CHAPTER 998: CHAPTER 191: THEY WANT WAR

The faint rustling sound accompanied the creeping silhouettes climbing up the edge and disappearing.

Amidst the uncontrollable moans of pain by his ear, Lu Li drew a sharp dagger, the blood flowing as he raised it. Through the grotesquely mangled flesh of his palm that couldn’t be closed, he glimpsed the distant rock wall strewn with rubble and lava.

Lu Li ripped his shirt, wrapping the torn strips around his palm one loop after another, tying it tightly before turning and stepping onto the staircase.

Knight Vino lay gasping on the cold stone steps, gritting his teeth as he tried to get up, but was pulled back by the heavy leg armor.

"Exorcist, you cannot leave...!"

He lifted his trembling, bloody hand while removing the leg armor and shouted upwards, but could only watch as the staggering figure climbed up the nearly crumbling stone steps and gradually moved away.

The tremors still reverberated at a fixed frequency from the depths, but they were no longer unstoppable. The still intact Spiral Hall remained as it was, bizarre shadows peeking from the crevices of the collapsing layers.

Disgusting, decaying, pus-dripping grotesque forms followed the scent of hunger and blood, drawing closer to Lu Li.

Boom—

The deafening roar made the grotesque beings believe another collapse was coming, driving them into hiding in the crevices. Pungent gunpowder smoke rose from the muzzle, and the abominable creature’s face exploded, dropping with a wretched roll.

Lu Li let his blood-stained hand hang down, his left hand reaching into his pocket, briefly fondling a wooden box and flicking it open with his thumb.

The eyeball inside the box wobbled with the tremor.

The creature with its face blown off did not die immediately, it still screamed shrilly, smoke spitting as it struggled.

Lu Li couldn’t shoot it again to end its pain, as the other bullets had been lost during the escape.

However, the creature’s plight made the lurking "Cleaners" dare not approach. Yet as the creature finally ceased its struggle, a faint flicker of humanity slipped into its body, and the circling grotesques once more quietly drew near Lu Li—then retreated again.

A tall silhouette emerged a few steps above Lu Li.

"Bring all the believers here," Lu Li said to Merchant Anthony.

It departed as quietly as it came.

The enigmatic merchant made these cowardly, greedy grotesques retreat, but not for long, as a fragile, underdeveloped small ghoul approached Lu Li.

Lu Li holstered his Spirit-Calling Gun, his calm black eyes falling on the small ghoul’s rear.

A prayer-like obscure mumbling flickered and passed. The small ghoul’s sharp claws abruptly gripped the fragile neck, spilling indescribable darkness that collapsed and melted.

The flowing darkness dissipated like shadows disturbed by light.

Over thirty robed figures crawled low on the stone steps, like a black wave, kneeling before Lu Li.

The greed that coveted everywhere, and the malevolent gazes, no longer came.

Puxiu, wagging its tail, bore the big sister leader, squeezing out from among the prostrating believers: "Miss Ophelia and Mr. Jon, where are they?"

Lu Li picked up the cloak offered by a wriggling believer, draping it over himself. The big sister leaped expertly onto his shoulder, riding into the hood, rolling around inside to reveal her head.

"Ophelia and Jon are on the seventh level, find them." Lu Li told the believers, looking back at the edge of the sixth-level cliff: "Escort that human back to Midnight City Main Station."

A small portion of the believers dispersed, while the others surrounded Lu Li, following the stone steps of the Spiral Hall upward, away from the source of the tremor.

The oppression became weaker as he moved closer to the surface, but when he reached the last layer of steps, the suffocating surge came upon him.

"What is going on..."

Puxiu uneasily retreated behind Lu Li, the robed figures around bringing barren comfort.

The main street before them was silent. No moving outlines could be seen, only the oil lamps left in front of the shops or the glowing alchemical slabs.

But this extreme eeriness was not entirely quiet, as the buildings lining the main street lit up with sinister and obscure peeping, growing ever more numerous.

The deeper they ventured into the street, the denser the peeping became, and the oppressive eerie tension around intensified. It felt as though one might lose their sanity at any moment amidst the deathly silence’s clamor.

Yet, just as stories have endings, and dramas curtain falls, the presentation of the bizarre scene before them reached its source.

Petite and gaunt Law Enforcers awaited them, looking up with frenzied and maniacal roars.

"My master declares this is a great moment!"

"The master’s master has conveyed the oracle!"

"Commence the war against the depths!"

"Slaughter! Conquer! Order!"

"You! Shall be the origin!"

The twisted neck slowly lowered, the Law Enforcer trembling with drool dripping, fixating on Lu Li: "I am listening... you were attacked in the lower levels... right?"

The apparent tranquility occupied the street.

But numerous eyes within the houses watched, the quietly flowing wind bore an obscure aura, hateful eyes opened on the rock wall, and distorted strips of paper protruded from the shanty roofs.

The Weird Leader that dominated the depths was monitoring here.

They too were listening.

Lu Li seemed trapped in a dilemma even more challenging than the commission from the God of the Deep Sea.

Behind the frail, gaunt body of the Law Enforcer, a shadowy twin arose, casting shadows down.

They wished to launch a war against the depths through Lu Li.

Choosing between the Order and Chaos factions seemed unnecessary, yet regardless of which side, the ants would only suffer annihilation.

"What happened below was merely an accident," Lu Li answered.

The Law Enforcer widened his mouth, wanting to roar in anger, but stopped for some reason, falling into bizarre calmness.

"You will regret this decision, soon."

The Law Enforcer slowly retreated, disappearing into the dim and silent depths of the street.

Lu Li was left here.

Left in the main street surrounded by turbulent grotesques.

A sound of rough rock scraping rose, as a silhouette wrapped in rock fell from the top of the cliff, scattering debris.

"Surrender..."

The blood soaking through the cloth strip slowly turned dark yellow like rock, dense, gravelly pain emanating from the wound beneath it.

"The Crystal Currency is not on me." Lu Li frowned, pulling up his hood, no longer watching it to slow its distortive pace.

"Then... capture... you..."

"You’re dealing with devils, which humans say are untrustworthy and never honor deals," Lu Li endured the wound’s distortion and responded, "Do you really believe a human can exchange for Crystal Currency?"

"Moreover, I prevented the depths from falling into war."

"That’s a... pity." The rock grotesque expressed regret.

"I have a clear objective, the force behind me desires the Eye of the Ancient God. Otherwise, why would a human appear in the depths? Bring the Eye of the Ancient God, and the currency is yours."

The rock grotesque pondered sluggishly.

"You have other competitors," Lu Li continued to add. "Every second delayed increases the possibility of the Eye of the Ancient God and the Crystal Strange Currency being acquired by other entities."

Lu Li’s calm low voice added to its credibility. The rock grotesque was persuaded by him, whispering threats as it melted into the earth and disappeared.

"Are we safe now?" Puxiu asked in lingering fear, "Why not tell the Law Enforcers the truth?"

Lu Li raised his dark eyes, and before answering, a sudden bulge erupted beneath his feet, accompanied by the emergence of massive, house-sized claws.