Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 371 Reflection Siege: Abyss Rhapsody

"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss does not gaze into you, but mimics your breath and learns your heartbeat until it decides to take your place."

—From "The Reflection Monarch's Maxims: Mirror Lake Overture"

Heaven and earth collapsed, Mirror Lake turned into an abyss, and the capital of Aleston has now become a feast of reflections.

The soldiers watched in horror as the shadows beneath their feet twisted and writhed, slowly rising to their feet like a newly born nightmare, revealing their own likenesses.

But then, a strange smile appeared on his lips, revealing a hollow and cold grin.

Those black pupils seemed to reflect the deepest fears and sins in their hearts.

"This...this is impossible!"

A young Divine Knight fearfully swung his sword, but it was as if he were striking a phantom in the water, having no effect whatsoever.

The shadow sneered, and the next second it twisted and extended its claws, dragging him into the depths of the void. His desperate screams were instantly silenced.

In an instant, the battlefield turned into a frenzied chaos.

Hundreds of soldiers screamed and scattered in panic, swinging their swords wildly. Some even stabbed their comrades in extreme fear.

They could no longer distinguish between the real person and the reflection; only fear raged among them.

"Hold your formation!" Edel raised his command ring high, his voice booming like a bell, dominating the entire area. "Fear is your greatest enemy! Do not fight amongst yourselves!"

But the soldiers had already lost their minds, and Edel's words were quickly swallowed up in the waves of mirror images.

The reflections in the countless mirrors writhed in a nauseating way, emerging from behind, above, and even under the soldiers' feet, their sharp claws mercilessly reaping lives, and the battle lines crumbled in an instant.

Edel turned sharply to look at Medici, hoping to find some support in the new king's face.

However, Medici's face was pale, and her eyes showed an unprecedented sense of panic and pain.

The laughter reflected in her eyes whispered in her ear, like the countless souls she had sacrificed, a name that could not be erased:
"You're scared, aren't you? The more souls you sacrifice, the more resentment you'll have to endure."

Medici's breathing quickened, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead as she gradually lost her composure.

But just as despair was about to completely engulf the battlefield, a deafening lion's roar suddenly tore through the dark sky.

Liseria rode the Azure Lion and soared into the air, her body radiating a dazzling azure starlight that instantly lit up the sky, like a fallen star piercing the long night!

"Roar--!"

The roar of the lion was like thunder, instantly tearing apart the countless reflections in the sky. Countless mirror monsters were shattered into stardust and scattered in the air.

A powerful shockwave swept across the entire area, seemingly calming the fear and confusion in the soldiers' hearts like a raging torrent.

Liseria's long golden hair flew wildly as she raised her longsword high, her eyes gleaming with an unprecedented resolve and brilliance:
"Warriors of Trelian, what are you afraid of? Your true enemy is your own heart!"

Her voice was strong and clear, each word striking the soldier's soul and dispelling the shadows in his heart:

"They are nothing but reflections of your fears! If we have no fear in our hearts, no one can defeat us!"

The soldiers slowly raised their heads, gazing at the girl who stood suspended in mid-air, as if a goddess had descended to earth. The fear in their hearts was gradually replaced by awe and reverence.

An old duke, trembling, raised his longsword high and shouted with great excitement:

"The Lion is here! Trean is invincible!"

In an instant, this shout swept across the entire army like wildfire, and the soldiers roared in unison, their morale surging like a raging tide once more.
"Long live the Lion! Trelian will prevail!"

Edel gazed at Lyseria's back, which resembled that of her father, King Henrian VII, and felt a surge of admiration and pride.

He calmly raised his sword and whispered:
“Father, your bloodline has never been severed.”

Medici finally snapped out of her nightmarish hallucinations, her expression regaining its composure, and a new determination igniting in her eyes.

She raised the royal scepter high, her voice solemn and powerful:

"In my name, warriors of Trelian! We will never bow to any false reflection!"

Medici's voice boosted morale once again, and the soldiers shouted, raised their swords, and regrouped into a solid line.

