Chapter 42 The Abyss (Part 4)

The boulders loosened, the grass swelled, and the dormant groundwater gushed out from the cliff, turning into a high mountain waterfall. Tree roots whose scientific names were unknown lined up and headed towards the abyss.

Despite the strange surroundings, Irencel's noble air was not diminished in the slightest. He wore violet clothes and spotless slippers, and his walk exuded a divine charm.

Suddenly, a warning from the abyss ripped the dreamer awake; the sound, if heard on the ground, would have shaken the clouds.

"Was that the sound of a train just now?" Irenshere asked.

Billy picked up a marker and a button that had fallen off his clothes from the messy platform, not wanting to answer a question that even a three-year-old could answer.

They were currently positioned directly above the third platform, diagonally to the left of the second platform, on a slightly protruding, tongue-shaped rock.

The rock was just big enough for four people. Looking ahead, there was a cliff full of brown eyes, and the lichen-covered cliff was clustered with bright insect eggs. Looking down, there were clusters of flickering flames of life, the winding flames burning until they were immediately absorbed by the abyss.

Whether looking forward or downward, Irenshere dared not. With his back against the smooth rock wall, he felt something cold crawling onto his body. Even a small blue and white flying insect could make him faint for a long time.

"Haven't we reached the source yet?" Irenshere asked sharply.

Billis held a laser pointer and turned it on and off repeatedly.

“There are some things I need to make clear to you.” When Irenshere couldn’t get an answer, he pulled out a crossbow from his pocket. “In times of crisis, I will solve problems in my own way.”

Billis retorted, "I brought you here to help, not to make things worse. There's nothing to be afraid of in bugs; it's your own fear that's the most terrifying thing."

"You're right, I'm much better than before."

"Are you sure? Then I can leave you here without worry."

"What, what did you say?"

“Someone needs to go to the third platform, but since that person isn’t you, it can only be me.”

"Can't it be two people?"

"I'm asking you, did you just see the boulder loosen, the grass bulge, and the dormant groundwater gush out from the cliff, turning into a high mountain waterfall?"

How did you know?

"Because it was fake. After three days of investigation, I found that the closer you get to the Demon Path, the easier it is to hallucinate. That's why those two winged people lost their lives."

"You knew it would cause hallucinations, so why did you ask me to help you?"

“Because I didn’t know before, Irenshere, it was you who confirmed my guess.”

"Ah, you used me!"

"You're a secret agent, right? Secret agents have to be prepared to sacrifice themselves for their mission."

Billis was right. At this moment, Irenshere felt increasingly unwell. His stomach was upset, his mind felt like it was being swarmed by a thousand mosquitoes, and his arms and legs felt like they didn't belong to him anymore. Worst of all, it felt like an invisible spike was piercing him, pinning his heart down and rendering him unable to move.

The abyss had become brighter and softer than the sky, with more and more floating points of light and sacred flames. A long, narrow river of demonic paths suddenly appeared, winding and floating up and down, as beautiful as the Milky Way in the sky.

The demonic path swept past and disappeared into the empty abyss, leaving white marks on the dense tree roots as proof that it had been there.

The tube train uses this energy to move forward. It would be hard to find a more elegant substance in this other world. Irencel felt like he had met his dream lover and made a gesture of embracing the direction in which the white light dissipated.

If Billies hadn't pulled him back, this guy probably would have flown off with his unrealistic fantasies.

"She's calling my name, she's summoning me! She's so big!"

Irenshere absurdly threw away all his handkerchiefs and took off his violet coat, truly mistaking what he saw for a voluptuous and beautiful woman.

The changes he exhibited were similar to those of the four janitors.

There is indeed something in the abyss; the closer you get to it, the more your desires will be amplified.

But why is it that only Billies is unaffected? This is probably thanks to the Stand, because the Stand itself does not have a soul or thoughts, so it is naturally not affected by that thing.

Biris also deduced that the source of the blockage in the Demon Path must be related to illusions, which did not exist a month ago and only recently appeared.

