Chapter 19: The Alchemist’s Revelation

Nabel smiled.

It wasn’t a cold, mocking smile, but one of pure madness.

No wonder the man had seemed somewhat familiar; it wasn’t until Liyang called out his name that Nabel finally recalled seeing him mentioned in the organization’s files.

Celeste, beloved by the gods, had displayed astonishing talent from a young age, naturally drawing the keen interest of the Church.

To that end, they had gathered considerable information about those around Celeste, including Yalin.

However, investigations had revealed Yalin to be nothing more than a clingy sycophant, constantly at her side, incapable even of wielding magic.

Consequently, the files contained little significant information about him.

It was only now that Nabel finally understood why he hadn’t been able to sense Yalin’s magic fluctuations.

The truth was, the fellow genuinely couldn’t use magic.

Fury!

An indescribable rage surged within Nabel’s heart.

Never before had he experienced such profound humiliation.

A revered priest of the Abyssal Church, he had been utterly fooled by this scheming brat!

“Excellent. Absolutely excellent… I’ve changed my plans.”

Nabel rasped, the smile on his face twisting into something even more grotesque.

“Yalin, isn’t it? Since you’re so eager to play the hero, I shall grant your wish.”

“That little girl Liyang is worthless now; I can easily let her go. But you, Yalin, don’t even dream of leaving here alive.”

“I will torment you mercilessly. First, I’ll gouge out your eyes, then slowly hack off your limbs, and finally, I’ll flay you piece by excruciating piece!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll cast the most potent mental magic on you, ensuring you experience every conceivable agony in this world before you finally lose consciousness.”

“By then, death will be the most merciful gift you could ever receive!”

Nabel grew increasingly agitated with each word, his eyes blazing with madness.

“Why speak such horrors? You almost made me faint,”

Yalin remarked, dangling the necklace he had just snatched from Liyang.

“Still, I’d advise you not to target me. You want this trinket, don’t you? If you make a move, I’ll shatter it into dust instantly. Believe me?”

“Hahaha, go ahead and try,”

Nabel sneered, advancing towards Yalin.

The item was a creation of the Church’s most elite alchemists; even Nabel himself could not easily destroy it. How could Yalin, a mere waste who couldn’t even use magic, possibly accomplish such a feat?

Did he intend to smash it?

“Do you think I’m jesting?”

Yalin’s smile remained fixed.

Yet, in the very next instant, a crack appeared on the necklace in his hand.

“My apologies, but this time, it’s real.”

Nabel froze, his eyes widening slightly.

“Impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible. Let me tell you, I am actually an alchemist.”

“And quite fortunately, I happen to have considerable expertise in materials of this type.”

After all, the medium he used to summon his conceptual deities was made of very similar substances.

“So, what do you say? Should I dismantle this protective shell right now and release whatever’s inside for a look? To be honest, I’m quite curious,”

Yalin chuckled.

“Don’t do that. You’ll regret it.”

A second wave of cold sweat broke out on Nabel’s brow as he retreated several steps.

The brat wasn’t lying.

If Yalin knew something was hidden inside, it implied he truly understood the crystal’s structure intimately.

In that case, destroying it wouldn’t be too difficult. And if that *thing* were truly released…

Nabel currently had no intention of dying here alongside Yalin.

“I truly didn’t expect you to be an alchemist. Alright, I admit, I underestimated you.”

“Only recently. It seems your intelligence reports are in dire need of an update.”

The rain continued to fall, yet a sliver of sunlight pierced through the clouds, bathing the ground in its glow.

Yalin raised the necklace, holding the red crystal in the sunlight, and squinted, observing it intently.

“By the way, can you tell me what exactly is contained within this thing?”

He could distinctly feel a powerful resonance emanating from the object hidden within the crystal, echoing with his own being.

Indeed, it wasn’t Liyang herself who had activated his lover’s ability, but rather the necklace she wore around her neck.

All the effort to save Liyang had been worthwhile; he had finally gotten his hands on this item.

“Don’t even think about it. I won’t tell you,”

Nabel stated coldly.

“However, I concede that I have indeed fallen into your trap this time.”

“You may go. Take that thing if you want it; there isn’t just one, after all.”

Liyang had left some time ago, and if this standoff continued, the city guard would soon arrive.

He had only come to retrieve an item and had no intention of escalating the situation.

Furthermore, now that Yalin’s identity was known, there would be ample opportunities to act later.

Before that, however, he needed to report Yalin’s situation.

This fellow was peculiar; for some reason, Nabel sensed a distinct strangeness about Yalin.

Nabel was about to make his retreat when Yalin spoke once more.

“I haven’t agreed to anything, so why are you leaving? How about we talk a bit more? Perhaps if I’m in a good mood, I might even return this to you.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Nabel stopped, thinking he must have misheard.

“Since you already know my name, you’ll definitely come looking for trouble again in a few days… You’re a Church member, after all. Can’t you have a little self-respect and just kill me here and now?”

Yalin said casually.

“Are you insane?”

Nabel opened his mouth, as if to say more, but then he felt a slight vibration in the air around him.

In the next instant, an intense pain erupted from his waist.

He didn’t even have time to react before his entire body, or rather, just his upper half, crumpled to the ground like a puppet with severed strings, without a single warning.

“Guh…”

Nabel’s face was ashen, and he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

Blood, mingled with shattered organs, gushed from his bisected torso, staining the flagstones red.

“Wh-what happened…?”

Nabel clawed frantically at the ground in terror, attempting to stand, but his body was utterly devoid of strength.

“You don’t have regenerative abilities? It seems you’re even weaker than I imagined…”

Yalin murmured thoughtfully, approaching him.

He had initially intended to utter the line, ‘I probably won’t forget you for a lifetime,’ replicating a famous scene, but it appeared rather unfitting now.

“Y-you… what did you do…? cough, cough…”

Nabel struggled to lift his head, his gaze filled with horror and bewilderment.

Just as before, he had detected no magical fluctuations whatsoever. Why? Wasn’t Yalin utterly incapable of using magic?

“Are you very curious? Tell me what this necklace is, and I’ll tell you my secret. Or, perhaps, I could even let you off the hook?”

“Heh heh…”

A smile, bordering on despair, appeared on Nabel’s face.

What a joke.

A man who could casually cleave another in two without batting an eye—how could he possibly let Nabel go for such a paltry reason?

Death loomed, never clearer, and Nabel had to admit that underestimating Yalin was a colossal mistake.

Now, he was paying the price for it.

“Die!!”

With a desperate surge of madness and defiance, Nabel used his last ounce of strength to manipulate a tentacle, thrusting it towards Yalin.

Yalin, seemingly prepared, tilted his head, dodging the lethal strike.

Nevertheless, the tentacle still grazed his cheek, leaving a deep, crimson mark.

Yet, that bloodstain was visibly healing, mending itself little by little before their very eyes.

Yalin touched his cheek, blood steadily dripping from his fingertips.

“A bit slower than usual. As expected, your source of power must be similar to mine.”

He lowered his head with a wide smile, gazing down at the stunned Nabel.

“Never mind. Time is short, and you seem quite unyielding. I doubt I’d get anything out of you anyway.”

“So, this is it then. Farewell, Mr. Villain?”

Under the faint sunlight, the golden angel beside him slowly raised its greatsword and brought it down without a hint of emotion.

Nabel’s vision blurred to black, his consciousness plunging into an endless abyss.

It seemed yet another part of his body had detached, but he would never know for sure.