Albus transformed into a blazing-white, blue-tinged flaming spear, flying to the peak of the corpse mountain, toward Julie's filthy blood descending onto the charred 0-01 banner.
But in the blink of an eye, he lost his target, reverting from his fiery state to land beside the corpse where 0-01 should have been embedded.
At the peak, opening his eyes no longer seemed an issue, but Albus Medici's vision no longer contained the charred banner, Julie's filthy blood, or Celeste.
With his past experience, Albus quickly understood what was happening: This was the mirror world, or a Mirror Maze!
After waiting so long at the peak, Celeste must have made some preparations!
As Albus guessed, this was a Mirror Maze created by multiple mirrors reflecting each other. Celeste stood outside, her gaze pained and distant as she watched the filthy blood race towards the charred flag.
For some reason, the filthy blood slowed its descent, as if repelled by 0-01, but it still sank inexorably, just at a reduced pace.
Albus tried using the crystal necklace coiled around his wrist but found no mirror world to traverse or escape through, confirming he was trapped in the Mirror Maze. He immediately condensed blazing white, blue-tinged fireballs, sending them in all directions to blast the hidden mirrors forming the maze.
As its name implied, the Mirror Maze was just a maze, not a true barrier with defenses!
Thunderous explosions erupted almost simultaneously, yet Albus still could not break through the Mirror Maze.
Not a single mirror had been damaged!
With a slight narrowing of his eyes, Albus decisively abandoned any further such attempts.
Outside the Mirror Maze, Celeste felt the explosive winds and inwardly scoffed.
In other locations, widespread bombardment might overwhelm a Mirror Maze meant to trap Hunters. But here at the corpse mountain's peak, the heart of 0-01's seal, it would not be so easy.
As a Demoness of Affliction corrupted by 0-01 to some degree like Julie, Celeste could wield traces of that special mirror world's power!
The Mirror Maze's mirrors were not at the peak itself, but scattered among the corpses and bones below, their reflections then projected around 0-01's vicinity through that special mirror world, forming the Mirror Maze.
Seeing Julie's filthy blood nearing the charred banner, Celeste felt a mix of elation and confusion, underlaid by anguish.
From somewhere, she produced a black teardrop-like ornament and affixed it to between her brows.
Inside the Mirror Maze, Albus calmly lowered his head and half-closed his eyes, preparing to do what would inevitably be required.
He murmured in ancient Hermes, "The great God of War, the symbol of iron and blood, the ruler of chaos and strife."
With this three-passage invocation of the honorific name, the iron-black metal flagpole suspending the charred banner shuddered slightly, its drooping flag fully unfurling with a rattling sound despite the stillness, each bloody stain growing vivid.
Julie's filthy bloody halted, hovering a couple meters from 0-01, as if grasped by an unseen hand.
High above, clouds rapidly swirled into an immense vortex tinged with faint purple firelight, larger than the mountain itself, its far end suggesting some vast entity straining against an invisible barrier.
Cracks spread from the Salinger's Blood Banner with snapping sounds, the special mirror world over the peak shattering.
The Mirror Maze dissipated as its special mirror world projection broke apart.
Albus's head snapped up, his irises now flecked with iron-black, a bloody mark stark on his brow.
His gaze fell on Celeste, now adorned with her own black teardrop ornament, meeting her eyes.
Before combat could erupt, Lumian nonchalantly climbed over the peak's edge, a mere seven or eight meters from 0-01.
No communication was needed as Albus and Celeste simultaneously attacked Lumian.
Albus casually thrust out a fist expelling a massive blue-tinged fireball, while frost coalesced around Celeste's head into mirrors, each preceding an eerie, smoldering black flame.
But just as Celeste's icy mirrors would have reflected Lumian, his figure faded, vanishing with a mocking smile.
Behind him, an immense silhouette suddenly loomed into Albus and Celeste's view.
Already over five or six meters tall yet still growing, twisting appendages sprouting, it was covered in patches of brown bark and sickening knobs that oozed clear fluid from the gaps.
For now, the monstrosity cradled a blood-stained, vertebrae-trailing head in one hand, its silvery-black empty eyes dead and sunken.
On either shoulder was a fleshy, head-sized bulge, the surface rippling with some contained liquid.
The next second, the monster leaped to the peak, shedding puddles of wriggling maggot-flesh.
Countless black gaseous tendrils dragged at it from behind, trying to pull it back into the sleek, iron-black breastplate mirror.
The mere sight catalyzed a visceral sensation of corruption in Albus and Celeste.
Celeste's hair billowed outward, rapidly thickening and coarsening, while Albus's face became mapped with protruding black veins.
Boom!
Albus's immense blue-tinged fireball with white remnants exploded against the monstrosity as Celeste's flickering array of frost-mirrors reflected its figure, engulfing it in roiling black flames.
Crack!
The monster shattered mirror-like, its silhouette immediately reappearing beside 0-01, making Albus and Celeste's scalps prickle-it could use Mirror Substitution too.
Raising its severed head, the monstrosity emitted a sound like it came from another world.
Celeste felt herself plunged into cloying, frozen blackness, constrained on all sides in inescapable oppression.
Albus likewise found himself surrounded by stifling darkness.
This was a mystic technique inspired by the Mirror Person's state of being.
At that moment, Lumian, having teleported away to avoid the earlier clash, reappeared at the corpse peak's base.
His silhouette flickered behind Albus in the darkness, mouth opening to harrumph, sending a pale-yellow gaseous breath that washed over him.
For an instant, Albus's eyes went blank, his body swaying before he recovered his senses.
The Red Angel had helped him resist part of the Spell of Harrumph's effects.
Seizing Albus's momentary disorientation, Lumian's left fist blazed with white flames as he struck at his vulnerable point-the neck connecting head and body.
Cull!
As Lumian's fist neared Albus's neck, the member of the Medici family transformed into a humanoid blaze of white, blue-tinged fire.
Not the merger with a flaming spear, but transmutation into living flame itself.
In this fiery state, his neck was no longer a weakness!
Bang!
Lumian's punch only made the flaming figure waver and dim slightly.
In the next instant, Albus became a roaring blue-tinged flaming spear, bursting through the black icy shackles into the air.
Wheeling about like a javelin cast from the high vortex's hidden depths, he unleashed dozens of blue-streaked white fireballs in a thunderous barrage toward the peak.
Boom! Rumble! Boom boom!
Horrific explosions engulfed the area in relentless succession.
The indescribable monstrosity repeatedly used Mirror Substitution yet could not escape the bombardment's range.
Meanwhile, Lumian had teleported pre-emptively back to the mountain's base.
Still teleporting? Hand Bro isn't dead yet? As a chill ran down Lumian's back, he saw Celeste's face reflected in a nearby corpse's smooth breastplate.
The Demoness had not met Albus's assault with Mirror Substitution, instead deploying a mirror to swiftly traverse the mirror world to the wasteland-one of Lumian's backup plans.
Seeing she did not immediately attack him, Lumian turned his gaze back toward the peak.
He did not regret missing the opportunity to eliminate Albus earlier, as that was the outcome he wanted.
If he had intended to kill Albus with that strike, he would not have used only his Cull ability-he would have surely drawn the Sword of Courage or attacked in his Desire Incarnation form instead.
If I killed Albus now, who would help me deal with Celeste and that monster? Just me alone? Lumian inwardly muttered with obvious malice.
His earlier attack had a hidden purpose: to deceive Albus into thinking his defenses were ineffective against Lumian, to make him believe the pitch-black bone ring on his hand could not target him.
Then, at the crucial moment, he could "surprise" Albus by exploiting this misconception!
The thunderous explosions finally subsided. The corpses and bones atop the peak had suffered severe damage, and Julie's filthy blood had dissipated somewhat.
The indescribable monster no longer had Mirror Substitution, its surface charred and tattered.
Albus reappeared, his iron-black eyes lifting his right hand to push forward.
A spiraling storm of white-blue Fire Ravens flocked relentlessly toward the monster's exposed abdomen in overwhelming numbers.
Rumble!
Its weak point battered, the staggering monster collapsed into fragments.
Seeing this, Lumian instantly drew a straight sword resembling the Sword of Courage and teleported to the peak, while Celeste also raced toward it.
-x-X-x-
Lumian did not directly teleport behind Albus Medici, nor did he approach the fragmented corpse of the monster Guei. Instead, his figure quickly materialized at the edge of the peak area.
Earlier, while observing the battle from the mountain's base, he had already stopped the knowledge recitation from the brass talisman made by Archbishop Heraberg and removed the corresponding earplugs, placing them in the Traveler's Bag. This was out of concern that the upcoming intense battle might cause devastating damage to them.
Similarly, he wore the Mirror Cufflink on his cuff, preparing to use it.
As soon as Lumian appeared at the mountain peak, he saw the pus flowing from Guei's corpse fragments seep into the bodies and bones forming the ground, igniting nearly invisible and colorless flames.
Those flames instantly engulfed Guei's dismembered body, burning it to ashes, giving no chance for it to writhe and grow.
