As Lumian clenched one of the arms on his right side, the void before him collapsed entirely, eting its apocalypse. It ford a vortex of chaos that contained all colors and possibilities.
Just as an Apocalypse was an ascendant form of Catastrophe, Chaos was an ascendant form of Apocalypse.
Catastrophe led to the collapse of an entire system. Apocalypse deepened that collapse into a total explosion of contradictions, entangling all into one. Chaos represented the singularity in a convergence, the conclusion after the total explosion.
Thus, the Chaos of the Chaos Demoness could not be applied directly to a stable and balanced target. A catastrophic collapse must first be created in the designated area, followed by the total explosion of contradictions to form a substantial vortex of chaos. Only then could it spread outward to affect the target.
As soon as the vortex containing all colors appeared, it began spreading toward the malevolent dragon.
It encountered an invisible barrier, unable to directly reach the dragon's massive body. This was part of the sealing chanism. The malevolent dragon was incapable of creating catastrophes or launching attacks within the area It occupied or where the iron-black chains extended. Otherwise, It would have destroyed the sealing chains through self-inflicted damage long ago, returning to the "sea"-after all, as long as even a single fla of Its being remained, It could rebuild Its body.
This limitation restricted both the malevolent dragon and Lumian.
The vortex of chaos churned violently against the invisible barrier, pulling and shredding it in an attempt to consu it. Yet the barrier's power seed endless, showing no signs of faltering in the short term.
Around the dragon-sealing well, high-ranking figures from the Western Continent, such as the Celestial Master and the Holy Monk, successively unleashed Their powers. Layer by layer, They decoupled the seal, creating a breach in the area where Lumian was attacking.
The vortex of chaos quickly broke through the invisible barrier, extending toward the malevolent dragon's enormous body.
On the surface of the chains binding that part of the dragon, the demon carvings-rather than showing anger as they faced the encroaching chaos-wore expressions of joy. They
straightened their backs, lifted their heads high, and their terrifying visages of green faces, sharp fangs, bare bones, and oozing pus radiated pride and relief.
The vortex, containing all possibilities, swept them in, quickly dissolving them into nothingness.
The corresponding chains fractured and fell into the chaos.
That section of the malevolent dragon's body was also torn apart-deep red flas, iron- black bones, white spikes, and black fur all dissipated into the vortex of chaos.
All three of Its heads tilted back simultaneously, letting out agonized howls.
The affected part of Its body broke apart. Without the binding chains, It ignited prematurely with black flas that restrained madness, destruction, and chaos.
The swathes of dark flas collided with the approaching chaos, plunging the blood-colored sea into instant darkness. Light, sound, and motion all ceased to exist.
Both forces annihilated each other simultaneously.
As Lumian prepared to capitalize on his strike, to unleash catastrophe, herald apocalypse, and initiate wave after wave of warfare, a surge of madness erupted from deep within his mind.
The "occasional" state he was in ended prematurely.
He lost control. He went mad!
This was because the malevolent dragon was an incomplete Origins of Disaster. Unless It deliberately restrained Itself, Its corresponding symbols would inevitably influence the surrounding area. For Lumian, two latent calamities were most prominent: his fragile balance and the fact that he had already lost control and succumbed to madness, only temporarily lucid due to The Fool Klein's wish. The first had already been triggered earlier, and now, the second was inevitably manifesting as disaster!
The central head on Lumian's body lost all reason. Its expression twisted with madness. At the sa ti, the chaotic vortex face on his left shoulder suddenly developed two holes, as if organs had been forcibly gouged out at the positions of its eyes.
This face took over his entire body.
A Virtual Persona!
It was the Virtual Persona from the Visionary pathway!
Over the past month, besides stabilizing his state and helping the Tarot Club mbers, as well as those he still cared about in the protected zones, Lumian had been contemplating potential challenges in his battle against the malevolent dragon.
Thanks to The Fool Klein's awakening and accommodation of Sefirah Castle, Lumian gained deeper understanding and mastery over symbols and their influences. He learned the nature of the Origins of Disaster, Calamity of Destruction, as well as their potential impacts on himself.
To counter this, he had used the Visionary's abilities to implant a virtual persona in himself. If his primary consciousness lost control and descended into madness, this temporary persona would imdiately erge, fusing with the chaotic vortex face to take over his body.
The chaotic vortex face was chosen because only Its status and rank could suppress the other faces and the uncontrollable madness of his primary consciousness.
The Virtual Persona, a near-exact replica of Lumian but with subtle differences, barely restrained his frenzied instincts. At that mont, an endless black void appeared before him, along with a star larger and brighter than the sun.
