Circle of Inevitability

807 Overlooked

Morora's night was devoid of streetlights, relying solely on the crimson moon high above to provide light, casting deep darkness and dense shadows everywhere.

Gusain, dressed like a gentleman, carried a lantern as he led Lumian to a neighborhood near the edge of the city.

The area had been completely abandoned due to a small volcano that had erupted, swallowing several houses and leaving a charred wasteland in its wake.

"The place you mentioned isn't at the base of the volcano, is it?" Lumian glanced around, adjusted his cuff, and smiled.

Gusain nodded slightly.

"Yes, the volcanic eruption affected the underground part of the cemetery, allowing its power to seep out. The lava receded quickly, leaving behind an empty void.

"If you can find the right path through the void filled with the fog of war and reach the designated spot, it will prove you have the qualifications to join us in penetrating the underground part of the cemetery."

Fog of war... Gusain had been using this term to describe the underground fog, which seemed to have leaked from the mausoleum containing 0-01, which represents the Red Priest... Lumian didn't conjure a bright white fireball for illumination. Instead, he followed Gusain, who carried the lantern, into a building on the edge of the volcanic area.

Inside the house, filled with solidified volcanic rock, they descended a precarious staircase into a partially collapsed basement.

The basement walls had a gaping crack leading to a void filled with dense fog.

"You need to reach this point near the cemetery's underground section and light the oil lamp between four stone statues. Remember, there are four statues facing each other in pairs." Gusain hung the lantern on a protruding stone brick in the wall crack and took out a simple map, pointing to the destination.

Lumian studied the map for a minute, then turned his gaze to the dense fog outside the crack. "What's special about this fog?"

Gusain pressed his top hat and smiled.

"It significantly reduces your visibility, affects your hearing and smell, suppresses your Astral Projection's interaction with the spirit world, and dulls your spiritual warning and intuition."

"And?" Lumian asked, seemingly relaxed.

Gusain thought for a few seconds.

"The fog of war envelops the corresponding spirit world area. Some Beyonders, even if they can enter the spirit world, can't locate themselves or escape the fog. If they try to teleport out, they might get lost somewhere in Morora and never return to reality."

Seeing means being able to teleport there? With my Hunter's vision, I can only see five or six meters... Lumian roughly understood the fog's effects and laughed.

"If I could create a hurricane, could I blow it away?"

"We've tried. You can, but once the wind stops, the fog comes back, and the dispersal is limited to reality, not affecting the part seeping into the spirit world," Gusain explained the previous experiment's results.

Lumian asked a few more details, then conjured a bright white flame to hover above his head.

He stepped forward, through the crack, and into the dense fog.

Unlike normal fog, this one felt like it had been scorched by fire. As Lumian inhaled, his airways stung with a fiery pain, and his mind filled with the smell of burning, blood, and rust.

The dense fog churned, and the ground trembled slightly.

Lumian saw tall figures emerging from the fog five or six meters away.

These figures were made of black iron, covered in dark red rust, like neglected metal puppets.

Some lacked arms, others had disjointed bodies, and some had gaping holes in their chests. They staggered towards Lumian, wielding giant swords that gleamed coldly.

Lumian chuckled. "Who dug you out of the trash heap? Recycling, huh?"

Before he finished speaking, he disappeared from his spot, reappearing behind one of the iron puppets.

His eyes turned iron-black, and his right fist ignited with bright white flames, crashing down on the puppet's waist.

Suddenly, a bright white flame spear shot from the crack in the wall, hurtling towards Lumian.

Lumian couldn't dodge or use Spirit World Traversal in time. He could only fall to the ground, following the momentum of his right punch.

At the same time, he prepared to swap places with his shadow.

Bang!

His flaming right fist struck the puppet's waist, creating a spiderweb of cracks.

Then, his fist brushed against the metal surface, pulling his body to the ground, narrowly avoiding the white flame spear, though a lock of his hair caught fire.