At the same time, Lumian noticed that the almost invisible remnant flames that had existed at the peak had mostly extinguished, with the remaining ones about to burn out completely.
He had also noticed earlier from the mountain base that the scattered remnant flames on the wasteland were successively extinguishing.
Of course, this did not affect the illumination of the corpse mountain and its surrounding areas. Light came from the purple fiery glow seeping through the massive vortex high in the sky, from the corpses, bones, and different parts of the wasteland ignited during the battle between Albus Medici, Celeste, and the monster Guei, and from the charred banner that was shaking and vibrating with increasing frequency.
The original remnant flames are extinguishing? Were they not always present, but rather created by 0-01 in response to the appearance of Hand Bro, a being with godhood? As this thought struck Lumian, he gripped the ordinary straight sword resembling the Sword of Courage with both hands and ran towards Albus Medici, who was about a dozen meters away.
With a whoosh, the straight sword burst into blazing-white flames.
Albus, with his brow mark vivid and seemingly about to drip, bent down, letting his hands touch the corpses and bones forming the mountain.
The flesh of some corpses suddenly melted, becoming viscous, while bones rapidly gathered.
Albus then straightened up, forcibly pulling from the corpse-and-bone ground a huge white sword temporarily formed from countless spines and neck bones, with melted viscous flesh entwined around it, bringing a bloody and bizarre appearance.
Albus dragged this bizarrely shaped, horrifying giant sword to meet Lumian.
Crack! The giant sword of bones protruding through waxy flesh split Lumian's blazing white flame sword in two with a single strike.
Lumian's figure vanished, rapidly reappearing behind Albus.
He swiftly drew another iron-black straight sword resembling the Sword of Courage from the Traveler's Bag and struck heavily at the neck of this Medici family member before him.
Albus swiftly turned, swinging his monstrous giant sword horizontally, once again shattering Lumian's weapon.
Lumian teleported once more, again flashing behind his enemy.
But as soon as his figure began to materialize, sharp icy spears condensed in mid-air, raining down like a storm.
Celeste, who had concealed herself and circled to an unknown location, launched an area attack targeting both Albus and Lumian.
Lumian then saw dense fog.
It surged out from around Albus, instantly enveloping the area, reducing visibility to ten meters and preventing Lumian from sensing spirit world coordinates beyond the fog, making it difficult to directly teleport out.
Fog of War!
Immediately after, Albus, now out of Lumian and Celeste's sight, pressed a layered, compressed, yet still massive blue fireball towards the ground of the corpse mountain.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion that temporarily deafened swept across the area, dispersing the dense Fog of War, vaporizing the falling icy spears, destroying part of the corpses and bones, and igniting others.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian's figure was reflected in the black breastplate of a corpse on the wasteland.
Earlier, when his teleportation was restricted, he had immediately taken out a mirror from the Traveler's Bag and activated the Mirror Cufflink on his left cuff.
Using this Beyonder item, Lumian had entered the mirror world just before Albus created the indiscriminate explosion and the dense icy spears fell, escaping from the peak of the corpse mountain.
This was similar to his choice when escaping from Albus and Gusain's encirclement in that underground cavern filled with the fog of war.
Lumian jumped out of the smooth black metal breastplate, and the glass-like ornament on his cuff instantly turned grayish-white, crumbling into dust that scattered to the ground.
The Mirror Cufflink had been used for the last time.
At the peak of the corpse mountain, Albus had already turned and was rushing towards the increasingly violently shaking 0-01.
At this point, Julie's pool of filthy blood was only about a meter away from the surface of the charred banner.
Since Albus's battle with the monster Guei began, the blood no longer felt as if it was being held up by an invisible hand and continued to fall, albeit at an increasingly slower pace.
Seeing 0-01 within reach, a mirror of ice and snow, two to three people tall, suddenly rose in front of Albus.
The mirror instantly reflected Albus's figure.
Similar ice mirrors abruptly appeared to Albus's sides and behind him, reflecting different angles of this Red Angel descendant.
As these giant ice mirrors formed, thick, snake-like strands of blackened hair emerged from the edge of the mountain, carrying the quiet and eerie Demoness's black flames, rapidly extending towards those mirrors.
Celeste intended to curse Albus with this!
Albus swiftly turned sideways, facing the source of those snake-like black hairs, and saw Celeste, cloaked in a black robe with an oddly flushed face.
Boom!
Multiple blazing white, blue-tinged fireballs quickly condensed, shattering those four huge ice mirrors into pieces. However, these fragments melted slowly, continuing to reflect Albus's image from different angles, densely awaiting the arrival of the snake-like hairs carrying the Demoness's flames.
Holding the bizarre giant sword, Albus suddenly transformed into a blazing white, blue-tinged fire person, expanding to three to four meters tall.
This brought continuous high temperatures, completely melting those ice mirror fragments.
Silently, Celeste withdrew those long hairs covered in black flames, once again concealing her form, moving to an unknown location.
Lumian teleported over.
This time, he drew the iron-black Sword of Courage from the Traveler's Bag-the true Sword of Courage!
Enduring the continuous burning pain of sulfurous flames, Lumian was instantly filled with courage.
What's there to fear from just a Sequence 5 who can borrow some power from the Red Angel?
Why hide?
Lumian swung the Sword of Courage at Albus Medici, only igniting the godhood-possessing straight sword with blazing white, blue-tinged flames just before it was about to clash with Albus's bizarre bone and flesh sword.
Having courage didn't mean not using schemes and tricks!
Albus's now iron-black eyes showed no surprise; instead, a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
His bizarre bone and flesh sword suddenly burst into near-blue flames.
You've been pretending to be weak all along, only using ordinary straight swords. How could I not be prepared for you to suddenly use a godhood-possessing attack?
Albus's body abruptly metallized, instantly boosting his strength to its peak.
Boom!
The two swords collided, creating a sound like an exploding shell.
The blast of wind failed to shake Albus, whose skin now had an iron-black tinge, pushing Lumian and his Sword of Courage back.
Suddenly, Lumian melted into a viscous black liquid that seemed to be formed from the most sinister desires deep within the human heart.
He disintegrated on the ground, rapidly flowing to the bottom of Albus's feet, covering him like a shadow.
Crack! The illusory, viscous, chilling black liquid suddenly dispersed, and a mirror tinged with silvery-black fell onto the corpses and bones, shattering into pieces.
Mirror Substitution? Lumian was shocked.
Albus has Mirror Substitution too?
No, he hadn't used it in several dangerous situations before!
Albus's figure emerged from a mirror near the peak of the corpse mountain, smiling as he transformed into a blazing-white, blue-tinged flame spear, flying back to the battlefield-that mirror was a remnant of Celeste's Mirror Maze.
He didn't have Mirror Substitution, but he could still traverse the mirror world using the crystal necklace coiled around his wrist. During Lumian's first attack, he had prepared a mirror in advance, hiding it at his waist under his tattered jacket.
The indescribable monster appeared so abruptly and strangely, pursuing you. How could I not be prepared for you in this aspect?
As for how to quickly escape combat without Mirror Substitution and avoid being affected, you've demonstrated it twice already!
Seeing the flame spear flying towards him, Lumian, still in his viscous black liquid state, immediately seeped into the gaps between the corpses and bones, using this to leave the mountain peak.
Filled with courage, he didn't intend to flee. To avoid being trapped by the Fog of War again without the Mirror Cufflink, he planned to circle around to the other side, seeking new opportunities to corrupt Albus Medici.
Fleeing was definitely not an option!
At this moment, Lumian suddenly felt a rather intense weakness.
Has my spirituality dried up prematurely? No, it's not just a matter of spirituality... Lumian thought as he reverted to human form and released his accumulated spirituality.
Clang!
His right hand inexplicably lost strength, making it difficult to hold onto the Sword of Courage. He could only watch helplessly as the iron-black straight sword fell to the ground, clanging against a stark white skeleton.
Why didn't I teleport to create distance first?
I... I seem to be sick...
Lumian was suddenly alarmed and immediately activated the black mark on his right shoulder, disappearing from near the peak of the corpse mountain.
He left the Sword of Courage there, not retrieving it for the moment.
He was hoping the opponent would trigger one of its negative effects- in about ten minutes, if the Sword of Courage wasn't sealed away, it would indiscriminately attack nearby people.
And now, the people around the Sword of Courage were Albus Medici and Celeste.
As soon as Lumian's figure materialized on the wasteland, Albus at the peak of the corpse mountain slightly furrowed his brow.
This descendant of the Red Angel swayed slightly, noticeably weaker than before.
He seemed to have fallen ill as well.
-x-X-x-
Albus's right hand holding the weapon drooped down, seemingly too weak to bear the weight of the bone and flesh sword. He planted it on the ground made of corpses and bones, but compared to Lumian directly dropping the Sword of Courage, he was clearly much better off.
