"Target's name?" Mr. Z asked in a low voice, eyeing Alger's approach, his left hand poised to counter betrayal—a common precaution as an Aurora Order divine envoy. Familiar with their ways, Alger replied calmly, "Baron Gramir."
"Understood. Thank you, compatriot," Mr. Z said, drawing a cross over his chest before heading off. Alger added gravely, "I'll guide you to the location."
"Thank you," Mr. Z replied politely. "May the Lord bless you."
…
After relaying Miss Justice's description to The Hanged Man, Klein left the mysterious space above the gray fog, returning to his bedroom.
He didn't rush to dispel the spiritual wall. Instead, he sat at his desk, spread out paper, grabbed a pen, and began writing:
"…Based on urgent intelligence, Qilangos, using Shepherd abilities, has disguised himself as Baron Gramir and infiltrated Duke Negan's ball. His motives are unclear."
"I'm unsure if this interests you, but I felt it necessary to inform you." Klein concluded swiftly, folding the letter.
He retrieved the ancient copper whistle, brought it to his lips, puffed his cheeks, and blew hard. Then, taking four reverse steps, he returned to the gray fog, pulling an item from his pocket: the charm Adrian had crafted for him!
I need a chance to wound Qilangos… Klein stared at the scene before him, waiting silently. As he anticipated Audrey using her portable materials to open a "Summoning Gate," he couldn't help recalling the moment he retrieved the charm:
Opening the window, he'd met a pair of icy, lifeless eyes floating outside, staring at him. Between them hovered a sapphire-blue charm.
Is this Old Gao's messenger? Klein, who'd never seen Adrian's messenger, froze. The near-transparent, browless eyes eerily resembled the Hidden Sage. Why did this "messenger" look like that?
But he noticed chaotic, interwoven patterns around the eyes, mimicking the layered lines and giant eye motif behind Adrian's Tarot seat.
Is this the power of Gao's "golden finger"? Did he use this to punch out the Hidden Sage's corruption behind Old Neil, turning it into his messenger? No, that's impossible—a high entity's fragment couldn't be corrupted so easily… Maybe it's just a Spiritual World creature resembling the Hidden Sage. Daly's messenger is odd too… Klein mused, taking the charm.
As the eyes faded, a thought stirred. Adrian had said his "golden finger" shared traits with the gray fog. Could Klein harness the fog's power to aid himself?
…
Qilangos, disheveled, shattered a glass window, fleeing the banquet hall. He hadn't anticipated that, beyond the Beyonders guarding Duke Negan, the duke himself was a formidable Beyonder!
After receiving Miss Justice's intel, Alger guided Mr. Z, then planned to return to the church, distancing himself from the affair per his and Adrian's strategy. As Qilangos fled, Mr. A erupted among the noble Beyonders.
"Praise the Lord!" Having altered his appearance, Mr. A wasn't worried about linking his current self to his "Saint Claire" persona. Just as no one would equate "Dwayne Dantes" with "Gehrman Sparrow," none would mistake the benevolent Saint Claire for the deranged Aurora Order envoy.
To infiltrate the ball, Mr. A had transformed into a servant's likeness a day prior. By Aurora Order tradition, he should've eliminated the servant to keep his secret. But, honoring the Lord's mercy, he'd spared the man.
To conceal his identity, Mr. A had used flesh magic to alter his appearance before abducting the servant.
With Mr. A's outburst, screams far more terrified than those caused by Qilangos's chaos pierced the air. If the pirate admiral was cold and profit-driven, the Aurora Order's lunatics were cruel, frenzied executioners. Qilangos might heed your status; Aurora Order members cared only for their Lord.
Chaos surged. Seizing the moment, Mr. A morphed into a writhing mass of flesh, exploding mid-air toward Qilangos. Qilangos's eyes turned to slits, his head snapping back, firing two lightning-like beams at Mr. A.
His left palm gleamed like polished gold, radiating brilliant sunlight. With a gesture, a pillar of light descended, bathing Mr. A.
Against a Hanged Man pathway Beyonder, Qilangos chose his Creeping Hunger's Sun pathway ability—its most effective counter!
But wielding Creeping Hunger before a seasoned Shepherd was amateurish. Mr. A merely reformed his body mid-air, sidestepping the attack. This slowed him, widening the gap. Though Qilangos gained distance, Mr. A's face bore a sinister smile. Melting into the shadows, he went to join Mr. Z.
Now it's up to The Fool's Favored One. Whew… Who'll The Fool send? Watching Qilangos escape, Alger, heading to the cathedral, frowned, praying inwardly. Fearing failure, he'd requested The Fool's aid!
