"Classes are over! I heard the cafeteria got a fresh shipment of top-quality Golden Border Cod from Nan Gang today. You don't see that stuff every day."
"Really? Let's go, let's go! Time to eat!"
A group of students walked past Ling Ying, chattering excitedly. A few of the boys stopped when they passed Oliver, who was behind her.
"Hey, Oliver,"
said a man with a Middle Part.
"Want to go to the bar together tonight..."
"Ahhh! Get away! All of you, get away! Get away..."
Already on edge from being frightened by all sorts of events, Oliver didn't wait for the man to finish. He screamed hysterically, eyes shut, waving both hands wildly. He only stopped when another, icy-cold hand caught him by the wrist.
"Stop screaming. They're gone."
Hearing Ling Ying's voice beside him, Oliver finally opened his eyes. His "buddies" had disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
"Looks like these illusions are getting more convincing. They've got some awareness, too."
Muttering to herself, Ling Ying continued down the hall. Just as she passed a classroom, its door suddenly opened, and a figure with brilliant golden hair stepped out.
"Oh? Cecilia, perfect timing. Let's go have lunch together."
Orianna smiled and walked over. But when she reached Ling Ying, she suddenly paused, her pretty brows drawing together slightly.
"Hmm, Cecilia, your tie's crooked again. Honestly, you need to pay more attention."
As Orianna spoke, she reached out, apparently to straighten Ling Ying's loosened tie. Ling Ying stood perfectly still. When Orianna's hand was just within reach, Ling Ying's eyes suddenly turned cold, and she clamped one hand around Orianna's throat.
"I'm warning you."
Ling Ying's expression darkened as she glanced at the blade hidden in her palm. Her gaze was sharp enough to kill.
"Use whatever tricks you want. But if you keep doing this while wearing the faces of people close to me, you'll die all the more horribly for it."
"Hee hee hee. You're so heartless, Cecilia."
The corners of "Orianna's" mouth lifted into a smile.
"Weren't we good roommates? How could you..."
"Crack!"
"Orianna" fell silent mid-sentence. Ling Ying released her, and she collapsed limply to the ground, her neck twisted at a grotesque angle. A moment later, her body dissolved into wisps of black mist that scattered in every direction. The eerie laughter faded along with it.
"Keep moving."
Ling Ying was clearly in a foul mood. Even knowing the Orianna she'd just killed was fake, the feeling of taking her friend's life still seemed cruel beyond measure. Her curiosity about whoever was behind this space had turned to fury. Whoever they were, she would make them pay dearly.
"Grrr!"
A beastlike growl suddenly echoed down the hallway, accompanied by the sound of claws scraping across the floor. Ling Ying turned her gaze ahead. Sure enough, three bulky figures soon appeared at the far end of the hall. They looked like dogs about half a person's height, but unlike ordinary dogs, their bodies were covered in blazing crimson flame patterns. Each had three vicious-looking heads, and dark red saliva dripped from their gaping, fang-filled jaws, dissolving hole after hole in the floor.
"T-this..."
Oliver instantly became a broken record.
"Is this an illusion too?"
"No."
Ling Ying glanced at the floor, where the Three-Headed Dogs' saliva had eaten through it, then shook her head.
"These should be real."
"..."
Oliver's face seemed to freeze. The next second, he finally lost it and ran back the way they'd come, screaming.
"Oh God! No! I don't want to go to hell!"
"Hey!"
Ling Ying turned too late to stop Oliver. His shout seemed to draw the Three-Headed Dogs' attention, and they immediately charged toward them with a chorus of snarls.
Ling Ying clicked her tongue and swung her sword through the air. A Purple Fire Dragon roared down the hallway, but just before it could hit, the Three-Headed Dogs dodged with unnaturally agile movements.
"Gaaah!"
As if in answer to Ling Ying's attack, two of the Three-Headed Dogs stopped. Six gaping mouths glowed, and the next second, six basin-sized fireballs hurtled toward Ling Ying with shrill whistles.
"Damn it!"
Ling Ying's heart lurched. She hurriedly leaped out of the way, but at that moment, a shadow swooped down from above. She suddenly remembered that not all the Three-Headed Dogs had stopped to launch fireballs. As the hellhound's head loomed right in front of her, Ling Ying made a quick decision—and her body abruptly burst apart into a cloud of drifting black mist.
