389 Suspected God
In the uninhabited quarry cave beneath Trier.
Hela observed as the transparent and distorted maggots perished, yet she didn’t detect any Beyonder characteristics emerging.
She turned her attention to Lumian and Franca, who were sound asleep. Satisfied that they had regained control thanks to the night and their dreams, and their breathing had steadied, she ended her forced slumber.
Two seconds later, Lumian’s eyes shot open, and he leaped up with the agility of a leopard.
In an instant, he summoned three crimson flames that illuminated the cavern.
As he kept a vigilant watch over his surroundings, Franca, still recovering from severe mental injuries, rubbed her head and slowly got to her feet, fear in her eyes.
Then, she spotted Hela in her distinctive black widow-like dress and the familiar bonnet with a veil. She blurted out, “Madame Hela, what brings you here?”
Instant regret washed over her. She had inadvertently revealed her affiliation with the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society.
If she hadn’t spoken, she could have pretended to be nothing more than a friend of Ciel—that she wasn’t Hidden Blade.
“Hidden Blade?” Hela inquired.
Franca let out a dry laugh.
“Yes, how did you recognize me?”
“You’re the only Demoness in the Research Society,” Hela replied calmly.
Franca felt even more embarrassed and replied ridiculously, “I recognized you based on your attire and demeanor. You never showed your face at the gatherings.”
As the two acknowledged each other, Lumian’s wariness visibly eased. With Madame Hela’s presence, he felt his safety was assured.
Then, he noticed the two marionettes lying lifeless on the ground, surrounded by a pool of flesh infested with translucent maggots.
“Is that Loki?” Lumian pointed at the grotesque, horrifying mass.
Hela cast her gaze over.
“Yes.”
Lumian fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is he dead?”
Hela nodded slightly and said, “He succumbed to his own loss of control, but it’s not a complete demise.”
“Huh?” Franca asked in confusion.
Look at how badly minced he is. Maggots are crawling out, but he’s not completely dead?
She had already figured out why Madame Hela had appeared. Ciel, that scoundrel, must have used her as bait again and written a letter to Madame Hela to clean up the mess!
Hela looked at Lumian and said coldly, “High-level Demonesses aren’t the only ones capable of resurrection; high-level Seers can do it too. Loki likely worships an evil god in this domain. Combined with his uniqueness, he can abandon his body upon death and revive in a pre-prepared location with his characteristics intact.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t foresee this. If I had prayed for true Concealment in advance, he wouldn’t have been able to revive, and he’d leave behind his Beyonder traits.”
The woman calmly recounted her oversights, offering no excuses and showing no frustration.
Lumian’s eyes remained fixed on the grotesque mass of flesh infested with dead maggots, a slow smile spreading across his face.
The corners of his mouth curled upward as he remarked, “Not bad at all. If he were to meet his end like this, I’d be disappointed. How can I not be the one to kill him with my own hands?”
As Lumian spoke, a burning desire for High-Sequence Beyonder powers ignited within him.
Loki was undeniably formidable. Even when he and Franca had joined forces, Loki had come dangerously close to turning Lumian into a marionette. Yet, Hela, suspected to have advanced to Sequence 4, had effortlessly dispatched him in less than ten seconds.
Lumian understood that unleashing the Blood Emperor aura would undoubtedly draw the attention of official Beyonders from the market district, possibly prompting them to seek assistance from the Churches’ saints. Therefore, after Hela had sought him out, she had to subdue Loki and relocate him within ten seconds. Otherwise, the chance of being intercepted by Trier’s saints and angels was exceedingly high.
This was what a demigod was like!
Lumian eagerly looked forward to summarizing more Pyromaniac acting principles and digesting the potion over the next two to three months. His goal was to attempt an advancement to Conspirer. He recollected his plans for revenge against Loki and the others, the eradication of heretics, and his insatiable thirst for mystical, high-end powers.
Seeing Lumian’s lack of regret or disappointment, replaced instead by an unwavering fighting spirit, Hela subtly nodded in approval.
Lumian’s gaze remained fixed on Loki’s corpse.
“Which evil god does he worship?”
Franca’s heart skipped a beat at this question. She turned to Hela and asked, “Could it be…”
The Demoness of Pleasure paused briefly before switching to a complicated language that Lumian couldn’t understand.
“The Immortal Lord…”
Hela abruptly cut her off.
“Have you forgotten that I don’t understand that language either?”
“Uh…” Franca couldn’t help but slap her forehead.
My pig brain!
