170 LOTM

As Anthony Steven Vincent's words echoed in Memorial Square, it spread to other areas. The Loenese citizens who participated in the Mass were both moved and sad, feeling warmth in the midst of their depression.

In a different square, different choirs began to chant the hymns. The ethereal and holy voice seemed to echo deep in everyone's heart:

"Full-faced above the land stood the crimson moon;

"And sweet it was to dream of themselves,

"Of child, and wife, and parents; but evermore[1]..."

Unknowingly, everyone felt their spirits being cleansed and their spirituality naturally released.

They seemed to have entered a dream and were strolling in a quiet darkness.

Their children were sleeping here. Their parents, their wives, their husbands, their friends, and the deceased were no longer suffering. They no longer had any pain, their expressions were peaceful and gentle.

"We look upward into the night sky,

"We tenderly say her name:

"'Evernight Goddess!'

"...If 'She' heard us, 'She' would surely agree,

"Smiling with purity at the dead:

"Come, rest and sleep well, my children[2]!"

The people who were strolling in the dream felt awash with intense sorrow once again, as though they realized that they were really going to bid each other farewell.

They recalled all the beautiful memories from the past. They recalled the scene of their family enjoying delicacies and having fun at the dining table. They recalled the people who looked at them warmly, and the pain of seeing them get hurt. When they learned of their passing, it was as if they could tear their souls apart. They recalled the dark clouds and separation that had been brought to this war.

They were sleeping peacefully in this serene nation, no longer having any worries. However, the people who survived had to suffer the days and nights, turning haggard and withered.

One teardrop after another flowed down. The people participating in Mass at Memorial Square could no longer suppress their emotions as they silently released the pain they had accumulated.

A huge wave of sadness filled the air, mixed with the chanting of the choir, as though it had a corporeal form.

"Cross your hands humbly,

"Over your breast!

"Make the silent prayer,

"And shout from the bottom of your heart:

"The only escape is tranquility[3]!"

The people who were sobbing silently with their eyes closed subconsciously followed the content of the hymns and made similar gestures. Then, they shouted in their hearts, infected with each other's emotions:

"The only escape is tranquility!"

The grief reached an apex with more than ten thousand hearts resonating at Memorial Square.

At this moment, Audrey opened her eyes and bent down. She took out a bottle of potion from the leather pouch that her golden retriever, Susie, was carrying.

There were countless points of light floating in the potion, just like the manifestation of the sea of collective subconscious.

Audrey didn't hesitate. Under such circumstances, she removed the bottle cap and gulped down the liquid inside.

Unlike in the past where she could experience the potion slush through her throat and into her stomach, she immediately felt abnormal.

She felt that she could no longer sense her body. Her entire being seemed to have condensed into an idea as she merged into the illusory sea around her.

This was her first time directly seeing the sea of collective subconscious without passing through a dream or mind island. As though she had returned to her mother's embrace before she was born, she returned to the very beginning where the imprints left by human ancestors were washed away by the tides as they crumbled and were influenced.

There was fear, madness, and all kinds of terrifying mental corruption. For a moment, Audrey found it difficult to resist. Her consciousness faded, and her "body" shook as though it was on the brink of melting away.

However, the "sea" nearby wasn't serene. There was a certain degree of undulations, spreading the intense sorrow and pain around.

Under such influence, the self-aware Audrey, who was about to be assimilated by the sea of collective subconscious, also began to resonate, generating uncontrollable feelings of grief within her.

The grief spread from one thought to another. Soon, it filled the blob of "thoughts" that Audrey had mutated into. It pierced through her Soul Body and pierced her soul.

Audrey finally regained a little of her senses. She skillfully Placated herself, constantly giving cues to remove the corruption until she regained her senses.

The voice in her ears became clearer and clearer, louder and louder. Finally, it reverberated through the sea of collective subconscious.

"The only escape is tranquility!"

"The only escape is tranquility!"

The only escape is tranquility... Audrey repeated the prayer as her figure quickly turned clear.

With a mere thought, she split herself into many transparent and illusory bodies. She traveled through the sea of collective subconscious and reached the mind islands that represented different people and stepped onto them.

In these "places," she could clearly see the sadness coming from different people.

The bombshells that came from the sky, the airship that made up a fleet, the letters spelling bad news sent from the front lines, blood and flesh splattering in front of them, and the person who they loved suddenly collapsing in front of them, the pile of toys that no longer had an owner, the fit of coughs that came from the Great Smog...

"The only escape is tranquility."

The golden retriever, Susie, also shut her eyes in Mass. She used the human language to recite those words in her heart, but she failed to notice any changes in her surroundings.

Suddenly, in her soul, in her Body of Heart and Mind, Audrey's voice sounded:

"Susie, I succeeded...

"I've always been worried, worried that I'll become more and more indifferent as my Sequence increases due to the potion's effects; that I'll become more and more like a Mythical Creature instead of a human."

Susie raised her head in confusion and saw that although the blonde girl's eyes were tightly shut, tears had unknowingly covered her face.

Then, she heard Audrey say in her heart:

"Thankfully, I can still feel their sorrow.

"How nice..."

In Susie's eyes, teardrops fell from the corner of the blonde girl's eyes. It was crystal clear.

At this moment, the sun's final ray of light was swallowed. The night brought about tranquility.

Everyone opened their eyes and said in a calm voice, "The only escape is tranquility!"

...

After crying without restraint, the bright, cheerful Audrey's mood became heavy. She became a little sensitive and a little sad. It made everyone who saw her feel a sense of love from the bottom of their hearts.

Under all kinds of protection, she returned to Empress Borough and returned to her room.

Only then did she have the chance to seriously examine herself and digest the knowledge and experience she gained from the sea of collective subconscious.

Others might not be able to tell, but Audrey knew very well that the tall, blonde, blue-eyed beauty in the mirror already possessed extraordinary strength and exaggerated dragon scale defenses. She could break through a block of steel with one punch.

Oh, I can still use "Dragon Transformation." It's equivalent to using an incomplete Mythical Creature form. However, I have to wait until I get used to the potion and keep stacking up the correct psychological cues. Otherwise, I can lose control... Every "Dragon Transformation" can't exceed a certain amount of time. Otherwise, even if I have the means to treat my mind and soul, I'll be contaminated by madness and confusion, causing me to lose control... My current limit is about a minute...

The core power of a Manipulator is "Manipulation." I can allow a Body of Heart and Mind pass through the sea of collective subconscious and enter another person's mind island. I can directly change their subconscious and read their thoughts, silently driving them to do all sorts of things...

Matching "Manipulation" is "Virtual Persona." I can create many personas, allowing them to have a corresponding Body of Heart and Mind. This aspect can resist a lot of influence in the mind domain, and on the other hand, it can allow me to use "them" to silently invade the target's island of consciousness without any signs of it...

I currently can have only 13 Virtual Personas...

A Manipulator can also create a terrifying "Mental Plague." By using the sea of collective subconscious, I can spread all kinds of mental illnesses and extreme madness...

Yes, "Awe" has turned into "Mind Deprivation," a huge area-of-effect version. It's no longer just the single effect of "Awe"...

I can also transform my designated thoughts into a "Mind Storm" that will sweep the surroundings, affecting all my enemies...

Heh heh, as a Manipulator, it naturally comes with the ability to travel the sea of collective subconscious. It's called "Consciousness Stroll." Otherwise my target would've long left by the time I arrived at a location after a series of complicated manipulations... Audrey looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly revealed a faint smile.

Then, she puffed up her cheeks and opened her mouth as if she was about to spew something.

Since her Mythical Creature form was a mind dragon, it definitely had to have some form of dragon's breath.

This was an attack that could directly stimulate and harm the target's Body of Heart and Mind and Soul Body. It dealt damage in an area-of-effect manner, an upgraded version of "Psychic Piercing."

Following that, Audrey's green eyes turned slightly and she looked away. She sighed inwardly.

This is what it means to be a demigod. These powers make even me feel afraid... How powerful is Mr. World for him to be able to kill Hvin Rambis...

...

In the ancient palace above the fog.

As the participants of the hunting operation made their preparations, they decided to organize a private gathering to discuss the details.

"A Manipulator is that terrifying?" The Magician Fors looked at Miss Justice beside her and blurted out in shock.

Just now, Audrey had briefly mentioned the changes she had undergone after becoming a demigod. Although she didn't elaborate in detail to protect her trump cards, it still left The Magician, The Hermit, Judgment, and The Star in shock.

"Actually, it's not that terrifying. Mr. World knows very well." Audrey cast her gaze to the bottom of the long, mottled table.

The World Gehrman Sparrow didn't nod as he tersely acknowledged.

"I also had powerful helpers before I could kill Hvin Rambis."

He paused and said, "Before discussing the hunting operation, I would like to know how to make the Abraham family sense my friendliness?"

[1] Adapted from the Lotos-eaters by Tennyson.

