Mike sat in the living room, his expression grave. Picking up the LoneWolf badge, he murmured, "The fourth demon cult leader appeared about 400 miles northwest of Florida, attempting to infiltrate the state..." This message was from Maxen Stoneheart, who was in charge of the interception operation.
After the encounter, a small-scale battle erupted, and the demon cult leader managed to escape, vanishing without a trace. The enemy was protected by the demon god, and once they gained some distance, they could evade most surveillance, only detectable by the Battle Lord when in close proximity.
"Did this guy actually come to Florida to kill me?" Mike frowned, feeling that something was off. "Right before I killed Arthas Bloodscribe, Terenas Bloodscribe had planned to sacrifice his own son to summon an abyssal demon creature." "That means Terenas Bloodscribe had no real affection for his son, ready to sacrifice him as a pawn to save his own skin."
"If Terenas Bloodscribe is determined to kill me, he wouldn't escape the Battle Lord's siege either; he'd be doomed, which doesn't fit his style of cherishing his life..." Suddenly, a thought flashed through Mike's mind. Escape, escape... What if the fourth demon cult leader's goal isn't to kill Mike, but to escape? He indeed mentioned 'must kill Mike.' However, the premise of such a vow is—Terenas Bloodscribe must survive! In other words, it was a play on words. As long as he lives, he'll have to kill Mike someday, whether sooner or later. If he dies, he pays the price of his life for the vow, and whether Mike dies or not, he couldn't care less!
True to a Battle Lord's caliber, even if his own son was killed, he could quickly pretend to be extremely angry, spew harsh words, and throw a smoke bomb to confuse Mike and influence others' judgment. "Indeed, none of these big shots who make it to this level are simple; they're all cunning old foxes..." Mike mused, gathering his thoughts to continue analyzing.
He vividly remembered watching the interaction between Terenas Bloodscribe and Arthas Bloodscribe, which spoke volumes about his character. Thinking this through, Mike pieced together the situation: Terenas Bloodscribe, the fourth demon cult leader, a Battle Lord-level powerhouse. Now severely injured, being hunted and cornered by human factions on Earth, surviving is his biggest motivation!
Staying on Earth meant certain death for Terenas Bloodscribe. To survive, he had only one option—to flee to the Abyssal Plane! That is to say, there are two possibilities. One, Terenas Bloodscribe pretends to head to Florida, but his real target is elsewhere. Two, his method of escaping to the Abyssal Plane is located within Florida; even if his whereabouts are exposed, he must come to Florida!
With the intelligence at hand, Mike had done well to analyze this far. After understanding, he looked down at his shadow and flashed a warm but not overly enthusiastic smile, "Lord Shadow Nine, have you had dinner?" "Yes, just had some barbecue, put it on your tab." A raspy voice responded as a swirl of black mist emerged from the ground, revealing Shadow Nine, "Kid, what kind of tricky business are you cooking up now?" "Look who's talking, I, Mike, am always upright and never trick people!" Mike briefly shared his analysis.
Shadow Nine nodded slightly, pondering, "Heroes think alike, I believe the same." Shadow Nine continued, "It's highly likely the second scenario. The Abyssal Sacrifice Array was once activated in Florida. Although it wasn't successful, the influence of the Abyssal Sacrifice Array created weak spots in the spatial barriers, making it easier to breach, even allowing direct crossing. He's probably here for that."
All clues linked together, revealing the truth. "You can rest assured now. As a Battle Lord-level figure, if there's a chance to live, he won't foolishly risk his life against you. It seems now that assassinating you was just a diversion, Terenas's real goal is still to escape." Shadow Nine thought for a moment before speaking again, "I'll send a message to Maxen Stoneheart to set up an ambush near the Abyssal Sacrifice Array. If he really shows up, I stake Maxen Stoneheart's life on it, ensuring Terenas Bloodscribe meets his end!"
