Chapter 479: Chaos

Lu Mi merely experienced a brief surprise, then immediately formed a guess.

Since General Philip seemingly used that special item capable of activating the underground mirror world to enter here, Franca, holding an ancient silver mirror with the same function, should also have had the chance.

As for why this works and what it fundamentally exploits, it holds no relevance to the current situation—once Gardner Martin and General Philip are dealt with, or they escape, it can be considered later—perhaps it holds the key to leaving this place.

At the edge of the wilderness, after Gardner Martin triggered a series of explosions, he failed to force Franca out of her invisibility state.

His former lover had now vanished to an unknown location.

As the "Pleasure Witch," relying on the "Assassin" ability, she could move without leaving footprints and conceal her scent and spiritual glow, making her extremely difficult to locate—perfectly countering the "Hunter's" environmental information gathering.

Dressed in a full suit of silver-white armor, Gardner Martin also kept moving; he was thoroughly familiar with the traits and abilities of the "Witch" path, knowing that after ascending to "Pleasure," Franca no longer needed blood, hair, or nails as curse mediums—merely reflecting her image in a mirror and covering it with black flame would yield the same effect, so he could not stand still as a target and had to ensure his reflection remained in the mirror for no more than three seconds.

As he moved quickly, Gardner Martin glanced at Philip and the informant Anthony, discovering the latter had collapsed on the ground, clutching his head and trembling, occasionally casting "Calming" on himself, completely abandoning resistance, while the former's black cloak slightly unfurled, summoning one crimson-white flame raven after another, as if preparing for a grand sacrifice.

Seeing this, Gardner Martin ceased paying attention to the battle over there, raised his right hand, and pulled down his faceplate.

Instantly, a broad, thick sword forged from radiant light appeared in his hand, and within dozens of meters around him, pure, holy dawn light spilled across the ground, nullifying all illusions, dispelling shadows, and revealing Franca's figure with her ponytail standing over ten meters behind his side.

This was the power of the "Warrior" path's Sequence 6, "Dawn Knight."

It came from the silver-white armor Gardner Martin wore.

This armor was a sealed item with an official designation; Gardner Martin acquired it years ago during an operation where he slaughtered two "Purifiers" of the "Eternal Sun" Church, taking it from their corpses.

"Designation: 247.

"Name: Armor of Pride.

"Danger Level: '2,' Dangerous. Use cautiously and sparingly; only teams of three or more, or Chaplains and Parish Bishops, may apply for it.

"Confidentiality Level: Purifier members and above.

"Sealing Method: Store in a dark, sealed room, guarded by physically robust humans, with rotations every three hours.

"Description: During the later stages of the war between the Kingdom of Ruen and the Fasak Empire, numerous meteors fell from the sky, directly causing multiple disasters.

"This armor was discovered inside a building in the suburbs of Leser Port, its roof crushed, all humans inside brutally murdered.

"After experimentation, it grants the wearer giant-like strength and fills a forty-eight-meter radius with holy dawn light, which can dispel illusions, banish shadows and invisibility, affect wraiths and shadows, reduce their peculiarities, and even weaken malevolent spirits.

"It possesses decent defensive capabilities; though it can be damaged, it slowly regenerates, taking from fifteen minutes to a full day depending on the extent of damage—see Appendix 2 for specifics.

"It also allows the wearer to condense a heavy, sturdy, yet sufficiently sharp two-handed greatsword, each strike possessing a purification effect; deliberately destroying this sword made of condensed light creates a terrifying 'Storm of Light,' directly annihilating human bodies, eliminating wraiths, and wounding malevolent spirits.

"The wearer's melee combat ability is significantly enhanced, and they become more arrogant than normal, developing an excessive hatred toward anyone standing behind them or targets hidden in darkness or invisibility.

"It will indiscriminately kill all humans within fifty meters who lack sufficient physical robustness; if the wearer grows weak, they too will be attacked by the armor.

"The standard for judging physical robustness is inconsistent—sometimes high, sometimes low; preliminary analysis suggests it relates to the armor's condition and surrounding environment. Most humans who have trained extensively or improved their constitution through elixirs pass the test and suffer no attacks; the few exceptions were later found to either suffer from serious latent illnesses or had indulged excessively in the prior two days.

"Anyone standing behind this armor must be cautious of being attacked, though it is not guaranteed.

"Similarly, the wearer using other miraculous items will also be attacked by it; experiments show the strongest reactions occur when facing items of the 'Night' and 'Earth' paths.

"Wearers of this armor inevitably suffer varying degrees of betrayal within a certain time afterward, regardless of whether they still wear the item.

"At night, this armor remains quiet, its aggression minimized; but if there is a moon that night, it enters an extremely volatile state, reaching peak aggression.

"The highest experimental subject level was Sequence 5…

"Appendix 1: Wearers of the armor grew taller to varying degrees; multiple wearings produced no cumulative effect.

"Appendix 2…"

Under the influence of the sealed item "2-247," Franca's figure became visible.

Wearing his faceplate, Gardner Martin hesitated for a second, then swung his radiant greatsword toward his side-rear.

