Chapter 1312 - 598: Struggling Is Useless (First Update)

Chapter 1312: Chapter 598: Struggling Is Useless (First Update)

The Archbishop felt that he was so damn clever.

Heh heh!

I sneaked my soul out, and no one knows.

To be safe, I specifically ran to the Star Realm, where no one would notice anything unusual.

The Star Realm is vast and boundless, with chaotic rules, making it an ideal place to hide and avoid those annoying "gazes."

I am free!

Not only have I not been discovered, but I’ve also stumbled upon a little toy, which can keep me occupied for a while.

Luck is truly on my side!

"My luck is indeed good."

The Archbishop, in his soul incarnation, sighed with emotion, looked at Finn bound by invisible force, unable even to move his eyes, and smiled.

"However..."

The Archbishop’s tone carried a sort of pure, condescending lament, "It seems your luck isn’t as good."

The amused, deep gaze seemed to pierce through Finn’s body, seeing into the depths of his soul, where immense fear stirred great waves.

"You not only trespassed into a place like this but also very unfortunately encountered me."

The Archbishop shook his head and sighed with pity.

"Truly pitiful."

Pitiful?

What on earth are you saying?

What are you going to do to me!!?

Finn’s mind screamed madly, his soul core trembling violently, striving to break through the invisible shackles, extracting every bit of potential, ready to use all his cards to desperately escape.

The instinct to survive overruled all rational analysis; he only wanted to flee, get as far from this eerie old man as possible.

If you only referenced the battle between Finn and Herbert, his strength didn’t seem impressive, and he was eventually suppressed entirely and banished by the leader of the Witch Association.

But such a comparison is somewhat unfair to Finn.

That "battle" occurred too suddenly.

As the saying goes, a well-prepared mage is invincible.

But the prerequisite is having time to prepare in advance.

There is a saying, dealing with a mage is somewhat like dealing with Batman.

You can fight Batman, but you cannot plan a fight with him.

Herbert, along with the Witch Association leader, caught him off guard, not allowing him to set up or deploy many of his hidden techniques.

Moreover, expertise has its limits, and not all mages excel in combat.

As an exceptionally brilliant Grand Mage, although Finn’s abilities in combat weren’t particularly outstanding, he had his own strengths.

Having delved deeply into soul mastery, Finn, despite possibly lacking the destructive power some battle mages had, had his own tricky and troublesome attributes.

He earned the title "Soul Caller" because he had sealed some special souls within the depths of his own.

These souls did not all come from supreme powerhouses; many were rare individuals who possessed unique talents, traits, or mastered obscure knowledge in their lifetimes.

They were Finn’s advisors and assistants, and in certain situations, could become his weapons or shields.

Finn’s survival in the Star Realm could not have been achieved without their help.

And now, without needing him to actively awaken them, those "tenants" closely linked to his soul were being awakened by an unimaginable external terror, issuing a sharp warning almost tearing apart his reason.

("Run! Run! Run!")

("Incomprehensible! Unresistible!")

("Quickly! Quickly! Quickly!")

He must escape immediately in front of this being!

He did not recognize the old man in front of him.

But the instinct from the deepest layers of his soul, and the near-collapsing fear conveyed by those knowledgeable contracted souls, allowed him to vaguely perceive how terrifying the other party was!

It was an "abnormality" beyond power levels, directly pointing to the being itself.

Who exactly is this old man?

What is he... no, that’s not right!

Even in the critical moment of life and death, a bizarre thought suddenly flashed through Finn’s mind—why?

A soul sealed in the depths of his soul suddenly issued a question.

("Is what you’re seeing real?")

"Hm?"

Even though he couldn’t see the features beneath the other’s hood, nor feel any specific aura or pressure, only a suffocating "nothingness."

Why did he naturally assume that the other party must be an "old man?"

Moreover, his mind unconsciously sketched the image of a kindly and dignified elderly man?

Has my mind... been manipulated?

Silently and imperceptibly altered?

Since when?

From the moment I first laid eyes on him?

Or from the moment I sensed that planet?

If even the most basic judgment, like "what the other party is," can be distorted, then what else can be believed?

"Oh?"

