Chapter 1195 Grade 0
In the region that had been concealed, the Saint of Secrets, Botis, narrowed his eyes slightly as he recognized Leymano's Travels.
This made him no longer have any doubts about the intel provided by Saint Tenebrous Kisma.
He recognized this notebook and knew that it was a mystical item that the Abraham family placed great importance on. It was one of the most powerful items below the High-Sequences, and the negative effects were negligible.
Heh, back when I was a Mid-Sequence Beyonder, I had yearned for this notebook so much. In the end, the Abraham family was wary of me and didn't place any importance on my needs at all… Now, have they learned their lesson? This woman shouldn't be a descendant of the Abraham family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone around searching for the cursed item of an ancient wraith… Botis muttered inwardly as his expression gradually turned grim, showing hints of a cruel fervor.
After observing his surroundings for a while, he carefully reached into his black robe's pocket.
The pocket seemed to contain a vast space as Saint of Secrets Botis dragged out a three-layered jewelry box from within.
This jewelry box wasn't tiny, making it difficult to hold it with one hand. It was mainly silver-black in color, and its surface was covered with exquisite decorations. There were rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds embedded in it, making it look rather luxurious.
As he held the "jewelry box" in his hands, there was a hint of panic and fear in his expression. It was as if he was facing the Abyss or listening to an evil god's ravings.
…
The gathering continued as usual. Fors put away Leymano's Travels and focused on listening to the participants, as though she was seeking some answers.
During this process, she would occasionally ask questions, using gold pounds and spiritual materials as payment. However, she didn't receive any effective answers.
Gradually, the Beyonder gathering came to an end. The host arranged for the different participants to leave from different exits.
Soon, only Fors and a few other Beyonders were left in the room.
After receiving the signal of the host, Fors stood up and resisted the urge to stretch herself as she walked towards the side door.
At this moment, she realized that her body had stiffened. Her head could barely turn, but it felt like she was a toy that had its torsion spring wound up.
From the corner of her eye, she saw that the grayish-white walls had turned silvery-black in an instant. They were covered in granules, as though they were made of metal. The remaining participants and the host had their skin lose the luster that it should've possessed. Their eyes were dull, their movements mechanical, as though they were large dolls.
In the concealed area, Botis had opened the "jewelry box" at some point in time. The interior of its top layer wasn't exquisite enough, but it had completely restored the scene of the room.
In the room, there were chairs and long tables scattered haphazardly. There were a few palm-sized puppets sitting or standing, as though they were trying to simulate reality.
Among these people, the person standing was wearing a hooded robe. The shape of her chin was beautiful and her lips were plump and red. It was none other than Fors.
She and the remaining Beyonders, together with the gathering's host, had silently become toys. They had been taken into the highest layer of the "jewelry box"!
The room that connected in the external world was only left with grayish-white walls—nothing else.
The corners of Botis's lips curled up bit by bit. With his right hand, he closed the lid of the jewelry box.
In just a single breath, he had magically controlled his target!
This silver-black, three-layered "jewelry box" was the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact that he had snatched from the Abraham family.
As it had never been obtained by the orthodox Churches, nor was it ever deeply understood, it didn't have a corresponding number.
According to what Botis knew, this "jewelry box" originated from an Abraham family angel from the Fourth Epoch. "He" enjoyed roaming the cosmos and heading to different places in the vast universe. However, once, when "He" returned to "His" family to rest, he died silently in his palace. His face was filled with fear, and his expression was twisted as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.
A true Mythical Creature, one that could be considered a subsidiary god in the Second Epoch had actually died silently without causing a stir. The death was extremely bizarre.
The Beyonder characteristic "He" left behind combined with "His" corpse, forming the "jewelry box" that was quite different from the other kind of Sealed Artifacts. And back then, Mr. Door, Bethel Abraham, not only didn't attempt to shatter it and restore it to a pure Beyonder characteristic, "He" had even given it a rather strange name: "Box of the Great Old Ones."
The first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones could turn the target's location into toys and switch locations with its interior. Botis had used this trait to easily achieve his goal.
The second level of the Box of the Great Old Ones recorded different locations. Once it was released, the holder and the living beings within its effective range would head directly to the corresponding region. They would then wander around the cosmos like the angel from the Abraham family back then, exploring the universe.
As for what was on the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones, Botis knew about it but didn't dare to think about it. It was just like how he usually didn't dare come into contact with this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Smack. After closing the lid of the Box of the Great Old Ones, he grabbed the mirror that was embedded in the transparent vortex that was suspended in midair with his right hand.
Once a certain area was concealed, a Secrets Sorcerer had to use the corresponding "door" or directly remove the "concealment" to exit.
Botis had chosen the latter method because it was the easiest and fastest method.
The shadows stirred, and the area that disappeared returned to the real world. The room was finally complete.
Botis didn't stay any longer. Without even looking at his surroundings, he made his body rapidly fade away.
He held the many gemmed, silver-black Box of the Great Old Ones as the colors saturated and overlapped with each other. He traversed the spirit world which was filled with strange creatures towards his designated location. In a few seconds, he walked out of the void, attempting to enter the ruins of the battle of the gods by crossing the huge chasm that split the seas.
At this moment, the Botis stopped in midair.
His eyes narrowed and his eyes instantly turned dark, dotted with countless points of resplendence.
It was like the cosmos had been reflected in his eyes.
The "gravel" formed by the stars spun rapidly, causing the cracks at the bottom of the sea to rapidly turn incorporeal, causing everything in front of him to shrink and condense into a wavering orange flame.
This flame extended from the tip of a matchstick as it was extinguished.
Everything that Botis had experienced after removing the "concealed space" was an illusion. He remained rooted to the ground!
And the source of this illusion was the burning matchstick.
The matchstick was held by a fair-skinned palm, and the owner of the hand was a woman wearing a purple-patterned black robe and a hood. She was sitting on a carriage that was half-way through the wall, formed from a gigantic pumpkin.
Pulling the carriage were a bunch of gray rats.
This was none other than Cattleya, but her appearance, image, and bearing had changed.
This was the power she gained from the magic of Cinderella!
The core Beyonder power of the Mystery Pryer pathway's Sequence 4 Mysticologist was called "Mystical Re-enactment," fully expressing the saying—"knowledge is power."
To put it simply, a Mysticologist could draw power from different mysticism knowledge they grasped, and create all sorts of magic or witchcraft. As for the corresponding "mysticism knowledge," the less that was known by others and the less it spread, the more powerful the spells became.
The contrary could also be established. Once some knowledge and legends were known to many and no longer mysterious, the magic or witchcraft created by drawing on its powers would become almost ineffective.
Cattleya had no idea why the Queen could create all kinds of magical powers that were rich in magical colors from the private fairy tales that Emperor Roselle had told her, but that didn't hinder her learning and usage of them. After all, she had heard of those fairy tales from Queen Mystic.
The magic she had used it to temporarily transform and disguise herself was called "Cinderella." The magic that threw Saint of Secrets Botis into an illusion was "The Little Match Girl." With that, she had used it to stop the other party from "Teleporting" away, creating an opportunity for the battle that would follow.
Just as Botis had extricated himself from the hallucination, the "Cinderella" who was sitting in the pumpkin carriage placed her foot on the ground and spread out her arms, causing a huge cross to appear behind her.
As for Cattleya, she seemed to be carrying an illusory object.
In the empty room, candlelights lit up, one after another, illuminating a long table covered with flesh and blood.
Around the long table were three extremely blurry figures holding the globs of flesh as they constantly devoured the food.
As if sensing something, the three figures turned their heads at the same time and looked at Botis. This Saint of Secrets's heart raced as he felt a chill rush out from deep within his soul.
He then heard illusory gnawing, chewing, and digesting sounds. He could feel the undisguised malice and hunger.
Botis's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly lowered his head and cast his gaze at the Box of the Great Old Ones in his hand.
The silver-black box had opened itself without him realizing it at some point in time!
The magic that Cattleya used was called the "Feast of Betrayal." It stemmed from the mysticism knowledge she learned of the ancient sun god's death from the Tarot Club. Its purpose was to temporarily awaken or imbue the target with intelligence, allowing them to commit a "betrayal!"
Without a doubt, the effects of encountering a Sealed Artifact that was filled with malice towards the owner would be excellent.
However, if not for the fact that she had obtained the protection of Mr. Fool at every gathering they monitored, Cattleya wouldn't have dared to use this magic.
Once the three main leads of the "betrayal feast" sensed it, she would definitely die for obscure reasons. She wouldn't be able to resist her death and would die an abnormally horrifying death.
Therefore, Mysticologists were definitely individuals with high-risk. Their strength came from walking the edge of the Abyss, coming from things they shouldn't have seen or heard.
In comparison, Queen Mystic who could create magic from her father's private fairy tales was much safer than other Mysticologists at the same tier.
Chapter 1196 The Ugly Duckling
When opening the first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones, the long table, chairs, Fors, and the others were like dolls. They were either still or motionless. Otherwise, under the power of torsion springs, they made repeated simple movements.
Upon seeing this scene, Botis's hair stood on end. For some baffling reason, he felt that he was about to join and become one of them.
