Mystery: The Ultimate Tarot

Chapter 325 Prematurely Digesting the "Devil's" Potion

(Two chapters combined into one, please vote with monthly tickets at the beginning of the month.)

After finishing his conversation with Audrey, Raphael returned to the villa and frequently went to the "Dark Lodge" to observe the "devil" who lived in the suburbs of Backlund.

Two days later, Raphael finally realized that the official extraordinary beings were taking action.

They used some method to obscure the "devil's" perception.

Although the "malice perception" ability is terrible, once you know its characteristics, there are still many ways to avoid it.

However, these methods require the help of higher sequences. For example, some saints can conceal the malice of some "middle sequence" extraordinary beings, preventing "demons" or "apostles of desire" from detecting it in advance.

To deal with the "devil," one needs the help of angels.

This operation by the Extraordinary Ones must have been aided by the angels of the Church of the Goddess of Night. The two Extraordinary Ones who were keeping watch seemed to be hidden in the darkness at all times, and no one or any creature around them noticed their presence.

Now that they've started keeping watch, their operation can't be far off.

Raphael then began to enter the "Dark Hut" every half hour to observe the surroundings.

As night fell, extraordinary individuals continued to gather outside the manor where the "devil" resided.

Meanwhile, the "devil" was still torturing a maid in the dungeon, completely unaware of the impending danger.

For Raphael, this "devil" could not be caught. Only if the official extraordinary beings could not catch him could he continue to be his scapegoat.

So Raphael inside the "Dark Lodge" smiled slightly, copied the scene of the official extraordinary beings already lying in ambush outside, and was about to place it into the crystal representing the "devil"—

But then he suddenly realized that if he put the image into the crystal like that, the other party would mistakenly think it was the image presented by the ability of "demon perception".

Then let's pretend it's the help of the "Mother Tree of Desire"?

Raphael still remembered the image of the "Mother Tree of Desire" that had appeared before him. Although it looked very illusory, it should be the true form of the "Mother Tree of Desire." With the help of the "Dark Pavilion," it would be very easy for him to imitate it.

Just as he was about to do that, Raphael thought: Why not simply use the image of the "Lord of Evil Desires" to remind him?

This morning, as Raphael fully digested the potion, he suddenly realized that deception was something that "demons" or "devils" often did.

Although the "devil's" potion has been completely digested, if one could deceive a "devil," could one digest the "devil's" potion ahead of time?

Thinking about this, he felt it was worth a try, since this "devil" would be hard to escape his surveillance anyway.

So Raphael simply used the image of the "Lord of Evil Desires" to give the "devil" a certain reminder.

At that moment, Zeno Andrerad, the "devil" in the manor's basement, was thoroughly enjoying listening to the desperate cries of the naked, wounded maid.

Suddenly, Zeno's vision went dark, and above him appeared a towering figure sitting on a high-backed crystal chair!

The black light emanating from this figure seemed to be a tangible manifestation of forces such as corruption and evil.

The aura emanating from the other party alone made Zeno want to kneel down and worship.

What he worshipped was pure evil, the ultimate depravity.

However, the figure vanished in an instant, and before he could even kneel, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Another scene appeared before his eyes; under the cover of darkness, the space seemed to become blurred.

In the blurry space, three groups of figures were scattered in three directions of the manor.

They appear carefree, but they have blocked all their apparent escape routes.

Among these figures, Zeno spotted Archbishop Anthony Stevenson of the Church of the Night and Archbishop Radar Valentine of the Church of the Storm. With the arrival of Archbishop Horamik Hayden of the Church of the Steam, the three groups of figures began...

Approaching the manor.

Since he was active around Backlund, Zeno would naturally want to learn about the city's extraordinary power and the saints the church had sent there.

To ensure everything went smoothly, the official extraordinary agents actually dispatched three Sequence 3s at once!

After his initial surprise, Zeno quickly calmed down. Now was not the time to ponder who the figure that had given him the hint was.

The most important thing now is to escape as quickly as possible!

Fortunately, Zeno had a contingency plan for this kind of thing, and immediately proceeded according to the previous plan.

Raphael used his "True Vision" to see this "devil" and it took him less than half a second to go from shock to calm.

This made Raphael even more fascinated by the "devil's" abilities. Clearly, the devil's willpower was largely granted by the potion.

Then Raphael saw that the "devil" didn't notify his subordinates at all, but quickly turned into a phantom.

Needless to say, even Raphael thought that those extraordinary beings were already dead.

-

The "demon," which had transformed into a phantom, seeped into the ground as quickly as liquid and skillfully found an underground river.

