Underworld (Event)

Summary

By the time Sunny turned thirty, humanity had entered one of the darkest periods of the war against the Nightmare Spell. While traveling aboard the Chain Breaker to East Antarctica, he witnessed the continent's ruined cities, abandoned battlefields, and countless Nightmare Creatures, realizing that it represented the future awaiting the entire world if humanity failed.^[1] At the battlefield of the Black Skull, he watched six of humanity's greatest Saints enter the Fourth Nightmare^[2], leaving the Human Domain without many of its strongest defenders just as the apocalypse intensified.^[3]

In the months that followed, the situation deteriorated rapidly. More Nightmare Creatures invaded both Earth and the Dream Realm, millions of people were forced to evacuate into the Dream Realm, Category Four Gates appeared, and an expanding wall of unnatural Darkness consumed an entire Citadel. Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie investigated the phenomenon but discovered only an ominous silence, concluding that it posed an existential threat. With humanity fighting on multiple fronts, Sunny and Nephis bore much of the burden of defense, while even Mordret's powerful Reflection and the return of the Fire Keepers provided only temporary relief.^[4]

The tide shifted further when the Fire Keepers and Seishan's Blood Sisters returned from their Nightmares with minimal casualties, adding more than fifty new Saints to humanity's ranks. Their arrival strengthened the Human Domain enough to stabilize the battlefronts and finally gave Sunny and Nephis a brief opportunity to step away from the endless fighting. Although humanity remained threatened by Earth's collapse, the weakening boundary between realms, and the spreading Darkness, the immediate military pressure had eased.^[5]

Recognizing this rare window of opportunity, Sunny turned his attention to a long-delayed personal objective: reaching the Underworld within the Hollow Mountains to obtain the Shadow Weave, the final piece of Weaver's inheritance. He understood that the journey would be exceptionally dangerous because the true darkness of the Underworld suppressed his shadows, making it one of the few places where his abilities were severely limited. Nevertheless, believing that completing Weaver's inheritance might prove crucial for the future, he resolved to undertake the expedition and asked Nephis to accompany him.^[5]

Summary

Sunny and Nephis prepare for the inevitable Fifth Nightmare, knowing it will be far more dangerous and personal than anything before, especially because their powers may become liabilities and they may have to sacrifice their humanity to become deities. To strengthen Sunny for it, they decide to travel into the Underworld to secure the full Lineage of the Demon of Fate and possibly find valuable stone for Mictlan's asuras. They arrange for others to hold the front lines, publicly frame Nephis' absence as an expedition into a Death Zone, and then set out through the northern Chained Isles toward the Hollow Mountains with Mordret as their guide.^[6]

Sunny, Nephis, Mordret, and Jade Saint entered the Hollow Mountains through one of its outer peaks, choosing the uppermost stratum of the Underworld because Broken Sword's final expedition had most likely taken place there. Along the way, Sunny reflected on the Underworld's three-layered structure: the hollow mountain settlements of the Stone Saints above, Nether's city in the middle depths, and the Abyss in the deepest, most dangerous layer where Nephis had once lived during her Second Nightmare. Following an ancient road lined with ruined pillars bearing Nether's primitive spellweave, they reached the long-forgotten entrance to the Underworld, marking the true beginning of their search for Broken Sword's resting place and the Shadow Weave.^[7]

Summary

Sunny, Nephis, Mordret, and Saint stood before the temple-like entrance to the Underworld, where they discussed the mysteries of the Hollow Mountains, true darkness, nothingness, and the possibility of another ancient battle in the frozen west. Sunny invited Mordret to join them, but he declined, explaining that he was preparing for the Fifth Nightmare before disappearing into the white mist. Once Mordret left, the mist rapidly advanced toward them, revealing that he had been keeping it at bay. Realizing they would soon be engulfed, Sunny hurried Nephis and Saint into the tunnel, and the mist swallowed the small island behind them.^[8]

