The SSS Legendary Dragon Chose Me On Rebirth-Chapter 281: Half mask

They were walking on the street and then they were not. Suddenly, the buildings around them had changed. It was still the same grey or red bricks with flat roofs, but now they were taller, and the colors were richer.

Vacuse turned to Kagerou and said in a grim voice, "Prepare for battle."

Kagerou nodded, and his body flickered, his image wavering as if some parts were about to disappear, but nothing happened as he returned to his immediate image again. "I can't use my invisibility here. It's as if there's not enough light."

Vacuse's mouth pressed tightly together. "Of course, it seems we're being pulled into a subspace. Or our environment has been layered with something else."

"What are we going to do?"

"Since we've not been attacked immediately, it seems they're not here to kill us. At least, they're not here to kill us immediately," Vacuse pointed out.

But even as he was saying that, a dark pool of liquid darkness had already spread beneath him, and his eyes had already taken on a dangerous light.

Kagerou nodded and shook his hands. Low golden light pooled together in his palms, forming into two daggers. The air around him hardened. "I am ready."

Vacuse didn't answer him immediately. His head was tilted as if he were listening to something, and then he pivoted to the left. "Alright, what do you want?"

There was a pause and then a ripple before someone stepped out of thin air. A tall man hovered before them, half his face covered by a wooden mask.

Vacuse's eyes twitched when he saw the mask. He really didn't like people who used masks that much. "What do you want?"

The man ignored his immediate question. "I'm really surprised that you were able to point out my location as if you knew exactly where I am."

"I am very sensitive to the flow of magical energy. Or the careful absence of it." That was how he was always able to catch Kagerou every time he turned invisible. "Now, what do you want?"

"Me? Nothing. I'm just here to have a look at the one causing such a stir in the Umbracrypt. You even gave the Eboncrypt some trashing. I'm here to admire that."

Vacuse looked at him for a long moment without saying anything. "I see. You're here to see me. I've had lots of people say that before they try to stick their daggers into my gut. What exactly do you want? At least you are in the fifth circle."

The man nodded and shrugged. "That I am, but really, can't I come and look at the promising..."

"Really..." Vacuse gritted his teeth. He wished he could find a way to smack the man out of the air and maybe crush some of his bones just because he was that annoying.

"Alright! Alright! I'm actually here to let you know that I know you are interested in Umbracrypt."

Vacuse's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless. "Everyone is interested in the sealed-off Umbracrypt. Why are you here?"

The Magus snickered. "I thought you would say that, but I've been trailing your men for a while now. That one who can turn invisible has been directing a lot of his energy toward that sealed-off place. Don't tell me you have the same interest as everyone else."

Vacuse remained stubborn as he stared at the man with unblinking eyes. "I don't know who you are or why you are here, and I don't understand what interest you're talking about. If you want to fight us, then bring it on, but if you don't, I would rather get out of here. I have a big day tomorrow."

The strange fifth-circle Magus wasn't the only one shocked to hear that. Even Kagerou shifted and twitched. "Ermm, boss. I don't think we want to fight a fifth-circle Magus. We'll be turned to paste."

But his boss did not reply as he only looked at the man hovering in front of him with a steady gaze.

"I really did not think that you would be like this. So bold! Very well, I will not hold you any longer. But here," with a flick of his hand, he sent a card tumbling down. "If anything changes in the Umbracrypt, you might want to work together. And try not to die fighting that mind stalk ape."

Vacuse opened his mouth, but the stranger was already gone, as if he were a painting wiped away. He frowned at the card and used his senses to scan it. "It appears not dangerous."

"Are you going to pick it up?" Kagerou asked.

The street had already returned to normal. Vacuse shook his head as he began to walk again as if nothing had happened. "It only appears normal. Who knows what's beneath that appearance? Come, I really need my sleep tonight."

And without a backward glance at the card, they both walked away as if they had never seen it.

With the streets so empty because of nighttime, it did not take them long at all to reach their place, where the party was still in full swing.

"Are you going to join them?" Kagerou asked.

"No. This night is for them. There's no reason to show myself. And why don't you join them too and try your luck? Who knows, you might still get lucky tonight."

Kagerou gave him a doubtful look before he grunted and left his bedroom, muttering, "You already took all my luck tonight." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

Back where the card lay, a shadow suddenly loomed over it. The man with the half-face wooden mask stared at the card, a disappointed light on his face. "He wasn't that average person for sure. He didn't even touch it. And all I need is a touch. A shame indeed."

He stared at the way the two disappeared and seemed to hesitate. "Should I go after them?"

"No. There's no need."

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

The mass release option is still ongoing!!

And don't forget to check out my other book—Reborn As A Barbarian God—it's 70 chapters in already. Thank you!