Shadow Slave

The massive pillar plummeted down and fell right on the Black Knight. The devil turned slightly at the last moment, lowering his sword to the ground. His crimson eyes flashed with unassailable menace.

As a thunderous crash resounded in the dark hall of the ruined cathedral, pieces of stone and clouds of dust flew into the air.

'Got you!'

A feeling of savage joy ignited in Sunny's heart. Without slowing down, he dove into the dust.

Of course, he didn't think the fiend would be destroyed by his trap. But it had to do some damage to the fearsome black armor, at least.

Nearing the place where he had last seen the tall dark figure, Sunny witnessed an incredible sight. The pillar... was floating high above the ground, its crushing weight resting on the shoulder of the steel giant. In the place of the impact, its surface had cracked and shattered.

The Black Knight, however, had not escaped unscathed as well.

His heavy breastplate fractured, revealing nothing but a mass of impenetrable, living darkness within. The pauldron on the shoulder that had received the blow was practically destroyed, leaving that whole arm hanging listlessly, twisted at a strange angle.

The helmet of the devil was dented and covered by a net of small cracks, each seeping with ghostly crimson light.

The Black Knight did not look good, if utterly terrifying.

What was even better, though, was the fact that he was currently stuck under the pillar, unable to move.

Sunny had to make us of that situation…

But before he could, the devil raised his broken arm and placed it on the column. Then, he lowered his head, as though gathering his strength… and effortlessly threw the monumental stone pillar into the air.

Sunny's eyes widened.

head and crashed down onto the marble floor, then rolled several times and came to a rest in a deafening rumble of shattering stone. The length of it blocked the grand hall, cutting

also Sunny's

that he had any plans of

brandished the Midnight Shard and dashed toward the wounded Black Knight for

Stone Saint arrived at the

fact that his armor was cracked and his speed was somewhat diminished, there was still enough power in his body

hand, he suddenly pulled it into a fearsome slash. The black blade whistled through the air, cutting a chaotic arc around the

was forced to jump back, but the Shadow managed to deflect the blow with her shield and redirect its power, slowing down

closed the distance to the Black Knight and delivered a terrible strike of her own, aiming at

sword away, then violently bashed her in the head with the pommel, casing bits of the stonelike metal

staggered back, the visor of her helmet

black suit of steel armor, there was

a fraction of a second. This was his first

how he had imagined. Her skin was grey like granite, and the features of her face were almost like that of a human — with the exception that they were just too flawless. It was as though she had not been born,

instead. In fact, glancing at the inhumanly perfect face of his Shadow,

…Fright, even.

was utterly devoid of any hint of human emotion only made it

Shadow caught herself from falling and dashed to the side, avoiding another strike from the terrifying giant, which was effortlessly chained after the first one. The greatsword fell down once more, shattering the marble plates of the floor in

was then that

Knight simultaneously, perfectly coordinating their assault. Changing Star threw her longsword forward, aiming to sever the broken arm of the devil

Stone Saint went after the greatsword

did something

surface and ran up, using it as a ladder. He had a solid second of stability before the greatsword was pulled into another attack. Feeling it moving