Chapter 208: Before the Smog
Jacob and Amon have done all sorts of evil, while the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings saves the suffering.
If it were any other Beyonder with a lower moral baseline, they would have directly slapped the mask in their hand—capable of devouring flesh to replicate appearance and physique—onto the face of the young girl before them, replicating her one-to-one.
Nimrod felt that his own moral standard was simply too high.
After sighing slightly, Nimrod snapped his fingers gently, and a fissure resembling an eye appeared beside him.
Nimrod paused for a moment, then opened his mouth to say to his messenger: "I will write a letter; help me send this letter and this girl to the place where Dunn Smith is located. Remember, she must arrive there intact, alive, and not transformed into any other form of life."
To prevent any potential violent transport by his messenger, Nimrod specifically added that instruction.
The "animated void," which seemed to be a white speck of light resembling an eyeball, moved up and down, as if nodding.
The general meaning Nimrod needed to express in the letter to Dunn was to have him protect Hazel and send her to the Church of the Night—after all, if this noble girl were sent anywhere else, Hazel would likely perform a sudden death the next day.
However, one didn't need to worry about such problems for people like EdSack and Trissy.
Even after becoming a Beyonder, the gap between a noble girl and a royal prince was greater than that between a human and a dog.
For the next period, he planned to seamlessly play the role of Hazel and borrow a piece of the demigod-level Beyonder characteristic he needed from the rat demigod.
Nimrod remembered that there were quite a few Amons around the rat demigod. However, the body he was currently using was no ordinary vessel.
First of all, the "Hugues Artois" body he was currently using was already in a state of being parasitized, rather than being an unparasitized body.
Parasites on others are extremely difficult to discover, and with the added status of Sefirah Castle, this "Worm of Time" parasitizing the body was almost impossible to detect.
Coupled with the fact that Nimrod himself possessed the full background of all abilities of the complete "Marauder" Sequence, he could almost perfectly blend in among the Amons.
The most crucial part was that his body contained the complete aura of Sefirah Castle. If ordinary Sefirah Castle aura was a delicious delicacy to Amon, then the Sefirah Castle aura on him, mixed with the will of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, was poison that tasted like excrement to Amon.
But for now—Nimrod curled the corners of his mouth.
Let him go and meet his demigod characteristic—no, let him meet Hazel's ill-intentioned "teacher."
In an inconspicuous room in Backlund.
"You should be satisfied now."
"Despair Nightingale" Panatia spoke to the middle-aged man standing in the small room: "This time, not only the White Saintess, but another 'Demoness of Undying' has also been transferred by the sect to help you besiege the Church of the Night's Archbishop, Anthony. This is a major operation."
Panatia seemed to have no rift with Ince Zangwill regarding the matter involving Prince EdSack, maintaining her sweet smile: "So, don't forget, you also need to do your part—"
"Despair Nightingale" did not continue. Threatening words were enough at this point; those who didn't understand wouldn't understand no matter how much more was said, and "Despair Nightingale" was certain that Ince Zangwill was not that kind of fool.
Standing before her, dressed in black clothing with dark golden hair, Ince Zangwill spoke in a low voice: "When?"
"Tonight."
Panatia leaned her back against the wall, gently looking up, a mysterious smile appearing on the corners of her mouth: "Two 'Demoness of Undying' are about to arrive in Backlund. They have reached an agreement with the Red Angel who serves the True Creator, and I have also made a deal with Mr. A of the Aurora Order—he will be responsible for sending me into the center of the city late at night. And after I initiate the Great Smog, he will send me out of Backlund."
"We have signed a contract with Beyonder efficacy, so there is no need to worry about whether they will betray us. Furthermore, for these Lunatics of the Aurora Order, enabling the True Creator to descend into the real world is their ultimate wish."
Speaking of this, Panatia turned back to look at Ince Zangwill before her, the corners of her mouth curling: "So, before the True Creator descends, we don't have to worry at all about this group of Lunatics betraying us."
"Feel free to backstab that little bird."
"If there are no high-Sequence individuals guiding them, those little Demonesses whose brains have been ruined by love and pain shouldn't harbor too much vigilance against us."
Inside the Fried family's manor in the suburbs, the Red Angel spoke with conviction to Mr. A before him.
Although Mr. A still had some doubts, facing the angel of the Lord, he still chose to believe.
The Aurora Order was currently waiting for a signal. Just as the Demoness Sect needed the Aurora Order to make the True Creator descend to attract the attention of the Church of Storms and the Church of the Night, the Aurora Order similarly needed someone to attract the initial attention for them.
Only in this way could they use the Believers in Backlund to allow the True Creator's avatar to descend here.
"When the Great Smog begins, you can start."
Medici sat with his legs crossed, speaking to Mr. A in a relaxed manner: "Don't worry, I have asked the Lord's divine messenger. Tsk, he can actually communicate directly with the Lord—heh, let's not talk about that. The Demoness Sect's Great Smog will not succeed. With the Lord's existence, whether they believe in Him or not, everyone will be safe during this incident."
"Isn't this emperor planning to use the Lord's existence to balance the books? Then let all the commoners here survive; they will write their own casualty reports."
Speaking of this, Medici glanced at Mr. A and sighed: "It's a pity. By that time, I won't be able to perform the ritual with you; otherwise, you would have more confidence. After all, even in the most glorious eras, you would still be among the most devout Believers. The Lord's divine messenger—hmm, he likely won't have any spare energy by then."
Mr. A nodded silently at first, then asked his question: "What are you going to do?"
Hearing Mr. A's question, Medici laughed quite arrogantly: "Me?"
"Someone has to go and block the angel of the Church of Storms, right?"
At Medici's chest, pitch-black and blood-red lights shone and shimmered together.
Monday late at night.
The East Borough had always been a place where filth and corruption were hidden in Backlund. In a dark room, a young girl—no, not just a young girl, but several people of various ages and physiques, most of whom could be considered young and strong, were detained there.