The Archbishop was originally smiling and enjoying Finn’s desperate struggles. Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, "You seem to have discovered something? Are you curious?"

Curious?

No, no, no, no!

Finn now dared not harbor any curiosity; his initial suspicion was immediately drowned by a more overwhelming desire for survival.

His sole thought was to shatter parts of the Soul Contract at any cost, release all sealed Spirit Bodies, and incite a Soul Storm to tear open an escape route in this dire situation!

But... can it really be achieved?

Considering the level of this entity, does a desperate attempt truly hold any significance?

"I advise you not to waste your effort."

The Archbishop seemed to fully dissect every minor fluctuation deep within Finn’s soul, still smiling at him.

That smile appeared increasingly "kind-hearted" and ever more terrifying in Finn’s bestowed sense of reality at that moment.

In a gentle tone like casual conversation, the old man said:

"Since you’ve noticed, I just can’t let you go now..."

He paused as if finding that statement amusing, and added with a slightly mischievous tone.

"Hehe, although I didn’t plan on directly letting you go anyway."

Aware of my disguise, now I can’t let you go?

Haha, just kidding.

Even without seeing through, you can’t escape.

"Moreover, even though I am merely a soul incarnation now, significantly weaker than my original form, perhaps only one percent of my strength remains? But you, little one, cannot resist me either."

One percent...

If Finn could move, at this moment, he would surely display a smile uglier than crying.

The Archbishop had the demeanor of a kind old man patiently instructing a mischievous child, even carrying a bit of elder helplessness, smilingly advising: "Child, listen, you better not struggle."

"Stay quiet; it’s better for everyone."

Before the words finished.

"Uh—"

Finn, exerting his utmost effort and nearly detonating his Soul Core, couldn’t complete even half a valid spell configuration, nor incite any trace of a Soul Storm.

Time stood still.

...No, everything seemed to freeze.

Finn felt the surrounding space immediately transform into solid amber, with him sealed inside like a trapped insect.

Not only was the body immovable, even thoughts, magic power, and soul fluctuations were directly imprisoned by an irresistible, vast force.

Great power.

For an Epic Grand Mage who deemed themselves as having glimpsed part of the world’s truths, this was entirely incomprehensible and unfathomable power.

This already fully transcended the realm of "strength," involving Laws, and even higher levels.

Domain, Laws... Authority.

Divine.

Only Divine beings could achieve this, and they had to be extremely powerful ones to do so!

Who on earth was this Divine being!!?

Why did it appear in the Star Realm in this form?

What connection did that flesh and blood planet have with it?

"No..."

Finn felt his thoughts gradually dissipating; the last scene glimpsed in his remaining consciousness was the old man’s silhouette gradually merging with the flesh and blood planet.

Despite the old man appearing immensely small compared to the vast planet, with absolutely no comparability.

Yet in an instant, a bizarre thought flashed through Finn’s mind—the old man seemed to be larger than the planet?

Then, darkness descended.

Not the darkness of unconsciousness, but the darkness of existence being stripped away, engulfed, and thrown into absolute void.

All consciousness vanished.

...

"Not bad."

The Archbishop’s soul incarnation lightly "tsk"-ed, tossing Finn, who was in a stationary state, into the crack cut open by his fingertip, like casually packing away an unimpressive yet somewhat interesting trinket.

The entity regarded as Divine by the Grand Mage turned its head, looking toward that motionless flesh and blood planet, with the shadow under its hood slightly rippling.

"Hehe."

"Since the restrictions here have changed, being discovered by outsiders, it means... he has successfully completed the Ascension Ceremony and smoothly advanced to Epic level."

"Well done."

The Archbishop muttered softly, then chuckled twice, stepping forward.

"But—no rush to return, I haven’t had enough fun yet!"

"Hmhm~"

The ethereal silhouette hummed an ancient tune softly, like ink dripped into water, quietly fading away, disappearing into the eternal void of the Star Realm.

Only leaving behind the stationary flesh and blood planet, continuing its long and desolate silence of "waiting" in the quiet Star Realm.

Waiting for that long-overdue end.

Or perhaps...

Waiting for salvation to arrive.