Chapter 931 Rival Of Light
The sealing of the tunnel entrance marks an irreversible step into the unknown, leaving Sunny and the convoy trapped deeper within the earth. Their precarious safety is immediately challenged by the presence of “true darkness,” a palpable, elemental force that Sunny recognizes from a previous, near-fatal encounter. This abyssal void blinds him, rendering his enhanced vision useless and raising the chilling specter of unseen abominations lurking ahead. “I’ll feel really awkward if there’s a collapsed section of it further ahead,” Sunny had mused earlier, but the oppressive, all-consuming darkness here offers no comfort, only a stark reminder that their escape has led them from one peril to another.
The convoy, battered and depleted, seeks a brief respite to tend to their wounded and repair their vehicles. Sunny, despite his own profound exhaustion, carries the heavy weight of the soldiers’ injuries, particularly the amputation necessitated by a mangled limb. The death of a soldier under his command, a direct consequence of his choices, gnaws at him, amplifying his earlier failure to protect everyone. He collapses in the Rhino, his mind wrestling with the grim reality of their situation. “Why do I feel like we jumped out of the frying pan straight into the fire?” he questions internally, his inherent distrust of underground passages confirmed by this new, terrifying descent.
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As the convoy prepares to rest, Sunny is acutely aware that any hope of finding refuge has been extinguished. The sheer scale of the true darkness, an “ocean of it” compared to his prior encounters, amplifies his unease. He grimaces, his earlier hope of a clear path now replaced by a gnawing certainty. The journey deeper into this suffocating void promises no respite, only the grim necessity of facing whatever horrors this profound darkness conceals, a silent testament to the sacrifices made and the uncertain future that lies ahead.
Chapter 932 Blinded
Sunny’s reliance on his shadow perception proves futile against the suffocating “true darkness,” leaving him disoriented and vulnerable. His heightened senses, usually his greatest asset, are crippled, rendering him effectively blind and stripped of his ability to detect unseen threats. This profound sensory deprivation amplifies his deep-seated unease, making him feel utterly exposed as he navigates the impossibly deep and empty tunnel. Gripping his Cruel Sight tighter, he moves forward with the rest of the convoy, the silence punctuated only by their echoing footsteps.
The stark contrast between Sunny’s blindness and Belle and Dorn’s relative composure highlights his dependence on his unique abilities. While they might share Kim’s enhanced sight, it is not as ingrained as Sunny’s shadow manipulation. His frustration mounts as their clumsy movements, a stark departure from his own honed stealth, loudly announce their presence to whatever lurks in the oppressive blackness. “Way to announce our position to everyone… and every thing,” he mutters, the roles of hunter and hunted unnervingly reversed, forcing him to question, “What kind of ghastly horror will I have to fight this time?”
Despite the palpable tension and Sunny’s grim premonition, the convoy trudges forward for nearly half an hour without encountering any immediate danger or a discernible end to the tunnel. Three kilometers have been covered, a significant distance that fuels Sunny’s suspicion. The lack of any threat, combined with the seemingly endless expanse, breeds a new kind of anxiety. He urges the group to “Keep your eyes open,” as the unsettling silence and the absence of any sign of escape amplify the growing dread that their deepest fears are merely biding their time.
Chapter 933 Darkness At The End Of The Tunnel
The oppressive tunnel offers no respite, its unnerving silence broken only by their forced retreat. Back at the collapsed entrance, the uneventful return to the convoy leaves Sunny deeply disturbed, his unease palpable as he surveys the battered vehicles and the weary survivors. A grateful sentry’s thanks for his past actions is met with Sunny’s characteristic gruffness, “I am in charge of this convoy. These are my vehicles, and you are my people. No one takes what’s mine…” his possessiveness a stark reminder of his past and future burdens.
Inside the Rhino, reports from Sergeant Gere, Professor Obel, and Beth reveal the convoy’s losses from the Devouring Cloud, a civilian transport and a military vehicle, though logistics remain manageable after sacrificing the infirmary. Despite limited ammunition and drastically reduced water reserves, Sunny dismisses the concern, cryptically stating, “Don’t worry about water. I have a literally endless source of water.” He weighs their options: pushing through the tunnel or excavating their way out, both fraught with peril, but the thought of lingering in the “eerie tunnel” spurs his decision.
