Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 863 "The Fool (Part 1)" [6.1k words]

Anomaly Characteristics: 9 hours, 03 minutes, and 11 seconds after the outbreak.

Reef No. 57, near the No. 3 abyss suppression device.

[Note: Bridge successful. The current element's interlayer bridge target is: Reef No. 61, Abyss Suppression Device No. 1]

[Note: Transmission complete. The current element's layer bridging request has been sent and is expected to arrive at the designated area in 197 seconds...]

Om-! !

The humming sound caused by the curvature folding of the elemental layers echoed continuously. Under the sky, the gloomy young man wearing a tattered cloak leaned against the abyss suppression device that resembled a tall tower, looked up at the pure white pillar of light that pierced the sky, and his eyes flickered slightly.

In this way, it can be considered that some of it has been salvaged, right?
"Roar--!!"

A deep roar slowly came from afar. Looking into the distance, one could see that on the battlefield, several kilometers away from the cloaked youth, abyssal creatures that should have died were rising from the death energy constantly surging from the ground, roaring and howling as they fought against other abyssal creatures surging in from all directions.

With each additional undead abyss creature that appeared, the abyssal aura emanating from the cloaked youth beneath the abyssal suppression device intensified, making one wonder, without careful observation, whether he was human or a humanoid abyssal creature.

Abyss erosion.

This is the price the Necromancers pay for trying to 'find resources on the spot' in the Abyss.

As a necromancer spell that requires mental contact to complete the transformation, if the permanent summoned creature in his hand is still alive, he might be able to have his archmage bear the cost in his place.

Now, with almost all of his permanent summons, which he considered his trump card, gone, the only thing Netherworld can do is use his spiritual power to actively touch those deformed souls that have been severely corrupted by the energy of the abyss.

"As expected, it's still too difficult for the undead to gain an advantage in the abyss environment..."

If he had known this information when he was at the first level, would he still have chosen the path of necromancy?

The young necromancer stared blankly at the pitch-black sky before him, which had been carved out by the elemental beams of light, and for a moment he was lost in thought. But soon he came back to his senses, looked down at the small hill in the distance that was covered by layers of magic arrays, and lowered his eyes.

Whether it's another possibility or an irreparable regret, discussing these things now is pointless.

What he really needed to think about was how to deal with the endless stream of abyssal creatures, and the even more troublesome problem that was about to return.

"Judging by the time, it should be about time."

Under the suppression device of the abyss, Mingyu stared at the distant hill, his gaze cold as he calculated in his mind how to deal with the opponent once they appeared. And as if in response to his thoughts, the next second—

boom! ! !
A devastating impact, akin to the movement of continental plates, erupted as a massive, purplish-black beam of light shot into the sky from beneath the hill, ruthlessly destroying all the sealing formations it encountered along the way.

Moreover, as the impact arrived, a six-eyed abyssal creature, resembling a human but with its arms split into numerous bladed tentacles, emerged step by step from the pillar of light. After looking around, it fixed its gaze on Mingyu, who was emanating a strong abyssal aura in the distance, and a strange light flashed in its six vertical pupils.

"Heh, so you're willing to use our power to block this place? Human, you seem to be more impulsive than I thought."

As the words, tinged with sarcasm, fell, a deafening sonic boom erupted the next instant. Numerous tentacles, resembling blades from Parasyte, burst forth from the arms and back of the Six-Eyed Demon Corpse, piercing through the air towards the Underworld.

The cloaked youth below the abyss suppression device merely glanced at the ruins of the magic arrays behind the Six-Eyed Demon Corpse, which had been completely destroyed, then narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the other party, calmly thinking in his mind.

You only get one chance.

Abyss Potion.

As the most crucial trump card in this battle, in order to maximize its effect, when manipulating those abyssal creatures just now, he did not rely on the power of the potion, but directly used his own mental power and abnormal resistance to resist the erosion of the abyssal aura.

In other words, in the eyes of the other party, he is now just a desperate person who has resorted to borrowing the power of the abyss and has turned himself into something neither human nor ghost, and could turn into a creature of the abyss at any time.

This is the situation he wanted to see.

Using the abyssal energy that had already seeped into his body, he could immediately boost the attribute bonus provided by the abyssal potion to the maximum value of 20 points upon drinking it, allowing him to unleash destructive power far exceeding his current strength in that instant. The only problem was...

'Kill, or seal...?'

Boom—!