[2] Adapted from The Cry of the Children by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

[3] Adapted from The Bridge of Sighs by Thomas Hood and Lotos-eaters by Tennyson.

-x-X-x-

Friendliness? Upon hearing The World Gehrman Sparrow's question, Fors nearly doubted her ears.

The image of Mr. X's head that was put together, leaving it covered in cracks, crevices, and blood surfaced in her mind.

Just as Fors was deliberating over her words, Audrey glanced at her and smiled at The World Gehrman Sparrow.

"To let the Abraham family sense your friendliness, it isn't about what you do, but what Miss Magician writes in her letters."

That's right, unless I appear directly in front of Miss Magician's teacher, his understanding of me will only be limited to the various rumors and things that Miss Magician tells him... As long as the story she tells is good enough, even if it doesn't fit the actual situation, it doesn't matter... Klein suddenly realized that he had been splitting hairs on the question.

"Ah?" Fors was somewhat enlightened by Miss Justice's words, but she didn't fully understand it.

After looking at The Hermit, The Star, and company, Justice Audrey said to Fors, "You need to convey Mr. World's friendliness to your teacher. For this, you can fabricate some stories and not tell him the truth."

"Then what should I say?" Fors asked for advice.

This wasn't because she wasn't good at making up stories. On the contrary, this was what she was most adept at. However, the problem was that writing a novel that was well-received was different from a story that could convince people. If she could get a senior psychologist's advice on the latter, it would undoubtedly be easier.

Audrey had already thought of the details of the letter before she opened her mouth. She replied unhurriedly, "It's obvious that your teacher has already noticed that you've rapidly advanced, and because of Mr. X's death and all sorts of sensitive issues, he has a certain level of doubt and vigilance regarding the Beyonder circles that you've participated in."

"Yes." Fors nodded indiscernibly in agreement with Miss Audrey's judgment.

If her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham, was careless, he wouldn't have been able to survive to this day. He would have long been caught by the Aurora Order or died in the hands of other powers who were interested in the Abraham family.

Audrey continued, "In such a situation, he will still maintain contact with you. He will teach you knowledge, give you formulas, and provide you with ingredients. This shows that, on the one hand, he acknowledges your character and morals, and on the other hand, he will also have a certain level of anticipation for you to obtain important information from the mysterious and dangerous Beyonder circle, as well as you becoming a Sequence 4 demigod.

"This is the mentality we want to exploit."

Audrey originally wanted to use the more neutral term, "grasp," instead of "exploit," but after pausing for a moment, she chose to face herself directly and face the essence of the matter.

With Fors listening attentively and Judgment, The Star, and The Hermit looking forward to what she had left to say, Audrey pursed her lips and said, "When you return, you can write to him and tell him that you have already become a Traveler. It will make him happy for your growth, and also be surprised by such an exaggerated advancement speed. Then, you can answer the question he asked previously, saying that the gentleman who was seeking to purchase the Worm of Star had mentioned something—that the ancient curse in the Abraham family seems to come from a secret existence known as Mr. Door.

"This is a question that your teacher has never told you about but is definitely concerned about.

"Without a doubt, he will feel fear towards the gentleman who seems to know that you're related to the Abraham family. He will want to avoid you, but he will definitely yearn to know more. He will then try to find out what secret lies behind the curse that has plagued generations of Abrahams, one that he has no solution to.

"At the same time, a letter exchange isn't a direct meeting. It will give him a certain sense of security. He might change his residence, change his identity, and use a more roundabout way to receive the letter, but there is a high chance that he will not sever the connection.

"Maintain this connection. Step by step, reveal something more valuable. You will awaken your teacher's desire and use it to portray an image of Mr. World so that your teacher can experience some form of friendliness."

At this point, Audrey stopped and looked at The World Gehrman Sparrow once again.

She could roughly tell that Mr. World's goodwill towards the Abraham family was because he had a request, but as for the specific request, she wasn't a clairvoyant, nor had she read Gehrman Sparrow's mind. Naturally, she couldn't guess it, nor could she continue explaining.

Klein nodded and said with a hoarse smile, "After we establish this kind of indirect connection, I might ask your teacher for a transaction and use the promise of breaking the curse to exchange for certain items of value."

Through Demoness Trissy, he had already grasped the solution to the Abraham family's curse. However, he didn't plan on exchanging it for the Planeswalker potion formula or a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.

On the one hand, the difference in value was too great, making him feel guilty. On the other hand, he didn't want to bring a dangerous existence like Mr. Door back into the real world. It was being irresponsible to himself and the innocent.

He was thinking of another way to make the curse of the Abraham family disappear to a certain extent. In other words, it might still exist, but it wouldn't affect the normal lives of the Abraham family and provide a certain range of improvements.

Is that so... Mid- to High-Sequence Beyonders in the mind domain are really impressive. She can make people follow her arrangements without realizing it... Compared to when we first met, Miss Justice has seemed to undergo a complete metamorphosis. It makes people fear and respect her... Fors glanced at Xio and seemed to read the same poignant thoughts from her eyes.

After some thought, she mustered her courage and said to The World Gehrman Sparrow, "What if my teacher rejects your request?"

Did you think I would murder for property? Klein lampooned in Chinese. He scoffed and said, "Don't worry, I won't harm him. I won't use any methods that will force him."

Phew... Although Mr. World is a little scary, he's still a man of his word... Fors slowly nodded and said, "I'll write a letter to my teacher according to Miss Justice's suggestion."

Klein nodded slightly and surveyed the area.

"You can begin discussing the hunt."

Cattleya took control and said, "The biggest problem with this operation is finding the Saint of Secrets Botis."

Fors immediately recalled how she had encountered him and raised her hand.

"If I can borrow that powerful Sealed Artifact from my teacher, then I can bring it with me. I can often wander around Backlund and use the convergence of Beyonder characteristics to attract Botis to a nearby location.

"Uh, this might attract other demigods of the Apprentice pathway; or the leader of the Secret Order, Zaratul; or Blasphemer Amon..."

The more Fors spoke, the lower her voice became. She felt that this method was too dangerous.

She didn't know what would happen to the other members who participated in the operation if Zaratul and Amon really appeared, but as bait, it was without a doubt that she would fail to escape.

Cattleya nodded and said thoughtfully, "If it's only a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact of the Apprentice pathway, the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics shouldn't be that attractive to neighboring pathways. The range will be limited to the demigods of the Apprentice pathway. And from what I know, there aren't many of them. In fact, it can be said that there are very few of them. Most of them exist in the form of a characteristic or Sealed Artifact."

I suddenly do not wish to become a Sequence 4... Fors's eyelids twitched when she heard that.

Cattleya cast her gaze at The World Gehrman Sparrow.

"Let's not discuss the problem of whether there are any Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts of the Apprentice pathway. If we want to let the Saint of Secrets and Miss Magician bump into each other, the prerequisite is that he is also in Backlund. He mustn't be that cautious and often goes out."

Upon hearing this, Leonard said from the angle of a professional official Beyonder, "It's actually not difficult. As a demigod of the Apprentice pathway, Botis is definitely in charge of dealing with accidents among the upper echelons of the Aurora Order. He has sufficient mobility to aid the other members in different places. Heh heh, this is a term that appeared after the steam engine and the airship were invented.

"As long as you can create some matters against the Aurora Order in Backlund, he has a high chance of showing up."

As he spoke, Leonard glanced at Klein.

Based on what he knew, in the chaotic battle outside Bayam City caused by Gehrman Sparrow, the Saint of Secrets had appeared and picked up a glove.

"This is a solution..." Audrey and company nodded.

At this moment, The World suddenly said, "Let me remind you that the Aurora Order is an organization that worships a true god. Once you take action against them and secretly target their upper echelons, the True Creator might be able to foresee this and give them a warning."

That can happen? Audrey's eyes widened slightly as she observed Cattleya, Leonard, and company. She realized that they were equally astonished.

This was something that they had never considered before.

It wasn't that they weren't smart enough, but that they had never participated in such matters that involved high-level existences before. Or rather, even if they were involved, they weren't aware of it.

"Then what should we do?" Fors couldn't help but ask.

Klein replied in a suggestive tone, "By not targeting the Aurora Order directly, we can use a milder approach to fish out the Saint of Secrets Botis."

-x-X-x-

A milder approach... The Hermit Cattleya, who lacked experience only on high-level matters, instantly had a new idea and probed, "Let Miss Magician participate in the various Beyonder gatherings in Backlund. 'accidentally' revealing that she's related to the Abraham family, attracting the attention of the Aurora Order?"

Seeing no objection from The World Gehrman Sparrow, Cattleya thought as she looked to the other side.

"How we can make this matter appear reasonable without arousing suspicion, how to design the steps and procedures needed to 'expose' herself, and how to lay the foundations at each one of the gatherings—these might require your help, Miss Justice."

From her point of view, only a Manipulator who could accurately grasp the various mentalities of the different people at the gathering could allow the scheme to appear natural and reasonable, without leaving a trace.

"Alright." Audrey nodded solemnly, feeling somewhat excited.

