Translator: SumTLMan
This situation evoked a strong sense of déjà vu in Angel.
Previously, in the Abyss, Toby had been afflicted with bad luck after coming into contact with the aura left by the Harbinger of Doom, leading to a series of unfortunate events that bore an uncanny resemblance to the current circumstances.
Of course, the misfortune encountered by the misty shadow was not likely to be from the Harbinger of Doom.
So, where could it have originated from?
Merely bad timing? Angel was not quite convinced.
But if there was external interference, who could manipulate such destiny?
Among the extraordinary beings Angel had encountered, it seemed that besides the Harbinger of Doom and the Time Thief, there was no one… no, that’s incorrect, there was another.
Reynolds himself also had the capacity to influence destiny to a certain degree. He was dubbed “John’s Comeback,” and this was no empty title.
However, Reynolds usually tended towards good fortune, whereas the current “Reynolds” was plagued with misfortune.
Was this due to the physical rejection effect caused by the misty shadow possessing Reynolds?
This so-called rejection can be understood as the ego’s expulsion of the foreign. This is not only applicable to individuals but even the world itself possesses a similar Rejection Mechanism. For instance, Jon, due to the incompatibility with the native will, led to a series of subsequent tragedies, which is also a classic example of rejection.
However, generally speaking, rejection is not insoluble. As long as you possess strong individual power, you can completely suppress the original will.
Moreover, the rejection mechanism is a form of passive defense, and ordinary people really have no means to perfect this passive mechanism, unless you have a similar countermeasure, or you have cheated.
Whether Reynolds had any countermeasures, Angel did not know. But if the “cheat” that influenced destiny truly existed within Reynolds’ talents, then this “extraordinary” mechanism might become the main force of the ego in expelling the foreign entity.
And this mechanism could result in Reynolds, even if not strong in essence, possessing a natural attribute that made him difficult to possess.
Angel did not know if this speculation was correct, but if it were, the misty shadow was probably in a lot of discomforts now.
The flip side of a rise in fortune is an extremely poor fortune.
The activation of the corridor traps proved all of this.
However, what Angel was a bit worried about was that if this backlash of misfortune had no limit, even if they truly managed to defeat the misty shadow, Reynolds’ physical body would probably not fare well.
This belongs to a mechanism that harms the enemy as much as it harms oneself.
“Hope when we find Reynolds’ body, he can still maintain roughly a human shape,” Angel murmured to himself, staring at the charred imprint on the ground where skin tissue could be seen.
…
Outside the base laboratory.
A huge “buzzing” sound came from a distance, accompanied by the rolling fog around, signaling the arrival of a new law ripple ripples.
Firo, who had been verbally sparring outside the Fire Law Land, also fell silent, frowning tightly and looking in the direction from which the law ripples were coming.
“Why does it feel like the pressure from these ripples is getting stronger? And… the sound seems closer to here as well.”
Firo felt an inexplicable unease, sensing some bad omens.
He lowered his head, looking at a piece of black crystal in his palm. This was given to him by Canter, who had told him to crush it in times of danger so that Canter could sense and locate his position, crossing the gaps between planes to reach him.
Firo wondered whether to crush it now.
At this moment, not only was Firo hesitating, but Number 03, hidden within the core of the Wave Mechanism, was also hesitating.
She too felt the immense roar and, beneath it, the wailing of a sea beast. She knew what that sea beast was and its very miraculous characteristics, definitely the best specimen for the ultimate goal of the experiment.
However, what puzzled her was that, although the sea beast was powerful, Number 01 had taken so many combatants out and even brought that precious alchemy item, why hadn’t they succeeded by now?
Moreover, from the intensity of the law ripples and the volume of the roar, it could be seen that the battlefield seemed to have moved away from the Nest, instead coming closer to the laboratory.
Was it a stalemate that dragged the chase to the laboratory? Trying to use the laboratory’s power?
If Number 01 was indeed facing difficulties and trying to use the laboratory’s power against that sea beast, then returning to the laboratory now, he might encounter an ambush from that group outside.
Number 03 understood that she could not wait any longer.
She had to act; otherwise, not to mention waiting for them to rescue her, if Number 01 came back and got caught in a pincer attack, it would inevitably be a defeat for their side.