Around them were some torture devices stained with blood. These devices were very crude and looked like they had been handmade by the people here.
Clearly, this was a gang organization assisting the military in the slave trade.
Leveraging the commission of contacting Prince EdSack, Klein Moretti carried a lantern, walking lightly through one den after another found with the support of the Church of the Night.
He gathered the paper documents that hadn't been destroyed in time and looked at the gang member tied to a chair beside him, a look of disdain and hatred appearing in his eyes.
Watching the gang member's expression, a smile appeared on Klein's lips: "Your eyes tell me that you are thinking about how, after the police take over this matter later, you will rely on your connections to solve me—to deal with me, this little private detective."
Speaking of this, Klein took out a certificate from his pocket. He didn't open it, just smilingly said: "However, this time you don't have any backing. Heh, you won't receive a public trial or be handled by the police department; you will be directly transferred to a higher-level institution."
"Honestly confess more things; perhaps before the trial, you might receive slightly better treatment."
Beside Klein, Leonard also had a serious expression.
Although he was different from the average Nighthawks, having learned many darker and more cruel things under the influence of the old man, the scenes he had witnessed over the past few days made it even harder for Leonard to let go.
What the old man spoke of was, after all, the bloody and dark Fourth Epoch, but now it was already the Fifth Epoch!
Seeing those cruel histories appear before him in another way, Leonard felt somewhat lost.
But just at this moment, Leonard saw the rope binding the gang member suddenly become somewhat loose.
His pupils constricted slightly. Just as he was about to open his mouth to warn Klein, he saw the gang member roar, take out a pistol from his pocket, and lunge toward Klein with a reaction speed far exceeding that of a normal person.
This was a Beyonder!
No one had expected that a Beyonder would actually appear here!
Moreover, he had even deceived the spiritual intuition and frisking of a "Magician" and a "Dreamwalker" to hide a pistol and launch an attack while waiting for an opportunity.
However, Klein spoke unhurriedly, saying with great authority: "Sneak attacks are prohibited here."
The moment he spoke, the gang Beyonder's legs wobbled, and he knelt heavily on the ground as if pressed down by something heavy.
Amidst the heavy thud, Leonard instinctively turned his face to the side.
But the moment he turned his head, an old voice suddenly appeared in his ears: "Be careful, the disaster is about to begin."
Leonard's eyes quickly turned to look in front of Klein, discovering that the flesh of the Beyonder kneeling on the ground was suddenly disintegrating, flowing with pus as if it had suddenly rotted.
He was just about to drag the Beyonder before him into a "Dreamwalker" dream, but saw that this time Klein opened his left hand. The "creeping hunger," originally disguised as a bright red glove, shone brilliantly, and a ring bearing the power of Purification pushed out in all directions.
Sequence 5 "Priest of Light," Sequence 5 "Disciplinary Knight," Klein he—how did he have two Sequence 5-level beyonder items?
Leonard's pupils constricted. He stared intently at Klein before him, as if he had seen something unbelievable.
Behind him, three figures appeared simultaneously, one of which wore a black robe and a pure white mask, revealing only a pair of eyes.
Nimrod was also waiting for an opportunity.
During this period, because the beyonder item "smiling face," which could change his appearance, had been given to his Hugues Artois clone, Nimrod's main body naturally disappeared from the public eye for the time being, with the external reason being that he was temporarily suffering from an illness.
And the clone, forcibly transformed into the appearance of a young girl, was quietly playing the role of Hazel Maht.
During this time, he also successfully approached the rat demigod Flora Jacob without her having any suspicions.
Nimrod sat quietly in the room, watching the rat demigod resting on the mat beside him, waiting for EdSack Augustus to crush his talisman.
That talisman could both help EdSack escape and buy Nimrod time. Of course, it would be best if the former could be accomplished—but the latter was Nimrod's main goal.
If enough time was bought, Nimrod would have the opportunity to kill the rat demigod and obtain the demigod characteristic!
Suddenly, Nimrod saw the rat with smooth fur lying on the blanket stand up, its small eyes seemingly revealing a hint of solemnity and fear.
He timely adopted the posture of a young girl and asked the rat demigod with concern: "Teacher, what's wrong?"
"Do not leave your home."
The rat demigod spoke with considerable authority to the "Hazel" before her: "A disaster is about to happen."
If it had been the original Hazel staying here, she should have already shown an expression of astonishment or even terror. But for the current Nimrod, he felt somewhat bored, even finding it a bit amusing.
However, out of respect for the demigod before him, he didn't say much else, simply making the anxious expression that Hazel might have shown, and engaged in a hurried conversation with the rat demigod.
But just at this moment, she raised her head, her gaze looking toward the distant sky.
In the thick smog that lingered in Backlund all day, a pale yellow spread to the sides at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then, starting from the center of the thick fog, it was gradually stained iron-black bit by bit.
However, since it was already late, the only things that could illuminate the sky were the brightly lit factories in the East Borough, so this subtle change was not noticed by many people. The iron-black smog spread rapidly, gradually merging with the pitch-black night.
The sky quickly became gloomy, the crimson moonlight was shrouded by dark clouds like an iron curtain, and not a single star could be seen in the sky.
The Backlund Great Smog had begun.
Nimrod took two steps back due to excessive "fear" and subconsciously closed his eyes.
His main body, which occupied the second Amon body, opened its eyes.
He calmly watched the gang member before him, who was rapidly rotting. A bronze door seemed to open rapidly, using the gang member's body as a medium, and Darkness carrying the aura of death gradually emerged—
In an instant, the entire building seemed to have entered a world where only death and Darkness existed.
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#209Prelude to Chapter 209
Chapter 209 Prelude
At the same time as the bronze Door appeared above the corpse, Daly Simone, who had emerged from the "Door," extended her hands, and an identical illusory Door emerged from the center of her forehead, contending with the bronze Door that was about to open.
