Chapter 336

Chapter 336: When Did You Have the Illusion of Me Without Using a Mirage?

Outside the courtyard, the blooming flowers were like a beautiful tapestry, accompanied by the sounds of insects and birds. The summer sunshine fell like spilled paint, coloring the white sheets and hair, creating a warm and cozy feeling.

Elise Tiffany slept peacefully, like a child who knew nothing of the world.

Chu Yuanqing looked at this "sister," who was even younger than her daughter, with a delicate and beautiful face glowing with a maternal light. She reached out to stroke the little girl’s forehead, her golden eyes soft, shimmering with light.

But when her gaze turned to the unexpected guest, that gentle feeling bubbled up like bubbles in boiling lava, raising a dangerous temperature that ignited a fierce and ruthless power.

—[Annihilated Massacre].

That heat of emotion, like a blazing fire, carried the murderous intent of magic, almost engulfing the entire courtyard in flames.

The archbishop quickly came to his senses; the power belonging to the Supreme Disaster Beast within him surged like an awakened beast, unleashing wild strength that fully activated the twisted flesh, turning it into a shadowy illusion.

This appearance resembled the static signal on an old television, fierce and abstract, a distortion caused by the Shadow Dimension forcefully invading normal space.

But right now, Russell, revealing his true boss nature, completely ignored the Dragon Witch right in front of him. Without hesitation, he teleported backward, slipped into the Shadow Dimension, and in an instant, he fled outside his ancestral home.

There was no hesitation, nor any need to think.

His power came from the strange forces brought by disaster aura and the authority of Erebus given by [Khaos].

So, since even the things he relied on for survival were sending shivers to his soul, it meant the enemy was far more terrifying than a regular captain-level witch.

And most importantly, that soul-shaking aura that brought fear was somewhat similar to the Miracle Wall that suppressed the Supreme Lord!

This meant his trump card — The Seed of Corruption — likely wouldn’t work on the opponent, and if that were true, the risk of staying was too great.

Moreover, the overall situation was on the side of the Church of the Gods; if he just waited patiently, he would achieve final victory.

At a time like this, fighting desperately against magical girls who had the protection of planets and probably wouldn’t die in the Ideal State would be foolish.

Russell had been a high-ranking bishop for so many years because he was cautious. He usually hid in the Shadow Palace, stayed close to the Giant God, and only ventured out when the odds were in his favor. If things went against him, he withdrew immediately.

Even when developing followers, he only let his subordinates or shadow versions act. He did everything to protect himself and managed to make his chaotic cult the largest among the thirteen cults, with the most members, just to ensure his own safety.

Therefore, the Countermeasures Bureau still didn’t have much information about this archbishop’s abilities. Even when they interrogated his followers, they could only extract a few classic quotes from the cult.

As for mental magic? For the believers whose souls were distorted, enduring this would only drive them further into madness. The memories that appeared would be filled with many mistakes or would simply be abstract doodles.

The only time Russell showed any information was ten years ago when he was discovered by a certain Original Witch named Esther, who had not yet become a super AI. He was forced to borrow the power of the Giant God just to escape.

Since then, he completely disappeared and became like a mouse hiding in a sewer.

In contrast, Thousand Faces, who lived openly in society, seemed to have a much more comfortable life than some other archbishops who lived more recklessly.

Russell raced on without stopping. It felt like he was diving into the dark deep sea, not wanting to "catch his breath" at all, as he crossed over Galtigus City in the Shadow Dimension, reached the outside, and finally stopped.

The archbishop looked back at the ancient city that was now out of reach, and he murmured with fear:

"Could it be that just as the Supreme Lord chose me, the crumbling Miracle Wall also selected a representative in its final moments?"

"Did Thousand Faces foresee this? No, once it involves ‘Pure White,’ the future he sees cannot be completely accurate."

Besides, when a rabbit dies, a fox feels sad; even a joyful criminal would not easily flip the table.

If he really knew that ‘Pure White’ had chosen a representative and was hiding on the Dragon Witch’s side, informing this message and gathering the thirteen archbishops to strike with thunderous force would be the best solution.

Russell shook his black cloak, returning to his human form. He temporarily pushed aside the thought of being sold out by that playful person and walked towards Yves Saint Laurent.

The Dragon Witch was likely a bait chosen by the Countermeasures Bureau, intended to lure that ‘Pure White’ representative to attack or capture an archbishop to fill the gap in information.

The archbishop sneered with malice:

"Esther, if the you from your prime were here, this scheme might actually have a chance of succeeding."

"It’s just ‘unfortunate’ that you, who willingly gave up your flesh and blood and abandoned your original name, no longer have the right to use magic."

Russell felt happy; although he did not sacrifice the Dragon Witch, he left unscathed and did not reveal much information. He also learned about a hidden card that the Countermeasures Bureau kept secret, which was quite the gain.

It was time to call a meeting and discuss solutions together.

As long as they eliminated the agent of the Pure White, the time to bring down this high wall would speed up again.

Russell was not worried that their side’s strength would be weaker than the other side’s.