“Start the engines. We’re leaving,” Sunny commands. The convoy, a fragile island of light, rumbles forward, its powerful spotlights piercing the encroaching blackness. Sunny, positioned on the Rhino’s roof with Saint, stares grimly into the unknown, still blind to any external threat, his nerves frayed by the persistent, gnawing question: “Where is it… where is the source of all this darkness? When will it attack?”
Chapter 934 No Way Out
Sunny dismisses Professor Obel’s inability to explain the tunnel’s nature, acknowledging that the Nightmare Spell has rendered their scientific understanding insufficient. He wrestles with the impossible length of the tunnel and the possibility of a pocket dimension or mental manipulation, reinforcing his shadows with the Undying Chain for mental protection, though the oppressive darkness remains. He commands the convoy to halt, striking the tunnel wall to leave an imprint and then orders everyone back into their vehicles. After a brief movement, he stops again, leaving the Rhino to run back into the darkness, activating his [Light Eater] enchantment to reach the imprinted section of the wall.
The convoy continues, but Sunny soon orders them to reverse. His seemingly erratic movements stem from a dire realization: the tunnel’s spatial anomalies are erasing their past path. He had confirmed they could return to a visited spot, but after the second stop, his imprinted mark on the wall had vanished. This confirms that the tunnel is not static; the pathway back to the collapsed entrance, their potential escape route, has disappeared, leaving Sunny with a chilling dread as they are irrevocably pushed deeper into the unknown.
Chapter 935 Unmoored
As the oppressive darkness continues to push them deeper, Sunny, burdened by the vanished escape route, faces the grim reality of their predicament. He observes his weary convoy, the weight of decision pressing down. With a heavy sigh, he tasks Luster, Samara, and Dorn with contacting Army Command, hoping for intelligence on the tunnel’s nature. Even without direct support, information channels remain open, and Sunny believes a solution, or at least a clue, must exist within government databases. Failing that, his mind turns to the Dream Realm and Cassie’s divination, his hope bolstered by the ability to replenish resources via the Covetous Coffer. For now, they are safe from starvation, and time, though uncertain, is not their immediate enemy. He dismisses his soldiers to rest and maintain watch, finding a strange solace in the absence of the “Call” within the tunnel, an anomaly he hopes isn’t a bad omen.
That night, Sunny’s usual mental sanctuary is shattered by a vivid nightmare, a chilling echo of past trauma. His primary shadow, Nightmare, weakened by previous wounds, fails to shield him, leaving him exposed to the disquieting visions. Upon waking, he finds his reserves somewhat replenished but still unnerved. He checks on his convoy through the monitors, ensuring all is secure, before seeking solace in a cup of coffee. He waits, leaning against a bulkhead, for the return of the soldiers sent into the Dream Realm.
The wait is broken when Luster emerges from his sleeping pod, his eyes widening in alarm at Sunny’s presence. “C-Captain? What are you doing here?!” Luster exclaims, startled by Sunny’s vigil. Sunny, offering no immediate explanation, simply takes a sip of his coffee, the unspoken tension hanging heavy in the air as he contemplates their next move in this spatially distorted labyrinth.
Chapter 936 Anything That Can Go Wrong
The glimmer of hope from the Dream Realm is swiftly extinguished as Sunny learns from the returned soldiers that the peculiar nature of the endless tunnel prevents inter-world travel. “Damnation,” he curses, the implication of Murphy’s Law, the inevitability of things going wrong, hitting home. Despite this setback, Sunny orders the convoy to break camp, the need for information overriding the daunting silence. While he suspects spatial magic is at play, he remains hesitant to explore the narrow, foreboding side passages, a gut feeling screaming that something is luring them deeper.
As the Rhino and civilian transports push onward through the unchanging stone walls, the monotonous journey is punctuated by these enticing, yet suspicious, side entrances. Sunny, feigning inactivity within the command suite, is actually engaged in a complex process, weaving strings of shadow essence with his fingers. Beth, unnerved, demands, “What on Earth are you doing? Are you trying to cast a magic spell, or something?” Sunny, with a wry smile, confirms her unease, revealing his true intent to manipulate the very essence of their surroundings, a dangerous gamble in this spatial labyrinth.
Sunny’s focus sharpens as he studies the entrances to the side passages, a nascent suspicion dawning within him. He’s not merely waiting; he’s actively working, his fingers moving in a cryptic dance that Beth misinterprets. He clarifies, “…Actually, that is exactly what I am trying to do. I am an amateur sorcerer, you see.” This clandestine weaving of essence, a testament to his growing mastery and desperation, hints at a new, potentially more potent, approach to escaping their seemingly inescapable prison.
