Chapter 84: Give Him to Me, and I Owe You a Favor!

With a soft "plop," Ashes, clad in the Black Knight armor, looked around at the unfamiliar world before him, his gaze unusually calm.

In Ashes' eyes, what should have been a cold and desolate painted world was now filled with an endless expanse of blood-red. Whether it was the plains beneath his feet or the distant mountains, everything was covered with a thick, mucous-like layer of red liquid.

On top of these 'blood-soaked plains' were numerous 'eggs,' also composed of the same sticky, red substance. The surface of these eggs was covered with intricate, blackened veins, and they pulsated as if something was being nurtured inside.

Mr. A's last desperate counterattack shouldn't have succeeded. Ashes could have easily dodged it with a roll, but he was distracted by the 'Painted World' and failed to avoid it.

However, this outcome wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, he had planned to enter the Painted World anyway. The only regret he had was leaving behind a loose end in the basement. But it didn't matter much. He had already called the police before coming here. By his calculations, the Church of the EverNight goddess should have arrived by now.

Ashes pondered this as he directed his gaze towards the distant mountains. There was no turning back for him now. The painting he saw was not the true Painted World but only a fragment of it. Therefore, that painting was merely a one-way door—only an entrance, with no exit.

But since there was an entrance, there must be another way out. Even if he couldn't find it, he still had his Return Bone Shard to rely on.

At the moment, the most likely place for an exit was the distant mountains.

With that thought, Ashes began to make his way towards the mountains.

What Ashes didn't know was that shortly after he left, a mass of flesh suddenly appeared where he had been standing. This mass quickly started absorbing the blood-red mucus covering the ground, growing larger by the second.

Meanwhile...

"Just like that, he's gone?"

In the basement, Lanevus was still in a daze. Moments ago, he had watched as Mr. A, in a desperate bid to take Ashes down with him, pushed Ashes into the painting.

But when his gaze fell upon the painting, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He knew exactly what it was. The reason Mr. A had been so confident in his ability to escape with him was because of the painting's mysterious power.

However, Lanevus had no desire to go with Mr. A. After all, he would rather be caught than continue staying with the crazy members of the Aurora Order!

Even though Mr. A had fought so desperately to protect the 'Black Knight,' Lanevus knew all too well that Mr. A wasn't protecting him, but the 'True Creator!'

Regardless, Lanevus had truly regained his freedom.

His lips curled into a grin, and he wanted to laugh out loud. But when he felt a strange sensation in his abdomen and chest, his expression darkened once more.

The one who had imprisoned him, Mr. A, was dead, and the one who had come to hunt him down had disappeared into the Painted World.

There was no one left who could threaten him now. He could go wherever he wanted.

But the shadow of the True Creator still clung to him like an incurable curse. If he didn't find a way to remove the influence of the True Creator within a few months, he would become a vessel for the True Creator's descent, and death would still be inevitable.

"I have to find a way to get rid of Him..."

Lanevus pressed his hand to his chest, his sharply defined face still shrouded in gloom, his expression shifting unpredictably.

The True Creator's descent required vast amounts of despair, numbness, hatred, and primitive evil. Only places like Backlund, especially the East side, factory district, and docks, could provide what He needed.

Therefore, if Lanevus could distance himself from Backlund and these areas filled with despair, he could greatly delay the True Creator's descent.

In the meantime, he would surely find a solution.

"But first, I need to leave here as quickly as possible."

Lanevus took a deep breath and began making his way toward the stairs leading to the first floor.

Despite the intensity of the battle between Mr. A and the 'Black Knight,' their attacks were aimed solely at killing each other, not at causing widespread destruction.

Moreover, the basement had been reinforced with special materials to imprison him as the True Creator's earthly vessel.

As a result, the basement had withstood the aftershocks of the battle without collapsing.

And as long as the house remained intact, without causing too much commotion, it wouldn't alert the Beyonders in Backlund.

