Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Sufficient distance and a Hypnotist... Hisoka repeated Lumian's words as if he had realized something.

Lumian stood in front of him, looking down, and questioned, "Do you think that, apart from Demon Hunters and higher-level Beyonders of the corresponding pathway, Devils mainly get killed based on chance encounters in battles?"

Hisoka regarded Lumian with indifference and remained silent.

Lumian pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his right foot over his left knee. Casually, he said, "I've read a mysticism book about Devils. It's filled with numerous cases of hunting Devils.

"It's clear that Beyonders of most pathways rely on chance encounters to kill specific Devils. That's what I believed back then. However, when I revisited the detailed description of Devil abilities, I found a contradiction.

"This is how the mysticism book describes your Danger Premonition:

"Danger Premonition, also known as Malicious Perception--if an enemy can soon cause lethal harm to a Devil and takes clear action to do so, a Devil can sense the danger in advance and grasp the source. They can target it, kill it, take revenge, or escape, but it's impossible to know the exact details of the plan. Different Devils have different intuition ranges--from a few minutes to a day, from a few kilometers to as wide as a city."

"What's the contradiction between this and a battle encounter?" Hisoka asked, sitting upright, cold and curious.

"According to this description, Devils can indeed sense a battle encounter," Lumian said with a smile. "For example, even though I only intended to have a cup of coffee today and suddenly encountered a Devil, and had no choice but to kill him. For that Devil, it's literal. He should have sensed that my coffee-drinking at the café would pose a fatal danger to him in advance and that it would happen, but that's not the case in reality."

Observing Hisoka's thoughtful expression, Lumian clasped his hands together.

"This means that a Devil's Danger Premonition doesn't stem from fate. If it were a powerful Beyonder of the Monster pathway, there's a high chance they would suddenly feel that coffee isn't suitable today and avoid danger. But you can't.

"Since a Devil's Danger Premonition doesn't stem from precognition of fate, where does it stem from?

"Once, a high-ranking Demon enlightened me about the concept of the Abyss. According to its perspective, the Abyss holds two dimensions. The first is physical, with an entrance hidden somewhere in the real world. The second is in the mind, with an entrance nestled deep within everyone's hearts.

"Considering this insight, I believe we need to tweak the foundation of a Devil's Danger Premonition.

"It kicks in only when an adversary has a well-defined plan capable of inflicting fatal harm on a Devil soon. That's when the Devil can sense it beforehand.

"Got it? A more distinct thought process or intent."

Lumian adopted the cadence of Madam Magician to taunt Hisoka, weaving the narrative of his conspiracy.

"In the beginning, I probed bit by bit and investigated step by step. When I stumbled upon crucial information, I purposely skirted around it, leaving me in the dark about who I was dealing with and without a rough plan to handle the target.

"In simpler terms, I didn't have clear thoughts or intentions, and there was no effective plan to cause lethal harm to you anytime soon. Everything was vague, chaotic, and uncommitted, filled with variation and accidents, ensuring you couldn't naturally sense danger.

"However, your position alerted you when I delved into the serial murder from four years ago. Since then, you've been using a Wraith's ability and the patrol team members under your control to keep a vigilant eye on this matter, right?"

Hisoka listened coldly, showing no intention of responding.

Lumian smiled and continued, "After figuring out that you were hiding in the patrol team as a Zombie Sequence Beyonder, I resisted my urges and tried my best not to dwell on such matters. When I returned to the hotel, I immediately teleported to Trier.

"At this distance, you won't be able to sense that I'm formulating a plan and putting it into practice.

"After coming up with a preliminary plan, I went to Hidden Blade and my two other companions to discuss a detailed plan. It was just past 7 p.m. Trier time.

"The next move involved assigning tasks. Each of us had a role to play. We underwent a Hypnotist's Hypnotism, erasing our true purpose from memory. Only when a Devil like you emerged would we recall the specific details.

"My mission was to use teleportation, making it seem like I left, only to return stealthily using shadow concealment. I trailed the patrol team member I interacted with, believing that I was checking if there was anything problematic with him.

"Hidden Blade's mission was to tail me, providing necessary vigilance and support. If I activated the Bottle of Fiction ability, she'd preemptively don the Ring of Punishment and lie in wait outside. The reason for her ambush eluded her until she laid eyes on you. With her combat prowess and intelligence, she instinctively knew what steps to take. No need for me to give detailed instructions.

"The Hypnotist's mission involved using Psychological Invisibility to wander the vicinity, just aimlessly wandering.

