Chapter-628

They blinked their eyes in pure surprise. They looked around the room. The dark walls of their cage had simply vanished. They saw their teammates again. They saw the chaotic battle continuing.

"The domain broke," Naomi gasped softly. She lowered her daggers slightly. She looked incredibly relieved. "The darkness just shattered."

Princess Iris looked around. "Someone broke it from the outside."

Ken lay flat on his stomach on the wet floor. He slowly pushed himself up onto his knees. He rubbed his nose. He put on a goofy, innocent smile. He dusted off his wrinkled navy blue suit jacket. He looked totally unbothered by the massive magical explosion he just caused.

"Wow," Ken mumbled lazily. He picked up his cheap copper coin from the floor. He shoved it back into his pocket. "This floor is incredibly shiny. The light reflects right into my eyes. I really need to buy some sunglasses. The glare is a massive safety hazard."

Naomi turned her head. She saw Ken sitting on the floor right next to them. Her green eyes widened. She stared at his messy hair. She stared at his untucked shirt.

"Ken?" Naomi asked. Her voice was full of confusion. "What are you doing over here? Why are you on the floor?"

Ken slouched his shoulders. He let out a long, dramatic sigh.

"I tripped," Ken complained loudly. He rubbed his knee. "I slipped on a very slimy piece of moss. It was a total disaster. I dropped my pocket change. I am very clumsy today. I think I need a long nap to recover my balance."

Naomi stared at him. She looked at the spot where the black dome had shattered. She looked at the boy sitting in the dirt. She shook her head softly. A warm, genuine smile touched her lips. She did not yell at him. She felt incredibly happy to see his goofy face.

"You are absolutely ridiculous, Ken," Naomi chuckled quietly. She reached out and grabbed his arm. She helped him stand up. "You always pick the weirdest times to fall over."

"Falling over is an art form," Ken agreed happily. He dusted his pants again. "It requires zero cardio. You just let gravity do all the hard work."

Princess Iris smiled a gentle, graceful smile. She looked at Ken. She felt a deep, profound sense of gratitude. She did not say a word. She just nodded her head slightly.

Ken gave her a lazy, goofy wink. He knew his secret was safe. He had successfully broken the boss mechanic. He had freed his friends. He did it all without swinging a sword or casting a flashy spell. He used a single coin and a fake trip. It was the absolute pinnacle of slacker efficiency.

"I really hope that was the final phase of this fight," Ken thought lazily in his mind. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I am totally ready for a sandwich. Naomi owes me a sandwich. I will make sure she puts extra cheese on it."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

---

The last traces of the shattered dome evaporated into the air. The bright blue light from the ceiling crystals flooded the room again.

Princess Iris breathed slowly. She held her silver rapier. She looked around the underground vault. Her violet eyes were wide with surprise. She was free.

Naomi stood right beside her. Naomi gripped her twin silver daggers. She scanned the room quickly. She looked for any immediate danger. She saw the chaotic battle continuing across the chamber. The 4th Unit soldiers still fought the aquatic golems.

Naomi looked down at the floor. She saw Ken.

Ken Eliot sat on the wet marble. He rubbed his knee. He dusted off his navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung untucked. He did not wear a tie. He looked entirely harmless.

"This floor is incredibly slippery," Ken complained loudly. He pointed a finger at a small puddle. "I just took a massive fall. I dropped my pocket change. I lost a very nice copper coin. This dungeon is a total scam. It steals your money."

Naomi lowered her daggers. She did not yell at him for falling. She did not scowl. A very warm, genuine smile spread across her face. Her green eyes sparkled with relief. She walked over to him. She reached out her hand. She gently pulled him up from the wet floor.

"You always fall at the weirdest times, Ken," Naomi teased softly. She patted his arm to make sure he was okay. "Just stay behind me. I will keep you safe."

"You are the best," Ken smiled a goofy smile. He slouched his shoulders. He reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small bag of gummy worms. He opened the bag.

A few feet away, Reddy stood frozen. The legendary assassin wore his sleek black tactical gear. The dark cloth covered his face. He stared at the empty air. He looked at his hands. He could not understand what just happened.

His Shadow Domain was completely destroyed. It was his absolute best technique. It never failed.

Reddy glared at Princess Iris. He thought she caused the explosion. He thought she used a secret royal artifact to break his spell. He completely ignored the messy boy eating candy. He did not suspect the clumsy commoner at all. He thought Ken was just a useless, scared servant.

"You have a very neat trick, Princess," Reddy hissed. His voice sounded like scraping sandpaper. "You broke my domain. But it does not matter. You cannot escape me."

Princess Iris pointed her rapier at him. "Your mission is over. You cannot win this fight."

Across the room, the brawl was totally chaotic. Gideon lay on the floor. A giant aquatic golem stepped on his red cape. Gideon roared in anger. He punched the golem's leg. The rock cracked. The 4th Unit soldiers swung their broadswords. They hacked at the stone monsters.

Sayma stood near the center of the room. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She clicked her pen. She observed the entire battlefield.

"The enemy vanguard is totally distracted," Sayma stated politely. She wrote a quick note in her notebook. "The aquatic golems are keeping the 4th Unit busy. We have a clear path to the relic. We just need to eliminate this assassin."

Laxmi bounced on her toes. The fire user wore a massive grin. Bright orange flames popped around her fingers. "I will handle him! I want to burn his black suit! He trapped my friends in a dark bubble!"

Laxmi threw a large fireball. The fire zoomed across the room. It aimed straight for Reddy.

Reddy did not flinch. He simply dissolved into black smoke. The fireball passed right through him. It exploded against a stone pillar. The smoke gathered together again. Reddy reappeared a few feet to the left.

"Statistically speaking, elemental projectiles possess a zero percent success rate against intangible targets," Ira noted in her flat, robotic voice. The water mage stood perfectly still. Her pale face showed zero emotion.