The silver blade flashed like lightning, and fresh blood blossomed into crimson flowers in the sinister alley.

In the last moment of her life, Miranda finally understood the words the Deceitful Fog had once said to her—

"It could be you."

"Or it need not be you."

On the other side, a hundred meters away on a rooftop next to a stone chimney.

Luo Yan, controlling the circling crows in the mist, witnessed everything that happened in the alley.

The killer ultimately did not escape the fate of death; the legend of the Undead Alchemist ended with Miranda's name, serving as the foundation for another legend.

Although it was regrettable that the faith power of the Evil God's Apostle couldn't be reclaimed, allowing that windfall to be absorbed by the inactive Saint Sis, compared to that dreadful ritual completing its final step, this was a win for everyone.

"It looks like it's over."

A slight smile curled on Luo Yan's lips.

Thanks to the Demon King's behind-the-scenes efforts, the maze, though not peaceful, had finally regained some calm.

However, just as he thought everything had settled, a column of deep crimson blood shot skyward, piercing through the dense fog and directly from that eerie alley up to the dome of the fourth layer of the maze!

The grayish White Mist gradually turned red, and black lightning twisted around the crimson blood column, roaming wildly like the branches of a withered tree or like cracks tearing through space.

Luo Yan's expression shifted slightly.

"What's happening?!"

In the alley.

Finally having killed Miranda as he desired, Mel laughed out loud, his voice filled with an indescribable madness, along with a release and joy from gradually understanding everything.

"Hahaha... So it is..."

"So... it is me."

Madness.

Confusion.

Yet methodical.

It wasn't just bluster in his monologue, but genuinely seeing through the fog, the truth hidden within the Chaos.

The world is made up of conspiracies.

All seemingly unrelated details could actually be connected together.

Everyone is a chess piece.

Including himself.

The invisible hand manipulating everything... And this hand is the ever-changing Novel, and also the omnipotent Saint Sis.

Initially, the continuously moving lips were only repeating nonsensical ramblings, but before long, those murmurs transformed into an abstruse poem—

Or rather a spell.

"...Death blooms in the grave a flower that never withers, the seeds of truth always sprout in the soil of doubt."

"The owl hangs upside down under withered branches, the bat stands atop the cross by day, the night sails through the storm in the sunken lighthouse, the unmoving is the explorer beneath the reefs."

"What is thought is real, what is seen is false..."

The conspiracy about death he turned into a poem, offered as a tribute to the god ruling over all. And that poem itself, came from the whispers beside his ear.

He could no longer distinguish whose whispers those were.

Perhaps they were Novel's.

Or perhaps they were his own.

The circling crow landed on the eave, overlooking the bloody alley.

Through its dark pupils, Luo Yan saw souls releasing from the nostrils, mouth, and eyes of Knight Commander Mel, merging into that crimson beam of light.

Luo Yan's expression slightly shifted.

How could one person host so many souls?!

No—

Is that even possible?!

At least in Luo Yan's knowledge, this wasn't something easily achievable with Extraordinary Power. Even divine beings could only control the souls of their believers.

And at that moment, Luo Yan suddenly realized a possibility—

This guy wasn't just grabbing people randomly.

Even the killer was himself?!

The legendary Miranda never existed from the start; those who died here were just the nth unlucky ones.

The souls drawn from Knight Commander Mel confirmed his speculation.

The souls flying to the sky as sacrifices were only twelve, not the rumored twenty-seven victims... and this number even included the recently deceased Miranda.

As for the twenty-seven victims, maybe they died in accidents, maybe they were murdered by others, but in the end, they were all attributed to Miranda.

Those twelve, including Miranda, were the real victims.

"This madman..."

Even in Hell, this isn't the way to play.

As for the eleven souls already flying into the sky, Luo Yan could do nothing; they had died too long ago and had already lost their physical forms.

But—

There's still one fresh one.

"Awaken, my servant!"

There was no time for hesitation.

Withdrawing his wand, Luo Yan decisively aimed it at the alley, where a beam of emerald light struck Miranda's body without fault.

The demonic green flames, like specters, quickly engulfed the entire body!

And as the surging flames devoured her flesh, Miranda's soul, which had flown into the sky, was violently yanked back to her mangled remains.

Returning to the physical body is the soul's foremost behavior priority.

This wasn't about the strength of the powers, but one of the rules of this world!

"...You shall become an unrestrained spirit! Nothing can bind you anymore!"

In the span of a few breaths, Miranda's body turned to dust and scattered, carried by the wind passing through the alley into the sky.

The drifting ashes didn't disappear into the wind but gradually outlined a veil-like contour in the thick White Mist.

Unlike any ordinary Undead summoning.

Spirits, although extremely fragile, are immune to most physical damage and can retain most of the deceased's spiritual power and memories.

However, not every body can be transformed into a spirit; the deceased must have possessed considerable spiritual power in life.

Floating in the air, Miranda abruptly opened her eyes.

Realizing that he had become a ghost, he was first astonished, then fearful… but soon his eyes regained their clarity.

Becoming a ghost was not the worst outcome.

Becoming a part of Chaos was!

