55 LOTM
Lawrence sat in the coffee shop booth, unable to stop himself from thinking about the hardships of the Abraham family over the years.
Ever since they had split up into smaller families and settled in other places, the Elder Council's control over the family members hit rock-bottom. A great number of Abrahams refused to advance, in order to avoid the effects of the curse; hence, many of them remained at Sequence 8 or 9. Some didn't even attempt to become Beyonders, wishing to be ordinary people with a certain amount of knowledge so as to live a calm and peaceful life.
The Elder Council believed that this was an act of forgetting the family's honor, but it couldn't be harsh on such actions since it was tantamount to self-destruction.
In such a situation, the upper echelons of the Abraham family began to think of introducing changes. They imitated the teacher-apprentice inheritance system of the Life School of Thought, and they trained non-family members, hoping that once they advanced to become High-Sequence Beyonders, then they would, in turn, be able to help the Abraham family deal with the curse that had existed for about 1,500 years and find their ancestor, Bethel Abraham, who had vanished in the War of the Four Emperors.
The plan started off smoothly, and the apprentices who didn't have to worry about the curse quickly became stronger and stronger under the Abraham family's meticulous nurturing. Within a short period of ten years, there were several strong Sequence 5 individuals among them, while not a single person among the direct descendants of the Abraham family was Sequence 6.
The trunk was too weak, but the branches were too strong; hence, the seeds of tragedy were planted, and the ambitious apprentices began casting their sights on the powerful Sealed Artifacts that the Abraham family possessed.
Their plot failed, but it also resulted in serious repercussions. All the non-family members at Sequences 6 and 5 were of the opinion that their positions within the Abraham family didn't match their own strength and that they couldn't be trusted, preventing them from being in possession of certain Sealed Artifacts.
In the process of going back and forth, with difficult negotiations occurring and compromises between the two parties, an accident happened. One of them, Traveler Botis, was lured by the True Creator into joining the Aurora Order, which led to a terrible disaster.
In this disaster, the upper echelons of the Abraham family were almost completely destroyed. More than half of the few powerful Sealed Artifacts were lost, and only three were left. As a result, Lawrence's brother, who he shared the same mother with, Richard, died.
Not only did Botis benefit greatly from it, but he also gathered all the Beyonder ingredients he needed, and with the help of the True Creator, he successfully overcame the dangers and became a demigod, becoming one of the five Saints of the Aurora Order, the Saint of Mystery.
After the disaster, the rebuilt Abraham family's Elder Council reflected over the actions of the past few years, but they couldn't find a solution to the problem. Emotions such as negativity, dejection, and hopelessness shrouded the hearts of the few remaining family members.
Lawrence didn't wish to be placed in such an environment or face sighing and repressed emotions every day. He found a reason to leave the Elder Council and came to Backlund to look for his other brothers, Laubero, who he shared the same mother, and Sam, who he didn't share the same mother.
But now, he suddenly realized that he was the only one remaining from his father's line.
He was already nearly eighty-years-old, and all his children had died in the disaster brought about by Botis. @@novelbin@@
Just recalling the past made him feel sorrow from the bottom of his heart.
The most painful thing was that he couldn't see the hope for revenge, and he couldn't see the dawn of his clan's glory appearing once more.
I'm already very old, and I was also injured before. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I wouldn't dare to use my Beyonder powers anymore, which would cause me to lose control or even cause the curse to descend... What is the future of the Abraham family? Lawrence took a sip of the Fermo coffee and fell into a long silence.
...
Upon returning to her rented house, Fors immediately entered the bedroom and locked the wooden door behind her.
She sat on the edge of the bed, calmed her mind, and whispered the honorific name that represented hope and the future.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era,
"You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog;
"You are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.
"I wish to inform you of what I have encountered today.
"I met the elder brother of the husband of the old lady who made me become an Apprentice. He seems to be a member of a certain family...
"I didn't mention anything related to mysticism, but I'm worried that he has extremely powerful divination abilities and will be able to find out the complete truth..."
...
At this moment, Klein happened to be above the gray fog.
He saw the crimson star that represented The Magician expanding outward, rippling as he heard the stacked layers of pleas.
After figuring out the details, Klein tapped the edge of the ancient table and said to himself silently, How cautious for her to know to seek help from The Fool.
Besides, your guess isn't wrong. The corresponding Sequence 7 for Apprentice is Astrologer...
Having recently read the Book of Secrets thoroughly, he had quickly come up with a plan that would help him interfere with divination through rituals.
I have to say, with the Book of Secrets and my advancement to Sequence 7, I'm becoming more and more godlike when above the gray fog. Of course, for the time being, I'm still just an empty shell...
Speaking of which, I've been acting in front of Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man several times, fooling them completely. Why didn't I receive any feedback from my spirituality? The speed at which I digest the potion doesn't seem to be getting faster as a result. Does it have to happen in the real world? Yes, it might be possible that their "applause," as an audience, has been blocked by the gray fog, preventing them from directly affecting me. Just like how the Eternal Blazing Sun and the True Creator are unable to penetrate the gray fog to find this mysterious space...
From the looks of it, the reaction between the gray fog and this mysterious space is very mechanical. It's not sentient enough, and it lacks intelligence... However, to me, this is actually a good thing...
In the midst of his thoughts, Klein turned his knowledge into an ancient piece of goatskin and threw it into the crimson star that symbolized The Magician.
A boundless grayish-white fog suddenly filled the air in front of Fors's eyes, and an illusory yellowish-brown goatskin descended from the sky.
When she saw the information written on it, she suddenly felt at peace.
With Mr. Fool, Mr. Lawrence certainly wouldn't be able to get the correct revelations via divination! Fors sincerely expressed her gratitude and busily prepared for the ritual.
She had seen a lot of instances where evil spirits did harm to others. In fact, she didn't trust The Fool that much, but the curse of the full moon forced her to rely on him.
Regardless of how bad the consequences are, I will just lose my life. Without the help of Mr. Fool, I would've already lost control during the last Blood Moon and become a monster... Every day I live is a day gained. This is all given to me by Mr. Fool, and he can take it back at any time. Well, it's best if he doesn't... Fors took a breath and lit the two candles that symbolized The Fool.
The initial steps of the ritual were no different from those she had mastered before. This continued until the candles were lit and the essential oils, extract, and herbal powder were thrown into the fire.
When the fragrance of a serene etherealness filled the room, a faint, illusory fog covered the entire altar. According to the contents of the goatskin, Fors quickly adjusted her body and mind, entered Cogitation and chanted the corresponding name of The Fool over and over again.
Such monotonous, repetitive behavior allowed the originally calm and relaxed Fors to slowly enter a state where the mind was in deep sleep while her spirituality dispersed. Her entire being felt groggy, but she maintained a strange sense of lucidness. She felt as if her spirit was floating about, constantly moving upwards.
This was similar to the "secret deed" process that was formed with the help of an external object, but it was different in many ways. This was a technique in mediumship and was used to communicate with higher level spirits. At an extremum, it could even allow a Beyonder to travel the spirit world under the pretext of maintaining a special lucidness.
Some Beyonders who specialized in influencing the mind called it "artificial sleepwalking." They could use techniques such as hypnosis to make ordinary people enter this state as well.
In that way, an ordinary person would appear to be in a deep slumber, yet they would be able to answer questions. Although their eyes and mouths were closed, they could detect the presence of various Spirit Bodies around them; thus, completing a certain degree of communication.
