Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 650 The Earl Has Disappeared! (5k4)

—The term "mad piety" was used to describe Hayek!
Based on Luo Xiu's intuition and after advancing to the "Seventh Destiny Path," he roughly knew that the upper limit of "Mad Devotion" could be transformed into "Mad Believer," which was the Sixth Destiny Path.

However, to maintain the state of "mad pious believer" stably, one can only maintain the "fivefold destiny" - to be honest, "mad piety" is already somewhat outdated at Luo Xiu's current level.

Luo Xiu intends to find a more advanced method of transformation for "mad piety," but for now, he must first refer to the results of Hayek's transformation.

The transformation being performed on Hayek was an experiment—but even Luo Xiu wasn't entirely confident. This time, he poured an unprecedented amount of spiritual energy into his right hand, then into Hayek's body, while repeatedly chanting the prayer of "mad piety."

"Abandon the supreme and follow me..."

"Take refuge in the Holy Abyss, and serve me as your Lord!"

"..."

……

"—Uh..."

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!"

Hayek let out a bloodcurdling scream, as agonizing as a pig being slaughtered.

The "Lord of the Holy Abyss" placed his palm on his head, and the strange prayers he kept chanting, the deep voice like molten lead, poured into his mind—this was Hayek's most direct feeling. But soon, this feeling also began to fade and disappear as his consciousness became drowsy.

——【Holy Abyss】!
The hazy, ring-shaped runes, their edges scorched by a deep, eerie fire, became increasingly clear in Hayek's mind as his consciousness faded.

He felt his thoughts drawn to something inexplicably sweet and fragrant, and at the end of that was the silhouette of the "Lord of the Holy Abyss"!

In his vision, Hayek saw the "Lord of the Holy Abyss" turn around. He gently removed the black mask, and his face was shrouded in a chaotic mist, but a smile appeared on his lips—a gentle, friendly smile. He reached out his hand to Hayek.

"..."

Hayek was stunned.

In his hazy state of consciousness, he gradually felt that all his previous hostility and hatred towards "Sacred Abyss" and "Lord of Sacred Abyss" seemed to have faded away, and he inexplicably felt a sense of reverence and obedience towards the figure in front of him.

So Hayek reached out and gently grasped the hand that the "Lord of the Sacred Abyss" offered to him—

He wanted to follow and gain power and recognition from the "Lord of the Holy Abyss"—although this feeling was not strong, it was still there, and the hatred, anger, and loathing he felt at the beginning were gone.

……

As Luo Xiu chanted his "madly devout" prayer, the moment his spirit had already built a prison deep within Hayek's consciousness, Hayek's eyes rolled back, and he completely lost consciousness.

This is the end.

The transformation of Hayek into a “mad piety” is complete.

But it wasn't entirely successful—Luo Xiu, who was constantly monitoring Hayek's panel, had already seen a new state emerging within it.
—【The Mad Devotee (Unstable, Permanent)】!
This is the first time that such "unstable" [mad piety] has appeared!
Although Hayek's transformation was complete, ultimately, the situation Luo Xiu had anticipated still occurred—

The state of a "mad believer" is unstable, meaning it could break down or become ineffective at any time. This also means that Hayek is still uncontrollable, but as long as he can be stabilized for the time being, that's fine.

What truly "transformed" Hayek was not "mad piety" as the sole means, but merely a preliminary step, a means to temporarily "calm" him down.

"Intis".

Luo Xiu turned to Intis, who had been standing silently behind him, and said:
"Open the 'door'."

"I'm taking our guests to see Quesanx."

"..."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Index nodded. She took out a colorful, ring-shaped key and placed it on the ground. Then, she drew a dagger emitting a dangerous green light from behind her and gently cut open her palm—

Crimson blood slowly flowed from Indis's palm, dripping into the key in the ring, where it then rose upwards in a mottled mist.

The second time—Luo Xiu saw it again, the "gate" leading to the "authoritarian dragon realm" of Quesanx, the spiritual vortex.

