"Chant my honorific name."
"The High-Dimensional Overseer spoke gravely:
The Lord of Dimensions;
The Eye Overlooking the Mortal Realm; The Source of All Illusions; The Creator of the Painting World
The Source of All Fantasies"
"After completing the task, chant my name in a safe place, and the courtyard's gates will reopen for you."
"Do not invoke my name idly when unneeded."
…
36 Zouteland Street, Blackthorn Security Company.
Daly held a pair of rings, meticulously grinding them with a whetstone and carving knife. Metal shavings littered the desk, showing her dedication. Stacks of documents towered at her feet, exuding a hopeless charm. Klein slowed his steps, lightly knocking on the door. Hearing the knock, Daly turned, spotting Klein, and teased, "Aren't you infiltrating Madam Sharon's home tonight for a preliminary search? Did she suddenly return, hoping for a romantic fling? Hmm, little Klein, Sharon's figure and looks are fine, but she's a seasoned player in love."
After the playful jab, Daly noted Klein's expression, paused, and asked gravely, "Found something?"
Klein nodded seriously, "Yes."
"I suspect Madam Sharon is a Demoness Sect member."
"A Demoness Sect member?" Daly set down her knife and rings, carefully placing the rings in a box, propping her chin with her hand. "Tell me more."
Klein leaned forward, hands gripping the desk's edge, not sitting. "I first saw a photo of a young man who looked strikingly like Sharon."
"Then, using divination, I dreamed of a bone statue in a hidden compartment of Sharon's safe. It's a stunning woman, but her hair reaches her ankles, thick like venomous snakes, with eyes at the tips—utterly eerie. Daly, I suspect it's the Primordial Demoness's image."
Klein spoke earnestly. Since Daly had taught him much occult knowledge, he didn't hide his familiarity with the Primordial Demoness's image, stating it directly.
"…Right, we move now. An evil god's statue in Backlund is a ticking bomb. Call Leonard—damn, the Backlund diocese just reported that a mudslide delayed the Nighthawks' support train," Daly stood, decisive. "Leave Frye to guard Chanis Gate. Dunn returns in a few days; we must secure this place!"
On impulse, Klein asked, "Alright, Daly, I'll get Leonard. By the way, those rings on your desk…"
"For Dunn!" Daly said casually. "If he won't propose, I'll take the lead. I've realized the Goddess champions equality—why can't I pursue my happiness?"
"I've heard Dunn praise your excellence to us many times," Klein hinted, wary of Daly tempting fate.
"Really…" Daly mused. "Thanks, Klein."
…
"Why is she there?" Adam opened His childlike, innocent eyes. Appearing in Tingen, He sensed ripples in Trissy's prearranged fate. Cautiously delving into the sea of collective unconscious, He observed Trissy sneaking toward Sharon's residence, His expression unchanged.
"It's the Cheek statue's convergence… Is the Primordial Demoness entering the fray?" Adam murmured, believing he'd found the cause. "She can't leave Tingen. Trissy's fate must be realigned."
After a moment's hesitation, Adam began writing.
…
"This mission is to take down Madam Sharon? We just dealt with Trissy, and now Sharon?" Leonard's lips curled into a faint smile. "Klein, isn't this too coincidental? Our ties with Demonesses seem excessive."
Indeed, quite coincidental… Klein muttered, following Daly with Leonard. Leonard fell silent, occasionally tilting his head as if listening. Klein glanced over, worried Leonard might be tainted like Old Neil, entangled by something foul.
If another teammate were corrupted, they might not be as lucky as Old Neil, saved by a god.
"Achoo!" The High-Dimensional Overseer, True Creator, and Palles sneezed simultaneously. Controlling His avatar, the High-Dimensional Overseer eyed Klein on a light screen, puzzled. "Creator, I feel this guy's badmouthing me."
The True Creator paused, then said, "Surely not?"
"It's spiritual intuition," the High-Dimensional Overseer said gravely. "In the mystical Eastern land I once lived, there's a ritual called 'one sneeze proves someone's cursing you.' It's highly effective. I once used it to thwart a dorm schemer."
True Creator: "…"
"Excellent, keep it up."
He suddenly felt the High-Dimensional Overseer's humanity surpassed His own.
In a luxurious, opulent bedroom.
