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nChapter 470 Three Heads, Six Arms

nLumian and Jenna plunged into the darkness, the area that should have been Salle de Bal Brise before the Hostel’s “rooms” and the blue-beretted pixie could escape the entanglement of old bones.

nHis vision plunged into darkness before specks of spiritual light emerged ahead.

nThey converged like resplendent stars, turning densely packed, akin to a black velvet curtain adorned with diamonds or countless grains of sand in water.

nAmidst these spiritual lights, an ancient, heavy, illusory, and mysterious door materialized in distortion.

nIron-black, its surface marred by dark-red rust, as if a large amount of blood had spilled upon it.

n…

nIn Underground Trier, within the undetectable mine.

nIn his untouchable state, the Painter witnessed yellowed skeletons clamoring into the colossal oil painting on the rock wall. Iron-black and dark-red lines outlined themselves in the previously empty Salle de Bal Brise, forming a door that shouldn’t exist in reality.

n“It’s not time yet, not time yet…” The Painter, with tassels adorning his trouser legs, stared blankly, unable to believe such a development.

nThough he and his accomplices had been attempting to depict this imaginary door, they knew it was destined to fail. At most, they would complete a fifth of it before having to start anew. They persisted for the experience, anticipating that once the ritual commenced, they could draw the crucial parts swiftly.

nHaving already finished the main part of the Hostel oil painting, they had nothing else to do. Why not try a few more times? What if a miracle occurred?

nNow, a miracle unfolded without their attempts!

nThe Painter gazed at the transformation before him, a mix of anticipation and shock.

nHe couldn’t help but look up at the cave ceiling and silently mutter, Do we not need cooperation from aboveground to make the entrance appear?

nCould the abnormality in the painting world be causing this?

nIf we don’t coordinate with the surface in time, even if the entrance appears, we won’t be able to bypass the seal and enter…

n…

nLumian and Jenna descended as if through a dark pipe, uncontrollably approaching the void adorned with spiritual specks of light and the bloodied, rusted door.

nAlmost simultaneously, Lumian’s left chest heated up, and terrifying ravings echoed in his ears from an infinite height and distance.

nFamiliar with this sensation, indicating the corruption of Inevitability in his body, Lumian knew Termiboros was up to something, and Mr. Fool’s seal had been triggered.

nHowever, unlike before, Lumian refrained from attempting to crack the seal to steal Inevitability’s power. Consequently, he didn’t enter a state of excruciating pain, just a bit dazed.

nIn his daze, Lumian saw Séraphine—Room 7—clad in a white halter dress. Other “rooms” with varied appearances and attire, yet nearly identical dispositions,

nseemed to detach from the painting world and overlap with the fake Avenue du Marché.

nThe left chests of these “rooms” emitted a faint glow, suggesting they too had seals on them.

nLumian’s head spun as a scene—whether real or fake—unfolded before him.

nSéraphine and the other 12 “rooms” stepped into the void and surrounded him, invisible and hidden connections intertwining.

nJenna, arm clutched by Lumian, sensed something and turned her head.

nFlesh on Lumian’s left and right shoulders writhed as two illusory heads emerged.

nOne head looked like a ten-year-old Lumian, covered in dirt, and his eyes filled with ruthlessness. The other, nearly thirty, with blood-red hair and iron-black eyes, looked violent and crazy.

nWh— Jenna felt as if she had entered a nightmare, witnessing her companion transform into a monster.

nLumian’s body expanded, gripping Jenna like a palm-sized puppet.

nBehind him, illusory arms sprouted from his ribs.

nLumian didn’t neglect the changes in his body. He saw his current form in Jenna’s eyes.

nA three-headed, six-armed giant!

nIt bore a striking resemblance to the monster in Cordu’s ruins!

nHowever, Lumian didn’t lose his mind. He was certain The Fool’s seal on his chest and Termiboros were still intact.

nAn illusory collision reverberated as Lumian crashed into the ancient, heavy, and mysterious door, causing it to tremble and creak. It was about to open.

nAt that moment, the spiritual spots on the black velvet curtain lit up, stabilizing the iron-black door stained with blood and rust.

nWitnessing and experiencing this, Lumian suddenly grasped what Hostel was, why they referred to him as Room 1, and the heretics’ intentions and plans.

nThe concept of Hostel likely emerged after the Tree of Shadow disaster.

nAt some point, Maipú Meyer, ostracized, established contact with other cults, informing them of Lumian’s existence and state.

nThey imitated the situation where an evil god’s Blessed was sealed within Lumian’s body, creating Hostel, Rooms 2 to 13. They invited various evil gods’ Blessed to take up residence, establishing a mystical connection among them based on this systematic similarity.

nWhen Lumian entered the painting world, actions taken on the other “rooms” of Hostel were equivalent to acts on Lumian.

nWhen the Hostel took shape and all the “rooms” were pieced together, Lumian couldn’t help but be affected.

