Facing the mockery of the woman hidden in the black fog, the "Blood Grand Duke" known as Earl von Nois showed no fluctuation of emotion. As a cold, keen, and cunning "Devil," he was the very model of a high-intelligence being. How could he possibly be provoked by mere words? On the contrary, he sensed the other party's bluff.
Thus, after narrowing his eyes, he smiled elegantly and said, "So, you are not at your peak. You should have only recovered to the level of Sequence 3! Let me guess what gives you confidence. Is it this black mist? It feels somewhat dangerous to me, probably a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact… With your current strength, how long can you control it?"
As a former "Devil," Earl von Nois instinctively tried to influence the opponent with words, gradually lowering Leticia's ability to think clearly, making her careless and prone to mistakes...
But the woman within the fog merely watched his performance quietly, even making a sarcastic remark. "Do me a favor and remove your 'Devilization' while trying to appear elegant. Otherwise, you'll only seem more nauseating."
Seeing Leticia completely unaffected by his abilities, though he had half-expected it, the "Blood Grand Duke" Earl still found the situation troublesome. Surrounded by black fog, he had lost all sense of the outside world and had no idea what had become of that sea monster.
Thinking of the Mother Tree's mission, his expression twisted into ferocity. He raised his hand and unleashed a "Blade of Terror" toward the woman hidden in the mist.
Since the "Heart Devil" had no effect, then he would let her experience the true power of the angelic "Body Devil"!
Yet the woman within the mist remained unflustered. Her fair palm thrust forward as she proclaimed in ancient Hermes, "Balance!"
The moment the word fell, she felt her physique, her recovery ability, and her sensory perception all rapidly rise, reaching parity with the "Blood Grand Duke" within seconds.
She then drew a longsword, struck aside the "Blade of Terror," and, smiling, charged at Earl von Nois. "Let me see if your swordsmanship has improved at all over these millennia!"
.....
Meanwhile, on the sea surface near the small island, a terrifying, dread-inducing figure suddenly emerged from the void.
Its mere presence made Ebner's true body, hiding in a cave at the seabed, feel stabbing pain in his spirit. Only by reopening the "Pure White Eye" did he ease it somewhat.
Yet the fish, shells, and even sea plants around the cave were all infected by that aura, mutating into all manner of grotesque monsters...
It was the descent of the true body of the Rose School angel, "King of Curses" Barranca!
But just as his tumor-covered, organ-laden arms began to enter reality, an ethereal female voice echoed at the perfect moment. "Mystery reappears, source of peach blossoms!"
In an instant, a barrier cut off from the outside world and difficult to pierce blocked Barranca's step into reality. The one who had released the fairy tale magic, Lady Yaloran, immediately dissolved her body into streams of knowledge, transforming into a pure creature of information flow. She lunged forward and pushed Barranca back into the spirit world.
— Curses had no effect on information.
.....
Dozens of miles away from the ritual island, above the sea, Reinette Tinekerr, in her intricate black dress and holding four heads, was fighting side by side with Mr. Azik, dressed in a black long coat with bronze skin. Together they blocked a revolting monster covered in pustules.
Hideous though it looked, that monster was the Sequence 2 "Life-Giver" of the "Moon" pathway. It continuously created nauseating creatures, intending to bog down Reinette and Azik while it rushed to the island where the Mother Tree's mission was unfolding.
But its plan clearly failed. Though not in peak condition, the two angels were not foes that mere numbers could restrain.
One of the heads carried by Reinette Tinekerr opened its mouth in a silent scream. Instantly, the monster's creations froze and then strangled themselves, twisting their own heads off.
Azik was even more at ease. While he kept his eyes locked on the "Life-Giver," towering skeletons kept emerging around him, each nearly four meters tall, their eye sockets burning with black flames. There were more than a hundred of them!
Without waiting for his command, the hundreds of pairs of black flame-lit eyes simultaneously fixed on the created monsters. The two sides immediately clashed.
Seeing its strategy fail, the "Life-Giver's" scant rationality was drowned in fury. It was about to transform into its Mythical Creature form to crush the two detestable foes before it.
But at that very moment, the "Full Moon" that had accompanied it since its arrival suddenly vanished without a trace. Its strength plummeted, and worse, a new restriction emerged: without a full moon, it could not transform into its Mythical Creature form...
This shift in Authority clearly came from the apex of its pathway!
"Night! Lilith!" the monster roared, its voice filled with hate.
Both Reinette and Azik were experienced angels. At once, they noticed the enemy's predicament and shifted from defense to offense, pressing the "Life-Giver" into disadvantage.
.....
While the angels fought, a massive melee broke out on the other side of the island.
Cullen and his mother, Lady Helen, joined forces with Closfia in her dragon form, together blocking the four demigods of the "Rose School," led by the "Silent One" Mahmosi and the "Shaman King" Klarman, preventing them from advancing closer to the island.
The three "Devils" of the Nois family were barely held back by Ebner's "Magic Mirror," the temporarily teleported "Black Knight" Selo, and the external support of Klein's "Sea God Scepter," but they would not be restrained for long...
