Chapter 357 355-A Deadly Stratagem
Luther shook his head slightly, his face etched with bitterness.
"It's a long story."
The skeletal rat's mouth moved: "We have plenty of time now. You can take your time."
Luther glanced at the skeletal rat, his eyes clouding over with reminiscence, his thoughts seemingly drifting far away.
"When I came from the outside world, I arrived in City 45. Because I had information about Santos Tower, I didn't waste much time in the city and headed straight for the Tower."
"I had stirred up trouble with the Serpent Eye Cult on the outside, entering Santos Tower unprepared."
Ethan internally rolled his eyes.
So, the reason the Serpent Eye Cult set up camp outside Santos Tower was because of Luther.
He later even had a confrontation with those ghouls of the Serpent Eye Cult.
In a way, being targeted by the Serpent Eye Cult could also be attributed to Luther.
Ethan pondered this silently, choosing not to voice his thoughts.
Luther continued in a somber tone:
"Upon entering Santos Tower, I arrived at the divine crystal mining mountain and entered the camp without any precautions. But gradually, I sensed something was amiss. Elida seduced me and we had relations, after which she implanted Demonkin in me. By the time my swordheart alerted me, I already harbored suspicions."
"In the mines, as I interacted with other miners, I realized they were filled with Demonkin, having lost their own minds. That's when I understood there was something abnormal about this camp. I was careful in everything I did, but I was still discovered."
Before Ethan could ask, Luther continued to explain on his own.
"After all, I didn't have any Demonkin in me, something Elida could sense. So, one night, when I tried to escape, I was cornered by Herman and his two companions. Their strength surpassed mine; I could barely stand a chance against any one of them, let alone all three together."
"Therefore, I had no choice but to flee into the mines. My sword, the Heart of Fragmentation, was confiscated by Herman."
At this point, Luther's tone became wistful, his eyes dimming with the pain of losing something precious.
Ethan now understood where Luther's sword had gone.
Heart of Fragmentation – the name itself sounded formidable.
Recalling the battered state of Luther's sword he had seen before, Ethan thought it quite fitting of its name.
"In the mines, Herman and his men stopped pursuing me. They didn't follow me down. But I knew the mines were no place to stay for long. The next day, when those so-called miners descended, I would undoubtedly be doomed. So, I had to go deeper into the mine."
Luther's expression grew more solemn, his eyes reflecting a strange light.
"I don't know how long I walked until I reached a deep area. There, divine crystals were everywhere, seemingly untouched. But what I saw next was horrifying."
"A spider, an immensely huge spider, hanging from the stone pillars, its appearance menacing. Even though its eyes were closed, I felt it watching me. At that moment, I was torn between going forward or retreating."
"But I had no way back, and I didn't know what lay ahead. So, gritting my teeth, I moved forward. But then I saw a flash of light and shadow, and my back was slashed open, something embedded into my body."
Ethan narrowed his eyes, hardly daring to speak.
Luther's expression was fraught with tension, as if he had returned to that fateful day, the helplessness of the moment visible in his demeanor and stirring a sense of melancholy.
lightsΝοvel.cοm "I didn't even know what happened when the life form of the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider was implanted in me," Luther said, his face downcast, the spirited vigor Ethan had seen in him before now entirely gone.
Ethan, controlling the skeletal rat, asked, "How did you know it was the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider, and that you had been implanted with its life form?"
Luther's lips curled into a wry, sorrowful smile.
"Because..."
His lips trembled, taking a moment before he could articulate his thoughts:
"...because memories about that spider suddenly emerged in my mind. From those memories, I learned it was called the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider, and that the life form it implanted in me was its offspring."
"Its purpose in implanting this life form is to cultivate and gradually consume me from the inside."
The skeletal rat controlled by Ethan took a couple of steps back, its eyes flickering with an eerie green light.
He fell silent, not daring to speak.
If the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider possessed such capabilities, and the life form was already consuming Luther, didn't it mean that the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider could hear Ethan and Luther's conversation?
