137 LOTM

Amidst the clacking sounds, a white piece of illusory paper spewed out from the radio transceiver. On it were words composed of Loenese:

"Exalted Great Master, your puny, loyal, and humble servant, Arrodes, is here to answer your summoning!

"Did you know? Dr. Aaron Ceres's child was born the night before the last."

Thankfully I contacted the magic mirror in time... Klein nodded slightly and said, "Now I know."

Amidst clacking sounds, more of the illusory white paper spewed out:

"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it's your turn to ask a question."

Klein had originally wanted to ask about matters regarding Ince Zangwill, 0-08 and the Red Angel evil spirit, but considering how he had failed divining it above the gray fog, it was almost certain that Arrodes was unable to see it. At best, it could provide him more detailed information regarding 0-08, but this way, without the gray fog's screening, it would be equivalent to him knowing of 0-08, and it would result in it knowing him. It didn't benefit him when it came to hiding behind the scenes to direct a play.

After thinking for two seconds, he asked, "What means are there to speed up the digestion of potions?"

"Do a better job acting." On the illusory white paper, black words were produced.

Upon seeing the magic mirror's reply, Klein first fell silent before he slowly exhaled.

For the present him, Ince Zangwill's appearance was too early!

He still needed about two months to completely digest the Marionettist potion. When that happened, and with him already gathering the ingredients, he could orchestrate an assassination of the demigod, Ince Zangwill, placing the Sequence advancement with his wish together. Then there was no need for him to consider any room for retreat. However, Ince Zangwill wouldn't "appear," until he was done preparing everything. He wouldn't follow the steps that Klein had in mind.

Based on Klein's earliest ideas, it was to first gather information, figure out where Ince Zangwill was, and wait until it was late August or early September before confirming the plan based on the situation. If not for the possession of the evil spirit, Ince Zangwill wouldn't have exposed himself. If he didn't use Ince Zangwill's current condition, it was very possible that he couldn't find the latter again once he exorcised the evil spirit. Coincidences would stand in his way when it came to meeting him.

Furthermore, if that were really the Red Angel evil spirit, Klein was also worried that Ince Zangwill might've already died by the time he and Leonard started exacting revenge. The reason behind his death could be due to certain machinations, or from some ridiculously comedic situations, and not because of his sins.

Due to these considerations, Klein attempted to digest his potion faster, hoping that he could complete it within a week or two. However, Arrodes's answer left him depressed. He also knew that this wasn't something he could force.

In two weeks, or even in the next few days, how was he to create a better opportunity to act?

In his silence, Klein had already made up his mind. He didn't plan on tying the two matters together, and from the beginning, he wanted revenge against Ince Zangwill as his primary goal provided there was a chance of success.

He didn't wish to miss this opportunity.

Although it had only been about ten months—less than a year-since the incident at the Blackthorn Security Company, it felt like a very, very long time, so long that he didn't wish to wait any longer.

Catching a glance at the gloomy radio transceiver, Klein thought before wearing a stern look, he asked with a deep voice, "Back when I used the Winner marionette to look at myself, I learned why Beyonders of the Fate pathway will have such a reaction when facing me.

"Now, I would like to know what you see when you look at me?"

This question was a bolt out of the blue that seemed to echo in the room. The radio transceiver suddenly fell silent, and the clacking sounds sounded after quite a while.

A black illusory piece of paper spewed out, and on it were ghastly-white words:

"I-I see support and dominance from you.

"Are you satisfied with such a question?"

Support, dominance... What does that mean? Klein had planned on pressing on, but he believed that Arrodes was unlikely to explain it too clearly because it lacked the required knowledge.

Realizing that the Mother Tree of Desire was about to find him if he kept this up, he nodded and said, "Acceptable.

"That shall be all for today. You may return."

The clacking of the radio transceiver became increasingly brisker as the paper that appeared was white again.

"Alright, Great Master, goodbye~ Your loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, is constantly at your service."

This time, the magic mirror seemed to forget to add a hand-waving drawing.

That was quite a quick escape... Klein mumbled and immediately took four steps counterclockwise and entered above the gray fog. He conjured The World Gehrman Sparrow and informed The Hermit Cattleya that the Mythical Creature blood she needed was ready. She was to provide the means to regain a certain amount of strength during one's weak stages as quickly as possible.

Before long, Cattleya set up a ritual and sacrificed an item to The Fool and requested this mighty existence to hand it to The World and tell him that the principle of the item's effect was to temporarily borrow a portion of one's strength from their former

self!

This sounds familiar... It sounds like the powers of the Seer pathway's Sequence 3 Scholar of Yore... The Fool Klein was surprised as he picked up the item that Ma'am Hermit had sacrificed.

It was like the end of a cane with a long transparent gem embedded on it. It was carved with complicated, mysterious, indescribable, three-dimensional symbols and magic labels. @@novelbin@@

Klein recognized two of them. One was the incomplete Pupil-less Eye, and the other was the incomplete Contorted Lines.

Could this be an item that really points towards Sequence o The Fool? But isn't it a little too complicated... This cane feels really familiar. It's like... It's like the crystal ball Little Sun had used when he prayed to me! C-could it also correspond to another crimson star? Klein looked out the ancient palace with an odd expression, but all he saw were illusory stars suspended in the infinite gray fog without any signs of abnormality.

With the fact that such items were one-use items like charms, he abandoned the idea of experimenting with it. All he could do was summon some paper from the junk pile and seriously record down the complicated and abnormal symbols and magic labels on the cane.

Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Dr. Aaron's residence.

A maid was inside the master bedroom, taking care of a soundly-sleeping infant. Downstairs, the banquet which had many guests attending had reached the mid-way mark.

Suddenly, in a corner, three figures quickly materialized. Leading them was a man in a silk top hat, black formal suit. He was none other than Klein Moretti who hadn't disguised himself.

He tossed out a charm and muttered an ancient Hermes term:

"Crimson!"

The dark red flames flashed, and amidst a light explosion sound, soothing powers emanated out. The maid fell asleep instantly, collapsing onto the bedside into a deep sleep.

Klein made his two marionettes stand in their spots as he walked to the infant's cot and cast his gaze inside.

It was a child wrapped in silver silk. His skin was very fair, and he was fleshy with layer after layers.

This infant showed no fear towards the stranger as he looked straight at Klein with his eyes wide open while sucking his fingers.

"Ahem." Klein couldn't help but smile as he took off his hat and bowed. "Congratulations on being born."

"You should say that to my parents!" The infant pulled out his fingers and spoke with a bright voice that didn't match his age.

Klein chuckled and didn't harp on this meaningless topic with the Snake of Fate. He went straight to the point.

"I brought the method that allows you to regain a certain amount of strength during your weak stages.

"You can now give me that drop of placenta blood."

Will Auceptin opened up his fleshy palms and said, "Let me take a look first."

"How do you know that the method is an item?" Klein couldn't help but ask in puzzlement.

Will Auceptin scoffed.

"An intuition of fate."

It's like you didn't say a thing... Klein moved the cane from behind him forward and handed it over.

The infant held it tightly and glanced at it twice before raising its voice:

"This can only be used once!"

"That's right. Only once. Is that a problem?" Klein deliberated and said, "With your level and abilities, you can completely replicate the symbols and magic labels engraved on it, and then prepare the corresponding ingredients to hold the correct ritual. Wouldn't that allow you to use it multiple times?"

Will Auceptin suddenly cut him off.

"Alright, I accept it.

"Remember, you were the one who suggested it!"

Klein was momentarily a little dumbfounded, but he also seemed to realize something. He had a vague feeling that, despite him being here to take advantage of a baby, it ended up as the baby taking advantage of him.

"Yes, I was the one who suggested it." He finally drew a breath and nodded earnestly.

The baby's plump face revealed a smile as he spread open his other hand.

"I've already prepared it for you.

"A total of two drops. One drop is for the transaction, and the other drop is your commission for facilitating this transaction."

There's a commission? Klein was delighted as he hurriedly looked at Will Auceptin's palm.

There were two drops of silver blood there. Each drop appeared to have countless, minute, aloof, illusory wheels spinning. They formed a belt that had its head connected to its tail.

Just one look at it made Klein seem to lose his ability to think. He felt all his thoughts repeatedly appearing in his mind.

He hurriedly shook his head and took out the iron cigar case which contained Azik's copper whistle. He then placed the two drops of Snake of Fate blood, which had clearly been sealed, inside.

"Thank you for your generosity," Klein said sincerely before asking, "Can this be used to make a charm?"

The baby sucked his fingers and said, "Of course.

"As for the exact symbols needed to be carved, you have already seen those. You are free to choose a combination. Whatever you get will all depend on your luck."

Klein nodded and asked again, "Who should I pray to?

"You're probably unable to respond to relatively high-level rituals for the time being. And praying to Ouroboros is bordering on being a provocation...

"Do I pray to a Sequence 2 angel of the Fate pathway? But I don't know 'Their' honorific names."

Will Auceptin immediately grinned.

"There's a more convenient method."

"Who?" Klein pressed in delight.

The baby replied with a giggle, "Empress of Misfortune and Horror."

-x-X-x-

Empress of Misfortune and Horror... Isn't that the Goddess? That's right, misfortune includes bad luck

-a part of fate. The Goddess has the corresponding authority and can naturally give a response... By giving this suggestion, doesn't it mean that, in Will Auceptin's eyes, "He" has always suspected that I'm Evernight's Blessed, it's just that I didn't notice it myself. It's the same as the answer I received about how I should get the High-Sequence Beyonder potion formula of the Seer pathway... "He" is even more certain after what happened at Saint Samuel Cathedral... Klein was first taken aback before he became enlightened.

