867 Exerting Influence

The man known as Mr. Sage used a brush made of bone and hair, dipped it into the paint made from flesh and blood, and painstakingly applied it to the depths of the blood-red circles.

Perle's ethereal voice sounded once again.

"This is an outstanding painting representing the endless cosmos. Once completed, it will allow two great beings to transmit a bit of Their power into the barrier. Although this cannot be used for targeted attacks or corruption, it can exert more universal influence according to predetermined rules..."

Before Perle could finish speaking, Mr. Sage, with his long hair and vacant eyes, finally pressed the human hair and bone brush onto the predetermined spot.

His right side suddenly melted like a candle, with flesh flowing towards the brush, racing into the depths of the blood-red circles. lt seemed as though it really connected to the endless cosmos, where no matter how much flesh accumulated, it eventually vanished.

Mr. Sage, left with only half a body and half a head, still had not died. He caught the falling brush with his left hand.

On the oil painting, a pin-sized dot appeared in the depths of the blood-red circles.

It was dark, as if a sound was emanating from it.

Perle's face in the white mist announced the results of the trade with the Words of Order, "The great Inextinguishable Ravings has transmitted the First Philosophy, allowing the Immortal Voice to penetrate the barrier in small amounts. These will be received by all who can hear unknown and mystical voices. The higher the Sequence, the greater the impact!

"And some faithful followers of the First Philosophy will, after the vortex ritual is truly over, approach the remnants of the Knowledge Moor in Fourth Epoch Trier with the help of the Mirror People..."

...

Trier, at the real residence of Professor and Associate Professor.

Just recovering from the sudden burst of brilliant light and barely able to see their surroundings, Professor and Associate Professor were worried about the current anomalies. They discussed whether to take the children to the small sacrificial square in the underground catacombs, their expressions changing.

Instinctively, they raised their hands to cover their ears, but their facial muscles still twisted, and the veins on their temples bulged and throbbed.

They heard an indescribable strange sound, causing both physical and mental anguish.

In their pain, Professor and Associate Professor exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

This wasn't the voice of the Hidden Sage!

This was an unprecedented situation for Professor and Associate Professor.

Although they occasionally discovered some mysterious sounds while researching Warlock spells and exploring certain special scenarios, aside from the indoctrination by the Hidden Sage, they had never encountered such unannounced sounds. Moreover, even without carefully distinguishing the content of the sounds, they suffered severe effects.

Fortunately, compared to the indoctrination of the Hidden Sage, this seemed more bearable and did not push them to the brink of losing control.

Most Beyonders of the Mystery Pryer pathway, upon hearing these mysterious terrifying sounds, witnessed a phantom light composed of complex information writhing madly like a shedding giant snake in an unknown place.

...

In the basement of the house where the Psychic magazine was located.

Mr. K, wearing a black robe and hood, suddenly stood up from the red-backed chair.

The veins on the back of his exposed hands had turned black, writhing like insects.

"No, no..." Mr. K muttered in pain, "It's not the Lord's voice!"

He suddenly shouted, pulling off his hood and sticking his fingers into his ears.

Mr. K's face had completely twisted, making his original appearance unrecognizable. He continually muttered in a voice filled with more mental agony than physical pain: "It's not the Lord's voice! It's not the Lord's voice!"

Amidst the grating sound, Mr. K used both hands to tear off his ears, the ripped flesh grotesque and terrifying.

It wasn't enough!

Mr. K forcefully inserted his fingers into his ear canals, puncturing his eardrums and clogging his ear passages.

Yet, he still heard the sound.

He prostrated, lying on the ground, and tearfully repented to his Lord.

As he repented, he vomited clumps of blood-stained organs.

Similar to Mr. K, some Angels, Saints, and Oracles of the Aurora Order also suffered intense and painful effects, making it difficult to follow the Lord's commands to stop something.

...

In the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

A majestic mountain range was surrounded by strange light, with dense darkness at its core.

At the edge of the light, various twisted shadows continued to form, rushing madly like moths into the darkness at the center.

The darkness occasionally split open, revealing a gaze from behind the veil.

...

On the bloody altar in the ancient castle, Mr. Sage pressed the human hair and bone brush into a pile of silver-black bone powder made from some unknown substance.

