Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability
chapter-820

820 Walking into a Trap

As Jenna used the Abyss Shackles spell from the Arrow of the Bloodthirsty, shadows and darkness came to life beside the coughing Nikila. Under the yellowish light of the gas wall lamp, they coalesced into black chains that wrapped around the Moses Ascetic Order member, binding him firmly in place, even sealing his mouth.

Nikila, experienced in combat, immediately formed a slowly rotating mass of stardust in his right palm. The light in the room dimmed as if night had fallen outside.

In the dimness, numerous bright stars appeared, not densely packed but numerous enough.

They cast beams of light that converged into a thick column, illuminating the entire room and enveloping Nikila.

The black chains formed by the Abyss Shackles disintegrated like shadows meeting sunlight, and Nikila dissolved rapidly in the light column, shattering into countless glass shards.

Mirror Substitution!

Using his unique abilities, Nikila escaped the Abyss Shackles by attacking himself. As a Mystery Pryer pathway Beyonder, many of his spells required incantations. With his mouth sealed, his abilities were significantly limited.

As a result, Jenna confirmed that Nikila was a Mirror Person.

Black fog emanated from her back, growing into a pair of large, illusory bat wings.

These Wings of Darkness transformed into a swarm of palm-sized, insubstantial vampire bats that flew through the walls and door towards the newly freed Nikila.

Meanwhile, Anthony ended his Psychological Invisibility, kicking open the door while aiming a complex, mechanically beautiful black revolver at Nikila.

Winter is Coming!

Anthony was preparing to use the Certain Death effect of this Beyonder weapon.

He didn't intend to actually use it because Nikila's Mirror Substitution ability could prematurely activate, causing the deadly bullet to hit the mirror instead.

Anthony's current objective was to use a Warlock's acute spirituality warnings and mystery-prying eyes to make Nikila feel his life was in danger, forcing him to escape through the mirror world.

According to Franca, Nikila, likely a Sequence 5 Constellations Master from the Mystery Pryer pathway and possibly a Mirror Person, would undoubtedly sense the danger of the Winter is Coming revolver and recognize its godhood-possessing attack.

To genuinely trigger the target's spirituality warning, Anthony needed to complete a psychological suggestion on himself, a simple task for a Hypnotist.

Thus, Anthony was genuinely planning to shoot, fully intending to use the Certain Death effect. However, when his finger began to pull the trigger, it would activate the preset psychological warning, canceling the suggestion and allowing him to fire a normal bullet.

Just as Franca predicted, the moment Nikila saw the Winter is Coming revolver, a hint of deep purple appeared in his pitch-black eyes, reflecting the weapon's decaying aura.

He instantly felt a creeping sense of death, his throat itching more intensely, and a weakness spreading through his body.

This wasn't an effect of Winter is Coming but a backlash from seeing the secret of the Beyonder weapon, combined perfectly with the pathogen Franca spread when she extended her hand through the mirror, worsening Nikila's condition.

Without considering further, Nikila immediately let a mirror substitute himself.

Bang!

Anthony pulled the trigger, firing a yellow bullet with only a disease effect, which, along with the swarm of vampire bats, hit Nikila, causing a shattering sound.

Nikila, now visible in another corner of the room, had no intention of counterattacking. His only thought was to flee immediately.

This was partly because he was unsure if there were more attackers and partly because the gun's danger kept him on high alert.

Unable to assess the situation clearly and knowing the enemy had a demigod-level weapon, he had no choice but to escape.

Nikila quickly lunged towards the nearest mirror, aiming to use the mirror world to escape the battle.

Noticing his move, Jenna slowed her attacks, while Anthony's eyes turned gold, displaying spiraling whirlpools that seemed to penetrate the soul.

Battle Hypnotism!

This spell forcibly hypnotized an enemy during combat, making them perform abnormal actions, but it could not directly harm the hypnotized and didn't last long.

Anthony's intent was only to make Nikila switch mirrors, delaying his escape without directly endangering him.

Nikila hesitated, suddenly feeling the mirror might hide a dangerous trap.

He quickly pulled out a scroll with gold foil from the inside pocket of his black wool coat and softly chanted a Hermes word, "Sun!"