As though he was muttering to himself, he said, "If I were to pray to the Goddess, no matter what symbols I choose, the final product's effect will likely be inclined towards the domain of bad luck."

"That's common sense!" the baby wrapped in silver silk shouted.

After obtaining confirmation, Klein felt more certain as he said with a smile, "Eh... Are you still named Will Auceptin?"

He was very curious if "He" changed his name after being born.

"If you like it, you can continue thinking so. However, my full name has already been changed to Will Ceres," the baby replied indifferently.

Klein thought before asking, "If I want to deal with the wielder of 0-08, what suggestions do you have?

"I don't want to know about 0-08. I just wish to know if you have any suggestions."

The plump baby looked at him as he suddenly opened his mouth and let out a loud cry.

"Waaa!"

The corners of Klein's lips quivered. Upon seeing the maid about to wake up, he took a few steps back and vanished from the room with his two marionettes.

Rorsted Sea. On the Future which was docked in the Bayam Resistance's private harbor.

Cattleya, who was holding a ritual, saw a drop of silver blood fly out of the illusory door that manifested itself from the candlelight.

With just one glance at it, she hurriedly closed her eyes, despite wearing her heavy glasses.

At that instant, it felt like an aloof and mysterious wheel was spinning in a circle, forming a silver snake that had its head connected to its tail.

This made her repeat her previous thoughts as she thanked Mr. Fool twelve consecutive times before returning to normal.

It really is the blood of a Mythical Creature from the Fate domain, and its level is higher than an ordinary angel... Cattleya ended the ritual in delight, and she took out a container she had prepared ahead of time, placing the drop of silver blood inside.

After obtaining some information on the Monster pathway from Queen Mystic, and learning the existence of Angel of Fate Ouroboros from Mr. Fool, she quickly came up with a guess as to who the blood belonged to.

Perhaps it's the one from the Life School of Thought. Or there might be another Sequence 1 angel... Regardless, Mr. Fool is able to use at least two angels in the real world. Along with that Ancient Bane that I can't be certain of, aside from the lack of Sealed Artifacts, the faction that believes in Mr. Fool is enough to match that of orthodox Churches. Even the Element Dawn and Moses Ascetic Order can't compare...

As expected of an awakening ancient god.

Increasingly filled with awe, Cattleya drew a gasp and began considering her matters.

Her other preparations were rather smooth sailing. Without any accidents, all she needed was to wait a month or so to attempt advancing to Sequence 4 to obtain godhood!

Overcast with heavy, black clouds, silver lightning would occasionally streak across the sky, illuminating the desolate plains and the winding rivers that ran dry.

And in the middle of the plains, where the river made a half-circle, black, stacked shadowy outlines loomed. It was a lifeless city.

After several days of traveling, the team led by the Chief of the City of Silver's six-member council, Demon Hunter Colin Iliad, finally arrived at their destination-Nois City.

The team was a small one. Excluding Colin, there were only four other members. They were the six-member council Elder, Shepherd Lovia, two Sequence 5 Guardians, Legere and Gonlun, as well as Sequence 6 Notary, Derrick Berg. The overall strength of the team wasn't weaker than a complete expedition team; it was perhaps even stronger.

According to Colin Iliad, this was because Nois City was filled with monsters, making it very dangerous. Shapeshifters were adept at disguises, and they enjoyed making use of the trust between teammates. Therefore, the smaller the expedition team, the better. And since there were fewer people, there was undoubtedly a need to prepare it with a stronger team.

was

As they watched the city in front of them which was covered in mist, one that couldn't be lit up despite the lightning, Demon Hunter Colin drew the two swords on his back. Unhurriedly, he slathered a silver-gray ointment on one, and a golden liquid on the other.

He then stabbed the two swords in front of him. He then removed three small metal bottles from a hidden compartment on his belt, pulled out the stopper, and gulped the contents of the potion.

Meanwhile, Legere and Gonlun had made preparations for combat. Derrick Berg held his hammer with one hand as he opened up his other palm. With a solemn tone, he said in Jotun, "God says it's effective!"

Silently, Colin Iliad and company felt that the consumed potion, the conjured dawn, and the slathered ointment had been significantly augmented.

Right on the heels of that, concentric rings of warm light emanated out, endowing the expedition team with courage and strength.

After Derrick used Holy Oath to boost his agility, Colin shot a glance at Lovia, who was holding an animal hide lantern and standing silently observing. He then turned his head to point at the perimeter of Nois City which was more than ten meters away. He said to the teenager who was once again a little taller, "Use your ability to light up the streets ahead."

After saying that, he surveyed his surroundings and added, "Once we enter Nois City, make sure we do not separate.

"A few days ago, I had already introduced the more active monsters that hide away in the darkness in this region. All of you should be aware of how separating will be utilized by the Shapeshifter."

Gonlun was a beautiful, female warrior who was 2.4-2.5 meters tall. Upon hearing that, she thought and asked, "Then, should we make use of this to hunt the Shapeshifter?"

"It's best that we do not do so. It's just too dangerous. Also, it's very easy to end up killing our own teammates or end up becoming lost in Nois City forever," the grizzled Colin Iliad seriously warned.

Derrick looked at the silent city that was cloaked in thin mist as he subconsciously asked, "Your Excellency, was this city also under the Giant King's Court?"

"Yes, but it's very close to a kingdom ruled by another ancient god," Colin answered patiently.

Holding two iron-black poles, the 2.4-meter-tall Legere pressed with intrigue, "Which ancient god?"

"King of Demonic Wolves, the Annihilator, Flegrea."

Is that so... Derrick remembered the Chief's introduction, took a step forward, and extended his arms.

Pure, radiant sunlight emitted from his body, illuminating the either collapsed or rotting buildings, the grayish-white stone-paved streets, and the extremely silent city perimeter.

Derrick and company saw figures appear on the streets. They were either wearing linen robes or animal-hides, as though they were busily going on about their day.

Upon sensing the sunlight's illumination, they silently turned their heads in unison and looked at the City of Silver expedition team.

Bansy Harbor at night would occasionally have ravens or other birds calling out. It accentuated the gloom and deathly silence of the ruins. Even the sounds of crashing waves were unable to wash away that feeling

As believers of the Lord of Storms and crew members of the Blue Avenger, the sailors were bold, especially when they believed that there might be gold or valuables hidden within the collapsed buildings. It spurred them on, sapping away any fear that might exist. The moment they arrived, they rushed down the ship and began searching the area in groups of two or three.

Alger didn't follow them as he strolled through the ruins alone, in search of any marks that appeared after Bansy Harbor's destruction.

As he walked, with him wearing the Whip of Mind ring and having the Blade of Poison slung by his waist, he came to a collapsed building with crumbling walls and a door that was only a few pieces of charred wood.

If I remember correctly, this was the telegraph office of Bansy Harbor... Alger nodded slightly as he approached and did a slight inspection.

He then saw a relatively empty area amidst the rubble. The ground was parched black with two blood-red silhouettes. It was as though two people had been lying there, only to be squashed flat.

And this had been months ago; yet, the two streaks of blood remained fresh, as though they still contained some degree of vitality to it.

Alger's forehead throbbed as he felt as though he could imagine the vileness before Bansy Harbor was destroyed.

He swept his gaze and suddenly saw a picture engraved on a crumbling wall beside the two blood-colored figures. It was a spot that the moonlight could hardly shine onto.

The picture was very simple, and it wasn't even colored. It was of an armored monster with a squid's head that wielded a trident. Lightning swirled around it as waves surged at its feet. Behind it was a cape formed by bird feathers!

Alger's eyes widened suddenly as he felt a tumultuous storm rage within him.

He recognized who the monster was representing because The Sun had once depicted it before:

It was the warped version of the Lord of Storms according to Rose Redemption!

And could this picture's appearance implied that a Rose Redemption member had previously come to Bansy Harbor, and they had drawn this picture after the building collapsed. Otherwise, it was impossible for the mural to not be damaged. It happened to fill an abnormal, crumbling wall!

This should be what The World wanted me to find in Bansy Harbor... He's pursuing Rose Redemption? Alger muttered silently to himself as he raised his right hand. @@novelbin@@

He had planned on destroying the picture, but after some thought, he retracted his arm, circling around Bansy Harbor's former telegraph office as though he hadn't discovered anything. He then walked in another direction.

-x-X-x-

Above the endless gray fog, in the magnificent and ancient palace.

The warped picture of the Lord of Storms, one that's suspected to be left behind by a Rose Redemption member... Hmm, Red Angel Medici is one of the founders of Rose Redemption... Klein sat in the high-back chair belonging to The Fool as he silently looked at the crimson star representing The Hanged Man.

Using his feedback, he had basically confirmed that the one possessing Ince Zangwill was the Red Angel evil spirit!

In the eternal silence, Klein silently sat at the seat of honor of the mottled table as though he had become a deity's statue.

After an unknown period of time, he nodded indiscernibly and slowly exhaled.

His figure vanished and returned to the real world. He continued his nap without thinking of any plans or considering anything related to Ince Zangwill.

He slept till the next morning and got out of bed. He repeated his habits over the past few days, walking to the window barefooted and drawing the windows.

On the streets outside the hotel, Danitz, who had dressed up like a West Balam native with an extra hooded cloak, held his iron-black boxing glove close to his chest before rushing to the square on his right. Based on his previous report, Klein knew that he was meeting one of the local ruling factions today to understand their stance on the arms deal.

Anderson didn't follow. He had ruffled his parted short blond hair in a mess as he leisurely strolled around the perimeter of the square, sat down, and wore a funny-looking puppet over his left black-gloved hand and began putting on a ventriloquist act for the people who walked by.