Ince Zangwill was once a "Gatekeeper" of the "Death" Pathway. Although he had forcibly jumped to the "Darkness" Pathway by utilizing the ashes of Saint Selena to become a "Nightwatcher," he was still proficient in the Beyonder abilities of the "Death" Pathway.
"Ms. Daly has already advanced to Sequence 5? After receiving the support of the Church, Ms. Daly's advancement speed is truly fast—"
Klein opened his mouth. Seeing Ms. Daly begin to contend with the bronze-colored Door opening before them, he also quickly adjusted his emotions. The "creeping hunger" on his left hand rapidly changed color, while the iron-black glove on his right hand emitted a majestic aura.
Klein had already keenly sensed the change in the surrounding atmosphere. The surrounding smog seemed to have become as heavy as metal, silently eroding all the civilians of Backlund within the Darkness.
"The Backlund Smog incident—"
These few words suddenly popped into Klein's mind, but he did not get distracted. Instead, he clenched his left hand wearing "creeping hunger" tightly, and a brilliant ray of Sun shot out from Klein's hand towards the front.
The Beyonder abilities of the "Sun" Pathway also quite effectively suppress the "Death" Pathway of the "Death" domain. However, because several of his teammates beside him, except for Nimrod, were all inclined towards the "Darkness" and "Death" domains, Klein consciously controlled the range, allowing the sunlight to spread towards the bronze Door summoned by Ince Zangwill.
In the originally envisioned possibilities, as long as Ince Zangwill appeared, the Church's high-Sequence Beyonders would immediately arrive at the scene to control Ince Zangwill in place, with his own squad providing assistance.
But just at this moment, Klein's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and an illusory scene appeared before his eyes.
Inside the bronze-colored Door, a hand was holding a quill, rapidly writing on it: "At the same time as Anthony Stevenson, this 'Horror Bishop,' arrives, the 'Demoness of Undying' from the Demoness Sect happen to utilize the outbreak of the Backlund Smog to sneak into Backlund."
"They utilized Ince Zangwill's positioning to lock onto Anthony Stevenson's location."
A deep light appeared in the air, and an old man wearing a black and red clerical robe emerged from within this light.
Unlike before, Anthony Stevenson was currently shrouded in deep and dense Darkness. Klein did not make eye contact with Anthony Stevenson; merely seeing his figure made him feel uncontrollable fear enveloping his body, causing him to tremble involuntarily.
Klein gritted his teeth hard, freeing himself from the state of fear. He shifted his gaze away from Archbishop Anthony and shouted a reminder: "The 'Demoness of Undying' from the Demoness Sect are here!"
Anthony Stevenson had just locked his gaze onto the bronze Door, pinning Ince Zangwill's body temporarily onto the rotting and decayed corpse of the gang member from earlier, when he heard Klein's reminder.
He was slightly stunned, but without hesitation, he reached forward and drew a bone longsword covered in strange patterns from the depths of the Darkness.
This was the "Sword of Darkness" representing "Destruction"!
As Anthony Stevenson drew this longsword, the Darkness around him became a bit denser, and a quiet aura of destruction spread within the surrounding Darkness, surging outwards.
Almost at the same time, several soft sighs came from the surroundings.
Three figures immediately outlined themselves. Anthony Stevenson's gaze froze slightly, recognizing the "Demoness of Undying" at the lead: the "White Saintess," Katarina Pelle.
Besides that, Archbishop Anthony had also heard of the two "Demoness of Undying" behind Katarina; they were the "Silver Demoness" and the "Green Demoness" of the Demoness Sect!
The Demoness Sect actually sent three Saint-level Sequence 3 Beyonders to Backlund?
Although Anthony Stevenson was astonished in his heart because he saw these three suddenly appearing powerful enemies, his actions did not have the slightest hesitation.
He unhesitatingly raised the "Sword of Darkness" in his hand and swung it down towards the three "Demoness of Undying."
As the longsword swung down, the Darkness that had originally been drifting around seemed to be directly gathered together, surging towards the "Demoness of Undying" with an aura capable of destroying everything.
Although early-stage "Darkness" Pathway Beyonders are not good at combat and are more focused on support, after becoming demigods, they will possess one of the most terrifying offensive abilities among all Sequences!
Even the eerie and hard-to-kill "Demoness of Undying," if swallowed by this Darkness with a dense imagery of destruction, would lose all their life and never be able to resurrect again!
However, Katarina before him certainly did not have the habit of being slaughtered. She revealed a sweet, elegant smile towards Anthony Stevenson, and the speed at which the surrounding Darkness surged seemed to slow down imperceptibly.
Seizing this opportunity, Katarina's pupils suddenly contracted into thin lines, looking at Anthony like a venomous snake.
Strands of transparent spider silk spread crazily towards the surroundings. Everything touched by the spider silk turned into stone in an instant, and even the Darkness spreading in from the surroundings was stained with a bit of grayish-white.
Katarina's figure disappeared in an instant, leaping to a higher place. But while the "Silver Demoness" and "Green Demoness" were resisting the Darkness, she lowered her eyelids and smiled at Klein, saying: "You are truly very keen. Now I know why Panatia failed to successfully kill you."
"If it weren't for you, we might have succeeded."
Although there was an air of appreciation in Katarina's tone, Klein felt an extreme coldness, as if he had been targeted by a venomous snake.
The demigod he had escaped from last time with the help of the Church was only a "Demoness of Despair," but the one who wanted to kill him now was a Sequence 3 "Demoness of Undying"!
This was a Beyonder of the same level as the "Disicple of Silence" Zatwin he had encountered before!
But just at this moment, Katarina let out an "Eh." The coldness on Klein's body vanished into thin air. Following the guidance of his spiritual intuition, he subconsciously looked beside himself, only to see a familiar person standing by his side, pressing a hand on his shoulder.
Katarina's gaze flickered a few times: "Is he your descendant?"
The newcomer was none other than Azik Eggers. He did not answer, only looking at Katarina with a gaze carrying the cold aura of Death.
