Chapter 287 Chapter286-Altering Memories
At last, John understood why Ghana had been so hesitant all this while.
His face betraying his surprise, he asked, "Didn't you just open a portal to the Abyss?"
The bitter smile on Ghana's face became even more pronounced. "It's not as simple as you think. For Devils of our caliber to traverse from the Abyss to the Godslayer Continent, a natural spatial rift is essential. The portals we open on our own cannot accommodate our ORDER divine power."
John finally had his moment of revelation. So that was the reason...
Before he could further react, Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana suddenly turned and pointed to the side. "There's another pressing issue. Our conversation wasn't encrypted. How do you plan to handle your team members?"
Taken aback, John followed Ghana's gaze and noticed the other members of the Devil Elite Team staring blankly at the two of them.
As he locked eyes with them, almost instinctively, they stepped back, a hint of caution flashing across their expressions.
John was at a loss for words.
He suddenly realized that in the midst of his engrossing conversation with Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana, he had utterly forgotten about the presence of his teammates.
A pang of worry washed over him. Having rarely teamed up with NPCs in the past, John subconsciously considered them equivalent to player characters.
Detecting their wary gaze, John was momentarily uncertain about how to address the situation.
"How about this? I can kill them all for you... Dead men tell no tales," said Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana, a faint smile playing on his lips.
His casual words, however, bore a ruthless coldness.
Slowly, John shook his head, certain that murder wasn't the ideal solution.
He then looked up at Ghana, inquiring evenly, "Being the Soul-Devouring Devil, you control the ORDER of souls. You should have the means to alter memories, right?"
The smile on Ghana's face broadened as he chuckled, "You hit the mark. Indeed, I possess a method to erase every memory of our conversation from their minds."
A fleeting look of distress crossed John's face, but he quickly regained his composure.
"If there's such a method, then there's no need to resort to slaughter. Do it," John declared, deliberately ignoring the pleading gazes of the Devil Elite Team members, and moved aside with his hands clasped behind him.
In a flash, Ghana appeared before the group.
With a gentle wave of his right hand, the expressions of the team members immediately grew vacant.
"I'd suggest," John's somber voice began from the side, "that you make the memory alteration thorough... It would be best if they believed that under our collective assault, you were forced to flee back into the Abyss."
Ghana's motions remained uninterrupted, yet he found the space to reply to John, "Rest assured. Once I've altered their memories, they'll believe they've been through a remarkable and arduous battle today, and that with their team's collaboration, they managed to drive me back into the Abyss."
John nodded in approval.
In no time, Ghana finished tampering with the team's memories.
Their eyes gently closed, seemingly succumbing to sleep.
Had John not detected their steady breathing, he might've suspected Ghana of seizing the opportunity to slaughter them all.
Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana slowly withdrew his hand, panting as he returned to his original position.
Given his strength, meddling with the memories of these few shouldn't have drained such significant divine power.
But, he had been severely depleted from the prior battle with John.
Moreover, in the Godslayer Continent, the dark elements weren't as potent as in the Abyss.
Even after a brief respite, Ghana remained significantly weakened.
"They'll awaken in half an hour," Ghana noted. "By then, they will have forgotten everything that transpired after encountering me, only recalling a challenging battle between us..."
John tilted his head slightly, a hint of amusement shining in his eyes.
He softly remarked, "That works... This method of altering memories, are there any chances of unintended consequences?"
Puffing out his chest with evident pride, Ghana confidently declared, "You needn't worry about that. Unless the God of Holy Light intervenes personally, not even deities of my caliber, those hypocrites, could possibly restore their memories."
John finally felt at ease.
The fact that they, the players, hailed from another world was information better kept from the indigenous NPCs of the Godslayer Continent.
At present, most NPCs believed they came from some unknown land, devoid of the notion of two worlds merging.
If too many were privy to their true origins, there might be deliberate measures taken in response.
The human heart is unpredictable.