The man and puppet each had different voices as they mocked each other with witty remarks. It was quite good at attracting attention.

The only problem was that it was done in the Intis language and not Dutanese. Few people understood it, so after standing around to watch for a moment, they walked off.

Klein focused on the Fog Sea's Strongest Hunter with the same expression as before. His eyes betrayed how deep in thought he was.

East Balam, in the temporary office for Soest's Red Gloves.

Cindy, who had long, wine-red hair, walked in with a few telegrams as she said excitedly, "New clues!"

"What clues?" Soest put down the white porcelain coffee mug in his hand as Leonard and Daly cast their gazes to the door.

As Cindy handed the telegram to her captain, she said, "Emperor Roselle's quote 'wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him,' really makes sense. We've found people witnessing Ince Zangwill in several places, forming a complete trajectory. "From this, we've realized that Ince Zangwill's thoughts seem to be contradictory. He often approaches the colonies of Intis, staying for a short moment, before leaving it. He then approaches it once again and leaves it repeatedly as though-as though..."

Isn't this what Klein mentioned? That his actions are inconsistent? Leonard was delighted as he offered a better description for Cindy:

"As though he's oscillating."

"Yes, oscillating!" Cindy heaved a sigh of relief and began describing the findings, "In addition, Ince Zangwill has killed a few Intis military spies and has purchased several Beyonder ingredients. It's unknown what he's trying to do."

This... Leonard deliberated and said, "Which pathway's Beyonder ingredients are being bought by Ince Zangwill?"

"They are from the Warrior, Hunter, and Bard pathways." Cindy pointed at the few telegrams that Captain Soest was reading.

Indeed, there's the Hunter pathway... Having failed to find an excuse to get his teammates to take notice of Hunter-related clues, Leonard exhaled silently and no longer had any doubts regarding Klein's theory. He believed it to be the truth!

Next, how should I make everyone realize that Ince has been possessed by an evil spirit of the Hunter pathway... Leonard fell into deep thought. He waited until Soest finished reading the telegram and handed it to the other teammates before he came up with something. He decided to take a risk.

Before he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at Daly Simone. Dressed in a Spirit Medium's attire, this lady lowered her hand slightly, indicating that he shouldn't be too anxious, and to stop whatever he was about to attempt.

Ma'am Daly is telling me that it isn't time, that I should wait for a better opportunity? Amidst his hesitation, he saw Daly flick the telegram in her hand and looked around the room.

"I have an idea."

"What is it?" Soest asked.

Daly smiled.

"I suspect that Ince Zangwill is possessed by an evil spirit."

She... She just said it like that... She will be suspected! Leonard jumped in fright.

Without waiting for Soest, Cindy, and company to raise their doubts, Daly continued, "Ince Zangwill was once a Gatekeeper, and now, he's a Nightwatcher. His body can accommodate evil spirits and use their powers. Furthermore, he also has 0-08's help. If I were him, I'd definitely try to seek out stronger evil spirits and raise my strength as much as possible.

"This way, before he obtains complete control over the evil spirit, there will be backlashes. Ince Zangwill will take actions that seem contradictory. This can explain what's mentioned on the telegram.

"In addition, haven't we been puzzled as to why Ince Zangwill has been trying to contact important members of the Numinous Episcopate, and we had come up with various theories? Perhaps getting them to help him exorcise, purify, or completely control the evil spirit is his goal!"

Soest thought for a moment and deliberated over his words.

"That possibility cannot be ruled out, but this is fundamentally a subjective theory of yours... How did you come up with this? Which details gave you the inspiration?"

Leonard became nervous as Daly chuckled.

"This is a woman's intuition. It's just like how I know your thoughts, as well as those of the rest of you at times.

"Besides, since this is a discussion and analysis, we should list down all the possibilities. We should then eliminate the possibilities based on the actual investigations. This will aid us in finding the correct answer. Therefore, we need to let our thoughts wander. No matter how ridiculous the idea is, we must dare to propose it!

"From the various details we obtained from our feedback, I believe my theory is the most likely one."

Ma'am Daly sure is good with words. At least, she has convinced me... She raised the theory of an evil spirit's possession to protect me and direct the risk towards herself? On this matter regarding Ince Zangwill, she seems willing to take on everything... Leonard became enlightened as he felt poignant.

After hearing Daly's reply, Soest nodded slightly.

"Indeed, since this is a discussion, we shouldn't limit our thoughts.

"The possibility of an evil spirit possession scenario is quite high. I'll report this to Her Excellency Goddess's Eye. I'll leave it to the archbishop and high-ranking deacons to decide the subsequent investigations. After all, we know too little about 0-08."

"The Red Gloves team led by Soest discovered Ince Zangwill's abnormalities from the feedback from various telegrams. Daly Simone used this opportunity to mention the assumption of an evil spirit's possession and had received a unanimous agreement.

"She claimed it to be a reasonable theory, but she was already in the know. She had learned it from Leonard Mitchell, who has a Parasite, and Leonard Mitchell's information source came from a letter sent by Reinette Tinekerr. Who could be the one who mailed it?

"Meanwhile, Leonard Mitchell and Daly Simone had already suspected that the evil spirit possessing Ince Zangwill belongs to the Hunter pathway..."

A classic quill dabbed in black ink was writing rapidly on an ordinary notebook as though it was held by an invisible hand.

Suddenly, a silently pale hand reached out and grabbed the quill.

The owner of that hand had dark blond hair with facial features akin to a classic sculpture. One of his eyes was so blue that it was nearly black, and the other was filled with small but obvious blood vessels.

He lowered his wrist and continued writing:

"But is this the truth to the matter? Will everything develop according to what Daly Simone, Leonard Mitchell, and Soest's Red Gloves team have in mind?"

In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, in Nois City which couldn't be illuminated by the lightning.

The figures looked over without making any sound, giving Derrick a fright. He nearly stopped the illumination effect as he dodged to avoid facing them directly.

However, having trained from a young age, and with his experience over the past year, he didn't end up flustered. He didn't rush to end it as he forcefully held back his horror and waited for the Chief to give the next order.

Two dark green, complicated symbols appeared in Colin Iliad's eyes. He took in the streets that were blanketed with faint mist and the seemingly normal figures which didn't take any action.

Suddenly, he grunted and genuflected, his hands grabbing the two swords that were stabbed in the ground.

At the back of his neck, his bluish-black skin swelled a little as indescribable and complicated mysterious symbols appeared. They were half illusory and half real as they crept to either higher or lower levels.

At the same time, Shepherd Lovia let out a painful grunt as she raised her hands and held her head, vomiting some blobs of squirming flesh and blood.

Her palms and her body seemed to have silver armor strangely appear, overlapping on top of her.

"Stop," Demon Hunter Colin muttered softly one second later.

Derrick hurriedly ended the illumination and allowed the thin mist to cloak the figures, allowing the dead silence to once again blanket the ancient Nois City.

Everything quickly returned to its former form as Colin Iliad slowly got up. He cast his heavy gaze at the tower, cathedral, and other buildings that could barely be made out through the thin mist.

"It's a bit different from my last expedition. I'm not sure why there are such changes either." Demon Hunter Colin retracted his gaze as he surveyed the team members. "Do you have any ideas or thoughts?"

Shepherd Lovia had already crouched down to pick up the blobs of flesh and blood that had fallen to the ground. However, she wasn't in a rush to stuff them into her mouth, to munch on them before swallowing. She offered, "We can change directions and explore Nois City's other entrances. Perhaps we might discover something."

She had been maintaining her silence and kept the attitude of a spectator the entire journey. This was the first time she was voicing out her thoughts and giving her point of view.

-x-X-x-

Colin Iliad glanced at Lovia without giving a direct response. After he pulled out the two swords in the ground, he nodded and said, "Okay."

The group of five circled around Nois City's perimeter, making a few attempts to enter, but they were frightened away by the seemingly normal but silent city's carrying out of its "daily routine." They didn't dare to venture in.

With the frequency of the lightning reducing, and how darkness was slowly beginning to rule the world, Colin took a deep look at Nois City for a few seconds and said, "We will first set up a small camp. We will continue when it's 'daytime.""

The so-called "daytime" meant when the frequency of lightning was relatively higher, keeping the moments of darkness to a minimum.

The expedition team members didn't object to it. Soon, they set up a simple camp by the riverside amidst a series of rocks.

At the extreme end of the camp, there was a huge boulder providing them with shelter so there weren't any worries about rain. A bonfire was burning with all kinds of strange creature carcasses piled to the side. From time to time, they would be thrown in as timber. Colin, Lovia, and company sat around the fire, eating the rations they had brought and the monster corpses that had been proven to not cause serious harm.

As the fat sizzled from the roasting, Chief Colin Iliad from the six-member council looked at Derrick Berg and said, "We shall inspect the camp first. We'll switch when they're done with their meals."

If this were any other time, Derrick wouldn't have thought otherwise. But now, the first thought that came to mind was: The Chief wishes to speak to me in private...

"Alright." Derrick stuffed the remaining piece of meat into his mouth and lifted the Thunder God's Roar at his side.

The piece of meat was clearly already ready, but it still presented a ghastly green color.

After coming to the dark edge of the camp, Demon Hunter Colin said in a deep voice, his tone unchanging, "Nois City is more sinister and dangerous than I expected. I'm wondering if you have any views on what we should do next?"

I know nothing about this place. I'm also lacking in experience. Why is Chief asking for my views? Derrick was instantly taken aback, wishing to raise his left hand to scratch the back of his head.

He then recalled the few times he had spoken with the Chief while they were in the City of Silver. He recalled Mr. Hanged Man's analysis of the hidden context in their conversations as he suddenly realized something.