Back in the cabin, Ethan suddenly opened his eyes, his throat rolling slightly, feeling a strange and ominous presence all around him, as if spider shadows lurked everywhere.
He felt as if he too was being watched.
Luther looked at the skeletal rat and shook his head slightly:
"Don't worry, it's still in a symbiotic state with me. I've tried to remove it from my back, even to kill it, but every time I harbor such thoughts, the spider on my back becomes active. It's as if it's ready to devour me instantly. When I don't have these thoughts, there's no abnormality."
Ethan felt utterly betrayed by Luther:
"Why didn't you clarify this earlier? What if the spider is playing a long game? Luther, you're really going to get me killed..."
Luther's mouth fell open slightly, regaining his composure:
"Right now, it's just you and me. We need to work together."
Being roped into the same predicament, Ethan felt a sense of despair.
It seemed his own sense of duty was his downfall.
"Continue, then what happened..."
Luther looked up at the sky where the moon hung, casting a gentle light.
He slowly exhaled a breath of cold air: "What happened next is as you saw. I was captured by the miners, and Herman, sensing the anomaly in my body, didn't lay a hand on me. Instead, he made it clear to me."
"Carrying this spider tattoo, if I step out of the Magic Circle, I would undoubtedly die. So, we maintained a truce, living in peace since then."
Ethan's eyes moved thoughtfully, pondering.
No wonder Luther could absorb the power of the divine crystal outside, without having to contribute to the wooden hut.
As for why Luther still went to the mine, it was a question that hardly needed asking.
Luther was definitely after the divine crystal, seeking to absorb more of the deity's power within it to enhance his own strength.
His power had clearly increased, having reached the stage of Cocooning.
Apart from Luther's talent, the divine crystal undoubtedly played a significant role.
"Then why did you still engage in such acts with Elida?" the skeletal rat asked, its mouth moving with the final question.
Luther's mouth opened slightly, and after a long while, he spoke with a sense of resignation:
"I thought my life would just pass by like this, so I became a bit reckless. But I didn't expect you to come... If I had known, I wouldn't have lost my virginity..."
Ethan slowly exhaled, "I have one last question."
"Ask," Luther said seriously, "Now that we're allies, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
The skeletal rat's eyes glowed coldly, its green light flickering like ghostly flames:
"What did you mean when you said Valentine wants to kill me?"
Luther grinned somewhat maliciously:
"It's quite the fate. Had you not met me, you might have already been killed by Valentine."
"Why?" Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Valentine is not as powerful as me, and I doubt he has as many tricks up his sleeve."
Luther's smile faded, and he looked earnestly at the skeletal rat:
"Ethan, I know you're strong. But in Deityforsaken Land, there's never a shortage of powerful beings. Do you know what Valentine did in City 45? He sought the God of Enigma and had Him weave a web of death around you. Unwittingly, you would have been trapped in a situation with no escape."
Ethan suddenly fell silent, his heart pounding like a drum, his blood racing faster.
"How do you know this?" Ethan asked after a long pause, his voice deep and serious.
"Because he approached me, wanting my cooperation to kill you," Luther said casually.
"But I didn't want to become enemies with you, and I'm not interested in killing without reason. So, I refused him. However, I saw him enter the palace of the God of Enigma, and I heard the divine decree issued, putting a bounty on you throughout the Deityforsaken Land."
Ethan was familiar with the deity known as the God of Enigma.
He was a subordinate of the God of Destiny, and like the God of Destiny, the God of Enigma also played with the fates of others.
However, unlike the God of Destiny, whose creations of life or death were accidental,
As the term 'destiny' suggests, it's something no one can resist.
The God of Enigma, on the other hand, calculates various methods to orchestrate others' demise.
He is more adept at strategizing rather than manipulating.
He is like a sovereign high above in the heavens, able to mobilize any of his resources at will, locking others within the confines of his schemes.
"So, being here now, could it be part of the God of Enigma's plan?"
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