Chapter 491: Greed

Although the "Eye of Truth" had suffered severe contamination and wearing it could at any moment bring forth voices of hidden entities or inflict irreversible negative effects, Lumian believed that within Fourth Era Trill, where powerful seals isolated external influences—even the blessings of Xieshen could not return to their sources—it was unlikely he would hear the murmurs of the "Hidden Sage."

In other words, here—in particular within the mirror's Fourth Era Trill—using the "Eye of Truth" should carry minimal negative effects.

Of course, it was still possible that an Angel of the "Seeker" Path had perished here or that residual divine power lingered; wearing the "Eye of Truth" might still let him hear forbidden voices, so Lumian had no intention of keeping it on long—he planned to find the mirror's Gardener Martin, then remove the artifact at the first opportunity.

Through the lens pressed tightly against his eyes, its surface seeming to bristle with countless purple veins, Lumian saw countless nearly invisible "silken threads" swaying gently around Francia, subtly influencing the "mirror people" like Jian Na and others.

Similarly, male Francia had also produced vast quantities of "silken threads," completely unconstrained by the title of "Witch."

Lumian also saw this area thickly strewn with thin, snake-like black hairs—faint, elusive, brushing against every living thing they touched, their origin seemingly the colossal black pillar extending into the sky.

At the same time, his left eye reflected the mirror's Gardener Martin.

He was hiding beside a gray-white stone pillar, seemingly in a state of invisibility.

Without hesitation, after becoming a "Penitent," Lumian activated the black sigil on his right shoulder for the fifth time.

Wearing the "Eye of Truth," his figure vanished instantly, reappearing behind the mirror's Gardener Martin.

His lips curled upward as he swung his right fist toward the enemy, who had just realized he was exposed and had not yet reacted.

Both his hands were sheathed in iron-black gauntlets studded with multiple short spikes.

"Torture!"

The mirror's Gardener Martin had just begun to lunge forward, intending to transform into a blazing white spear and retreat, when Lumian's fist slammed into the back of his ear.

In haste, he collapsed his body like boneless flesh, preparing to follow with a roll.

Thud!

Lumian's right fist followed downward, striking the mirror's Gardener Martin on the right shoulder.

The blow shattered flesh and bone, hurling his body sideways, nearly unbalancing him.

The mirror's Gardener Martin possessed formidable close-combat skills; he Shunshi fell to the ground and rolled to face Lumian.

He was unafraid of the white-light ability, nor did he fear a bullet to the head.

He still had the "Mirror Double"!

Facing Lumian, whose iron-black gauntlets dripped blood, the mirror's Gardener Martin smiled, his eyes brimming with unmistakable greed.

This time, Lumian chose to activate "Greed!"

Instantly, the mirror's Gardener Martin ignited in blazing white flames, transforming into a spear that lunged toward Lumian.

At this range, he did not believe Lumian could evade the strike.

Choosing close combat meant enduring such consequences—being forced into a state where even "Spirit Realm Transit" could not be fully initiated!

Lumian indeed could not dodge, nor did he intend to; he merely adjusted his posture hastily, watching the blazing white spear pierce his right chest.

He possessed strong resistance to flame; the white spear took nearly two seconds to burn through his skin and flesh.

Yet Lumian's face retained its smile; the pain only twisted the expression of the "Penitent."

Anthony Reed's earlier "Soothing" had indeed restored his calm, but the resurfaced psychological issues still lingered briefly.

Thud! Thud! Seizing the moment, he threw two punches—one left, one right—striking the blazing white spear.

He would not miss any chance to ignite the mirror's Gardener Martin's desires and emotions.

Finally, the blazing white spear pierced through Lumian's right chest and flew over ten meters away.

Lumian's face still wore that slightly mad smile; with his silver-white ear clip in place, he drew his right hand back, pressed his palm against the horrific wound on his chest, then dragged it sharply downward.

The wound instantly shifted to his abdomen, while crimson-white flames erupted from his palm, burning the blurred flesh.

He traded increased future risk for reduced immediate injury impact.

As he performed this motion, his figure dissolved into the void.

The mirror's Gardener Martin had just reappeared from the dissolving white flames when Lumian emerged behind him again.

Thud! Thud!

Lumian swung his fists again, striking the mirror's Gardener Martin's arms, denying him any chance to breathe.

He avoided targeting vital areas, striking instead these inconsequential spots, fearing excessive damage might trigger the "Mirror Double."

When the mirror's Gardener Martin had transformed into the blazing white spear to attack Lumian, female Lumian—who had been about to "Transit" over to assist—froze, as if briefly losing her sentience.

Similarly, male Francia and male Jian Na exhibited identical reactions, as if momentarily no longer fully human.

This granted the struggling Francia and Jian Na precious moments to recover.

Though they had not yet grasped the reason in that instant, they keenly sensed that the mirror's Gardener Martin was the key.

It was precisely because Lumian's attacks on this dominant figure had triggered similar changes!

Experienced Francia immediately called to Jian Na nearby:

"Give me that arrow, cough—!"

