Don't Take My Child Away!

"Splash."

The sewers were collapsing, and Lanevus's Distortion and enormous body raged in the narrow space, violently and frantically crashing against the walls and the dome.

Luther leaped to his feet and, through the gap in the sewer roof, saw the gloomy, deep black sky of Backlund. Suddenly, two points of blue light quietly appeared in the darkness above the gap, flickering left and right.

What is it?

A crack appeared in the thick clouds in the sky, and Crimson Moonlight streamed down. By the moonlight, Luther could finally see clearly that it was a small cat, entirely black. Its body was thin and pitiful, covered in dust, except for its pair of bright blue, clear eyes, which were very beautiful.

Its eyes were emitting light, and it was curiously gazing at Luther.

"Boom!"

Before Luther could get a good look at the kitten, Lanevus started making a ruckus in the sewer. He twisted his massive body, turned around in the narrow passage, and aimed at Luther again.

The sewer shook violently, and the vibrations reached the surface. The little black cat was startled and quickly withdrew its head, disappearing without a trace.

"Child, let's eat him."

Lanevus stared at Luther and murmured, his wet and bloodied upper body looking horribly terrifying in the moonlight. The mass of flesh in his abdomen was writhing, gradually taking on the basic outline of limbs and torso. Unlike the mother Lanevus, this mass of flesh was becoming more and more like a human.

Despite the excruciating pain in his head, Luther looked at Lanevus.

"Roar--"

Lanevus let out a hiss that was not human, and his massive body charged forward with astonishing speed that belied his cumbersome appearance. Numerous arms sprouted from his worm-like lower body, assisting him in his rapid crawling.

He traversed the mere dozen meters between them in an instant, aimed at Luther's neck, and opened his gaping maw to bite!

"Boom!"

His swift attack missed its mark; Luther's body collapsed and dissolved in an instant, turning into a dark shadow that scattered across the ground and disappeared. Lanevus bit into the air in vain, crashing into the wall on the other side with an angry and painful roar.

Luther opened his eyes and looked at the strange world before him.

He was still standing in the sewer, but everything around him had changed. The sewer, the broken bricks, were all black and white, floating in a chaotic and unclear illusory space like small islands. Their shapes had become flat, like projections of the Real World from a certain angle.

This is a world of shadows, flat, gloomy, monotonous, and disjointed. The only thing with color is Luther himself. When he becomes a shadow, his body comes here, only his shadow remains in reality.

Reality and illusion overlapped before his eyes; this world reflected reality to some extent, yet was not entirely the same as reality.

On the other side of his line of sight, Luther saw the dark shadow cast by Lanevus. He maintained a human form in this world, with something the size of an infant in his arms, entwined around him, almost merging into him.

Luther looked at Lanevus and drew his bright red "Pain" dagger.

After taking a step forward, his figure flickered and appeared in the projection of another shadow, without passing through the void. However, to his senses, it was as if he had traveled a distance.

A very unique experience.

"Brush"

A dark shadow spread from Luther's hand, enveloping the dagger, turning the originally bright red dagger dark and dull.

"Shadow Shaping," one of the Shadow Ascetic's abilities, allows him to create weapons or animals from shadows, inflicting damage with coldness and Degeneration. Here, he has directly attached shadow to the dagger. As he gradually gains mastery of Potion, he can use more and more shadow abilities.

And so he kept "leaping," from one shadow to another, gradually approaching the shadow of Lanevus.

In the Real World, Lanevus crawls back and forth in the sewers, searching for his location. But in the Shadow World, Lanevus's shadow remains forever in the same place.

Luther quickly arrived in front of Lanevus, raised the now-blackened dagger, and stabbed it towards Lanevus's shadow.

The damage he suffers in the Shadow World will also be reflected in reality, thus weakening his power!

However, just as he rushed towards Lanevus, the shadow of the other suddenly changed. The originally pitch-black shadow instantly gained color, and the blurry outline became clear, delineating a complete human form.

"Got you?"

With bloodshot eyes and a cunning, maniacal smile on his lips, Lanevus spoke to Luther.

He can actually Shadow Lurking world!

Luther was startled and was about to move away when he saw Lanevus open his arms and reveal the thing in his arms to him.

"Boom!"

I saw it.

Luther saw it.

Blasphemous yet sacred, deformed yet perfect, the innocence of an infant and pure Divinity, Distortion madness and repulsive limbs.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Luther emerged from the shadows, clutching his head and letting out a scream of extreme pain.

"Heaven was opened for him, and the Spirit of the Lord came down on him."

A voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; he will reign over the earth."

Ancient and obscure hymns echoed in his ears, his eyes melted, and blood mixed with pale blue vitreous fluid flowed down. But the pain this brought him was far less than the spiritual impact of that moment when he looked directly at the offspring of the gods!

Even though the Phantom Tide blocked most of the mental Corrosion, the remaining aftershocks were still terrifying enough!

"Hahaha!"

Lanevus was laughing wildly. He crawled and rushed to Luther, wrapping his body tightly around Luther like a snake.

"Creak."

Luther's bones cracked and popped as Lanevus leaned closer, watching his pained expression. A cruel smile spread across his skinless face. He gently stroked the fleshy mass in Luze's abdomen, a hungry glint in his eyes. His lips parted, and he opened his mouth wide, biting down on Luther's head!

"Puff!"

In the moment of crisis, Luther twisted his body and turned his head. Lanevus failed to bite off his head, but instead bit into his right rib!

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound followed, and most of Luther's right chest went into Lanevus's mouth.

"Go to hell!"

Luther, his newly grown eyes wide open, roared at Lanevus, gripping a crimson dagger and plunging it deep into his Distortion, bloated body.

As if oblivious, Lanevus continued to bite, his teeth digging deeper, tearing away Flesh bit by bit. The wound where Luther had stabbed him writhed, engulfing the arm Luther had pierced, as if trying to merge his body into his own.

Want to eat me?

Luther's mind was boiling over; in his madness and chaos, he grew increasingly ferocious. Without hesitation, he immediately released his dagger and unleashed Flesh and Blood Magic, intending to transform Lanevus's body into Flesh Bomb!

Bang bang bang!

Lanevus's body exploded, turning into a spray of Blood Fog, the explosion spreading downwards from where Luther's arm had been stabbed.

"Wow"

However, Lanevus's body was too large, and the explosion had little effect. In the blink of an eye, Lanevus had completely bitten off one of his ribs and swallowed it.

"Hehe."

He laughed indistinctly, as if savoring the sweetness of Luther's Flesh.

"Get out of here!"

Luther spewed shadows from his left hand, creating a jet-black dagger that repeatedly stabbed at Lanevus's face. But even so, he did not release his grip.

Grass!

The mad ramblings of the True Creator and the Filth cries of an infant echoed in Luther's mind without ceasing, causing him mental anguish and delirium. The sound of the Tide was also drying up; he couldn't hold on much longer!

Damn it, I'm going to explode!

Luther frantically thought, preparing to dissolve his body into the Blood River and entangle with Lanevus. Although that would consume a lot of Spirituality and might even lead to irreversible madness and loss of control, it was still better than being eaten by this bastard!

"Whoosh--"

But just then, he suddenly heard the ethereal sound of the Tide, clearer and louder than ever before.

Luther looked in the direction of the sound, and at the edge of his field of vision, Ms. M appeared.

In the filthy, dark sewers, she appeared as if illuminated by a soft light, her white robes spotless. Beside her bare feet, murky, deep black seawater lapped and flowed back and forth like the Tide. With a gentle, serene smile, she met Luther's gaze with her golden eyes.

What are you doing out here at a time like this? Get out of here!

Luther cursed and was about to ignore her and continue her self-destruction when he saw Ms. M move.

She opened her arms and spoke softly to Lanevus, who was biting Luther's body.

Come here, child.

The voice was full of love.

"Guwa. Gu?"

In Luther's mind, the constant, incessant crying suddenly stopped, as if an invisible gaze was sweeping over him, spying on him. It was like a crying child suddenly spotting a novel toy, examining it with curious eyes.

Lanevus, who was devouring Luther, suddenly stopped and abruptly raised his head.

"Who is speaking?"

