Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Upon hearing Lumian's question, Hisoka's lips curved into a smile.

"Those are a few Fallen, under my control."

"Fallen?" Lumian could understand the literal meaning, but he didn't grasp the situation.

Simultaneously, he criticized Hisoka.

This is truly a dream. Emotions change so quickly.

Hisoka reminisced, "A Desire Apostle can plant a seed in others' hearts when their emotions and desires clearly fluctuate, causing corresponding problems to worsen. Gradually, they lose control and degenerate.

"When combined with my special abilities, I can make those humans unable to escape my control and obey only me for a long period through repeated depravities."

It's akin to injecting addictive psychiatric drugs, but more mystical? Lumian searched for analogous examples from an easy-to-understand perspective.

Suddenly, he recalled Naboredisley's description of Demons: "Demon in body, Demon in mind..."

Could this be a manifestation of the Demon within the mind? Is Hisoka's distinctiveness reflected in this aspect? Could it be that the individual from the temperance faction liaising with him has been tainted by his influence, causing them to withhold reporting any irregularities? Lumian gazed thoughtfully at Hisoka and inquired, "Indeed, as one would expect from an Apostle of Desire, a Demon that seduces the darkness of the mind. Is this a ritual for ascending to a Demon?"

"Just acclimating for now," Hisoka didn't refute, yet he sensed the current situation was far from ideal. It felt more like a rehearsal.

"You seem quite assured. Following the incident in Tizamo Town at year's end, you likely ascended to a Desire Apostle. It's only been a year, and you're already contemplating becoming a demigod?" Lumian mused briefly before questioning, "Is it because you finally appeased that Demon from the Nois family and acquired that thing?"

Even in his reverie, Hisoka appeared hesitant to disclose this matter. He responded with a hint of reluctance, "Yes."

Lumian refrained from provoking Hisoka for the time being, ensuring the dream didn't end prematurely. He altered his question.

"Where is that thing?"

When Hisoka transformed into a Devil, his attire ruptured, and nothing unusual dropped.

Hisoka's countenance contorted as he responded, "I-in Tizamo Town."

Concealed in his body's hometown, Tizamo Town... If it's significant, why doesn't he carry it with him? Lumian's curiosity about the two pranks orchestrated by Hisoka in Tizamo Town and the gold mine city, Devise, intensified.

After a brief pause of contemplation, Lumian inquired, "You staged a prank in Devise just to pilfer a batch of gold?"

"Yes," Hisoka affirmed.

Have you consumed too many novels like the Gold Heist? Were you in dire need of such a large sum of money back then? Yes, for criminals, it's quite normal to plan an operation to snatch gold when necessary. Unlike me, who relies on hunting and the gifts of villains... Just as Lumian thought it was trivial, he suddenly considered something.

Franca has been accumulating gold for future sacrifices to the Armored Shadow, Chen Tu...

Could Hisoka have orchestrated a prank to obtain a substantial amount of gold for a similar sacrifice? Lumian scrutinized Hisoka and probed, "Did you offer the gold as a sacrifice to the Nois family's Demon?"

Hisoka replied nonchalantly, "In Tizamo Town."

"What's in Tizamo Town?" Lumian asked.

Hisoka appeared to snap out of his daze and exclaimed with a contorted expression, "Dream Festival, Dream Festival!"

His shadow surged to life, leaping onto him and shrouding him.

Hisoka reverted to pitch-black, transforming into a viscous, repulsive, and malevolent liquid that spread swiftly in all directions, as if determined to corrupt the interrogation room, Lumian, and the entire dream.

Lumian promptly exited the dream and observed Hisoka, who lay asleep on the ground, displaying signs of Devilification once more. Furthermore, he seemed somewhat translucent.

This key member of April Fool's was teetering on the brink of losing control!

Without hesitation, Lumian materialized a longsword crafted from blazing white flames in his hand.

The Hisoka figure before him emitted a myriad of colors, with the pale-white mark on the bridge of his nose being the least conspicuous.

Weakness Investigation!

Paleness signified a vulnerability.

Lumian hoisted the flaming sword, gripping it with both hands, and thrust downward, vanishing into the pale-white hue.

The Devil-like armor, resilient flesh, and steel-like bones bestowed by Zombie endured only a second before being pierced.

Lumian withdrew his blazing-white flaming sword and thrust down again.

Pfft!

This time, it penetrated deeper.

Lumian extracted the blazing-white flaming sword once more and leaped up, adding his weight to the downward thrust.

Pfft!

Lumian genuflected, and the flaming sword plunged into Hisoka's brain, transforming into scattered flames that obliterated all weakness.

Lumian withdrew his hands and stood up.

Hisoka's body, displaying signs of Devilification, twitched a few times before settling.

