Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2424: Chapter 2425: Capture

As Angel pondered over how to proceed, Gomito was silently retreating... It released the Power of the Mind, which not only calmed the oppressive shock but also dispelled the body’s anger.

Yes, it was the body’s anger.

The Mist Shadow went back to the corridor where it had such rotten luck to look for the bottle, only to find it missing. It felt a flash of anger, but its rational mind told it that all the people within the laboratory were on the fourth floor. If someone went to the first floor to take the bottle, it was likely the human it had encountered on the fifth floor. And that human was currently beyond its capabilities to deal with.

Back then, the Mist Shadow planned to leave. The contents of the bottle were important, but not indispensable. It had more crucial goals.

What the Mist Shadow did not expect, however, was that this newly possessed Gomito was even more emotionally volatile than it had imagined.

The faint trace of anger that leaked out was captured by Gomito’s foolish judgment and instantly transformed into a raging volcano.

Before rationality could fully recover, the violent emotions took the upper hand in the cognitive process, leading it directly to chase after Angel.

Gomito’s brainless rage mode was something even the Mist Shadow couldn’t stop; it was even influenced in reverse.

—This is a weakness of its possession ability, requiring a certain amount of time to fully harmonize with the possessed target’s emotions.

By the time rationality gradually returned, the Mist Shadow had already appeared in front of Angel.

And when thoughts regained their dominion, it was post-pressure. Truth be told, Angel’s pressure actually assisted the Mist Shadow in swiftly suppressing Gomito’s emotions.

Although the Mist Shadow was now clear-headed and had regained control over Gomito’s body, it did not feel safe, due to its precarious situation...

It was trapped in what appeared to be an illusionary realm, unaware of where the enemy’s true form was.

Moreover, even if it had determined the opponent’s location, possessing Gomito had not endowed it with the strength to defeat an Official Wizard.

However, this was not the Mist Shadow’s main concern. Compared to figuring out how to deal with Angel, it urgently needed to address another matter.

The misfortune brought by the previously possessed human, whether it had been completely eliminated after leaving, still lingered in its mind. If it had been resolved, then why, at a time it needed to be calm, was it affected by Gomito’s emotions...

If the bad luck continued to dog its heels, what then? How to deal with that elusive misfortune?

Recalling the series of unfortunate encounters while possessing Reynaud, the Mist Shadow felt a tremor of fear. That kind of inescapable, unfathomable power was genuinely terrifying!

Now, it could only think of one way: abandon this body!

Once it reverted to a half-ethereal form, even the worst misfortune couldn’t affect it!

But abandoning this body would make completing this task difficult.

Therefore, caught between two difficult choices, the Mist Shadow was now conflicted and hesitant.

Moreover, since the Mist Shadow was now more concerned with whether it was tainted by misfortune, its vigilance against Angel had decreased considerably.

In its mind, Angel was indeed an opponent it couldn’t confront head-on in a short time, but even if Angel was powerful, he could at most kill its body, while its true form could escape at any moment.

So it didn’t pay much attention to Angel, which inadvertently gave Angel the opportunity to approach.

Only when Angel was less than five meters away did the Mist Shadow snap back to reality. Even then, it considered the approaching figure to be an illusion.

But when Angel entered the range of the Power of the Mind, the Mist Shadow suddenly sensed something was wrong.

This time, it wasn’t an illusion; it was the true form!

The Power of the Mind is a force of consciousness: you either understand it, or you don’t.

Before Angel had approached, the Mist Shadow wasn’t sure if the Power of the Mind could distinguish between true form and illusion, but as Angel entered its range, that surge of realization hit it instantly.

Angel employed his true form, and the Mist Shadow vaguely sensed a terrifying power emanating from him.

This power made it somewhat anxious and wish to avoid it.

Most crucially, this feeling of dread didn’t originate from Gomito’s sensorial judgment but was its true form issuing a warning!

The Mist Shadow didn’t believe Angel had the capability to affect a half-ethereal body; even the average True Knowledge Wizard couldn’t harm its true form.

Unless the wizard understood its nature deeply and took preemptive precautions, there was a chance of harming it.

