* * *

A one-way mine shaft, just the right width and height. A little more open space would have been nice, but as it was, it wasn’t too bad.

Taking a spot away from the knights, Yozen sat upright, a puddle of dark energy pooling beneath him.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve used it.’

Yozen thought about the last time he’d used it. It must have been five years ago, against some pretty good bandits. It was broad daylight, and he didn’t have much of a place to hide.

It was a technique that required a significant amount of dark energy. He didn’t like the idea of having to use this much power to save innocent humans.

But what could he do? Without him, they couldn’t take on the demon called Port, and no matter how many times he tried, he never got used to the idea of his presence contributing to survival instead of killing.

‘…… I don’t really need to get used to it.’

As if to retort, Yozen stretched out his hand in front of him. His curved fingertips clamped down firmly, as if he were pinching something, and a mass of dark energy began to form within them.

The round ball of dark energy grew larger and larger, filling Yozen’s grasp, and with it, the puddle of dark energy became a torrent of water, rushing down the mine shaft floor.

Flowing, pooling. Yozen’s expression remained unchanged as he manipulated the opposing powers at his disposal. Meanwhile, Cadel ignited the flames, illuminating the darkened mine shaft.

Regaining their vision, the knights scrambled in that direction, using Port’s brief screams as their only clue, and Cadel replenished the barrier, spilling information that they would soon have a chance to locate Port.

Yozen sensed it all. The ragged breathing, the clatter of swords through the air, the raucous conversations, the dry heaves, the sweat, the familiar and unfamiliar voices, and the one human presence that stood out like a sore thumb.

He felt it all, took it all in, etched it into him. The next part of the act, the release. Slowly, he turned his wrist, and the fingertips that had faced the ground pointed toward the ceiling. A mass of dark energy filled the bent hand. Yozen pulled it to the corner of his mouth and kissed it lightly.

And the next moment. The dark energy in his hand dispersed like smoke, leaving the mine shaft in darkness.

[City of Darkness].

A wide-ranging attack that ignored the opponent’s defense, stealth, and evasion. This was why Yozen was considered a must-have in the higher-level content.

‘I had no idea it was a skill like this.’

Cadel shifted slightly and looked around. It was silent and dark. Despite the flames, there was no sign of the fireball. It wasn’t that it didn’t exist. He could feel the heat, but not the light and shape of the fireball. It was as if something unpleasant had been erased.

‘It’s brighter than the mine where the fire was lit, even though the whole place is pitch black.’

It didn’t make any common sense. There was no light in the space where Cadel now stood. The ceiling, ground, and walls were coated in dark energy, making it impossible to see forward or backward. And yet, his vision was clearer than ever. Maybe it was because his body had changed.

‘……I feel like my shadow alter ego.

He glanced down and saw a shadowy body covered in dark energy. It was like this as soon as he regained his vision, which had been blocked for a moment.

From head to toe, it was soaked in dark energy and stained black. It wasn’t the only thing that had changed. No sound came out, no matter how hard he walked, no footsteps could be heard, and his ears were deafening.

If Cadel hadn’t known this was Yozen’s technique, he would have panicked. Apart from his altered body, that was.

Ahead of him were tall buildings made of dark energy.

‘They’re higher than the ceiling of the mine. We can’t have traveled through space, so is this…… an illusion?

The buildings crowded him until there was no place to stand. There were narrow alleys everywhere, and even with so many buildings spread out in the distance, it was impossible to get inside. There were no entrances.

Cadel looked around cautiously, then began to move forward at a brisk pace. There was no danger, he decided.

‘Wherever I go, I’m in Yozen’s range, so the chances of me getting hurt or in danger here are low. However, it’s a little creepy that…… I can’t see the people I was with at all.

He was not worried about the members. But the safety of the Shadow Knight Order was far from assured.

Of course, he knew Yozen wouldn’t kill them. Cadel’s concern was for Jeffrey Holiven if Yozen were to kill him along with the demon.

‘Yozen used this technology to not only locate Port but to attack him, so he’s going to make the move himself. If Jeffrey is part of the reason for that choice…….’

After all the fighting was over, Cadel would have to reveal that the current technique belonged to his subordinate, Yozen, and if he killed Jeffrey here, he would have to convince the Shadow Knight Order that he was justified in killing Jeffrey.

The problem would arise if Yozen didn’t go along with that persuasion, if he didn’t see the value in it, refused to speak, and considered the option of leaving the Knight Order. That was unsettling.

‘There must be others here, too. It’s an inherently different technique than Lydon’s illusion. Yozen’s dark energy can mask things, but it can’t destroy or change them. I’m sure I can find them.’

He had to find Jeffrey before Yozen got up to no good. If he couldn’t prevent another one of Yozen’s assassinations, he could at least give him a way out.

As Cadel continued to walk faster and faster, the number of buildings in front of him increased. As he ran, the streets grew wider and the buildings taller. In the blackness of the world, Cadel continued his silent trot.

And soon he came upon another human.