Now the power given by the Calamity God was increasing at all times, and the dark tide sweeping the world was nurturing disaster beasts to serve them.

Even the local advantages of the magical girls were being gradually destroyed by them.

This month’s head start had determined too many advantages.

Thousand Faces was just one step away from swaying Grand Duke Tiffany; after obtaining the Vow Ring, the imperial council would no longer be able to use the powers of Holy Sophon.

The Lord of the Black Sun Tower was trapped by the short lifespan of humans, held back by the weakness of aging, yearning for the power of the Calamity God, and had already begun to fall.

Chloe was making grand sacrifices; as the cost of releasing power, with the cooperation of the other archbishops, she would launch a surprise attack on the Forest Moon Tower Master using the power of the King of Salt, with a very high chance of killing him.

Even the most powerful Imperial Blade, with the cooperation of Thousand Faces and the other archbishops, erased the existence of the foreign nations on the edge of the continent, in exchange for the secret of golden blood, and developed a strategy that could definitely defeat the enemy!

This was Thousand Faces’s ability; he was as special as Chloe and directly inherited the authority of the Calamity God.

That power from Helldir could not only fool reality with deception but could also weigh all things like putting them on a scale.

Therefore, the foreign nations erased that day, their history, past, and existence would gradually fade away, replaced by illusory tokens, allowing him to make "equivalent" changes to the world.

This authority was extremely terrifying; it could glimpse the future, uncover secrets, twist the past, and snuff out existence, involving fate, cause and effect, time and space, and concepts… it belonged to the strongest of powers.

That Supreme Lord named Helldir could truly destroy the world and then create a completely different, new world with a different direction, different development, and different future, an ultimate existence beyond human understanding.

Thus, many followers in the thirteen sects firmly believed that the Pure White had never suppressed the thirteen Supreme Lords.

The Supreme Lords may have seemed to become quiet, but that was just to test their followers, willingly accepting restraint like Jesus nailed to the cross, a great act of divinity.

Speaking of which, Thousand Faces’s ability may have seemed overpowered, but it worked best in Historical Echoes.

Because the reality he interfered with was ultimately an illusion, the difficulty went from twisting metal to crumpling a wisp of cloud, making it easy to alter the Tiffany family’s past and uncover Freyr-Baath’s secret.

On the other hand, in reality, the Countermeasures Bureau never gave them the chance to destroy cities or nations, so they couldn’t gather these chips.

Otherwise, the Church of the Gods could have taken the easiest route to victory by sending Chu Yuanying some money to pay for insurance a few months ago, blocking his path to becoming a magical girl.

Russell pondered deeply, nearly recalling all the important information from recent times; his features twisted beneath the black robe, and the many tentacles that peeked from his clothing trembled as he suddenly sensed an extremely terrifying feeling of incongruence.

It felt as if the whole world was being deconstructed, about to step into eternal nothingness.

Yet, strangely, the scene before him had not changed; the sky, washed clean by water, looked like a blue gemstone, with a few clouds lazily drifting in the bright daylight, stretching gently in the wind.

Smell, sight, temperature, sensation…

None of these were different from before.

But an inexplicable anxiety surged in his heart, making it impossible for him to suppress this feeling of unease and fear.

Russell twisted his body again and dove into the Shadow Dimension.

But this time, he struggled like a prisoner trying to swim to shore from the deep sea. Until he reached the shore in his heart and breathed in the safe, comforting air, no matter how far he had traveled, it would never be enough.

"It’s still not safe."

"Is this Esther’s scheme? What is she up to now?"

"I can’t stop; I need to be more careful and meet the other bishops directly!"

Thoughts like these kept growing in his mind, pushing all the confusion, ideas, and doubts into a corner, unable to send any signals to control his body.

Without realizing it, dark shadows gradually covered his mind, making his thoughts more confused. He started uncontrollably thinking about more information and secrets regarding the Church of the Gods, stumbling over his words.

During this process, a deep sense of drowsiness and fatigue rose in his heart, causing even his strong will, which had been crazily determined, to start to wane.

And just as the end was about to come, the heart of the Supreme Disaster Beast—Erebus—began to pump wildly, its dark essence surging with immense disaster aura, rushing toward his soul and limbs.

The next moment, a crushing pain in his head suddenly struck.

The gift from the Calamity God had crushed and restored the soul and body of the archbishop from head to toe. He let out a desperate and wild scream, hearing the loud sound of breaking in a daze.

At that moment, the dimensions of shadow shattered, the scene in front of him twisted, the ground he stood on collapsed, all his senses reformed, the veil over his soul’s perception lifted, and the nerves in his brain seemed to reconnect.

Russell stood blankly in the warm sunlight. He was back in the blooming garden with harmonious and peaceful flowers, the ancient banyan tree swaying gently in the wind, and the dancing green shade filled the air with the scent of summer.

Not far away, he could still see the fluttering white curtain.

The Dragon Witch, whom he had longed for, was still lying alone on the bed, like a sleeping beauty from a fairy tale. The magical girl who was regarded as the agent of "Pure White" had disappeared, as if she had never existed.