At the same time, Celeste's voice, filled with anticipation and cruel amusement, emanated from various mirrors and mirror-like objects scattered across the corpse mountain and wasteland, "How are you feeling? Confused about when you got infected with the plague?"
Sure enough, it's a Demoness's Plague... Standing on the wasteland, Lumian took advantage of the moment before his muscles completely lost strength, when he could still lift light objects, to quickly remove the Devil's Whispers bone ring from his finger and stuff it back into the Traveler's Bag.
Wearing this ring would cause Lumian to be constantly burned by sulfurous flames, inside and out, continuously weakening his resistance and tolerance to Plague. Although he was already poisoned by sulfur and had some degree of burns, stopping the damage in time was still very important.
After putting away the Devil's Whispers bone ring, Lumian took out the brass talisman and matching earplugs given by Archbishop Heraberg, gripping one in his left palm and putting the other back into his left ear.
"Listen!" Lumian again uttered this ancient Hermes word, continuing his learning process.
Meanwhile, Celeste's voice continued to emanate from various mirror surfaces and mirror-like objects: "We were certain that the operation targeting 0-01 would face interference and competition from Beyonders of the Hunter pathway, and we would inevitably have to confront Wanak. So, we prepared a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact in advance. The mystical pathogen it produces has a very notable characteristic-it can survive in high-temperature flames for a period of time.
"And I can use the power of the special mirror world to let those pathogens spread quietly through different mirror surfaces, silently dispersing throughout this wasteland and corpse mountain.
"You've been setting fires all along, but I've also been continuously releasing frost, pretending to attack and curse. This actually freezes those mystical pathogens inside, allowing them to survive longer in high temperatures. Combined with their own special nature, it's enough for you to be contaminated partially, slowly seeping into your bodies..."
Celeste explained in great detail, as if wanting to bring pain and savor despair.
This might be her hobby, or perhaps a negative influence brought by certain items.
Albus Medici, leaning on that bone and flesh sword, kept turning his body, looking in different directions, seemingly trying to quickly pinpoint Celeste's true form and drag her out of the mirror world.
However, it was impossible to discern which mirror Celeste was in just from the source of the sound. She might have been constantly moving through the mirror world without stopping.
Similarly, even if Albus recited those three passages of the honorific name again, he could only affect the special mirror world in this area at the peak of the corpse mountain. He couldn't damage the "mirrors" in the middle and lower parts of the corpse mountain and on the wasteland.
Celeste's voice gradually became shrill, both painful and pleasurable.
"This pathogen also has flaws. It's not the type that will have fatal effects in a short time. It can only make you quickly lose your physical strength, accelerate the dissipation of spirituality, and eventually make you lie on the ground, unable to move, desperately listening to your own heart gradually weakening and stop beating."
Hearing this, Lumian teleported to change his position, avoiding being assassinated by Celeste taking advantage of the situation.
Some thoughts flashed through his mind: Could I wear the Eggers family's golden mask to counteract the damage from this mystical pathogen?
If I stop my heart from beating in advance, I won't have to worry about it losing strength!
No, this mystical pathogen seems to affect the Spirit Body as well. Perhaps, after physical death, the Spirit Body will gradually lose the power to maintain its own existence...
Moreover, Archbishop Heraberg said that becoming a deceased here would only lead to eternal slumber... Well, perhaps in the future, one might be 'awakened' as a puppet of 0-01...
Albus Medici at the peak of the corpse mountain suddenly laughed.
"So that's how it is. I do feel weakened.
"Even with my ancestor helping me share the impact, in three or four minutes I should completely lose my fighting ability, barely able to crawl.
"But I don't remember if I told you what I was going to do in the underground mausoleum, or if you noticed that the abnormality had already occurred?"
As he spoke, Albus's smile gradually brightened.
His demeanor was composed, appearing very confident and assured, not panicked at all.
Celeste, who had been emitting sounds from different mirrors and mirror-like objects to delay time until the effects of the mystical pathogen deepened, suddenly fell silent.
She seemed to be observing her surroundings, trying to find the abnormality Albus mentioned.
Albus moved his neck and said with an upturned corner of his mouth,
"I only have three things to accomplish here:
"First is to kill Wanak, so that 0-01 no longer has a proxy of this level;
"Second is to recite my ancestor's honorific names around 0-01, causing it to resonate and gradually awaken;
"Third, heh heh, is to delay time, waiting for 0-01 to break free from this corpse mountain on its own.
"Haven't you noticed that the frequency and amplitude of 0-01's trembling and shaking are getting higher and larger?
"Haven't you noticed that 0-01 is about to break free from the corpse mountain?"
Wh- Celeste, hidden near the peak of the corpse mountain, concealed in one of the components of the previous Mirror Maze to closely observe Albus's movements and ready to interfere with the target's self-rescue at any time, tensed up and instinctively looked towards the violently shaking and trembling 0-01.
She then saw that charred banner with the dangerous blood spots densely covering it.
Her head suddenly buzzed, and her neck ached.
She was further corrupted!
Crack!
The mirror where Celeste was hiding instantly shattered, revealing her figure, with a blank expression, her head trying to separate from her neck.
Now! Albus seized the opportunity, discarding the heavy bone and flesh sword, transforming into a blazing white, blue-tinged flame spear, swooshing down near Celeste.
Then, he created a dense Fog of War, enveloping Celeste and the area within about ten meters around this Demoness.
After completing this, Albus didn't give Celeste a chance to break free from her corrupted state and escape the Fog of War through the mirror world. Mustering his remaining strength, he condensed several blue fireballs and sent them crashing into the Fog of War one after another.
Rumble!
Relatively violent explosions occurred, and pale blue flames rose up. Celeste's Mirror Substitution was passively triggered.
But affected and misled by the Fog of War, her figure reappeared still within the blast range, still covered by shock waves powerful enough to destroy a Demoness's body.
Albus controlled the power of the fireballs, ensuring the Fog of War was never dispersed, causing Celeste's Mirror Substitutions to shatter one after another.
Similarly, he also controlled the frequency of fireballs bombarding that small area of fog, not giving Celeste even a slight chance to recover and enter the mirror world.
Finally, Celeste's shadow froze. That beautiful and seductive body blackened and disintegrated, falling to the ground in the form of corpse fragments.
Plop, the black teardrop-shaped ornament she had been wearing on her brow fell onto a corpse.
Albus stopped maintaining the Fog of War and looked at the dead Celeste, laughing mockingly.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, my calmness just now was feigned. I needed to delay for five to six minutes to wait for 0-01 to resonate with my ancestor to the extreme, initially awaken, and break free from the constraints of the corpse mountain.
"Why were you in such a hurry? So hurried that you forgot direct eye contact with 0-01 would lead to corruption, and you were already corrupted to some extent.
"Remember, being too hasty or too slow are both major taboos in war."
While mocking the dead, Albus didn't go to pick up that black teardrop-shaped ornament which clearly possessed Beyonder power, fearing it might trigger corresponding negative effects and impact subsequent matters, especially since he was already considerably weakened.
At this point, his hands and feet had become powerless, running had become difficult, so he could only transform again into a blazing white, blue-tinged flame spear, flying back near 0-01.
He glanced at Julie's filthy blood slowly falling in mid-air, estimating it was only about 30-40 centimeters away from the target.
Albus then threw a blue fireball at it, burning that pool of filthy blood, causing it to slowly evaporate and dissipate without triggering any additional changes.
After closing his eyes to sense the frequency and amplitude of 0-01's shaking and trembling, Albus silently said to himself, It seems to be progressing faster than expected, two or three more minutes should be enough.
Heh heh, Celeste, I lied about one thing earlier. In the end, 0-01 still can't break free on its own, it needs me to help it with Medici family blood...
I didn't mock your corpse earlier because I had too much time, some words needed to be heard by Lumian Lee, to make him overlook the part where I lied...
Albus Medici then turned to look at the wasteland, at Lumian who had just completed a teleportation to change his position to avoid being locked onto, and said loudly with a laugh, "You're very alert. In such a pressing situation, you actually didn't follow that fool Celeste to observe the abnormalities of 0-01."
Lumian raised his hand to scratch his right ear, telling a lie that couldn't be more obvious, "Sorry, I was learning, I didn't hear your conversation just now. Alright, I admit, I was thinking Celeste would help me confirm the current situation of 0-01."
Albus looked at this guy and said thoughtfully, "You're very calm. Your physical combat ability should be almost depleted by now. As for me, with my ancestor sharing the burden, I can definitely hold out longer than you."
Lumian laughed, laughing with composure and confidence, exuding the brilliance of atop student. "Haven't you noticed that there are other abnormalities here?"
-x-X-x-
Other abnormalities? Albus's first reaction was that Lumian was imitating him, trying to trick him into looking at something he shouldn't.
He cautiously scanned the wasteland below the corpse mountain, only seeing undead soldiers fallen in different places and nearly extinguished colorless embers.
During this process, Albus also listened for any movements around him, but apart from the increasingly violent trembling and shaking of 0-01, he received no other information.