Around him, numerous crimson-white flame ravens coalesced.

General Philip, surrounded by crimson-white flame ravens, looked down at Anthony Reed, who lay on the ground clutching his head, and lifted his chin slightly:

"Accept your fate."

Anthony Reed directly sensed the danger, yet could not control himself; his body trembled uncontrollably, his mind flooded with memories of that night, unable to resist.

But thinking of Philip's claim that he would become a sacrifice, recalling the horrific scenes of his comrades slaughtered, and remembering years of frustrated investigations, a flame ignited within Anthony's heart.

It was this man!

He betrayed my comrades, murdered those crude but lovable fellows, killed the companions who once guarded my back!

Suddenly, Anthony's mind flashed back to Lu Mi's earlier question:

"You still fear that night's ordeal, fear sudden gunshots—do you truly have the courage and resolve to pursue this further?"

Anthony Reed remembered his own reply:

"Perhaps I died during that attack; what lives now is merely a malevolent spirit chasing truth, seeking revenge.

"I may be destroyed, but I cannot give up…"

Yes, I should have died long ago; my sole purpose in surviving has been revenge—and today, my true enemy stands before me!

Why should I still fear? I am no longer afraid of death—why fear gunshots, explosions, or becoming a sacrifice?

The worst outcome is simply death, being sacrificed to a demon god—I've already prepared myself for it!

This time, I chose to stay, not leave Trill, facing potential disaster—wasn't that precisely to do something, to make up for the regret of the past?

Now, the opportunity has arrived!

The blazing fire of revenge fully ignited Anthony Reed's soul; he snapped his head up, fixing his bloodshot, deep-brown eyes filled with hatred upon General Philip, who loomed above him.

He had once been the superior of his superior's superior.

Die! Anthony Reed silently cursed, unleashing the "Psychiatrist's" "Chaos."

It could detonate the target's emotions or unstable mental state, plunging them into "Chaos" and inflicting severe psychological damage.

Sometimes, this could even cause the target to lose control entirely.

General Philip, about to unleash a swarm of flame ravens, suddenly sensed danger—but before he could react, he saw the sacrifice lift his head, staring at him with bloodshot, deep-brown eyes.

A hum—Philip's head snapped back, his thoughts exploding into chaos.

Since beginning his worship of the "Goddess of Fate," and being Sequence 5 with corresponding knowledge, he could clearly sense his personality and thoughts becoming distorted, his body gradually changing as his bestowed power increased.

For Philip, who had prepared himself mentally, these changes were acceptable—not troublesome—except for one issue that constantly troubled him: his mental state had grown unstable, alternating between reason, fanaticism, coldness, and calmness, appearing profoundly erratic.

It resembled the behavior of the Great Ones.

General Philip's mind felt stuffed with a storm; his facial skin swelled and wrinkled, pale and shriveled as if soaked in water for days.

From every pore, previously invisible threads emerged, tinged with a faint mercury hue, making his flesh appear as if fire burned within.

General Philip briefly fell into "Chaos."

At that moment, a figure formed behind him.

It was Lu Mi, half-tucking his white shirt into brown trousers, wearing oil-painting-like black leather shoes.

Lu Mi heard Franca's voice and sensed the battle had begun; instead of rushing out immediately to assist, he chose to wait—for an opportunity.

He knew that with his current spiritual power, his optimal choice was only one: exhaust every ounce of strength to eliminate either Gardner Martin or General Philip within a short time, leaving the other to be handled by Franca, Yu Jianna, and Anthony's team.

But choosing which one as his target gave Lu Mi no answer:

Gardner Martin had been contaminated by the events at Market Avenue 13 and was the "Commander" of the "Iron Cross," possessing many peculiarities; Lu Mi could not guarantee a combo strike would truly eliminate him, while General Philip's bestowed power involved fate—he might sense danger in advance and respond correctly; Lu Mi also did not believe he could succeed in a surprise attack.

Both options carried high risk; he restrained his impulse and waited patiently.

As long as Franca and Anthony were not about to die, he would wait.

Patience was the most fundamental quality of the "Hunter," equally vital for the "Conspirator."

Of course, Lu Mi was not waiting blindly; he observed the battle through Yu Jianna's mirror magic and the scattered mirrors across the wilderness, having just prepared to interrupt Philip and rescue Anthony—only to find Anthony himself stepped forward, delivering a "Chaos" to Philip.

This was the opportunity!

Lu Mi watched General Philip, even in "Chaos," sense the threat and struggle to turn around; his expression turned cold as he spoke:

"Hmph!"

Two beams of white light shot out, striking Philip.

The "Dead One's" eyes instantly lost focus; his body swayed, about to collapse.

Lu Mi had already raised his right hand, curling his pinky and ring finger, mimicking a revolver, aiming at the back of General Philip's skull.

Bang! In his internal sound effect, as his body leaned slightly backward, a crimson fireball rapidly compressed and shot from the tips of his index and middle fingers like a bullet toward the target at point-blank range.

(End of Chapter)