My heart was pounding violently, and chaotic shadows floated before my eyes. A sharp, piercing buzzing sound in my ears made me feel like I was on the verge of madness.
My entire field of vision was twisting and writhing. Countless lines of blood emerged from the edges, eerily covering everything in my sight.
Desperate wails, eerie sinister laughter, and painful screams—all sorts of terrifying sound effects layered over one another, echoing repeatedly in my ears.
Blood surged madly through my veins, my body felt feverish, and my brain throbbed with intense pain.
Yet, there was nothing before me. Or, to be precise, I could see that something existed there, but my reason, in an attempt to protect my will, instinctively denied everything I saw.
Help me, I saw nothing.
This was the final line of defense for the soul. Once crossed, a mortal's will would face a higher existence head on.
Witnessing the truth comes with a price. No one can easily peer into the truths of this world.
The existence of gods is the truth of the world. To try to forcibly peer into it with a mortal will only brings about a massive backlash, even if it is only a lesser evil god.
But there was no way back. There was only moving forward; success or death, nothing more.
I appreciate the final good intentions of my instincts, but I refuse.
Lynch gritted his teeth, gathering all his willpower to keep his mind clear, and opened his eyes wide to look ahead.
The next moment, the chaotic shadows before his eyes suddenly coalesced, and his vision returned to normal.
This was a rift in the underground canyon, bottomless as if it led straight to the center of the earth.
A giant sphere made of dark green mist was bobbing in the air above the canyon like a green sun. Its surface mist steamed, much like the scorching flames that erupted periodically on the surface of a sun.
Around the green 'sun' extended dozens of tentacles, whether hundreds or thousands of meters long, twisting without any pattern. The surface of these tentacles was covered in raised tumors. From time to time, a tumor would burst, spraying thick green mist that would quickly merge back into the tentacles, returning to a single entity.
At the center of the 'sun' was a massive mouth that looked much like a ghoul's, only many times larger. From time to time, green liquid dripped from this mouth, turning into mist the moment it hit the ground, only to be sucked back in by the mouth.
The entire image was quite blurry, and one could not see the details clearly, much like the feeling of gazing at the face of a statue in a red moon memory. My brain provided the answer naturally: this was merely an image projected into my brain after being distorted by mortal perception. It was the falsity closest to reality, and the limit of what a mortal could comprehend.
The path to seeking truth is the best burial ground for a wise man.
As this proverb from this world flashed through his mind, the mental shock arrived right on schedule.
A violent, piercing pain surged through his brain. His soul felt as if it had been suddenly ripped from his body. Before his eyes, light and shadow interwove, and an endless stream of bizarre, terrifying images was forcibly shoved into his mind.
Barren lands, savage cities, bloodthirsty creatures.
All creatures struggled for survival in a desolate world, clutching at the bizarre and twisted existences of the world like a dying man grasping at a straw, offering up their faith and crawling at their feet in exchange for a meager sliver of protection.
Under twisted guidance, plunder and slaughter became the main themes of the city. For thousands of years, generation after generation, they offered corpses to the greatest existence as the highest honor.
Until one day, a plague ravaged the city, leaving countless dead. Yet, to this city, it was like a festival. Countless hideous monsters took the opportunity to rush to surrounding cities; they snatched corpses from cities that had them and created corpses in cities that didn't, only to snatch those too. Fangs and claws tore through the flesh of other races, and thousands of corpses piled up like mountains, to be sent into the frozen temple to offer their loyalty to the greatest existence.
The carnival lasted for who knows how long. When the end finally came, the surroundings were already a wasteland, with no living creatures left to plunder.
In the end, all the cities that had lost everything sank into the ground. The crazed and hideous inhabitants turned into stone statues, buried deep underground along with the city and the evil spirits, sinking along with the entire world...
【Do not read it, Lynch. Do not look. Stop. It is too dangerous. You will be assimilated by the memories of the past.】
‘I didn't want to read it. I can't stop.’
