Cameraman Never Dies

"He's in!" Judge exclaimed, leaping from his grandiose throne made from a stone statue remains like a cat pouncing on a laser pointer.

"Alright, I'll tie him up," Seraphis muttered, adjusting the hilt of her sheathed sword as though it were an unruly child. "Seriously though, not killing is way harder than just finishing him off." She stepped forward with the nonchalant grace of someone doing their least favorite chore. The corpses strewn about might as well have been inconvenient laundry piles.

Judge snapped his fingers, and they both were transported into the studio. The entire scene shifted like a bad magic trick. One moment, it was all blood and guts; the next, it was an oppressive, unnatural darkness. Everything— the walls, the floor, the bodies— vanished into the void, leaving Judge and Seraphis glowing faintly like awkward lightbulbs.

"Judge," Seraphis said, her tone dripping with "Are you even listening to yourself?" energy.

"Hmm?" Judge replied, his grin as smug as ever.

"You said he could control and turn into shadows, right?" Her eyebrow arched high enough to be an Olympic contender.

"Indeed," Judge said, as if presenting an obvious fact like water being wet. "That's the whole idea. Drop his guard, make him overconfident, then BAM! We pull the rug— or in this case, the shadows— right out from under him."

Seraphis rolled her eyes. "And this genius plan of yours— does it involve you actually doing anything useful?"

Judge smirked. "Master, I orchestrate. You execute. It's called delegation."

"You asked me to just trust you, But how did that... quote— "Extremely careful guy" go into the door when there was a chance that it might shut behind him?"

"Ahh, that!" Judge smirked. He did not wear a mask, he wanted his face for the finale, "I can give him a little nudge, not like a puppet master thing, but enough to make him think it's his own actions."

Seraphis sighed, muttering something unflattering under her breath. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Judge clapped his hands. "Music to my ears! And don't worry— I can't control you even if I wanted to."

With a snap of his fingers, they teleported finest to Noel who was also pulled in with them. There, amidst the oppressive darkness, stood Noel Rivet. His form was tense, his sharp eyes narrowing as he noticed Seraphis.

Woman... White hair, red eyes, a sword, he thought, fingers twitching. She's definitely not from around here. What kind of power does she have?

Noel's thoughts cut short as he straightened and summoned his shadows, tendrils swirling around him like snakes ready to strike. With a smooth motion, he reached into the void and drew a long, wicked knife, its edge gleaming ominously. "Let's dance," he muttered.

Seraphis tilted her head, unimpressed. "A knife? How quaint. What's next, a sternly worded letter?"

Noel didn't bother responding. He lunged forward, shadows surging to envelop Seraphis like a tidal wave. She sidestepped with the ease of someone dodging a slow-moving toddler, her sheathed sword smashing down on the incoming blade with a thunderous clang.

"Nice try," she said, smirking. "But you're going to need more than shadows and attitude."

Noel smirked back, his confidence was at max. The shadows surged again, forming jagged spikes that shot toward her. She spun and weaved through the assault, her movements almost lazy. With a quick strike, her sheathed sword shattered one of the spikes, sending fragments scattering.

"You're quick," she admitted. "I'll give you that. But you're a one-trick pony."

Noel growled. "We'll see about that."

Before Seraphis could respond, Judge clapped his hands, and the entire scene changed. The oppressive darkness was ripped away, replaced by a blinding, endless expanse of pure white. It was as if the Studio itself had decided to scrub the world clean of shadows.

Noel froze for a split second as his shadows evaporated like morning mist, but even more surprising was the fact that he did not notice the boy until now. His knife still gleamed in his hand, but his primary weapon— his domain— was gone.

"Oops! Did I forget to mention this part?" Judge called out cheerfully from a newly conjured lounge chair. "My bad!"

Noel's eyes darted around, his mind racing. A complete domain?! Who is this boy? Seems like I have to get through him to end the domain. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Without hesitation, Noel pressed a small device hidden in his glove. A deafening explosion rocked the void as blinding shards of light burst out, aimed directly at Seraphis. She raised her sheathed sword, the blade absorbing the brunt of the impact as she slid backward.

"Oh, so you do have other tricks," she said, her tone somewhere between impressed and annoyed. "Let's see how far they get you."

Noel charged, his movements swift and unpredictable. His knife slashed toward her, forcing her to parry and dodge in rapid succession. Each clash of their weapons sent clang through the endless white void. Noel pulled a small vial from his belt, smashing it on the ground. A thick, noxious gas erupted, obscuring the area.

"Cute," Seraphis muttered, her voice muffled by the haze. She closed her eyes, relying on her other senses. The faint whistle of a blade cutting through the air alerted her, and she sidestepped just as Noel's knife sliced past her shoulder.

"You're fast," Noel admitted, his voice coming from multiple directions as he darted around her. "But speed isn't everything."

Seraphis smirked. "No, it's not. But skill is."

With a burst of speed, she closed the distance between them, her sheathed sword slamming into his knife with enough force to knock it from his hand. Noel stumbled back, pulling another device from his belt. A burst of energy shot toward her, but she deflected it effortlessly, the sheath of her sword glowing faintly.

"Running out of tricks?" she asked, her tone mocking.

Noel gritted his teeth. "Not even close."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small orb, throwing it to the ground. It shattered, releasing a swarm of mechanical drones that swirled around Seraphis, firing small but relentless energy blasts. She ducked and dodged, her sword moving in a blur as she destroyed the drones one by one.

"This is getting tedious," she said, her patience wearing thin.

Noel lunged again, this time with a pair of hidden blades springing from his gloves. Seraphis sidestepped, her sheathed sword sweeping low to trip him. He fell but rolled to his feet instantly, throwing a series of punches and kicks that she deflected with ease.

Finally, as Noel began to slow, his movements growing desperate, Seraphis decided it was time to end the fight. She jumped back from Noel, who made no effort to rashly go after her, and decided to observe.

She held the sword horizontally in front of her, "Good going, kid." She muttered as she slowly unsheathed the red blade. Red mist flowed out with a strong scent of blood. The air grew thick from the pure will Seraphis leaked out without being able to contain while drawing her blade.

Chi no Kiri...