealed, a definitive act of separation. “Now, there was no way back. Only forward, deeper into the darkness,” the narrator notes, emphasizing the irreversible commitment to their perilous journey. While the majority of the convoy is battered but functional, the rear military vehicle, miraculously driven into the tunnel, is a wreck. Its crew has paid a heavy price: one dead, others severely wounded, a stark reminder of the brutal cost of their escape.
Sunny, already grappling with his profound exhaustion, faces a fresh wave of guilt as he witnesses Quentin tending to a grievously injured soldier. The mangled arm, beyond even the healer’s skill, will require amputation, a stark consequence of Sunny’s decisions. The death of a soldier under his command, unlike the earlier unavoidable loss of a refugee, weighs heavily on him. He reflects bitterly on his promise to Professor Obel to protect everyone, a promise he has now failed twice, the crushing burden of responsibility for another’s suffering fueling his grim determination.
