Chapter 226 The Fool
Perched atop the colossal statue, Sunny finds a quiet solitude as the setting sun paints the sky. He feels an urgent need to regain his lost equilibrium, recognizing this as likely his final day of peace before the true ordeal begins. Reflecting on his recent erratic behavior, he questions the disappearance of the cold rationality and ruthlessness that once defined him, wondering if his mental state is solely to blame. The journey’s numerous setbacks – the failed Gateway, the alienation from his friends, and the devastating betrayals – have chipped away at his resolve, leaving him adrift.
He acknowledges the series of devastating blows that have brought him to this precipice: the futility of their Dark City quest, the feeling of being an outcast, and the crushing revelations regarding Cassie’s vision, Harper’s murder, and Nephis’s untrustworthiness. The mortal wound inflicted by the Black Knight was the final catalyst, leading him to relinquish all pretense of control and embrace a state of deliberate “foolishness.” This madness, he admits, is both comforting and a convenient excuse for his current apathy.
Unlock Global Stories with Noyaku!
Tired of waiting? Instantly translate web novels, manhwa, and manhua from their original sources! Noyaku provides Smart AI and Basic translation engines, plus a custom Glossary for consistent terms.
Sunny wonders if this is the last time he’ll experience such a calm before the storm. He considers the statues and their potential connection to lost memories, a thought overshadowed by Nephis’s continued silence on the matter. He recognizes his own regression, a relapse into old habits after striving to change, and questions whether he’s truly seeking balance or merely indulging in a comforting madness. “Wasn’t it fun? Wasn’t it easy?” he muses, the truth being that he has actively chosen this path, finding solace in the simplicity of being a “fool.”
Chapter 227 Comparatively Safe
The encroaching darkness of the cursed sea spills over the canyon’s edge, forcing Sunny and the remaining cohort to stand on a rapidly shrinking shore. The furious white light of Changing Star’s sword illuminates their grim faces as the water rises to their shins, unnerving even Kai. Sunny, aware of the true horrors lurking in the abyss, understands they are actively summoning one of these terrors, a different kind of entity this time. He strains to see into the darkness, admitting, “I don’t see anything… yet.”
Despite a primal urge to flee, Sunny finds himself observing Nephis and Cassie. Cassie’s visions guided Changing Star’s plan to utilize the secrets of the Forgotten Shore. Though Sunny’s trust in his former companions is shattered, he clings to their judgment, choosing to believe in their strategy. A subtle movement in the periphery draws his gaze, and he whispers, “…It’s here.”
A colossal shape emerges from the churning waves, drawn by the light. The sea parts before it, revealing shoulders like hills. As the monstrous entity draws nearer, Sunny watches in terror and awe, noting the chilling absence of a head where one should be. Nephis intensifies her flames, pushing back the darkness as the creature’s immense form moves through the deep.
Chapter 228 Crossing the Canyon
The stone colossus, a headless giant, navigates the dark sea, a creature of unknown purpose that Cassie foresaw crossing the canyon. Sunny suspects deeper secrets surrounding the seven statues and their connection to the Forgotten Shore, but accepts that fate binds him, Nephis, and Cassie to this cursed land, promising eventual revelation. They huddle on the colossus’s severed neck as it surges through the churning black water, a precarious platform against the wind and spray. In the suffocating darkness, Sunny, as the cohort’s eyes, strains to gauge their progress, the rising tide a constant, ominous threat.
“Prepare yourself! We’re going to be underwater for a couple of minutes, at least!” Sunny calls out to Effie and the others, a grim smile touching his lips as they brace for the inevitable submersion. He recognizes a twisted parallel to Gunlaug’s ambition, a silent question hanging in the air: could he too forge his own path to power? The colossus, a vessel of their desperate gambit, plunges deeper, its massive shoulders vanishing beneath the waves, pulling the platform, and the humans clinging to it, into the lightless abyss.
The cold, crushing embrace of the cursed sea swallows them whole. The cohort desperately clings to the rough stone, the raging currents threatening to tear them away. With his vision obscured, Sunny relies solely on his Shadow Sense, a chilling reliance on instinct as he anticipates any unseen horrors that might stir in the unfathomable depths.
