Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

As the pitch-black fiend fully materialized, a terrifying raving echoed from deep within, as if originating from the very source of existence.

This awakened madness within the sefirah itself caused all negative emotions and rampant desires to explode uncontrollably. Whether it was the Master of the Shadow Cottage's head or Farbauti's, both instantly lost Their ability to think, Their vision filled with twisted crimson and flickering black shadows.

Simultaneously, this terrifying raving resonated equally from the sefirah, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics of every living being within the star dominion.

The Celestial Master froze in the void, while the decayed figures gathered within the Knowledge Moor simultaneously raised their heads and let out pained howls.

Behind the Celestial Thearch's projection, similar figures with veiled faces emerged one after another, their hair and beards bristling in agitation.

The illusory golden Buddha trembled as if on the verge of shattering.

The Philosophical Essence, the Inextinguishable Ravings, the Symbolism of Life's Spirit, and the Eternal Consciousness!

The raving primarily awakened the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator, which resided within all sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics. No one could escape it; no one could remain unaffected!

However, compared to those sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics directly derived from the Original Creator, the Tenebrous World was much less affected in this regard. This was because it had been torn from the Mother Tree of Desire, rather than a product split from the Original Creator.

Even so, the Abyss and the Chained pathways—heavily laden with desires and malice—were highly volatile. The Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti, lacking the critical Uniquenesses, were already the weakest among the four quasi-Old Ones. As a result, the pitch-black fiend nearly disintegrated and lost control, becoming utterly powerless for a moment.

Compared to the Tenebrous World, Great Old Dominators like the High-Dimensional Overseer and the Monarch of Decay were less impacted by the terrifying raving, barely able to endure it.

This was because They were not direct descendants of the Original Creator's three children but offspring of the union between the Original Creator and the Mother Goddess of Depravity. With an intermediary layer, the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator within the sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics was relatively weak.

For Them, this was an opportunity!

Fortunately, after a brief moment of chaos, the Celestial Master and the Celestial Thearch's projection began to unleash Their powers wildly and irrationally upon the outside world. One flooded the region with an ocean of knowledge, while the other distorted all surrounding concepts, authorities, and symbolisms.

When the effects of the Inextinguishable Ravings subsided, the Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti were astonished to find Themselves still alive, with Their other allies similarly unscathed.

Neither the High-Dimensional Overseer nor Inextinguishable Ravings had managed to seize the opportunity or achieve Their objectives.

As long as the Key of Light existed and retained a measure of consciousness without succumbing to madness, He would naturally bring good fortune to Himself and His companions.

He was the symbolism of fate!

…

The influence of Inextinguishable Ravings extended across this star dominion. Even Eternal Darkness Amanises was not spared, feeling a madness from the source that seemed to want to seize Her consciousness and claim Her body.

Amanises immediately put Herself into a state of slumber, letting Her thoughts, spirit, and even the madness within Her sefirot fall into stillness to escape the influence.

The Monarch of Decay, understanding what was happening, seized the opportunity to release a vast and overwhelming suction force from His golden-plated body.

This was the power of Beyonder characteristic convergence from His sefirot!

The force could pull every being within the star dominion toward Him!

The Monarch of Decay indiscriminately activated this convergence, unwilling to waste time allowing the Fog of War to decay and die naturally. Both Eternal Darkness and Origins of Disaster were closer to Him than other Great Old Dominators or sefirot and would reach Him first.

The still-slumbering Amanises passed through the Fog of War and was instantly drawn to the front of the Monarch of Decay.

The Monarch of Decay immediately stopped the convergence, preventing other Great Old Dominators or sefirot from interfering with His upcoming attempt.

He extended His massive, rotting left hand, yellow-green and veined with blue, pressing it toward Eternal Darkness Amanises from a distance.

Sure hit, certain death!

But as the Monarch of Decay reached out His hand, Eternal Darkness Amanises transformed into Origins of Disaster Lumian.

The moment Lumian sensed the effects of the convergence, he realized the Monarch of Decay's intent. Using the authority subordinate to the essence of war, he swapped positions with Amanises.

They were a team, and their positions could be exchanged at any time!

Now, it was Lumian who faced the rotting left hand.

Like the Outer Deities, Lumian was barely affected by the Inextinguishable Ravings. This wasn't because the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator within his sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics hadn't been awakened. On the contrary, as one of the Calamity pathways prepared for the Original Creator's resurrection, the madness within him was the most intense. However, the incomplete mirrored Original Creator symbolism within him had corresponding masculine and feminine consciousnesses that were actually strengthened under the influence of the ravings.