Sunny initially led Nephis and Saint toward the tunnel but realized they were better suited to navigate the elemental darkness, so he dismissed his main body and sent one shadow to each of them, sharing their vastly different perceptions of the world. As they entered the Underworld, Sunny's shadow sense was almost completely suppressed, leaving him feeling crippled and forcing him to rely on Nephis's radiant light and Saint's perception to navigate. Reflecting on the dangerous journey that had brought him there in search of Shadow Weave, Sunny lamented the hardships of completing Weaver's Lineage. As Nephis illuminated the tunnel with the Blessing, the three continued into the oppressive darkness, both admitting they disliked the place.^[9]

Sunny, Nephis, and Saint ventured deeper into the tunnel, where they found collapsed passages, vast amounts of bone dust and skeletal remains, and signs that immense flames had once ravaged the area. They eventually reached a colossal chamber filled with broken weapons, ruined fortifications, and countless shattered remains of the Stone Saints, revealing that a massive battle had once been fought there. Sunny realized that the chamber had been the site of a siege against the Underworld, where the Divine Host and the Children of Nether had suffered devastating losses. As Saint silently stood among the remains of her fallen people, the surrounding darkness stirred and extended its tendrils toward her.^[10]

As Saint stood at the edge of the darkness, a patchwork creature made from the shattered remains of numerous Stone Saints ambushed her, but she destroyed the being after discovering it was a soul-less Creature of Darkness inhabiting the stone shell. During the struggle, the creature absorbed the darkness composing Saint's weapon and armor, forcing her to crush its true dark form with her bare hand. Moments later, countless shattered fragments of fallen Stone Saints stirred throughout the chamber and assembled into new monstrous forms within the darkness. Realizing a far greater battle was beginning, Saint grew to her giant form, armed herself with sword and shield, and struck her shield to announce the coming fight.^[11]

Nephis and Saint were surrounded by countless Dark Ones concealed within the darkness, and the battle erupted as the creatures charged them with overwhelming speed and force. Saint met the assault head-on, destroying numerous stone-bodied abominations through her unmatched combat skill despite their immense numbers and their ability to destabilize her darkness-forged armor and weapon. Meanwhile, Nephis effortlessly cut through the creatures with her radiant sword, her light causing the Dark Ones hidden within their stone shells to disintegrate after their protective bodies were breached. From this, Sunny realized that the Dark Ones had encased themselves in the remains of Stone Saints because true darkness could not overcome Nephis' light, forcing them to rely on stone shells to approach and attack her.^[12]

Saint and Nephis quickly suffered grievous wounds as they fought the overwhelming Dark Ones, whose attacks destabilized Saint's darkness-forged armor and weapon while pushing even the Supreme Titan onto the defensive. Although both rapidly regenerated and adapted their tactics, Sunny realized the enemy's alien nature made the battle far more dangerous than expected, and Cassie was unable to provide any insight into them. After considering their limited options and recalling Mordret's words about the mist and darkness, Sunny proposed a risky strategy: he told Nephis to switch places with Saint.^[13]

Nephis unleashed a wave of fire and empowered Sunny, who transferred her augmentation to Saint before activating her Shield of Nothing, which successfully annulled the Dark Ones' sustaining power and caused the first creature to crumble upon entering its field.^[14] Saint's Shield of Nothing erased true darkness and forced the Dark Ones to abandon their stone shells, but Sunny realized they were all parts of a single colossal creature, which Saint beheaded with her shield before the chamber collapsed beneath her, dragging her into the abyss of true darkness.^[15] As Saint descended safely through the abyss using her power of nothingness, the collapsing mountain and an immense Creature of Darkness pursued her, forcing Nephis to emerge in a blaze of radiant light that melted the encroaching darkness just before its colossal tendrils could seize them.^[16] Nephis and Saint combined light and nothingness to repel the pursuing Creature of Darkness during their descent, but as Nephis's radiance gradually weakened under the crushing pressure of the Underworld's true darkness, the three ultimately reached its heart layer alive.^[17]