‘Sir Dasto……?’

Could he be reflected in Dasto’s eyes like this? Cadel looked at Dasto, who was black as if he were covered in ink.

The two men gaped eagerly at each other, but there was no sound of conversation. Soon realizing that normal communication was impossible, they began exchanging simple hand signals.

The message was simple. That this was no enemy ploy, and that finding the knights was the priority.

Dasto understood the signal and suggested that the search for the members be left to them. Cadel agreed, so the two commanders separated by one building.

‘At least it’s clear that there are others in this space, though I still don’t know what Yozen had them quarantined for.’

Cadel’s confidence that he’d found Dasto quickly and would be able to find the others easily…… was quickly dispelled. Cadel hadn’t seen a single hair of the other knights in the hours since he’d parted ways with Dasto. It was strangely quiet.

The Shadow Knight Order was not battalionized like the Guardian Knight Order, so their numbers were small, but this was a mine that had been disguised as a city, and it was strange that there were so few people in this place, even though it was not a large plain.

‘Even the paths are much narrower than they should be because of the buildings, and I can’t even see my own subordinates, let alone the Shadow Knight Order. …… Something’s wrong.’

The same was true for Port. His true form in the game was much taller and more elongated than a normal demon. If he was covered in dark energy, there was no way he could go unnoticed.

‘If I could talk to Dasto properly, I might be able to find some clues about this situation.’

The lack of information sharing was proving to be more of a problem than Cadel realized, as he continued his meaningless walk filled with questions.

‘……Wait.’

Cadel’s gaze suddenly turned to the buildings. Until now, he had not found a proper reason for their existence, and he had simply considered them a structure meant to lower his sense of reality.

Cautiously approaching one of the buildings, he scanned its exterior walls. His fingertips felt the slickness of dark energy.

‘Something real, not an illusion. Something that doesn’t erase, only obscure…….

Still no entrance. But the lack of an entrance didn’t mean he couldn’t look inside.

‘I can use magic.’

A short distance away from the building, he spread his hands out, condensing flame mana. He could not see the flames gathering, but the searing heat told him that the magic was starting to work here. With an effortless manipulation of his mana, he fired a fireball.

Crackle. Crackle.

The fireball slammed into the building, tearing a large hole in the exterior wall, revealing the interior. Cadel’s gaze quickly scanned the interior, then stopped.

‘My guess was right.’

There was a person there. Not his subordinate, it seemed, but one of the members of the Shadow Knight Order. He was leaning against the inner wall, apparently unaware of the hole in the building, resting. And opposite him, a familiar figure.

It was Yozen, as black as his shadow alter ego, and he didn’t turn his head at Cadel’s entrance.

Cadel slowly stepped through the hole and into the building. The knight shuddered, noticing his presence until he was within sight.

‘……It’s not Jeffrey. Has he been trapped in here all this time? Why is he here with Yozen instead of trying to get out?’

Yozen was just as confused. It wasn’t Jeffrey, it wasn’t Port. He shouldn’t be spying on an unremarkable knight.

It didn’t take long for the question to be answered.

“I’ll take care of Port, you stay here until the technique is finished.”

In the deep silence, Yozen’s voice rang out clearly. Cadel looked at Yozen, desperate for something to say, but he wasn’t looking at him. His head was fixed on the knight before him.

And then Cadel realized. This was not Yozen. It was Yozen’s true shadow alter ego. Everyone was soaked in dark energy, like his alter ego, that he couldn’t recognize it at first glance.

‘Is this how he trapped people in each building and prevented them from leaving? If so, why did Dasto…….’

Cadel thought for a moment and frowned slightly. The knight before him had been sitting and resting in the building all this time, believing Yozen’s words, and hadn’t bothered to take action because he thought the man would kill Port. Perhaps his subordinates also trusted Yozen and didn’t attempt to leave the building.

Dasto, however, was different; he was wary of the assassin from the start, and even suspected Yozen of being an enemy. He was also the commander of the Knight Order, and would have chosen to go out himself to make sure his men were safe. He would have probably smashed his way out of the building the same way he did.

Cadel didn’t know this part of the story because he couldn’t talk. Hand gestures could only explain so much, and Dasto assumed Cadel had gone through the same process.

‘If that’s true, that means Yozen has isolated everyone and is dealing with Port alone. Why would he go to all this trouble to deal with Port alone?’

He couldn’t do it alone. Whatever Yozen’s plan, he couldn’t leave his subordinate unprotected in a dangerous battle. Cadel signaled to the panicked knight to stand by, then stormed out of the building, blasting holes in the surrounding buildings as he went.

‘Port must be in the building, too. That’s the only reason I haven’t seen him before.’

He ran, smashing through the buildings that surrounded him. Some had knights inside, others were empty and deserted. It would have been nice to find his subordinates, but unfortunately, the only ones in the neighborhood were the Shadow Knight Order.

How many buildings did he destroy? When he was out of breath and felt he couldn’t run any further, Cadel was able to find the building where Port was.