Becoming a Shadow in the New World

Seeing Himeragi Yukina's face grow paler with each word he spoke, Rudolf revealed a mocking smile.

"Of course not, then how was this island created?"

It was a human sacrifice. The island's designer, Senra Genjin, used human sacrifice to increase the foundation's strength. The sacrificed part was the right arm of a saint worshipped by our Western European church. For such a ridiculous reason, a saint's body was trampled by thousands.

Tell me, should I be angry?

At this point, Rudolf no longer concealed the various emotions hidden in his voice and raised his voice.

"You say I committed a crime, but what crime have I committed? I just wanted to take back what rightfully belongs to us. What crime have I committed?"

Who is justice? Is it you, the one who wants to save the island by sacrificing the saint's body, or me, the one who just wants what was stolen from me?

"Now, step aside, Sword Wizard."

After saying that, Rudolf raised his giant axe again. His emotions, after what he had just said, had made him give up the idea of ​​letting Astaluti destroy it. He wanted to destroy the foundation with his own hands. Only in this way could he vent his anger.

Just as Rudolf was about to pass Himeragi Yukina, a silver spear blocked his way.

"What, Sword Wizard, now that you know the truth of the whole thing, are you still going to stop me?"

Faced with Rudolf's questioning, Yukina Himeragi simply lowered her head and spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but I beg you, I beg you, please give this island a chance for the sake of the innocent lives on it. With current technology, we can quickly create a replacement to replace the relic. You don't need to be so radical."

“I’m sorry, what’s the use of being sorry? I admit there are innocent people on this island, but we are not innocent. The people buried here are not your relatives, of course you can say that.”

If we wait until the truth comes out before thinking about replacing the foundation stones and making amends for our mistakes, then the island itself is tainted with sin. It's not admitting wrongdoing after the foundation is built, but only admitting wrongdoing because the island is about to sink. This isn't remorse, this isn't regret, this is fear of pain.

Seeing that Yukina Himeragi hadn't put her gun down yet, Rudolf's anger was about to burst out, but thinking of Sid, he still managed to suppress his anger and say the last sentence.

"This has nothing to do with you, and you can't beat us anyway. Get out of the way, Sword Wizard."

Himeragi Yukina raised her head, her eyes filled with guilt, but the determination in them seemed to tell others that she had made up her mind, her face bearing a resolute expression.

"Although I've only been on this island for a few days, I've already met a senior who cares about me a lot. For the sake of the senior, for the sake of my classmates, and for the sake of my own selfish desires, I can't let you sink this island."

"Austaluti, make your move."

Without another word, Rudolf directly ordered Astarothie to take action.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sitting on the armrest, Sid, wearing a black overcoat, calmly watched the three people fighting below.

"It seems there's no chance for those with the power to transform into shadows."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Defeat of Xiaogu City

Sid's expression behind his mask began to turn serious, and as the fighting below intensified, his expression grew even more solemn.

"No, no, this script won't do. I'm a shadow-wielder, not a champion of justice."

After rejecting yet another script that popped into his head, Sid experienced what Calvin felt for the first time.

"You brain-dead mastermind, you better pray I don't know who you are?"

As a Shadow-level user, one is neither purely good nor purely evil; one can be an ally of justice or an enemy of the protagonist, depending on the Shadow-level user's stance in the event.

However, situations like the one below, where both sides have their own reasons, are definitely the ones Sid hates the most. In such cases, he is wrong no matter who he sides with, and right no matter who he sides with. From the perspective of the Shadow Power, the correct answer should be the mastermind behind the scenes.

They take on the role of a third-party entertainer, only stepping forward at the last moment to reveal themselves as the mastermind, but claiming they will not intervene and will instead act as a referee, judging whoever wins based on their principles of justice—a powerful figure in the shadows.

But now that the role of the mastermind has already been filled, he can't possibly steal a role that someone else is already playing. So how can he infiltrate this incident as a shadow-level powerhouse?

Just as Sid was fretting over this, two people barged in and joined the battle below, which once again drew Sid's attention.

"That's... the ancient city! How can he be so incompetent?"

Golden arcs of electricity coiled around a hand and collided with the white giant. The next second, the golden arcs of electricity were destroyed by the divine vibration wave driving technique engraved on the giant's surface, instantly blasting the arm's owner—Akatsuki Kojou—against the wall.

The sudden intruder caused the three fighters to stop what they were doing and look at the intruder.

"Fourth Progenitor, what are you doing here! Wait, my shikigami!"

Surrounded by the two and forced to retreat, Himeragi Yukina was the first to recognize Akatsuki Kojou, after all, he was the one she was monitoring.

"The Fourth Progenitor is so weak! I never expected to meet him here. This is a rare opportunity. Astallo, don't hold back against him. Kill him."

"Command accepted!"

Upon hearing Yukina Himeragi's words, Rudolf also learned of Kojou Akatsuki's identity. As Rudolf gave the order, the white giant arm controlled by Astallo visibly solidified, and at the same time, Yukina Himeragi's silver spear was also aimed at Kojou Akatsuki.

This is not hard to understand. For Yukina Himeragi, although after several days of surveillance she found that Kojou Akatsuki did not seem like a schemer who wanted to destroy the world, she still remembered what the Lion King Organization had told her.

Destroying the shikigami she was monitoring at this time and then appearing at this location made it hard for her not to suspect that the previous days had all been a disguise by the Fourth Ancestor, and that the Fourth Ancestor was now trying to carry out some kind of conspiracy.

As for Rudolf, there's no need to explain; he's a church teacher who's born with a grudge against vampires.

