Chapter 648: Indoor Combat (Final Half-Day Request for Monthly Tickets)

Tevanako Tupian's ears rang with a deafening buzz, his eyes bulged and bloodshot, his mind seared as if by flame, thoughts shattered into countless fragments, leaving him momentarily unable to comprehend his situation or the enemy behind him.

Blood trickled from the corners of his eyes and nostrils, carrying an odd scent, his skin rapidly darkening from pale brown to deep black.

"Ha!"

From Lu Mi's mouth issued a pale yellow glow, striking the target suspected to be "Siso" from less than two meters away.

Tevanako shut his eyes and fainted, while Lu Mi's "Chant of Hatred," manifesting as a black bone flute, pierced toward his throat.

At that moment, the tiled floor of the restroom suddenly turned illusory, muddy, and pitch-black, as countless arms rose upward.

Some arms lacked skin, exposing raw red flesh, yellow fat, and white tendons; others were nearly transparent, insubstantial, both eerie and pale; still others twisted grotesquely, adorned with rapidly spinning eyes or protruding dense clusters of greenish-blue tumors…

They all grasped toward Lu Mi and toward Tevanako.

This was originally one of the "Soul of Resentment"'s death spells, called "Soul's Entanglement," designed to summon numerous unusual undead creatures to immobilize the target, paralyzing and stiffening them, rendering movement nearly impossible.

Because Tevanako was also a mid-rank Adept of the "Demon" Path, the spell mutated—now it was called "Abyssal Descent!"

It could be pre-deployed to alter a region, hiding many undead or fallen beings beneath the ground, which would extend arms upon intrusion, dragging the target into a murky, pitch-black illusory abyss—this both restricted enemy movement and induced one or more effects upon contact: paralysis, numbness, dizziness, chills, pain, or rapid loss of vitality; if fully dragged into the illusory abyss, the target would be corrupted and begin to fall.

Before attacking Colobo, Tevanako had already cast this spell upon the restroom floor, intending to prevent employees or customers from suddenly entering and discovering a patrol officer in the act of suicide, thereby raising alarms—yet now it proved unexpectedly useful—this was precisely why he had not appeared directly before Colobo's eyes, but only as a reflection in the mirror.

Lu Mi's motion of thrusting forward the "Chant of Hatred" froze.

Countless arms seized his ankles, calves, hips, and torso; his body and soul sank into a state of icy rigidity, capable only of painfully slow movement.

So too was Tevanako—unconscious, the "Soul of Resentment" and "Apostle of Desire" could not control "Abyssal Descent," so the grotesque arms bypassed them, yet still gripped their bodies, dragging them downward with the momentum of their fainting collapse.

Colobo, lying nearby, severely wounded and long unconscious, was likewise pulled by those arms, slowly sinking into the murky, pitch-black illusory abyss.

With a roar, a layer of crimson flame erupted across Lu Mi's body.

It blazed fiercely, as if draping Lu Mi in a flamboyant, radiant crimson cloak.

The arms gripping his body recoiled under the searing heat, most withdrawing—but some remained unaffected, still pulling downward, leaving Lu Mi's body cold and stiff, regaining limited mobility but not enough.

Had this been moments ago, Lu Mi could have continued thrusting the black bone flute to strike the enemy's throat—but now, the suspected "Siso" was nearly touching the ground.

Thud!

Tevanako crashed heavily to the floor.

The impact jolted him, pain surged—and he finally broke free from the "Hengha Technique," awakening.

And now, the most agonizing moment of his unleashed desire had passed.

Lu Mi, seeing this, lowered his head slightly and spoke:

"Hng!"

Two beams of white light shot forth; Lu Mi's hands retracted, still sluggish, reaching into the "Traveler's Satchel."

Neither beam struck Tevanako on the ground; instead, they were blocked by a forest of twisted, terrifying, bloody, or illusory arms, all entangled.

As soon as Tevanako regained partial awareness, he seized control of "Abyssal Descent," protecting himself and restraining the enemy.

The arms swept by the "Hengha Technique" softened and sank back into the pitch-black mud, as if deprived of support.

Taking advantage of this, Tevanako's body abruptly turned pitch-black and sinister, as if formed from the deepest, most hidden emotions and desires of the soul.

Without sound or warning, Tevanako dissolved into an illusory, viscous, filthy black liquid, merging into the muddy abyss and vanishing.

Lu Mi remained pulled by those unburnable, sinister arms, his freedom of movement still partially restricted.

Lu Mi's hands emerged from the "Traveler's Satchel," dragging forth a full suit of silvery-white armor.

He placed the armor beside him, firmly planting it into the black mud.