Liseria descended slowly, her sharp gaze fixed on Medici, and said in a low but clear voice:
"Sister, today we stand together against the reflection, but please remember—"

She paused briefly, her tone becoming even more resolute and determined:
"Our people are not your bargaining chips to sacrifice."

Medici paused for a moment, then nodded calmly and seriously:

"Right now, let us face the real enemy together."

Above the sky, the enormous mirrored deer slowly twisted, and the eerily intertwined faces of Arthur and Victorian revealed mocking smiles as they looked down upon the allied forces.

"What a touching scene, but unfortunately, you are nothing more than ants struggling in the mirror."

Liseria fearlessly raised her longsword, pointing it directly at the giant deer, her voice resounding:
"Then I'll show you how ants can shake the gods!"

The soldiers responded with a roar, heads held high, resolutely facing the nameless terror slowly approaching from the depths of Mirror Lake.

From its high vantage point, the God of Fate gazed upon the fierce battle, his eyes deep and cold, whispering like a merciless prophecy:

"Since the light has been lost, only blood and fire can forge the dawn again in the darkness."

Whispers drifted by, seemingly foreshadowing an even crueler fate that was just beginning.

The reflection in Mirror Lake grew ever more solid, the raging tides still raging, the abyss still deep.

The real battle has only just begun.

In the heart of the battlefield, the reflection of Sha'zeroth becomes a twisted abyss of reality, where the void whispers and shadows mock.
Invisible tentacles slowly extended, touching every trembling nerve of the Allied soldiers.

The storm roared past, its reflections surging like a black tide, bursting forth wildly from the ground, the walls, and even the shadows beneath the soldiers' feet.
They transformed into tentacles, claws, and even seemed to possess eerie humanoid forms and expressions, laughing shrilly as they pounced on their original forms.

The soldiers fought back with all their might, swinging their swords to parry, but they only felt their strength being gradually drained away, and fear grew silently like a poison.

Just as morale was about to completely collapse, Edel's voice suddenly resounded throughout the heavens and earth, as majestic as a mountain collapsing:
"High-level life form mystery—[Two-headed Griffin Icarus]!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a dazzling card of destiny shattered instantly, bursting forth with a blazing golden light.

In an instant, a huge and mighty two-headed griffin materialized in mid-air, its majestic body descending upon the mortal world like a god, stirring up a dust storm.

Edel leaped onto the griffin, his saber flashing like lightning, his gaze sharp as a blade pointing directly into the darkness ahead, his calm yet awe-inspiring declaration:
"The glory of the empire is here, shatter your illusory dreams!"

With a long cry, the griffin spread its wings in an instant, stirring up a raging storm and scattering its reflection and its companions.

The griffin's two heads swiftly attacked, its golden beak and claws flashing like lightning, precisely piercing the enemy's elusive body and tearing countless reflections into flying fragments of glass.

At the same time, Liseria's eyes narrowed, she raised her longsword high, and her voice was as cold and resolute as the wind on the icy plains:
"I am the Lord of the Azure Lions, summoning the courage of King Henrian—to dispel all shadows!"

The lion beneath her roared to the sky, its silver star patterns radiating blinding light.

Their power was like a vast star descending to earth, and the earth trembled with their charge. The brother and sister traversed the battlefield, one high and one low, their coordination in the air and on the ground was perfect, forming an impeccable killing storm.

Liseria's sword slashed through the air; in the interplay of light and shadow, the reflected familiars instantly crumbled and disintegrated, countless eerie bodies mercilessly shredded. A cold rage burned in her eyes as she roared:
"What is there to fear? What you see is nothing but the illusion of your own minds!"

These words pierced the soldiers' confusion like a sharp blade, reigniting their fighting spirit. The soldiers shouted and charged forward, following closely behind Edel and Liseria.

Suddenly, a huge, reflecting creature emerged from the Mirror Lake. Its body seemed to be formed from countless writhing fragments of a mirror, and it roared as it opened its blood-red maw to attack the griffin.

Edel's expression was cold and stern. In an instant, he controlled the griffin to take off and dodge. The next second, he swooped down with lightning speed to strike the monster's head.