The star's core collapsed on a massive scale, releasing unparalleled light and heat.
A sea of unimaginable brilliance surged forth, just seconds away from engulfing Lumian.
The central head on Lumian's body burst into maniacal laughter.
"Is this also a damn calamity?"
...
At the border between the Western Continent and the Fog Sea, high above the grayish-white
fog.
The nest-like, ten-thousand-ter-high peak on the blood-red moon began to tremble, sinking inch by inch.
The halted fusion resud, though not at the sa rapid pace as when the blood moon first
rose.
Among the countless manifestations of Klein surrounding the moonlit world, so were engaging in "infighting," while others remotely influenced the Mother Goddess of Depravity, albeit only causing interference.
...
Sowhere in the ruins of the Southern Continent.
Within a concealed area protected by slight corruption transmitted by the Mother Tree of Desire through the Chained God, the grotesque followers of the Mother Tree of Desire- oozing pus, with misplaced facial features, or bearing animalistic traits like rabbit ears, skinny pig limbs, and sheep torsos, or writhing in agony under ceaseless curses- simultaneously received ssages from Suah and Tirié: "Co to the altar! "Hahaha, the Mother Goddess of Depravity is about to succeed. After accommodating the Brood Hive, She will assist us according to Her pact with the Lord, the Primordial God
Almighty!
"This is what we gained in exchange for the loss of the Tree of Shadow!"
Upon hearing the na Mother Goddess of Depravity, many of the followers underwent grotesque transformations, sprouting genitalia, staining blood-red, or swelling as fetuses prepared to tear their way out...
These Beyonders staggered toward the altar.
Suah and Tirié, in Their madness, were indifferent to their states, or perhaps, didn't even
consider it.
...
Confronted by the exploding sea of light, Lumian ignited.
He transford into an invisible, colorless fla before becoming pure light.
In a sun-like state wreathed in fire, he t the raging, searing, terrifying sea of light.
Lumian was absorbed into it. His outer flas extinguished and reignited repeatedly, while his inner luminous consciousness alternated between disintegration and cohesion.
As the explosion neared its end, he morphed into a vortex of chaos, absorbing the surrounding light and heat to reconstruct his body.
Relying on the chaotic vortex face's status, rank, abilities, and Its affinity with light, Lumian
barely survived this calamity.
Yes, the Calamity of Destruction encompassed universal symbols, and a supernova explosion was undoubtedly one such calamity!
Similarly, as the Calamity of Destruction represented a universal-level symbol, the scope of the City of Calamity could be infinitely small or infinitely vast.
Imdiately after, Lumian transford into light and, at the speed of light, raced toward the location of the malevolent dragon he sensed.
At that mont, an indescribably deep darkness erged in the adjacent starry sky.
The darkness couldn't be directly seen or truly perceived. It was identifiable only through the distorted gases and the slow-spinning disk-like structure surrounding it.
The light that Lumian had beco bent uncontrollably toward the darkness, entering the
rotating structure of diffuse material.
This too was a calamity!
A true Calamity of Destruction!
Lumian realized he had only one path to survival: to quickly pass through the earlier breach
and enter the malevolent dragon's territory.
There, the malevolent dragon couldn't launch attacks or create calamities. Otherwise, It
would have freed Itself long ago!
Amid the bending light, Lumian abruptly reverted to his fiery giant form.
Clusters of his intangible flas flew toward the spinning disk's core, followed by the iron-
black bones that made up his fra.
Seizing a fleeting opportunity, a vivid banner-like mark erged on the forehead of the
central head.
He was invoking the sacrificial ability of the Red Priest, offering tribute to the malevolent dragon and pleading for Its aid!
In a normal state, the malevolent dragon would have ignored Its enemy. But now, with the external consciousnesses and inclinations temporarily stripped from it, the malevolent dragon was a pure creature of instinct.
Receiving sacrifices and providing Its help was an ability etched into the Beyonder characteristics, authority, concepts, and symbols of the Hunter pathway. The malevolent dragon would instinctively, uncontrollably respond to Lumian, even if it led to Its own
downfall.
This was why Lumian had begun the battle by forcing the dragon back to its godhood and instincts with the Omniscient Eye!
As ti slowed to a crawl, Lumian, now missing most of his body, received the malevolent
dragon's response.
"Haha!" His central head laughed maniacally.
The darkness and its surrounding distortions dissipated in tandem.
That individual for which it ca was the sa reason it vanished. Before the malevolent dragon could react, Lumian activated a contract mark on his body.
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