Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Chapter 1151: Buying Time



At the deep, terrifying cracks in the astral barrier, grayish-white fog suddenly began to spread.

The fog quickly obscured the fissures, rendering them invisible and untouchable.

It was as if they no longer existed.

As a result, the astral barrier stabilized.

The Lord of Mysteries-where truth becomes falsehood, and falsehood becomes truth!

This time, the Outer Deities beyond the barrier did not retreat. Instead, They intensified Their oppression. Their brilliance grew brighter than before, especially the golden star, which rapidly expanded, first transforming into a blazing star with countless flames leaping from it, then into a genuine sun. It erupted with light that illuminated the entire astral world, revealing colossal, shadowy entities cloaked in darkness and terrifying forms shrouded by storms.

Once again, the astral barrier emitted a cracking sound that transitioned from abstract to real.

Lord of Mysteries Klein raised his hand to adjust the silk half-top hat on his head. His body dissolved into a dark vortex bristling with slick tentacles, which then merged into the invisible barrier.

Clang!

An ancient bell tolling across eras reverberated throughout the astral world and the spirit world that spanned the universe. The eight differently colored stars froze in place, and their exploding light fractured into countless cones.

The astral barrier was thoroughly stabilized.

Klein then turned his gaze toward the earth.

In the World of Ruins, except for the few areas under protection and some distant regions in the Western Continent, the Spirit Body Threads of all other living beings suddenly floated skyward, ascending into the astral world.

These included clawed bird-like infant monstrosities, oak giants, herds of deer, and various animals, as well as creatures mutated into the Brood Hive's followers. The countless beings- numbering in the tens or hundreds of billions-shuddered and turned their bodies to gaze uniformly at the massive, stationary blood-red moon hanging in the air.

The next second, these innumerable creatures writhed and transformed. Each one instantly morphed into a version of Klein Moretti, complete with a silk half-top hat and black trench coat.

Countless Klein Morettis surged toward the massive, blood-red, perfectly round moon from the sky, land, sea, and all directions.

Near the dense fog surrounding the Western Continent, Omebella, who had grown into a young girl over less than a year and now stood five or six meters tall, burned with black flames that emanated destruction. Her eyes were vacant as She watched each Klein Moretti pass by.

Her body had already fragmented substantially, and Her soul was near complete dissolution. All that remained was Her confusion and sorrow.

She couldn't understand why Her mother wanted to kill Her.

At last, Omebella's remaining consciousness, spirit, spirituality, and shattered body were devoured by the Fire of Destruction, rapidly turning to ash.

With Her complete death, the mountain-like, nest-like protrusion on the surface of the blood-red moon let out a wail filled with hatred and resentment: "Child! My child!" The struggle intensified.

As the Klein Morettis approached the densely concentrated world of the blood-red moonlight, they began to undergo transformations.

Some withered rapidly, others' bellies swelled as their flesh and blood concentrated into offspring that were not marionettes. Others gained new life and consciousness, ceasing to be mere puppets and starting to resist the Marionettist controlling them.

The Klein Morettis turned on each other, engaging in fierce battles. Yet whether it was the marionettes' offspring or those reborn, they soon became toys in the hands of the

Marionettist, entering a new cycle.

Many marionettes attempted to use various abilities, but the majority of these powers betrayed their original owners, instead destroying them.

The situation reached a stalemate as numerous inexplicable phenomena unfolded in the region.

The true body of Klein, unable to leave the astral barrier, never expected to defeat or seriously wound the Mother Goddess of Depravity using marionettes or parasitic methods. He simply aimed to scatter Her focus, forcing Her to divert significant attention to fend off the relentless, unending assaults. His true goal was to delay Her complete fusion with the Brood Hive!

Even if I can't defeat you, can't I at least make you miserable?

-

Within the protected zone, Backlund, at the home of The Magician Fors and Judgment Xio. After hearing Franca's account, The Magician Fors exhaled slowly and said, "So that's what happened...

"No wonder I had a bad feeling..."

Due to the isolation of the protected zone and the extremely high level of the current events, neither she nor Judgment Xio had managed to understand what was happening in time. All their attempts at divination had failed.

Before anyone else could speak, Fors looked around the room and solemnly said,

"Everyone, prepare yourselves."

Her plan was to relocate the humans in her "sphere" to the edge of the universe, to a still- habitable planet that hadn't yet been discovered by the Outer Deities. She had already gathered the Abrahams into a nearby neighborhood.

Franca opened her mouth as if to say something but held back. Anthony remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Madam Magician smiled slightly and turned to Ludwig.

"Your godfather probably wanted to feed you the danger of the third layer of the Box of the Great Old Ones, but I'm not sure if there's still time for that..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly froze, turning her head toward the window and gazing at the crimson moon in the night sky.

