Albert stepped forward with a solemn expression, almost reverently touching the secret casket covered in ritual arrays.
Although the Children of the Whiskered Tree sect was known for absolute neutrality and rationality, being able to personally touch a relic of an ancient deity still made him feel an uncontrollable excitement. His spiritual essence reveled, and his emotions surged along with it.
Terence and Child exchanged a glance beside him but didn't speak up or try to stop him.
The two White Cup Error-Purgers were, after all, outsiders, and observing this moment in someone else's Old Sanctuary was somewhat awkward. But putting themselves in the other's shoes, they could understand somewhat.
If they could see a relic of the Pure White Cup lost during the Lost Age, their own emotions would probably be even more intense. Seen in that light, the Child of the Whiskered Tree was being quite restrained.
The secret casket was covered in fragmented, obscure prayers. As Albert touched it, the last trace of spiritual aura covering it completely dissipated.
Terence stepped forward, gazing intently at the casket in Albert's hands.
"You two, although it might be somewhat discourteous... I must state that the White Cup Cult needs to verify the contents of this casket. To ensure it won't cause some kind of large-scale damage."
"Of course." Albert nodded, showing no resistance.
"After all, that was part of our original agreement."
He slowly opened the casket, simultaneously explaining the sacred artifact's details to the two. The Children of the Whiskered Tree had achieved their goal for this trip; naturally, there was no need for further secrecy now.
"This is the Ancient Banyan's fruit, 'Shadow of the Future.' Consuming it grants the ability to communicate with one's future self..."
Before Albert could finish, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his chest... Looking down, he saw a ritual dagger etched with prayers had already pierced through his chest.
"Cough! Cough, cough..."
Bleeding internal organs triggered an uncontrollable coughing fit, bright red blood plasma gushing out uncontrollably.
His first feeling wasn't pain, but bewilderment. Were the Error-Purgers going to kill him to seize the sacred artifact? But they had clearly signed a mutual non-harm agreement.
He had carefully reviewed the relevant clauses; there shouldn't be any loopholes to circumvent...
The next moment, he looked up and saw nearly identical bewilderment on the faces of the two Error-Purgers before him.
The person who had stabbed him through the chest with the blade was his own colleague, Neville.
Because the agreement clauses only applied between the Error-Purgers and the Children of the Whiskered Tree, meaning... there were no restrictions on people from the same side harming each other!
"Neville, you..."
Damage to vital organs almost instantly stripped Albert of all his strength, leaving him unable to even finish a sentence of questioning.
"What are you doing!"
Child raised his abnormally large sniper rifle, instantly aiming it at Neville.
With the dark gun muzzle pointed at his forehead, this Child of the Whiskered Tree showed no fear, just amusedly playing with the ritual dagger in his hand, now soaked in blood. He licked the blood on it.
One could see his eyes were full of undisguised mockery.
"Dear Error-Purgers, wait a little longer. I haven't violated the agreement to harm you, have I? As for this child, he was the sacrifice I selected from the very beginning."
"Knowledge, spiritual essence, faith, high-quality blood... I'm sure these will further help those trapped in the core layer break free from the shackles of this place."
Watching the casket gradually become stained with Albert's blood, Terence clicked his tongue. The agreement was still in effect; neither side could harm the other... but they could use some non-lethal methods to restrain the other party first.
"[Blood-Wielding]."
He raised the Banquet-Attending Hand, manipulating Albert's spilled blood plasma to form root-like strands, binding Neville.
"No need to rush. After I 'activate the sanctuary facilities without obtaining consent,' you can try to kill me without restraint according to the agreement terms... Isn't that right?"
Banyan branches burst through Neville's skin, emerging as if growing from inside. They also tore through this resilient layer of the blood cocoon, allowing him to seize this momentary opening to fully open the casket.
Bang!
Almost the moment the casket opened, Child pulled the trigger. At such close range, he absolutely would not miss by even a fraction.
Neville's head shattered on impact, bone fragments and brain matter scattering across the ground.
"Firearms, such brutal yet powerful weapons..."
Even with only a jaw left of his entire head, his voice still emerged from his throat.
"—"
In an instant, aberrant light and shadow enveloped Neville, like a slow-motion sequence from a film.
Then, his surroundings began to "rewind" like film footage.
