As the full might of the "Sun" Domain erupted without restraint, several streets across Backlund's East Borough were illuminated as bright as day.
Every trace of filth, corruption, shadow, and depraved power below the demigod level was completely burned away in this realm of "No Darkness."
Inside the Saint Wind Cathedral, the newly appointed Archbishop of Backlund—"Deep Blue High Priest" Redal Valentine—immediately shot out from his room and ascended into the sky.
At Saint Samuel Cathedral, behind Chanis Gate, Archbishop Saint Anthony—who had been kindly watching a new Nightwatcher complete his induction paperwork on the staircase between the first and second floors—suddenly stiffened. His expression changed, his brows furrowing deeply.
Meanwhile, at Saint Hilland Cathedral, only a few seconds after the "Sun" burst forth, a figure launched from the tallest chimney atop the church roof and streaked toward the East Borough—it was one of Archbishop Horamick's mechanical bodies.
Even the distant demigods reacted so strongly; naturally, the first to be struck head-on was the Aurora Order's "Saint of Darkness."
He appeared as a tall knight clad in black full-body armor, wielding a long, broad sword.
The twin scarlet flames flickering in his eye sockets were fixed coldly on the blazing orb that Ebner had become.
Just as he was preparing to end the fight quickly—unleashing his "Spirit-Flesh Blade" to slice apart the glowing sun and rescue Louis Wien—his spirituality suddenly sensed danger. He hastily switched the soul he was herding and leapt through "flames" to another position.
The very next instant, the shadow where he'd stood erupted in black fire filled with "disease" and "curse." Borrowing the shadows, it spread rapidly toward the "Saint of Darkness."
Seeing this, the Saint of Darkness—Cosma—didn't dare underestimate it. The "Spirit-Flesh Blade" he'd meant for the light sphere instantly turned around and slashed toward the burning shadow instead.
At the same time, he activated his Black Knight powers, forcing the shadows to wrap around the "assassin" that had emerged from his own.
Rip—!
The "Spirit-Flesh Blade" hit its mark. The seething black flames recoiled like a nest of venomous serpents, swiftly condensing into the form of a languid woman dressed in a simple white robe.
"'Despair Nightingale' Panathia? You're still alive?!" The Saint of Darkness Cosma was so shocked that he actually spoke.
But "Despair Nightingale" didn't answer. She merely smiled faintly at him—then ignored the binding shadows and vanished completely, like one of those assassins who "strike once and disappear into silence."
By this time, Ebner had already stopped radiating. He returned to his human form and quietly pocketed a homemade medal before bowing slightly to Cosma like an actor performing his curtain call.
But the "Saint of Darkness" didn't dare make another move. He had no idea where the "Despair Nightingale" was hiding, and feared that engaging the "Sunless One" before him would invite another deadly ambush.
The two faced off for a few seconds until a sonic boom echoed from high above in the distance. Then, with poised calm, Ebner withdrew his power and departed from the building—now reduced to scorched foundations by the light and heat of his "Sun."
Watching the detestable man who had abducted his divine messenger disappear before his eyes, yet powerless to pursue, the Saint of Darkness scowled and cursed under his breath:
"Damn it!"
Then his figure dissolved into thick black sludge and sank back into the shadows.
He had to conduct a ritual at once—to pray to his Lord for Mr. X's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the other attendees of the gathering had already fled the street.
…
"If I hadn't worried about dragging those ordinary Beyonders from the gathering into this, I wouldn't have even needed to fight the Saint of Darkness. Once Louis Wien was captured, I could've left directly…
"Thankfully, he didn't think things through too deeply, or he might've used those people as leverage. Then I'd have been forced to send in Yalolan's avatar to end it.
"But this is Backlund—a single full-powered demigod fight already stands out enough. If I used angel-level power, I might draw the attention of the Kingdom's Balancer or even the Hand of Order!"
Inside Alvin's Puzzle Labyrinth, Ebner conducted a quiet self-examination of the operation while checking over Mr. X's body—now completely marionettized, truly dead.
He studied the man's face, comparing it to the sketch Fors had provided. Confirming it was indeed Louis Wien, Ebner nodded in satisfaction. Then he activated the Pure White Eye, channeling the power of the Sunless One to extract each of the man's extraordinary characteristics one by one.
