In the silent corridor, Angel walked resolutely in one direction.
"Are we going to look for that strange mist?" Dangross, reattaching itself to the Blood Night Shelter, curiously asked Angel.
Angel: "No, we’re going to Room 02 first."
"Aren’t we going to deal with the mist?" Dangross continued.
Angel did not answer, for he had already arrived at the target point.
It was still a long corridor here; at first glance, there was nothing particularly unusual, except for the fact that the nearest glowing ceiling lamp was about ten meters away, making the light somewhat dim. However, it wasn’t so dark as to make it impossible to see the road, just that the shadows on the walls were somewhat magnified.
If one were not paying attention, it’s possible to overlook this dim area. But through observation of the main control node, Angel was very aware that the door to Room 02 was actually concealed within the shadows.
Angel took a step directly into the shadow on the wall, and his entire being seemed to melt into the shadow, disappearing from the corridor.
After Angel’s figure vanished, in a corner of this shaded area, a point of starlight suddenly appeared, quietly watching the spot where Angel disappeared; from its constantly flickering frequency, it seemed reluctant, wanting to follow.
But in the end, this point of starlight did not move forward, instead drifting to the other side of the corridor, merging with other points of starlight.
On the other side, after Angel walked into the shadow, the surrounding scene immediately changed, revealing a corridor dimmer than the one outside.
This corridor also had light sources, but unlike the bright ceiling lamps outside, here the light source was the flame of an oil lamp within a black grille on the wall.
Although there was an oil lamp every ten meters or so, the flame of the oil lamp was relatively dim, unable to thoroughly illuminate the corridor, serving mainly to guide the way.
"Why is it so dim here?" Dangross muttered as it looked around.
"Maybe because the owner here is a Shadow Wizard," replied Angel as he walked forward.
Having followed Angel for a while, Dangross had gained some understanding of the common knowledge in the Wizards’ Realm. It also understood that Shadow Wizards are actually referred to as shadow-type wizards in the Mysterious Side. These wizards are rare and also called Ghostly Shadows Wizards.
"Do Shadow Wizards like dim environments? Then why not just put out the lights and make it completely dark?"
Angel glanced at Dangross and said softly, "Shadows are not darkness; they’re the darker side of light. Without light, how can shadows exist?"
Dangross: "So there must be light for Shadow Wizards to have a reason to exist?"
Angel: "Of course not. One is a concept, the other is reality. The concept is the goal, the pursuit, but in reality, endless darkness does indeed suit the residence of Shadow Wizards better."
Dangross initially understood, but Angel’s explanation made it somewhat confusing.
Just as Dangross was about to ask further, they reached the first oil lamp.
Dangross did not pay attention to the oil lamp but was instead drawn to the shadow on the ground cast by the lamp’s flame.
Because the flame in the grille was unstable, occasionally swelling and then receding. This cause Angel’s shadow to flicker, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes long, sometimes short.
"Unpredictability is also a trait of shadows." Angel observed the flickering shadow on the ground and said, "However, besides being unpredictable, shadows are most known for their concealment."
Angel continued forward, while Dangross kept staring at the shadow on the ground until they left the light source and the shadow was submerged in darkness, only then did Dangross lift its head.
It turned around, wanting to say something to Angel.
But before it could speak, it noticed that Angel suddenly stopped. However, the sound of footsteps did not cease, and another "Angel" was continuing to walk forward.
Seeing this familiar scene, Dangross immediately understood what Angel intended to do.
Previously, whether encountering X0 or the subsequent Fire Scale Summoned Demon, Dangross had experienced this situation several times, with Angel watching leisurely from the side while the illusion tricked the enemy into spinning in circles.
Now that Angel split off an illusion again, it clearly indicated everything.
Dangross had been intently watching the shadow on the ground, not because it was drawn by the flickering, but because it had discovered some strange traces. Now, Angel obviously discovered an existence hidden in the shadows too.
Dangross silently watched the "Angel" walking farther away. Even though it had seen this scenario several times, each time left it in awe.
When meeting X0, a sound created an illusion. In the confrontation with the Fire Scale Summoned Demon, merely a step forward in the fire created real and illusory bodies.
And this time was no different, in the interplay of light and shadow, the true body weaved seamlessly with the illusion.
Such an ability with illusion techniques is simply impenetrable.
Even Dangross, who stayed with Angel, couldn’t help but empathize with the enemy. Even if the opponent managed with great effort to see through Angel’s illusion, could they be sure the newly appeared Angel was real?
While Dangross mused, "Angel" had already walked to the midpoint of two light sources, the darkest part of this corridor.
When the darkness was at its peak, the existence hidden in the shadow couldn’t help but reveal its fangs.
With a silent sinister laugh, it retracted all malice, turning the shadow into a blade, silently aiming to pierce Angel’s back.
If it weren’t attacking an illusion, this could be considered a rather good assassination.
But alas, there was no "if".
Dangross no longer needed to watch what happened next. When the malevolence hidden within the shadows smugly encountered an unexpectedly sly deception, the result was naturally the triumph of illusion.
However, the process of triumph was somewhat longer compared to X0 and the Fire Scale Summoned Demon.
This was mainly because the prowess of the opponent was not the determinant factor; Angel did not aim to kill but to capture the existence within the shadow, thus prolonging the battle.
Of course, the opponent was quite formidable as well; although not up to X0’s level, it wasn’t far off. It might be a notch below an Official Wizard, but it surpassed a Wizard Apprentice by a good deal.
About five minutes later, the presence within the shadow was finally whipped into form by the Phantom Limb, shivering and motionless within a fire circle Dangross had helped create.
Under the piercing glare of the fire circle, Dangross could finally see the opponent’s true form.
It was a mass of shadow curled into a ball at the center of the fire circle, with a black tide seemingly surging inside, yet maintaining a relatively stable shape overall.
Entirely black and capable of expanding or contracting, its exact features were indiscernible. The only visible external traits were the large, watery eyes and a mouth that remained fixed in a sinister grin.