This underground river likely originates from the Balchis Mountains in the west and flows into the Tasok River. It is not very deep, and if wells are dug around it, they will most likely connect to this underground river.

"Devil" Zeno had clearly planned his escape route long ago, but because the three Sequence 3s were the ones who were trying to capture him, he dared not be careless in the slightest. Instead of leaving along the underground river, he continued to infiltrate downwards and into the rock strata.

Raphael quickly realized that there must be magma hundreds of meters underground in the manor.

Zeno most likely bought the estate and settled here because of this.

The underground river is too shallow. Escaping from here might fool Sequence 5, but it might not fool the Saint.

Therefore, for a "devil", escaping from the lava is the safest option.

However, this process is relatively slow because extraordinary beings on the "Demon" path cannot easily penetrate physical bodies like "Wraiths." The phantoms they transform into are more like the materialized manifestations of desire.

Although it is also somewhat illusory, it is ultimately not like a "vengeful spirit" state, which is completely devoid of physical form.

This state is more like a black liquid with special components.

Raphael patiently waited for Zeno to seep downwards little by little. Suddenly, the underground river above was stirred up by a surging force, forming a whirlpool that kept scouring the rocks at the bottom of the river!

The three saints who were lying in ambush outside noticed that the "devil" was escaping and immediately took action.

The one who controls the flow of the underground river is naturally Archbishop Radar of the Church of Storms.

Then, the eyes of Horamik, the Privy Councilor of the Steam Church, wearing a clergyman's cap and episcopal robes, lit up as he pointed towards the underground river. Suddenly, the once-hard rock at the riverbed developed numerous visible pores, as if it had been instantly corroded by something.

This is the knowledge Horamik gained through his research on rocks, and the corresponding extraordinary abilities he used to change those rocks.

The whirlpool that had formed in the underground river acted like a giant crusher, churning the corroded rocks and quickly "drilling" down more than ten meters, catching up with the fleeing "devil".

The "devil" in the rock suddenly split into six and flowed in different directions.

He knew very well that once he was discovered, he had to escape as quickly as possible. He could divide his liquid body into multiple parts, but the condition was that the distance between the small clumps of liquid could not exceed three kilometers!

If even a small clump of liquid escapes, it can form a new individual. Although its condition will be very poor, it will still have a chance to slowly recover.

The three saints, including Radar, almost simultaneously revealed a cold smile. Today, three saints had come; one person could handle two small blobs of liquid.

At this moment, the three of them were still on the ground, dozens of meters away from the underground battlefield. Apart from the change in the water level of the surrounding wells and the slight tremors of the ground, ordinary people—and even most of the extraordinary beings around them—could not perceive this fierce battle at all.

In the second round of attacks, Radar struck first once again. Thick currents of electricity suddenly appeared in the surging underground river, and the fish in the river were immediately electrocuted, their white bellies facing upwards, and then their scales changed color—they were cooked.

The surging water, carrying electric current, entangled one of the black liquid clumps, relentlessly washing, tearing, and shocking it until the black liquid quickly became completely still.

Next, Bishop Anthony made his move. He looked at another mass of black liquid that was fleeing. This mass of black liquid trembled violently at first, then quickly shrank into a ball and dared not move forward in the rock strata.

The battles in the underground space were incredibly oppressive for the "Devil." Surrounded by solid rock, he constantly felt the illusion of being buried alive, and the distance to the lava was immense, adding to the despair. The enemy was also so strong, like three swords hanging over his heart.

Most people would have collapsed under such immense psychological pressure.

However, the "devil's" strong willpower was enough for Zeno to hold on. But the power of fear used by Archbishop Anthony seemed to cause all the psychological pressure in that black liquid to explode, causing it to collapse instantly.

This mass of liquid had no mouth or vocal cords, otherwise one would surely hear a loud wail.

At the same time, Horamik altered the rock's structure again, concentrating some of the iron-rich ores and creating a dense steel plate underneath, which blocked the remaining four clumps of black liquid from escaping downwards from different directions.

Upon seeing this, Raphael in the "Dark Lodge" couldn't help but frown. These three official saints had clearly become quite adept at using their extraordinary powers through the experience of handling extraordinary cases, and they seemed to be much more powerful than ordinary Sequence 3s.

If this well-organized offensive continues, Zeno will most likely be unable to escape, however—

Just then, one of the black liquids suddenly turned red, and the surrounding water instantly turned into red blood! Then the hard rock also liquefied instantly, turning into blood.

Raphael smiled slightly. This devil really does have the ability to save his own life!