"amber."

Luo Xiu looked at Amber, who was waiting to be called upon, and then pointed to Hayek, who had fallen into a coma, and said:
"Take him with you."

"..."

"--amber!"

The gray mist enveloped the golden deity, emanating excited tremors from its amber body. It floated towards Hayek, and the amber stone materialized into a large hand that grabbed Hayek, lifting him up like a chick.

Then, Luo Xiu stepped into the vortex gate.

Amber floated in as well, and together with Hayek, they disappeared from the hall and from the sight of the apostles.

……

Authoritarian Dragon Realm.

When Luo Xiu passed through the vortex gate and arrived here, his vision dimmed for a moment and then cleared again, revealing only patches of dark yellow color.

This is Quesanx's "Authoritative Dragon Domain". Since completing the transformation of "Lionheart" Pampas, Quesanx has remained here and has never left.

He needed to quickly recover the spiritual energy and spirit depleted from "transforming" the Pampas, and also to avoid attacks from the Familia of Helmond, the "Child of the Dragon God." Outside, Luo Xiu hadn't yet sensed the presence of Helmond's Familia, but it was always wise for Quesanx to be more cautious.

At this moment, Quesanx was in the very center of the domain—the colossal dragon that blotted out the sky stood there like a giant sculpture. When it realized that someone else had entered its domain, it gradually bent its long dragon neck, making a cracking sound like the earth splitting.

"……Roar."

[…Luo… um, there are new customers.]

In Luo Xiu's ears, he could already hear Quesanx's deep voice—

"You've finally arrived, Lord of the Sacred Abyss. Behind you, who is the person Amber brought?"

【…】

Quesanx had never seen Hayek's face, but he could sense the spiritual energy emanating from him, a spiritual surge that belonged to the "Supreme."

Therefore, when he first greeted Luo Xiu, he paused for a moment when pronouncing Luo Xiu's name. He then changed his address, still referring to Luo Xiu as "Lord of the Holy Abyss," which, although very uncomfortable, at least wouldn't arouse Hayek's suspicion.

But in reality, Hayek had already fainted. He couldn't sense anything—Luo Xiu had also temporarily sealed his senses with the art of the Abyss, so his spirituality couldn't even flow out of his body, let alone penetrate Quesanx's Dragon Domain, penetrate the Sacred Abyss, or reach the outside world.

Now—whatever you do next to Hayek is safe. Hayek is completely oblivious to it.

“No need to be so cautious, Quesanx.”

Luo Xiu removed the puppet mask and smiled at Quesanx, saying:
"Hayek Nolan - an Imperial Earl, a 'Guardian King', a 'Supreme' Sixfold Fate, a 'Slayer of Order'."

“You mentioned it before, didn’t you, Quesanx? To maximize your authority in [Authority], you need to successfully attempt to transform a Saint of the sixth level of [Supreme] destiny into [Authority]—Hayek is the best candidate I brought for you to try. Coincidentally, making him [Authority] will benefit me.”

"..."

"……roar?"

After hearing what Luo Xiu said, Quesanx's dragon eyes widened suddenly, a bright, flame-like light flashing across their surface. He opened his jaws and let out a low growl tinged with surprise—

"...You actually brought an 'Empire Earl'?"

"Won't this put you in danger, Luo Xiu? I know you're still stuck in Augustus City in the real world. Won't attacking an Imperial Count so quickly arouse the suspicion of the other 'Supremes'?"

【…】

...Quisanx was unaware that he had a complete alibi for Hayek's disappearance.

Luo Xiu thought to himself that Duke Hakkas had made too many enemies, and he should know that it was perfectly normal for Hayek to be targeted at any time—even the "himself" outside was still in the carriage at the moment. When Duke Hakkas discovered that Hayek was missing, he would indeed suspect him, but no clue would point to him!

"Maybe..."