She then added, "Although I've never done anything similar before, I will try my best to make everything seem reasonable."

...Why do I suddenly feel a little afraid... Why do I feel like we are all inexperienced people? Apart from Mr. World who can't directly participate, uh, Ma'am Hermit might be very experienced in other aspects, but she shouldn't have been involved in such hunting before... This isn't a game, it's a cruel act that can kill someone if we aren't careful... Fors trembled when she heard this. She had a deep suspicion of the "experience" of most of the members. This included herself.

However, when she thought of how Miss Justice and Ma'am Hermit were already Sequence 4 demigods, and that she and The Star were at Sequence 5, she felt that this wasn't too serious of a problem. After all, every powerhouse had accumulated their experiences over time from nothing. Furthermore, they still had The World Gehrman Sparrow, the strongest hunter over the Five Seas.

Reasonable... Scheme... Manipulation... Listening to the conversation between Ma'am Hermit and Miss Justice, Klein subconsciously extracted the keywords.

This reminded him of how he had used 0-08 and the experience of playing out situations that had been arranged by 0-08. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

It's no wonder the Spectator's Sequence 1 is called Author. This is indeed a very reasonable development, but it can change from a "guidance" to being "forced"...

"There's no need to rush yourself to make the arrangements in detail. Go back and think it over carefully. Yes, at the same time, we need to combine the feedback from the scene to make adjustments." Cattleya nodded in thought as she immediately had a new idea. "When Miss Magician participates in the Beyonder gatherings, it's best you hide in the vicinity. Use your control of the sea of collective subconscious to monitor every participant's thoughts and accurately grasp the feedback."

Would 13 Virtual Personas be enough? There should be more than 13 members at a Beyonder gathering... Hmm, I can switch to using "Monitoring" to select a target to focus on... Audrey quickly analyzed the feasibility of the suggestion and tersely acknowledged.

"That wouldn't be an issue."

To her, this was also a form of training. At the same time, it was also a form of acting—she didn't directly use her Beyonder powers to affect the target, but instead used her precise understanding of the target's mental state to "manipulate" them by using words, behavior, actions, and a "script."

Seeing that there was no problem on Miss Justice's side, The Hermit Cattleya looked at The Magician.

"In order to prevent a surprise attack, and to better grasp your surroundings, I need to plant something on you."

"What is it?" Fors asked warily.

Cattleya glanced at The World at the bottom end of the long, mottled table. After receiving the permission of Mr. Fool's Blessed, she raised her hand and pressed it between her brows.

A pair of transparent eyes appeared in front of her, ones that were without eyelashes, looking cold and heartless.

"This is the Eye of Mystery Prying. After becoming a Mysticologist, I can place it on someone else's body. Whatever it sees it will be what I see. Furthermore, once it enters a concealed state, it will be very difficult to be discovered through other means." Cattleya gave a simple introduction.

Upon seeing this scene, Klein leaned back slightly and sighed inwardly.

When he first grasped Spirit Vision, he had seen something similar behind Old Neil.

If he had the mysticism knowledge he had now back then, he would've detected the problem earlier. Perhaps things would have developed differently.

If this strange eye were to be planted on me, wouldn't I be watched by Ma'am Hermit when I go to the bathroom... Fors secretly drew a cold gasp as she hesitantly asked, "Can we 'plant' it before each gathering?"

"If we make frequent contact with each other, we'll be easily discovered. Besides, the Saint of Secrets wouldn't only appear at times you choose." Cattleya nudged the heavy glasses on her nose bridge and explained. "Don't worry, I won't look at things I shouldn't see."

It was a lesson learned through blood.

Fors fell silent for a few seconds before she slowly exhaled.

"Alright then..."

Cattleya nodded slightly and continued, "After discovering clues to the Abraham family, the Aurora Order will definitely do a certain amount of investigation. And for safety, so as to prevent any accidents from happening, they will definitely send out someone with a certain level of confidence. Among them, the Saint of Secrets Botis is undoubtedly the person who is most interested in the matter regarding the Abraham family. In addition, Backlund isn't suitable for a King of Angels' main body to be active in, so the probability of him appearing is the highest."

At this moment, The Star Leonard, who was leaning against the back of his chair, raised his hand and said, "Not necessarily.

"According to the information we have gathered, the Aurora Order has other high-ranking members in Backlund—Saint Tenebrous. After Mr. A disappeared, he came forward to organize certain matters.

"When the time comes, the person responsible for tracking the clues to the Abraham family might very well be him, not the Saint of Secrets. After all, this is his 'diocese.'"

The demigod I met when I assassinated Mr. X was Saint Tenebrous? Klein nodded in enlightenment without bringing any attention to himself.

Cattleya was already prepared for this. Without any hesitation, she said to The Star, "This might require your help. In the near future, you should investigate more cases involving the Aurora Order and strike at them more.

"This way, it will be inconvenient for them to move around. After discovering clues about the Abraham family, they might very likely seek reinforcements, getting—yes, the more mobile and more concealed Saint of Secrets to be responsible for it."

Leonard thought of his recent mission list and nodded slightly.

"Sure."

As the captain of a Red Gloves team, he had the right to do so.

"The only problem is, could this be predicted by the True Creator?" After Leonard agreed, he turned to look at Klein.

After some thought, Klein pointed out indirectly.

"You are similarly under the gaze of a deity."

Leonard retracted his gaze as though he had gained some understanding. He said to The Hermit Cattleya, "I have no further questions."

The Hermit Cattleya raised her glasses and cast her gaze towards Judgment.

"We will try our best to limit the Beyonder circles that Miss Magician will be involved in to East Borough and the Backlund Bridge area. These should be places you are familiar with. You have to constantly be aware of any abnormalities. Inform me immediately about the surroundings of the gathering's location."

"Alright." Although Xio was disappointed that she was involved in the periphery matters, she knew very well that with her strength, she could only do so much.

At that moment, Cattleya thought for a moment before saying, "You are a Judge. When the time comes, you might need to do some area-of-effect 'Prohibition.' This might not be effective against the Saint of Secrets, Botis, but it should be able to cause some interference. Don't doubt it. As support, Mid-Sequence Beyonders can similarly influence a saint to a certain extent."

All of this is under the premise of a demigod resisting a demigod while all I provide is support... The education Xio had received since she was young, and the addition of the knowledge she learned from MI9 now put an emphasis on cooperation. It was very easy to understand what Ma'am Hermit was saying.

At this point, the plan had just started taking form. The next step was to adjust it bit by bit through on-the-ground feedback.

Fors heaved a sigh of relief when she suddenly thought of something. She hurriedly said, "Previously, Mr. World mentioned that Botis might have a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. How should we deal with it?"

Frankly speaking, she didn't have a direct impression of how terrifying a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was. This was because she had never encountered one before and had never seen anyone encounter it before. However, she had experienced the Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts that Gehrman Sparrow had borrowed from Mr. Fool. She knew how terrifying it was, and with a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact being one grade higher than a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, it was obvious how potent one was. In the rumors that Fors had heard, some Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts could even destroy Backlund, or even the world.

Cattleya said after a few seconds of silence, "On the one hand, through Miss Justice's grasp of the minds of the people around you, she will be able to find traces of possible existences. On the other hand, with Miss Judgment's understanding of the various anomalies in the region, and combining it with divination, we will be able to determine ahead of time if there are any Sealed Artifacts.

"If we can't get any feedback from all of this, and if the Saint of Secrets has a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact with him, you don't have to be too afraid. He won't kill you immediately. He will definitely try to gain control of you and interrogate you at a safe place. We have enough time and opportunities to separate him from the Sealed Artifact. Remember, a Sealed Artifact that a Beyonder possesses isn't completely a part of his strength.

"During this process, didn't you 'Record' some high-level Beyonder powers? If the situation is critical, don't hold back, and try your best to escape."

Sounds like you're not very confident either... Fors's face suddenly turned pale as she forced a smile.

"I'll try my best."

At this moment, The World Gehrman Sparrow took the initiative to speak.

"In times of necessity, pray to Mr. Fool. I will also ask 'Him' to provide 'His' protection in advance and provide some revelations."

As this operation wouldn't pose a threat to Klein's actual body regardless of the development, and it might involve a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, he could only gain some revelations from his initial control of Sefirah Castle.

That's good... Fors, Xio, and company heaved a sigh of relief.

When the private gathering was coming to an end. Klein glanced at Cattleya and said, "It looks like there's no way to end the operation before New Year. I'll provide you with the advance payment."

He then condensed some of mysticism knowledge he had never mentioned into a pale white brilliance and pushed it to The Hermit.

-x-X-x-

Dark Angel Sasrir might very well be the negative personality that's expelled from the ancient sun god... Mr. Door was once the most powerful King of Angels... The Abraham family also possesses at least two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts that's at the level of an angel of the Apprentice pathway... The underlying rules of this world are chaos and madness... Pieces of mysticism knowledge resonated in Cattleya's mind, causing her to feel weighed down in addition to her shock.

