Chapter 346 Promise of Blood
The Blood Blossom enhances Sunny’s tachi, imbuing it with a chilling, almost sentient hunger for his opponent’s blood. He faces Nephis once more, her icy indifference masking the furious white flames in her eyes. Their blades clash, and though Sunny still feels the overwhelming force of her strikes, the Midnight Shard now offers a subtle, crucial aid, its unnatural pull granting him a fraction of a second’s advantage. This minor shift allows him to better defend against Nephis’s unpredictable onslaught, incorporating Saint’s grounded style to mask his own movements and introduce an element of surprise. The longer the fight draws out, and the more Nephis bleeds, the stronger Sunny feels, a grim promise fueling his resolve.
He manages to land a glancing blow on Nephis’s gauntlet, a small victory that signals a potential turning point. However, Nephis, sensing this shift or perhaps driven by desperation as her own wounds worsen, abruptly abandons her calculated assault. She unleashes a barrage of deadly steel, her defenses faltering, leaving her exposed. Sunny, caught off guard, struggles to parry the furious onslaught. Their bodies are pressed close, the tension thick as their weapons grind. Nephis, driven by sheer strength, manages to draw blood from Sunny’s neck before he can fully disengage, but he retaliates with a desperate strike of his ghostly stiletto.
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Nephis anticipates his move, twisting to take a superficial wound on her breastplate, but this momentary lapse allows Sunny to push her sword away. Before he can exploit this opening, she lands a brutal blow to his head with her sword’s pommel, leaving him reeling. The chapter concludes with Nephis’s unexpected, all-out offensive, leaving Sunny vulnerable and the outcome of their fated battle hanging precariously in the balance.
Chapter 347 Free Fall
The Crimson Spire crumbles around Sunny and Nephis, their battle having triggered a cataclysmic collapse of the Forgotten Shore. As debris rains down, they continue their deadly dance amidst the destruction, their blades clashing even as their bodies are forced into desperate, close-quarters combat. Sunny lands a brutal forehead strike, shattering Nephis’s nose, but she retaliates with a savage punch to his side, reopening a wound from Caster, before a second blow dazes him.
With a colossal slab of granite threatening to crush them, Sunny uses Nephis’s body to propel himself away. Both fighters, aided by their cloaks, spiral downwards, too occupied with dodging falling masonry to attack. The Crimson Spire groans and fractures, the artificial sun dims, and the Gateway runes below flicker unstably.
As they descend, Sunny casts a glance at Nephis. He then dismisses his Dark Wing, opting to fall freely towards a distant balcony, the air screaming past him as he plunges into the encroaching darkness.
Chapter 348 Unbroken
Despite grievous injuries sustained from their brutal duel, Sunny and Nephis rise to face each other once more amidst the collapsing Crimson Spire. The massive structure groans around them, the artificial sun flickers, and the Gateway runes pulse unstably, signaling the impending doom of the Forgotten Shore. Sunny, battered and bleeding, manages a hoarse “…Let’s finish this,” to which Nephis, her face a mask of pain but her eyes burning with resolve, grimly agrees with a blood-splattered grin.
They resume their desperate battle on the dais of the Gateway, their swords a deadly symphony against the cacophony of destruction. Though Sunny’s Blood Blossom amplifies his strength, pushing him to unprecedented power, Nephis remains an overwhelming force. She proves too fast, too strong, her ferocity unmatched even as her own wounds worsen.
Sunny’s left arm grows numb, his vision blurs with blood, and breathing becomes a painful, wet sound. Yet, driven by an unbreakable will, he continues to fight, relying on his Shadow Sense to compensate for his failing sight. The clash between them is a testament to their sheer endurance, a desperate struggle against oblivion itself, with Nephis still holding the upper hand despite the mounting damage.
Chapter 349 Fate
The desperate duel between Sunny and Nephis reaches a new fever pitch as a shattering in Sunny’s chest activates the Midnight Shard’s [Unbroken] enchantment, unleashing a torrent of power. This surge not only bolsters his Blood Weave’s restorative capabilities but also fortifies his body, allowing him to finally match Nephis’s overwhelming strength. Though the gap in their prowess significantly narrows, Nephis, ‘Changing Star,’ still holds a razor-thin advantage, her ferocity undeterred as the Crimson Spire continues its violent disintegration around them. Despite the overwhelming odds and Nephis’s relentless assault, Sunny’s will remains unbent.
