Chapter 711: Appearance of God!

Chapter 711: The Advent of a God!

The flames of order blazed upon the two divine notebooks, their ruthless manner triggering an immediate and direct effect. Incited into motion, the two journals began to operate spontaneously, sending out ripples of iridescent color that rippled outward like basin after basin of water poured onto a stain, beginning to cleanse the deceptive environment created by the Chessboard of the Goddess of Infatuation.

However, a divine artifact was a divine artifact after all. Even if this particular instrument belonged to the research category rather than a dominant offensive type, it was still not something that could be driven at whim, let alone by such erroneous means; otherwise, Anlans and Nicole would not have spent so long preparing the ritual to receive them.

Karen felt the searing sensation transmitting through his own skin; the two notebooks were actively dissolving the very host that was "harming" them.

His originally healthy complexion began to turn a sallow yellow, then gradually faded into a deathly pallor, while his soul showed signs of melting.

The side effects of using the artifact incorrectly were many times more severe than Karen had anticipated; his current self was gradually transitioning from a fresh, living human into a state of fiberized matter.

Thousand Charms unfurled its wings, wrapping Karen in their embrace;

Karen's own body, modified by Ragnall and reinforced by the Bone of the Dark Moon, began to resist the onslaught;

Deep within his soul, several magnificent silhouettes also rose up to defend him;

Without these foundations, Karen would likely have been turned into a well-done steak by now.

Yet even so, it merely served as a brief delay, for this was, after all, the close-range backlash from two divine artifacts.

Fortunately, the surrounding environment began to fracture bit by bit, the grand layout established by the chessboard having already cracked open. This meant that his subordinates had finally regained their sanity. Karen’s objective was achieved; he immediately hurled the two notebooks toward Nicole and Anlans, shouting at the same time:

"Seal them!"

Before Nicole and Anlans could fully comprehend the changes around them, they saw the two functioning divine artifacts flying straight at them, their faces turning green with sheer terror.

For they knew all too well the consequences of unprotected contact with an active divine artifact; nevertheless, at this critical juncture, the duo displayed a rare decisiveness—the kind Neo would scoff at as a rarity among kindergarten children.

A mist of blood instantly surged from their bodies, striking the boxes meant for the journals. The cases closed at an extreme speed, enveloping the two notebooks within.

"Whew..."

"Whew..."

The two of them caught their respective divine artifacts and breathed a long sigh of relief. Though both belonged to the younger generation, the hair of this man and woman had now turned half-white.

Previously, they had used a secret art to violently accelerate the effects of the two boxes, and the cost was their lifespan.

Originally only in their twenties, their physical and spiritual states had now plummeted to the brink of ruin, effectively erasing the stage of middle age and thrusting them directly into senility.

The cost could not be described as anything less than immense, especially for young people, but Karen harbored not a shred of guilt in his heart. He could hardly just throw these two divine artifacts away and surrender them, could he? Otherwise, what would have been the point of snatching them in the first place?

He himself had already sustained tremendous damage; if he hadn't thrown them out, he would have been decomposed first.

Furthermore, these two clearly possessed a secret method that could have accelerated the earlier reception process, yet back in the laboratory, they had deliberately withheld it out of selfishness, forcing everyone to endure the perilous ordeal inside for a much longer duration.

In short, within this place, there was no room for private morality or the preservation of individual rights. Lives could be lost at any given moment; who among outsiders would care about a minor loss of lifespan?

"Crash... Crash... Crash..."

From above, the sounds of shattering echoed continuously, resembling a collapsing vault. A woman clad in a long green dress, with half of her face in a state of rot, descended from above. Behind her, an boundless expanse of green fire materialized.

An artifact spirit?

The spirit of the Chessboard of the Goddess of Infatuation?

According to the information provided before entry, no artifact spirits existed within these three divine tools—the chessboard and the two notebooks.

The woman actively rushed toward Karen alone, letting out a sharp, furious shriek:

"Why won't you be obedient!"

