The Ironblood Cross Society was a secret organization that had only appeared in the past two or three centuries, and its faith was also placed in the True Creator.
This group sought to change society, to change the world, to make the supernatural no longer hidden but revealed before everyone's eyes, becoming the true rulers. Thus, they had no scruples about displaying their powers in public.
For example, at this very moment, the War Bishop Tony Dawn, who was chasing Ince Zangwill to Stone Station, was flaunting his abilities without the slightest concealment.
Confident that he would one day become a Conqueror, he regarded himself as a being far above ordinary humans. Without hesitation, he condensed dozens of incandescent flaming spears in his hands and hurled them toward the platform and the train that had just entered the station.
To Tony Dawn, his flamboyance meant that demigods from the Church might intervene at any time. He had no leisure to carefully distinguish that "prey" who had once tricked him, so it was better to use such a crude and indiscriminate attack to force the prey to appear.
In any case, that prey was strong enough; it was impossible for him to die so easily.
As for the death and injury of ordinary people? That had nothing to do with him.
Meanwhile, in the depths of Xio's heart on the platform, a surge of intense fear suddenly rose. It felt as though she were a small animal being targeted by a seasoned hunter.
The pressure emanating from the spiritual level made her break into a cold sweat as she looked up—only to see dozens of flaming spears, like falling meteors, crashing down from the sky!
With no time to think, Xio immediately put a golden mask on her face. While attempting to "imprison" or "banish" the spears, she prepared to shout for the passengers and staff on the platform to seek cover.
But at that instant, the void before the flaming spears rippled like the surface of water, forming illusory "doors." The moment the spears touched the doors, they vanished, as if they had "traversed" into another world.
This was a combined application of the Banishment and Illusion abilities of a Mysticism Magister, capable of sending the enemy's attack beyond this world.
The one who acted was naturally Ebner. With only a slight effort, he could have guided fate so that Xio merely dodged the spears and sustained minor injuries, thereby completing a performance as a Seer…
But the price of doing so would have been hundreds, even thousands of casualties when the train and platform were struck by demigod powers!
Ebner was no saint full of boundless compassion, but he knew he could not just sit idly by and watch such a thing happen.
If I hadn't encountered this, then so be it… but the attack happened right before my eyes, and I have the power to stop it! A chance to act out the role can be found again, but if some things aren't done, I'll regret it for life.
In that flash of thought, Ebner used an occult art formed by combining the abilities of a Mysticism Magister to block the attack of that unfamiliar "hunter" demigod.
This was knowledge drawn from Alwyn Abraham's "demigod mythical creature form," which Ebner now employed instinctively, as if it came from his very nature.
The experience made him more clearly realize the necessity and inevitability of his current pathway as a Reader… For apart from Readers, no other Beyonders, even if they obtained the knowledge contained within the Pure White Eye, could apply it so seamlessly.
The War Bishop of the Ironblood Cross Society, Tony Dawn, clearly had not expected another demigod to be hidden at the station. He froze momentarily, then grew furious, his gaze locking tightly onto Ebner—appearing in the image of the Professor after using his powers.
No matter how arrogant or defiant he was, Tony knew he could not defeat one demigod quickly and then go on to hunt another. And if he delayed even slightly, saints from the Church would arrive, making retreat difficult.
Thus, after a rapid calculation, he decided to withdraw immediately.
Still, before leaving, Tony Dawn felt he had to teach this meddlesome demigod a lesson, preferably injure him badly enough that he would be captured by the Church.
Acting on the thought, Tony drew a javelin from his back. Unlike the earlier flaming spears, this was a real weapon forged from extraordinary materials. Though disposable, it possessed extreme speed and the property of never missing its target.
He gripped the javelin, made a throwing motion toward Ebner's heart, and the weapon instantly appeared at Ebner's chest, as if it had crossed space itself.
Even more terrifying, this javelin carried the demigod-level enhancement of "Lethal Strike." No matter where it landed, no matter if the target had substitutes or damage-transfer abilities, it would equate to a direct attack on the body's weakness!
Yet in the end, the javelin was blocked.
That fatal strike could advance no further because before it was a deep-brown-covered book.
The book appeared plain, with common yellow-brown parchment for pages, but unlike Ebner's outer clothing, it was not damaged at all—not even pierced.
It was Groselle's Travels!
Behind Groselle's Travels was another book, its cover pitch-black and made of unknown material: the Book of the Dead.
Seeing that the hunter demigod's attack could not even penetrate the first layer of books, Ebner sighed in relief and stopped channeling the Beauty Goddess's blessing at his forehead.
Glancing at the figure swiftly flying away into the sky with the aid of recoil from his throw, Ebner thought, since courtesy demands reciprocity, he should answer in kind. Without hesitation, he gathered radiance in his hands and formed a spear—a spear of the purest, most incandescent white, as if composed entirely of sunlight!
This was the Unshadowed Spear of the Unshadowed!
The spear passed through a "door" in the void and suddenly appeared behind Tony Dawn.
Then, with a thunderous boom, a miniature sun of extreme, dazzling brilliance erupted, enough to illuminate the entire city!
Because the explosion occurred far above in the sky, a great distance from Stone City, people only felt the sunlight suddenly sting their eyes. When they looked up, they saw a massive radiant halo encircling the sun—a solar halo phenomenon.
Only Xio, who had been watching intently, and the Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, and Machinery Hivemind teams rushing over had a vague sense of what had happened.
While everyone's attention was fixed on the second sun, a middle-aged man with dark-golden hair and a high nose bridge, blind in one eye, slipped away from the station amidst the confusion, disappearing into the crowded streets.
In his hand, an open notebook faintly revealed the words written inside:
"…After the provocation at the harbor, Tony Dawn of the Ironblood Cross Society once again locked onto Ince Zangwill and pursued him. In the process, this War Bishop, determined to become a Conqueror, disregarded the lives of ordinary people and launched indiscriminate attacks on everyone at the steam train station.
"Tony acted in complete accord with his nature, so there was nothing wrong with such behavior.
"But by coincidence, a strange and powerful saint happened to be at the station, and he blocked Tony's attack.
"The plan to flush out Ince failed. Fearing that saints from the Church might soon encircle him, Tony Dawn was forced to retreat temporarily. Angered that the demigod on the platform had ruined his hunt, he resolved to teach him a lesson…"
A few lines were crossed out.
"Unfortunately, Tony Dawn was overconfident in his own strength, so much so that he ignored the possibility of his enemy blocking his strike and counterattacking. This did not quite fit with his hunter's intuition, but in this world, anyone can make mistakes—such is reasonable!"
Again, several lines were crossed out.
"In the end, although Tony Dawn was struck by the Unshadowed Spear—augmented with Disintegration, Lethal Strike, Weakening Curse, Gate of the Underworld, Paralysis Toxin, and Punishment—delivered through the Void Gate in a surprise assault, he nonetheless survived tenaciously.
"Sadly, he was gravely injured and would be unable to pursue Ince Zangwill again for at least a month."
…
Meanwhile, before the official Beyonders could arrive, Ebner, who had "teleported" away, muttered to himself:
"To think he survived that?
"Demigods, especially those at Sequence 3, truly are hard to kill!"
(End of Chapter)