The "Devil" Zeno seems to be using abilities that come from the second level of the "Abyss" pathway. He probably used advanced spells or prayed for power from a higher-level demon beforehand. In any case, this is clearly his ability to save his life.

Now is indeed the time to use all our trump cards, because if we don't, we will surely die in the strangulation of the three official saints.

The expressions of the official saints, including Anthony, on the ground immediately turned solemn. Under their spiritual perception, a huge pool of blood suddenly appeared dozens of meters underground. The blood inside seemed to be alive and kept churning. The spiritual senses of the three Sequence 3 saints suddenly could not find the few small clumps of liquid that the "devil" had broken down into.

Just as they were about to dive underground, the blood in the enormous pool suddenly boiled, as if it had turned into a highly corrosive liquid. The rocks, like snowballs doused with hot water, quickly liquefied. The iron plate that Horamik had conjured within the rocks was instantly melted through by the blood.

The enormous blood mass sank rapidly, dissolving the hard rock as it shrank due to its continuous consumption, but it moved away from the ground at an extremely fast speed, in a way that even the three official saints could not stop.

When the three saints chased into the underground, they saw a huge, dark pit.

The giant crater was surrounded by blood, and filled with a strong stench of blood. At the bottom of the crater, something seemed to be surging—blood flowing rapidly downwards.

Suddenly, a surge of heat erupted from the ground, and the "devil" had entered the magma.

The magma deep underground suddenly found an outlet and immediately gushed upwards.

To avoid a sudden volcano appearing in the suburbs of Backlund, the three saints had no choice but to abandon their pursuit of the "devil".

Radar used water to hold back the lava, Horamik moved the surrounding rocks to fill the crater, and Anthony quickly cooled the lava.

Together, they stopped the lava deep underground.

Raphael watched all this quietly, marveling to himself that the power of a saint was already beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

He glanced again at the manor on the ground, where the "Demon" pathway extraordinary individuals were also under siege by the extraordinary powers of the three churches. Although the battle was not over yet, he was certain that none of them would escape.

Raphael then went to find the "devil" who had escaped into the lava. He was desperately moving forward and finally returned to the surface in a place where the earth's crust was weak.

Along with him, a large mass of lava descended to the surface. However, the passage the "devil" had climbed up was relatively narrow, and at the point of interruption, he deliberately caused some rocks to collapse, blocking the passage. Therefore, the lava did not have enough compressive force, and in the end, it only formed a small lava pool.

The intense heat of the lava ignited the surrounding trees, sending plumes of thick smoke into the air.

"Devil" Zeno climbed out of the lava wearily, but he dared not linger. It was too close to Backlund, and the thick smoke would surely attract the attention of the official extraordinary beings. He struggled to leave quickly.

Two clumps of black liquid failed to be retrieved, which means that one-third of his spirit and body were destroyed. Even as a Sequence 4, it will take some time for him to fully recover.

As he fled, he kept recalling the person who had given him the hint!

Following a spiritual prompting, Zeno suddenly realized that it was the angel who had blocked Raphael's path during their previous operation.

However, at that time, this angel—this being—looked rather weak, but now—his power seems to have increased considerably!

Zeno couldn't understand why He wanted to remind him.

But the next second, Zeno broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed that the being could watch him at any moment!

this----

As "Devil" Zeno prepared to recover, he prayed to the "Mother Tree of Desire," asking for the help of this deity.

Seeing that the "devil" had escaped back to the ground, Raphael withdrew his gaze and returned to the real world.

He smiled as he sat in his study.

Now that this "devil" has escaped, if he continues to commit crimes, the officials and extraordinary individuals will still hold him accountable, at least for the foreseeable future.

Raphael returned to his bedroom to rest, feeling refreshed.

In the middle of the night, Raphael, who was fast asleep, was suddenly awakened by a strange prayer.

He yawned as he got up and entered the "Dark Hut" with a hint of helplessness.

Currently, besides himself, only Zeder in the "Forsaken Land" is a follower of the "Lord of Evil Desires," and it is highly likely that the other party is praying.

The prayers in the "Forsaken Land" need to be dealt with quickly, as who knows if Sen'er City has encountered some catastrophic disaster?

-

Upon entering the "Dark Lodge," Raphael was taken aback to find Zeno, the "devil" who had escaped from the hands of the official extraordinary beings, praying!

However, he was not praying to the "Lord of Evil Desires," but to the "Mother Tree of Desires."

He must have been praying for some time, and on several occasions he had been conveying the other's prayers to the "Mother Tree of Desire" through the "Dark Hut".