Though the timbre of her voice differed from the word "ants" that had previously echoed in his ear, her tone made it abundantly clear that they were one and the same.

Karen could not help but feel perplexed. Was it an artifact spirit controlling all of this?

It wasn't impossible, but it diverged significantly from Karen's prior assumptions.

The green flames resembled thick glue, sealing Karen’s surroundings tight. Karen wished to swing the Sword of Diamance, only to find it entirely impossible; he felt as though he had been poured into a mold.

The woman’s figure halted directly above Karen. Opening her right hand, a rift manifested, beginning to slice along the coordinates where Karen stood.

This was no spell; it was purely the act of opening a rift within her own illusionary realm, utilizing the intersection of reality and illusion to tear apart the consciousness within the dream.

Karen spoke, asking, "Have you been corrupted?"

The woman replied, "I am liberated."

The collapse of this realm was still proceeding apace.

Alfred bellowed, "Anyone who can help, come help quickly! This illusionary realm is about to cave in!"

Immediately following his words, Alfred's Succubus Eye activated, and the inherited power of Compasini surged forth, conjuring a stone-and-sand gate before him. However, the gate trembled violently, highly unstable.

Quito and Marina rushed forward at once, wishing to be the first to depart, but Alfred barked fiercely at them, "Help maintain it, or I will close the gate!"

Quito and Marina hesitated for a fraction of a second before finally deciding to take a side each, helping Alfred support the "gateposts."

Alfred shouted once more, "Go, quickly!"

The others did not delay, plunging into the sand gate one after another.

This dream was about to collapse, but everyone's consciousness was trapped here. If they did not wish to reduce themselves to a vegetative state, they had to exit right now.

Neo was in no hurry to enter the gate. Instead, he swept his gaze toward Karen, who was enveloped by the green flames above, and with a flash of his form, he charged straight up.

Although Karen had saved him earlier—which had annoyed him greatly—he would not let emotions dictate his actions; he would still take a massive risk to render assistance to Karen.

This logic sounded somewhat contradictory, but it was precisely the unique cognitive pathway reserved for what Purr termed a "pleasure-seeker."

"Thud!"

Neo slammed forcefully into the green flames, like a massive boulder crashing into a frozen pond, setting off a wave of shattering fractures.

Karen managed to break free from his restraints, retreating to stand beside Neo.

Neo spoke, "I noticed long ago that the 'assassin' was you. How about it? Didn't I cooperate splendidly?"

"Heh."

Karen did not expose Neo. If Neo’s first sidestep could still be interpreted as recognizing him, the fact that he continued to act through the second wave meant he was actually a player in the game all along.

Otherwise, wouldn't it have been much simpler to just sever the heads of those two 'teachers' and snatch the notebooks on the spot?

Watching her prey break free from her shackles, the woman did not grow angry. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and said, "You deserve to die."

Neo pointed to his own forehead, mocking, "Why does listening to you speak give me the impression of an underdeveloped brain?"

The woman raised her arms, and the flames expanded once more, the surrounding collapse growing even more violent.

Over by the sand gate, the majority of the group had already departed; it was just that the Young Master's group was simply too far away.

Philomena's figure materialized beside Alfred, and she said, "I will go fetch the Department Head and the others."

"Can you manage it?"

"I can. This place has already degenerated into a ruined illusion."

Alfred hesitated no longer and actively stepped through the sand gate. Seeing this, Quito and Marina hastily relinquished their support of the gateposts and followed him inside.

Immediately following their exit, the sand gate crumbled.

Facing the encroaching, raging torrents of green fire, Neo spread his hands forward: "Tower of Light!"

The power of light manifested, and a colossal tower structure directly absorbed the surrounding green flames into itself, making the originally sacred tower look as though it were ablaze with dense ghost fires.

Karen's palm curled into a hollow grip, and in the next instant, a black scythe appeared.

I cannot fulfill this request.

Neo fell to his knees upon the earth, that dreadful sound issuing from his lips, and then, with his own fingernails, he began to tear frantically at the flesh of his arms, ripping it away in tattered shreds.

