Chapter 433: Retaliation is Impossible
Both Angor and Shadow froze when they heard the strange voice that almost consisted of two different tones.
They were currently walking on a narrow path among several trees. A shadow suddenly appeared behind falling leaves. In a moment of seconds, a little girl about the age of 12 stood in the middle of their way.
Everything on the girl looked dark. Black bubble skirt with crimson braids, a black veil that covered pale white skin, and long, black hair that reached all the way to her chest⊠her dressing style would usually sit well on mature women with special tastes.
Angor immediately recognized those looks. She was the individual he briefly encountered in HippocroteeââSundown Queenâ Isabella.
However, it was a tiny trace of her consciousness that troubled him back at Hippocrotee. Now, he was looking at the real deal.
âLady Isabella!â Shadow was visibly trembling now. He just addressed Isabella as a âmean psychoâ. Their conversation was already heard by her. There was no doubt Isabella would do something about it.
Bam!
A giant blood-red hand suddenly appeared and slapped Shadowâs face.
Shadow was sent flying into the air before he crashed some distance away. The crash created a small crater in the dirt. Half of his face was of a different color, and he was spitting broken teeth mixed with blood.
All the while, Isabella kept giggling in a strange way that looked both mad and adorable. Anyone unaware of her identity would regard her as a âlittle girlâ, which would probably get them killed.
âIâll let you live for now, and you should thank your teacher. The next time you twist your little tongue behind my back will be your funeral!â The woman gazed at Shadow with a violent look.
âPlea⊠Please forgive my terrible manner.â Shadow forced himself to stand up on his damaged bones and knelt down.
Isabella spat and rested her gaze on Angor.
She quickly revealed a disdainful yet envious look when looking at Angorâs hair and deep-blue eyes. Angor already had the look of a fine gentleman at a young age. The Puppet Master would absolutely give him full score when judging his appearance.
Angorâs form was blinking because his Infinite Reticence was already broken down by someoneâs awareness.
âOhh, nice hiding, kid. I would have overlooked you if not for Diabloâs Spirit Bond. And if you slipped from me⊠that will be so sad.â While speaking in her double-tone voice, Isabella grinned malevolently.
Angor faced the mighty wizard with a serious look. This was the first time that he ever stood in front of a wizard who fully released her killing intent.
During Twilight Auction, Twilight was still controlling her actions because many wizards were looking, which allowed Angor to find a chance. Yet Isabella was different. She was using her might to press Angor since the moment she arrived; it prevented him from lifting a finger.
Angor couldnât help but imagine his possible ways to die.
Shadow, on the other hand, lifted his head in great shock. According to Isabellaâs words, HE was the one that exposed Angorâs position. Without the Spirit Bond, Angor might have avoided detection!
Even though what had already happened couldnât be undone, Shadow still blamed himself.
âWhat are you looking at?â Isabella pushed a hand forward, and a blood-red floating hand suddenly lifted Angor into the air.
Unlike what she just did to Shadow, she was planning to torture Angor slowly to death in order to satisfy her twisted hobby.
âSuch disgusting eyes⊠Oh wait, itâd be good if I use them on a Hundred-Eyed Devil.â Her giggling and childish voice blended with each other perfectly, which worsened the mental stress she exerted.
Angor couldnât move at all under Isabellaâs suppression. He couldnât even trigger his soul scar. The womanâs death grip had halted the blood flow in his neck. His vision and hearing were failing.
Shadow grew distressed when he saw Angorâs physical condition worsening by the second.
The Kurna Pact required them to help each other, but it only worked when the situation was within their abilities. At this moment, Isabella was way more powerful than both of them. The pact would not do anything if Angor was killed right here.
But Shadow was still frightened. After spending some time with Angor, Shadow was beginning to like his new companion.
Usually, Shadow remained composed and wordless in front of people. He presented his random and wayward side in front of Angor because he considered Angor a friend worth talking to.
As a gentle-natured âacademismâ wizard, Angor would meet a lot of disadvantages in the wizarding world. But there was one thing for sureâsomeone like Angor could always be a worthy friend. Just like the famous academism wizard âLight Walkerâ Gandolfâeven without his brilliant alchemy skills, almost every wizard was willing to befriend this elderly gentleman.