As the giant beast retreated, the azure lion sped in like a silver meteor, its sharp claws tearing the monster apart. In an instant, shards of glass flew like rain, creating a magnificent yet bizarre scene.

"Lieselia, well done!" Edel exclaimed briefly and enthusiastically.

Liseria, her gaze resolute yet tinged with a rare smile, replied, "Brother, we haven't won yet!" The brother and sister were like true imperial blades, their presence shattering everything in their path, and the morale of the allied forces soared. The soldiers wielded their swords with lightning speed, reforming their formidable ranks and shouting:

"The royal family is invincible! Trelian will live forever!"

However, on the Mirror Lake, the eerie human heads of the Stag Kings of Sazeroth had cold and mocking eyes. They spoke simultaneously, their voices overlapping, as merciless as a pronouncement of fate:

“Poor brothers and sisters, don’t you understand? Struggling is futile; you have already been swallowed up by the mirror’s reflection.”

As the whispers of Sazarras spread across the Mirror Lake, the Reflection Realm surged forth once more, instantly amplifying the pressure on the world.

The griffins and lions slowed down noticeably, and the allied soldiers instantly felt as if they were bound by heavy chains, making it difficult for them to move.

Edel's face was grim as he felt the immense force squeezing his griffin. He gritted his teeth and said, "Is this the power of the Supreme Reflection...?"

Liseria gripped her longsword tightly, blood seeping from her palms, yet she still struggled to keep the Azure Lion moving forward, saying calmly, "Brother, to stand still is to lose, we must keep going!"

Adel's heart jolted, and he roared, "All men, listen to my command! Do not stop! Forward! Trean never gives up!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers mustered all their strength and took a step forward.

Every step was a battle against inner fear; every step shattered the conspiracy reflected in the shadows. Though the pace was slow, the gaze was unwavering.

On the battlefield, blood and fire intertwine, reality and reflections entangle, the raging tide has not yet subsided, and the abyss still whispers.

Between heaven and earth, the reflections in the mirror distorted and surged like a whirlpool. Medici gazed at the brother and sister fighting fiercely in the center of the battlefield, her eyes as deep as the endless night, a hint of relief mixed with a subtle sadness.

She murmured softly, her words seeming to be a soliloquy, yet also a whisper to fate:

"Courage ignites the flame, but victory is far from that simple..."

She slowly raised her hands, gripping the royal scepter that symbolized authority and destiny, the patterns of fate radiating a deep halo around her.

Golden specks of light gathered in her palm like stars, gradually transforming into a shimmering, holy, and majestic phantom of a young girl.

"Praise be to the maiden of holy light, with your spell, open the gap in our destiny once more!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl gently plucked the strings of the ancient harp, as if an angel had descended to earth.

The melodious and pure singing voice spread out like a tangible wave, instantly dispelling the oppressive feeling in the mirrored space.

Edel and Liseria raised their heads again, their eyes rekindling with unwavering determination, and their steps became even more resolute.

Aedel's gaze burned fiercely as he pointed directly at the reflection of the monarch high above the center of the Mirror Lake, his voice booming like thunder:

"Sazarras, today is your end! Treion will never submit!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers' morale surged like a torrent, crashing against the elusive mirror-like creatures like a tidal wave.

The hymn caused the reflections to shatter, and the mirror surface broke apart like a meteor shower.

Every shattering sound was a victory drumbeat for the Allied forces.

However, Medici's face grew increasingly pale.

Although the hymns were powerful, each rendition consumed a significant portion of her spiritual energy.

She gritted her teeth, enduring the waves of weariness and pain welling up from the depths of her heart, and whispered:

"That's not enough... Only I can end all of this!"

She raised her scepter again, and a mysterious card interwoven with roses and holy light suddenly appeared in her left hand.

In an instant, golden-red light surrounded her body like flames, her appearance was solemn and dignified, as if the Virgin Mary had descended to earth, and the scepter in her hand suddenly turned into a long spear, its sharpness dazzling.

