In a moment, Sunny reached the Nameless Temple. It was dark as usual, surrounded by shadows on all sides.
Venturing inside the temple, Sunny didn't find Adam anywhere, so he stepped back outside.
There, in the back of the temple, Adam knelt on his knees, praying.
Sunny walked forward, approaching Adam. He could hear him whispering something, but even with his transcendent hearing, he couldn't make out the words.
Adam stood up and looked back at Sunny. His face was as emotionless as always—or so Sunny would have said. But this time, even Adam seemed nervous and afraid.
Who wouldn't be? The enemy they were fighting against was a Daemon.
Sunny looked at Adam and asked, "When will the Underworld attack?"
He didn't waste time. The Sovereigns' battle had awakened the Scarlet Forest beneath them, and with it came a tide of Nightmare creatures.
Adam remained silent for a moment, then replied, "Anytime now."
Sunny chuckled faintly. This world really loved to screw him over... with fate or without it.
"Then what do we do? You've been planning for everything, and every time I ask you, you refuse to answer."
"I have a plan," Adam said, pausing briefly before continuing, "But you won't like it."
Sunny frowned but didn't interrupt, letting Adam explain.
"As you know, your Nascent Domain is complete, and the final step to achieving Supremacy is performing an act of supreme defiance."
Sunny nodded. He already knew this from Eurys.
"My father completed his act of defiance when he fully formed his Nascent Domain as an Ascended, defying the laws of the world itself."
Adam sighed and continued, "Unfortunately, you don't have the time to figure out what your act of defiance will be. So, we'll take a more forceful approach."
Before Sunny's eyes, as if an illusion had materialized, something appeared. Behind Adam stood an inverted cross, and nailed to it was the same creature that had once stolen his fate—the Vile Thieving Bird.
Sunny's body began to tremble. He still remembered how that thing had clawed through his body, reaching his very soul.
He looked at Adam, his eyes demanding an explanation.
Adam met his gaze and said, "I told you, didn't I? You wouldn't like it."
"Are you saying my act of defiance is killing it...?"
Sunny understood the consequences of killing the creature, but Adam struck him with another shock.
"If killing it would achieve the supreme act of defiance, I wouldn't have to think so hard about it."
Adam sighed and continued, "Killing the Vile Thieving Bird won't count as an act of defiance, but it will start the process."
"Your act of defiance shall be... defying fate."
This was the only plan he and his father had come up with. Of course, they knew defying fate was nearly impossible, and they hadn't initially known how to do it... but they didn't need to. Someone in the past had already laid the groundwork.
Defying fate was a gamble—a gamble with a one percent chance of success.
Adam suddenly looked away and muttered, "It's started..."
Sunny, still reeling from Adam's revelation, stood frozen like a statue.
Adam turned back to Sunny and said, "You have your choice now, Sunless."
Looking at Adam, and at the same time through the Lord of Shadows' sight, Sunny stood between two options.
'Ah... I understand.'
At that moment, Sunny understood the heavy burden the Sovereigns carried...
***
On the battlefield, the Sword Army, led by the Lord of Shadows and Changing Star, had joined forces with the Song Army to fight against the tide of Nightmare creatures.
Unfortunately, the two armies struggled to coordinate. They had different strategies, formations, and, most importantly, a deep-seated hatred for one another.
On the right wing of the army, a man spotted the killer of his wife among the enemy ranks. He struck the man down, but the opposing army retaliated, killing him in turn.
Similar incidents occurred across the battlefield.
If not for the Saints and Masters, the situation would have spiraled out of control.
The merged army fought valiantly against the tide, but everything changed when the air grew heavy.
From behind the army, a gate materialized.
A man emerged from the gate. His black hair reached his shoulders, and his eyes were dull black with hints of white, like the night sky. His face was undeniably handsome, as if crafted by the gods themselves.
The Lord of Shadows, atop his Dread Stallion, stared at the man, his body freezing as he took in the scene.
Behind the man stood an army of stone saints, motionless like statues, awaiting orders.
They didn't have to wait long. The man extended his hand, and the Underworld army began to move through the gate, taking their first steps onto the dead god's bones.
The bones beneath them shook and trembled as the army advanced.
From the gate, darkness surged forth, enveloping the entire battlefield in shadow.
For the first time, darkness descended upon Godgrave.
The Saints and Masters stood in fear, remembering the day they had been slaughtered by a single man.
Above them, the Sovereigns halted their battle and turned their attention to the Underworld army.
They quickly launched an attack, hoping to prevent the enemy from fully emerging through the gate. But they were stopped as two stone statues stepped forward to block their path.
Anvil and Song instinctively recognized that these statues were of Supreme rank.
With the Sovereigns now engaged in battle against their new foes, the human army was left without leaders or protectors.
Thankfully, even as Ki Song fought the Supreme statue, her puppets remained active, crushing the tide of Nightmare creatures.
But despite her efforts, the tide continued to assault the human army.
Caught between the Underworld army and the Nightmare creatures, the human army watched in terror as the Underworld forces advanced toward them.
Finally, the Underworld army clashed with the human army.
Exhausted, terrified, and fighting on two fronts, the human army was utterly crushed.
Their screams echoed across the battlefield, and their blood was spilled.
Behind the Underworld army, Nether sat on his throne, watching everything unfold.
Hell had descended upon humanity.
***
Two chapters in a day, I'm telling you I'm back in my prime. Finally the beginning of the last arc, I'm so exited to write it man. The amount of plot twists that will be revealed in this volume will be peak I'm telling you.
If you have any questions, you can find me in the official Shadow Slave discord. just go to the Fanfiction room, and search for mine, it's named after the FF name.
Leave a review on this fanfic, chapter and some power stones, so more people can read it.
See you again next time👋