1878-1880 eng

1878 Interim Results

After Summer Knight left, Sunny remained on the platform, observing the battle that raged in the distance. The battle was entering an especially fearsome stage due to the fact that the expedition force was nearing one of the cracks in the surface of the First Rib — it was from there that the scarlet infestation was spreading, and therefore, the perils facing the soldiers were more dire in the vicinity of the dark chasm.

Being that close to the Hollows also meant that there would be more old abominations that had crawled to the surface from the dim twilight below — which put much more pressure on the Saints leading the war party, and its commander in particular.

Even from afar, Sunny could tell that Nephis had finally been forced to assume her Transcendent form. He sighed, knowing that it would take a toll on her.

'If I made more progress, she would not have had to.'

At the same time, if he had made less progress, then the burdensome task of besieging the fissure might have become Summer Knight's responsibility. In any case, there was no point in considering such issues and regretting the past.

Sunny hesitated for a while, then briefly summoned his runes.

Shadow Fragments: [1876/6000].

Another sigh escaped from his lips.

It was pitiful. He had barely gained two hundred fragments in the last four or five months… a far cry from the rapid progress he had enjoyed before Transcendence.

'At this rate, it will take me a decade to become a titan.'

The expedition force only advanced after Saint Tyris broke the Cloudveil to incinerate the thriving jungle, then closed it once again. That allowed the soldiers to only face the initial stages of the scarlet infestation and battle Nightmare Creatures that had not reached maturity yet, which made advancing forward easier.

It also meant that no matter how dangerous those immature abominations were, slaying them did not grant Sunny many shadow fragments. The situation would change once the war entered the next stage, spreading across the entire surface of Godgrave and delving into the Hollows — but for now, he couldn't help but feel a bitter sense of disappointment.

He wasn't saturating his cores that much… he wasn't receiving any Memories or Echoes, either. It was all so unrewarding.

Which was not to say that Sunny was not receiving any benefits from participating in the war.

His Transcendent battle art was progressing steadily.

He had already established its main principles a long time ago. No,he only needed to slowly temper himself in countless battles to perfect it and forge it into his very bones, which he had been doing since the Sword Army ascended to the collarbone of the dead deity.

That was the opportunity that the war had granted him.

Overall, the process was going well.

His essence technique was already all but flawless. His battle style had been rebuilt from the ground up to incorporate his unique advantages into its root principles — the ability to sense shadows and see what was happening behind his back, the tenacious nature of his blood and bones, the power to change the weight of his body and limbs at will, Shadow Step, various forms of Shadow Manifestation…

All of these powers, when incorporated into a combat technique comprehensively, changed it on a fundamental level. Sunny simply needed practice and experimentation to iron out the last kinks and truly master the art he had designed — the relentless battlefield of Godgrave was a perfect arena to achieve just that.

There was only one element of his Transcendent battle art that he could not practice freely yet. It was the seamless cooperation between multiple avatars that he had envisioned after becoming a Saint — after all, Sunny was hiding that ability of his from everyone except his closest allies.

Well… there was another element, as well. The last element, which had to do with spirit and will. He simply did not know how to approach it and elevate his Transcendent battle art to a Supreme one, so there was no progress on that front.

'I'm still growing stronger.'

Sunny was dissatisfied because of the lack of palpable rewards, but that did not mean that his growth entered a period of stagnation. If anything, his power was growing deeper, as he was shoring up his foundation in preparation for the final, vital leap.

Still, he did not feel like it was enough.

Glancing at the radiant grey sky, Sunny grimaced.

'I need to accelerate the weaving side of the plan.'

He was still working toward creating the soulbound sword for Nephis.

Once that was done, though… he would be able to create a few Memories for himself.

Sunny did not need a weapon or a suit of armor. If there was one thing he desperately lacked, thought, it was suitable charms. Both Sunny himself and Saint possessed the power to enhance the enchantments of a chosen charm, but sadly, these powers were remaining unused at the moment.

 And while Sunny himself did not need an enchanted weapon,the same could not be said about Saint.

Forging a sword and a shield for his first Shadow was also something he planned on achieving before the war reached culmination.

He also had to create another [Handy Bracelet] for Rain. The Memory alone would be useless for her, since Sunny had no idea about what traits his sister possessed, but if he could get Cassie to read her runes, the missing information could be filled in…

There was a lot for Master Sunless to do while the Lord of Shadows was waging war against the scarlet jungle. Even Rain's teacher was busy with trying to keep her alive now that the seventh legion was braving the surface of the Collarbone Plain — without the help of someone like Saint Tyris, at that.

Shaking his head, Sunny rose to his feet and threw a last glance into the distance.

Even if he did perfect his battle art and succeeded in creating soulbound Memories… the main obstacle facing him and Nephis still seemed as impossible to overcome as it had been before.

They had not found any clues about how to attain Supremacy yet.

'Calm down. The war has only started.'

Consoling himself with that thought, Sunny took a step back and dissolved into the shadows.

1879 Bone Crack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Over and over again, for eons…

'What a disturbing thought.'

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

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

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

Sunny remained silent for a moment.

"Did you… melt down your armor again?"

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

Eventually, however, a subtle smile twisted her lips.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

She chuckled, then shook her head.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nephis looked doubtful.

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

Sunny was surprised.

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

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

Nephis nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

Looking into the billowing flames, Nephis asked suddenly:

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

Sunny raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question.

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

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

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

Sunny glanced at Nephis asked:

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

She blinked a couple of times.

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

Nephis sighed.

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

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

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

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

He chuckled.

"I guess we are both quite sentimental."

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

"Me? Sentimental?"

Sunny smiled.

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

Neph's expression changed slightly.

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

He froze, trying to think of an answer.

'...That damned Flaw!'

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

His eyes narrowed, as if he was considering something.

After a while, he mumbled quietly:

"Dream Blade, huh? That is… promising, I think…"

1880 Hell March

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And lastly, there was the Lord of Shadows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advancing forward was getting harder with each day…

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

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

From here, the best warriors of the expedition force would attempt to brave the Hollows to reach and conquer the Citadel that lay in the dark depths.