Katarina's figure, along with the "Silver Demoness" and "Green Demoness," drifted into the distance in an instant. Anthony Stevenson lowered his head to look at Klein and the bronze Door that was opening; the Darkness around him surged, and he also transformed into a streak of pitch-black light, chasing towards that direction.
Azik did not say much, only gently patting Klein's shoulder and saying to him: "The people from the Kingdom of Loen's Military Intelligence Division 9 are still chasing me. I will go deal with them first."
His strength had not fully recovered, so he had no intention of tracking Katarina. But Katarina did not know this, only assuming that her actions of attacking Klein had angered the "Death Consul," who chose to shift the battlefield.
After all, the Death Consul and the Church of the Night had once been enemies; the two did not look like they could cooperate.
As for why the Death Consul's descendant would be hidden in the Church of the Night—well, the Sauron family even has Demoness who believe in the "Primordial One."
Before Azik Eggers disappeared, he incidentally swept a glance at the Underworld Gate opened by Ince Zangwill. This bronze-colored Door shook, and although many cracks appeared, it did not completely shatter, only becoming much more illusory.
But within these few brief seconds, Daly's expression also became somewhat listless, and the illusory Door at her forehead shattered immediately. Dunn Smith stepped forward, supporting Daly's body with his arm, and asked in a low voice: "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Daly said quickly: "Ince Zangwill seems to have used that quill to enhance his own strength. I am no longer able to contend with his Underworld Gate—give me two minutes, I just need to make some preparations."
"I can feel his state; he is currently tending towards losing control!"
Dunn scanned the surroundings and saw the bronze Door before them opening at a slow speed. His gaze became more cautious, and he took out a pure black talisman that seemed to be surging with dim colors from his embrace, reciting the incantation: "Calamity!"
This was one of the demigod-level talismans bestowed upon Dunn by the Church to allow him the ability to contend with Ince Zangwill!
This matter involving Ince Zangwill that involved cooperation with the Aurora Order had been approved by the Pope of the Church of the Night!
Just as the talisman left his hand, a figure slowly appeared from within the bronze-colored Door, holding a quill that was rapidly writing in his hand: "Today, Ince Zangwill's state is very good; he can effectively control his Mythical Creature form. Therefore, he prepares to kill these people before him who have been constantly provoking him, allowing himself to escape the edge of losing control."
"However, Azik Eggers and Anthony Stevenson both used their Beyonder abilities to curse him before Ince Zangwill left. He was forced to leave the Underworld in the process of using his Mythical Creature form, unluckily running into Dunn Smith's Calamity talisman."
"Oh my, Ince Zangwill might be in for some bad luck in this battle."
The talisman carrying the dense color of Darkness shattered on Ince Zangwill's body. His gaze was cruel and crazy, his tone filled with fury: "It's you guys again!"
"If it weren't for you, how would I have become like this? Why is it that you can receive the Church's support, while I must exchange my life for merit time and time again?"
"Wait until I kill all of you annoying Nighthawks, I will go back to Tingen and kill all your families and all your colleagues!"
As Ince Zangwill spat out these few sentences, whether it was Klein standing near the bronze Door or Dunn standing slightly further away, their expressions simultaneously became serious and solemn, with Beyonder colors radiating from their bodies or hands.
But just at this moment, Ince Zangwill's body also began to undergo hideous and terrifying changes. His eyes became deep black, as if stained with ink. Fine lines extended and combined, turning into strange, mystical symbols.
The flesh at his waist and ribs suddenly writhed, growing out arms that had no skin, only blood vessels covering the muscles.
But the next moment, white feathers grew out on the arms, making the world, which was already filled with the aura of Death, even more deathly silent.
His teeth also grew longer one by one, with countless blurred, painful faces writhing on each tooth, emitting dense malice.
This was the Mythical Creature form combined from "Nightwatcher" and "Gatekeeper." It looked like a Demonic Wolf and also like a Feathered Serpent, and the surrounding Darkness seemed to have strengthened Ince Zangwill's power, making everything around him die rapidly and enter permanent slumber.
This was the mixed power of "Darkness" and "Death"!
For a moment, under the oppression of this terrifying power, the members of the Tingen Squad felt as if they had returned to the time in Tingen when they were confronting the descendant of the True Creator at the Blackthorn Security Company.
A demigod possessing divinity not only possesses powerful vitality but also has unparalleled lethality towards all living beings without divinity. In just an instant, everyone present felt their life force draining away.
But just at this moment, the corners of Klein's mouth curled up slightly:
How could he not have means to deal with a demigod?
As early as before, he had already discussed with Nimrod how to deal with demigods, how to deal with Ince Zangwill who could threaten them at any time!
Although the Church did not bestow upon them demigod-level beyonder items, but—the Church had tacitly approved their cooperation with the Aurora Order!
They were both bait and a trap!
Klein's hands opened, and intense sunlight spread outward from within his body, for a moment actually slightly driving away the surrounding Darkness. The iron-black glove on his right hand also emitted a faint radiance, releasing all the might of the "Disciplinary Knight": "Target of discipline: Ince Zangwill!"
Light like the dawn appeared on Klein's body, clinging to the sunlight released by the "Priest of Light," making Klein transform into the most brilliant point of light.
Ince Zangwill's body stiffened for a moment, his mouth opening wide, emitting a frantic roar.
Darkness surged out from Ince Zangwill's throat like water ripples, completely swallowing the sunlight within a fraction of a second.
But just as he turned his gaze towards Klein, wanting to first tear apart this ignorant fellow, he saw the black-robed figure in the distance take off the mask on his face and put a monocle with blood-red edges onto his face.
He smiled, his wrist turning, and gray mist appeared on his hand and in Ince Zangwill's mouth. Large patches of light spots slid out from the gray mist, falling into Ince Zangwill's throat.
In the situation where direct theft was not possible, Nimrod chose to generously give Ince Zangwill a dozen Beyonder characteristics, intensifying his tendency to lose control.
