After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 82.1

The young man fell silent for a moment, his gaze turning towards the western part of the Imperial City. He muttered to himself. “Father…”

Only His father could use His power and have such a close connection with Him.

But where was His father?

The connections between the points seemed to be blurred by some force, making it difficult to even pinpoint a direction.

Who had hidden His father?

The young man had a gentle demeanor and appeared very kind and approachable. However, something seemed to cross his mind, and his eyes suddenly darkened, revealing a hint of danger.

The pigeons around Him had never seen Him like this before. Frightened, they flew about cooing in chaos, nearly causing a rain of feathers in the park.

Passing citizens looked on in astonishment.

“What’s happening?”

“I don’t know, but there are way too many pigeons in this park. Wow, they’re so fat! Bigger than my head! How did they get so big?”

“Forget about the pigeons. There’s a wandering poet telling stories up ahead. Let’s hurry!”

A couple rushed past quickly, but others were even faster, already gathering around the wandering poet.

The crowd was noisy, not much different from the birds, chattering and buzzing.

The couple thought they had missed their chance to hear the story, but just as they turned to leave, music began to play behind them.

Then, a clear and bright singing voice drifted through the air.

Wandering poets, formerly known as minstrels, carried instruments with them, made their home wherever they went, and sang praises of heroes everywhere.

There were two explanations for why they later changed from “minstrels” to “wandering poets”. One said that they were too noisy, disturbing the peace everywhere with their poetry and music, so several major countries had passed laws restricting their activities. They reflected on this and changed from “minstrels” to “wandering poets” to show that they were no longer noisy or disruptive, and only wanted to be as quiet as a floating cloud.

The second explanation was that they felt the term “minstrel” was too straightforward and not poetic enough. “Wandering poet” was like a cloud floating in the sky, which perfectly matched their situation and was more poetic. However, the “disturbing the peace” part remained unchanged.

The couple who had been about to leave found themselves deeply drawn in by the music, as if intoxicated.

The melody, both beautiful and full of rational beauty, seemed to elevate their spirits, transporting them into a passionate and stirring time and space.

“It’s so beautiful!” they exclaimed in unison, full of admiration.

Seeing the fascinated and adoring looks from the crowd, the old man smiled faintly.

He had studied his craft for so many years, all to compete with the top-ranked wandering poet!

The old man was feeling excited inside when suddenly, a thunderclap erupted in the sky.

The flash of lightning almost illuminated the entire Imperial City.

The following thunder was deafening, frightening everyone.

****

Meanwhile, in another place.

Inside the bedroom, Xiu Si held his breath and concentrated, raising his magical sight to a level he had never reached before.

At this moment, the mysterious curse revealed its incredibly complex structure to him layer by layer.

It was as if he had used his mental power to unravel it piece by piece.

But instead of becoming simpler, it grew increasingly complex, turning into a structure he could barely comprehend.

He had never seen anything so complicated before, somewhat reminiscent of protein structure diagrams in biology. Forget understanding it, even finishing looking at it was a matter of time, let alone remembering and analyzing it.

Although the old magicians of the Roman Kingdom had already analyzed it, it still posed a great challenge for him.

It was like asking him to dismantle an enormous building all by himself. Even if given the building’s structural plans, the amount of work required to dismantle it was visibly immense, not to mention the mental energy it would consume. More importantly, could the dying Duke Luo Ke in front of him endure it?

Xiu Si’s palms were clammy with cold sweat. He thought to himself that expectations were indeed just expectations, while practice was always complex and full of variables.

He felt like an intern doctor standing before an operating table, facing a patient with an extremely difficult and complex condition, hanging by a thread. Forget about surgery, even the slightest movement could potentially kill the patient.

Never before in his life had he experienced such a situation. Being weak, he had never had the power to determine someone else’s life or death, nor could he change it.

At times like these, what would his friend Justin do? As a healer, had Justin ever faced such a dilemma? How did he think about it, and how did he resolve it?

If Justin were here, perhaps the problem could be solved. However, he couldn’t reach Justin, and there was no other way now.

As Xiu Si was deep in thought, the old magician from outside walked in.

Behind Xiu Si, the two cats, one on each side, simultaneously raised their eyes to look at the human who entered. Their low gaze swept like lasers, making those who noticed Them feel a chill down their spine, wondering why there were cats here.

The lead old magician approached Xiu Si and asked, “Mr. Yi Xiusi, have you agreed?”

Xiu Si turned around and honestly replied, “I agree, but I might not be able to save him.”

The old magician shook his head and said, “Life and death are beyond our control. No one can make guarantees. If it fails, it won’t be Mr. Yi Xiusi’s fault.”

Xiu Si felt a chill in his heart. In fact, it was their attitude that made it impossible for him to refuse.

Regardless, should one always do what they can within their abilities?

He lowered his gaze to look at Duke Luo Ke, who was still clinging to life, thinking that the person in the most difficult situation was persevering, so what was he hesitating about?

He had to take that step eventually.

