Chapter 165 - 165: Chaos Erupts

Just as the words fell, a glass shard on the ground suddenly flared with light. In the very next moment, both Edward and Mr. A felt everything around them begin to freeze—time itself seemed to halt, and even their bodies began to stiffen, becoming doll-like. This was the power of the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, the Box of the Great Old Ones, in Botis's possession! At that instant, a soft chuckle echoed through the space. "Found you." A second Mr. A appeared, his right palm raised toward the glowing glass. The vertical black pupil in his hand transformed into a mouth and let out a shrill, infantile wail: "WAAAAHH!!" The next second, the glass shard and a concealed portion of space shattered completely. From the void emerged Botis, clad in a black robe. Having taken the cry of the Son of the Evil God head-on, veins bulged on his forehead, and beneath the skin of his face, something wriggled grotesquely, like worms crawling just under the surface. He reached forward with his right hand and seemed to lift an invisible veil that had been draped across the space. Reality twisted again, and that area vanished—concealed anew, shielding it from the next cry of the infantile wail. Mr. A casually tossed a pebble, using the Bribery ability to weaken Botis's spatial concealment. At the same time, the mouth in his palm uttered a vile and corrupt word: "Die." At that very moment, a towering knight clad in full black armour burst forth from Botis's shadow. He held a massive broadsword, and in the hollows of his helmet, twin orbs of deep crimson glowed menacingly. It Saint Tenebrous, Kisma. He charged straight at Mr. A, tanking the demonic curse head-on. "Traitor who betrayed the Lord—death is your only fate!" BANG! Kisma collided with Mr. A, smashing through the factory wall and sending both of them hurtling into the distance. Back inside, Botis once again opened the Box of the Great Old Ones to its first layer—but Edward stepped forward unflinchingly. There was a faint shimmer around him, like an invisible garment swaying gently under the Artifact's influence. It was Mystical Re-enactment—The Emperor's New Clothes. In the blink of an eye, Edward's form shifted—he transformed into a tall woman wearing a worn leather hat. The second "Mr. A" twisted and vanished. A sharp, piercing infant cry rang out once more. Strange eyeballs appeared one after another in mid-air, enlarging rapidly. A wave of maddening aura spread outward like wildfire, momentarily stunning Botis as if he'd taken a blow to the skull. The woman—Bernadette—extended her slender fingers, and a long spear materialised in her hand. It was an ancient weapon, dyed dark crimson from tip to hilt, pulsing with an intense aura of destruction and bloodlust. Botis felt his spirituality surge violently, as though boiling. He knew with chilling certainty: if that spear struck him, he would die instantly. Without hesitation, he activated his teleportation ability in an attempt to escape the fatal strike. But just as the Door to the Spirit World began to open halfway, Edward's voice rang out coldly: "Teleportation is forbidden here." The portal before Botis shuddered, as if yanked by an invisible force—and slowly began to close again. Hidden from sight, Edward's face was grim. This part of the plan wasn't his responsibility—it was supposed to be Miss Reinette Tinekerr who prevented Botis from escaping. But she hadn't shown up. Plans never keep up with change… Botis could only retreat rapidly, shape-shifting again and again, becoming layer upon layer of illusory doors. One after another, they overlapped endlessly like a labyrinth of shifting portals. But soon he realised—no matter what form he took or how many barriers he erected, he couldn't shake off the spear's lock. So he resorted to rapid short-range teleportations, each time creating a clone with the Worm of Stars to confuse the spear's trajectory. Yet the Spear of Longinus spared no target—every clone it encountered was pierced through and annihilated. It was closing in. Suddenly, Botis raised the Box of the Great Old Ones to intercept the spear directly. Bernadette's expression immediately changed—she clearly sensed that if the spear struck that box, something unimaginably horrific would be unleashed. She quickly flicked her fingers, dispersing the Spear of Longinus before it could land the blow. At that moment, thick greyish-yellow fog began to drift in from all directions. From within it emerged a woman in a simple, sacred white robe—yet her every gesture exuded enchantment and temptation. "The Saintess of White—Katarina Pelle?" Katerina smiled faintly. "Heh, I didn't expect to run into you here either, Bernadette." She paused, then added casually, "Are you sure you want to keep chatting with me? In a little while, your friend will die…of the plague." Bernadette's gaze turned icy. "He won't die." And with that, peach blossoms began to bloom around them—vibrant and beautiful—forming a secluded world like a hidden utopia. The two women vanished within it. Botis wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Whether it was being locked onto by the Spear of Longinus, or the desperate clash involving the Box of the Great Old Ones, the pressure had been immense. Thankfully, that woman had been held off by the Saintess of White—but he needed to finish this quickly! At that very moment, Kisma the Saint Tenebrous returned. "Invisibility is forbidden here." "Distortion." Wrapped in an invisibility cloak, Edward emerged from the corner and charged toward the man in the white shirt. He activated [Unfettered] again and again, attempting to shake off the effects of control. Yet the disparity in their Sequences was simply too great—his efforts yielded little result. Suddenly, the air before him split open with a sharp rip, and a bird—black and red all over, about half the size of a man—burst forth from the rift. It seized Edward in its talons and dragged him into the spirit world. "Teleportation is forbidden here." Edward had just used this very command to prevent Botis from escaping—but karma wasted no time. The messenger bird and Edward were promptly ejected from the spirit world, sent tumbling back into reality. "Die!" From the mouth of Kisma came a filthy, corrupted word. Edward once again felt the excruciating pain of his heart being gripped and his vitality draining away. Fortunately, Mr. A arrived just in time, interrupting the filthy utterance with a burst of Madness followed by a Frenzy. Before Edward could catch his breath, a tall man with a high-bridged nose, wearing a white shirt and black vest, stepped forward. He held a pocket watch in one hand, and with a flip of his palm, he tossed four coins into the air: One for Bribery. One for Gift. One for Magnify. One for Bestowment. But the true killing blow was hidden among the four coins—a bullet fired from his unique revolver, Rever's Shout of Despair. Over the years, this weapon had executed enemy after enemy, each one dying while tormented by Rever's final, hopeless wail. As the bullet and four coins sped toward Edward, a massive skeletal figure erupted from the ground. Its entire form was covered in dense bone plating, shielding Edward from the incoming strike. Bang! The next moment, the colossal skeleton shattered into a rain of splinters. In that instant, Azik Eggers, with his bronze-toned skin, appeared beside Edward and whisked him away to safety. The man in the vest snorted coldly. "What kind of person are you trying to kill? Where'd he even find all these helpers?" Botis's expression darkened. "I don't know either." "Distortion!" He twisted Azik's direction, then tossed a few more coins and fired several rounds in rapid succession. Bang! The bullet pierced straight through the figure that had foolishly walked into the shot. A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth—yet in that very moment, a spirit world creature he had failed to notice silently appeared behind him. He wasn't surprised. With a single step, he attempted to dodge—but failed. The floor beneath him, once flat, had unknowingly turned into a rising sea of inky black water. Beneath its surface, pale hands reached upward, clawing and dragging. In the blink of an eye, a legion of skeletal creatures surged from every direction—dozens, then hundreds, surrounding him in a suffocating tide. From within the skeletal swarm, Azik emerged and gave Edward a brief nod. A second later, the black water and all the skeletal monsters wrapped around the vest-wearing man and vanished into a newly opened rift in the spirit world. BOOM! Elsewhere, Kisma shook off the effects of Frenzy, imprisoning Mr. A while simultaneously drawing forth a massive greatsword composed of magma and fire from the void. He spun it in reverse and thrust it toward Mr. A. "Magnify!" "Distortion!" Edward quickly distorted the trajectory of the flaming greatsword, causing it to fly from Kisma's grip and hurl straight toward Botis. Botis sidestepped in a flash, then began blinking from spot to spot, his body scattering across the entire factory. The next second, the illusory pages in the eyes of every Botis began to turn. Some unleashed violent lightning storms; others materialised blazing spears; yet others encased themselves in black armour and slashed with abyssal greatswords capable of cleaving through anything. Multiple projections, multiple abilities—attacks and control spells alike—rained down indiscriminately. As always, Botis ended with a customary restriction: "Teleportation is forbidden here." Edward immediately cast every defensive spell on himself: Protego, Protego Diabolica, Dawn Armour—and then amplified them all in unison with [Magnify]. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A torrent of destruction engulfed Edward, Mr. A, and Kisma. Moments later, silence returned. The entire factory had collapsed under the relentless assault, the ground looking as though it had been ploughed and razed. Mr. A and Kisma had long since retreated to safety. Only Edward—the "glass mage"—had been unable to escape the range in time. Yet he remained unharmed. Every blow had been absorbed by an invisible layer of clothing—that was The Emperor's New Clothes, a technique recorded in Leymano's Travel book. It created something nonexistent to nullify all damage. Edward's figure disappeared again. Botis instantly shouted, "Teleportation is forb—" The rest of the sentence never came out. Edward had used [Magnify] and [Theft] to steal his ability to speak. Though it wouldn't last long, it was enough time for Edward, now invisible, to launch a flurry of attacks. "Magnify." "Stupefy!" "Distortion." Botis's mind momentarily blanked, and a stream of dazzling spells surged toward him. He tried to dodge on instinct—only for the very thought of evasion to be distorted. All he could do was raise a gossamer curtain-like gate before himself in a frantic attempt at defence. Stupefy left his mind further dazed. Petrificus Totalus locked up his body, petrifying him limb by limb. Sectumsempra sliced straight through the "curtain gate," carving a deep, bloody gash across his throat—nearly severing his windpipe. ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.