He instinctively wanted to react to the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact in his hand, but he saw the hooded, purple-robed woman retract her right hand and hold it to her mouth, slightly clenched.
A dark color instantly formed in her palm. It was an ancient bugle with a charm that appeared very heavy and powerful.
The Horn of Magic, the Horn of Destruction!
Botis's pupils dilated as he lacked the luxury of time to deal with the Box of the Great Old Ones. He grabbed forward with his right hand, as though he had raised an invisible screen that shielded the void.
The area he was in was distorted once again. He disappeared and was concealed.
Woo!
The horn in Cattleya's hand let out a soft hum. It echoed in the room but didn't extend out of its confines.
With the sound waves overlapping, the shadows shattered and the ground cracked. The space that had been concealed by the Saint of Secrets was like a thick piece of glass that had been struck by a sledgehammer. Countless cracks appeared and intertwined with each other.
Elsewhere, a towering knight in full black armor appeared out of the shadows. He held a long broadsword, and two dark red beams of light glimmered in his eye sockets—Saint Tenebrous Kisma.
Woo!
Once again, Cattleya blew the horn. Everything in the room seemed to freeze into a translucent amber.
Silently, the amber broke apart, and even the black-armored knight fell to the ground like a mirror, shattering into small shards.
The distorted region returned to the real world.
However, Botis also managed to grab the gaps between the two horn blows as he created numerous illusory doors to appear around them.
Some of them were double doors that opened outwards, some were deep and recessed, some were covered in mysterious patterns, and some were hollow in the middle, allowing one to vaguely see the boundless darkness behind them…
The illusory doors were in bountiful numbers, densely packed, and overlapped together, almost enveloping the Saint of Secrets.
Without any time to think further, Botis immediately opened a grayish-blue door with seven brass locks, and he threw the Box of the Great Old Ones that was just about to have its second layer open inside.
This was a Secrets Sorcerer's "Exile." It could throw a target that he had gained initial control of into a corresponding chaotic space. As for the different illusory doors, they represented different scenes—ones where danger and opportunity coexisted.
This kind of "Exile" wasn't permanent. At Botis's Sequence level, he was only capable of isolating the Box of the Great Old Ones from reality for twenty seconds. Once that time was up, the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact would return to the spot beside him through the "illusory door" from before.
However, by then, the "betrayal" induced by the enemy's Beyonder powers would definitely have disappeared.
As a demigod of the Apprentice pathway, he had traveled many places, witnessed many things, and recorded many kinds of powers, Botis made the most correct decision in that split instant.
At the same time, the Black Knight that had split into pieces quickly squirmed and reformed, becoming a thin rug that flowed with flesh and blood. It covered every corner of the room.
As a cult that could only survive in the shadows of reality, the Aurora Order might have many lunatics, but they were used to doing things to conceal themselves so as to prevent themselves from attracting the official Beyonders before their goals were met.
Of course, once the matter was in its final stages, they would definitely proclaim their existence openly.
In addition, Saint Tenebrous Kisma had done so in hopes of obstructing the possible enemies that were hiding outside to a certain extent. This allowed a separation of the battlefield.
When a layer of flesh grew out from the floor, walls, and ceiling, a twisted black shadow rose up from the corner.
This was one of the souls that Saint Tenebrous Kisma had "Grazed."
It was a powerful vampire from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, a Sequence 4 Shaman King of the Moon pathway.
If the Shepherd's Grazed target was a demigod, he could release it directly due to the existence of its corporeal Spirit Body. However, there only one could be released at any one point in time unless the corresponding Shepherd had already become a Sequence 3 Trinity Templar.
Seizing the opportunity that the horn in the female demigod's hand was dissipating, the twisted Shaman King reached out and dug out one of his eyes—a bright-red, illusory eye.
The eye shimmered with a bright, crimson glow as it instantly illuminated the entire room, as though the crimson moon had descended.
Its pupil reflected the woman wearing the purple-patterned black robe and a dark-colored hood.
Immediately following that, the Shaman King clasped the hand which was holding his eye, letting the crimson "moonlight" become completely devoured by darkness.
A deep darkness appeared around Cattleya as the solidified darkness bound her to the spot. It froze the scene.
Upon seeing this scene, Botis took a step forward, phasing behind his enemy instantaneously.
Performing one "Blink" followed by another as a total of eight figures dressed in black robes appeared around Cattleya!
These weren't avatars he created, but afterimages he left behind due to his blazing "Blink."
Some of them released "Lightning Storm," while others condensed a blinding white spear. Some were covered in black armor as they slashed out a heavy broadsword that could appear capable of slicing through anything…
Different figures with different powers either attacked or created a form of control, but their target was one and the same—Cattleya.
There was almost no pause in between their actions. When Botis's figure "Blinked" to another corner, he quickly turned transparent as he was on the brink of disappearing.
He had no intention of killing the enemy, as this was Backlund. Also, the commotion created from their battle couldn't be suppressed any further. Once it affected the outside world, official angels might descend.
The reason why he had first launched a series of counterattacks before "Teleporting" away was because he wanted to suppress the enemy and prevent her from interfering with his and Saint Tenebrous Kisma's escape. This was a very reasonable strategy.
However, a few seconds ago, in a room on an upper level of the old apartment, Xio had learned of all the changes in the venue through Miss Justice's "mind voice."
Although she was worried and anxious, she didn't panic at all. She followed the plan and jumped down from the window, somersaulting in midair as she pointed at the targeted area.
"Teleportation is prohibited here!"
After doing this, she immediately distanced herself from the apartment to prevent the friendly demigods from being distracted.
With this interference, the Saint of Secrets, Botis, failed to successfully enter the spirit world. A rusty, abnormally heavy door appeared in front of him as it tightly sealed the "path."
To Botis, an illusory door of this level wasn't able to stop him from leaving at all. He could "open" the door once he made some adjustments.
But at this moment, something anomalous had happened over at the female demigod in the purple-patterned black robe!
Silver light appeared in Cattleya's eyes. They connected together like a mysterious giant snake.
This was "Brief Luck," derived from the knowledge she had obtained when analyzing the blood of a Snake of Fate.
Regardless of the terrifying lightning, burning-white spear, or the slash of the Black Knight, none of them hit the target. Cattleya seemed to be standing at the eye of the storm. No matter how dangerous the surroundings were, she was unaffected.
Those attacks and the attempts at control either narrowly passed her by or were canceled out by "friendly" forces. They were unable to achieve the desired effect, and they even helped her weaken the "dark" shackles.
Instantly, Cattleya bowed her back slightly as white and illusory feathers grew out of them. They didn't belong to an angel, but rather, a swan.
The ugly duckling had become a swan.
As for what a swan was, to a Sequence 4 demigod, the answer was obvious. It was an incomplete Mythical Creature form.
And the ugly duckling could also become a swan!
This was a powerful magic that could allow a Mysticologist to reveal their incomplete Mythical Creature form once a day, with each instance lasting ten seconds.
The surface of Cattleya's body immediately cracked open as flesh and blood gathered inside, forming eyeballs with clear blacks and whites.
The countless eyeballs coldly scanned their surroundings, as though they were manifestations of multifarious knowledge. As such, the figure that bore their weight turned into a black blob that was even more abstract in a higher spatial dimension.
Upon seeing the densely packed eyeballs, Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma felt dizzy. A knowledge storm took form in their minds.
The layer of flesh and blood that enveloped the entire room began to tremble slightly. Some dripped down, while others squirmed intermittently.
At this moment, an unimaginable aura pierced through the barrier formed from flesh and blood, pouring into the first floor of the dilapidated apartment and enveloping every corner of the apartment.
At the same time, Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma were shocked. Their bodies, souls, and minds were in an uncontrollable state.
This was "Dragon Might" which had undergone a qualitative change—"Mind Deprivation!"
Seizing this opportunity, the "black blob" that was covered in cracks and eyes condensed a spear in front of it.
The spear appeared ancient in style; from the tip to the handle, it was dyed in blobs of blood-red splotches.
It emitted a mighty destructive aura and a bloody feeling, as though it had once hurt a mighty existence.
With a whoosh, the terrifying spear shot out, heading straight for the Botis who stood rooted to the ground.
In the entire room, all the voices and details vanished. Even the "Dragon Might" that filled the room suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only the bloody spear tip and Botis's body, as well as the constantly shrinking distance between them.
Spear of Longinus!
Chapter 1197 Mind Storm
The blood-stained spear that seemed to come from an ancient time that couldn't be traced had absorbed the entire room's presence, stabbing straight into the body of Saint of Secrets Botis.
The brown-haired, firm-bodied Botis's figure faded away, turning into a pair of black double doors.
At the same time, he appeared behind the "door," placing himself in a separate world from the terrifying spear as he looked at it from afar.
In the next moment, the spear that was stained with red blood pierced through the black door and bore into the space where Botis was.
Botis's figure kept retreating, constantly transforming into one illusory door after another. Some of them were made up of two winding stone golems, while others had a fist-sized hole by the gaps of the door. Some were embedded with silver nails, while others were covered in mysterious patterns. One after another, they were layered repeatedly, extending to an infinite number.
Without a sound, the Spear of Longinus tore through the illusory doors without stopping at all. It didn't allow Saint of Secrets Botis to find a chance to escape.
