Chapter 1485 - 58: Shadow of the Curtain (2)

Palmer shook his head and sighed helplessly, "Maybe I’ll comply."

"No, you won’t comply, you’re just saying it. When such a reality comes, you’ll definitely find a way to resist," Bologue said as if he could see through Palmer’s heart.

"And you? What would you do if you foresaw a dark future for yourself?" Palmer countered.

Bologue’s tone was firm, "I won’t have a dark future."

"Do you... do you think you can overturn a prophecy?"

Bologue emphasized again, "No, I’m saying I won’t have a dark future."

Palmer belatedly understood what Bologue meant. He couldn’t help but say, "Aren’t you being too arrogant?"

"Just well aware of myself," Bologue didn’t deny the arrogance. "I am a professional, and what a professional does is avoid such a future. In other words, as long as I’m alive, such a future won’t happen, nor will it be foreseen."

Bologue stood up. His Power of Command extended a long distance, reaching the wandering Ether inside the building without excessively interacting and triggering the phenomenon of Ethereum Mutual Exclusion.

"I can’t directly command these matters; it would set off alarms on the Aurora Path," Bologue said as he demonstrated. "Can you explore the internal paths?"

Palmer closed his eyes, feeling the surging air currents. They drilled into the vents like a group of snakes, spreading through the maze-like channels, forming a complex labyrinth in Palmer’s mind.

"The defense is tight. It looks like we can only invade head-on," Palmer said. "If we invade quickly enough, we should be able to break in directly."

"Okay."

Bologue said, raising his blade etched with resentment, "Void Shedding Sword Oil can cut through twisted paths, making things much easier."

He swung the blade, eager to start, when a nearly forgotten voice called out.

"Wait!"

Olivia placed her hands on both their shoulders, her face anxious, "Did you forget something?"

Shadows writhed and bubbled incessantly.

"I can take you directly inside!"

When the shadows completely enveloped Bologue, he felt an inexplicable sense of ethereality. His body felt cool, and his senses became blurred as if immersed underwater, distant from everything in the world.

Through this brief cooperation, the three of them established enough trust to proceed. For the sake of their upcoming actions, Olivia also confessed the nature of her Secret Energy to the two.

Secret Energy·Shadow of the Curtain.

This Secret Energy belongs to the Transcendence school. Olivia’s specific ability allows her to transform into a shadow, completely into a hazy shadow, thereby evading all physical-level attacks. Under night conditions, Olivia’s secret energy power will be maximized.

Additionally, Olivia’s derivative minor school is the Illusion Creation school, granting Secret Energy·Shadow of the Curtain a further qualitative change. She can create more shadows in non-night environments, creating conditions favorable for her combat and controlling shadows to materialize for battle.

A rough assessment showed that Bologue found Olivia’s Secret Energy not well-suited for frontal combat, mainly excelling in stealthy movement, turning Olivia into an invisible assassin.

"So according to you, have you wrapped us up now?" Bologue asked in the murky darkness.

"Pretty much," Olivia’s voice echoed from all directions, "In theory, you’ve been ’eaten’ by me."

After years of training and expanding her Secret Energy abilities, Olivia could, to some extent, "assimilate" matter within her shadow, similar to how Bologue would spread his Alchemy Matrix, making them part of his body.

Olivia and the shadow merged, swiftly moving through the vents. Accompanied by her nearly Extreme Realm-level Ethereal Concealment, the group infiltrated the Supreme Hub without attracting any attention.

Initially, Bologue remained vigilant, but recalling the structure of the Supreme Hub and the entire Land of Secrets, it all seemed normal. Having spent so much time in the Cultivation Room, Bologue often compared its security to other factions’ strongholds, which was unreasonable, as not every faction had the capability to use Raymond Gaudent’s fragments to craft a Void Realm.

During the stealth mission, Bologue couldn’t help but ask, "Was your Secret Energy chosen by you or... was it Serey’s decision?"

"It was Serey," Olivia responded briefly.

"Oh."

Bologue didn’t dwell on the topic any further. By now, he somewhat understood why Serey would bestow Olivia with such a Secret Energy.

Secret Energy·Shadow of the Curtain didn’t possess strong offensive power, but it was exceedingly suitable for evading danger, combined with her ability to create illusions and shadows, Olivia could move freely even when exposed to daylight.

Bologue wasn’t sure if this counted as Serey’s... paternal care?

"Serey for you..."

Bologue wanted to ask more but swallowed his words.

Now wasn’t the time to talk about such matters. Later, Bologue would have plenty of opportunities to explore Serey’s past.