"As for the other Demoness, her duty was to monitor the patrol team and promptly report any issues to the authorities. Before your arrival, she too was unaware of the real reason behind her actions. She simply thought we had plans involving the patrol team.

"Before the Hypnotism wore off, none of us had intentions of confronting you. Our individual actions couldn't pose lethal harm to you, ensuring you couldn't foresee it.

"This was a premeditated encounter, a clash pitting you against multiple adversaries."

With that final sentence, Lumian suddenly heard an illusory shattering sound.

He sensed that his Conspirer potion had been fully digested.contemporary romance

He also felt Hisoka's seemingly cold expression, vexation, and regret growing, gnawing at his heart.

Lumian's smile widened. He stood up, leaned forward, and inched his head in front of Hisoka. He looked into Hisoka's bloodshot flaxen-colored eyes and said, "Your biggest mistake was not leaving Port Pylos ahead of time and sticking with the patrol team.

"Why are you so certain I won't track you down?"

"How do you know I enjoy Fermo coffee without sugar?" Hisoka inquired instead of answering.

Sensing his intense anger and killing intent, Lumian straightened up and replied with a smile, "My sister always says that wherever you go, you leave a trace, and I have an expert at finding traces with me.

"Heh heh, Emperor Roselle must have said something similar. You must know what it means."

Hisoka's hands tightened on the chair's armrests as he asked again, "Why were you so sure I'll kill Kolobo?"

Lumian replied with a sense of satisfaction, "I wasn't certain.

"Didn't I mention I had a Demoness companion monitoring the patrol team?

"Hidden Blade and I believed that if you ultimately choose to escape, you will definitely do something to vent your murderous desires. Otherwise, something might happen to you, considering your Devil and Prisoner pathways. And since you want to kill someone, it's either the patrol team member who traded with me or Camus who gave me the information. It's either at the Matani Shop or in the patrol team."

At this juncture, Lumian guessed with a smile, "You took the gamble of staying in Port Pylos and the patrol team because you wanted to seize an opportunity to kill me? Under the watchful eyes of the Tarot Club and Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society, finding a chance to eliminate a promising young man like me and escape unscathed can satisfy your twisted mind to the fullest extent?"

Hisoka subconsciously licked his lips.

"I initially planned to bide my time, waiting for your patience to wear thin and an opportune moment to present itself. But it seems you didn't seek the assistance of the demigods; you only reached out to Hela.

"I should have struck last night."

Hisoka didn't conceal his frustration.

Lumian didn't immediately address the topic. After a few moments of contemplation, he said,

"Waiting for an opportunity… You're quite confident in concealing your identity. Unafraid of normal investigations,

"Is it because the higher-ups of the patrol team allowed a Sequence 6 of the Prisoner pathway to join?"

Hisoka sealed his lips, responding with silence.

"Seems there's a significant secret lurking here." Lumian suddenly sensed a conspiracy. "Is the opportunity you're waiting for connected to this secret?"

Hisoka maintained silence, his eyes transformed, now bloodthirsty and filled with a desire to kill.

"Not willing to share?" Lumian chuckled. "No problem. Let's discuss something else first."

He bent down again, looking at Hisoka.

"In this operation, I sought only Hela. Firstly, to guard against the Nois family Demons who had made contact with you. Secondly, to create an environment for a quiet conversation with you."

At the mention of the Nois family's Demons, Hisoka's gaze subtly shifted.

"How do you know?"

Lumian didn't reply. The corners of his mouth curled up even more.

"I chose Hela because I wanted to capture you alive, relying on my own strength and that of my companions.

"Each of us is weaker than you, and each of us is someone you think you can easily kill. However, as a team, through teamwork, we've put you in a tight spot. You'll descend into hell."

Hisoka shattered the chair's armrest, but he couldn't attack Lumian.

Observing his bloodshot eyes, Lumian retrieved a golden straw hat from his Traveler's Bag, pressed it to his chest, and bowed.

"I'll excuse myself for a moment," he said with a smile.

In the next moment, Lumian left the dream.

Swiftly shifting his sitting position, he leaned against a broken stone pillar. From his Traveler's Bag, he retrieved Gardner Martin's Beyonder characteristic, teeth, blood, Colorful Bearded Horned Lizard's venom, hornbeam essential oil, and other items.

He had genuinely sensed Hisoka's fear, anger, and frustration. Although it occurred in a dream, it was reflected in Hisoka's brain and body, real and intense.

He was about to concoct the Reaper potion.

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