The reason why Klein didn't let Fors use the secret deed ritual was that it could only give knowledge or direct effects such as purification or corruption, letting the target's mind gain a wonderful experience. It couldn't interfere with the divination or other matters done by another person.
Simply put, the secret deed ritual directly affected the target's Spirit Body, Astral Projection, Body of Heart and Mind, and Ether Body. The related positive or negative states were removed, and with the artificial sleepwalking ritual, it allowed Klein to do something indirect so as to deal with any outside interference.
In a daze, Fors felt herself drifting back to the majestic old palace above the gray fog, and she saw Mr. Fool sitting high above, looking down at everything.
Klein looked at the image of The Magician projected by the dark red starlight. He unhurriedly picked up a paper figurine that he had found earlier from his trash pile in the corner.
As a Seer who had advanced twice, he had many ways to interfere with the divination of others, so he didn't need to rely on mystical items to help him.
At this moment, due to the effects of the ritual, the mysterious space above the gray fog started to tremble slightly, and some of the power was flowing due to the perturbation.
Klein's left hand pressed the Dark Emperor card on the surface of the long bronze table, connecting it with his own Spirit Body and uplifting himself to a higher level. It raised his level just like the previous times he used the Flaring Sun Charm and Azik's copper whistle to solidify his Spirit Body.
Then, with a flick of his right wrist, he threw the paper figurine out.
The paper figurine suddenly expanded in size, and on its back, twelve pairs of black angel wings which were cut out of paper grew out. The feathers were vivid and lifelike.
The paper "angel" pierced through the dark red light and overlapped with the illusory figure of The Magician.
Without any warning, it started to burn and completely disappeared.
The half-awake Fors seemed to see a dignified and majestic angel as it wrapped layer upon layers of pitch-black wings around her!
After an unknown period of time, Fors suddenly awoke from her artificial sleepwalking state. In front of her were only the three candles quietly burning on the altar and the fog that had permeated the entire room. At the tip of her nose was the familiar fragrance of serene etherealness.
Angel... Fors was so lost in thought that she momentarily forgot to end the ritual.
-x-X-x-
1, 2, 3, 4, 5... I think there were twelve pairs of wings... According to the canon descriptions of the various Churches, that's an angel of the highest rank... Fors tried to recall what she had seen in her reverie. She was both shocked and not that shocked, as if what she had encountered was a shocking event that she had previously taken for granted but had simply never encountered before.
It isn't surprising that Mr. Fool has the services of an angel. From the fact that Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man occasionally use the word "Him" to refer to him, one can imagine so. The fact that he's able to isolate the effects of the moon's ravings allows me to infer... However, my request was only to interfere with Mr. Lawrence's divination; yet, "He" actually made an Angel protect me. Isn't this too extravagant? Or is this a routine act for "Him"?
Uh, one more problem. Why are the feathers on the angel's wings black? Does this signify degeneracy or Death? What is the true identity of Mr. Fool? Which great being is "He"? Death who was rumored to have died in the Pale Era? "He" wishes to be reborn through the Tarot Gatherings? Fors suddenly took a deep breath, completely unconcerned that the gentleman named Lawrence would find anything wrong with her through his divination.
On the realization that she had already joined the Tarot Club, she smiled wryly and whispered silently, I can only do as Emperor Roselle said, "Take things one step at a time..."
After gathering her thoughts, Fors humbly thanked Mr. Fool once more. Following the normal process of a ritual, she extinguished the three candles' flame and began to clear the altar which was filled with all kinds of items.
...
Above the gray fog, Klein temporarily put the matter of the Abraham family at the back of his mind.
According to his original plan, he conjured a pen and paper and wrote the following divination statement: "Daisy's current situation."
Putting the fountain pen away, Klein stacked Daisy's vocabulary book and the piece of paper with the divination statement on it and held them in his left hand.
Then, leaning back in his chair, he entered a state of Cogitation, reciting the words "Daisy's current situation" over and over again.
After seven times, Klein fell asleep, his eyes black with a hint of red before grayness surfaced in them.
One scene after another began to flash. Some were contiguous, some had gaps, and some were completely incoherent.
Klein saw Liv's youngest daughter, a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl who persisted despite being repeatedly scalded. She was dragged into a remote alley by a man wearing a heavy jacket and a grayish-black cap after he covered her mouth with a handkerchief from behind.
Another man, who was dressed the same, took her legs, and they lifted her as they quickly walked away.
Their destination was the carriage parked outside the alley.
The whole incident was over in less than two minutes, and by the time Daisy's sister, Freja, returned to search for Daisy, the carriage was already gone.
...
Within the carriage, a sharp, ice-cold dagger was held to the muddleheaded Daisy's face, and lewd threats rang in her ears.
...
The carriage drove into the luxurious villa.
...
Daisy was in a small, dark room, and from time to time, the sound of women's cries, screams, and curses echoed outside.
...
Daisy woke up and cried out for help, but the door was opened, and she was kicked away. The pain made it impossible for her to get up.
She wept as she constantly cried for "Mother" and "Freja."
...
Klein opened his eyes and realized that the paper he held in his left hand had already been crumpled by his tight grip.
He had established that Capim was the mastermind behind the many disappearances of young ladies and that he was the boss of a criminal organization.
The problem, however, was that the case shouldn't and couldn't involve powerful Beyonder forces. At most, there would be a few money-hungry Beyonders at Sequence 7, 8, or 9 that were helping out. It wouldn't have made Klein's spiritual intuition give him warnings of intense danger the moment he approached the villa.
Is Capim himself a Sequence 6 or even Sequence 5 Beyonder? However, it's not difficult for a Beyonder of this level to earn money. There's no need to do such dirty and complicated matters. He just has to find all the gangs and collect protection fees via a protection racket... It would be easy, and it wouldn't dirty his hands... Could there be some hidden plot behind Capim's human trafficking? As he pondered, Klein used the power of the gray fog to restore Daisy's vocabulary book to its original state.
After a few seconds of silence, he took out another piece of goatskin and wrote a new divination statement: "Saving Daisy is a dangerous matter."
After reading it carefully twice, Klein removed the spirit pendulum from his left wrist, letting the topaz pendant fall and hang above the surface of the paper, almost to the point of touching the statement.
After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he closed his eyes and began to recite the divination statement he had just written.
When he finished reciting it, Klein opened his eyes and looked at the pendulum in his left hand.
The topaz pendant was rotating clockwise at a fairly fast frequency and with a rather high amplitude!
This meant that saving Daisy was a rather dangerous act!
However, it isn't one of total despair. There's still a possibility, a significant chance of success, as long as I can seize it...
Klein deciphered the revelation from the spirit pendulum. @@novelbin@@
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said with a self-deprecating smile, Wasn't I looking for an opportunity to perform?
This is it!
As a Magician, I have to challenge something of a higher difficulty. Otherwise, I would be called a Trickmaster and not a Magician.
Completing the seemingly impossible, even if the outcome is nothing but an illusion, that's the image of a magician in my heart. As for whether it's one of the rules or not, I still need confirmation...
Klein tapped the edge of the ancient table and quickly made his decision.
To him, the most troubling thing about saving Daisy and dealing with Capim was that he didn't know anything about Capim. He didn't know how many other Beyonders were in the villa or the Sequences and pathways they had.