With the Crimson Spire collapsing and an immense granite slab crashing down, both combatants are thrown to the ground, only to rise and resume their deadly dance with renewed, albeit brutal, determination. Sunny manages to land a deep cut on Nephis’s forearm, but she retaliates by slamming her sword’s pommel into his mauled clavicle, eliciting a pained, bestial scream from him. Refusing to yield, Sunny finds a new path to victory by focusing not on Nephis’s body, but her shadow, sensing an approaching epiphany in mastering the first step of his Shadow Dance.
This shift in focus allows Sunny to finally grasp the essence of Nephis’s battle style, a breakthrough catalyzed by the [Unbroken] enchantment and his shadow-based perception. He begins to anticipate and mirror her movements, then surpass them, his own attacks landing fractions of a second before hers. The subtle, almost imperceptible lead he gains is all he needs as he realizes the true nature of Shadow Dance is not mere mimicry, but the embodiment of the opponent’s essence. As Nephis, sensing his evolving mastery, escalates her attacks, Sunny escalates his own, sacrificing defense to end the brutal confrontation decisively.
Chapter 350 End of the Nightmare
Sunny confronts Nephis, accusing her of throwing the fight. He meticulously points out inconsistencies in her performance, from her failure to utilize both her augmentations to her deliberate avoidance of a killing blow. “Why did you throw the fight?!” Sunny demands, his voice laced with anger and disbelief. Nephis initially feigns ignorance, claiming her powers were exhausted, but Sunny presses on, citing her uncharacteristic restraint at crucial moments. He recalls her passing on an opportunity to “cut off my arm, ending the fight right there and then,” and her decision to wait for him rather than escape. The crumbling Crimson Spire serves as a stark backdrop to this intense interrogation, the falling debris mirroring the unraveling truth.
Nephis, her white flames weakening and barely stemming her wounds, finally admits, “…Maybe it is because I am far away from home, too.” Sunny, bewildered, demands an explanation. With a renewed surge of power from her white flames, Nephis reveals her true intentions. She orchestrated the fight to push Sunny to his limits, creating a scenario where he had to be “ruthless and cruel.” She confesses her own growth and changing perspective, admitting that her previous ambition, to “sacrifice anything, anyone, to achieve” her goals, felt “distasteful” after witnessing the consequences of her actions.
“I didn’t abandon my goal,” Nephis declares, her eyes shining with a fierce radiance. She explains that she hasn’t given up on destroying the Spell, but her approach has changed. She will achieve her ambitions “in a way that suits my desire, without compromising anything. Without sacrificing my sense of right and wrong.” With this revelation, Nephis offers Sunny a chance to leave, urging him to escape the collapsing spire. The chapter ends on this moment of profound confession and a redefined, perhaps even more dangerous, ambition from Nephis, leaving Sunny to grapple with the complex motivations of his former adversary.
Chapter 351 Once Again
Sunny finds himself adrift in a star-dusted void, an overwhelming cosmic tapestry of silver strings hinting at the Spell’s intricate design, a vision he can now perceive through the “eyes of Weaver.” The sheer magnitude of this cosmic pattern threatens to shatter his sanity, a harsh lesson learned from the Forgotten Shore about the perils of forbidden knowledge. Overwhelmed by a surge of fury and despair, Sunny grapples with two devastating blows: the loss of Nephis and the agonizing revelation of his True Name to the “ungrateful, weak, blind girl,” Cassie.
This betrayal, coupled with Nephis’s complicity, leaves Sunny feeling like a slave once more, his freedom a distant memory. He confronts a maelstrom of conflicting emotions regarding Nephis – the pain of her absence warring with a desperate hope for her demise to reclaim his liberty. Despite the crushing weight of his circumstances, a flicker of defiance ignites within him as he whispers, “…I won.” He reflects on his arduous journey through the Dream Realm, a testament to his resilience and growth into one of history’s most powerful Sleepers, poised to become an Awakened.
