Chapter 590: The Truth Behind the Seal |
590 The Truth Behind the Seal
The surface of the massive silver-gray behemoth ignited with illusory doors, casting a star-like brilliance that darkened the sky above the sea.
This existing seal, triggered by Madam Magician, no longer resided in a nadir due to celestial shifts.
Starlight descended, swiftly repairing the temporary damage inflicted upon the seal.
Inside the behemoth, half of the grayish-white fog composing Mad Lady's human form was absorbed by the metal floor, appearing as if it would sink further.
In that crucial moment, starlight permeated the walls, floor, and ceiling, materializing resplendent doors of various shapes. These doors manipulated the void, thwarting the menacing suction and expelling the grayish-white fog.
Abruptly, Lumian felt the formidable suction force from the metal tunnel's depths dissipate.
He "saw" the dented flesh and blood "bird's nest" expanding again, releasing a copious amount of resplendent starlight.
Lumian, Mr. K, Mad Lady's remains, and the items undulated with the sea's waves. As they were propelled forward, they encountered resistance and erosion from the sea's power.
Meanwhile, the fleshless, corporeal grayish-white phantom swayed in the vast starlight, growing fainter before gradually dissipating.
Unlike previous instances, the sea's power did not erupt from the ocean depths this time. Madam Magician had severed the energy passageway, successfully resealing and reinforcing the seal.
Madam Magician, her form seemingly illusory, raised her right hand and pointed at the betrothal ship and sailboat, her eyes mirroring the corresponding scene.
The two ships, along with Hela, Franca, the "Cinderella" demigod, the humanoid Sealed Artifact, the Maidens of the Sea, the remaining deputy hosts, and the sailors, vanished from the underwater cavity, instantly reappearing on the sunny, calm, turquoise sea beyond the seal.
Crash! Mountain-like azure waves and jade-green seawater resembling well walls slammed down, filling the underwater cavity.
Madam Magician's gaze then shifted to Lumian, Mr. K, Mad Lady's corpse, Pride Armor, and other items.
Just as she was about to relocate them, Lumian, still donning the Flog boxing gloves, suddenly felt a heavy, dense, terrifying, and brilliant aura "looking" at him from another place connected to the black hole in the flesh and blood "bird's nest."
Crack, crack. Lumian heard his bones shattering, his skull caving in, ribs snapping, and flesh compressing layer by layer.
After unleashing the Ascetic's accumulated strength, he, now taller, was instantly compressed into a short, thin, and dense form.
Intense pain flooded his mind, and his brain began to passively contract.
After a moment, Lumian broke free from the gaze and floated into the gradually calming air.
Before Madam Magician, an illusory book rapidly flipped, emitting a faint glow full of vitality. It bathed Lumian's body in light, reconstructing his broken bones and swiftly enlarging his compressed flesh, rescuing him from his near-death state.
Then, Madam Magician tossed Mad Lady's rose-gold ring embedded with the crimson gem to Lumian, allowing him to reassemble his flesh and blood and return to his original appearance. He was no longer a short, thin, and heavy peculiar human.
Simultaneously, in Port Santa, Loki's figure faded as he entered the spirit world, preparing to teleport away.
However, a dark, formless barrier appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
Loki's pupils dilated as he realized that at some point, he had been ensnared in a dark and transparent "sphere," seemingly bent from the void, with "walls" everywhere, and a hidden door.
High up in the spirit world—near the seven pure lights—Madam Magician hovered, adorned in a deep-black Warlock robe adorned with stars.
Loki's presence registered in her eyes, and an illusory book rapidly flipped before her.
She had strategically waited until the last moment to prevent Loki from receiving the Celestial Worthy's warning, providing her an opportunity to capture him alive.
Loki's lips curled into an exaggerated smile upon understanding the situation.
Rumble!
His body erupted from the inside out, as if a self-controlled bomb had been embedded in his flesh beforehand.
Loki's bizarre suicide succeeded; flesh and blood splattered, and his aura dissipated.
Madam Magician promptly lifted the seal on the area, capturing the information Loki had imprinted in the spirit world.
The spirit world served as a repository for all information. Divination often entailed revelations from the spirit world, and the matter of resurrection inevitably left corresponding information.
As long as she found relevant information in time, Madam Magician could trace Loki to his resurrection spot and pinpoint the ancient castle documented in the Secret Order records.