Chapter 229 The Passenger
Emerging from the abyssal depths, the stone colossus breaches the turbulent waves, black water streaming down its ancient form. However, the victory is short-lived as a monstrous passenger, a colossal, translucent eel with a trapped humanoid skeleton, reveals itself clinging to the statue’s chest. This Fallen creature, described by Sunny as “a cross between a translucent jellyfish and an eel,” poses a significant threat, its jaws capable of swallowing a human whole. As the creature senses their presence, its feelers tremble, and it begins to crawl towards the cohort on the colossus’s neck. Changing Star’s instinct to ignite her sparks is quickly quelled by Sunny, who understands the danger of revealing their position to the true horrors of the cursed sea, stating, “light was their last resort.”
Sunny accepts the responsibility of dealing with the formidable eel, his mind racing to find a solution before it reaches them. “I’ll handle it,” he resolves, even as he questions, “how the Spell am I supposed to get rid of this thing?” With mere seconds to spare, he devises a desperate plan, approaching Effie and entrusting her with an item while instructing her to count the colossus’s movements. “If I’m not back after thirty steps,” he instructs grimly, “throw the thing I gave you in that direction as hard as you can. Alright?” Effie, her usual demeanor replaced by a steely resolve, simply nods, and with a whispered, “Good. Well… wish me luck,” Sunny prepares to face the train-sized abomination alone.
Chapter 230 Precarious Battle
Sunny uses a well-placed kunai and its attached string to launch himself towards the colossus’s hand, swinging like a pendulum beneath its massive fist. He lands precariously on the head of a mason’s hammer the giant wields, dislodging his Prowling Thorn to secure himself. The eel, sensing his new position, abandons its climb up the colossus and slides down its arm to pursue Sunny. He desperately tries his blood, hoping it has a debilitating effect on the Fallen creature as it did on the Corpse Eater, but the eel remains unaffected, much to his dismay.
Now forced to defend himself on the violently swinging hammer, Sunny dodges and deflects the eel’s numerous slender tentacles with his Midnight Shard, though the blade fails to wound the creature. The immense difficulty of maintaining his balance while fighting off the onslaught of tentacles pushes Sunny to adapt, drawing on the foundational techniques of the Stone Saint to anchor himself. He reflects on Nephis’s wisdom that adaptability, not just strength, defines a true fighter.
As more tentacles batter him from all sides, Sunny acknowledges the peril of his situation, the steel of his resolve tested by the relentless assault. He’s trapped on a moving platform, facing an unkillable monstrosity, with his every defensive maneuver demanding absolute precision. The battle is far from over, and the true extent of the eel’s threat is only just beginning to dawn on him.
Chapter 231 Stone Giant
The colossus’s arm, still swinging with a terrifying momentum, becomes Sunny’s precarious perch. The encroaching dark sea forces his hand, and he dislodges his Prowling Thorn, leaping from the hammer to the giant’s wrist, only for the stone beneath him to plummet. Clinging to the colossus’s arm as it becomes a vertical wall, Sunny endures the brutal climb, his exhausted hands gripping desperately against the sheer stone. The ascent is a grim testament to his resilience, a stark contrast to past struggles where he relied on Nephis’s aid, a reliance he’s determined to avoid this time.
He finally reaches the colossal shoulder and scrambles onto the circular platform, finding the rest of the cohort waiting anxiously. Kai, disheveled but ever striking, asks, “Sunny? Are you alright?” A weary Sunny replies, “…I’m alive.” Nephis then questions him about the fight, and Sunny grimaces, stating, “A big ugly worm. I threw him back into the water.”
With the immediate threat seemingly repelled, the dark sea recedes from their precarious perch. Nephis takes watch, allowing Sunny to finally collapse, utterly spent, onto the cold stone. The night’s ordeal has drained him completely, proving that even a powerful Sleeper requires rest, setting the stage for their continued journey atop the Stone Giant.
