Kai had been putting the search, and later destruction, of the Cursed Vaults on hold so thoroughly that he hadn't even begun looking for their locations.
So, when he found himself standing in a corridor on the 5th floor, Kai at least learned the location of one of them.
Standing tall, Kai's short, white hair stirred without wind.
He was wearing a white greatcoat over white pants and shoes, his hands clasped behind his back. His reptilian, hazel eyes donned purple demonic rings, making even the darkness itself shudder as he examined his surroundings.
Kai frowned.
Almost all students had gone on holidays; a challenging task to accomplish in these dark times.
However, the ministry, on Madam Villanelle and others' expert opinions, had found it reasonable to give students' mental health preferences, too. Letting them catch up with family was only one of the submitted tips.
So, the silence in the corridor wasn't surprising to Kai.
It was the chill.
Moreover, the Ad Infinitum had already generated the identity of the Hogwarts' intruder with accompanying theories about the said person's presence.
Among the three of them, Kai thought, stepping forward, only Meg is experienced enough to leave the Bounded Field and infiltrate the castle to look for clues.
Darcie had left her magical suitcase in the Slytherin Dormitory.
Kai had been becoming warier about the presence of Contestants in the Random World. That's why, he had taken some precautions, guided by the Ad Infinitum and his Lucky Intuitions.
Securing White Serpent Pirates HQ under Hogwarts' Bounded Field was one of those intuitions.
Another was to separate a few yellow crystals, holding a copy of his core memories, and scatter them throughout the Castle.
This Lucky Intuition had baffled Kai for a long time as there was no way any foreign being could infiltrate his mindscape and access any data without his knowledge. He had acted according to it, anyway.
The very first yellow crystal he had thoroughly separated from his mindscape got a home in the Item — Remembrall.
Kai had then meticulously hid the Item in Harry's suitcase, following another intuition.
The point was for Harry to find the Remembrall and then make all the right decisions… in favor of Kai.
These things, from beginning to end, were just too coincidental.
What can I say… Kai cynically shrugged, knowing the reason behind the coincidences. I am just that lucky.
As he kept walking through the chilly corridor, Kai realized another thing.
Black disappeared, he thought, confirming and looking at his Stats, but all the Items, Abilities, and Skills he had are now in my Stats and Inventory. Hmmm… this is no luck. What happened with Black seems to be much more thorough and profound.
When Kai assumed Darcie's face, Black automatically took control over all of Kai's Stats.
However, now, Kai could still feel that everything was accessible to him, except Black, of course.
This is good, too, Kai nodded to himself, reaching the corridor's end. How else am I supposed to survive against a 12th floor Contestant?
Despite the Calm on his face, Kai was still skeptical about his chances against the Timeline Invaders.
An 11th-floor-equivalent Darcie had almost destroyed Black.
Not to mention, there was as much discrepancy between a Low-level 11th floor Contestant and Mid-level 11th floor Contestant as the difference in strength between a Low-level 11th floor Candidate and Top-level 10th floor Contestant.
Above the 10th floor, every level was strong and ridiculous enough to take on all lower levels combined.
So… there was no comparison.
Then there was Black.
Without Black, Kai doubted he could win this sudden battle.
It wasn't like he was dependent on Black, but to not have access to all Items, Skills, and Abilities would go against the very principle of Survival.
Kai didn't consider the Timeline a fool. If SHE had warned him, then it meant there were good chances of facing immense struggle, at least.
It wasn't like the Timeline knew all Kai's secrets.
Putting these thoughts in the back of his mind, Kai looked around, but found nothing.
The corridor had ended, but there was no way to continue the journey. All he could see was damp darkness and sense the chill in his bones.
Kai let out a rattling, icy breath and frowned.
Why couldn't the Timeline just send me directly to the Vault? Kai asked, narrowing his eyes.
Suddenly, Kai closed his eyes and sensed, his Advance Observation Haki working at its full power. He found something. Hidden. Magical.
Kai raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
Revelio Charm!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!
The wall at the end of this corridor suddenly vanished, revealing a set of stairs leading up. The stairs were covered in dense, cold fog.
Suddenly, the fog took shape, outlining a ghost-like figure.
"Ah…" the Timeline nodded at him, looking down. "You found the Vanished Stairs."
Kai ignored HER and stepped up, leisurely reaching the top. The chilly fog failed to even touch his robes.
Then, he came to a stop in front of another wall; a wall of fog, this time.
"Once you enter," the Timeline said from behind, "you are on your own."
Kai didn't need anyone telling him that. He could feel the presence of an ancient Bounded Field in front of him.
Giving no further thought to it, and taking a deep breath, Kai stepped in.
…
It was a humongous corridor with walls of bone-chilling ice.
The corridor led to huge ice doors, a thin, chilly fog seeping out from the gap between them.
The Vault of Ice!
Kai let out the breath, his Instincts going haywire.
Danger! Danger! Danger!! Danger!!!
He hadn't even entered the Vault and, yet, his Instincts were screaming bloody murder.
Whatever, or whoever, was behind those doors, could really pose a threat to his life. His life!
Despite realizing that the Timeline had been right, Kai sensed his lips arching up.
Have I been… Have I been feeling bored as well?
Kai couldn't find the answer to this question, but the demonic grin on his face refused to vanish.
He walked toward the huge doors, the Blood Demon awakening within him, shattering the walls of ice in his surroundings with each step.
Crack-kkk!
This feeling… Kai licked his lips as he came to a stop in front of the doors. This feeling… This chill…
Fear!
"Hahaha! Hahahahahhahahahaha!!"
Boom!
Kai kicked the doors open.
…
It was a world of ice.
From end to end, there was nothing but mountains of ice, surrounding a huge icy sheet. It was as if a giant lake had frozen with several peaks circling its banks.
A man was standing in the very middle of these cold plains.
The man had medium-light brown, perpetually windswept hair; a slender nose; brown eyes; and a long fringe covering one of his eyes.
He was wearing a bright red, high-collared armored vest that resembled a Kevlar flak jacket, with bright red protectors on his wrists and shoulders; black shoulder and chest straps; and four yellow dots on the front of his torso.
Underneath the vest, he wore a dark red bodysuit, with a thick black belt on his waist. His footwear consisted of black, knee-high, armored boots. There was a modified, futuristic handgun in the gun holster at his waist.
And he also had a yellow scarf, going through the slit in the back of his collar.
He looked at the Supreme Protector. He sensed the thrill surrounding him. He observed the walk, the face, and the eyes.
A Demon!
And yet, here he was, coming to die.
"Welcome to the Cursed World, Supreme," the 12th-floor Contestant said, smiling. "Look at it closely. Here…
"… lies your grave."
**************
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100 Power Stones: +1 Bonus Chapter