His gaze was calm, piercing through Ince Zangwill's body, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly: "It has begun—"
Chapter 210: God Descent Ritual
Within the few seconds that Nimrod was thinking, the surrounding Darkness seemed to have become a bit denser.
No, it wasn't that the Darkness had become denser, but rather that there was some noise, some anomaly, in the Darkness.
It was like the eternal Darkness of the City of Silver, adding layers of abnormal color to the Darkness.
The God Descent Ritual of the True Creator had begun.
In the dark and gloomy underground, Mr. A wore a formal suit, and over the suit, he draped a black robe that opened at the front and hung from his shoulders.
Before him, the face of the "Despair Nightingale" Panatia was slightly flushed, and she said to Mr. A naturally, "Please fulfill our agreement and send me out of the East Borough."
Just moments ago, she had released her mystical pathogen into the East Borough of Backlund, beginning a terrifying harvest under the cover of night.
Panatia clearly felt the digestion of her potion and sensed the aura of despair all around her.
And in her view, this was also a necessary ingredient for the descent of the True Creator.
"Very well."
Mr. A's gaze was hidden beneath his black robe, and his tone was devoid of any fluctuations, perfectly fitting the image of the Aurora Order Lunatic in Panatia's cognition.
A translucent book naturally opened before him, and Mr. A's deep voice followed, "I came, I saw, I recorded."
"I will send you to the outskirts of Backlund; a further distance is not something I can achieve."
Panatia nodded gently; she was in a very good mood at this moment.
In addition to allowing her to digest her potion on a large scale, she would certainly be rewarded upon returning to the sect.
This was a huge merit of offering a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic to the "Primordial One," and this merit gave her the chance to become a Sequence 3 "Demoness of Undying" and become a more core figure in the Demoness Sect.
She glanced at Mr. A, and her figure quickly disappeared from this secret underground ritual site.
After Panatia disappeared, Mr. A was silent for a moment, then turned his head to the Darkness beside him and said, "Your Excellency Red Angel, did I reveal any flaws just now?"
"Flaws? No, your acting was quite good."
The Red Angel Medici, residing in a "Gatekeeper," took a bite of an apple and said to Mr. A, "The God Descent Ritual prepared for the Lord can begin. Please bring out the lady who gave birth to the Lord."
Mr. A nodded heavily, and his four attendants carried a deep black coffin and walked over slowly.
Directly above this black coffin, a golden cross emitted a faint radiance, seeping into the coffin and nourishing the existence lying within.
This was the lady who had once been deceived by Lanevus, the lady who had once given birth to the "True Creator," Megoos.
After leaving Tingen City, Megoos had been lying in this coffin designed jointly by Nimrod and the True Creator. The primary purpose was to maintain her life—the experience of gestating a divine offspring with the body of a mortal completely devoid of Beyonder characteristics had almost cost her her life. Only the power of angels and deities could sustain her life.
However, after surviving, Megoos had also gained something.
After undergoing the baptism of divinity, she had truly received the "boon" of the "True Creator," thereby gaining divinity.
Of course, this was somewhat different from a normal demigod. She was now closer to those demigods who had received the boons of Outer Deities, and this boon could be taken back by the True Creator at any time.
Mr. A slowly opened the deep black coffin and looked at Megoos lying inside. He spoke slowly, "Ms. Megoos, are you ready?"
Megoos's eyes rolled, revealing a quiet smile.
Seeing Megoos's expression, Mr. A also turned around and said respectfully to Medici, "We can begin."
"Very well."
Medici sat up from the chair and took out a pitch-black box that looked like it was made of wood from his bosom. He solemnly took out a black lantern emitting a faint mist from it.
This was the "shadow lantern" that housed the will of the "True Creator"!
Looking at the lantern before him, Mr. A's gaze became uncontrollably excited. Medici removed the handle of the lantern and carefully placed the lamp at another core of the ritual.
After doing all this, he patted Mr. A's shoulder as encouragement, and he himself walked up the stairs without looking back.
Before the True Creator descended, as long as Medici had not fallen, no demigod or angel of the "Lord of Storms" would be able to approach the location of the God Descent Ritual.
Mr. A watched Medici leave and slowly walked to the last position of the ritual:
This ritual was divided into three cores, each representing an important symbol of the creator.
The "shadow lantern," Megoos, and Mr. A each occupied a core position, using this to guide the True Creator in reshaping his body.
Mr. A spread his hands and solemnly declared, "Begin."
"All bishops, all missionaries, lead the lambs and pray to the Lord."
"The Lord who created everything, the Master behind the shadow curtain, the fallen self-nature of all living beings — — — —"
"I pray that you cast your gaze here, I pray that you save the lambs you love — — — —"
As Mr. A recited over and over, mysterious and magnificent power seemed to spread from the center of the ritual to the surroundings, forming a solid defense.
From within the shadow lantern, specks of divinity, like points of light, spread along the flow of the ritual, gradually forming a human figure.
And the various Beyonder materials placed at other nodes now seemed to melt, slowly drifting toward the center of the ritual.
Watching the gradual anomaly occurring in the distant sky, Triss slapped the drowsy Prince EdSack awake, the force of which involved some personal grievances:
— —
"The Demoness Sect has begun to act."
Upon hearing Triss's words, EdSack's expression became alert at a speed visible to the naked eye. He scanned his surroundings vigilantly before lowering his voice and saying to Triss, "We are acting now. According to what that Excellency said, the people arranged by the royal family are probably already thinking about how to deal with the two of us."
"No problem, crush the talisman He bestowed upon us."
Triss replied in an equally low voice. Just as the two were talking, several footsteps could be heard unhurriedly outside the door.
EdSack and Triss looked at each other, both seeing anger and helplessness in each other's eyes.
EdSack reached into his pocket and took out the translucent talisman. With a slight force from his right hand, the outer layer of the talisman was quickly covered in cracks like glass, bursting open with a click.
Gray mist permeated the room, and the footsteps outside the door seemed to pause, then moved into the room more quickly.