"The Demon King is about to be resurrected!" Irencel's face was ominous. He symbolically raised something above his head and then threw it into the abyss.

It was impossible for Billis not to have heard that his new partner had just mentioned the Demon King.

At the same time, an unusual atmosphere filled the air, as if one were inside a bottle whose cap had suddenly burst open, releasing all the pressure, causing blood to surge, squeeze, and pull within the body, and the soul to be almost pulled out of the body in the explosion.

Another demonic path followed closely behind, wider and more majestic than the first.

However, it was burning, but the flames were not red, there were no sparks, no intense heat, and no purplish-red light. The Demon Path formed slight waves, and the pale blue lines resembled the folds on a shroud. Large swaths of paleness trembled within the Demon Path.

What is that? It's definitely not a source of fire; it's more like someone's memory, a convergence of dreams.

Because it happened so suddenly, neither Billis nor Irenshere could stand firm and were swept off their feet by the Demon Path into the abyss.

Immediately afterwards, the two of them were swept to a place as bright as a silver mirror. Half of this place was underwater, and the other half was floating on the surface. No matter which angle you looked at it from, there was no sky. It lost its true appearance and, like a ghost, it passed through all kinds of matter.

Strands of stray lightning twisted in the pale, deep water, the light passing through the bodies of the two agents and slowly rising, as if returning to its original place.

The scenery of the abyss rushed forward, like riding a high-speed sightseeing train.

Billis grabbed Irenshere's calves from behind, pulling him around like he was caught in a whirlpool.

Without a doubt, they were drawn into the Demon Path and were moving at high speed like a pipeline train.

“Hey, can you hear me, buddy!” Billy yelled.

Every word Irenshere uttered sounded like he was choking on water: "I...I can't breathe!"

"Grab me! I'll take you away from the Demon Path!"

"What did you say?"

"Oh, I've got it! You know those instant-cast spells, right? Cast the spell to the side! Quick!"

"No! We're going to crash into that thing!"

"What?"

Irenshere must have seen something and tried to drive it away by shouting, but to no avail. So he thought of another way: to use a dispelling spell that required chanting, but that also had no effect.

This is not surprising at all, because there is nothing in front of it!

Irenshere was fighting against his own imagination, and his observation of the enemy's face became unbearable. Perhaps inspired by a ray of light shining down from above, he used a projection spell against the illusory enemy.

The spell successfully pierced through the magic path. With a tremendous roar, one of the path's supports collapsed, and visible magical energy spilled out from there.

Like a high-speed train suddenly derailing, the powerful inertia propelled the two of them out of the demonic path.

Irencel thought he had defeated the illusionary enemy. As he fell, he pointed at the rock that was bent by the moving shadow and shouted, "Something powerful has descended. I just defeated one of its arms, and its other arm has entered the vortex of the transcendent demonic path."

Beris's Stand had already spread its newly formed wings, attempting to use the upward airflow to send Irencel on its back to a safe place.

But during the descent, several more demonic paths appeared, each more spectacular and filled with wilder energy than the previous one.

“We must find out what we’re facing!” Even though his voice was trembling, Irenshere finished his sentence. “I dare say, its essence is that it’s running away from me!”

"Please don't move! I can't control the direction!"

"It must be sealed away again within the barrier of the world!"

"We're about to collide with another demonic path!"

“If you don’t consider this, I’ll have to go alone…”

Irencel danced wildly, dragging his falling partner into another demonic path.

An empty fog rolled in, obscuring everything that could be seen.

Billis did not feel the pressure of entering the Demon Path; on the contrary, as if smoothing sand, everything he saw sank into the mist.

What tranquility! What peace! A still field appeared before me, and in the far distance, I glimpsed a few powerless gray clouds, like a sublime soul calmly stirring and awe-inspiring the approaching storm.

Billis understood that this was the second time the Mark II had opened the portal to another time, pulling him back to history thousands of years ago.