Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Chapter 1130 Initiative
Faced with such an anomaly, Lumian smiled.

He withdrew his right hand from his pocket and continued walking forward.

As he proceeded, the buildings on both sides, including the Auberge du Coq Doré, began to twist and writhe, growing upward into swaying, grotesque trees.

These "trees" pointed toward the sky, resembling the primeval rainforests of the Southern Continent.

Raising an eyebrow, Lumian stopped in his tracks.

"So proactive, are we?" he remarked with a smile, glancing toward Cheek's face on the head resting on his left shoulder.

At that moment, the crimson moonlight in the sky, the dim stars, and the dark night all began collapsing and spinning toward a single point, quickly merging into a chaotic vortex that encompassed all colors.

From within the vortex, a figure wearing a bone-white dress emerged, descending from the heavens. The figure grew larger and larger, like an asteroid traveling across the boundless cosmos, unscathed by atmospheric friction.

The enormous figure had cascading black hair, slightly thick and waterfall-like, sapphire-like eyes gleaming with brilliance, and features both exquisite and dignified. On first glance, She appeared breathtakingly beautiful; upon closer inspection, her purity and grace stood out. She was none other than the Primordial Demoness, Cheek.

She did not reveal her Mythical Creature form. Apart from Her immense size, Her beauty defied belief, and Her charm was so overwhelming that even abstract concepts seemed unable to resist Her allure. She appeared as a normal human woman.

As She descended, the "trees" of the "primeval rainforest" shed their hard exterior, bending in various directions.

At this moment, they were no longer trees but thick, slick, black hair with distinct black-and-white eyeballs embedded within.

The hair swayed, turning the scene into one of surreal abstraction.

As Primordial Demoness Cheek descended, She smiled affectionately at Lumian and said, "I knew you'd come to find me."

…

Hidden in the darkness and trailing Lumian from nearly ten kilometers away, Franca relied on more than just subtle traces he had left behind, a Mirror Substitution he had entrusted to her, and the unique connection among their team members. She also relied on the mystical link they had established through their roles as Malady God and Malady God's Companion.

Franca had initially decided to include the title "Malady God's Companion" in her honorific name, hoping to anchor Lumian, who often succumbed to madness, with a "corrupted" connection. This would enable him to instinctively recognize that, in the mystical and Beyonder sense, they were companions—partners who supported one another. Combined with their existing emotional bond, this might prevent him from attacking her during moments of insanity and allow him to "heed" her suggestions.

After tracking Lumian for some time, Franca suddenly noticed that the sky had turned chaotic, the previous illusory ocean now engulfing it.

A gentle, soft voice whispered in her ear.

"You dare call yourself His mistress?

"I am His true companion."

As the female voice echoed, Franca's body stiffened instantly, grayish-white spreading rapidly across her skin and deep into her soul.

If not for her status as a demigod Demoness with some resistance to Petrification, she would have already turned into a statue upon hearing the voice!

Have I been drawn into the depths of the mirror world, into that special mirror world?

Is the Primordial Demoness targeting me first? Is it because of Her pathological possessiveness, and the fact that I'm currently Lumian's companion?

F*ck, I'm the one being cheated on here! I'm the real victim!

In that instant, countless thoughts raced through Franca's mind, yet she was powerless to resist.

That was a true deity, the Sequence 0 Primordial Demoness!

The next second, the petrification abruptly ceased.

Franca seized the opportunity, swiftly activating her Mirror Substitution.

With a crackling sound, she escaped her current position, gray-white stone shards scattering, and reappeared in another corner of the ruins now transformed into a primeval rainforest.

Deep within the rainforest, Lumian withdrew his right hand from the face on his left shoulder, holding the dark golden mask in his grasp.

The vortex-like face and the scorched flag partially embedded in chaos revealed themselves in the center of the head on his left shoulder.

The seal was undone!

Lumian's body swelled into a towering iron giant tens of meters tall, enveloped in ethereal, shapeless purple flames tinged with deep crimson.

At the center of his brow, a blood-colored banner emblem now glistened vividly, as though freshly dyed.

The moment the chaotic vortex-like face and the Salinger's Blood Banner manifested within the depths of the mirror world, the descending figure of Primordial Demoness Cheek froze for one second.

As a result, the petrification afflicting Franca ceased, sparing her from the fate of a Sequence 3 Saint dying abruptly in the chaos of a divine conflict.

On the face of Cheek on Lumian's left shoulder, her gem-like blue eyes layered with illusory darkness. Leveraging their mystical connection as companions both on the Beyonder level and within their Hunter team, Franca's figure was drawn into the projection.

