Chapter 17 The Shadow Behind the Door
969 Words
01:43 AM.
An abnormal resonance emerged once again from the direction of the Night Domain.
This time, there was no rift expansion.
Instead—
A projection.
Purple-black structures unfolded slowly across the night sky, like a colossal eye opening.
The city’s defense towers automatically entered maximum alert.
Sirens pierced through the darkness.
[High-Tier Structural Resonance Detected]
[Level: Unknown]
—
Academy rooftop.
Leon abruptly looked up.
The system interface flickered violently.
[Failure Catalyst: 60%]
[Second Path Active Resonance Detected]
The air grew heavier.
Not oppression.
But a form of—
Lock-on.
The purple-black humanoid projection above the sky became clearer.
It had no physical body.
Yet its mere existence made A-Class hunters struggle to breathe.
Lucas muttered a curse.
“This isn’t A-Class.”
Damian’s face turned pale.
“It’s watching us.”
Ava’s eyes, however, remained fixed on Leon.
“Not us.”
“You.”
—
Top floor of the Administrative Tower.
The gray-haired man stood before the panoramic glass.
“It has manifested.”
His assistant’s voice tightened.
“Should we activate the final defensive line?”
The man remained silent for a few seconds.
“It’s not fully materialized.”
“It’s trying to establish an anchor.”
“Who’s the anchor?”
He didn’t answer.
But everyone knew.
—
Above the night sky.
The purple-black projection slowly raised its hand.
A thin thread of energy shot toward the academy.
Not an attack.
A connection.
Leon’s body trembled violently.
The system interface erupted in light.
[High-Tier Structure Establishing Resonance Bridge]
[Reject or Accept?]
His pupils contracted.
This wasn’t passive pressure.
It was an invitation.
Lucas sensed the shift in his aura.
“What’s happening?!”
Leon spoke in a low voice.
“It’s… calling me.”
The air went dead silent.
—
The next second—
Purple-black energy pierced through the sky.
Leon’s crimson structure emerged automatically.
The 60% reinforced skeletal frame unfolded once more.
System notifications pulsed.
[Failure Catalyst: 61%]
He hadn’t triggered failure voluntarily.
It was forced.
The higher-tier existence was pushing him upward.
The second leap had begun.
—
Ava grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t respond to it!”
Leon’s breathing grew heavy.
“If I refuse…”
“It will keep pressuring the city.”
In the distance, defense towers began to tremble.
Purple-black waves expanded.
Several A-Class hunters collapsed to their knees.
The gray-haired man issued a low command:
“Activate suppression arrays.”
Dozens of energy beams shot into the sky—
Only to shatter the moment they touched the projection.
Not a difference in power.
A difference in hierarchy.
—
Leon closed his eyes.
“Give me ten seconds.”
Lucas roared,
“Are you insane?!”
Damian spoke quietly,
“He has to respond.”
Ava clenched her teeth.
“I’ll pull you back.”
—
Leon released deliberately.
First time.
Failure.
[62%]
The crimson structure vibrated.
Second.
Failure.
[63%]
The purple-black energy thread grew clearer.
Third.
Failure.
[64%]
Mental pain began to pierce.
The projection seemed to draw one inch closer.
Cracks of distorted light appeared across the sky above the city.
The gray-haired man stared at the monitoring data.
“Growth curve spiking abnormally.”
“He’s actively interfacing.”
—
Fourth.
Failure.
[65%]
Fifth.
Failure.
[66%]
Black patterns began appearing along the crimson skeletal frame.
Side effects.
A system warning surfaced:
[Structural Stability Decreasing]
Ava’s voice trembled.
“Stop!”
Leon gritted his teeth.
“Almost there.”
Sixth.
Failure.
[67%]
The purple-black projection emitted a low resonance.
Not attack.
Response.
Seventh.
Failure.
[68%]
The air felt compressed.
All surrounding academy windows shattered.
Lucas braced beside him.
“Don’t let him fall!”
Damian expanded his domain.
Redirecting pressure.
Eighth.
Failure.
[69%]
The system interface flashed red.
[High-Risk Zone]
Ava locked both hands around him.
“That’s enough!!”
Leon opened his eyes.
The purple-black projection was nearly gazing directly at him.
There was no hostility in it.
Only—
Assessment.
Ninth.
Failure.
[70%]
—
For a brief instant—
The world froze.
[Failure Catalyst: 70%]
[Second Evolution Path — Resonance Form Activated]
The crimson skeletal frame transformed completely.
No longer an outer overlay—
It fused into his bones.
Energy patterns extended into his pupils.
He was no longer being suppressed.
Instead—
He stood upon the same “bridge” as the projection.
The city’s pressure vanished.
The projection retreated slightly.
As if confirming something.
Then—
It slowly faded.
The night sky returned.
Defense towers stopped trembling.
Everyone collapsed where they stood.
Silence.
—
Leon swayed.
The side effects began to manifest.
Crimson and black patterns intertwined across his skin.
Ava immediately caught him.
“Come back!”
He whispered,
“I saw it…”
“What?”
“The door.”
Deep within the Night Domain,
beyond the true depths of the rift,
a far greater structure seemed to be in motion.
He had touched it.
But had not fully entered.
The system interface gradually stabilized:
[Failure Catalyst: 70%]
[Structural Stability: Reduced to 82%]
This wasn’t simple reinforcement.
It was—
A two-way connection.
—
Administrative Tower.
The gray-haired man closed his eyes.
“It has acknowledged him.”
His assistant asked quietly,
“Can we still control this?”
He didn’t answer.
Because for the first time, he realized—
This was no longer humanity versus the outer domain.
It was—
Leon
And the door.
—
Academy rooftop.
The night wind rose again.
Lucas punched Leon lightly on the shoulder.
“Next time, warn us first!”
Damian remained silent.
“Seventy percent…”
Ava still held him.
Her voice low but firm.
“Whatever you saw—”
“Don’t walk toward it alone.”
Leon nodded slowly.
Deep within the Night Domain,
a higher-tier existence
Had memorized his frequency.
And seventy percent—
Was only the beginning.
- Writer