Summary

After switching positions, Sunny, Nephis, and Saint found themselves in the true darkness of the Underworld, where the Creature of Darkness unexpectedly refrained from attacking, leading Sunny and Nephis to speculate that it had attacked either because it was drawn to Sunny's Supreme shadow or provoked by Nephis' light. Nephis explained that they were at the boundary between the upper and middle strata of the Underworld and decided they should search for a nearby Stone Saint settlement, hoping it would lead them toward Nether's central city and eventually the Nightmare Seed. As they set out through the cavern, Sunny reflected on the irony that shadows must pass through the Underworld—a realm inherently hostile to them—to reach the Shadow Realm, while Nephis remarked that the Shadow Realm itself was an even worse destination for shadows because it ultimately reduced them to pure soul essence.^[18]

Sunny, Nephis, and Saint entered the desolate ruins of the Stone Saints' ancient settlement while making their way toward the nearby river. As Saint confidently guided them through the ruins, Sunny reflected on her possible connection to the settlement and the mysterious fate of her people. Near the central square, Nephis sensed the presence of Nightmare Creatures through their Corruption. When they reached the square, Sunny realized that the seven towering stone knight "statues" surrounding a great stele were actually corrupted Stone Saints that had begun to awaken.^[19]

Saint challenged the seven corrupted Stone Saints, who answered her with the ringing of their weapons before launching a coordinated attack. Sunny realized the fallen Children of Nether were exceptionally powerful Great Nightmare Creatures, each wielding a unique elemental ability, while the Great Devil alone embodied nothingness and suppressed the powers of both Sunny and Nephis. As the battle began, the six Great Demons and the Great Devil attacked with overwhelming physical skill and devastating Aspects, surrounding Sunny, Nephis, and Saint in a relentless assault.^[20]

As the battle erupted, Saint immediately beheaded one of the seven fallen Stone Saints, but Nephis was gravely injured by a spatial attack that bypassed her defense, leaving Sunny blinded, powerless, and surrounded by the remaining Great Nightmare Creatures as he desperately came up with a last-second plan.^[21] Faced with certain death, Sunny realized that the Stone Saints each wielded unique self-developed powers rather than a single shared path, leading him to combine the essence of the Jade Titan with both his affinity for shadows and Nephis' Soul Flame. He transformed into a towering stone colossus radiating divine light, dispelled the surrounding darkness, and stopped the spatially warped war hammer with his bare hand.^[22]

After transforming into the Jade Titan, Sunny slew the spatial Stone Saint by stabbing its shadow instead of its soul, while Saint wounded another fallen Stone Saint and Nephis rejoined the fight by illuminating the battlefield with a beam of light that allowed Sunny to support Saint. As the battle continued, Sunny recognized that the corrupted Children of Nether fought with a seamless collective Will technique that greatly amplified their already overwhelming martial prowess.^[23]

Sunny, Nephis, and Saint fought the powerful Children of Nether on equal footing and defeated the Fire, Ice, Stone, and Water Saints one after another, as each enemy's abilities was countered by their own strengths. Although Sunny could have ended the battle sooner by summoning the fallen Saints' shades, he held back at Saint's insistence, allowing her to face the final Great Devil alone.^[24]

Saint, now a Supreme Devil, confronted the last Child of Nether—a Great Devil named Absence—in a solemn duel, but instead of fighting, he shattered his own sword and allowed her to execute him after seemingly resisting Corruption long enough to recognize her as the last uncorrupted Child of Nether. After the battle ended, Sunny realized the Great Devil had likely chosen death over succumbing completely to Corruption, and Saint honored him before gaining command of the shades of all seven fallen Children of Nether as her new soldiers.^[25]

