Mystery: The Last Shepherd.

Chapter 643 The Box of the Past

On the banks of the Tasok River, outside Backlund.

"The Saint of Mysteries" Butis is struggling desperately.

Death is certainly terrifying, but waiting for death is even more terrifying. When told to stay put and wait for someone to come and kill him, his mental state began to gradually collapse.

What just happened proves that the powerful woman who didn't show herself was capable of killing him at will. But instead, she didn't make a move, instead toying with him, imprisoning him in place, making him despair little by little, waiting for death to come second by second.

Unsurprisingly, Boutis began to resist fiercely.

"Buzz"

Amidst a sharp buzzing sound, illusory doors appeared around him.

They come in various shapes and sizes; some have two doors that open outwards, some have a single doorway, some are covered with mysterious patterns, and some have a hollow center that allows glimpses of the boundless darkness and glittering stars behind them.

These illusory gates were so numerous that they crowded around Butis, almost obscuring his figure.

This is one of the abilities of the "Arcanist," "Exile."

Each door leads to a different spacetime turbulence, eventually reaching a different area. The danger level of these areas is uncontrollable; even he himself cannot be certain whether he can safely traverse them. Ultimately, this move is intended for use against enemies.

However, the situation before him was so desperate that Boutis could no longer care about anything else!

"Swish, swish!"

In the instant that countless illusory gates were formed, his body also created countless clones through frantic "flashes." Each clone rushed towards the nearest gate, trying to escape through the dangerous spacetime turbulence.

As long as he can get through a door, as long as one of his clones isn't stopped, he still has a chance to survive.

However, his efforts were destroyed very easily.

"Smack."

Like blowing out a candle, the illusory, layered, glowing doors were forcibly twisted in an instant. The act of "opening" was somehow "distorted" into "closing," and without exception, the doors refused Boutis's entry, generating a strong repulsive force that kept him outside.

"boom!"

One after another, the gates burst open, and the spatial turbulence, like the sharpest blades, relentlessly slicing through everything in the surrounding space. Butis screamed in agony as more horrific wounds appeared on his body.

He collapsed onto the riverbank in a disheveled state, his eyes filled with despair.

That being hadn't even revealed its true form, yet it had already manipulated him to this extent. All his efforts were in vain; no matter how he tried to escape, he would return to where he started. Praying to the true creator yielded no response, as if all his actions had been distorted.

Does this mean I'm really just waiting to die?

"I'll say it again, stay here and behave yourself."

A haughty female voice came from the void, seemingly unconcerned about making Butis suffer a little more.

"Um?"

Across the river, Fors was also watching Boutis's situation. She heard the woman's voice again and couldn't help but frown slightly.

This voice and this vibe... I feel like I'm familiar with them?

Oh, right!

It's Mr. Temperance's messenger!

That extremely beautiful woman in the black dress, who exuded a powerful aura, scrutinized me!

Once she understood this, Fors suddenly relaxed. Great, she hadn't expected Temperance's messenger to be so powerful. She and her teacher had been worried that the woman would come after her after killing Boutis. But now that she knew this woman was connected to Temperance, she no longer needed to be afraid and could finally relax.

Although she felt relieved, she still couldn't tell the wary teacher, Dorian, directly. However, the latter didn't pay attention to her changing expression—Dorian had been watching Boutis's struggles, and his eyes filled with pleasure upon seeing his disheveled state.

This guy who brought disaster to his family, this traitor who was too powerful to take revenge, has finally gotten his comeuppance today!

"Huff, huff..."

Boutis was breathing heavily, and gradually, the despair in his eyes was replaced by another emotion.

--crazy.

Suddenly, he pulled open his black robe and reached into a hidden pocket inside. The pocket seemed to contain a vast space that swallowed his entire arm. Finally, he withdrew his arm and pulled out a three-tiered jewelry box.

This jewelry box is predominantly silver-black with an openwork surface inlaid with numerous gemstones: rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds... Combined with its unique carving technique, it appears extremely luxurious.

However, when the jewelry box was taken out, someone present felt immense fear.

"The Box of the Past!"

Across the river, Dorian Gray shouted, his expression extremely distraught.

"Sir, please be careful!"

Almost instantly, he raised his voice, warning the unseen entity, "He's holding a Level 0 sealed artifact!"

The Box of the Past, originally a Level 0 sealed artifact belonging to the Abraham family, was stolen by Butis during the rebellion.

Dorian remembered that this "jewelry box" came from an angel of the Fourth Age from the Abraham family. He loved to wander the stars, but after returning from one of his travels, he died silently in his palace. His body was filled with terror, his expression contorted, as if he had seen something extremely horrible before he died.

After the angel died, its released properties combined with a portion of its remains to form this bizarre and terrifying powerful sealing artifact.

The ancestor of the Abraham family, "Mr. Door" Bethel, named it "The Box of the Old Days".

"hehe..."

Holding the jewelry box, Boutis let out a maniacal, twisted laugh. Without hesitation, he grabbed the top of the box with his other hand, intending to open it directly.

As he opened the box, he faced the direction from which the woman's voice had just come from!

"snort!"

A cold snort echoed from the void, and an invisible wave spread out, distorting the order within the space once again.

The messenger of "Temperance"—Antia—also sensed the danger posed by the box and activated her ability without hesitation, preparing to "distort" Butis's actions as before.

However, her ability failed for the first time.

Boutis gripped the jewelry box tightly; the cursed box possessed an eerie aura that somehow kept the influence of an angel at bay.

At that moment, Butis had already completely lifted the first layer of the jewelry box!

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