This made Klein unable to make specific preparations.
And for a Magician, the first rule was: "Never perform unprepared!"
Many seemingly impromptu performances actually involved significant preparations. For example, long periods of practice or thorough mastery of diverting attention away from the situation.
Should I get Miss Justice's help to learn more about Capim's background for my adorer? Klein seriously considered the options available to him.
However, he quickly rejected this idea.
No, I won't be able to receive detailed information. Although Capim is involved with many powerful figures and the wealthy, it's not something that can be publicized. Miss Justice will, at most, learn of the nobles, Members of Parliament, or civil servants which he is involved with, but she won't be able to determine how many Beyonders are in his villa, much less the traps or the layout...
Through the clues from these connections, Miss Justice might be able to figure out what I wish to know given a few weeks time, but that's too slow. Rescuing Daisy needs to be done as soon as possible. Any delays will result in a tragedy.
Klein's eyes swept across the surface of the long bronze table and onto the junk pile in the corner. His mind began to formulate an idea.
On the one hand, I can get Miss Magician and her friend, Miss Xio, to investigate Capim's background and determine which Beyonders he has ties with. The two ladies are very well connected in East Borough, several gangs, and a considerable number of Beyonder circles. On the other hand, I can take action by myself. I can obtain information from the servants or bodyguards that come out from Capim's villa via mediumship.
After finalizing his plan, Klein was in no hurry to get help from Miss Magician. He decided to try doing it by himself first so that he could find out more about the matter in a targeted manner.
In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared from the towering palace above the gray fog.
...
After lunch, a man wearing a grayish-black cap and a thick cotton coat cautiously left from the back door of Capim's villa. He walked all the way to a crossroad and got into a rental carriage.
"East Borough." He touched the dark red birthmark on his face and instructed the carriage driver.
The carriage began to move, and the man looked out of the window with a bored expression, admiring the beautiful ladies and young ladies on the streets.
"If only we could kidnap them..." The man let his imagination run wild as he revealed a regretful expression.
When he was far from Iris Street, he suddenly shivered, and his eyes became slightly dazed.
He knocked on the wall and said to the carriage driver, "Stop, stop! I forgot something. Here will do."
The carriage driver didn't dare to reprimand the ferocious man. He didn't even mutter as he stopped the carriage by the side of the street and allowed him to alight.
After paying six pence for the ride, the man retraced the direction in which he came for dozens of meters before entering a cheap hotel.
Without the need for any proof of identity, he paid for a room.
After entering, he left the door ajar without locking it.
Then, the man sat on the edge of the bed with a deadpan expression. Suddenly, a transparent and illusory figure separated from his body!
It was none other than Klein who was dressed as a worker!
He had used the method of summoning himself to transform into a Spirit Body and had attached himself to this man's body, allowing him to walk to a convenient location for mediumship!
After knocking the man out, Klein's spirit form disappeared from the room. Not long after, the door was pushed open, and he walked into the room in his corporeal form.
Using a wall of spirituality to seal the place, Klein quickly set up a mediumship ritual, allowing the alluring scent of Amantha extract and Eye of the Spirit medicine to emanate in the surroundings.
After finishing his preparations and just as he was about to start the mediumship, he suddenly exclaimed and stopped his actions.
He discovered that the Spirit Body of the man who was unconscious on the bed had a mysterious, unknown restriction. If he forcefully did the mediumship, although there was a high probability of success, it would activate the seal and cause some Beyonder to notice this occurrence!
This would end up alerting the enemy!
Such a strange Beyonder power... Very cautious and very careful... What Capim is involved in isn't simple at all... Klein took a few steps forward, frowning slightly.
He glanced at the unconscious man and suddenly chuckled.
"Do you think you can stop me with just this?"
He quickly suspended the ritual, summoned himself again, and responded to himself.
A few seconds later, he flew out of the candle's flame in his Spirit Body form and floated in the room once more.
Without any hesitation, Klein, in his Spirit Body form, suddenly approached and possessed the unconscious man.
The man suddenly sat up and opened his eyes; his expression appeared lifeless.
He straightened his body, walked to the front of the altar, step by step, and then chanted in a low voice, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era,
"You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog;
"You are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
-x-X-x-
In a room filled with the ethereal fragrance of Amantha extract and Eye of the Spirit medicine, Capim's henchman, who had been possessed by Klein, was made to chant The Fool's honorific name.
Amidst the monotonous yet rhythmic murmurs and the fragrance that made it difficult to focus, the man's Spirit Body gradually dissipated. He became muddleheaded but maintained a certain degree of unusual lucidity, as if he was hypnotizing himself.
With Klein's "help" in his Spirit Body form and the feedback from the chanting The Fool's honorific name, he slowly entered an "artificial sleepwalking" state. His Astral Projection approached the infinitely high gray fog and the mysterious location above the gray fog.
Klein seized the opportunity, ended the summoning, and returned to the towering ancient palace, where he sat at the seat belonging to The Fool.
He saw a bright light circle rippling around him, sketching out the illusory figure of Capim's henchman. The mysterious space was affected by the ritual as it trembled slightly. Some of the energy was being pried away and was slowly flowing.
Klein picked up the Dark Emperor card, and a paper figurine flashed in his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, the paper figurine flew out and absorbed the sliver of energy that had been pried out of the gray fog. It then transformed into a man wearing a black cap and a thick cotton jacket. He looked identical to Capim's henchman—even his aura and feel was indistinguishable from the real person.
This paper figurine overlapped with the target's illusory figure and helped him resist the mysterious and unknown restrictions placed within his Spirit Body.
At the same time, Klein held the Dark Emperor card and spread his spirituality, touching the projection of Capim's henchman formed by the pure light.
This was one of the applications of secret deeds, where a weak human and a great being were able to be a little in tune with each other, feeling the corresponding knowledge and gaining a wonderful spiritual experience. Unlike normal circumstances, Klein was playing the role of the great being in this instance.
In this kind of close interactive state that belonged to a secret deed, humans could gain knowledge from great existences, and great existences could also naturally use questions to obtain the information they wanted.
If it wasn't for Klein's inability to master the field of the mind, he would've been able to plant an inducing suggestion.
"What kind of powerful people are in Capim's villa?" Klein asked through the interactive spirituality state.
Without any resistance, the projection transmitted the memories to Klein, making him feel like he was watching a holographic film.
The man in the cap stood respectfully and fearfully in the room. In front of him was a middle-aged gentleman in a black tailcoat and a white wig.
This gentleman had a long, thin, and stern face, and his mouth was naturally pursed, giving off an exceptionally cold feeling.
He followed the golden chain on his watch, took out a pocket watch of the same color, pressed it open to take a look, and then he said in a deep voice, "Look at me."
The man in the cap didn't dare to disobey as he raised his head and looked in front of him.
"Yes, Mr. Harras."
Before he could finish his words, he saw a pair of eyes that flickered with a strange light, and he heard a command: "Maintain secrecy!
"You can't leak anything you see or hear in this villa to anyone else."
The man in the cap trembled inexplicably, feeling that he had to do as the other party had ordered.
He lowered his head again and said, "Yes, Mr. Harras."
...
The man in the cap carried an unconscious girl along the stairs to the entrance of the basement.
There was a small room that was separated from the others, and a bearded man with an unknown age was sitting inside it.