After the battle, Sunny reflected that Saint's growing cohort of powerful shadow subordinates would be invaluable as they continued their perilous journey deeper into the Underworld. He also reviewed his progress with Shadow Dance, realizing he had advanced significantly after regaining his True Name but was still missing the final link between its Fifth, Sixth, and mysterious Seventh Steps. Once he and Nephis had rested and Saint had tended to her fallen kin, they approached an ancient black obelisk in the ruined settlement. There, Sunny discovered runes carved by Nether that recorded a philosophical conversation with Death, revealing the Demon of Choice's defiant vow to one day grow powerful enough to "swallow" Death itself.^[26]

Summary

Sunny and Nephis left the settlement of the Children of Nether and followed an underground river toward Nether's capital, with Sunny assuming the colossal form of the Jade Titan to carry Nephis while Saint scouted ahead. Their journey through the Underworld proved extremely perilous, as they faced ancient Great Nightmare Creatures and constant threats hidden in the darkness, ultimately realizing that only by relying on each other through the Shadow Bond could they continue forward.^[27]

Although Nephis's healing flames prevented their injuries from accumulating, Sunny and Nephis endured relentless battles against ancient Underworld abominations whose soul, mental, and supernatural attacks made survival depend on their experience, adaptability, and the knowledge provided by Cassie. After about a week, they reached one of the three great rivers of the Underworld, where even more terrifying enemies awaited them, while Sunny strengthened their forces by collecting resilient shades of Great Nightmare Creatures and fallen Stone Saints. As they conquered the ancient waystations of the Children of Nether, Saint's army steadily grew to nearly a hundred Stone Saint shades.^[28]

Over several days of grueling battles and exploration, Sunny learned the history of the Underworld from ancient waystations and the descriptions of the shades he gained, discovering that it had once been Nether's stronghold, the last bastion of the Demon Legion during the Doom War, before Corruption consumed its defenders and left it ruled by Nightmare Creatures. As Sunny and Nephis continued north in search of the final fragment of Weaver's Lineage, they encountered increasingly dangerous threats, including a Cursed abomination occupying a ruined Stone Saint settlement, making it clear that they could no longer continue traveling as they had before.^[29]

While traversing the great subterranean river, Sunny and Nephis were simultaneously attacked by a Dark Drifter from above and the Horror of the Lightless Current, a Great Demon, from below; Saint slew the latter while Nephis destroyed the Dark Drifter just before it could envelop Sunny, though both Sunny and Saint suffered severe acid damage in the battle. After reaching a nearby ruined waystation to recover, Sunny concluded that their current method of traveling through the Underworld was no longer sustainable and proposed changing their approach.^[30]

After realizing that the Underworld was far more dangerous than they had anticipated, Sunny and Nephis abandoned their original plan of slowly searching for Broken Sword's remains and decided to adapt their approach, believing they instead needed to locate the battlefield where the four Supremes had fought. While resting, they again sensed the mysterious presence that had been silently observing them since their arrival, and Sunny donned Weaver's Mask, preparing to use its enchantment to locate the final fragment of Weaver's Lineage despite the grave risks involved.^[31]

Summary

Sunny had used [Where is my eye?] to search the Strings of Fate for a path to Shadow Weave, despite knowing that the ability was dangerous because forbidden knowledge could overwhelm even his Supreme mind. After activating it, he endured the crushing pressure of perceiving fate, briefly touched a corrupted thread that showed him a horrifying vision of being buried alive, and nearly suffered Corruption before Nephis cleansed him with her flames. Although the experience severely weakened him, Sunny successfully avoided losing himself and discovered that they needed to travel to the heart of the Underworld.^[32]

Sunny and Nephis discovered that Broken Sword had somehow reached the fallen city of Nether, despite his fatal wounds, leading them to pursue the same destination. To reach the city, they abandoned their previous approach of using overwhelming strength and instead relied on stealth, hiding from the Underworld's powerful abominations. With Nephis suppressing her light and Sunny merging with Saint, they traveled through the darkness while Saint used her affinity with shadows to conceal them and eliminate or evade threats. They continued their dangerous journey deeper into the Underworld, growing closer to the lost city.^[33]

