Chapter 124: Shadow Realm Dimension: Banquet of the Sanctuary Villains

Amid a chaotic, pitch-black void, they felt as though they had been submerged in the sediment of ages. In reality, barely ten minutes had passed. Finally, like the first ray of dawn piercing through layers of darkness, light returned, signaling that they had successfully matched into and stepped foot within a Shadow Realm dungeon.

Lance glanced around. Hyperion and Frey stood to his left and right, their faces as familiar as ever, unchanged. His gaze swept past them and settled on the floor-to-ceiling window nearby.

A clear reflection confirmed that his own features also retained their original appearance. The scenery outside was difficult to discern, as a thick fog rendered everything hazy. Were it not for the faint flickering of fireflies in the garden beyond the glass, they would have struggled to tell whether it was early morning or the dead of night.

Beneath the dense fog, the outdoor dawn seemed transformed into a dreamlike realm of mysterious beauty. Inside, both Lance and Frey were dressed in formal attire. Though their styles differed, the outfits complemented their respective temperaments perfectly.

Lance wore a beige, classically styled suit paired with a brown waistcoat. His hair was neatly combed, and this touch of formality made him appear even more refined and gentle than usual.

Frey wore a black suit that was styled with a hint of languid casualness underneath a dark blue double-breasted trench coat. He sported a pair of stiff black leather gloves. He also had a pair of sunglasses resting casually on his face that partially obscured his eyes.

Meanwhile, Hyperion wore a red gown reminiscent of the attire of a romantic poet's muse. Her exquisite makeup gave her an entirely different air: elegant, magnificent, and endearing. A light coat draped over her shoulders was intended to ward off the chill.

Their attire convinced them that they were not in the Demon Kingdom, nor did this resemble the examination grounds of Purgatory Corridor Academy. There was no forced entry into a room with compulsory mechanics. Everyone was free to move about.

The air held a subtle, cool crispness. It was not the biting cold of winter, but rather the fresh, bracing chill one might breathe atop a high mountain peak.

The three of them did not speak immediately. Instead, they immersed themselves in the surroundings, quietly taking in everything.

Before them lay a vast sanctuary hall with a soaring vaulted ceiling that was over ten meters high. It evoked the atmosphere of an ancient sanctuary.

Looking up, a magnificent pipe organ, toweringly tall, dominated the entire rear wall. The pipes were variable in form. Some were straight, and others were curved. Some gleamed with gold, while others displayed the understated elegance of natural wood. They were arranged in intricate tiers and patterns, exuding an indescribable sense of sacred solemnity. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Beneath the stained-glass dome was a crystal chandelier adorned with elaborate gold filigree, and it cast a soft glow. In this light, the fixture resembled a galaxy suspended from the ceiling, illuminating the opulent dark stone walls and the polished marble floor.

Occupying the most prominent position in the center of the hall was a grand, spacious Baroque-style long table, where silver candelabra gleamed in the flickering candlelight. Flanking the table were twelve exquisitely carved brown oak chairs that were arranged in perfect order. This was a setting that radiated the lavish, heady atmosphere of high-society indulgence and spirited revelry.

A few figures stood scattered throughout the majestic, imposing hall. Gathered in small groups of two or three, they remained motionless, as still as stone statues. Neither the opulence of the sanctuary, the arrival of dawn, nor the biting chill of the wind could shake their icy detachment.

The atmosphere in the hall was far from harmonious. In fact, the air was thick with the stench of death and the metallic tang of blood. It was a pungent, overpowering odor that completely drowned out any other lingering fragrance.

At the far end of the hall was a corpse clad in lavish attire seated at the head of the table. He was slumped against the high-backed chair with his head lolled to the side. His face was frozen in an expression of utter despair and bitter resentment, with agony etched into hollow, lifeless eyes.

His torso had been savagely torn open from chest to abdomen, exposing a gruesome tapestry of raw muscle and tissue. A crimson torrent still gushed from the wound, painting a tragic masterpiece across the floor. The seeping blood mingled with the intricate patterns of the marble flooring, flowing through the hall and leaving blood-red trails along the legs of the table.

This wash of crimson acted like an invisible blade, slicing through the sanctuary hall, which was once radiant with the gleam of gold and silver. It had now been transformed into a grotesque, terrifying cage of murderous intent.

Soon, a notification appeared before their eyes.

[Shadow Realm Dungeon: Banquet of the Sanctuary Villains]

[Level: 5]

[In the depths of autumn, the twelve of you have arrived at this clifftop ancient castle for a gathering, invited by Sir Caligula. While you appear to hold diverse social statuses, in reality, you are all members of a secret society dedicated to overthrowing the bloody rule of the vampires over humanity. However, High Priest Caligula meets a gruesome death that very night. Among the twelve of you, there are traitors who have defected to the side of the vampires.]

[Number of Challengers: 12]

[Challengers with Special Roles: 3]

[Special Role – Detective (Non-traitor): Automatically assigned to the non-traitor most likely to unravel the mystery. Distinguished by the "Radiant Cross" brooch gifted by Sir Caligula.]

[Special Role – Vampire Thrall (Traitor): Can borrow the powers of Count Palokas and Count Seberna, the two vampire lords, once each per day while they are awake. Note: If a vampire thrall dies, their vampire lord will arrive at the castle within one day.]

[Mission Objective 1: Identify the traitors. (0/2)]

[Mission Objective 2: Investigate the secrets and dangers hidden within the castle.]

[Mission Objective 3: At least one person must survive until the 120-hour time limit expires.]

[The traitors have distinct mission objectives visible only to them. Non-traitors receive professional roles visible only to them.]

[Failure to complete the mission objectives will trigger a natural disaster in the real world.]

