Throne of Magical Arcana

To go from the Realm of Gates to the Pathway of Immortality, one did not need to leave from the exit and enter the other side, as a certain black gate was already connected to the Pathway of Immortality. Thanos and Maskelyne suspected that the weird ghosts entered the Realm of Gates from this place, because they obviously carried the feature of the Pathway of Immortality.

After the monster intentionally changed the pattern of changes in the Realm of Gates, Lucien and Rhine saw a world of surging grey dust the moment they opened the black gate. There was a straight road leading to the depths of it.

It was not until this moment that Lucien and Rhine realized why McLeod, Maskelyne and the other legendary sorcerers failed to escape. It was because the monster boasted the ability to manipulate the changes in the Realm of Gates. When they reached the coordinates of the entrance that they calculated, they would discover that it was the laboratory that they just left. How devastating it must’ve been!

Lucien was rather scared of such a future. If the monster hadn’t been against Viken, even a demigod couldn’t have escaped from the Realm of Gates and could only return from the void after their demise over a long time.

That was probably why the Silver Moon and the Lord of Hell dared not explore Thanos’ laboratory in the Realm of Gates.

“I didn’t know that the pope was Viken, the King of Calamities who dominated Holm and Brianne…” Lucien said with mixed feelings. Gregory I, Charlie II or Benedict III had been possessed by Viken either before or after they became the pope. “Also, the restraint of his ‘God’s Arrival’ was only ‘himself’…”

The grey dust was blown away by Lucien with his spiritual power before it hit him.

Rhine narrowed his eyes against the sand. “Everything is still under control as long as he doesn’t find an opportunity to swallow the monster. Your ‘Arcana Voice’ should work hard on disseminating ‘secrets of the pope’ in order to deal with Viken.”

“We’ve smeared the pope too hard before, claiming that he was the embodiment of the Lord of Hell, a villain who loved little boys, or a disguised evil sorcerer. Those ‘secrets of the pope’ do not sound very astonishing without undeniable proof.” Lucien finally knew how the boy in The Boy Who Cried Wolf felt.

Rhine couldn’t help but laugh at Lucien’s remark. “That’s only because your programs pursue nothing but novelty. At the very least, you have a complete story chain this time. Those Grand Cardinals will certainly be more or less suspicious.”

Then, he said rather relaxedly, “With the general theory of relativity, Douglas will be likely to become a demigod. Then, it will be impossible for Viken to destroy the Congress of Magic. So, time is on your side. The more you delay it, the better. There’s no need to bring it out even if you have proof, in case Viken counterattacks desperately.”

“Yes, a prolonged battle is in our favor…” Lucien then shook his head. “There are many obstacles for Mr. President to become a demigod. For example, although many solutions to the gravitational equations in the general theory of relativity are pointless, I believe that some of them correspond with the astronomical phenomena in the cosmos. Mr. President will not become a demigod until those phenomena are found.”

Not hearing Rhine’s reply, Lucien turned around, only to discover that he was confused.

“Mr. Rhine?” Lucien asked in the telepathic bond.

Rhine gasped. “What are gravitational equations? What are astronomical phenomena?”

Lucien suddenly realized that there was no astronomy but only astrology in this world. He was about to explain, when Rhine shook his hands in fear, “We will still be good friends if you don’t talk about arcana.”

It was a line in a certain tale that Lucien made up in Arcana Voice. He had borrowed it for his own use.

Lucien was immediately amused. At this moment, a black gate enshrouded in illusionary ripples appeared.

The two of them moved fast and reached the entrance of the Pathway of Immortality in only one minute.

“The Chamber of Immortality…” Rhine heaved a sigh.

Lucien was excited, too. What was hidden inside the Chamber of Immortality? Why was everybody who opened it so disappointed? Where was the weird feeling of familiarity from?

Holding back his excitement, Lucien checked the gate and opened it.

The gate moved backwards slowly. An ancient path appeared before their eyes. It had no decorations or traces of bricks, as if it were in an intangible other world.

“Perhaps, ‘God’s Guard’ is a divine power that Thanos created with the Pathway of Immortality as the model…” Lucien somehow recalled the Angel King’s ‘God’s Guard’.

Rhine nodded with his symbolic smile. “They are very similar.”

As he spoke, he made the first step. Surrounded by the illusionary ripples, he walked on the Pathway of Immortality as if he were sinking in water.

Confirming that they would not be disintegrated in their current states, Lucien also stepped in.

The high, profound, cold and indifferent feelings came from where his body touched the ripples. Lucien had the illusion that he was about to be melted.

Suddenly, Lucien discovered that the Pathway of Immortality was gone, dispersing into a boundless cloud. As a result, even he could not maintain the appearance of a human being. He was expanded into a form that existed everywhere but could also be determined in one location.

Then, the spread collapsed. The Pathway of Immortality appeared again, and Lucien’s body was compressed, too. At this moment, he had reached the turn of the Pathway of Immortality next to Rhine.

The telepathic bond was already gone. Controlling himself, Rhine struggled to say, “You felt the changes, too? Do I look different?”

“No, I don’t see any changes, but I assume we would’ve been disintegrated if our states weren’t transformed.” Lucien realized that they could talk via the purest waves.

Rhine cleaned his clothes habitually and said, “Let’s continue.”

After they took the turn, they saw a palace that had all kinds of eerie patterns engraved on the wall. They confounded whoever saw them.

Thankfully, most of them were already destroyed. That was why Lucien and Rhine could bear it. They passed the palace quickly.

“They must’ve been destroyed by the demigods like Thanos and Viken.” Lucien was rather scared of those weird patterns, which seemed to be designed to swallow the creatures in their current states.