In less than a second, the blood-stained spear that emitted a strong sense of destruction had shattered countless illusory doors. After it suffered a decline in its aura, it finally stabbed into its target's chest.
Countless cracks instantly appeared on Botis's body, as if he was a ceramic object that had fallen to the ground.
With a cracking sound, the Saint of Secrets turned pitch black as he disintegrated into pieces, scattering all over the ground.
This didn't seem like his actual body, but more like his shadow.
This was the "Shadow Substitute" spell he had "Recorded" from a certain Sequence 3 saint under the True Creator.
Of course, without the layers of "doors" weakening the Spear of Longinus, he believed that it was very likely that his shadow together with his body would have shattered together.
After narrowly dodging this strike, Botis endured the dizziness and shock brought about by Cattleya's incomplete Mythical Creature form as he made a gigantic, scaleless silver snake appear in his eyes.
This gigantic snake was so large that it filled Botis's eyes. Its surface was filled with dense patterns and labels formed by one mystical wheel after another.
Its head connected to its tail as it merged with countless illusory rivers, turning into a blurred, surreal, and slowly spinning gear. Around the round gear were all sorts of symbols that represented different futures.
Suddenly, the black fragments that had yet to disappear on the ground flew up one after another and reorganized themselves on the spot, restoring Botis.
The ground that was stained with dark red blood quickly retreated from the numerous illusory doors until it returned to the distorted black blob.
The strong, fearful atmosphere receded like the tide and left the room.
The "black blob" that was covered in cracks and eyeballs squirmed and restored itself, turning back into a purple-patterned black-robed woman with a hood.
Everything returned to the point before "The Ugly Duckling" magic was used.
Reboot of Fate!
This was one of the rewards given to Saint of Secrets Botis for crushing the Abraham family—he was allowed to "Record" the Sequence 1 Beyonder power from the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros.
Of course, there was definitely a huge gap from the original version. It could only reboot reality for three seconds, and it was limited to the space of a tiny room like this. It wasn't even able to affect the entire first floor of the apartment.
The moment "Reboot" ended, the prepared Saint Tenebrous Kisma immediately took action.
The Grazed twisted shadow that stemmed from a Sanguine Count spread open its arms and made a gesture of embracing the crimson moon.
The darkness around Cattleya surged, instantly forming illusory but firm black chains that bound her to her spot.
The flesh and blood that covered the ground, walls and ceiling gathered together rapidly, turning into a knight covered in black full-body armor. He held a heavy greatsword in his hand and looked extremely oppressive.
In the gap of the Black Knight's visor, two dark red beams of light flickered and instantly locked onto the hooded woman beside the pumpkin carriage.
The shadow beneath Cattleya's feet suddenly came alive as it grabbed her ankles. Like a water current that had its water level rising, it gripped her tightly.
Black Knight, Commandeering Shadows!
Then, the gigantic knight that was almost reaching the ceiling as though he came from mythical legends rushed to a spot not far from his target with a single step. He cleaved down with the heavy, long broadsword.
Elsewhere, a silver illusory book in the eyes of Saint of Secrets Botis flipped rapidly. It then stopped at a single page.
With that, Botis reached out his left hand and grabbed the pumpkin carriage across a distance of twenty to thirty meters. He then grabbed at the mysterious woman in a purple-patterned black robe.
His arm suddenly grew longer, and its surface was black and sticky, as if it was flowing with an evil liquid.
Amidst the liquid, pale skulls and eyes with pronounced blood vessels grew out, including sharp teeth and tongues. All sorts of strange things grew out, causing extreme evil and extreme madness to spread rapidly through the area.
In the room, the ground instantly cracked and the few cockroaches that were still alive collapsed to the ground.
This was an attack from a particular state of Abomination Suah!
Back outside Bayam City, Saint of Secrets Botis had been attracted by Tinder. It appeared as though he only watched from the sidelines for a while before picking up the item and leaving immediately. But in fact, he had been desperately trying to "Record" the powers or states of the high-level existences.
After failing numerous times, due to the frequent blessings of fate, he eventually obtained what he wanted. Of course, during that battle, he only managed to "Record" one.
Under this evil and pitch-black arm, Cattleya's consciousness was tainted with madness. For a moment, she was unable to respond effectively.
Together with the shackles of darkness restraining her shadow, she could only stand rooted to the ground as she watched Saint Tenebrous Kisma's greatsword slash at her while Saint of Secrets Botis reached out his left hand to grab at her.
At this moment, the flesh and blood walls in the room that separated the interior from the exterior was gone. An invisible and abrupt wind stirred up.
The moment the wind appeared, it grew violent and swept towards the Saint of Secrets's and Saint Tenebrous's hearts.
Manipulator, Mind Storm.
Not only was he not surprised or flustered by the chaotic thoughts, Botis even had the corners of his lips pull up as he smiled.
As the switch for the "Reboot," he naturally remembered that the demigod riding the pumpkin carriage had a helper of the same level hiding outside the apartment somewhere.
The reason why he placed his focus on the enemy on the surface was to lure out the hidden demigod!
In between the two powers of "Reboot of Fate" and the Abomination state, Botis had secretly "hypnotized" himself, allowing himself to naturally divide the burden of Mind Deprivation and the knowledge torrent across most of his Worms of Star. He then left a small number to control his body so as to lock onto the "hidden" enemy.
Previously, the Dragon's Might shock, and the fact that he was unable to discover his target, had convinced Botis that it was a demigod of the Spectator pathway.
While his mind was in a daze, the thing he branched out rapidly churned and helped Botis locate the source of the attack.
But at this moment, most of the thoughts that resonated among the Worms of Star wasn't him being overloaded with meaningless information as he had imagined.
In his mind, there seemed to be a voice saying thousands of words in a second:
"At the bottom of an abandoned castle in Delaire Forest, there is a pair of bronze double doors. It seals with the corruptive forces underground. The higher the Sequence a Beyonder is when approaching, the easier it is to be affected…
"The cosmos is extremely dangerous. There are unknown existences watching…
"Dark Angel is suspected to be the negative personality dissociated from the ancient sun god…
"…"
What? Botis was taken aback. He felt that these thoughts were dangerous, but he couldn't help but wish to understand more.
Just this moment of stupor made the enemy he had already found disappear once again, escaping his range of attention. As for the Abomination palm that was hurtling towards the pumpkin carriage and the female demigod, it also slowed down.
Similarly, Saint Tenebrous Kisma was also affected by the "Mind Storm" as his actions stiffened for a second.
By the time they recovered, Cattleya had already opened her mouth and spat out a pea.
The pea instantly grew, turning into thick green vines that dragged Cattleya out the door, allowing her to escape the shackles of darkness and regain some freedom of movement.
By the time Saint Tenebrous's heavy greatsword and Saint of Secrets's pitch-black arms landed on her, they only shattered a shadow and did not injure this Mysticologist.
They had shattered Cattleya's "Emperor's New Clothes" magic, something that didn't exist at all, so she naturally wouldn't be injured!
In the next second, the hooded lady in the purple-patterned black robe suddenly turned transparent and turned into a pile of foam.
The bubbles quickly scattered and burst one after another. Nothing was left behind. As for the green vines, they grew into midair and burst into flames, illuminating the surrounding streets.
Everything returned to normal. It was as if the short and intense demigod-level battle had never happened.
Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma exchanged glances. They weren't surprised by such a development.
Clearly, after the sneak attack failed, the two demigod enemies were at a disadvantage and could no longer achieve their goals. Furthermore, this was Backlund. The longer they delayed, the more dangerous it would be. Hence, they took the opportunity to escape.
In addition, in order to interfere with the tracking, they had deliberately created a huge commotion to attract the authorities of Backlund.
As for the copy of Leymano's Travels and a Sequence 7 or 6 Apprentice Beyonder, they were baits that could be abandoned.
After a slight nod, Saint of Secrets Botis took out a crystal ball from his black robe's concealed pocket. It bloomed with light before it quickly shattered and merged into the void.
He was trying to prevent tracking via mysticism means.
Indeed, he didn't dare to stay any longer. He planned on "Teleporting" away and returning to the Aurora Order headquarters. Then, he would "interrogate" the bait and figure out the truth before deciding what to do next.
A second later, Botis's figure quickly turned transparent and disappeared. Kisma entered the shadows and rapidly left, wiping the traces behind him along the way.
Chapter 1198 Frenzy
The Saint of Secrets, Botis, began to traverse the spirit world the moment he entered, heading straight for the easternmost front of the Sonia Sea—the ruins of the battle of the gods.
At this moment, his thoughts blurred. His body turned and left the spirit world through another place.
By the time Botis received a warning from his spirituality and had regained control of his own thoughts while feeling tense, what he saw was a bare forest with nearly all its leaves scattered. There was no one around, and the crimson moon hung high in the sky.
As a former Traveler and Astrologer, he immediately identified his location and found that he was still in Backlund. However, he had moved from the city to a remote area in the suburbs.
At the same time, he also understood what had happened.
It was unknown when his mind world had been infiltrated with someone else's consciousness. At the critical moment, it affected his thoughts and changed his destination!
