Chapter Sixteen: The Gate of Truth

Pale magic surged into his body, decadent and withered, filled with a deathly silence.

Wayne felt as if he had just drunk a glass of ice water in the dead of winter, his gums tingling, unable to resist shivering.

The Book of Greed stirred with his breath, dispelling the madness and deathly silence within the magic, dissipating the corrupt murkiness, and rippling with the elegant tranquility of flowing water.

Wayne could sense that the Book of Greed didn't consume magic; rather, it absorbed some sort of energy entangled with the magic.

Meanwhile, the Book of Greed was quite picky; while it eagerly tasted Monica's magic last time, this time it was rather indifferent, just taking a sip as if it was merely a formality.

Very perfunctory!

The open little eye hadn't changed at all, still blind and unresponsive to Wayne's gaze.

Wayne didn't understand why the Book of Greed changed so much, deviating greatly from his initial programming. At the moment, he could only slowly explore its rules until he mastered the correct way to unlock it.

Monica sent all her magic into Wayne's body and guided her own magic to be used by Wayne. This not only demonstrated her trust in Wayne but also showed her great confidence in his potential.

Wayne didn't disappoint Monica's trust; he indeed had great potential. The cold moonlight radiated brilliance, enveloping Wayne's body until he became enveloped in a cocoon of light.

Such pure moonlight!

Blessed by the goddess, he truly was a genius!

Monica was both astonished and delighted. After guiding him, she watched Wayne cast his first spell, fearing that her presence might interfere with his casting, she leaped away, wagging her tail as she watched from afar.

The elliptical cocoon rapidly expanded, and a large hand emerged, breaking through the cocoon, with a height exceeding three meters.

Humanoid in form, the facial features were blurred, with eyes, nose, mouth, and ears obscured.

The simple model only had four limbs and a torso, extremely crude. Observing this, William couldn't help but exclaim, feeling that his magic had been copied.

But in consideration of friendship, he let it slide this time.

Monica was thrilled, looking beyond appearances to essence. Wayne's magic was crude and rough, lacking in finesse, but the noble tranquility of moonlight contained within it was unprecedented, setting a new standard for followers of the moonlight goddess.

She was right; Wayne could definitely become a champion of the gods.

Wayne didn't conjure an atomic bomb with his magic, which was unreliable. Not to mention whether Monica's magic was sufficient, even if he did manage to conjure one, he wouldn't dare to use it.

All lives are equal, and there's no running from that.

Comparatively, William's small light person model was more reliable.

So, this is magic?

Wayne raised his arm, surrounded by a white glow. With no eyes, he couldn't see anything except for white.

Just as he wondered where his eyes had gone, there was a squirming sound of flesh and blood movement from his chest. Vertical cracks tore open his chest, and a huge eyeball suddenly opened.

He saw it!

The world suddenly became clear, like never before.

When casting magic, Wayne felt as if he had merged with the Book of Greed. He couldn't see this world clearly, but the Book of Greed could. Its vision sliced through the obstacles like a sharp sword, revealing the madness hidden beneath the beautiful facade to him.

The giant eyeball scanned around, and the light and shadow turned to look at William and Monica, giving a thumbs up to indicate how good it felt.

"..."

William and Monica felt terrible, not good at all. When they were stared at by the eyeball, they felt as if they were in an icy cave, their hearts pounding wildly.

For example, Monica's cat paws straightened, her fur standing on end, her body arching as she let out a scream.

The scream sounded so pleasant to Wayne's ears. Encouraged by his friend, he turned and rushed out.

Veronica and Mike were in a melee. As a descendant of a dragon, Veronica had great strength, beyond the limits of ordinary people and reaching into the realm of magic. Destroying houses was as easy as playing with building blocks.

Mike suffered miserably, unable to find an opportunity to cast spells. He relied solely on his immortality and the white gloves to withstand the beating, enduring the entire time. He managed to hold his own against Veronica, thanks to the help of the priest.

Veronica firmly held the upper hand, each punch exceptionally fierce. But Mike was not in a hurry; with the help of the priest, he had merged with the town, a powerful rule coveted even by the goddess of death. It was impossible to dispel it with ordinary physical attacks.

Moreover, the ritual was about to begin, and everyone would become his sacrifice.

Thinking of this, Mike revealed a cruel smile.

Boom!

A white fist whistled towards him, and Mike's face was filled with a smile as he flew out.

Veronica looked surprised at Wayne's drastically changed appearance. After a brief thought, she understood the reason, pursed her lips, feeling a little annoyed, and then turned and left the battlefield.

Of course, she was also startled; the big eyeballs made her feel terrible, a kind of indescribable horror.

"Deathwalker, deal with..."

Only magic could deal with magic. Veronica knew she couldn't do anything to Mike, so she searched for the magic array to start the ritual.

Destroying the magic array was their only chance.

Mike, supporting his battered body, faced the giant eyeball, momentarily stunned. Deep inside, a difficult-to-describe fear arose, feeling as though he would go mad if he looked at it any longer.

What kind of magic was this?