His survival against unimaginable horrors, his acquisition of forbidden knowledge, and his witnessing of profound cosmic events have forged him into something extraordinary. All his aspirations for a life of comfort and prestige now seem within reach. Yet, the sting of betrayal and the void left by Nephis remain, leaving him to question how he can possibly overcome the profound emptiness and the weight of his newly acquired power, a question the silent Spell seemingly grants him eternity to answer.
Chapter 352 Monster Core
Sunny grapples with the reality of his newfound perception, the cosmic strings of the Spell’s design overwhelming him. The sting of betrayal from Cassie and Nephis, leaving him feeling like a slave again, fuels a desperate hope for Nephis’s demise to reclaim his freedom. Despite the crushing weight of his circumstances, a flicker of defiance ignites within him as he whispers, “…I won.” His journey through the Dream Realm has forged him into a formidable Sleeper, poised for Awakening, with aspirations of comfort and prestige now within reach. Yet, the void left by Nephis and the burden of his power leave him questioning how he will overcome the profound emptiness.
His internal turmoil is interrupted by a startling revelation: two Shadow Cores now hover in his Soul Sea, defying the established order of a single core for humans. “Am I… am I seeing things, or are there two of you?” he questions the shadows, one sulking and the other shy. This duplication, assembled from the thousand shadow fragments he collected, dramatically amplifies his strength, tripling his power and allowing him to augment both his body and the Midnight Shard simultaneously.
This extraordinary development, a testament to his unique and potent Divine Aspect, opens a new era of power. The presence of a second core suggests the possibility of more, explaining Nephis’s immense strength and her struggle to saturate her own core. As Sunny considers the implications for his future and the escalating gap between himself and other Awakened, the memory of Nephis surfaces, only to be banished as he summons his runes to confirm his crucial guess about his Aspect’s true potential.
Chapter 353: Light Bringer
Sunny examines Nephis’s runes, his gaze fixed on her True Name: “Changing Star.” He deciphers its meaning—a force of cataclysmic change, bringing both ruin and salvation, a destiny he now understands mirrors the fate of the Dreamers of the Dark City. He then sees Nephis’s rank as a Dreamer, her Class as Demon, and the staggering fact that she possesses three Soul Cores, with a fourth nearly saturated. This stark revelation fuels Sunny’s frustration, highlighting the immense gap between their current power levels, and he questions how she achieved such rapid progression.
His contemplation turns to his own past choices, specifically his decision to avoid saturating his second core during the civil war. While he acknowledges the luck that saved him from death during its formation, he recognizes that Nephis’s ability to collect essence from fallen humans, particularly during the war against Tessai and Gemma, gave her a significant advantage in accumulating power. Sunny’s attention then shifts to Nephis’s Memories, noting several utility ones, but his focus is captivated by the “Nameless Sun,” an Ascended weapon of tier VI. He speculates on its immense power and its role in her survival within the Dream Realm.
Finally, Sunny delves into Nephis’s Attributes: “Dreamspawn,” “Nephilim,” “Flame of Divinity,” and “The Fire,” each description painting a picture of her extraordinary lineage and her inherent connection to divine power and the legacy of the Sun God. He absorbs the details of her unique nature, a stark contrast to his own solitary existence, as he continues to unravel the mysteries of her ascent and the implications for his own burgeoning power.
Chapter 354 Awakening
Sunny experiences a profound transformation, a sensation echoing his awakening after the First Nightmare, but far more potent. His Shadow Cores radiate an intensified, palpable heat, circulating ethereal energy that remakes his very being, making him stronger, faster, and more enduring. This isn’t just physical enhancement; his soul undergoes a subtle, yet incredible, metamorphosis, feeling natural and right, as if achieving a destined completeness. The transformation concludes with a soothing coldness, alleviating an unnoticed ache in his heart, leaving him feeling tempered and resilient, like pure steel. He realizes the true distinction of the Awakened is not brute strength, but a new innate ability: sensing and interacting with soul essence.
This newly circulating essence, now flowing through his entire body from his Shadow Cores, allows him to passively absorb power into his bones and muscles. Sunny instinctively grasps the potential to direct this essence, granting himself short bursts of inhuman might. He recognizes the need for further training with experienced Awakened to master this newfound control and understand the tactical implications of essence as a finite resource in battle. The quest for more shadow fragments to increase his core capacity also becomes paramount.
