Shadow Legion

A key feature of Sunny's ascension to Supreme is his new Aspect Ability. A Domain Ability, which he calls the [Shadow Legion]. This power allows him to open the gates of his soul and unleash all the lifeless shadows he had collected over the years into the world. He can control them but not quite intricately. These shadows are not truly living — lacking will and spirit — but are unnervingly animated, walking, observing, and even resting in the waters of his soul.^[1]

Interestingly, these shadows retain much of the power they had as living beings, though they lack Will and Domains, and those former Nightmare Creatures lost their abilities tied to Corruption. Their retained skills and combat techniques vary based on how much of their former selves linger.^[1]

The shadows fight in his stead, and every enemy they kill becomes a new soldier in his army. Also, these shadows cannot truly be destroyed—only dispelled and returned to his soul, where they regenerate over time.^[1]

Shadow Legion granted Sunny immense strategic advantages in battle. These silent shades did not need to eat or drink, nor did they require shelter from the elements, which removed the need for supply lines or logistical support. They were also immune to disease and sickness, eliminating one of the most common causes of military casualties. In fact, they were described as downright immortal — even when vanquished in battle, they would rise from the dark depths of his soul anew after some time, meaning Sunny never had to worry about permanent losses.^[3]

Another defining characteristic of Sunny's shades was their mobility. They could be recalled into the dark expanse of his soul and redeployed anywhere Sunny could reach through the shadows, giving him unmatched tactical flexibility. This mobility allowed him to disengage and retreat his shades from one battlefront and instantly reappear behind enemy lines elsewhere.^[3]

[Shadow Legion] is Sunny's Supreme Ability, considered the ultimate expression of his Aspect. It may not even be a distinct Ability, but rather the natural culmination of his other Abilities reaching their pinnacle. The legion of silent shadows (shades) constitutes his Domain, which grants him power, nurtures his soul, and gives weight to his will.^[4]

The [Shadow Legion] Ability allows Sunny to unleash his Domain upon the world. Through it, he can summon shades from the depths of his soul, give them form, and command them as loyal soldiers. This process is described as an evolution of his earlier Abilities — [Shadow Step], [Shadow Manifestation], and [Shadow Control].^[4]

Additionally, the shades serve as vessels of his consciousness, inheriting certain traits from his Transformation Ability.^[4]

Despite its power, [Shadow Legion] has significant limitations:^[4]

• The silent shadows are independent entities, unlike the puppets of Ki Song or the swords of Anvil of Valor.
• Sunny cannot control them directly; he can only issue commands, which the shades attempt to follow according to their individual capabilities.^[4]
• The shades' intelligence and responsiveness vary greatly. Most legionnaires are beasts and monsters lacking true awareness. Even sentient shades lack the cohesion expected of a trained army.^[4]
• Realistically, the Shadow Legion is more of a Shadow Mob, and in some ways, it is even inferior to the mindless swarm of the Black Millipedes.^[4]

While the overall cohesion is weak, certain champions help improve the situation:^[4]

• Shadow Saint acts as a general, assisting Sunny in coordinating the legion.^[4]
• Daeron of the Twilight Sea can rally human shadows.^[4]
• The Remnant of the Jade Queen commands authority among the weaker shades.^[4]

However, each champion can only control a limited number of shades within their immediate area. There is no true unified command, and even Sunny's formidable mind cannot direct each individual shade with fine precision.^[4]

Due to the nature of the shades and the lack of organization:

• Orderly battle formations, complicated maneuvers, and fine tactics are beyond the current capabilities of the Shadow Legion.^[4]
• Large-scale, disciplined military operations remain out of reach for now.^[4]

As a Supreme Titan, Sunny has never been able to summon the shadow of Condemnation because it's too ancient, too immense, and possesses its own mind even as a shadow. It's also Sacred Rank so Sunny assumed he couldn't control shades higher ranked than himself. Condemnation remains dormant in his soul. When Sunny tries to summon Abundance, the Sacred Rank shade of the Snow Worm. It initially refuses but unlike Condemnation, Abundance isn't impossibly vast — and Sunny wins the contest of wills through sheer dominance. As a result he summoned a Sacred Rank shade for the first time.^[5]

Main article: Shades

These shades show no fear or hesitation and are undying, though they can be temporarily destroyed and returned to Sunny's Soul Sea to regenerate. Sunny's Shadow Legion grew stronger with each battle. Every slain enemy became a new shade, swelling the ranks of his undead army.^[7]

• In Chapter 2252, the army of shadows had left the peaceful stillness of Sunny's soul and entered the real world for the first time. Only the shadow of Condemnation refused Sunny's call and remained quietly his soul.
• Every shadow (shade) in his Shadow Legion can now act as a vessel for his Shadow Sense, drastically expanding his perception range.^[1]
• Shadow Saint is the general of Shadow Legion.^[8][9]
• In Chapter 2288, Sunny had quickly reached the maximum of 7000 Shadow Fragments after unleashing the Shadow Legion and hunting in the Shadow Realm. Since he could no longer grow stronger himself (referring to his shadow fragments counter being maxed out), future kills now empowered his Legion.
• Sunny learned to wield his Supreme power during his invasion of the Burned Forest.^[4]
• Sunny, having previously struggled to precisely control his massive Shadow Legion, found new focus in commanding a smaller group within the Ariel's Game, allowing him to train their movements intricately and expand his strategic capabilities.^[10]
• Due to attaining Mind Weave after the events from Kingdom of Imagination, it vastly expanded the volume of his mind, allowing him to process limitless perspectives with equal clarity. This newfound ability granted him far greater control over the Shadow Legion.^[11]
  • Previously, he could only issue simple commands to his shades, and if he wanted them to perform more intricate tasks, he had to actively observe and guide them, which slowed progress. With Mind Weave, Sunny was able to observe and instruct countless shades simultaneously, giving thousands of commands at once and monitoring their performance to correct most mistakes before they even happened. This newfound ability allowed him to dramatically increase the pace of reconstruction in the Dark City, as his shades carried out a wide range of tasks such as clearing collapsed buildings, sorting rubble, recovering stones, digging foundations, and laying bricks. The effect of Mind Weave was described as dizzying, wondrous, and far more efficient than before.^[12]
• Sunny speculated that in the distant future, after thousands of years, he would no longer be the Sovereign of Death but would become Death itself, at which point his legion would presumably encompass all who had ever died, assuming he survived that long.^[13]
• Sunny had become familiar with using the Puppeteer to control the Shadow Legion.^[14][15]