Shadow already decided to develop a good relation with Angor. He was REALLY worried about Angorâs safety now.
âLady Isabella! Please spare Angor. Iâll take him away and I promise heâll not show up in front of you againââ
Bam!
The man was knocked away for the second time.
âHe⊠heâs a talented alchemist⊠he can pay you! He almost reached out to Mystery energyâŠâ Shadow kept speaking despite the lack of teeth.
Mystery Item?
Isabella gave Angor a doubtful glance, albeit just briefly.
A level-2 apprentice? Mystery? What a joke.
Isabella dropped Angor down, but it wasnât because of Shadowâs words. She noticed that Angor would die any moment now, and she wanted him to suffer more.
Angor collapsed on the ground and gasped for air. The great pain and numbness in his body actually helped him to lift Isabellaâs suppressive aura just a little.
Without waiting any longer, Angor unleashed his Nightmare Domain as fast as he could.
A level-2 apprentice and level-2 wizard didnât sound too verbally different. But in this world, the gap between them was impossible to cross. To Isabella, Angorâs strongest attacks might feel like mosquito stings.
And there was only one thing Angor could do.
With his Nightmare Domain in place, Angor immediately began to imagine the face of the âqueenâ, which successfully caused his shoulder bone to itch.
He didnât know what would happen by doing so, but he was glad that he at least had somethingâ or not.
It was now clear that Isabella wasnât one of the fictional villains who would give others time to retaliate. As soon as she saw Angorâs Nightmare Domain, she simply knocked him out with a spell without taking the effort to figure out Angorâs plan at all.
Last time, Angorâs Nightmare Domain saved him from Twilight because his domain was still connected to Nightmare Realm. Now that Sunders severed the domain and put it under Angorâs own control, this piece of Nightmare Domain had to rely on Angorâs support.
Of course, when Angor was knocked out, his Nightmare Domain quickly scattered.
âŠ
Anyone who wished to leave Silent Hill had to go through this path.
It was already midnight, but there were still pedestrians who saw the conflict. Everyone simply turned away when they saw Isabellaâs face, fearing that the terrible womanâs ordeal might accidentally fall upon innocent onlookers.
Occasionally, there were wizards who noticed the display of strength from far away. Similarly, they didnât pay much attention to it. The confrontation between an apprentice and a level-2 wizard wasnât worth the time.
Nobody would care about what happened, either to be safe or to save their precious time.
Well, maybe with the exception of extremely odd individuals, such as Dual Sprite Talos, who basically had nothing to do all day.
âHoly stones. How old is Isabella? A thousand years old? And sheâs stingier than a toddler.â
âYou donât understand. Itâs better this way!â
âWhy is this better?â
âDark Castle is so close to us. She might bring us a fortune with that character of hers!â
âOhh, youâre right! Clever!â
âOf course I am clever! And if Iâm clever, youâre also clever!â
Talos spoke to itself while occasionally commenting on Isabellaâs style.
Angor didnât manage to display his Nightmare Domain for long, but Talos still saw it, and the sprite suddenly stopped speaking.
A moment later, Talos spoke again, in a very small voice that only itself could hear this time.
âNo doubt. Thatâs the same aura used by Mister Phantom.â
âSo Diabloâs little new friend is Phantomâs disciple?â
âShould be.â
âOh, this is gonna be fun. Will Mister Phantom get furious for this?â
âNo. Remember when Flora did something similar?â
âBut thatâs different. Flora asked for her own doom, while Angor is only a victim or Isabellaâs twisted ideal.â
âSo you think Mister Phantom will come?â
âMaybe not? Aha! I said this because you said it first! And I am you!â
Talos remained silent for a while.
âShould we tell Isabella? Maybe sheâll let Angor go if she knows Phantom is the kidâs teacher.â
âNo! That wonât be fun.â
âSo what should we do now?â
âWe sell the news to magazines, dumba*s! I already made up a title for itâHoly Crap! Phantomâs Personal Follower Surrendered Himself to a 10-Year-Old Lady!â
âNice one! I can already imagine being paid!â
âWill we get 100 crystals out of this? Yes, we will!â