World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 275 The Failure of Leviathan
"This is... ancient Mesopotamian magic?"

The countess, drawn into the Hittite ritual pit, suddenly narrowed her eyes and instinctively screamed.

"Source level?! That's impossible! How could there be—who exactly are you! Canaan... could it be that [Xi Yong] hasn't given up on the ruins on this side of the Southern Continent yet?!"

It's another "ruins".

Lin An narrowed his eyes. If he weren't afraid of causing any unforeseen complications, he would have really wanted to question these aristocratic families about what they had been up to lately.

To deal with the Mythical-level creature with high radiation levels, Lin An decided to ambush her and lure her to her destination, then strike her deadly to prevent the Countess from using the various methods in the "Great Magic Codex" to harm him and the Lion Tribe.

Moreover, witnessing it firsthand revealed that she was actually the medium for the "Emperor of War".

Thanks to Atticus's warning, the Countess was forced to change her plans and decided to secretly negotiate with the Rangers.

Once she leads the Red Poppy Merchant Guild's troops stationed in Mbanbuka in a large-scale, carpet-searching campaign and a massive attack on the rainforest, Lin An will find it difficult to suppress her offensive while protecting the Lion Tribe.

Impersonating Kevin in the communications, Lin An misled the Countess, making her believe that the "Forest Ranger" intended to cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce.

With the help of various factors, the Countess, based on the location of the "Starry Moment," rowed a rubber boat to the appointment alone, but the latter launched a swift attack as soon as they met.

Caught off guard and somewhat underestimating her opponent, the countess only had time to recite the summoning incantation from the first volume of the Great Grimoire before her soul plunged into the bottomless abyss of the Nine Pitfalls of the Sun Goddess.

Even so, a pair of eyes in the shadows remained half-closed, and a crimson light emanated from another evil spirit realm, looking toward the location that had summoned Him.

The red dragon coiled over the Kuba River, casting bizarre and fantastical shadows.

Even though Lin An acted quickly, the Countess still managed to cast a summoning spell once.

Flowing through the thick fog of the rainforest, a pair of ruby ​​vertical pupils shone from the depths of the shadows, meeting Lin An's gaze five meters above the ground. Its head and body were blurred by the fog, and only the vague gray outline of a western dragon could be seen.

My heart pounded in my chest, fear hissed in my veins, and then turned into a sharp, incessant laugh in my ears.

Even the slightest trace of His aura made Lin An feel unwell all over.

Demon, Great Red Dragon.

The word alludes to Lucifer in the Old Testament, who once fought the archangel in the form of a dragon. The most widespread and infamous summoning spell in The Great Grimoire is to establish a connection between the user and this lord of hell. In the reprint, the name was changed to Red Dragon.

Although not the real body, the chaotic, beautiful, and evil demonic phantom seemed to see right through Lin An. Its gaze was like a flame leaving a mark on steel, and seductive whispers came one after another, drilling into his mind as if they were real.

The Countess herself was enveloped in the contract triangle, the Mortier Stone glittering, and the hazy fragrance of two candles dispelled the threat from the demon, whose only target was Lin An.

Fortunately, the red dragon's enormous body had not yet appeared in reality, and the ethereal aura was rapidly rising. The demon's bloody scent changed from sweet to cold, like a chilling draft.

The Hercules ritual has proven its power.

"what!"

The countess let out a heart-wrenching scream, which mingled with the rumbling sound of the rushing Kuba River.

The contract triangle and the protective circular array grew brighter and brighter, almost making her body invisible.

Lin An squinted one eye, staring intently at the distorted figures on the rubber boat.

The unfortunate boatman was caught in the energy wave emanating from the Countess's impact staff as the two mysterious figures were fighting. He fell into the water with a splash, his body stained with blood. After a long while, his body floated to the surface and drifted downstream.

Therefore, only the Countess's shadow was visible at the center of the magic circle.

She struggled for a few moments before kneeling down in a hermit-like posture, her hands gripping the 1.2-meter-long impact staff tightly. Thorns pierced her skin, and blood gushed out.

do you died?
Once the countess, who is the summoner, dies, the demon that is the summoned creature, no matter how unwilling it is, will dissipate, after all, it is just a phantom of the "Commons" energy.

Is it really that simple?

Lin An stared at the lingering demon, and the red dragon, as if it had a mind of its own, gave him a meaningful smile.

