Circle of Inevitability

Lumian wasn't surprised when his wrist was grabbed by the wet hand.

He even chuckled. "Not bad. You only stained my wrist, not corrupt my entire arm."

As he spoke, he pulled back with all his might, feeling the abnormally heavy force opposing him.

Lumian's muscles swelled, and his body appeared to grow slightly larger.

At last, he saw the bloody figure in the jacket being dragged out of the empty mirror.

A bluish-black mist materialized, permeating the faux goatskin containing the ominous contract.

The contract burst into flames on its own, morphing into silver-black symbols and words. They linked together from end to end, creating an intricate and illusory pattern that abruptly passed through his clothes and settled between Lumian's chest and abdomen.

Having pulled Bloody Jack out of the mirror, Lumian had fulfilled the other party's request, and the contract was automatically fulfilled!

At that instant, Bloody Jack, who had regained his footing in front of the altar, raised his head.

Lumian's eyes, tinged with an iron-black hue, mirrored a two-toned figure of Bloody Jack.

One was a vivid red, enveloping every crevice of Bloody Jack's body, permeating every inch of space. The other was a pale white, no larger than a thumb. It was located at Bloody Jack's abdomen, enveloped by layers of bright red.

Much like Padre Cali in his untransformed Wraith state, he has only one vulnerability from head to toe, but it's not in his Spirit Body; it's concealed within his physical form… This seems to be composed of viscous blood. Regardless of the extent of damage or blood loss it endures, as long as the core remains unharmed, it will be unaffected… It bears some resemblance to the Rose Bishop of the Secrets Suppliant pathway, but it possesses mirror-related capabilities… As Lumian observed, a succession of thoughts calmly raced through his mind.

Bloody Jack's red spiderweb-like eyes displayed a ruthless and bloodthirsty expression. He raised his axe and swung it at Lumian's body.

The deal is done. Now, I'm going to kill you!

Bang!

The axe missed Lumian and hit the ground of the quarry cave, creating a deep fissure and sending gravel and dirt flying.

With a twisted flexibility that exceeded human limits, Lumian maneuvered behind Bloody Jack.

With a swift motion of his arm, Lumian punched out with his right fist.

Blazing white flames surged forth, a bright tail enveloping his fist and wrapping around his forearm.

Pfft! Lumian's fist felt as if it had plunged into a swamp. The deeper he went, the more muddy and sticky it became.

Rumble! He detonated the blazing white flames surrounding his fist, blasting open a passageway.

His fist and forearm sank into Bloody Jack's cavity, halting at the pale-white spot.

Just as Bloody Jack was about to turn around and swing his axe, he froze. His body rapidly disintegrated, turning into congealed blood that fell to the ground.

The blood clots writhed and reassembled into Bloody Jack, but there was still a gap in his abdomen that couldn't be filled.

Seeing this, Lumian's body ignited with a blazing white flame, ready to attack with all his might.

Bloody Jack instantly turned ethereal and retreated into the mirror on the altar.

Lumian chuckled and abandoned the pursuit, ending the summoning ritual at a moderate pace.

His objective had been achieved. He had acquired the contracted ability—Mirror Mark!

Previously, he had observed Bloody Jack's river of fate not to gather information about it, but to verify if this strange creature from the bloody world possessed godhood!

If Bloody Jack didn't have godhood, Lumian could complete some risky transactions with him to circumvent the requirement of 99 living sacrifices. If Bloody Jack had godhood, he would undoubtedly suffer a backlash. However, he was protected by the ritual and under Mr. Fool's gray fog's supervision, so he wouldn't be significantly affected.

It was precisely because he was aware of this that Lumian dared to agree to drag Bloody Jack out of the mirror, allowing him to no longer be restricted by the ritual.

It turned out that as long as the contracted party could communicate normally, the price to pay when signing the contract would be significantly lower.

Of course, there was no way to avoid the negative effects entirely. Although Lumian obtained the Mirror Mark, it would also make him more susceptible to attracting abnormal events and strange dangers related to mirrors.

As the crack created by Bloody Jack spread to the wall of spirituality, causing it to gradually disintegrate, Franca took the opportunity to curiously inquire about what had just transpired.

Lumian gave a brief account of his "negotiation" with Bloody Jack and smiled.

"I worked hard to reach Sequence 5 so that these evil creatures would be able to communicate with me calmly."

Franca couldn't resist laughing. "You call that calm?"

