Chapter 67: DemiDevimon Kneeling and Begging for First Order
"Did I just hear that right?"
A dozen seconds later, Professor Sarah appeared in the corridor, glancing around at the walls with a hesitant expression.
Soon after, Professor Didi flew over, looking around before saying, "Should we check over there? Something feels off. These kids are getting harder to handle every year."
Professor Sarah nodded in agreement. "Times have certainly changed. Back in our day, we barely had time to study... who had the energy for sneaking out at night?"
Just on the other side of the wall.
Dark remained still, patiently waiting as Professors Sarah and Didi gradually moved further away. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief and release the DemiDevimon he had been holding down.
The DemiDevimon, pressed so tightly against him that it could barely breathe, gasped for air as if coming back to life. "Ah, the sweet air of freedom!"
Dark's face darkened. "You're a familiar. Do you really need to breathe?"
The DemiDevimon lowered its head and muttered, "What's wrong with familiars? Don't familiars have the right to breathe too?"
Dark ignored him. "Go on, scout ahead."
"Fine."
The DemiDevimon drooped its head and reluctantly flew forward.
Meanwhile, Dark took out his magic pen and began marking the walls with his magical energy as he walked.
The butterflies conjured from the flower cards were clearly unintelligent and couldn't navigate on their own. They could only serve as a compass.
If he blindly followed them, he'd just keep bumping into walls.
Dark was glad he'd thought to bring his shoulder bag. All the necessary tools were inside.
The only problem was his weak spatial awareness, which made it difficult to map out the area in his mind.
The torches on both sides of the secret passage gradually lit up, illuminating the path ahead.
Dark moved forward, retracing his steps whenever he took a wrong turn and trying a different route.
After repeating this process for over half an hour, he found himself in a maze-like secret passage.
Inevitably, his senses became disoriented, and he lost all sense of direction.
Just as he was starting to feel a hint of frustration, voices drifted from the other side of the wall.
"Squid, don't you think you went a little too far last night?"
"Really? Pufferfish. If you can't handle that, maybe you should just quit the cult!"
"I know it was just a rehearsal, but..."
"No buts! Look at that double chin and flabby belly. Nobody gave you a 'but' when you were born!"
"Squid, that's a bit much..."
"I'm just calling it like I see it."
"Fine, I can't argue with you. What's the next step?"
"Stay hidden. Don't let the professors find us."
As the voices faded into the distance, Dark whispered to himself, "How cautious, using seafood names as codenames. So, Mr. Squid was the one who turned Robert into a woman last night."
After resting for a moment, he continued along the wall and finally found a way to the other side.
By retracing the direction Squid and Pufferfish had gone, Dark found the correct path.
Judging by the butterflies' reactions, the final destination was likely nearby.
So, he slowed his pace.
There was no telling how many people were involved in this so-called "cult."
If there were still people inside, he needed to be mentally prepared for a fight.
But luck seemed to be on his side. He didn't encounter anyone else until he entered a small hall no, wait, there was someone!
Dark immediately turned and retreated, pressing himself against the wall to peek inside.
However, the increasingly agitated butterflies flew uncontrollably into the hall.
"This is bad," he thought, just as he noticed a shadow flicker behind the statue in the hall and then quickly disappear.
"(○○○) Huh?"
That reaction?
Dark couldn't help but chuckle.
Whoever was hiding behind the statue seemed just as worried about being discovered.
This made Dark realize that the person was also an intruder.
"Should I mess with them?"
The thought briefly crossed his mind.
Of course, he didn't actually do it.
Mainly because the butterflies had already fluttered around the statue, landing on various parts of it like bees gathering nectar.
The statue, as smooth as white jade, emitted a soft glow. Every time the butterflies landed, they picked up a bit of light, which quickly dissolved into stardust and vanished into the air.
The person hiding behind the statue was clearly bothered by the butterflies. Faint rustling sounds could be heard, as if they were trying to shoo them away.
Dark had an idea and pulled out the "Evening Dress Mask" set from his card pouch.
"Magic Summon."
With a faint flash of light, his school uniform was replaced by the cheap costume.
A black tuxedo, top hat, white glasses, crimson cape, white gloves, and a blood-red rose!
Aside from the cheap material, it was a fairly standard gentleman's outfit.
But as Dark touched his face, he couldn't help but feel that calling himself a "masked man" just because he was wearing glasses was a bit of a stretch.
Still, he couldn't find anything else to cover his face at the moment.
Meanwhile.
The person hiding behind the statue, perhaps annoyed by the butterflies or realizing that Dark was also an intruder or maybe thinking they'd been discovered suddenly became more aggressive in shooing the butterflies away.
A bright light suddenly flashed from behind the statue, and all the butterflies surrounding it were instantly annihilated!
"Crack!"
Dark pulled out the Butterfly Orchid card and saw a fatal crack running through its center.
"So the professor wasn't lying. It really is just a flimsy toy."
Dark couldn't help but laugh bitterly as he realized the truth in the professor's words.
A proper magic spirit card wouldn't be destroyed just because the spirit was defeated.
"Come out. No use hiding now."
Virt Gold stepped out from behind the statue, followed by a majestic stag!
Dark took one look and almost burst out laughing.
Virt had also used a costume card, and it was a full-body "Masked Rider" set specifically, the shoddy "Beelzebub Fly Suit" handmade by Senior Leon!
Whether he'd been ripped off or not, Virt looked like a giant fly, complete with a mask featuring oversized compound eyes.
But to be fair, if you ignored the appearance, the fly suit was far more effective at concealing his identity than Dark's evening dress set.
Though, if you're going to disguise yourself, why summon your signature white stag?
"No, I can't laugh. I need to learn from this and avoid making the same mistake."
Without a second thought, Dark turned and ran.
Leaving the brave son of the hero with nothing but a flamboyant retreating figure.
But the hero's son, perhaps feeling pent-up frustration, actually chased after him when he saw someone running away without a fight!
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