This bearded man had a pair of frighteningly cold blue eyes. He held a thin piece of flannel in his hand and was carefully cleaning the grayish-white rifle on the table.
The rifle was thick and long, connected through a pipe to a large mechanical box of the same color.
It was a high-pressure steam rifle!
That was a military-controlled item!
"Mr. Belize..." The man in the cap bowed his head in greeting.
...
The man in the cap entered a neatly arranged underground structure which resembled a prison. He then locked the unconscious girl in one of the small rooms.
He locked the door, returned to the corridor, and picked up the lantern he had been assigned.
At that moment, he saw a figure slowly approaching from the other end of the corridor.
The figure seemed to be able to see through the darkness without any lighting.
With the aid of the lantern, the man in the cap realized that it was a woman in her thirties.
The woman was wearing a brown bonnet, a thin white blouse, and suspenders, as well as leather boots that reached her knees.
There were old scars on her face and a cruel smile at the corners of her mouth.
The man in the cap lowered his head in fear as he stammered, "Ma'am Katy..."
The woman ignored him. Step by step, she approached him and walked past him, as though he was nothing more than air.
When the lady named Katy had left, the man in the cap curled his lips and said, "Bitch! When you get into bed, you'll definitely be more energetic than a prostitute!"
He pushed up his crotch, held up the lantern, and left the basement.
...
The man in the cap met two men in the grand hall that shimmered gold.
One of them was about 1.65 meters tall, and he was a little plump. He didn't have any special features, but his eyes always had a frightening look. The other was slightly taller than 1.70 meters, and he looked a bit old. He had some wrinkles and a high nose bridge. His brown eyes were filled with spirit, and he didn't seem to have a look of deterrence.
"Mr. Capim," the man in the cap greeted the plump middle-aged man, then he said to another person, "Mr. Parker..."
...
In the early light of dawn, the man in the cap met the cold middle-aged gentleman called Mr. Harras at the entrance to the basement.
Harras, wearing a white hood, glanced at him, who was standing respectfully by the side. He indifferently stretched out his right palm towards the entrance of the basement and solemnly said, "Confinement!"
Silently, there was a subtle difference in the surroundings.
...
There are a total of four Beyonders. At least four of them... The strongest should be that Mr. Harras, a Sequence 6 at the very least, or maybe even Sequence 5... I wonder what pathway it is. It does seem similar to the Dark Emperor pathway... Relying on order and issuing commands? Judging from the scenes just now, the restrictions pertain only to the basement, not the entire villa. That's right. With so many people coming and going during the day, it would be too troublesome to enter and exit once the restrictions are in place... I wonder if it's the same at night. Klein analyzed the information he had just received and asked again, "What's the overall layout of the villa?"
He quickly received feedback and saw a magnificent hall, a wide dining room, connected corridors, washrooms, and scenes of the basement.
Through them, Klein pieced together in his mind the rough layout of Capim's villa.
Feeling the drain on his spirituality, he asked a final question, "Who are the important figures whom Capim is closely related to?"
The scene in front of his eyes was the magnificent hall from before. Half-naked girls were prostrating themselves while serving the guests drinks, letting them abuse them or fool around with them; otherwise, they were being dragged directly to a secluded spot to be ravaged.
They were young, and their faces were bitter and numb. Any slight delay or lack of enthusiasm would result in them being whipped by Capim's attendants or maidservants.
None of these servants showed a shred of sympathy despite seeing such evil scenes. They fought to be the first to showcase themselves in a bid to obtain rewards.
Klein saw Capim among the guests, the cold Mr. Harras, and a Member of Parliament from the House of Commons who often appeared in the newspapers, Vardera, a fat man who was addressed as Deputy Chief...
...
Is that one of the Deputy Chiefs of the Backlund Police Department? That's one of the higher-ups of the police department... To think that not a single one of those servants are good... That's understandable. The villa's hired personnel must've been screened before and would have to be sufficiently trustworthy... Klein rubbed his forehead, halting the secret deed ritual. The man in the cap was only an inconsequential leader, and that was all he could know or participate in.
Even at this moment, the mysterious restriction on him was still unperturbed.
Klein ended the ritual and allowed him to vanish from above the gray fog as he returned to the real world.
He sat by the bed and looked at the man in the cap who was unconscious. According to the information he had just gathered, he analyzed the feasibility of a performance and considered one plan after another.
In the end, Klein came up with a definite idea. He whispered to himself,Perhaps, I don't need a helper...
A helper would drag me down instead, making it inconvenient for me to escape in times of danger.
Picking the right time is very important.
...
Nearly fifty minutes later, the man in the blackish-gray cap appeared in East Borough as he headed straight for the streets controlled by the Zmanger gang.
As soon as he saw a few dark-skinned, lean people with ferocious looks, he immediately went close. Pretending to not watch where he was going, he bumped into one of them.
"Damn it! You bunch of trash!" the man in the cap cursed loudly and punched at one of them.
Highlanders, who loved to fight, didn't back down and entered a brawl with him.
In the process, the man in the cap pulled out his dagger, and the other highlanders also drew their weapons.
Slash!
During the battle, a dagger stabbed into the capped man's neck as he failed to dodge in time. It went right into his arteries.
The man in the cap fell as red blood pooled around his head.
He quickly lost his life, and the illusory, transparent figure within his body immediately vanished.
Klein returned above the gray fog, and using it as a springboard, he re-entered his body. He then opened his eyes in the cheap hotel in Cherwood Borough.
He cleaned up the rest of the evidence and went to the front desk to check out of the room.
On his way back to Minsk Street, Klein once again went above the gray fog.
He wanted to divine a simple but crucial piece of information!
He picked up a fountain pen and wrote down a line of text: "Capim's dinner time today."
-x-X-x-
Putting down his dark red fountain pen, Klein picked up the piece of paper with the divination statement and leaned back in his chair.
His lips moved as he whispered, "Capim's dinner time today," over and over again.
Klein's voice echoed above the empty gray fog as his eyes rapidly turned dark, and his eyelids drooped.
In a fragmented dreamscape, he saw the spacious, elegant dining room where there was gilded porcelain cutlery, caviar, roasted chicken, lamb stew, fried rib eye steak, deep-fried Dragon-Bone Fish, thick creamy soup, and so on.
The food was placed in a certain order according to specific requests in front of several diners. Among them was the slightly plump Capim; the middle-aged gentleman in a white hood, Harras; the thin-bloused Katy; and Parker, whose face was rather unintimidating due to his old age.
Looking out from the end of the dining table, he could see a window decorated with gorgeous decorations. Outside the window, the clouds were sparse, and the crimson moon was faintly discernible in the air.
Klein opened his eyes and marked the location of the moon in his dream. Using his knowledge in astromancy, he quickly calculated a rough corresponding time.
It looks like it's from 7:30 to 7:45 in the evening... Considering those few scenes, Capim and the others have already finished more than half their meals, so I can push the time back by another 15 minutes. That way, 7:30 is the best choice... Klein muttered silently to himself as he interpreted the revelation from his dream divination.
Eating at half past seven was not a rare occurrence. This was even considered mainstream in the Loen Kingdom and even the Northern Continent because many middle-class people—either due to their personal situations or because of low rent—lived in the suburbs and had to commute to work by taking the short-distance steam locomotive. By the time they got home, it was usually after seven in the evening, so it was normal for people to have dinner between 7:30 and 8:00.
