Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Nightmare World.

Safe house.

Shen Ye took another look at the study.

Prince Norton was still writing orders furiously, issuing commands to various positions.

"Peiqi, now that we have stabilized our footing, next, we will gradually launch a counterattack—at dawn!"

He looked spirited, a world away from his previous despair and dejection.

"Really? That's great. Won't you rest a bit?"

Shen Ye asked.

"You go rest. I have to keep issuing orders. Tonight is critical. Oh, I've got a funny thing to tell you." Prince Norton said.

"What?" Shen Ye asked.

"Those Undead assassins are running around like madmen, looking for my whereabouts, which has led to a large number of them being killed by my ambush!" Prince Norton said with gusto.

Shen Ye was infected by his emotion.

"Haha, hilarious. Never expected those guys to have their day!" He said, laughing with his arms crossed.

Laughable?

This expression was quite apt to describe the emotion.

Prince Norton was startled for a moment, then added, "Indeed, it is laughably absurd, haha."

Time slowly passed.

A night went by.

Dawn broke.

Shen Ye spent the night lying on the living room sofa.

After waking up, he stretched and stood up, went to the kitchen and fumbled together two servings of potato corn soup, then called the prince to eat.

"Work hard for me, Peiqi. Do a good job, and I'll appoint you to a high position," the prince said, chatting casually as he ate, seeming to be in good spirits.

"Being an official is too tiring, Your Highness. Just give me the money," Shen Ye said.

"You want to get paid without working? Laughable," the prince said.

Yo, he's got a slick sense of humor!

"Then give me some easy work, please," Shen Ye said with a smile.

"Easy... It's been a long time since I last heard that word."

A gold bracelet carved in the shape of a lizard on Prince Norton's wrist suddenly vibrated.

The lizard raised its head to look at the prince, speaking in a human voice:

"The stench of the Undead is spreading rapidly and has now stopped outside the front door of the house."

Prince Norton and Shen Ye simultaneously turned to look at the room door.

"Damn it, they're still coming."

The prince's expression grew solemn as he placed his hand on his waist.

There, he carried a slender and sharp silver rapier.

But with his current state, he couldn't be involved in any excessively dangerous battle.

Shen Ye sighed, stood up, and positioned himself in front of the prince.

It seemed he had to fight.

He only hoped that the arrival would be some scout-like Undead and not—

Suddenly.

A muffled voice came from outside the door:

"Prince Norton, is that you?"

That voice was Freg's!

—The King of Shadow Assassins, Freg!

The air seemed to stagnate.

Shen Ye realized something.

—The opponent was the "King of Shadow Assassins, Undead Race hero, collector of the heads of eleven kings, betrayer of deities."

He was no match for him.

The prince had also sustained heavy injuries.

This was the end.

It was all over.

Prince Norton wavered, but in the end, he managed to stand firm, placing his hand on the rapier at his waist.

If this was the end—

Just as he was about to speak, Shen Ye stopped him.

"I, The Little Match Boy, have completed my task," Shen Ye spoke up.

Prince Norton quickly turned to look at him.

Shen Ye gave him a look and continued in a deep and solemn tone:

"The prince of the Holy Violet Empire is under my control here. Please come see for yourself, Your Excellency."

In that instant—

Prince Norton glanced at Shen Ye dispassionately.

Betrayal?

Planning to die together?

But the words he just said were all lies.

They were to deceive that Undead.

Forget it.

Let's just see this to the end... after all, his fate was already sealed.

Pop.

A light sound.

Prince Norton's thoughts froze.

"Bloody..."

He muttered a word and then fainted.

Shen Ye withdrew his hand blade and placed the unconscious prince neatly on the sofa.

"What's that sound?"

Freg asked warily.

"The sound of work," Shen Ye said.

He stepped forward and opened the door to the house.

Outside.

The King of Undead Assassins, Freg, assumed a defensive stance and took in the scene inside the room at a glance.

—The Little Match Boy really did it!

The prince of the Human Empire was indeed knocked out and under control here!

"How did you do it?"

Freg asked, straining to contain his excitement, speaking calmly.

Shen Ye said, "I gained his trust, and when he fled, he only took me with him."

His hand remained on the doorknob, suppressing his trembling with great willpower, and continued calmly:

"He had realized that someone among his confidants had betrayed him, so he didn't bring a single one of them with him."

Freg looked at Shen Ye in surprise.

The betrayer among the human prince's inner circle was known only to himself.

No one else knew about this.

Yet he had spoken it out loud!

It seemed the human prince was alert enough to detect his own covert operative.

However...

In the end, he was still taken down by The Little Match Boy.

"Good, you managed to do this, and I will make sure to report it so that your name echoes throughout the Undead Kingdom," Freg solemnly promised.

