Unspeakable bubbles

Spatial awareness!

The red light in the vengeful spirit's eyes intensified, and it muttered to itself, "I never expected that the conjecture that guy had been trying to verify... spatial consciousness actually exists."

Carmen's expression was complex; she was two sides of the same coin as the other Carmen. She possessed the talent for commanding on the battlefield, while research and invention were the expertise of the other.

It couldn't help but wonder, if, if another Carmen had come out with the bubble back then, would it have been of greater help to the bubble now?

Despite a thousand excuses—that his physical form hadn't materialized, the skeletal army hadn't yet emerged, and he'd been out of touch with the world for too long—

But none of this is an excuse for my inaction!

Think carefully, what have I done since I came out with the king?

Spending all day hiding in the house reading books, and then doing some useless research?

'If it's that guy, after all this time, he must have figured out the nature of the shadow space by now.'

Unlike me, my understanding of shadow space is still superficial.

'If I had a better understanding of the characteristics of space before the final battle, I could have devised a more reasonable plan, saving Your Majesty from taking such a risk.'

"Carmen, what's wrong?"

This was the first time the little girl had ever seen such an expression on Carmen's face; it was a mixture of disappointment and pain, and she looked extremely distressed.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly realized how useless I am without the Skeleton Army," Carmen said dejectedly.

"Of course you're useful! Carmen is amazing!"

The little girl said very seriously, "Carmen and Crusher No. 3 explored the Grand Canyon, and Carmen also told Bubble that they could win as long as they defeated the Shadow Dragon."

"This is just a small matter; I feel I can be of great use."

"Carmen, don't worry," the little girl comforted her. "It hasn't been that long. You haven't even accumulated enough power to build your body yet."

“…I, no matter what, I can’t be worse than him.” Carmen was silent for a long time before she finally said this through gritted teeth.

"Carmen is no worse than anyone else, don't overthink it."

Seeing that it still looked gloomy, the little girl asked, "Carmen, where do you think you are inferior to him?"

"If he were by the king's side, he might be able to help even more."

"for example?"

“For example, for example…” Carmen frowned, lost in thought.

Yes, even if that guy is by the king's side, what can he do?

Firstly, I couldn't construct a body in such a short time, and neither could that guy.

He is good at inventing and creating, and likes research, but what can he accomplish if he stays in the shadows and has no equipment?

Undoubtedly, another Carmen would have a deeper understanding of the shadow space, but what use would that be?

No matter how much you understand or research the shadow space, can you compare to the King?

As for the less risky and more reasonable final battle plan he might have devised earlier...

Upon closer examination, this is actually impossible.

That guy is a researcher; he would never volunteer to scout ahead.

"Let Crusher Number Three lead his men down to investigate." That's probably what he'll say.

Haha, Cerberus isn't stupid, but can you really expect it to gather valuable intelligence in a hostile place?

By then, the situation will have already spiraled out of control.

After thinking it over, it seems that even if that guy stayed by the king's side, he couldn't do any better than me!

"Your Majesty."

"Ok?"

"I thought about it again, and I realized I was being stubborn before."

"That guy and I are two sides of the same coin. We may have different strengths, but it's impossible to say who is better than whom."

Carmen said calmly, "But I am more suited to stay by the King's side than him."

“That guy has long lost his prestige within the Skeleton Legion, he…”

The "Carmen" bubble interrupted it.

"You helped Bubble in the secret realm, and you chose to stay by Bubble's side when leaving the secret realm."

"So, from now on, you'll be the only one standing by Bubble's side."

"As for that guy you mentioned who's disappeared to somewhere now, we don't need to worry about him at all."

"..."

Carmen was stunned for a long time after hearing what Bubble said.

After an unknown amount of time, a smile finally appeared on its face.

"Your Majesty, I will not keep thinking about that guy anymore!"

"Haha, he has his choices, and I have my own path to walk."

..................................................................