With a sigh, she said, "If it weren't for dealing with Moran Avigny, the Mirror Mark wouldn't be a wise choice. You wouldn't have much use for it normally. It's like wasting a contract slot."

This was due to Lumian's lack of mirror-related abilities. Without a fixed mirror world entrance, he couldn't pass through mirrors, let alone use the Mirror Mark to locate his target.

Lumian wasn't bothered by it.

"The Sealed Artifact corresponding to the Hisoka Beyonder characteristic might have the ability to transform into a Wraith. The Mirror Mark could be used to complement it."

"Let's hope that's the case," Franca said, sighing. "This is why Contractees can't compare to Shepherds. Once you sign a contract and gain an ability, you're stuck with it. Even if that ability becomes useless, it still takes up a slot and brings the associated negative effects."

Many contracted abilities were acquired to fulfill specific needs for a limited time. After that period, they often became useless. For instance, Lumian's Niese Face could only be used occasionally as an illusion during combat after he obtained the Lie earring.

Lumian smiled. "Who says I can't get rid of it?"

"Uh…" Franca was caught off guard.

Lumian's lips curved into a bright smile.

"Kill the contract target, and the contract will automatically be nullified."

Franca and Jenna gasped inwardly.

After a moment, Franca joked, "Very good. Keep that smile. That's the smile of a homicidal maniac—no, a Reaper."

Jenna nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder you didn't kill Bloody Jack just now and only scared it away. You were worried that the newly acquired abilities would vanish instantly. Didn't you mention you were planning to contract three abilities this time? Have you thought about the other two?"

"Yes." Lumian wasn't in a rush to complete the second ritual. He casually chatted, "One is to boost my defense or substitution abilities, while the other is to handle undead creatures. However, I'll need to think about the latter later."

The former addressed his lack of physical defense, while the latter made up for his insufficient means to deal with Wraiths and undead creatures.

"Substitution abilities…" Franca said, smiling. "Just sign a contract with a Wraith or specter formed by a Demoness or a Mid-Sequence Seer Beyonder after their death."

Lumian scoffed.

"Do you think I haven't considered that? However, apart from the Demoness evil spirit suspected to be a Saint, there's nothing related to Demonesses or Seers. I definitely can't handle the negative effects of a demigod contractor at my current level."

"Maybe it's manageable," Franca's eyes sparkled. "Maybe the adverse effects will only change your gender."

"What do you mean 'only'?" Lumian wanted to tease Franca for her "life is short, why not give it a shot" mindset, but he restrained himself in front of Jenna.

Franca suddenly had a thought. "Can you only sign contracts with spirit world creatures or strange creatures? Can you sign one with a human? I can share the Mirror Substitution ability with you."

This was the first time Lumian had considered this question. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The relevant mysticism knowledge doesn't forbid it… But never mind. The Inevitability contract might have some hidden corruption or influence."

"That's true." Franca was still rational.

As she responded, another question popped into her mind.

If I actually sign a contract with him, what kind of negative effects will I inflict on Lumian?

"Why does the ability to deal with the undead have to wait?" Jenna wasn't as quick-witted as Franca, so she could only focus on more practical matters.

Lumian chuckled. "Because spirit world creatures and strange creatures fear sunlight's purification and don't have similar abilities, I can only consider obtaining it from the death domain. There's a good contract target there."

"Armored Shadow?" Franca realized. "Are you worried that giving him too much gold will make future communication uncontrollable?"

Lumian nodded and replied,"Additionally, I'm also waiting for the Sealed Artifact made from the Hisoka Beyonder characteristic. If it's related to a Wraith, I won't need the corresponding contract ability."

lightsvεl m After chatting for a while, Lumian reconstructed the wall of spirituality and began his second summoning.

This time, he summoned: "A peculiar creature wandering above the world, an unimaginably sturdy being, a colossal creature that never rests."

After reciting the incantation, a "peak" made of layers of flesh appeared at the mysterious door.

Its height was unknown, but it couldn't fully emerge, causing the illusory and mysterious door to shake.

After speaking the Mystical Language of Fate, Lumian obtained the corresponding information.

This "mountain of flesh" indeed possessed the ability to enhance one's defense. It could toughen one's body to be like steel or rock, but the corresponding downside was having a movement speed as slow as that of an ordinary turtle.

Lumian had no choice but to give up.

His alternative target was his messenger, Penitent Baynfel.

According to the messenger information provided by Madam Magician, Baynfel had the ability to bring his shadow to life and switch positions with his body at critical moments.

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