Struggle

As the Three-Part Honorific Name was uttered, a faint Gray Fog rose around Lumian, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

The orange candlelight then took on a bluish hue, illuminating the entire Altar in a somber and eerie light.

At this moment, Lumian's thoughts seemed to become sluggish, and he only felt a tingling sensation in the flesh beneath his skin, as if something was about to crawl out.

In the dim light, the gaze from infinite heights reappeared.

Lumian herself and continued her prayer.

Following Lady "Magician's" instructions and combining them with the knowledge of rituals in Aurora's Witchcraft Notes, he recited in Hermetic: "I pray to you;

"I beg you to remove the Curse from me..."

To be honest, Lumian really wanted to ask That One great being to Protection him for a year and keep him from any harm, but that was obviously impossible. As for dealing with the threat posed by the Montsouris Ghosts, he had not yet mastered the relevant Hermetic Vocabulary, so he could only vaguely refer to it as the Curse on his body.

At the end of the Ritual, Lumian began to draw power from the Herbs within the Altar.

The next second, his vision blurred, and an Angel with twelve pairs of wings of light seemed to appear before him.

The Angel descended from above, opened his arms, and embraced Lumian.

The pairs of wings formed from light then closed up, wrapping around the object layer by layer.

Lumian suddenly regained consciousness and saw that the candlelight, which had turned bluish, had somehow returned to its orange hue.

Recalling his recent experience, it seemed like a dream. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "I just saw Angel? That One Great Ones had the Angel beside Him Protection me and help me remove the Curse?"

Before today, Lumian had only heard about Angel in the Sermon of the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church, and he never imagined that he would one day receive Angel's embrace.

According to the "Magician" Lady, this was at least High-Level Being of Sequence 2. Even if He only sent a little power from afar, it was still Angel power... Lumian felt increasingly awe for the Secret Organization codenamed after Tarot Cards, and for the Great Ones That One sealed the Corruption within him.

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling half of his anxiety lifted.

If the Montsouris Ghosts truly brought Curse, then there should be no problem now. What makes a Ghost that can only wander Underground Trier, untouchable even by the protection of the Clergy of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, compare to Angel?

Of course, Lumian still had a lingering worry, because he was praying for the Curse to be lifted; what if the Montsouris Ghosts wasn't killing people through Curse?

He waited until midnight, but still didn't receive a reply from the "Magician".

He dared not sleep, so he lay on the bed with his eyes closed, trying to rest.

Staying up all night is no problem for him; by Six in the Morning, his body and mind will reset simultaneously.

It's a Curse, and it's a Gift.

It wasn't until late at night that the various noises from the Messy Street subsided, and Lumian heard faint Insect Chirping in the distance, and even more distant Whistle.

Suddenly, he felt his body become heavy, and he began to have difficulty breathing, as if someone had completely wrapped his body in a Quilt and pressed him down.

Oh no! Lumian struggled to get up, but could only move his arms.

He couldn't even open his eyes!

Even my arms felt like they were being held down, and I could only lift them a few centimeters with great difficulty.

The next second, Lumian's body turned cold, and he felt a wet sensation at the tip of his nose, as if he had been stuffed into Sack and sunk to the Depths of River Water.

His breathing stopped, his chest felt tight and painful, and his thoughts became sluggish.

As Lumian struggled to resist in vain, a thought flashed through his mind: to enter a Meditation state and activate the Black Thorn Symbol on his chest.

A moment later, he abandoned the idea.

Firstly, it could very well cause him to Loss of Control; secondly, the Montsouris Ghosts Hidden Being That One named Fate, and may not be Intimidation by the Black Thorn Symbol.

Unless there is no other choice and death is imminent, Lumian would not attempt this seemingly useless and life-threatening method.

His lips and nose became icy cold, as if they had been forcibly pressed down by an invisible hand.

Coupled with the feeling of drowning, Lumian couldn't breathe at all; his lungs felt like they were about to burst.

Vocabulary like "Hunter," "Provocateur," "Dancer," "Corruption," "seal," and "Fallen Mercury" flashed through Lumian's mind one after another, constantly combining into ideas and then dispersing.

"Fallen Mercury..." "Fallen Mercury!" Finally, Lumian had an inspiration and struggled to move his Gloves left hand to the side.

He had just placed the Evil Dagger in the most convenient position to grab it, in case of any unexpected events.

A few seconds later, Lumian, gasping for breath with his mouth wide open, touched the hilt of "Fallen Mercury" and lifted the silver-black Dagger.

At this moment, the "Fallen Mercury" was no longer wrapped in black cloth; its patterns were layered and overlapping, making one dizzy.

