The dragon with pale-grey scales, after revealing its mythical form and forcing back the three Demonesses, immediately split off a virtual persona to invade their islands of consciousness.
But just as it was about to step onto them—to open the gates of their minds, manipulate their subconscious thoughts, and make them act against their will so that it could escape—it was stunned to discover that among the three Demonesses, one's mind was completely dead and silent, with no trace of thought; another was filled with unknown corruption, making influence impossible; and the last one simply didn't possess a spiritual island at all.
These three Demonesses… aren't real?! They're artificial constructs?
The dragon had barely thought this when its heart sank—because that meant the real enemy hadn't even shown themselves yet!
Before it could react, it suddenly found itself trapped within a Hidden space, its connection to the outside world completely severed… Yet before this happened, it had still felt countless bolts of lightning strike its body.
That was… the Trident attacking me? Impossible! As a living Sealed Artifact, when I tried communicating with it before, it completely ignored me… So why has it so quickly turned against me?
In the dragon's vertical pupils was an expression of disbelief, and its wariness toward the unseen enemy grew even stronger.
The situation was now extremely unfavorable for it, for its opponent—despite holding an absolute advantage—refused to fight it head-on in its draconic form, choosing instead to trap it inside this Hidden space.
Apparently, they plan to wait until the dragon transformation ends before making a move.
With such an advantage, they're still this cautious? The dragon wanted to mock them in the manner of a Hunter-pathway Beyonder, but in this Hidden space, not even a shadow could be seen.
No—there weren't even the faintest traces of spiritual islands within the collective subconscious sea.
Meanwhile, outside the Trident, within a large water bubble, Klein was controlling the succubus raised through Creeping Hunger, coordinating with the other two Demonesses to gather all captives on the ship together. He turned to Ebner nearby and asked,
"How's it going?"
Ebner rubbed the corner of his eye and replied, "Fortunately, we acted quickly enough—he didn't manage to send any message out."
Relying on the black gem the Goddess had embedded in his chest, he simulated the power of a Mysticologist, invoking Mystic Reappearance – The Vanished Nation of Night, dragging the dragon into a deep layer of Hidden space.
As for the Trident's lightning attack? That had been the ship's own reaction—it sensed the return of its former "master" and acted on its own accord. In truth, that blast of lightning had nearly disrupted Ebner's Mystic Reappearance.
Hearing this, Klein exhaled in relief. But as he recalled the beginning of their plan—how smoothly it had gone—he frowned. They'd placed multiple safeguards on Lord Drake's control: Sharon's possession, his own Spirit Threads, and Mr. Tower's manipulation.
By all logic, the man shouldn't have had any chance to break free…
"So how did that Storm Church demigod suddenly shake off our control?" Klein asked, puzzled.
Ebner sighed and answered, "I only just learned the commander's full name—Eric Drake."
"Eric Drake…" Klein felt the name ring a bell. After thinking for a moment, he realized why it was familiar. "The famous hermit of the Storm Sea? He was actually a secret operative for the Storm Church?"
Ebner shook his head. "Eric Drake is just one of his many identities… He's also the royal medical advisor, Dean Delrau of the Backlund Medical College, the Black Throne King of the seas, Barros Hopkins, and the president of the Psychological Alchemists!
"And, of course, there's a high chance he's a member of that organization whose name cannot be spoken…
"Unfortunately, what we encountered here was only one of his virtual personas. Even if we kill it, his main body won't truly die."
Klein pondered for a moment, then asked again, "If that fragment dies, will it transmit what happened here to his true self?"
"If I hadn't made preparations, it would. But since he's inside the Hidden space I created, it shouldn't be a problem."
After all, I have an angel from the Mystery Pryer pathway residing within my eye, intercepting information—she's more than qualified for the task.
Though Ebner didn't say this last part aloud, his confidence was unmistakable, and it reassured Klein completely.
As long as that unspeakable organization didn't receive the news, their plan could continue. When the mole on the Feysac side saw that their "colleagues" were leading the assault, they would surely go easy.
Klein had just thought this when he noticed Ebner's expression change abruptly. "What now?" he asked quickly.
"The dragon… or rather, Drake has killed himself!
"The Hidden space can delay the transmission of information to his main body, but not forever…
"We have to move fast—once his true self senses the death of his avatar, the Feysac side will definitely take precautions."
After finishing, Ebner suddenly felt that his luck today wasn't good. What should have been a simple mission—ambushing the Trident—had been riddled with mishaps, leaving him with a subtle, indescribable sense of unease.
But when he used the Wheel of Fortune's uniqueness to observe his own River of Destiny, he found no abnormalities among the countless tributaries…
Sensing the Queen of Ice and Snow doll hidden in his pocket, Ebner exhaled slightly, dismissing those irrational feelings.
After all, it wasn't a spiritual premonition, nor a passive prophecy sparked by inspiration—it was merely my imagination running wild.
Hearing Ebner's words, Klein dared not delay. He immediately asked Miss Messenger to toss the captured elite squad members—those the three Demonesses had herded together—onto a nearby island.
Afterward, the two of them regrouped, raised the Trident's anchor, and set sail once more toward the sea monster's lair.
…..
On a nameless island in the Sonia Sea, Stewart poured the prepared potion down the throats of his friend Byrne and the other comrades. Only then did the elite squad, who had been tormented by disease and later infected by a spiritual plague, barely recover.
Byrne sat up with difficulty, glanced at his friend who now wore an eyepatch, and asked in astonishment, "Stewart, what happened? Where are we?"
Stewart sighed and replied with another question, "I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"The good news," Byrne said after a moment's pause.
"The good news is, I've confirmed that Lord Drake was the traitor—and he's most likely dead. We don't have to complete the mission anymore."
"And the bad news?"
"The bad news is… whoever killed Drake took the Trident and dumped us on this deserted island far off the sea routes… We might be stuck here for quite some time!"
(End of Chapter)