A sharp blade, capable of easily severing the bodies of top-tier tanks, swept through the air. On the battlefield, Mingyu, who had temporarily pushed his brain's computing power and reaction speed to the limit using the power of his magic eye and talent, stared at the unusually slow world before him and the blade that was gradually expanding in his field of vision. His eyes held a cold gaze that was so calm it was almost chilling.

As expected, it's best to seal it away.

There are too many things about the opponent that he doesn't know yet. Considering that many powerful abyssal creatures have an inherent ability called 'Abyssal Sacrifice', and that a significant portion of them are 'Deathrattle' type, rashly killing the opponent here might only introduce new variables.

On the contrary, the sealing technique, supported by the corpses of these abyssal creatures accumulated over the past ten minutes and the massive amount of death energy he specially drew from the planet's ley lines, could, if operated correctly, utilize the immortality and high attribute bonuses brought by the abyssal potion, and rely on the forbidden techniques he remembered that required sacrificing life, seal the opponent for at least three hours, if not permanently.

A flood of deductions flashed through Mingyu's mind. In a mere instant, he had already made a decision between the two options he had conceived. The next instant—

[Notification: "Abyss Potion" has been used; you are currently in "Abyss Transformation" state. During this period...]

"How could this be...!"

"seal up!!!"

In an instant, an incredibly violent abyssal aura erupted from the cloaked youth, colliding with the whip blades wielded by the six-armed demon skeleton along with his low roar. This caused the six vertical eyes of the six-armed demon skeleton to contract violently, revealing a look of utter horror in the cold gaze of the Netherworld Prison, and then…

—In the slowed-down view of the underworld, it gradually transformed into a chilling, wide grin.

"How could that possibly work, you idiot?!"

"?!!"

In an instant, a mocking thought exploded in Mingyu's mind, causing his pupils to contract sharply. Without any hesitation, he decisively severed his connection with the sealing array and activated all the defensive arrays set up around him.

next moment--

[Note: Changes have been detected in the target information. The current detection information has been automatically updated.]

……

Skill ? ? ?, Abyss - Self-Destruction (Abyss - Active, LV. ???): Immediately unleashes all the abyssal energy within the currently used body, triggering a massive energy explosion that deals ? points of abyssal damage to all units within a radius of ? ? ?.

...

...

Skill ? ? ?, Abyss Sacrifice (Abyss - Inherent Active Skill, LV.MAX): Upon death, "Abyss Sacrifice" will be forcibly activated, sacrificing the entirety of the current body to summon ? ? ? to descend.

*Note: If you actively use this ability, you can "super-massively" enhance a specified type of "Abyss" ability upon death.

……

As the cold notification sound faded, tens of thousands of dark purple beams of light burst forth from all parts of the Six-Eyed Demon's body. Then, like a human bomb, it exploded with a bang from its mocking smile, transforming into a huge, rapidly expanding dark purple sphere that engulfed half of the battlefield.

boom! ! !
The terrifying abyssal energy, seemingly capable of annihilating the entire space, spread wildly, turning everything in sight into a dark purple hue, even overshadowing the light of the elemental barrier projected by the abyssal suppression device.

When everything calmed down, the original hill, the magic arrays hidden around it, and even the undead abyss creatures hiding in the subspace all disappeared.

Instead, there was a massive crater, over 300 meters deep and 2,000 meters wide, riddled with self-healing spatial rifts, and an abyss suppression device, barely standing in the center of the crater thanks to numerous defensive arrays and spells, resembling an isolated island.

"Hehe, what a delicious expression! Human, you don't actually think your little scheme just now could actually succeed, do you?"

A charming laugh filled with allure rang out. As the commotion from the Six-Eyed Demon's self-destruction subsided, a tall figure emerged from the spatial rift, its crucial parts perfectly concealed by bat-like wings. The sight of such a figure was enough to make one's mouth dry just by looking at it. The figure gave a playful smile to the Netherworld Prison kneeling on one knee below, and every move it made exuded astonishing charm.

"However, forcing them out of that toy is quite an achievement, hehe~! How about it, human? Now you understand just how worthless your resistance really was..."

Boom—!

In mid-air, the alluring woman, resembling a succubus, chuckled, her charming expression full of mockery. But before she could finish speaking, a black light suddenly burst forth in her vision, causing her pupils to shrink slightly. Instinctively, she dodged to the side, but the light still grazed her cheek, leaving a wound about the thickness of a fingernail amidst the splattering dark purple blood.

"puff!"

Seeing this, the Netherworld below suddenly chuckled, a slight smile curving across the corner of its mouth hidden in the shadow of its cloak, as if it had thought of something amusing.

