Shadow Slave

A stray drop of rain fell on Sunny's cheek. The howling of the wind grew louder. A moment later, the whole world suddenly darkened, and he was assaulted by a furious gale. The water pelted him in the face, drowning the curse Sunny was about to yell.

'D—damn!'

The storm descended on them with terrifying violence. The corpses of repulsive locusts that were left on the platform suddenly moved. Then, picked up by the wind, they were thrown off the neck of the steadily walking colossus, disappearing into the darkness. Their black blood was washed away by the torrent of rain.

A blinding flash of lightning pierced the veil of clouds, followed by a deafening thunderclap.

As the stone became slippery and wet, Sunny felt his body being forcefully pushed away from its surface by the gale. Gripping the Stone Saint tighter, he gasped and grimaced. Pain pierced his damaged lungs.

'Worst… worst amusement ride ever…'

Fortunately, the heavy Shadow was not moved by the tremendous pressure of the hurricane. Firmly planting herself on the surface of the platform, she turned her torso and lowered a shoulder, cutting the wind with her solid stone body.

To her side, Nephis, Caster, and Effie were desperately holding on against the assault of the hurricane. With some effort, they were also able to resist it.

But the worst was still to come.

Hidden from the sun, the dark sea was rising from the depths. Sunny could hear the deep rumbling of the black water rushing through the twisting passages of the Labyrinth and washing over the mounds of crimson coral. Soon, the stone giant was walking through it, creating a furious whirlpool with each step of his gargantuan feet.

Another lightning tore the skies apart, illuminating the world made of nothing but wind, water, and darkness. Hit by an especially violent gust of wind, the Stone Saint slid a few centimeters back and sent Sunny's heart into a momentary panic.

The stone giant walked forward.

his knees, then his abdomen, then his chest. Following a long and torturous span of time spent holding onto the Shadow and enduring the onslaught of the storm, Sunny saw the raging waves flowing over the broken battlements on the shoulder

His face became grim.

platform they were sheltering on. However, with how high the waves were,

though answering his thoughts, a massive wave crashed into the neck of the colossus, washing over the platform. The members

one was washed away… for

instill in them the feeling that the whole world was about to split apart and crumble. With the dark waves rising to strike at the stone platform over and

Minute after minute, against all odds, the six humans clung to the ancient stone, refusing to be taken away by the raging tempest. Sunny didn't know how much time had passed or how far the stone giant had walked into the

only becoming more

of. His true fear hid not in the skies that had

soon, inevitably, his worst fears

and gazed down, as though trying to see through the mass of ancient stone. Deep beneath

of the unspeakable terrors of the dark sea was crawling from whatever abyss that had spawned it to

'Curse it all…'

desperately clinging to the Stone Saint beside him. For once, the archer did not seem dazzling. He was just

on the stones, gripping the hilt of her silver sword,

his hurting lungs,

"Be! Ready! The dwe…"

could finish, her

lightning, it looked like a tall, grotesque black tower. It

first night on the

that even Corrupted Nightmare