Catherine was fine, but Sophia was trouble.
If Count Ryan found out that his daughter had been captured by them, he would definitely go insane and fight The Nightmare Cult to the death.
Luca’s quick understanding of the situation suited her perfectly.
Then, Luca realized he could move again.
At that moment, he felt an impulse.
It was to directly take out the Heavenly Thunder Purple Fire scroll from his storage ring and slap it right on the woman’s delicate face.
But in the end, he suppressed the thought.
It was unrealistic to think he could kill Tia, the main villainess of the Nightmare Cult, with just a high-level scroll.
“Luca, don’t go with her!” Seeing Luca voluntarily walk toward Tia, Sophia and Catherine’s faces were filled with anxiety.
No one knew what The Nightmare Cult wanted, but following them would likely put Luca’s life in danger—something neither of the women could bear to see.
“They seem to care about you a lot.” Tia glanced at the two of them, then sized up Luca in front of her, her gaze full of hidden meaning.
Luca didn’t respond, remaining calm as he said, “Let them go, or you won’t be able to leave.”
As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on Tia, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, while his focus was already on the Heavenly Thunder Purple Fire scroll in his storage ring.
If this woman showed even the slightest intention of harming Sophia or Catherine, he was ready to strike.
Even if he couldn’t kill her, the commotion would surely attract the high-level powerhouses currently engaged in battle nearby.
Leaving wouldn’t be so easy for The Nightmare Cult.
“As you wish.” Tia never intended to waste time on others in the first place.
With a casual wave of her hand, the restraints on Sophia and Catherine disappeared.
In an instant, Luca felt a blur before his eyes as Tia’s slender arm wrapped around his neck. Her touch was cold and smooth, like a snake coiling around him, sending a shiver down his spine.
At the same time, he caught a peculiar scent emanating from her—like the sweet fragrance of roses, with a faint trace of herbs. Luca couldn’t quite place it, but it wasn’t something he had the time to think about right now.
“We’re leaving,” Tia said to the followers of The Nightmare Cult. A moment later, black mist surged from her body, enveloping Luca along with her as the two of them rapidly sank into the shadows.
At this point, Rudolph was dumbfounded.
Wait, weren’t they supposed to rescue me? How did it turn into them capturing Luca? At least take me too!
Seeing Tia preparing to leave, he hastily cried out, “Lady Tia, save me! I’ve shed blood for the cult, I’ve made contributions to the cult! You can’t just leave me behind!”
Tia didn’t even bother looking at him. A useless waste—he wasn’t worth her precious time.
“Stop them now!” Sophia, rarely so anxious, commanded. The Iron Mountain soldiers had long been ready and, hearing her words, immediately charged toward The Nightmare Cult members.
Catherine was the fastest. In the blink of an eye, she rushed in front of them and reached out, trying to pull Luca back.
But she was a step too late.
Her hand barely extended halfway when Luca and Tia vanished from where they stood.
…
Deep in the Beast Forest, Kurk and Bayou were locked in a desperate battle with the Hydra.
The Hydra, growing frustrated by the relentless fight, opened its mouths and unleashed several bolts of lightning, blasting the two away.
“Are you done yet?!” Kurk shouted urgently, drenched in sweat, his body trembling from the relentless surges of blood energy.
Bayou, clutching his aching back, was gasping for breath.
Even with their considerable stamina, such an intense battle was taking its toll.
Franklin responded impatiently, “Do you think this is a beginner-level spell? You can’t just whip it out with a wave of your hand!”
High-level spells were undeniably powerful, but they also required more time to cast.
Still, the three were now at the final moment, almost ready.
Suddenly, a clamor of shouts and battle cries erupted from behind them.
At first, the trio paid it no mind, merely glancing over.
But that one glance caused Franklin and Sophia to erupt in fury.
They had just witnessed Luca being taken away by Tia.
“Those damn vermin! They dared lay a hand on my student? They’re courting death!” Franklin’s body surged with grey mist, his eyes filled with chilling, murderous intent.
Lucia’s delicate face turned beet red with rage, her chest heaving with fury, and even the lightning in her hands became erratic.
They were out here fighting on the front lines, and yet their student had been captured by the enemy.
Both were so angry they nearly abandoned everything to rush back and rescue him.
Bright quickly tried to calm them down. “Focus on the monster in front of you! The Nightmare Cult will be dealt with by those behind us. They won’t get away.”
Despite their seething rage.
Franklin and Lucia knew he was right. Leaving now would likely result in the situation spiraling out of control.
“Let’s finish this beast first!” Both directed their burning gaze toward the Hydra, their eyes ablaze with fury.
At that moment, the trio’s spells were finally ready.
Bright’s eyes, marked with cross-shaped bloodlines, locked onto the Hydra’s heads. Franklin’s body erupted in a sea of grey mist, while a violent purple flame surged around Lucia.
The air around them roared with their overwhelming auras, like a terrifying volcano on the verge of eruption.
Without a word, Franklin raised his black magic book, from which an endless stream of dark mist poured out, forming behind him a massive skeleton, towering over a hundred meters tall!
