From the number on his face, Angel deduced his identity: 02.
A Shadow Wizard who had stealthily snuck up behind him. If Earl Mi hadn’t discovered it prematurely, Angel would likely have suffered severe damage.
02, upon realizing his exposure, showed not a hint of fear, licking his tongue, merging entirely into the air, disappearing from sight.
Within seconds, a blurred shadow appeared at Angel’s side.
raised a shadow-crafted dagger high, fiercely aiming at Angel’s temple.
Before the dagger could pierce the skin, Earl Mi intercepted Angel, with a wave of his hand, sent 02 flying.
However, 02 transformed into a shadow while airborne, reassembled with a black sphere in his hand.
No. 02 wore a wicked smile as he threw a black orb toward Angel.
"Shadow Gap!"
As soon as the black orb was thrown, it transformed into a mass of black shadows, which frantically diffused, attempting to entrap Angel.
The shadow teetered between reality and illusion; it was the crack in space, and once the shadow expanded, Angel would be torn apart by the spatial shadows.
No. 02 curled his lips, as if he had already envisioned the scene of victory.
However, before the shadow gap completely encompassed Angel, it was engulfed by a deeper, pitch-black figure, as if pulling the shadow into a seam and directly merging with itself.
It was still Earl Mi.
The powerful Spell Technique of No. 02, capable of tearing space shadows, became just a small entry snack before Earl Mi.
Not only resisted No. 02’s attack, but also countered by manipulating a swarm of black shadows, encircling No. 02 in the center.
This was a suppression by level.
Earl Mi possessed battle strength comparable to True Knowledge, and dealing with No. 02 was basically crushing. Moreover, Earl Mi was a Demon People born in hiding within shadows, superior in shadow manipulation compared to No. 02.
Thus, No. 02 had no resistance against Earl Mi.
Now ensnared within the shadow encirclement, No. 02 came to realize; he had thought Earl Mi blocking him was just an accident, never imagining Earl Mi’s power to be so terrifying.
"This shadow is very powerful, it seems to suppress me!" No. 02 attempted to escape Earl Mi’s encirclement while sending a message to No. 01 in the distance.
No. 01’s gaze at Angel shifted abruptly: "Who are you, and why are you here? Did the City Lord send you?"
No. 02: "He’s from the laboratory; I saw it just now! No matter who he is, let’s kill him first!"
No. 01 squinted, stopped enquiring, and blood energy surged endlessly towards Angel.
But as the blood energy struck Angel, it made no splash. His figure seemed like broken fragments, dissipating into nothing.
"Illusion Technique?" No. 01 wondered as a fluctuation beside him signaled No. 02’s appearance.
"Where’s that shadow?" No. 01 referred to Earl Mi.
"Suddenly disappeared." No. 02 was also puzzled. When constrained by Earl Mi, he couldn’t move at all and thought he might not make it out, yet Earl Mi vanished without warning.
No. 01 didn’t understand why Earl Mi abandoned attacking No. 02, so he advised cautiously:
"The opponent is adept in Illusion Technique, possibly concealed nearby. Let’s be careful."
No. 02 nodded, beginning to be on alert. He couldn’t discern Angel’s strength, but the shadow’s power was extremely formidable, a pressure leaving no chance to retaliate, felt only with No. 01 before.
Faced with such a force, No. 02 had to be vigilant.
Yet, after half a minute passed.
They remained on guard for a while without encountering any assault. No. 02 hesitated, releasing several shadows around, soon returning.
No. 02: "They’re gone; the shadow pattern reflected traces of their departure."
No. 01 frowned, wondering why the sudden departure. The opponent’s strength shouldn’t be weak, and with that shadow, yet chose not to battle and left using Illusion Technique?
"Should we pursue him?"
No. 01 was silent momentarily, shaking his head: "Forget it, the target below is more important. He has left, let’s not bother with him for now."
No. 02 furrowed his brow: "However, I saw him leave the laboratory, might he be an intruder?"
No. 01 couldn’t answer but had some guesses; considering him more likely a scout sent by Phantom Spirit City than an intruder.
These scouts serve as vanguards, usually not directly engaging in battle but gathering intelligence for combat personnel arriving later for easier resolution.
The guess wasn’t baseless; firstly, Angel didn’t show strength, just left, matching a scout’s traits; secondly, Earl Mi visibly inhuman possibly magical, perhaps also from Phantom Spirit City, belonging to lower-tier citizens, commonly paired with scouts.
Despite No. 01 largely guessing their identity, he didn’t divulge it. No. 02 was unaware of being pursued by Phantom Spirit City, revealing it might leave him no chance for a farewell requiem.
Thus facing No. 02’s suspicion, No. 01 simply said: "If he’s an intruder, only No. 03 can tell us. Alas, No. 03 is missing."
"Indeed, where’s No. 03?" No. 02 also found it odd.
"I’ll continue here to complete the final target. You find No. 03 to inquire, Nos. 04 to 10 head back to the laboratory to check for intruders, if any, secure damages to prevent data leaks." No. 01 instructed.
No. 02 considered briefly, agreeing: "Alright."
As No. 02’s figure disappeared completely, No. 01 sighed gently, lamentation tinged with regret and apology.
"Scouts have arrived, do I still have a chance?" No. 01 muttered to himself, unable to see any opportunity... Suddenly, the image of Reynaud flashed in his mind, previously wishing to borrow Reynaud’s luck but realizing it may not work. Reynaud claimed as lucky externally, but gaining Reynaud’s body yielded no lucky signs.
If truly lucky, today’s challenge with Siege Wyrm offspring wouldn’t be so tough. Even with a dissipating item of rule power, Siege Wyrm offspring remained undefeated.
Perhaps, Reynaud’s so-called luck was merely hearsay.
"No chance... It seems I can only do this." From murmurs, No. 01’s hesitation slowly faded, transforming into resolve.
...
Meanwhile, Angel descended.
Uncertain of Ferro, Nis, and Kanter’s current status, he planned to return to the seabed to check.
But before reaching the seabed, a black raindrop fell from the gloomy sky.
The black raindrop landed near Angel, transforming into a tranquil crystal akin to a deep night.
From this black crystal, Angel sensed familiar fluctuations... It was a method from Mr. Night.
Without hesitation, Angel took the black crystal and gently squeezed it.
It instantly erupted with an energy fluctuation transforming into an invisible line, entwining with Angel’s spiritual power.
This was the Mind Ribbon.
Angel didn’t refuse the Mind Ribbon’s connection; once established, Angel heard a familiar voice within.
"Angel, how’s the situation there?"