That Spectator pathway's demigod! I didn't realize it! Botis's pupils dilated as a silvery-white illusory book appeared.
The book flipped to one of the pages.
Botis immediately raised his hand to grab at his glabella. He grabbed a ball of darkness from the island of consciousness and threw it into his shadow.
His shadow was separated from him as it twisted to a stand, revealing a female silhouette.
Black Knight, Shadow of Depravation!
This was an ability that Botis had "Recorded" from Saint Tenebrous Kisma. It could separate one's depraved thoughts into a shadow and form an uncontrollable independent creature.
Botis used it to erase the consciousness that didn't belong to him, and escape the influence of the Manipulator!
At the same time, this was also Botis's counterattack. As long as the hidden Spectator pathway demigod couldn't quickly resolve this "shadow," the thoughts she had fractured would gradually become independent, turning her half-mad and even causing her to lose control.
Once he was done with the latent mental problems, Botis didn't hesitate to escape the enemy's predetermined battlefield and "Teleport" elsewhere.
However, at this moment, his mind suddenly turned frantic. He felt that the entire environment was making things difficult for him, and his anger could no longer be contained.
As the silver book flipped in front of his eyes, the entire forest collapsed with a loud bang. The black "shadow" almost collapsed into a ball.
After his bout of mania, Botis's mood dropped to a nadir. He couldn't lift his spirits with regards to anything. He felt that he was useless, a burden to others and even the world.
Mental Plague! In the previous battle, Botis had already been infected by "Mental Plague," and it had finally acted up!
The reason why Cattleya first used "The Little Match Girl" magic wasn't only because she wanted to interfere with Botis's "Teleportation," but also because she was helping Miss Justice conceal any traces, allowing her Virtual Persona to infiltrate Botis's mind world without triggering his spiritual intuition. A seed of "Mental Plague" was planted secretly without triggering it.
It was precisely because of this that when the sneak attack failed, Cattleya and Audrey dared to initiate the contingency plan. They retreated on their own accord, allowing Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma to separate from each other after they were out of danger.
Cattleya's final igniting of the final green vine appeared to create a huge commotion to attract the attention of the official Beyonders, making the enemy abandon their pursuit, but in fact, it was to force the Saint of Secrets to leave as quickly as possible. This way, he didn't have the time to carefully examine and check his condition at a deeper level.
Hence, at the critical moment of his "Teleportation," he had his thoughts changed by Audrey's Virtual Persona. He came directly to the outskirts of Backlund, an uninhabited kill box which the Tarot Club had chosen.
And once he finished off the Manipulator's Virtual Persona, the eruption of "Mental Plague" came right on the heels of that.
In fact, if he had used "Reboot of Fate" earlier, he definitely would've been able to return to a state where there were no latent problems. However, he only decided to use this trump card when he was nearly killed by the Spear of Longinus. And by that time, his mind world had already been infiltrated for far more than three seconds!
He was dispirited and depressed, trying his best to resist his mental illness. It was at this moment that he saw a bunch of surreal yarn balls appear out of the void in front of him.
At the back of the yarn ball, the bright-colored yarn extended into an infinite distance.
Following this line, Cattleya, who was wearing a purple-patterned black robe and a dark-colored hood, walked over from the spirit world and appeared in front of the Saint of Secrets, Botis.
She was unable to track down enemies that had done some level of interference, but she could establish a connection with the predetermined battlefield. She could trace Justice Audrey's Virtual Persona!
The moment she arrived, Cattleya closed her eyes and formed a phantom image that fell towards an invisible coffin.
The already depressed Botis instantly felt extremely exhausted. He couldn't help but close his eyes, wanting to collapse.
Sleeping Beauty!
On the other side, Audrey's "Virtual Persona" which hadn't fully turned independent was like a dark shadow, bringing with it a sense of depravity. She raised her hand and pinched her forehead.
Her pupils silently turned vertical; they were pale gold and cold.
Botis's mind instantly exploded as bubbles of light appeared on the surface of his body. Within the bubbles, rays of starlight condensed into insects with their heads and tails fused into the void.
Psychiatrist, Frenzy!
This could completely trigger the target's emotions and even cause him to lose control.
Botis had already been infected with "Mental Plague" and was in an extremely abnormal state. Following that, he was affected by "Sleeping Beauty" magic and was in an extremely dispirited mood. "Frenzy" now triggered everything, immediately making it difficult for him to control himself as he showed signs of losing control.
Seizing this opportunity, Cattleya opened her eyes, raised her right hand, and rapidly formed a handful of spinning star sand in her palm.
The forest beneath the night became even darker. The crimson moon disappeared from the sky as stars appeared one after another. They were densely packed and dazzling.
The stars scattered their rays of light, forming a magnificent pillar of light that enveloped the area around Saint of Secrets Botis and his surroundings.
In the midst of the shock, Botis became a little more awake. His figure rapidly turned into a blur as he kept "Blinking," creating more than ten afterimages in the forest.
However, he could not escape the starlight's envelopment, nor could he "Teleport" away.
One by one, the starlight melted and dissipated the different Botis. Finally, there was only one person left genuflecting, propping up his body with one palm as he struggled.
Botis's body was in shambles. His eyes were already dark red, and he appeared to be on the brink of insanity.
When the starlight was in its final moments, he "Blinked" and dodged the follow-up attack of Audrey's Virtual Persona.
Then, he kept "Blinking" and created "doppelgangers" beside Cattleya and Audrey's Virtual Persona.
One of his "doppelgangers" grabbed with his left hand, distorting the area where Audrey's Virtual Persona was located. He concealed it in a bid to restrain the enemy.
As for his other "doppelganger," he spread open his arms and summoned a thick pillar of light surrounded by holy flames, letting it blast down into the concealed space.
During this process, Botis's other "doppelganger" had secretly removed the concealment of space.
Hence, as soon as the shadow corresponding to Audrey's Virtual Persona was freed from the restriction, it was enveloped by a holy pillar of light, quickly melting away.
In his "Blinking" state, Botis could use Beyonder powers at a speed faster than normal, but he couldn't sustain it for long. This was something that was achieved via using his numerous Worms of Star.
Elsewhere, the Saint of Secrets, Botis, was also attacking Cattleya. He had used various powers, and in the short span of a second or two, he had inundated his target with a barrage of attacks.
This forced Cattleya to constantly use "The Emperor's New Clothes" magic to avoid it. She was momentarily unable to counter-attack and was in grave danger.
A few seconds later, Botis's "Blinking" finally slowed down. The mania in his heart also eased.
At this moment, grayish-white and heavy scales suddenly appeared outside the forest. They were faintly discernible, as if they were forming an extremely oppressive behemoth.
In the dark night where the crimson moon was obscured, a nearly invisible stream of breath swept down from top to bottom, enveloping Botis and Cattleya.
The two demigods felt as though they were struck by lightning as their psyche was torn apart. Their Spirit Bodies seemed to be penetrated.
The breath of a mind dragon!
With his mental state already in a terrible state and having used a couple of his trump cards, Botis's mind went blank. As the flashes flashed before his eyes, his body couldn't help but tremble.
As for Cattleya, she was carrying the Moon Paper Figurine that she had obtained from Fors. This helped her bear the burden of "Psychic Piercing" once!
Although it was unable to completely eliminate the effects of "Mind Dragon Breath," it could help Cattleya recover faster.
This meant an opportunity in a battle at the demigod level!
In just a second or two, Cattleya's eyes returned to normal. As for Audrey who was in her dragon form and hiding in the darkness outside the forest, she cast another "Mind Deprivation" on Botis.
Without any hesitation, Cattleya raised her right hand and condensed the terrifying spear that was stained with fresh blood. She threw it at the Saint of Secrets, Botis.
This time, Botis could no longer dodge or resolve the situation. His chest was pierced through by the Spear of Longinus.
His body stiffened for a moment before it rapidly collapsed, turning into countless dazzling Worms of Star.
Some of these Worms of Star vanished directly, while others devoured each other. Some of them fused into a distant spot, forming a new Botis.
There was no longer any rationality left in his eyes. His body was continuously collapsing, revealing an incomplete and extremely weak Mythical Creature form.
At this moment, an illusory door appeared beside him. It was grayish-blue that had seven brass locks.
The illusory door quickly opened as it spat out a three-layered "jewelry box" embedded with various gems.
The Box of the Great Old Ones which had been exiled had returned.
With a crazed look in his eyes, Botis caught the box, revealing a cruel and bloodthirsty smile as he tried to open it.
The third level!
Chapter 1199 Inauspicious Box
Towards the return of Botis's Grade 0 Sealed Artifact or the restoration of its normal condition, The Hermit Cattleya and Justice Audrey had made a preliminary plan. After all, they weren't confident at killing a demigod in such a short period of time.
If not for the fact that Botis had fallen into a trap having suffered the lethal blows of "Mental Plague,""Sleeping Beauty," and "Frenzy" and putting him into a crazy and incoherent state, he actually had many opportunities to "Teleport" away without being stopped.
In that case, Cattleya and Audrey could only wait for Botis to return to a "safe house" and release Fors. Once the Eye of Mystery Prying provided them feedback, they could remotely create an opportunity for Miss Magician to summon the Historical Void projection.