"Now is the time to reap the rewards, Your Excellency," Shen Ye said, stepping aside and standing by the door.

"Hmm."

Freg strode toward the safe house door.

In that moment.

Shen Ye still bowed his head, unmoving.

But in front of his eyes appeared lines of tiny glowing text:

"You have activated your 'gate' power:"

"Unique Gateway."

"You have designated this safehouse door."

"You can access the 'gate' power that links the two worlds at any time."

"——Waiting for you to bestow it with power."

Freg was getting closer.

Finally——

The legendary Undead Assassin stepped through the door——

"Activate!"

Shen Ye silently chanted in his heart.

...

Let's turn back time a little.

A bit earlier.

Main World.

Floating Island.

Cliffside.

A white-haired old man quietly appeared, holding the frail boy in his hand.

"You said——he was last seen here?"

The old man asked gently.

"Yes, sir," the boy said respectfully.

"Hmm... I have seen his Deity Wood Carving; it seems he is nearby. You indeed haven't lied," the white-haired old man said.

The boy bowed his head: "How dare I deceive you? I've long heard of your fame, you are——"

Whoosh.

His body split in two, falling to the ground with blood.

"You weakling, is my name something you can utter?"

The old man still spoke in a kindly tone.

He walked step by step toward the cliffside.

Unfortunately.

Besides the wood carving, there was nothing else here.

The old man showed a thoughtful expression.

Strange.

If the Deity Wood Carving is here, the boy shouldn't have run far.

What about the expert secretly protecting him?

The cell phone suddenly rang.

The old man picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.

"...I've found his Deity Wood Carving. I'll be able to kill him soon, so the young master can rest assured."

"Very soon, it won't delay the young master's banquet."

"Yes, yes, you can start the feast first, I'll have good news shortly."

"It's not hard; serving the young master is my duty."

The call ended.

The old man smiled fondly.

Sudden change——

A door suddenly appeared on the cliffside.

The door opened.

A creature emanating a dark glow appeared.

"Spatial Summon—It's a Catastrophe!"

The old man cried out in alarm.

"Human expert!" the creature also shouted.

In that instant.

Shen Ye originally intended to close the door, but upon hearing the voice on the other side, he immediately did something.

We say——

In battle, oftentimes troops must be arranged, tactics must be rehearsed in advance, a great deal of planning is required.

But there are always situations that arise unexpectedly.

And these situations often occur at the most critical moments, usually deciding the direction of the entire affair.

In that very moment.

The instant that Undead Assassin Freg faced the Human Empire's Great Upholder——

Shen Ye seemed to understand many things, yet also seemed to think of nothing at all.

He simply acted on instinct, with a speed surpassing thought, doing one thing——

"Kill him!"

He roared furiously.

In a flash, the gate power was canceled, and the link between the two worlds severed.

Freg's expression shifted, raising his dagger.

Space transformed!

The moment he stepped through the door, everything had changed!

Kill him...

Whom, kill whom?

The Undead Assassin looked towards the white-haired old man.

Indeed, it was a Human trap!

After all, how could humans genuinely side with the Undead?

He would always take today's event as a lesson!

The white-haired old man heard that command "Kill him" as well.

Well done.

No wonder he was able to kill fifteen people in one go.

So it was a Catastrophe behind him!

But what of it?

With a Catastrophe like this, they think to kill me?

The old man's slit-like eyes flew open, his teeth clenched tightly together as a fierce and murderous aura emanated from him.

"Laughable dead thing, you warrant me taking you seriously."

He spoke with the same kind tone.

No sooner had he spoken than a surge of Soulfire filled Freg's eye sockets.

Dead thing?

It had been many years since anyone dared to call him that.

This confirmed the entire affair.

The humans had really set a trap using the Prince as bait.

Such a grand scheme!

Freg's figure suddenly disappeared, turning into layers of black mist swirling around the old man.

A dagger emerged from the mist.

"Nice move!"

The old man formed his hands into blades and met the dagger head-on.

Patterns of light, majestic and awe-inspiring, appeared around him, manifesting into a tiger head filled with an aura of solemn killing intent.

Law Realm·White Tiger Star!

The dagger, refusing to yield, shot out a gray streak of Necromantic Energy, materializing into a great sword.

——The experts from two worlds began their battle!

Elsewhere.

Nightmare World, safehouse.

Shen Ye rapidly rubbed the Ring, shouting loudly:

"Fei Lun, wake up! Stop sleeping! Come out here!"

Fei Lun's voice came from the Ring:

"I've been awake."

"Then why didn't you make a sound, why didn't you help!" Shen Ye was furious.

"I've been writing my will for the fifth time——who knew you'd survive Freg's hands, run off with the Prince, not die in the collapse of the secret passageway, and dupe them again just now."

The Great Skeleton said sulkily.