Luo Xiu maintained a smile on his face. He didn't say anything more to Quesanx, only saying:

“I will handle the real-world issues; you don’t need to worry about them, Quesanx.”

"Hayek—how long would it take you to transform him into [authoritarianism]?"

"..."

"……Roar."

"...I don't know, Luo Xiu."

A thoughtful light appeared in Quesanx's eyes. After pondering for a moment, he slightly opened his dragon jaws and let out a low roar.

And then, Luo Xiu heard His voice again—

[Maybe...three days, maybe a week. I need to thoroughly sort out and harmonize his spirituality with mine and with 'authority' before I can proceed with the transformation. But that shouldn't take too long; I'll let you know when there's good progress.]

"Ah."

Luo Xiu nodded.

Since Quesanx had said that, Luo Xiu decided not to bother him any further. He had already decided to return to Quesanx's side in three days to check on Hayek's condition. That meant that in the next three days or even a week, he only needed to prepare for the series of actions to take after Duke Harkas discovered Hayek's disappearance... Luo Xiu thought to himself. Now that he knew part of Harkas's plan, it wouldn't be too difficult.

"amber."

Luo Xiu had already turned around and was walking towards the vortex gate leading away from the authoritarian domain. At the same time, he looked at the golden deity shrouded in gray mist and said to Amber:

“You stay here. The authority of ‘illusion’ can build a high wall of illusion in Hayek’s perception. Until he is completely transformed, you are his prison.”

"Do you understand what I mean, Amber?"

"--amber!"

Amber, the "Creator of All Things," emitted a thrilling tremor from its amber-like divine body.

As Luo Xiu had said, Amber would remain in the Authoritarian Dragon Domain to assist Quesanx in transforming Hayek. Luo Xiu then stepped towards the vortex gate, passing through it and leaving the area.

……

real world.

On the road leading to the outer ring city on the outskirts of Augustus, the capital of the Nolan Empire.

A magnificent carriage adorned with the motif of Austin Estate was moving forward, accompanied by the creaking of its wheels.

Inside the carriage, Luo Xiu, who had been resting with his eyes slightly closed, opened them again.

The "real illusion" has been retrieved. After returning from the Holy Abyss, he "woke up" again in the carriage, his hand naturally pulling open the curtain and his gaze looking outside.

He saw the streetlights along the side of the road, their lights flickering intermittently. At the end of the road, where the carriage was traveling, a cluster of bright, star-like lights appeared—the carriage was now very close to the outer city of the capital.

About half an hour has passed since I dealt with the assassination attempt against me by "Snake's Candle" and "Mutual Aid Society." This means the assassination attempt likely occurred in the outskirts of the city, about thirty miles away…

"..."

Luo Xiu's thoughts wandered as he pondered these things.

"How much longer?"

He then spoke, his voice gentle and calm, and asked the driver.

"..."

"oh oh!"

The waiter was initially dazed, seemingly still immersed in his previous experience, but then he heard Luo Xiu calling him, asking him twice, before he suddenly snapped out of his daze and hurriedly replied:

"It's not far now, it's not far now!"

“This is the eastern suburbs… How did we end up there? But… look, guest, that golden statue in the distance, the ‘Statue of Saint Augustus,’ means we’ll be entering the city soon!”

"We'll be back at Austin Manor in about twenty minutes. On behalf of the manor, I apologize for this situation. We will investigate thoroughly and provide you with better service and the compensation you deserve!"

"..."

As the waiter spoke, Luo Xiu remained smiling. After exchanging a few more words with the waiter, he drew the carriage curtain again and closed his eyes to rest in the carriage.

He was indeed quite tired. While thinking about what had happened tonight, he also thought that after returning to Austin Manor, he should get a good night's rest before the enemy's new wave of attacks against him began.

……

early morning.

In the Imperial Prince's Residence—the mansion belonging to Duke Harkas, the "Red-Crowned Prince"—the old duke paced anxiously back and forth in the courtyard of his residence.

