Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Chapter 1125: The Request

Inside the luxurious villa where Lumian and his companions resided.

Anthony openly observed Naboredisley, who was seated on the sofa diagonally across from him. He appeared exceptionally calm, neither anxious nor impatient, sipping His coffee gently.

This was unlike the Devil pathway Beyonders Anthony was familiar with. Naboredisley's emotions were stable, His demeanor relaxed, and His normalcy gave off an air of abnormality.

Gulp. Ludwig, seated next to Anthony, swallowed audibly.

He, too, was scrutinizing Naboredisley, dressed in formal attire with a neatly tied bow tie.

Naboredisley did not inquire about Lumian's return. Instead, He naturally engaged Anthony in casual conversation about the current state of the protected zones.

After some time, the figures of Lumian and Franca appeared at the edge of the living room.

Lumian instinctively glanced at Naboredisley, smiling without concealing his surprise.

'I thought you'd been dragged back into the Abyss.'

Naboredisley stood up and, unfazed, responded with a smile, 'My condition has actually improved.'

'Isn't Earth Mother already asleep?' Lumian asked, sitting on another sofa.

Franca sat close beside him, her expression tinged with curiosity.

The ice-blue-eyed demon Naboredisley sat back down, His tone calm as He explained,

'Before the descent of the crimson moon, another major event occurred, one you should remember—the consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty stirred, and His spirit became active.'

'What does that have to do with your improved condition?' Franca asked inquisitively.

Naboredisley smiled but gave no answer.

Lumian glanced at Franca and then shifted his gaze toward Anthony and Ludwig.

The others understood and tactfully left—Franca heading to the second-floor studio, Anthony to the kitchen, and Ludwig to the living room to handle matters of the Sick Church.

Only then did Naboredisley smile and speak to Lumian. 'At that time, I, too, experienced the revival of the malicious consciousness and frenzied spirit of the Primordial God Almighty within me. To a certain extent, it balanced the corruption of the Mother Tree of Desire, allowing me to regain a semblance of peace.

'Unfortunately, the revival of the Primordial God Almighty was short-lived, with His consciousness retreating to the Chaos Sea. He left only His malicious spirit, preventing a true balance. I remain unable to fully escape the control of the Mother Tree of Desire. However, my condition has relatively improved—I no longer rely on Lilith's aid. Maintaining even this state is difficult, though. Once the Mother Tree of Desire breaches or bypasses the astral world's barrier and descends into our world, the rope keeping me from falling further will snap immediately.'

'You experienced the revival of the malicious consciousness and frenzied spirit of the Primordial God Almighty?' Lumian echoed, already guessing why.

A faint smile played at the corner of the central head's mouth as he raised his right hand and flicked the forehead of the strange dark gold mask.

With a clang, Naboredisley smiled with some appreciation in His gaze.

'Yes. Others might not guess why, but you should find it obvious.'

'This is because the Primordial God Almighty once accommodated the sefirah corresponding to the Chained and Abyss pathways—Tenebrous World.'

'He even accommodated the 'Tenebrous World?' Lumian, though he had anticipated it, was still a little surprised.

The Abyss pathway's Tenebrous World and the Sun pathway's Chaos Sea were fundamentally incompatible. Could they really coexist?

Was the Primordial God Almighty already mad, unable to suppress His instinct to converge?

Did He first accommodate the City of Calamity?

In a reminiscent tone, Naboredisley continued, 'Before the First Epoch, in a more ancient age, there was a myth: the God Almighty of Heaven created a divine child. Several Angels, led by an Archangel, rebelled. They were defeated, cast into the Abyss, creating Hell, and turning them to devils.

'I've studied the honorific names within the Sick Church. I believe you've heard this myth.'

'I have,' Lumian replied calmly.

Naboredisley nodded slightly. 'According to what I know, this myth may never have actually occurred. Instead, it represents a tendency—a connection between Heaven and the Abyss. Thus, when instinct drives convergence, that deity might prioritize such associations.

'This is also consistent with mysticism. The phrase 'the degenerate nature of all living things' is undoubtedly familiar to you. The Abyss has two entrances—one in the Sunken Continent of the real world and another within the depths of every human heart, in their propensity to degenerate.'

'No wonder your condition improved after Earth Mother fell asleep,' Lumian said with a slight nod.

Then he asked, 'Are you also a remnant of a previous epoch?'

Franca had speculated about this before, noting how many of Farbauti's aliases resembled the names of great devils in ancient myths.

Naboredisley smiled and said, 'Suddenly, it was all gone—suddenly, only darkness.

'When I recovered fragments of thought and memory, I was already a great devil. Those fragments were soon drowned out by madness and bloodlust, only returning near the end of the First Epoch.