Traveler, Recorder, Astrologer, Trickmaster, Apprentice…
Before long, nine traits floated before him—two copies of each except for Traveler.
"The Traveler's trait must go to Fors—leave that untouched.
"As for the Recorder, Fors already has one main material, the cursed object 'Ancient Wraith's Malediction.' The other—'Complete Brain of Asman'—is already being traded with the 'Sun.' It should be settled by next week, so she doesn't need another trait.
"The Recorder's characteristic is excellent for crafting magical items—it'll sell well at the Tarot Club.
"The remaining pairs of Apprentice through Astrologer traits can be used to cultivate or reward subordinates."
After a moment's calculation, Ebner turned his attention to the gold ring with the embedded ruby he had pulled from Louis's hand.
This was the Blood Flower ring—a powerful item that allowed its wearer to revive like an enhanced Rose Bishop, as long as their flesh and blood still "lived."
That was precisely why Ebner had instructed Owen to use the Marionettist's power through the Magic Mirror to kill him. Otherwise, only a Reaper's "Lethal Strike" or a Gatekeeper's "Underworld Door" could have finished him off—and neither method was as secure as controlling his Spirit Body Threads.
"A pity though—strong as it is, the ring's drawback is brutal. It causes random, unpredictable bouts of insanity, making the wearer lose rational thought… Better sell it at the Tarot Club."
As he thought this, Ebner drew out one of his blank cards and sealed Louis's body inside it.
Then he carefully arranged materials for a ritual, praying to himself and placing Evans's Hidden Barrier upon the card containing the corpse.
If he cast the rite personally, Ebner estimated the barrier could deceive ordinary angels at best.
But now, with the gemstone the Evernight Goddess had left on his chest—one imbued with the Authority of Secrets—even if the True Creator personally tried to divine its location, the result would remain obscured.
And it wasn't as though the Saint of Darkness would dare bother his "Lord" over such a minor matter. At most, he'd ask the "Great Serpent."
Once everything was properly secured, Ebner turned toward Owen Delion and Flora Jacob, who had been waiting quietly.
He gave Flora a few words of praise, which made the fanatic devotee—who had given her entire being to "Liu Bo"—tremble with ecstatic devotion.
Sometimes, the "god" himself felt embarrassed by how fanatically his believers worshipped him.
Ebner muttered inwardly, but outwardly, after giving a few more instructions, he dismissed her back to reality to continue following Emma.
As for Owen? There was no need for reward. As one of Ebner's avatars, he obeyed like an extension of the "Eyes of Wisdom." Other than the oddity of multitasking through multiple perspectives, he was no different from Ebner himself.
However, as they sat side by side, Ebner felt a mischievous urge and—imitating Klein—started talking to himself:
"The President just sent word—the Alchemical Psychology Society's Council meeting is set for Friday," Owen said casually, sipping a one-pound cup of coffee.
Unlike the weekly Tarot Club, the Society's Council only met once every few months. This was the first such summons since Owen's creation as an avatar.
"With just the President, it's unlikely he can see through your replacement," Ebner analyzed. "As for Adam—he probably knows, but since he hasn't exposed you, he's allowing it. The question is whether 'Arrogance'—the Dragon King—will tear off your mask."
"He expose me? He's pretending to be Hvin Rambis himself! If he's dirty, he won't report me. At worst, we'd just 'blow each other up,'" Owen replied indifferently.
After a bit more back-and-forth, Ebner compared his demeanor across different bodies—and to his mild surprise, he noticed that when speaking through Owen, his tone carried a slightly more flippant edge.
That subtle difference wasn't due to Owen's personality, but the nature of the "Unknown Land's" pollution.
Ever since he'd ascended to demigodhood and touched the brand of Giuseppe Castiya within the "Unknown Land," he'd still thought and acted as Ebner—but his temperament had shifted ever so slightly.
For example, this strike on Mr. X had been far less calculated than usual—a bit reckless. That kind of impulsive state resembled the days right after I first transmigrated, before I'd been tempered by experience.
At first, I thought it was just the mindset of a new demigod—or the natural reaction to absorbing Giuseppe's memories and forbidden knowledge…
But perhaps not.
Could it be that neither I, nor any of my prior selves, are the complete "Liu Bo"… but merely fragments of Him?
And the more of those imprints I absorb, the closer I come to Him—until, if my self-awareness isn't strong enough… He will replace me?
(End of Chapter)