ON the other side, just a few minutes ago...
The trio of Shen Ji Yun, Dusk, and Eclipse had already infiltrated the palace where the Dark Saint was. Both Shen Ji Yun and Dusk were wearing black robes that they snatched from two mages that they encountered earlier.
Of course, they eliminated those two mages to not leave any evidence. The effect of turning into dust once killed really gave them advantage this time. At least, they didn’t have to waste time hiding or burying their bodies somewhere.
Eclipse was currently in his fox form and was sitting on Shen Ji Yun’s head. Since all the mages here were adults, it would be weird to see a kid walking around. And putting Eclipse on his head would also make it more even in a way.
Because of his horns, when covered by a hood, his head seemed to be bigger on the back. Which was just weird. At least, with the addition of Eclipse, it looked a bit more normal. He just had to endure having the other’s tails wrapped around his neck. Because if Eclipse didn’t do that, then the lower back of his head would have a suspicious bump.
Shen Ji Yun also prepared three eye masks that could lower one’s presence. The mask was a bit pricey. But it didn’t matter since he had a lot of crystal coins to spare. Although the effect was not as strong as Luo Yan’s Invisibility Cloak, it was enough for them to traipse around without the other dark mages looking at them suspiciously.
He picked a mask because he knew how some dark mages would wear one over their faces. Thus, decreasing their suspiciousness even more. Of course, there was also a time limit in its use just like any items in the game.
They could only used it for five minutes. Then, after that, its effect would be negligible. It would enter a cooldown of an hour before it could be used again. But that was enough. They only needed to enter the palace safely and go to the secret path that Beelzebub had mentioned.
This secret path the archdemon mentioned was not really so secret. It was actually a maze located at the back garden of the palace. Although the place was well-maintained with magic, other dark mages seldom went there. Because according to Beelzebub, they were all ’boring’, had no personality, and therefore, wouldn’t even bother to go to a place like a maze garden.
And that was why he put the passageway somewhere in the maze.
Yes, there was a passageway somewhere in the maze that would lead them to the Dark Saint’s bedchamber.
Beelzebub said that he made this passageway just in case of emergency. But Shen Ji Yun had a feeling that the other prepared it just in case he was finally free to kill the Dark Saint.
His guess was that since the fragment of the archdemon’s soul was inside a dark mage that made a contract with the Dark Saint, it prevented him from directly killing the other. Maybe there’s a clause in that contract that prevented him from doing that. Like if the Dark Saint died, he would also die.
Beelzebub probably wasn’t able to find a way to go around that. Just like how he managed to find a way to control the body of the dark mage he’s inhabiting for a certain period of time.
If his guess was correct about that contract, it would actually explain why these dark mages was so adamant in prolonging the Dark Saint’s life. Because they also entered the same contract as the mentioned dark mage.
"Captain, are we there yet?" Eclipse suddenly whispered in a very small voice that Shen Ji Yun almost didn’t hear it.
"Yes, we’re near," he answered in an equally low voice.
He was actually glad that Eclipse could now communicate with others even in his fox form after he managed to transform to his humanoid form. Or else he wouldn’t be able to communicate with the other.
Speaking of communication, he wanted to ask Luo Yan how he was doing on his end. But he was worried that he might just hinder the other. Especially if Luo Yan was busy doing his own part of the task. Which he knew that the other definitely was. Besides, him suddenly talking in a normal voice might just attract the attention of the dark mages passing by.
Finally, they arrived at the back garden.
Shen Ji Yun quickly saw the maze Beelzebub had mentioned. He turned to Dusk and said, "Follow me carefully so you won’t get lost."
Just like Luo Yan, Shen Ji Yun had noticed that the black dragon had started to mellow down. He really didn’t care for the reason. Because he actually preferred the other this way. At least, he no longer had to force himself to coax the other every time the black dragon threw a tantrum. If he had to coax someone, he’d rather be it Luo Yan.
He no longer thought about that and just entered the maze.
He followed the direction on the map. He turned right and turned left when he had to. Basically, he carefully followed the direction provided to him. He wasn’t sure how long they walked, but he noticed that the effect of the mask would soon be negligible. It didn’t matter though since they finally arrived at their destination.
Shen Ji Yun crouched down and felt the ground. When he felt a protrusion, he pushed it down. Then, the ground beneath him suddenly disappeared, making his body fall uncontrollably.
"Captain!" Eclipse exclaimed.
The little fox floated out of his hood. Shen Ji Yun quickly hugged the little fox into his arm. He looked up and saw that Dusk had already jumped down after him. And then he saw the opening where they fell closed, completely cutting off their only source of light.
But that’s not a problem since all of them here had good night vision. He landed with no problem and Dusk did as well. In front of them was a narrow path.
"If we follow this path, we’re going to find that villain, right?" Eclipse asked.
Shen Ji Yun rubbed the head of the small fox. "Yes."
"Let’s not waste time here," Dusk interjected.
Shen Ji Yun agreed with that and ran forward. With their speed, they soon reached a set of stairs. They didn’t hesitate and just climbed up. At the end of this road would definitely be the bedchamber of the Dark Saint.
According to Beelzebub, because of his weak body, the Dark Saint mostly spent his time inside that place. It’s the reason why they chose to infiltrate this palace. It didn’t take long for them to reach the end.
But there was no door there. Just a wall and a lever. Shen Ji Yun already knew this from the archdemon. He reached out and held the lever. But before pulling it down, he told his two companions;
"Get ready." Just simple two words, telling them to prepare for combat.
Then, he pulled down the lever. When he did so, the wall slid to the side. He had closed his eyes to prepare himself for the sudden brightness. But to his surprise the room that welcomed them was dark.
"There’s no one here," Dusk said before they could even walk inside.
Shen Ji Yun looked towards the large bed and found that there was no one there. He walked inside and looked in every corner of the room just to make sure. But their target was not really there. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
"Captain, what are we going to do?" Eclipse asked worriedly. "Should we look in some other places in the palace?"
"That would take too much time. Time we certainly don’t have," Dusk opposed before turning to Shen Ji Yun. "You know how time sensitive this mission is, so quickly decide our next move."
Shen Ji Yun understood that. But before making a decision, he first held the earring on his left ear and decided to finally contact Luo Yan to ask for his opinion. "Yan Yan, the Dark Saint is not here."
There’s a muffled sound from the other end before he heard Luo Yan’s voice.
"Ah, yeah, I think he’s in front of me right now."
That simple sentence nailed Shen Ji Yun’s whole body into place. Google seaʀᴄh NoveI~Fire.net