The King of Ten Thousand Curses had guessed that Murphy probably wouldn't accept its "peace treaty," but it had never expected him to refuse in such a crude manner.
When the gleaming bottle smashed over the Goatman God's head, the whole of him was left stunned.
The bottle really was worthy of being "handpicked by the Creator." It felt fantastic in Murphy's hand, an absolutely perfect "barroom weapon." According to the little combo that came with the thing, after cracking Vydia over the head, Murphy was supposed to follow up by running the bastard through.
But when he saw Vydia, his head covered in blood, vanish into a wisp of green smoke, a look of shock on his face, Murphy knew the cunning bastard might already be making its escape.
That really was just like Vydia, always the sly one.
It had sent a decoy to lure him here and buy time, giving the real one a chance to slip away.
"What a piece of shit!"
Murphy cursed and set the shattered bottle down on the table.
The instant it touched the tabletop, the bottle bizarrely returned to its whole state. It was clearly a crazy little treasure, carefully designed by the Creator: a wondrous object that could be used to crack open people's skulls countless times without needing to be replaced.
He didn't go after Vydia. Once the bastard had made up its mind to flee, it would be difficult to catch. But Murphy believed that his "ill-fated connection" with Vydia wasn't over yet.
That greedy bastard would eventually blunder right into his hands.
The Crimson Lord sat down and looked at Meredin, who was slowly savoring the taste of truth in his glass. He asked:
"You're not an illusion too, are you?"
"By all means, smash that bottle