As a Spellcaster, he knew exactly how to harness his spirit and immediately used all his strength to drift away from the town, away from that deep red column of light.

The ritual object had been stolen; the vertical, deep red beam of light clearly suffered a significant impact, as if one of the twelve pillars supporting a passage had been chopped off. The beam, along with the black lightning flickering nearby, shook violently for a while before stabilizing.

The power of the ritual was diminished!

Watching the suddenly stolen ritual object, Knight Commander Mel was also slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting it.

It was too late to chase after the scattered ashes, so he abruptly looked up in the direction of the green light.

That was a turbid yet sharp-eyed gaze.

Luo Yan felt that at this moment, his gaze was not only meeting Mel's but also the indescribable presence standing behind him.

"It's you…"

That babbling mouth suddenly emitted a sinister laugh, like a bird of prey sighting its hunt.

At this moment, the disguise potion that Luo Yan had taken was gradually losing its effect, revealing the face that Mel had once seen.

Pity—

He had even made a special trip to the church in Silver Pine Town afterwards, but this guy wasn't there.

Having been unable to lock this guy in the interrogation room for a thorough questioning was his biggest regret.

But now, it seemed there was still time.

'Offer him to me…'

'Offer him to the True God you serve.'

'Hurry!'

Murmuring whispers flowed into his ears, as an unprecedented zeal burst forth from that face seeking truth.

"I am on it—"

With both hands tightly gripping his longsword, Mel's legs slightly bent, ready to leap into the air.

However, just then, a majestic voice descended upon him.

"Who allowed you to look at me with those filthy eyes—"

"Kneel!" (in Dragon Language)

The heavy notes resonated like the low tolling of an ancient bell.

Caught off guard by the Spell, Mel's knees, bent from storing power, slammed heavily onto the ground.

The stone slabs of the alley cracked under the impact of his knee pads, and the stored power was likewise drained away.

Stunned, Mel stared at his own legs, then a uncontrollable rage ignited on his dark face.

It was the fury of being fooled.

"Ah—!"

Roaring, Mel's legs forcefully tried to break free from the Spell's bind, but before he could lift his knees, a whistling bone spear struck head-on.

"Clang!!!"

His longsword barely blocked the deadly strike, and Mel only felt severe pain in his hands, while the trembling blade emitted a wail of being overloaded.

The whistling spearhead was like a cannonball fired from the city tower, and this was just the first round of attack from the Undead Mage.

Mel once again lifted his head, his pupils suddenly constricting.

Next to the Undead Mage, terrifying skeletons kept outlining themselves from the cotton-white mist, like cavalry ready to charge!

"It seems you still haven't learned your lesson," he said.

Luo Yan watched those turbid, crazed pupils as he gently waved his wand.

"Swoosh—!"

The piercing sound of cutting through the air, like the shriek of a cannonball, instantly penetrated the thick fog and thundered towards the dark alley.

And it wasn't over yet!

Luo Yan's casting didn't stop. Spears of bone continually appeared next to him, then, like cannonballs, were hurled forward, launching a saturated strike at the coordinates of Knight Commander Mel.

Facing the barrage of spells, Mel could only struggle to hold on, like a candle flickering in the wind.

He tried to switch from defense to offense, but skeletons, suddenly grasping his ankles, emerged from the ground, making it extremely difficult for him, trapped in the narrow terrain, to move an inch.

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed, a red glow suddenly descended from the sky, covering Mel's head.

Almost at the same time, seeing that red glow fall into the dust-filled alley, Luo Yan, standing on the rooftop, suddenly felt alarmed.

"Lord Demon King, be careful!"

Youyou's urgent voice rang in his ears.

Luo Yan had already changed the trajectory of his wand, needing no reminder from Youyou.

"Atmospheric Barrier!"

Blue light emanated from the tip of the wand!

Violent air currents rushed in front of him, solidifying into an invisible wall!

Almost at the same time, a blood-red sword wind pierced through the dusty alley and fiercely struck Luo Yan's atmospheric barrier.

The blood-colored blade seeped into the invisible air wall, penetrating half an arm's width before stopping!

The massive impact stirred up violent air currents, shaking the rooftop under Luo Yan's feet.

The power of this sword drew a grim expression on Luo Yan's face.

Has this guy taken drugs?!

Soon, as the dust settled in the alley, a figure that was neither human nor ghost appeared before Luo Yan's eyes.

Seeing Knight Commander Mel with a fourth arm growing, Luo Yan became even more convinced of his suspicion—

This was no longer a mere human.

But rather, a hybrid with Chaos.

"Youyou, set up a flag at the entrance of the fourth level of the maze and call all the players you can..."

While giving orders to Youyou, Luo Yan silently recited a spell, infusing the power of wind into his soles.

Mel's face revealed a cruel smirk as he stretched out his arms, seemingly flaunting the power he had just gained from Chaos.

However, just as he was about to teach the Undead Mage before him a lesson, the man who had caused him so much trouble suddenly vanished into the mist.

Looking at the empty rooftop, Mel was slightly stunned.

This guy—

Had actually run away?!

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