Unlike Wayne's eagerness, Veronica was filled with fear towards the so-called Gate of Truth. This fear was so intense that it overwhelmed her madness, bringing her confused mind back to calmness.
She released the few remaining traces of magic in one breath, reclaiming control of her body and shouting to the sky, "Stop it right now! The Gate of Truth is forbidden magic. Your mind cannot withstand the baptism of the world. It's not too late to stop now."
Veronica didn't care whether Mike lived or died; she was afraid that she and her companions would be implicated. The Gate of Truth was something even serious wizards avoided, and someone as headstrong as Mike was the first she had seen.
"Little girl, what do you know? You believe whatever the teachers at school say. Do you know the value of knowledge? Do you know how many wizards like me eagerly await this moment?"
Mike sneered disdainfully, a touch of madness flashing across his face. "The Nielsen family has been waiting for this day, just to hold a sacrifice, open the Gate of Truth, become legendary wizards, and gain all the knowledge of the world. I am willing to pay any price for this, even madness."
The priest thought Mike's return to the town was to fulfill the family's unfinished mission, save the townspeople, and settle past scores.
Veronica thought Mike would sacrifice the town to the Goddess of Death in exchange for powerful extraordinary abilities.
Both were wrong!
The Nielsen family never had such intentions from the beginning. They were indeed followers of the Goddess of Death, but their faith was not devout. They offered death to gain powerful forces. If a better opportunity arose, they wouldn't hesitate to betray their faith and switch to another deity's embrace.
Gods were defined by humans. Whatever kind of god humans needed, that's what the god would be!
The Nielsen family was like this. As the heir, Mike inherited this philosophy. They viewed gods as trading partners. Whether the god was good or evil, if the god wanted faith, they would perform all the rituals. It was just a transaction. Was it necessary to agonize over good and evil?
Was it faith first, then magic, or magic first, then faith? This was a question worth pondering.
Wizards were not fools. There were many wizards like the Nielsen family who couldn't find suitable platforms, so they were extremely devout.
The strange curse of Cafuno Town was the opportunity. That day, a mysterious space fell from the sky, causing earth-shaking changes in the town, and powerful laws changed everything, killing the townspeople and making them think they were still alive.
Describing it as killing was not accurate; the instant change altered the form of life, making it perpetually bound to death, unable to rest.
After much investigation, the Nielsen family confirmed that a pie had fallen from the sky. They had obtained the laws and set up the golden triangle as a sacrifice, which could open the legendary Gate of Truth.
Wizards who had seen the Gate of Truth could grasp all the knowledge of the world, transcend mortal bodies, and step into the realm of legends to obtain the seed of divinity.
The chance to sit on par with the gods was right before them, and the night of madness and slaughter could be understood.
Unfortunately, they were not skilled enough, and they failed. They were wiped out by the townspeople led by the priest. Only Mike, a collateral descendant, managed to escape.
It rained heavily that day, delaying his journey. When he arrived, the Lendan investigation team had already closed the case.
Time passed, and fifty years later, with the priest leading the way and Mike tricking the Death Goddess's bestowed magic again, they succeeded this time.
Success always came with hardship. Thinking of this, Mike couldn't help but burst into laughter. Below, Veronica was still saying something, but he didn't hear anything.
"You misunderstand. It's not the wizards who enter the Gate of Truth who become legends; it's the legendary wizards who are qualified to enter the Gate of Truth," Veronica shouted loudly. Seeing Mike unmoved, she picked up William and Monica, ready to leave.
Whether they could escape was uncertain, but they had to run first!
After walking a few steps, Veronica looked at Wayne trembling in place, the strange... creature that was three meters tall. She couldn't understand what kind of magic it was. She thought Wayne was a beginner whose mind was contaminated, causing his magic to mutate.
She hesitated for a moment, then walked quickly towards Wayne, intending to take this drag-along with her.
If we're going, let's go together. If we're dying, let's die together...
She hoped to throw Wayne farther away before dying!
In the high sky, the giant moon disappeared, and the vast expanse of space occupied its former position, connecting the truth of the world with the human world. The Gate of Truth was fully open.