Chief is giving me a hint!

He's trying to tell me that Nois City is more sinister and dangerous than he expected. The difficulty of hunting a Shapeshifter far exceeds his expectations. He's wondering if there's a possibility of changing the target?

He wishes for me to pray to Mr. Fool and receive a revelation so as to get "His" views?

Hmm... Mr. World really is a wise person. Along the way, he had already told me of a method to hunt the Bizarro Bane in a relatively easy manner. It's by getting its blood. Hmm, with the present situation, it seems like his plan is feasible!

As his thoughts raced, Derrick replied earnestly, "Yes, Your Excellency. I have some suggestions."

Colin Iliad silently heaved a sigh of relief, holding back the more direct speech he had prepared as he nodded gently.

"Go ahead."

"Since Nois City has changed, it will be very risky for us to enter. Perhaps we can consider luring the Shapeshifter out." Derrick didn't directly regurgitate The World Gehrman Sparrow's method, but he did make some modifications based on the present situation.

Colin didn't directly reject it, and said rather seriously, "Then how should we lure the Shapeshifter?"

Derrick didn't hesitate to say, "I have an item that is extremely enticing to Shapeshifters. As long as it's placed at the boundary of Nois City, or even further, it will lure a Shapeshifter out."

The grizzled Colin wasn't surprised by his words. He amiably nodded and said, "What's the item?"

He long knew that Derrick Berg had secretly held a bestowment ritual at night during his guard duty shift.

Furthermore, if he hadn't kept the truth under cover, it was impossible for Derrick to keep it from Lovia, Lovia, and Gonlun.

Derrick didn't know what its name or description was. He immediately took out an iron-black box which was completely different from the City of Silver's style before removing the wall of spirituality.

Following that, he didn't lower his head. Instead, he turned his head and opened the box solely using his sense of touch.

Inside the box was a palm-sized human-shaped object. A cursory glance allowed one to see the transparent liquid filling the inside. From time to time, it bubbled, emanating a black glow. Upon scrutinizing it, there appeared to be maggots circling around the object.

This was the true soul body of the Spirit World Plunderer which Klein had previously obtained!

He believed that, for the Bizarro Bane, this Beyonder ingredient had an unparalleled allure. This wasn't simply a result of the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence, but it was also because once the Bizarro Bane obtained it, it could turn into a complete Bizarro Sorcerer. It would break through all kinds of limitations and receive a fundamental improvement in its life's natural order, truly becoming a demigod!

Therefore, to make the hunting of the Bizarro Bane simpler and clearer, without wasting any time, Klein took the risk of losing the true soul body of the Spirit World Plunderer by lending it to Little Sun.

Colin Iliad looked at it carefully for a few seconds before retracting his gaze.

"It's likely to be effective.

"Close the box and stop adding a wall of spirituality to it. Just bring it around with you. Let's see if they will be attracted to our camp."

"They?" Derrick subconsciously asked.

Colin, with a few old scars on his face, revealed a smile.

"Do you think there's only one Shapeshifter in Nois City?

"If this item's level was lacking, I would even be worried that it might attract more terrifying monsters."

Derrick wore a look of shame as he scratched the back of his head. Following the Chief's instructions, he closed the iron-black square box's lid, stuffing it into a concealed pocket in his clothes.

In the patrol that followed, he kept a high level of vigilance, but no Shapeshifter attacked.

After a while, Lovia, Legere, and Gonlun took over their mission as Derrick sat back beside the warm

fire.

At that moment, he heard cawing as seven to eight red-eyed ravens flew over and spiraled in midair.

This brought about an indescribable sense of horror. Colin Iliad drew his sword and looked up.

Suddenly, his heart stirred as he quickly cast his gaze to Derrick Berg. @@novelbin@@

On both sides of the bonfire, two brownish-yellow-haired youths who had childlike looks and were nearly 1.9 meters tall were staring at each blankly.

Colin's eyes narrowed as he immediately shouted, "Illuminate!"

One of the youths was taken aback. After a moment of enlightenment, pure, warm sunlight was emitted from his body.

With a whoosh, an incomplete shadow swept past as Colin's sword sliced through the fake Derrick.

It was a shadow, a blurry, transparent shadow!

At the same time, a red-eyed raven fell from the sky. Its body swelled up, turning into a pitch-black shadow.

Above this shadow shimmered a transparent, ghostly-blue single eye. Around the eye were similar eyes but smaller.

Shapeshifter!

A Shapeshifter that could disguise itself as ravens!

Just as this pitch-black shadow landed, Derrick's mind turned numb as he could hardly move, as though he was being petrified. All he could do was watch the enemy pounce at him.

Pa!

The Shapeshifter slammed into an invisible wall and failed to take a further step.

Beside the bonfire, Colin Iliad stabbed the sword in his hand into the ground and drew the other sword on his back.

The surrounding area lit up, and like the legendary dawn, it descended upon this abandoned land. Infinite beams of light reminiscent of dawn erupted, turning into an illusory ocean. It devoured the pitch-black shadows along with all the ravens from the bottom up.

At the entrance of the camp, an illusory knight in silver armor, standing more than five meters tall, appeared behind Shepherd Lovia.

The knight's eyes burned with dark red flames as they instantly locked onto a spot.

He suddenly opened up his stride and appeared hundreds of meters away in a flash.

Beams of sharp silver light shot out, dicing all the objects around into tiny, neat pieces, including all the different monsters hiding there. It included the Shapeshifter that had used some ability to escape the Demon Hunter's lethal strike.

The monster hadn't died as it switched its true body once again, but the pure, bright light of dawn descended once again, completely drowning a huge area.

After the light of dawn turned faint, Colin Iliad in his brown coat appeared with two swords in hand. He calmly watched as points of light gathered above the ground which was covered with cracks. Black-red blood which had mostly evaporated was slowly dispersed.

Success! As Derrick reeled in delight, he hurriedly sealed the black square box with a wall of spirituality.

Colin immediately stabbed the two swords into the ground, took out three metal bottles that had been emptied of their potions, and filled them with the blood on the ground.

While waiting for the ingredient to take form, he said to Lovia and company with his usual expression, "I have a use for the ingredients left by the Shapeshifter. I wish to directly make an exchange for them."

In the City of Silver, there were typically two ways to handle the spoils from such expeditions. First, it was to bring it back and give it to the city and exchange it for the corresponding contribution points. The distribution depended on the amount of effort put in during the expedition. Second, if it wasn't something especially important, and if it had caught the fancy of a member of the expedition, they could directly make an exchange for it with equivalent items or contribution points.

"I have no objections," Legere and Gonlun answered in unison.

Lovia didn't say a word as a form of tacit consent.

After the illusory silver-armored knight returned, she turned her head and looked towards the bonfire where Derrick Berg was with a deadpan expression.

In East Balam, in the temporary office for the Red Gloves.

Soest surveyed the area and said to all the team members, "Her Excellency, Goddess's Eye, has ordered us to investigate the sale of Hunter pathway ingredients in the local and surrounding cities, as well as any disappearances or deaths of Beyonders of the same pathway.

"She agrees with Daly's guess, and she suspects from the death of the Intis spies that it's an evil spirit of the Hunter pathway.

"Of course, we mustn't ignore any abnormalities since it's only one possibility.

"There's also another thing. We only need to do the gathering of information and to ignore everything else. We will not delve deeper into the investigations. It's an order by Her Excellency, Goddess's Eye!

"Got that?"

"Yes!" Cindy and company replied.

Soest looked at Leonard and Daly before retracting his gaze and said heavily, "Move out!"

-x-X-x-

After leaving the local Nighthawks's base which was disguised as a private detective office, Leonard glanced at Daly Simone who had suggested to team up with him.

"Where do we begin? Any suggestions?"

Dressed in a Spirit Medium black robe with her hood pulled over her head, Daly Simone, with an uncanny beauty and mature air, shot Leonard Mitchell a glance.

"This is when a gentleman's decisiveness and style should be showcased."

Leonard looked at his left hand which was wearing a red glove. He deliberated and said, "If we begin by following Captain Soest's arrangements, that might allow us to find some clues, but it's not necessarily useful. I suspect that Her Excellency Goddess's Eye knows that. She's only giving us something to do in order to confuse Ince Zangwill."

"Why do you say that?" Daly wasn't joking as her expression wore a rare, solemn look.

Leonard glanced to his sides as he said in a heavy voice without realizing it, "Based on what I know, 0-08 has the characteristic of 'once you know it, it will also know you.' We shouldn't be influenced while staying on the periphery of its perception since we aren't sure of its real name or powers, and only use the code name we gave it. But as Red Gloves who are pursuing the Numinous Episcopate's matters, and having discussed Ince Zangwill many times, I believe our situation has already been grasped by 0-08. This way, Ince Zangwill should know that his abnormal state has been exposed. From that, he will avoid us by creating coincidences."

Daly recalled the information regarding Ince Zangwill and nodded.

"Soest had also mentioned this problem in the beginning. However, he didn't verbalize it as clearly as you did. It's still in the stage of backward inference from a result of failures.

"Therefore, Her Excellency Goddess's Eye has gotten us to investigate the situation of the nearby district's Hunter pathway Beyonders and ingredients, and pretending as though nothing is confirmed. In the meantime, Her Excellency is preparing the usage of some corresponding items to lay a trap for the moment when the evil spirit gains control over Ince Zangwill and thus appears?"

Leonard turned his body and spoke as he walked:

"That's probably the case, but I suspect that it's unlikely for 0-08 to not know of it..."

