In the woods outside Bayam, a gigantic arm more than ten meters long appeared out of nowhere—its surface was covered with skulls, protruding eyes, and fanged tongues. The mere emergence of this monstrosity made the entire forest tremble.
All the leaves around it withered instantly. Every insect stiffened and died. The beasts either collapsed on the ground in paralysis or went mad, tearing at their own flesh until blood drenched their bodies.
The horrific scene made Klein's scalp tingle, and for a moment, he doubted his earlier divination that had concluded "not too dangerous."
Divination really isn't omnipotent! I shouldn't depend on it too much… Besides, an event that's safe for Liu Bo might not be safe for me.
Watching Sharon's black parasol expand into a massive shadowed canopy to block the falling arm, Klein finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
At that moment, after placing Klein inside the wooden cabin, Miss Messenger allowed her four blonde, red-eyed heads to detach and fly upward before returning to the stump of her neck. As the neck wound writhed and the severed heads reattached themselves, her body swelled and expanded, transforming into a towering Gothic castle. Intricate carvings, vines, and reliefs emerged over the surface, emanating an aura of mystery, corruption, and unspeakable dread.
This was her true form as an ancient evil object. Once, she had lived as that very castle for three centuries—giving rise to countless terrifying legends such as "the Man-Eating Castle," "the Haunted Fortress," and "the Church of Hell."
Now, Miss Reinette Tinekerr, in her most powerful state, joined the Spirit Angel's parasol to resist the descending arm of Suah.
With the Messenger leaving to fight, the Admiral of Blood Senor and his remaining subordinates once again encircled Klein. Because of that monstrous arm's previous strike, half their numbers were already dead—only three men remained.
Klein, however, felt no fear. With his upgraded Creeping Hunger, the Phoenix revolver, the Death Knell revolver, and the puppet Admiral of Hell at his command, he was well-prepared.
He ordered Ludwell to use the Death Knell to hold off two mid-sequence Beyonders, while he himself wielded the Creeping Hunger in one hand and the Phoenix in the other to face the Admiral of Blood.
Indeed, Senor's strength was formidable. His extraordinary items harmonized perfectly with his own powers, and with the mirror gifted by Lord Nois—one that imprisoned a demigod-level succubus—even the enhanced Klein found himself momentarily pressed back.
But soon, Senor sensed something amiss. His luck was rapidly deteriorating.
First, the mirror shattered under the residual shockwaves from the angels' battle, releasing the succubus inside. Fortunately for him, Gehrman Sparrow devoured it with the Creeping Hunger. Though this would strengthen that dreadful glove further, it would need time to "digest," rendering it useless for the remainder of the fight—a grudgingly fair trade.
Yet Senor's misfortune only worsened. A puddle he used for mirror jump turned murky, causing the technique to fail. A stray bullet from the other side wounded his throat, leaving him unable to shriek. Finally, he misjudged a distance and allowed Klein to seize his spiritual threads.
Damn it… everything's working against me! the Admiral of Blood cursed inwardly. Why? Why am I so unlucky even after unleashing all my accumulated "luck"?
Before he could think further, his movements stiffened. A crimson flame flared—he had taken a shot from the Phoenix revolver.
Klein never intended to turn Senor into a puppet; he simply wanted to end the battle quickly and remove a dangerous enemy. After all, with Miss Sharon at his side, another wraith-type puppet was unnecessary.
The Phoenix revolver, crafted by Ebner Bryan, dragged the victim's soul into an open Gate of the Underworld. Without a countermeasure, there was no escape.
Unfortunately, Senor possessed such a countermeasure. As the Gate of the Underworld opened, a grotesque phantom puppet emerged from his soul and substituted itself, plunging into the bronze doors and being seized by countless dead hands.
There was no joy on Senor's face, only grim anger. That was his final life-preserving trump card, originally meant to replace him at the moment Klein fully controlled his soul, allowing him to counterattack. He hadn't expected Klein to simply kill him outright, forcing him to use it prematurely.