Lumian used all his strength to slowly raise his shoulder, bend his arm, and thrust "Fallen Mercury" upwards towards his body.

There was nothing there; not even a scratch could be made, let alone blood!

Without any hesitation, Lumian gritted his teeth and, following the downward force, bent his arm towards his body.

With a soft "plop," he inserted "Fallen Mercury" into his left waist.

Crimson blood spilled out, staining the blade of "Fallen Mercury" red, and the illusory Mercury droplets representing the Destiny "suffering the Flames" entered Lumian's body.

The pain stimulated Lumian's oxygen-deprived brain, making him more alert. Before his eyes was Gloom, and the mysterious river composed of countless Mercury-Colored Complex Symbols appeared.

This represents his own Destiny.

Without bothering with careful selection, Lumian turned his gaze to the downstream of the Illusory Long River, to a River Channel that was about to swallow up the other tributaries.

He then infused his spirituality into the "Fallen Mercury," allowing it to activate the corresponding Mercury-Colored Complex Symbols formed by the self- Entanglement the stream.

The next second, Lumian saw himself lying on the bed, his face purple, looking like he was on the Near-Death.

The Mercury-Colored symbols suddenly contracted, solidified into Water Droplet, and seeped into the blade of "Fallen Mercury".

Almost simultaneously, Lumian felt a sense of relief, no longer experiencing the sensation of drowning and suffocation, yet at the same time, he was enveloped in pain and couldn't help but groan softly.

Flames erupted from his body, and his skin charred inch by inch.

He just traded the "suffering of being burned by Flames" stored in the "Fallen Mercury" for his Destiny of being "attacked by the Montsouris Ghosts," successfully escaping the state where he was even somewhat powerless to struggle, and was no longer under attack!

"Fallen Mercury" can be used to stab others, or it can be used to stab Lumian himself, changing the part of his Destiny that he doesn't want!

He was thus set ablaze, and once again experienced the Pain he had felt fighting the Flame Monster.

Having anticipated this, Lumian rolled over and tumbled off the bed.

With a thud, he rolled around, trying to extinguish the flames on his body.

After a while, whether it was Lumian's strategy that worked, or the Flames brought about by the exchange of Destiny that Burning on their own, or both, he was no longer enveloped by the crimson flames.

But his clothes were burned to tatters, his body was covered in large charred patches, his nose was wobbling and about to fall off, and his hair smelled burnt and was much thinner.

For a normal person, this is an injury that doesn't even warrant rescue and could lead to certain death; the same applies to most Low-Sequence Beyonder.

Lumian strained to keep his eyes open, focusing his mind to prevent himself Past fainting.

As time went by, he felt his vitality slipping away rapidly.

He struggled to hold on, clinging to the last breath he could muster.

After an unknown amount of time, Lumian finally heard the exceptionally beautiful chimes ringing in his ears.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The chimes of Six in the Morning, representing Trier Time, echoed through the Messy Street and surrounding area, as Dawn appeared on the horizon.

Lumian suddenly became lucid and no longer felt Pain.

His physical and mental state has been reset!

Huff... Lumian exhaled, turned over and stood up, looking in front of him. He saw that the Linen Shirt and Dark Trousers he wore last night had been burned down to just a few pieces of rags, but his skin condition had completely returned to normal.

Already facing a financial crisis, he couldn't help but sigh:

I need to buy a new set of clothes; that'll be another expense!

Regardless, he successfully escaped the first attack from the Montsouris Ghosts, a feat that is likely unique in the legends.

"Looks like it's not Curse..." Lumian changed her clothes, left the room, and went to the Washroom to wash her face with Tap Water.

He then looked in the mirror and noticed that some of his hair had become shorter, while others had lost the Golden color on their surface.

These external things cannot be reset.

After washing up, Lumian returned to room 207 and was surprised to find an extra letter in the room.

The folded Paper lay quietly on the Wooden Table.

Lumian began to mutter silently, unable to contain himself:

Is replying at this hour too early?

"Didn't sleep again last night? Just got home?"

Shaking his head, Lumian Past and unfolded "The Magician's" reply.

The Vocabulary on the letter were written in messy, illegible handwriting; only the name of That One Lady could be vaguely discerned.

"Well done. Next, spend more time with Mr. K, showing your less Rationality and easily fanatical side, until he tries to convert you and invites you to join his organization."

"The Montsouris Ghosts is not Curse. For you right now, there are three solutions:"

"First, die in front of it, use the Corruption in your body to kill it, and avenge those who died."

"Secondly, by using your Dagger to exchange for the Destiny of 'encountering the Montsouris Ghosts,' didn't you ever consider that the Dagger could also be used against yourself?"

"Third, I will stay in Church Church no longer go out."