Daly followed diagonally behind as she said in thought, "I believe there's still a chance for success. Don't forget that one of the honorific names of the Goddess is the Mother of Concealment."

"That can counter 0-08? The Church has a high-ranking member or Sealed Artifact that can counter 0-08? It's no wonder 0-08 was once obtained by the Church and sealed under the Holy Cathedral..." Leonard's eyes lit up as he came to a realization.

Daly nodded very slightly as her expression turned soft.

A few seconds later, her pupils contracted as she blurted out, "Do you think our discussion has caught the attention of 0-08?".

Leonard's expression fell, but he didn't dare confirm anything nor shake his head. He and Daly looked at each other, looking back and forth as they fell silent for a moment.

In a particular room, a slightly pale hand flipped a notebook to its very first page, then it flipped one page after another:

"...After leaving Bansy Harbor, Sauron Einhorn Medici, who had obtained a certain object, was no longer only stubborn or only capable of instinctively conspiring. After repeated struggles and resisting, Ince Zangwill and he had obtained a truce and had even decided on having a limited cooperative effort so as to achieve each other's goals.

"To an evil spirit of the Red Priest pathway, such a promise cannot be guaranteed to be effective, but Ince Zangwill no longer had any other choice.

"From his point of view, this series of matters had many coincidences, but fundamentally, this was inevitable. At the very least, Sauron Einhorn Medici was many times better at creating stories than him.

"...After confirming the destination to be the Southern Continent's East Balam, Ince Zangwill boarded a ship to the Berserk Sea... Every time, he would enter the Intis colonial islands, irrationally provoking the official Beyonders and hunting Beyonders from the Hunter pathway. Then, before danger arrived, he would quickly regain lucidity, cover his tracks, and flee far away.

"This might seem like a coincidence, but the problem is when it's the same coincidence every time, is it too much of a coincidence?

"From the perspective of logic and reason, too many coincidences imply that certain elements or rules were secretly in existence. The reason why Ince was able to do that was because he had written the words above. Using the Quill of Alzuhod, he naturally allowed himself to switch between the two states of 'being possessed by an evil spirit' and 'self-autonomy.' What a scheming fellow. This wasn't only directed at Ince Zangwill, but also at Sauron Einhorn Medici. They were clearly already coexisting in peace, but they acted out to be in conflict as though they were relying on an external force to achieve some semblance of balance.

"...Ince Zangwill's purchase of additional Bard and Warrior pathway Beyonder ingredients was very reasonable. This was because he was hiding the clues that the evil spirit was using him to seek out various items of the Hunter pathway, and to prevent others from realizing that all of this was under his tacit agreement, disguising it as his attempts to resist. In addition, the Bard and Warrior pathways had the ability to resist the dead and exorcise evil spirits. As long as a clever person were to think it over carefully, they would undoubtedly notice this and verify that Ince Zangwill was being possessed.

"...After numerous provocations, the Iron and Blood Cross Order's Tony Down finally locked onto Ince Zangwill and began pursuing him. During this process, this War Bishop, who had made his goal to become a Conqueror, showed off his powers without any restraint. When a storm happened to stop his pursuit, he appeared on a ship filled with ordinary people in an eyecatching manner before pulling out the fellow disguised as Ince Zangwill.

"This was a little coincidental, but it was nothing surprising. This was because the Iron and Blood Cross Order's belief is for the supernatural to be known to all, and to be placed above all ordinary people. And Tony Down's unbridled arrogance often used his own strength to shatter the doubts of others and had extremely great confidence. Therefore, the way he acted was without a problem.

"Likewise, he was overly confident, causing him to neglect the possibility that Ince Zangwill was also on the ship. This didn't match his intuition as a hunter, but in this world, anyone could make mistakes!

"When Ince Zangwill disembarked on Waypoint Island, he sensed someone observing him from a first-class cabin, but he didn't mind it. This was exactly the effect he wanted. It was the best development if someone among the passengers happened to know him! Yes, happened to...

"... It was neither too early or too late. Before Soest's Red Gloves took action, Ince Zangwill met with Hand of White Palenque Taciblius of the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death faction, hoping to obtain their help in exorcising the evil spirit..."

Traces of words scribbled away.

"...The development of things became a little odd. Before having a sufficient amount of clues, Leonard Mitchell and Daly Simone of the Soest's Red Gloves team seemed to come to a conclusion. It apparently came from a letter sent by Reinette Tinekerr... @@novelbin@@

"Where did the problem lie? Ince Zangwill was rather puzzled by this. From his point of view, unless one could directly capture Palenque Taciblius or other key personnel of the Numinous Episcopate, no one could come up with such a conclusion so quickly.

"This made his preparations a little hasty, but thankfully, this was an outcome he wanted.

"...The Red Gloves team led by Soest discovered Ince Zangwill's abnormalities from the feedback from various telegrams. Daly Simone used this opportunity to mention the assumption of an evil spirit's possession and had received a unanimous agreement.

"She claimed it to be a reasonable theory, but she was already in the know. She had learned it from Leonard Mitchell, who has a Parasite, and Leonard Mitchell's information source came from a letter sent by Reinette Tinekerr. Who could be the one who mailed it?

"Meanwhile, Leonard Mitchell and Daly Simone had already suspected that the evil spirit possessing Ince Zangwill belongs to the Hunter pathway...

"But is this the truth to the matter? Will everything develop according to what Daly Simone, Leonard Mitchell, and Soest's Red Gloves team have in mind?

"...After the discussion with that person in the Cathedral of Serenity, the Cathedral of Serenity's high-ranking deacon, Ilya, believed Daly's theory and decided to use a Grade 1 Hunter pathway Sealed Artifact as bait, so as to allow Ince Zangwill to fall into a trap while the evil spirit was possessing him.

"To conceal this goal, she got Soest's Red Gloves team to continue investigating the relevant clues.

"Unfortunately, their premise was wrong. Although Ince Zangwill was possessed by an evil spirit, his actions had never been affected! All he had done before was an act. It was done in accordance with Sauron Einhorn Medici's suggestions, with the aim to confuse the Church of Evernight and to make Ilya blindly attack. And a Red Angel evil spirit that was willing to help and cooperate was enough to change the battlefield's situation.

"Ince Zangwill's true motive for coming to the Southern Continent is:

"Hunt the high-ranking deacon, Ilya, of the Church of Evernight! It was for his advancement preparations by obtaining her Beyonder characteristic!

"He wanted to prove to everyone that the Church of Evernight had made a foolish mistake to abandon him back then!

"Of course, before beginning this operation, Ince Zangwill had to first satisfy Sauron Einhorn Medici's thirst-a thirst for Mid- and High-Sequence Beyonder characteristics of the Hunter pathway. To keep it a secret, he didn't plan on hunting locally, and he had prepared to do it further away.

"When the evil spirit's undying nature, Red Angel's level, and the uniqueness of a Gatekeeper combined, Ince Zangwill possessed the relatively High Sequence ability of 'Spirit World Traversal' of the Death pathway. He was able to head to remote areas and return in short periods of time. He had deliberately kept this under wraps before.

"After satisfying Sauron Einhorn Medici, Ince Zangwill decided to first kill Daly Simone and Leonard Mitchell and pretend to vaguely sense the Church of Evernight's trap. He would forcefully counterattack, only to lose his rationality and head for the trap.

"He didn't plan on leaving any unstable elements. All avengers that survived Tingen had to die!"

The notebook flipped to an empty spot as a pale-white hand grabbed a quill and added the words: "Today, everything will go smoothly."

West Balam, Northern State, Cookawa City.

"You aren't done with your investigations?" Anderson asked in boredom as he walked beside Danitz.

"Soon!" Danitz replied as he found it a little difficult to focus. "Do you have something to do?"

At this moment, Anderson took out a map and a stack of information. He said with a chuckle, "I've already figured out the rough location of an ancient mausoleum. Based on the traditions of East and West Balam, there's definitely plenty of treasure in it. Here, death doesn't mean an end but a new beginning. That's why they have tons of burial items."

Danitz was taken aback as he asked in surprise, "I thought you aren't proficient in Dutanese?"

How did he gather the information?

Anderson chuckled and raised his black-gloved left palm. He spread his fingers and said, "I don't, but I can temporarily steal their language until I finish finding the information."

"...I knew a fellow like you will have some tricks up his sleeves!" Danitz said with gritted teeth as he pointed to the main street beside the square. "Goodbye!"

Anderson didn't stop him as he smilingly watched him walk away with large strides.

At this moment, the two simultaneously noticed a figure walking over.

The figure held a classic quill and wore a black clergyman's robe. He had dark blond hair with facial features akin to a classic sculpture. One of his eyes was so blue that it was nearly black, and the other was filled with small but obvious blood vessels. He was approaching Anderson and Danitz.

Anderson didn't know the middle-aged man, but his body couldn't help but tremble as though he was facing his nemesis.

Warning signs of danger flashed in his mind as his pupils rapidly dilated!

Suddenly, he heard a warm voice by his ears:

"Don't be nervous."

Who... Anderson blankly turned his head and saw a figure strangely appear beside him despite there not being anyone there in the first place.

This figure had apparently been there all this time, but he had always been ignored.

He wore a strangely simple white robe. He had a pale gold beard that covered half his face. His light-colored eyes were clear like a child's. He had a genial and reserved look.

Looking at the quill in Ince Zangwill's hand, this middle-aged man who was dressed like an ordinary priest half-closed his eyes, raised his right hand, and gestured four points before him.

Hanging there was a silver cross.

-x-X-x-

The moment he saw the middle-aged man dressed in a priest's getup, Anderson zoned out for a second. Following that, some shackles in his mind suddenly collapsed as countless memory fragments surged through an invisible barrier. It felt like long-suppressed feelings suddenly erupted.

