Chapter 235: Another Encounter with Ame

Tally's speed was faster than Luo De had imagined.

And she was carrying someone—clearly, her Shadow Art had improved greatly.

By the time they reached the door of the room glowing green, the people inside had just reacted, sending out several fifth- and sixth-rank elites toward the main hall.

The low-ranking soldiers panicked, seeing two seventh-ranks in the distance.

They nearly screamed "Oh my god!"

But rats, being a highly social species, treated the orders of their high-rankers as sacred—so they gritted their teeth and charged anyway.

Luo De and Tally hid in the corner.

The Shadow Art that even seventh-ranks couldn't detect was naturally invisible to these little creatures.

But he didn't move yet.

Anyone who's ever played the backstabber knows: don't rush to attack after spotting someone, and never strike the first one.

Be a backstabber to the end—circle around from the opposite side.

Tally received the order and nodded.

She manipulated shadows to slip into the room glowing green.

The room was small, dominated by a massive, translucent ovule.

Inside, glowing green fluid bubbled violently, gurgling nonstop.

No one knew what was inside.

Two figures stood before the ovule.

One was a rat-man in a gray robe, holding a white ceramic staff with a green gem at its tip—now reduced to a quarter of its original size.

His aura was utterly decayed, on the verge of death.

Yet it was still clear he had once been a high-seventh or even peak-seventh-rank cultivator.

The other was the black-robed man who called himself Plague Mage Ame'er.

His magical energy matched a low-seventh-rank, but it was impure—significantly different from the Ame'er Luo De and Tally had killed.

Magical quality is hard to fake; this was clearly not the same person.

The gray-robed rat-man turned to look at the battle in the hall outside, frowning deeply, then spoke slowly.

It was the voice of a kind old woman:

"Mr. Ame'er, please."

Ame'er remained still: "Lady Ruike, you should first deal with the intruders in your territory. My Plague Creation requires a relatively quiet environment."

"Don't bother with them."

Ruike tapped her staff lightly, stirring up a small cloud of dust from the floor.

Boom—

The next instant, two massive, rotting iron doors emerged from the walls on either side of the room's entrance.

They slammed shut with a crash.

Instantly silencing all the noise, screams, and fighting in the hall.

Only the gurgling bubbles from the giant ovule remained.

"Mr. Ame'er, please."

Ruike spoke again.

"Wait—didn't I tell you to retrieve the vine leaves from the Tree Spirit? The ones from Windwall Forest? Where are they?"

I told you—there are too many experts in that forest. Recently, the forest wardens there killed two of my seventh-rank subordinates. Are you asking my descendants to die?

As she spoke, she recalled how the ghoul and banshee in the forest had attacked her rat soldiers.

She added them to her kill list.

"Why don't you go yourself?"

"If I leave here, who will maintain the device?"

Ame'er fell silent.

Ruike seemed to sense something off about him.

"Mr. Ame'er, you previously said you'd help me refine and optimize the Creation Art. Have you still not prepared?"

Her tone carried a hint of threat.

Ame'er, overwhelmed by her aura, instinctively stepped back—revealing his guilt.

"I'll tell you the truth—don't kill me!"

Seeing he couldn't bluff anymore, "Ame'er" surrendered.

He pulled back his hood, revealing a face covered in red sores.

"I'm not the real Ame'er. My name is Miki—I'm his disciple."

Ruike's rat-face twitched.

Her claw gripping the ceramic staff trembled slightly.

Miki continued: "Master Ame'er knew you wouldn't let him go easily after taking him away. He had his own research to pursue and couldn't stay underground long, so he had me impersonate him and assist here."

"Then how did you construct the previous ritual array?"

"Master Ame'er's research on souls is unmatched—he has a temporary possession spell. That time, he used my body."

"Now!! Immediately!! Bring out the real Ame'er!!"

Ruike could no longer tolerate it and roared.

If she hadn't still needed his help, she would have killed him on the spot!

Miki's face twisted in despair.

"I can't! I haven't been able to contact Master since a month ago! He might already be dead!!"

Ruike's face darkened to its deepest shade.

Good, good—she'd been fooled by two human mages.

Slowly, she raised her staff toward Miki.

"I don't need useless mages."

"No! Lady Ruike! Give me a chance! I have Master's notes—I can still learn! I'll perfect the new rat-creation art!"

Magical light flickered.

Inside the shadows, Luo De and Tally exchanged glances.

They would strike after the rat killed Miki.

Miki was at least a seventh-rank—if he could fight back, all the better.

Let them fight each other; Luo De would reap the benefits.

But the next moment—

A calm, unexpected voice rang out, freezing him in place.

"No need for this, Lady Ruike."

Both Ruike and Miki were stunned.

Miki was shocked because the voice was identical to his master Ame'er's—and horrified because it came from his own throat.

Ruike lowered her staff, narrowing her eyes.

Before her, Miki's left half-face was covered in red sores, twisted in fear; his right half-face was calm, sinister, and flawless.

It was unmistakably half of Ame'er's face!

"Ame'er—what disgusting art is this? I've never seen anything like it."

"A minor etheric ability. Ignore it."

Miki, terrified yet elated: "M-Master?! Where have you been?! I couldn't reach you at all!"

"Miki… I've most likely died. The voice speaking to you now is merely a memory fragment."

"M-Memory fragment?"

"Yes. A small memory fragment, residing in your brain, using your neural pathways to function—but unable to cast spells or absorb new memories. A rather powerless fragment."

Miki broke into cold sweat, his eye twitching.

"When we return to the surface, I'll immediately prepare the 【Cloning Art】 for you!"

"No need."

"Ah?"

"Because you are my cloned copy."

A shadow slipped unnaturally across the room.

The massive 【Sickle-Claw Counterblade】 struck the weak magical shield—*pop*—it shattered. The blade's momentum didn't falter, slicing cleanly through Miki's neck.

His head shot upward.

A tall figure snatched the head midair and crushed it in one hand.

Almost simultaneously, a burst of pink-purple grievance fire erupted from his palm, engulfing Miki's entire body.

Crackling—

Luo De landed.

He glared coldly at the rat, Ruike.

Behind him, the pink-purple grievance fire rapidly burned Miki's frail flesh to ash.

(End of Chapter)