At this moment, facing Botis, who was on the path towards losing control with no way to reverse it and his crazy attempt to fully activate Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, Cattleya and Audrey—one right in the middle of the scene and the other hiding outside the forest—simultaneously took the same action. They took out a translucent dark charm and recited a word in Jotun:
"Star!"
This was a "Teleportation" charm. Following the patterns, labels, and symbols of the "Record" on the Leymano's Travels, Klein had made a charm himself.
Since Sefirah Castle could mobilize the powers of the Marauder pathway, there was no reason not to respond to the pleas of the Apprentice domain!
As for the materials needed for the charms, be it Mysticologist Cattleya or Traveler Fors, the both of them had a certain level of understanding towards it. There was no need for Mr. Fool to teach them.
When the two of them "Teleported" away with the triggering of the charm—having plans to come back after a minute or two to confirm the situation—there was a cruel smile on Botis's face. His eyes were filled with madness as his actions suddenly stiffened.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones!
It was extremely heavy, as though it was enveloped and suppressed by layers of forces. There was no way to activate it.
This made Botis feel like he was attempting to open a new world, not a box.
In an instant, he sensed something, and the madness in his eyes disappeared. Extreme astonishment and fear arose in him.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Wisps of light slid down from Botis's body. When they touched the ground, they transformed into insects formed from resplendent starlight.
The insects' bodies were bent into a semi-circle, forming a magical glow that resembled illusory doors.
At this moment, his incomplete Mythical Creature form suddenly collapsed and disintegrated in an irresistible manner.
The two eyeballs of his eyes landed on the ground and were stained with dust.
These two eyeballs were frozen with an indescribable look of horror. They were maintained perfectly, completely different from the other parts of his body.
A Sequence 4 Secrets Sorcerer died just like that.
Pa!
The Box of the Great Old Ones, which had a silver-black surface with many gems embedded in it, dropped beside Botis's eyes, just like a jewelry box commonly seen in aristocratic families.
Above the gray fog, in the ancient palace, Klein heaved a sigh of relief as he lowered the Sea God Scepter in his hand in puzzlement.
He was just moments from activating the power of Sefirah Castle and using the level of an angel to conjure "Lightning Storm." He wanted to prevent Botis from opening the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones, but the Saint of Secrets's mutually destructive counterattack had failed to succeed. He encountered an unexpected failure from the very beginning.
After Xio left the first battlefield, she immediately followed the plan and prayed to Mr. Fool. With this, Klein found an opportunity to enter the world above the gray fog. Through the crimson star corresponding to The Hermit and Justice, he monitored the battle.
As she moved to the second battlefield, Audrey found an opportunity to pray, so that Klein could use her crimson star to directly interfere with the real world.
This was also the reason why Audrey had arrived at her destination later than The Hermit Cattleya.
According to what Arrodes said, the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones contains something very terrifying. I thought that the True Creator had given it to him in order to create a terrifying disaster at the critical moment, so as to showcase the true colors of an evil god. Who knew that it couldn't be opened… Klein glanced at the crimson star representing The Magician and discovered that it was covered in a layer of black ash. It seemed to have coagulated, making it impossible for him to see the scene inside to confirm Miss Magician's condition.
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation—evidence of how high a level and odd the Box of the Great Old Ones was.
As for "Sleeping Beauty" magic and the Spear of Longinus that he saw, he came up with some ideas.
After learning of the powers of Mystical Re-enactment at the private gathering, Klein overturned his speculations about the fairy tale magic that Bernadette had.
He had originally believed that the Emperor had specially created the stories for his daughter based on the fairy tales on Earth, or that after Bernadette's father passed away, she had deliberately reenacted the fairy tales he had told her about as a way to express her grief. From the looks of it, the answer likely wasn't this. Some of the fairy tales before the First Epoch might have been "mysterious."
This meant that those fairy tales originated from mysterious incidents that had happened in real life. They were spread among the people and gradually became stories. They were recorded down by writers and further embellished.
This corresponds to the prophecy regarding the time when the stars are right. Mystery and has never left and has always been around. It was just that in the "Earth Era" before the First Epoch, they were suppressed by some kind of power or sealed…
If that's really the case, some of the legends and stories on Earth can be explained from another angle… It's no wonder there's a Spear of Longinus… I wonder if the Chinese fable of the ethereal utopia, Peach Blossom Spring, is involved in mystery. I'll tell Ma'am Hermit later and see if she can create new magic according to this…
I wonder if Bernadette became a Mysticologist before the Emperor perished. If she did, it's hard to say if these fairy tale magics were created by the Emperor, a Sequence 1 Beyonder of the Mystery Pryer pathway, or by Queen Mystic Bernadette… But no matter what, the Emperor should have discovered that these fairy tales are also mysterious in his later years, and also that he could draw power from them. Well, there's no corresponding diary entry from Bernadette. I can't see the Emperor's reaction and his guesses…
One of the reasons he insisted on going to the moon is to verify certain things.
It's a pity that most of the myths are fake. There's no way to draw on their power. The novels of the Internet era are the same… Klein sighed slightly as he leaned back into his chair and continued paying attention to the battlefield.
In the collapsed forest, The Hermit Cattleya and Justice Audrey faced the abnormal changes suffered by Botis and tacitly gave up injecting their spirituality to use the charms.
Despite maintaining her "Dragon Transformation" state, Audrey was still hiding in the darkness outside the forest, wary of any accidents or official demigods who might have sensed the commotion and come to investigate.
As for The Hermit Cattleya, she was pushed to the spot where Botis had died by the wind. She carefully avoided the Box of the Great Old Ones.
Due to the fact that a Scribe could use many powers, a demigod-level Sealed Artifact would often have extremely negative effects. Apart from the Box of the Great Old Ones, Botis only left behind a black pocket which seemed to be part of his robe.
Also, there was also the gathered Beyonder characteristic, two eyeballs, and about ten Worms of Star. Most of the Worms of Star had been destroyed.
Considering the horror displayed by the Box of the Great Old Ones, as well as the fact that Botis was a high-ranking member of the Aurora Order and could be blessed by a god, Cattleya didn't rashly pick up the items. She was afraid that an accident would happen, causing the situation to develop negatively.
Previously, during the private gatherings, they had communicated with each other on how to handle such situations. That was, if they had the time and opportunity, they would first sacrifice the item to Mr. Fool and then distribute it above the gray fog. After all, many items might bring about unknown dangers if they were to come into contact with items with unknown negative effects. And there was a high probability that Botis had a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Sometimes, merely knowing the existence of a Sealed Artifact of this level was enough to cause a sudden death.
According to what The Star Leonard had said, it was best not to come into contact with such Sealed Artifacts. It was best not to ask, describe, or pry into it. Only a true high-level existence could suppress them.
Without any hesitation, Cattleya took out silver candles and other ritual items from the various hidden pockets of her purple-patterned black robe. She then set up a simple sacrificial ritual.
During this process, she pinched her lips, whistled, and created an invisible servant helper. It took about ten seconds to set up the altar.
After quickly reciting Mr. Fool's honorific name and using spiritual materials to open the Door of Sacrifice and Bestowment, Cattleya heaved a sigh of relief. She got the invisible servant to move the Box of the Great Old Ones, the black pocket, two eyeballs, the gathered Beyonder characteristic, and the nine Worms of Star over to the altar.
With a whoosh, the items flew up and passed through the illusory door.
When Cattleya saw this, she immediately pinched her lower lip with her thumb and index finger, preparing to whistle once again to dispel the invisible servant.
But amidst the whistling, the "servant" remained motionless, as though it had nothing to do with Cattleya.
The Hermit Cattleya's eyelids twitched as she clenched her right hand into a fist and pushed it to her mouth, preparing to use the Horn of Magic.
At that moment, a blazing silvery-white appeared out of nowhere at the altar. Layers of bolts of lightning formed a destructive storm that enveloped the invisible servant in the middle.
All of this quickly calmed down as the mutated servant was completely destroyed.
Cattleya exhaled and lowered her head, sincerely thanking Mr. Fool.
Then, she followed the ritual's ending procedure and packed her belongings. She used the "Snow White" magic, which was closer to a prophecy technique, to clear the scene of its traces.
And at this moment, Audrey had already used the Teleportation charm from before and left the scene.
Cattleya looked around, and considering that Mr. Fool might need something more ritualistic, she took out a card from her pocket and threw it in the middle of the collapsing forest.
The card was half inserted into the soil, revealing the image of an old man holding a glass lamp and staff as he explored alone: The Hermit of the tarot cards.
Chapter 1200 Randomness
After a while, the space in the collapsed forest suddenly tore apart, revealing an illusory yet mysterious door.
The door opened silently, and a handsome man with black hair and golden eyes walked out. He was dressed in a well-ironed suit, looking mature and elegant.
Before he could examine the scene, he heard a loud boom. He could feel a violent storm blowing towards him, and he saw a middle-aged man with an imposing aura appear in front of him.
The middle-aged man had rather obvious large earlobes. His hair was dark blue and thick, and there seemed to be countless bolts of lightning hidden in his eyes.
He was the cardinal of the Church of the Lord of Storms, archbishop of the Backlund diocese, Deep Blue Officiant Randall Valentinus.