If it wasn't for the Tarot Club, Mr. Fool's protection, and The World Gehrman Sparrow's help, she believed that it wouldn't be easy for her to obtain such knowledge. She definitely had to take a tremendous risk in exchange. If she wasn't careful, she would attract the attention of certain high-level existences, or be embroiled in madness and pain.

"Thank you for your advance payment. This will greatly help me digest the potion." Cattleya opened her eyes and thanked him sincerely.

According to her original plan, she believed that she would be able to gain some mysticism knowledge after meeting Queen Mystic. With Gehrman Sparrow's current advance payment, her Mysticologist potion would most likely be completely digested. Unfortunately, a few days before she arrived in Backlund, Queen Mystic Bernadette had left the city to trace a lead. This left Cattleya extremely disappointed.

Upon hearing Ma'am Hermit's words, Klein, who was pretending to be The World, laughed hoarsely.

"A price is exacted for what's bestowed."

As his voice echoed, he nodded at the two ladies—Justice and The Magician—indicating that he was also directing those words at them.

After the private gathering ended and the members left Sefirah Castle one by one, Klein stood up and walked back to the seat of honor from the bottom end of the long, mottled table, to the seat belonging to The Fool.

He leaned back into his chair and propped his elbow on the armrest as the void beside him rippled and formed halos.

These were prayer lights that came from puppets controlled by a historical projection that Klein had summoned. They had existed before the gathering, but the corresponding area had been hidden from the rest, so no one could sense it. It was only now restored to normal.

He cast his gaze at the rippling light and expanded his vision into the distance.

In the real world, a dark mountain stood erect. There was a mountain hole at the mountainside that extended downwards.

This was once a place that hid many humans who had survived the Cataclysm, but they were later turned into Dark Demonic Wolf Kotar's marionettes.

During this period of time, Klein kept tracing the clues and found three spots where the Dark Demonic Wolff had hidden "Himself." However, Klein didn't gain much from them.

The reason was simple. Just like now, there was a rock in the cave. On it sat a young man wearing a classic black robe, a pointed hat, a broad forehead, and a thin face—Amon.

This Angel of Time seemed to sense the gaze from Sefirah Castle as "He" raised "His" head and adjusted "His" crystal monocle. The corners of "His" mouth curled up slightly.

"..." Klein retracted his gaze, his facial muscles twitching slightly as he muttered, "What a haunting presence... It's not like this fellow doesn't understand the Dark Demonic Wolf's past. Is there a need for him to destroy all the clues I need? Furthermore, 'He' only comes slightly earlier than me every single time..."

If it wasn't because he wasn't Amon's match, he really wanted to hang "Him" up and beat "Him."

Phew... Klein exhaled and immediately returned to the real world.

He wore a black top hat and carried a dim yellow lantern. He dispelled his maintaining of the historical projection and, without looking back, he left the mountain and ventured deep into the silent wilderness.

There was no hesitation in his footsteps, as he had already obtained detailed information about the Dark Demonic Wolf, Kotar, from the Evernight Goddess. He was well aware of the character, styles, and habits of the God of Wishes.

The reason why he was still searching for the Dark Demonic Wolf's past was mainly because he wanted to verify the information. After all, the East Continent had been in the Forsaken Land of the Gods for more than two thousand years. The Dark Demonic Wolf had escaped the Evernight Goddess's attention for a sufficiently long period of time, so it was very likely that some abnormalities and changes in character would occur. If he made a plan following the intelligence provided by the Evernight Goddess, there was a small chance that he would make the mistake of launching a surgical strike using an outdated map.

Under the tremendous pressure from the True Creator and Amon, the chances of the Dark Demonic Wolf transforming isn't low... Perhaps it has even turned abnormal or half-mad because of the excess stress... Klein couldn't help but lampoon inwardly.

The words "Dark Demonic Wolf" could actually be switched to "Klein Moretti" or "Zhou Mingrui" ad verbatim. It just needed to be said in future tense.

The other reason for his persistence in pursuing the Dark Demonic Wolf's past was that he was trying to fool Amon, making it difficult for "Him" to guess that he had already grasped the key information.

Of course, this might not be able to deceive the God of Deceit. His main goal was to obtain a victory of the mind, so as to adjust his mental state that was overly stressed. This allowed him to reduce the frequency at which he sought Miss Justice's treatment.

Well, from the looks of it, the Dark Demonic Wolf still maintains its clarity and rationality in the late Second Epoch. It wasn't as violent as when it first fused with other Beyonder characteristics, bloodthirsty, crazy... "His" most important personality appears to not have changed; ever so suspicious. "He" doesn't even trust "His" own marionettes. Once "He" decides to migrate, "He" would leave all the marionettes that "He" had before and sever all connections... Also, the Dark Demonic Wolf seems to have migrated from the east over here... As he thought about it, Klein came to an abrupt stop. Under the darkness that was void of stars and the crimson moon, he cast his gaze in a particular direction by relying on his spiritual intuition.

His expression gradually turned solemn as he raised his right hand and pressed on his silk top hat.

Then, he adjusted the direction he was heading in and walked towards where his eyes were trained at.

That was the east.

In the endless darkness, the lantern in his hand cast a lonely shadow. His trench coat was almost the same color as the distant night as his footsteps quickened.

...

Backlund, Empress Borough, inside the Hall family's luxurious mansion.

Audrey sat in front of the dressing table and began to seriously consider how to release the "bait" in a seemingly reasonable fashion.

During this process, she suddenly thought of something.

That was that, if she wanted to go near a Beyonder gathering and monitor the thoughts of the participants, there was a lack of quick and efficient methods.

As a Sequence 4 demigod, she neither could fly nor "Teleport." She also couldn't use the flames to "jump" secretly. It would be fine if it was late at night, but if she wanted to use dreams as a springboard, she could only rely on her feet during the day and evening.

Oh... Actually, my speed isn't slow, but if I were to run faster than a steam train, I would definitely attract attention... There are so many powerhouses in Backlund, so there's no lack of existences that can see through my "Psychological Invisibility"... Similarly, in my dragon form, I can fly, but that's just too eye-catching... Currently, I can only let my consciousness and Spirit Body enter the sea of collective subconscious, while I'm unable to bring my body in... As she pondered about the matter, Audrey could only consider purchasing Sealed Artifacts or mystical items that had "Traveling" powers while deciding to travel through dreams if there were dreams. Otherwise, she could only rely on walking, carriages, or the metro.

What a simple demigod... Hmm, it's no wonder the full name is half-human, half-god. Those terrifying Beyonder powers are the godly side of things, while these are the human side of things... Audrey gave a self-deprecating laugh and reined in her thoughts.

...

Backlund, Hillston Borough.

Sitting beside the fireplace, Fors opened a book that was propped on her thigh as a platform for her to write.

Holding a pen in her hand, she stared at the horizontal lines on the paper and the tarot cards that were scattered on the ground for a long time.

"What's wrong? You don't want to lie to your teacher? No, everything you write will be the truth... You don't want to set up your teacher?" Xio walked over, crouched down, and looked up into Fors's eyes.

Fors shook her head.

"No, it's not because of this.

"I do feel a little guilty, but I know that this is a good thing for the Abraham family.

"I'm just hesitating. I keep feeling that our destinies will change after writing this letter."

"Ah?" Xio was a little stunned when she heard that. She didn't quite understand what her good friend meant.

Fors let out a sigh and said, "The battles from the past and now were actually not that dangerous for us. We had the ability to avoid it and obtain the corresponding resources to continue our peaceful lives. Therefore, my feelings for them don't run deep.

"We're like people standing beside a torrent. We could have watched everything go by safely, but after writing this letter, we might perhaps be swept into the torrent."

Xio listened quietly. She opened her mouth and pursed her lips.

"If not for this, do you think we can avoid the torrent of fate?"

As she spoke, she picked up a tarot card from the ground.

The surface of the card depicted an angel blowing a trumpet and the deceased.

Judgment card.

Fors looked at the deck of tarot cards for a while before closing her eyes. She pulled her hair back and smiled.

"I understand.

"This is an inevitable destiny."

After praying to Mr. Fool and after obtaining The Magician card, it was an unavoidable destiny.

The fountain pen in Fors's hand finally landed on the letter.

...

Pritz Harbor.

Dorian Gray Abraham, who had long left the fishermen's association and changed his identity, tore open the letter sent by his student.

As he quickly browsed through it, his expression went from shock, joy, and confusion to horror.

Bang!

Dorian threw away the letter in his hand and knocked down the table in front of him. It was like a monster hiding on that piece of paper with a curse.

He retreated to another corner, pulled open the drawer, and took out some items. Then, he rushed to the door and prepared to leave.

When his right hand touched the brass doorknob, Dorian's actions suddenly slowed down and finally stopped.

He slowly turned around and cast his gaze at the letter on the ground. There was a complicated look in his eyes.