Klein had had the same experience in Tingen City, but that was because he had no servants and no housewife. Once the three siblings returned home, they still needed to busy themselves for quite a while before they could enjoy any hot food. It wasn't because they lived far from work.
This was why civilians and the poor often had dinner between 7:30 and 8:00.
As lunch and dinner were separated by quite some time, afternoon tea, which should've belonged to the upper-class citizens, became popular among the middle-class citizens and civilians.
When he finished the interpretation, Klein recalled the revelation he had just received. Klein became acutely aware of a problem: Where were Capim's wife and children?
They didn't appear in the dining room... Is Capim an extreme believer in the Lord of Storms, so his wife and children have to eat their meals in the activity room? Or is there another reason? Or could he be unmarried and childless? He's already a middle-aged man...
Klein tried to divine the situation, but he failed to receive any effective revelations, so he gave up.
7:30. He repeated the time once more before returning to the real world.
...
In the evening, even at home, Capim, who was wearing a formal bow tie, narrowed his eyes and looked at his subordinates before him. He asked in a slow but chilling voice, "Fabian is dead?"
"Yes, Boss." Even though he had been working with Capim for many years, his subordinate still felt fear and horror.
"Odysseus, call me Mister. Mister. In a few years, you'll have to call me Sir Capim." Capim loosened his bow tie and casually handled a thick cigar. "When did Fabian die? How did he die?"
"This afternoon, I sent him to East Borough to do something. He ended up in a conflict with the Zmanger gang and got stabbed in the neck..." Odysseus described in a trembling voice.
Capim, who was toasting the cigar, said in an unperturbed tone, "Fabian is really a fool.
"But are the Zmanger gang fools to not know that he's my subordinate?"
"Mister, as you know, highlanders often join the Zmanger gang when they arrive in East Borough, and they're barbaric and reckless, and they don't give a shit who's who," Odysseus quickly explained.
Capim snorted.
"Have they forgotten that this isn't the highlands? Or have they forgotten who I am?
"Odysseus, I want the body of the Zmanger gang's leader from that block. Can you do it? If you can't, I'll sink your wife, your child, as well as you into the Tussock River."
"Mister, no problem!" Odysseus immediately raised his voice.
He immediately asked in a low voice, "Who can I mobilize?"
Capim was about to reply when the door suddenly opened and the middle-aged gentleman with a white wig, Harras, walked in.
He gave Odysseus a cold glance before casting his gaze onto Capim.
"I heard that one of your subordinates had a conflict with a gang in East Borough and ended up dying?"
"Yes, Mr. Harras." Capim stood up, cigar in hand.
Harras stared into Capim's eyes and said, "You want revenge on them?"
Capim's forehead suddenly dripped with beads of sweat.
"No, not at all. Mr. Harras, you misunderstand."
Harras nodded slightly. "You have to remember that during this critical period, we have to try our best to not cause any trouble unless necessary."
He paused for a second and observed Capim's reaction.
"You are not the only human trafficker in Backlund. We can support you, but we can also do so for others. You have to remember this point.
"The reason why I picked you was because you were vicious and shameless enough. However, you were extremely cautious. It wasn't because you were the biggest human trafficker."
From the side, Odysseus listened to the duo's conversation. He wished that he was just a mass of air. That way, he didn't need to see how humble his boss, Capim, was.
Without a trace of anger on his face, Capim smiled and said, "Mr. Harras, my main concern is that Fabian's death isn't simple. It might disrupt your plans."
"No, there's nothing wrong with his death," Harras said in an affirmative tone. "I didn't get any feedback."
"Is that so..." Capim acted enlightened. "Then I'm relieved."
He looked at Odysseus and signaled him to leave. He then lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Harras, this time, there are the kind of goods you like from this batch."
Seeing Harras's expression soften but not show any signs of emotion, Capim quickly added, "We've already finished gathering the ones that will be sent over."
Harras nodded slowly.
"Send her to my room tonight."
"Yes, Mr. Harras!" Capim said with a big smile.
After Harras left, his face turned gloomy. He took a deep breath and whispered, "I hope that you can keep your promise this time... I don't want to be involved in anything like that anymore!"
He clearly remembered that year during the Harvest Festival—someone had come to him, hoping to get a batch of innocent girls.
From that day on, the trajectory of his life had undergone tremendous changes. He had taken a fifth of the market share of the unlawful slave trade.
He quickly became one of Backlund's rather famous tycoons, acquainting himself with several important figures and dragging them into the abyss of depravity.
At this point, he desperately wanted to cover up the sins of his past. He wanted to let "Capim" undergo a catharsis, allowing him to become a true member of the upper-class. However, for the time being, he was unable to do so.
Glancing at the cigar in his hand, he picked up the framed photograph of himself with a beautiful woman and two children.
Rubbing the surface of the photo frame with his thumb, Capim narrowed his eyes and whispered to himself, After this deal, you should be able to return...
At dinner time, Capim walked out of his study, a warm smile plastered over his face again.
"Ma'am Katy, there's your favorite caviar and a roast chicken specially prepared for you this evening," he said to the woman in the thin blouse.
Katy touched the old scar on her face and nodded without saying a word.
Capim knew that she was silent and fierce, so he didn't continue. He watched her as she took her seat.
Then Harras, wearing a white wig, entered the dining room, nodding slightly to each of the diners.
The elderly Parker took a sip of his pre-meal wine, smiling as he motioned for Capim to sit down.
The white napkins were spread out, and the food was served one by one. Capim raised his glass and chuckled.
"Holy Lord of Storms, let's toast to a beautiful future."
"To a beautiful future," Parker responded.
Harras didn't say a word. He merely held the wine glass in his hand and made a gesture. Katy completely ignored them.
At this moment, the classical clock hanging in the hall read 7:23.
...
In a cheap hotel in the Backlund Bridge area.
The disguised Klein took out his golden pocket watch, looked at the exact time, then he took out Holy Night Powder, and he sealed the room with a wall of spirituality.
After doing that, he quickly set up an altar and conducted a ritual.
"I!"
"I summon in my name:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, the mysterious ruler above the gray fog; the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
...
When the ritual was over, Klein immediately took four steps counterclockwise and went above the gray fog, ready to respond to himself.
Inside the towering and solemn palace, he saw the Door of Summoning condensed by rippling light. It was a pair of illusory doors that opened outwards, covered with mysterious symbols.
Klein was in no hurry to be summoned. Instead, he took out the Sun Brooch and other mystical items, and he absorbed them into his Spirit Body according to his plan.
Finally, he picked up the Dark Emperor card and let his Spirit Body envelop it.
All of a sudden, Klein felt as if his Spirit Body had turned corporeal with flesh and blood. It was as if he could lift a gun and move a table and chair!
A dark and ethereal mist rose up around him, and as the mist clung onto the surface of his body, it formed an imposing set of armor.
He had a black crown on his head and a long cape of the same color on his back.
At that moment, Klein was like an emperor about to embark on a journey.
Dark Emperor.
He examined the purifying bullets and revolver that he didn't bring with him before taking a step forward and entering the crack on the illusory door.
Leaping out of the candlelight, he immediately flew under the cover of the night towards Capim's villa on Iris Street in Cherwood Borough.
Not long after, he floated in front of the artificial fountain and approached the villa's entrance at a relaxed pace. The patrolling guards passed by him, but they didn't have any reaction. Since it wasn't really late into the night yet, there were no Beyonders on guard outside.
