Chapter 178- Shadow Manipulation: Phase Two (Part 1)
For Rin, the choices he had were very minimal. He can't really go back to get some help as that will take too much time. No one knows what Cid could do during this time. So, Rin had to end this matter in the next few hours at most.
The second problem is Elise and Evelyn, both of them were definitely going to try and stop him since they are under Cid's control. Especially Evelyn who can easily overpower Rin if she wants.
'I have to somehow make my way through them and deal with Cid before they can catch me.' He thought as he rested his back on the tree while observing the city from afar. Even though the time was still night, Rin was sure that it won't last for long if he kept idling around.
The moon was sadly not present so the light that could create shadows was also minimal. This info was crucial as if Rin was to not find shadows, he is as good as done for.
'Tsk, this is annoying. But, if he thinks this is going to be easy. He is gravely mistaken.''
Having no plan or idea in his head, Rin rubbed his forehead in frustration. This was by far the hardest task he will have to pull off so far. There was really no way around it. But, this didn't mean that he had used all of his cards. There was still one… No, two things that can be of great help.
The first one is already in Rin's hands. A power that although he didn't use once in combat, was still something that was beyond powerful. Since the moment he got his hands on that power, he had been slowly nurturing it whenever he had time, and the time for it to be useful had come.
The second thing is none other than the weapon that Rin had come here in the first place for. The dagger that Evelyn told him about.
'The Blood Eye dagger.'
The weapon that can control blood, according to Evelyn. If that weapon is indeed inside that place, Rin was sure to get it. Having two daggers can really change the outcome of the fight.
"Sigh, the problem is… Where can I find it?"
The villa that Cid lived in is huge and it could be filled with secret paths, hidden treasuries, and storage places. Hell, it could even be on Cid for all he cares. Finding the dagger would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
'Well, it's all about luck I guess. Something that I don't have much of.' Chuckling at his own bad joke, he stood up.
It has been almost 2 hours since he left the city and it was eerily calm. Even the citizens that roamed the place weren't present.'
This was a huge red flag already before Rin even entered the place. Cid was definitely planning something.
'Well, let's hope for the best. First, find the Blood eye Dagger, then try to deal with Cid without getting into a fight with Elise and Evelyn. Simple.'
This couldn't be considered a real plan but since Rin couldn't really do anything about it, he could only rely on his wits and some luck.
*Drop* *Drop* *Drop*
'Hm, rain?' Rin felt droplets of water falling on his head so looked up. The droplets of rain fell on his face slowly.
'Well, let's hope this is a good omen.'
Rin loved the rainy weather a lot. It's a form of cleansing for this world and a way for life's cycle to take another turn around itself. It also gives him a sense of peace even in the toughest of times.
After that, he sneakily made his way toward the city again. The place was dark except for some torches riddled across the place that illuminated it to some extent. This was more than enough for Rin to use his power.
Entering the city, he passed through the smaller alleyways, making sure to peek at every corner and turn. Not even a single human being could be seen in the vicinity. The more Rin got closer to the villa, the more unnerved he was by the fact that hundreds of people had somehow disappeared somewhere in less than 2 hours.
On the brighter side, Elise and Evelyn were also nowhere to be seen. Cid had most likely put them as his guard knowing that Rin can come back anytime.
The trip toward the villa was very smooth, in fact, it was too smooth.
'So this is the place. It's indeed massive.' He thought as he looked at the house from afar.
The villa was quite eye-catching, standing out like a sore thumb in between all the normal houses around it. It was built of white marble and high-quality mana oak wood which was also very expensive. Right in front of the house was a huge garden filled with trees and beautiful plants.
After making sure no one was around, Rin left the shadow and then crouched and pulled his dagger out before he stabbed the ground with it. Immediately, a black shadowy spot appeared from his hand and extended in all directions, creating a big circle around Rin.
After that, 4 black figures came out of the shadows, and each one of them had no apparent facial expressions or even features for that matter. The only thing they had was the same form as their former selves.
'Shadow summons.'
During the time he has been in the academy, Rin made sure to make his dagger absorb every monster he kills. The number was small at first but soon it became in the tens of summons. The number would've been in the hundreds if Rin wasn't peculiar with his choices of who to take with him.
Because of the huge mana consumption of the skill itself, Rin couldn't really just spam this power as it would put him in great danger.
In the future, when his mana stat becomes way higher than before, he might create a huge army of shadow summons since he wouldn't have to be worried about the mana cost for it. But, for the time being, only the strongest of monsters he killed are allowed into his small army.
Looking at the 4 summons, Rin smiled with a satisfied nod. These 4 monsters were the Nightstar tigers, very strong monsters that lived in the forest in the academy and hunted at night. Out of every creature Rin had faced in his life, these felines were the best in camouflaging and attacking secretly.
They had great speed and strength too so they were the perfect choice for this mission.
'With their help, I can search the whole place faster.'
Rin was sure that if done right, not even Evelyn would be able to sense these monsters' presence.
'Now, go… Find me the dagger.' He gave them the order.
Instantly, the 4 shadow figures vanished as if they were never there. As for Rin, he submerged himself in the shadow and followed after them.
Entering from the side through a crack in the wall, Rin made his way inside the garden.
'Not even a human here too? Where did they go? What is that bastard doing?!' Rin thought as he looked around.
This wasn't even a safety measure at this point. Cid was definitely doing something far more troublesome than this.
Passing through the doors that led right to the main hall of the villa. The place was minimally lit and very quiet. Taking the time to check the place, Rin also made sure to see how his 4 summons were doing.
Because of the link he had with them, he could also see from their eyes what was happening.
'The first one is doing fine. The second, third, and fou-... Hm?' As he was about to close the connection, he noticed something from the 4th summon's point of view.
This particular summons had gone to the northern side of the house or the interior part. There, it found something particularly eye-catching.
Out of every room, there was one that had weird bright light behind it. The other noticeable thing is the sheer amount of mana emitting from the inside.
The aura was so strong and dense that it made Rin shudder for a second. Not only that, but this particular mana wasn't like the ones Rin was accustomed to. It was darker, more ominous, and very evil.
'What the fuck is going on there.' He thought. Since when did mana become this tarnished? He had never thought that an existence can turn something as pure as mana into this twisted form.
After taking a deep breath, he ordered the monster to get closer and take a look if possible. Rin had a really bad hunch about it. Really bad hunch.
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This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