But now, with Firo watching outside and Sanders and others not showing themselves, it was probably because they were waiting for her to come out.
Number 03 bit her lip, looking again at the bottle in her hand. The miraculous seed inside was still exuding a great attraction to her.
Should she eat it? Eating it might give her the strength to resist, but her future would become unpredictable.
Not eating it, with her own strength, she would be unable to face a second level true knowledge wizard.
Number 03 hesitated for a long time before deciding to put down the seed core. She wanted to take a gamble, betting that Sanders was not outside.
If she won the bet, facing Firo alone, even if she was temporarily overpowered, she could rush to the laboratory and activate the biggest trap for an inside-out effort.
Even if she lost the bet, as long as they didn’t kill her immediately upon encounter, she had a chance to swallow the seed core.
After making her decision, Number 03 took a deep breath, her gaze firmly on the flames burning outside…
…
Four levels below the laboratory.
“Here it comes again,” Nisi said quietly, feeling the boundless law ripples around them.
The air was quiet until the law ripples dissipated, and Nisi broke the silence again, “The strength of these law ripples seems not to have diminished at all, but rather it seems to be climbing.”
“It’s getting closer to us,” Canter stated definitively.
“The law ripples, if nothing else, were caused by Number 01 in order to deal with Ziz’s offspring. Its continuous approach, does it mean that Number 01 and the others are coming back?” Since learning about Number 01’s purpose, deducing the situation outside became simpler.
Canter nodded, “They should be returning now. But this return doesn’t necessarily mean victory.”
Nisi understood Canter’s point; if they had truly won, the law ripples would likely have dissipated. Their persistence implied a complication in the conflict.
Perhaps they had underestimated Ziz’s offspring’s strength, or overestimated their own coordination.
Regardless of the reason for Number 01 and others’ return, their comeback seemed to have become a fait accompli.
Now, the question was, what should they do?
“We can’t wait any longer, we must leave the laboratory as soon as possible,” Canter said.
This was not only because Firo was outside, requiring their support; more importantly, if Number 01 really brought Ziz’s offspring to the laboratory and killed it nearby, they, the group, would likely be affected.
If Gruz De Weld were to go into a rage, he certainly wouldn’t bother distinguishing who was allied with whom among those present; he would likely take them all down.
Therefore, leaving the laboratory area as soon as possible was the best choice.
If all else fails, they should try to prevent Number 01 from attacking Ziz’s offspring.
After making their decision, Canter started contacting Angel, and Nisi turned back to look at Reynolds, noticing his soul body was somewhat unstable and his expression somewhat dazed.
Nisi thought Reynolds was worried about his own body and said, “Even if the flesh is gone, believe me, the soul can live forever.”
Reynolds, however, slowly lifted his head, and from his bewildered eyes, Nisi could tell that Reynolds might not have heard their conversation at all.
Indeed, the facts were exactly as described. Reynolds, with a look of utter confusion on his face, uttered, “Huh?”
Nisi sighed, having not informed Reynolds of their decision, planning to whisk him away once everything was set in stone: “Nothing… Hmm, what were you thinking about just now?”
Reynolds said, “I, I felt like my connection to my physical body was weakening, to the point where, for a while, I couldn’t perceive it at all. It’s as if it didn’t exist…”
Nisi patted Reynolds on the shoulder, reassuringly stating, “You don’t need to worry; your physical body might as well be dead.”
Reynolds: “…”
“Since you have nowhere to return to, and your body is dead, you might as well join Soul Valley from now on.”
Reynolds: “…I feel like I’ve vaguely sensed something.” It seemed his body might still be salvageable.
Nisi wanted to say more, but Canter, on the other side, suddenly announced, “There’s a situation.”
Nisi looked over, puzzled, only to see Canter stretching out his hand, revealing a crystal as dark as the night in the palm of his hand.
At that moment, the surface of the crystal began to show cracks, spreading rapidly until they covered the entire crystal.
“It’s Firo. He crushed the crystal I gave him; something must have happened on his end. We need to leave immediately!” Canter declared.