In addition, Klein wasn't afraid that the powerful Beyonders inside would notice and have a premonition.
It was because the Dark Emperor card possessed anti-divination and anti-prophecy characteristics!
-x-X-x-
With a black crown and a solid suit of armor, Klein stood in the doorway, attuned himself for a few seconds, and took a step forward.
His seemingly physical body silently passed through the door and entered Capim's villa.
The first thing that met him was a spacious hall with lots of chairs and clothes racks, and behind it was a magnificent hall with gold as the main color theme.
There was no ceiling, only a dome reaching three-stories high. A giant crystal chandelier hung down, and on each "petal" was a pearly-white candle.
Through a thick, heavy door to the left of the hall was an elegant and exquisite dining room. The fragrance of roasted meat was the richest inside, concealing the smell of alcohol and other food.
Klein was in no hurry to enter the dining room. He partially circled the exterior first, occasionally reaching out his hand to pull on the grayish-white gas pipes. It appeared as if he was experimenting with his physical strength, after carrying the Dark Emperor card, to see how much of an impact he had on the real world.
While he was a Seer and Clown, Klein's Spirit Body only had an intuition ability that was separate from divination. He possessed only two spell-like powers, which were to directly attack the soul and to freeze the target through contact. Once he advanced to the Magician Sequence, even if Klein didn't rely on the Beyonder powers of his physical body, he could still use Paper Figurine Substitutes and Air Bullets in his Spirit Body state.
In addition, he began to be able to possess others and gain basic control of the target.
Augmented by the Dark Emperor card, the strength of his Spirit Body increased, and the number of items he could carry increased. His spell-like powers, which could directly attack souls, evolved into a Specter's Shriek. It produced sound waves that were inaudible to humans but capable of damaging the souls of all living beings in the area. Similarly, the frozen effects derived from contact was clearly strengthened.
After confirming everything, he found the corner of a wall and penetrated it to enter the dining hall.
Then, suppressing all his emotions, he swept his eyes across the long table.
The scene of Harras in his white wig, Katy in her thin blouse, Parker with his aged face drinking red wine, and the slightly plump Capim slicing his rib eye steak caught his eye.
Klein retracted his gaze quickly, not daring to look too much, lest the few Beyonders would discover him via their spiritual perception.
With the help of the spiritual glows from the male and female servants standing around him, that is—the color of their auras, he carefully circled around the dining room and figured out the exact layout. For example, the size of the dining room was equivalent to the total area of his living room, dining room, and activity room. Another example was that there was a fireplace that burned with charcoal. It warmed the entire room via a pipe. There were sixteen elegant gas lamps, and their lighting mixed together, making the room appear like it was daytime. Across from the fireplace was a wall which had hanging picture frames. There were sketches and oil paintings, all works of famous artists.
That bearded Belize isn't here. He should be changing shifts at the basement... For a Beyonder to be willing to do such menial work, Capim is definitely not involved in a simple matter of human trafficking...
Klein thought for a few seconds, then he leaned against an oil painting of the sunset. He reached his hand into his body and unscrewed a translucent brown bottle's cap.
It was the Biological Poison Bottle!
The reason why he paid so much attention to the time and chose to arrive at dinner time was because, at this very moment, the main figures were gathered here in the most orderly manner. It was the most advantageous for him to use the Biological Poison Bottle!
And with the tightly shut doors and windows during early winter, it allowed the effects of Biological Poison Bottle to be more effective and have faster effects!
In addition, Klein didn't soak the Biological Poison Bottle to concoct the "prophylactic" drug before he came. He was currently in his Spirit Body state, so he wasn't afraid of biological poisons!
With his Spirit Body's concealment and containment, he stood there silently and patiently admiring each and every one of the elegant wall lamps which were connected to the grayish-white gas pipes. Quickly, the odorless poison swiftly emanated outwards.
...
Harras, with his white wig, sliced up a deep-fried Dragon-Bone Fish, dipped it in black pepper sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Chewing and swallowing, he picked up the faintly golden champagne that was bubbling like a string of beads and took a sip in a good mood.
He couldn't help but think of the entertainment that he would be experiencing that evening—the joy of a stubborn girl being conquered by him.
This affected his appetite and made him unable to concentrate.
Katy didn't get the servant to help her slice the roasted chicken. She was burying her head, holding a knife and fork, and like doing a precise dissection, she quickly divided the chicken into several pieces. They were all almost the same size.
As Parker sampled the red wine and ate the stewed lamb, he would occasionally chat with Capim, who was sitting at the head of the table, and was considered as a guest that didn't sully the title.
The dinner proceeded in an orderly manner, and finally, Capim put the last piece of beef into his mouth.
He smiled at the three Beyonders and said, "Mr. Harras, Ma'am Katy, and Mr. Parker, tonight's desserts are from La Borrega's head chef. There are three kinds—fruit caramel pudding, cream shortcake, and the carrot cake."
Harras, who had always been cold, nodded slightly.
"We love dessert so much in this country."
As soon as he finished his reflection, he saw Capim raise his hand and scratch his cheek before scratching again.
"It's a little itchy." Capim smiled apologetically.
Before he could finish his sentence, he couldn't help but scratch one more time, leaving a clear bloody mark on his face.
The bloody mark quickly swelled up, and his skin turned translucent. One could even see yellowish pus inside.
"It's really a bit itchy." Capim smiled again.
He scratched the original spot again, but due to using excessive force, the swelling caused the translucent skin to split open, and pus with a nauseating smell sprayed out.
Harras narrowed his eyes and shot to his feet, looking around warily.
"Hahaha."
"Haha. Hahaha."
At that moment, he heard exaggerated laughter, and his body suddenly tensed up.
He saw a male and female servant holding onto their bellies, laughing out loud. They laughed so much that they couldn't even straighten their backs. Tears flowed out from their laughter, their laughter caused the room to turn completely silent.
Like a chain reaction, the rest of the servants fainted or vomited yellow-green liquid continuously without end.
None of them were spared.
Bam! Katy flipped the dining table, letting the gold-plated cutlery and leftover food and wine to spill onto the floor.
She had a revolver and a soft black whip in her hands.
Parker stood up as well, but his mind appeared adrift. He looked at Capim crying miserably for help as he kept scratching and forcefully tore off a few pieces of flesh. For some baffling reason, he felt that the other party's ugly and disgusting appearance was quite the fine sight.
At that moment, Harras realized that he was a little out of breath and realized that the room was probably filled with poison.
He growled, "Hold your breath!
"Parker, open the door.
"Katy, follow me to find the intruder!"
At this moment, Harras was grateful that the dinner had been enjoyed with Capim, and there were quite a few attendants around.
These ordinary people's ability to resist poison was far inferior to Beyonders. The fact that they showed signs ahead of time had allowed them to detect that something was amiss even before the poison had reached the deepest part of their bodies!
Parker, who has the lowest Sequence, should be the one with the most severe symptoms among us... Harras suddenly had this thought.
Creak!
As Parker opened the door to ensure that the dining room was no longer sealed, Harras, relying on his Spirit Vision, discovered an illusory figure quietly fleeting around.
The figure wore a thick and imposing black armor, and a pitch-black crown on his head. A mask of the same color covered his face, making him look like a king from the spirit world.
It was none other than Klein.
