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Cassius surveyed his surroundings, his expression grim. The landscape was growing darker, transforming into the Shadowfell—a realm of pitch-black silence, monotone black and white. Trees twisted into grotesque forms, and the sky was enshrouded in endless shadow, like a blackened dome, while distant black mountains loomed indistinctly.

A terrifying thought suddenly crossed the red dragon’s mind.

The spatial fabric of this entire region was warped!

This meant that the Twilight Forest, spanning only a few miles, had become inescapable.

All living beings were trapped here!

Cassius addressed the dragon projection hovering in the sky, "Shadow Dragon, you’ve cursed this forest."

"You’re correct. This is my shadow domain. My pitiable contractor expended thousands of lives to grant me the power to create this insignificant place in the Material Plane, preparing the way for my true form to descend."

"Behold..."

"Stillness, silence, darkness, depth—free of the Material Plane’s vulgar rabble. What a beautiful sight, so intoxicating."

"It would be even more marvelous with the wails of undead shadows as accompaniment."

Mortifer narrowed his gray eyes and leisurely flapped his wings. His relaxed demeanor suggested he was truly savoring the unique beauty of the darkness, even though his transformation was incomplete, with his true body still residing in the Shadowfell.

The atmosphere lacked tension, yet this only deepened Cassius’s unease.

This absolute confidence was far more chilling.

"Voice of Night, was it you who provided Brad Lackman with this so-called ascension?"

"Indeed. Mortals always have such short-sighted views, even after becoming vampires. But you, my kin, are different. However, I did not deceive him. For such a lowly being, ascension was indeed a viable path. His failure is his own fault, and by contract, his essence becomes my nourishment."

"You despicable creature."

Mortifer opened his eyes, his gray gaze fixed on Cassius as if to consume him whole.

"Red dragon, we have ample time to reminisce, but I promised my contractor to take your life. I always honor my promises, and this time will be no different."

"Don’t worry, my dear kin. That promise is literal. Once I fully descend, you will lose your life, but you will persist in a greater form."

His tone was gentle, like that of a polite scholar, but it chilled Cassius to his core—a hatred for the living emanated from Mortifer’s very being.

"I enjoy the quietest darkness."

"So… do not resist. Do not make noise. Simply wait for my arrival."

"Alright?"

Mortifer’s shadowy visage twisted into a grotesque smile, with dense black mist trickling from the corners of his mouth.

"Shadow Dragon, you’re delusional!"

"I’ll turn you to ash!"

The red dragon roared and unleashed a torrent of fire upon the projection, still in its transformative state and unable to retaliate.

Yet the flames, hot enough to melt stone, passed through Mortifer’s massive projection without leaving a trace.

"Has no one ever told you—"

"Never try to attack a shadow."

Mortifer’s projection stood unscathed amidst the flames, mocking laughter in his voice.

The fire passed harmlessly through him, and his shadowy form continued to solidify, untouched by the blazing inferno.

"As expected."

Cassius furrowed the scaly ridge of his brow, murmuring to himself.

He had anticipated that even his most potent fire breath would be ineffective.

"What about this, then?"

Cassius’s body crackled with lightning as he charged directly into Mortifer’s projection.

It was the Storm Resonance Body!

But as he had feared, his massive dragon body passed right through, even the arcs of lightning bouncing harmlessly against the shadow’s form.

Instead, a chill enveloped Cassius’s body, sapping his life force—a touch of the shadow dragon’s essence.

"So, this is the nature of shadow beings?"

"Fire, physical attacks, and lightning fail. What about force?"

【Magic Missile. 】

Arcane projectiles streaked toward Mortifer’s form.

Unlike the other attacks, these basic force missiles actually struck Mortifer’s shadowy body, causing faint damage.

But it was negligible—far too weak to slow the shadow dragon’s descent.

Cassius’s interface updated with new information:

【Living Shadow. 】

[In dim light or darkness, the shadow dragon is immune to all damage except force, psychic, and radiant energy.]

Cassius was stunned. Such traits were terrifying in scope!

If the shadow dragon fully descended, most of Cassius’s arsenal would become useless.

"Dim light or darkness…"

He looked up at the pitch-black sky and the obscured moon. In this domain of shadows, even creating light seemed impossible. His minor Light cantrip was laughably inadequate here.

All living creatures were weakened, all magic suppressed. Only shadow and darkness reigned supreme.

This was the Shadowfell’s world—Mortifer’s absolute stronghold.

Once his full form descended—

The shadow would become Mortifer’s entire body.

"Do not resist. I will host a grand funeral for you."

"To mourn the death of a true dragon and celebrate the birth of an immortal shadow red dragon."

Mortifer raised his head and roared.

The sound was ancient, blending the wails of countless shadow undead with Mortifer’s boundless hatred for light and life and his insatiable greed.

This was the shadow dragon’s unique ninth-tier spell—

【Mortifer’s Shadow Descent. 】

His projection solidified further, the black dome overhead slowly descending.

Distant shadowy mountains closed in, like the bars of a cage, sealing the red dragon’s domain and shrinking it.

Thousands of shadow creatures in the Twilight Forest wailed as they surged toward him, a tide of darkness that even included the black mist left behind by Brad Lackman.

"Such terrifying power…"

"Am I truly doomed to remain trapped here, awaiting the shadow dragon’s full descent?"

Cassius flapped his wings and gazed at the descending black dome, feeling the oppressive weight grow unbearable.

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