But such individuals should only exist in the Origin World!

It was its first time in the Southern Domain; encountering such a powerful Official Wizard seemed unfathomable.

Although the Mist Shadow didn’t believe Angel could harm it, the undeniable dread lingering in its heart couldn’t be false.

It knew it needed to make a decision. Relying on Gomito alone couldn’t win against an Official Wizard, and with the looming "misfortune" issue, the only way seemed to be abandoning this body.

After making a decision, the Mist Shadow didn’t immediately explode and flee but rather brandished its gigantic flapping hands, posing as if it was determined to fight Angel to the death.

Until now, the Mist Shadow hadn’t figured out what ability Angel possessed that could threaten its true form. But undoubtedly, Angel must possess such an ability.

If it displayed an intention to flee directly, Angel might release whatever ability he had immediately. By displaying an attitude of a final showdown, there’s a high possibility Angel might not deploy his ultimate abilities right away. This would give it the opportunity to escape; if it could strike unexpectedly, causing the opponent to react too late, there was a good chance of escaping.

The Mist Shadow’s calculation indeed succeeded.

As Gomito’s blood ignited, muscles swelled, and veins bulged in a battle stance, Angel was truly half-convinced.

When Gomito began manipulating the Power of the Mind, creating an environment of boiling bloodlust, the other half was convinced too.

For a brief moment, Angel genuinely thought Gomito was ready for a decisive battle.

Despite knowing the Mist Shadow was a very cunning creature, displaying intelligence from the chaos of the fourth floor and the battle wisdom on the fifth floor, Gomito’s previous angry roars, mindless pursuits, and furious pounces left a mark on Angel as well.

Because of this impression Gomito left, Angel’s judgment on the Mist Shadow was slightly swayed. Thinking Gomito was inherently hot-tempered, making some irrational actions when provoked seemed normal.

Therefore, Angel truly prepared for a brief clash with the Mist Shadow.

In this short encounter, Gomito participated very seriously, his enraged form vividly apparent.

Everything seemed normal until Angel attempted to bind Gomito with a Phantom Limb, and Gomito instinctively retreated.

This reaction was, again, very normal as a strategic evasion.

In Angel’s perspective, once the evasion ended, Gomito would undoubtedly step forward like a cannonball rushing in.

Unexpectedly, after Gomito leapt back to avoid the Phantom Limb, he suddenly roared, causing a Blood Rain. At the same time as it obscured the vision, a Mist shimmering with Star light quietly drifted out from Gomito’s ears.

This was precisely the true form of the Mist Shadow. It didn’t choose to explode the skull but planned to sneak away.

As soon as it left Gomito, it immediately floated behind him, using Angel’s visual blind spot as a cover and desperately trying to escape into the distance.

As for the Illusionary Realm, it couldn’t conceal itself in its semi-ethereal state.

In just a mere half-second, it had fled dozens of meters away.

Just as the Mist Shadow believed it could escape to safety, a familiar, slightly childish voice suddenly sounded: "It ran! Over there!"

It was Dangross speaking.

Previously, when Angel battled the Fire-scaled Summoned Demon using Illusions, Dangross had assisted Angel, helping to locate the true body of the Fire-scaled Summoned Demon. At that time, Angel even praised it. Because of this praise and cooperation opportunity, Dangross seemed to be very eager to prove its presence.

This time, for instance, when Angel set up the Illusionary Realm, it also quietly manipulated the surrounding Fire Element energy to see if there was an opportunity to help.

Though lacking battle experience, Dangross was meticulous and attentive. Using the dissipating Fire Element energy as a surveillance medium, it was the first to realize the Mist Shadow’s departure and notified Angel.

When Angel came to his senses, he also noticed the distant figure of the fleeing Mist Shadow.

If it were before, Angel would have surely let the Mist Shadow go, just like on the fifth floor.

However, this time, the Mist Shadow exhibited an almost miraculous potential activation effect, which piqued Angel’s curiosity about this ability. There was no way he would let it go.

He observed for a moment and noticed that the corridor the Mist Shadow was escaping through was a straight one, with no corners visible in the short term.

