How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 22 Together into the Abyss

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

wow-

Inside the washroom, the sound of running water could be heard.

Kane stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

"Who...am I?"

Cold water was constantly washing over his muscular body.

When he picked up a bath towel to dry himself, his abdominal muscles were clearly defined, and the veins on his arms were faintly visible.

This is a body born for killing, especially skilled with daggers.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, he couldn't help but turn back and look at the mirror again.

While showering, he once again felt the three scabbed wounds on the inside of his thigh.

It consists of three characters.

It looks very familiar.

He could even unconsciously pronounce them, some kind of strange syllables.

Back in his room, he silently ate the food the parishioners had brought him.

The grilled sausage tasted bland and tasteless.

What bothered him even more was the look in the eyes of the food delivery cult member.

It was terrifying, as if I were watching a serial killer.

When he politely thanked the other person, the other person scrambled away and fled.

Why...?

Kane closed his eyes, trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

But each time he approached a certain key point, a tearing pain would come from his head.

Fragments of memory flood in uncontrollably:

The first fragment.

He was the "Silent Killer," and from childhood he was loyal to the Patriarch and the Demonic Cult.

The second fragment.

He was the son of a merchant, standing before the corpses of a man and a woman, laughing maniacally amidst the flames.

The third fragment.

He was dressed in strange clothes and had a heated discussion with others about a so-called "adaptive narrative" game design.

"Just how much stuff is in my head?"

He looked down at the three words on his thigh.

After another sharp headache, he uttered the three strange syllables in a low voice.

His eyes suddenly cleared for a moment.

"I am Kane, but I am more than just Kane."

"Could it be... that my memories are becoming disordered? What's the cause? Magic?"

Just thinking about this makes my head ache terribly again.

He covered his temples, and it took him a while to recover.

"Should I report this to my advisor? No, there are still too many questions that need to be answered."

"Why are the believers afraid of me? Why are there words on my legs? Why do I have extra memories?"

dong dong dong.

A knock came at the door.

Anjie, dressed in a red dress, pushed open the door and entered.

She looked at Kane with a hint of pity in her eyes and said softly:

"The eleventh Stigmata Ritual is ready. Follow me."

Kane nodded, reverting to the silent demeanor he remembered as the "Silent Killer."

Follow her through the winding corridors toward the altar on the edge of the cliff.

far away.

The mentor looked over with a gentle expression, stroking a quasi-demon beside him with a fawning expression.

Just as Kane was about to walk toward the altar.

In the brief moment his eyes met Anjie's, he heard a very low whisper:

"To live in the face of death, I have fulfilled my promise."

What?

He frowned and looked over, but Anjie had already looked away, as if nothing had happened.

"Did you hear me wrong?"

Before he could think it through, his mentor smiled and gestured:

"Lie down, Kane."

Kane lay down on the altar as instructed.

But this time, the instructor did not hand over the potion used in the usual rituals, but simply said gently:

"There are no medicines this time."

"We will be facing an even more powerful demonic projection. You just need to close your eyes and accept it calmly."

"Yes, I understand."

Before he finished speaking, the mentor, holding an obsidian dagger, carved a symbol on Kane's abdomen.

He then began to chant obscure incantations in a low voice.

Immediately afterwards, the dagger plunged in!

"Kane, I look forward to your performance this time."

A sharp pain struck, and Kane's consciousness plunged into complete darkness.

……

The land of souls.

Kane opened his eyes.

Before me lay uneven, scorched earth, and the air was thick with the stench of sulfur mixed with rotting flesh.

He picked up a stone and threw it into the lava; the stone was quickly corroded, melted, and sank.

A buzzing sound came from above.

Look up.

A mosquito-shaped demon the size of a horse is hovering in the air.

Its long, needle-like beak stared at him with a drooling look.

"Kashi Demon..."

Kane recalled the account in the Book of Abyss Worship Ritual.

They use the sound of their wings to distract their prey before feeding on their flesh.

"Simply offer a part of your soul or body."

He recalled his mentor's instructions.

After a moment's hesitation, Kane opened his arms and looked up, saying:

"Come, messenger of the abyss, take what you desire!"

A look of joy flashed in the scarlet compound eyes of the Kashi Demon, and it suddenly swooped down!