The clergyman in the black robe that was embroidered with storm symbols looked around and cast his gaze at the golden-eyed man. He asked in a thunderous voice, "Celt, what happened here?"
Celt, the golden-eyed man, shook his head.
"I just arrived too."
Just as he said that, a mountain-like nearly transparent Spirit Body appeared in the void and placed a figure in midair.
The figure was dressed in a long black, red-patterned bishop robe. His eyes were deep and he didn't have a beard. He was the person in charge of the Backlund diocese of the Church of Evernight, Anthony Stevenson.
After the gigantic Spirit Body completed its mission, it immediately shrunk and entered Saint Anthony's mouth. At the same time, black long hair covered his face, and a translucent, drifting spirit appeared behind Anthony. It held onto his shoulder, preventing him from falling.
In the next second, a turbulent flow of air rushed over from the Backlund city and pushed a figure towards this area at high speeds.
Soon, the figure came to a stop. It was an old man dressed in a white priest robe and a clergyman's cap. He had a kind and gentle face.
The air that was spewed out from the elder's back vanished as the black tube that was shimmering with metallic light retreated back into his body.
This was the archbishop of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Backlund diocese. He was a member of the Divine Council, Horamick Haydn.
He strangely stopped in midair and looked around.
"Although the battle here isn't too intense, it's definitely at the saint level.
"Also, the remnant polluted aura is simply… simply…"
As they spoke, the four demigods looked down at the middle of the collapsed forest.
There was a tarot card depicting an old man holding a staff and a glass lamp.
The Hermit card!
Randall Valentinus, Celt, Anthony, and Horamick instantly fell silent as no one spoke for a moment.
…
Above the gray fog, in the ancient palace, Klein was frowning as he looked at the Box of the Great Old Ones in front of him.
The moment this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was sacrificed, the entire Sefirah Castle began to stir, as if it had been brought to boiling point.
A massive amount of power was automatically activated, forming a torrent that appeared like steam as it completely drowned out the Box of the Great Old Ones and wrapped around it tightly.
At this moment, the silver-black jewelry box that was embedded with gems seemed to become an insect in amber. There was no room for any movement.
Previously, Sefirah Castle was triggered when I spied on the true gods or Kings of Angels and when I was injured… This is the first time it has experienced such changes due to an item from external sources… Klein couldn't help but raise his right hand to wipe away the nonexistent sweat.
Frankly speaking, he was still a little afraid. He felt that he had been a little carried away after gaining initial control of Sefirah Castle.
In the past, he didn't dare let a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact enter this place. And this time, because it didn't involve a Uniqueness, and with how he had improved compared to the past, this gave him the thought of making an attempt.
Thankfully, it's under control… In the future, I'll have to tell Ma'am Hermit and the others that they can't pick up anything and sacrifice it to me. I'm not a rag-and-bone man… After muttering a few words, he began inspecting the Box of the Great Old Ones.
He remembered that Miss Magician was still inside the Sealed Artifact, so he planned on figuring out the situation of the Box of the Great Old Ones as soon as possible so as to prevent the bait from dying due to wasting time.
This Sealed Artifact's level is very high. Arrodes's understanding of it is rather limited. I'll still have to do it myself… From the looks of it, as long as I don't attempt to divine what the third level is or attempt to seek out the source of the power, the danger is acceptable or even nonexistent… Klein made a preliminary assessment based on his spiritual intuition.
Immediately following that, he conjured a pen and paper and began doing a "divination."
After an unknown period of time, he finally opened his eyes and muttered silently, The first level can allow the interior space to switch locations with the target's area and miniaturize the corresponding scene, turning objects into toys… This is an ability that can barely be made use of…
The living beings that have been turned into toys must be released within 24 hours. Otherwise, they will be permanently converted. Even their Spirit Bodies will never enjoy an eternal rest…
It's very easy to release them. As long as a specific region is chosen—one so small that it's almost devoid of any living creatures—swapping it with the interior space will do…
There is a limit to the scope of this ability. It reaches its limit with a city the size of Backlund… Why did I use Backlund as an example…
The second level records different scenes. There are the Abyss, cosmos, and all sorts of places. It allows the wielder and the living beings within a certain range to directly move to the target area…
This problem is it's random. A small portion can be designated by the wielder, thus releasing the corresponding location. Most of the time, the chosen location will change, and the destination of the final destination will be unpredictable… As for when the designated location will be effective and when an anomaly happens, there's no way to know…
Besides, this seems to be something that can't be affected by good luck. Or perhaps, good luck cannot affect those below Sequence 0…
This means that I can't use this Box of the Great Old Ones's Beyonder power to directly transfer the City of Silver out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Sigh, if I can, my Miracle Invoker ritual will be very simple… Uh, I'll try and see if making them into toys will work later…
The third level is very dangerous, very, very dangerous. I won't take the risk to pry into its secrets. No, this should be called courting death…
The negative effects of the Box of the Great Old Ones are very simple. It's just that the wielder will randomly vanish, suddenly die, or mutate. If there are no holders, the living beings in the surrounding areas will encounter terrifying matters one after another depending on their distance from it and their sizes. The maximum range is the same as the first level… These Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts can destroy cities wantonly, killing hundreds of thousands or even millions. It's no wonder they are given the highest sealing. One is not to ask, describe, or pry into them.
Where did the entities that vanished go? This seems to have something to do with the scene of the second level…
The reason why the Saint of Secrets dares to move around with this Sealed Artifact is because he had the blessings of the Angel of Fate Ouroboros. He can reduce the negative effects to a minimum, but even so, he didn't dare to hold on to it for too long because the blessings would wear off… It looks like the reason he didn't manage to recover his lucidity ahead of time and find a chance to teleport away had to do with his luck turning bad… It's really hard to kill saints that are valued by a huge organization…
I must say that Ma'am Hermit is considered experienced and clear-headed. She didn't make any rash contact with it. Instead, she created an invisible servant to hold it. Furthermore, she sacrificed this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to me in the shortest time possible…
In theory, I can summon a Historical Void projection to hold this item. After all, it doesn't matter if it dies, vanishes, or mutates. However, the usage time cannot be guaranteed, unless I get Will Auceptin's blessing…
The way to seal it is to put it into the spirit world, and that's not enough. It has to be a space that has been distorted and hidden in the spirit world. Then, ordinary water has to be poured into it regularly, allowing the Box of the Great Old Ones to play with microbes every day… With so many living beings, it can last for a very long period of time… With this train of thought, there are still many methods to seal it…
After roughly figuring out the exact situation of the Box of the Great Old Ones, Klein looked at the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact and felt that the third level no longer seemed as dangerous and impossible to open as before.
He vaguely believed that as long as he extended his hand and removed the seal placed onto it by Sefirah Castle, he could easily open the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones.
…What a strong temptation… Klein retracted his gaze and waved his hand, causing the Box of the Great Old Ones to fly towards the junk pile in the corner.
Regardless of whether it was a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact or not, head over there to be quarantined and get a hold of yourself!
As a terrifying Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, one has to have a number to show its importance. Unfortunately, I don't know how many Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts the seven Churches have obtained. It shouldn't exceed 50, right? Yes, the Box of the Great Old Ones can be temporarily named 0-61. I'll adjust it according to the situation in the future…
If Ma'am Hermit isn't able to create a sealed environment, she can place 0-61 above the gray fog. Once she needs it, she can apply for it. Of course, she must pray to Will in advance for "His" blessings… I wonder what stage I'll have to be before the "King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck" can be genuine in name. There's a portion in Miracle Invoker, and there should be a portion in Attendant of Mysteries… Klein amused himself with his thoughts and finally picked up the Beyonder characteristic left behind by Saint of Secrets Botis.
It looked like a crystal with countless rays of light refracted within it, forming illusory and resplendent doors.
After staring at it for a few seconds, he suddenly threw the Beyonder characteristic into the air.
The power of Sefirah Castle boiled once again. Under the control of Klein, it formed a corporeal semi-translucent wave and struck the crystal hard.
The crystal instantly shattered, splitting into countless tiny dots of light. A pitch-black gas emerged from within before it rapidly melted away, twisting and dispersing inside Sefirah Castle.
Under the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics, those tiny dots of light slowly gathered together, and in nearly a minute, they reformed into the magnificent and dreamy crystal-like appearance from before, and landed in the palm of Klein's hand.
The contamination inside was cleared.
Inside Sefirah Castle, Klein was equivalent to a Sequence 2 angel. However, he mostly had the power, but not the corresponding level's Beyonder powers. He needed the right supporting item to help him.
After putting down the Secrets Sorcerer's Beyonder characteristic, he cast his gaze at Botis's remaining two eyeballs.
Chapter 1201 Professional
The pupils of Botis's eyes had already turned deep black, and they were frozen in a look of indescribable fear. It made Klein's heart palpitate when he saw it, as though he could feel the intense changes in Botis's emotions before his death.
After a series of inspections, together with "divination," he confirmed that these two eyeballs didn't contain any Beyonder characteristics, but they contained a strong corruptive force and a power that came from an unknown source. It could be used as a medium for curses, and it could directly affect the target. It was a rather dangerous spiritual material with an extremely long "expiry date."
