Assault of the Desire Apostle

Night fell over Hillston Borough as Ebner, concealed by "Psychological Invisibility," approached the somewhat aged residence of Great Detective Isengard Stanton, heading straight for the front door.

Earlier that afternoon, after leaving the Church of the Earth Mother, Ebner had first visited the rented home of Xio and Fors to inform them of his arrival in Backlund.

—Given the short distance, he hadn't bothered using the "Fool's" communication channel.

Xio had been out at the time, leaving only Fors—who had just been dragged through over an hour of rigorous training by Xio—sprawled on the couch like a lifeless "salted fish."

The sudden appearance of a stranger in the room had startled Fors, but she relaxed upon recognizing Ebner's true appearance.

Xio returned by evening, after which the three shared dinner and exchanged stories of their recent experiences. Only then did Ebner depart, following the psychological hint he had previously implanted to make his way on foot to his mentor's home.

Yet the moment he reached the doorstep of Great Detective Isengard's house, an unsettling sensation prickled at him...

This warning didn't originate from his own perception but from the "Magic Mirror" he carried!

The mirror housed a Sequence 4 "Demon," granting its contracted master a degree of shared "danger sense."

Even under "Psychological Invisibility," Ebner found himself targeted by palpable "malice" the instant he neared the house—malice potent enough to harm him!

Is there a demigod or powerful Sequence 5 inside?

Having forgotten all plot details related to the "Desire Apostle," Ebner barely had time to speculate when the front door creaked open on its own, as if inviting him in.

Had his mentor not potentially been in grave danger—and had he not received Lilith's "blessing" that afternoon—Ebner might have hesitated to accept such an "invitation." But now, armed with life-saving measures and at least three artifacts equivalent to Grade 1 sealed items, fear was the last thing on his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Ebner first activated his "Pure White Eye" to "analyze" the entire building. Within seconds, he had his answer.

Maintaining "Mechanical Mind," he stepped through the half-open door and strode decisively toward the first-floor parlor.

Along the way, several of his mentor's servants—including Mr. Kenny, the valet Ebner knew best—suddenly and gruesomely "exploded" into dismembered corpses before his eyes, as if they had always been in that state and had only been temporarily stitched together until now!

Unfazed by the horror thanks to "Mechanical Mind," Ebner coldly proceeded to the parlor entrance.

But just as he reached for the door to break whatever "seal" barred it, an inky black mist surged without warning, threatening to engulf him like a tidal wave!

This was the power of "Darkness," capable of forcibly breaching the boundary between reality and nightmare to drag victims into terror.

Ebner recognized it instantly—after all, he had used this very method to enter the nightmare-shrouded "Twilight Castle."

A radiant "twilight" glow abruptly enveloped his body, forming a shield that repelled the encroaching darkness. No matter how violently the mist lashed against it, the barrier held firm.

This was one of the secret arts he had gained upon advancing to "Mysticism Magister"—the "Shield of Glory," infused with a wisp of twilight power!

Seeing the mist prove ineffective, two demonic words dripping with corruption rang out in succession:

"Decelerate!"

"Corrupt!"

As soon as Ebner had used Pure White Eye to analyze the situation, he identified the enemy as at least a Desire Apostle and had prepared countermeasures in advance. The badge pinned to his chest gleamed with a pure-black light at the perfect moment, and in the next instant, he burst through the Corruption zone at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, seamlessly pushing open the door to the living room.

In that instant, it was as if a seal had been lifted—an intense scent of blood wafted out, piercing Ebner's nostrils.

By channeling the Cursed Tudor Badge, I used a demigod-level Distortion ability, transforming the Slow effect into Extreme Speed and turning the Corruption field into Soothing.

Inside the living room, an overturned armchair lay on the ground, stained with dark-red blood. A book had fallen nearby, its cover facing up. A shattered glass, once filled with red wine, was now scattered across the tiled floor, its shards glinting in the dim light. The mingling of wine and blood only made the scene appear even more gruesome.

Just as Ebner studied the broken glass in thought, footsteps sounded from outside the room. Moments later, Isengard Stanton stepped in, clutching his injured shoulder. The great detective didn't enter completely but remained at the doorway, expressing his gratitude. "Thank you, my friend… If not for your help, I might have fallen into that demon's hands."

Although Ebner had lifted his invisibility, he still maintained a disguised appearance, preventing Isengard from recognizing him. Ebner, as if expecting this, remained unfazed. Only after confirming that the enemy had truly left and that the man before him was indeed his teacher did he revert to his real face and softly say, "Teacher, it's me."

As soon as he spoke, he immediately resumed his Faceless ability, altering his appearance once more.

"Ebner… so it was you…" Isengard visibly relaxed, but soon after, his gaze lingered on his student's unfamiliar face, his tone filled with complex emotions. "It's only been a few months, yet you've already become this powerful… When I first met you, I had a premonition that you would one day help me survive a catastrophe… I suppose it referred to this moment. It seems my decision to take you as a 'student' was the right one after all. Thank the God of Knowledge and Wisdom for His blessings! It's just a pity about Kenny and the others…"

With a sigh of resignation, Isengard shook his head. Given how dire the situation had been, there had been no way for him to save his servants.

"Let's not dwell on this… Teacher, do you need me to treat your wounds? I have some healing abilities," Ebner asked, pointing at Isengard's injured shoulder.

"It's fine. I can heal myself," Isengard replied. "I left the wound untreated to lull my enemy into complacency, hoping to ambush and kill him."

With that, the detective walked over to a table, seemingly unbothered by the bloodstains in the room. He lit the pipe resting on the tabletop and took a deep drag.

Ebner knew that his teacher was using the act of smoking to mask his sorrow and regret. Though he felt that Isengard's counterattack plan had been rather risky, he merely sighed inwardly before giving a quiet warning. "Teacher, that Desire Apostle was likely assisted by a demigod-level Witch…"

A mere Desire Apostle alone wouldn't have triggered my danger sense—the true threat came from the Witch lurking in the shadows! This was also why Ebner hadn't attempted to capture the Desire Apostle—he didn't want to provoke the Witch into taking action. Even with the Bone Dragon in his possession, he had no desire to engage in a life-or-death battle with a demigod-level Witch… especially in a densely populated district like Hillsdon.

"A Witch…" Isengard muttered, realization dawning upon him. "No wonder I couldn't escape using mirror-jumping. I kept getting blocked, forced to play a game of hide-and-seek with that Desire Apostle through the mirror world behind the shards of broken glass… But that raises the question—what exactly were they after? If a demigod Witch was involved, killing me shouldn't have been so complicated. Of course, it's possible that the Witch was merely hired to cut off my escape routes and wouldn't intervene directly…"

After murmuring to himself for a few moments, Isengard turned to Ebner and asked, "Can you escort me to the Leverage Church of the Church of Steam?"