'The old age was utterly destroyed, leaving only us remnants.

'Haha, for me, that was actually a good thing. I lived for thousands of more years. I ruled the Abyss and the land, enjoying everything denied to me in the old age.'

Naboredisley laughed with wild abandon, unabashedly revealing His desires and malice—entirely different from His earlier calm demeanor.

Perhaps this was His true nature.

Lumian wasn't surprised. He waited for the Devil Monarch to finish laughing before asking, 'What do you want from me?'

Naboredisley returned to His calm state and spoke earnestly, 'I'd like to ask for your help. If successful, my sealed Abomination avatar will die, and you may claim its resulting Beyonder characteristic as your own.'

After the crimson moon's descent, most of the Southern Continent's inhabitants were also drawn into protected zones, including Abomination Farbauti hidden in the Dream Festival's grave.

The indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought and the adherents of the Primordial Moon mostly remained outside the protected zones, especially those with the corresponding pathway's Beyonder characteristics. Any cultists forcibly brought into the zones were eventually purged.

'Quite generous. What's the matter?' Lumian smiled at Naboredisley.

Naboredisley took a sip of coffee before answering, 'I intend to accomplish something on the Western Continent before the Mother Goddess of Depravity accommodates the Brood Hive and the astral world's barrier completely shatters.

'Currently, only The Fool and you can help me.'

'Me? I can't help you bypass the Celestial Worthy's seal,' Lumian questioned. 'Even Mr. Fool can't do that right now. To protect the Western Continent, he's strengthened the seal. Sending you through would require waiting for an opportunity—when the seal can be temporarily undone.'

Naboredisley smiled and said, 'Thanks to Alista Tudor and Cheek's mad attempt, the secrets of the City of Calamity are now known. In your current state, you can perform a deep secret deed without relying on Their special corpse wax candles. That's equivalent to establishing contact with the Western Continent.

'What I need you to do is this: When you next perform a deep secret deed, projecting your spirit and consciousness into the City of Calamity, take my mental imprint with you. You're bound to engage in a deep secret deed again, given your intention to accommodate the City of Calamity.'

'Take your mental imprint… What's the point of that?' Lumian asked.

He didn't refute Naboredisley's last statement.

Naboredisley patiently explained, 'I need to establish a preliminary connection with the Tenebrous World.

'Normally, this would be impossible. But the Primordial God Almighty once accommodated the City of Calamity. The two have mutually corrupted each other. Through the Tenebrous World's corruption within the City of Calamity, I can establish an initial connection.

'This would benefit you as well. My mental imprint, fused with the Tenebrous World's corruption, would mitigate related risks when you accommodate the City of Calamity, reducing potential dangers to some extent.'

'Would this let you become an Above the Sequences?' Lumian asked thoughtfully.

Naboredisley shook His head. 'No, I lack the necessary Uniquenesses, and my current condition doesn't permit it.'

He calmly added, 'However, I would be able to help the Tenebrous World manifest greater power.'

Lumian nodded slightly, then smiled and asked Naboredisley, 'Do you think I'll agree?

'Allowing a great devil's mental imprint into one's own mind and spirit is extremely dangerous.'

A secret deed involved the union of consciousness and spirit with specific entities, unrelated to the physical body. Thus, in secret deed experiences, all items originated from the projection of one's spirit, not their actual counterparts. This meant Naboredisley could only participate in the secret deeds by placing His mental imprint within Lumian's soul, mind, and consciousness.

Naboredisley met Lumian's gaze and replied with a smile, 'I think you will.

'Because you and I are the same. In madness, we're most 'normal,' and in clarity, we're most insane.'

Lumian laughed, and his laughter lingered for a long while.

Finally, he restrained his smile and said to Naboredisley, 'Alright, I agree.

'I'll inform you before I next perform a deep secret deed.'

Naboredisley stood, satisfied, and extended His hand. 'Pleasure working with you.'

'Pleasure working with you,' Lumian casually shook His hand. ra n obes

Taking His silk top hat, Naboredisley placed it atop His head and asked with a smile, 'Aren't you worried about creating such a devil could harm human society?'

Lumian smiled and replied calmly, 'If we don't survive the apocalypse, there won't be any human society for you to harm. If we do survive and I'm about to perish, I'll drag you down with me.

'If neither of those scenarios happens, either I or Mr. Fool will deal with you in the end—by killing, sealing, imprisoning, or banishing you.'

Naboredisley wasn't surprised by this response.

He smiled and sighed. 'Thank you for your honesty.'

With His silk hat securely in place, He left the luxurious villa at a steady pace.