Chapter 895: Terrifying Matters

In the Astronomical District, Left Street, inside the apartment newly rented by Lu Mi and the others.

"We're going to the underground crypts now," Lu Mi said to Jian Na and Fu Lan Ka in the living room, glancing out the window at the passing carriages, bicycles, and various mechanical devices.

He wanted to gather more intelligence from Kristemana's shadow before Fu Lan Ka contacted the Black Witch again, to prepare for possible unforeseen dangers—and this required Jian Na to ascend to the position of "Witch of Pain" at the sacrificial plaza on the third level of the underground crypts.

Jian Na glanced at Lu Mi's black cloak and asked cautiously:

"Don't you need to change your inner clothes? That way, at least you'll feel more comfortable."

Lu Mi fell silent for several seconds, then said:

"Alright."

Now it was Jian Na's turn to be surprised; she had expected Lu Mi to resist strongly and needed sufficient reasoning to persuade him.

Fu Lan Ka was equally astonished; even after drinking the "Witch" potion, she hadn't accepted such things so quickly.

Her lake-blue eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly formed a suspicion—her emotions grew complex.

Aside from height, Lu Mi's current physique matched Jian Na's; after accepting a few garments from her, he entered the bedroom without relaxing his guard despite the intimate bonds among the three.

Seeing this, Jian Na vaguely understood and turned her head toward Fu Lan Ka.

"Ah…" Fu Lan Ka sighed.

Jian Na followed by pressing her lips together.

Not long after, Lu Mi emerged, wearing the linen men's shirt and dark trousers with an air of dignified grace.

Fu Lan Ka glanced at him twice and said:

"You're too tall—you'll need a tailor to custom-make women's clothing that fits."

Lu Mi hummed in agreement, walked to the full-length mirror in the living room, and gazed at himself with his black hair simply tied back.

The striking yet cold-faced woman in the mirror made him dazed; instinctively, he reached into "The Traveler's Satchel" and pulled out the "Lies" ear clip.

His right hand hovered midair, not immediately putting the clip on.

Fu Lan Ka stepped forward quickly, forcing her tone to sound natural:

"I think you shouldn't force it now. Aurora's true resurrection depends on you maintaining your self—reaching the apex of both the Calamity paths. During this process, her soul fragments should gradually awaken on their own; you don't need to deliberately act or imitate."

"Besides, the 'Magician' lady suspects the key to Aurora's resurrection lies in the 'Eternal Witch.' Forcing her presence to manifest in you now may not be wise—just like switching to an adjacent path before reaching Sequence 4." Jian Na added softly.

"Yes, I don't know if your sister ever taught you this phrase: 'Too much is as bad as too little.' Even the best thing, overdone, becomes harmful." Fu Lan Ka added.

Lu Mi fell silent for a moment, then returned the "Lies" ear clip to "The Traveler's Satchel."

Fu Lan Ka quietly exhaled and smiled:

"Will you wear a veil-covered hat, or keep the cloak? If you walk out like this, you'll immediately become the center of everyone's attention on the street."

As fellow "Witches," she and Jian Na deeply understood such matters—and Lu Mi was a "Witch" endowed with divinity.

Lu Mi picked up the cloak draped over the nearby chair back and draped it over himself again.

Watching his delicate features and simple black hair slowly vanish beneath the hood, Lu Mi turned and walked toward the door.

Jian Na put on a woman's round hat with a black veil hanging down; Fu Lan Ka donned a baseball cap and pulled its brim low.

…………

In the sacrificial plaza on the third level of the underground crypts.

Lu Mi threw out several mirrors, setting up a "Mirror Maze," so that even if others explored or adventured on this level, they could not see the three "Witches" or their companion—they would simply pass through normally.

As Jian Na adjusted her state and prepared the potion, Fu Lan Ka gazed at the seemingly flawless boundary of the maze and murmured:

"No wonder you're a half-god—I know the real surroundings have been hidden by the 'Mirror Maze,' yet I still can't detect a single flaw."

By comparison, her own "Mirror Maze" could never achieve such perfection.

Before Lu Mi could respond, she asked curiously:

"When do you plan to give Vazan Sansong's corpse to Ludwig?"

After Vazan Sansong's death, because he had been deeply corrupted by fate's influence, remaining in the special mirror world was extremely dangerous, so Lu Mi and the others did not perform "Spirit Summoning"—they merely took his corpse.

Lu Mi thought for a moment, then smiled faintly:

"Not yet. Let's dangle it slowly—perhaps the ritual to ascend to Sequence 3 of the 'Hunter' path also requires team cooperation, and having an angel as a teammate would greatly reduce the required numbers."