"Are you trying to delay time this way? I think this is more advantageous for me," Albus replied to Lumian with a smile.
The image of this competitor was reflected in his iron-black eyes as he quickly estimated the probability of launching a successful surprise attack in his mind.
He wanted to eliminate the last hidden danger before losing his close combat ability.
Lumian didn't give Albus this opportunity. Although his arms had weakened to the point where he could only pick up relatively light objects, and his legs were so weak he could barely walk, the accumulated spirituality he released was still quite abundant, enough to support him in completing many teleportations.
His figure disappeared from Albus's sight, then reappeared on the side of the corpse mountain.
Before Albus could find him, Lumian said with a smile, "It's understandable that you didn't notice other abnormalities here. After all, you don't seem to be someone who enjoys studying. And your ancestor, that Red Angel, although having a very thorough understanding of 0-01, the current 0-01 is no longer the same as before.
"From the Sealed Artifact information, I know that after your ancestor was killed by the Blood Emperor, 0-01 changed hands twice-once to Alista Tudor, and once to Death from the Southern Continent. Therefore, it has been corrupted by other, equally high-level corruptions."
Seeing Albus's gaze turn towards him, seemingly listening and discerning the truth of his words without immediate intention to launch an attack, Lumian stayed in place and continued, "Of course, your ancestor visited Fourth Epoch Trier and understood the various details of the corresponding seal. Morora's seal was modeled after Trier's, so you definitely wouldn't lack understanding of the situation here. But the seals on both sides are only mostly similar, with many details still having critical differences.
"The book 'Principles of Sealing' tells me that this is because 0-01 and its corruption are purer compared to Fourth Epoch Trier; it's less complex, can form fewer balances and constraints, and many characteristic issues are more prominent.
"If your ancestor were to come in person, take a turn in the underground mausoleum, no, just take a few glances, He would definitely understand what abnormality I'm talking about. But unfortunately, He can't descend to Morora, and probably can't see or hear directly through the seal using your eyes and ears. He can only give you power, help you share the damage, and listen to your reports periodically.
"Under these circumstances, heh heh, it's indeed understandable that you didn't notice other abnormalities here."
Albus Medici stared down at Lumian, listening to his narrative with a smile on his face, while pondering where the problem actually lay.
Rambling on and on about irrelevant things, it does seem like he's trying to buy time.
But buying time is more beneficial to me... The resonance between 0-01 and my ancestor is getting stronger and stronger. In two or three more minutes, I'll be able to approach and drip some Medici family blood...
His condition will only deteriorate faster than mine, the longer we delay, the weaker he'll become...
Is he waiting for reinforcements? But unless the Archbishop of the Church of Knowledge personally intervenes, there should be no one in Morora who can participate in this struggle, and those outside Morora can't come in... The Church of Knowledge currently appears quite neutral, at most with a slight inclination in secret, they won't directly get involved. Hehe, I need to be vigilant about this point, so-called scholars are more treacherous than us Hunters, the more knowledge they have, the more treacherous they become...
It's a pity, this trash can is very alert, he'll teleport away at the slightest sign of trouble, while I need to get close to release the Fog of War... No wonder my ancestor said that before Alista Tudor became a god, he found Bethel Abraham more troublesome...
Continuously feinting attacks, forcing him to use teleport repeatedly, draining his Spirituality? That's one way. If we really go on according to his pace, by the time his spirituality is insufficient to support teleport, I'll also be almost unable to complete the battle, even standing will be difficult, only able to rely on Fire Ravens-scatter shots-like a blind man shooting birds...
But if feints are to be convincing, they need to consume a lot of spirituality, and if they're not convincing, they can't bluff anyone...
Why does this dog shit-like pathogen target the physical body first, then affect the Spirit Body? If the rate of spirituality dissipation could be as fast as the loss of muscle strength, the problem would be simple. In that case, I wouldn't need to hold out for too long, just longer than this trash can.
As Albus's thoughts raced, Lumian smiled and said, "Do you need me to give you a hint?
"I don't know if you've seen the sealing information for 0-01, but you must be very familiar with the various taboos here. Haven't you noticed that two sections of the content, or rather, two of the taboos, hide problems?"
Two taboos hiding problems? Albus suddenly had a dangerous intuition, he began to believe that some of what Lumian said might be true.
Lumian said with a mocking tone, "Haven't figured it out yet? See, this is the consequence of not studying. I didn't notice it at first either, but after reading a large amount of related books and materials in Morora, I gradually developed doubts.
"Let me give you another hint. The first problematic taboo is that experimental subjects must cover their eyes and carry a lamp, and if the lamp goes out, that experimental personnel will directly disappear, and everyone who knows him will simultaneously believe that he died long ago."
"What's wrong with that? I've already had people verify the authenticity of this taboo. Hehe, it's only because there are many light sources here, otherwise we would have all disappeared by now," Albus quickly thought about the details he might have overlooked.
At this moment, Lumian's figure suddenly disappeared.
He teleported to change his position, appearing near the top of the corpse mountain, next to the Sword of Courage.
Taking advantage of the fact that he could still move the Traveler's Bag, he crouched down and slipped the bag he had been holding in advance over the Sword of Courage, returning it to its companions.
At this time, Albus, not expecting Lumian to appear so close to the top of the corpse mountain, was still searching for the target with his gaze across the wasteland.
By the time he reacted and condensed blue fireballs to bombard downwards, Lumian had already activated the black mark on his right shoulder and truly teleported to somewhere in the wasteland.
He risked picking up the Sword of Courage because he now realized that he might be the one facing its indiscriminate attacks later.
As the rumbling explosions just began to subside, Lumian's voice sounded again:
"Haven't you figured it out yet?
"After I arrived at the real corpse mountain, I actually doubted my guess and completely abandoned it, but the later results made me more certain, and allowed me to figure out more problems along the way."
Lumian spoke to Albus Medici from afar in the tone of a teacher, "The answer is, why must it be experimental subjects carrying lit lamps to enter, why not place burning wall lamps at intervals inside the underground mausoleum and replace the lamp oil regularly? Although this would consume more resources, it would be more convenient and safer. The Church of Knowledge's financial power couldn't possibly be unable to support such an arrangement.
"Is it to make the seal seem mysterious and terrifying? Obviously not, there are clearly deeper reasons."
Albus Medici's eyes flickered slightly, vaguely having some guesses.
He cast his gaze towards the embers scattered across the corpse mountain.
Lumian's figure disappeared again, appearing among Celeste's corpse fragments.
He then inverted the Traveler's Bag over the black teardrop-shaped forehead ornament, collecting it.
This time, Albus tracked Lumian's figure in time, but he didn't make a move, nor did he transform into a flame spear to throw himself over.
This was firstly because the other could teleport away at any time, and secondly because what Lumian was doing now was also beneficial to him.
Albus was almost certain that the forehead ornament was the "source" of the current mystical pathogen. After placing it in another space, the concentration of pathogens here would gradually decrease, preventing their conditions from rapidly deteriorating, allowing them to hold out longer.
After putting away the forehead ornament, Lumian immediately teleported to the wasteland on the other side of the corpse mountain, smiling at Albus.
"The second problematic taboo is 'Beyonders with strength surpassing Sequence 5 are forbidden from approaching. Warning, Beyonders with strength surpassing Sequence 5 are forbidden from approaching.'"
Albus immediately understood Lumian's line of thought and asked in a deep voice, "You mean there's no need to specifically emphasize that Beyonders above Sequence 5 cannot approach?
"Indeed, in reality, as long as they're not already corrupted experimental subjects or special people like us, whether they're above Sequence 5 or not, they shouldn't approach 0-01."
Lumian wanted to applaud, but even adjusting the Traveler's Bag was quite strenuous for him now.
He said with a tone that approved his educatability, "Yes, so why specifically emphasize that Beyonders above Sequence 5 cannot approach?
"Probably because when Beyonders above Sequence 5 approach 0-01, besides bringing danger to themselves, it would also trigger additional, more terrifying abnormalities. Therefore, it must be specially warned!
"Just now, the appearance of Hand Bro brought about an attack from 0-01, leaving embers all over this wasteland and corpse mountain. And from my observation, these embers will extinguish on their own.
"What does this indicate? It indicates that before we came in, this place was in darkness, without any firelight.
"Combining this with the first problematic taboo I mentioned, and with what the book 'Principles of Sealing' says about self-balance and self-sealing, the potential hidden danger becomes very clear."
Albus's expression changed slightly, obviously realizing what the possible abnormality might be.
Lumian once again changed his position using teleportation and continued, "That hidden danger is that there's a latent taboo:
"The underground mausoleum needs eternal, deathly darkness. It can occasionally have light, but there can't be continuous light in the same place. And when Beyonders above Sequence 5 with godhood approach, it instinctively causes 0-01 to burn this area, bringing embers that can last for a period of time."
At this point, Lumian's smile grew even brighter.
"Now, the embers have been burning for a while, and you're still continuously creating firelight.
"I'm very curious about what will happen next."
