Bluff

Albus's right hand, which had been holding the weapon, dropped to the ground, seemingly unable to bear the weight of the White Bone and flesh sword. He planted it on the ground covered with Corpse and bones, but he was much better off than Lumian, who had simply let the "Sword of Courage" slip from his hand.

At the same time, Sallys's voice, filled with anticipation and cruel laughter, emanated from the Mirror or Mirror- like objects scattered throughout the Corpse Mountain Peak and the Wilderness:

How are you feeling?

Are you wondering when you contracted the disease?

As expected, it was the "Witch's" "illness"... Standing on the Wilderness, Lumian took advantage of the fact that his muscle strength had not completely subsided and he could only lift heavy objects, and quickly took off the "Demon’s Whisper" Bone Ring from his finger and stuffed it back into the "Traveler’s Bag".

Wearing this Ring will keep Lumian constantly burned by Sulfur Flames, weakening his resistance and tolerance to "disease" from the inside out. Although he has already been poisoned by Sulfur and has suffered some burns, it is still very important to stop the damage in time.

After placing the "Demon’s Whisper" Bone Ring, Lumian took out the Brass Charm and matching earplugs given to him by Archbishop Heraberg, holding one in his left palm and putting the other back into his left ear canal.

"Listen!" Lumian pronounced the Ancient Hermetic Vocabulary again and continued his study.

Meanwhile, Sallys's voice continued to emanate from within the mirrors and mirror-like surfaces:

"We are quite certain that the operation against '0-01' will be interfered with and competed with by Beyonder using the ' Hunter ' Pathway, and we will inevitably have to face Vanak. Therefore, we have prepared a 'Level 1' Sealed Artifact in advance. The Mysticism Pathogens it creates has a very significant characteristic: it can survive for a period of time in high-temperature Flames."

"And I can also use the power of the Special Mirror World to allow those Pathogens to spread quietly through different mirrors, silently spreading throughout this Wilderness and this Corpse Mountain Peak."

"You were setting fires, but I was also continuously releasing Frost, feigning attacks and Curse. This was actually freezing those Mysticism Pathogens inside, allowing them to survive longer in the high temperatures. Combined with their unique properties, this was enough to infect you, gradually seeping into your bodies..."

Sallys spoke in great detail, as if she wanted to infuse Pain and savor Despair.

This might be her hobby, or it might be a negative influence from certain items.

Albus Medici, leaning on the sword made of White Bone and flesh, kept turning his body and looking in different directions, seemingly trying to quickly locate Sallys's true form and pull her out of the Mirror World.

However, it is impossible to tell which Mirror Sallys is in just by the source of the sound; she may be constantly moving through the Mirror World without stopping.

Similarly, even if Albus recited the three Honorific Name again, Albus could only affect the Special Mirror World the area at the top of the Corpse Mountain Peak, but could not damage the "Mirror" in the lower part of the Corpse Mountain Peak and the Wilderness.

Sallys's voice gradually became shrill, both Pain and pleasurable:

"This Pathogens also has its flaws; it's not the type that will produce a fatal impact in a short time. It can only cause you to rapidly lose your physical strength, accelerate the loss of your spirituality, and eventually leave you lying on the ground, unable to move, Despair listening to your heart gradually weaken and stop beating."

Upon hearing this, Lumian "Teleportation" to a different location to avoid being assassinated by Sallys.

Some thoughts flashed through his mind:

"Could we wear the Aegis Family's Golden Mask to counteract the damage from this Mysticism Pathogens?"

"I stop my heart from beating beforehand so I don't have to worry about it running out of energy!"

"No, this Mysticism Pathogens also seems to affect the Spirit Body. Perhaps, after the physical body dies, the Spirit Body will gradually lose the power to maintain its own existence..."

"Moreover, Archbishop Heraberg said that becoming dead here only leads to eternal slumber... well, perhaps one will be 'awakened' in the future as a '0-01' Marionette..."

Albus Medici, atop the Corpse Mountain Peak, suddenly laughed:

"So that's how it is. I did feel weak."

Even with my Ancestors helping me mitigate the impact, I should completely lose my fighting ability in three or four minutes, barely able to crawl.

"But I don't remember if I told you what I was going to do in the Underground Mausoleum, or rather, did you notice that something unusual had already happened?"

As he spoke, Albus's smile gradually brightened.

He remained calm and composed, displaying great confidence and composure, without showing any sign of panic.

Sallys had been emitting sounds from various Mirror and mirror-like Mirror to buy time until the effects of that Mysticism Pathogens intensified, suddenly fell silent.

She seemed to be observing her surroundings, trying to find the unusual thing Albus had mentioned.