Mike was stunned. Your guarantee is one thing, but why stake Maxen Stoneheart's life on it? What did Maxen Stoneheart ever do to you? Mike was speechless for a long while before finally saying, "That would be best." A Battle Lord-level enemy was not something Mike could currently contend with. Eliminating Terenas Bloodscribe would greatly reduce Mike's stress, making him feel much lighter.
"Kid, you're entering the Tower of Truth tonight, right?" Shadow Nine suddenly spoke up, bringing up another matter. "Yes." "Supreme being Morpheus asked me to pass on a message." Mike nodded, signaling Shadow Nine to continue. "Supreme being Morpheus said, if you reach the 100th square and enter the moment, blow up the wall in front of you, there will be unexpected benefits." Shadow Nine's appearance was more about delivering messages from the supreme being. "Blow up the wall?" Mike frowned, puzzled by the meaning. "I've delivered the message, the rest is up to you." With that, the black mist sank, and Shadow Nine disappeared into the shadows again.
Tonight, since they decided to ambush Terenas Bloodscribe, a Battle Lord-level powerhouse, they must mobilize all their strength. The battle was dangerous and could not afford any carelessness. Once Mike entered the Tower of Truth, there was no need to worry about safety, and Shadow Nine, having freed himself, would also participate in the siege against Terenas. With Maxen Stoneheart in the open and Shadow Nine in the shadows, they would make sure Terenas had nowhere to escape!
...
The third to sixth levels were a long tunnel that required constant digging. Moving forward one square at a time, each step increased the Exploration Rate by 1%, totaling 100 squares. Free from the worry of being assassinated by a Battle Lord, Mike began preparing for his journey into the Tower of Truth tonight. He took out the map of the Tower of Truth, the one Jessica had given him, and studied it carefully. "Tower of Truth, third level." The notes in front of Mike read: [Levels three, four, five, and six are connected; with some luck, you can clear them all in one go] [Best human record: Exploration Rate 99%, jumped directly from the third to the sixth level] [Ready to achieve a 100% Exploration Rate clearance, my Lord Thor?] [Awooo—] Mike's eyelid twitched, sensing something unusual. [Eye of Truth] was a bit naughty today, or rather... a bit excited? Even howling, which was not normal! Once Mike understood the mechanics of these levels, he could also understand why [Eye of Truth] was excited. The third to sixth levels were a long tunnel that required constant digging. Moving forward one square at a time, each step increased the Exploration Rate by 1%, totaling 100 squares. During the digging process, different directions could be chosen, each choice having different effects. Some squares would grant buffs/debuffs. Some squares would yield special rewards or penalties. Some squares, when excavated, might even reduce the Exploration Rate. Bizarre and varied. Even some squares contained deadly traps, stepping into them would result in instant death by poison gas or traps! Every step forward offers three choices, the further you go, the higher the difficulty, the more dangerous the squares! After a certain distance, powerful bosses guard the tunnel, and they must be defeated to continue.
After reading this information, Mike put down the map and chuckled silently. This level was tailor-made for [Eye of Truth]! For others, the unknown choices were extremely troubling and headache-inducing. A slight misstep could mean the end! Dying in this section of the tunnel not only entered a weakened state but also reduced the Exploration Rate by 10%, moving back ten squares! Once the Exploration Rate reached 50%, one could choose to settle rewards and move to the next level. Many would settle immediately upon reaching 50%; continuing would be too torturous, more harm than good! If one died, having to walk ten squares again would waste a lot of time. However, for Mike, he had no such troubles with choices. Every choice couldn't escape his eyes, easily seeing through the bottom line. Putting away the map, Mike was already looking forward to his journey into the Tower of Truth tonight. Time ticked by. At midnight sharp. Mike entered the Tower of Truth. Shadow Nine left Mike's side, lurking near an abandoned factory, waiting for Terenas Bloodscribe to step into the trap. The fourth demon cult leader also had to initiate his own Abyssal Plane escape plan, seeking a chance for survival. They each had their tasks to perform.