What will happen? Albus Medici's gaze instantly froze, his back suddenly tensing.
He knew where the problem lay now!
The frequency and amplitude of 0-01's trembling and shaking were more violent than he had anticipated, progressing faster!
At this moment, the entire sky suddenly took on the color of burning.
-x-X-x-
Inside Morora.
Two exiles who were dueling suddenly dropped their swords and clutched their necks with their hands.
Blood seeped through their fingers.
Nearby onlookers and pedestrians also experienced a stuttering effect, as if their heads were being grabbed by invisible hands and forcefully pulled upwards, causing the muscles in their necks to gradually tear.
In the endless graveyard near the Knowledge Cathedral, all the trees suddenly burst into bright red flames. The soil in the corresponding graves writhed as if something was trying to crawl out.
More and more clouds gathered in the sky, taking on the color of burning fire.
At the top of the corpse mountain.
Albus Medici's neck also stung with pain. He raised his hand with great difficulty and weakness, trying to press down on it.
He already understood what was happening. He didn't hastily turn his head to look directly at 0-01, as that would not only result in considerable corruption, but could also break his neck, causing his head to detach!
Albus slowly turned his body to face 0-01, but closed his eyes.
At the same time, he heard rustling and clanging sounds from the wasteland.
Lumian saw those undead soldiers in iron-black full body armor standing up one after another, the dark red or pale flames in their eye sockets clearly flickering.
The huge cloud vortex in the sky tinged with purple firelight was being torn apart and smoothed by an invisible force.
The abnormality had finally manifested.
Albus didn't hesitate. He immediately let his skin take on an iron-black hue, his entire body seeming to transform into a metal-cast puppet.
Keeping his eyes tightly shut, he approached 0-01 step by step.
During this process, his neck was noticeably stretched, causing the iron membrane that made up his skin to be torn into countless tiny metal threads.
Deep, chilling cut marks appeared on his iron-black flesh and bones, with bright red blood visibly oozing out.
In just a few seconds, Albus Medici walked to 0-01's side. He released his right palm that had been weakly pressing on his neck, letting it extend towards the charred flag, carrying his own blood.
As a fellow Hunter, Albus also had very strong spatial perception and positioning abilities. Moreover, 0-01's flag was violently shaking, fluttering loudly, with sounds entering Albus's ears, making it easy for him to determine the target's location.
Of course, if he directly touched 0-01's main body, the corruption would truly occur. This couldn't be avoided just by not looking. But Albus now had no other choice.
Just as he reached out towards that charred flag, Albus heard a "snap" sound- the sound of the iron skin on his metal neck being completely torn apart.
He immediately changed his form, transforming from an iron-black metal-cast puppet into a blue human-shaped flame.
This caused the blood on his palm to evaporate rapidly.
While guarding against a sudden attack from Lumian, Albus quickened his movements, continuously flicking the mostly evaporated bright red blood towards the front.
On the wasteland, Lumian was mingling among the undead soldiers, his palm both scorching hot and ice-cold.
He didn't dare to look towards 0-01, so he naturally didn't know Albus's current actions, but he could roughly guess that the other was making a final gamble.
It's useless, the situation has already spiraled out of your control... Lumian muttered, not moving to stop him.
He was more worried that if he really teleported next to Salinger's Blood Banner to stop Albus Medici from dripping blood on it, he might step into a trap set by the other.
Given the current situation, Albus could completely change his approach-since he couldn't achieve his intended goal, he might as well eliminate all competitors, making his side the more advantageous camp, and then use this to reorganize.
So, Albus was likely pretending to drip Medici family blood onto 0-01's flag, but actually trying to lure Lumian to stop him, thus seizing the opportunity to kill the last competitor.
At the top of the corpse mountain, the human-shaped flame that Albus had transformed into was severely stretched, with the upper and lower parts seeming about to separate.
At the same time, the flaming light he emitted dimmed considerably, like ordinary flames doused with a bucket of ice-cold fresh blood.
Plop, Albus heard the tiny sound of liquid hitting the flag.
After thousands of years, the Medici family's blood finally fell on 0-01's charred flag again.
However, there was no additional change.
This was also within Albus's expectations, after all, the degree of resonance had not yet reached its limit, and 0-01's awakening situation had significantly exceeded any threshold.
Albus's desperate attempt to leave blood on the charred flag was more about reserving a chess piece for the future, making some preparations.
The next second, Albus, existing in the form of a human-shaped flame, felt an intense pain between his eyebrows.
Some strange force extended from 0-01, seeming to want to assimilate him, turning him into its own flame.
Albus suddenly turned around, opened his eyes, and looked towards the wasteland.
He wanted to kill Lumian before being absorbed by 0-01, eliminating the last competitor!
That trash can actually managed to stay calm and didn't come to stop me from smearing blood on 0-01's surface... Amidst Albus's regret, Lumian's figure was "reflected" in his flaming eyes.
Lumian smiled at him, activated the black mark on his right shoulder, and disappeared from his spot.
Albus didn't hide his disappointment and regret, reverting to his human form.
His neck was already torn open, revealing white bones and blackened blood vessels.
He then activated the crystal necklace wrapped around his wrist, causing it to explode directly.
Bang bang bang, the consecutively exploding crystals formed a deep vortex in front of Albus, with a deep, dark world covered by a glass-like barrier at the bottom of the vortex-that special mirror world.
Under extremely urgent circumstances and unable to directly leave Morora, Albus Medici chose to jump into the dark vortex in front of him, falling towards that special mirror world.
At this moment, his neck was about to break, with his cervical vertebrae exposed.
He fell into that special mirror world, disappearing into the deep darkness.
The dark vortex next to 0-01 was immediately ignited by invisible, colorless flames and dissipated completely.
In midair, the blue flame that had lost Albus's maintenance quickly extinguished, with the remaining tiny bit of Julie's filthy blood continuing to fall, touching the charred flag.
All over Morora.
Nearly ten thousand heads dragging white, blood-stained spines flew in the sky, while their headless bodies ran wildly through the streets.
In the graveyard, countless skeletons crawled out from underground, with dark red or pale flames burning in their eye sockets.
Red "rainwater" that could ignite buildings and humans began to fall from the sky.
Inside the Knowledge Cathedral, Archbishop Heraberg of Morora, wearing a plain white robe trimmed with brass wire, stood in front of the open stained glass window, feeling the walls faintly showing signs of melting.
He sighed lightly and raised his palm.
...
In the underground mausoleum, on that anomalous wasteland.
Lumian teleported to the side of the corpse mountain.
Just as he was about to sit down against the corpses and skeletons, his legs already unable to support his body weight, he was suddenly pulled by an invisible force, slowly standing up again and walking towards the group of undead soldiers.
This required no effort from him-he had no strength to use anyway.
Lumian didn't resist or struggle, as if only his self-consciousness still belonged to him.
The burning pain and icy rotting sensation in his right palm kept him basically alert.
As long as my head isn't torn off my neck, everything else is fine... Lumian muttered to himself while listening to the knowledge narrated by the brass talisman, continuing to walk towards the gathering troops in the wasteland as 0-01's puppet with the help of the external force.
The current situation was basically consistent with his expectations.
If he had read even a little less earlier, his head and body would have already gone separate ways by now.
Knowledge is power, knowledge is wealth!
After about ten seconds, the sky suddenly dimmed, and darkness surged back into this area.
0-01 seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, with its trembling and shaking starting to calm down.
The flames in this area extinguished one after another, and the deathly silent, cold darkness once again ruled this place.
The Church of Knowledge has finally suppressed 0-01's disturbance. If it kept up a while longer, I'd really have become a puppet... Lumian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the darkness invade his body like an invisible, eerie, cold flow of water.
The Underworld Daoist mark on his right palm emitted an even stronger sense of decay than before, helping him resist this invasion.
Lumian teleported back to the position he had chosen earlier, weakly sitting down against the corpses and skeletons that made up the mountain.
He closed his eyes, focusing on listening to the knowledge transmitted from his ear plugs in this lightless, pure darkness.
...
In Trier, on the sacrificial square at the entrance of the third level of the underground catacombs.
After answering Jenna's question, that blurry and holy female figure disappeared from Jenna's sight, as if it was just part of an illusion.
Jenna shook her head, her gaze returning to reality, seeing Franca's concerned face.
"D-during my advancement, I seemed to sense Lady Krismona again, and even had a few words of dialogue with Her," Jenna carefully told her companion about her recent experience.
Hiss, do Angel-level high-rank beings truly not die? Franca asked curiously, "What did She say?"
Jenna suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "She said to reconcile with my mirror self, because we are originally one. Sh-She said Her father was... was that 'Blood Emperor'..."
"Huh?" Franca was both shocked and confused, "Why did She tell you this?"
Jenna felt even more embarrassed. "I asked, I asked without thinking..."
"Is it really the 'Blood Emperor'? Then it shouldn't be your hallucination. You couldn't have come up with such an answer even in a hallucination." Franca whispered, gradually getting excited.