The already scattered flesh and blood gathered back together in an extremely orderly fashion. He... returned to the moment before being struck by the bullet.
"See? Compared to those vague, insubstantial ravings, compared to the steel and rationality you believe in, what I hold in my hand... is the true miracle!"
Neville laughed maniacally, to the point where he had to press his abdomen to contain his mirth.
He opened his mouth, and an insect glowing with a fluorescent green luster crawled out of his throat.
This creature had a drooping, large abdomen and slender limbs. Though astonishingly large, based on its characteristics... it was an aphid.
The aphid was surrounded by the reverse shadows of time, shuttle-like burrowed into the half-open casket with impatient greed, seemingly ready to feast.
Terence tried to stop it, but the aphid was like a phantom; neither bullets nor blood could touch it.
—The bizarre aphid contacted the interior of the casket, and its excitement quickly turned to bewilderment.
The casket did not contain the Ancient Banyan fruit named [Shadow of the Future].
What was placed in this casket... was a pair of black winter-knit socks, appearing soft and warm, but also bearing traces of being stained by monster saliva.
Simultaneously, the socks carried the faint scent of myrrh and osmanthus from Flamel.
"Thank you for everyone waiting outside the Old Sanctuary for so long..."
Fran's voice slowly emerged from the shadows, carrying a hint of mild languor, as if she had just woken up.
"But unfortunately, it seems we arrived a bit earlier."
Her eyes smiling, she lightly pinched her thumb and forefinger, making a "just a little" gesture.
---
The sudden turn of events made Neville's expression turn very unpleasant.
This was the most critical moment, allowing not the slightest mistake. But variables kept arriving one after another... If this were an omen, it felt somewhat ominous.
His eyes underwent a sinister, gloomy change, ultimately regaining composure.
Neville still had the power of the Time-Aphid, the authority to command most of the Old Sanctuary's banyan branches. He still had the capability to control the entire situation.
Although that Secrets-Hunter burial attendant was troublesome... she hadn't stepped into the High Priest tier, and presumably couldn't truly reverse the situation.
"Miss Flamel, you always bring surprises."
Neville licked his lips; because the "Time-Aphid" had just crawled out of his throat, his voice carried some roughness.
"But if you think taking that thing in advance guarantees victory, that is truly too arrogant. Perhaps you don't know what you're about to face... But soon, you'll regret not fleeing the library early."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Fran tilted her head, a flicker of doubt passing through her amber gaze.
"You mean, relying on a half-starved Time-Aphid and the surrounding, extremely weakened banyan trees... is enough for you to eliminate all threats? Then perhaps the arrogant one isn't me?"
She lightly tugged the hem of her garment, revealing her pale, slender legs beneath the white scholar's robe; the black winter-knit socks that had covered them were nowhere to be seen.
"As a betrayer hiding in the team, your little maneuvers were far too obvious, even clumsy to describe."
Fran wagged her index finger, then began her critique of him as was her habit.
"Back in the library, the number of Banyan Root Mimicries was actually quite normal initially. They started pouring out in large numbers after you used the second-category secret art [Wood-Wielding]... The Ancient Banyan affinity of the Children of the Whiskered Tree is indeed useful. While summoning more mimicries, you could even tamper with the door's ritual array..."
"Such a sudden high-altitude fall could have truly killed an ordinary cult disciple."
"Aside from these points, you did quite well. Full of patience, not at all impatient..."
"Enough."
Clearly, Neville had no intention of wasting time on conversation. The Time-Aphid was growing increasingly hungry; it needed to feed immediately.
He looked at Albert, who had gone into shock after being stabbed through the chest, and gave an order to the aphid now frantically searching by the casket. The latter immediately switched targets, lunging at Albert, preparing to devour him.
"This aphid-type mythical creature can modify time on a small scale; quite a special racial talent. It makes me want to keep one..."
Fran watched the chaotic light and shadow swirling around the Time-Aphid with great interest, excitement showing in her gaze.
The next moment, a fierce, blinding flame light swept past everyone, arriving directly beside Albert. The light and flames around Sigrid carried high temperatures sufficient to annihilate all biomatter, forcibly driving the Time-Aphid back.
"Haa..."
Seeing the food that had reached its mouth taken away, it immediately agitatedly screeched.