Chapter 232 Before The Storm
The colossus remains their precarious perch, offering Sunny a moment of exhausted respite as he gazes upon the desolate beauty of the Forgotten Shore. Vast, alien vistas unfold, hinting at the Labyrinth’s hidden history—skeletal remains of colossal beasts, the shattered wrecks of forgotten vessels, and the ghosts of cities consumed by time and the ever-present crimson coral. Sunny’s explorer’s spirit, though often leading to death, is piqued by these remnants, fueling a curiosity about the land’s past and the resilience of humanity against its pervasive curse, perhaps even in the face of the Dark City’s own survival.
This fleeting peace is shattered when Cassie, their perceptive oracle, senses an approaching storm. Despite the seemingly calm grey sky, her unease is palpable, a premonition that portends a rising of the cursed sea and unpredictable depths. Nephis, ever pragmatic, begins preparations, urging the cohort to ready themselves for the ensuing chaos. The thought of hurricane-force winds buffeting their giant transport adds a grim layer of peril to their already perilous situation.
Yet, Cassie’s senses pick up on more than just the impending tempest. She falters, indicating the presence of another, more immediate threat lurking beyond the visible horizon, adding a chilling uncertainty to their already fraught journey. The nature of this new danger, coupled with the approaching storm, casts a long shadow over the survivors.
Chapter 233 Swarm
The dead locusts, previously a pestilence, now serve as bait. Their repugnant bodies plummeting to the Labyrinth floor stir a subterranean horror. Dark shapes erupt from the mud, ravenous for the carcasses, a frenzied feeding frenzy erupting. Once sated, these new abominations, drawn by the lingering scent of blood, turn their attention to the walking colossus, scaling its legs with grim determination. Sunny observes this fresh wave of terror, realizing the cohort is now caught between the airborne swarm and this ground-based menace. He rallies, leaping back onto the platform, his kunai a silver blur against the chitinous wings of the winged scourges.
The aerial assault is relentless. Cassie’s conjured winds offer scant respite, the sheer numbers of the winged creatures overwhelming. Kai, abandoning his more potent Blood Arrows, focuses on disabling his targets, his mundane arrows finding purchase in cracked chitin. Even a crippled locust, still a threat, is swiftly dispatched by Nephis, whose sharp sword cleaves it in two. Observing the struggle, Nephis directs Kai, “Don’t try to kill them! Break their wings!” The realization dawns: incapacitation is the key, not outright slaughter, as the enemy’s relentless dive makes them vulnerable to such tactics.
Effie, meanwhile, needs no such counsel, her every strike reducing the grotesque bugs to bloody ruin. As Sunny dodges a near-fatal blow, another creature lands on the platform, two arrows already lodged in its shell, only to be bisected moments later by Nephis. The cohort fights on, a desperate defense against the cascading tide of nightmares, their survival hinging on their ability to ground the swarm and prevent the secondary horrors from reaching their precarious sanctuary.
Chapter 234 Horde
The cohort faces a renewed threat as monstrous, ape-like creatures, covered in grey fur and bearing tusks, begin scaling the colossus. Sunny observes their disturbing nature: crimson flowers sprout from their wounds and pale stems connect their eye sockets, revealing the primates are mere hosts for a more terrifying parasitic life. Despite Sunny’s attempt to incapacitate one with a thrown rock, the creature, already partially decomposed, continues its ascent, proving the enemy’s resilience. As Sunny steels himself for the escalating danger, he is drenched in foul blood as a severed locust corpse crashes past, marking him as a prime target.
Nephis, grimly assessing the climbing horde, declares, “What else? Kill as many as you can,” before leaping onto the colossus’s shoulder. Sunny follows suit, recognizing the dire need to cover the statue’s vast surface. While Nephis moves to confront the attackers on the front and left, Sunny is left to defend the right and back. The “high ground advantage” against these ground-based horrors offers little comfort, as the cohort cannot spare additional fighters from the ongoing aerial battle.
Sunny’s realization of the primates’ parasitized state is a grim revelation, underscoring the relentless complexity of the Forgotten Shore. The dual assault from the air and ground, coupled with the insidious nature of the primate-hosts, forces the cohort into a desperate, multi-pronged defense. With Sunny now a marked target, the true scale of the encroaching nightmare becomes terrifyingly clear, pushing the survivors to their absolute limits.
