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*****
In all the worlds George had ever experienced, none possessed Beyonders as miserable as those in this one.
Here, acquiring power meant living in constant fear of losing control and mutating into a monster. It was a double-edged sword in the truest sense. Honestly, living as a Beyonder in this world often seemed worse than being an ordinary person. At least an average person, barring an accident, could expect to live out a natural life cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death.
"A mutated Punisher..."
Suddenly, an idea sparked in George's mind. If he could save the monster from its state of loss of control, he could not only claim a handsome reward but also establish a favorable relationship with the Church of the Lord of Storms.
It would serve as a gesture of goodwill. If the Seven Gods were indeed watching him, they would see that he wasn't some evil god possessing an infant to wreak havoc.
Beyonders of the Church of the Lord of Storms focused primarily on physical enhancement in the early stages of their progression.
Sequence 9 was "Sailor," which granted a massive boost to strength and superb balance, allowing one to walk freely even on a ship tossed by a hurricane. Beneath their skin lay "Illusionary Scales" that made them as slippery as fish and difficult for enemies to grab, while also providing extra defense—enough to permanently end the nuisance of mosquito bites. Furthermore, they could act freely underwater and hold their breath for up to ten minutes.
Sequence 8 was "Raging Bellow" (or "Barbarian"). In addition to a significant boost to all Sequence 9 abilities, they gained the "Furious Blow" capability, allowing them to exert power far beyond their normal limits for a short duration.
This information came from the memories of the Clown murderer, and by extension, the ancient Secret Order. The seven major Churches were forces that every wild Beyonder or illegal organization had to respect; one wrong move, and the Church would invite you for "tea," followed by life imprisonment. Consequently, everyone made a concerted effort to collect intelligence on the specific Sequences and abilities of each Church to ensure their members could protect themselves.
Information on low-level Sequences was common knowledge, and through countless skirmishes over the years, even the general nature of high-level Sequences was understood.
Of course, the most important thing to remember when facing Church Beyonders was that they often carried various Sealed Artifacts with diverse abilities. Furthermore, they rarely fought fair; it was almost always a coordinated group effort to overwhelm a lone target.
As for Sealed Artifacts? They could be viewed as magic items or enchanted treasures, but they all came with significant side effects. The more powerful the artifact, the more terrifying the drawback.
George had paid close attention to a specific Sealed Artifact used by the Nighthawks during the warehouse incident: Sealed Artifact 2-049, the Antigonus Family's Puppet. Anyone within a certain radius of it would find their thoughts and movements grinding to a halt. If they couldn't escape quickly enough, they would eventually turn into a mindless marionette.
According to the memories of the Clown, the Punishers of the Lord of Storms were the last people you wanted to engage in close-quarters combat during the early Sequences. For the Seer pathway used by the Secret Order, which lacked melee prowess in its early stages, a direct confrontation was essentially a death sentence.
The Sequence 9 of the Secret Order's pathway was "Seer." Beyond gaining divination abilities, the physical enhancement was only comparable to transforming an unathletic commoner into a dedicated fitness enthusiast. In a grappling match, a Sailor could truly beat ten Seers. However, a Seer would use divination to sense danger ahead of time and flee long before the Sailor ever got close.
Based on the knowledge George had gathered, every Sequence had its own unique characteristics. There was no such thing as an absolute strongest or weakest pathway.
The mutated Punisher below was a Sequence 9 Sailor. The scales currently covering his body were tough enough to easily deflect the bullets fired by the young Nighthawk. Moreover, a Beyonder who had lost control was generally much stronger than they were when sane. This was why the mutated Sailor required the joint efforts of the Sequence 8 Swain and another Sequence 9 member just to be barely contained.
The battle on the cargo ship had reached a fever pitch. Sensing a mortal threat, the monster desperately broke through the blockade of its former captain and teammate, attempting to leap into the river to escape.
"Midnight!"
At that moment, the elderly Nighthawk, who had been waiting for the right opening, rapidly chanted an incantation and flicked a silver charm. The charm struck the monster just as it was about to dive, causing its body to sway as it nearly succumbed to a forced slumber.
Seizing the opportunity, Swain, the former captain, lunged forward to intercept the beast once more. Swain grew more ferocious as the fight progressed, finally triggering his "Furious Blow." His strength surged to its peak.
The young Nighthawk timed his move perfectly, throwing another silver charm to lock the monster in place again. Seeing Swain leap into the air, his power concentrated into a final, skull-crushing punch, George decided it was time to make his entrance.
Boom!
Swain's devastating strike didn't connect with the monster's head. Instead, it was intercepted by a small figure. George had flashed into the fray, blocking Swain's lethal blow.
As the monster snapped out of the charm's control, it immediately turned to resume its plunge into the river.
"Did I give you permission to leave?"
George, still holding back Swain's fist, snapped his fingers. Blue flames erupted from his hand and transformed into a fiery dragon, instantly coiling around the monster and trapping it in a ring of fire. The moment the beast touched the flames, it shrieked and recoiled. It instinctively knew that if it tried to force its way through that blue fire, it would be charred to a crisp instantly.
"Don't be nervous. I mean no harm."
Having trapped the monster, George turned to face the five Beyonders surrounding him. He manipulated his vocal cords to project a normal, adult-sounding voice.
"Who... what are you? What do you want?"
Swain stared at George, his face grim and his tone laced with caution. He looked ready to strike again at any moment. He had every reason to be wary. The "Furious Blow" he had just unleashed was something even a Sequence 7 Beyonder specialized in melee combat couldn't have parried so effortlessly. That punch could have left a massive crater in a steel plate.
To intercept such an attack so casually and then manifest blue flames to trap a rampaging monster—this strange, short figure had to be at least a Sequence 6 or even a Sequence 5. What was the purpose of such a powerhouse suddenly interfering with the execution of a mutated member?
If this person held any ill will, the five of them combined likely wouldn't stand a chance. They would all be corpses by the end of the hour. Swain wasn't the only one worried; the other four were visibly sweating, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.
"Who I am isn't important," George said, pointing a finger at the snarling, trapped monster. "What matters is that I have a way to save your mutated companion. Tell me, are you interested?"
(End of Chapter)