He remembered the things that had happened over the past two months. He remembered the mission that the demigod had given him!

Back in Bayam, he followed the thoughts in his mind to meet up with the demigod. He followed him and left the Rorsted Archipelago for a secret location.

There, he met the priest beside him. It was arranged for him to enter an ancient coffin, to lay there among Beyonder ingredients and a liquid filled with strange mixed blood, allowing them to seep into him.

After a month of this corrosive treatment, a dark red chrysalis formed inside his body. He then had his memories from this period of time sealed before being sent to West Balam. He was then psychologically cued to not leave until he recovered his memories.

This meant that he hadn't finished the demigod's mission and that it was still underway. Everything that had happened before were just preparations!

Scenes flashed through his mind as Anderson discovered that while he was playing the harmonica on the streets, checking into the hotel with Danitz, obtaining of Language Comprehension charms from the Church of Knowledge's preachers, as well as his arrival in Northern State—all of these incidents had this genial and seemingly innocent priest present beside him the entire time.

When having meals, he was sitting at a neighboring table. When he checked in, the neighboring room was his. When walking on the streets, he was walking right beside him. When playing the harmonica and putting on the ventriloquist act, this man was looking at him in a genial manner!

And Anderson hadn't noticed any of this back then. Danitz, who was beside him, the people around him

-none of them had noticed him. It was as though they had never seen this priest before!

A chill that arose from deep in his heart ran from his tail bone up his spine to his brain. He felt that the experiences he had been through were enough to drive him insane, to the point of losing control.

Danitz, who had already opened up a distance from Anderson, looked at the black-robed clergyman, Ince Zangwill, and then he looked at the simple priest who was praying with his eyes closed. He hurriedly bowed his head and used ancient Hermes to softly chant, "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..."

A few days earlier, he had received Mr. Fool's revelation to handle some matters as a guise to stay around Anderson. It was so that he could immediately pray if any abnormalities were to happen.

Although he didn't know what would happen, or who he had encountered, Danitz, who always cherished his life, didn't hold back and did as he was toldeven if the abnormalities that happened might very well be him being overly imaginative!

For this, he had specially worn the boxing glove made from Groselle's Beyonder characteristic. It ensured that he would act first without thinking so as to not waste any time!

At this point, Ince Zangwill had stopped walking. His dark blue, nearly black eye and the eye filled with blood vessels reflected the priest in simple white robes who had a cross hanging by his chest.

In his mind, in his mouth, a furious voice sounded:

"Adam!"

The Creator's son, King of Angels, Adam! Before Ince Zangwill could finish his sentence, the priest opposite him opened his eyes. His light-colored eyes were already pure gold in color.

Suddenly, pitch-black stone columns were erected around them, setting up a majestic cathedral.

Inside this cathedral, each column, each arch, and each dome's surface was embedded with the bones of different races. They were densely packed as they used different eye sockets to stare at Ince Zangwill. They surrounded a cross that was more than a hundred meters tall.

In front of the cross, a blurry figure stood there as though he was watching everything with compassion.

This was a cathedral of corpses, but instead of appearing eerie, it was filled with holiness!

The walls, windows, and doors of the cathedral had transparent, warped faces protruding out. It was as though countless souls were sealed inside, preventing Beyonders from sensing the existence of the spirit world or astral world!

The square and pedestrians from before had vanished. They were kept outside the corpse cathedral that had suddenly appeared.

Ince Zangwill's classic quill had already flown up as it wrote rapidly on his black clergyman's robe:

"Anderson Hood is Gehrman Sparrow's friend. Ouroboros had taken notice of him, and due to various unknown reasons, Ouroboros's appearance here was a development that adhered to logic!"

Just as the quill wrote the exclamation mark, light beams shone in from the colored-windows of the corpse cathedral, forming stacked illusory pure feathers.

Beneath the enveloping feathers, a figure with long silver hair materialized in a genuflecting, praying stance. Following that, the figure stood up straight.

"He" wore a simple linen robe and had handsome looks and soft facial features. He was none other than King of Angels, Tail Devourer Ouroboros!

Ouroboros's eyes were momentarily unfocused, but it soon reflected the genial priest's image.

In "His" eyes, at "His" feet, and on the stacked feathers of light behind "Him," a supernatural, mysterious circle was accentuated, forming an illusory river like a snake that had its head connected to its tail. @@novelbin@@

The corpse cathedral once again reverted to the point when the pitch-black stone columns erected with the surrounding square were still on the border of existence.

Taking this opportunity, Ouroboros flew out. Ince Zangwill didn't hesitate as he made the surrounding colors saturate and overlap against each other.

Just as this Nightwatcher was about to step into the spirit world, he suddenly saw a cross spanning more than a hundred meters in size plummet down from high above.

This cross impaled the middle of the unformed corpse cathedral as the blurry figure that carried the cross raised its head.

Infinite light spewed out, drowning Ouroboros and the quill-holding Ince Zangwill within.

The corpse cathedral filled with bones of different races and the countless warped souls took form once again.

Upon hearing the stacked, illusory pleas, Klein was inside his hotel and thinking about his daily miscellaneous matters and lampooning in boredom.

He suddenly stood up, went straight to the window and looked towards the nearby square.

On the square, coffins were coming and going. The fountain was still spewing, and there was reverberating music. Everything seemed normal and even felt idyllic. Here, what seemed most unharmonious was Anderson genuflecting with a stiff expression while a trembling Danitz was closing his eyes praying. Without a second thought, Klein followed the plan he had formulated above the gray fog. He controlled Winner Enzo who was a hundred meters away to enter the telegraph office. He had instructed Danitz to live beside a telegraph office!

At the same time, he took out his adventurer's harmonica and blew into it.

Reinette Tinekerr walked out of the void with the four blonde, red-eyed heads in hand. All eight eyes turned to the square.

"For Leonard, Miss Messenger. He likely hasn't left your detection range." Klein took out a letter he had already prepared and a gold coin before handing it to Miss Messenger.

What he said and did was akin to a marionette. He only followed the instructions he had prepared in advance. If he couldn't help think of something else, he would immediately use Cogitation to divert his attention.

This was the method he figured out from Will Auceptin on how to deal with 0-08. By doing the thinking above the gray fog, all he did was act according to plan in the real world.

And in a particular prayer from Danitz, Klein had used the scene that appeared to observe Anderson who was nearby. In the end, he discovered an unfamiliar priest who also felt familiar by his side.

Thinking back to the Psychology Alchemists and the Twilight Hermit Order's hidden connection, and making the connection to the content in Emperor Roselle's diary, Klein immediately realized something. He was certain about what would happen next:

The master of the Twilight Hermit Order, the son of the Creator, Angel of Imagination Adam, was conspiring to obtain 0-08!

This also meant that there was a high chance for Ince Zangwill to appear with Anderson as the target!

Then, Klein redid his plan above the gray fog, pretending as though he had never noticed anything. He continued his state as a "marionette in reality."

One of Reinette Tinekerr's heads bit onto the letter as the eight eyes looked deeply at Klein for two seconds.

Klein nodded indiscernibly without a word, watching Miss Messenger return to the spirit world.

In the Cookawa telegraph office, Winner Enzo handed over the telegram, address, and verl gold he had already prepared for the staff, urging them to send it immediately.

"West Balam, Northern State, Cookawa. Ince Zangwill has appeared."

The radio waves quickly spread, sending the message to the major bases of the Church of Evernight in West Balam and East Balam.

East Balam.

"Why are you always active around the cathedral? Why don't you go further to carry out the investigations?" Daly asked Leonard.

Leonard thought and said frankly and seriously, "Awaiting news."

Daly nodded in thought without prying further.

She turned silent, no longer playing jokes on Leonard. It was as though she was waiting for something as well.

Suddenly, Leonard's spiritual perception was triggered as he turned to look left.

As a Gatekeeper, Daly had already cast her eyes in that direction.

A letter had appeared at some point in time, landing underneath a gas street lamp.

Leonard didn't avoid Daly as he hurriedly picked up the envelope and opened it.

The content of the letter was very simple. There was only one line:

"West Balam, Northern State, Cookawa, Revival Square. Coordinates..."

Leonard's expression turned heavy as he turned to Daly and said, "Ma'am, please help me to cover my tracks."

As he spoke, his left glove had turned transparent. He stuffed his right hand into his pocket and grasped the Fate Siphon charm.

Daly fell silent for a second and said extremely seriously, "Bring me along.

"Back then, you managed to at least fight, but I didn't have the time to do anything."

Leonard's expression changed as his mouth gaped slightly. Finally, without saying a word, he grabbed Daly's shoulder.

The two then vanished from the rather empty streets.

As he watched Miss Messenger leave, and once he confirmed that the telegraph office had at least sent one telegram, Klein immediately took four steps counterclockwise and entered above the gray fog. He directly sat at the high-back chair of The Fool and beckoned for the Tyrant card, the Sea God Scepter, and a silver-gray charm.

Immediately, he was wearing a papal tiara with a papal robe draped over him with a bone scepter in hand.

Amidst silver bolts of lightning, Klein spread his spirituality towards the point of light where Danitz was.

-x-X-x-

With Klein's spirituality making contact, the points of light suddenly expanded into a scene before his eyes.

With his Shadow Cloak up, Danitz was praying with his head bowed in the corner of the square, chanting The Fool's honorific name with ancient Hermes.

Thanks to this, Klein could see an expanded area around him, and he began searching for Ince Zangwill.

Through the gray fog, everything he saw was clearly different from what he had previously seen. In the middle of the square, a pitch-black corpse-embedded cathedral had appeared at some point in time. It was dark inside, but there wasn't any signs of activity inside.