Rhine nodded. “Since Monster Viken allowed us to come here, it means that he believed we wouldn’t be in great danger. So, let’s not panic whatever we may run into.”

After opening the gate, Lucien and Rhine were spread and collapsed again, passing through the Pathway of Immortality and reached the second palace.

The second palace was utterly empty. Right when Lucien thought that the place had also been sabotaged, he heard vague nosies.

Who is it? Lucien turned around, only to discover that a man in a double-breasted suit was smiling at him warmly. It was exactly himself!

An illusion?

Surprised, Lucien decided to ignore it and simply went at the exit of the temple.

‘Lucien’ smiled casually. His muscles bulged, and he slashed with a silver longsword!

Lucien almost couldn’t stop himself from using the Moon Timer or teleportation spells, but then he remembered Rhine’s reminder and decided to wait. After all, he still had the passive magic effects!

After the sword flashed, ‘Lucien’ and Lucien passed each other without any contact.

It was indeed an illusion! Had he attacked, would the illusion become real, and the real become the illusion and stay here forever?

Rhine encountered the same, except that his enemy was a monster that he thought to be a guard of this place. Thankfully, he also held his defense and took the attack the hard way.

After they left the temple, Lucien and Rhine passed four Pathways of Immortality and reached four different temples, in which the traces of ruins could be found.

They were rather astounded. If they encountered a real enemy, and they took the attack without any defense, they would probably be in danger. Illusions were really tricky!

Opening the gate before him, Lucien suddenly widened his eyes. It was a forest with tall trees and vigorous animals?

It was totally unlike the World of Souls or the Pathway of Immortality!

Another illusion?

Lucien observed the surroundings and looked for an exit, when he heard ‘meow’.

A cat? Lucien turned around, only to discover that a black, silver-eyed kitty was looking at him attentively.

“Where’s Mr. Rhine?” It was then that Lucien realized that Rhine was gone!

“Meow!” The cat made another sound.

Lucien said, deep in thought, “You know where Mr. Rhine is?”

As he spoke, Lucien only heard the same ‘meow’.

What’s going on? Lucien immediately reviewed himself, only to discover that he had become a yellow-and-white cat, too!

“The other cat is Mr. Rhine?” Lucien looked at where he came, planning to retreat first, only to sadly discover that the entrance was gone!

He was about to write on the ground to communicate, when he felt that his neck was grabbed. He struggled with both hands and feet, only to no avail. Rhine was the same!

A mean woman laughed aloud, “You two food-stealing thieves have been caught! You’ll be my dinner tonight!”

An illusion?

Lucien began to think. Such weird things should happen here.

Calm down! Calm down! Lucien told himself.

Brought to a cabin by the women, Lucien and Rhine were cut in the neck before they had a chance to escape.

Lucien almost passed out from the excruciating pain. He saw blood dripping from ‘his’ body.

Such pain should be an illusion!

Lucien tried to resist, but it seemed too late. ‘Cat Lucien’ died helplessly after a struggle.

Lucien, however, discovered that his consciousness did not disappear. It was still undergoing the agony and could pass out any moment.

What’s going on? Lucien did not have the habit of passing out. He would rather stay conscious as long as he could!

The cat was skinned and chopped. Every cut seemed to be on Lucien’s body. The pain was like nothing he had ever experienced.

Not having a spell to eliminate the pain, Lucien could only hold it back, unless he chose to pass out.

The meat of the two cats were mixed up and thrown into a pot that was full of potatoes, before it was placed on the fire.

Lucien’s consciousness seemed to be attached to one piece of the meat. He felt that he was being scorched and boiled. The pain was truly indescribable!

Lucien felt that he could pass out every second, but he managed to make it to the next.

After a long time, a spoon appeared in the pot, fetching the peculiar food of cat meat with potatoes onto a wood plate.

Holding his pain, Lucien observed the cabin, trying to find a ‘gate’ to leave, but there was absolutely nothing abnormal.

Where’s the opportunity? Can I only find it if I choose to pass out?

At this moment, the hostess picked up a fork and stabbed into ‘Lucien’, chewing him up into pieces.

Every bite seemed to be on Lucien’s soul.

Lucien did not know how he weathered through it. By the time he was more or less clear, he was already ‘flowing’ towards the hostess’s gullet pushed by the tongue.

Suddenly, Lucien discovered that the throat of the hostess was a red gate!

That was the exit!

The gate was opened, and everything became normal. Lucien found himself standing before the Pathway of Immortality he entered the first time. Before him was a grey stone door.

There was another Pathway of Immortality from another direction, where the Furnace of Souls outside could be seen. On this Pathway of Immortality was a cluster of frozen black, white and grey that was now dispersing and now gathering. One seemed to be seeing infinite death the moment they saw it. Even a legendary expert like Lucien could not free himself.

A swarm of black bats flew over and blocked Lucien’s vision, breaking him away from the attraction of the mysterious existence of the World of Souls.

Rhine was regathered and said solemnly, “Don’t approach any ‘demigod’ that cannot control themselves.”

Nodding his head, Lucien recalled what happened and had a deeper understanding about the creepiness of the Pathway of Immortality. “If we passed out, we might’ve really died before the Chamber of Immortality.”

Rhine observed the surroundings, noticing deep grey traces that carried the transcendental, intangible and unapproachable air of demigods, but they also had the additional sense of immortality.

“Are they the traces of immortality?” Rhine spoke in a low voice.

Looking at the Chamber of Immortality before him, Lucien had an unusual sense of familiarity. He extended his right hand and pressed the gate.

What was behind the gate?