The painter, now only half a body and half a head, twisted the brush forcefully, then raised it, aiming it at the last unfinished part of the "Endless Cosmos" oil painting.

As the brush fell, Mr. Sage's remaining half-body and half-head also began to melt like a candle.

Soon, the brush, carrying the painter, completed the silver-black ring.

Almost simultaneously, the ring became ethereal, as if scratched, and seemed to merge into the air.

Three faint figures appeared on the silver-black ring, constantly changing positions as if eternally chasing each other.

The "Endless Cosmos" oil painting was completed, but Mr. Sage would never see this work.

Overseer Perle's voice sounded once more: "The great Circle of Inevitability has gazed upon this. All external forces attempting to interfere with Project Vortex will inevitably fail, except for the participants themselves."

...

Above the blue sea, in the sky where the strong light had driven away the white clouds.

Madam Magician, dressed in a women's shirt and brown ankle-length skirt, appeared with Miss Justice and Ma'am Hermit.

The latter not only wore her usual glasses but also had layers of dazzling starlight covering her ears.

When the mysterious, terrifying, and unknown sound appeared earlier, Madam Magician had sealed Ma'am Hermit's listening abilities in both the literal and mystical senses.

Although this could not completely isolate the sound's influence, it significantly reduced its effect, allowing Ma'am Hermit to perform basic actions and Warlock spells.

Gazing at the blue sea below, Madam Magician frowned slightly and said, "I clearly pinpointed the island where the Emperor slumbers.

"This is the third failure, a failed wandering...

"Inevitable failure?"

Only Miss Justice, wearing a white dress with golden patterns, could hear The Magician's voice.

Miss Justice was about to relay the question to Ma'am Hermit through mental communication when The Hermit, dressed in a patterned purple robe, foresaw a certain scene.

Enduring the pain, The Hermit used Fairytale Magic to create a brightly colored, somewhat unrealistic ball of yarn in her palm.

Ma'am Hermit threw the yarn forward, watching it roll into the void, leaving only a thread in the air to guide the direction.

In the blink of an eye, the ethereal yarn rolled back from the void to Ma'am Hermit's feet.

...

In Trier, the villa where several members of the Rose School were hiding was enveloped in holy and pure light, forming a slowly shaping golden sun.

There was no shadow or darkness here.

Angoulme de Francois and his team were awakened by Saint Vive's attack on the villa.

They immediately received Saint Plessy's order to evacuate the area.

But before they could turn around, they were nearly blinded by the brilliant light exploding from above, their bodies and minds in shock.

When the light subsided, they recovered and ran frantically towards the street away from the villa.

Angoulme was most grateful that the surrounding residents had already been evacuated.

After running for a while, his vision blurred, and his thoughts became hazy.

He found himself and his team back where they had been standing, affecting Saint Vive's performance.

...

In Trier, high above the city.

Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Star, and Mr. Moon's figures quickly appeared.

"We can't find Seven of Wands and Two of Cups, or rather, we can't reach the safe house they're hiding in," said Mr. Hanged Man, dressed as a captain and riding a storm. He quickly understood the situation and spoke to Mr. Star, wearing a white shirt, black coat, and red gloves, and Mr. Moon, dressed in a tailcoat.

Mr. Moon, with his handsome face, crimson eyes, and large bat wings gently flapping behind him, did not respond.

He turned his head, looking towards a place in the plaza district where bright light had erupted, and murmured in confusion, "The Ancestor's summoning?"

Mr. Star, with an elderly voice, said, "It's the influence of the power of Inevitability."

"Yes," said the Madam Judgment in knight's training clothes, emerging from the void. "I sensed the calls of Two of Cups and Seven of Cups, but I can't descend to them."

Mr. Star continued in his elderly voice, "There are only two ways to solve this problem. One is to find the medium allowing the power of Inevitability to seep through and destroy it. The other is to discover flaws in the operation of Inevitability's power and use them to escape the predicament. Of course, this all assumes that the being named Inevitability is only exerting a slight influence through a medium and has not descended into our world."

"Find the medium..." Madam Judgment murmured, then said, "I'll ask Will for help!"

As she spoke, a diamond on her gemstone bracelet lit up with pure light.

At the same time, worms made of intertwined transparent and opaque segments, seemingly ringed, crawled out of Mr. Star's eye sockets, ears, and nostrils.