However, its burns vanished in the blink of an eye, just like Neville's recovery after being shot in the head.
"The small-scale time-resetting ability, judging by its type, should be 'retrograde.'"
This brief skirmish also gave Fran a general understanding of the Time-Aphid's specific ability limits.
"It seems this little thing is countered by Sigrid. If you have other methods, please show them quickly. Your time is running out..."
For enemies that can disrupt time to some extent, the optimal solution under normal circumstances is to create a "sealed environment" with sufficient threat, making it impossible for them to escape the lethal range no matter how they pause time or shift time points.
And the light and flames Sigrid possessed, originating from the False Sun, precisely fulfilled this requirement.
"Where did this Sun-Forging disciple come from... When did she get in?"
Neville squinted his eyes to avoid the blinding, scorching light around Sigrid. Simultaneously, the situation slipping further from his control made him feel somewhat uneasy.
Terence, who had witnessed the entire process, was momentarily surprised but quickly understood.
Regarding the Sun-Forgers incident, the White Cup internally had actually long reached a conclusion. Sigrid was alone and carried a fragment of the Primal Sun; it was absolutely impossible for her to hide within Norlington City for so long without being discovered.
Either she had already fled the city, or someone was deliberately helping her hide... All secret cults with knowledge of this matter were aware of this. They just hadn't expected it was actually the Secrets-Hunter Cult that had taken her in.
"What is the relationship between this insect and the Children of the Whiskered Tree's Ancient Banyan?"
Child asked somewhat confusedly, voicing the question.
While using this question to distract Neville, he again tried aiming at the other's head and pulling the trigger. Another series of scattered light and shadow, and his shattered flesh and brain matter reassembled.
"Fool, you know nothing... Insect? You should use an honorific, use 'He' to address these miracles of the Creator..."
The Time-Aphid climbed onto Neville's shoulder, then inserted its mouthparts into the skin of his nape, beginning to suck bodily fluids and flesh.
After Albert, the "backup food," failed to serve his intended purpose, he had to use himself to feed this hungry mythical creature.
For some reason, when Neville said this, Terence felt an inexplicable chill.
He remembered the chaotic scattered dots covering the banyan tree in the library mural.
Clearly, a Child of the Whiskered Tree had wanted to convey something to future generations before death struck, not sparing to fiercely chisel the sacred statue of his own deity.
Were those disorderly depressions metaphors for these aphids? That is to say... the Old Sanctuary's destruction originated from an out-of-control insect plague?
"Prosperous flowers and leaves, envelop the branches and roots, nurture the buds of time."
Neville, currently being gnawed away, not only showed no pain; judging by his expression, he was full of enjoyment, seemingly content with it. He even rapidly recited prayers, as if conducting a mass.
"Prosperous flowers and leaves, envelop the branches and roots, nurture the Time-Aphid."
"The Time-Aphid multiplies and grows, propagates boundlessly, enters flesh and marrow."
"Time is the greatest force propelling the world forward, also the intangible hand pushing everything toward the end... It records origins and also bears extinction. Everything will turn to dust under time, irreversible..."
"Noisy."
Faced with a fanatic lost in self-intoxication, Haida never had the habit of indulging them to finish speaking. She had been lurking in the surrounding shadows for a long time; now, having received Fran's permission, she no longer held back.
In a mere instant, the nun raised the power sword "Nirvana" and split Neville's body vertically, from the crown of his head down to the base of his spine, cleaving him in two.
Even though he would seamlessly return to his original state the next moment, Haida didn't stop because of it. She merely brought the blade down again with precision and mechanical repetition, until each retrograde began to slow down...
The power sword's metallic hum was fierce and exhilarated, feasting on the other's spiritual essence saturated with the principle of Chronos.
Neville also seemed unable to withstand this relentless assault. He raised his newly reassembled arm, suddenly commanding the surrounding serpent-like banyan root network to force Haida to momentarily retreat some distance.
But this burial attendant only took an instant to cleave through the layered Ancient Banyan branches. These wooden materials, no different from steel, were nearly indistinguishable from ordinary wood under the adamantium blade.
"Do you know why that first mimicry said, 'Time is His deception'?"
Neville touched the still-slowly merging blood trail on his neck, lowly posing a question to everyone present.
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL