Goodbye

At those words, Shen Yu instantly froze, suddenly remembering something related to channels: Lobotomy Corporation's Singularity technology-manifestation of the mind.

Injecting Cogito into a human body truly exposed that person's inner self, turning them into a "channel" connected to the Primordial Sea.

The extreme pain of the process, however, was enough to tear a person's consciousness apart completely. But with [Shape of Hornet] protecting his mind, and the soul breakthrough brought about by his ascent to a higher tier of life, he should be able to withstand it.

At that thought, Shen Yu took a deep breath and explained the Abnormality extraction process to Grimm.

Grimm held his chin as he listened, then said after some thought:

"Ku~er~" "It should work. After all, you're connected to this space too. If you envision our existence in your mind during extraction, that should be enough to construct a channel across the barrier."

"Really? I'm still a little worried about whether I can endure it. They say the pain is beyond what humans can withstand."

"Luo~xi~" "My friend, don't forget. You've already communicated with a God, even if that God suppressed their presence."

"All right." Shen Yu pressed a hand to his forehead, remembering something else.

Tomorrow was the deadline for his promise to tell Little Red Riding Hood where Wolf was. He had to enter her mental world soon and resolve her psychological issues.

But that was a WAW-level world. It was bound to be more dangerous than Old Lady's or Spider Bud's.

And Abnormalities rejected Void beings. Little Knight had never been able to enter an Abnormality's world, making it even more dangerous. Grimm, however, happened to be an expert at traveling between worlds.

"Grimm, do you know how to get Little Knight into an Abnormality's world? They're extremely hostile to Void beings."

"Mo~luo~" "Don't worry. I've often been rejected by worlds myself. All you need is a disguise."

"A disguise?"

"Kuo~si~" "Exactly. From what you've told me, combined with what I sense from E.G.O., those beings possess intense emotions. That makes them naturally reject beings with little emotion, like the little one.

"All you need to do is give the little one an outer shell as a disguise, preferably one from an Abnormality itself."

An outer shell. Huh, so all I have to do is put E.G.O. armor on Little Knight.

But... Shen Yu tugged at his armor. He could only make one set of Crimson Scar at the moment.

Seemingly noticing Shen Yu's distress, Grimm offered a reminder:

"Ku~la~" "Don't worry. Just use the flame to cut off a portion. Now, feel the flame with your mind. Treat it as your own hands and feet, and imagine it as a pair of scissors."

Shen Yu paused, then followed Grimm's instructions. He quieted his mind, sensed the flame's location, and extended a thread of his will to touch it carefully, ready at any moment to withdraw or sever the connection.

When Shen Yu's consciousness touched the flame, he felt neither burning heat nor fear. Instead, much like putting on E.G.O., it became a part of his body directly.

The difference was that wearing E.G.O. felt like putting on an outer shell, while the Nightmare Flame merged directly into his soul.

With a thought from Shen Yu, a ball of flame appeared in his hand, then transformed into the shape of scissors.

Shen Yu swallowed, pulled the Scarlet Cloak around from his back, and began cutting.

With a sizzling sound, a piece of fabric was cut straight off the armor shaped by the mind. The armor then began writhing as it regenerated.

Using his attunement rate, which had risen to 60%, Shen Yu began shaping the fabric in his hand.

The fabric writhed, transforming into a child-sized Red Cloak. He deliberately left two protrusions at the head to cover the pointed horns.

Then Shen Yu bent down and called Little Knight over.

Once Little Knight put it on, the pointed horns became long cat ears. After tugging at the fabric, Little Knight readily accepted the cloak, held out both hands to catch the Grimm Hatchling as he flew over, and surveyed the Troupe.

Grimm walked over to Shen Yu and cautioned him:

"Ku~la~" "My friend, I must warn you. The little one now harbors an extraordinarily ancient and pure power. This outer shell cannot withstand it at all.

"If the shell is damaged, a powerful Abnormality will reject the little one with all its strength. So don't let the little one cast spells until you've severely wounded your opponent."

An ancient and pure power? He must mean the Void-aspected spells Little Knight obtained.

That makes sense. Every time Little Knight casts a spell, the Void envelops that little body. The cloak would definitely melt away. Using only the Nail should work, though.

With all his questions resolved, Shen Yu bowed to Grimm and thanked him:

"Troupe Master Grimm, thank you for your guidance. We'll be taking our leave now."

"Kuo~luo~" "Goodbye, my friend. If circumstances allow, please let me visit your world too.

"Also, the child said he found delicious food in your world. It seems to be quite helpful for his growth. I hope you'll take him to eat it more often."

"The first will have to wait a while. I need to get some Cogito first. As for the second, of course."

[Data Deleted] could regenerate anyway. Eating a little wouldn't hurt.

Shen Yu waved goodbye to Grimm while calling to Godseeker in his mind.

With a "ding," Shen Yu, Little Knight, and the Grimm Hatchling vanished from the theater together.

Grimm gazed at the spot where they had disappeared and sighed:

"Kuluo~sa~" "The curtain is about to rise on a grand opera. Countless glories and tragedies will unfold. May these crimson eyes of mine have the chance to witness them."

Ding! When the light faded, Shen Yu and Little Knight had returned to the Void.

Godseeker's furious rebuke immediately followed:

"Lalabis, Kuoluosi!" "Blasphemy, utter blasphemy! Thou darest dress the God of Gods in such a thing, sullying that sacred radiance!"

With that, Godseeker hurried up to Little Knight, trying to pull off the crimson cloak. But Little Knight silently took a step back.

Godseeker froze on the spot, her eyes widening as she murmured:

"Lasi" "God of Gods, dost thou now disdain thy lowly servant? Oh, if I have erred, please punish this body. Grind this fragile, insignificant form of mine to dust and scatter its ashes.

"I gladly welcome my lord's wrath! Oh, supremely glorious God of Gods!" Godseeker slapped her face against the ground with a smack and kept rubbing it there.

Shen Yu covered his face, unable to bear watching any longer.

Little Knight silently walked around her, came over to Shen Yu, and caught the flying Grimm Hatchling in both arms.

Shen Yu addressed Godseeker, who was still rubbing her face against the ground:

"Godseeker, I also need to take Little Knight to see a bug. His name is..."

"Luoxi" "No need to speak it. Thou needst only recall him in thy mind." Godseeker sprang upright like a spring and declared loudly.

Ding!

When the light faded, Shen Yu and the others found themselves in a spacious cavern.

The azure lake lay still and serene, glittering with points of light like an enormous sapphire. Deep blue mist drifted with the breeze, veiling the distant stone walls.

Droplets fell from the stalactites overhead into the water, sending out rings of shimmering ripples. Reflections swayed beneath the surface, weaving a dreamlike scene.

A figure sat on the lakeshore ahead, gazing into the distance. A Nail lay to his left, and his dark blue Hood billowed in the breeze.

Then, as though sensing something, he slowly turned his head to look behind him and said with a soft chuckle:

"Dosi dage, gaduo" "We meet again, my little friend. Oh, you've brought a new friend too."