Hela continued, “Speak in ancient Feysac or Intisian. Also, remember, pause after each line and tell me something else.”
Franca quickly acknowledged her instructions, organized her thoughts, and began speaking in ancient Feysac.
“The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings…”
Hela interrupted her once again and engaged in a brief discussion about Loki’s assault.
Franca continued, “The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings…”
Lumian, paying close attention, began to grasp the purpose of Madame Hela’s request.
It was a precaution to prevent Franca from reciting the evil god’s full honorific name and potentially attracting unwanted attention.
“The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth for Blessings…” Franca repeated the third line and massaged her temples. “When I heard Loki recite it, it felt like I had been transported to another world. Everything was shrouded in fog, and I couldn’t discern anything clearly. My thoughts slowed to a crawl. I vaguely recall that there should be another phrase.”
Hela chimed in with her own addition in ancient Feysac, “The Celestial Worthy. Of Heaven and Earth. For Blessings.”
This time, she even paused the simple line twice.
Lumian couldn’t help but express his confusion. “This name has a rather odd style.”
It differed significantly from the honorific names of deities like Mr. Fool, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and others he was familiar with. The format and words gave off the impression of belonging to a distinct civilization.
Franca furrowed her brow in thought.
“Now that you mention it, I recall something.”
Lumian inquired, “What is it?”
Franca was about to speak but then abruptly closed her mouth.
She looked at Hela with a sheepish smile.
“Do you mind if I assisted Ciel in infiltrating the Research Society to investigate the April Fool’s team?”
“He had my approval,” Hela replied calmly.
Franca maintained her “submissive” smile.
“Then, would you mind if I had shared the secret of our transmigration with Ciel?”
Hela fell silent for a few moments before responding, “Does it matter if I mind now? Should I Conceal both of you?”
Franca suddenly realized that this situation might not be entirely negative and hastily explained, “You see, the April Fool’s team is under suspicion for Muggle’s death, and there’s no way around revealing our secret when investigating them. That’s why I told Ciel about it. Besides, Ciel has genuinely helped us find clues related to transmigration and the possibility of returning to our world!”
She wore an expression as if she had already made up for her mistake.
“What clues?” Hela blurted out for the first time.
Franca exhaled and said, “This is somewhat complex. Let me start by recalling what those honorific names reminded me of.
“We’ve been communicating, trying to find commonalities and similarities in what each of us did before transmigration to uncover the reason. Some received mysterious phones, others entered abandoned ancient temples in the mountains, and some were studying folklore culture. But I can’t pinpoint what I did that led to it. It’s not that I can’t remember, but I’ve done so much.
“As you all know, I enjoy novelty. I buy new phones, play new games, try out new restaurants, and even create clothing and cosplay at major conventions. I engaged in a multitude of activities before transmigrating, making it difficult to determine which one triggered the transmigration.
“However, when I heard the honorific name Loki recited, I recalled that on that particular night, I had played a new video game called ‘Terror Attack.’ In the game, there was a hidden monster that had faith in something called the ‘Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth.’”
Though Lumian didn’t comprehend the concept of a “video game,” he grasped the essence of Franca’s explanation.
Her transmigration in this world appeared to be connected to the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, whom Loki worshiped!
Hela, her light-blond hair flowing naturally over her shoulders, listened attentively and contemplated for a moment before speaking, “I don’t have similar recollections. As I mentioned earlier, before transmigrating, I delved into non-mainstream mythological books. There was a deity skilled in deception and pranks who bore a striking resemblance to Loki…”
Franca’s eyes gleamed with insight as she ventured a hypothesis.
“Could Loki have transmigrated by reciting the four lines of the honorific name? So, upon his arrival in this world, he recollected his actions from that time and attempted to recreate them, forging a connection with that evil god?
“Yes, he spoke vaguely when discussing such matters. The members of the April Fool’s team shared a similar experience…
“Could it be that we were all brought here by the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings? Or did He summon us to this world?
“He’s highly suspicious!”
Hela contemplated this for a moment and nodded slightly.
“At our next gathering, we can revisit this topic and communicate with others with a clearer focus.”
Franca was taken aback.
“Will the members of the April Fool’s team still attend?”
“The problematic ones probably won’t,” Hela replied calmly. “Even if we hastily arrange a gathering now, we’d have to notify them individually. This period of time is sufficient for Loki to revive and alert his associates.”
Lumian raised his eyebrows.
“Why does everyone need to be notified individually? Just invite the April Fool’s team to an emergency meeting. They won’t know if others will attend. It won’t take long to inform a dozen of them.”