The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

"Stop running! Continuing to run is just a waste of time! Turn around and face me in a decisive battle! It\'s far better to be defeated honorably than to be a coward," Elder Kent shouted, despite being thoroughly twisted by dark power.

Yet, Elder Kent still retained a degree of intelligence. He hoped to provoke Irving into a direct confrontation, believing he could use his newfound strength to kill him.

Irving, of course, would not fall into the trap so easily. No matter what Elder Kent said, Irving gave no response. His sole focus was to return to the castle as quickly as possible.

Finally, after another half hour, Irving achieved his goal; the castle was now within reach. The rapid approach of both Irving and Elder Kent began to change the dynamics of the battle at the castle.

The members of the Night Blades were no longer in a hurry to fully seize the castle as they had been before. Instead, they began to halt their attacks to consolidate the areas they had already occupied, waiting for Elder Kent\'s arrival.

Inside the castle, Anna and Aron quickly sensed that something was amiss. However, they had yet to figure out the reason for the change.

"The attacks from the Night Blades outside aren\'t as fierce as they were before. Could it be that our reinforcements have arrived?" Anna asked Aron, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Aron shook his head. "Nick couldn\'t have moved that fast. Although we sent a rescue message to Nick an hour ago, gathering all the members of the Angel Guild would still take some time."

Even though Nick had been sent back to the real world previously, Aron, as the leader of the Angel Guild, still sent out a distress signal to Nick after the castle faced its crisis.

As the strongest member of the Angel Guild remaining in the real world, Nick naturally needed to gather the members of the Angel Guild as quickly as possible to support Aron. While both Aron and Anna knew that Nick would care deeply about their safety, they also recognized that his speed of action was not so swift.
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After Aron shared his thoughts, Anna silently nodded. "Could it be that the Ocean Group members have already arrived? I remember that Benjamin returned to the real world earlier! If Benjamin could lead his people here for support, that could explain what\'s happening."

One of the members of the Angel Guild voiced this guess to Aron and Anna. They found the suggestion quite reasonable.

"Benjamin could indeed manage that. However, I believe that if he is going to provide support, he would first assist Irving\'s shelter, since Vicky, the president of the Ocean Group, has her shelter nearby," Aron shared this important piece of information.

Just as they were trying to understand the situation, a member of the Angel Guild burst into the room. "Everyone, quickly look outside! It seems Irving is rapidly approaching the castle! And there\'s a thick cloud of black mist behind him!"

Upon hearing this, Aron and Anna simultaneously turned to look out the window. They indeed saw Irving in the sky, approaching the castle, with Elder Kent—now completely twisted by dark power—close behind him.

"That\'s not mist at all! That\'s pure dark energy! We must prepare for battle immediately!" Aron commanded the members of the Angel Guild.

As he issued the order, Aron also readied himself for combat. "Irving must be coming back because he can\'t defeat Elder Kent on his own! We absolutely need to provide help! You must get ready for battle as well!"

While giving commands, Aron provided some advice to Anna. She nodded firmly. "Don\'t worry! I\'m prepared for battle; I can unleash my true strength against any enemy!"

Anna\'s response satisfied Aron immensely. "Then let\'s get ready for combat right away!"

After saying this, Aron took his weapon and soared into the sky. Since he had previously promised to work closely with Irving, he was determined to keep his word. Aron decided to launch an attack directly against Elder Kent, hoping to give Irving a chance to break free from the relentless pursuit.

"Don\'t come any closer! We need to hide inside the castle! Only by utilizing the defense infrastructure within the castle can we have a chance of winning!" Irving shouted at Aron as soon as he saw him.

Upon hearing Irving\'s words, Aron hesitated slightly. "Why? Can\'t the two of us together defeat Elder Kent?"

In Aron\'s view, Elder Kent was not even the strongest among the Night Blades. If he and Irving coordinated perfectly, they could very well defeat Kent.

Irving did not respond to Aron\'s question. He simply grabbed Aron and quickly pulled him back into the castle.

Elder Kent, meanwhile, was unusually furious at Irving\'s actions. He had transformed into pure dark energy, which possessed terrifying power. In his heart, he had already decided to completely destroy Irving and the castle he defended.

However, Elder Kent\'s assault did not succeed. He crashed directly into an invisible barrier surrounding the castle. Meanwhile, Aron and Irving were able to easily pass through the barrier and return inside.

Once safely back in the castle, Irving immediately addressed everyone. "You all need to prepare for battle! The barrier outside can only hold off Elder Kent for a short time! Once he breaks through, we\'ll have to fight for our lives."

Irving spoke with a very serious tone, fully aware that the upcoming battle would be one of life and death. The power that Elder Kent now possessed was far beyond his expectations.

Irving\'s grave demeanor shocked Aron and Anna. They had never imagined that things would escalate to such a critical situation.

"Why didn\'t you tell me sooner? If you had informed me earlier that Elder Kent had such immense power, I would have brought all the members of the Angel Guild!" Aron complained directly to Irving.

Irving shook his head. "Even if you brought all the members of the Angel Guild, it wouldn\'t make a significant difference. The power that Elder Kent is wielding cannot be compensated for by numbers alone."

After saying this, Irving walked deeper into the castle. He understood that the castle\'s defenses would not hold off Elder Kent for long. Therefore, he needed to prepare for battle before the barrier was breached.

Irving knew he couldn\'t defeat Elder Kent on his own, so he planned to use the Dark Monsters deep within the castle to confront him. He quickly made his way to the innermost part of the castle and paused in front of a grand door.

"I never imagined that one day I would use dark power to overcome dark power!" Irving couldn\'t help but exclaim.

However, he quickly opened the door. As soon as the door swung open, the dark energy within the castle surged dramatically. This was a stark contrast to the last time the door had been opened. The difference, of course, was that after the events of the last opening, the Dark Monsters behind the door had fully prepared themselves.

Irving could even see the twisted, massive face of a spider-like monster looming behind the door. "You can\'t come out just yet! But you won\'t have to wait long because if Elder Kent arrives here, I\'ll let you loose!"

After saying this, Irving left behind an item beside the door. The item was a spatial sealing device, which would ensure that the door remained sealed for a while longer. However, regardless of whether the device was taken or not, the door would fully open after 15 minutes, allowing the Dark Monsters to surge forth.

Once everything was prepared, Irving returned to the upper area of the castle. By this time, everyone inside had readied themselves for battle.

"All combatants are prepared, and we\'ve already pushed the Night Blades back. So now we only need to face the threat of Elder Kent," Aron immediately informed Irving of the arrangements.

Irving nodded. "I am very satisfied with your plan! I believe you\'ve done your utmost! Therefore, I think you don\'t need to stay in the castle any longer; you should return to the real world as soon as possible."

Irving felt that Aron\'s presence wouldn\'t significantly help him, and he hoped Aron would leave quickly, preferably taking all the members of the Angel Guild with him.

Upon hearing this, Aron\'s expression darkened. "Do you look down on me? Do you think you\'re the only one who can defeat Elder Kent?! My strength may not match yours, but I won\'t back down in the face of danger! I will fight alongside you, and even if I have to die, I\'ll die on the battlefield!"

Aron spoke firmly to Irving, his determination unwavering.