Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability
chapter-817

817 Lightning Strikes

Albus's blazing-white flaming spear was about to crash into the layered gray-white web but suddenly disintegrated in mid-air.

Within the raindrop-like flaming fragments, Albus's figure emerged, rapidly falling to the ground to avoid the Demoness's web.

The white-blue Fire Ravens created by the iron soldier curved in the air, corrected their flight paths, and locked onto Albus again. Wanak, who had leaped up using the hurricane, descended, raising his flaming broadsword to strike heavily at his target.

The explosions and the sound of metal clashing erupted simultaneously.

The swarm of Fire Ravens surrounded Albus before he could touch the ground, attacking him relentlessly, individually and in groups.

The blast wave and spreading white-blue flames threw Albus upward, right into Wanak's descending broadsword.

Clang!

The broadsword struck as if hitting metal, producing a cracking sound.

The resulting force slammed Albus to the ground from a height of two or three meters.

Boom!

The impact caused the ground to cave in, revealing the underground hollow filled with thick fog.

Albus fell in.

As soon as Wanak landed, he prepared to jump into the hollow to prevent Albus from escaping or recovering.

Suddenly, he hesitated and didn't make the jump.

He could only create hurricanes in Morora's unique environment and let them wreak havoc in the City of Exiles, unable to direct them precisely underground.

Fighting another special Hunter in the fog-filled, low-visibility hollow wasn't wise; it would put him in danger.

By this time, Lumian had finished attempting the Fate Exchange and withdrew his fist.

He deeply suspected that Albus's intended escape destination was either outside the ruins or the underground hollow covered in war fog.

The Medici descendant had never planned to easily break through the obstacles set by the Hunters, Demoness, and monster. Instead, he deliberately showed this tendency, using their obstruction to forcefully break through the already unstable ground during the previous battle and fall into his real destination.

That way, he could rely on the environment to escape the encirclement, try to hide, and find other possible exits.

Disguising his true intentions to confuse his enemies? No wonder he's a Medici... Lumian nodded thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, he also noticed Albus's astounding defense.

Not only had he withstood the Fire Ravens' bombardment, but he had also blocked Wanak's Cull strike, emerging with only minor injuries.

Simply metallizing his body to some extent couldn't achieve this. Lumian suspected Albus had an item or companion similar to the Sword of Courage that shared at least half the damage.

Considering Albus's abilities surpassing Sequence 5 and some beyond Sequence 5's capabilities, Lumian reasonably deduced a special connection with the Red Angel, allowing him to share some of the latter's power and endure some of the damage-an ability Hunters gained and deepened starting at the demigod level.

If not for being in Morora, the land sealing 0-01, Lumian believed Albus could have borrowed true demigod power, not facing so many limitations.

As the iron soldier prepared to jump into the fog-filled hollow to chase Albus, the motherly Gusain raised his head and let out a sharp, piercing howl.

Lumian and Wanak's minds buzzed simultaneously, their thoughts shattered, life force rapidly draining, causing weakness in the very depths of their souls.

Crack!

In the darkness at the edge of the district, a mirror shattered on the ground, revealing Julie's figure.

In the next second, Gusain fixed his gaze on Lumian, completely ignoring Wanak and Julie.

He caressed his increasingly swollen belly, his blue eyes turning vicious.

Under his will, the near Sequence 4 iron soldier abandoned the pursuit of Albus, turning to target Lumian.

Seeing this, Lumian, enduring the throbbing headache and buzzing in his ears, smiled and waved at Gusain and the iron soldier.

His figure then disappeared, leaving Gusain and the iron soldier to Wanak and Julie.

Bye-bye!

Lumian teleported to the entrance of the Church of Knowledge, just as two teams of black-robed enforcers rushed out.

He walked into the cathedral, found a corner, and sat on the floor, pulling out a borrowed book from the Traveler's Bag, leaning against the brass bookshelf, and began studying.

He was concerned that the child Gusain carried might pose a significant threat and target him, so he sought the Knowledge Cathedral's protection.