"Besides, whether you're digesting the remaining 'Pain' potion or Jian Na is digesting the 'Pain' potion, we can use Ludwig. If we give him all the benefits now, how will we keep him from leaving?"

Seeing Lu Mi seriously consider returning to Sequence 3 of the "Hunter" path, Fu Lan Ka felt joy and deep relief, her arms unconsciously swinging slightly.

"Antoni is almost at Sequence 5—only the final ritual preparations remain," Lu Mi suddenly said.

"Huh…?" Fu Lan Ka paused. "When did this happen?"

"He told me yesterday. While you were advancing the Witch Cult matters, he was completing the 'Justice' lady's task—he's already established preliminary contact with the 'Psychological Alchemy Society,' and naturally received corresponding rewards. He's been consistently using his 'Hypnosis' ability, including helping me—and he completed digestion earlier." Lu Mi briefly explained, "Now he needs to contract a creature from the Spirit Realm to gain the trait of remaining conscious in dreams. There are other ways to achieve this—Ludwig's dishes might help."

Fu Lan Ka clicked her tongue:

"We haven't cared enough for Antoni…"

"For an 'Audience,' he probably doesn't want you to care too much or pay too much attention to him," Lu Mi glanced at a corner of the "Mirror Maze," "Just like he's here now—if things go wrong, he'll immediately offer Jian Na 'Soothing.'"

He's here? Fu Lan Ka felt as if she'd heard a ghost story.

At that moment, Jian Na, having consumed the "Ice Lemon Fish Slices," had prepared the "Pain" potion: black as ink, shimmering with green foam.

Lu Mi immediately raised both arms.

Behind Jian Na, a translucent ice pillar, studded with multiple protrusions, erupted from the ground, ready to serve as a pyre.

Then Jian Na handed the "Pain" potion to Lu Mi, climbed to the top of the ice pillar, and allowed Fu Lan Ka to tightly bind her body, restricting her movement.

Around Lu Mi, clusters of blazing white fire crows ignited, spiraling outward and landing on Jian Na's skin.

Jian Na was instantly set ablaze, her expression twisting uncontrollably.

Lu Mi stepped up a staircase of condensed frost to stand before Jian Na and poured the potion into her mouth.

Jian Na's consciousness began to blur; the agony of her body pulled at her, forcing her to cling to the last thread of awareness.

Lu Mi, meanwhile, floated gently from the top of the frost steps to the ground, focusing intently on sensing his surroundings.

He waited for Kristemana's shadow to arrive—he could no longer enter the area around the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" without the "Fool"'s seal.

Fu Lan Ka kept her eyes fixed on Jian Na, watching her skin rapidly blacken and char, her face twist and distort into agony, her teeth unable to hold, her cries of pain escaping.

This pained Fu Lan Ka deeply—she felt more anguish than when she herself had performed this ritual.

Suddenly, Lu Mi's pale blue eyes darkened to iron black, then shifted to silver tinged with black.

He sensed Kristemana's shadow—or rather, her residual consciousness—had descended into the "Mirror Maze," yet he could not see it at all.

Jian Na's thoughts drifted endlessly; as her self dissolved, she recalled the pain and joy of her time with Lu Mi, and the experience of bringing Fu Lan Ka pleasure—the ecstasy that ensnared her, the pain that kept her awake.

In this state, Jian Na could not know whether she had been observed by the "Primordial Witch." When fragments of her mind returned, a pure white-robed, indistinctly visible holy figure appeared before her.

"Lady Kristemana," Jian Na called out her name, remembering her previous mistake, and asked directly, "Why does the Primordial Witch despise pure females who follow the Witch path?"

Kristemana's voice, distant and ethereal, replied:

"My mother hates witches who never endure the pain of gender transformation, and she fears them."

"Why fear them?" Jian Na pressed further.

Kristemana's voice grew hollow:

"When pure female witches become angels—or even the 'Eternal Witch'—they encounter something terrifying. They may survive it, or they may not. If they fail, it is a grave problem for my mother, and must not be allowed to occur."

Jian Na froze, then blurted:

"And you?"

Instantly, streaks of crimson blood appeared on Kristemana's blurred face; her hollow voice suddenly carried suppressed pain:

"That's why I died…"

Before her words ended, the former "Catastrophe Witch," the true divine child, rapidly faded away.

"What exactly is that terrifying thing?" Jian Na seized the moment.

Kristemana's shadow vanished swiftly, leaving only half a sentence:

"That… mirror world…"

Jian Na snapped back to awareness, seeing her charred skin peeling off in chunks, the ropes already burned through.

She immediately vanished from sight and searched for a corner to change clothes.

"Phew…" Fu Lan Ka instinctively exhaled the worry and torment she had held inside.

At the same time, she seemed to hear Lu Mi quietly exhale as well.

(End of Chapter)