A trace of despair had just surged in EdSack's heart, thinking that the talisman had not worked.
However, the next moment, he saw large swathes of gray mist suddenly appearing in the sky, and it seemed as if a gaze fell from the sky onto the two of them.
The two subconsciously looked up at the sky. At this moment, there were no dark clouds in the sky; a blinding blood-red color replaced the position of the red moon, quickly spreading to the surroundings, dispelling the Darkness of the entire Backlund.
This touch of blood-red radiance expanded at a rapid speed, hanging in the sky like a red Sun.
In the center of this red Sun, an inverted, deep cross was rapidly taking shape, but at the same time, another Sun seemed to rise rapidly on the other side of the sky.
This Sun carried golden light and was veiled in dark colors. While it looked incomparably sacred, it paradoxically gave people a terrifying feeling.
The next moment, silver-white lightning danced in the sky, as if wanting to expel these two Suns from its kingdom.
With a click, the door was pushed open. EdSack and Triss looked at the person who walked into the room and cautiously took out their defensive weapons.
The person who came was none other than EdSack's old butler, Finkel, but at this moment, EdSack saw a strange look on this old butler's face.
It was an indifferent, curious, and completely cold, scrutinizing gaze, like a child wondering about the structure of an insect's body.
"How strange, a Demoness, a descendant of Augustus, you actually have the aura of Sefirah Castle on you. Did you receive the favor of Sefirah Castle?"
Finkel's mouth curled slightly, and he took out a crystal-ground monocle from his pocket and put it on his eye.
He swept his pupils across Triss and EdSack before him. The two immediately felt their bodies stiffen, making it difficult to move, and it was hard to suppress the thoughts in their minds.
Amon scanned the surroundings indifferently. Whether sleeping or awake, the servants in this manor all stood up at the same instant, raised their arms, took a monocle from the air, and put it on their faces.
It was only an avatar that had come here, and there were too many things happening in Backlund now; the "Lord of Storms" had no time to attend to such a weak demigod-level avatar of His.
That paranoid person had previously told Him that traces of Sefirah Castle had appeared in Backlund. Amon had originally thought that the paranoid person was plotting some conspiracy again to resurrect their father, wanting to trick Him into coming over to help.
However, Amon still came. But Amon never expected that just after sending a few of His relatively powerful avatars to Backlund, He would see the "Vice Sovereign of Heaven," the "Dark Angel" Sasrir, descend in the sky, and the scene of Him confronting the two True Gods, the "Eternal Blazing Sun" and the "Lord of Storms," with symbols.
At the same time, traces of Sefirah Castle appeared in the sky. The mysterious existence possessing Sefirah Castle seemed to be helping the True Creator.
This time, Amon immediately placed the suspicion on Pallez—after all, Pallez had once truly worked for the True Creator.
Of course, Amon's previous suspects had not changed either. After all, the high-Sequence Beyonders of these few Pathways all used various methods to hide themselves. When seeking advancement, they would also use various pieces of information to cast others' identities onto themselves, focusing on fishing in troubled waters and staying hidden until the end of time.
Among Amon's imaginary enemies, He even carefully considered the "Destroying Demon Wolf" Flegrea, who had long been killed by His father, the Ancient Sun God, and whose characteristics had been divided and eaten by His descendants.
Amon was all too familiar with such conspiracies spanning thousands of years. He now suspected that Flegrea was just feigning death, transferring His contingency plans for resurrection to His two descendants, in order to discharge the excess Beyonder characteristics that He could not discharge Himself, and to reduce the influence of that "Lord of the Mysteries."
After completing the light parasitism of everyone, Amon slowly spoke and asked the two directly: "Who bestowed the talisman upon you?"
No matter whose name they said, that person could be ruled out—Amon thought.
Even someone as pure and good as Pallez would not leave His real name to someone who attracted this much attention.
Therefore, Amon felt that no matter what name the two of them said, it would be within His expectations.
EdSack and Triss's expressions struggled for a moment, and after a few brief seconds, they spoke and told Amon the truth: "It was His Excellency the Angel of Time."
"We prayed to Him, and He gave us a response."
Amon: "?"
Amon now began to suspect whether His main body was secretly doing something extraordinary behind His avatars' backs.
After sending this information to His main body, He received an identical response: "?"
The corners of Amon's mouth curled slightly. Just as He spat out the two words "Interesting," a sound like thunder rang out from the sky.
No, not like thunder, it was a silver-white lightning bolt that pierced through Amon's body in a furious posture, but apart from opening a skylight in this manor, it didn't even hurt Triss and EdSack.
Obviously, the Church of Storms had also reacted. In the eyes of Leodero, the one who wanted to assist the former father in breaking free from the Seal was this blasphemer, the Son of God, Amon; if he didn't strike Him, who would he strike?
EdSack and Triss simultaneously broke free from the parasitized state. They looked at each other blankly, then quickly made a decision, reciting the incantation belonging to the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
Although they didn't know the reason, the mysterious existence attracted here was clearly subjected to divine punishment. If they didn't leave now, when would they?
A few seconds after reciting the honorable name, a "Door" opened behind the two.
At the moment the "animated void" appeared, the "animated void" was also bewildered.
It looked at the sky, looked at the earth, looked at the silver-white lightning and the two-colored Sun in the sky, and looked at the faintly appearing Sefirah Castle in the sky.
Then it made the only act of disobeying the Great Being's command in its life.
It did not take EdSack and Triss to the pier, but instead wrapped them up and ran wildly all the way, flying straight to the Southern Continent, far away from the conflict.
For a half-angel, the scene before them was still a bit too stimulating.
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#211Chapter 211 Hunting
Chapter 211: The Hunt
EdSack and Triss became Nimrod's eyes. The moment a silver-white light streaked across the sky and fell straight into the Red Rose Manor, Nimrod controlled this body, which had been forcibly transformed into Hazel's appearance, and walked toward his room.
