Protection and trust
Perle quickly focused his mind and stood in the "Supervisor" position, looking out over the various Cavern in the Quarry.
The place was now completely Gloom, with only the faint, bluish glow emanating from the Carbide Lamp lying on its side on the ground.
As his gaze shifted, Perle "saw" Lumian, and he also "saw" Anthony.
Both of them were located at the exit of the Quarry's Cavern, but that was the boundary of the current Special Mirror World, not a passage in the true sense, so they could not escape through it.
At this moment, Lumian was facing Perle, already wearing "Torture" gauntlets with Iron-Black spikes, and holding a Brass-Colored Revolver in his hand.
Anthony hid behind him, his back to him, very close to him.
But this "Hypnotist" didn't stand; instead, he knelt on one knee, placed a blank sketchbook on his right thigh for support, and quickly sketched something with a short pencil.
"The Fictional Bottle"!
Lumian and Anthony are inside a "Fictional Bottle" constructed using the exit of Quarry Cavern as its foundation.
However, this had no effect on Perle, who oversaw everything in the Mirror World; she could see directly where Lumian and Anthony were hiding.
Upon witnessing this scene, the "Supervisor" Perle sensed something incongruous, something abnormal, as if it involved some gray area:
As the leader and strongest member of the team, Lumian surprisingly adopted a posture of buying time for That One "Spectator," the Beyonder Pathway.
Whether he was gambling that he wouldn't actually kill him and only wanted to capture him alive as a shield, it was enough to show that Pathway That One "Spectator" Beyonder was doing was very important. He believed that it could harm a "Supervisor" or help them escape from the sight of a "Supervisor"!
Without hesitation, Perle gazed at Lumian and Anthony within the "Fictional Bottle" and spoke in the "Word of Order": "There are no secrets before the ' Supervisor '!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the "Fictional Bottle" constructed from the Cavern exit of the Quarry silently crumbled.
But Perle discovered that Lumian was no longer protected by the "Fictional Bottle," but there was still a "Fictional Bottle" around Anthony, which did not collapse because of the "Supervisor's" words!
After confirming this detail (https://www. hetushu. com. com), Lumian smiled.
The "Fictional Bottle" surrounding Anthony was constructed based on himself.
His legs, spread apart, and the ground together form a symbolic doorway.
Lumian hunched over slightly, looked at the "Supervisor" Perle, and muttered to himself with a Distortion smile, "Yes, Anthony is doing something I asked him to do, something very important."
"But only by defeating me can the ' Fictional Bottle ' built upon me, a living person, be broken. Any attempt to harm Anthony must first bypass me!"
"Now, I am Anthony's shield, the wall that protects him!"
Perle's smile faded slightly, and he looked at Lumian with a somber expression, saying, "You are guilty!"
You killed someone!
Murder... Lumian felt a slight jolt of fear.
He wasn't surprised that he had killed someone, but rather that the "Supervisor" Perle would accuse him of this crime.
Regardless of the form the punishment takes, the final Verdict will remain unchanged:
Murderers shall die!
"Didn't she want to capture me alive?" Lumian volunteered to be Anthony's shield, genuinely hoping that Perle wouldn't dare kill him. In that case, many of the other's abilities would be restricted, giving him a chance to stall until Anthony completed the sketch he wanted on that extraordinary book of drawings he obtained from the "Wandering Poet"—the book's purpose was to bring the things drawn on it to life or to exhibit special effects and maintain them for a period of time.
Who knew that the plan would fail from the very beginning?
Of course, Lumian didn't put all his bets on the "Supervisor" wanting to capture him alive. Defeating a Half-God was impossible for him, but if he could just buy some time, he still had a sliver of hope.
A rumbling thunderclap echoed in the low, hollow air Cavern the Quarry, and streaks of Silver-White Lightning Serpents leaped out, Entanglement into thick, bucket-like lightning trees that lashed out at Lumian.
Before the thunder echoed and the Lightning struck, Lumian had already raised his hands, aiming his Brass-Colored Revolver at the punishment from this world.
His blue Eyes turned completely black, yet the terrifying lightning's weakness remained unseen.
He could only pour streams of Blazing White Flames into the Pistol Revolver, into the bullet that was about to be fired.
Bang!
As the menacing, Silver-White lightning tree crashed down, a bullet, shimmering with a hint of eerie green and wreathed in layers of Blazing White Flame, shot from the muzzle, meeting the massive Lightning head-on.
"Weakening Bullet!"
This is a "Weakening Bullet" obtained from Yebus!
In the blink of an eye, Lightning as thick as a bucket shattered the eerie green bullet and the Blazing White Flame surrounding it.
The sudden burst of silvery-white light engulfed Lumian.
Boom!
The terrifying roar reached Anthony's ears a beat late, causing his body to tremble instinctively and nearly causing him to lose his hearing.
He recalled the night the Military Camp was attacked by followers of Evil God gods—gunfire, artillery fire, screams, and shouts of killing came from all directions, filling him with panic and fear, leaving him with a strong psychological shadow that took many years to heal.
Now, he felt as if he had returned to that scene from the past.
Anthony steadied himself, looked at the blank sketchbook in front of him, and continued sketching, the pencil in his hand moving with a scratching sound.
He also remembered Lumian's body language just now:
"No one can hurt you unless I die and someone steps over my Corpse!"
Compared to the chaos and helplessness of that night in the Military Camp, when everyone was on edge, Anthony felt that the current situation wasn't so bad.
At least, I still have companions Trust!
At least, I'll have someone behind me willing to risk their life to protect me!
Amidst the countless silver-white Lightning Serpents that emanated from it, Lumian's body first shattered into numerous Mirror Fragments, then charred and carbonized, and finally crumbled into dust.