After a few seconds, Dorian Gray Abraham slowly walked towards the letter. He walked with hesitation, feeling the dilemma and struggles, but he didn't stop. It was as if he had been seduced by the devil.

-x-X-x-

Finally, Dorian stopped beside the letter.

He bent down and reached out his right hand. His fingers trembled as he grabbed the edge of the paper and picked it up.

This time, Dorian was very careful. He began reading each word, one after another from the very beginning. Sometimes he was enlightened, sometimes confused, sometimes puzzled, and sometimes in pain.

The letter Fors had sent wasn't long. He only used three minutes to read it twice before he fell into a long silence.

The sunlight shined through the window and landed on the toppled table.

Dorian Gray Abraham's lips suddenly quivered, but he ultimately didn't make a sound.

Separated by a piece of paper, his right thumb and index finger quickly rubbed against each other and ignited the letter with a scarlet flame.

After doing all of this, Dorian packed his belongings, put on his disguise, changed his clothes, and left the rented apartment. Using the identity he had previously prepared, he went to another place.

After settling down, he sat beside the desk and stared at the brass ornament, seemingly deep in thought.

The area became darker and darker as the sunlight weakened. Dorian's eyelids twitched as he slowly sighed.

He then unfolded the piece of paper and picked up the fountain pen. As he pondered, he wrote:

"...I'm very happy to see you digesting the Scribe potion in a few months. This means that you might really become a demigod...

"...These are the key points to take note of while acting as a Traveler, at least the ones that I know of. However, you have to remember that everyone's personality is different. There will always be some differences in acting in real life, so you can't copy blindly... This doesn't mean that the acting principles of others are wrong, but that it might lead to a huge conflict in your heart, affecting your mental state... Sometimes, you can make appropriate adjustments to slow down the speed at which the potion is being digested, but it will only be beneficial to you. You have to remember: acting is a tool, not something to lord over you...

"I look forward to the day you completely digest the Traveler potion, I will prepare the corresponding ingredients and a present for you.

"...I'm very interested in the matter of the Abraham family's curse mentioned by that gentleman... I think you should have noticed long ago that I have done a certain degree of research on such matters. Otherwise, you wouldn't always ask me about such matters...

"I hope you can continue to learn about this matter at a deeper level..."

After writing the reply, Dorian Gray Abraham closed his eyes and quickly folded the paper.

...

January 1351, Backlund's new year was much bleaker than before.

In a basement in West Borough, there were a few candles flickering with yellow flames, illuminating the surrounding altars, chairs, and round tables.

At the edge of the light, in a place that was extremely dark, a figure appeared indistinct. At times, it would sway, sometimes stretching into a thin entity that didn't have any thickness. It was like a shadow that came alive.

Suddenly, the figure said in a deep voice, "You arrived earlier than I expected."

Beside the candle, a figure quickly appeared in the spot illuminated the greatest by the light.

It was a man dressed in a mysterious black robe. His brown hair was slightly curled, and his dark, deep eyes seemed to contain countless objects.

He was none other than one of the five saints of the Aurora Order, the Saint of Secrets, Botis.

Botis smiled and said, "To me, distance is not a problem."

He pulled a chair and sat down before saying to the long and narrow shadow, "Have you investigated thoroughly? Did you find anything unusual?"

The shadow that nearly slinked into the shadows answered in a low voice, "There aren't any problems."

"Really?" At the confirmation of the question, Botis instinctively had doubts. "Kisma, could this be a trap?"

The Aurora Order's Saint Tenebrous, Kisma, slowly shook his head and said, "The target is very careful. It's definitely not a case of deliberate exposure.

"If she wasn't seeking to purchase an ancient wraith's cursed item, we wouldn't have been able to sense that she might be related to the Abraham family."

Saint of Secrets Botis seemed to be in thought as he said, "An ancient wraith's cursed item. This is one of the main ingredients of Scribe. I remember that the Abraham family does have a spare Asmann's brain... Heh, they aren't willing to directly provide a Scribe Beyonder characteristic, hoping to carry out some tests. It's indeed the style of the Abraham family. To put it simply, they don't have enough trust in others."

Saint Tenebrous Kisma didn't echo Botis's words as he continued, "Even if she was seeking to purchase the main ingredients of the Scribe potion, we wouldn't have noticed any problems. After all, not every believer knows the corresponding mysticism knowledge, but she even mentioned some questions related to Apprentice and the Abrahams.

"She was really cautious in this aspect. The circle of Beyonders from which she sought to purchase materials from and the one she asked questions weren't the same. Different matters were left to different circles. Furthermore, at times, she would hire other participants to help her make requests.

"If it weren't for the fact that we have our people in those few circles and were able to combine the intelligence, we wouldn't have noticed her."

Saint of Secrets Botis nodded slightly and asked, "Why didn't you just take action? You even came to me?"

In the shadows, the darkness stirred and replied slowly, "The situation in Backlund is getting more and more tense. The Nighthawks, the Mandated Punishers, and the Machinery Hivemind are carpet sweeping the area, one spot after another. We're being watched very closely.

"If I were to handle this matter, it would be fine if there weren't any accidents. However, if an accident were to happen, I might not be able to escape due to not having 'Grazed' a Secrets Sorcerer.

"Besides, aren't you the one who is most interested in the Abraham family?"

Botis chuckled and said, "I'm not interested in them at all. I just want them to all die.

"To ensure my own safety, the most important thing is to nip revenge in the bud. This is the philosophy I abide by."

As he spoke, the Saint of Secrets took out a crystal ball from his black robe's pocket.

The crystal ball was neither clear nor translucent, as if it had been injected with the dark night.

As he touched it with his palm, his lips quivered. This strange crystal ball suffused a resplendent glow.

They were like stars that slowly spun, forming a complicated scene.

"It's still acceptable..." Botis looked at the crystal ball in his right hand and nodded gently.

He then looked at the "ghostly shadow."

"Give me the details."

When he learned that there would be a Beyonder gathering in a particular circle tonight, with the target possibly appearing, the Saint of Secrets Botis stood up and said to Saint Tenebrous Kisma, "I need to make some preparations."

As soon as he finished speaking, his right hand opened and with a gentle lift, his fingers closed.

The region he was in immediately warped and vanished.

The candles, flames, round table, and chairs that were originally located here vanished, leaving behind only the tiles and ceiling.

After a while, the shadows moved and everything returned to normal.

Nothing happened to Saint of Secrets Botis, but Saint Tenebrous's figure appeared out of the darkness.

He looked at Botis and said in a deep voice, "Your caution has exceeded the necessary limits."

"But this isn't a bad thing. I hope that I can resolve the problem without anyone noticing," Botis replied with a smile. "You can follow me. You can hide in the shadows as my support. You will not directly appear, and you will leave immediately once you discover anything amiss."

"...Alright." Saint Tenebrous Kisma slowly walked out of the shadows.

He looked young and handsome with outstanding facial features, but his face seemed to be covered with a faint curtain of darkness.

After coming close to Botis, there were a series of illusory chewing sounds that came from nowhere. The chewing sounds and the sound of digesting could be heard, as well as undisguised evil and hunger.

This made the demigod shudder involuntarily.

Saint Tenebrous's eyes froze for a second as he cast a shocked and surprised look at Botis's face.

The corners of Botis's mouth curled up as he revealed a rather cruel smile.

A few seconds later, one of them used "Teleportation," and the other merged into the shadows and left the house.

...

In an apartment that had been in disrepair for years, in the area intersecting Backlund's East Borough and the bridge area, there were a few rooms on the first floor of a cheap motel that had their rooms connected.

When Botis walked out from the spirit world, the Beyonder gathering was only to be held two to three hours later. No one had arrived yet.

He looked around and took in the long tables that were arranged messily.

After observing the environment, he walked to a corner with his right hand pulling the curtain.

The region was then enveloped by a shadow, distorting before vanishing.

This was because there wasn't anything there to begin with. There was no objective measure, so no one would have discovered that there was a space missing. They would only feel that the distance between the walls and themselves was a little closer, but upon closer inspection, everything was normal.

This was the "Space Concealment" power of a Secrets Sorcerer!

They could use this ability to split a place into two and conceal part of it. One had to use a specific "door" to enter.

At that moment, in the area that had been divided and hidden, the room existed normally. There were floor tiles, a ceiling, and a cockroach crawling across the ground.

The cockroach rushed to the boundary and was blocked by the endless darkness.

After Saint of Secrets Botis surveyed the area, his gaze paused at a transparent vortex in midair.

This was the "door."

Every hidden space would definitely have a "door."

After some thought, Botis reached into the black robe's pocket, took out a mirror, and inserted it into the "door."

The mirror twisted and quickly reflected the scene in the outside world.

There were chairs and long tables randomly strewn around. The place was empty.

In this way, Botis used this mirror to monitor the Beyonder gathering's venue.

Seconds changed to minutes as the Beyonders dressed in various disguises arrived.

One of the hooded figures habitually chose a corner near the window. She took out a palm-sized notebook and casually flipped through a few pages, as though she was revising the main points of her questions or checking if she was fully prepared.