"Have you broken free? It seems this spell is not mature enough."

Russell felt as if he were in an ice cellar; his soul seemed to be controlled. The writhing tentacles under the black robe stopped moving. He stiffly turned to look at the calm person behind him, who seemed to transcend nature and blend into the world, whispering in disbelief:

"How can this be an illusion?"

This is a method that exists outside of logical corners.

Theoretically, mental magic is greatly weakened against souls eroded by disaster aura. For someone like him, whose soul coexists with disaster aura and is linked to the Supreme Disaster Beast, and who has protective authority, it has no effect at all.

The Pure White Witch’s expression was cold. She glanced at the Magic Mirror in her hand, its frame made of mercury, while the mirror surface reflected sunlight like a lake, clear enough to remind one of the cleanest sky.

This was the insight developed by blessing with [Silver Mirror] to combine a certain Mythical Armament’s abilities before fully understanding the Martial God Technique.

At this moment, in order to gather more information, she temporarily used the nature of [Pure White Ode] to intertwine this experience with the past and weave a unique new spell.

Although she didn’t get the whole picture, she at least understood the general idea.

Considering this was a last-minute action, it was quite fruitful.

After all, unlike what Russell imagined, Esther did not know that the Dragon Witch would be attacked.

The main reason she was asked to come here was probably because of Lucy Tiffany’s identity as a master alchemist, who might be able to think of a way to alleviate the illness.

It was quite a coincidence that just as Chu Yuanqing returned to Galtigus City through the teleportation array, she followed an unreasonable intuition and sensed Russell hiding in the Shadow Dimension, tracking his footprints until they met in the courtyard.

As for Russell, when he reached Elise’s bedside and took out the Disaster Debris, he suddenly realized that these fragments were already happening in the illusionary world.

Chu Yuanqing was not careless enough to let him get so close to the patient. She looked at Russell and softly said:

"Esther told me that you believe in [Khaos], right?"

Russell seemed to ignore her. His fervent and extreme faith, mixed with the madness of a twisted soul, turned his fear of the unknown into hatred and anger.

No one in the Church of the Gods feared death; his caution was only due to the fear of not completing the Lord’s great work.

However, at that moment, after being tormented by the illusions, his already unstable mind became even more "fragile."

The archbishop opened his arms, as if embracing the ever-present Lord; his features twisted, flesh swelling, producing a sharp and piercing smile. His black robe emitted a sound of tautness and cracking, and from it emerged a head with pitch-black eyes occupying the entire face.

Within this monster’s body, the authority of the Supreme Disaster Beast started to rage, causing breaths to sound like a slow rumble of thunder. It looked coldly at Chu Yuanqing, as the brilliance of the dome was swallowed by darkness, creating a lightless zone in an instant.

The space around Russell was distorted, shadows engulfing it; a loud, deep sound shook the air, stirring up a roar that took away vision and gnawed at the soul.

"Mortal, you do not deserve to call my master by name!"

The bishop, wrapped in a black robe and barely holding on to human form, was consumed by giant, wildly writhing tentacles, from which endless darkness flowed like blood, creating a thick, sticky substance.

Chu Yuanqing watched this scene with calm indifference; she had grown used to this image of what seemed like an evil god descending, different from Xiaoxiao, who actively controlled the Disaster Gene to piece together the knight’s journey.

The so-called archbishop is a chimera that stitches together human souls with various things; the only difference is what they contain inside.

This leads to a state where losing control or using unbalanced powers results in a messy appearance, a high-grade consumable that nobody wants to use.

Because in the first playthrough, the Calamity God never actively nurtured any cults, these followers and archbishops were all self-driven to lick the power and eventually ended up emerging as a few weak beings.

But it seems that due to the harsh suppression by the Pure White, these archbishops and followers finally became tools that the Calamity God could use.

Chu Yuanqing counted the abilities displayed at this moment: 17 types of Grade A Disaster Debris, 89 kinds of Grade B disaster beasts’ limbs, 481 types of unknown flesh and blood tissues, and one important organ of a Supreme Disaster Beast, even power itself.

It could be said that as a powder keg, he was quite qualified.

Because in this Shadow Dimension, the abilities and powers that bloom in an instant are so numerous that they cannot be counted. Even Mercury Blood cannot withstand this damage, enough to blow up the entire magic city and taking away two captain-level witches would be no problem.

But…

"So foolish, you could have let me finish my words."

Snap.

With a clear snap, the world before his eyes collapsed and shattered once more.

Whether it was the terrifying attack that could destroy everything or the twisted image as strange as a chimera with eyes stacked to the size of tall buildings, all vanished in the roar of the shattering mirror.

Outside the ancient city, in the high sky.

Chu Yuanqing looked at Bishop Russell, who resembled fireworks exploding and scattering into light, and sighed with a hint of regret, whispering softly:

"Morpheus’s Magic Mirror."

"The name of this spell comes from the god of dreams in Greek mythology. Why not be patient and listen?"