Chapter : 623

"Welcome to my Shadow Domain," Reddy's voice echoed. The voice came from every single direction at once. It was impossible to tell where he was standing. "You cannot escape. Your friends cannot hear you. Nobody can help you. You will die in the absolute dark."

Outside the pitch-black dome, the chaotic battle continued. Gideon and his guards kept smashing the aquatic golems. Sayma and Zinia panicked over the trapped Princess.

Ken Eliot stood up from his rock. He dusted off his navy blue suit pants. He walked casually toward the massive black sphere. He dragged his cheap shoes on the floorboards. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

He stopped right in front of the dark dome. He tapped the solid black magic with his index finger. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He let out a loud, miserable groan of pure disappointment.

"This is incredibly annoying," Ken complained loudly to the black wall. He popped a final potato chip into his mouth. He chewed it slowly. "They put up a massive censor screen. I cannot see the fight at all. Off-screen battles are completely boring. The developers are just trying to save animation budget."

Ken shoved his hands back into his pockets. He leaned his back comfortably against the cold, solid dome. He crossed one foot over the other.

He did not look scared. He did not feel worried about his friends. He knew Naomi was an elite, top-tier vanguard. He knew Princess Iris was a brilliant tactician.

"I will just wait right here," Ken decided lazily in his mind. He closed his sleepy eyes. "Naomi is very strong. She will definitely beat the edgy ninja guy. She will slice his dome open. I just have to stand here and wait for the cutscene to end. I hope they finish quickly. I really want a slice of pizza."

Ken stood peacefully outside the terrifying Shadow Domain. He waited for the girls to finish the boss fight. He was absolutely confident they would win. He remained completely oblivious to his own true strength in his conscious thoughts. He just acted like a bored spectator waiting for the show to resume.

---

Inside the dome, everything was pitch black. Princess Iris could not see her own hands. Naomi stood right beside her. The darkness felt incredibly thick. It felt like a solid wall pressing against their skin. The air turned freezing cold.

Naomi gripped her twin silver daggers. She strained her green eyes. She looked frantically into the dark. She could not see anything at all.

"Princess," Naomi whispered. She kept her voice very low. "Stay right behind me. Do not move from that spot. I will block him."

Princess Iris held her silver rapier. Her hand shook just a tiny bit. She took a slow, deep breath. She forced her racing heart to calm down. She was a true leader. She refused to panic.

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"I am right here, Naomi," Princess Iris replied smoothly. Her voice remained totally steady. "Keep your ears open. He will try to attack from our blind spots."

A cold, scraping laugh echoed through the pitch-black space.

The laugh seemed to come from everywhere at once. It bounced off the dark magical walls. It was absolutely impossible to tell where the sound originated.

"You are completely trapped," Reddy mocked. His voice sounded like dry leaves scraping against stone. "This is my Shadow Domain. You cannot see me. You cannot fight me. I am the absolute master of this space."

Naomi did not say a word. She focused her entire mind on the sounds around her. She listened for a footstep. She listened for the rustle of clothes.

She heard a very faint swish on her left side.

Naomi reacted instantly. Green wind magic exploded around her boots. She dashed to the left. She swung her right dagger in a massive, horizontal arc. She aimed perfectly for the source of the noise.

The silver blade sliced through the air.

It hit absolutely nothing. The dagger just passed right through a cloud of cold smoke.

"What?" Naomi gasped softly. She stumbled forward a little bit.

A sharp pain suddenly flared on her right arm.

Reddy appeared directly behind her. He swung his dark, jagged blade. The weapon sliced a small cut into Naomi's sleeve. Bright red blood welled up from the scratch. Naomi quickly spun around. She swung her left dagger. She wanted to stab the assassin.

Her dagger hit his chest. But it did not pierce any flesh. It did not hit bone.

Reddy's body instantly turned into a puff of dark black smoke. The silver blade passed straight through his torso. The assassin literally dissolved into the air. He vanished completely.

Naomi backed away quickly. She stood next to Princess Iris again. She breathed very fast.

"My attacks are passing right through him!" Naomi warned loudly. Her green eyes scanned the darkness. "He does not have a solid body! He turns into smoke when I try to hit him!"

Princess Iris frowned. She gripped her rapier tighter. "It is an advanced shadow technique. He can shift his physical form at will. He becomes intangible. We cannot land a clean hit on smoke."

"Your analysis is correct, little Princess," Reddy taunted from the dark void above them. "I am untouchable. You are just swinging at ghosts. You will exhaust yourselves very quickly. Then I will execute my contract."

Outside the pitch-black dome, the massive brawl continued in the ruined underground chamber. The aquatic golems smashed their rusty tridents. The rival guards swung their axes. The noise of the battle was totally deafening.

Ken Eliot stood perfectly still outside the dome.

He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He leaned his back comfortably against the smooth, solid black magic of the dome. He crossed one foot over the other. His white dress shirt hung totally untucked over his belt. He shoved his left hand deep into his pocket.

He held a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips in his right hand. He reached into the bag. He pulled out a crispy chip. He popped it into his mouth.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

He chewed his snack slowly. He let out a loud, dramatic yawn.

"This is incredibly boring," Ken complained lazily to himself. He stared at the chaotic fight happening across the room. "The bad guys put up a massive censor screen. I cannot see the boss fight at all. Off-screen battles are a total scam. The game developers are just trying to save animation budget. They put up a giant black loading screen."

Ken turned his head. He looked at the smooth black wall of the dome. He knocked his knuckles gently against the dark magic. Tap. Tap.

"Hey, guys!" Ken yelled loudly. He talked directly to the black wall. "Are you still playing a secret level in there? The graphics are totally bugged on my end. It is just a black screen. Please hurry up and finish the stage. My legs are getting very tired from standing here."