"Human, you...!" "You didn't dodge that attack just now?"

As the calm statement faded, the necromancer on the ground raised his head, looked at the female race in mid-air, and a rare, relaxed smile appeared on his face.

"It's really interesting. They can see through my plan, but they can't predict an attack that's so simple that even a normal person could figure it out."

As Mingyu spoke, he narrowed his eyes, gazing at the female member of his race suspended in mid-air. The smile on his face gradually turned cold, transforming into a sharp, interrogative question:

"It was mind reading, wasn't it? The ability you just used."

"..."

"You clearly only read my thoughts, but you deliberately pretended to see through my plans. It seems that gaining an intellectual advantage through words is very important to you?"

"But unfortunately, your behavior doesn't seem like that of someone with a brain. Instead, it's more like a brain controlled by its own secreted hormones, a single-celled organism that only knows how to compete meaninglessly."

The calm voice, devoid of a single swear word but filled with exceptionally foul language, faded as the succubus's expression gradually darkened.

"Heh, all you've got is a glib tongue." Knowing full well she couldn't win an argument, the succubus sneered, lifting the dark purple wings that had been covering her to reveal a snow-white body with vertical eyes, giving it an eerie yet alluring appearance. As the two vertical eyes on her chest opened, she spoke:

"Then let me see just how much your words match your actual skill!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a vast spiritual force erupted from the opened vertical eyes, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield and causing the abyssal energy permeating the battlefield to converge madly in his direction.

Om-! !

The next second, thousands of dark purple beams of light, remarkably similar to the light emitted when the Six-Eyed Demon Corpse self-destructed, erupted simultaneously, like sharp blades piercing through the Netherworld below.

Seeing this, Mingyu calmly waved his staff, and like a peacock spreading its tail, countless dark red vertical eyes instantly condensed behind him, which he controlled to gaze at the rain of dark purple beams pouring down from the sky.

Necromantic spell: Gaze of a Thousand Dead Eyes.

Boom——! !

Tens of thousands of dark red dead eyes, amplified by 120 points of true intelligence, LV.20 Spell Master (pseudo), LV.20 Energy Manipulation Master, and LV.20 Necromancer (pseudo), opened simultaneously. Relying on their absolute numerical advantage, they collided with the rain of dark purple beams of light that were tilting down, turning the entire battlefield into a purplish-red expanse.

"Roar--!!"

As the furious growl subsided, a gaping maw suddenly burst forth from the spatial rift, revealing powerful abyssal creatures bewitched and controlled by the succubus race.

Necromantic spell: Castling.

"Heh, how foolish!!"

An invisible spatial fluctuation erupted, but the succubus woman in mid-air merely sneered, her pupils swirling with a dark purple aura. She was about to use her abilities to read the other's thoughts and predict their next move when an unimaginably vast stream of information crashed into her mind—

'Calculate the trajectory of the necromancer spell model…' 'Cast an attack spell simultaneously…' 'Consider in parallel…' 'Swap… Landing point… B901A91…' 'That's an incorrect landing point, the real landing point is…' 'Please use the heteromorphic substitution method to calculate…' 'The deciphering order is…' 'You're spying, aren't you…' 'Foolish approach…' 'Mind reading? I'm curious, how many of my thoughts can your mind reading read at once…' 'Poor single-celled organism…'

"Cough cough! This is...!!"

In an instant, a massive amount of thoughts, so vast that even the succubus's gaze became dazed, rushed into her mind along with the activation of her mind-reading ability. Meanwhile, the distant Netherworld seemed to have anticipated this scene, expressionlessly pointing its staff at her.

Necromancer's Hand of Death + Necromancer's Eye of Death + Necromancer's Curse of the Sacrifice + Necromancer...

boom! ! !
More than twenty single-target spells, comparable in power to a third-tier large-scale magic, erupted and struck the succubus woman's race like the Grim Reaper descending upon the world. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and her limbs began to twist unnaturally. The Netherworld on the ground also groaned, and the undead abyss creatures connected to it by spirit disintegrated into a cloud of blood mist.

Unlike conventional spell systems, the biggest limitation of necromancy is that most spells in its system require undead summons as a medium or even at a cost to be activated. However, in return, these necromancy spells are exceptionally powerful.

This is why the top-tier necromancers in the park often also practice magic, embarking on a dual path of necromancer training. Only in this way can the power of the necromancer system be maximized.

The power of combining two of the three major systems in Paradise is achieved by mass-producing undead using necromancy abilities and then using the mage's necromancy spells as a price to use them.