Franca, Ludwig, and Xio quickly followed suit.

"Mr. Fool has become the true Lord of Mysteries..." As an Archangel of the Door pathway, The Magician was the first to sense this. She was both surprised and puzzled, but these emotions were overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of relief and security.

"When did Mr. Fool fully awaken?" Judgment Xio began to recall the circumstances of the last

two Tarot Gatherings.

Mr. Fool has truly awakened and become the Lord of Mysteries? Franca felt a moment of elation before realizing why Lumian had been so unhurried earlier.

Not long after, once things had stabilized and The Magician Fors finally retrieved related information from the spirit world and stars, she exhaled in relief and said, "Although Earth

Mother has fallen..."

She glanced at Anthony, sealing his hearing just as Franca had done when explaining the Mother Goddess of Depravity's impending fusion with the Brood Hive.

Only after completing this did The Magician continue, "But the Mother Goddess of Depravity's progress in accommodating the Brood Hive has also been delayed. Mr. Fool has timely ascended as the Lord of Mysteries and stabilized the astral barrier."

She paused, then looked at Franca and Ludwig.

"Of course, the danger isn't over yet. If Lumian can't accommodate the City of Calamity before the Mother Goddess of Depravity fully fuses with the Brood Hive, and if he can't cooperate with Mr. Fool to seriously wound Her and drive Her out of the barrier after becoming the Origins of Disaster, we'll still have to evacuate."

"Mm." Franca first responded solemnly, then forced a smile. "At least there's still hope. That's better than no hope at all!"

"Indeed." Madam Magician nodded in agreement, then released Anthony from his seal and briefly explained the situation in terms he could understand.

After finishing, she sighed and said, "Tonight is destined to be long."

Meanwhile, the Rorsted Archipelago, in the City of Generosity, Bayam.

The Blue Avenger docked at the harbor. Mr. Hanged Man Alger, wearing a captain's coat, stepped off the deck and descended toward the port, embraced by the wind.

Under the crimson moonlight, his shadow stretched long and indistinct, as if he had three

heads.

Loen Kingdom, Cathedral of Serenity, in a certain room.

Mr. Star Leonard emerged from the darkness, wearing a white shirt under a dark trench coat.

He approached a table, picked up the red gloves placed before him, and slowly, methodically

slipped them on.

He then glanced around, his figure vanishing inch by inch as if erased by an invisible hand.

Mission: Protect a region containing multiple "spheres."

Destination: Tingen City, Awwa County.

...

Above the gray fog, within the majestic palace.

When Mr. Fool left for the astral world, Lumian turned his gaze toward the charred fragments

of trees left after the Gift of the Land shattered and the brown mist rising and coalescing

above them. This mist corresponded to the powers of the Desolate Matriarch's boon.

Lumian reached out and grabbed, causing the brown mist to condense into a mass of soil

sprouting grass, grains, and vines.

"Deliver this to Madam Justice," Lumian said, tossing the soil to Zedus beside him.

After the strike of the Sword of Destruction, Omebella's remaining consciousness and spirituality within the Gift of the Land had been completely annihilated, leaving behind no trace. The boon power, now detached from the corpse, became purified, containing only faint remnants of the Brood Hive's consciousness and spirituality, unlinked to Omebella's mystical

connections.

In essence, this mass of brown soil was akin to Beyonder items like the Circle of Binding or Fallen Mercury. It no longer bore ties to Omebella's past but could no longer reliably connect with the Brood Hive for power, making each use of its abilities finite.

As he spoke, Lumian departed from above the gray fog with Zedus, returning to the villa

where he resided.

Naboredisley was already waiting there.

"You've finally returned," said Naboredisley, His ice-blue eyes betraying a visible sigh of

relief.

As Zedus vanished with the brown soil in hand, Lumian smiled at Naboredisley and said, "Let's begin. This is the final chance."

With that, Lumian settled into an armchair in the living room.

Naboredisley gave him a look, sat on the long sofa opposite him, and smiled in reply, "Better

than no chance at all."

Before the words had fully left his lips, His body suddenly dissolved into a pool of black liquid, a manifestation of all malice, desire, and evil intent.

The black liquid, both real and illusory, quickly flowed toward Lumian.

Directly infiltrating my mind and spirit without implanting a spiritual brand? Heh... Lumian raised

an eyebrow, watching with a smile but offering no resistance. He allowed the foul, sinister liquid to seep into his body, spirit, and mind.

Feeling the surge of malevolence within him, Lumian retrieved a candle from his divine

kingdom, lit it, and placed it on the edge of the coffee table.

He then leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes. The faintly sweet aroma of gray amber began to spread.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om