"Dammit, what do you mean I couldn't have come up with it even in a hallucination? Well, indeed, who could have thought of that?" Jenna reflexively retorted.
Franca then clapped her hands together.
"That was a good question, a good question indeed! This information is extremely, extremely important!"
Her eyes sparkling, she said, "Lumian previously suspected that the special mirror world was created by the Blood Emperor Alista Tudor to deal with the Primordial Demoness, and the Tamara family might have played a very important role in this matter.
"Now it seems this guess needs to be abandoned. Perhaps that special mirror world was jointly created by the Blood Emperor Alista Tudor and the Primordial Demoness!
"Otherwise, how could a true god of the Hunter pathway without mirror magic create such a special mirror world?"
-x-X-x-
Jenna paused before responding, "True."
Initially, they believed the special mirror world was a result of the War of the Four Emperors, created in the aftermath of fierce battles among beings like the Primordial Demoness and the Blood Emperor. However, after Lumian explored the treasury of the Blue Avenger, he uncovered new information suggesting the special mirror world existed before the War of the Four Emperors. He speculated it was a tool crafted by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor to counter the Primordial Demoness and a means for resurrection.
Their greatest confusion at the time was why Alista Tudor, a true god of the Hunter pathway, could create such a uniquely bizarre mirror world. Did high-rank beings of the Apprentice pathway under Him participate?
Franca then remarked wistfully, "According to Lumian's theory and our experience, both Hunters and Demonesses bring calamity. Wouldn't a true god of the Hunter pathway combined with one from the Demoness pathway essentially epitomize the concept of disaster? No wonder Fourth Epoch Trier ended up the way it did...
"However, is it possible for true deities from neighboring pathways to cooperate amicably, instead of immediately succumbing to the urge to converge and battle for dominance?"
Jenna, puzzled by this question, pursed her lips in thought before asking, "Is there a way to control that urge to converge?"
"That's beyond my knowledge for now, at least until I come into contact with the corresponding mystical knowledge after becoming an Angel," Franca self-deprecatingly said, her thoughts wandering. "Perhaps the Primordial Demoness could, but definitely not the Blood Emperor. Given our understanding of the history of the Fourth Epoch, He was a violent, bloodthirsty madman. How could He control Himself unless someone helped Him? Who could that be?"
Jenna paused thoughtfully and then said, "The Tamara family..."
"Uh..." Franca's eyes lit up. "Right, the Tamara family at that time was primarily known for the Apprentice pathway. High-rank beings of the Apprentice pathway excel at sealing and controlling space, and could utilize the mirror world to a certain extent. Yes, this explains why the Tamara family was involved in the creation of the special mirror world."
One of the two Special Mirror World Fragments they held came from a tomb of the Tamara family.
Growing more excited, Franca said, "The Tamara family must have been the bridge between the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Demoness, carrying out a secret mission! And since they had long been exposed to the Demoness Sect, it makes sense that some of their members sided with them after the split.
"And, moreover, since Lady Krismona is a descendant of the Blood Emperor, then Her twin brother, the current Demoness of Gray, probably is too. The Apprentice lineage of the Tamara family has borne many humiliations over the past thousand years, willingly becoming women to continue serving the direct descendants of the Blood Emperor. Such loyalty, such loyalty!"
As she spoke, Franca mockingly wiped away a tear, moved by her own words.
Jenna, long accustomed to her companion's boundless digressions and jokes, raised her own question, "Could a Sequence 2 Apprentice pathway Angel from the Tamara family really seal the Blood Emperor's urge to converge?"
"If the Tamara family can't, what about Mr. Door?" Franca turned serious, pondering. "Lumian said He is the foremost noble of the Tudor Empire, and ranked behind Him, Amon, is a confirmed King of Angels. Then it's likely He is one too. A King of Angels of the Apprentice pathway might be able to temporarily seal the Blood Emperor's urge to converge, right? Was Mr. Door also involved in the matter of the special mirror world?"
"Possibly," Jenna agreed.
The normal mirror world was essentially an embodiment of the concept of "doors."
Franca's thoughts suddenly took a playful turn, chuckling softly. "There's also a possibility that the convergence behavior of the true deities of the Hunter and Demoness pathways differs from other pathways. First, they attract each other, dancing around each other, and only after reaching a certain climax do they start to devour each other, deciding the ultimate victor."
Jenna couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Franca was at it with her crude jokes again.
Of course, for Jenna, who had once frequented bars and dance halls in the market district, living as a Showy Diva for a long period, such coarse humor was hardly adult-only material.
Franca then composed herself. "I can now truly understand what the Demoness of Black meant. No wonder she asked me why I thought the Demoness Sect didn't control the special mirror world. She said it had been under the Primordial One's control until the end of the War of the Four Emperors.
"But she also believed that the special mirror world was initially created to combat the Primordial One, only later controlled by Her. Is she unaware of the secrets of those times and the Demoness of Gray's lineage, or is she just deceiving me, trying to mislead me? Or, did the Blood Emperor indeed initially want to combat the Primordial One, but She then took control of the nascent special mirror world, leading to Their cooperation?
"Or, was their cooperation aimed at combating something else?
"Ah, what was their purpose in creating such a special mirror world?"
Jenna shook her head honestly. "I don't know."
Franca thoughtfully stroked her ponytail.
"The Demoness of Black is both a descendant of the Primordial One and has the Tamara family's bloodline. She probably knows more about the special mirror world than I imagined."
Jenna hummed in response, rubbing her temples. "Either way, we need to report this information quickly."
Franca glanced at Jenna and cleared her throat. "You also need to go back and rest, adapting to the changes the potion has made to your body."
...
At the foot of the corpse mountain, Lumian sat with his eyes closed, his back against the piles of bodies and skeletons, intently listening to the monotonous voice emanating from the brass earplugs.
He was completing his studies.
He no longer needed to listen to all the remaining books; mastering this one would likely suffice. Yet, even so, it would still take over ten hours.
As time ticked away, Lumian's body grew weaker. Even with the support of the corpses and skeletons, he could no longer sit upright, relying solely on external forces to keep from collapsing.
His spirituality was evaporating faster, rendering him unable to use his teleportation ability anymore.
Fortunately, he had stowed away the artifact left by Celeste and the mystic pathogens had been dissipated completely by 0-01's activation; his condition hadn't worsened to the point where his heart was too weak to beat or his Spirit Body began to disintegrate, allowing him to barely keep at it.
After an indeterminate period, Lumian suddenly felt invigorated, his body regained strength, and his spirituality was replenished.
It was six in the morning based on Cordu time.
His body refreshed and free from illness, Lumian sat up straight and resumed the final part of his study.
Nearly 45 minutes later, he uttered an ancient Hermes word in a deep voice, "Stop!"
He felt he was on the brink of corruption and could not accumulate any more!
Just as the brass talisman finished transmitting the knowledge, Lumian's mind became hazy.
Vaguely, he "saw" the charred flag dotted with dangerous blood spots, surrounded by dense darkness, gently swaying.
Lumian also "saw" the ground covered in corpses, a vast army marching, the earth soaked in blood, countless severed arms and limbs...
A strong smell of blood and rust pierced his nose, as if coming from himself.
Lumian felt a certain call, not just from the charred flag but also from the dense darkness enveloping it.
The burning heat and icy cold in the palm of his right hand became more distinct.
They originated from the residual aura of the Blood Emperor and the seal left by the Underworld Daoist.
At that moment, Lumian suddenly realized another, deeper purpose of the Aurora Order's arrangement of the Dream Festival: With the Underworld Daoist's seal, I truly share a mystical similarity with 0-01...
0-01 once belonged to Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, then fell under the control of Death and suffered the corruption of the Death pathway's powers, which were also utilized by the Church of Knowledge to seal 0-01 itself. And now, I carry the residual aura of the Blood Emperor and the seal left by the Underworld Daoist, bearing powers of the Death, Evernight, and Warrior pathways...
With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Lumian combined the knowledge he had learned with the behavior of Albus and Julie, and amidst the strange and dangerous summons, he stood up and teleported to the top of the corpse mountain.
He didn't open his eyes. In the deathly silent, icy darkness, he couldn't see anything even if he did.
But as he drew closer, a sharp pain developed between Lumian's eyebrows, and his blood-or something else-seemed to want to burst through his pores and flesh.
Lumian didn't resist, enduring the pain.
Finally, a droplet, resembling blood, tore through his forehead and flew towards where 0-01 was located.
With a plop, the residual aura of the Blood Emperor inside Lumian suddenly boiled over, turning into a raging river of flames that ravaged between his Spirit Body, organs, and flesh.
The icy, rotting sensation in his palm intensified, preventing this river of flame from carrying away all his flesh and breaking the seal.
Lumian soon suffered so intensely he nearly lost consciousness; only when the residual aura of the Blood Emperor gradually subsided did he slowly regain his thoughts.
He let out a long breath and whispered to himself, I should be the proxy for 0-01 now...