Kane resisted the urge to dodge, letting it knock him to the ground.

A sharp, piercing pain shot through my abdomen—

He turned his head and saw the mosquito-like demon gnawing at his abdomen with its sharp beak.

at the same time.

A chaotic and dark power gathered there, mending the parts of him that had been devoured.

Is this... the gift of the abyss?

Kane frowned, trying to be patient, but a greater question arose in his mind:

"Since eleven rituals have been performed, why is my soul still entirely in human form?"

Just then, several lines of illusory text appeared before his eyes:

[Verification: The Abyss is undergoing its first transformation of your soul]

[Note: After completing 13 modifications and consuming the potion, the soul will permanently leave the material plane, and the race will be transformed into a Tanari demon.]

[Note: This conversion is irreversible]

What is this?

Kane was horrified.

These characters and the markings on his legs belong to the same system.

He could read it, but his memory clearly told him:

He shouldn't know this script.

Another sharp pain shot through my abdomen; one of my internal organs had been bitten to pieces.

Kashi Demon revealed a satisfied yet twisted smile.

"Great messenger of the abyss, it is time for you to leave."

Kane, suppressing his pain, signaled for the guests to leave.

However, the malice in the eyes of the Kashi Demon intensified, and its sharp beak suddenly pierced through his left arm!

"Wait...wasn't the left arm sacrificed during the first ritual?"

The demon continued to devour, showing no sign of stopping.

No…nothing’s right!

The mentor's smile, the shadows of the auditorium, the memories of the dungeon...

Countless fragments exploded in my mind.

"That lowly demon..."

A nameless rage suddenly surged up!

Kane glared at the demon who was feasting.

A black obsidian dagger suddenly appeared out of thin air in his hand!

Swah——

With a flash of light, the forelimb of the Kashi Demon was slashed open!

The demon glared angrily, only to meet a pair of eyes burning with fury.

It tried to attack again, but Kane grabbed its forelimbs and stabbed it with daggers like raindrops!

The Kashi Demon emitted a piercing buzz, attempting to break his will.

Kane bit his tongue, using the pain to sober up, and grinned coldly:

"That sounds awful—"

Having said that, he continued to swing his knife, and blood splattered everywhere!

The demon pecked and pierced Kane's heart, but granulation tissue quickly grew from the wound and healed rapidly.

Even the black flesh and blood in its abdomen began to fall to the ground, returning to its original flesh color.

The already weakened Kashi Demon revealed an expression of resentment upon seeing this.

Finally, it completely crumbled under the dagger, turning into ashes.

[Check: You have slain the complete projection of the Kassadin, gaining 200 experience points]

[Hint: Dagger mastery progress reached 100%, promoted to Lv10 (max)]

You have acquired the trait "Dagger Expert".

Kane looked at his status bar in the void, and amidst the dense text, he caught a key line:

[Name: Kane (Bewitched)]

I see... It's a memory manipulation spell.

He looked at the note for "Undying Trait", remembered Ange's words, and his eyes lit up with realization.

"To live towards death... it turns out that only through death can the bewitchment be broken."

The surrounding lava landscape began to collapse.

At the last moment, he raised the dagger and, without hesitation, slit his own throat—

Blood splattered.

next moment.

Darkness fades away.

He left the land of souls and returned to the cliff altar.

The mentor continued to look at him gently.

Standing beside her were the Silent Killer, the Quassa Demon, and Ange, who was wearing a bright red dress.

"How are you feeling, Kane?"

The mentor asked with a smile.

Kane did not answer, but instead looked down at the bottomless waterfall below the cliff.

The mentor became wary and gave a hand signal, and the silent assassin quietly approached.

"Mentor, I have a question."

Kane suddenly turned his head and asked with a smile.

"Can you fly?"

The tutor maintained his smile and did not reply.

He has decided to take him to see the Patriarch again to have the spell cast once more.

But the next second, Kane suddenly whispered:

"Mentor, then let's... journey together into the abyss."

What?!

Before he could react, Kane suddenly moved closer.

Hold him tight and leap off the cliff!

Amidst the cries of Ange and the silent killer.

Two figures plummeted rapidly until they were completely swallowed by the surging water...