In the pitch-black toilet, Bella kept looking back and forth, seemingly inspecting something.

It's four in the morning, and there's a reason she came to the bathroom at this hour despite being so tired—the bubbles are gone.

Bella had been paying close attention to Bubble, and when she realized something was wrong, she immediately ran to the dormitory to find the girl.

Sure enough, Bubble wasn't in the dorm.

Bella asked Jiujiang, but she didn't know where her roommate had gone either.

Bella, of course, didn't believe it, but after taking Jiujiang to her office and questioning him, she had no choice but to discover that the boy wasn't lying.

After quickly reprimanding Jiujiang, Bella searched the entire campus for Bubble's whereabouts.

Finally, she found the toilet.

"This is definitely the place, the last place Bubble appeared... But where is Keren?"

Section 234, Chapter 233: Shadow

Bella grew increasingly anxious as she didn't see him for a long time.

Just when we finally saw a glimmer of hope in penetrating the Seventh Ring Tower, Bubble just disappeared at this critical juncture?

Dawn would break in a few hours, and if she hadn't found the little girl by then, she would have to report the matter to Ninomiya Sui.

Once Ninomiya Sui realizes that she has made such a huge mistake, her hope of infiltrating the Seventh Ring Tower will be gone!

"Damn it, where is it, Bubble? Stop playing hide-and-seek with the teacher."

"Here!" Suddenly, a voice rang out in the empty restroom, and Bella jumped in fright.

"Miss Bella, the bubbles are here." The little girl opened the toilet stall door and came out.

"Bubble, Bubble, where did you come from?" Bella's face turned pale; she was absolutely certain that no one had been in the bathroom!

"Bubble came out of the cubicle. Miss Bella, is there something you need from Bubble?"

"Bubble, what time is it now?" Bella asked with a stern face.

“Now…” The little girl looked out the window; it was pitch black outside.

"Bubble doesn't know, it seems to be very late."

"It's already four in the morning. Do you know how long Bella has been looking for you?"

"Four o'clock?" The little girl looked a bit confused: "Oh, it's already morning."

She hadn't felt anything at first, but after realizing she'd stayed up all night, Bubble suddenly felt extremely tired.

This is not physical fatigue. With Bubble's current physical condition, he would not feel tired at all after defeating the Shadow Dragon in a childish game.

However, Bubble is a good child, and she has always adhered to the routine of going to bed early and waking up early.

When this long-term routine was suddenly disrupted, the little girl became mentally exhausted.

"Miss Bella, I'm sorry, Bubble didn't get back to the dorm on time."

"Bubble will be more careful in the future."

"……Um."

Bella didn't pay any attention to what the little girl said; she looked around in surprise and uncertainty.

Ever since the bubbles appeared, the atmosphere in the restroom has been rather strange.

At first, Bella didn't realize something was wrong, but after a few words, her heart started racing.

'W-what happened?'

Her pupils contracted, and cold sweat poured down her forehead.

An inexplicable sense of oppression emanated from all directions, making the already dimly lit toilet even more eerie.

Bella now regrets not turning on the light. Her hands tremble slightly, and whether it's psychological or not, Bella feels that the light from the flashlight is getting dimmer and dimmer.

Nothing seemed amiss, except...

When Bella refocused her gaze on the bubbles, she finally understood the source of her unease.

Bubbles—no, to be precise, it was her shadow!

The little girl's shadow kept changing shape: a long-legged crab, a rabbit, a wolf, a three-headed vicious dog...

With each transformation, the sense of threat posed by the bubble's shadow intensified.

When a terrifying shadow resembling a lion's head and a snake's tail appeared, Bella had no choice but to retreat repeatedly.

"Miss Bella?" The little girl seemed unaware of the strangeness in her shadow. She looked at Bella with a puzzled expression, wondering what was wrong with her.

The bubble's shadow grew larger and larger, and slowly, new changes appeared.