If it weren't for the Underworld Daoist seal, I would definitely have become another Wanak, no, not another Wanak, but Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, who would have used my body to return.
Lumian didn't dare to linger near 0-01, afraid that the Sealed Artifact might detect a flaw in its new proxy, a defect with a will of his own that still persisted.
And Lumian knew that with his current status and power, it was impossible to take 0-01 out of Morora; even if the Church of Knowledge agreed to let him do so, it would only lead to his own destruction.
Leaving a mark and becoming a proxy is enough to complete this task.
Unfortunately, 0-01 is tightly sealed, and a proxy's special abilities can only be fully manifested in Morora... Lumian muttered a few words and teleported back to the wasteland.
He immediately sensed a team of undead soldiers and iron puppets patrolling silently in the darkness, seemingly eternal in their movements.
Suddenly, Lumian felt a stir in his heart.
The connection between contractors told him that the leader was the Abscessed Hand!
This mysterious being had regrown bones and flesh after being subjected to the bombardment of divine descent, but it seemed to have been conquered by 0-01, becoming its guard.
Is Hand Bro's unique trait being indestructible? Lumian turned his body, letting the Abscessed Hand and its puppets pass by.
Unexpectedly, the Abscessed Hand stopped in front of Lumian and uttered in a low voice, "Omebella..."
-x-X-x-
"Omebella…"
Hearing the voice of the Abscessed Hand and the name it shouted, a chill ran up Lumian's spine, making his hair stand on end and cold sweat break out.
He didn't know when the Abscessed Hand had regrown bones and flesh from the ashes, returning to its original form, but he was prepared for any abnormalities when it passed by him, given the contract stemming from the Inevitability pathway's powers between them.
Lumian wasn't overly worried; they were "colleagues" now, and the situation shouldn't turn dangerous. What he didn't expect was that the Abscessed Hand would call out "Omebella."
It was like a horror story!
For a moment, Lumian couldn't help but wonder if he had already been subtly eroded by the Great Mother's Child of God, Omebella, to the extent that he was gradually being replaced.
Standing in the pure darkness, the unseen Abscessed Hand paused for a few seconds, then continued moving forward with the group of iron puppets and undead soldiers, marching mechanically.
Only then did Lumian snap back to reality, pondering the reason for what had just happened.
According to Ludwig, some beings created directly by the Great Mother or granted her boon, lacking necessary intelligence, can sense the trace of Omebella's bloodline in me and regard me as the Great Mother's Child of God…
Hand Bro was first revived and interrupted by divine descent, then controlled by 0-01, becoming its puppet. The feminine transformation trend seemed to have stopped, meaning it hasn't fully revived and lost its self-awareness, truly lacking necessary intelligence.
Was it directly created by the Great Mother, or did it receive Her boon? The corruption turning it into a woman and pushing it to the limit of beauty likely originated from the Great Mother…
That does seem plausible. Even a single drop of blood can regrow a complete body, evoking a sense of rebirth…
But something's off. By this logic, the Abscessed Hand should call me an Honorable Child of God and show some subservience. Heh heh, to directly call the Child of God's name is blasphemy!
Lumian grumbled to himself, growing more puzzled.
Also, if Omebella itself is a title, the Abscessed Hand should only know I'm a Child of God, not a specific name. The Great Mother likely has multiple Children of God, perhaps continuously created. How could the unwise Hand Bro distinguish who is who and what their name is…
Unless, Omebella is the most special Child of God, or Hand Bro knew Omebella—the Giant Queen—in its previous life?
Lumian raised his right hand, rubbing his chin, thinking he should quickly report this to Madam Magician after leaving and see if they could uncover the Abscessed Hand's original identity. Perhaps the ancient records in the New City of Silver contained some clues.
After a few seconds, Lumian vanished from the spot, teleporting back near the top of the corpse mountain.
Distracted by the Abscessed Hand incident, he remembered he still had spoils to collect.
That was the Beyonder characteristic of the Demoness of Affliction from Celeste, which could later be used by Jenna.
As for Julie's characteristic, after the divine descent and filthy blood incident, Lumian had no idea where it was.
In the deathly silent darkness, Lumian stored the shapeless Demoness of Affliction Beyonder characteristic in his Traveler's Bag.
He even placed two chunks of Celeste's corpse inside.
Maybe they can be used as supplementary ingredients. If not, I can give them to Ludwig. With me as godfather away for so long; I should bring him a gift. But will he consider this dirty… Lumian mumbled and teleported to the edge of the wasteland, leaving the area steeped in deathly darkness.
As 0-01's proxy, he quickly and smoothly exited the underground mausoleum, returning to the entrance area.
Lumian then opened his eyes, seeing the blue sky.
At that moment, the morning sun was bright but not harsh, the air fresh and carrying a slight burnt scent after the rain.
Having spent over ten hours in the eternal darkness of the underground tomb, Lumian felt as if a lifetime had passed.
Then, he saw numerous heads, each trailing a bloodstained, pale spine, hovering in the air.
They were countless, thousands, all staring at the entrance of the tomb, at Lumian.
Among them were faces Lumian recognized, regulars at the Carnivore bar.
The aftermath of 0-01's activation?
There must be thousands, if not tens of thousands…
Is this a form of sacrifice?
Red Priest…
Thoughts flashing through his mind, Lumian raised his hands.
His forehead became hot, with a slight prickling pain.
Ooo!
A violent gale suddenly blew, scattering the thousands of heads with trailing spines back into the city.
The flying heads seemed to sense Lumian's will, drifting with the wind, and landed back on their headless bodies.
So this is the special power of a proxy? Unfortunately, it can only be used in Morora… Lumian lowered his hands, feeling regretful, and walked out of the cemetery.
At the cemetery gate, an exile was twisting his own returned head back in place.
Crack!
His head turned from facing his spine back to the front.
Seeing Lumian watching him, he smiled and spoke normally, "Today's… weather… is really nice…"
"Yeah," Lumian responded with a relaxed smile.
He teleported directly to the Carnivore bar, appearing at the door of Julie's room.
The corpse of Lez was gone from the bed, along with Julie's collections.
The enforcers have been here… Did they bury Lez's body in the cemetery? Lumian mused and vanished from the spot.
This time, he appeared at the door of the Knowledge Cathedral.
He walked inside, up to Heraberg in his plain white robe with brass threads, and smiling, took out the books he had borrowed from the Traveler's Bag.
"Archbishop, I've finished them all."
As he spoke, Lumian felt Heraberg looked slightly older.
"Finished them all, really?" Heraberg asked with a smile.
Lumian made a sound and honestly replied, "There are two books I didn't listen to, but I can't continue anymore."
Heraberg nodded approvingly. "If you know, you know. If you don't know, you don't know; there's no need to pretend."
As he took the books, he said, "There's indeed no need to read these anymore. I must remind you, these books are infected with a plague, as are the other items in your bag. You need to handle them properly, burn or purify them to prevent the plague from spreading."
"Celeste's Grade 1 Sealed Artifact is so potent? It continues to produce a Plague even inside the Traveler's Bag…" Lumian said sincerely, "I'll be careful. Thank you, Archbishop. Archbishop, how do I seal an object that spreads a deadly plague?"
Heraberg looked at Lumian for a few seconds, then laughed.
He pointed to another brass bookshelf. "That one, that one, and that one, take a look and learn."
Indeed, teachers never give direct answers… Lumian didn't resist continuing his studies. He pulled out the books and placed them in his Traveler's Bag.
Then he smiled and asked, "Your Grace, what should I do to leave Morora?"
The white-haired Heraberg said meaningfully, "No one has ever forbidden the residents here from leaving Morora, they simply don't want to leave."
Lumian was momentarily stunned, then asked with sudden realization, "Leave the way you came?"
Heraberg showed a look of approval, then pointed to Lumian's clothes. "Do you want a change of clothes?"
Lumian looked down and saw his clothes, pants, and shoes had become tattered from the previous intense battle.
He was about to take out spare clothes from the Traveler's Bag but remembered they were also infected with the mystical plague.
Heraberg pointed to a room near the stairs.
"There are clothes you can change into."
"Thank you, Your Grace." Lumian sighed in relief and quickly entered the room, finding several plain white robes with brass threads hanging inside.
These were the vestments of the Church of Knowledge clergy.
Lumian glanced back thoughtfully at Heraberg, who had resumed reading, and swiftly changed into a robe that fit his size.
He then opened the cathedral's heavy, ajar wooden door and descended the stone steps layer by layer, deep into the underground.
The passageway hadn't changed since he came; the glowing gems embedded in the walls still provided some illumination.
That indescribable terrifying sound echoed in Lumian's ears again.
Lumian walked at a steady pace towards the exit. As 0-01's proxy, the more he walked, the more he felt this might indeed be a long esophagus.
What kind of creature would have such an esophagus? Lumian pondered but couldn't find an answer.
Alert to this possibility, he neither transformed into a flaming spear nor teleported, instead walking obediently for several hours until he reached the double bronze doors.