He seemed to hear something and looked around nervously and anxiously. Even though Ms. M was standing right next to him, he ignored her and kept searching, as if he sensed danger.

Is that you?

He asked Luther Ze.

Luther stared coldly at him, raising the shadow dagger to stab at his eyes, but he dodged it.

"Child, come here quickly."

Ms. M spoke again, her voice filled with endless tenderness and pity, as if she were softly calling to the mother of her child, preparing to give her child boundless love and care.

However, it seemed as if something was brewing behind that voice.

Unconsciously, a certain immature and unusual being focused more attention on her, like a baby putting its finger in its mouth, using its tiny head to think about what to do.

"I already told you! Stop shouting!"

Lanevus cried out in panic, throwing Luther aside, clasping his arms together, and cradling the fleshy mass in his abdomen, screaming at it, "Child, look at me! We are one, you are the one I carried for ten months to survive!"

His massive body thrashed futilely through the sewers, trying to Destruction the unknown, invisible threat surrounding him. At that moment, he looked like a woman about to have her only child taken away, filled with despair and terror.

Unfortunately, Ms. M was merciless. She approached Lanevus further, her golden eyes gleaming with a captivating light, and once again gently called out:

Come to your mother, my child.

"Whoosh--"

The Phantom Tide echoed beneath her feet, intertwining with her calls in layers, making her voice extremely captivating and exuding a unique and powerful allure.

Thus, under Ms. M's influence, the offspring of the evil god made the final decision.

Luther had just struggled to sit up when he saw Lanevus's desperate struggle.

"No! Don't take my child away!"

On his abdomen, the bulging mass of flesh rapidly deflated, and something invisible was peeling away from him, drifting up and spreading toward Ms. M.

"Child, don't abandon me!"

Lanevus screamed shrilly, reaching out his arms to grab something. His massive body was decaying and collapsing, turning into loose chunks of flesh and flowing blood. The more he had wanted to get rid of this Evil God's Offspring, the more he wanted to keep it.

However, the gods are merciless. After sensing a better and more suitable mother, the offspring of the evil god abandoned him without hesitation and drifted towards Ms. M.

"My child."

Blood Tears streamed from Lanevus's eyes as his body disintegrated and he collapsed onto the sewer floor, gradually fading away. Until his death, his eyes remained fixed on the direction in which the Evil God's Offspring had departed. There, he saw an indescribable radiance of light drifting toward Ms. M, toward her outstretched, warm embrace.

Ms. M faced the pure light, her hands slightly closed, as if embracing something.

The Tide lapped at her feet, and she looked so loving and holy that even the Filth and mad beings felt peace and happiness.

Then, she suddenly moved.

"Click."

Ms. M acted decisively and ruthlessly, her fair hand gripping something fiercely and mercilessly, as if she had easily snapped something invisible.

"Wow"

A panicked, terrified cry suddenly rang out, like something invisible making a weak and helpless plea, but Ms. M's movements were swift and decisive. The Tide rose suddenly, submerging her thighs, and then her upper body until it reached her arms.

A loving mother suddenly transforms into a cruel stepmother in an instant!

The already faint cries were swallowed by the Tide, quickly becoming so faint as to be inaudible, as if they had sunk into the depths of the sea.

Luther suddenly woke up.

Ms. M was long gone, and he suddenly realized that he was still in an embracing position, with his arms clasped together.

The dampness slowly disappeared from his feet, like the receding Tide, never to return. At the same time, it seemed as if something had been submerged Destruction by the Tide, leaving only a vague image slowly rising and flooding into his mind.

Luther sensed that thing; it seemed somewhat familiar to him. Just now, he felt as if he had experienced it himself through Lanevus.

That was... a pure form of Divinity.

"Ugh!"

He instinctively covered his head and screamed again.

Because that Divinity spread uncontrollably and merged into his body!

Thank you to reader 2024090510_Cb for the 100 reading coins!

In the original work, Klein faced Lanevus, who had lost his Divinity and was no longer so dangerous. Luther, on the other hand, faced Lanevus, who possessed Divinity and was about to be born as Divine Scion. Lanluus was also at the top of his own Sequence, so Luze naturally had a stronger advantage over him.