In the carriage returning to his home in the Empress Borough.
Hastur placed his cane across his knees, tapping his fingers on it. He felt that what he had done tonight was somewhat risky.
He did not think that Xio and Fors would spread what happened tonight, but once certain things are done, they tend to leave traces.
He had also thought of letting Bernadette come and preach, guiding Fors to become a follower of the Sovereign of the Stars, but Bernadette was now busy handling matters of the High-Dimensional Overlookers, unable to free herself for the moment, so he had to step in personally.
"After going back, I'll forge a book, scramble the Sovereign of the Stars' incantations inside it, and if it is noticed later, I'll use that as an excuse."
With a decision made, Hastur looked at the window hidden behind the carriage curtains, yet chose not to open it for air.
He did not want to suddenly catch sight of someone he would rather not see.
The carriage continued forward, and Hastur suddenly said: "Go to Viscount Glaint's house first, I just remembered there are some matters left unfinished."
"As you command."
The coachman responded, turned the carriage, and did not return to Empress Borough that night.
"Target has left the house!"
"Do we need to send someone to intercept?"
"Not for now, just follow from a distance."
"Target has gotten into the carriage, heading toward Empress Borough, it seems."
"Have our people take another carriage and follow them."
"Remember, no private action. Wait for orders!"
The Squad of Beyonders stationed beneath Chief Reid's building began to move.
Inside the carriage, Chief Reid, smiling broadly, teased the baby lying in his wife's arms. He enjoyed pulling away the baby's finger from his mouth, then watching him put it back in and suck on it again.
Repeating this again and again, he never tired of it.
"Was Baron Campbell home today?"
"Perhaps. After all, he's been gone for several days. By calculation, he should be back soon."
Chief Reid thought for a moment, then smiled: "Even if he's not home, it's fine. We can take our little one out for a stroll. Luckily, the sun isn't hot these days, and the breeze is pleasant."
"Empress Borough… won't things there be too expensive?"
"Don't worry, we'll just buy a few small toys. It won't cost much."
The carriage moved slowly and soon arrived in Empress Borough, where Hastur lived.
Chief Reid let his wife and child wait in the carriage while he tidied his clothes, ensuring nothing improper, then went to pay his visit.
He was quickly informed that Hastur was not at home, and might not return for several days.
Chief Reid felt regret, but did not insist. He only asked the servant at the gate to pass on a few words.
Returning to the carriage, Chief Reid said with a smile: "Unfortunately, Baron Campbell hasn't been home lately, perhaps he's gone back to his territory."
"Then, what about our child's name?"
"We can give him a nickname for now, and later choose a proper name."
"That's fine, I've been thinking about it too, and came up with several good names."
Chief Reid laughed. "Me too."
The carriage turned toward the lively commercial street in Empress Borough.
Until around five in the evening, the carriage finally left Empress Borough and headed back.
Getting down, Chief Reid carefully cradled the sleeping baby, accompanied his wife upstairs, and returned to their home.
As soon as he opened the front door, in the living room, on the sofa, sat a strange figure.
Chief Reid wanted to step closer for a look, but saw only a face shrouded in mist, impossible to see clearly.
When he tried to speak in greeting, he suddenly realized in shock, The child in his arms had vanished!
He wanted to cry out, but no words came. Mist seemed to rise all around him, his mind grew hazy, and then he fell asleep.
Chief Reid's lover also fell asleep.
In the true reality of the living room, the baby opened his clear black-and-white eyes, toddled with little steps, and curiously looked at the figure on the sofa, without a trace of fear.
"Storm shall punish all evil!"
The figure shouted, and golden lightning patterns manifested across the walls, turning into long whips of lightning lashing down.
From the ground, the floorboards split open, revealing countless interlocking gears, forming layers of binding force!
The baby stood unmoving, his eyes showing, for once, a hint of anger.
With a cry, the surrounding space shattered, the golden lightning whips burst into light, the floor overturned completely.
He raised a tiny finger, pointing into the air, and space distorted again and again.
Outside the house, the hidden Squad members all collapsed silently.
No wounds marked their bodies, yet life had fled them instantly, for their fragile brains had been plucked away in an instant.
Before the baby, their brains were exposed, stripped of skull and head, easily touched and crushed with a slight squeeze.
That little finger then pointed toward the figure on the sofa. But it had no effect, around the figure's entire body circled a golden electric halo.
It would take some effort to break through.
But, alas, he was only a baby. His finger lacked the strength, and could only flick the golden ring lightly.
The ring wavered, and the figure was flung away.
At this moment, countless dark-green pea vines fell from the sky, sprouting thickly from the ground, and in a blink, imprisoned the baby in a cage of vines.
Above the house, storms gathered, black clouds thick as ink.
The lightning brewed long, finally descended with annihilating might!
Inside, the baby grew solemn. Within the cage, he took one small step, then appeared outside it.
At once, space froze, a small iron cage shaped like an inverted pyramid descended!
The sharp tip up, its square base pressing on the baby's head. From the sky, thunder struck the pyramid's tip, magnified and poured into the world around the baby!
Silver lightning raged wildly, its dazzling glow turning the world into a sea of thunder.
The baby was grievously wounded, crying out, and the surrounding space inverted and shifted.
All caught within were neatly sliced into countless pieces, dying silently, without pain.
Not only people, everything in range.
The pea vines, the pyramid, buildings, trees, even the street, a stray cat chasing a butterfly, a sprouting blade of grass,
All were cut apart!
"Sleep now, rest now. You need slumber, you need a good long sleep."
A gentle voice sounded. The baby's eyelids grew heavy, weighed down by fatigue from the depths of his soul.
He was still a baby, after all. He needed sleep, long sleep.
At last, his eyes closed, his breathing even. Space around him instantly returned to normal.
From the sky, lightning poured down onto him in frenzy!
But most of it shifted away to other spaces as it neared him.
In that moment, lightning crackled all over Backlund!
Pedestrians on the streets were struck down, burnt to ash. Families dining together were struck as lightning burst inside their homes, setting fires.
Steam trains in motion were hit, their iron hulls pierced, exploding into sections!
Birds in the sky fell like rain. Fires broke out across the city.
Fortunately, rain soon poured down from the stormclouds, suppressing the flames.
The baby, badly wounded again, his skin scorched black, body marked with cracks of lightning, bled not a drop. His eyes showed no fear, only calm.
He did not strike again. Instead, he blew apart his collapsing body, leaving only a pair of glowing white eyes, like crystals, floating in the air.
The eyes slowly swept around, its gaze seeming to pierce the world.
In that moment, every living being still alive nearby felt an uncanny sense of being watched.
Soon, the glowing eyes sank into the depths of space and vanished.
No storm could find or destroy them.
Finally, the chaos settled. Only the dark clouds lingered over Backlund, and with the wind, brought a cleansing storm to sweep away all filth.
...
At Glaint's house.
Hastur looked out the window at the sky. He knew Bernadette had joined with the Church of Storms to act.
Even the Church of the Evernight Goddess, and the Church of Steam and Machinery, might have sent members into this battle.
"Hastur, don't you think this rain came a little strangely?" Beside him, Glaint's face still held lingering fear.
Just now, he had nearly been struck by a lightning bolt that appeared out of nowhere.
Luckily, it only grazed past his head, not hitting him directly.
The only damage was to his hair.
"It is indeed a bit unusual, but it has already passed."
Hastur smiled as he replied, then explained he would be leaving.
He had rested here for a night, and with the High-Dimensional Overlookers' matter temporarily settled, it was time to go back.
He only wondered how Chief Reid had fared. Perhaps Chief Reid was no more…