Chapter 83

When the light dimmed, Lumiyan hurriedly opened his eyes.

The black robe worn by the "Invisible One" lay on the altar, its surface scorched, but it did not rest. It struggled to stand up, enduring the golden flames created by Valentine.

The transparent faces, including Raymond's, kept disappearing and reappearing, as if the "future" that had been destroyed had returned to the "present" where nothing much happened.

Seeing this, Layne immediately shouted, "Crouch down!"

Lumiyan bent his knees without hesitation and crouched down.

If he had had the time, he would have even lain flat on the ground.

Lia and Valentine were not much slower, and they also crouched down.

At the same time, Layne placed the "Dawn Sword" in the center of the altar and thrust it into the black robe.

Silently, the giant sword of light disintegrated into countless fragments, transforming into a dazzling dawn storm within the altar, tearing and destroying everything.

When the hurricane of light subsided, Lumiyan looked up to see that the entire altar had shrunk by a third. The thorn symbols, candles, essential oils, and the black robe had all disappeared, turning into powder that floated in the air.

This move is so powerful... Lumiyan had wanted to exclaim this yesterday afternoon.

"Is it over?" he asked.

Lia stood up and turned around. The four small silver bells on her veil and boots jingled again, neither soothing nor intense.

"There is still hidden danger," she warned Layne and Valentine, then muttered to herself, "The altar is gone, where could the danger come from?"

As she spoke, Valentine created golden flames, making them float in the air to illuminate the surroundings.

At the edge of the basement, there were only piles of human bones and a few sheets of parchment. The ceiling was simple and plain, without even a chandelier.

Lumiyan exclaimed, "No Beyonder characteristics?"

"They might have been sacrificed," Layne simply said. "Or perhaps they initially received little 'blessing,' had weak power, and could only capture ordinary people as sacrifices. It wasn't until they gained decent Beyonder abilities, like this time, that they started targeting Beyonders."

It was clear that they were not unfamiliar with the phenomenon of receiving "blessings."

Layne continued, "There's nothing else to be found. Let's leave. There's no need to confront the hidden danger head-on."

Lumiyan did not respond immediately. He looked around again, searching for any hidden doors or such from subtle traces.

There were none.

He led the way, taking Lia, Layne, and Valentine along a safe route toward the basement exit.

Just as they emerged and returned to the narrow and steep staircase, Layne suddenly groaned in pain.

His body flew up and crashed into the side of the brown wooden door of the basement, causing a noticeable vibration in the stairwell.

"Thud"!

Layne's chest seemed to be pierced by an invisible spear, leaving a large wound that pinned him to the wall, blood gushing out.

If he had not reacted quickly, twisting his body and moving his waist, this would have definitely pierced his heart.

Lia, who had her "Spirit Vision" active, could not find the attacker at all!

It was as if Layne was being punished by a deity.

Before they could find the source of the problem, Lia's always smiling face suddenly distorted.

Her arms bent backward on their own.

With a crack, her bones broke, and her arms hung limply.

Next, her abdomen caved in, as if hit by a massive fist, causing her to take a step back and collide with the side wall.

Valentine, who had not yet climbed the stairs, let out a惨叫.

His ribs caved in one by one, as if struck by a giant hammer.

With a series of "thud" sounds, bloody wounds appeared on Lia and Valentine's abdomens and chests, piercing through their bodies and into the stone wall.

Lumiyan was a bit stunned, bewildered by the sudden changes but relieved that he seemed to be unaffected by this strange attack.

Did the black thorn symbol protect me? Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he suddenly felt an invisible force pushing him, pinning him to the side of the wall.

In his "Spirit Vision," there was nothing in front of him.

Thinking of Layne's and the others' plight, Lumiyan immediately moved his body to the side.

Intense pain instantly filled his mind. The skin on his right chest split open, and flesh tore, revealing his lungs.

Lumiyan felt as if a solid rod had pierced through him, pinning him to the wall.

As his blood flowed, Layne filled the area with points of dawn-like light, which could effectively dispel evil and break illusions.

However, the four of them still saw nothing.

"Thud"!

Layne's chest suffered an invisible hammer blow, caving in deeply.

The silver bells on Lia's veil and boots jingled intensely as the invisible force pried off and pulled out her fingernails, staining them with blood.

This indescribable pain made her unable to control her expression, her face twisted in fear.

Valentine spread his arms, allowing a sacred light column to descend upon himself.

The light of the sun suddenly burst forth, dispelling all evil and igniting Valentine's body.

