Chapter 735

When he finished this final stroke, Anthony quietly exhaled, relieved to still be alive.

Although he still did not know whether the Monet avatar he had drawn would work or help him and the others reverse their situation and find a way to escape the mirror world, at least he had fulfilled his companions' request and carried out his duty.

Almost simultaneously, Anthony saw the mouth of Monet's sketch on the paper slowly curl upward, its eyes instantly coming alive.

Yet the paper, which had ceased its curling, and the solidified transparent flame became active once more.

In the blink of an eye, the paper bearing Monet's sketch shrank into a ball and burned to ash within the transparent flame, merging into the dim "Vessel of Fiction."

This… wouldn't it have failed? Anthony's heart clenched again.

In such a situation, even the self-control of a "Hypnotist" struggled to maintain emotional stability.

At this moment, the "Overseer" Perel, still standing beside the raised rock, withdrew her right hand from the "dark box" made of a coin pouch.

The deal is complete; Lu Mi and the others are about to fall asleep!

Perel turned her gaze back to the target and saw Lu Mi standing firmly, wearing a golden mask painted with black and white pigments, his aura entirely gone, his body radiating a cold sense of death.

Yet Lu Mi's returned blue eyes remained open.

As an "Overseer," Perel instantly sensed the problem.

Before she could react, thick darkness flooded around her, extinguishing the faint glow of the carbide lamps.

Perel closed her eyes, her body swaying unsteadily.

She fell asleep.

The sleep effect meant for Lu Mi and the others had somehow been applied to herself instead, while Lu Mi and the others remained completely unaffected.

Seeing this, Lu Mi was first startled, then flooded with overwhelming joy.

He clearly felt the strange power surging from the "Vessel of Fiction" he had constructed using his own body as a foundation.

Did it work?

Did Anthony succeed?

Of course, all his previous actions were meant to aid his father.

And in dealing with the followers of the evil god, his father and we are on the same side!

Without hesitation, Lu Mi dissolved the "Vessel of Fiction" and prepared to "Teleport" to the side of the suddenly altered "Overseer" Perel, seize Morane Avini's vanity mirror, and attempt to use the fixed entrance within the mirror world to escape.

If he could get out, he could summon more allies and force Perel to leave voluntarily.

At that moment, Perel's coin pouch and Morane Avini's vanity mirror fell to the ground as she slipped into unconsciousness, unable to hold them.

Thud!

Morane Avini's vanity mirror shattered into fragments.

This exposed the barrier of the special mirror world, revealing numerous cracks; Perel, driven by her burning ambition, suddenly awoke and opened her eyes.

As Lu Mi's heart sank, a shadow shot out from the broken vanity mirror.

It merged with the scattered flesh and blood, instantly reforming into Mr. K, clad in a black robe.

After the special mirror world sustained damage, this "Aurora Society" emissary immediately sensed his own fingers and, relying purely on instinct, "Teleported" here, transforming into a shadow to slip through the cracks.

…………

Inside the dark church whose location was unknown.

The "Magician" kept "Phasing," yet could not escape the onslaught of the overwhelming torrent of information.

As she "Phased," she gathered starlight into her eyes, condensing it into a strange, ancient stone wall clock.

Gong!

The ethereal, majestic chime echoed through every corner of the church.

A vast, ancient, weathered shadow formed in midair—a stone-carved wall clock divided into twelve sections, alternating between gray-white and blue-black, each bearing a different symbol.

Gong!

The chime carried an indescribable invisible current across vast stretches of history, freezing all beings and objects in place:

The torrent of complex, terrifying information solidified; the "Hermit," whose form revealed an incomplete mythic creature, halted; the "Judgment" standing midair in the church turned to stone.

Loki's hand, extended into the void, also froze, not retracting immediately, dragging out a shadowy figure.

In this frozen moment, the starlight in the "Magician's" eyes changed once more.

Countless mercury-colored complex symbols appeared out of thin air, rapidly linking into a vast, illusory scaleless serpent.

The surface of this silver-white serpent bore countless intricate patterns and symbols, forming one interconnected wheel after another, each surrounded by different markings.

The next instant, the mercury serpent curled its body, biting its own tail, beginning to rotate slowly.

The torrent of complex, vast information began to reverse, retracing its pursuit path, transforming back into the black-dressed lady wearing a golden crown.

The black-dressed lady grew fainter, dissolving into a shadow and a floating, mysteriously alluring Tarot card, both of which ultimately returned to the void and vanished.

The stones scattered on the ground rose into the air, returning to the "Hermit"—some rejoining as eyes, others regaining their whiteness; the "Hermit" quickly ceased to appear as the terrifying, sanity-shattering form he had been.