The Three-Headed Dog's attack missed. Even with three heads, it probably couldn't figure out why Ling Ying had suddenly vanished. Before it could react, the cloud of mist surged behind it. The next instant, Ling Ying burst through the mist, her blade trailing a streak of purple Cold Light as she slashed down at the beast.
"Shhk!"
Her sharp sword cut into the Three-Headed Dog's middle head and cleaved straight through the center of its body. Before the half-height beast could even let out a scream, Void Flames blazed across its bisected form. Its body, capable of withstanding the fires of hell, instantly became a blazing torch, then vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Gaaah!"
The remaining Three-Headed Dogs didn't retreat at the sight of their companion's gruesome death. Instead, they snarled and charged together. Their fierce heads suddenly swelled and split open. Countless fine tendrils burst from within, then rapidly extended, becoming fiery whips that crackled with sparks and lashed wildly through the air. The once-spacious hallway immediately felt cramped, as the blazing whips battered both the floor and walls until they were unrecognizable.
Ling Ying was slightly startled by the Three-Headed Dogs' transformation, then released a Flame Storm from her sword. It tore through the hallway in an instant. A few seconds later, the storm died down. Apart from the now even more battered corridor, the Three-Headed Dogs had all vanished.
"Did you make yourselves bigger because you thought that would help you dodge my attacks?"
Ling Ying gave a couple of derisive chuckles and continued down the corridor. Suddenly, something near where the Three-Headed Dogs had perished caught her eye. She approached and looked closely. Irregular clumps of black mist lay scattered about, barely visible as they wavered in place.
"What's this?"
Ling Ying frowned and thought for a moment before lightly prodding the shadow with her sword. She drew back the Void Flames coating the blade, since the thing looked somewhat familiar. Sure enough, the moment Doran's Blade touched them, the Black Mist Clumps writhed, then eagerly rushed into the blade. Ling Ying felt a familiar energy flow through the sword and into her body. At the same time, the mark on her neck glowed faintly, then fell silent again.
Ling Ying immediately understood what the Black Mist Clumps were. Shadows. But why were they here? Did this Space Mage have the power of shadow, too? The first person who came to mind was the Shadowmancer she had devoured. Could this be one of her accomplices, seeking revenge? Given Caitlyn's intelligence, that wasn't impossible.
Ling Ying shook her head, which was growing dizzy from the overload of information. Things had clearly gotten complicated. Just as she was thinking it over, a scream behind her caught her full attention.
"Ahhh! Don't come near me!"
It was Oliver. Ling Ying frowned and hurried after him. She rounded a corner and found Oliver standing motionless in front of her. She couldn't see his face since his back was turned, but judging by his trembling shoulders, she figured he must be terrified.
"Hey, are you all right?"
Ling Ying stepped closer, intending to check on Oliver. When they were just one step apart, the corner of her eye caught Oliver's shadow on the wall twitching strangely.
"His shadow?"
A chill ran through Ling Ying, and she hurriedly twisted aside. The next instant, two sharp black streaks crossed in front of her, slicing past her chest. A tuft of silver hair fluttered before her eyes—part of her hair had been cut off.
"Heh heh heh..."
Oliver suddenly let out a sinister laugh. With a series of cracking sounds as his bones twisted, his head spun all the way around to face Ling Ying. His whole face stretched and warped into something inhuman.
""
Startled by that horrifying face, Ling Ying couldn't help cursing. But she moved without hesitation, swiftly swinging her leg up and kicking him hard in the stomach. Oliver went flying, his body suddenly swelling into a sphere as he sailed through the air. Then it exploded with a bang, scattering black muck across the floor.
"A human bomb."
Ling Ying's expression was grim. Their attacks were clearly no longer just harmless pranks; they were growing more vicious. That last trick had nearly taken advantage of her concern for Oliver. Either of the two traps would have left her in a bad position.
Oh, right. Oliver had exploded. And there was something else. Ling Ying turned around. Two shadows were slowly taking shape on the wall, then peeling away from it. In a moment, two black-robed figures nearly reached the ceiling. Eerie white bone masks covered their heads, and each held a person-tall, double-bladed battle-axe wreathed in ghastly green flames. Their very presence sent a chill through her.
"First the Three-Headed Dogs, and now what? Hell Gate Guardians? That certainly fits the setting of this space."
Ling Ying gave a wry laugh, then her eyes suddenly sharpened. The next second, she hurled a massive Shadow Orb at them.
"Cut the act! Shadow!"
Before you continue