"Holy Light Blood Sacrifice, in my name—incarnate as Saint Mary!"

Saint Mary, clad in magnificent armor, rose into the air, her spear pointed directly at the heart of Sazarras, her voice cold and sharp:
"Edel, Liseria, follow me, kill it!"

Without hesitation, the brother and sister roared and took flight, forming a wedge formation with Medusa, and charged straight at Sazarras with immense force.

The giant deer also moved its eerie, mirror-like body, with countless star reflections swirling wildly within it.

Arthur and Victorian's distorted faces appeared alternately, their mocking laughter echoing like a demonic whisper:

"Why struggle in vain? You are destined to be nothing more than pitiful prey in my territory!"

In an instant, fragments of the void surged forth like a flood, and countless sharp blades spun rapidly with an even more vicious motion, slashing fiercely at the three of them.

Medici's spear unleashed a holy light, sharp as lightning, shattering countless mirrors, but each shard of debris became even more ferocious.

It was reshaped into an indescribable, deformed creature, waving and coiling like tentacles as it approached the three.

Edel, riding a griffin with blood on its wingtips, looked grim and resolute: "Even the most stubborn reflection is ultimately just an illusion in a mirror!"

Liseria's golden hair flew wildly, the lion tore at the reflection, and her voice was high-pitched: "No matter the cost, today, we will shatter this illusion!"

But the power of Sazarath far exceeds imagination; the distortion and reshaping of space constantly change, forming a bizarre labyrinthine illusion.

Every inch of land and every breath of air transformed into dangerous traps and deadly tentacles, frantically entangled and tore at the three people's will and bodies.

"Mortals are mortals, how can they withstand supreme power?" Sazarras's voice was eerie, like a whisper from the abyss, his eyes revealing intense contempt and pleasure.

Medici's forehead was covered in cold sweat; her body was nearing its limit, and her consciousness was on the verge of collapse.

But she gritted her teeth, bracing her body, her heart repeating her vow:

"We can't lose... We absolutely cannot lose here!"

However, the terrifying pressure of the domain plunged the morale of the allied forces into chaos once again, and the power of the Hymn Girl gradually weakened.

The soldiers' eyes were filled with fear, their steps faltered, and their hopes for victory were once again on the verge of being dashed.

Edel frowned as he looked at the chaotic soldiers: "Sister, time is running out..."

Liseria's voice trembled slightly: "We must find a way to break through this domain, or everything will be over!"

Medici gritted her teeth and growled, her eyes flashing with an indomitable determination: "As long as fate has not ended, there is always the possibility of reversal!"

Just before the allied lines were about to crumble and collapse completely, a clear and loud bugle call suddenly rang out from the distant horizon.

The voice, like the first light of dawn, pierced through the thick darkness and curses, reaching the very depths of everyone's heart.

The soldiers looked into the distance, and a glimmer of hope gradually returned to their eyes.

For the first time, a hint of surprise and uncertainty appeared in the reflection monarch's eyes, and the mocking laughter finally froze on the mirror surface.

Madison, panting, gave a relieved smile and murmured softly, "The turning point has finally come..."

In the distance, where the sky meets the horizon, thick fog surges like a sea, and a seemingly dilapidated warship slowly emerges from the void. Its masts stand tall, its hull is mottled yet undying, and its iron armor gleams with an eerie blue light, as if inlaid with stars.

That was the "Lost One," a ghost ship whose name had long been erased from worldly narratives, but tonight it returned to the world.

The battle flag slowly rose from the bow, its brass frame wrapped with chains bearing the runes of destiny. On the flag, the twelve stars and shattered fate intertwined to form the mark of a prophet.

The ship sways on the boundary between dream and reality, the figures on the deck silently control the storm, the cannons are arrayed, and the mainsail is fully unfurled.

—The last reinforcements are returning at full speed.

This fateful war is far from over.

"We think we are fighting against our reflections, but the reflections are always in our eyes and in our breath, until we finally realize that we are the real shadows."

—From *The Doctrine of the Mirror: The Bible of Reflection*

(End of this chapter)