Using this opportunity, Klein replied Danitz's prayer, "Leave the area. Find a hidden spot to hide in."

As he spoke slowly, dressed in the papal tiara and dark robes, Klein raised his left hand and made the blue gems at the tip of the bone scepter light up.

Sharp, jarring sounds immediately resounded in Revival Square in the real world as a sudden gale swept the area. It made the people who were spending their leisure time there or the pedestrians to leave quickly to head for shelter from the wind. Even Anderson, who had a frozen expression, recovered his usual insouciant attitude. Holding his abdomen, he quickly rushed out of the dangerous area.

In a few seconds, Revival Square became extremely silent. Even the pedestrians who walked slowly without running had experienced the feeling of flying with the nudging of the wind.

The empty area entered a brief silence. Then, a flame appeared from the corpse cathedral's window. It grew in size and became increasingly blinding.

Silently, the colored glass windows shattered as blinding white light that bordered on blue shot out like a meteor.

This flaming light instantly crumbled, materializing into Ince Zangwill, who wore a black clergyman's robe and had one dark blue eye and one eye covered with blood vessels.

The moment this Nightwatcher appeared, he couldn't help but open his mouth and scoff at the classic quill in his hand.

"If a fool like you didn't listen to my suggestion, how could something like this happen!

"I'm not even sure what you're afraid of. If you had allowed me to pray to the Lord, allowing me to secretly return to the Rose Redemption and join forces with the 'Serpent,' our preparations would allow us to set up a trap. Today, we will be the ones hunting Adam, and not the other way round!"

The seemingly dark and damaged quill immediately flew up and wrote on an empty spot of Ince Zangwill's clothes:

"Due to a rage stemming from embarrassment, Sauron Einhorn Medici pushed the blame of this development to the Quill of Alzuhod, but in fact, it was 'He' who was stopping himself from praying to the True Creator. Be it Sauron or Einhorn, neither one of them trusted this evil god.

"Today's development made this evil spirit's psychological dissociation to worsen! This is extremely reasonable. This is the diagnosis by the best, most professional psychiatrist!"

"Ince Zangwill" immediately frowned as he raised his left hand and pressed it to his head.

His dark blue eye rapidly recovered its luster as the classically sculpted face turned extremely stern.

At this moment, having escaped the corpse cathedral, he was no longer facing the square. Instead, it was flights of ancient stone stairs. They were leading to the peak of a towering mountain. Erected there was a huge cross with countless angels spiraling around it.

At this moment, an exaggerated bolt of silver lightning tore through the overcast sky, smiting right down at Ince Zangwill.

The sealed and strange space produced cracks. The fountain and its splashes appeared in his dark blue

eye.

Ince Zangwill's figure immediately vanished, leaving behind a blurry transparent spirit. The latter was struck by lightning and was instantly obliterated.

This Nightwatcher didn't have the luxury of time to consider what other lurking dangers there were. He took this opportunity to transform into a flame as he penetrated a crack and rushed out.

To him, no matter what lay ahead of him, nothing was more terrifying and difficult to deal with than the Son of the Creator, King of Angels Adam!

Upon seeing the flame rise up from the square, allowing Ince Zangwill to escape the restraints of the illusory world and returning to his appearance with dark blond hair and pale hands, Klein raised his head slightly and subconsciously sat straight.

Countless scenes flashed across his mind-him having his heart penetrated, the pair of bright leather boots just before his previous death, Dunn Smith smiling at him with a wink of his left eye, and the Blackthorn Security Company which had been reduced to ruins.

The corners of Klein's mouth quickly curled upwards as he revealed a comical smile.

He then deeply muttered using ancient Hermes, "Misfortune!"

The silver-gray charm on his right palm suddenly burst into a gloomy black light.

This was a charm of the misfortune domain Klein made using Snake of Mercury Will Auceptin's blood and precious metals by praying to the Evernight Goddess.

This was a present he had prepared for Ince Zangwill.

This was an arrow of vengeance.

This was a deity's curse!

Klein immediately stood up, stretched his shoulders, and threw out his right arm, fusing the gloomy black light with the little powers he could stir from above the gray fog as he threw them at Ince Zangwill.

Just as Ince Zangwill returned to Revival Square, he saw a dark black beam appear out of nowhere. It blanketed the entire sky, making him find himself in an extremely dark environment.

Such a change happened in a flash before everything was restored to normal in an instant. Nothing seemed amiss, but as a Nightwatcher who could give others a certain level of bad luck, Ince Zangwill acutely "smelled" the aura of danger. Without any hesitation, he reached out his left palm in a bid to use the evil spirit within him and his powers as a Gatekeeper to enter the spirit world and flee.

However, none of the surrounding bright flowers, pure-white fountain, and dark black tiles had their colors saturate, much less become stacked.

Ince Zangwill's Spirit World Traversal had become ineffective!

The glint in his eyes froze as he seemed to understand the reason. It was because the evil spirit in him was having an internal struggle; thus, they wouldn't lend him their power. @@novelbin@@

"See? Everything would be fine if you had listened to

me!"

"Bullsh*t! I'd rather die than believe in the True Creator!"

"What's the point saying all of this? Didn't you still end up the same as us, being made into a potion by Alista Tudor?"

"So none of you are nervous at all? Didn't you notice that the curse clearly came with a deity's aura? That power was fundamentally very powerful. Our present condition doesn't allow us to avoid it at all. Haha, continue arguing. Go on! I'll wait to die with all of

you."

...

The veins on Ince Zangwill's forehead throbbed when he heard that. He was furious that Sauron Einhorn Medici would suddenly engage in an internal strife at such a critical moment. They didn't seem to notice the danger they were in at all.

As a former archbishop, as a Beyonder who had watched over the Church of Evernight's Holy Artifacts, Ince Zangwill didn't let his judgment become clouded because of his rage. He instinctively believed that the gloomy black beam had something to do with the Evernight Goddess's authority over misfortune. He believed that Sauron Einhorn Medici's sudden fallout was clearly a result of this influence. Otherwise, it was impossible for the Red Angel evil spirit to break into a quarrel without concerning themselves with the situation they were in simply because of the Quill of Alzuhod's writing!

He immediately turned around, quickly running towards another exit of Revival Square in an attempt to communicate with other spirits. He wished to borrow their powers to escape; however, there wasn't a single spirit around!

At this moment, a figure stood in a hidden corner of the open square. He was a mixed-blood with parents coming from Loen and Balam. He had a fleshy face and baggy clothes. On his waist hung a rapier.

It was Admiral Hell Ludwell!

This was a marionette who usually didn't have any thoughts!

After throwing out the Deity's Curse charm, Klein followed his plan, returned to the real world, and made use of the two marionettes!

As he made Enzo find a corner, he took out the items he prepared, set up a bestowment ritual, and controlled Admiral Hell to walk to a secluded spot to face Ince Zangwill.

This Admiral Hell, who looked nothing like his original self, raised his right hand, allowing his arm and fingers to rapidly turn incorporeal as they extended towards the target.

This was a power he used by borrowing the Underworld creature within him to extract the Spirit Bodies of others remotely!

Ludwell's palm quickly turned pale-white, and above Ince Zangwill, a figure floated up uncontrollably.

However, Ince Zangwill was once a Gatekeeper. An illusory bronze door filled with mystery immediately took form in his eyes as it quickly pulled back his escaping Spirit Body.

With his level and strength, this was unlikely to succeed so successfully, but for some reason, he repeatedly made mistakes and nearly allowed Admiral Hell to succeed. For a brief moment, all he could manage to do was a see-saw-like struggle.

At this moment, two figures rapidly appeared beside Ludwell. One of them was the black-haired, green-eyed Leonard with a transparent glove in hand, and the other was Davy Simone who had blue eyeshadow and blush.

They had arrived at the perfect moment because the bad luck of an enemy often implied that one was lucky enough!

The first thing Daly saw was the figure she could never forget. Pangs of fury burned in her eyes instantly.

She didn't rashly attack as she made some observations. She came behind Ludwell and spread her arms.

A bronze door filled with countless strange patterns immediately descended and creaked open a gap.

This was a door that led to the Underworld. It was a door filled with allure to all undead creatures!

An indescribable and terrifying suction force came out of it as the figure above Ince Zangwill's body completely separated from him.

It was a translucent man wearing blood-stained black armor. He was young and handsome with red hair. His face had terrifying signs of decay, and at his glabella was a flag-like mark.

This young man wasn't too surprised about being separated from Ince Zangwill. Instead, he sneered.

"We sure are unlucky today. We have already died together once, so is there a need to do so another time? Especially when we're being controlled by such a weakling?"

A bloody gap appeared on his upper left cheek as it opened and closed.

"Alright, let's clear out the surrounding trash..."

Before the sentence was finished, the man in blood-stained black armor reached out his palm and drew out an illusory sword with dark red rust stains from his body.

A terrifying suppressive force easily allowed the evil spirit to free itself from Ludwell's and Daly Simone's extraction. It swooped down in an attempt to return to Ince Zangwill's body.

At this moment, a hoarse voice sounded, sounding as though it held sandcloth in it. Admiral Hell Ludwell had chanted in ancient Hermes, "Fate!"

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"Fate!"

In the awkward-sounding voice, the spots where Admiral Hell Ludwell and Nightwatcher Ince Zangwill stood turned dark as if they were covered by two black clouds.

Fate Siphon charm!

This was one of the Fate Siphon charms that Klein had made using the Worms of Time from Pallez Zoroast!