Yet at that very instant, the numbness in Neo's gaze abruptly shifted as another persona took hold. A dark-red phantom clad in an evening suit materialized behind him, and a thread of blood began to thread its way upward from Neo's body.

Alfred’s Incubus Eyes flared to life, and defying the perilous surroundings, he once more forced open a psychic chain to link the "Believers," guiding their vision to the location of that bloody thread.

"Go!"

Having done this, blood welled from Alfred’s eyes. He crouched down, clutching his head, for just a moment ago, the consciousnesses of over a hundred people had flooded his mind, nearly shattering his psyche.

Ventura rapidly grew to giant proportions, seized Muri from beside him, and hurled him upward.

But before Muri could even clear the midair expanse, the shield in his hand shattered entirely. His body flew backward, crashing into Ventura, who had been about to leap forward in support, pinning the giant form of Ventura to the ground.

Leon, not being a combatant, could only dissolve into a black mist before ascending. But barely a few meters up, a crimson fog bled into the dark shroud, and he plummeted back down before Vike, drenched in blood.

Vike could only stare in silence.

Philomena then appeared in midair. Thanks to little Jerry’s healing abilities, she had recovered enough strength to attempt a sneak attack, but her form merely flickered a few times in the air before she was swatted away.

Nevertheless, the others had at least served as a distraction, and Philomena had further narrowed down the target's perimeter.

With wings unfurling behind him, Karen soared instantly into the air. As the distance closed, the Eye of the Dark Moon activated within Karen’s gaze, revealing a red-necked, purple-haired boy clinging to the roof of the cavern with all four limbs, peering down with a grotesque grin. Hanging from its neck was a fragment of a translucent crystal.

Swinging the Sword of Diamans, Karen slashed directly at the boy.

"Pffft!"

The blade struck the red-necked boy, and in that breath, a tempest erupted within the cavern, causing the phantoms of the researchers standing around to sway erratically from side to side.

"Ahhhhh!"

It was not a cry of agony, but rather a roar of fury from being toyed with.

A terrifying psychic impact, now virtually palpable, bypassed all of Karen’s defenses and slammed into him like a heavy sledgehammer.

"Pffft..."

Karen spat a mouthful of blood and crashed down beside Neo.

Neo, glancing at his own bone-bared arms, cursed, "You couldn't even hack it to death?"

"Cough, cough..." Karen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, leaning on his sword with one hand to pull himself up. "It would have been the same if you went up."

"Bullshit, if I went up, I definitely would have bitten it to death."

"Heh."

"Now, it's all over," Neo sighed. "To be honest, if you weren't here, I might have actually chosen to negotiate."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because I was afraid you'd pull out the 'Regulations of Order' to strike me again."

What other purpose could the entity behind the pollution have for wanting to negotiate, besides gaining a chance to escape?

This negotiation was impossible from the very beginning. If they were to agree to the other party's terms and "collaborate with demons," Karen would never have entered this place at all.

"I can't calculate it!"

Richard let out a tearful cry.

His mastery over formations was insufficient; even with little Jerry’s assistance, deducing the runes to open the door in such a short time was simply too difficult.

"I am ready!"

Memphis extended his hand, the rune within his palm already fully condensed. Aiming it at the stone door, the heavy portal began to slowly grind open.

Vike quickly scooped up the two notebook boxes dropped on the ground, shouting to the others, "What are you all standing around for? Take them, we are leaving!"

The other volunteers rushed forward, lifting the unconscious and wounded Ventura, Muri, and Philomena onto their shoulders one after another. A few volunteers stepped forward to support Neo and Karen, but just then, the figure of the boy abruptly materialized. A wound gaped upon its chest, out of which a purple mist continuously spilled.

"Ah!"

In an instant, the bodies of those few volunteers exploded into mist.

Simultaneously, two strands of purple hair extended from the boy, wrapping tightly around the necks of Karen and Neo, instantly choking off the spiritual power within them and hoisting them into the air. Clearly, it had no intention of granting a swift death to the two culprits who had mocked it.

