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Chapter 248: Unable to Cope with a Two-Front Battle
Chapter 248: Unable to Cope with a Two-Front Battle
Under Jeremy's command, Howard and Liam executed their actions in perfect harmony with him.
The three of them finally broke free from the oppressive grasp of the shadowy hall, allowing them to rise from their seats.
Once away from their seats, Jeremy swiftly approached the door radiating a ghostly blue light.
He hoped to ascertain the current state of the battle unfolding outside the door.
If the fight outside was nearing its conclusion, Jeremy and his companions would need to hasten their departure from the shadowy hall to support their allies.
However, if their teammates were not easily overwhelmed by Scarlett and the conflict remained at a stalemate.
They would not need to assist their comrades and could instead continue their advance.
While Jeremy assessed the situation of the battle beyond the door, Howard and Liam kept a watchful eye on the other areas within the hall.
Howard made his way toward one side of the hall, where he spotted several abandoned statues along the edge.
Among these statues, there were a few that Howard recognized quite well, as they depicted monsters he had previously vanquished.
Liam, on the other hand, advanced toward the opposite side of the hall, where he noticed a wall that was uneven and pockmarked.
After a careful examination, Liam felt certain that a concealed door was hidden within this wall.
"Hurry over and take a look! I think I've discovered a secret door here!" Liam called out to Jeremy and Howard after making his discovery.
Jeremy and Howard turned their attention toward Liam's direction.
Both were acutely aware that Liam was currently positioned on the other side of the hall.
Without any hesitation, Howard moved toward Liam.
Though Jeremy felt a slight twinge of uncertainty, he ultimately decided against reuniting with his companions at that moment.
He reasoned that even if he wished to leave, he would be unable to open the door that radiated a ghostly blue glow.
Once the three of them reached the other side of the hall, they began to scrutinize the uneven wall closely.
Before long, Jeremy discovered a hidden door in an inconspicuous spot on the wall.
"You were right, there is indeed a secret door here. However, we must cooperate to open it. While I have no idea where this door leads, I believe that it is the only way for us to proceed deeper into the instance."
Having reflected on previous events, Jeremy felt that Scarlett was hardly the boss of the instance.
A high-difficulty instance boss should not be so feeble.
Scarlett was likely nothing more than a temporary gatekeeper boss.
This meant that they had no need to waste any more time with her.
Under the close cooperation of Jeremy, Howard, and Liam, they quickly managed to open the secret door.
Behind the door lay a straight and deep corridor, at the far end of which seemed to lurk a terrifying presence.
Both Howard and Liam felt a twinge of apprehension.
They believed that recklessly entering the corridor would inevitably lead them into a perilous situation.
However, Jeremy felt that there was no reason to be overly concerned.
Moreover, since they had already arrived at this point, they should certainly press onward.
Their purpose this time was to explore a high-difficulty instance, how could they allow fear of danger to halt their progress?
"Regardless of what you may think, I am determined to move forward. Our objective is to explore this challenging instance, and I absolutely refuse to pause midway."
With those words, Jeremy stepped confidently into the corridor.
Though Howard and Liam felt a slight hesitation, they ultimately chose to follow Jeremy's lead.
The moment Jeremy stepped into the corridor, Scarlett, who was engaged in battle outside the main door, became aware of his actions.
Scarlett was in a profoundly dismal mood.
She felt that her plans had utterly crumbled.
Her original strategy had been to use the shadowy hall to first subdue Jeremy, Howard, and Liam, and then deceive their companions into entering the instance using the trio's illusory duplicates.
In doing so, she would easily eliminate all of their companions.
Once their allies were vanquished, Scarlett could then methodically dispose of Howard, Jeremy, and Liam.
However, the situation had unfolded far beyond her expectations.
She found herself unable to handle a two-front battle on her own.
Scarlett neither managed to defeat Jeremy's allies outside the door nor could she maintain control over Jeremy, Howard, and Liam for an extended period.
Faced with such a dire predicament, Scarlett descended into a state of panic.
She resolved not to engage any further with the individuals before her.