After months of traveling through the Underworld, Saint continued leading Sunny and Nephis through the darkness, avoiding Cursed Creatures and battling dangerous enemies such as Creatures of Darkness and corrupted Stone Saints. She grew stronger through each fight, especially after defeating fallen members of her own kind and adding their shades to Sunny's Shadow Legion. During their rare moments of rest, Sunny and Nephis recovered while the outside world deteriorated, with more Citadels falling and humanity suffering heavy losses. After two months of perilous travel, Saint finally reached the heart of the Underworld.^[34]

Sunny and Nephis discovered the nameless city of the Demon of Destiny, Nether, hidden deep within the Underworld, where it shone like a starry sanctuary amid endless darkness. They were awed by the city's magnificent stone architecture, divine lanterns, and intricate systems powered by the great river, soul essence, and true darkness. Through Saint's eyes, Sunny realized the city was a vast sorcerous machine that had continued functioning for thousands of years after Nether's fall. However, their wonder turned into dread when Sunny sensed a powerful and malevolent Will waiting within the heart of the Underworld.^[35]

After reaching Nether's city, Sunny and Nephis returned to their human forms and prepared to confront the dangers within. Sunny realized that the city might contain a powerful Great Citadel and the last fragment of Weaver's Lineage, but it was guarded by an overwhelming and mysterious presence that felt like a Great Titan's Will. Before entering, Nephis reflected on her missing father and shared her conflicted feelings, while Sunny comforted her by acknowledging their shared struggles and losses. Reassured by their conversation, Sunny, Nephis, and Saint gathered their resolve and prepared to enter the heart of the Underworld to face the unknown horror awaiting them.^[36]

Summary

Sunny, Nephis, and Saint openly approached the ancient fortress-city in the Underworld, where thousands of Corrupted Stone Saints and a terrifying Jade Titan awaited them. As Nephis launched the first attack by destroying part of the city's defenses, Sunny prepared to confront the Titan while Saint summoned a legion of stone warriors to battle the enemy army.^[37]

Saint summoned a legion of a thousand Shadow Saints from the shades of the warriors she had slain and led them into a disciplined assault against the vastly larger army of Tainted Saints, gradually turning the tide as fallen enemies joined her ranks. Meanwhile, Sunny and Nephis bypassed the battle to confront the far more dangerous Jade Titan at Nether's citadel, only for Sunny to realize that something unnatural seemed to be controlling the Titan like a puppet rather than it being an ordinary Nightmare Creature.^[38]

Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie discovered that the Jade Titan was only a hollow shell whose vast consciousness commanded the city's Tainted Saints, while an even more terrifying Creature of Darkness hidden deep within the Abyss controlled the Titan through a colossal tendril of elemental darkness. Realizing they had unknowingly walked into the true monster's domain, Sunny steadied himself, concluded the creature was powerful but not invincible, warned Nephis, and the two launched their attack.^[39]

Sunny and Nephis realized that the true threat was not just the Jade Titan and the Tainted Saints, but the hidden abyssal Creature of Darkness controlling them, so they launched a coordinated attack to test whether destroying its dark tendril would also destroy the Titan. Nephis severed the massive tendril with a devastating beam of light, freeing the Jade Titan from its control, but instead of crumbling, the Titan became even more dangerous as a second colossal tendril emerged from the abyss, revealing the enemy remained far from defeated.^[40]

After the Jade Titan broke free from the abyssal tendril and fully regained its terrifying power, Nephis rushed to confront the abyssal horror while Sunny resolved to hold off the Titan, knowing he had to destroy every fallen Stone Saint to truly defeat it. Transforming into a colossal shadow version of the Jade Titan to counter its suppressive darkness, Sunny armed himself with a massive odachi and faced the advancing colossus as their decisive battle began.^[41] Sunny engaged the Jade Titan in a fierce duel, but despite matching its colossal size, he was overwhelmed by its immense strength and masterful swordsmanship, suffering heavy blows while struggling against its suppressive darkness. Meanwhile, Saint gradually turned the tide against the Tainted Stone Saints by breaching their defenses, defeating their strongest commanders, and replenishing her forces with new shades, even as both sides continued to suffer significant losses.^[42]