【Guard your will!】
The next moment, cool moonlight shone from the depths of his soul. Lynch felt as if a pair of invisible arms were gently pulling him into an embrace, as if he had returned to that happy time immersed in the moonlight. A sense of security filled his chaotic heart, and all agitation and fear instantly vanished. At the same time, a gentle voice appeared in his mind, calling back his reason:
【Wake up, Lynch.】
‘Are you the one holding me, neighbor?’
The gentle voice was silent for a moment. Lynch suddenly felt a great force coming from behind, as if someone had kicked him, sending him flying and creating the sensation of falling from a great height. At the same time, he heard the final response in his mind:
【No, it is an illusion.】
‘Why hit me?’
【You will thank me.】
Bang. Lynch found himself back in reality, his body lying on the ground. The moment his brain regained clarity and he opened his eyes, he was struck as if by lightning. His eyes widened, his expression full of astonishment and shock.
At this very moment, he was being pinned firmly to the ground by Miss Valente. It was as if he had been struggling for a long time, and both of their clothes had become messy, but Miss Valente ignored it completely. Instead, she took a deep drag of a cigarette and, with clumsy movements, pried open his clenched teeth to blow the thick smoke into his mouth.
Hm? What did she do?
Lynch's mind was a bit dazed. His lips moved, and he subconsciously took a breath.
Hm? What did I do?
Then, their gazes met, and both bodies ceased all movement at the same time.
Including their heartbeats.
A faint fragrance drifted through his blocked nose, warm breath hit his face, and of course, there was that...
This seems a bit awkward, but I am the victim here, right? Why is her face getting redder and redder, and her eyes looking more and more furious? Is she about to cry? We are staring at an evil god, can we be more serious?
As all sorts of messy thoughts swirled in his mind, Lynch felt a sharp pain in his lips. With a yelp of agony, his body was rolled over repeatedly by Miss Valente, quickly moving away from the edge of the canyon.
Yes, Lynch had been at the edge of the canyon, only a step away. His body could already feel the cold and chilling aura radiating from the invisible green 'sun,' and even his soul felt like it was about to freeze. It was fortunate that Miss Valente had pressed him down with all her might; otherwise, his journey of immortality would have ended right there.
Now that they were awake, the two immediately left the dangerous area, putting distance between themselves and the canyon. Although this thing was in a dormant state and had no active reaction, the psychological pressure it brought was quite terrifying. Thinking about the danger just now, Lynch couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
To stare directly at an evil god, to understand an evil god, and finally to become an evil god—the price of forcibly peering into the truth is often becoming a part of that truth.
Miss Valente had held on, but Lynch's inspiration was simply too high. He had glimpsed the ancient memories at a single glance, and under the summons of the truth, he had instinctively walked toward the evil god, intending to merge with it.
Miss Valente didn't know the complex details. She instinctively thought Lynch had been eroded by the filth and lit the soul-returning grass to save his life on the spot.
Although the medicine was wrong and completely useless, Lynch was still quite touched. He subconsciously glanced at Miss Valente opposite him, especially at her two moist lips.
The next moment, two small orange bottles appeared in Miss Valente's hands. The noble lady's expression was more ferocious than a ghoul's, her eyes red, looking as if she were about to eat someone.
"Calm down, the enemy is still there." Lynch pointed to the giant sun bobbing in the air. "Get ready to act. Let's attack and see what happens."
Giving Lynch a reproachful glare, Miss Valente viciously threw the bottles at the green light sphere. With Lynch's previous experience of missing with his whip, the attack shouldn't be enough to wake it up.
But at the same time, based on that same experience, it seemed that the attack wouldn't have any effect at all.
What about this time? Will there be a change?
Unable to spare the time to dwell on the strange experience from just a moment ago, the two stared nervously at the bottles in the air, watching them fall toward the surface of the green 'sun'.
I revised a few sentences and reposted it. It should be fine now. What a pity, though.
Rate on N.U.