This enhanced consciousness and symbolism of the mirrored Original Creator controlled the awakened spiritual imprint, allowing Lumian to retain his ability to think and fight, though it significantly shortened the fragile balance within him.

Facing the inevitable strike imbued with certain death, Lumian's main head and the face of Aurore both turned to look at the Monarch of Decay.

His other head rotated as well, alternating between the faces of Alista Tudor and Cheek. Their gazes reflected the Monarch of Decay's form into a deep mirror world, where celestial bodies rapidly began to form around Him.

Under the lingering effects of the terrifying ravings, the sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics of the Monarch of Decay suddenly erupted into an indescribably horrifying spiritual storm.

This came from the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator.

Normally, the Monarch of Decay could endure the resulting tremors and influence, as His spiritual imprint of the Original Creator was not strong due to being a child of the Original Creator and the Mother Goddess of Depravity.

But this was not a normal situation. Lumian forcibly activated the incomplete mirrored Original Creator symbolism, further amplifying the spiritual imprint within the Monarch of Decay. And then, disaster struck.

Origins of Disaster!

Lumian simultaneously utilized this symbolism!

The Monarch of Decay, swept up entirely by the spiritual storm, fell into chaos. His outstretched left hand froze, torn between continuing the attack and retreating to end His own life, aiding the triumph of the madness within.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Seeing this, Lumian smiled and shared the powers of the now-awakened Eternal Darkness Amanises, striking the Monarch of Decay with a dusk-orange greatsword of bound destruction, a vortex of chaos, a decelerating blade of twilight, and a deathly blackness of pallor and tranquility.

These forces both repelled each other and exhibited strange fusion.

As the horrifying transformation was about to occur, all of Lumian and Amanises' abnormalities vanished, and the dense white mist before them dissipated.

This region reverted to the moment before Lumian created the Fog of War, before the Monarch of Decay fell into madness and chaos.

Circle Inhabitant!

…

A shadowy vortex, rimmed with sharp teeth, did not linger near Lumian but instead raced toward the enormous luminous figure upheld by the Chaos Sea.

He was heading to devour Grisha Adam!

This was a Deceit from the Lord of Mysteries Klein.

Against Primordial Hunger, the symbolism of Foolishness had little effect, but Deceit did. Klein exploited Primordial Hunger's instinct for convergence and desired target, forcibly guiding Him to seek the Chaos Sea He could merely control rather than the City of Calamity He could accommodate.

This gave Grisha Adam, who had achieved temporary balance, time to hold off Primordial Hunger, while other Great Old Dominators would likely target weaker sefirot, avoiding the truly great existences. This, paired with the birth of Eternal Darkness, allowed the Knowledge Moor and the other three sefirot to hold off three Great Old Dominators, giving Origins of Disaster Lumian a chance to face the Monarch of Decay one-on-one.

This was the intended plan, though inevitable developments and unexpected variables arose. Now, however, something had changed: The Circle of Inevitability had begun aiding the Monarch of Decay, forcing Amanises to remain and join Lumian, leaving the four sefirot to fend off two Great Old Dominators on Their own.

Crack, crack. Primordial Hunger continued devouring the luminous figure and chaos before Him, only to grow hungrier the more He ate.

It was all fake, all mere envisioned illusions!

Suddenly, the Chaos Sea quaked, and Grisha Adam's enormous luminous figure wavered, sinking halfway into the depths.

Inextinguishable Ravings!

The attack, which awakened the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator, had an extraordinary effect on Grisha Adam, inheritor of the Primordial God Almighty's titles of Creator and the Omniscient and Omnipotent One.

The madness that erupted within the luminous figure rivaled that of Lumian, who accommodated the City of Calamity, but without the relevant Original Creator symbolisms to suppress it, Grisha Adam fell into chaos.

Primordial Hunger did not seize the opportunity to devour Him but instead paused and began consuming the voices echoing within His own mind.

They tasted rather good.

Amid the undulating Chaos Sea, Amon, donning a pointed soft hat and classical black robe, leaned against a massive cross, tossing a crimson sphere seemingly composed of the concept of beauty, filled with countless shadows of people, and catching it again.

Glancing at the battle outside the Chaos Sea, Amon clicked His tongue and chuckled to Himself.

'Why am I here?

'I should be causing mischief outside the protected zones.

'Unexpectedly, I can still participate in battles of this caliber.'