Franca was immediately transported out of the depths of the mirror world.

In the next moment, she glimpsed an illusory and boundless web-like tunnel of mirrors.

Each passage reflected the ruins of Trier, where Demoness of Black Clarice, Saintess of White Katarina, and other colored Demonesses of Unaging appeared in various corridors.

…

Outside the mirror world, at the edge of the ruins of Trier.

A bent, spherical shadow suddenly emerged from the void, like a dolphin leaping out of the sea.

The shadow quickly unfurled, and The Magician Fors, dressed in a black robe adorned with silver stars, along with Justice Audrey and other members of the Tarot Club, instantly exited their concealed states.

Objects not reflected in the mirrors could not be forcibly drawn into the mirror world. Furthermore, the one who had drawn Lumian and Franca into the mirror world did not want subsequent events to be disrupted.

Silver stars on the surface of The Magician's black robe lit up, creating a dreamy starry sky.

In the starry expanse, the stars shifted, forming a brilliant "key."

The key pointed toward a specific location within the mirror world, forcibly opening a gateway.

The Sun Derrick was immediately sent inside. Dressed in a simple white robe, his entire being radiated pure, brilliant, and holy golden light, like a sun descending upon the dark region where Franca was besieged by the Demoness of Black and other Saints, illuminating the darkness.

Beside him, howling gales followed closely.

Additionally, clouds gathered in midair, weaving into a massive sword, which descended to stand before Franca.

Justice Audrey did not enter the depths of the mirror world. Instead, she gazed toward another side of the ruins of Trier.

She transformed into a massive grayish-white dragon, revealing her Mythical Creature form.

On the far side of the ruins, a figure quickly materialized—mature, stunning, and clad in an aged gray robe.

Demoness of Gray, Judith!

Accompanying Judith, a woman in a yellow frilled dress with a playful bonnet and a sly smile stepped through the shattered glass of a ruined building.

Demoness of Yellow, Tissavica.

As Madam Justice revealed her mind dragon form with grayish-white scales, another version of herself wove itself into existence behind her, dreamlike and illusory.

This newly woven Audrey, clad in a white dress, lowered her head and began reciting an honorific name in ancient Hermes, "The shadow wandering through fate, the past God of Deceit, the destined messiah…"

…

Just two or three kilometers from the passage forcibly opened by Madam Magician.

Dressed in a white shirt, black vest, and red gloves, with slightly disheveled hair, The Star Leonard appeared as though the process of erasing a pencil sketch in reverse was being played out rapidly.

He had prayed to the Evernight Goddess in advance, entering a state of concealment to avoid being detected by the Primordial Demoness!

While concealed, he quietly followed Lumian without probing or informing him, avoiding the mirrors' reflections and the pull into the mirror world.

As the anomalies began, Leonard immediately recited the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess, shedding his concealed state.

At the edges of his eye sockets, transparent and semi-transparent segmented worms crawled out, keeping vigilant watch over their surroundings.

They had to complete all preparations before the indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought or the Blessed of the Great Mother noticed and intervened!

As for Angels like Dabomachie and Arianna from the authorities, They had not joined the operation. Too many Angels in the World of Ruins at the same time would weaken the defenses of the protected zones, risking serious consequences. They could not assume that the Great Mother, focused on accommodating the Brood Hive, had no energy left to retaliate.

Leonard took out a wooden door from his Traveler's Bag.

The door had no frame, standing alone on the ruins' ground.

Its surface bore patterns of stars, each shimmering with brilliance.

This was a tool The Magician had crafted in advance using her Worm of Star and other materials. It served no other purpose but to fix an entrance and exit to a particular place.

In other words, opening this door would reveal, not the surrounding environment, but another location: the chamber sealing 0-17!

0-17 was alive and thus could not be stored in the Traveler's Bag. Moreover, before activation, it had to remain sealed alongside two other Sealed Artifacts to ensure its containment. The Evernight Goddess, relying on the Uniquenesses of the Death and Giant pathways, could only hold the barrier for a limited time when descending into reality. Thus, 0-17 could not be left to roam freely from the start; it had to be deployed at the most critical moment.

Under such circumstances, creating a "door" to the sealed chamber for immediate use was the best solution!

Without hesitation, The Star Leonard grasped the door handle and opened the wooden door standing on the ruins.

Behind the door lay darkness, but there were sounds of movement, as if someone was lifting a seal.

In mere seconds, a figure appeared in the doorway.

She had long black hair, wore a hooded, classical robe, and appeared exquisitely beautiful, with eyes dark and devoid of spirit.

0-17, the Angel of Concealment, the vessel for the Evernight Goddess's divine descent!