Harras raised his right hand and pointed at the black figure that couldn't be seen by ordinary people. He chanted in ancient Hermes, "Imprison!"
All of a sudden, the black figure's surroundings turned viscous, as though it had transformed into a giant amber or produced a sealed, transparent wall.
The figure was rooted to the spot, hardly able to move. Katy had taken aim long ago, and she pulled the trigger. They worked well together.
With two bangs, the light golden bullet, filled with strange patterns, penetrated the viscous air and hit the black figure.
The bullet pierced through and struck the wall opposite. The black shadow self-ignited, reduced to a roughly cut paper figurine.
Within the pale golden flames, the paper figurine was quickly reduced to ashes.
Pa!
With a strange, crisp snap, the light from the sixteen elegant gas lamps and the fire burning quietly in the fireplace suddenly lit up, leaving Harras, Katy, and Parker with only a brief flash of red before their eyes.
Soon after, all the flames were extinguished, leaving the dining room illuminated via the human-height street lamps outside the window and the crimson moonlight shining through the layers of clouds. It made the place abnormally dark and silent.
Harras and the others once again relied on their Spirit Vision and spiritual perception to search for the ghostly intruder.
At the same time, he realized that the poison wasn't showing its effects fast enough. It wouldn't really flare up until he finished the enemy.
Therefore, he paid attention to the movement at the entrance of the basement. He pointed at the door again and said in ancient Hermes, "Confinement!"
The entire dining room suddenly froze, as if there was an additional layer of an invisible wall that even Spirit Bodies couldn't penetrate.
Harras wanted to make it impossible for the intruder to escape!
I've found you! Wielding the revolver in one hand and the whip in the other, Katy noticed a black figure floating in the air.
A strange light flashed in her eyes, and before she could attack, her mind buzzed as if someone had struck her head with a wooden stick.
She felt as if she had encountered an indescribable shriek. A few drops of sticky blood slowly dripped from the tip of her nose.
Harras only felt slight dizziness while the symptoms of shortness of breath seemed to worsen. Parker, the weakest of them, was seeing stars, and his steps became unstable.
Suddenly, someone patted Parker's shoulder.
A cold and gloomy feeling gushed over, causing him to freeze on the spot. It was as if he was completely covered in ice, and the cold moisture seeped into his bones. A familiar, deep voice sounded in his ears.
"Imprison!"
Parker was instantly trapped by the transparent wall that imprisoned the door. However, Klein didn't possess him and went straight through instead, avoiding the effects of Harras's spell in a timely manner.
Harras narrowed his eyes and waved his right hand.
"Release!"
-x-X-x-
The invisible prison around Parker's body immediately collapsed, leaving not even a single trace of it behind.
However, he didn't regain his mobility. Instead, he slumped to the ground, shivering continuously, as if he was still frozen.
This wasn't only an aftereffect of Soul Touch, but also the effect of Klein's direct attack on his soul.
Parker, who was only a Sequence 8, was unable to recover in a short period of time. He couldn't even control his breathing and, as a result, inhaled large quantities of the biological poison, which was identical to the one in his body, once again.
His weakened state caused the poison in his body to act faster. His eyes stared blankly as he instinctively changed direction.
He saw Capim rolling on the ground and scratching his face and body constantly. He saw the thin strips of flesh hanging by the side of the wounds and the ghostly white color of his bones.
Parker gasped and struggled to climb over.
Capim, whose itch made him rip off the outer layer of his skin, suddenly discovered that Parker was crawling toward him with bloodshot eyes. He had a bad premonition, but he had no strength to dodge as he couldn't stop scratching. He didn't even have the ability to shout "no," except for using a blood-curdling cry as a substitute.
At this moment, Klein, who had dodged the "Imprison" spell, shouted "Holy" in ancient Hermes. Then, he rubbed his fingers together and shot an Air Bullet through the dark golden Sunbird brooch's coruscating glow.
As soon as the Air Bullet was formed, it took on a holy luster and shot straight towards Harras's face.
This was the Holy Oath provided by the Sun Brooch, and Klein had augmented the Air Bullet with Holy damage!
Harras had long since changed his position. He was abnormally agile, and unlike a mage, he was more like a pugilist expert.
As he avoided Klein's Air Bullet, he motioned for Katy to lash her whip to hold Klein back.
When Klein's attack was interrupted, Harras took an iron-black metal glove from a hidden pocket of his and tried to put it on his left hand.
In his Spirit Body state, Klein didn't need to look out from the corner of his eye to see what had just happened despite not facing Harras. He immediately flew up, avoiding Katy's lash. He flew over the chandelier and pounced towards Harras.
When Harras saw this scene, he held the black metal glove and pointed diagonally upwards.
"Exile!"
Klein was suddenly hit by an overwhelming and invisible force. His entire Spirit Body was blown away by the wind and hit the wall, the wall conjured by "Confinement," but didn't penetrate through it and escape.
Seizing this opportunity, Harras put on the iron-black metal glove.
In the blink of an eye, he seemed to grow a bit taller. His authority was uplifted like he was a figure that could determine the life and death of others.
The moment Klein was released from the "Exile" state, he felt an inexplicable sense of horror. He couldn't help but want to lower his head, to prostrate, to listen to Harras's every word and obey every order given by him!
His movements had become sluggish, and his pupils reflected a rapidly approaching Katy.
Pa!
Katy lashed out with her long black whip and hit Klein accurately.
The long whip passed through his Spirit Body, but it brought a great deal of pain to Klein's psyche, as if someone had pressed a red-hot iron to the weakest part of his body.
He jerked his head up and let out a scream.
As for Katy, she pulled the trigger of the revolver in her other hand.
Bang! Bang!
Two bullets, with a light golden glow, shot out one after another, striking Klein's body.
Bright rays of light bloomed, and the figure wearing black armor rapidly thinned, turning into a paper figurine and quickly burning into ashes.
Klein appeared in a dark corner, the Sun Brooch inside his Spirit Body was glowing with a dark golden light.
Warm powers instantly filled his body, and the extreme horror that Harras had subjected him to quickly disappeared.
One of the spell-like effects of the Sun Brooch was Horror Immunity!
In the short span of less than a minute, Klein had already been forced to use Paper Figurine Substitutes twice.
Although it was partly because he did it on purpose, it was still enough to prove the strength of Harras and Katy's joint attacks. It was enough to confirm the divination outcome which Klein had received.
This operation would be quite dangerous!
If Parker hadn't been temporarily crippled by the effects of the Biological Poison Bottle and his initial surprise attack, the situation would've been even more dangerous.
His plan was to rationally give up if all four paper figurines were used up and his opportunity had yet to appear. It wasn't because Klein didn't wish to prepare more substitutes, but because his spirituality could only afford four times while in combat.
As for the "Confinement" effect that Harras had created, Klein wasn't worried at all. He was now a Spirit Body that had been "summoned." As long as he ended the "summoning," he would immediately return above the gray fog. Unless it was intercepted by powers at the level of deities or the special effects of Sealed Artifacts at Grade 0 or Grade 1, nothing could interrupt this process.
Previously, when Klein went to the Royal Museum to steal the Dark Emperor card, the woman who was suspected of being a High-Sequence Beyonder was unable to stop him from leaving.
This was the main reason why Klein dared to challenge the impossible even though he knew that the danger was great!
Seeing that the enemy was no longer horrified, Harras put on his black metal gloves and signaled Katy to hold Klein back. He then pointed forward and solemnly said, "Specters and wraiths are prohibited here!"