However, this is only the prelude to the main event. The Spell announces the acquisition of an “Awakening Aspect Ability,” revealing its name: “Shadow Step.” This new ability, acquired after the intense physical and spiritual restructuring, promises to unlock an entirely new dimension of combat and traversal, leaving Sunny poised on the precipice of even greater power and mystery.
Chapter 355 Back to Reality
Sunny’s newfound mastery over his soul essence, the very core of his awakened state, is immediately overshadowed by a startling global phenomenon. Across the city, in disparate locations, other individuals awaken from their dream pods with a similar, yet distinct, surge of power. A delicate girl in a hospital setting screams as her eyes snap open, while a young man in a luxurious private facility levitates from his pod, stunning his nurse. The chapter paints a picture of widespread, unexplained awakenings, hinting at a significant shift in the world’s balance.
The narrative briefly touches upon the stark contrast between these sudden awakenings and the prolonged slumber of others. A young woman in a dilapidated apartment, roused by a news report of “unusual number of Awakenings!”, finds her pod cracking under an unseen force from within, signifying her own imminent emergence. This widespread awakening suggests a connected event, possibly triggered by something more than individual growth.
Meanwhile, the Academy’s medical facilities witness further unrest as Sunny himself emerges from his empty pod, disoriented and confused, as if a part of him has been pulled away. Elsewhere, in a more secure facility, a silver-haired young woman remains undisturbed in her pod, her slumber continuing unbroken, a stark contrast to the chaos erupting around her and hinting at her unique, perhaps fated, role in the unfolding events.
Chapter 356 Interview with the Shadow
The Academy’s medical facilities are plunged into a joyous, yet chaotic, atmosphere following the return of numerous Sleepers, many believed lost for years. An administrative worker, Teddy, tasked with initial debriefings, finds herself overwhelmed by the extraordinary accounts of survival against powerful Nightmare Creatures in isolated Dream Realm territories. Her work today is unlike any other, filled with stories that chill her to the bone but also inspire a profound sense of hope for humanity.
As the interviews continue, Teddy is struck by the appearance of a pale young man named Sunless, who prefers to be called Sunny. Despite his modest features, he possesses an elusive, magnetic quality that captivates Teddy’s attention. He claims to be honest and promises to share his experiences in the Dream Realm, noting, “A year and a few weeks. Although, uh… it felt much longer.”
Sunny’s arrival amidst the widespread awakenings hints at a deeper connection between these individuals, suggesting their prolonged absences and eventual returns are part of a larger, unfolding mystery. The sheer volume of returning Sleepers, each with tales of unimaginable hardship, signifies a monumental shift in the world’s understanding of the Dream Realm and its inhabitants, setting the stage for future revelations.
Chapter 357 Risk and Reward
Sunny manipulates his debriefing with government agents, carefully crafting a persona of exceptional talent that stops short of revealing his true, more outlandish feats. He deliberately positions himself as a high-tier Awakened, yet at the lower end of that spectrum, a strategic move to garner recognition without inviting excessive scrutiny. This shift from his long-held facade of weakness is unsettling, but necessary as his situation has fundamentally changed. The crushing burden of a hidden secret has been replaced by the more terrible weight of his master, Nephis, and the unknown implications of her survival.
His understanding of the Shadow Bond clarifies; he is safe as long as Nephis lives, but her potential demise leaves him vulnerable to others discovering his True Name. Contemplating Nephis’s chances of survival in the ravaged Forgotten Shore, he harbors a certainty that she will endure. Now an Awakened, Sunny recognizes the need for status to access opportunities, and his fabricated reputation is the first step. He finds himself amidst a gathering of other newly returned Sleepers, many displaying a mix of relief and apprehension as they scan a list of names, survivors of the Dreamer Army, though familiar faces like Seishan, Kai, Effie, and Cassie are absent.
Chapter 358 Shadow Step
The hospital offers newly Awakened survivors temporary rooms to adjust to their powers and reconnect with families, a stark contrast to Sunny’s solitary state, as no one awaits his return. The destruction of the Forgotten Shore’s Gateway leaves the Dreamer Army survivors unanchored, facing the terrifying prospect of random respawns in the Dream Realm upon their next sleep. Fortunately, Saints can facilitate a stable anchor in human Citadels, and with their extraordinary achievements, the survivors are poised for a bidding war among powerful factions. Sunny, however, turns his immediate attention to testing the limits of his new “Shadow Step” ability, discovering it allows near-instantaneous travel between shadows within a limited range, and even greater distances between his own dispersed shadows.