I can't bring it with me for extended periods of time. Otherwise, I might be weakened mentally, have nightmares every day, and suffer a physical mutation… Klein casually summoned a square metal box and placed Botis's two eyeballs into it.
He didn't attempt to purify it, because once the item was shattered and purified, there would be nothing left. It would be too wasteful.
Due to the fact that there was nothing wrong with the Worms of Star and that it was also a material that Klein understood the most, he quickly turned his attention to the black pocket.
The results of "divination" surprised him because it was a so-called "interspatial" object.
The pocket only had the size of an adult man's palm. But in actual fact, it had the size of the two-bedroom apartment that the Moretti family had rented in Tingen in the very beginning. It was big enough to hold many things.
This was made by Botis using the powers of a Secrets Sorcerer. In essence, the pocket wasn't an object but an entrance.
…First, a region in the spirit world is distorted and isolated using "Space Concealment"; then, use the chaos created when the spirit world overlaps with reality. As long as there are proper coordinates, one can directly reach their destination, opening the "door" to that hidden area and entering this pocket space…
This is very similar to the method needed for sealing the Box of the Great Old Ones. However, one door is in the spirit world, while the other is in the real world. This results in a Sealed Artifact or mystical item inside the Interspatial Pocket to also affect the wielder…
From the looks of it, it doesn't seem to be of much use, as it can't eliminate the negative effects… Besides, I'm in the Forsaken Land of the Gods and can't connect to the spirit world. There's no use to having such a pocket…
Also, I have to reinforce the power of "Space Concealment" from time to time. Otherwise, it will gradually lose its effectiveness… It's only suitable for demigods of the Apprentice pathway, or an organization that has demigods of the Apprentice pathway or Sealed Artifacts that provide the relevant support…
The name "Interspatial Pocket" is too lame. I wonder how Botis named this item… Let's call it "Traveler's Bag"… After confirming the degree of danger, Klein conjured a fake hand and placed it into the black pocket.
Pitter-patter! A bunch of gems poured out as the fake hand was retracted and landed on the long, mottled table. The crystal-clear red, blue, green, white, black, and translucent colors instantly filled his eyes.
…I should've predicted this… The corresponding materials of the Apprentice pathway are gems—all the gems… The expression on Klein's face turned spirited as he sighed with a smile. He reached out with his other hand and picked up a few gems to feel the weight and texture.
Apart from these, there were also quite a number of spiritual materials in the Traveler's Bag. Some were commonly used, while others were relatively rare.
The Box of the Great Old Ones, the Secrets Sorcerer's Beyonder characteristic, nine Worms of Star, Botis's eyeballs, Traveler's Bag, and large amounts of gems and materials… This operation can be considered quite a harvest, enough for everyone to split it fairly…
Unfortunately, Botis had the ability to "Record" Beyonder powers and certain states. There's no need for him to bring too many Sealed Artifacts and mystical items with him. That would result in many negative effects… As a demigod, he should have a few good Sealed Artifacts. I wonder if they're hidden somewhere in the spirit world or at the Aurora Order headquarters… It's a pity that Botis's soul had just collapsed as well, preventing me from using spirit channeling on it… Klein shook his head and immediately returned to the real world. He found a hidden spot, put down the lantern, and set up a bestowment ritual.
He wanted to see if he could bring 0-61—the Box of the Great Old Ones—to the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
If he could, he could attempt transforming the entire City of Silver into toys and placing them on the first level of the Sealed Artifact. He could directly send it to the outside world through the sacrificial and bestowment rituals. This way, he could bypass the Giant King's Court and Dark Angel Sasrir, and could ingeniously complete the Miracle Invoker ritual.
After performing a series of tasks, Klein was done with his preparations as he reached out his right hand. He pulled out another himself before his actual body leaped into the fog of history and hid in the void of a time before the First Epoch.
He was worried that the Box of the Great Old Ones would cause a random death the moment it passed through the sacrificial and bestowment door.
In the fragments of light deep in the grayish-white fog, Klein took four steps counterclockwise and returned above the gray fog, responding to his own prayers.
After the mysterious ancient door of sacrifice and bestowment took form, he slowly opened it. He waved his hand, summoning the Box of the Great Old Ones that was enveloped by layers of forcers, throwing it into the gap behind the illusory door, towards the boundless darkness behind the door.
At that moment, the void's darkness suddenly became corporeal, as though it formed an invisible barrier that blocked the door that had just opened. It floated in midair, unable to move forward.
Klein frowned slightly as he watched this scene. He tried to stir the powers of Sefirah Castle and use the power at the level of an angel to push it forward, but he was unable to get the Box of the Great Old Ones to break the barrier.
…Indeed, the Forsaken Land of the Gods is sealed. It's just that I'm closely related to Sefirah Castle, so I could use it to respond. However, this cannot exceed a certain limit. Klein nodded slightly. He retrieved the Box of the Great Old Ones and threw it onto the junk pile.
Then, he conjured The World Gehrman Sparrow and got the fake person to give the detailed information of the Box of the Great Old Ones to Ma'am Hermit and Miss Justice.
This was to remind them to bring the Box of the Great Old Ones back to the real world within 24 hours, and to release The Magician Fors.
While doing so, Klein had informed Miss Justice to sacrifice some top-grade ice-cream to the Snake of Fate's Blessed before praying for the bestowment of the Box of the Great Old Ones. As for The Hermit Cattleya, she didn't need to make any external requests due to her having "Brief Luck." However, she needed to complete everything within a few minutes and sacrifice the Box of the Great Old Ones above the gray fog once more.
…
Backlund, in the border between East Borough and the bridge area, in an apartment that had been in disrepair for years.
Leonard, who was wearing red gloves and a black coat, was leading his team members to check the scene.
As the reserve force of the Church of Evernight, they were undoubtedly filled with energy at nearly ten at night.
"Captain, there's a serious crack on the walls here. Some of the walls have even been shattered. This apartment might not hold after the hurricane season next summer." The wine-red-haired Cindy came over and reported to Leonard.
Leonard scanned his surroundings with his green eyes and nodded slightly.
"Thankfully, this place is dangerous to begin with, and it has been abandoned for a long period of time. However, it's very strange that even tramps don't live here."
Cindy thought for a moment and said, "Captain, do you mean that there are Beyonders using this apartment, so they're secretly chasing away the tramps who sleep here?"
Another Red Glove, Bob, happened to be checking the bottom of the wall and casually added, "And then, they had an internal strife that developed into a battle. Something was then ignited?"
"That possibility can't be ruled out," Leonard answered in a professional manner. "But have you noticed? Every place in this room has signs of corrosion, and there's a lack of the remnants left behind by tables and chairs that should exist. It looks too empty… This doesn't look like something a Low- or Mid-Sequence Beyonder can create. I suspect that it might involve a higher level of power."
After a series of inspections and discovering many abnormalities, the Red Gloves team under Leonard failed to find any further clues. They could only return to Saint Samuel Cathedral first.
Just as they arrived underground, a bishop came to look for Leonard, asking him to bring two members upstairs for a meeting.
Leonard nodded thoughtfully. Without asking anything, he led Bob and Cindy through a secret passage into Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Following that, they followed the spiral staircase and under the illumination of the crimson moonlight, they arrived in a room with many people. It was equipped with a blackboard.
With just one glance, Leonard realized that there were quite a number of people who had worked with him before. They were from the Mandated Punishers, the Machinery Hivemind, and MI9.
Then, he noticed the three demigods, Horamick Haydn, Randall Valentinus, and Anthony Stevenson, as well as a black-haired, golden-eyed man who was clearly at the same level as them.
Without waiting for Leonard's greeting, Saint Anthony stood up in his red-patterned black robe and said in a deep voice, "There was a high-level battle in the outskirts of Backlund. There was a terrifying contamination present, as well as a tarot card—The Hermit.
"I noticed that you've done some investigations regarding the large number of incidents involving tarot cards. You had also raised a corresponding theory. Now, please give everyone here a detailed introduction."
"…The Hermit card?" Leonard expressed his true astonishment, but this was mostly because he was tasked with such a mission.
Ahem. He cleared his throat, walked to the blackboard, and turned to face the demigods and Beyonders of the three Churches and the military. He drew a crimson moon on his chest.
After organizing his words, this Red Glove Captain said solemnly, "In the past two to three years, the incident involving tarot cards that really caught our attention was because of Lanevus's death. He was embroiled in a conspiracy that attempted to allow the True Creator's descent, and his body was covered with tarot cards.
"After that, the tarot cards appeared on the Capim case again. However, this time, there was a change in the arrangement of the tarot cards. It emphasized Judgment and The Emperor…
"…Back then, I linked these matters to an organization that suddenly believed in The Fool in Backlund. As you know, The Fool is the starting card of the tarot cards."
This bold guess made several demigods and many other Beyonders nod slightly. They felt that this might indeed be related to some level of mysticism.
Leonard paused before continuing, "And below The Fool, this organization might have quite a number of official members. They use tarot cards as code names, such as Judgment, The Emperor, or The Hermit of this incident…"
As he spoke, Leonard picked up a deck of cards that he used as a demonstration and randomly picked one.
He glanced at it and chuckled.
"Such as… The Star."