nSince the “rooms” displayed the levels of their residents, Lumian underwent a corresponding change.

nThe resident within him was an Angel, Termiboros!

nAfter the mysticism-based Hostel ritual, Lumian, lacking the strength of an Angel or a true Mythical Creature form, had briefly attained the level of an Angel!

nThis explained why Voisin Sanson and company didn’t leave the room and attacked Lumian directly.

nTermiboros was sealed, so they naturally wanted Him too. They had to maintain this state until the ritual ended!

nOf course, the heretics weren’t kind enough to help Lumian experience the state of an Inevitability Angel. Their goal was to use this opportunity to enter Fourth Epoch Trier.

nOpening the door using an Angel’s level!

nHence, the Hostel had to align with some areas of the market district and exhibit environmental similarities.

nLumian speculated that the Salle de Bal Brise’s underground corresponded to a weak spot in the seal. In the past, there had even been problems. Many old bones, guided by Alista Tudor’s aura, had crawled out. The corruption leaked, affecting 13 Avenue du Marché.

nThis made Lumian wonder if his arrival in the market district and his stay at Auberge du Coq Doré had something to do with the attraction the underground area had on Hunters.

nDue to this crucial information, the Salle de Bal Brise in the painting world remained blank and dark. The streets surrounding it and the people who often appeared nearby were replicated in appearance.

nWhen the corresponding ritual truly commenced, the surface’s market district and the underground market district would likely undergo a switch. Reality would become a fabrication, and fabrication would become reality, revealing or outlining the seal corresponding to Salle de Bal Brise, weakening it to the extreme.

nWhen the time came, Lumian, an Angel, could “open” the door to Fourth Epoch Trier!

nMaipú Meyer’s return to the market district aimed to harness his Actor abilities, acting as different individuals. He would enter various houses and assist Pixies in grasping the specifics of these streets to complete the massive painting of Hostel.

nWorried that Lumian, Franca, and others would notice in advance, he avoided their rooms, lacking sufficient knowledge.

nLooking at the mysterious door beneath him, Lumian tried to distance himself, but he couldn’t break free. It was as if a huge magnet was sucking him—now an Angel—behind the door, causing him to involuntarily squeeze inside.

nThanks to countless spots of spirituality in the surrounding darkness, the ancient door, stained with blood and rust, didn’t open.

nLumian sensed that this was because the Hostel ritual hadn’t fully commenced.

nHe and Jenna had barged into the painting world ahead of time, disrupting the heretics’ arrangements!

nNow, if the Hostel ritual was to be completed and the surface and underground switched, there were at least two key points that couldn’t be matched.

nFirstly, the subterranean seal, which could only be released by destroying Trier and eliminating most of the people here, now had the switch between reality and fabrication, a temporary acquisition of an angelic level, and the discovery of weakness in the seal; thus, the requirement could be significantly reduced. However, lowering the requirement further would necessitate a riot bringing chaos to the surface Trier.

nSecondly, it was afternoon in the painting world, and the Sun was only westering. The sky was still bright, but in reality, it was the middle of the night. The moonlight was dim, and the darkness was dense.

n…

nAvenue du Marché, market district.

nIn a double-breasted brown coat, Angoulême de Fran?ois noted the secret of église Saint-Robert’s old cemetery on paper, placing it in the safe house provided by Hidden Blade, hoping she would discover it in time.

nThe Purifier deacon guided his robot toward Imre and Valentine, who awaited near Salle de Bal Brise.

nAt that moment, the rumbling salvos reached his ears.

nInstinctively, he turned his head to see Trier’s sky illuminated by flames.

nAn army rebellion? Angoulême furrowed his brow.

nNow, most Purifiers from the dioceses were dispersed to quell strikes, marches, and protests after daybreak.

nUnexpectedly, trouble arose in the military camp!

nWas news of the massive strike deliberately sent to us, forcing a dispersion of forces and making it impossible for us to organize manpower to resolve the problem in a short period of time? A conspiracy by the Iron and Blood Cross Order? Angoulême instantly had a suspicion.

n…

nIn Quartier éraste, a wilderness emerged from the Sacred Heart Cloister that had been thrown into turbulence and darkness.

nLady Moon’s voice resonated, her smile evident as she addressed Magician and Justice,”You might not have guessed who’s sheltering us this time…”

nBefore she could finish, the sound of a baby crying echoed.

n“Waaa!”

nThe baby’s cries were vibrant, bringing forth endless golden sunlight.

nThe entire Sacred Heart Cloister transformed into a blazing sun, piercing through the turbulent storm and distorting space.

nIn the real Trier, the still-sleeping citizens were jolted awake by the sunlight.

nIn Apartment 601, Franca and Anthony Reid instinctively looked up at the suddenly bright sky.

nA dazzling golden sun hung in the sky, positioned to the west.

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