Even if the operation launched by the Mutual Aid Society against that young "cardinal" couldn't completely eliminate him tonight, if it was just a test, news should have come back long ago!
"..."

Just as Duke Harkas was waiting anxiously, suddenly, the shadow behind him began to wriggle.

A somber spiritual energy surged forth with the writhing of the shadow, which Duke Harkas immediately sensed. He turned and looked in the direction where no one was present.

"Success?"

He asked anxiously, but the voice in the shadows only sighed somewhat somberly.

"...You've given us too little information...old friend."

The voice from the shadows reached Duke Harkas's ears—

“That’s not just any ordinary ‘cardinal’… I instigated the Soul-Stealing Apostles of the ‘Serpent’s Candle’ secret order, and the result was…”

"What's the result?"

Duke Harkas's voice grew increasingly anxious, and he gradually lost patience.

“In just three minutes, two ‘Soul Reaper’ died, and many more… Saints who could have died more meaningfully also died.”

The voice from the shadows ceased its sneer and deepened. Duke Harkas rarely heard this top assassin of the "Mutual Aid Society" speak with such seriousness.

"That cardinal first discovered the illusion created by the 'Serpent's Candle,' and somehow managed to seize control of the illusion, causing a Soul-Stealing Apostle to fall into its backlash and eventually dispel it."

"Even you don't know what methods that cardinal used?"

Hakkas's voice also became low, and his face was frighteningly cold. The voice from the shadows made Hakkas finally feel the danger as if a dagger was pressed against his back.

"Um, I don't know."

The voice from the shadows remained silent for a long time before continuing:

“Old friend… I don’t recommend you provoke that cardinal again… Perhaps this time, he will only think it was an ambush by cultists. The reason I involved the cultists of ‘Serpent’s Candle’ was to guide that intuition…”

"At least this time, the failure of the operation won't implicate you or me. But next time is another story, Hakkas..."

"..."

Duke Harkas did not respond immediately to the voice from the shadows. He simply stood there, his face expressionless, lost in thought, pondering what the leader of the "Mutual Aid Society" had told him.

Perhaps... my suspicion of that cardinal was just suspicion? According to the report from the man who was sent to monitor him, the cardinal did indeed enter the Royal Opera House and watch the entire premiere of the opera "Triumphal March," and then came out of the theater alone.

He really didn't go anywhere... After that, the "Mutual Aid Society" had "Snake Candle" take over the consciousness of the carriage and take the cardinal to a remote, sparsely populated suburb, where they launched an operation against the cardinal, but the operation ultimately failed.

So far, it's clear that there's nothing unusual about the cardinal...

"..."

"...Perhaps you are right."

"Duke Harkas," he said in a somewhat hoarse, low voice.

"I'll consider it..."

—Clang! Clang! Clang!

Suddenly, a rapid knocking on the wrought iron gate echoed in the courtyard, interrupting Duke Harkas's words.

The Duke's face showed a hint of annoyance. He hated it—he hated it when someone interrupted him while he was speaking, especially when that person was his subordinate rather than his colleague.

The shadow behind him twitched. After the third person arrived, the leader of the "Mutual Aid Society" left, not wanting to be discovered by others.

Duke Harkas walked toward the gate and saw a throne knight who looked flustered and wasn't even wearing a helmet.

That was Hayek's Throne Knight; normally, he should be escorting Hayek to the Auston Duchy at this moment.

"...!"

Having vaguely guessed what was going on, Hakkas's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could even vent his anger on the throne knight, Duke Hakkas directly asked him:

"What happened?"

"..."

"Duke...cough cough...Your Duke, finally...finally...cough cough cough!"

The Throne Knight had clearly run there, and was now panting heavily.

He can't even speak a complete sentence properly; it's all broken and disjointed.

But what he said next struck Duke Harkas like a heavy blow—

"Count...cough cough...Hayek...cough cough...Count Hayek, my lord!"

"Count Hayek..."

"—Count Hayek has gone missing!"

……

(End of this chapter)