Adjacent to the bridge of his nose, a two-finger-wide wound appeared grotesquely abnormal. Its surface was charred and contracted, while flames surged from within.

The Devil had lost his life.

How resilient. He managed to withstand three strikes like this… Lumian gazed at Hisoka's corpse and silently sighed.

In that moment, Hisoka's corpse swiftly turned transparent, and his light brown skin gradually faded to pale-white.

Wraith… Transforming into a genuine wraith after death? Just as these thoughts crossed Lumian's mind, his surroundings abruptly darkened.

In the depths of the darkness, a serene chant resonated, soothing one's body and mind, inducing a reluctance to do anything but lie still.

All escape was tranquility.

Hisoka's wraith form halted its transformation, gradually gaining a tangible quality.

Finally, he perished completely.

What a formidable adversary to vanquish… If his wraith transformation hadn't been halted, could he have endured as a true wraith, evolving into an evil spirit in the future? Lumian glanced at Hela beside him and spoke once more, "Thank you."

He refrained from elaborating his conversation with Hisoka, recognizing that they had spoken in the dream created by Hela. She must be aware of it.

"Loki is the only one left," Hela said coldly, her gaze fixed on Hisoka's lifeless form.

Lumian fell silent for a few seconds before stating, "He can't be resurrected more than a few times."

"At most one more time," Hela replied with certainty.

Another time… Lumian tersely acknowledged.

Before long, Hisoka's Beyonder characteristic manifested, blending with the remaining goat horns above his head, transforming into a whimsical and flamboyant cluster of black crystals.

Various crystals extended in all directions, sharp and crooked. Multiple illusory, translucent faces emerged from each black crystal, their expressions alternating between malevolence, pain, madness, and confusion.

A Desire Apostle Beyonder characteristic corrupted by a Wraith boon? Lumian perceived it as more corrupting and perilous than the Serial Killer Beyonder characteristic from before.

He pointed at the Beyonder characteristic and Hisoka's lifeless body, addressing Hela, "Can I take them all?"

"Okay," Hela responded without objections.

…

In an old warehouse on an abandoned dock in Port Pylos, Franca, Anthony, and Jenna had already gathered, awaiting Lumian's return.

Amidst their conversation, a figure outlined itself in the sunlight streaming through a high window. It was Lumian, wearing a golden straw hat and disguised as Louis Berry.

Pa!

Lumian tossed Hisoka's corpse to the ground.

Immediately after, he retrieved the Beyonder characteristic from his Traveler's Bag and placed them near the corpse without touching them.

Only then did he smile at Franca, Jenna, and Anthony.

"It's settled."

"Is it really Hisoka?" Franca couldn't believe it could be so straightforward.

"It's him," Lumian briefly explained the situation. "He was overconfident and believed there's a high chance of killing me. He chose to stay and wait for an opportunity."

"What gave him the confidence?" Franca's eyes widened.

Since everyone present held a Minor Arcana card, Lumian didn't hold anything back. He recounted the situation, omitting the most perilous details.

"Can that really happen… Luckily, you didn't seek guidance from the Tarot Club." Jenna felt a lingering fear.

Franca sighed and commented, "I didn't think our collaboration alone would be sufficient."

Lumian pointed at the Beyonder characteristic and stated, "There's too much corruption, and it's very dangerous. I plan to seek Madam Magician's help and find a suitable Artisan to transform it into a Sealed Artifact. Everyone has the right to use it."

Lumian found it too sinister and corrupting. It couldn't become a mystical item with relatively mild negative effects. It could only be the kind that required sealing.

"Absolutely." Franca was filled with anticipation as she imagined the potential abilities of a Sealed Artifact.

She suddenly recalled something and quickly blurted out, "Your Pride Armor is still in my possession. Tsk, you've really gotten the most out of it."

Lumian chuckled.

"How can I face Devils without a Warrior? I've always wanted to use the Pride Armor, but I didn't expect Hisoka to choose the most convenient place like the bathroom."

It was a confined, tight space with a certain degree of flexibility.

Franca retrieved the Pride Armor from her Traveler's Bag and placed it on the ground.

Suddenly, the air in the old warehouse froze.

The silver-white full-body armor turned to face Lumian, condensing into a broadsword of light. Then, it knelt on one knee and thrust into the ground.

Wh— Lumian's pupils dilated as his figure abruptly faded, disappearing from his spot.

The broadsword of light split open, transforming into a devastating storm that engulfed the surroundings, obliterating numerous wooden crates.

Wh— Franca, Jenna, and Anthony couldn't dodge in time and were shattered into fragments by the Hurricane of Light, reflecting brilliance.

"Dammit! Isn't this too vengeful? How much time has passed?!" Franca cursed from a corner of the warehouse.