The scroll was instantly consumed by golden flames, erupting into blinding sunlight that turned all the vampire bats to smoke.

This severely affected Jenna and Anthony's vision, their eyes filled with dazzling sunlight.

Nikila seized the moment, rolling towards the full-length mirror in the living room and diving in.

From the start of Battle Hypnotism to his escape, it took only two or three seconds.

The sunlight quickly faded, and Anthony nodded at Jenna.

Jenna immediately grabbed her companion's shoulder, activating the Seven-Stone Bracelet on her left wrist.

One of the two remaining diamonds burst into clear light, enveloping them both.

In the next second, Jenna and Anthony teleported to the quarry chamber with the fixed mirror world entrance, pressing their hands against the protruding rock.

...

Nikila, just entering the void and dark area behind the mirror, couldn't help but cough.

The disease he had contracted couldn't be removed by Mirror Substitution.

Cough! Cough! Cough! As he coughed violently, he felt invisible threads binding his body layer by layer.

Spider webs from a Demoness? Nikila shuddered.

Jenna had been deliberately using the Arrow of the Bloodthirsty to attack this Mirror Person to hide her identity as a Demoness, preventing Nikila from suspecting he was being targeted by Demonesses.

Otherwise, he would suspect a trap behind the mirror, abandoning the mirror world escape plan and rendering Anthony's Battle Hypnotism ineffective.

As his pupils dilated, Nikila reflexively formed a slowly rotating mass of stardust in his right palm.

Before he could use his Constellations Master abilities to destroy himself and the Demoness webs in this area, he felt invisible threads lightly caressing him, from his ears and face to his chest and inner thighs, teasing and scratching with seductive touches.

This instantly sent his blood surging, his thoughts sinking deep to his nether regions.

As he struggled to regain control and use his abilities, he saw a figure at the edge of the web-like tunnel.

The figure wore a black robe with leather armor, the hood askew, revealing a pair of heroic and beautiful eyebrows, clear bright eyes like lake water, and moist red lips.

This indescribable beauty and soul-stirring charm made Nikila instinctively hold his breath, forgetting to resist, forgetting to break free.

Demoness of Affliction's Charm!

The intense danger warning allowed Nikila to barely break free from this bewitching beauty. Clenching his teeth, suppressing the desire from the teasing and seductive touches, he was about to activate the stardust whirlpool in his hand.

Franca continued her Charm, a slight smile on her lips, stunning Nikila while changing the action of some webs. They started tickling him!

"Ha... ha... ha!" Sensitive spots on his neck, armpits, and waist were attacked, making him laugh uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face.

If not for the invisible threads binding him tightly, he would have retreated, twisted his body, or rolled on the ground.

In this state, it was nearly impossible for Nikila to use any of his abilities.

Of course, his desire also faded because of this.

Right now, I really do feel like a black widow spider, methodically dealing with prey caught in its web... At the Demoness of Affliction stage, if the prey is truly ensnared without help, they'll be constantly affected, unable to escape by their own means... It's a pity this doesn't work on Hunters; they can ignite flames to burn the web... I wonder when I'll be able to directly transmit genuine pleasure through the webs... Franca maintained her vigilance, watching the frantically laughing Nikila, muttering to herself.

Her strategy was clear: restrain the enemy, continually interfere with his efforts, and delay him until his illness flared up or he was completely charmed.

During this process, even if Nikila used Mirror Substitution, he would be limited by the distance, with his body reappearing within the area covered by the Demoness webs, repeating the initial experience.

Previously, Franca had already turned this place into a Demoness's nest.

On one side, he was continuously tickled, while on the other, his desire was stoked by teasing touches. Nikila oscillated between hell and paradise, in extreme agony.

The beautiful figure, seemingly forever out of reach, became a symbol of all his hopes and dreams.

Nikila knew he couldn't continue like this. Resolving to endure the laughter, he bit his tongue hard.

The pain pierced his mind, momentarily freeing him from all influences.

He tightened his grip on the stardust whirlpool.

In the void and darkness behind the mirror, one brilliant star after another lit up.