Chapter 937 Exchanging Messages
The glimmer of hope from the Dream Realm is swiftly extinguished as Sunny learns from the returned soldiers that the peculiar nature of the endless tunnel prevents inter-world travel. “Damnation,” he curses, the implication of Murphy’s Law, the inevitability of things going wrong, hitting home. Despite this setback, Sunny orders the convoy to break camp, the need for information overriding the daunting silence. While he suspects spatial magic is at play, he remains hesitant to explore the narrow, foreboding side passages, a gut feeling screaming that something is luring them deeper.
As the Rhino and civilian transports push onward through the unchanging stone walls, the monotonous journey is punctuated by these enticing, yet suspicious, side entrances. Sunny, feigning inactivity within the command suite, is actually engaged in a complex process, weaving strings of shadow essence with his fingers. Beth, unnerved, demands, “What on Earth are you doing? Are you trying to cast a magic spell, or something?” Sunny, with a wry smile, confirms her unease, revealing his true intent to manipulate the very essence of their surroundings, a dangerous gamble in this spatial labyrinth. Sunny’s focus sharpens as he studies the entrances to the side passages, a nascent suspicion dawning within him. He’s not merely waiting; he’s actively working, his fingers moving in a cryptic dance that Beth misinterprets. He clarifies, “…Actually, that is exactly what I am trying to do. I am an amateur sorcerer, you see.” This clandestine weaving of essence, a testament to his growing mastery and desperation, hints at a new, potentially more potent, approach to escaping their seemingly inescapable prison.
The tenuous link between Sunny and Nephis, forged by his innate [Shadow Bond], remains active despite their isolation from the Dream Realm. Sunny successfully transmits a message, a crafted Memory, to Nephis, banking on her resourcefulness for a solution. While he anticipates a delay, his observation of her rapidly expanding Memory collection, likely fueled by her integration into clan Valor, suggests a swift and powerful response is indeed forthcoming. As the convoy plods onward through the oppressive darkness, the unchanging tunnel testing their resolve, they are acutely aware of the ticking clock. The mundane fuel cells of civilian transports will eventually fail, a constant reminder of their precarious situation, pushing Sunny to await Nephis’s crucial intervention.
Chapter 938 Food Delivery
The convoy halts once more, this time at the mouth of a side passage, a location previously skirted with dread. Sunny’s subordinates, including Dorn and Luster, gather, their faces etched with apprehension. Sunny, observing their confusion, finally points out subtle, repeating imperfections on the tunnel walls near each entrance – a small protrusion, a chipped stone, a crack. “With how rough the walls of the tunnel are,” he explains, a chilling realization dawning, “it is only expected that there would be nothing smooth about the side passages, but still. Exact cracks. at exactly the same spots, at hundreds of entrances… don’t you think it’s strange?” His deduction is stark: they are not encountering numerous distinct paths, but a singular, repeating passage, an illusion designed to guide them.
Belle voices the unsettling implication: “So, we are being invited somewhere.” Kim, however, cuts through the grim acceptance with a shiver, countering, “…More like being lured somewhere, don’t you think?” Sunny offers a disquieting shrug, his “carefree smile” unnerving his subordinates. The revelation that they are being lured, not simply lost, ratchets up the tension. As Kim presses him on their next move, Sunny’s focus remains fixed on these repeating markers, his initial suspicion solidifying into a terrifying certainty.
This unnerving discovery casts a shadow over their progress, amplifying the urgency for Nephis’s potential aid. The unchanging tunnel, once a monotonous prison, now feels like a meticulously crafted trap. The subtle details Sunny notices, dismissed by others, confirm a deliberate manipulation of their journey. They are not merely moving forward; they are being actively guided, or perhaps dragged, deeper into an unknown design, leaving the reader to wonder what awaits them at the end of this singular, deceptive path.
Chapter 939 In The Belly Of The Beast
Traversing the oppressive, impenetrable darkness of the side passage, Sunny feels the encroaching blackness steal his senses. His sole companion, Saint, moves with silent, unsettling grace beside him, her presence a small comfort in the suffocating confinement. The narrow confines and descending floor heighten Sunny’s unease, his limited light source from the Cruel Sight a meager defense against the overwhelming void. He mutters his displeasure, “Curse it… damn it… this is such crap…”, acutely aware of his vulnerability.