Even if the native NPCs of the Godslayer Continent currently appeared amiable, there was no telling how they'd react upon discovering the truth...
After a moment's contemplation, John nonchalantly remarked, "Now there's just one last issue... How can we ensure your safe return to the Abyss?"
Mentioning this, Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana's expression once again clouded over.
With an air of resignation, he confessed, "In truth, from the very moment my brothers exiled us to the Godslayer Continent, they never intended for us to return safely."
"We, the so-called failures, were merely their vanguard for the invasion of the Godslayer Continent. Deep down, we always knew our fate was sealed — destined to be encircled and slain by those self-righteous, hypocritical deities."
John chuckled lightly, his tone breezy as he interjected, "Things aren't as complicated as you portray them. In fact, I have something here that can effortlessly transport you back into the Abyss..." As he finished, John produced a scroll from his bag.
[Abyss Gate Scroll (Divine item): A scroll used to open a gateway to the Abyss, requiring the stimulus of ORDER divine power to activate. Upon each use, it creates a one-way passage to the inner layers of the Abyss. Duration: 1 minute. Scroll usage count: 2/3...]
This was the scroll John had obtained when he defeated the Fallen Angel Leviathan, capable of opening a passage to the Abyss.
Previously, it seemed Leviathan had already utilized it once, leaving two more uses available.
The properties of the scroll did not specify any level constraints, implying that even god-tier beings could use it to access the deeper parts of the Abyss.
The moment John revealed the Abyss Gate Scroll, Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana's eyes lit up with intensity.
He could distinctly sense the potent dark energy imbued within the scroll, as well as a faint hint of spatial ORDER.
After John displayed the scroll's attributes to Ghana, the Soul-Devouring Devil's excitement became palpable.
Perhaps this item truly held the potential to return him to the Abyss he so dearly missed.
"With this at your disposal, you should be able to effortlessly return to the Abyss, right?" With a serene smile gracing his face, John asked casually.
Ghana nodded without hesitation, "There should be no issue. I can sense this item's deep connection with the Abyss. The passage it opens will surely be stable."
John channeled his inner energy into the Abyss Gate Scroll.
With a resonating hum, a swirling vortex of darkness materialized in the space before them.
Peering through the vortex, one could faintly glimpse the bleak landscape beyond.
"Don't forget our agreement. I hope that when we meet again, we can share a drink in camaraderie, rather than engage in a life-or-death battle," John remarked with a playful grin.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ghana nodded and eagerly approached the swirling vortex. With a leap, the Devil disappeared entirely into the Dark Vortex.
John stood in the now-empty Soulstone Temple, stroking his chin in contemplation.
A thought crossed his mind: the Abyss Gate Scroll's passage remained open for ten minutes.
Should he seize this rare opportunity and venture into the deeper layers of the Abyss?
Despite playing in the game "Godslayer" for such a long time, he had never set foot in the Abyss.
Furthermore, many matters required him to journey to the Abyss for resolution.
For instance, the pet egg left by Queen Medusa in his inventory required specific materials from the Abyss to hatch.
Besides, with the imminent merging of the two worlds, the Abyss would undoubtedly become a formidable adversary in this realm.
Understanding one's enemy in advance could offer better preparation for future battles.
After careful consideration, John decided to resist the tantalizing idea.
There were still many tasks left undone on the Godslayer Continent.
One should eat one bite at a time and take one step at a time; there was no need for undue haste.
The Abyss, teeming with countless twisted dark creatures, would see him someday...
It was more prudent to focus on the present.
As for the passage opened by the Abyss Gate Scroll, if it went to waste, so be it.
Investing in a Devil was a loss John could bear.
Indeed, even though John's demands of Ghana seemed nonchalant, it didn't mean he would genuinely let the Devil off the hook.
With this agreement in place, soliciting Ghana's assistance in the future would become much simpler.
This was the primary reason John was willing to spare Ghana in the first place...
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