The "Judgment" returned to the ground, retreating beyond the "Door," and the weakened restrictions dissolved.

Loki retracted his hand and sat back down on the black lacquered wooden armchair.

…………

Inside the special mirror world now riddled with cracks.

As soon as the "Overseer" Perel awoke, she saw Mr. K, clad in a black robe with a hood, and perceived the vast number of his crimes.

To her surprise, despite possessing far more crimes than Lu Mi—though less severe—his gray area was remarkably small.

This meant it would be extremely difficult to complete a "dark box" transaction with Mr. K; certain prerequisites seemed necessary.

Perhaps caused by extreme fanaticism—every "dark box" transaction could proceed only with the approval of his object of worship… As Perel's thoughts turned, she gazed at Mr. K and spoke with "Words of Order":

"You are guilty!"

"You have killed!"

Above Mr. K, darkness deepened, and something terrible began to take shape.

He had heard Lu Mi describe Yebusi's abilities and knew a lethal punishment was coming; he immediately prepared to switch his "Shepherd" target, using "Demonization" combined with "Rose Bishop's" flesh magic to counter the unknown attack.

Yet in an instant, the punishment brewing vanished, as if rushing toward some unknown place.

That terrifying pressure, like thick smoke, was swept away by a gale.

Mr. K paused, then burst into wild laughter, doubling over with mirth:

"Ha! Hahaha!"

"I am guilty, but my sins are all borne by my Lord!"

"I am innocent! I am innocent before this world!"

As Mr. K laughed wildly, he switched his "Shepherd" target, and layers upon layers of illusory doors appeared in his eyes.

Countless doors, each leading to a different destination, instantly coalesced into a shadowy book.

The book projected before Mr. K and began flipping rapidly.

"I came. I saw. I recorded."

As the ethereal voice echoed, the illusory book froze on a single page.

Mr. K instantly transformed into a half-giant, two or three meters tall, clad in cold black armor, holding a deep, dark, straight greatsword.

He charged forward, rushing to the "Overseer's" side.

"Praise You!"

Mr. K roared as he brought down his dark sword.

Seeing that prosecution was ineffective against Mr. K, Perel's expression grew graver.

Of course, as a half-god, she was surprised but not without other means to respond.

As Mr. K laughed wildly, she emphasized with "Words of Order":

"The Overseer is protected!"

The two- to three-meter-tall black-armored half-giant swung his dark greatsword with all his strength toward Perel's head—but it was blocked by an invisible barrier.

The barrier cracked; simultaneously, Mr. K's body split open without sound, a smooth, precise cut severing his right arm from his shoulder, sending it tumbling to the ground.

Though Mr. K had now activated a half-god ability through his record, granting him a trace of divinity, he still suffered punishment for attacking the "Overseer," who was explicitly protected.

This was a new sin, not yet borne!

At Mr. K's shoulder wound, flesh writhed wildly, as if growing a new arm; yet he paid it no mind, catching the falling dark sword with his left hand and shouting again, voice raised:

"Praise You for creating all!"

As his hoarse voice echoed, the dark sword swung again, slashing toward the "Overseer" Perel.

Meanwhile, Perel, relying on the prior protection, caused the coin pouch that had fallen to the ground to float upward and return to her palm.

She swiftly completed a "dark box" transaction—one targeting all present.

Snap!

As the dark sword descended, the invisible barrier protecting the "Overseer" shattered completely.

Mr. K's left arm detached from his body, another grotesque cut appearing there.

From the wound, thick clots of crimson flesh rapidly sprouted, as if alive, as if preparing to grow a new Mr. K.

The "Overseer" Perel did not rejoice at this outcome; according to the agreement of the earlier "dark box" transaction, both Mr. K and Lu Mi and the others should now be utterly weakened.

But in reality, nothing of the sort occurred!

Had she been unlucky? Had the one who transacted with her been a fraud, never intending to honor the contract? Perel, immobilized by circumstance, felt her heart sink.

Then she saw Mr. K, now armless, bending his back in an exaggerated arc.

The "Aurora Society" emissary's mouth stretched open to its maximum, his lips extending to his ears, the torn edges glistening with blood and thick with fleshy buds.

With this grotesque expansion of his mouth, the black-armored Mr. K bit down on the hilt of the dark sword.

He leapt high into the air, his voice erupting from his chest cavity:

"Praise you for bearing the sins of the world!"

In a hoarse, desperate cry, Mr. K descended from the sky, his straight, dark greatsword piercing downward, using himself as the hilt, to strike at the "Supervisor" Perle.

(End of Chapter)