Raphael yawned again, channeling his spiritual energy into the crystal representing Zeno, and immediately heard the other's prayer.

After listening, he smiled slightly: You are praying to the "Lord of Evil Desires" to sever your connection with the "Lord of Evil Desires"?

Just as Raphael was about to impersonate the "Mother Tree of Desire" to give a response, he suddenly had a better idea!

So he once again used his imagination to establish a connection with the other party.

In an ordinary village house in eastern Backlund, the "devil" Zeno prayed repeatedly to the "Mother Tree of Desire".

In one corner of the room lay the remains of the farmer and his family, who had just been murdered.

According to Zeno's past experience, it takes many prayers to get a response from this deity, and sometimes there is no response at all.

-

But this time, what he was praying for was too important. Even if the "Mother Tree of Desire" did not respond in time, he would keep praying until the gods heard him.

Suddenly, the figure that constantly spread depravity and evil appeared in Zeno's mind once again, followed by an immense pressure that made it impossible to look directly at him.

Zeno was so frightened that he fell to the ground. He was praying to the "Mother Tree of Desire." How come this being had found him again?

In Zeno's terror, he heard the other person say in a majestic voice: "No need to cut off the connection, and no need to pay attention to it."

Then the figure vanished. The immense pressure disappeared along with it.

In the farmhouse, it took Zeno three seconds to realize that this being had said, "No need to cut off the connection, and no need to pay attention."

this----

Zeno suddenly realized that this being was actually very similar in temperament to the "Mother Tree of Desire," although their appearances were quite different.

He immediately thought of the "dark side of the universe," which sometimes resembled the "Mother Tree of Desire," sometimes the "Demon King," and sometimes an unfamiliar entity.

As a demigod, Zeno felt that this might be a manifestation of the struggle between the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the "Demon King" for control of the "Dark Side of the Universe".

Could it be that the being from just now was also controlled by the "Mother Tree of Desire"?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. After all, the two divine pronouncements he had received from the "Mother Tree of Desire" involved the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the other being fighting against the other being.

Although the followers of the "Mother Tree of Desire" did not gain any advantage in either of his two encounters, his spiritual senses indicated that during the second battle, not long after he fled the battlefield, the "Mother Tree of Desire" seemed to have descended its power upon the battlefield.

Since this deity has bestowed power, the battle should have been turned around and won, and it's unlikely that the enemy's saints would have survived a battle at that level.

Thinking about this, Zeno felt more and more that it was after that battle that the "Mother Tree of Desire" successfully controlled this being.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this must be the case.

However, there is no way to verify this. We can only wait until the next time we communicate with the gods. If the "Mother Tree of Desire" still appears in our minds in this form, then our guess will be proven.

Zeno plans to ask if this method will allow them to contact the "Mother Tree of Desire" more quickly, or obtain help more rapidly.

Raphael in "The Dark Lodge" carefully observes Zeno's every move.

Seeing that the other person's expression gradually calmed down and they stopped praying to the "Mother Tree of Desire," you know that the other person has been tricked and thinks that you are the "Mother Tree of Desire's" alt account.

-

Even if the "Mother Tree of Desire" responds again, it will not affect Raphael's plans.

Because the Mother Tree of Desire knows that the connection between the Devil Zeno and the Lord of Evil Desire cannot be severed unless the Mother Tree of Desire is willing to completely sever itself from the Dark Lodge—that is, the Shadow World, the part of Earth.

Raphael would be more than happy with that, as he could abandon his plan to deceive the "devil".

However, Raphael also knew very well that the "Mother Tree of Desire" wouldn't do that, so He wouldn't agree outright to help Zeno sever his connection with the "Lord of Evil Desire." At most, He would have Zeno pray to the "Bound God," whose "channels" were more secure and fluid.

But asking a "devil," especially one without corresponding faith, to pray to a "bound god" doesn't seem like an attempt to solve the problem directly.

That would indirectly prove the "devil's" guess.

Raphael withdrew his gaze. He was also waiting, waiting for Zeno to pray to the "Mother Tree of Desire" next time. He would intercept him in time, and the "devil" would basically fall for it.

With this thought, Raphael returned to the real world with a smile. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and he felt as if he had opened the door to a new world. If this trick worked, he could use it to scam even more extraordinary individuals using the "Demon" pathway.

Just as he was thinking about this, Raphael's spirituality suddenly stirred, and he looked towards the doorway.

dong dong dong~

The next second there was a knock on the door, and Raphael immediately stood up in bed: "Who is it?"

His answer was a ray of morning light shining through the door.

The person sent by the "God of War" to make contact!

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