Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

At a distance of just over ten meters, the Pride Armor covered the ground in two powerful strides, positioning itself in front of Ultraman Lato Guiaro. A broadsword, condensed from radiant light, slashed down with deadly precision.

Lato Guiaro had a momentary opportunity to utilize his Navigator ability, escape through hidden passageways in the void and dimensions, and evade the impending attack. However, the sight of the silver-white full-body armor caught him off guard; he hadn’t anticipated an aggressive move before Lumian Lee could even don the armor!

This momentary hesitation cost him. The silver-white full-body armor, resembling a relentless steam locomotive, collided with him before he could vanish into the hidden tunnel. By then, it was too late, and the looming threat of being cleaved apart became imminent—a grim fate of upper and lower halves separated.

In this dire circumstance, he was no earthworm with regenerative abilities; his fate seemed sealed.

Facing the approaching silver-white armor and its raised broadsword of light, scales formed from starlight protruded from various parts of Lato Guiaro’s body.

The air quivered around him, as if an invisible tide were roaring, amplifying the tension.

As per the intel gathered on April Fool’s, the power derived from the “sea” without the Governor of the Sea’s authority corresponded to a Sequence 5 at most, known as Tidal Scholar—the current state of Lato Guiaro.

Enveloped by an ethereal tide, Lato Guiaro swung his fist, resembling a colossal wave crashing down.

Thud!

His formidable punch collided with the side of the broadsword of light, forcefully diverting its trajectory.

Simultaneously, Lumian materialized behind him, left hand raised.

Indeed! I knew you’d seize this chance to teleport behind me and launch a sneak attack! Lato Guiaro was ready. Evading the silver-white full-body armor’s second strike, he imbued the surroundings in a warm golden hue.

Purification Halo!

As layers of golden light surged towards Lumian, he deftly twisted his left wrist.

Even before that, the silver-white Lie earring on his left earlobe emitted a subtle glow, revealing various blobs of light and colors on Ultraman’s body. Among them, a golden ball emitted a warm glow—the representation of the Purification Halo ability.

With a flick of his wrist, the golden ball detached from Ultraman’s body and swiftly flew to Lumian.

Steal!

Lumian successfully “stole” Ultraman’s Purification Halo!

The number of times the Ring of the Sea Queen could “steal” after the standard process remained unknown to Lumian. However, he was certain that Lie’s “stealing” effect persisted for half a month, unaffected by his “stealing” of the sea’s power.

After Lie’s transformation on the ancestral altar in Milo Village, Lumian diligently experimented with Steal, honing his proficiency to ensure he could deploy it effectively in critical moments. Thus, he had become relatively adept at stealing and dispersing the power of the sea.

Simultaneously, Ultraman’s Beyonder powers of the Sun pathway were well-

documented by the Tarot Club’s information, making Lumian fully aware of what he aimed to Steal this time. With a solid foundation in mysticism knowledge, he felt prepared.

However, the challenge lay in his lack of experience “stealing” a Priest of Light’s abilities. He feared that locating the corresponding symbols for Purification Halo and Holy Water Creation might take too long, leaving him vulnerable to Lato Guiaro’s attacks.

Anticipating the Pride Armor’s frontal assault, Lumian strategically teleported four to five meters behind Lato Guiaro, enticing him to use Purification Halo.

The distinction between the abilities Lumian used and those he refrained from was clear, providing him with instant recognition.

Before initiating the teleport, he activated the Lie earring and raised his left hand, ensuring he didn’t linger in the dangerous area for a moment longer.

The Purification Halo, despite being “stolen,” persisted and continued to surge, enveloping Lumian.

However, it didn’t reach its intended target. A formidable formless force emanated from Lumian’s body, acting as a barrier that thwarted the encroaching halo.

The power of the sea!

You have the power of the sea, and so do I!

During the Steal process, Lumian had reserved a portion of the sea’s power for himself. Although not on par with Ultraman’s, it proved sufficient to repel the Purification Halo for a brief moment.

Calmly activating the black mark on his right shoulder, Lumian vanished from the warm golden area, teleporting to the farthest corner from Lato Guiaro.

The Purification Halo pursued relentlessly, but it reached its limit, visibly weakening.

Reacting swiftly, Lumian harnessed the power of the sea once more, watching as the warm golden barrier rapidly dissipated.

Meanwhile, Lato Guiaro’s heart skipped a beat.

Intuitively, he sensed the loss of his Purification Halo ability, suspecting it had been “stolen”!

