"This should be the first test," Conan said.
Just then, a group of stone golems emerged from all around the stone chamber. They were enormous and wielded stone axes as they charged toward the group.
"Watch out!" Conan shouted, while quickly searching for a solution.
Ran Mouri was the first to engage, rushing towards the nearest puppet and attempting to attack it with karate. However, the puppet's body was incredibly tough, and Ran's attacks only left shallow marks on it.
Nightshade used his agility to weave among the puppets, trying to find their weaknesses. Lin Yu activated his high-tech equipment, firing beams of electricity, but the electricity seemed to have little effect on the puppets.
Ai Haibara observed the puppets' movements and noticed that their joints were relatively vulnerable. "Attack their joints!" Ai Haibara shouted.
Upon hearing this, everyone changed their attack strategy. Conan used his soccer dribble to shoot a soccer ball, hitting a puppet's knee joint and causing a crack to appear in the puppet's leg. Ran Mouri and Yoru took the opportunity to attack together, knocking the puppet to the ground.
With everyone's combined efforts, they gradually defeated most of the puppets. However, at that moment, the sword on the stone platform suddenly emitted a bright light, and after the light faded, a knight in black armor appeared before them.
"Outsider, if you wish to pass, defeat me." The knight's voice was deep and authoritative.
The knight, wielding a sword engulfed in blue flames, charged towards the crowd. He moved with incredible speed, his sword flashing and leaving trails of blue flames in his wake.
Conan quickly considered a countermeasure. He noticed that while the knight was powerful, his movements were somewhat clumsy. "Everyone, spread out, dodge nimbly, and look for opportunities to attack the gaps in his armor," Conan shouted.
Ran Mouri charged at the knight from the left, drawing his attention. The knight turned and swung his sword at Ran, who nimbly dodged to the side. At the same time, Nightshade attacked from the right, attempting to strike a gap in the knight's armor. But the knight reacted quickly, blocking Nightshade's attack with his shield.
Lin Yu then used high-tech equipment to emit interference beams, attempting to disrupt the knight's vision. Under the interference, the knight's movements were briefly slowed. Conan seized the opportunity, using his soccer dribble to launch a powerful soccer ball that struck the knight's helmet. The knight swayed, but quickly regained his balance.
Ai Haibara observed the Knight's attack pattern from the side. She noticed that the Knight would make a slight movement with his feet before each attack. "Conan, his feet move before he attacks, watch his movements!" Ai Haibara shouted.
After being alerted, Conan paid even closer attention to the knight's footsteps. When the knight raised his sword to attack again, Conan dodged in advance, then quickly approached the knight, inserting his extendable baton into a gap in the knight's armor and twisting it forcefully. The knight's armor loosened, and Ran and Yoru seized the opportunity to attack, finally knocking the knight to the ground.
After the knight fell to the ground, he turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared, and the blue flame sword on the stone platform also went out.
"Phew, I finally passed the first test." Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Conan picked up a small key that appeared on the stone platform and said, "This key should be the key to unlocking the next trial."
They continued along the passage and came to a huge maze. At the entrance of the maze was a stone tablet inscribed with the words: "Maze of Shadows, with clear mind and bright eyes, follow the light to proceed."
"It seems we'll have to find the exit from this maze," Conan said.
The group cautiously entered the maze, whose walls were made of smooth black stone, with no climbing or markings to be made. They followed the passageways and quickly lost their way.
"It seems like we're going the wrong way, no matter which way we go, we're not on the right track," Ran Mouri said anxiously.
Conan was also somewhat confused. He carefully observed his surroundings, trying to find the "light" mentioned on the stone tablet. Suddenly, he noticed some extremely faint blue light flickering on the wall, which was almost imperceptible without careful observation.
“Look, everyone, these blue lights—maybe these are the clues that will guide us,” Conan said.
The group followed the blue light, which flickered between dim and bright, as if testing their patience and observation skills. After wandering through the maze for a long time, they finally saw a door radiating light ahead.
“That should be it,” Nightshade said.
As they approached the door, it opened automatically, revealing a richly decorated room. In the center of the room sat a crystal coffin containing a beautiful woman, her face so lifelike it seemed she was merely asleep.
"What's going on?" Ai Haibara asked, puzzled.
Just then, a magic circle appeared around the crystal coffin, its runes lighting up and trapping everyone inside. A voice echoed in the room: "You have passed two tests. If you can answer the questions correctly, you may continue."
"What's the problem?" Conan asked loudly.
"What was the purpose of the forbidden ritual performed by the builders of the castle?" the voice asked.
Conan recalled Evelyn's story and the murals on the wall, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "He was trying to control a power beyond human comprehension."
As Conan answered, the runic light of the magic circle disappeared, and the crystal coffin slowly opened. The woman inside opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at everyone and smiled slightly: "Congratulations, you have passed the test."
The woman emerged from the coffin, walked to a corner of the room, opened a hidden compartment, and took out a golden key. "This key leads to the end of the Shadow Corridor, and is one of the keys to breaking the castle's curse."
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