Shadow Slave

There could not have been a tunnel that stretched under the Antarctic Center for hundreds of kilometers. Not only would a structure like that be a miraculous feat of engineering, but far too many people - especially the army strategist and someone as knowledgeable as Professor Obel - would be aware of its existence.

However, no one had been.

Sunny remained silent for a while, then looked at the old man. Professor Obel simply shook his head.

"I am afraid I can't explain. Which... is not too surprising. After the Nightmare Spell descended, there are many things in the world that science - or rather, our limited scientific understanding - fails to explain."

Sunny sighed.

'Great.'

What was he supposed to do now?

It was clear that the laws of nature were either broken or worked differently inside the tunnel. Space was not behaving as it was supposed to behave... or maybe they had simply traveled to some. strange pocket dimension that was filled with nothing but true darkness.

Maybe they were all under the influence of another mind hex. Maybe they had all been devoured by the swarm of Brood beasts, and were now condemned to an eternal purgatory.

Who could tell?

Sunny cursed silently, then wrapped all four shadows around the Undying Chain to ramp up its mental protection. Nothing changed. The oppressive darkness did not disappear... if anything, it seemed even more foreboding now.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"Alright. Let's not panic yet."

A startling bang rolled through the tunnel, echoing in the darkness. In the place where his steel gauntlet

into

followed his instructions without asking questions. The convoy continued to move forward. However, this

around his body, be activated the [Light Eater] enchantment of the Cruel Sight to illuminate the path and ran back into the darkness. Moving much faster than the vehicles had, he soon reached the point of the previous stop and studied the cracked

that, Sunny commanded them to put the vehicles in reverse - the tunnel

he gave

'...This is bad.'

actions, of course, had not been

it was possible to go back to a previously visited spot inside the tunnel - Belle, Dorn, and himself had walked for around six kilometers during the initial scouting, and then safely

was to make sure that the same principle still applied. Indeed, he had been able to return to the marked

something would change with more

should have long seen the imprint of his fist and the net of cracks around it, but there was none. At some point in time. somewhere between five and ten

news for Sunny. It meant that they could not return to the collapsed exit from the tunnel. The

felt a cold shiver run down

few kilometers further... would they have been separated from the convoy forever? Would they be doomed to wander the

close to

'I was lucky.'

Sunny was more than capable of fighting against enemies that he could strike down, even if their strength seemed overwhelming. However, he was as powerless as the rest against circumstances like the one they found themselves in right now - against threats that

Simply by existing.

far away, probably preparing

'...Damnation!'

almost four hundred people in them that he had promised to rescue... was he going to become a liar? Sunny tilted his head

am I thinking about? I have always been a liar!

a