Xiu Si emphasized to himself, as if using words of power to build up his confidence and strengthen his belief.

He didn’t know that at the same time, the young man in the park was startled again. Magic power, like a gentle stream, silently covered the park and even the entire Imperial City.

“I understand now.”

Xiu Si’s eyes were resolute, filled only with seriousness and the gravity of facing a challenge.

He said to the old magicians, “Please set up a magic barrier.”

The old magicians nodded and took their positions at six different points.

Francis stepped back, giving them space.

The red cat anxiously asked Amon, “Aren’t we going to do anything?”

Amon replied, “Just watch.”

But Botis, beside Amon, couldn’t sit still.

Botis was restless, like a snake unable to contain itself. “At a time like this, I should be by Father’s side!”

As He spoke, He was about to run.

Amon immediately stood up and held Him back, emphasizing, “You’re the one who absolutely can’t go over there.”

Botis’s vertical pupils glowed coldly as He gritted His teeth and stared at Amon, but ultimately held back.

By the way, it wasn’t until now that Botis noticed a small white bird standing on Inpos’s head across from Him.

He was stunned for a moment, then greatly shocked.

****

In the room, the magicians quickly set up the magic formation.

Xiu Si took a closer look and saw that the enchanted super-grade magic stones were distributed unevenly in the void, like satellites orbiting a planet, revolving on their own and emitting light.

The main purpose of these arrangements was to suppress the curse, controlling it at the absolute limit where it couldn’t erupt. The principle was like forcibly compressing a solid into a plane, thus simplifying its structure and making it easier to solve.

But even so, they still needed strong mental power as support.

The source of the curse was a god. Humans needed to hone their mental power to above 95 to have the qualifications to confront a god’s spirit. Those below this level would suffer mental collapse from just a touch.

This was precisely why it had to be Xiu Si.

However, humans with mental power above 95 were extremely rare throughout human history, let alone in the real world.

After the setup was complete, they all stepped back, leaving space for Xiu Si.

They had intended to take the cats away as well to prevent them from getting hurt, but for some reason, after exchanging a glance, they obediently retreated.

The leading old magician, as the conductor of the magic, was covered in high-grade magic stones, with sufficient energy reserves.

“Mr. Yi Xiusi, we can begin now.”

Hearing this, Xiu Si nodded, showing no signs of nervousness. The greater the challenge, the calmer one could become.

Eliminating all distractions, he looked directly at it, seeing it clearly. He calmed down, his aura extremely subdued.

He was entirely unaware that in this state of intense focus, he seemed like a completely different person. His gaze exuded a divine dignity, as if he wasn’t merely observing, but examining.

Examining whether the structure of things was reasonable, whether the state of development was appropriate.

Or perhaps, whether it had deviated from what it should be, beyond reason, departing from logic, becoming an illogical entity.

The old magicians were focused on maintaining the magic formation, but were suddenly awed by the aura he emitted.

Francis’s pupils contracted slightly. While extremely nervous, he also felt shocked internally.

Mr. Yi Xiusi was indeed an extraordinary person…

Then, seeing the magic formation complete, Xiu Si unexpectedly extended both hands, palms down, moving slowly as if caressing the air. His long fingers, initially flat, began to move rhythmically like playing a piano.

His movements didn’t cause any magical reactions, appearing to just interact with the air.

Francis, however, widened his eyes, as if facing an unprecedented mystery. He couldn’t help but feel his hair stand on end, cold sweat dripping from his forehead to his throat.

Meanwhile, the red cat vigilantly watched their surroundings, eyeing each human in the room.

The little short-legged cat seemed somewhat entranced by the transfer of power, not paying much attention to the surroundings.

No one knew that as soon as the curse-breaking began, an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Xiu Si remained motionless, his gaze fixed on one spot, looking at who knows where, as if he wasn’t looking at a specific point in space, but at a deeper dimension.

The drain on mental power from this curse-breaking was undeniable.

Just delving deeply into it consumed most of one’s mental power.

Unlike physical strength, which could be temporarily and deceptively restored through potions, mental power was a force related to rationality. Behind strong mental power was strong rationality, and rationality was a sharp tool for breaking through illusions. Any deceptive methods would be like eggs hitting rocks.

Therefore, it could only be consumed in confrontation.

Francis had thought Mr. Yi Xiusi was just doing his best, but he never expected that the other’s efforts would completely exceed that.

Between doing one’s utmost and doing the impossible, Mr. Yi Xiusi was clearly the latter.

Francis’s thoughts were in disarray, feeling indescribably moved. His gaze turned to the sleeping Luo Ke.

Then, a few minutes later, a large amount of curse suddenly erupted from Duke Luo Ke’s body.

In the magicians’ eyes, countless dark formula structures exploded from Duke Luo Ke’s chest, bursting like fireworks, both brilliant and terrifying.

Francis immediately stood up straight, his face pale, his heart nearly jumping into his throat.

What was happening? He hurriedly looked towards the old magicians.

