After harvesting the Ascended soul shards, the cohort continued their walk in silence.
Sunny and Nephis walked in the lead, with Cassie slightly behind them, positioned between Kai and Effie. Gunlaug trailed at the back.
As they walked, Nephis kept glancing at Sunny, her expression revealing that she wanted to ask something but was hesitant. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Sunny.
"What is it, Neph?" he asked.
Nephis pondered for a moment before finally speaking:
"Sunny... where did you actually go?" Her curiosity was evident as she looked at him. Sunny thought for a moment.
"Oh, I went to get this"
then, he extended his hand and placed it on her shoulder.
Nephis was surprised by the gesture but quickly understood what he was about to do. Just as she expected, a voice echoed in her ear.
[You have received a memory: Starlight Shard]
Sunny noticed Nephis' eyes widen as she realized this was one of the shard memories they needed.
Although the [Starlight Shard] was an Ascended Memory of the 5th tier, Sunny didn't really need it. He already possessed the [Mantle of the Underworld], which was far stronger and still far from completing its vanquished foes count.
Sunny summoned his runes to check his progress:
Vanquished foes: [4276/6000]
Despite having killed far more than the counter showed, most of those kills had been dealt by his shadows. As a result, Sunny was still a long way from completing the counter and unlocking the armor's attribute.
Sunny noticed the shocked look on Nephis' face as she likely saw the details of the [Starlight Shard]. She turned to him instantly.
"Sunny... how did you get this memory?"
"From killing a fallen tyrant, of course. How else would I have gotten it?"
Though it seemed unbelievable, Nephis knew Sunny couldn't lie.
"I know you're lying, Sunny. You can't kill a fallen tyrant by yourself," Nephis chuckled, convincing herself that he must have found the fallen tyrant on the brink of death.
"What do you mean I'm lying? I'm the most honest person in the world. Two worlds, in fact. And yes, I killed it in a fair battle," Sunny said proudly.
Nephis was speechless. She simply turned to look ahead and remained silent.
---
After reaching the bright castle, night had already fallen, and the dark sea had risen again. Everyone busied themselves with various tasks, and Sunny went off to attend to his own matters.
For the next few days, the cohort ventured into the ruins during daylight, slaying nightmare creatures and improving their teamwork. At night, Sunny would usually spar with Nephis or chat with Cassie, catching up on the events of the past five months and discussing how things were progressing.
---
Days later, it was time for the expedition. The cohort was preparing for their departure in the outer settlement when Seishan arrived. She had been assigned as the co-leader in their absence.
"So, Lost from Light, didn't you say you'd fix the problem of the lack of powerhouses?" Seishan asked in a playful tone, her smile looking more menacing than friendly to Sunny.
"Yeah, I didn't forget about that," Sunny coughed and extended his arm. Everyone was shocked when a massive serpent emerged from his hand, towering at least 20 meters above them. The serpent, with its black scales and terrifying presence, looked fearsome.
The serpent lunged toward Seishan, causing her to take a few steps back until it vanished into her shadow.
"This is Serpent, an ascended tyrant. He'll stay here to defend against deadly threats and act if anyone tries anything stupid," Sunny said in a threatening tone.
"Lost from—"
"Just call me Sunny," he interrupted.
"Okay, Sunny... How did you get this!?" Seishan exclaimed. Everyone stared at him in shock, especially Nephis, who recognized the serpent but didn't remember it being an Ascended rank, let alone a tyrant.
"Oh, I got it from doing something. But anyway, it doesn't matter where I got it from. No more questions. He'll stay hidden in your shadow and act if a threat emerges," Sunny said firmly.
Fortunately, no one pressed him further.
"Good luck on your journey, then." Seishan said with a wave before heading back to the bright castle.
Sunny turned to the cohort.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go."
---
With that, the cohort began their journey south. Unlike in Sunny's past life, Harus wasn't there to interrupt their travel.
The journey was surprisingly smooth, given the cohort's strength. Even fallen monsters stood no chance against them.
It didn't take long for them to reach the grandiose marble arch. Despite having enough time to continue, the cohort decided it was best not to rush things.
When night fell, the dark sea emerged again. Gunlaug stayed somewhat isolated from the group while the others chatted or went to sleep.
---
Once again, Sunny found himself falling into a river of darkness. A heavy, terrifying gaze fell upon him. Before he could react, his limbs were devoured by a massive abomination.
Sunny died.
Then, he fell into the dark river again. This time, he survived a bit longer, but once more, he was eaten by a terrifying creature—a dweller of the dark river.
And again, Sunny died.
This cycle repeated countless times. The haze seemed unaffected by any of it.
Yet, Sunny noticed something strange. The gaze—he sensed a hint of emotion within its heavy, terrifying weight. He couldn't identify it, but the gaze was so overwhelming that even without directly looking at it, Sunny felt it could crush his soul.
---
"AAAAAH!" Sunny woke up with a horrified scream. Thankfully, he had anticipated something like this might happen and had slept a bit away from the cohort.
Even so, it seemed Cassie and Nephis had been awakened by his scream.
This was understandable, given Cassie's heightened senses and Nephis' nature as a devil class.
Nephis looked at Sunny with concern.
"Sunny... what happened?" Cassie also turned in his direction, her expression mirroring Nephis'.
"I... had a nightmare," Sunny said, massaging his head. For some reason, the nightmare always left him feeling utterly exhausted, as if his soul had been damaged.
"Is it that nightmare again?" Nephis asked as she got up and walked over to him.
"Yes," Sunny replied, compelled by his flaw to answer truthfully. He added, "Also, please don't ask anything more about it. Just remembering it makes me sick, so don't ask."
Nephis stopped in her tracks. She wanted to press him for answers—he had avoided the topic last time, and now he was doing the same again.
She gritted her teeth. Her closest friend was suffering from a nightmare that traumatized him, and yet she couldn't do anything to help.
She, the Changing Star of the Immortal Flame, couldn't even help the man who had grown so much to her!
Cassie, who had also heard Sunny's words, felt the same as Nephis.
As Sunny continued to massage his head, he suddenly felt a pair of soft hands wrap around his neck, pulling him into a warm embrace.
He turned his head and saw Nephis hugging him, her face filled with pain.
"Su-Sunny... I'm here for you. If you need any help, I'll do my best," Nephis said, her words sounding almost embarrassing for her to say, but they were sincere.
Then, another figure hugged him. "Me too, Sunny. If you need any help, I'll do whatever I can," Cassie said, her voice firm and steady.
Suddenly, Sunny found himself between Nephis and Cassie, both hugging him to offer comfort. As he closed his eyes, he felt his exhaustion melt away, replaced by the comforting warmth of their embrace.
---
[Author's note]
Oh man, writing that last part was so embarrassing. But anyway, I got unfortunate news, guys.
So, Chain breaker will be on a short hiatus, just one month exactly. There are a couple of reasons, and since I'm a thoughtful author, I'll tell you y'all.
So, I have many exams. Fuck medicine, an exam every damn day. Anyway, I'll also continue writing my 2nd fanfic
[Shadow slave : Light devouring shadow]
It won't be a long story, just a short one. It'll probably be around 20k words. But who knows, anyway I'll try finishing it in this week.
Also, I'll be re-writing the first 10 chapters. Not a major changes in the story but it's essential.
And lastly, I'll be reading [Advent of the three calamities]
So as you can see guys I have a pretty busy schedule but who knows. Maybe the hiatus will be shorter than a month, depends on how fast I finish those things.
Anyway, that's all, hope you've enjoyed this chapter.