Chapter 235 Flower Boy
The pervasive red pollen, carrying the insidious seeds of parasitic flora, unleashes a brutal internal assault on Sunny. He collapses, coughing blood, as tiny blooms sprout from his wounds, greedily drawing life from his very being. Despite the agonizing pain, Sunny endures, his tenacious body already working to destroy the invading Nightmare Creature, with Nephis’s purifying flames poised to finish the job. He retaliates with renewed ferocity, the Midnight Shard a blur of steel as he decapitates and dismembers the ape-like horrors scaling the colossus. He narrowly avoids capture, his movements a fluid dance of death, even as more beasts relentlessly replace the fallen.
Realizing the overwhelming tide of enemies, Sunny makes a strategic retreat from the pollen-filled miasma, drawing in precious, clear air. As the emboldened primates surge forward, a glint of steel emerges from the mist. The Prowling Thorn, deployed with deadly precision, ensnares a group of attackers, creating a temporary barrier that halts their pursuit and buys Sunny crucial seconds. He understands that this reprieve is fleeting, acknowledging, “If only I could breathe…”
The relentless assault continues, with Sunny finding himself a marked target amidst the climbing horde. The parasitic nature of the creatures is starkly apparent as they press their attack, forcing Sunny into a desperate, bloody struggle for survival. His resilience, coupled with Nephis’s strategic brilliance and the cunning deployment of their artifacts, becomes the cohort’s only hope against this encroaching, floral nightmare.
Chapter 236 Ex Machina
The chaos erupts into a brutal free-for-all as swarming locusts descend upon the primate horde, tearing them asunder. Sunny, momentarily shielded on the colossus’s neck by Nephis’s blinding inferno, scrambles onto a platform, his body wracked with pain from the parasitic blooms. Despite the agonizing wounds and the dwindling strength of his cohort – Kai out of arrows, Cassie bleeding, Effie overwhelmed, and Caster nearing exhaustion – Sunny fights on, the Midnight Shard a deadly extension of his will. The horrifying realization dawns that the abominable primates are about to reach their position, forcing the already battered cohort to face attacks from two fronts, with his companions tragically exposed to the red pollen’s deadly influence.
As Sunny surveys the dire situation, his cohort teetering on the brink, Nephis, bloodied but resolute, reappears on the platform. The immense pressure mounts as the primates relentlessly pursue, their presence a constant threat to Sunny’s already compromised body. “Not… not too terrible…” he mutters, his inner monologue a desperate attempt to rationalize his grim state, yet the pervasive pain and the chilling prospect of more threats underscore the precariousness of their survival.
The ancient colossus, indifferent to the carnage, continues its southward march, a silent witness to the unfolding desperation. With their enemies now locked in a deadly internecine battle, the pressure on Sunny and his allies surprisingly intensifies. “Curses!” Sunny exclaims, a flash of frustration escaping as he repels another lunging beast, a grim testament to the escalating peril.
Chapter 237 Wall of Darkness
Kai carefully sets down a pale and wounded Cassie, then joins the silent vigil as an impenetrable wall of darkness encroaches from the south, devouring the Labyrinth and exerting a crushing pressure akin to the ominous Crimson Spire. The indifferent colossus continues its march, a stark contrast to the cohort’s growing despair. Effie cries out in pain from a breach in her armor, prompting Nephis to intervene. She places her hands on Effie, a soft white radiance healing the wounds and alleviating the pain, a process that visibly taxes Nephis.
Sunny, weakened and coughing up blood, observes the encroaching darkness. He grimaces as the wind carries the scent of the sea, realizing the colossus’s current position offers little sanctuary. When Kai suggests climbing lower to avoid lightning, Sunny dismisses the idea, explaining the rising sea will submerge most of the statue, leaving their current platform precariously exposed. He grimly warns that while lightning may not be an immediate threat due to the stone, the ensuing chaos is likely to attract other dangers.
Nephis, finished healing Effie, approaches Sunny with a rare expression of worry. She asks if he inhaled the pollen, to which Sunny weakly replies, “Yeah. A little. But don’t fret, it’s not… there are no flowers growing in my lungs. Anymore.” As Nephis moves to heal him, Sunny stops her, his hand cool against hers, and urges her to attend to Cassie instead.
