Chapter 70: I’ll Pass
Abyss had no interest in the crystal.
He had initially considered taking it, thinking it wouldn’t hurt, but having successfully fought two Outer Gods, he quickly sensed something amiss.
Why had the information about the crystal’s value suddenly appeared in his mind? Why was he, usually decisive, experiencing such a desperate urge to take it?
The answer was obvious: it wasn’t his own thought but the Outer God’s usual tactic: mental suggestion.
This mental suggestion lured mortals down a dark path, offering them a taste of power. They would become increasingly convinced of their righteousness, gradually accepting the Outer God as their true master.
Mortals had a knack for self-deception. When they believed their actions were justified, or refused to admit their mistakes, they would constantly reassure themselves. At this stage, the Outer Gods didn’t even need to continue their suggestions; the mortals would chain themselves to the Outer God’s ship, refusing to leave.
But Abyss wasn’t an ordinary mortal. He lacked their greed and wouldn’t be tempted by such paltry gains. Accepting the Outer God’s power without first conquering him would make him a slave, not a master, forever trapped within the Outer God’s grasp.
“Sorry, Lord of Bullying, I don’t want your power. Give it to someone else, just not me. I’m leaving this lovely place to rejoin my companions. Please don’t stop me,” Abyss announced to the empty stands, bypassing the floating crystal and walking towards the arena exit.
He stepped through the doorway without hesitation. He had nothing to lose. If the Lord of Nightmares wanted to harm him, he would have done so already. He wasn’t afraid of this unknown doorway. Outer Gods couldn’t directly influence this world; the rules set by the Creator God – the world’s rejection of foreign entities – was his greatest protection.
Abyss vanished through the exit. The jeers in the arena gradually subsided. The crystal, formed from the fish-man leader, lost its buoyancy and sank to the ground.
The seawater in the arena slowly receded, not draining through any system, but simply disappearing. The arena became dry. The marks from the fight and the bloodstains vanished, as if nothing had happened.
“Heh heh heh…”
A deep, booming laughter suddenly echoed through the arena.
…
Abyss, passing through the doorway, saw a flash of blinding white light before the scene shifted.
He was back in the underwater temple. The first thing he saw were the bodies of several fish-men floating in the water, clearly killed while he was in the arena.
“Abyss!”
Leona’s joyful cry reached his ears. Before he could respond, a small body slammed into his side, a tiny cannonball of force, followed by a pair of small arms wrapping around his waist.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Abyss looked down to see Leona’s silver head. He patted her head. “Did I pass out or something?”
“You suddenly disappeared! With that big fish-man!” Leona looked up, her face slightly flushed with anger. “Where did you go? Why didn’t you tell us? We were so worried!”
“Ah, sorry, it wasn’t my choice. That fish-man used the tooth given to him by the Lord of Bullying to pull me into an arena-like place for a forced duel,” Abyss explained, glancing towards the inner chamber. Flora, standing inside, seemed relieved, giving him a charming smile.
“You’re back?” Rebecca’s voice echoed in his mind. “You scared us to death, you know? Leona was frantic, almost crying. Flora had to comfort her.”
“I wasn’t! I didn’t! Don’t lie!” Leona protested.
“It’s okay, I’m back now. That fish-man leader was utterly defeated in our duel. According to the arena’s rules, he was transformed into a crystal as my spoils of war, but I didn’t want it, so I came back,” Abyss explained through the mind link. “How are you guys doing?”
“I wanted to search for you in the surrounding waters, but Flora and Rebecca stopped me,” Leona, seemingly realizing her embrace was a bit too clingy, blushed and released him. “Flora said she believed you’d be fine and that we should wait, and Rebecca suggested we take care of things while you were gone so you wouldn’t have to worry. I had no choice but to listen to them.”
“You did well. You can rest assured now; I’m perfectly fine, thanks to the potion Rebecca gave me,” Abyss ruffled Leona’s hair, which felt exceptionally soft in the seawater.
“You used the potion?” Rebecca’s voice was filled with surprise. “That’s great! It seems all those contingencies I considered weren’t in vain. Was the enemy strong? Was one potion enough?”
“Just enough. I tricked him near the end, making him think I had plenty more, so he surrendered,” Abyss chuckled. “The enemy was incredibly strong and fast. I’ll tell you the details later. If it weren’t for that potion, I might be dead.”
“Sigh, it’s still my fault. I’ll improve the formula and extend its duration next time,” Rebecca sighed.
“You’ve already done an amazing job condensing such a powerful potion into such a small pill, Rebecca.”
If the deceased fish-man leader, whose soul had been devoured by his master, could hear this conversation, he might be resurrected from sheer rage. Only part of what Abyss had told him was true; the “I have plenty more potions” part was a complete lie. To conserve space in his ring, he only had one, and it was nearly expired. Unwilling to kill, Abyss had chosen to deceive his opponent, forcing him to abandon all hope and accept his demise.
“By the way, how are things here? Are the victims alright? What about the root? How did these fish-men die?” Abyss asked, glancing curiously at the floating corpses.
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