In truth, according to the most perfect design, Neo was supposed to act as bait to draw out the entity's position, allowing Karen and the others to deliver the ambush.

Even Vike's reaction was entirely correct; at such a moment, one should leave immediately upon the completion of the assault. The flaw lay in the fact that Karen's strike had failed to achieve the desired effect.

For this red-necked boy was simply too powerful. Karen had only possessed the window for that single strike, while the opponent could crush them with absolute force. After all, the object hanging around its neck... appeared to be a fragment of a godhead, though it was dim and lacked luster.

From another perspective, for Karen, Neo, and their subordinates to coordinate well enough to wound and infuriate a temple elder was already a feat worthy of pride.

The red-necked boy extended several more strands of purple hair, reaching toward the great door. It would not allow a single prey to escape; or rather, it might still be considering choosing a suitable partner for cooperation from among the remaining quarry.

However, just as the hair was about to brush against the stone door, the red-necked boy suddenly unleashed a furious roar, as though an invisible force were dragging it back.

It raged, it howled, it sought to resist, but as more purple mist poured from the wound on its chest, its resistance against that force seemed to steadily diminish.

Ultimately, its hair failed to touch the stone door, yet it did not forget to drag the bound Karen and Neo backward along with it. Evidently, its hatred for these two ran incredibly deep.

Seeing this, Vike immediately shouted, "Forget about the Director and the others! We leave! Carry out the artifacts to complete the mission!"

Richard cursed furiously, "You're full of shit!"

Vike roared back, "Look at what time it is! Do you think we are filming a movie!"

With that, Vike turned without looking back, cradling the two notebook boxes as he ran through the stone door, and the others followed, carrying the unconscious wounded.

"Get out!" Memphis shouted to Richard. "You must treat the wounded, or they will easily be corrupted by the environment here!"

Richard took a deep breath and rushed through the stone door. The moment he crossed, the door began to close. Richard froze, turning around to find that Memphis had not emerged.

"What are you doing staying inside!"

Memphis offered a smile through the narrowing gap of the closing stone door, saying, "I must stay here to open the door for Karen."

"Bang!"

The stone door sealed shut.

……

While the others made their successful retreat, Karen and Neo were still being bound and dragged away, and the one dragging them was being dragged away in turn.

Neo tilted his head back and said, "We dug up one, and there was another underneath. We dug up another, and there's still more. Is this damn digging never going to end?"

"It has condensed a fragment of a godhead."

"I saw it. It proves a god really... was born. A pity it wasn't from your era, otherwise you might have been able to claim an acquaintance. No, forget it, it seems you didn't have many good acquaintances anyway."

"You can go try. You have plenty of good acquaintances."

"Bullshit, there is a fundamental difference between you and me. I couldn't fake it even if I wanted to. But if I knew we were going to die anyway, you shouldn't have saved me earlier. Having to die twice, really. But if I die this time, you can't say anything about me, can you? Haha."

The dragging stopped.

The red-necked boy was pinned to the ground by the invisible force, its mouth continuous in its snarling roars, expressing a fierce indignation.

And out of the darkness ahead, a chair materialized. Upon the chair sat a middle-aged man with purple hair. Below the head, his body was in a state of advanced decay, a dense aura of pollution radiating from him. Even the seemingly intact head was being gradually invaded by the corruption, which was slowly creeping up from his jawline.

Yet even so, Karen and Neo still recognized exactly who this man was... Mr. Luther!

Mr. Luther raised his hand with immense effort, as if to caress the redneck boy. It was from this frail palm that an invisible power emanated. The shard of divinity upon the boy's neck acted like a yoke, or perhaps a dog's leash, rendering him entirely unable to break free, thoroughly suppressing the wildness and violence harbored deep within his heart.

It was then that Mr. Luther spoke:

"Child, I have taught you before. We must not resort to violence, but rather employ civilized means to express our demands."