The "Mirror Substitute" that Jenna gave me!
Lumian's figure reappeared, still standing firmly in place, his legs kept apart.
The thunder in the sky did not disappear with the end of the last punishment, but instead brewed a new round of Execution.
Once the "Supervisor" files Prosecution, the punishment will continue until the Verdict is fully effective!
Lumian felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, and his black hair and body hair stood on end slightly, stimulated by the residual electric current in the air.
After a few seconds of build-up, an even more magnificent and terrifying Lightning silently descended.
Lumian Teeth, discarded the Revolver, raised his hands, and Precision met the tip of the Lightning with the "Torture" gauntlets covered in short Iron-Black spikes. One after another, Blazing White Fireball condensed and took shape above him.
The "Torture" gauntlets can block a Divinity attack at the cost of their own shattering or breaking!
Boom!
In the sudden, terrifying explosion, the Silver-White tree of death formed by Lightning froze on Lumian's fist, frozen on the "Torture" gauntlet.
With a deafening roar, the Blazing White Flames exploded, pushing the tiny Lightning Serpents that had sprung up into the distance.
The thunderous punishment subsided quickly, but the muffled rumbling in mid-air continued.
With a series of cracking sounds, Lumian's "Torture" gauntlets charred and broke into many small pieces, which fell to the ground one after another.
Seeing a new wave of massive Lightning about to form, Lumian, though knowing he shouldn't, couldn't help but urge Anthony on in his mind:
Why isn't it finished yet?
"I can only block one more time!"
After a brief, oppressive silence, a giant Silvery-White Lightning serpent suddenly shot out from mid-air, illuminating the entire Quarry Cavern and the smile on the face of "Supervisor" Perle.
Lumian only had time to do the one thing he could:
He brought his shadow to life, swapping its position with his own.
Boom!
Amidst the sharp, rapid roar of Thunderstorm, the Lightning serpent swallowed the shadow, causing it to melt and evaporate in an instant, leaving no trace.
Finally, the punishment ended, and Lumian's body reappeared in front of Anthony, his legs slightly apart and his back slightly arched, but there was no shadow under his feet.
"Why isn't it finished yet?" Lumian thought anxiously.
He considered whether to dispel the "Fictional Bottle" and grabbed Anthony, "Teleportation" him around.
But he could tell that the Punishment based on the "Supervisor's " Prosecution would not end just because he changed his position, and with Lightning speed, he had no way of avoiding it by "Teleportation".
It wasn't that the "Teleportation" wasn't fast enough, but rather that he needed time to activate the Black Mark on his right shoulder.
A rumbling, muffled thunderclap echoed in Lumian's ears, foreshadowing the next punishment.
Behind Lumian, Anthony, who was kneeling on one knee and drawing with his right thigh as a table, had beads of sweat the size of Soybeans on his forehead.
The first part of the sketch was very successful and completed very quickly, but for some reason, the last stroke suddenly became difficult.
The art book influenced the pencil, which began to frantically absorb Anthony's spirituality, but such a large amount of spirituality could only propel the black lines to move slowly.
At the same time, the edges of the blank drawing page gradually curled up and Burning into transparent Flames, seemingly unable to withstand what Anthony was about to draw.
Anthony knew very well that this collection of paintings could not represent it, but he had complete faith in Lumian's judgment and continued his efforts.
Rumble!
The rumbling thunder grew louder and louder, and Anthony, inside the "Fictional Bottle," could hear it quite clearly.
As a "Psychiatrist," he was losing control of his emotions, with feelings of tension, impatience, anxiety, and panic rising up at the same time.
He controlled himself and continued to draw the final stroke.
Seeing the terrifying silver-white Lightning about to take shape, and with Anthony behind him still motionless, even Lumian, with his mental fortitude, felt a sense of Despair.
"Am I going to die?"
"Alright, I'd like to see what Termiboros looks like!"
"Die..." Suddenly, a Lightning of inspiration struck Lumian's mind.
He reached into the Traveler’s Bag and pulled something out.
It was Golden Mask painted with several strips of oil paint.
The Golden Mask obtained from Hisoka and originating from the Death God!
Lumian quickly put the Golden Mask on his face, and his body rapidly grew cold, his breath gradually subsiding.
The terrifying lightning strike brewing in mid-air suddenly stopped.
Lumian raised his head, looking at the no longer gathering Silver-White Lightning Serpents, a smile playing on his lips beneath his Golden Mask.
He's now Undead!
One of the functions of that Golden Mask is to turn the wearer into Undead while preserving their intelligence!
Now that Lumian is "dead," the punishment has achieved its purpose and should end immediately!
Upon seeing this, the "Supervisor" was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood what was going on.
She chuckled, but didn't lose her composure.
While the punishments continued to fall, she didn't remain idle; she had already prepared for any possible unexpected events.
She created a "Dark Box" using a Coin Pouch and completed a transaction!
Her right hand was about to retract.
Behind Lumian, Anthony watched as the curled edges of the Paper and the almost invisible Flames rapidly spread toward the center of the page, and his Despair grew ever stronger.
Even if he manages to finish the last stroke, the page will clearly be ruined and serve no purpose.
Anthony gritted his Teeth and chose to trust his companion, to trust Lumian.
He remembered that this was what Lumian had just instructed him:
"Draw Monet first, then draw the ' Magician ' Lady!"
Monet, that Archipelago conman Monet... Just as the thought crossed Anthony's mind, he was astonished to see the inward-curling edge of the drawing paper stop, and the invisible Flames briefly solidified.
His pencil then became smooth.
He channeled his inspiration and, on the right eye of the Islanders he had sketched—a man with slightly curly black hair, a thin face, deep-set Eye Sockets, and thick lips—finished with a simple Monocle.