Chapter 822: Falling Into the Net (Thank You, Mr

As Jian Na activated the "Abyssal Shackles" spell embedded in the "Arrow of the Bloodthirsty," Nikila coughed again—and shadows and darkness around him stirred to life, coiling into black chains under the dim yellow glow of the gas wall lamp, wrapping him tightly in loops, sealing even his mouth shut.

Nikila had extensive combat experience; instantly, he formed a slowly rotating cluster of stardust in the palm of his right hand.

The wall lamps in the room dimmed abruptly, as if swallowed by the night outside.

In this dimness, countless brilliant stars emerged—not densely packed, but numerous enough.

They spilled forth beams of radiance, converging into a thick column of light that illuminated the entire room and enveloped Nikila himself.

The black chains of the "Abyssal Shackles" instantly withered like shadows under sunlight, dissolving rapidly—and Nikila, within the column of light, melted away, shattering into countless glass fragments.

"Mirror Double!"

Relying on his innate ability, Nikila used an attack against himself to break free from the "Abyssal Shackles" in the shortest possible time—as a Seeker-path adept, many of his spells required incantations; with his mouth sealed by the chains, his available abilities were severely limited.

Jian Na thus confirmed Nikila was the "Man in the Mirror."

Thick black mist spread from her back, sprouting a pair of ethereal, massive bat wings.

Immediately, these "Wings of Darkness" transformed into a swarm of unreal, palm-sized vampire bats that passed through doors and walls, flying toward Nikila, who had just escaped the "Abyssal Shackles."

At the same time, Anthony terminated his "Psychological Invisibility" and stepped to the door, kicking open the wooden panel.

He gripped a complex, mechanically elegant black revolver in both hands, aiming it at Nikila.

"Winter Is Coming!"

Anthony was preparing to activate the "Certain Death" effect of this extraordinary weapon!

Of course, he didn't truly intend to use it—because the opponent had a "Mirror Double," and was physically fragile; any attack that struck him might trigger the replacement ability prematurely, causing the bullet of certain death to hit the mirror double instead, rendering the intended effect useless.

Anthony's current goal was to exploit the exceptional spiritual alertness and secret-seeing eyes of "Witches," making Nikila feel his life was threatened, forcing him to flee through the Mirror World.

According to Franca's assessment, Nikila, likely a Sequence 5 "Astrologer" of the Seeker path and suspected "Man in the Mirror," would instantly sense the danger of the "Winter Is Coming" revolver and perceive the divine attack forming within it.

To more authentically trigger the target's spiritual alertness, Anthony needed to pre-condition his own psyche—a simple task for a "Hypnotist."

Thus, Anthony genuinely intended to fire, genuinely prepared to activate the "Certain Death" effect—but when his finger began pulling the trigger, it would activate his pre-set "psychological alarm line," causing the suggestion to dissolve naturally, and he would fire a normal bullet.

As Franca predicted, the moment Nikila saw the "Winter Is Coming" revolver, his pure black pupils involuntarily flickered with faint violet, revealing the decaying, rotting aura enveloping the weapon.

He instantly felt himself inching toward death; his throat itched more intensely, and his body grew weak.

This was not the inherent effect of the "Winter Is Coming," but a backlash from the Seeker's perception of the weapon's "secret"—a reaction that perfectly complemented the pathogen Franca had earlier spread from the mirror, worsening Nikila's illness dramatically.

With no time to consider other options, Nikila immediately summoned a mirror to replace himself in place.

Bang!

Anthony pulled the trigger, firing a bright yellow bullet with only disease effects; it struck Nikila alongside the swarm of vampire bats, producing a sharp cracking sound.

Nikila, now reappearing in another corner of the room, had no intention of counterattacking—his mind held only one thought: escape immediately.

First, he didn't know if only these two attackers were present; second, the danger of that gun had left his nerves taut.

Since he couldn't assess the situation clearly and knew the enemy possessed a semi-divine weapon, fleeing was his only option!

Nikila immediately lunged toward the nearest mirror, intending to escape the battle through the Mirror World.

Noticing his movement, Jian Na slowed her assault; Anthony's eyes turned golden, swirling with concentric vortexes reaching deep into the soul.

"Combat Hypnosis!"

This forcibly hypnotized an enemy in battle, compelling them to perform abnormal actions—but these actions could not directly harm the hypnotized, and the effect faded quickly.

Anthony merely wanted Nikila to choose a different mirror to flee through—this would only delay his escape slightly, without directly endangering him.