He extended his hands and pulled, making the door emit a heavy sound as it slowly opened.
Outside, no one was guarding it.
Lumian sneered silently and stepped out.
He didn't forget to close the door behind him.
Wearing the plain white robe with brass threads, he walked back, feeling unseen, unknown gazes upon him.
Reaching the prison where he had been held, Lumian activated the black mark on his right shoulder.
He chose to teleport back to Trier, to the apartment he rented.
His body and spirit were in decent shape, but he felt a strong sense of fatigue, wanting to rest.
Just as his figure materialized, he saw Ludwig enjoying afternoon tea.
Ludwig looked up and froze.
Clang!
The silver fork in the boy's hand fell onto the dessert plate.
-x-X-x-
Seeing the genuine fear in Ludwig's eyes, Lumian looked down at himself and noticed the plain white robe with brass threads he was wearing.
He laughed and reassured his godson, "Don't be afraid. There's no exam, and no study."
Ludwig's eyes lit up, and his expression gradually relaxed.
For a moment, he had feared that his godfather had joined the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, thinking the sky was falling.
Lumian glanced at Lugano, who had hurriedly stood up. He took the former Carnivore bar owner's stomach from the Traveler's Bag and tossed it to Ludwig.
"This is a gift for you."
Having completed his journey to Morora, Lumian was no longer bound by his promises and could now obtain godhood. He decided to accelerate the formation of his hunter team, with Ludwig being the most important member.
Taming this sealed Angel involved granting favors.
Ludwig's expression turned ecstatic, as if he had just ascended from the abyss to heaven.
He eagerly prepared to devour the stomach of the Depriver on the spot.
Lumian rubbed his temples and cautioned, "That's infected with a mystical pathogen. You'd better handle it properly to prevent the disease from spreading."
"A mystical pathogen..." Lugano exclaimed, instinctively distancing himself from Ludwig.
As a professional Doctor, Lugano activated his Spirit Vision, focusing on the stomach for two seconds before confirming the presence of the disease.
Ludwig took a bite at the stomach's pylorus and mumbled, "Once it's in my stomach, the plague won't spread."
"And what about you?" Lumian asked, amused.
"At most, I'll have an upset stomach for a while," Ludwig answered nonchalantly.
Should I skip purifying the food in my Traveler's Bag? Since it wouldn't hurt you...
Lumian mumbled and turned toward his bedroom.
After taking a few more bites, Ludwig lifted his head and hesitantly said, "Thank you. Thank you, godfather."
Lumian smiled, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad. Your manners have improved a lot."
Ludwig shivered suddenly.
His godfather's tone and expression now resembled those of his most feared people-his teachers!
Lumian said nothing more, heading to his bedroom. He spread out a letter paper and wrote down the key points of his journey to Morora, detailing the problems he had encountered.
Then he summoned the "doll" messenger, handing over the letter along with the Traveler's Bag.
The "doll" messenger disdainfully picked up the Traveler's Bag with two fingers, complaining, "Don't put everything in here! It's too dirty! It's too dirty! It's a trash can now!"
Lumian smiled sheepishly. "I had no other choice."
I can't carry those Sealed Artifacts directly, right?
Their negative effects combined could kill me instantly.
After sending off the "doll" messenger, Lumian collapsed onto his bed without cleaning up the makeshift altar on his desk. He closed his eyes, letting his body relax.
In Morora, he had stayed up late reading and couldn't sleep soundly with a mad Demoness living next door and other enemies possibly ambushing him at any moment, keeping his mind on high alert.
Now, he finally felt a long-lost sense of safety.
Lumian quickly fell into a deep sleep. When he woke, it was already six in the morning of a new day.
Ah, refreshing and comfortable. Lumian sat up, stretched, and saw his Traveler's Bag and a letter on his desk.
"The messenger came without me awakening... This means I trust her quite a bit..." Lumian muttered as he walked to his desk and drew the curtains.
In the morning light, he sat down and read Madam Magician's reply: "For now, leaving a mark to become a proxy is enough. Other matters can be dealt with later. In short, regarding 0-01, you've at least gotten ahead of the Demoness Sect and the Red Angel.
"However, no matter how beneficial something seems, it always has its drawbacks. This means you've officially stepped onto the stage vying for the Red Priest position. You will face more attention and danger. Previously, the Demoness Sect might have seen you as a potential ally, and the Red Angel might have considered using you. Now, eliminating you to vacate the proxy position will be a practical option for them.
"You should also remind Two of Cups to be cautious to avoid being exploited by the Demoness Sect.
"Of course, since both the Demoness Sect and the Red Angel have gained something from this, each leaving a bit of blood on 0-01, their immediate urgency to target you is not very high.
"Regarding the Abscessed Hand, due to significant catastrophes in the Fourth, Third, and Second Epochs, many folklore and legends have not survived. The high-level corruption from the Great Mother on the Abscessed Hand prevents us from direct divination, requiring indirect methods, making it hard to obtain the most effective information. We haven't determined when the related legends first appeared but can confirm their existence at the beginning of the Fifth Epoch.
"From your description of its appearance and state, we reasonably suspect that the Abscessed Hand was a Vampire of Angel rank before its death. According to information from the Sanguine, one of the three dukes, an ancient being born in the Second Epoch, Round Moon Duke Olmer, has no memory of such a kin.
"Note that a Sequence 2 Angel is equivalent to a duke among the Sanguine. Even in the long history of the Sanguine, the number of dukes is very limited, and it's impossible for them not to recognize or remember each other.
"The New City of Silver is currently searching through historical texts related to Omebella for possible clues. I will inform you if they find anything."
Hand Bro isn't a Sanguine. No wonder Madam Magician calls him a vampire.
High-level beings of the Moon pathway are not equivalent to the Sanguine, just like the followers of the Primordial Moon in the Rose School of Thought are not considered Sanguine but are referred to as Artificial Vampires or something...
Lumian leaned back in his chair and continued reading.
"You can also try to get information from the Aurora Order. The secrets the one they believe in holds are among the top even among true gods.
"According to my divination, Albus Medici is still alive. His ancestor, the Red Angel, reached some sort of tacit agreement with someone or something in the special mirror world after entering Fourth Epoch Trier through the Hostel plan. This had significantly reduced the danger for Albus to escape from Morora through the special mirror world.
"No need for regrets. This is good news. At least we know the Red Angel might be cooperating with powerful beings in the special mirror world.
"The Grade 1 Sealed Artifact is called Black Tear, created from the tear of a Demoness of Despair after her death, fusing with her Beyonder characteristics.
"Black Tear continuously produces the mystical pathogen that infected you, spreading it around without stopping.
"Wearing Black Tear significantly enhances your charm, with a slight feminine touch, but it won't change your gender.
"Black Tear can help you master some mirror magic, including passing messages through the mirror world, Mirror Traversal, and mirror illusions.
"It also makes your Cull more lethal, allowing you to infuse all your power into a single Cull.
"In places with a special mirror world, Black Tear can help you utilize its special characteristics and power.
"Those were the effects. The negative effects are:
"The wearer also gets infected with the mystical pathogen, with Demonesses of Affliction being less affected and more resistant;
"The wearer experiences intermittent Pleasure, every 45 to 90 seconds;
"Even just carrying it makes you more emotional, more easily moved, and persuaded;
"Having Black Tear also increases the likelihood of unwanted romantic encounters, based on the curse from the Demoness of Despair before her death."
Reading this, Lumian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
This Sealed Artifact seems more suitable for a forbidden book like Monks Chasing Dogs.
Pleasure every 45 to 90 seconds is a major problem in battle!
Franca can't use it either, unless it's a quick fight. The mystical plague takes time.
For now, I can only treat it as an unlimited Mirror Cufflink, using it briefly and then sealing it... Lumian pondered and continued reading Madam Magician's sealing methods.
"The most versatile solution is to find a Sealed Artifact of the Sun pathway that continuously purifies the surrounding area, placing it with Black Tear. How to mitigate the Sun pathway Sealed Artifact's negative effects is another matter.
"The simplest but most demanding solution is to place Black Tear in a mirror, confining the pathogen to the area behind the mirror. Don't worry, the Plague can't travel through the mirror. The issue is that without other items to interact with the mirror world, you can't retrieve Black Tear. If the mirror sealing it breaks, Black Tear will be lost in the mirror world, wandering who knows where.
"The custom solution is that I've isolated a separate space in your Traveler's Bag. Regularly throw in a flame that can burn for over half an hour to incinerate the mystical pathogen.
"I've also purified the other items in your Traveler's Bag. No need to worry about infection."
Lumian finished reading the letter and exhaled deeply.
This is the benefit of the Tarot Club!
After burning the letter, he checked the Traveler's Bag, confirming that Celeste's Demoness of Affliction Beyonder characteristic was a beautiful eye, stored with the corpse chunks in the isolated space with Black Tear. To use it later, he would need to purify or "disinfect" it first.
Hanging the Traveler's Bag, Lumian walked to the full-length mirror in the room.