"It's done. The matter's nearly settled. Adam seeks stability, ensuring the script stays on track, but his caution will cost him control," Adrian said, smiling, watching Audrey perform the summoning ritual per The Fool's instructions. He turned to leave. Once Klein projected power via the gray fog, Adam would notice. Amon might detect Sefirah Castle's aura, sending a clone.
If both brothers converged on Backlund, the Lord of Storms wouldn't waste attention on a fast-rising Rose Bishop, even a divine favored one. Adam's focus would partly shift to his brother-son, letting Adrian smuggle power to Earth faster.
Without this, the Lord of Storms might overlook a minor "favored one," but Adam was unpredictable. Exposure to him could ruin Adrian's plans. Without an Earthly medium, the now-wary Seven Gods would leave no gaps for his return.
Adrian's prior smooth promotions relied on playing the *Hanged Man* pathway's first three Sequences in the starry sea. Strictly speaking, the High-Dimensional Overseer's acting experience came from observing countless beings in boredom. He'd even sent avatars to enact various pathways' acting rules.
Unknowing in his early transmigration, he'd played a praying Secret Supplicant. Wandering the starry sea, he'd been a listener. Honing his mind in Sefirot unseen by others, he'd embodied a Secluded Monk. Other pathways' Sequences, he'd unknowingly acted in unnoticed moments.
But at Sequence 6 Rose Bishop, he lacked experience—preaching wasn't his forte, and he needed no followers. Beyond Sequence 6, his promotions required deliberate acting, slowing significantly. Once his and the True Creator's plan removed the True Creator's corruption, he'd abandon the Hanged Man pathway.
White Tower was a fitting adjacent pathway, near the Actor pathway tied to his Sefirot, granting omniscience. This would aid claiming the Wilderness of Knowledge. Outer Gods skirted madness; adjacent authorities could be consumed. The resulting madness and aggregation urges? The High-Dimensional Overseer had unique methods—as long as no aggregation target existed, time would tame the urge.
Qilangos, nearing escape, smirked. Then, gray mist seeped from the surrounding bushes, heightening his caution. He unleashed wind blades, but they passed through the mist, ineffective, as if it didn't exist. Realizing his attacks failed, he slowed, growing warier.
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps echoed, seemingly from the mist, their source unclear. As they neared, Qilangos instinctively swung a wind blade, hitting nothing.
As the blade vanished, a cryptic figure in a white mask and ancient Taoist robes strolled from the gray mist. Adrian, on a rooftop, paled, ready to bolt with his honed escape skills, but noticed the figure lacked the Celestial Worthy's loathsome aura.
"What's going on?" Adrian muttered, shocked. "Klein shouldn't be able to wield the gray fog's power. Why does his spiritual body resemble the Celestial Worthy… Is it Sefirah Castle? No, even Sefirah Castle without a master can't emit Celestial Worthy's aura—that's Outer God power!"
Then he saw Klein clutching a sapphire-blue charm radiating Outer God essence. Adrian understood: "He's borrowing my power… I nearly scared myself! No wonder he's untainted—I didn't design the charm to corrupt him. He knows nothing of the stars, so it won't draw attention…" The High-Dimensional Overseer laughed wryly, pulling a Lucky One's Beyonder characteristic from his scroll, setting it beside him.
He glanced at the Circle of Inevitability near his Sefirot, using his ability to share the avatar's vision with his peer. Noticing the Circle of Inevitability chuckling at his instinctive urge to flee, Adrian decided to act like a ruthless Outer God, shifting the smile to his own face.
The Evernight Goddess, seeing Klein's form, flinched, checking if her "little blanket" was secure. Adam's expression grew grave, his gaze locking onto the Celestial Worthy's aura.
In Backlund, an Amon in a postman's outfit sensed a familiar aura, looking sharply toward it: "Sefirah Castle? It has a master I didn't know about? Antigonus or Zaratul?"
"Heh, interesting."
Adjusting his monocle, Amon pushed his mail cart toward the aura.
Sensing peers' gazes on Backlund, the Lord of Storms detected Amon's presence, monitoring to prevent his true body's arrival. For both the Evernight Goddess and Lord of Storms, Backlund's residents were vital to order, not to be lost en masse to Amon.
Oblivious, Klein nervously faced an even tenser Qilangos. He'd only learn of today's events when consuming the Magician potion in the future.
Today, unknowingly, Klein intimidated two Angel Kings, one True God, and two Old Ones… or perhaps more. The High-Dimensional Overseer doubted the Circle of Inevitability would resist sharing this footage after learning of the deception. The weak, scheming Old One would likely exploit others' surprise, ambushing victims.
Seizing the moment, Adrian prepared and drank a potion.
(End of Chapter)
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