[Time remaining: 119 hours, 59 minutes.]

[All challengers start in the sanctuary hall on the base level.]

A large clock hung silently against the high wall of the hall. Its hands had just swept past five-thirty. It was early morning. As the notification from the Shadow Realm dungeon flashed by, the atmosphere in the banquet hall grew suddenly tense.

Within this ancient castle, everyone felt their own safety hanging by a thread. Gazes sharpened, like beasts in a cage. They were wary of one another, for everyone knew they were about to face a life-or-death challenge spanning five days, a trial defined by a crisis of trust.

This was no ordinary Shadow Realm challenge. The enemies were not historical figures projected by the challenge itself. Instead, it was a deadly game played out between the historical figures the challengers were embodying. It was a contest of deception and unmasking, of killing and preventing murder!

The challengers in the sanctuary... Whatever thoughts they harbored...

Eventually, their gazes all converged upon the man selected by the Shadow Realm dimension, the one wearing the Radiant Cross brooch.

His gray-white hair was slightly disheveled. He possessed a tall, robust physique that radiated the explosive power of a wild wolf. His face was sharply defined, partially obscured by small dark glasses, and his aggressive eyes were deep-set and cold.

He exuded an air of unbridled arrogance and wild defiance. At a glance, he was clearly a killer.

Wait.

He was...

The Detective...?

***

At the university, Gela Memorial Plaza was bathed in a soft, shimmering white glow. The clock tower indicated that it was five-thirty in the morning. Despite the early hour, the plaza was already bustling with activity.

Many students, having calculated the timing of Lance and Hyperion's second Shadow Realm run, had arrived with camping blankets and food boxes, claiming prime viewing spots on the plaza's steps. As the broadcast of the Shadow Realm involving Lance and his two companions appeared on the massive outdoor screen, the crowd at Gela Memorial Plaza erupted into a fresh wave of clamor.

"Frey is the Detective?"

"Isn't he a powerhouse-type fighter?!"

Many students from the Knights' College knew that Frey possessed monstrous growth potential in terms of strength and stamina. Even though he was only Rank 4, not even the more senior Rank 5 students dared to claim they could beat him in a head-on clash.

During the third round of the Knights' College entrance exam, which was the practical combat test, he had eschewed all flashy maneuvers, simply charging in to deliver a punch that shocked the entire college. Aside from his bizarre way of thinking, he was undeniably the strongest top-ranked freshman in the history of the Knights' College.

By no stretch of the imagination, however, did he look like the Detective! This Level 5 Shadow Realm was inherently perilous for the challengers, who were exposed. At any moment, they could face unknown and overwhelming vampiric powers. Even Rank 6 challengers risked a sudden, gruesome death if they made the slightest misstep.

For ordinary Rank 3 or 4 challengers, the difficulty level was far beyond their capabilities. The Detective's competence would directly determine the challengers' chances of victory. A Detective with a trustworthy identity would be the key to unmasking the Traitors!

If the Detective dragged their feet and failed to identify the Traitors in time, the Traitors' secret mission would accelerate in the shadows, plunging everyone into a desperate situation.

Furthermore, the challengers couldn't push the two Traitors, who were vampire thralls, too hard. They needed to leverage an information advantage to keep the Traitors in check while devising a way to expose them. Otherwise, if the Traitors were driven to desperation and chose a mutually assured destruction scenario, drawing the attention of Rank 7 vampire counts, it would trigger a "rampage mode" capable of wiping out every single challenger.

Even a Rank 7 powerhouse would struggle to contend with a vampire count's immortality. There was virtually no hope of victory in a one-on-one duel. Even if all the challengers in this Level 5 Shadow Realm joined forces, they could not defeat the vampire counts at night. They might survive the daylight hours, but once the sun went down, they would be brutally slaughtered!

One student sighed. "This is bad... It would be one thing if Lance were the Detective, but why did it have to be Frey?"

Another pointed out, "The Detective can only be chosen from among the non-traitors. Does that mean Lance might be a vampire thrall?"

Although the students immediately suspected the identities of Lance and Hyperion, given that they were "non-human" entities, they had all activated the Shadow Realm Recording Program, allowing the audience to clearly view the information displayed from the pair's perspectives.

Lance and Hyperion's roles were Lawyer and Actress respectively, debunking the theory that one or both of them were Traitors. The Lawyer was well-versed in the laws and regulations of the current realm, which could be viewed via their Shadow Realm interface. On the other hand, the Actress was more likely to attract attacks.

The mission objectives followed the standard format as well. Clearly, none of the three was a Traitor. The Traitors had to be hiding among the other nine challengers, whose strength levels remained unknown.

At Gela Memorial Plaza, the dim, flickering light from the massive outdoor screen played across the students' faces, alternating between brightness and shadow, causing them to swallow hard. The mere thought of being the one inside that Shadow Realm dungeon, where death could strike at any moment, sent shivers down their spines and made their hair stand on end.

Whenever night fell... What awaited them could well be a fate as wretched as that of Sir Caligula, who sat in the seat of honor with his chest and abdomen torn wide open.

An upperclassman remarked with a solemn expression, "These kinds of mind games, Shadow Realm dungeons where challengers and villains engage in a deadly dance of deception and slaughter, really put a person's mental fortitude to the test. Sometimes, long before the final showdown, a person's psychological defenses might crumble, driving them to the point where they might even consider suicide just to escape the torment."

However, as he gazed at the screen, watching the Detective, the Lawyer, and the Actress, he was reminded of the new campus-wide "Promote Civility, Foster New Trends" campaign by the Student Management Council.

His voice became choked as he added, "But since these three thugs from the Student Management Council have stepped into this kind of challenge... Somehow, the whole vibe just feels completely off!"