“What about Angel…”
Canter interrupted, “I’ve already informed Toby and the fire sprite; they’ll tell Angel later.”
With that, Canter crushed the dark crystal.
As the crystal dust scattered, a ferocious spatial rift instantly appeared before them.
Canter declared, “Let’s go!”
Nisi nodded solemnly.
Then, Canter added, “Remember to reimburse me for the two Light and Shadow Crystals later.”
Nisi’s expression immediately shifted from solemn to ferocious.
…
Meanwhile, Angel, located on the first floor of the laboratory, also sensed the arrival of the law ripples.
However, Angel did not stay put as usual but instead hastened their pace.
“Toby, activate the gravity lines,” Angel ordered while moving swiftly.
Toby nodded, leaped into the air, and flapped his wings, dispersing a gray mist that enveloped them completely.
With the augmentation of the gravity lines, Angel was able to move freely even amidst the law ripples.
Angel moved with incredible speed, his form blurring past corridor after corridor. He was getting closer to Reynolds’ physical body, he could feel it.
At this moment, if the misty shadow lacked a power similar to the law lines for protection, it would inevitably be halted by the law ripples, presenting Angel with his opportunity.
However, as Angel sprinted, new questions plagued his mind: the chance to solve the problem easily was before him, but how could he prevent the misty shadow from exploding its skull?
The image of the Fire Scale Familiar’s head exploding upon capture by the misty shadow was vivid in his memory. If Reynolds were to suffer a similar fate, finding his body would be pointless.
Despite his best efforts, Angel could not devise a perfect solution.
In the end, he could only hope that Reynolds’ core will would offer some assistance.
If it was possible to alter destiny through a rejection mechanism, ideally, when the misty shadow attempted to explode its skull, something would go awry, preventing the act.
With a stroke of luck, Angel charged through the corridors as the law ripples swept through.
Soon, Angel found himself in a new corridor.
All the energy conduits in this corridor had been emptied, their once glowing energy fluids vanished, replaced by a pervasive poison fog.
Unquestionably, this was a corridor filled with traps.
Standing at the entrance, Angel’s gaze pierced through the eerie green poison fog, spotting a figure not too far away.
Judging by the silhouette, it was Reynolds.
However, Reynolds lay motionless on the ground, resembling a corpse.
“Is he dead?” the voice of Dangros echoed in his ear.
“I’m not sure, but he might be immobilized by the law ripples,” Angel replied before stepping into the corridor.
The poison fog in the corridor was no simple matter. It wasn’t made of particles that existed in the physical world but was a form of energy toxin, impervious to being blown away by wind and resistant to ordinary energy shields.
For an apprentice, such an energy toxin represented an insurmountable threat, capable of cornering them into a dire situation in a confined space.
Yet, for a formal wizard, this toxin couldn’t even breach their mental power shield, showcasing a complete overpowering of realms.
Angel approached Reynolds step by step.
Here, he could clearly see the “tragic” state Reynolds was in.
Burnt by fire, frozen by ice, struck by lightning, every inch of his skin was charred and bloodied, the blackness from charred skin, the redness from bleeding flesh.
His clothing had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only some fabric fibers on his decayed skin, indicating that he once was a respectable person.
Fortunately, Reynolds appeared to be whole, not missing any limbs. Whether he retained any functionality, however, remained unknown.
“…How pitiful,” Dangros said, spreading its hand as it looked down at the corpse lying on the ground. Having seen Reynolds’ intact soul, the sight of his ruined body was somewhat difficult to bear.
This was probably the consequence of a backlash of misfortune.
Angel hesitated about whether to act on Reynolds in his current state, concerned that the misfortune might continue to affect their surroundings.
In the end, Angel summoned a Magic Hand and dragged Reynolds out of the poison fog.
Then, Angel quickly bound Reynolds and took out a magic-suppressing rune scroll, hoping to see if a magic vacuum environment could stop the mist shadow explosion skull.
Soon, the law ripples dissipated.
Angel prepared himself for what was to come.
But after the remnants of the law ripples had faded, Reynolds, now unrecognizable as human, still did not move.
After a moment of hesitation, Angel used the power of Nightmare to conjure a hand, reaching towards Reynolds’ brow.