Fortunately, the "Lady of Greed" still lurked in the shadows, ready to provide aid at any moment, which allowed Ebner some measure of relief.
Good thing the Nois family still has Andrelade as a nemesis. They can't spare too many people right now… And the Rose School has extensive holdings in the Southern Continent. It's impossible for them to truly send everyone here. Otherwise, I could only pray for the Goddess to descend…
Ebner sighed inwardly, holding off on acting personally for now.
Though he possessed a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact of the "Lawyer" pathway, "Tudor's Mutated Emblem," it would be of little use in this demigod battlefield. It was better for him to remain in the cave and play a supporting role.
After all, while he retained a few means of harming demigods, he himself was fragile. Once the "Goddess of Beauty's Blessing" was expended, he would not necessarily die—he still had one "Miracle"—but suffering grievous injuries was very likely.
Thinking this, and seeing the demigod battlefield locked in stalemate, Ebner shifted most of his attention to his avatar, hoping he could end the fight with the sea monster quickly and thus finish this war.
.....
Within the mental world of the sea monster "Segust," Ebner, relying on his rich experience, easily dismantled scene after scene, advancing from the outskirts of its mind-island toward the core.
The closer he came to the center, the more clearly he perceived the sea monster's "corruption."
Indulging desires, toying with minds, cursing others, stirring malice… Tricks emerged endlessly, both to hinder and assimilate intruders and to mirror the state of its heart!
The erosion of the Tenebrous World… This sea monster is beyond saving… How can it still be called a "Reader"? When knowledge has become a tool for "desire" and "manipulation," the power it embodies has already been corrupted… You haven't studied or taught new knowledge in a long time, have you? I see… you've already lost control long ago. Now you're barely keeping sane by leaning on the mark of the Tenebrous World. No wonder you didn't resist when the Delien family used you to contact the Tenebrous World… because that was exactly what you wanted! But it's nothing but drinking poison to quench thirst…
As soon as his words fell, a furious scream echoed in his ears.
Perhaps his words had pierced the other's heart, or perhaps he had already peeled away too many layers of its psychic defenses. In any case, the mythical city appeared before Ebner once more, with the palace in its center shrouded in shadow.
Without hesitation, Ebner made his Marionettist avatar assume the form of a dragon, unleashing a breath upon the palace.
Earlier, due to the sea monster's special condition, Ebner had been cautious. Not understanding its mind well, and wary of giving the Tenebrous World an opening, he had painstakingly dismantled its protective scenes one by one.
But now that he faced the very core of its mental island, as a "Spectator" demigod, this was his battlefield. Even if the shadow appeared unusual, with "Uncharted Domain" backing him, Ebner was confident enough.
So, he chose the most direct method.
As a nearly invisible breath of transparency descended, the shadow that coiled around the palace immediately stirred in reaction. While resisting the breath, it extended back toward the dragon, trying to seize control of Ebner's avatar's mind.
But having dismantled the earlier layers, Ebner already understood this shadow's essence. It was only a projection: faint traces from the sea monster's brand, plus the sacrificial ritual's shallow projection of the Tenebrous World itself, tenuously linking to its sealed body on the Western Continent.
Though high in nature, it was greatly constrained.
It might have been irresistible to ordinary Beyonders, but against Owen under the secret art's control, it had found its nemesis.
This semi-finished secret art, refined by generations of transmigrators, essentially used the "Uncharted Domain's" pollution, combined with Shepherd and Marionettist abilities, to latch onto the subject's miraculous resurrection process. A patched-together experiment, yes, but it had worked well enough so far.
Its core was "pollution," pollution of the "Uncharted Domain"!
Even though this pollution had no root and could not truly connect to the Uncharted Domain, it still was not something that a sliver of Tenebrous World's shadow power could easily taint.
Thus, a ring of golden light formed around the dragon, entwining with the shadows, both locked in a stalemate.
Ebner did not sit idly by. He swelled his maw once more, readying another breath for the palace.
His goal was clear: destroy the sea monster's mind. Its death would strip the shadows of their host.
But just as he was about to exhale, a brown light suddenly shot from his body and plunged into the shadows wrestling with the gold.
Unprepared, the shadow swelled, and from its formless mass sprouted a brown branch!
The branch was quickly suppressed back into shadow, but almost immediately, a withered twig broke out from another side.
Again and again this happened, until finally the shadow violently expelled the brown light and fled the sea monster's mind. But the brown light clung to it relentlessly in pursuit.
The sudden development left Ebner gaping, forgetting even to close his dragon jaws after exhaling his breath.
When he collected himself, his thoughts spun swiftly, and he understood what had transpired.
That brown light was the Sealed Artifact "Testimony of the Lost Mind" Owen used to control Katarina… It was actually the hidden move of the Mother Tree of Desire… and I never noticed! I've been tricked… The Mother Tree of Desire didn't want to stop me from destroying the Deep Sea Festival ritual. It had already calculated everything, only waiting for my "Unknown" and the shadow to clash, so it could strike from the dark and pollute the Tenebrous World! The angels and demigods of the Rose School and the Nois family outside… they were bait. They were unwitting "actors." They were merely props to earn my trust!
(End of this chapter)