Chapter 178: O Distant Guest, Please Stay
“Flora, please shield this room. I don’t want anything that happens here to affect the outside world,” Abyss instructed.
“Understood,” Flora replied, chanting a prayer. An invisible barrier of divine power enveloped the room.
“Will this be dangerous?” Leona asked, concerned, sitting up, her bare shoulders exposed. “Do you need my help?”
Abyss shook his head. “No, just protect Flora and Rebecca. I have no memories now. I have nothing to lose.”
Without further ado, he began chanting a prayer. Leona, recognizing the words, realized he was invoking the Lord of Submergence’s power. His knowledge of Divine Arts, unaffected by his amnesia, remained intact.
As he chanted, a surge of divine power flowed from Leona’s soul, channeled through their necromantic link, into Abyss’s body. His pores glowed, his form becoming translucent, crackling with electricity—not ordinary electricity, but the manifestation of divine power. Leona’s strong affection for him amplified the power he received.
He then struck the shovel with his hand, now partially energy, partially flesh.
Crackle!
A loud electrical discharge echoed through the room as his hand made contact with the artifact, a shower of sparks erupting, momentarily illuminating the room in a blinding flash.
Abyss didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the shovel with both hands, the contact points sizzling, a series of explosions echoing, his arms and the shovel crackling with electricity.
A powerful repulsive force emanated from the shovel, the clash of the Lord of Submergence’s and the Lord of Nightmares’ powers almost too much for him to handle, even with his enhanced strength. He gripped the shovel tightly, using his full strength, amplified by magic, to maintain his hold.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
More sparks erupted, their explosions growing louder, the light more intense.
If not for Flora’s protective barrier, the light would have blinded anyone outside.
The crackling sounds deepened, transforming into a rhythmic, drum-like beating, then a rumbling, like thunder.
And then, a deafening roar echoed through the room.
“Abyss! What are you doing?!”
It was the Lord of Nightmares, his voice filled with rage, the force of his roar shattering the wooden furniture, throwing Flora and Rebecca off the bed. Only Leona, her physical resilience far greater, remained standing.
“Ah, Lord of Nightmares! I’m destroying your artifact. I hope you don’t mind,” Abyss said, his voice cheerful.
“You bastard! How dare you?! You will pay for this!” the Lord of Nightmares roared. If Abyss had his memories, he would have realized that this was the Outer God’s most furious outburst yet. His rage was almost tangible, its power affecting the real world.
The Nine Gods must have sensed this. The Lord of Nightmares wouldn’t normally dare to unleash his power so recklessly in their domain.
Abyss’s audacious act had driven him to abandon all caution.
“I know you use these artifacts to influence this world. So, if I destroy them while you’re retreating, you won’t be able to leave, will you?” Abyss said, laughing. “You’re like a parasite trapped inside a body, too large to escape. If I sever its connection to the outside world, a part of you will remain here, won’t it?”
“You bastard! You insect! You despicable wretch! Stop this instant!” the Lord of Nightmares shrieked, his voice, although not produced by vocal cords, clearly trembling with rage. “I’ll kill you! Even a fragment of my power is enough to destroy you! And I won’t just kill you! I’ll torment your soul for eternity! You will never find peace!”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Lord of Nightmares!” Abyss said, laughing triumphantly, as he snapped the shovel in two, its surface now riddled with cracks from the Lord of Submergence’s power. The broken artifact erupted in a flash of golden light, its power sending a shockwave through the room. “Is that fragment truly you?”
“Noooo!” the Lord of Nightmares screamed, his voice now a high-pitched wail of despair.
“O distant guest, please stay…” Leona sang, clapping her hands in time with the ancient melody, having finally understood Abyss’s plan. Singing was better than just sitting there.
“Beautiful voice, Leona!” Abyss said, grabbing the shears and the rake, channeling the Lord of Submergence’s power into them.
“Let go! Let go! Screech!” the Lord of Nightmares shrieked, his pride and composure gone, his voice distorted by pain, no longer human—he seemed to have abandoned all pretense, his cries now raw and primal.
“Gods can feel pain as well? Consider this a gift, a token of my gratitude for your hospitality in your dream realm!”
“Aaaaaargh! Please! Let me go! I just want to survive! I don’t want your fear anymore! I apologize! I’ll become your follower!”
“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want you as my follower anymore,” Abyss said, his face alight with a joyful smile, as he continued channeling the Lord of Submergence’s power into the artifacts.
The lightning intensified, the explosions growing louder, his clothes now tattered rags, his translucent body glowing, his arms radiating light, the two artifacts crackling with divine energy. He looked like a vengeful god.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion filled the room with blinding light!
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