Chapter 1149: Section 1150 Believers
In the Abyssal Depth, an indescribable world.
Starlit skies and the lunar cycle sketched a lovely night scene for this world. However, as beautiful as the night sky was, it could only embellish the heavens, unable to conceal the desolation of the earth and the withering of life.
This was a world nearly abandoned.
Upon the forsaken continent, a solitary library stood in silence.
Inside the library, opulent decorations, countless books, ornately carved galleries and spires, along with story-filled stained glass windows filled the space with a somber religious aura. Apart from this, the only living creature in the library was now silently sitting at a desk, absently gazing into the Void.
If Angel were here, he would have recognized that its appearance was identical to the statue in the underground hall of the Void Tower.
It was none other than the Cruel Scholar itself.
The usual placid gaze of the Cruel Scholar now contained a trace of astonishment and even a hint of fear.
Its consciousness had descended upon Lassudral for the second time in a short span, which was unexpected for the Cruel Scholar. The last time was due to someone attempting to destroy the Inscription nexus, but this time, it was because of a human with a peculiar soul.
The human had previously said that all who peered into his soul met with accidents. The Scholar had scoffed at this initially until it actually proceeded to investigate and realized that the human’s words were indeed correct.
The Cruel Scholar recalled the images seen after its consciousness descended and felt a twinge of unease.
It had been probing the Land of the Soul of that human, only to discover a bizarre wound from which Soul Force was flowing erratically, defying any known rule. Although slight, it was extremely pure.
Such a method of increasing soul quality from nothingness made the Cruel Scholar momentarily think of a Mysterious Object.
However, as it was about to peer through the wound to see what lay behind, it felt a terrifying sense of oppression descending upon it from a distant time and space.
Before it could make out what exactly was happening, a torrent of negative emotions surged into its consciousness.
This onslaught not only affected the consciousness that had descended to Lassudral, but even the Scholar’s original self was harmed.
The Scholar’s consciousness was expelled from the Land of the Soul by this flood of information, and at that moment, it felt a sense of relief.
For it had never experienced such a terrifying sense of oppression since its birth.
Having felt that oppression, the Cruel Scholar understood that the entity behind the wound was certainly not something it could compare with. In fact, it had previously encountered a being referred to as ‘Miracle’ by humans while wearing the Mask of Pride.
This ‘Miracle’ was also a great being who could look down upon it.
Yet even that ‘Miracle’ did not exert as much oppressive force as the one it had just encountered.
Miracle had three stages, and it had only met a human at the initial stage of Miracle, perhaps that Apprentice had the support of a being at a… more advanced stage of Miracle!
At that thought, even the Scholar’s eyes could not help but flash with fear.
Who exactly was that human Apprentice? And who was the being that stood behind him?
The Cruel Scholar silently meditated, realizing from the previous thoughts of the Apprentice that he himself seemed not to understand the mysteries of the soul, and the entity behind that soul had not exerted too much influence, at most only letting a stream of Soul Force flow.
The way the human Apprentice coexisted with that terrifying entity behind him filled the Cruel Scholar with curiosity as well as horror.
“Both the flesh and the soul have their oddities, I really want to study it,” a cruel interest flickered in its eyes.
This interest excited the Scholar even more than the human it had previously encountered.
…
Angel was retreating inconspicuously.
He didn’t know what had happened before, but currently, with the Cruel Scholar looking down silently, the oppressive aura and the sense of scrutiny gone, this was the perfect moment to leave!
Angel dared not make any noise, quietly moving backward.
Seeing the door just behind him, Angel felt as if he was already seeing freedom waving at him—
“Human.”
A calm and unremarkable voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
Angel turned his head in halted jerks, like a malfunctioning machine, looking towards the central Cruel Scholar statue, with a look of embarrassment and regret in his eyes.
Facing such a formidable entity, Angel did not dare provoke it, patiently waiting with reverence for it to continue.
Even without the pressure, he did not dare to flee at that moment.
“You…” The Cruel Scholar paused, as if contemplating its words, and after a while, it asked, “Would you be willing to become my follower?”
Angel was stunned. He had speculated about what the other party would say and even pondered his own bleak end, but he had never expected to hear these words from the mouth of the cruel scholar.
The so-called believers are actually admirers of the Demon God.
Among humans, many Wizards with insufficient personal abilities would think about taking shortcuts. By worshiping the Demon God and obtaining the power of the Demon God, they aim to achieve their own goals.