Countess Mariette van Hofwegen was the most core member of the aristocratic family Lin An had ever encountered besides Doris. Unlike the former, the countess was closely connected with her family, and time was the best catalyst for her to become stronger.

"God, have mercy on me!"

These words, faintly heard, drifted into Lin An's ears on the rainforest wind, setting off alarm bells in his heart.

The Hittite ritual clearly showed no signs of failure or collapse, but why did I have this ominous feeling?

Unable to see clearly with the naked eye, Lin An's consciousness sank into the "One Eye of God," aiming it at the location of the Countess, taking in the flow of energy in all things.

A blazing, unassailable light suddenly ignited, striking the Countess's heart squarely and relentlessly engulfing her bit by bit.

This is... a deliberate act of self-immolation before the sun goddess led her into the underworld?
They were like fanatics from the Dark Ages!
What does she want to do?
The demon was still observing, devoid of curiosity or worry, arrogant, conceited, and condescending.

The Tree of Destiny swayed slightly, eliminating another irreversible possibility.

The One Eye of God took in the trajectory of "Comers'" movements. He saw an energy emanating from him that was completely different from the energy of summoning demons, clearly outlining a perfect body. His face was peaceful and his posture was calm. He stretched out a hand to cover the Countess's head.

She knelt on the ground, seemingly oblivious to the passing of life, unmoved.

Lin An couldn't see the other person's face clearly, so he could only describe him as "bright and holy".

He had only seen this intense "radiance" in one person, or rather, in one spiritual creation.

Jericho used the entire St. Anilof Foundation to create the Primal Man, Adam Cadmon.

The phantom of the gods is projected onto the aura of the material world...

Lin An used to get a splitting headache and a throbbing head just from looking at this thing. Now, as the integration with the "Lady with the Lamp" has increased, although he still feels dizzy, he can still open his eyes wide and prick up his ears despite the dizziness.

Please save me from death!

The countess kissed Lingguang's toes reverently and hugged his thighs.

A damp wind howled through the air, and a pure and holy song echoed in the clear, light pink sky, like a beam of God's light cast down from the white clouds.

The nightingale unfolds a scene from its song.
And so, a rose is lifted up.
Finally, it was able to break free of its restraints.

Enjoying the breeze and drinking heartily with joy.

Behold, it is already bathed in the radiance of new life.

The shimmering light of dawn surrounded its journey;
Look at it, carried by the updraft.

How enchanting and alluring it is, inlaid with such exquisite beauty. It has already risen into the sky, free and unrestrained, needing no support.
Swaying to the rhythm of the nightingale's song,
—Raise it up, vibrato singer, soaring higher—

Brilliant and splendid, the roses are rising.

Those who ascend to Heaven cannot see: Those with numerous disciples

In the flower-filled monastery, it is reborn.

Rise!

At the end of the song, a word resembling Kevin's "Agra Angel Amulet" emerges, and the primal concept of the "Lady with the Lamp" engulfs the Countess.

Unable to stop the anomaly, Lin An could only witness the end of the Hittite ritual. The Sun Goddess clasped her hands together, declaring that the sacrifice was dead. The gods in the nine pits had not yet received the souls they were entitled to, and they looked out at the outside world through the bird corpses with a puzzled expression.

It turns out that the Countess escaped the punishment of the underworld by elevating her soul, and forcibly remained in the real world like the "vengeful spirit" mentioned in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio or "Bansi" in the legend of Erlan.

"Crash..."

The rubber boat drifted downstream, but after a few swells and falls, it was swallowed by the Kuba River. Rising from the wreckage and corpses was the translucent figure of Count Mariette van Hofwegen.

At this moment, she had no fixed physical body; only her blurry spiritual face revealed that she was furious, her features twisted and ferocious with rage.

"I will make you pay for this attack, Ranger!" she roared. "Wait until I return from the dead! Wait until I return from the flames of the Lord of Hell!"

"Hahaha, hahahaha!"

The red dragon's laughter was clear and loud, its echo reverberating throughout the rainforest, proclaiming the survival of its summoner.

As expected, members of powerful families are not so easily killed...

Moreover, those at the Mythical level and above generally possess the means of "resurrection." As long as they escape Lin An's mystical magic, the Countess can use the power from the first volume of "The Great Magic Codex" or "The Secret of the Art of Magic" to return to the mortal world once again.