As the Shadow Legion initially gained ground, the Tainted Saints adapted by sacrificing their own forces in devastating ranged barrages, inflicting heavy losses on Saint's shades before Saint countered by seizing the upper levels and trapping the defenders in a pincer attack. Just as victory seemed possible, Nephis revealed she could no longer hold back the mysterious abyssal horror alone, forcing Sunny to choose between impossible sacrifices before he made a decisive gamble by abandoning his duel with the Jade Titan and coordinating with Saint to launch a surprise attack that shattered the Titan's damaged armor.^[43] Sunny chose to gamble by leaving Saint to confront the Jade Titan while he rushed to reinforce Nephis, believing Saint's affinity for darkness and nothingness gave her the best chance of defeating the colossus. Upon reaching Nephis, they discovered the abyssal horror could create Supreme-level shadow copies of them, and the duplicate Nephis instantly destroyed Sunny's Jade Mantle with a devastating blast while the duplicate Sunny unleashed chains and a shadow legion against the real Nephis, plunging the battle into an even more desperate phase.^[44]

The abyssal horror's shadow copies relentlessly overwhelmed Nephis and Sunny, with the duplicate Nephis proving nearly impossible to kill through her devastating attacks and seemingly limitless regeneration while the duplicate Sunny pinned Nephis down with chains and coordinated assaults. However, Sunny realized the copies were imperfect imitations shaped by the creature's understanding rather than exact replicas, revealing a potential weakness he hoped to exploit.^[45]

Sunny realized that fighting the dark copy of Nephis alone was futile, so he retreated and merged with the real Nephis to strengthen her against the abyssal horror's incarnations. During the battle, Nephis recognized the creature as the same horror she believed had destroyed her settlement and forced her to kneel in her Second Nightmare. Casting aside her lingering fear, she confronted the entity head-on, determined to defeat it this time.^[46] Sunny realized that he was outmatched by Nephis's dark copy in the Underworld and concluded that the best course of action was to augment the real Nephis instead of fighting alone. Empowered by Sunny, Nephis confronted the abyssal horror she believed had defeated her during her Second Nightmare, battling her dark counterpart with unwavering resolve despite the immense pain. As their brutal clash devastated the ancient city, Sunny carefully studied the dark copy, searching for flaws that could reveal its weaknesses.^[47]

As the Shadow Legion was pushed to the brink of destruction by the Tainted Saints, with Absence and the remaining shades fighting desperately despite suffering devastating losses, Saint infiltrated the Jade Titan through a crack in its armor. The Titan tried to crush her but instead released its true form—a vast maelstrom of malevolent living darkness—causing its massive armored shell to collapse into rubble. After emerging from the debris battered but unbroken, Saint became the new vessel for the Jade Titan’s essence as it invaded her body, but she fiercely resisted its attempt to consume her. While struggling for control against the Titan’s will, she slammed her shield into the ground, shattering the ancient stalagmite and plunging with the collapsing mountain of stone into the abyss below.^[48] Sunny realized that Saint had deliberately lured the Jade Titan into possessing her before collapsing the stalagmite into nothingness, where the Titan would be weakened and she would have a chance to overpower its will. While hoping Saint would survive, he refocused on Nephis, who remained locked in a relentless stalemate against her dark copy. As he analyzed the abyssal horror, Sunny discovered that it lacked a true Sovereign's Domain and devised a bold, terrifying strategy that he believed could finally defeat it.^[49]