At the Profound Alchemy Association he encountered in Sky Mechanical City, nearly all the higher-ups were followers of the Lord of the Abyss.
This kind of power often comes easily, and the best results can be achieved in a short time. However, the power brings endless troubles, and many people gradually lose their potential after placing their faith in the Demon God. Moreover, believing in the Demon God is tantamount to selling one’s soul, and even after death, the soul will belong to the Demon God without any chance of turning back.
To tempt with immediate benefits, to achieve a more long-term goal, this is the method of the Demon God.
Therefore, becoming a believer of the Demon God is definitely not a good choice.
When Angel first heard this, his instinct was to refuse. However, facing a Demon God who was countless times more powerful than himself, Angel worried that refusal would bring dire consequences upon him.
“Never knowing what’s good for you.” A cold snort came from the mouth of the cruel scholar.
Angel was taken aback for a moment before he suddenly remembered that although he had just received the green “shielding” Pattern, he had not activated it yet. His inner thoughts had obviously been detected by the other party again.
Angel felt somewhat helpless. He had refused the request of the Demon God, and he guessed his end was probably sealed.
However, what surprised Angel was that the cruel scholar didn’t seem to do any punishment. Instead, he just scrutinized Angel with his gaze, as if contemplating something.
Angel’s heart was anxious, but he didn’t know that the cruel scholar was also hesitating.
When it had asked Angel to become its follower, it was actually a test. Any follower of the Demon God would have the Demon God’s mark branded on both their body and soul. This is not only for the descent of the will of the Demon God but also for drawing power from the believers and acquiring their souls.
After encountering that terrifying existence, the cruel scholar naturally did not dare to brand the Demon God’s mark on this human Apprentice. It was just testing the limits of that being.
If it left a trace of its thoughts with this human Apprentice, would it provoke a backlash?
——The curiosity of Angel, however, suppressed the cruel scholar’s internal fears.
The resistance in Angel’s heart was within the expectations of the cruel scholar, who was now waiting for the reaction from the existence behind Angel.
Five minutes had passed, and Angel noticed that after the cruel scholar spoke, he made no further move or speech, which shifted his mood from anxious to puzzled.
If the cruel scholar truly wanted to kill him, any method would suffice.
Its lack of subsequent action, was it because it didn’t care about his refusal? Or did it have other plans? Or perhaps he was overthinking it, and the cruel scholar simply didn’t care about a small Apprentice like him, and its will had already left Lassudral?
As Angel was considering this, a sudden noise came from the center of the hall.
Angel looked up, initially thinking the statue had moved, but the noise had not come from the statue but instead from the “Hunger Demon,” which he had thought was dead.
The weird demon suddenly woke up, propped up its withered body, and howled at the sky with a strange throaty sound.
As the throaty sound emerged, the entire hall shook, stones fell, and dust flew up. Several falling rocks nearly hit him, so Angel had to keep moving to dodge. When he came back to his senses, he found himself right beside the exit.
Even, he could see the dimly lit oil lamps outside and the ancient staircase spiraling upward through the central hole of the door.
Angel glanced back at the central statue, which still had not moved.
Angel’s heart leaped with joy. The passage to leave was right in front of him, and without any hesitation, he spun and leapt, attempting to jump through the hole in the door.
But at that moment, patterns of light appeared right at the center of the hole.
Angel hit the light inscriptions as if he had hit rubber, and was immediately bounced back.
After landing, Angel immediately recognized the light patterns. They were an Inscription! With all of Lassudral’s inscription hubs damaged, how could a complete Inscription emerge? The only possibility… Angel turned back and looked towards the central statue.
Now, the only thing that could make Inscriptions reappear was the cruel scholar!
As Angel looked over, the cruel scholar had not moved an inch. On the contrary, the skinny demon had shakily stood up.
It had a lanky form, with loose skin hanging off its body in layers, covered in bizarre Patterns. Its head was almost fleshless, with only layers of sagging skin remaining.
One-eyed and one-horned, with a bloodied mouth full of sharp teeth. Its appearance was horrifying and bizarre.
Angel couldn’t identify what type of demon it was, but he could see that its eyes were suddenly fixed on him. Its eyes brightened, and drool dripped from the corners of its mouth. Mumbling to itself, it began walking towards him with an ethereal gait…
Its steps were floaty, seemingly weak but surprisingly fast.
In a blink of an eye, it had reached right in front of Angel and opened its gaping crimson mouth full of sharp teeth…