The true terror stems from Sunny’s self-imposed march into a trap orchestrated by a powerful Nightmare Creature, further compounded by the elemental darkness that nullifies many of his abilities. His reliance on the Cruel Sight, with its finite light-storing capacity, becomes a ticking clock. Having left one of his shadows to safeguard the convoy, a quarter of his shadow power is also compromised, leaving him feeling ill-equipped. Saint’s stoic gaze catches his chattering teeth, and he attempts a disingenuous smile, “What? It’s… really cold here, you know…”
They press onward, the labyrinthine tunnels, remnants of a forgotten era, opening before them. The passage soon leads to an intersection, just as predicted, signaling the true beginning of their descent into the mountain’s treacherous heart. This network, a disorienting maze, promises further challenges as they delve deeper, the purpose of its construction lost to the encroaching gloom, leaving Sunny and Saint to face the unknown ahead.
Chapter 940 Heart Of Darkness
The oppressive gloom persists as Sunny ignites a chemical flare, its scarlet light a meager defense against the encroaching blackness. He notes Saint’s unconcern, attributing it to her Underworld origins, a stark contrast to his own growing unease. The flares, meant to burn for fifteen minutes, sputter out in five, a concerning sign that the darkness itself is draining their light faster than expected, an effect that intensifies with their descent. “Curse it all…” he mutters, the increasing speed at which he burns through his limited illumination a grim countdown to his goal.
Navigating the chaotic, natural cave network proves far more disorienting than the human-made tunnels, forcing Sunny to abandon logic and rely on intuition. He discovers a crucial pattern: passages where the darkness seems to surge are the ones leading him closer to his objective. Time becomes a blur measured only by the dwindling flares. With only two left, he finally reaches his destination: a vast, spherical cavern.
In the center of the chamber floats a colossal orb of jet-black stone, radiating a dark energy and emitting a low hum. The crimson glow of the flare illuminates the orb, revealing it as the source of the pervasive darkness, a sight that sends a profound chill through Sunny. He realizes with a gulp that this “Heart of Darkness” is unguarded. Despite the muddled connection to his fourth shadow, he resolves to act, knowing his final flares are about to burn out.
Chapter 941 Time To Run
The chamber’s promise of a singular, colossal orb is shattered by an onslaught of dark beetles. Sunny, engulfed by the crawling tide, feels his armor breached and his flesh torn by their mandibles. “C-crap…” escapes him as a beetle invades his helmet, leaving a searing pain across his cheek. He retaliates, crushing the insect with his teeth, the taste like steel and bitterness. As he struggles to rise, more beetles slam into him, their collective weight a suffocating wave. The “Heart of Darkness” crumbles, its fragments vanishing beneath the seething, rumbling mass of insects that floods the cavern.
With his last flare sputtering, Sunny breaks free, wading waist-deep through the encroaching darkness. The crimson light, painting the rapidly drowning cave, illuminates his desperate situation. “Damned bugs… why did it have to be bugs…” he mutters, before diving into the shadows as the flare dies, extinguishing the last vestige of light. Back in the main tunnel, the convoy waits anxiously for Captain Sunny. Luster, Professor Obel, and Beth are inside the Rhino, their patience wearing thin in the oppressive gloom.
Suddenly, a figure crashes through the roof, shattering a chair. It’s Sunny, his bleak armor battered, limbs splayed. He scrambles to his feet, his voice urgent as he addresses Luster: “…What the hell are you waiting for?! Drive! Go as fast as you can! Now!” The immediate need for escape is palpable, leaving the convoy to wonder what horrors Sunny has narrowly escaped.
Chapter 942 Tide Of Darkness
Sunny’s harrowing escape from the beetle-infested chamber leaves him battered but alive, the wounds on his cheek and body minor compared to the self-inflicted cut from the Moonlight Shard. As the Rhino accelerates through the convulsing tunnel, the very fabric of their prison ripples and shifts, suggesting the entity they are trapped within is in agony, perhaps freed rather than destroyed by Saint’s blow. Luster points out an anomaly – the rusted frame of an ancient vehicle, confirming Sunny’s grim suspicion: the binding is broken, but their ordeal is far from over.
The convoy gains precious ground as the tunnel begins to slope upward, a sign of progress that is immediately overshadowed by the mountain’s violent awakening. Cracks spiderweb across the walls and ceiling, and as the last civilian transport passes, a flood of dark, sentient beetles pours into the passage, deliberately pursuing them like a malevolent tide. A deep crack opens ahead, threatening to block their path, and Sunny can only brace himself as the tunnel groans and shakes with the imminent collapse.