More astonishingly, Sunny learns he can become incorporeal and move with incredible speed through any unbroken shadow, rendering him utterly undetectable and invulnerable to physical harm, though he cannot attack in this state. This profound mastery of shadows promises a significant advantage in his upcoming negotiations for a new anchor. While others experience emotional reunions, Sunny finds himself in a sterile room, contemplating the imminent recruitment war for the hundred survivors of the Forgotten Shore, a war he is uniquely positioned to navigate, leveraging his burgeoning powers and fabricated reputation.
The uncertainty surrounding their next steps weighs heavily, especially the unknown destination upon falling asleep without an anchor. The allure of a secure Citadel anchor is strong, but Sunny’s immediate focus remains on mastering Shadow Step, a power that could redefine his trajectory. The prospect of being hunted for his True Name still lingers, but for now, the immediate concern is securing a stable connection to the Dream Realm, lest he be flung into another chaotic and perilous unknown.
Chapter 359 Soul Serpent
Sunny, accustomed to the unexpected, finds himself surprised by a new type of Legacy Relic: a Shadow. The runes confirm his possession of two Shadows, “Marble Saint” and “Soul Serpent.” He initially expects a creature of shadow to manifest, but is met with nothing. Confused, Sunny discovers an intricate, almost lifelike black serpent tattooed onto his skin, a mark he recognizes as belonging to the Shadow God. This “Soul Serpent” isn’t merely decorative; it acts as a conduit, enhancing his control over shadow essence and improving its efficiency, allowing for faster restoration and slower consumption.
This new boon, the Soul Serpent, immediately grants Sunny a tangible advantage in managing his burgeoning powers. While the other survivors anticipate a bidding war for their services amongst powerful factions, Sunny is already honing his unique strengths. He tests the enhanced essence flow, noting the serpent’s influence on his Shadow Dance and Shadow Step abilities. The serpent, coiled around his form, signifies a deeper, more intrinsic connection to the shadow realm, promising even greater mastery.
The revelation of the Soul Serpent’s true nature, as a physical manifestation enhancing his very essence, leaves Sunny contemplating the implications. It’s a subtle yet profound shift, one that could dramatically alter his position in the upcoming negotiations. The mysterious mark, described as “striking, beautiful, and disturbing,” hints at a deeper connection to the Shadow God’s influence, a power he is rapidly beginning to understand and wield.
Chapter 360 Broken
Sunny enters a heavily guarded underground room, finding Nephis in a transparent life-support machine, her appearance frail. Beside her, a blind girl named Cassie stands guard, rapier in hand, a stark contrast to the placid medical environment. Sunny’s arrival, a silent emergence from the shadows, breaks the room’s quiet. He gazes at Nephis, his mask of indifference cracking to reveal a torrent of grief, anger, and longing before settling back into cold control. The sight of her helplessness ignites dark thoughts, a momentary contemplation of ending her suffering with the Moonlight Shard. He dismisses the idea, remembering the ambiguity of death for those whose souls or bodies are lost in the Dream Realm, and the personal inability to harm Nephis again.
Sunny’s attention then shifts to Cassie, his fury palpable as he questions her newfound perception. “What, you can see now?” he demands, his voice laced with a cruel amusement. Cassie calmly denies sight but hints at a different form of awareness. Sunny’s triumphant, barbed congratulations, “You won’t be useless anymore, at least,” are met with her stoic silence, though he recognizes the hidden pain. He presses, demanding to know how she discovered his secret. Cassie reveals that she “saw” his confession of being “Lost from Light” after he killed a spy, a vision that allowed her to piece together the truth.
The revelation strikes Sunny with the force of a physical blow, recalling the traumatic memory of killing Harper. He realizes that single act, born from his Flaw’s agony, was the catalyst for his current predicament. The whispered confession, “Lost from Light… Lost from Light…,” echoes in his mind. He confronts Cassie again, questioning if her prior actions, like giving him the Eternal Spring, were premonitions of his current state. Cassie calmly confirms her foreknowledge, her gaze steady as she implies she was preparing for their farewell.