And behind her to the side, there was an ordinary mirror embedded in the wall.

-x-X-x-

In the region that had been concealed, the Saint of Secrets, Botis, narrowed his eyes slightly as he recognized Leymano's Travels.

This made him no longer have any doubts about the intel provided by Saint Tenebrous Kisma.

He recognized this notebook and knew that it was a mystical item that the Abraham family placed great importance on. It was one of the most powerful items below the High-Sequences, and the negative effects were negligible.

Heh, back when I was a Mid-Sequence Beyonder, I had yearned for this notebook so much. In the end, the Abraham family was wary of me and didn't place any importance on my needs at all... Now, have they learned their lesson? This woman shouldn't be a descendant of the Abraham family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone around searching for the cursed item of an ancient wraith... Botis muttered inwardly as his expression gradually turned grim, showing hints of a cruel fervor.

After observing his surroundings for a while, he carefully reached into his black robe's pocket.

The pocket seemed to contain a vast space as Saint of Secrets Botis dragged out a three-layered jewelry box from within.

This jewelry box wasn't tiny, making it difficult to hold it with one hand. It was mainly silver-black in color, and its surface was covered with exquisite decorations. There were rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds embedded in it, making it look rather luxurious.

As he held the "jewelry box" in his hands, there was a hint of panic and fear in his expression. It was as if he was facing the Abyss or listening to an evil god's ravings.

...

The gathering continued as usual. Fors put away Leymano's Travels and focused on listening to the participants, as though she was seeking some answers.

During this process, she would occasionally ask questions, using gold pounds and spiritual materials as payment. However, she didn't receive any effective answers.

Gradually, the Beyonder gathering came to an end. The host arranged for the different participants to leave from different exits.

Soon, only Fors and a few other Beyonders were left in the room.

After receiving the signal of the host, Fors stood up and resisted the urge to stretch herself as she walked towards the side door.

At this moment, she realized that her body had stiffened. Her head could barely turn, but it felt like she was a toy that had its torsion spring wound up.

From the corner of her eye, she saw that the grayish-white walls had turned silvery-black in an instant. They were covered in granules, as though they were made of metal. The remaining participants and the host had their skin lose the luster that it should've possessed. Their eyes were dull, their movements mechanical, as though they were large dolls.

In the concealed area, Botis had opened the "jewelry box" at some point in time. The interior of its top layer wasn't exquisite enough, but it had completely restored the scene of the room.

In the room, there were chairs and long tables scattered haphazardly. There were a few palm-sized puppets sitting or standing, as though they were trying to simulate reality.

Among these people, the person standing was wearing a hooded robe. The shape of her chin was beautiful and her lips were plump and red. It was none other than Fors.

She and the remaining Beyonders, together with the gathering's host, had silently become toys. They had been taken into the highest layer of the "jewelry box"!

The room that connected in the external world was only left with grayish-white walls—nothing else.

The corners of Botis's lips curled up bit by bit. With his right hand, he closed the lid of the jewelry box.

In just a single breath, he had magically controlled his target!

This silver-black, three-layered "jewelry box" was the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact that he had snatched from the Abraham family.

As it had never been obtained by the orthodox Churches, nor was it ever deeply understood, it didn't have a corresponding number.

According to what Botis knew, this "jewelry box" originated from an Abraham family angel from the Fourth Epoch. "He" enjoyed roaming the cosmos and heading to different places in the vast universe. However, once, when "He" returned to "His" family to rest, he died silently in his palace. His face was filled with fear, and his expression was twisted as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.

A true Mythical Creature, one that could be considered a subsidiary god in the Second Epoch had actually died silently without causing a stir. The death was extremely bizarre.

The Beyonder characteristic "He" left behind combined with "His" corpse, forming the "jewelry box" that was quite different from the other kind of Sealed Artifacts. And back then, Mr. Door, Bethel Abraham, not only didn't attempt to shatter it and restore it to a pure Beyonder characteristic, "He" had even given it a rather strange name: "Box of the Great Old Ones."

The first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones could turn the target's location into toys and switch locations with its interior. Botis had used this trait to easily achieve his goal.

The second level of the Box of the Great Old Ones recorded different locations. Once it was released, the holder and the living beings within its effective range would head directly to the corresponding region. They would then wander around the cosmos like the angel from the Abraham family back then, exploring the universe.

As for what was on the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones, Botis knew about it but didn't dare to think about it. It was just like how he usually didn't dare come into contact with this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.

Smack. After closing the lid of the Box of the Great Old Ones, he grabbed the mirror that was embedded in the transparent vortex that was suspended in midair with his right hand.

Once a certain area was concealed, a Secrets Sorcerer had to use the corresponding "door" or directly remove the "concealment" to exit.

Botis had chosen the latter method because it was the easiest and fastest method.

The shadows stirred, and the area that disappeared returned to the real world. The room was finally complete.

Botis didn't stay any longer. Without even looking at his surroundings, he made his body rapidly fade away.

He held the many gemmed, silver-black Box of the Great Old Ones as the colors saturated and overlapped with each other. He traversed the spirit world which was filled with strange creatures towards his designated location. In a few seconds, he walked out of the void, attempting to enter the ruins of the battle of the gods by crossing the huge chasm that split the seas.

At this moment, the Botis stopped in midair.

His eyes narrowed and his eyes instantly turned dark, dotted with countless points of resplendence.

It was like the cosmos had been reflected in his eyes.

The "gravel" formed by the stars spun rapidly, causing the cracks at the bottom of the sea to rapidly turn incorporeal, causing everything in front of him to shrink and condense into a wavering orange flame.

This flame extended from the tip of a matchstick as it was extinguished.

Everything that Botis had experienced after removing the "concealed space" was an illusion. He remained rooted to the ground!

And the source of this illusion was the burning matchstick.

The matchstick was held by a fair-skinned palm, and the owner of the hand was a woman wearing a purple-patterned black robe and a hood. She was sitting on a carriage that was half-way through the wall, formed from a gigantic pumpkin.

Pulling the carriage were a bunch of gray rats.

This was none other than Cattleya, but her appearance, image, and bearing had changed.

This was the power she gained from the magic of Cinderella!

The core Beyonder power of the Mystery Pryer pathway's Sequence 4 Mysticologist was called "Mystical Re-enactment," fully expressing the saying—"knowledge is power."

To put it simply, a Mysticologist could draw power from different mysticism knowledge they grasped, and create all sorts of magic or witchcraft. As for the corresponding "mysticism knowledge," the less that was known by others and the less it spread, the more powerful the spells became.

The contrary could also be established. Once some knowledge and legends were known to many and no longer mysterious, the magic or witchcraft created by drawing on its powers would become almost ineffective.

Cattleya had no idea why the Queen could create all kinds of magical powers that were rich in magical colors from the private fairy tales that Emperor Roselle had told her, but that didn't hinder her learning and usage of them. After all, she had heard of those fairy tales from Queen Mystic.

The magic she had used it to temporarily transform and disguise herself was called "Cinderella." The magic that threw Saint of Secrets Botis into an illusion was "The Little Match Girl." With that, she had used it to stop the other party from "Teleporting" away, creating an opportunity for the battle that would follow.

Just as Botis had extricated himself from the hallucination, the "Cinderella" who was sitting in the pumpkin carriage placed her foot on the ground and spread out her arms, causing a huge cross to appear behind her.

As for Cattleya, she seemed to be carrying an illusory object.

In the empty room, candlelights lit up, one after another, illuminating a long table covered with flesh and blood.

Around the long table were three extremely blurry figures holding the globs of flesh as they constantly devoured the food.

As if sensing something, the three figures turned their heads at the same time and looked at Botis. This Saint of Secrets's heart raced as he felt a chill rush out from deep within his soul.

He then heard illusory gnawing, chewing, and digesting sounds. He could feel the undisguised malice and hunger.

Botis's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly lowered his head and cast his gaze at the Box of the Great Old Ones in his hand.

The silver-black box had opened itself without him realizing it at some point in time!

The magic that Cattleya used was called the "Feast of Betrayal." It stemmed from the mysticism knowledge she learned of the ancient sun god's death from the Tarot Club. Its purpose was to temporarily awaken or imbue the target with intelligence, allowing them to commit a "betrayal!"

Without a doubt, the effects of encountering a Sealed Artifact that was filled with malice towards the owner would be excellent.

However, if not for the fact that she had obtained the protection of Mr. Fool at every gathering they monitored, Cattleya wouldn't have dared to use this magic.

Once the three main leads of the "betrayal feast" sensed it, she would definitely die for obscure reasons. She wouldn't be able to resist her death and would die an abnormally horrifying death.

Therefore, Mysticologists were definitely individuals with high-risk. Their strength came from walking the edge of the Abyss, coming from things they shouldn't have seen or heard.

In comparison, Queen Mystic who could create magic from her father's private fairy tales was much safer than other Mysticologists at the same tier.