Madam Sharon lounged on a cozy rocking chair, completely naked, her flawless figure exposed to the air.
She occasionally tilted her head, glancing at the full-length mirror, admiring her alluring reflection.
As she gazed, her cheeks flushed peach, eyes glistening, her dreamy expression tinged with strange affection.
On the table beside her sat the bone statue, its snake-like hair softened by the warm light and rosy ambiance.
A shadow silently lurked in the corner, unnoticed.
Leonard stood outside, mapping the terrain via Daly's spiritual probing. His task was to lure Sharon outside, giving Daly space and time to summon spirits to overwhelm her.
Hope nothing goes wrong… Leonard thought, waiting for Klein's signal. Klein nodded, indicating they could breach.
Daly had set up in the courtyard below. Once Sharon, the Pleasure Demoness, was drawn out, Daly could use her Spirit Medium abilities to stall her. Klein and Leonard would then destroy the Primordial Demoness's statue.
When they returned, Sharon would have no escape.
"Go!" After a quick pendulum divination of the room, Klein gripped his pistol. His finger brushed the trigger, the metal's chill grounding him. Loaded with gleaming demon-hunting bullets, the gun's firepower could force Sharon from the cramped room.
With Leonard, a Midnight Poet, as backup, Klein's confidence grew.
Too bad none of us are combat specialists… Only after becoming a Clown did I gain some fighting ability—two support Beyonders leading the charge! Klein's thoughts wandered. Exchanging a cautious glance with Leonard, he leveraged his Clown's combat skills, kicking open the wooden door.
Adhering to abundant martial virtue, Klein aimed at the naked figure, confirmed it was Sharon, and fired without hesitation!
"Ah, the threat of fear, the hope of crimson…"
Simultaneously, Leonard's poet rang out. Though his Sequence 8 abilities couldn't deeply affect Sharon, they weighed her eyelids, slowing her movements.
Three blood blossoms bloomed as Sharon cried out, staggering back. Leonard's "lullaby" had worked. He lunged forward, aiming to shoot, but after two steps, he crashed to the floor, as if tripped.
Klein sharply noticed Leonard's pant legs snagged by colorless threads, faintly linked to Sharon's hand!
"Careful!" Klein yanked Leonard up, pulling him above the threads. Instantly, black flames surged from Sharon's pale hand, igniting the carpet and reducing its lavish fabric to ashes.
Leonard broke into a cold sweat, hearing Palles roar in his mind, "Be careful! A Demoness's cursed flames would reduce you to dust!"
Leonard's comical fall had spiked Palles's blood pressure, infuriating him.
Seeing Leonard was fine, Klein relaxed, taking a steady breath. His gaze locked on Sharon, his wrist steady as he rapidly fired.
Sharon's body jerked, as if pulled, flying toward a wall to dodge the bullets. Clutching the white statue, she started to flash a mocking wink, but pain contorted her face.
"Why…?"
A figure emerged from the shadows, dagger in hand, stabbing cleanly into Sharon's lower back. Trissy twisted the blade, mangling Sharon's flesh, then snatched the Cheek statue, flashing a seductive smile.
Her expression chilled, and she kicked Sharon's wound, sending her crashing through the window. The swift sequence stunned Klein and Leonard, who forgot to shoot.
Trissy flipped backward, statue in hand, leaping through the shattered window. Klein and Leonard exchanged a glance, saying in unison, "Chase!"
With a crash of glass, Sharon fell in a disheveled heap, blood streaming from her wounds, staining the ground red.
Daly Simone stared, baffled, as Sharon arced gracefully before her, wondering, When did Klein and Leonard get this strong?
Sharon clutched her lower back in agony. Even for a Sequence 6, a deep visceral wound was severe. Worse, Trissy, that treacherous dog, had coated her dagger with poison potent against Sequence 6 Beyonders. It cost Trissy many gold pounds to commission a master alchemist for this venom. Her strike carried personal vendetta.
Stealing a man's dignity was, for any normal man, a blood feud.
Sharon, gripping her waist, rose painfully. Her once-perfect body was now mud-streaked. Glancing ahead, her face darkened:
Over thirty spirits stared at her with icy gazes.
Daly's lips curled into a smile, commanding her summoned spirits to attack Sharon.
(End of Chapter)