Chapter 1202 The Tarot Club
The demigods and Beyonders present nodded at Leonard's demonstration, indicating that they understood what the Red Glove captain meant.
One of the Mandated Punishers raised his arm and took the opportunity to ask a question:
"In other words, whoever left a tarot card behind is the member executing the mission?"
"That should be the case." Leonard did not give a definite answer.
The same Mandated Punisher continued asking, "What do the tarot cards that were scattered all over Lanevus's corpse mean then? There's no specific direction."
Leonard immediately picked up a white chalk and wrote the name Lanevus on the blackboard behind him. Then, he drew a circle.
"I've just said that in the past two to three years, the matter involving tarot cards have really caught our attention because of the Lanevus case. This is very likely the beginning of everything.
"Therefore, without a specific direction, the casually scattered tarot cards might be referring to the whole. This means that the organization that uses the tarot cards as code names has officially stepped onto the stage of history. Heh heh, please forgive me for using poetic words."
"That makes a lot of sense." The few Mandated Punishers were convinced by Leonard.
Leonard looked around and continued, "Let me use the Aurora Order, which everyone is familiar with, as a comparison. We all know that there are twenty-two Oracles in the Aurora Order. Each of them will be in charge of a region's affairs. It's very possible that the organization with the tarot card code names is the same. The members of the likes of Judgment, The Emperor, and The Hermit should have their own factions. They will exert their influence in a particular region."
Upon hearing this, a member of the Machinery Hivemind pondered and said, "However, the three members corresponding to Judgment, The Emperor, and The Hermit have appeared consecutively in Backlund. According to what you just said, does this mean that the organization that uses tarot cards as code names are still lacking in scale, and that the members are all gathered in Loen, or perhaps just in the Backlund region? After all, Backlund's person-in-charge for the Aurora Order is only an Oracle. As for Saint Tenebrous, he's in charge of the entire Loen."
Leonard slowly nodded, indicating that he understood what he meant.
He organized his words and said, "This possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, this is an organization that has only appeared in the past two to three years.
"Of course, there might be other reasons. This organization might not be divided based on location demarcation. Instead, they are determined by whether or not they can handle an area alone. They will also work together depending on overlapping situations, such as the Capim case."
Seeing that the Beyonders of the three Churches and MI9 didn't raise any further questions, Leonard deliberated for a few seconds before saying, "Next up will be all my personal guesses. There are also some problems with it. This might be a direction of investigation for the future.
"The first question, what is the purpose of this organization?
"If they are like the Aurora Order, with the goal to spread the faith of an evil god, then why haven't we discovered people who believe in The Fool? Even if there are, they're all people who are scamming others in the name of The Fool.
"Second question, what do they have in common in the few operations? I haven't been able to find it yet.
"The third question I have is that high-level members who use tarot cards as their code names are not of low Sequences and have their own factions. However, they aren't famous in the Beyonder world at all. This is very abnormal. After all, although the twenty-two Oracles of the Aurora Order hide their identities, they have more or less crossed paths with us. They rose up from Low-Sequence Beyonders to Middle-Sequence Beyonders under our 'watch,' eventually taking over the spot as Oracle when their predecessor dies or advances. They are all already on our lists."
Having said that, Leonard paused and said, "If the organization that uses the tarot cards as its code name is really an organization that believes in The Fool, then there is someone who can answer my third question.
"He's the crazy adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow. Rumor has it that he believes in The Fool."
This name made all the Beyonders from the three Churches and MI9 fall into silence, as though they were quickly recalling the relevant information.
They had long heard that Gehrman Sparrow had a mysterious background. He believed in The Fool, and they had obtained quite a bit of information from him. However, they hadn't made any connections like Leonard to string everything together.
A few seconds later, the archbishop of the Church of Evernight, Saint Anthony, said in a deep voice, "…Gehrman Sparrow seems to be in close contact with the original Death Consul of Balam. That's an angel who's still active over the land."
This gave the Beyonders who weren't demigods a fright as they instinctively sat up straight.
They all knew about Admiral Hell, but due to the confidential restrictions, they didn't know that the Death Consul represented a Grounded Angel.
"…That Death Consul doesn't seem to belong to any faction of the Numinous Episcopate," said a Beyonder from MI9 hesitantly.
Leonard nodded solemnly.
"Perhaps 'He' is a member of the secret organization that uses the tarot cards as a code name.
"Death card!"
There was another round of silence. All the demigods had to admit that this was possible.
The level of the secret organization that was represented by tarot cards suddenly rose, reaching a level that was equal to the Aurora Order.
"In short, Gehrman Sparrow is a clue." Leonard took a deep breath and slowly said, "Your Graces, ladies and gentlemen, I'm done."
Saint Anthony nodded slightly and stood up. He looked around and said, "Up to now, this secret organization that uses tarot cards as their code names hasn't targeted us yet. It has shown a certain level of friendliness. Now that the war situation is tense, we are severely lacking in manpower, so it's difficult for us to take any major actions. Therefore, I suggest that we try our best to avoid conflict with them and not attempt to eradicate them for the time being.
"Of course, we have to do what we need to do. A secret organization with the existence of a Grounded Angel itself represents danger. If we don't understand it or grasp enough information about it, we won't be able to react in time and stop any possible conspiracies."
Horamick and the other demigods thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Anthony Stevens looked around, his gaze landing on Leonard's face.
"This investigation will be led by you. Coordinate it well."
"…" Leonard agreed solemnly.
At this moment, Deep Blue Officiant Randall Valentinus spoke to Leonard impatiently, "Give them a name. We can't keep saying 'secret organization that uses tarot cards as a code name.' It's quite a mouthful.
"What suggestions do you have?"
Leonard considered carefully before saying, "Tarot Club?"
"That works." Randall stood up and said with a thunderous voice, "Let's call it the 'Tarot Club'!"
…
Late at night, in Empress Borough, in the Hall family's villa.
The exclusive dessert chef, Tim, suddenly woke up from his dream and stared at the ceiling in the darkness.
He had just dreamed that he was enjoying an ice-cream and had just eaten it when he woke up.
The more he thought about it, the more intense his cravings became. In the end, he overcame his feelings that it was trouble and got out of bed. Putting on a thick sleeping robe, he walked out of the room and came to a pantry not far away.
As a slightly famous dessert chef in the aristocratic circles, Tim was given special privileges by Earl Hall. He could enter the pantry at any time and use the ingredients here to test his new ideas.
Meanwhile, Tim had repeatedly returned Earl Hall's trust with high-quality desserts.
Of course, he often appeared in the pantry due to mid-night cravings for food, just like now.
After some serious and hard work, Tim used the remains and prepared ingredients to make a few cups of ice-cream and ate half of it.
Then, he patted his stomach, washed the cutlery, and left the pantry in satisfaction.
The remaining few cups of ice-cream were left in the corner, as if they had been completely forgotten.
…
In Cherwood Borough, by the Tussock River, in an uninhabited shallow flat.
Wearing a dark-colored cloak, Audrey first made use of Dream Traversal to arrive nearby before walking over on foot.
She skillfully set up the ritual and prayed to Mr. Fool.
Soon, a silver-black accessory box embedded with many gems tore through the illusory door and landed in front of Audrey.
Audrey tucked a wisp of blonde hair behind her ear and picked up the Box of the Great Old Ones, 0-61, without any delay. She aimed at a few rocks and pulled open the first layer.
Silently, numerous long tables and chairs appeared messily in the area. Several Beyonders that had used various means to conceal their faces appeared. One of them was the hooded Fors.
Their skin quickly changed from that of a toy's to that of a human's, and their eyes began to move.
Fors, who had the highest Sequence, recovered the fastest. Looking around, she was extremely surprised to find that she had unknowingly come to a flat by the side of the river from that apartment.
Furthermore, this change was only limited to her overall area. The situation around her was no different from before.
Where am I… What happened… Fors's gaze landed on the empty altar. After pondering for a second, she seemed to understand something as she asked in surprise, "Has the matter ended?"
"Yes," replied Audrey, who was using her Psychological Invisibility.
It's ended… It's ended… Fors followed up with a confused and dazed question.
"How's the target?"
"He's dead." Audrey was multitasking as she controlled the other six Beyonders. Her answer was very simple.
He's dead… Saint of Secrets Botis has died… I didn't participate in the battle. I didn't summon Gehrman Sparrow's Historical Void projection… Fors's mouth gaped slightly as she felt like she was dreaming.
She only felt that she had been terrified for a second and was in a daze for a moment, and the mission had already been completed…
At this moment, she saw the surrounding Beyonders come to "life," but they didn't show any surprise towards the change in environment. It was as if the gathering had been held here.
They skillfully destroyed the chairs and long tables and threw them into the Tussock River. Then, they left the flats one after another and returned home under the illumination of the street lamps.
…This is a Manipulator… How terrifying… Fors jumped in fright and completely snapped awake.
"Return first." Audrey didn't have time to explain. She turned around and used the altar from before, preparing to sacrifice the Box of the Great Old Ones above the gray fog.
Fors shot a look over, but she didn't ask or say anything. She made her body turn transparent as she vanished from where she was.
Author's Note: The title of this chapter originally should have been "Official Debut," but it was just not serious enough.