It had been over two hours since Elena had begun tailing Dorian, carefully tracking his movements with Phantom. The narrow, winding alleys of the city made it difficult to keep pace, but thanks to Obscura she placed earlier, she never lost sight of him. Fortunately, she had taken the time to learn this elven spell, one that allowed her to sense her target's location for an extended period, as long as they remained within range.

Through this magic, Elena knew exactly where Dorian was headed. The moment his duties as a Royal Guard ended, he made his way straight to the Eastern District.

By the time she reached the area, the sun had set, and darkness cloaked the streets. The air was thick with the stench of rot and sewage, an unmistakable sign that she was near the city's abandoned backstreets, near the sewer entrance. Elena slowed her steps, her senses sharpening. The only sound was the faint trickle of water from a nearby drain. Even Phantom, the entity she controlled, adjusted its pace, gliding silently behind Dorian while keeping a cautious distance.

Then, without warning, Dorian stopped.

Elena immediately pressed herself against the damp stone wall of an alley, her pulse quickening. Someone else was there. She could feel it.

Instinct took over. She dismissed Phantom in an instant and crept forward, carefully positioning herself where her clone had been moments ago. Then, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a small vial. Without hesitation, she drank the potion. The same one Erynd had used during their battle with Celerion.

A wave of cold swept through her body as the potion took effect. Her vision flickered, her form growing translucent until she vanished completely.

From her concealed vantage point, she saw Dorian hand a small pouch to a huge figure. The exchange was quick, but the air between them bristled with tension.

"Everything's in there," Dorian muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

The big muscular figure inspected the pouch briefly before nodding. "You're sure no one followed you?"

Dorian chuckled, his arrogant smirk visible even in the dim light. "Please. I'd know if some rat was tailing me."

Elena gritted her teeth. If only he knew.

As the two continued their hushed conversation, Elena stayed perfectly still, waiting for the right moment. She fought against the urge to strike now, to wipe that smug grin off Dorian's face. But she had more important things to do.

Then, just as suddenly as the meeting had begun, it ended.

Dorian turned, straight in her direction.

Elena held her breath. Though she was invisible, the sensation of his piercing gaze sent a chill down her spine. His expression twisted into a smirk, as if sensing something was amiss.

For one agonizing moment, he stood there. But then, without another word, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the shadows.

Elena waited until she was certain he was gone before she exhaled, slowly regaining her composure. There was no time to waste.

Without hesitation, she re-summoned Silkshade Phantom. This time, she had a new target.

The huge figure had already started moving in the opposite direction.

Elena narrowed her eyes.

"Let's see where you're headed."

And with that, she gave chase.

***

Albedo Dorgas loosened the drawstrings of the pouch Dorian had handed him and peered inside. Three objects lay within, each emanating a faint glow. He studied them carefully, nodding in approval before reaching into his coat and tossing a handful of stones into Dorian's waiting hand.

Dorian's lips curled into a satisfied grin.

"Pleasure doing business with you, as always," he said, slipping the stones into his sub-space inventory with practiced ease.

Albedo grunted. "You sure this is everything?"

Dorian scoffed. "Do I look like an idiot? That's exactly what was promised."

The items inside were rare, one in particular stood out: a Soul Fragment from the Guardian of Thaloren Forest. The other two were unfamiliar even to Albedo, but if Dorian had gone through the trouble of bringing them, they had to be valuable. His boss would be pleased. He had been in a foul mood ever since one of his top enforcers had been killed recently. This haul might just be enough to lift his spirits.

"Consider your debt repaid. For now," Albedo muttered, securing the pouch.

Dorian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You can tell our boss he owes me a drink."

Dorian was one of his boss's trusted enforcers, operating from within the ranks of the Royal Guard. His real job was far from noble, confiscating rare treasures from adventurers and delivering them to Albedo for further processing. Of course, not without a hefty reward in return.

With that, Albedo turned on his heel, eager to put this place behind him.

Though he was no stranger to darkness or the stench of decay, something about this alley always made his skin crawl. Maybe it was the damp, suffocating air or the eerie silence that clung to the crumbling walls. Whatever it was, he hated it.

He took a slow step forward, slipping the pouch into his sub-space inventory, when suddenly—

A presence.

His instincts flared like a warning bell.

Without hesitation, he drew his weapon from his inventory. Unlike ordinary flails, it had an unusually long chain, ending in a massive spiked iron ball, even larger than his own bald head, which was already an impressive size.

A flicker of movement.

Then… a whistle of air.

Something shot toward him from behind. Albedo barely felt the impact, thanks to his monstrous Vitality, most attacks were little more than an inconvenience. But he still turned sharply, eyes locking onto a shadowy figure wearing a long robe.

An archer.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

And not just any arrow. This one shimmered with an unnatural, sticky glow.

"The fuck?!"

The arrow struck. A thick, web-like substance exploded from the impact, entangling his legs. Albedo let out a growl, his muscles straining against the restraints. The webbing clung stubbornly to his armor, refusing to give way.

His grip on the flail tightened.

"Who the hell are you, bastard?! Who sent you?!" Albedo roared, his voice echoing through the alley.

He swung his flail overhead, the heavy spiked ball cutting through the air with a terrifying whoosh. His massive frame made it look effortless. Then, with a thunderous heave, he hurled it straight at his attacker.

A direct hit.

Or so he thought.

The flail's spiked ball sank into the target's skull. However, instead of the familiar sensation of crushing bone and flesh, there was only a disturbing lack of resistance.