This kind of unobscured, directly connected space was suitable for releasing The Gate of Void, without worrying about triggering the Magical Energy Array.

The Gate of Void in the Witchcraft Slot opened instantly.

When Angel appeared again, he was already directly in front of the Mist Shadow.

Seeing this, the Mist Shadow abruptly stopped in its tracks.

Though the Mist Shadow’s ethereal form showed no expression, one could imagine the shock of a sudden reversal when it was just about to escape to safety.

The moment Angel appeared, a strange green Pattern started pulsating in his right eye.

The instant the green Pattern appeared, the premonition of danger in the Mist Shadow’s heart reached its peak. It understood that the ability capable of threatening its true form had appeared!

The Mist Shadow began to panic, wildly extending its mist, the flickering Star light resembling a Milky Way hovering in the void, streaming fiercely in a single direction.

But before it could move far, a light shield emitting a ghostly green light emerged out of thin air, enveloping the Mist Shadow completely.

This was the green Pattern in the right eye, representing the "Domain Field."

The Domain Field is a power symbolizing "repulsion." If Angel wished, he could use the Domain Field to repel most energies. The energy level of the repelled energy has not yet met its limit. Whether it’s a curse or the Nightmare Light in the hidden room of the Culori relic, all can be repelled by the Domain Field.

Wizards have always been creative in applying their powers, with the same Trick achieving multiple expressions. Back then, Moro used "Break the Illusion" to detect whether Jon was human. Naturally, Angel could do the same.

By slightly modifying the "repulsion" of the "Domain Field" green Pattern, it became a cage to trap energy.

Even though the Mist Shadow was in a semi-ethereal state, it was still a special energy form. The Domain Field could influence even an energy like Nightmare Light, so dealing with the Mist Shadow was undoubtedly easy.

When the Domain Field unfolded, the long band of the Mist Shadow, which had transformed into a starry river, seemed to lose power, falling from mid-air and forming a patch of Mist-encompassed star sand on the ground.

"Still thinking of escaping? Got you!" Dangross exclaimed excitedly, seeing the motionless Mist Shadow within the Domain Field, shouting as it occasionally glanced toward Angel.

Angel saw through Dangross’s little thoughts and patted its palm with a smile: "This time, your contribution was the greatest. I’ll reward you with a vat of quenching liquid when we return; you can even swim in it then."

Dangross grinned, its little eyes already filled with anticipation.

Angel turned to look at the Mist Shadow in the Domain Field, ready to say something.

But before Angel could speak, the ground suddenly trembled.

With the trembling of the ground, dust also began to fall from the metal seams of the ceiling.

"What’s happening? An earthquake?" Dangross looked around suspiciously.

"It’s not an earthquake. With the Magical Energy Array enveloping the entire laboratory, an earthquake wouldn’t affect it." Angel remarked.

But if it wasn’t an earthquake, why would the entire laboratory shake?

He was sure that the Magical Energy Array itself was intact. Excluding internal factors, the only possibility was an external issue with the laboratory.

Recalling Nis and Kanter’s hasty departure raised an unsettling premonition in Angel’s mind.

He didn’t have time to question the Mist Shadow further. He planned to maintain the Domain Field and take it away before dealing with other matters.

Angel began manipulating the size of the Domain Field, slowly compressing it, the Mist Shadow inside shrinking along with it.

As he compressed the Domain Field to the size of an adult’s fist, Angel suddenly stopped.

Dangross looked over questioningly, noticing Angel’s expression seemed frozen, his previously relaxed body turning tense and rigid in an instant.

"What’s wrong?" Dangross asked, puzzled.

Angel didn’t answer Dangross. Instead, he took a deep breath and, like a mechanical being, slowly turned around.

The moment he turned, his pupils abruptly contracted.

He had suddenly stopped because he felt a frigid chill down his spine, as if someone were watching him from behind. In that instant, countless goosebumps rose on his skin beneath his clothes.

His brain buzzed, skin tightened, and his limbs turned stiff.

This uncanny feeling urged Angel to slowly look back.

Then.

He saw a person.

Standing right behind him.