strictlysupreme Chapter 19 The Oath of the Styx
Chapter 19 The Oath of the Styx
Kane stared at Ange in her bright red dress, a question lingering in his mind.
He had clearly destroyed all the potions related to the Stigmata Ritual when he left.
Why did her demonization intensify?
He spread his hands, feigning weakness to lower the other party's guard.
"As fellow participants in the Stigmata ritual, can we talk?"
"talk?"
Anjie's voice was chillingly cold.
"Shall we talk about how you sabotaged the potion and almost prevented me from performing the ritual?"
However, thanks to you, I have gained even greater power.
Before she finished speaking, her expression became even more manic.
Kane quickly assessed the situation.
The original Ange had already mastered the Burning Hand and Magic Missiles.
With increased demonization, spellcasting abilities will likely be even stronger.
Shar stepped forward and said:
"Anjie, can you listen to me for a second?"
Ange tilted her head, revealing a twisted smile that almost tore at the corners of her mouth:
"Please speak, our former executor."
"Once the soul leaves the material plane, there is absolutely no way it can return."
Shar spoke calmly, trying to awaken the other party with facts.
"Even the Patriarch cannot make you see your child in the abyss."
"...That was deception."
"Oh no!" Kane thought to himself, realizing something was wrong.
What Shar said is true, and it is good advice for a rational person.
But for Anjie, who was half-mad, this was nothing short of a shock.
Anjie simply tilted her head, her eyes unusually calm, even carrying a hint of pity.
Suddenly, she shrieked:
"You're lying—!"
next moment.
An even larger, burning hand instantly materialized, rushing towards them with a wave of heat!
The stream water hissed and evaporated, creating a white mist.
Kane pulled Shayl back quickly, but the hem of his clothes was still scorched.
"Kill her."
Anjie coldly gave the order.
The Silent Assassin, who was waiting nearby, instantly drew his dagger.
Kane quickly made a clear tactical gesture to Shar:
They split up and rejoined in the jungle.
Shar understood and turned to run towards the dense jungle on the flank.
That's the terrain that allows her to maximize her ranger abilities.
Kane suppressed his worries about Shar and instead kept a close eye on Ange.
The maniacal smile on her face had faded, replaced by cold indifference.
Then a strange smile appeared on his face.
Are you curious why I wasn't angry?
She tilted her head and looked at Kane.
"Of course I'm not angry."
"How could I possibly believe the lies of a spy who infiltrated a cult through lies?"
She paused, then her lips curved into an even wider smile:
"But, Kane..."
"You are a man who murdered and sacrificed his entire clan."
"Why betray your mentor and flee the sect?"
Kane was about to formulate an explanation.
But Ange's devilish vertical pupils suddenly contracted.
"Fine... I'll just grab you and ask you slowly!"
Whoosh! The flaming arrow whistled through the air!
Kane rolled to the side and dodged behind the rocks, where his previous footing had been blasted into a crater.
He was driven by his thoughts.
The mage wielded two daggers like venomous snakes emerging from their holes, swiftly striking Anjie.
However, before the dagger could even get close, it was blasted away by an invisible force and fell to the stream.
At the same time, a Quassa demon appeared amidst its grotesque cacophony.
It has a dog-like body, bat-like wings, and a half-smile on its face.
This was larger and more solid than the demonic projections we had dealt with in the Land of Souls.
It disappeared into thin air with a grotesque laugh.
Kane's gaze was grave.
Being able to summon physical demons means that Ange has mastered at least third-circle magic.
No, if she had truly reached the level of a third-tier professional, then the power of her other spells wouldn't be so weak.
A whooshing sound came from the air!
Kane reacted extremely quickly, parrying with a backhand dagger.
The dagger clashed with the claws, sparks flying.
He used the momentum to retreat, and then attacked the Quassamon that had been revealed by the attack.
But another flaming arrow came hurtling towards him, forcing him to dodge again.
Facing two opponents alone, the situation is extremely unfavorable.
escape?
He glanced at the jungle from which the sounds of fighting were coming.
"Is that all, Kane?"
Anjie stepped forward slowly, smiling.
The Quassa demon moved closer to her hand.
It nuzzled against me like a docile pet, as if asking for a reward.
"Did you summon this Quassai demon?"
"No."
Ange stroked the demon's head.
"Did you know? It's our 'predecessor,' the demon child from the last round of the Stigmata Ritual."
After undergoing 13 rituals and taking a potion, he ultimately became a Quassam due to insufficient soul aptitude.
She looked up, her smile turning eerie:
"As for what kind of demons we will eventually become, who knows?"
Kane stared gravely at the Quassamon shaking its head.
Even if it becomes like this, you'd still be willing?
"I have no fear in order to see my child again!"