His weapon passed right through.

Albedo's eyes widened. "A decoy?!"

Too late.

It had been a trap all along.

From the shadows, several more arrows whistled toward his head. Snarling, he batted them aside with a swipe of his armored forearm, the projectiles clattering harmlessly to the ground.

"You think that pathetic attack could hurt me?" Albedo sneered. "You have no idea who I am, do you? I am—"

But before he could finish, another figure in the same dark robes dashed past him, moving with unnatural swiftness.

Albedo's eyes darted to his belt.

His sub-space pouch was gone.

Realization dawned.

Rage exploded in his chest.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" he bellowed, his voice shaking the very walls. "You're DEAD! NO MERCY!"

But the thief was already gone, vanishing into the night, leaving only the echoes of Albedo's furious roar behind them.

[Shackled cast]

Lucky. His target was still within range.

Albedo moved swiftly, his sharp gaze locking onto the enemy struggling to move. Shackled by a heavy ball and chain, the unfortunate soul stumbled forward, every motion sluggish and strained. Meanwhile, Albedo felt his own body grow lighter, more agile. Absorbing his opponent's stolen speed.

A cruel smirk curled on his lips.

Raising his flail once more, he prepared to strike, only for his vision to be suddenly obstructed by something sticky and thick.

A web.

"Ah, you little bastard," Albedo growled, tearing at the sticky strands clinging to his face. "You think I'll let you die quickly?" His voice dropped into a venomous snarl. "No… I'll make sure you suffer. Slowly."

Before his enemy could even think about escaping, Albedo activated his ultimate skill, Eternal Domain.

A brief pulse of magic surged through the battlefield, and in an instant, the world around them shifted.

Darkness swallowed the space, leaving only a hexagonal ring of golden light encircling them. The thin barrier walls shimmered ominously, sealing them inside. No one could leave. Not until time ran out… or until one of them died.

Unfortunately for his opponent, no one had ever survived this domain before.

Albedo chuckled, his laughter deep and chilling. Slowly, he lifted his flail again, the massive spiked ball at its end now glowing with a radiant golden aura.

You're trapped with me, Albedo Dorgas. You'd better remember my name well, because it will be the last one you ever recall," he whispered, his voice brimming with amusement.

With a mighty swing, he slammed his weapon down. The impact roared through the enclosed space, the sheer force shaking the entire arena.

But his prey was quick. Just in time, they twisted out of the way, narrowly dodging the devastating blow.

Albedo didn't mind. In fact, he grinned.

"This time… you won't escape."

He let his weapon drop to the ground and instead raised both of his hands.

Swirling golden spheres materialized above his palms, an exact replica of the massive spiked ball attached to his flail. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled one of it toward his enemy.

The target dodged again.

But this time… the golden sphere curved mid-air, relentlessly homing in on them.

Albedo threw the other one, launching it from the opposite direction. The two glowing orbs chased their prey, cutting off every possible escape route.

At the very last second, his opponent twisted their body, barely slipping between the two projectiles.

BOOM!

The two spheres collided, exploding into a brilliant burst of energy before vanishing.

Albedo barely had a moment to react before an arrow flew straight at his head.

With inhuman reflexes, he raised his bare hand, catching the arrow just before it could pierce his face. His grin widened.

For the first time since entering Eternal Domain, he noticed something different about his opponent. A faint, eerie green mist curled around his opponent, their aura shifting into something deadly.

Albedo threw the arrow aside, then let out a deep, bellowing laugh.

"GWAHAHAHA! An archer with a short-range aura skill? What a pathetic build!" His voice dripped with mockery. "Do you honestly think poison will work on me?"

He spread his arms wide, letting his voice echo through the domain.

"In here, my regeneration is increased tenfold. Your little toxin tricks? They're completely useless!" His eyes gleamed with sadistic amusement. "But at least this is turning out to be somewhat… entertaining."

Albedo narrowed his eyes, frustration growing as his opponent remained silent.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he sneered, his lips curling into a twisted grin. "I sure hope you can scream. I love the sound of little women like you begging."

His eyes roamed over his adversary. The robe that had once concealed her figure had been discarded, likely because it hindered her movements. Now he could clearly see her lithe, athletic form.

A pointed ear peeked through light brown strands of hair.

An elf.

Albedo's grin widened. "Ohhh, now this is a treat. I love elves."

[Golden Flash cast]

A radiant golden light erupted around Albedo's body, surging through his limbs like a divine force. He lunged forward, a blur of speed, completely ignoring the arrows the elf fired in a desperate attempt to stop him.

Too slow.

Before she could react, his massive hands clamped down on her shoulders, squeezing with crushing force.

"Ack!" The elf gasped in pain, her body stiffening. A thin trickle of blood ran down from where his fingers dug into her flesh.

Albedo's laughter echoed through the arena. Deep, guttural, sickening.

"Gwahaha! So you can scream!" he taunted, his grip tightening.

WHAM!

A sharp kick slammed directly into his groin.

"GAAAH!"

Albedo's grip instantly loosened and stumbled backward, clutching at himself, face twisted in agony.

"You little BITCH!" he bellowed, rage flooding his veins.

His breath came out in ragged gasps. His vision blurred with fury.

Fine.

He was done playing.

[Golden Fist cast]

Albedo grinned wickedly as the golden glow reignited around his fists. He clenched both hands into rock-like fists, radiating sheer, brutal power.

"Now you're dead."

He took a step forward, muscles coiling. Ready to unleash his deadly skill.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.