“Top speed! Get us out of here!” Sunny urgently commands Luster as the beetle swarm surges closer, new streams of the creatures joining the relentless pursuit. The civilian transports struggle to keep pace up the quaking incline, the air thick with falling dust and stone. The sense of impending doom is palpable, leaving Sunny to wonder if they can possibly outrun the unleashed darkness that has now completely engulfed their escape route.
Chapter 943 No Way Forward
The convoy finds itself trapped on a collapsing mountain road, the once-secure escape route now a perilous chasm. Behind them, the torrent of dark beetles, a seemingly unending wave, relentlessly pursues. Sunny, understanding the futility of direct combat against this unnatural swarm, asks Luster, “What… what do we do?!” His grim answer, “Run… we have to run…,” leads him to a desperate gamble. Facing a two-hundred-meter-wide canyon, he uses his essence to manipulate the shadows, creating massive pillars that rise from the chasm’s depths.
These pillars then extend solidified chains of darkness across the abyss, attempting to forge a bridge where the natural one has crumbled. Sunny pushes his limits, his soul strained by the immense expenditure of essence, driven by the urgent need to connect the two sides before the beetle swarm engulfs the last of the convoy. His experience with the heavenly chains of the Kingdom of Hope fuels his understanding of forming such desperate connections.
The terrifying reality dawns: the beetles are not truly alive, rendering conventional attacks useless. As the mountain continues to erupt with darkness and the beetle tide surges closer, Sunny’s audacious plan to create his own passage across the bottomless canyon becomes the convoy’s only hope. The chapter leaves the reader breathless, wondering if Sunny’s shadow bridge will hold and if they can outrun the consuming darkness.
Chapter 944 Safe And Relatively Sound
The convoy finds a precarious respite in the Antarctic Center, the blinding polar night a stark contrast to the abyssal darkness they’ve narrowly escaped. Huddled beneath an overhanging cliff, the battered vehicles are checked, and the survivors attempt to regain their bearings. Sunny, though mentally and physically drained from his shadow bridge feat, must immediately assess their surroundings and plan their next move, all while battling a crippling exhaustion.
As the Irregulars emerge, a mix of relief and trepidation fills the air. Luster, still shaken by the encounter, questions Sunny about the monstrous entity they fled. Sunny admits ignorance, speculating it was a titan in transition or something more insidious. His thoughts then turn to Saint, whose presence he can no longer sense after the entity’s eruption. He fears her absence is more dire than a simple injury.
A wave of dread washes over Sunny as he dives into his Soul Sea, attempting to summon Saint, but she remains unresponsive. His concern deepens when he checks the runes describing his Shadows: the Serpent appears lifeless, indicating a loss of control, while Saint’s rune seems normal, yet a troubling silence emanates from her.
Chapter 945 The Road Ahead
Despite the narrow escape, Sunny finds himself burdened by the survival of most of the convoy. His shadows scout ahead, revealing their tunnel was long but straight, advancing them significantly towards Erebus Field. However, their progress halts as they reach the edges of uncharted territory. The map becomes unreliable, outdated by the devastating battles between Saints and Titans, and the Chain of Nightmares itself has reshaped the landscape. Sunny’s grim assessment of the path ahead, marked by red lines signifying destruction, is confirmed by the state of the mountains—roads destroyed, debris-choked, and the area teeming with Nightmare Creatures and active Gates.
The daunting reality of the terrain forces Sunny to call an impromptu strategy meeting. Gathering the Irregulars, Sergeant Gere, and Professor Obel, he presents the dire situation. The ensuing discussion yields no easy solutions. Dorn proposes a risky maneuver, suggesting, “…if we can use our Echoes to lead the Nightmare Creatures deeper into the gorge, we might be able to drive past this Gate without being swarmed by enemies.” Samara, however, expresses doubt, shaking her head at the proposed plan, highlighting the immense challenge of finding a safe passage.
Sunny’s concern for Saint remains a gnawing unease, her silence in his Soul Sea and the strange stillness of her rune amplifying his fear. He’s left to ponder the implications of her absence, while the immediate threat of impassable terrain and the sheer number of hostile entities presses upon him. The convoy’s survival hangs precariously in the balance as they face a landscape irrevocably scarred by ancient wars, forcing them to confront the possibility of failure and the true cost of their desperate journey.