A Lich Puppet!
The colossal skeleton slowly stood, its form stretching into the sky, its eyes glowing with ghostly blue flames. It extended a massive hand and grasped two of the Hydra’s heads, holding them tightly in its crushing grip.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!!” The Hydra bellowed in rage, its remaining heads ferociously attacking the skeletal monster. However, their strikes merely caused the massive skeleton to shudder. The creature Franklin had summoned was terrifyingly strong, with defense and power far beyond anything ordinary.
At that moment, Lucia made her move.
She pointed her staff toward the sky, and a burst of purple light shot upward, instantly darkening the heavens.
Storm clouds covered the sky, and several enormous fireballs, each dozens of meters wide and burning with violet flames, streaked across the sky like meteors. With overwhelming force, they hurtled toward the Hydra’s heads.
Meteoric Fire!
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed, and the ground trembled as the violet flames engulfed the Hydra, scorching its skin until it was raw and blistered.
Before it could recover, Bright appeared in a flash above the Hydra’s heads. The blue glow from his dagger intensified, forming a blade of radiant blue light. With a powerful strike, he slashed down at one of the Hydra’s heads!
Squelch!
The Hydra’s massive body shuddered violently as molten-like blood gushed from one of its severed heads.
The remaining heads stared in shock at their fallen counterpart.
How could a few insignificant insects actually hurt it?!
…
Meanwhile, at the heart of the summoning ritual, two figures gradually emerged from the shadows.
Luca barely had time to take in his surroundings when the overwhelming stench of blood hit him.
He glanced around and saw that what had once been a mountainous region had been flattened. The devastated land was now the site of a massive, blood-red ritual circle. The soil had been soaked in blood, and the nauseating scent was suffocating.
Blood Sacrifice!
Luca’s heart sank.
No wonder the Hydra had arrived so quickly. These madmen had used the secret blood sacrifice ritual to summon it.
What a bunch of lunatics!
His eyes instinctively moved toward the core of the ritual.
There, on a stone platform, lay a pure white serpent, its body translucent and ethereal.
Luca immediately recognized the identity of the white snake, and he couldn’t help but bitterly smile.
It was exactly what he had feared. The Nightmare Cult’s plan had already succeeded.
But why had they brought him here?
“Master, I’ve brought the body you wanted,” Tia said as she took two steps forward, her expression respectful, with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
Despite losing so many people, their plan was finally coming to fruition!
“Hisss…”
A faint sound echoed from the circle as Jormungandr’s ghostly body shifted slightly. The snake’s head slowly lifted, and its violet eyes, shimmering with a dreamlike quality, locked onto Luca.
Luca’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively tried to avert his gaze, only to find that he couldn’t move.
Their eyes were locked together.
In an instant, the world around Luca began to blur, rapidly fading away until all that remained were those mesmerizing violet snake eyes.
Jormungandr’s gaze grew larger and larger before it completely filled Luca’s vision.
Luca felt a sudden disorientation, as if he had been transported back to the extraterritorial battlefield.
Above him, the brilliant starry sky was marred by a chaotic battle between monsters and humans. Endless blood rained down like a storm, and the deafening cries of war filled the air.
A terrifying red-haired youth hovered in the sky, laughing maniacally. With a single wave of his hand, a tsunami of black flames engulfed Luca.
The fire scorched his body and soul, an excruciating pain crashing through his nerves like waves of torment.
Luca’s face turned deathly pale.
The agony, helplessness, despair, and hatred—memories etched deep into his soul—were suddenly reignited, threatening to consume his sanity in an instant.
In desperation, Luca bit down hard on his tongue, the sharp pain jolting him back to reality.
That was close!
Sweat poured down Luca’s forehead, his body drenched in cold sweat.
He realized this was Jormungandr’s power—an ability that could awaken a person’s deepest fears.
Had it not been for his experiences in two lifetimes, his mind would have collapsed in an instant!
If that had happened, even logging out of the game wouldn’t have saved him—he would have gone mad.
This time, he had truly underestimated the situation!
Luca now understood what The Nightmare Cult was planning, and his expression grew serious. The carefree attitude he had before was completely gone.
Whether he survived this ordeal was now a matter of luck…
Seeing Luca break free from his nightmare, a glint of surprise flashed in the white snake’s eyes.
Even though its current strength was only a fraction of its true power, an ordinary person shouldn’t have been able to resist its nightmare ability.
Still, it thought dismissively, he’s nothing but an ant.
In the next moment, Luca felt the mental force controlling him surge tenfold!
The overwhelming psychic pressure left him no room for resistance as his body, against his will, moved toward Jormungandr!
Luca’s body trembled uncontrollably as he fought desperately to regain control.
But no matter how hard he struggled, it was useless under Jormungandr’s psychic control.
All he could do was watch helplessly as his body drew closer and closer to the serpent. He saw himself kneeling, allowing it to crawl up his body.
He watched in horror as its head extended, slowly, deliberately, toward his own, ready to burrow into his mind…
In an instant, Luca’s trembling body went rigid, and the light in his eyes completely faded.