-x-X-x-

When opening the first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones, the long table, chairs, Fors, and the others were like dolls. They were either still or motionless. Otherwise, under the power of torsion springs, they made repeated simple movements.

Upon seeing this scene, Botis's hair stood on end. For some baffling reason, he felt that he was about to join and become one of them.

He instinctively wanted to react to the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact in his hand, but he saw the hooded, purple-robed woman retract her right hand and hold it to her mouth, slightly clenched.

A dark color instantly formed in her palm. It was an ancient bugle with a charm that appeared very heavy and powerful.

The Horn of Magic, the Horn of Destruction!

Botis's pupils dilated as he lacked the luxury of time to deal with the Box of the Great Old Ones. He grabbed forward with his right hand, as though he had raised an invisible screen that shielded the void.

The area he was in was distorted once again. He disappeared and was concealed.

Woo!

The horn in Cattleya's hand let out a soft hum. It echoed in the room but didn't extend out of its confines.

With the sound waves overlapping, the shadows shattered and the ground cracked. The space that had been concealed by the Saint of Secrets was like a thick piece of glass that had been struck by a sledgehammer. Countless cracks appeared and intertwined with each other.

Elsewhere, a towering knight in full black armor appeared out of the shadows. He held a long broadsword, and two dark red beams of light glimmered in his eye sockets—Saint Tenebrous Kisma.

Woo!

Once again, Cattleya blew the horn. Everything in the room seemed to freeze into a translucent amber.

Silently, the amber broke apart, and even the black-armored knight fell to the ground like a mirror, shattering into small shards.

The distorted region returned to the real world.

However, Botis also managed to grab the gaps between the two horn blows as he created numerous illusory doors to appear around them.

Some of them were double doors that opened outwards, some were deep and recessed, some were covered in mysterious patterns, and some were hollow in the middle, allowing one to vaguely see the boundless darkness behind them...

The illusory doors were in bountiful numbers, densely packed, and overlapped together, almost enveloping the Saint of Secrets.

Without any time to think further, Botis immediately opened a grayish-blue door with seven brass locks, and he threw the Box of the Great Old Ones that was just about to have its second layer open inside.

This was a Secrets Sorcerer's "Exile." It could throw a target that he had gained initial control of into a corresponding chaotic space. As for the different illusory doors, they represented different scenes—ones where danger and opportunity coexisted.

This kind of "Exile" wasn't permanent. At Botis's Sequence level, he was only capable of isolating the Box of the Great Old Ones from reality for twenty seconds. Once that time was up, the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact would return to the spot beside him through the "illusory door" from before.

However, by then, the "betrayal" induced by the enemy's Beyonder powers would definitely have disappeared.

As a demigod of the Apprentice pathway, he had traveled many places, witnessed many things, and recorded many kinds of powers, Botis made the most correct decision in that split instant.

At the same time, the Black Knight that had split into pieces quickly squirmed and reformed, becoming a thin rug that flowed with flesh and blood. It covered every corner of the room.

As a cult that could only survive in the shadows of reality, the Aurora Order might have many lunatics, but they were used to doing things to conceal themselves so as to prevent themselves from attracting the official Beyonders before their goals were met.

Of course, once the matter was in its final stages, they would definitely proclaim their existence openly.

In addition, Saint Tenebrous Kisma had done so in hopes of obstructing the possible enemies that were hiding outside to a certain extent. This allowed a separation of the battlefield.

When a layer of flesh grew out from the floor, walls, and ceiling, a twisted black shadow rose up from the corner.

This was one of the souls that Saint Tenebrous Kisma had "Grazed."

It was a powerful vampire from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, a Sequence 4 Shaman King of the Moon pathway.

If the Shepherd's Grazed target was a demigod, he could release it directly due to the existence of its corporeal Spirit Body. However, there only one could be released at any one point in time unless the corresponding Shepherd had already become a Sequence 3 Trinity Templar.

Seizing the opportunity that the horn in the female demigod's hand was dissipating, the twisted Shaman King reached out and dug out one of his eyes—a bright-red, illusory eye.

The eye shimmered with a bright, crimson glow as it instantly illuminated the entire room, as though the crimson moon had descended.

Its pupil reflected the woman wearing the purple-patterned black robe and a dark-colored hood.

Immediately following that, the Shaman King clasped the hand which was holding his eye, letting the crimson "moonlight" become completely devoured by darkness.

A deep darkness appeared around Cattleya as the solidified darkness bound her to the spot. It froze the scene.

Upon seeing this scene, Botis took a step forward, phasing behind his enemy instantaneously.

Performing one "Blink" followed by another as a total of eight figures dressed in black robes appeared around Cattleya!

These weren't avatars he created, but afterimages he left behind due to his blazing "Blink."

Some of them released "Lightning Storm," while others condensed a blinding white spear. Some were covered in black armor as they slashed out a heavy broadsword that could appear capable of slicing through anything...

Different figures with different powers either attacked or created a form of control, but their target was one and the same—Cattleya.

There was almost no pause in between their actions. When Botis's figure "Blinked" to another corner, he quickly turned transparent as he was on the brink of disappearing.

He had no intention of killing the enemy, as this was Backlund. Also, the commotion created from their battle couldn't be suppressed any further. Once it affected the outside world, official angels might descend.

The reason why he had first launched a series of counterattacks before "Teleporting" away was because he wanted to suppress the enemy and prevent her from interfering with his and Saint Tenebrous Kisma's escape. This was a very reasonable strategy.

However, a few seconds ago, in a room on an upper level of the old apartment, Xio had learned of all the changes in the venue through Miss Justice's "mind voice."

Although she was worried and anxious, she didn't panic at all. She followed the plan and jumped down from the window, somersaulting in midair as she pointed at the targeted area.

"Teleportation is prohibited here!"

After doing this, she immediately distanced herself from the apartment to prevent the friendly demigods from being distracted.

With this interference, the Saint of Secrets, Botis, failed to successfully enter the spirit world. A rusty, abnormally heavy door appeared in front of him as it tightly sealed the "path."

To Botis, an illusory door of this level wasn't able to stop him from leaving at all. He could "open" the door once he made some adjustments.

But at this moment, something anomalous had happened over at the female demigod in the purple-patterned black robe!

Silver light appeared in Cattleya's eyes. They connected together like a mysterious giant snake.

This was "Brief Luck," derived from the knowledge she had obtained when analyzing the blood of a Snake of Fate.

Regardless of the terrifying lightning, burning-white spear, or the slash of the Black Knight, none of them hit the target. Cattleya seemed to be standing at the eye of the storm. No matter how dangerous the surroundings were, she was unaffected.

Those attacks and the attempts at control either narrowly passed her by or were canceled out by "friendly" forces. They were unable to achieve the desired effect, and they even helped her weaken the "dark" shackles.

Instantly, Cattleya bowed her back slightly as white and illusory feathers grew out of them. They didn't belong to an angel, but rather, a swan.

The ugly duckling had become a swan.

As for what a swan was, to a Sequence 4 demigod, the answer was obvious. It was an incomplete Mythical Creature form.

And the ugly duckling could also become a swan!

This was a powerful magic that could allow a Mysticologist to reveal their incomplete Mythical Creature form once a day, with each instance lasting ten seconds.

The surface of Cattleya's body immediately cracked open as flesh and blood gathered inside, forming eyeballs with clear blacks and whites.

The countless eyeballs coldly scanned their surroundings, as though they were manifestations of multifarious knowledge. As such, the figure that bore their weight turned into a black blob that was even more abstract in a higher spatial dimension.

Upon seeing the densely packed eyeballs, Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma felt dizzy. A knowledge storm took form in their minds.

The layer of flesh and blood that enveloped the entire room began to tremble slightly. Some dripped down, while others squirmed intermittently.

At this moment, an unimaginable aura pierced through the barrier formed from flesh and blood, pouring into the first floor of the dilapidated apartment and enveloping every corner of the apartment.

At the same time, Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma were shocked. Their bodies, souls, and minds were in an uncontrollable state.

This was "Dragon Might" which had undergone a qualitative change—"Mind Deprivation!"

Seizing this opportunity, the "black blob" that was covered in cracks and eyes condensed a spear in front of it.

The spear appeared ancient in style; from the tip to the handle, it was dyed in blobs of blood-red splotches.

It emitted a mighty destructive aura and a bloody feeling, as though it had once hurt a mighty existence.

With a whoosh, the terrifying spear shot out, heading straight for the Botis who stood rooted to the ground.

In the entire room, all the voices and details vanished. Even the "Dragon Might" that filled the room suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only the bloody spear tip and Botis's body, as well as the constantly shrinking distance between them.

Spear of Longinus!

-x-X-x-

The blood-stained spear that seemed to come from an ancient time that couldn't be traced had absorbed the entire room's presence, stabbing straight into the body of Saint of Secrets Botis.

The brown-haired, firm-bodied Botis's figure faded away, turning into a pair of black double doors.

