Chapter 682: That Violet of Hope

But how could the Desire Mother Tree possibly listen to what he said? All she gave him was a cold sneer.

"Heh! You're not qualified to act arrogant before me. It seems our negotiations have broken down, haven't they? Fine. I've long been tired of putting on an act in front of you. I'll control you, and once I find the Colossus's Brain, I'll make you watch with your own eyes as I crush every single obstacle in my way!"

By the end, her voice had twisted into sheer savagery.

There was no longer any room for compromise.

The next moment.

Amid the howling gale, the countless vines whipped through the air in a wild dance, surging toward the High Tower where Lynn stood.

Lynn let out a soft sigh.

He removed his Monocle. Amid the High Tower's collapse, he stepped back slightly, and his body fell like a free-falling stone, plunging toward the endless tide of vines surging up from below.

Indeed.

Relying on external help was still unreliable.

If he couldn't effectively raise his own strength and only depended on his family's assistance, he would never truly achieve perfection.

Because you couldn't stay by your family's side forever, nor could you always accept their protection—just like now.

As he fell.

Just as the endless vines were about to engulf him, he closed his eyes, gently brushed his fingers over his brow, and let out a breath.

Curse.

Activate.

*Whoom—*

At that very instant, Lynn's nearly shattered Cursed Eye snapped open, its pupil turning a blood-red that rapidly dilated.

Accompanied by a twisted Hatred and frantic madness, countless tentacles burst forth, and a massive head crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.

Lynn slowly opened his blood-red giant eye.

And on his Cursed Eye, yet another fine crack had appeared.

"Titan's Curse?!"

The Desire Mother Tree's distorted voice rang out across the entire sky.

She had known all along that this human could unleash part of a Root-level curse. It was precisely by releasing the Self-Binding Angel's curse that he had managed to suppress the Mechanical Cult's Supreme Unit.

"Are you trying to use this to fight me?"

Lynn said nothing. He simply closed his eyes again.

And in the next moment.

*Clank—*

Accompanied by another terrifying and dark fluctuation, pitch-black chains covered in barbs suddenly burst forth from beneath his neck, lashing across his entire head, binding it tightly in a crisscrossed, savage web.

The Self-Binding Angel's Curse?!

The murderous face in the sky flickered with uncertainty, completely unable to fathom what he was planning.

Because she had seen him release both of these curses before.

One rendered him immortal; the other bound and suppressed him in place.

But what use was that?

Did he think that by using these two methods, he could evade the fate she had in store for him? She knew clearly that these two curses he'd unleashed weren't permanent. His current actions were nothing but stalling—there was no way they could break her hold on him.

"What the hell are you trying to do?"

She narrowed her eyes.

But Lynn kept his eyes closed, offering no reply to her words.

He had transformed into an immortal body and used chains to seal himself in place.

Only, in the next moment.

On his massive forehead and brow, a thin, bloody line slowly emerged, as if a carving knife were etching its way across his flesh, bit by bit.

Slowly.

It carved out a…

blood-soaked Pupil-less Eye.

And in that instant, the Desire Mother Tree's entire body trembled violently. Her mind instantly flashed back to when this human had confronted the God of All Machines—just before the purple light descended, the vast and complex purple giant formation beneath his feet.

And at the very center of that massive Magic Circle, surrounded by countless budding violets, lay the most concise and mysterious engraving of the Pupil-less Eye!

In that moment.

She was shaken with panic and fury.

What did he intend to do?

Could it be…?

Lynn still kept his eyes closed, as if cutting off all connection to the outside world. There, atop his own immortal body, he followed the faint glimpse he had caught before losing consciousness.

He was copying the magic circle of the Violet buds that represented salvation!

This was his last resort.

And in this desperate situation, it was the only hope he could place in that mysterious being who had once saved him.

He didn't know who it was.

Nor what it meant.

But when it came to a fight, you had to cling to the possibility of trying everything—to gamble on that probability!

"Stop!"

The Desire Mother Tree let out a earth-shaking roar, causing the entire Wandering Souls Alley projection to tremble.

And she held nothing back. Without a moment's hesitation, she summoned every vine in the illusion, hurling them at Lynn in a frenzied assault.

She had no idea what he was doing!

But she didn't dare take the gamble!

Because back when that Violet Magic Circle had emerged, she had witnessed firsthand its overwhelming terror and suppression.

The faintly shifting figure behind that light screen.

That hand that had nearly slain the God of All Machines.

And the massive finger marks still imprinted on his neck. It was safe to say that if that person had wanted to kill, the God of All Machines would likely be dead by now!

An immortal Root-level being brought to the brink of death—that in itself signaled a level of power beyond the norm!

He said a monster was sealed within his consciousness.

She didn't believe it.

But now, even if she didn't believe it, she didn't dare take the gamble!

Because if that figure truly descended here—even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance—it would mean the complete reversal of the situation!

She was no match for the God of All Machines; she was far weaker than he was. Facing that figure, she would have almost no chance of turning things around!

"Damn it! Damn it!"

In that moment, she launched a mad assault, her face twisted in fury.

And she finally understood why he had cast those two curses on himself!

One ensured his immortality!

The other ensured he wouldn't be controlled or moved!

He was using this extreme method to gamble with her—a deadly game of life and death!

"You lunatic!"

Countless twisted vines wrapped around Lynn's head. From high above, looking down, the entire Wandering Souls Alley centered on Lynn, contorted into a writhing, churning vortex of flesh. Every vine was climbing toward him.

But it was still useless.

Under the reinforcement of the two curses, those vines simply couldn't break Lynn's immortal body.

And there he lay, eyes quietly closed, submerged in that twisted sea of flesh. Amid the bone-deep Pain, he dug into his own flesh, needle by needle, etching out the delicate Violet buds bit by bit.

As if representing an eternal loyalty and love.

The old-fashioned Violet.

This was almost a completely different future and direction from his own, and yet it felt as though, somehow, he had always been watched from the shadows.

What was it?

Why had Sir Aiwen said that, with this Violet, he would become that Flying Bird—trapped at the bottom of the pond, yet destined to soar through the sky?

*Boom—*

The Desire Mother Tree's attacks grew more frantic and desperate.

But even using all her strength, she couldn't stop him from engraving it upon himself. And with every stroke he carved, the scene she had witnessed that day grew clearer and clearer in her mind.