Master Of Astral Summoner

They slowly followed the black cable until it finally led them to an electrical panel, just like Nalira had predicted. The panel was positioned facing forward, so anyone could easily see it.

At a glance, the panel looked much larger than the others Shaan had seen before. Not only that, but one detail convinced him even more that this had to be the main panel—the front side. Only this panel had a sturdy iron frame attached to it, with a color that matched the cables outside, as if it protected something important inside.

"There it is," Chelsie said with excitement. "Uhm… I'm sure that's the main electrical panel."

Shaan nodded. "I agree. We need to turn it on quickly. Miss Khaya must be waiting for us."

".... Right."

Without wasting time, they stepped closer to the panel and tried to open the iron frame. However, a thick padlock secured it tightly and prevented them from opening it.

"Uhm… w-what do we do now?" Chelsie let out a long breath. "Without the key, we can't open it."

"If we can't get the key," Shaan said as he drew his dual short swords without hesitation, "we'll break the lock."

Shaan fell silent for a moment. He slowly focused his mana into the dual short swords in his hands. A golden-yellow light instantly wrapped around the blades, and without hesitation, he slashed straight at the lock.

"Slash!"

His strike split the padlock in two, allowing the iron frame to swing open. Good—Shaan had started to master his enchantment skill. The more he trained, the better control he would gain over it.

"Nice execution," Nalira said with a faint smile as she nodded. "…Interesting."

Without waiting long, Chelsie eagerly opened the panel. However, just as she was about to open it, Shaan noticed a mysterious figure suddenly appear behind Chelsie, attempting to attack her.

"Chelsie, watch out!"

Shaan's shout made Chelsie spin around instantly. She raised the iron frame in front of her and blocked the creature's attack.

"Crash!"

The impact hurled Chelsie backward along with the broken piece of iron in her hands. Slowly, the terrifying creature revealed itself—then it suddenly took on Chelsie's form and smiled at her.

"D-Doppleshade…" Chelsie's voice trembled. "Damn it… How did this thing get in here?"

"…We need to take this creature down before it's too late."

"Leave it to me."

Without waiting a moment, Shaan immediately launched an all-out attack at the creature, determined to avenge what it had done to him.

'Clang!'

"…Shaan." Nalira drew her sword, ready to strike. "I'll—"

"No, Nalira." Shaan shook his head quickly. "Check on Chelsie first. Her condition might be critical," he said while deflecting the Doppleshade's relentless attacks. "She could be—"

Before Shaan finished his sentence, Nalira dashed toward Chelsie and immediately checked her injuries. Good. Chelsie now stayed in the right hands, and Shaan could focus on finishing this damn creature.

'Take this, you bastard!"

Shaan lunged forward again and unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks without giving the creature any time to react.

'Cling! Cling!'

Unfortunately, the Doppleshade blocked every single strike. To make things worse, Shaan's stamina dropped rapidly because he kept attacking without pause.

"Damn it. If this keeps up, I'm going to get completely crushed by it," said Shaan as he pushed Doppleshade with all his might. "If this is how it's going to be, I have to activate my skill. Aspira Ignis. I must!'

[Aspira Ignis activated]

Instantly, Shaan felt his mana energy double compared to before. His entire body was enveloped in a golden-yellow light, and with full confidence, Shaan immediately launched his attack.

"Now, feel this, you damn creature!"

Shaan darted forward, launching his attack toward the Doppleshade. However, the room was pitch-black, and he struggled to see the creature's movements. As a result, he was hit by attacks from all directions, leaving him increasingly overwhelmed.

"Damn it, if it's like this, I won't be able to—"

"... Shaan, get down!"

Hearing that voice, he immediately dropped to the ground, and instantly a ball of fire streaked past his head, striking the Doppleshade's body. Its entire form was engulfed in flames. Seeing his chances, he launched attack after attack, further cornering the Doppleshade.

"Take this, bastard!"

Seeing the Doppleshade growing weaker, Shaan slashed the Doppleshade's body in two, finally killing it. Good—at least thanks to Nalira's flame, it had become easier for him to track the Doppleshade's movements, which, combined with the effects of Lunaris Revia, made it even easier for him to finish off the creature.

"Thank you, Nalira. Without your help, maybe I can't-"

Nalira held Shaan's hand quickly when his almost fell. "... Shaan. Are you okay?"

'Dammit. It must be because i use Aspira ignis.'

"...Shaan, is everything alright?"

"Ah, yes. it's fine. don't worry about me." Shaan nodded his head confidently. "So, how's about chelsei? Is she okay?"

Nalira nodded slowly. "…Yes, Nalira is safe. Right now, she's trying to pull the lever to—"

In an instant, all the lights came on simultaneously. Now everything looked much clearer, and this was far better than being in the darkness, relying only on makeshift lighting.

"Chelsie, she did it." Shaan exhaled. "Thank goodness."

"… Shaan, we have to go back and meet up with the others."

The two of them immediately returned and saw Chelsie talking to Miss Khaya and the other participants.

"Shaan! Lira!" Chelsie waved her hands, smiling. "Come here."

"Thank goodness you're okay." Shaan walked over to Miss Khaya.

"The three of you did a great job," Miss Khaya smiled. "Now, we can get out of here."

"... Miss Khaya, but what about the officers? "

"Don't worry, we've taken care of it," Miss Khaya replied confidently. "It shouldn't bother us anymore."

Chelsie let out a sigh. "Thank heavens."

"Now, have a look at this, Chelsie." Miss Khaya pointed her finger at the paper with the map pinned to it. "Right now, our position is here, and we're not far from the exit anymore."

"Uhm… Y-you're right." Chelsie nodded.

"Now, we have to gather all the remaining participants and get out of here before the resistance launches their attack."