With a clatter, the white flame spear pierced the puppet and landed two meters away, revealing Gusain in his top hat.

The invigilator was the attacker!

The second most dangerous person in Morora!

Creak! Creak! The puppet took a step forward out of inertia, then collapsed into a heap of scrap metal.

Lumian, lying on the ground, didn't roll away. Since he hadn't gone far from the basement, he teleported to the crack covered in dense fog, moving as far as his vision allowed to escape the fog of war.

Once outside, he could either counterattack Gusain or find a chance to escape, both better options than fighting in a preset scenario.

Whenever possible, avoid fighting in someone else's setup!

As Lumian's figure appeared in the dense fog near the basement crack, he saw a bright white flaming metal spear rushing towards his heart as if waiting for him to come.

Besides Gusain, there was another ambusher!

Gusain's attack seemed to lure Lumian to teleport towards the exit, stepping into a trap!

At this moment, Lumian, in Morora, far from Franca and Jenna, couldn't use their Mirror Substitution. He could only swap places with his shadow in a flash of light.

Pfft!

The bright white flaming spear pierced Lumian's chest, setting him ablaze.

But Lumian's figure turned thin and black, dissolving like a shadow in the firelight.

The spear-wielding man stepped through the crack into the fog of war.

His hair was tinged with blood, his features aggressive, and he wore a black and red jacket. He was Albus Medici.

Albus Medici, whom Gusain was supposed to be looking for, was here!

Lumian's figure reappeared in another direction, but due to the fog of war, he was still within six meters of Albus, Gusain, and the remaining iron puppets.

He saw Gusain's forehead glow red, something about to emerge. Albus's hair was covered in red flames, lengthening as it spread.

"Traitor," Gusain whispered, sentencing him.

He then created several bright white fireballs, hurling them at Lumian to cover every corner.

He seemed unafraid of affecting himself or Albus, though they were only five or six meters apart, and the fireballs could flatten the Carnivore bar.

Hearing Gusain's words and seeing Albus's stance, Lumian understood why he was attacked: He had overlooked the Iron and Blood Cross Order!

This secret organization, primarily following the Hunter path, was also searching for 0-01. Over the years, someone had likely infiltrated Morora.

One of them was Gusain!

With the core members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order's strange connection to Fourth Epoch Trier, they could maintain some self-awareness in Morora. Using 0-01 to sense the approaching enforcement team made sense, fitting Gusain's behavior!

Now, it seemed Albus Medici was still cooperating with the lron and Blood Cross Order, using the secret organization. Lumian's attempt to use Gusain's power to find Albus had been turned into a trap.

Seeing the incoming bright white fireballs and Albus blocking the exit, Lumian didn't hesitate. His sleeve flashed, and he disappeared again.

This time, he left behind a makeup mirror.

The mirror fell through the dense fog, cracking as it hit the ground.

Rumble!

Gusain's fireballs exploded, only affecting a six-meter range, unable to disperse the dense fog of war, confined to a small area.

The mirror shattered into countless pieces, some turning to dust, others melting and reforming.

Albus, feeling the impact and heat, muttered in confusion, "Using the mirror world?"

Behind the dark void of the mirror, Lumian used the Mirror Cufflink again, quickly looking forward and finding the fog of war hadn't invaded the dark, web-like tunnels.

Indeed, in Morora, the mirror world is special... Lumian dared to trust Gusain and enter the fog of war for the test because he had the Mirror Cufflink.

Of course, with items like the Sword of Courage, he wasn't without fighting strength, but he didn't want to risk it in an enemy's prepared battlefield without knowing Albus's full capabilities.

Lumian chose a mirror mark in Morora and used Spirit World Traversal to leave.

As he vanished, the dark void behind the mirror silently collapsed with its shattering.

Lumian's destination was Julie's room mirror.

Upon arrival, he looked through the glass, finding Julie, the Demoness, nowhere to be seen, not even asleep in bed.

Lumian's lips curled into a smile.

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