Chapter 664: Caspian
Second Layer, Dungeon of Star Tombs.
The Shadow Dimension was a mysterious and eerie place, always covered in darkness as if it were the deepest night. The sky was empty of daylight but adorned with a strange sight - twenty-four stars that emitted a faint glow, creating a dim and ghostly light that didn't dispel the darkness.
The landscape of this strange dimension was filled with twisted and mutated trees, their gnarled forms reaching toward the sky like ancient guardians of darkness. Sinister and unnatural plants grew all over the terrain, born from the essence of shadows. Among them were tall, eerie mushroom-like plants that thrive by absorbing the elemental energy of darkness that filled the air.
The vegetation in this dimension was not only eerie but also dangerous. Each plant had a hidden malice that thrived in the absence of light. Some had deadly thorns capable of piercing even the strongest armor, while others released a toxic aroma that ensnared unsuspecting creatures.
The realm was also inhabited by creatures that thrived in darkness. These beings seemed shaped by the shadows around them, lurking in the dark with an almost tangible sense of malice. Their forms were shadowy and vague, moving almost imperceptibly, and their glowing eyes shone like embers in the night.
These shadow creatures moved with otherworldly grace, gliding silently through the darkness, and their presence was often only revealed by the eerie echoes of their movements. Some were cunning tricksters, enjoying playing deceptive games, while others exuded fear and terror, enveloping their prey with relentless dread.
At that moment, a young man sat on a towering tree and looked at the surroundings warily. He was around 30 years old, had black hair, and wore a dark-cloaked robe.
He also held a bow and arrow and surveyed the surroundings like a hawk. Suddenly, the bracelet in his hand vibrated and alerted him about the upcoming call.
He hurriedly touched the bracelet and attended the call.
"How is the situation over there, Caspian?" A voice came from the other side in Blen Tongue.
'Cardinal Benedictus?'
"Nothing out of ordinary, Your Eminence," The young man named Caspian said as he thought of something and soon added.
"But it seems most of them from other churches had indeed left the Dungeon. Even after guarding for ten days, we still couldn't find our target."
"Don't worry. 'He' will come to the Second Layer if he wants to progress further and help Pontiff Leander IV in the future election. And, he isn't a man who will hide away from his enemies." From the other side, Cardinal Benedictus spoke as if everything was under his control.
"What about Lady Jade? Did she agree to help you if an internal fight broke out within the church?"
"Unfortunately, no. And she isn't a person I can take on casually. Although I'm lot stronger than her, she has some ties with Fairchild Family. Hurting her will not only damage my reputation within the church, it might anger that family. It's not worth taking the risk."
"Even with the help of that being sealed in your necklace?" Caspian asked as he had witnessed the might of that nightmarish being and still felt a shiver running down his spine.
"You are completely mistaken about that being's power, lad. Although it looks invincible in the last layer, its power would be diminished here. Not only that, it could also stay in this world for only a span of 5 seconds due to it being a Nightmare Creature. It means it only has fake Consciousness with no soul." Cardinal explained.
"Can't we force it to stay for a long time, Your Eminence?"
"Unfortunately, any being without a soul will be crushed by the 'Will' of the world or this Dungeon's environment. And it also lost its connection with the Nightmare World after we captured it and has been weakening day by day. After a year or two, it will use up all the stored-up energy and might disappear." Cardinal Benedictus said casually.
"So, we have to act before that, huh?" Caspian nodded in understanding and was about to ask about something else but froze.
At that moment, he saw a bright light appear more than 2 kilometers away from where he was hiding and soon spoke.
"Another group entered the second layer, Your Eminence."
"Another group? Who are they? How many members?" Cardinal asked.
Meanwhile, Caspian climbed further up on the ancient tree while cutting the slithering branches with his dagger and soon zeroed his focus on the particular area.
"Oh Mother of Life, it's not a group, Your Eminence. Only one person arrived."
"One person? Impossible! Not even I dare to explore alone in this Dungeon. Look carefully, there must be a few people arrived with him." Cardinal said.
"But he is alone, Your Eminence. And he looks quite young too." At that moment, he noticed the other person using his 'wisdom power' to scan the surroundings and widened his eyes.