Veronica touched Wayne, wanting to lift him up, but her fingers sank into the rotten white flesh like mud. She was startled and quickly withdrew her hand, almost being swallowed up.
"What kind of monster is this? It's so disgusting!"
Veronica was extremely disgusted. She tried to take Wayne away again, but at this moment, Wayne's monstrous body slowly shrank, and the proliferated flesh transferred to his back. A pair of incomprehensible bat wings opened, lifting him into the air with a gust of wind.
The white monster bird flapped its wings upwards, aiming directly at the Gate of Truth. This angered Mike, who pressed down the black meatball. The two monsters collided in mid-air and fell together from the high sky.
Influenced by the Greed Book, Wayne thought everything was the Gate of Truth. After being obstructed, he became furious. His gray-white arms turned into two long knives, plunging fiercely into the black mass.
The pale knives were like biological keratin, the backs soft and fleshy, the veins pulsating clearly visible, and the blades shimmering with a cold metallic luster, extremely sharp.
The meatball was cut open with two huge gashes, and viscous black fluid rained down, soaking Wayne and turning him black.
This black color was the materialization of the law, the root cause of the townspeople's curse of unrest. Just a touch would integrate into the strange space where the town was located, becoming part of the black meatball.
Join us!
Become one of us...
Countless whispers echoed in Wayne's ears, but he ignored them. Soon, the finely textured skin absorbed the sticky black liquid attached to its surface.
Who curses whom is still uncertain!
Veronica looked at the two twisted and entangled meatballs, her stomach churning, her sanity plummeting. She didn't care whether Wayne was alive or dead anymore. She picked up William and Monica and fled the scene.
It was too late!
In the high sky, the Gate of Truth violently contracted, shrinking to the size of a needle tip before suddenly expanding. Darkness shrouded the earth, completely submerging Cafuno Town.
Cold, pain, and agony enveloped everyone in an instant.
Veronica's body floated, convulsing in pain. William and Monica also woke up due to intense pain. A massive amount of information flooded their minds, disrupting their thoughts and driving them to the brink of insanity. Their faces contorted into grotesque expressions.
There was joy and excitement, but also pain and struggle...
The Gate of Truth shattered the curse, and Monica's body slowly returned to its original state, naked and exposed.
She had long platinum hair, an angelic face with delicate features, and a devilishly attractive figure, creating a stark contrast.
If Monica was enlarged, William was shrunk. His golden double ponytails remained, his features were clean and flawless, and his stature was smaller than Monica's, about half a head shorter. His oversized clothes hung loosely on his body.
All three female college students underwent changes due to the curse. Veronica had her magic sealed, William was transformed into a muscular man after his magic was sealed, and Monica suffered the most, turning into a cat with two unfamiliar little bells added to her.
As the curse was lifted, Veronica's magic was released. Under the onslaught of diverse knowledge, her thoughts became even more chaotic. She watched her dear friends slowly drift away, unable to reach out, only able to watch them leave.
Her vacant eyes gradually lost their light, and a bone-chilling cold engulfed her consciousness.
Her heavy eyelids slowly closed, tears of unwillingness silently streaming down her face. Veronica struggled in vain, only able to wait for death to come: "It's over..."
So cold!
Thud!
A warm hand pressed against Veronica's lower back, dispelling the cold. The hand then lifted her waistband and carried her on its shoulder.
Wayne!
With his eyes bloodshot and panting heavily, Wayne, barely clothed, swayed over.
His eyes also held intense pain and struggle. Every movement felt like needles piercing his body. Due to the influence of the Book of Greed, he barely maintained his sanity and could engage in some simple thoughts.
Such as, taking the black cat, the gay guy, and the young lady away.
Wayne's greatly diminished intellect made him confused. Wondering where the black cat had disappeared to, he remained unmoved when faced with the honest and sincere platinum-haired young lady. He simply put his arm around her, then opened his mouth to grab hold of her golden double ponytails, and step by step, he walked towards the light ahead.
"Why cry? Who said it's over?"