Wayne kicked Mike away, stepping forward to crush him underfoot. Due to the difference in height, it was difficult for Mike to throw punches, and there was more time to pounce.

Mike's body was fragile. After several rounds of grinding, chunks of flesh peeled off his body, exposing the desiccated body similar to that of the townspeople.

He fixed his gaze on the direction where Veronica was, seeming to worry that she would find the magic array. Seeing this, William shouted to remind Veronica that the enemy was panicking, and the magic array was nearby.

Mike roared, interrupting William's shout. Black tendrils emanated from the black triangular symbol on his white gloves, and eight spider legs crawled on the ground, entwining the hands and feet of the light and shadow giant, firmly immobilizing it in place.

The moonlight shone brightly, and the hands of light and shadow turned into two long knives, clear and translucent arcs slashing through the air, instantly severing the spider legs.

The twisted spider legs contorted, unable to continue the attack due to the serene moonlight.

The hands of light and shadow turned into two long nails, piercing through Mike's chest and shoulders, pinning him to the ground. The giant eyeball in the center of his chest stared directly at Mike, reflecting his ugly face, causing continuous screams.

Mike felt like he was going crazy. His tough mind, which had undergone the test of death, was fragile and vulnerable at this moment. He saw his own ugliness reflected in the eye, along with the pale moon hanging high in the night sky.

The pain from the depths of his soul made him convulse, as if he were being tortured on a grill, muscles and tendons pulled apart. He was almost powerless to resist.

"Ahhhh—"

Mike's agonizing screams filled the air as he clawed open his yellowed ribcage, exposing the shriveled organs within.

Prominently displayed at the center of his chest was a mysterious golden triangle symbol.

Wayne looked on in astonishment at this symbol. Before he could even begin to comprehend its significance, he was forcefully repelled by a burst of golden light.

At the center of his chest, the giant eyeball ruptured, oozing out a slow stream of grayish-white liquid before tightly shutting once more.

Wherever the grayish-white liquid flowed, it spawned patches of flesh, resembling parasites wriggling beneath the skin. This new layer of skin, pockmarked and uneven, bore a striking resemblance to the cover of the Book of Greed.

The golden triangle emitted a brilliant light, projecting onto the eerie surface of the giant moon. The air suddenly grew heavy, and the entire space fell into stillness.

The flames consuming the town ceased their dance, the zombie townsfolk fell silent, and the wind, the trees, and even the falling needles seemed to hold their breath.

Veronica and William looked up at the sky, unable to move, their faces contorted with madness. Monica fared slightly better, her black fur standing on end as she fainted with her eyes wide open.

Wayne was uncertain about what the golden triangle represented, but he knew that his supernatural senses were issuing a sharp warning—the ritual was complete, and Mike had engraved the magic circle onto his own heart.

"Hahaha—"

At the moment when everyone was immobilized, Mike's body slowly began to rise. With his hands raised, his withered face took on an air of tranquility and serenity, as if he were welcoming a great revelation.

Countless gray mists surged from all directions of Cafono Town, converging within Mike's body. His physical form gradually expanded and mutated into a massive black mass.

The mass, about ten meters in diameter, was composed of oily, filthy black human bodies. Their limbs twisted and writhed incessantly, and each face stretched open its mouth, emitting meaningless cries that pierced the soul.

Buzzing—

In an instant, Wayne's head felt like it was about to explode, and his thoughts spiraled into a kind of madness, almost losing control of himself.

At this moment, Wayne did not realize that when the gray mist surged toward Mike, a portion of it was intercepted by him—or more accurately, swallowed by him, now fused with the Book of Greed.

This mist flowed directly into the Book of Greed, causing its second small eye to open.

The giant eyeball in the center of its chest restored itself, slowly opening. The grayish-white liquid flowing from the corners of its eyes solidified into a deep black color, unable to be washed away or cut off.

At the same time, the grayish-white proliferating tissue spread all over its body, completely covering its outline.

Internally, without bones or organs, the flesh gradually filled out.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

A rhythmic beating echoed as if it were a heartbeat.

The giant eyeball swayed, suddenly fixing its gaze on the black mass in the air.

Want!

"The Gate of Truth has been opened! From tonight onwards, I, Mike Nelson, shall resound through this land with the name of a legend!"

Above the mass, Mike's upper body gradually emerged, from his chest to his abdomen, merging with the black arms and twisted faces. His thoughts now dominated the will of the entire Cafono Town.

Now, he would sacrifice the town, sacrifice himself, and journey to the Gate of Truth coveted by the mages.

Boom!

The surface of the moon, projected by the golden triangle, opened a black vortex. Behind it, the deep space of the universe sprawled out, infinitely vast, infinitely great, and harboring infinite possibilities.

Wayne's head felt like it was about to explode, his eyeballs fixed firmly on the Gate of Truth, his irises continuously contracting and expanding, trembling with excitement.

Desire!

The Book of Greed conveyed a frenzy of desire to Wayne, to the point where the once highly coveted black mass now seemed utterly unappealing, not even qualifying as an appetizer before the main course.