To make plans without 0-08's knowledge, he had kept himself hidden behind the scenes the entire time. Not only had he lent Creeping Hunger to Leonard Mitchell, he had also given the Fate Siphon charm to his marionette!

Hence, the one who was possessed by the evil spirit had gone from Ince Zangwill to Ludwell.

Admiral Hell instantly had Sauron Einhorn Medici's blood-stained, black-armored body plunge into him as his eyes became filled with minute blood vessels.

Inside the hotel, Klein calmly controlled the marionette without showing any wavering or hesitation due to the impact the evil spirit had. Ludwell reached out to tear his clothes and raised the soul-soothing mask to cover his face.

At the same time, having heard the Red Angel's words, and witnessing "His" actual condition, Daly Simone, who had suffered immense pressure, seemed to realize something. Not only did she not close the Door to the Underworld, she even gritted her teeth and used all her might to widen the gap.

Bloody, skinless arms, slimy tentacles with teeth, and bluish-black vines with baby faces began emerging from the Door to the Underworld as they grabbed at Ludwell.

This freed up Admiral Hell who had planned on completing this step alone. Taking advantage of the opportunity that the Underworld within his body hadn't yet been destroyed by Sauron Einhorn Medici, with the only negative effects on his body being decaying, he hurriedly turned around and dashed towards the mysterious, illusory bronze door!

He was then grabbed on his body and legs by the arms, tentacles, vines, and spirits behind the door. With his running working hand in hand with the scalp-tingling tugs, he instantly leaped through the widened door gap and entered the Underworld.

Upon seeing this, Daly immediately pulled back her palm and stopped maintaining the mysterious-patterned bronze door.

Thud!

The indescribable illusory door closed heavily. Admiral Hell Ludwell, along with Sauron Einhorn Medici, were kept out of the real world with the Underworld creatures.

This was a key step to Klein's plan. It was to forcibly separate the Red Angel evil spirit from Ince Zangwill!

Although he believed that the Red Angel evil spirit was the reason for Ince Zangwill's instability, he wasn't willing to face an additional evil spirit formed after the deaths of one King of Angels and two Sequence 1 angels when taking revenge on a demigod. No one could predict what actions a Conspirer would take under such circumstances.

Therefore, Klein used the basis of the magical powers of the Fate Siphon charm and Ludwell's pathway characteristic to formulate a plan. The addition of Daly had allowed the entire process to happen more smoothly. There wasn't any room for being interrupted as they successfully pulled the Red Angel evil spirit into the Underworld!

This way, even if the evil spirit was able to possess Admiral Hell's body and travel back to the real world via Spirit World Traversal, it would be far into the future. After all, to leave the Underworld required them to find an exit, and with the Evernight Goddess wielding control over Artificial Death, she had a certain level of authority in the Underworld. "She" was definitely not letting the Red Angel evil spirit leave so easily.

Sacrificing a marionette, a high-level charm, and two mystical items in exchange for removing the Red Angel evil spirit from the battlefield was heart-wrenching for Klein, but it was definitely worth it!

As for the misfortune on Ince Zangwill, on the one hand, it was a continuous state and not a short-term affliction; and on the other hand, he had suffered from Deity's Curse. The Fate Siphon charm could only replace a tiny portion of that and not empty it out. He could soon recover. As for Ludwell, he had Winner Enzo imbuing him with good luck. Nothing would stop his series of actions for a short period of time.

Such a change was completely unexpected for Leonard. However, he had become a Red Glove for almost a year. He had plenty of experience dealing with supernatural cases, so he didn't show any hesitation or confusion. He immediately cast his gaze at the still-dazed Ince Zangwill.

When the figure in a black clergyman's robe with one dim eye was reflected in his eyes, his expression immediately warped as though he was facing a trauma of his.

It was a trauma where he did his best but had failed to put it to use. It was the trauma of seeing Captain and Klein already dead after regaining consciousness.

As Leonard raised his left palm, he pressed the human-skinned glove to his temple and grasped the Fate Siphon charm in his right hand tightly. With a deep voice, he said, "Fate!"

The ancient, supernatural language echoed as a transparent book condensed in front of his left glove. Following that, there was the ethereal chant of "I came, I saw, I record."

Bolts of bright, blinding silver lightning blasted down one after another as they instantly devoured Leonard.

Lightning Storm!

This was akin to Leonard holding a revolver to his temple before pulling the trigger.

He was committing suicide, but at the same time, he was using the Fate Siphon charm. This would transfer such a fate to Ince Zangwill!

This was the best solution he could think of when using the Fate Siphon charm and Creeping Hunger! It required immense courage!

Countless silver lightning swept over, shattering the surrounding darkness. Leonard Mitchell immediately snapped awake and found himself still standing at his spot. His left hand had yet to rise, and his right hand had just grabbed the Fate Siphon charm.

Whatever he did was just a dream!

At this moment, in Ince Zangwill's dark blue eyes, darkness was slowly swirling. It was as though it was saying: When did you get the misconception that you aren't dreaming?

In fact, long before Sauron Einhorn Medici had been extracted from his body, he had already created a large-scale dream in an attempt to pull all his enemies in. Unfortunately, the man with a rapier was in no way affected. He easily escaped and ended up destroying the dream, reducing its effects to nothing.

As the ability to detect danger which was gained from one's spiritual perception feedback was that obvious, and with the possibility of the conflict between the two Kings of Angels behind him spilling over at any moment, Ince Zangwill didn't hesitate to create a large-scale slumber effect while pulling Daly Simone and Leonard Mitchell into a dream.

Right on the heels of that, he picked up Quill of Alzuhod and rapidly wrote on his sleeve:

"Ince Zangwill was in optimal condition today. He could effectively control his Mythical Creature form; therefore, he didn't hold back and used all his strength to escape the area!"

As he finished writing the sentence with the quill, Ince Zangwill's body began transforming.

His eyes instantly turned black as though it was tainted with ink. The fine patterns around him began to extend, forming strange and distorted mysterious symbols.

At his waist and ribs, his clothes swelled as four skinless arms grew out from squirming flesh; they were covered with blood vessels.

The arm was rapidly covered with white feathers as a cadaveric aura rippled out.

At the same time, Ince Zangwill's teeth grew long, turning sharp. His body seemed to be embedded with numerous blurry, tiny faces.

In a blink of an eye, this Nightwatcher was already slumped on the ground, turning into a strange monster with eight "legs" and white feathers!

Night suddenly fell upon the square as worms in the soil and the bacteria on the floor tiles died one after another, entering an eternal slumber.

This was the combination of the powers of Evernight and Death!

Just as Daly Simone and Leonard Mitchell were about to lose their lives amidst their slumber, a thunderclap boomed.

Bolts of silver lightning struck down, turning into a forest of lightning that blanketed Ince Zangwill's incomplete Mythical Creature form.

After sending away the Red Angel evil spirit, Klein didn't stay any longer. Like a marionette with preset orders, he mechanically took four steps counterclockwise and entered above the gray fog. Wearing the papal tiara and papal robe again, he picked up the Sea God Scepter!

This was the third act of the play. With 0-08 exhausted by Adam, and with the Red Angel evil spirit separated from Ince Zangwill thanks to the Fate Siphon charm, he had to face the Sea God's wrath as a Sequence 4!

Klein knew that he didn't have the strength to directly fight a demigod. Therefore, his plan had been to wear off Ince Zangwill's helpers while smiting him from above the gray fog. It was akin to the sea battle with the demigod, Qonas Kilgor, who was from the Black Emperor pathway back then.

Even if he couldn't complete the kill due to a demigod's potency, he could stall for time until the Church of Evernight's archbishop or high-ranking deacons with Sealed Artifacts arrived!

In this plan, there were two uncontrollable parameters.

First, it was unpredictable how much influence 0-08 had towards the end. A card up his sleeve was to let Enzo set up a bestowment ritual and be prepared to send Groselle's Travels to the real world at any time. By sending it to the edge of the battle, Klein wanted to know if this would lure the quill away from Ince Zangwill. After all, he guessed that the quill was a Grade o Sealed Artifact of the Spectator pathway. It was likely that it was interested in the special book left behind by the Dragon of Imagination.

Second, he wasn't sure how strong the Son of the Creator, Adam, was. Klein had no reference point, and he believed that it wasn't impossible for a King of Angels like him to subdue 0-08, imprison the Red Angel evil spirit, and kill Ince Zangwill alone!

Towards such a development, Klein had no means to foil it. All he could do was pray for the Goddess's blessings and Fate's tenderness as he waited for the outcome.

Rumble!

The lightning forest smote down, bringing with it intense destructive auras.

At this moment, pure darkness surged out of the gaps in the lightning, devouring all of the silver-white swath.

Right on the heels of that, Ince Zangwill's eight "legs" moved rapidly as he ran out of the area.

He couldn't find a target of attack, nor could he lock onto the enemy that had cast Lightning Storm. Holding back his furious emotions, he ran towards buildings along the perimeter of the square, leaving shadowy afterimages behind.

However, amidst booming thunder, terrifying lightning bolts smote down one after another, trapping Ince Zangwill inside the square.

Daly and Leonard had already woken up from their dreams, but the light from the lightning affected their vision, allowing them to discover that Ince Zangwill had apparently turned into a monster, but the details were unclear.

Mythical Creature form... As the two had a solid foundation in mysticism, they immediately realized what was happening and quickly closed their eyes. They then retreated to a spot that provided them shelter.

Realizing that he was unable to dodge the lightning strike given the amount of time he had, Ince Zangwill retracted one of his "legs," picked up 0-08, and as he ran, he wrote on his body:

"An unknown existence is attracted by the combat and feels great pity for Ince Zangwill's experiences before deciding to help him by taking him away via the spirit world!"

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