Chapter 158: Stripping

Xavier raised his hand, index finger pointing upward. "It exists in the void. You can't reach it."

The smile on Charles's face froze, his confident demeanor crumbling in an instant.

But before he could ask, Xavier continued, "Besides, many people want to participate in its assessment. To even qualify for the test, you'll need to prove your abilities."

Isis had heard of Nyarlathotep, but since they existed in different systems, she didn't know much about him. When she heard Xavier's words, she thought he was toying with Charles, and a flash of irritation crossed her eyes.

Though she was the embodiment of Ankh, gentle and wise by nature, she had once been a supreme pharaoh. Her inherent powerful aura couldn't be ignored.

In an instant, Xavier felt a tremendous pressure emanating from Charles's side.

He didn't need to look to know who was displaying their power.

However, Xavier remained unfazed, his expression unchanged. He merely glanced at Isis without even pausing his speech.

"However, from this perspective, you're lucky. In two days, there will be a preliminary assessment. This test won't be life-threatening—you just need to pass this trial to participate in Nyarlathotep's assessment."

Charles raised an eyebrow knowingly. Without hesitation, he blurted out, "Since Mr. Black is offering me this suggestion, you must have a way to help me hide until two days from now, right?"

The Invisibility Spell on the back of his hand—what they called the 'Tear of the Demon God'—only blocked Azathoth and the Outer Gods for a mere three hours.

Charles was certain Xavier knew this.

The moment Charles said this, Xavier froze, but then he lowered his head and laughed. He pressed his fist against his mouth, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "You really are a smart man. Talking with you is so efficient."

Charles smiled too. "Mr. Black, no need for the suspense. Tell me what I should do now. There's only an hour left."

Hearing this, Xavier stopped laughing and extended his hand.

Looking at the open palm, Charles placed his hand with the serpent tattoo on it. The next second Xavier raised it, he lifted his other hand, making a grasping motion in the air while pulling his arm back slightly.

It looked like he was trying to control something with telekinesis.

But in reality, nothing seemed to change. Not only did the tattoo on Charles's hand remain unchanged, but even the surrounding atmosphere stayed the same.

Nothing happened.

Charles frowned. Just as he was starting to think he'd encountered a fraud, a violent pulling sensation suddenly erupted from the depths of his soul!

The feeling was incredibly strange—intensely pleasurable yet tinged with extreme agony.

A bizarre moan rolled from Charles's throat. Then his back arched backward in an odd, awkward position, his fingers spreading and curling forcefully, as if he were enduring tremendous pain.

But strangely, despite his head being thrown back, his expression was one of comfort, though his brows hinted at pain.

"Charles!"

Isis immediately cried out. She lunged forward, reaching out to catch Charles as he continued to fall backward.

But Charles didn't respond to her. His slowly opening mouth only continued to make sounds, his gray eyes rolling back to reveal large amounts of white.

"Stop it!"

Isis couldn't care about anything else. She immediately released Charles and rushed toward Xavier. Her face full of fury, she tried to push away Xavier, who was still continuing his movements.

But there seemed to be an invisible wall of air around Xavier, completely isolating the enraged Isis.

"Xavier Black!" Isis roared his name, but it changed nothing.

She could only stare at Xavier with reddened eyes as he continued his strange movements.

Juno had never seen anything like this either. Startled, she immediately got up from the pile of books, slowly backing away. Her eyes, already distrustful of Xavier, now filled with wariness.

Charles's moaning continued, but soon the sound changed pitch, transforming into a shrill scream.

In an instant, Isis transformed into bandages, rewrapping herself around Charles's arm!

The bandages emitted a soft white glow, but after just a few seconds, the gentle light slowly dimmed. As if puzzled, the bandages loosened slightly, and then Isis reappeared beside Charles.

This time, her face no longer showed the anger from before—only dazed confusion.

Shortly after, this special exorcism ritual ended.

"Done."

With Xavier's voice, he immediately released his hand. Without his support, Charles fell backward.

Charles collapsed into Isis's arms, his eyes closed, his face showing peaceful calm.

"What... what just happened?" Juno asked cautiously from the side. Her gaze shifted between Xavier and Isis's faces, trying to discern something.

But Xavier's expression remained unchanged.

As for Isis, she seemed like she'd experienced something, still wearing that dazed look. If there was any difference, it was that when facing Xavier, Isis clearly avoided eye contact.

Juno raised an eyebrow, as if guessing something, but then felt that it couldn't be the truth. She could only shake her head, dismissing that ridiculous notion.

"Isis..."

Fortunately, Charles soon woke up. Looking at Isis before him, he instinctively called her name.

Hearing Charles's voice, Isis immediately looked down. "Charles! You're awake!"

Her face was full of joy, showing no signs of anything wrong.

Charles turned his head to look at Xavier, who had sat back down on the sofa. With Isis's help, he stood up. "Mr. Black, how do I avoid Nyarlathotep's tracking?"

The moment he said "Mr. Black," Isis instantly transformed back into bandages wrapped around his arm—an extreme state of avoidance, just like before when facing Augustine.

Looking at the bandages on his arm, Charles paused mid-speech, frowning as he asked mentally: [Did something happen just now?]

The process of removing the Invisibility Spell wasn't pleasant. At least Charles had indeed lost consciousness just now, so he had no idea what Isis had done.

Before hearing Isis's answer, he first heard Xavier's response.

"What else do you need to do? Aren't you already hidden?" Xavier held a book in one hand while his other hand's index finger gestured vaguely at Charles.