At the same time, he appeared behind the "door," placing himself in a separate world from the terrifying spear as he looked at it from afar.

In the next moment, the spear that was stained with red blood pierced through the black door and bore into the space where Botis was.

Botis's figure kept retreating, constantly transforming into one illusory door after another. Some of them were made up of two winding stone golems, while others had a fist-sized hole by the gaps of the door. Some were embedded with silver nails, while others were covered in mysterious patterns. One after another, they were layered repeatedly, extending to an infinite number.

Without a sound, the Spear of Longinus tore through the illusory doors without stopping at all. It didn't allow Saint of Secrets Botis to find a chance to escape.

In less than a second, the blood-stained spear that emitted a strong sense of destruction had shattered countless illusory doors. After it suffered a decline in its aura, it finally stabbed into its target's chest.

Countless cracks instantly appeared on Botis's body, as if he was a ceramic object that had fallen to the ground.

With a cracking sound, the Saint of Secrets turned pitch black as he disintegrated into pieces, scattering all over the ground.

This didn't seem like his actual body, but more like his shadow.

This was the "Shadow Substitute" spell he had "Recorded" from a certain Sequence 3 saint under the True Creator.

Of course, without the layers of "doors" weakening the Spear of Longinus, he believed that it was very likely that his shadow together with his body would have shattered together.

After narrowly dodging this strike, Botis endured the dizziness and shock brought about by Cattleya's incomplete Mythical Creature form as he made a gigantic, scaleless silver snake appear in his eyes.

This gigantic snake was so large that it filled Botis's eyes. Its surface was filled with dense patterns and labels formed by one mystical wheel after another.

Its head connected to its tail as it merged with countless illusory rivers, turning into a blurred, surreal, and slowly spinning gear. Around the round gear were all sorts of symbols that represented different futures.

Suddenly, the black fragments that had yet to disappear on the ground flew up one after another and reorganized themselves on the spot, restoring Botis.

The ground that was stained with dark red blood quickly retreated from the numerous illusory doors until it returned to the distorted black blob.

The strong, fearful atmosphere receded like the tide and left the room.

The "black blob" that was covered in cracks and eyeballs squirmed and restored itself, turning back into a purple-patterned black-robed woman with a hood.

Everything returned to the point before "The Ugly Duckling" magic was used.

Reboot of Fate!

This was one of the rewards given to Saint of Secrets Botis for crushing the Abraham family—he was allowed to "Record" the Sequence 1 Beyonder power from the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros.

Of course, there was definitely a huge gap from the original version. It could only reboot reality for three seconds, and it was limited to the space of a tiny room like this. It wasn't even able to affect the entire first floor of the apartment.

The moment "Reboot" ended, the prepared Saint Tenebrous Kisma immediately took action.

The Grazed twisted shadow that stemmed from a Sanguine Count spread open its arms and made a gesture of embracing the crimson moon.

The darkness around Cattleya surged, instantly forming illusory but firm black chains that bound her to her spot.

The flesh and blood that covered the ground, walls and ceiling gathered together rapidly, turning into a knight covered in black full-body armor. He held a heavy greatsword in his hand and looked extremely oppressive.

In the gap of the Black Knight's visor, two dark red beams of light flickered and instantly locked onto the hooded woman beside the pumpkin carriage.

The shadow beneath Cattleya's feet suddenly came alive as it grabbed her ankles. Like a water current that had its water level rising, it gripped her tightly.

Black Knight, Commandeering Shadows!

Then, the gigantic knight that was almost reaching the ceiling as though he came from mythical legends rushed to a spot not far from his target with a single step. He cleaved down with the heavy, long broadsword.

Elsewhere, a silver illusory book in the eyes of Saint of Secrets Botis flipped rapidly. It then stopped at a single page.

With that, Botis reached out his left hand and grabbed the pumpkin carriage across a distance of twenty to thirty meters. He then grabbed at the mysterious woman in a purple-patterned black robe.

His arm suddenly grew longer, and its surface was black and sticky, as if it was flowing with an evil liquid.

Amidst the liquid, pale skulls and eyes with pronounced blood vessels grew out, including sharp teeth and tongues. All sorts of strange things grew out, causing extreme evil and extreme madness to spread rapidly through the area.

In the room, the ground instantly cracked and the few cockroaches that were still alive collapsed to the ground.

This was an attack from a particular state of Abomination Suah!

Back outside Bayam City, Saint of Secrets Botis had been attracted by Tinder. It appeared as though he only watched from the sidelines for a while before picking up the item and leaving immediately. But in fact, he had been desperately trying to "Record" the powers or states of the high-level existences.

After failing numerous times, due to the frequent blessings of fate, he eventually obtained what he wanted. Of course, during that battle, he only managed to "Record" one.

Under this evil and pitch-black arm, Cattleya's consciousness was tainted with madness. For a moment, she was unable to respond effectively.

Together with the shackles of darkness restraining her shadow, she could only stand rooted to the ground as she watched Saint Tenebrous Kisma's greatsword slash at her while Saint of Secrets Botis reached out his left hand to grab at her.

At this moment, the flesh and blood walls in the room that separated the interior from the exterior was gone. An invisible and abrupt wind stirred up.

The moment the wind appeared, it grew violent and swept towards the Saint of Secrets's and Saint Tenebrous's hearts.

Manipulator, Mind Storm.

Not only was he not surprised or flustered by the chaotic thoughts, Botis even had the corners of his lips pull up as he smiled.

As the switch for the "Reboot," he naturally remembered that the demigod riding the pumpkin carriage had a helper of the same level hiding outside the apartment somewhere.

The reason why he placed his focus on the enemy on the surface was to lure out the hidden demigod!

In between the two powers of "Reboot of Fate" and the Abomination state, Botis had secretly "hypnotized" himself, allowing himself to naturally divide the burden of Mind Deprivation and the knowledge torrent across most of his Worms of Star. He then left a small number to control his body so as to lock onto the "hidden" enemy.

Previously, the Dragon's Might shock, and the fact that he was unable to discover his target, had convinced Botis that it was a demigod of the Spectator pathway.

While his mind was in a daze, the thing he branched out rapidly churned and helped Botis locate the source of the attack.

But at this moment, most of the thoughts that resonated among the Worms of Star wasn't him being overloaded with meaningless information as he had imagined.

In his mind, there seemed to be a voice saying thousands of words in a second:

"At the bottom of an abandoned castle in Delaire Forest, there is a pair of bronze double doors. It seals with the corruptive forces underground. The higher the Sequence a Beyonder is when approaching, the easier it is to be affected...

"The cosmos is extremely dangerous. There are unknown existences watching...

"Dark Angel is suspected to be the negative personality dissociated from the ancient sun god...

"..."

What? Botis was taken aback. He felt that these thoughts were dangerous, but he couldn't help but wish to understand more.

Just this moment of stupor made the enemy he had already found disappear once again, escaping his range of attention. As for the Abomination palm that was hurtling towards the pumpkin carriage and the female demigod, it also slowed down.

Similarly, Saint Tenebrous Kisma was also affected by the "Mind Storm" as his actions stiffened for a second.

By the time they recovered, Cattleya had already opened her mouth and spat out a pea.

The pea instantly grew, turning into thick green vines that dragged Cattleya out the door, allowing her to escape the shackles of darkness and regain some freedom of movement.

By the time Saint Tenebrous's heavy greatsword and Saint of Secrets's pitch-black arms landed on her, they only shattered a shadow and did not injure this Mysticologist.

They had shattered Cattleya's "Emperor's New Clothes" magic, something that didn't exist at all, so she naturally wouldn't be injured!

In the next second, the hooded lady in the purple-patterned black robe suddenly turned transparent and turned into a pile of foam.

The bubbles quickly scattered and burst one after another. Nothing was left behind. As for the green vines, they grew into midair and burst into flames, illuminating the surrounding streets.

Everything returned to normal. It was as if the short and intense demigod-level battle had never happened.

Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma exchanged glances. They weren't surprised by such a development.

Clearly, after the sneak attack failed, the two demigod enemies were at a disadvantage and could no longer achieve their goals. Furthermore, this was Backlund. The longer they delayed, the more dangerous it would be. Hence, they took the opportunity to escape.

In addition, in order to interfere with the tracking, they had deliberately created a huge commotion to attract the authorities of Backlund.

As for the copy of Leymano's Travels and a Sequence 7 or 6 Apprentice Beyonder, they were baits that could be abandoned.

After a slight nod, Saint of Secrets Botis took out a crystal ball from his black robe's concealed pocket. It bloomed with light before it quickly shattered and merged into the void.

He was trying to prevent tracking via mysticism means.

Indeed, he didn't dare to stay any longer. He planned on "Teleporting" away and returning to the Aurora Order headquarters. Then, he would "interrogate" the bait and figure out the truth before deciding what to do next.

A second later, Botis's figure quickly turned transparent and disappeared. Kisma entered the shadows and rapidly left, wiping the traces behind him along the way.

-x-X-x-