Chapter 238 lnto the Storm
The storm descends with terrifying violence, the wind tearing at Sunny as he clings to the Stone Saint, his damaged lungs protesting. Rain lashes down, washing away the corpses of locusts and the black blood staining the platform. Lightning cracks, followed by thunder, and the stone grows slick. Despite the hurricane’s fury, the Shadow remains a steadfast anchor, her stone body cutting through the gale. Nephis, Caster, and Effie struggle to maintain their grip beside Sunny, the full force of the tempest battering them.
The dark sea, previously a distant threat, now rises, swallowing the Labyrinth and its crimson coral. The stone giant strides through the churning black water, each step creating a furious whirlpool. Waves crash against the colossus, inundating the platform and drenching the cohort. The storm intensifies, a symphony of wind, rain, lightning, and thunder that threatens to tear the world apart. Yet, they endure, clinging to the ancient stone, the ordeal showing no signs of abating.
Sunny’s fear, however, is not of the tempest above but of what lurks in the lightless depths. As the dark waves continue their assault, a chilling premonition washes over him. He lowers his head, gazing into the swirling abyss beneath them, sensing a colossal shadow rising from the depths, confirming his deepest dread.
Chapter 239 Clash of Titans
The cursed sea’s surface erupts as six colossal tentacles surge from the churning depths, looming like monstrous mountains over the marching Stone Saint. Sunny and the others cling desperately as the titanic limbs descend, two coiling around the colossus’s legs and torso, two more reaching for its hands. The ancient statue, however, presses on, batting away one tentacle while allowing another to grasp its wrist. The sheer power of the appendage causes the stone to crack, but the colossus retaliates, its grip crushing the tentacle into oblivion, sending rivers of dark blood into the sea.
Despite this victory, the other five tentacles continue their assault, effectively slowing the stone giant’s progress. The colossus staggers, its mighty stride faltering under an unseen, unimaginable weight. Sunny feels the immense strain through the very stone beneath him as the giant trembles, its efforts to move causing the platform to tilt precariously. The storm mirrors the titanic struggle, its fury amplifying as the ancient statue, with a sudden shudder, changes its angle, bending its waist as if to lean forward.
Sunny’s eyes widen with dawning realization; he understands the colossal shift about to occur. The unseen leviathan’s coordinated assault, binding the statue’s limbs and torso, has managed to impede its relentless march. The colossus, forced to contend with these crushing restraints, is now shifting its posture, preparing for an unknown maneuver born from this fierce, elemental clash, leaving the cohort to brace for whatever comes next.
Chapter 240 Shadow Slave
The ancient statue, grappling with the colossal tentacles, reveals the horrifying source of the assault: a gargantuan skull, vastly different from any human visage. This skull, radiating palpable malevolence, houses the seven-tentacled leviathan, using the bone structure as a shell. Sunny observes the tentacles coiling around the colossus’s arm, their immense power capable of shattering stone. Despite the damage, the stone giant, indifferent to the crushing embrace, frees its other arm. With a surge of power, the colossus raises its hammer, drawing dozens of lightning strikes until it glows incandescently. The colossus then brings the burning hammer down, shattering the abhorrent skull and wounding the hidden horror.
A piercing, unnatural wail erupts from the wounded leviathan, a sound that tears through the storm. Rivers of pure darkness, not blood, pour from the abyssal creature’s grievous wound. This overwhelming tide of blackness surges towards Sunny and the others, a terrifying consequence of the colossus’s devastating counter-attack. The storm, mirroring the titanic struggle, unleashes its fury as the two ancient powers clash with unimaginable force.
The raw power unleashed by the stone colossus, channeled through lightning into its hammer, proves a formidable weapon against the creature of the depths. However, the leviathan’s injury unleashes a torrent of pure darkness, a palpable wave of corruption that threatens to engulf everything in its path. The fate of Sunny and his companions now hangs precariously in the balance as they brace for the oncoming tide of oblivion, a direct result of the titanic battle now reaching its terrifying crescendo.