Nikila froze, suddenly feeling the mirror before him might conceal a dangerous trap.

Instantly, he pulled from an inner pocket of his black wool coat a scroll inlaid with gold foil, whispering a Hermesian word:

"Sun!"

The scroll was instantly consumed by golden flames, erupting blinding, radiant sunlight that turned all the flying vampire bats into blue smoke.

This severely impaired Jian Na and Anthony's vision—their eyes were flooded with brilliant light.

Seizing the opportunity, Nikila rolled to the full-length mirror in the parlor and dove into it.

From the moment he was affected by "Combat Hypnosis" to completing his escape, less than three seconds had passed.

The sunlight faded swiftly; Anthony nodded to Jian Na.

Jian Na immediately grasped her companion's shoulder and activated the "Seven-Stone Bracelet" on her left wrist.

One of the two diamonds instantly blazed with pure, clear light, enveloping both of them.

The next second, Jian Na and Anthony "teleported" into the quarry hollow where the Mirror World's entrance was fixed, pressing their hands against the protruding rock.

…………

The moment Nikila arrived in the void-black region behind the mirror, he could no longer suppress his coughing.

The disease he had contracted could not be eliminated by the "Mirror Double."

"Cough! Cough! Cough!" As Nikila coughed violently, he felt invisible threads binding him layer upon layer.

"Witch's silk"? Nikila's blood ran cold.

Jian Na had deliberately used the "Arrow of the Bloodthirsty" to attack this "Man in the Mirror," concealing her own identity as a "Witch," preventing Nikila from suspecting he'd been targeted by Witches.

Otherwise, he would have suspected traps behind the mirror and abandoned fleeing through the Mirror World—rendering Anthony's "Combat Hypnosis" useless!

As Nikila's pupils dilated, he reflexively gathered a slowly rotating cluster of brilliant stardust in his right palm.

Before he could use the "Astrologer" ability to destroy himself and the Witch's silk in this region, he felt some invisible threads gently caressing him—from his ears, face, chest, down to the inner thighs—each touch filled with seductive tickling and teasing.

His blood surged instantly; his thoughts plunged toward the abyss.

He was about to forcibly regain control and activate his ability, when he saw a figure appear at the edge of the spiderweb tunnel.

The figure wore a black robe with leather armor, its hood askew, revealing sharp, beautiful eyebrows, eyes as clear as lake water, and lips glistening with moisture.

This indescribable beauty and soul-stirring allure made Nikila involuntarily hold his breath, forgetting resistance, forgetting to break free.

"Witch of Pain's" "Allure!"

A fierce warning of danger allowed Nikila to barely escape this intoxicating beauty; gritting his teeth, enduring the desire stirred by the caresses, he prepared to activate the vortex of stardust in his palm.

Franca continued using "Allure," her lips curling slightly, offering Nikila a dazzling smile while altering the motion of some silk strands.

Now, they tickled!

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Simultaneous attacks on Nikila's neck, armpits, waist, and other sensitive spots sent him into uncontrollable laughter, tears streaming down his face.

Had he not been bound by invisible silk, he would have recoiled, twisted, and rolled on the ground.

In this state, Nikila could hardly activate any ability.

Of course, his desire had also faded.

"I really am a black widow spider, methodically tending to prey caught in my web… At the 'Witch of Pain' stage, when prey is fully bound and has no allies, they're constantly affected, unable to escape by their own strength… Too bad, this doesn't work on 'Hunters'—their bodies erupt in flame, burning away the silk… I wonder when I'll be able to transmit true pleasure directly through my silk…" Franca, maintaining vigilant alertness, watched Nikila's wild laughter and murmured inwardly.

Her current strategy was clear: restrict the enemy, continuously disrupt his efforts, and delay until his illness erupted or he was fully entranced.

Even if Nikila actively used the "Mirror Double," he'd be limited by distance—his true body would still reappear within the Witch's silk covering the entire area, repeating the same ordeal.

—In the past, Franca had already turned this place into a Witch's nest.

Caught between relentless tickling and seductive desire, Nikila swung wildly between hell and paradise, in excruciating torment.

And that beautiful figure, forever out of reach, seemed like a dream embodying all hope and beauty.

Nikila knew he couldn't endure this any longer; with iron will, he bit his tongue hard.

Pain pierced his mind, briefly freeing him from all influences.

He clenched the vortex of stardust tightly.

In the void-black region behind the mirror, one brilliant star after another ignited.

ps: Thank you, Mr. O of the Aurora Society, for your again silver alliance donation~

(End of Chapter)