The worst-case scenario has come true.

It seems I must get close to the Countess, find the special mysterious item she possesses, and then use the [gesture of communicating with the gods] to extract the "Lady with the Lamp" from it, thus nullifying the "Comers" concept within it.

Otherwise, no matter how many times she is killed, Mariette can escape death by "ascending" and being resurrected.

Lin An appeared calm on the surface, but his teeth were clenched tightly.

Countless ideas flashed through his mind, attempting to take advantage of the countess's weakness to deliver another blow, but all of them were rejected by the system.

"This target does not exist. Should we move to a new target?"

The system's reasoning was the same as when it targeted Zay: the entries in the Mysterious Encyclopedia couldn't penetrate the boundary between life and death to pinpoint the Countess, who was stuck between the "living" and the "dead."

Lin An tentatively activated [God's One Eye], but unfortunately, this catastrophic item was already at its limit in allowing Zai to reveal part of his true form, and it couldn't affect the mythical-level Mariette.

Noticing the gaze fixed on her eyes, the countess paused almost imperceptibly, abruptly snapping out of her emotional reverie. She gripped her baton and, like a conductor, drew a distinctive symbol in the air.

Like the Philosopher's Stone, this item is pure "Comer's" energy, which can be controlled even without a physical body.

"It's my turn to retaliate, Ranger." The Countess's cold words suppressed her murderous intent, like the gloomy sky before a storm. "Or should I call you—a fanatical believer from the earthly kingdom of gods?"

The kingdom of God on earth?

She mistook me for someone from [Xi Yong]. Lin An thought to himself.

The command, symbolized as a line of demonic script, made the long-awaited red dragon laugh heartily. Its massive body enveloped Lin An, casting an omnipresent shadow.

"System, search for solutions to counter 'Red Dragon Lucifer'!"

"Based on the entry 'The Complete Book of Magic, Volume One,' a solution that meets the requirements has been found—"

"and many more."

Lin An had hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the Countess's mysterious prototype through the battle, but after giving the red dragon the "attack" command, she turned and left without hesitation.

She is running away!
"Countess Mariette van Hofwegen!"

This reaction was within Lin An's expectations. He immediately took out a talisman engraved with a strange incantation from his pocket, injected it with two "prophet" mediums, and threw it forward.

The Agra guardian angel, shield in hand, took a step forward, its twelve pairs of wings protecting Lin An's figure. A sweet song drifted out, fading away the demon's malicious laughter, and a holy radiance illuminated everything around it.

The red dragon, emitting intense heat and the smell of sulfur, shifted its target and charged towards Agra's shield. The shield was raised, resembling a mural on a church dome, depicting a battle between heaven and hell, as if they were locked in fire and water.

"How did you get this amulet?!"

The countess's expression changed drastically the moment she saw the angel Agra, her angry tone tinged with genuine fear.

"Not only that, I also have this."

Lin An turned the Philosopher's Stone, and Kevin's mental portrait flashed and disappeared, revealing the bloody truth to her. The Countess immediately flew back anxiously, but dared not get too close to Lin An, and could only curse him angrily from a distance.

"Forest ranger, you despicable scoundrel!"

"You plan to pass my information to the guild's master, right? But during your operation, I will destroy the last trace of your son's life," Lin An said expressionlessly.

"You—" The countess's eyes widened in fury, her emotions surging, and for a moment her words became incoherent, "Don't touch him! Ranger! I command you not to!"

“Listen, your son’s life depends on your next move.” Lin An weighed the Philosopher’s Stone in his hand, the Countess’s gaze following it up and down. “Promise me one thing.”

“Demands?” the countess exclaimed, “You’ve created such a chasm between me and my son, and I haven’t even asked you to compensate me!”

"Do you want his soul back or not?"

"..."

The countess's expression wavered. As time passed, the red dragon in the rainforest gradually stopped attacking the Agra angel, and the demon's phantom took a step back, indirectly foreshadowing her compromise.

"Ugh."

The countess sighed deeply, her words clearly indicating that she agreed to Lin An's conditions.

“I need to know the truth about those ‘ruins’ you speak of,” Lin An stared intently into her eyes, “and what exactly is this so-called ‘Agnya’ technology?”

(End of this chapter)