She intended to use the "Bloodthirsty Arrow's" potent self-healing ability to counter the infection, restore a relatively stable condition within a limited time, and fully hold off female Lumian and the other "mirror people," creating the optimal environment for Lumian to face the mirror's Gardener Martin alone.

She only hoped that before the infection worsened further and the disease overcame even her self-healing, Lumian would bring about a decisive change.

Jian Na had originally intended to use the "Bloodthirsty Arrow" herself; though she had already used it twice, another use might cause her body to collapse—but at a moment like this, who cared?

Yet upon hearing Francia's request, she hesitated only slightly before tossing the obsidian-shard arrow to Francia, refusing to stubbornly insist on using it herself.

In her view, Francia was a Sequence 6 "Joyful Witch" with numerous artifacts, far stronger than herself; letting her recover briefly was more advantageous than her own futile resistance.

The moment Francia caught the "Bloodthirsty Arrow," she thrust it backward into her chest.

She saw that female Lumian and the other "mirror people" had recovered, regaining their liveliness.

Without sound or warning, Francia's lake-blue eyes turned crimson; the rubber band binding her ponytail rotted and snapped, her pale-blonde hair floating into the air, adding an eerie beauty to her.

Her increasingly frequent coughs ceased; the countless invisible "silken threads" surrounding her no longer slowly, stealthily entwined male Francia, male Jian Na, and female Lumian—they tightened abruptly, binding them in layers.

As if mirrored, Francia and Jian Na both felt their bodies grow heavy, limbs restrained.

Male Francia had been secretly weaving "silken threads" from the start, waiting until they were layered invisibly before dragging the "web" out of the water.

In this instant, Francia and the others were all trapped in place; only female Lumian, who had just "Transited" in, was least affected by the threads and skilled in flame, swiftly igniting crimson light to activate "Spirit Realm Transit" and heading toward Lumian and the mirror's Gardener Martin's battlefield.

On the other side, taking advantage of female Anthony's brief freeze, Anthony finally launched his counterattack.

He raised the automatic pistol he'd bought from the black market, gritting his teeth against the terrible coughing and dizzying fever, and fired at the "mirror person" who clearly possessed more charm than he did.

At this moment, no one interfered with their "mutual slaughter."

Amidst the gunshots, female Anthony shattered into countless mirror fragments.

When her figure reappeared nearby, she did not rush to aid the mirror's Gardener Martin; instead, driven by surging pride, she continued chasing Anthony.

Amidst the sounds of flesh striking flesh, Lumian landed multiple consecutive punches on the mirror's Gardener Martin, inflicting pain so intense it flooded his mind and ignited fury.

His greed made him unwilling to abandon the other four "mirror people" or the favorable conditions on other battlefields—but if he did not abandon them, he could not focus on Lumian, constantly restricted and on the defensive.

This was precisely why Lumian chose to activate his "Greed!"

Thud!

Lumian clasped his hands together and slammed them down hard onto the mirror's Gardener Martin.

The mirror's Gardener Martin was smashed to the ground and instinctively summoned countless crimson-white fireballs around him.

This caused female Lumian, who had just "Transited" in, to freeze again.

Lumian did not fear the crimson-white fireballs; he directly "Transited" onto the mirror's Gardener Martin.

The safest place was always where the user stood!

Amidst roaring explosions, Lumian endured the searing pain on his back and delivered another punch straight to the mirror's Gardener Martin's face.

The short spikes on the iron-black gauntlets sliced through skin and drove into flesh.

Suddenly, Gardener Martin's gaze locked in place; blood streamed from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

His surging greed had been ignited—not causing death or unconsciousness, but weakening him, leaving him momentarily dazed.

In this daze, whether female Lumian, male Francia, male Jian Na, or female Anthony—all froze in place, their bodies rapidly fading, growing translucent, until they vanished.

Seeing this, Lumian straightened, removed the "Torture" gauntlets, and tossed them far away to Francia and Jian Na—one each.

Francia, seeing the residual blood on them, immediately understood Lumian's intent.

She smeared her fingers with the blood, pulled out a mirror, and began a curse.

Lumian had chosen the "Torture" gauntlets for three reasons:

First, the ability to awaken desire would not trigger the "Mirror Double"; second, if no other options remained, the artifact could attract the attention of dangerous entities, bringing chaotic changes—chaos might harbor life.

Third, he seized the chance to "collect" a curse medium—the target's blood!

Even if the ignited greed spiraled out of control and ultimately triggered the mirror's Gardener Martin's "Mirror Double," Lumian would still use the brief disruption affecting the other "mirror people" to toss the "Torture" gauntlets to Francia and Jian Na, then shield them from attacks.

With blood as a medium, curse you again and again—see how many times you can use the "Mirror Double," see if you can find an opening to sever the connection!

Flames ignited around Lumian, forming fireballs that carried him away from the area, distancing himself from the mirror's Gardener Martin.

He was about to raise his hand to remove the "Eye of Truth" when he suddenly heard a strange sound.

(End of Chapter)