Klein's body that was covered in black armor immediately trembled as he was strongly repelled by a powerful, invisible force.
However, the level of the Dark Emperor card was extremely high, causing the level of the Spirit Body to be relatively high as well. This kind of influence that was directly aimed at a particular existence was quickly suppressed.
Harras narrowed his eyes, feeling that the intruding specter was very strange.
He saw that Klein easily escaped Katy's intervention via flight, so he pushed his palm forward again and announced in ancient Hermes, "Flying and floating are prohibited here."
All of a sudden, Klein felt his body become heavy, and he plummeted from midair to the ground. Katy quickly rushed over, and with a flick of her wrist, she lashed out with the whip that directed torture on the mind and soul.
She still had many Beyonder bullets on her, but there were fewer than three that were targeted for specters and wraiths. Therefore, she temporarily gave up on using the revolver and only relied on her auxiliary weapon.
Klein rolled on the ground, skilfully dodging Katy's whip. He heard the crack of the whip as it hit the ground.
Katy was about to sweep the whip when she felt an itch at her throat. She coughed twice and missed the opportunity to continue her relentless attack.
This was a sign of the poison acting up!
Harras took a deep breath, held his breath once more. He folded his wrist, pointed to himself, and said, "Disciplinary target: wraiths and specters!"
The surface of his body immediately emitted a light as bright as the morning sun. Even his fist began to shine with lustrous brilliances.
Bam!
The marble under Harras's feet cracked soundlessly, and his tall, thin body pounced swiftly and fiercely, allowing him to immediately close in on Klein.
At this moment, he looked even more like a knight than Katy!
Bam! He threw a punch forward, and the air seemed to explode. However, Klein had pulled back ahead of time, dodging the punch with the wind.
Pow! Katy helped from the side and lashed out with her whip in the direction in which her enemy was dodging.
This forced Klein to have no choice but to roll again and again. He took on a fighting stance while keeping an eye out for Harras's spell-like "Imprison."
As lashing sounds echoed, Harras kept attacking while Katy aided him from the side. In less than two minutes, Klein was forced into an unavoidable situation. Even rolling was of no use.
Pa!
Katy's black whip lashed out at Klein's face, and he was only able to take one step sideways before being hit in the arm.
That piercing pain attacked his psyche once again, causing him to freeze on the spot. Even his Spirit Body became somewhat thinner.
Seizing this opportunity, Harras clenched his left fist and solemnly declared, "Death!"
His body then merged with some sort of strange force, creating an obvious afterimage as he slammed into Klein.
Schwing!
The figure covered in black armor instantly broke into pieces, turning into pieces of paper that fluttered in the air like a butterfly.
Klein had expended his third paper figurine!
Harras's gaze swept across the room and quickly locked onto the enemy that had appeared in the corner. He sneered and said, "Let me see how many substitutes you have left!"
In the process of searching for the enemy, he discovered that Parker was squirming on top of Capim. The scene was bloody and disgusting. It was a repulsive sight, both terrible and horrifying.
However, Harras didn't have the luxury of time to save his subordinate. He was well aware that the effects of the poison would only worsen over time, so he had to get rid of the enemy as quickly as possible, so he couldn't be distracted.
If he didn't, he would have to leave the dining hall first to recover from the poison; thus, allowing the enemy to escape without getting any useful information.
He signaled Katy to go forward again, so as to hold back Klein, who couldn't fly or float. He took a breath and tried to catch a breather.
There's a strange smell in the air... This is probably a result of the increasing toxicity of the poison... This thought flashed through Harras's mind, but he didn't think too much about it.
He raised his left hand and solemnly declared, "The illegal intrusion of another's house is a crime!
"An illegal intrusion..."
While repeating the statement for a second time, Harras found it hard to breathe again. For a moment, he was unable to catch his breath, so he could only stop midway.
He took another deep breath, adjusted himself, and spoke again.
"The illegal intrusion of another's house is a crime!
He repeated it three times, and Klein, who was still unable to extricate himself from Katy's entanglement, felt a baffling chill.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Katy showed coughing symptoms again, and the flailing of her whip became sluggish.
Klein took the opportunity to stop the embroilment with her, but he didn't attack her. Instead, he raised his head, opened his mouth, and let out a sharp cry that no human could hear!
Hum! Katy's head jerked up, and her body swayed. She felt like the ground was bobbing up and down.
Harras only felt a slight dizziness before returning to normal. He looked at Klein coldly and said in a majestic voice, "The guilty should be restricted!"
Klein, who was lunging at him, found to his surprise that his feet had seemed to be immobilized by invisible shackles. It made his movements suddenly turn rigid.
Katy, who had recovered a little, swung open the revolver's cylinder and quickly removed the spent and unused rounds. @@novelbin@@
Then, she took out a quick reloading device and stuffed six rounds of ammunition, including her remaining purifying bullets, into the cylinder.
Harras clenched his left fist and prepared for an attack.
He wanted to chain his attack with Katy's shooting, in a bid to completely finish the enemy or to expend his substitutes.
At this moment, the black-armored Klein smiled.
It was because the opportunity he had been waiting for had come!
He knew that it would take time for the Biological Poison Bottle to show any significant effects. And once Beyonders sensed that something was wrong, they would act accordingly, either to find the hidden enemy or to escape the toxic environment. It would be difficult to seriously damage them or even finish them. Therefore, he had two other reasons for using the Biological Poison Bottle.
The first reason was to weaken the enemy.
The second reason was to mask some smells so that Harras and the others would attribute all the abnormal smells they detected to the poison in the air. It made them focus all their attention on this aspect.
This was the most important segment of a "magic show" and also the key to success or failure.
That abnormal smell was the smell of gas!
The reason why Klein let the gas lamp and the fire in the fireplace suddenly brighten and extinguish wasn't solely to affect Harras and company's vision. It was mainly to attract their attention, so that he could destroy a few hidden gas pipes!
In the beginning, he had intentionally put himself in danger in order to trick Katy into firing a bullet meant for wraiths and specters, so that she would no longer blindly fire at him and not trigger a corresponding explosion!
He kept entangling himself with her and hadn't made any other attempts solely because he was waiting for the air to be filled with gas!
Therefore, he kept holding back from using Flaming Jump or Flame Controlling!
As for Harras's actions of using Confinement on the room, he had expected it, but he didn't expect it to be this successful. Therefore, before he entered the dining room, he had kindly inspected the doors and windows to see if they were airtight. He had destroyed the hidden gas pipes in the hall, causing the area—both inside and outside—to become a huge "bomb." Even without Confinement, it would ultimately not affect anything!
As a "specter," Klein was undoubtedly unafraid of explosions!
Lower-level ghosts might be annihilated by fire, but "specters" would at most suffer some damage. This was why Klein had to buy extra purifying bullets and the Sun Brooch despite the fact that he had Flame Controlling.
When he saw that Katy had raised her revolver and was about to shoot, and that Harras was about to pronounce "Death" on him, Klein smiled and snapped his fingers.
Harras suddenly felt a dangerous foreboding.
However, at this moment, he saw that a flame had already lit up in the fireplace to his side, instantly igniting the surrounding air.
BOOM!
With a loud boom, Harras's vision was instantly filled with an inferno that filled the room. It was as if he was watching a grand display of fireworks.
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