214 Twisted Forked Path

"What a sorry sight, Governor Bablushka!"

Barkomon spread his Mage Hand, casually crushing a small asteroid, then raised his staff with his other hand, defiantly pointing its pointed magical blade at the mechanical giant, laughing arrogantly:

"The mighty Star River Governor of Night Butterfly, having unleashed Deus Ex Machina, is fighting so timidly—don't you feel ashamed?"

"So noisy..."

Bablushka snorted coldly, but did not refute.

The Saint Machine Body was covered in wounds, and the nanomachines were rapidly repairing themselves as the scriptures were chanted. All of this revealed one fact: Bablushka had been at a complete disadvantage in the recent magical exchange.

And what about Barkomon? Barkomon's body was twisted almost like a grotesque monster, and the light reflected from his body was distorted into complex fluids. To mortals, just staring at him would cause dizziness, and if they got too close, they would be torn apart by the twisted curse.

Bablushka glanced at the space around him—the sunlight shining through it was also somewhat distorted.

Barkomon is a complete madman.

In terms of raw strength, he is only slightly inferior.

However, powerful beings of the Kappa-rank are cursed by the Abyss; the more they use their power, the more easily their will is distorted.

Barkomon didn't care about this. He could easily use forbidden spells and superimposed powers, and he didn't care at all about being affected by the curse. On the contrary, the more distorted he became, the more ferocious his attacks became.

No wonder he was praised as a genius by Narrative-level Civilization.

The Golden Dragon Monk on the front lines was already a very troublesome problem. If the Crystal Tower were to transfer this guy to the front lines... the consequences would be unimaginable.

"You didn't come here just to fight me, did you, Minister Barkomon?"

Bablushka nodded, uttering a pure and melodious electronic synthesized voice like that of a choir singer. "If this continues, you will be devoured by the curse, and I will be cursed by the abyss—this can hardly be called a victory."

The implication is: Stop fighting, or neither of us will be happy.

"Is victory useful?"

Barkomon uttered these words with utter purity, carrying his staff like an ancient knight carrying a halberd, his confusion stemming entirely from the bottom of his heart. "Knowing that the opponent is weaker than me and poses no threat, yet still attacking recklessly, even if I win, it is an unfair victory."

"But even if you know that the opponent is stronger than you and that you can never win, you will still be praised as a warrior if you go head-to-head with them and even if you lose."

"Governor Bablushka, may I ask: was the victory worthwhile?"

Barkomon's words seemed utterly illogical; his thoughts were twisted and chaotic, and his voice echoed from all directions:

"Victory is meaningless; only the battle we are fighting right now is what truly matters."

His entire body radiated a magical aura that seemed to have a tangible form, gushing outwards and forming bizarre Terror twisted tentacles.

He muttered in his sleep, "A soldier who returns alive is a desecration of the battle..."

Blasphemy?

Blasphemy...

Blasphemy!!!

This sentence is filled with countless emotions, shifting freely, twisting and intertwining, whether joy or sorrow, anger or resentment, a mixture of myriad emotions that stirs the entire river system.

"You motherfucker..."

Bablushka retreated rapidly, watching the terrifying surge of energy erupting from Barkomon's body, his heart sinking. "This madman has entered ' Curse Mode '!"

The Kappa-rank was never meant to be the power of this universe. The more one climbs the path, the more one becomes unable to break free from the intimacy and fervor with the Source.

Every Deified Person knows very well that the divine power they seek must come from the deeper Star Abyss.

To get promoted, you have to go down into the depths. Going down into the depths means you'll be favored and noticed by Star Abyss. You've already accepted Star Abyss's favors, and you still want to surface again? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

For those who escape the Star Abyss Deified Person, the Star Abyss's Curse will remain intertwined with their bloodline and destiny for the rest of their lives, until they are completely annihilated and their lives come to an end.

Curse Mode is about completely liberating oneself, no longer resisting the power of the curse, and instead actively responding to the call of the Star Abyss.

—Return to the Star Abyss! In a physical sense.

If this continues, he will drag everything around him into the abyss.

"Tsk, this trip was a complete loss, all for a crescent moon—"

Bablushka cursed under his breath. Just then, a message came from his subordinate. He quickly glanced at it and was overjoyed:

"Oh? So you've already gotten your hands on the two fragments of the Eye of Discernment — '《Lyle Swindler's Scam Art》 ' and ' 《Lyle Swindler's Whisper》 '?"

Although the most valuable card, "Lyle Swindler's Destiny Card," wasn't acquired, this alone was enough to recoup the cost.

Not only that, his aides brought even more exciting news. "Observations have revealed that the [Machine World Society] Mash Gergang has invaded White Candle Star?! And they've even established a council? It'll be here soon! Is there some good news like this?"

Bablushka's eyes lit up, and a divine light shone in his electronic eyes.

The Mother of the Dark Night is above; it is the gods who are protecting the Night Butterfly People and ensuring their victory.

White Candle Star is arguably the best source of manpower for the Crystal Tower. Once the [Machine World Society] finishes its absorption, the Night Butterfly Federation's frontline battles will be unstoppable!

"This is the inevitable trend... The fate of the Night Butterfly Federation will be rewritten from this moment on!"

Drag it out! As long as I can hold off this one and only Kappa-rank, I'll win.

Bablushka let out a wild, shrill laugh, "Waaaaaaah! Hahahaha!"

He abruptly shook his head, a twisted and terrifying smile spreading across his mechanical face:

"Balcomont! Since you're so eager to fight, I'll play along!"

The poems chanted by the mechanical slaves were full of ambiguity, the prayers were bizarre and distorted, and the light was instantly bent by the aura of curse, enveloping Bablushka's majestic mechanical body in an orange-red vortex like a black hole.

The Boundary Abyss Curse - Eccentric Bending

Barkomon flicked out his tongue, unleashing a magical torrent that would change the world. Wherever it went, planets were burned into crystalline glass by the magical radiation. Bablushka suddenly spread its butterfly-like wings of darkness, and the surging torrents decomposed and separated meteorites and solid water, scattering beautiful blue-green arcs of light across the galaxy.

Intersecting, colliding, tearing!

In the battle intertwined with destruction and hatred, the real universe was gradually distorted and twisted. Wherever they went, even light and time were warped, leaving only cruel and insane laughter echoing throughout the astral plane.

"This is the fate of those who are cursed."

Bablushka's aides shook their heads, offering no comment.

As a weapon for decisive battles, the Kappa-rank holds an extremely important position. Its use is strictly restricted, and the slightest carelessness may result in being dragged into the abyss or even forever Star Abyss Curse.

Narrative-level Civilization have no shortage of high-level powerhouses, but those capable of engaging in normal combat are rather few.

The higher the level, the stronger the curse brought by repeated ascents and descents, and they are only one step away from madness and destruction.

Even so... who can resist the temptation of ascending to godhood on the path?