If everything went according to plan, he could slip away unnoticed.

Of course, that was assuming everything went according to plan.

But things never go according to plan.

As soon as Lanevus stepped out of the basement, his expression froze completely.

Standing in the room above the basement was an elderly man with a clean-shaven face and deep-set eyes, who seemed to have been waiting for him.

The man wore a black robe with red accents, the attire of a priest, and bore five dark holy emblems on his chest.

Lanerus recognized him, having been forced by Mr. A to memorize his profile.

Anthony Stevenson.

The Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese of the Church of the Night, and a Sequence 3 demigod!

"Where is Ashes?"

Anthony's cold gaze pinned Lanevus in place.

Lanevus felt a chill down his spine, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

The man's gaze alone made him unable to move.

Even though he had the 'True Creator' as his trump card, the person in front of him was a Sequence 3 demigod!

If the True Creator were to manifest, a mere Sequence 3 demigod would be nothing more than a weakling, completely insignificant.

But Lanevus was only a vessel, not the True Creator Himself!

Even if he unleashed the power of the True Creator, he would still be no match for the man in front of him.

But he couldn't understand how this man had arrived so quickly!

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Lanevus' lips.

He knew there was no way out for him. Being captured by the Church of the EverNight was his only fate.

He was unwilling to accept this!

He had finally escaped from one cage, only to fall into another.

But what could he do?

Was he supposed to hope for another demigod to descend from the heavens and save him?

"That's impossible."

Just as Lanevus was about to give up all hope, reality gave him a harsh slap.

Backlund might not have a demigod descending on a rainbow cloud, but it did have one arriving on a vine.

Suddenly, a cascade of intertwining vines, as if weaving a ladder to heaven, descended from the sky. These vines formed a dense forest, completely enveloping the entire house.

Lanevus blinked in surprise.

Before he realized it, a pair of slender legs, clad in black leather boots, appeared before him.

Instinctively, he looked up.

A woman dressed in a white Intis-style shirt and a deep black jacket, with a slender rapier at her waist, sat on a hammock-like seat formed by the dangling vines.

"Give him to me, and I owe the Church of the EverNight Goddess a favor."

The woman had chestnut-colored hair cascading naturally down her back, and her deep blue eyes gazed at him, her voice gentle yet devoid of emotion.

"No."

Anthony stared at her intently, his voice calm but firm. "This is Ashes' prize. Without Ashes' permission, no one can take him."

Seeing the determination in Anthony's eyes, the woman frowned slightly, as if weighing the cost of resorting to force.

The two were at a standoff, neither willing to give in.

But caught in the middle, Lanevus, who was trembling with fear, saw a glimmer of hope.

"Fight, fight!"

Lanevus heart filled with anticipation. As long as these two fought, he might have a chance to escape!

PS: Thanks to the first alliance leader of this book, 'The Pigeon Hunter,' for the reward of 100,000 starting points. I originally wanted to wait until the book was published to thank the generous patrons in a separate chapter, but the amount from 'The Pigeon Hunter' was so large that I had to express my gratitude in advance. As for extra chapters, since the book is not yet on the shelves, there isn't much I can do. Please wait a few more days, and I hope you understand.

PS2: In the world of Lord of the Mysteries, Sequences 4 and 3 are demigods, also known as Saints. To give an example, the Aurora Order has five Saints, among whom there is a Sequence 4 'Saint of Darkness.' In the original text, these two levels are referred to interchangeably as Saints and Demigods.

PS3: Example from the original text: Paragraph 1: Alger had no doubt about this, initially believing that it was the work of a Sequence 4 or Sequence 3 demigod, also known as a Saint, and was shocked and fearful because one of the Fool's followers was a high Sequence. Paragraph 2: The 'Creeping Hunger,' which had mutated and evolved, could record two extraordinary abilities of no higher than Sequence 3 from X's soul and characteristics.

(End of the chapter)