"He is only a Rank-5 Mystic? How in the world did he survive the Nightmare Layer and even arrive here?" A look of astonishment appeared on Caspian's face.
"Are you sure?" Even Cardinal Benedictus was startled and soon ordered coldly.
"Capture him if possible and search if he has anything valuable. If you find nothing worth, dispose him off. There is no use of pest like him to waste the opportunity to enter this place."
"Okay, Your Eminence. I'll call you after settling this matter." Caspian said calmly and ended the communication call.
With a wicked glint in his eyes, he made a decision. He would test the intruder's abilities before deciding whether to capture or eliminate him. Drawing his bowstring taut, he aimed the metallic arrow at the young man below.
The intruder, still unaware of the lurking danger, continued to scan the surroundings with his wisdom power. He seemed focused and cautious, as if he knew the dangerous nature of the Second Layer. His appearance puzzled Caspian even more - how had someone of his rank survived the Nightmare Layer and reached this far?
Taking a deep breath, he steadied his aim, infused the darkness elemental energy into the tip of the arrow, and released it. The metallic projectile streaked through the air with deadly precision, headed straight for the young man's leg. But just as the arrow was about to strike its target, the young man seemed to sense the imminent danger. He evaded the arrow with a sudden twist of his body, causing it to miss its mark.
Caspian's eyes widened in surprise and admiration. The young man's reflexes were impressive, far beyond what he would expect from a Rank-5 Mystic. He was intrigued, and a hint of excitement surged through him.
But the excitement soon disappeared as he noticed that the intruder's presence suddenly vanished!
"It's rude to attack someone from behind, you know?" A voice came from above his head, causing Caspian's whole body to tense up.
'W-What? When did he arrive?' Before he could look up at the figure hovering in midair, a strange invisible force enveloped his body and entangled his neck like a snake.
'F*ck! His wisdom power is far more powerful than Cardinal Benedictus! He isn't a Rank-5 nobody but a Demi-God level powerhouse!' He felt like he was standing in front of the Ponetiff of Life and felt uncontrolable fear.
Meanwhile, the young man casually descended from above and soon hovered a few feet before Caspian.
"Who are you? Why did you attack me?" Charles asked.
Before Caspian could respond, he casually nodded as he erased his current thoughts and raised his eyebrows.
"Cardinal Benedictus? Life Church? Interesting. I was about to go on my way after giving a warning, but now I changed my mind." As he spoke, he gripped his neck, cast [Purple Consciousness] spell on Caspian, and burned his memories.
But as he further burned the memories, the complexion on his face turned gloomy.
"I thought strange when I suddenly recalled Shadow Princess a few weeks ago but didn't expect them to capture her and even use her as some object." If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have reacted much emotionally.
"But she is actually born from my imagination. Although I promised Jade not to trouble the Life Church members, they asked for it." Charles spoke coldly and snapped Caspian's neck.
A legendary Rank powerhouse died without the time or energy to retaliate.
After that, he took a droplet of blood from Caspian and made an identity imprint. Then, he transformed into a 30-year-old-looking man and changed his clothes.
Following that, he also took the bow, quiver filled with arrows, and a dagger made of black metal and equipped them.
'Although my sword might attack others attention, I can fool them by saying I only got this sword from the young man.' Nodding, he also picked the communication bracelet from the dead body and used his wisdom power to activate it.
A few seconds later, Cardinal Benedictus's voice came from the other side.
"Did you find anything important? Who is he?"
Meanwhile, Charles mimicked Caspian's voice and spoke.
"He seems to be from the Sun Church group, Your Eminence. After finding out that he was only a son of baron, I disposed him off. Except for a good long sword, he had nothing within him."
"Oh? A member of Sun Church, huh? Then, there is no need to even report to the Church administration. Okay, you can come back now. It seems Richard had found a clue about our Target's current location." Cardinal Benedictus said solemnly and ended the call.
"Hmm, they seem to be planning to assassinating someone from Pontiff Leander IV's faction." But he didn't care much about their internal struggle.
Slowly, he descended from the sky and quietly made his way toward the direction where Cardinal Benedictus and others were camping.
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