"Armor of Pride!"

The grotesque, nauseating arms growing from the illusory abyss and its corresponding spirit realm instinctively, driven by the spell, surged upward, grasping the armor's ankles, leg plates, hips, lower abdomen, chest, and back.

The "Armor of Pride" suddenly moved—its hands coalesced into a massive sword forged of pure light; around it, pure, holy dawnlight emerged, rapidly filling the entire restroom.

The illusory and bloody arms instantly emitted black smoke, shrinking rapidly back into the ground beneath the radiance of dawn.

The black mud faded; the restroom's tiles reappeared, one by one.

Colobo, on the verge of sinking into the illusory abyss, ceased descending, still lying motionless on the floor, unconscious.

A shadow composed of the most sinister, fallen viscous black liquid appeared at the restroom door, preparing to escape.

Having escaped the trap, Tevanako made a cold, clear decision:

Abandon the chance to possess Lu Mi Li, avoid further entanglement, and flee swiftly from Matani Import-Export, flee from Pailos Port!

He believed he had walked into a trap—so he must escape before the trap fully activated, not remain out of anger or murderous desire, attempting to counterattack Lu Mi Li and flee only after killing him.

That would be extremely dangerous!

Tevanako was grateful he had sent two "gifts" to Lu Mi Li, even sacrificing his most cherished artifact—now, the patrol unit must already be experiencing anomalies, growing worse, drawing most hidden enemies toward that location, believing it the true target.

This would create an opportunity for his escape.

Tevanako had never been obligated to kill Jamu; he merely reasoned that if eliminating Colobo proceeded without incident, neither side would face trouble—but if complications arose, Jamu's commotion would divert pressure, attract enemies, and serve as a decoy.

He chose to send an extra gift out of caution, not to satisfy his own murderous desires!

…………

Inside the white four-story building of the Patrol Unit, in Jamu's office.

Seeing a playing card shimmering with metallic luster fly toward him, Jamu forgot his coffee might spill—he instinctively crouched low, ducking behind his desk, preparing to flip the table at the attacker Sou and follow with a "Mind Piercing."

The card bearing the "Joker" flew over Jamu's head, missing.

Yet it adjusted its trajectory on its own, plummeting abruptly like a thinking, self-guided object, stabbing straight toward Jamu's back.

Upon contact, the card mysteriously became insubstantial, merging into Jamu's body.

Seeing this, Sou's smile widened; he stepped forward, lunging to the side of the desk, drawing the greatsword from his back.

…………

At Matani Import-Export, the men's restroom.

The figure composed of viscous black liquid slipped through the restroom door's crack—then strangely returned to its original position.

"Vessel of Fiction!"

When Lu Mi harbored malice and drew the "Chant of Hatred" from the "Traveler's Satchel," he also used the "Vessel of Fiction," anchored to the restroom's ventilation shaft.

The condition for entry or exit: female!

Thus, male customers entering the restroom would not be drawn into the dangerous supernatural battle—and "Siso" could not escape until he destroyed the "Vessel of Fiction."

The viscous black liquid figure instantly spread across the area corresponding to the ventilation shaft, evading Lu Mi's second pair of white beams.

Tevanako ceased fleeing; his form swelled violently, becoming a monstrous figure nearly three meters tall.

His skin was dull, deep black; atop his head grew a pair of curved, ornately patterned goat horns; behind his back unfurled a pair of colossal bat wings, entwined with crimson-and-blue flames, radiating a strong sulfurous stench.

"Demonization!"

This was the most powerful ability of the "Criminal" Path's Rank 6 "Demon," granting significant boosts in strength, speed, defense, and more.

Lu Mi knew the suspected "Siso" was wary of the "Hengha Technique," ready to dodge at any moment, so he refrained from using it again.

He also did not blow the "Chant of Hatred" again, for the situation now was utterly different.

Moments ago, the enemy had been attempting to kill Colobo, his murderous desire at its peak—easily and accurately triggered. Now, the enemy was utterly calm, devoid of emotional or desire-driven fluctuations.

Uncertain of the "Chant of Hatred"'s effect—whether beneficial or disastrous—Lu Mi refused to gamble.

In his hand, he coalesced a long spear of crimson bordering on white, and hurled it toward the suspected "Siso," across the short distance.

As the flame spear flew, Lu Mi's figure vanished.

He could not remain where he was—either the "Soul of Resentment" would possess him, or the "Apostle of Desire" would assault his mind, or some other ability would stir his desires or emotions!

ps: If no unforeseen events occur, there will be an extra chapter at the usual time at midnight~

(End of Chapter)