But even under the "sun's" light, his hands uncontrollably extended backward, pressing against the wall.

Two bloody holes appeared at his wrists, pinning him to the wall.

When the light subsided, Valentine's face was scorched black, and his skin was being peeled off inch by inch, forcibly.

Seeing their plight, Lumiyan could not help but feel their pain.

Perhaps due to the black thorn symbol, he was relatively less affected, only being slapped by an invisible force, left and right, left and right, causing his face to swell and his teeth to loosen, making it impossible for him to speak.

Just as a new round of attacks was about to come, Lumiyan's vision blurred, and he saw a wilderness.

In the distance were mountains, and nearby was a grassy wilderness.

Two devil-like creatures with horns pulled a dark red open carriage, quickly approaching Lumiyan and the others.

Sitting in the carriage was a woman in a fresh green dress, wearing a floral crown. Her brown hair was tied up, and her brown eyes were bright and moist, exuding a dignified and noble aura, much like a more mature Mrs. Pualis.

She kept her promise and came to offer some help? Lumiyan was first surprised, then delighted to find that they were no longer being attacked by the invisible force.

For some reason, he did not think the woman in front of him was Mrs. Pualis, or rather, she was not entirely Mrs. Pualis. She seemed to be a fusion of Mrs. Pualis and some other will, an unnatural creation. Compared to this, Lumiyan preferred to call her "Lady of the Night," different from when he met her in the Otherworld.

Mrs. Pualis held a branch of mistletoe wrapped around an oak branch in one hand and a small green jade bowl in the other.

The bowl contained a liquid that shimmered with a ripple of light.

Mrs. Pualis dipped the oak branch into the jade bowl and sprinkled the liquid over Lumiyan and the others.

After sprinkling it three times, Lumiyan found that the wound on his chest began to heal rapidly, the swelling on his face quickly subsided, and he no longer felt pinned to the wall.

Lia, Layne, and Valentine also received complete healing, showing no signs of the cruel injuries they had just suffered.

"What attacked us?" Lumiyan asked, thinking that asking wouldn't hurt.

Mrs. Pualis, sitting in the dark red carriage, said in a condescending tone, "You were tainted by the aura of the 'Sufferer.' Fortunately, it was only a little; otherwise, you would have to consider a restart."

"The aura of the 'Sufferer,' what is that?" Lumiyan looked at Layne and the others, seeing that they were equally puzzled.

Mrs. Pualis answered in a gentle voice, "I only know this much."

"Do you know what happened to the dead wizards and owls in the cemetery?" Lumiyan asked.

Mrs. Pualis glanced at him, "If I knew, things wouldn't have turned out this way. I originally planned to make this place my territory, but now I have to leave."

Make this place your territory? Lumiyan was startled, thinking that being trapped in a loop might not be entirely bad: "If Mrs. Pualis had achieved her original goal, Orolle and I would have no idea how many children we would have by now!" Compared to this outcome, being trapped in a loop and potentially destroyed was not so hard to accept.

"At least we would die with a clear conscience!"

Mrs. Pualis glanced at Lia and the others, then said nothing, letting the two devil-like creatures pull the shell-like carriage into the depths of the wilderness.

When her figure disappeared from Lumiyan's sight, the wilderness vanished as well.

At this moment, they found themselves still in the basement, halfway up the stairs, near the wooden door.

If it weren't for the blood and nails left on the ground and walls, they would have thought they had just experienced a realistic illusion.

"Let's leave," Layne quickly regained his composure and instructed Valentine, "Clean up the traces we left."

Valentine nodded and summoned illusory golden flames to burn away the blood and nails.

On the way back to the church, they were not attacked again.

The "Sufferer" aura had either been completely consumed or removed by the liquid Mrs. Pualis had sprinkled.

Lumiyan was about to leave through the side door when he suddenly saw the deputy priest, Michel Garigue, standing outside a room where several sleeping servants lay, staring blankly inside.

This guy came back after eating? Lumiyan was about to avoid him when Michel, with his brown curly hair and handsome face, suddenly turned his head and saw them.

Layne was about to go over and knock him out, but Michel Garigue already smiled abnormally and asked, "Are you here to pray? Do you need to confess?"

With everyone else in the church down, you're concerned about confession? Lumiyan looked at Michel as if he were a madman.

Compared to last time, this guy's abnormality was much more evident!

PS: Fifth update, seeking monthly votes~ Yes, the first update of tomorrow will be at 00:05.