Hazel's family members had not yet woken up; only Nimrod, wearing Hazel's appearance, lit a candle.
The light emitted by the candle instantly illuminated the entire room, making everything around bright.
The rat demigod had not rested; she merely gazed at the sky with eyes filled with both desire and dread.
Those without spirituality had no way of seeing the scene in the sky at this moment, but no matter how poor her state was, she was still a Beyonder at the demigod level after all.
Therefore, Flora Jacob immediately noticed the grand, mysterious, castle-like gray fog appearing in the sky.
Although she didn't know what it was, the instinct within her body told her that if she could seize that thing, she would become an existence as great as her ancestors, and even resisting Amon would not be an impossible task.
Flora Jacob was deeply tempted, but unfortunately, she still retained her rationality.
Seeing the dual-colored Sun and the furious lightning appearing in the sky, she instantly understood that this was not something she could meddle with.
She was just about to lie flat on the ground to resume roleplaying as a rat and continue waiting for her full recovery, but at that exact moment, she heard the door open. Hazel, holding a tray with a candle, walked into the room and said to her with deep worry, "Teacher, what on earth is happening in Backlund?"
She actually woke up?
Flora was stunned for a moment. Backlund was not noisy at this time. In the Darkness, Nighthawks dressed in black clothes were moving silently.
They were either soothing ordinary people who had been startled awake due to high spirituality, or cleaning up those Beyonders and Mysticologists who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to perform evil god descent rituals or pray for the descent of an evil god's power.
The Church of the Night seemed to have known long ago that such a disaster would occur here.
Flora Jacob was not surprised by this. The only thing she found somewhat strange was that her apprentice—who was also her intended target for parasitism—had not remained asleep under the influence of Beyonder power. Instead, she had also startled awake and taken timely measures.
"She has very strong spirituality and spiritual intuition. If this were the Jacob Family of the past, she might have been allowed to join us and become the wife of some Jacob—"
These thoughts subconsciously flashed through Flora's mind, but they were quickly buried in her brain along with the past glory of the Jacob Family.
She reared up her upper body and spoke with a majestic tone to the Hazel before her: "Some high-level existences are playing a game in Backlund. Do not expose the fact that you are a Beyonder—otherwise, you will very likely be taken to the church by official Beyonders for interrogation."
Flora believed that, based on her understanding of this apprentice, after she spoke such intimidating words, the girl would not persist but would instead hide under her blanket in terror to pass this restless night.
At the same time, Flora was already considering whether to flee.
If there was even the slightest sign of the True Creator or the Eternal Blazing Sun gaining the upper hand, she would leave this place without hesitation and flee to another city. Even if she had to face Amon, it would still be better than being destroyed under the True Creator's Divine Descent right now.
Indeed, Flora was already certain in her heart that the True Creator's Divine Descent would inevitably be accompanied by the blood sacrifice of an entire city, or even several cities.
However, Flora's thoughts were not entirely wrong. If Nimrod hadn't used Sefirah Castle to restore the True Creator's sanity, the True Creator's Divine Descent would have surely turned this place into His divine kingdom on earth, a realm forever submerged in shadows.
By then, the only things that could live here would be mutated Monsters and Beyonders of the "Hanged Man" Pathway who believed in the True Creator. No other life would be able to survive.
But Flora had miscalculated one thing: the current Hazel was not her student, but an avatar disguised by Nimrod.
The real Hazel had already been sent to the Church of the Night to "have tea" and was probably sleeping very soundly right now.
Just then, Flora saw Hazel casually close the door. She quickly took four backward steps, a slow smile curving her lips. She pulled out a monocle from her breast pocket and placed it naturally over her eye.
The moment she saw this monocle, Flora was like a cat that had spotted a cucumber behind it; the entire rat leaped into the air.
If she hadn't been parasitizing a rat at the moment, she probably would have started hissing.
The surroundings had already been sealed off—Flora realized this the moment she saw the gray fog flowing around. The various speculations that had surfaced in her mind converged into one, and the identity of the person before her became crystal clear.
The gray fog in the sky, which was emitting a terrifying commotion, was precisely the work of the "Blasphemer" Amon before her.
At the same time, he had sent an avatar to find her, wanting to "eat" her and reclaim her demigod-level characteristic.
Nimrod, with a smile on his lips, reached out his hand as if to twist his wrist toward the rat demigod—
The rat demigod Flora's pupils contracted. She quickly transformed into a gust of gray wind, beginning to evade Nimrod's "Theft" within the room.
However, this was exactly the effect Nimrod wanted. Nimrod's Theft could not directly steal demigod-level Beyonder abilities; it required long preparation, higher-level consumption, and the coordination of some ritual magic to achieve.
Although he had already set up the ritual magic to assist himself in the surroundings beforehand, his Theft still required time.
Therefore, this was merely a fraud.
Faced with what she believed to be Amon's Theft, the rat demigod before him would inevitably flee, and this gave Nimrod his opportunity.
"Fulfill your promise, True Creator."
Nimrod said to the True Creator in his heart. The gray fog on the inverted cross brand left on his body slowly dissipated, and the voice of the True Creator echoed in his ears.
Compared to before, this voice had begun to sound somewhat evil and strange, seemingly layered with multiple echoes. However, the True Creator currently still possessed sanity; the day-after-day Purification in Sefirah Castle had not been entirely useless: "Very well."
The voice of the True Creator, mixed with a hint of God Almighty's tone, echoed in Nimrod's ears. Nimrod curled his lips and quickly recited the honorable name belonging to the True Creator: "The Lord who created everything; The Shadow behind the curtain; The depraved nature of all living beings."
"I pray for you to bestow upon me thirty minutes of the Black Knight's boon—"
The moment Nimrod spoke, an aura of Depravity emerged from his body. Black armor quickly enveloped his figure. However, he did not hold a greatsword; instead, he rolled his wrists and clenched the five fingers of his right hand.