Ange's face contorted with madness once more, and she abruptly raised her hand—
Three magic missiles shot towards us rapidly in a triangular formation!
Kane parried and dodged, narrowly escaping death.
The sound of something cutting through the air came again, and he quickly ducked his head.
The sharp claws narrowly grazed his scalp, leaving a burning pain.
This Quassamon, transformed from a human, is far more powerful than the incomplete projection.
It is stronger and faster.
However, its attack patterns are still traceable.
He had barely dodged the attack when the flames of the Burning Hand followed immediately.
Kane crouched and rolled, simultaneously wielding his dagger to repel the Quassamon who attacked again.
With his other hand, he quickly raised the small crossbow and pulled the trigger!
The crossbow bolt was aimed at the Quassamon's face, but it nimbly ducked to avoid it.
But the arrow that was dodged took a strange turn in mid-air.
It felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed me and stabbed me downwards.
puff!
It precisely pierced one of Quassamon's eyes!
The Quassamon let out a painful roar.
Kane leaped up from the ground, sprinting through the water towards Ange.
The dagger pierced straight into the exposed skin of her neck.
He sympathized with the mother's plight, but he would never sit idly by and wait for his fate.
Ange quickly raised the devil's arm to block.
Kane's gaze sharpened—the Wedge of the Mind!
A mental spike pierced his mind.
A sharp mental shock pierced Anjie's mind.
But in just a moment, her mind returned to normal.
Its intelligence attribute is obviously extremely high.
But this moment is enough!
Kane drew his dagger with all his might, a flash of cold light—
puff!
Bright green blood gushed from the huge wound on Anjie's neck.
Kane had just breathed a sigh of relief.
A tremendous force slammed into his chest!
He was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the stream and splashing a large amount of water.
He braced himself on the ground with both hands and looked up sharply at Anjie.
The next moment, he froze.
The scales around Anjie's neck wound grew wildly.
The exposed skin and flesh healed back to normal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Immortality? No, it's flesh and blood regeneration!"
Seeing this, Kane's heart sank.
A mage who is not afraid of being hurt and can heal himself.
Add to that an invisible Quassamon...
How do I play?
Anjie twisted her neck, which had fully recovered.
She opened her vertical pupils and laughed:
"If you hadn't destroyed the existing medicine..."
"I also find it difficult to directly confront a more powerful demonic projection in order to gain this ability."
She looked at Kane in the stream, her smile twisted, and said:
Let's continue.
Kane stared intently at her, his mind racing.
Suddenly, he sheathed the dagger with his other hand and spread his hands out:
"Anjie, wait a minute, let's talk some more."
"What are you talking about, Mr. Traitor?"
Anjie watched him retract his weapon with haughty indifference.
Kane said:
Don't you want to know why I'm leaving?
He tilted his head, and that look reappeared on his face.
That long-unseen, deliberately feigned, manic smile.
"After all, in terms of importance, my supervisor values me more, right?"
An Jie's face darkened, clearly indicating that her sore spot had been hit.
She had to admit that Kane's talent and the level of importance he received were indeed superior to hers.
Seeing this, Kane knew he had a chance.
Without further hesitation, he immediately invested all the attribute points he had accumulated into the "Friendship Skill".
On the system interface, the gray skill instantly turned light white, and its level increased to LV3.
But he did not use it immediately.
My charm isn't high, so I'll have to rely mainly on persuasive skills to convince Anjie. I need to use my social skills only at the most crucial moments.
Kane spoke directly, his expression calm:
"Let us go, and pretend you've never seen us."
"impossible!"
Anjie was so angry that she laughed instead.
Kane immediately smiled and said:
"Why don't you accept my suggestion?"
"You have undergone the stigmata ritual, and your soul will eventually travel to the abyss to find your child."
But the abyss is a place where the strong prey on the weak, and powerful demons abound. Are you confident you can protect him?
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of clarity flashed in Anjie's manic eyes, and she revealed a thoughtful expression.
Kane continued to escalate the situation, his words filled with enticement:
"You should understand that the stronger the soul..."
"The easier it is to become a high-ranking demon in the abyss and gain eternal power."
"Let me go, don't be my enemy, and in the future, when I am in the abyss, I can protect you and your child."
This was an empty promise, but it was extremely tempting to Ange, who was already mentally unstable.
Anjie's eyes were filled with intense struggle, and the scales in her heart were swaying.
This is the moment!
The art of making friends is activated silently.
The meager influence was like the last straw.
It is superimposed on carefully crafted rhetoric.
Ange stared intently at Kane, then glanced at the restless Quassamon.
Finally, she gritted her teeth and raised her hand to stop the demon's attack.
"What guarantees do you have?" she asked hoarsely.
Kane knew that the most crucial moment had arrived.
He gave a knowing smile and said, word by word:
"I swear in the name of the River Styx—"