Chapter 657: Opening the Door and the Ambush
Chapter 657: Opening the Door and the Ambush
Blood gushed forth.
The Aquarius Director, who had severed his own left hand, took a pale step back, but his hand didn't fall; instead, it perfectly slotted into a groove on the massive door.
As expected, even though the Star Palace had been sealed, my authority couldn't be completely replaced until a new Director appeared.
After glancing at his hand stuck in the door, a hint of relief flashed in the Aquarius Director's eyes. Without rushing to treat his wound, he softly recited:
"Aquarius, flood, beautiful youth, wine server, eagle, knowledge-seeker, golden grapevine..."
With each enigmatic word he spoke, intricate patterns corresponding to the words appeared on the darkly colored giant door, and the hand stuck in the door sank deeper. A third of the pitch-black door slowly lit up, revealing a brilliant golden color like the sun.
Two more to go.
After a nostalgic glance at the golden Aquarius symbol on the door, the Aquarius Director took out another brand-new left hand and attached it to his blood-soaked wrist, pressing it against the massive door once more.
"Sagittarius, eternal night, undead, mentor, poison arrow, sacrifice, centaur's longbow..."
As the Aquarius Director recited the second set of secret words, the corresponding golden patterns appeared again, illuminating another third of the door. The originally lifeless door, which felt even more dead than frozen soil, seemed to suddenly come alive, and it yearned for the arrival of the final hand.
"Pisces, love and desire, water reflection, mother and child, rope, jealousy, golden belt..."
The third slightly aged left hand was accepted by the door as the incantation was spoken, and the last third of the door lit up. It then flashed like the sun for a moment before completely disappearing.
After the massive door vanished, what appeared before the Aquarius Director was a gigantic room with a golden lamp hanging from the ceiling, half in light and half in shadow, and a dense mass of black ants.
Billions of tiny four-legged ants moved back and forth within the eleven spread-out giant ant nests, following an extremely bizarre pattern. Those under the light were more active, while those in the shadows were quieter.
Among the ants in one of the nests in the shadows, a golden ant missing its left front leg suddenly raised its head, looking towards the Aquarius Director at the door, and lightly waved the antennae on its head.
Was that ant me?
After a glance at the golden ant, the Aquarius Director picked up his left hand from the ground and reattached it to his wrist. The golden four-legged ant also grew back its left "hand" and nodded slightly at him.
Nation like a hive, man like an ant... Although this is just Item 004, in terms of danger, it's probably far more perilous than the Watchtower Palace.
Shaking his head slightly, the Aquarius Director looked at the dense mass of ants on the ground but didn't step into the room. Instead, he stood at the doorway and gestured for the golden ant representing him to come towards him, then looked up higher.
A small golden female ant was climbing an invisible staircase, struggling to move its two hind legs, ascending higher. Below her, a golden ant looked up at the "starry sky," seemingly waiting.
He's already begun the ascension... This must be Andrew's plan; he does enjoy these underhanded schemes.
Unconsciously squinting, Aquarius Director glanced at the ant queen gazing up at the starry sky and hummed. From a distance, he forcefully blew a gust of air towards her.
The golden ant, seemingly aware of something, suddenly shone with a brilliant golden light, ready to confront the unknown danger.
But even if it was extraordinary, it was still just an ant. After resisting for less than a few seconds, it was blown away by Aquarius Director's gust of air sent it flying, and it disappeared into the unknown.
However, even with just a simple blow, Aquarius Director's knees weakened, and he almost knelt down. His already pale complexion, due to blood loss, turned three shades whiter than paper.
This consumption was truly... It felt like a direct confrontation with Archer.
It seemed that the correct way to use Eleven Ant Nest was not to directly harm the target but to utilize the 'symbolic' meaning of these ants, combining them with other anomalies that usually wouldn't work.
Leaning against the door frame and catching his breath, Aquarius Director finally recovered a bit. He then bent down, picked up his golden ant, took out a small golden knife, and slashed towards Taurus Director, who was ascending the palace. However...
"Woof!"
Accompanied by a soft, puppy-like bark, a familiar mirror crown suddenly emerged from the side of the golden knife, blocking the slash in time and flickering slightly before Aquarius Director's eyes.
Immediately, the room filled with ants vanished, replaced by a world of darkness that was countless times more spacious. Everywhere—front, back, left, right, and above—was pitch-black, with not a hint of light. Only the Nightmare River flowing beneath their feet emitted faint, ominous glows.
What is this?!
"This is a good dream."
After successfully ambushing Aquarius Director with Mirror Dog and dragging him into a dream, Lyon, surrounded by grey mist, stepped into the nightmare created by the crown. He stood still before the astonished Aquarius Director.
"But for you, it might not be so pleasant."
Has he completely merged with the Nightmare King?
Watching Lyon standing in the midst of the Nightmare River in boundless darkness, Taurus Director pondered for a moment before smiling and speaking:
"So you've chosen to abandon your humanity and embrace nightmares. No wonder Crow lost so quickly... But is this really a good idea? After becoming the Lord of Nightmares, you'll be expelled from the Watchtower Palace, and returning to this world will be difficult."
You don't need to worry about that.
Without explaining that his transformation was temporary and would end once Soul-sink Abyss wore off, Lyon, having triggered the Seductive buff in the darkness, spoke with an evil smile:
"Aquarius, the Cleanup Bureau's support will arrive soon. Your plan has completely failed!"
"Mr. Lyon, lying isn't a good habit."
Hearing this, Aquarius Director smiled and, with a light pinch, destroyed the crude and immature nightmare before him, returning to the sixth floor of the Virgin Bureau.
Without waiting for Lyon's move, he activated Time Gap, accelerating his actions by an unknown factor, and slashed at the ascending golden ant.
(End of Chapter)
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