I'm studying so diligently, shouldn't you show some appreciation, Church of Knowledge?

In the ruins of the mostly collapsed buildings, Wanak noticed Gusain's belly had swollen even more, looking increasingly like a woman about to give birth.

The belly started writhing as if something inside was trying to break free.

Wanak's gaze froze, immediately raising his hands and head towards the cloudy sky.

Dark clouds gathered quickly, and Morora's weather changed again.

Silver lightning snakes darted through the clouds, converging into a tree-like lightning bolt as thick as a bucket, striking down.

The terrifying lightning targeted Gusain and the baby inside him!

Gusain vanished, hiding in a ghostly wasteland.

But the silver "giant python" pursued him relentlessly, piercing through the void, striking his belly with unavoidable speed.

Bang!

The thunderclap woke the city's exiles.

The wasteland shattered like a mirror, revealing Gusain's blackened belly, emitting a burnt smell as he reappeared in the ruins.

Thud! A charred lump of flesh fell from his belly, struggled briefly, and then lay still.

Gusain froze, life force completely drained, and collapsed.

His flesh rapidly shriveled, turning him into a charred mummy, with large blood-colored blisters appearing on his body.

Another bolt of lightning, formed by countless silver snakes, struck the blistering Gusain.

Boom!

Gusain twitched a few times and died completely.

"Mom!" the iron soldier cried, running to Gusain, crouching down, and picking him up.

Julie seized the opportunity, reflecting the iron soldier in her mirror and covering it with Demoness black flames.

The iron soldier was instantly engulfed in black flames, burning from the inside out.

It stood up, wielding its white flaming spear, and charged at Wanak and Julie in a frenzy.

For a while, fireballs, Fire Ravens, mirror fragments, burning-white spears, and burning rain appeared continuously, with explosions echoing non-stop.

As Julie prepared to escape using the Mirror Substitution, leaving Wanak to face the iron soldier alone, the iron soldier began to tremble.

Still burning with Demoness black flames, its legs seemed unable to support its body, showing signs of rust and melting.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Metal parts covered in black flames fell off its body.

Soon, the iron soldier turned into a pile of scrap metal.

Wanak, who had been struggling, sighed in relief and sneered at the iron soldier's remains. "All strength and no brains."

With that said, the most dangerous person in Morora then turned his head, looking at Julie a few meters away.

Julie's gaze first fell on his face, then moved down to his crotch.

The Demoness shook her head in disappointment, regretting adding the black flame curse to the iron soldier too early, missing the chance to see Wanak weakened.

Wanak squinted slightly as Julie smiled and retreated into the shadows.

At this moment, the enforcers finally arrived in the district.

...

In the fog-filled hollow, Albus stood in a corner, leaning against the brown rock wall, hair disheveled, clothes tattered, a white cigarette in his mouth.

The Medici descendant took a deep drag and muttered regretfully, "Nobody followed. I was hoping to give you a surprise..."

...

After the explosions subsided and the enforcers returned to the Church of Knowledge, Lumian left and headed for the Carnivore bar.

Archbishop Heraberg of Morora hadn't appeared, seemingly not on duty.

Lumian didn't hurry to sleep. He conjured a white flaming ball and continued reading the books related to 0-01 at a desk.

Soon, Julie returned and knocked on his door.

Lumian, suspending the white flaming ball, opened the shabby wooden door, seeing the neighboring Demoness with moist eyes and flushed cheeks, as if she had just finished some R21 activity.

She held a blood-colored object frozen in ice.

"Wanak's?" Lumian asked with a smile.

Julie sighed and shook her head. "No, I didn't get the chance."

She then accused Lumian, which was her reason for knocking in the middle of the night. "Why did you leave early? Together, we could have cut off Wanak's thing!"

If I hadn't left, something you wouldn't want to see might have happened... Lumian chuckled. "I'm in a partnership with Wanak."

"Pui!" Julie scoffed in disbelief.

She turned and walked towards her room.

After a few steps, she turned back, smiling slyly at Lumian. "Hope you don't regret today's choice."