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

James nodded in understanding. He was well aware that this operation involved intentionally entering a dangerous situation, and he was already prepared for the possibility of facing severe challenges. Not long ago, he had resolved to fight to the bitter end, and now, regardless of the circumstances, he would not give up.

"It seems you understand the risks involved in our next move, so I won\'t need to say much more. Just bring your strongest weapons. We\'ll exit through another entrance of the Green Ivy Company headquarters! There shouldn\'t be too many members of the Night Blades guarding that area. We should be able to catch them off guard."

Irving quickly devised a plan of action. Following Irving\'s strategy, both he and James began to move immediately.

Meanwhile, within a building not far from the Green Ivy Company headquarters, Elder Astra stood quietly near the Dark Portal, observing the situation surrounding the headquarters. For Elder Astra, this operation had to succeed. If he failed, Shadow Celestial would undoubtedly not spare him.

Prior to the operation, he had crafted what he believed to be a flawless strategy. Elder Astra not only launched an attack on the Green Ivy Company headquarters but also instructed his subordinates to target other critical locations in the City of Warding.

The reason Irving was unaware of the attacks on other sites was that those locations were not controlled by his allies. Elder Astra had also set up a series of magical formations around himself and the Dark Portal. These magical formations could weaken the strength of intruders and provide Elder Astra with additional assistance during combat.

Some of the magical formations even allowed Elder Astra to harness the immense power of the Dark Portal. Despite all these preparations, he still felt a lack of confidence. To Elder Astra, Irving\'s strength was simply too formidable. The adaptability Irving had demonstrated in previous battles greatly impressed him.

"Elder, it seems we won\'t be able to breach the defenses of the Green Ivy Company headquarters in the short term. The barrier has suddenly been reinforced," reported a member of the Night Blades as he hurried to Elder Astra\'s side, relaying the news he had just received.

Upon hearing this, Elder Astra immediately realized that Irving had likely arrived. He stated decisively, "Our next objective is no longer to break through the defenses of the Green Ivy Company headquarters. You must activate the defensive magical formations around us. We are about to face Irving in a decisive battle!"

Elder Astra\'s words surprised the Night Blades members. They didn\'t understand how he had come to that conclusion, but they quickly took action.

At the same time the Night Blades members activated the defensive magical formations, Irving and James reached the edge of those formations.

"It seems the Night Blades have already realized we are here, so we need to speed up our actions," Irving said. After finishing his statement, he transformed into a burst of golden light and flew directly toward the source of the dark power.

James, of course, couldn\'t move as swiftly as Irving. He could only quicken his pace to barely keep up with him.

Irving crossed through numerous defensive magical formations in one breath. Although these formations had been activated, they were still unable to impede Irving\'s progress. In fact, they couldn\'t significantly weaken the power he possessed.

Irving soon arrived at a position not far from Elder Astra and the Dark Portal. Here, he planned to observe Elder Astra\'s situation and seize the opportunity to eliminate all the Night Blades members in the vicinity. Although these members posed little threat to him, their presence could complicate Irving\'s subsequent actions.

As Irving began to dispatch the Night Blades members, Elder Astra also pinpointed Irving\'s location.

Elder Astra pulled out a scroll and threw it into the Dark Portal. In that instant, the Dark Portal erupted with an overwhelming surge of power. Shadowy figures flew rapidly out of the portal, all heading straight for Irving.

The moment Astra used the scroll, Irving sensed that something was amiss. He immediately readied himself for battle. Soon, he noticed one shadow after another soaring in his direction. As these shadows reached close to him, they transformed into the figure of Elder Astra.

"I didn\'t expect you to dare come here! Do you really think you possess the strength to destroy me and the Dark Portal?" the shadow of Elder Astra asked in a chilling voice.

Irving had no intention of responding. To him, the figure before him was an enemy that needed to be eliminated, and engaging in conversation held no significance.

He grabbed his staff, summoning a series of blazing fireballs above his head. These fireballs shot toward the shadow of Elder Astra.

"It seems you do have quite a bit of confidence! Let\'s see through battle whose judgment is correct!" Elder Astra\'s shadow did not attempt to evade. After all, the magical attacks would have no effect on his projection.

Elder Astra had harnessed the power of the Dark Portal to create a false projection of himself. This projection would not suffer any damage from enemy attacks, and it allowed him to channel his abilities and utilize all his skills.

After realizing that his initial attack had failed, Irving quickly assessed the situation. He chose to charge directly toward the location where Elder Astra was hiding.

Naturally, Elder Astra\'s shadow would not allow Irving to succeed that easily. The shadows converged to form a massive projection. This gigantic figure not only possessed all of Elder Astra\'s skills but also gained tremendous dark power through the Dark Portal.

"I will not allow you to leave! You must fight me to the death here!" the shadow of Elder Astra declared in a grand, hollow voice.

As he spoke, the surrounding Dark Monsters simultaneously locked onto Irving as their target. A multitude of Dark Monsters rushed toward him without delay.

"Is this really how you plan to defeat me? You\'re too afraid to show your true self in front of me! To me, you\'re nothing but a coward!"

Even though the numerous Dark Monsters posed little threat to Irving, their presence made his movements exceedingly difficult. He could no longer approach the location where Elder Astra\'s true self was hiding. Thus, he glared at the shadow of Elder Astra and spat out those words.

Elder Astra\'s shadow showed no change in expression. He simply replied coolly, "I am unlike you; I am a very cautious person. If I can defeat you from a safe position, why would I risk exposing my true self to you?"

Elder Astra was indeed a very cautious individual. However, he overlooked another crucial piece of information: in this battle, his enemies were not limited to just Irving. While he focused all his attention on fighting Irving, James had circled around to Astra\'s rear from another direction.

At this moment, James was less than 100 meters away from Elder Astra. His hand trembled slightly around his weapon as he felt the overwhelming dark power that Elder Astra possessed. Yet, he had no path of retreat left. Before the operation began, Irving had informed him that the outcome of this battle depended entirely on James himself. Irving would hold Elder Astra at bay, while the final strike to eliminate him had to be delivered by James.

Prior to their action, Irving had recognized that his own power did not match that of Elder Astra. After all, Elder Astra could tap into the Dark Portal for a continuous supply of dark energy. Although Irving possessed the Taikoo Flame Pearl and the Staff of Calamity, these enhancements could only marginally boost his strength—they wouldn\'t significantly elevate his overall power.

Thus, he devised a plan that relied on a surprise attack for victory. At first, James felt that such a plan carried considerable risk. However, after contemplating it for a while, he ultimately agreed. After all, if this mission succeeded, James would stand to gain the most. Moreover, Elder Astra had inflicted significant losses on him, and James was eager to see him pay the price.

Now, James needed to silently close the distance to Elder Astra and use his powerful dagger to eliminate him directly.