If we were to pinpoint its fatal flaw, it would probably be...

boom! ! !
The enormous bone claw, radiating a dense aura of death, slammed down heavily, giving the succubus woman, who had made a fatal mistake, no chance to catch her breath.

But Mingyu, watching this scene from afar, showed no joy whatsoever. Instead, he let out a muffled groan, and unconsciously tightened his grip on the staff.

It was too rushed.

Even though the massive attribute boost from the Abyss Potion allowed him to successfully cast necromancy spells despite severely limited preparation time, it didn't change the fact that these spells were cast under extremely inadequate preparation.

The crude undead transformation, the crude mental link, the crude spell ritual... Even with the inherent nature of the abyssal undead creatures, such a hasty method of casting spells will inevitably severely affect the actual effectiveness of necromancy and the resulting casting burden.

In addition to the mental processing power he has to allocate to defend against the other party's mind-reading ability, he is now essentially risking his life to squeeze out all his mental and mental processing power.

'This must be resolved in one go.'

The other party was no ordinary member of the Abyss race. Their skillful use of Abyss power and arrogant attitude made them appear to be a noble or even royal member of the Abyss race described in the records.

If the other party is just an ordinary 'noble,' that is, a descendant of the so-called original sin, then it's fine. Even if it's troublesome, it's not insurmountable. But if the other party is a descendant of the great sin, equivalent to 'royalty'... no, even if they are a descendant of the great sin, it doesn't really matter. The key is their original sin authority. If their authority is merely the display of charm and mind-reading, that's fine. But if it's more than that—

[Note: "Potential Mana Restorer" has been used, restoring 1000 mana per second for 30 seconds.]

[Note: "High-concentration Death Energy Essence" has been used, restoring 1000 Death Energy points per second for 30 seconds]

Necromantic spell: Hand of Death.

The Grim Reaper's Hand, imbued with multiple damage and curse effects, slammed down once more, hurtling towards the succubus woman who was gritting her teeth and holding on under the watchful eyes of the Underworld.

Boom!
The enormous skeletal hand slammed down, causing the surrounding ground to tremble violently. But in the next instant, the Netherworld, located in the distance, seemed to sense something. Its pupils contracted slightly, and without any hesitation, it instantly activated its teleportation ability. And then…

boom!
A flash of pitch-black light suddenly appeared from beneath the skeletal hand, instantly piercing a large hole in the skeletal behemoth, whose strength was comparable to top-tier legendary armor. The undead abyss creature that had been replaced by the Netherworld also vanished abruptly from its upper body, as if an erased pencil drawing had been wiped away.

So there really is another trick up your sleeve...?

Having narrowly escaped death, Mingyu gazed at the dissipating black orb and the succubus woman, whose true form was gradually revealed within it, though half her body had become as black and ferocious as a wild beast. A look of utter solemnity flashed in his eyes.

"Human, you are only the second person in my life who has forced me to use it."

A murky sound, like a mixture of a beast's roar and a woman's panting, fell to the ground. In mid-air, a succubus, half her body now hideous like a creature from the abyss, a hybrid of demon and angel, stared coldly in the direction of the Underworld, her face devoid of any contempt.

Gluttony is the power.

This was the ability she hated most, the most filthy thing about her, but today, it was forced out by a human whose direct combat strength was so weak that he couldn't even withstand a single blow from her.

"So that's how it is, a hybrid of two races born from original sin?"

In the distance, Mingyu, realizing he had stumbled upon an incredibly rare and auspicious event, narrowed his eyes and gazed at the succubus woman before him, who seemed possessed by a demon, lost in thought.

The bloodlines of both races have awakened...

Running into something like this can't be explained by simple bad luck.

the most important is--

The opponent's second form... has exceeded the limit of what he can suppress!

'Heh, so in the end, we have to rely on luck?'

A heavy whooshing sound rang out, and the succubus woman, her expression gradually filled with madness, exhaled wisps of black smoke from her mouth. She charged forward on all fours like a wild beast and vanished from her spot in an instant. Meanwhile, Mingyu watched the black shadow rushing towards him and raised his staff from the slow world.

boom--! !

The next instant, the Death Hand, imbued with a massive amount of death energy, clashed once more with the succubus woman, who seemed possessed by a demon. Like a heavy drumbeat that resounded throughout the battlefield, it heralded the arrival of the final stage of this desperate battle.

'Hopefully, you can end all this before this fool dies.'

……

(End of this chapter)