The old magicians were also at a loss, not daring to disturb but already questioning each other with their eyes. What was this situation? How did the curse suddenly erupt? Had it triggered the Otherworld God Number 002’s true form? Was Duke Luo Ke not the recipient of the curse, but the seed body of the curse?

Several possibilities flashed through their minds.

The leading old magician sensed something was wrong and decisively decided to abort the curse-breaking.

But it was too late. The magic formation suddenly slipped out of his control.

It lost control without warning!

If this continued, Mr. Yi Xiusi would be struck back by the curse, and a disaster would occur!

They panicked, but at that moment, Inpos, who was in the Aust Empire, narrowed His eyes. He seemed to extend a hand wearing five rings into the void, magical power flowing between His fingers like agile fish. With absolute magic power, He suppressed the curse from afar, forcefully taking control of the magic formation at the scene.

At the same time, He also controlled Francis and all the magicians in the room, freezing them in place as if time had stopped, unable to hear or see.

Beside Him, Botis couldn’t sit still. He tore open space with both hands, “Father needs my power now!”

“It’s not your turn, you pervert.”

Amon held Botis down, reminding Him, “Leave the magic to Inpos. He’s more professional.”

Botis choked, His eyes glowing coldly.

After Inpos took control of the magic formation at the scene, the curse was contained within the magic barrier.

The erupting curse was like a deep-sea monster, its curse markings like thick tentacles, still frantically attacking the magical barrier.

Clearly, the curse on Duke Luo Ke had intensified, far beyond the initial level of contamination, more than doubling in strength.

He hadn’t accidentally been cursed; he had been implanted with a curse.

Inpos stated bluntly, “This Duke Luo Ke must have come into contact with the blood or something of Otherworld God Number 002.”

Amon glanced at Francis and the magicians at the scene, saying, “They don’t know about this. This is most likely a trap set by the mastermind behind the scenes.”

Inpos grew a bit angry, glaring at Amon, “The mastermind has made a move, and we’re still just watching? I’ll break the curse. Morax, you take Father away from there.”

Morax was stunned.

Amon’s eyes were fierce, his fists clenched beneath his sleeves as he objected, “The curse-breaking must be resolved by Father. This is Father’s decision, and more importantly, Father’s will. We can’t interfere, or we’ll become obstacles to Father.”

“You…”

Inpos wanted to speak but stopped. Perhaps in some sense, His maturity was still not on par with Amon’s. But… He couldn’t just watch Father face danger.

Amon calmly said, “Father does what Father does, and we do what we do. Father is breaking the curse, and our task is to protect Father while He does so.”

Morax and Celerios at the scene could barely keep up with Their train of thought.

After consideration, Inpos agreed with Amon’s reasoning. Then, His gaze sharpened as He traced the source of the magic. Seconds later, He reached the subspace curse zone.

Otherworld God Number 002 had briefly possessed consciousness thousands of years ago, but was now known to be a god without consciousness.

Its form was inconstant, sometimes the sea, sometimes the air. Now, as seen before them, it was an endless torrential rain.

Inpos looked up, but there were no dark clouds above the downpour.

Typically, how does a rainstorm form? Water vapor rises to a certain height, cools and becomes water droplets, gradually condensing into clouds. When they become saturated enough and too heavy for the air to support, the droplets fall with gravity, forming what we call rain.

But this subspace didn’t follow such physical rules.

There were no clouds, no water vapor, just endless rain.

Looking closely, one would notice that the rain wasn’t falling “from above,” but came from all directions. No matter which way you tried to shield yourself, you’d get wet.

Here, there were none of the rules familiar to humans, only the rules of the curse.

Thousands of years ago, Otherworld God Number 002 had nearly descended upon the continent. The hero Wang Chang’er led the alliance against it, battling in subspace, and only managed to drive it back from the continent at a great cost.

It was said that Wang Chang’er had scattered its consciousness, leading to its current unconscious state.

Back then, They seemed to have watched that battle too. A few of Their siblings had secretly helped Wang Chang’er. They thought Wang Chang’er would be severely injured but not die. Later, something unknown happened, and when They looked back, Wang Chang’er had vanished. At the time, humans disappearing in subspace was common, so They didn’t think much of it. It was only when Wang Chang’er never returned that They realized something was amiss.

Inpos recalled this, suddenly feeling there was something strange about it.

Now, with His magic protecting Father, the curse wouldn’t erode him, but He needed to understand what this curse was about, and whether the mastermind behind it was in this space.

Amon suddenly asked Inpos, “How is it?”

Inpos frowned, “What do you mean ‘how is it’?”

Amon said, “Does Otherworld God Number 002 still appear to be unconscious?”

Inpos’s brow furrowed slightly. He thought, what does that mean? Isn’t He unconscious? However, just as Inpos was about to speak, his mind seemed to spark for a moment, and he instantly understood something.

Amon seemed to know what He was going to say and interrupted, “Don’t think too much about it yet. Can you handle Him?”

Inpos’s gaze shifted as he fell into deep thought.