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Instead, Scarlett swiftly transformed into her shadow form, intending to pass through the door that emanated a ghostly blue glow and return to the dimly lit hall.
If her speed of action were sufficiently swift, she still might be able to thwart Jeremy and the others.
However, just as she had transformed into her shadow form and was about to make her escape, she suddenly felt her movements sluggish and hindered.
Scarlett turned her head and was met with the smiling visage of Ritchie.
"Have you completely lost your senses? How dare you transform into shadow form in my presence! Do you not realize that my most formidable skill is the manipulation of shadows?!"
Ritchie's words jolted Scarlett back to reality.
In her frenzy, she had astonishingly forgotten that Ritchie specialized in shadow manipulation.
While transforming into her shadow form allowed Scarlett to move with incredible speed, it simultaneously rendered her vulnerable to Ritchie's attacks.
Scarlett harbored the desire to eliminate Ritchie, but such an act was beyond her reach.
For by Ritchie's side, others were already prepared for battle.
They all understood that Ritchie's abilities were of paramount importance, and thus, they were resolute in their intention to protect him.
Bonnie immediately erected a barrier of ice beside Ritchie.
Although the barrier of ice could not directly obstruct the shadow form of Scarlett, it nonetheless posed a significant impediment to her movements.
In the blink of an eye, Scarlett swiftly made a judgment.
"I have no desire to waste any more time with you all! This time, I shall temporarily let you off the hook!" After uttering these words, Scarlett immediately transformed from her shadow form into that of a bird.
Transformed into a bird, Scarlett swiftly flew through the main door.
Faced with Scarlett's rapid departure, Ritchie, Bonnie, and the others felt utterly helpless.
Despite their utmost efforts, they were still unable to detain Scarlett.
"What should we do next? Are we supposed to continue pressing forward?" After barely achieving victory in battle, Ritchie directly inquired of Bonnie and Howard's deputy.
Howard's deputy nodded in affirmation.
"The reason Scarlett left in such haste must be that Howard, along with the other two, successfully executed their plans. Therefore, she had to stop those three."
"We must press on, for as we advance, we will no longer face obstruction from Scarlett. Moreover, moving forward poses a greater threat to her."
After the deputy finished speaking, Bonnie nodded gravely.
"My sentiments align with yours, I too believe that continuing forward is the most rational course of action for us. Furthermore, only by advancing can we reunite with Jeremy's group."
The staff members of the Special Circumstances Handling Bureau also expressed their agreement with Howard's deputy's plan.
In light of the unanimous consent among the three parties, it was only natural that everyone would proceed forward.
Although the group was eager to move on, they would still require a certain amount of time to open the door that emanated a ghostly blue glow.
For the time being, Scarlett need not worry about the threats posed by those behind her.
However, upon returning to the hall, Scarlett was suddenly struck by the realization that Jeremy and the others had already entered the corridor.
"Oh no! Their speed of action is astonishingly swift! I must thwart their progress! I absolutely cannot allow them to disturb the master's slumber!"
Scarlett exclaimed in a frenzy before hastily stepping into the corridor.
She felt an urgent necessity to locate Jeremy's group with the utmost speed.
No matter what, she had to impede Jeremy and his companions' actions.
Unbeknownst to Scarlett, Jeremy and the others had already set a trap for her well in advance.
Upon entering the corridor, Jeremy immediately sensed Scarlett's unusual presence. Therefore, he promptly presented his plan to Howard and Liam.
"Scarlett will undoubtedly pursue us, if we merely continue forward without any precautions, we are certain to fall victim to her sudden ambush. Therefore, I believe we must set a trap for her."
In response to Jeremy's proposal, both Howard and Liam expressed their agreement.
"While we certainly concur on the necessity of laying a trap, what kind of trap should we set at this juncture? I believe a simple trap would not suffice to deceive Scarlett."
Howard asked Jeremy with a hint of hesitation.
With a confident smile gracing his face, Jeremy replied, "You need not worry about that! I can assure you that the trap I devise will be exceedingly intricate. No matter what, Scarlett will inevitably fall into it. All you need to do is follow my lead."