Albus stretched his neck, a smirk playing on his lips, and said, "I only have three things to accomplish here:

"First, kill Vanak, so that there will be no more agents of this level for '0-01';

"Secondly, recite the Honorific Name of my Ancestors around '0-01' to create resonance and gradually awaken them;

"Third, hehe, the third is to buy time, until '0-01' breaks free from this Corpse Mountain Peak on its own."

"Didn't you notice that the frequency and amplitude of the '0-01' tremors and shaking are getting higher and higher?"

"Didn't you notice that '0-01' is about to break free from the Corpse Mountain Peak?"

This... Sallys, who was hiding near the top of the Corpse Mountain Peak, inside a component of the previous "Mirror Image Maze" to closely observe Albus's movements and be ready to interfere with his self-rescue at any moment, tensed up and instinctively looked towards the violently shaking and trembling "0-01".

She immediately saw the charred flag and the dangerous bloodstains covering it.

Her head suddenly buzzed, and she felt a sharp pain in her neck.

She has become even more Corruption!

Snap!

The Mirror where Sallys was hiding shattered instantly, revealing her reflection, her expression blank, her head trying to detach from her neck.

Now! Albus seized the opportunity, discarding his heavy sword of White Bone and flesh, which transformed into Blazing White and blue Flame Spear, and swiftly landed near Sallys.

Immediately afterwards, he created a dense "Fog of War," which enveloped Sallys and the area within a dozen meters around this "Witch."

After completing this task, Albus did not allow Sallys to break free from her Corruption state. Taking advantage of the opportunity to escape the "Fog of War" in the Mirror World, he mustered his remaining strength and condensed clusters of blue Fireball, which he then launched one after another into the "Fog of War."

Rumble!

A relatively violent explosion occurred, followed by a rise of pale blue Flames, and Sallys's "Mirror Substitute" was passively activated.

However, influenced and misled by the "Fog of War," her figure reappeared within the blast radius, still covered by Impact enough to destroy the "Witch's " body.

Albus controlled the Fireball's power, preventing the "Fog of War" from dissipating and causing Sallys's "Mirror Substitute" to shatter one by one.

Similarly, he controlled the frequency of the Fireball blasting into the small patch of fog, not giving Sallys even a chance to escape into the Mirror World.

Finally, Sallys's shadow froze, her beautiful and alluring body charred and disintegrating, falling to the ground in pieces.

With a thud, the black teardrop-shaped Forehead Ornament she had been wearing between her eyebrows fell onto a corpse.

Albus stopped maintaining the "Fog of War," looked at the dead Sallys, and chuckled mockingly, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, my composure just now was an act. I need to delay for five to six minutes until '0-01' resonates with my Ancestors to the limit, begins to awaken, and breaks free from the shackles of the Corpse Mountain Peak."

"Why are you in such a hurry? You're so anxious that you've forgotten that looking directly at '0-01' will cause Corruption, and you yourself are already Corruption to some extent."

"Remember, being too hasty or too slow are both major taboos in war."

When he mocked the dead, Albus didn't pick up the black teardrop-shaped forehead Forehead Ornament that clearly possessed extraordinary power, fearing it might trigger Negative Effect and affect subsequent events, especially since he was already quite weak.

At this moment, his hands and feet became weak, and running became difficult. He could only transform into Blazing White and blue Flame Spear once again and fly back to the vicinity of "0-01".

He glanced at Julie’s Contaminated Blood slowly falling from mid-air, estimating that it was only thirty or forty centimeters away from its target.

Albus then threw a ball of blue Fireball at Past, burning the pool of filthy blood and slowly evaporating and dissipating it without causing any further Change.

After closing his eyes and feeling the frequency and amplitude of the shaking and trembling of "0-01", Albus muttered to himself, "It seems to be progressing faster than expected. Two or three more minutes should be enough."

"Hehe, Sallys, I lied about something just now. In the end, '0-01' still couldn't break free on its own, and I needed to use the Medici Family blood to help it..."

"I didn't mock your Corpse just now because I had too much time. There were things I needed Lumian Lee to hear, so he'd overlook the part where I lied..."

Albus Medici turned to look at the Wilderness, then at Lumian, who had just completed a "Teleportation" to change his position and avoid being locked on. He laughed loudly and said, "You're quite alert. In such a tense situation, you didn't follow that idiot Sallys to observe the anomaly of '0-01'."

Lumian raised his hand, scratched his right ear, and uttered Lie that couldn't be more blatant:

"Excuse me, I was studying and didn't hear your conversation just now."

"Okay, I admit it, I was thinking Sallys would help me check the current situation of '0-01'."

Albus looked at the guy and said thoughtfully, "You're very calm. You probably don't have much physical fighting power left."

"And I, with the burden shared by my Ancestors, will surely last longer than you."

Lumian laughed, a confident and composed laugh, displaying the air of a highly educated student.

"Haven't you noticed anything else unusual here?"