Soon, Madam Magician obtained something.
Her figure vanished from the spirit world's heights, navigating the endless darkness adorned with symbols.
In the next moment, a vast grayish-white fog materialized before her eyes.
Magician halted, gazing at the seemingly endless expanse of grayish-white fog.
…
Under the silent, dusky sky, above the calm blue sea.
Using Mad Lady's ring embedded with a crimson gem, Lumian adjusted his internal organs, flesh, and bones to their original state.
Treading on the corporeal wind, Lumian removed the ring that enabled the use of flesh and blood magic and anxiously inquired of Madam Magician, "How's the situation on the other two fronts?"
As he spoke, he sensed a mystical and indiscernible flicker from Madam Magician.
Magician smiled.
"Loki has just been killed by me, but I couldn't prevent his resurrection or seize the opportunity to locate his ancient castle.
"Bard has been captured by Gandalf, whom you intentionally sent to Milo Village. He's alive."
Phew… Lumian instinctively heaved a sigh of relief.
Though he hadn't captured Loki, wasting one more of Loki's resurrections meant he had achieved his objectives.
Furthermore, Ultraman and Mad Lady had been completely eliminated, and Bard had been captured alive. The results were satisfactory.
Initially, Lumian hadn't confirmed Bard's identity. He didn't even know if Bard had participated in the sea prayer ritual. However, he had a few suspects, including the fake Governor of the Sea and Juan Oro's grandson, Fernandez. Since most of the suspects were in Milo Village, he had Gandalf closely monitor them.
Madam Magician continued, "I relocated everyone else from these waters. I sent Mr. K of the Aurora Order back to his rented room in Port Santa. Mad Lady's corpse and items are floating here."
The Major Arcana card holder opened her palm, shrouded in darkness, forming a small box. Inside, Mad Lady's dismembered corpse and other items had "shrunk" to the size of mosquitoes, drifting as if in another world.
Lumian was taken aback. He looked at the bottom of the azure sea and asked, "Is it over?"
He had anticipated gaining control over the silver-gray behemoth eventually.
"Otherwise? Back then, even two Kings of Angels couldn't clean up the mess. How is our Tarot Club going to handle it—unless Mr. Fool awakens," Madam Magician replied in an amused tone.
Lumian recollected the items in the flesh and blood "bird's nest" and nodded in agreement.
He asked in confusion, "Is it true that sealed at the bottom is a black hole? Uh… Do you know what a black hole is?"
"I do," Madam Magician chuckled.
"And I also know that the silver-gray thing down there is a spaceship."
Spaceship… Lumian was taken aback.
Upon reflection, he realized that the silver-gray behemoth bore a striking resemblance to the spaceship described in his sister's bedtime stories!
Madam Magician not only knew about spaceships but also grasped the concept of a black hole!
Never underestimate high-ranking individuals. The time-transcending knowledge possessed by transmigrators might not be foreign to them… Lumian sighed with emotion.
At that moment, he noticed that Madam Magician's mystical flickering had vanished.
The Major Arcana card holder gazed at the seabed and explained, "It's a black hole, ready to form, personally created by an evil god. Constantly absorbing surrounding matter and energy, it strengthens itself, eventually becoming a true black hole.
"In the Fourth Epoch, the evil god seized an opportunity to send the embryonic black hole through the spaceship at the bottom of the sea. The plan was for it to rapidly develop, tear apart, and devour our planet, causing the barrier to lose support and disintegrate prematurely. True gods and angels could escape, but without the barrier's protection, who knows what would happen.
"Fortunately, Mr. Door and Amon discovered the threat in time and took action. Yet, They couldn't obliterate the already developing black hole. Any attempts to destroy or destabilize it would only make it stronger. The only viable solution was to seal it and patiently wait for it to weaken through repeated radiations until it ultimately evaporates.
"Alternatively, they could transport it and the spaceship into the cosmos, abandoning it in desolate areas. However, this would require Mr. Door to leave the safety of the barrier and shadow the threat continuously to prevent accidents. Moreover, it remained under the vigilant gaze of that entity, which periodically replenished its energy through their connection. The danger was evident."
That explains it… Lumian finally grasped why it had been sealed rather than destroyed.
Intrigued, he echoed a term, "Mr. Door?"
It bore a striking resemblance to Mr. Fool.
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