Sunny proposed a desperate plan that forced Nephis to divide her focus while battling her dark copy, enduring severe wounds as she secretly concentrated on opening a Dream Gate through the Night Garden's Citadel Component. Once the Gate fully manifested, it connected the lightless Underworld to the radiant sky above Godgrave, unleashing a catastrophic clash between elemental darkness and overwhelming light that tore reality apart. Sunny had deliberately weaponized the collision of these opposing forces, creating an apocalyptic wave of pure annihilation in hopes of destroying the abyssal horror once and for all.^[50]

Sunny and Nephis's plan initially succeeded as the Dream Gate to Godgrave unleashed annihilating light that instantly erased the dark copies, but the collision of light and true darkness began tearing reality itself apart. Before they could close the Gate, the abyssal horror revealed its true power, unleashing an endless sea of colossal tendrils that made Sunny and Nephis realize it was an Unholy being far beyond anything they could defeat. Although Godgrave's divine radiance incinerated countless tendrils, one ultimately reached the Dream Gate, crushed it, and destroyed it completely, plunging the Underworld back into darkness.^[51]

Nephis suffered a devastating backlash after destroying the Dream Gate, leaving her critically injured and unable to fight as the abyssal horror prepared to finish them off. At the same time, Saint slew the Prince of Darkness, evolving toward the Tyrant Class, and granted Sunny the Titan's shade, which he summoned to sever the final tendril of the abyssal horror and save both himself and Nephis.^[52]

Summary

After the Jade Titan's death, Saint returned to the battlefield, slew the Tainted Saints who submitted to her, and led the remaining shades to victory while the city's defenders steadily fell. Meanwhile, Sunny and Nephis realized the abyssal horror itself had survived, and after Sunny sensed the final piece of Weaver's Lineage near the Abyss, they decided to investigate the edge of the city before the creature could recover.^[53]

Sunny and Nephis journeyed to the edge of the ancient city, where they discovered Broken Sword's final resting place beside a lantern that still held back the surrounding darkness. While Nephis mourned her father's skeletal remains, Sunny found the last fragment of Weaver's Lineage by recognizing that the shadow cast by Broken Sword's skeleton was not human, but the unmistakable shadow of Weaver, the Demon of Fate.^[54] They discovered that Broken Sword had truly died alone at the edge of the Abyss, where Nephis mourned her father, reflected on his sacrifices, and finally bid him farewell. Realizing that Broken Sword had intentionally preserved Weaver's shadow for a future successor, Sunny absorbed the final fragment of Weaver's Lineage from the Demon of Fate's shadow before they prepared to leave.^[55]

Summary

After completing the Weave, Sunny discovered that his spirit had fundamentally changed, elevating his affinity for fate to rival or surpass his affinity for shadows and death, granting him an extraordinary intuition tied to the Strings of Fate. Guided by this newfound perception, he sensed an imminent threat in the abyss, where he beheld an imprisoned Unholy Nightmare Creature on the verge of breaking free, but the creature's gaze corrupted one of his Shadow Cores before it impaled and destroyed his incarnation after Sunny shoved Nephis out of harm's way.^[56]

Summary

Sunny lost one of his Shadow Cores and an incarnation after the Unholy Nightmare Creature effortlessly destroyed the Prince of Darkness, reducing him from a Titan to a Terror and leaving him and Nephis on the brink of death. Realizing they could not escape the corrupted god by conventional means, Sunny created a brief flash of light to shadow-step to Nephis, then manifested the Shadow Lantern just in time and pulled them both inside its gate moments before the creature could reach them, leaving the Underworld silent once more.^[57]

After escaping into the Shadow Realm through the Shadow Lantern, Sunny and Nephis recovered from their near-fatal encounter with the Unholy One, with Sunny mourning the loss of a Soul Coreand reflecting on how effortlessly the creature had overwhelmed him. Realizing that even becoming Sacred would likely be insufficient against the Unholy Nightmare Creatures, they concluded that they would need to conquer the Fifth and Sixth Nightmares in rapid succession to become Divine, as humanity's survival would ultimately depend on them reaching godhood before the imprisoned horrors were unleashed.^[58]