Lumian Lee’s item with the Steal effect is still operational? Lato Guiaro couldn’t dwell on it. Dodging the Pride Armor’s heavy slashes, he fell to the ground, rolling to evade the attacks. Facing the sky, he raised his right hand, clenching it.

Pure and blazing sunlight condensed rapidly, forming a thick ray that struck the silver-white armor’s chest.

It paused momentarily, unable to penetrate, only burning and dissolving into tottering black marks.

Witnessing this and recognizing Lumian Lee as his adversary, Ultraman Lato Guiaro entertained the idea of fleeing. He decided to disengage, cease the confrontation, and seek an escape route.

At that critical moment, instead of launching a barrage of attacks, the Pride Armor shifted its focus toward Lumian.

Lumian, who had previously utilized Spirit World Traversal on the betrothal ship and within the hall, found himself affected once again by the Purification Halo. His spirituality teetered on the brink of depletion, leaving him visibly fatigued and weakened.

Any ordinary human in such a state near the Pride Armor would face indiscriminate attacks.

Wh… Lato Guiaro keenly perceived the shift in dynamics.

Though unaware of the specifics, he sensed an advantage.

Rising abruptly, he directed his attention to Lumian.

In the next instant, the Pride Armor raised its radiant broadsword and charged towards Lumian.

Haha, your Sealed Artifact has betrayed you! Lato Guiaro mocked internally as he closed in, intending to exploit the silver-white full-body armor’s attack to create Sun Holy Water and sprinkle it on Lumian Lee.

Undeterred, Lumian took a resolute step forward.

Tapping into his Ascetic powers, the accumulated strength and spirituality within his body surged, replenishing his drained spirit. His body underwent a sudden transformation, growing by seven to eight centimeters and bulking up by two sizes, causing his loosely fitting deputy host’s robe to strain.

The advancing Pride Armor abruptly halted, pivoting to face Lato Guiaro, who had followed closely.

Lato Guiaro’s pupils contracted, and an instant heaviness enveloped his body, bringing him to a natural halt.

Simultaneously, his gaze locked onto the unusually tall figure of Lumian Lee.

The enemy teleported right in front of him, mere inches away. Their eyes locked, reflecting each other in an intense confrontation.

With a swift whoosh, Lumian swung his right hand, adorned with the Flog boxing gloves, through the air.

Lato Guiaro’s “heavy” state naturally exerted a suction force on his surroundings, a downgraded version of the humanoid Sealed Artifact’s characteristic. Lumian’s punch encountered no repulsion; instead, it accelerated towards its target.

Unperturbed by the close-range attacks, Lato Guiaro harbored concerns about Lumian’s Psychic Piercing ability. Unable to dodge or employ other abilities in time, he unleashed a retaliatory fist resembling a thousand tonnes of seawater, causing the sound of surging tides to echo.

Bang!

Lato Guiaro blocked Lumian’s attack and swiftly rolled to the side, evading a surprise assault from the Pride Armor.

At that moment, a strong sense of greed surged within him, overshadowing his initial plan to escape.

Seizing the opportunity, Lumian retreated and retrieved a black bone flute with red holes from his Traveler’s Bag.

Symphony of Hatred!

While Lato Guiaro resisted the Pride Armor, Lumian brought the flute to his mouth and played a sharp, intense melody.

Lato Guiaro’s mind buzzed, freezing him in place.

Bright blood oozed from the cracks in the starlight scales on his body.

Emotional Detonation!

Pfft! The Pride Armor struck Lato Guiaro’s shoulder, splintering scales, bone, and flesh.

Closing the distance with two brisk strides, Lumian approached the nearly collapsed Lato Guiaro, his face twisted in pain. He raised the black bone flute in his hand.

In the moment that Lato Guiaro used the pain from the Pride Armor strike to break free from the detonated emotions, he witnessed Lumian Lee thrusting the bone flute toward him with a fierce expression.

Pfft!

The bone flute effortlessly pierced Lato Guiaro’s left eye, akin to cutting through butter.

The eyeball of April Fool’s key member exploded, and a gruesome mix of blood and other fluids streamed out through the gaps in the black bone flute.

Even if the Symphony of Hatred only struck an ordinary part, it was tantamount to hitting a vital point. Striking a true vital point meant either instant death or a prolonged period of social death. In this case, Lato Guiaro’s left eye and brain were undeniably vital points.

His remaining eye widened and protruded, life force rapidly draining as he slumped to the ground.

Lumian seized Ultraman’s neck, lifting him up. Releasing his right hand, which held the black bone flute, he delivered a heavy slap to Lato Guiaro’s face. With a fierce expression, he growled in Intisian, “Did you go to Cordu Village to confirm the situation?”