Klein, too, was momentarily surprised. Still, he focused on his next move. The Phoenix could not fire another Underworld bullet for twelve hours, the Creeping Hunger was still digesting the succubus, and the Death Knell was occupied elsewhere. Without an instant-kill method, he couldn't risk letting Senor escape his control.
I should've paid for Miss Magician's "Lemano's Travel Notes"… he thought ruefully. But he knew that was hindsight; that magical notebook overlapped too much with the glove's functions, and he hadn't expected the glove to be out of action.
Fortunately, I only need another three or four minutes to turn Senor into a puppet completely and end this.
Just then, the greatest scientist, mathematician, and mechanical genius since Emperor Roselle—the second father of the differential engine, Tulanney von Helmosuin—walked toward him.
Klein's eyelid twitched. While maintaining the control of spiritual threads and commanding Admiral of Hell to suppress the others, he shouted, "Mr. Helmosuin, please stay back!"
Helmosuin stopped, gave a weak chuckle, and said, "Heh, my life has reached its end. There are things I must say before it's too late.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. You may call me… 'Orange Light' Hilarion."
Orange Light Hilarion? Klein blinked. Indeed, the Seven Lights of the Spirit World often descended as humans to guide civilizations, even founding the secret organization known as the Brotherhood of Pure Light. Their method of reincarnating into the world wasn't unlike the way "Tower" had traversed realities.
After a pause, he asked, "Why have you come here specifically?"
Helmosuin smiled faintly. "I just wanted to remind the great Lord above the Spirit World of the real reason the Mother Tree of Desire wants me.
"In the Yellow Light's prophecy, that Lord above the Spirit World is one of the variables of the apocalypse. I cannot be certain that you are He—perhaps you are His vessel, His child, or His chosen emissary—but that does not stop me from showing goodwill."
So that's how it is… Klein mused. If not for Emperor Roselle, another transmigrator tied to the gray fog, and the Evernight Goddess confirmed by Tower, and if I hadn't once divined my own origin to see Earth clearly and recall more memories, I might really suspect I'm the reincarnation of that Lord above the Spirit World… Judging from the broader pattern, Roselle, the Goddess, and I are more like chosen emissaries of that existence.
The Lord above the Spirit World… the same title Tower mentioned but refused to explain further… the one he half-joked might be the "Blessed Infinite Heavenly Venerable." He even once mistook the Fool for that being… No, he probably still does.
Various thoughts tangled like threads of yarn in Klein's mind. Forcing himself to focus, he looked at the nearly subdued Admiral of Blood and asked, "Why does the Mother Tree of Desire want to capture you?"
Helmosuin coughed lightly and replied, "I suspect three reasons.
"First, she wants to compare my mode of existence to understand the connection between the 'Imprint' and the Tenebrous World, so as to better corrupt it.
"Second, by exploiting the link between us 'Seven Lights' and the Lord above the Spirit World, she hopes to locate and invade your—or His—domain.
"Third, treating the capture of me as a smokescreen. The gathered pirate admirals and demigods here are all disposable bait. Her true goal has always been to stir the River of Fate, luring you here, then having Suah strike suddenly to seize you.
"Unfortunately for her, Suah was stopped by the Spirit Angel, and she underestimated the demigods on your side. I suspect even if Suah failed, she planned for one or two groups to finish off your allies first before turning on you.
"Of course… she may still have other contingencies."
No sooner had Helmosuin finished than he coughed twice more and added, "For example—'Death Announcer.'"
At the mention of that name, Klein's body went rigid. He dared not divide his attention any further, devoting himself entirely to the final stage of control.
After all, he had recently slain that ship's first mate and, together with "Tower," prepared to ambush it. The King of the Undead Agalitu might well seize this chance to intervene and drive him into a corner.
…
At that same moment, Ebner—having already broken free from the Mirror World and brought Edwina back to reality—looked out over the sea.
In the distance, a gigantic sailboat was speeding away from Bayam, its black sails painted with the image of a tombstone.
(End of Chapter)