If Kojou Akatsuki really has some kind of conspiracy, the three people on the field right now would definitely not mind joining forces to take him down first.

"Wait a minute, Yukina Himeragi. This is an order from the Lion King Organization. We'll work together with the Fourth Progenitor to resolve this crisis. The Fourth Progenitor will deal with the Teacher Exterminator, and the two of us will deal with this artificial life form."

Just as the three were about to make their move, a girl in a red uniform attacked Astallo while speaking to Himeragi Yukina.

The girl's spear collided with the white giant's hand, producing a metallic clang before Astalloti pushed it away with overwhelming force.

The clash ended with the girl being pinned down. After she landed, her hair swayed in the wind, revealing two bloody holes in her neck.

“That’s… the uniform of the Lion King Organization, and also!”

A host of questions filled Himeragi Yukina's mind; she was now completely confused about the situation.

Why was the Fourth Ancestor brought here by the Lion King Organization?

Why does this girl wearing the Lion King uniform have two blood holes on her neck that are obviously from being sucked by vampires?

Why is the legendary Fourth Ancestor so weak?

However, after confirming from the girl's marksmanship and uniform that the girl was a swordswoman from the Lion King Organization, she hesitated for only a few seconds before choosing to obey orders, picking up her spear and attacking Astaluti with the girl.

Rudolf glanced at Akatsuki Kojou, who was standing in front of him, enveloped in golden arcs of electricity, and then at the two bloody holes in the girl's neck, who was being attacked by Himeragi Yukina. A look of sudden realization appeared on his face, but the next second his face darkened.

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is. This is the world covered in spider webs that Shadow spoke of? I've actually been tricked."

Looking at the teacher in front of him with a dark face, who was talking about something, Xiao Gucheng swallowed hard and tried to persuade Rudolf to give up the idea of ​​sinking the island.

"Um... Uncle, I learned the truth about this while I was on the way."

Indeed, that guy named Chiro Itogami is a scumbag, but the people on this island are innocent…

Before he could finish speaking, Rudolf interrupted him with his giant axe.

In the rush, Akatsuki could only use magic to block the attack.

"Hey, big brother..."

Xiaogucheng wanted to continue persuading him, but Rudolf had already closed in again and was about to chop at Xiaogucheng with his giant axe.

Knowing that negotiations were unlikely, Kojou Akatsuki could only channel the power of his familiar into his fists and clash with Rudolf.

Now, both sides are serious. Needless to say, even if it's a one-on-two fight for Himeragi Yukina, it's only a matter of time before Astalloti, whose entire body is wrapped in rose-colored fingertips, wins.

Rose's fingertip defense was too strong; it was simply impossible for two girls without high burst damage to break through it. Usually, when faced with this situation, Himeragi Yukina would bypass the defense and directly attack the familiar's master.

The problem is that to attack Astallodi, one must break through Rose's fingertip defense. Theoretically, the Demon-Slaying Holy Lance "Snow Wolf," which can nullify magic, can break through Rose's fingertip defense. However, Rose's fingertip surface is now engraved with the same divine vibration wave driving formula as "Snow Wolf," so the two abilities cancel each other out.

Many factors can determine the outcome of a battle, but when one side has no need for defense and the other side will die from a single touch, then the outcome is already decided.

As for Kojou Akatsuki, in Sid's opinion, if Kojou Akatsuki could use even one-tenth of the magic power in his body, he could easily defeat Rudolf. But as Sid said, how come he's so weak?

It's just street thug fighting techniques, a complete waste of magic.

It's not noticeable when there's no battle, but now that Kojou Akatsuki is almost dead, most of his magical energy is still dormant.

"Hey, Lion King Organization's sword sorcerer, you still don't understand? You're really stupid."

Rudolf, who was fighting Akatsuki Kojou, even had the energy to keep an eye on the other side of the battlefield, which made him notice the puzzled look on Himeragi Yukina's face.

"Don't you understand? You were given to this Fourth Progenitor's blood companion by your Lion King Organization, and my ability to infiltrate here so easily is all part of your Lion King Organization's conspiracy."

Although she didn't seem to hear Rudolph's words, the fact that Yukina Himeragi slowed down after he finished speaking proved that she had taken them to heart.

It was this slowed-down movement that gave Astallo, who was controlling the rose's fingertips, an opportunity to throw a punch that struck Himeragi Yukina's body, rendering her unable to fight.

The two-on-one fight was already a close call, but now, without Himeragi Yukina's help, the other girl was also defeated in the next round.

Because of the defeat of Himeragi Yukina and the other two, Akatsuki Kojou was affected. He was already being suppressed, and now he was a beat slower. Rudolf found an opportunity and swung his giant axe down hard.

"Uncle, I really don't want to kill you, don't force me."

Pinned to the wall by the giant axe, Akatsuki Kojou's idea of ​​not using familiars was also shaken.

As the fourth progenitor of vampires, Akatsuki Kojou naturally has familiars within him, but he needs to drink blood to use one. Today is the first time he has drunk blood from a girl who suddenly pulled him over.

After his first act of blood-drinking, he naturally gained the right to use a familiar, a familiar with immense destructive power.

However, it was his first time using it, and he couldn't control its power. In addition, he was in a confined space, and he was still hesitant about whether to use the familiar, which is why Rudolf had dragged him out until now.

"So much nonsense."

Upon hearing this, Akatsuki Kojo completely abandoned his idea of ​​not using familiars.

"You who inherit the bloodline of the 'Night Lord of Flames,' Akatsuki, hereby you are freed from your shackles!"

The lion's gold!