In an instant, Flora felt several invisible blades slicing across her body. She let out a shrill wail as her originally small rat body rapidly began to swell and become transparent, with squirming worms seemingly emerging on her body.
This was clearly a display of her incomplete Mythical Creature form, used to counter the "blade of spirit and flesh" that could directly slice spiritual bodies!
Her eyeballs were blood-red, with countless translucent little bugs squirming rapidly inside them. Flora cast her gaze toward Nimrod, with light emerging from the tips of each little bug.
For a moment, Nimrod's mind went blank as his thoughts were stolen by Flora.
However, Flora felt as if her head had exploded with a bang. Vast amounts of knowledge flooded her mind—knowledge about the Outer Deities, and knowledge about the "Lord of the Mysteries"!
This knowledge was poisonous!
Faced with a demigod of the "Marauder" Pathway, how could Nimrod not have anticipated that she would steal his thoughts during battle and return them to him at a critical moment to affect him?
Therefore, from the very beginning, he had mixed a massive amount of severely corrupted knowledge into his thoughts. In any case, he wouldn't be corrupted or noticed by the Outer Deities. Even if Flora hadn't chosen to steal his thoughts, he wouldn't have lost anything.
The moment she read this knowledge, Flora began to go mad.
The "Worms of Time" on her body seemed to tangle together, forming tissues that resembled tentacles as well as worms hanging from animal carcasses, making her look like a Monster dragging countless wriggling corpses.
Every single worm emitted silent wails and curses that entered Nimrod's ears: "You deserve to die!"
"Why are you forcing me?"
"We never thought of harming you!"
For a moment, Nimrod felt his various Beyonder abilities rapidly disappearing. Faced with this attack that did not involve status but was purely spiritual, blood seeped from his nose and mouth, and his mind reeled.
He forced himself to ignore the pain and cooperated with Flora's Theft without hesitation, pushing all of his non-demigod-level powers forward. He actively allowed Flora to steal his abilities, all to preserve the only demigod-level boon that could counter her.
If the Black Knight armor hadn't protected his body, Flora would have already stolen his internal organs by now.
At this point, the damage caused by the "toxicity" of the knowledge alone could no longer affect the Flora before him. She was already on the verge of losing control, and before she completely lost control, she wouldn't go any crazier.
Therefore, this was a battle destined to end very quickly.
The Flora before him would either use this near-loss-of-control state to indiscriminately kill all surrounding life, or she would be slain by Nimrod with an attack of the same level. Nimrod, of course, chose the latter.
A scythe resembling a half-Sun emerged in his hand, and patterns as brilliant as the blazing Sun gradually appeared on the blade.
An aura of Depravity then poured into this Mystical Item formed by the combination of Sequence 5 and Sequence 6 Beyonder characteristics.
The power of the "Black Knight" greatly enhanced the lethality of this sun scythe, and the divinity of the True Creator made the Rose Bishop Beyonder characteristic that formed this scythe feel delighted and joyful.
The blade of spirit and flesh was smoothly attached to the sun scythe. The Sun patterns that originally radiated golden light were now tinged with purple, as if a half-Sun burning with purple flames was being held in Nimrod's hand.
He rose and stepped forward, plunging the blade into Flora's chest, causing her body to stiffen.
Then, a second slash, a third slash—"Marauders" were excellent users of daggers, while "Robot" and "Mendicant Monk" gave Nimrod the ability to stand before a demigod.
The purple flames spread through Flora's body, and her figure grew taller and larger. Waving the worm tentacles that had replaced her arms, she tore down the walls.
After losing its support, the magic circle relying on the building's structure quickly collapsed, and the gray fog flowing around also vanished at an extremely rapid pace.
A glimmer of what seemed to be sanity flashed in the eyes of the "Parasite" Monster before him, and she actually regained her clarity in this brief instant.
A stream of light rapidly flowed out of the Monster's body. She abandoned the vast majority of her Beyonder characteristics, leaving only the portion belonging to the "Parasite" as she fled into the distance once more.
The Mythical Creature form of the Mystery domain tended toward splitting. Even if it was only an incomplete Mythical Creature form, it was enough for Flora to clearly find her next host within a short period.
Even if this would inevitably lead to the loss of control and madness of her next few hosts, and Flora herself would face round after round of trials against losing control, if she lost her life, worrying about whether she would be half-mad or lose control was completely meaningless!
But at this moment, Nimrod, still wearing Hazel's appearance, merely smiled faintly.
He did not tangle too much with this demigod Monster. Instead, he precisely locked onto the fleeing Parasite, took a step forward, and pursued.
The direction Flora fled to was precisely the East Borough. Under Nimrod's guidance, she chose the most chaotic place, wanting to use the game of the high-Sequence existences to distance herself from Amon, who was hunting her!
But how could she know that this avatar, who possessed the True Creator's boon, was not Amon?
On the other side, Ince Zangwill's body had already suffered severe damage—speaking of which, Flora had to thank Ince Zangwill. If Nimrod hadn't fed Ince a large number of Beyonder characteristics, those characteristics would have been fed to Flora.
The members of the team trained as Red Gloves also appeared exceptionally cautious when facing a demigod on the verge of madness, just like
hunting a trapped beast, struggling to resist under the frenzied attacks.
But just then, Nimrod, wearing a white mask, suddenly began to dance a bizarre dance.
With a *swoosh*, Flora, who had lost her body and was left with only her spiritual body and Beyonder characteristics, noticed this body that held a strong attraction for her.
Having lost most of her sanity and left only with madness, she chose without hesitation to burrow into the body of this Beyonder, who was choosing to perform an unknown mystical ritual in the face of an irresistible enemy.
For a Parasite, such people in despair were the easiest to deceive; exchanging one's self and life for power was an easy choice to make.
However, in just an instant, Flora felt an extremely terrifying aura coming from the outside of her "Worms of Time".
Her body stiffened, only to discover in horror that the scene before her had suddenly shifted—Nimrod raised his arm and said with a smile on his lips, "Welcome back."