Exploring Death's Realm

Sunny's experiences in the Hollows highlighted the vast gap between the higher Ranks and the overwhelming power of entities like the King of Swords, reigniting his desire for strength. This craving is compounded by a sense of incompleteness, as Sunny has yet to form his Titan Core—a milestone he feels compelled to achieve despite its seemingly minor importance in the grand scheme. Moreover, his unique circumstances leave him as the only viable option for this dangerous task. With his other incarnations occupied in critical roles, Sunny explains that he, in his original body, is both available and expected to disappear for extended periods, making him the logical choice. Despite the Shadow Realm's inherent dangers, Sunny believes it is the most fitting place for someone like him—a "shadow"—to seek power. As the war's final chapter approaches, time is running out, and Sunny resolves to seize this opportunity, even as he acknowledges the immense risks involved.^[1]

Sunny cautiously entered the Shadow Realm, prepared for a potential battle, only to discover a desolate landscape transformed by a recent, devastating conflict, with no sign of the mysterious archer.^[2] Then, he discovered evidence of a devastating battle, encountered fading shadows of the fallen Awakened, and ultimately spotted the colossal shadow of Condemnation moving across the desolate landscape.^[3] The colossal shadow of Condemnation engaged in a brutal battle with dark, formless predators, while a mysterious archer continued to intervene.^[4]

Sunny observes the shadow of Condemnation being attacked by dark drifters, and prepares to strike the final blow to claim its shadow fragments, all while wary of the mysterious archer's potential interference.^[5] As Sunny races to reach the shadow of Condemnation, he witnesses the mysterious archer reveal themselves and strike at the dark drifters, intensifying the competition for the shadow's fragments, prompting Sunny to come up with a perilous plan.^[6] He overcame his limitations in the Shadow Realm by manifesting and mastering a pair of shadowy wings, enabling him to fly with astonishing speed toward the monumental skeletal remains of a serpent.^[7] He used the bones of an ancient Soul Serpent to create a slingshot, launching a massive fang to strike and impale one of the dark drifters, the Vulture, in battle.^[8] However, his temporary advantage was disrupted when the mysterious archer violently destroyed his Shadow Shell.^[9]

Reaching the immense shoulder of Condemnation, Sunny resolved to eliminate the wounded Vulture while planning his next moves against his enemies.^[10] He launched a daring attack on the massive Vulture, narrowly escaping suffocation within its dark mass, and unleashed a colossal shadow-infused shell to clash with the Dark One's tendrils in a fierce, explosive confrontation.^[11] He clashed with the Vulture and the Leech, unleashing his powerful Shadow Shell to engage the ancient horrors in a brutal battle, ultimately being crushed by the colossal hand of Condemnation.^[12]

Sunny narrowly escaped the crushing fist of Condemnation, evading death by abandoning his Shell, and engaged the mysterious archer in a tense standoff while preparing for a brutal fight.^[13] In a brutal battle with the mysterious archer, Sunny was struggling to keep up with their speed and skill but ultimately faced the challenge of the shadows resisting his commands.^[14] He discovered that the mysterious archer, despite being a shadow, possesses a radiant soul core, revealing it to be a shadow of a deceased human with immense yet eroded power, and marking it as a unique and dangerous adversary.^[15] As the Lord of Shadows, Sunny can exert his dominion over the mysterious archer, commanding them to disrupt their relentless assault and allowed him to injure them with an ancient fang, ultimately forcing the archer to retreat into the depths of the shadow of Condemnation.^[16]

Sunny was caught in a devastating essence storm that shreds his soul and forces him to seek shelter within the shadow of Condemnation, only to face the horrifying realization that the shadow is subsuming his body, soul, and mind into its foreign will.^[17] Resisting the shadow of Condemnation's pull to subsume his sense of self and engaging in a desperate battle with the mysterious archer, both struggling to maintain their identities within the oppressive force of the dead deity.^[18] Then, the shadow colossus Condemnation, eroded by the relentless silver essence storm, finally collapses, disrupting Sunny's battle with the archer and forcing them both back into the material world.^[19]

Sunny escapes the shadow of Condemnation and the soul storm, only to find himself in a graveyard of Soul Serpents, where the dead deity begins reconstructing its body.^[20] He lands the killing blow on the weakened shadow of Condemnation, forming his seventh shadow core and becoming a Titan, but is immediately attacked by the shadow archer—only to turn the tables with his newly awakened seventh shadow.^[21]

Sunny and his seventh shadow overpowered and subdued the archer, preparing to deliver the final blow—only to be interrupted by a mysterious voice from the darkness.^[22]

• Sunny formed his Titan core, and his seventh shadow was born.^[21]
• Sunny got a new Shadow by killing the Mysterious Archer.^[30]