Chapter 16: Fighting Alone

"Tsk."

The sportswear-clad youth frowned and quickly retreated to a safe distance, releasing the sentinel. His martial qi had already erupted and was now gradually entering a weakened state, diminishing the power of his baseball bat.

He looked at the slender ghostly figure, which crushed the sentinel like a mantis, and once again assumed a fighting stance, muttering under his breath:

"If you can't win, then drag others down with you... How despicable..."

The white-collar woman remained silent, her gaze ice-cold. She extended her claws, and scarlet demonic energy condensed at her fingertips, forming sharp energy blades.

"Xiong..." The pajama-clad girl commanded her stuffed bear to engage. "Get up..."

The three-person team was no longer as dominant as before. Defeating the sentinel had already depleted most of their stamina, and even if they tried to retreat, they would run out of energy halfway.

Since retreat was no longer an option, they had no choice but to fight the containment item head-on.

Even in defeat, they would go down with dignity—it was the consensus of their team.

But at this moment...

"I can buy you some time." Alister, dressed in black, approached them and earnestly suggested, "Why don't you retreat first and come back for the assault later?"

The 21st floor space had now become a standoff between the four players and the slender ghostly figure. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and the air felt heavy.

The sportswear-clad youth stared at the mysterious player in black, snorted, and then shifted his gaze back to the slender ghostly figure, saying disdainfully:

"I despise running away in the face of danger. If we're going to fight, then let's fight. Worst-case scenario, we return to reality!"

Tonight, I won't believe that I can't smash this slender ghostly figure's head!

The white-collar woman smiled lightly and joked, "You seem pleasing to the eye. How about joining our team?"

"I... will sing you a song every night..." The pajama-clad girl signaled for Alister to quickly agree.

However, the slender ghostly figure wouldn't allow the players to have leisurely conversations. Emitting a low growl, it suddenly lunged forward, dragging its disproportionately long body!

In a split second, the tall, thin figure swung its black scythe, high above in the air, preparing to strike!

"Thanks for the offer, but I prefer being a lone wolf."

With that, Alister's hood trembled under the pressure, and at the same moment that the slender ghostly figure launched its attack, he fully activated Shadow Domination for the first time.

Slender ghostly figure... You also fall within the realm of shadows, don't you?

Analyzing the situation, Alister spoke in a solemn tone:

"Shadows, heed my command."

Instantly, the actions of the slender ghostly figure froze as if it were immobilized. The descending black scythe halted in mid-air, and the figure trembled imperceptibly.

"Stop."

His psychic energy was instantly depleted by one-fifth, and Alister could only make the slender ghostly figure halt for three seconds.

But three seconds would suffice.

In Alister's field of vision, the sportswear-clad youth, the white-collar woman, and the pajama-clad girl immediately seized the rare opportunity and unleashed their abilities.

"This is my grand slam!" The sportswear-clad youth exerted all his strength and charged forward.

The white-collar woman transformed into a crimson demonic cat, taking a step forward and attacking the slender ghostly figure's head with her sharp demonic claws.

"Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, punch!" The pajama-clad girl controlled her stuffed bear to perform a combo attack.

Thuds resounded as the slender ghostly figure's body was struck relentlessly.

The 21st floor began to crack under the strain.

"Take this!" The sportswear-clad youth shouted, delivering a powerful blow.

The display of an E-rank player's might was fully demonstrated as their fierce assault overwhelmed the slender ghostly figure!

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of breaking reinforced concrete echoed!

The 21st floor collapsed under the pressure, and the slender ghostly figure was violently forced down to the next floor!

The sportswear-clad youth and the white-collar woman didn't let this rare opportunity slip away. With the stuffed bear in tow, they pursued the slender ghostly figure to the next floor, continuing their onslaught.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Sounds of breaking floors came from below, accompanied by faint cries of the demonic cat!

"This one can fight!" The sportswear-clad youth declared confidently.

Alister, lacking the skills of these E-rank frontline players, couldn't keep up with them. Instead, he arrived at the collapsed gap, observing the falling dust below.

After a moment, there was still no movement from below, and the area remained quiet, except for the gradual descent of the dust.

However, Alister couldn't shake off his unease. He rested his chin on his hand and muttered softly:

"Hopefully, that's the end of it."

Then, as if on cue, the low growl of the slender ghostly figure echoed from below, reaching Alister and the pajama-clad girl's ears.

"Player eliminated."

"Player eliminated."

Seeing the dissipating light blue data and the system's judgment prompt, Alister felt a sense of foreboding. He activated Shadow Domination once again and said:

"As expected, it's not so easy to defeat you. Can you still retrieve your stuffed bear?"

If the pajama-clad girl had any combat capability left, perhaps she could continue to contend with the slender ghostly figure for a while.

But there was no response from the pajama-clad girl beside him.

Alister turned his head and saw the pajama-clad girl standing there, eyes closed, making soft breathing sounds.

At some point, she had fallen asleep while standing.

Alister: "..." Then, as if intentionally, the system judged the pajama-clad girl as "Player Eliminated," and her body turned into light blue data, returning to reality.

Now, he was truly fighting alone.

Therefore...

Alister could only take over this sequence game with even more seriousness.

The elimination of his teammates, while a restriction, was also a liberation. Now, the "Shadow" could unleash its abilities without restraint.

Next, when the slender ghostly figure leaped up through the collapsed floor, Alister pulled his hood lower, and their gazes met in that moment of interaction.

"Roar..." The slender ghostly figure entered its second phase.

The efforts of the three-person team were not in vain, and now the "Shadow" could guide this sequence game towards its conclusion.

Intel One: The overall strength of the slender ghostly figure is far greater than my own.

Intel Two: After a series of player hunts, the slender ghostly figure's remaining HP shouldn't be too high.

Intel Three: Since the difficulty of this sequence game is E-rank, it shouldn't present a challenge beyond the limits of E-rank players.

Summarizing the combat abilities displayed by the E-rank players tonight, Alister constantly manipulated his shadows, facing the imposing aura emitted by the slender ghostly figure.

"The game should come to an end."

Combining all the intel, he finally deduced the outcome.

"Shadow Blade, Enlarge."

—This sequence game will end with my victory.

"Roar..."

As the second phase of the slender ghostly figure began, it mysteriously adjusted its posture in mid-air, just like the sentinel before, preparing for a powerful strike!

Alister also exerted his full strength, swinging the enlarged shadow blade!

In an instant, the clash of the shadow blade, woven from shadows, and the slender ghostly figure's black scythe resonated with tremendous force, shaking the air!

Alister was sent flying several meters backward!

As he adjusted his balance in mid-air and landed, Alister immediately controlled the shadow thorns to launch a surprise attack from behind.

His psychic energy was depleted by another one-fifth!

Several semi-meter thick shadow thorns emerged from under the slender ghostly figure, piercing through its body at an imperceptible speed!

"Roar..." The slender ghostly figure was pinned to the ceiling by the shadow thorns.

One second later, the ceiling couldn't bear the weight and collapsed.

"Roar..."

From the result, the shadow thorns weren't able to inflict significant damage on the slender ghostly figure, but they left noticeable wounds on its surface.

However, that was enough. The brief exchange allowed Alister to more accurately gauge the physical strength of the slender ghostly figure.

His Shadow Domination leaned more towards functionality, while the slender ghostly figure's shadow was a product completely specialized for extreme combat.

"Shadow Vanish."

With a low whisper, Alister blended into the shadows and disappeared into the lower-level space.

...