Tarot cards

North Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.

Crimson Moonlight streamed through the shattered glass of the window, illuminating the corridor floor. The two walked in the moonlight, their crimson gloves gleaming, their footsteps echoing.

"Your Excellency Isabella, are we not going to search for the Aurora Order today?"

Sensing that the atmosphere was a bit strange, Leonard took the initiative to ask.

"We're not going. We've already caught most of them, and the rest are well hidden. Catching them would be too time-consuming and laborious; it's not worth it," Isabella said. "Cultist are like rats or cockroaches in the gutter; you can't kill them all, and they'll always multiply without you even noticing."

"It's a pity that Mr. A, the leader, got away."

Leonard nodded.

That crazy guy caused them a lot of trouble, and the fact that he managed to escape unscathed only shows how difficult the Shepherd was to deal with.

As they spoke, the two had already crossed the corridor and entered a meeting room.

Many people.

Leonard's gaze swept across the conference room, and he was surprised to find that among those present were not only Nighthawks, but also some people dressed in military uniforms. At the front of the conference room sat Archbishop Anthony Stevenson and a black-haired, golden-eyed man whose aura was as deep and terrifying as Anthony's, suggesting they were at the same Demigod level.

Isabella led him into the conference room, patted him on the shoulder, and then ignored him, stretching as she sat down in a seat at the back of the conference room.

"Leonard, right?"

Just as Leonard was feeling a bit confused, Anthony Stevenson, dressed in a black robe with red stripes, smiled at him and asked in a friendly manner.

"Yes, Your Excellency Saint Anthony."

Leonard quickly spoke.

"These are colleagues from MI9, here to assist in the investigation of what happened a few days ago. Please sit down here; we'll need you to give a brief introduction and answer a few questions in a moment."

"OK."

Leonard replied, then reluctantly sat down in the front row.

With two Demigod beside him, he sat very stiffly, unable to casually cross his legs as he had before.

"Then, please allow me to explain what happened."

A well-dressed Nighthawks stepped forward and showed everyone a photograph. "The incident began like this: one of our Church's priests received a message of Flesh delivered by a pigeon, saying that the offspring of an evil god was about to be born."

"That's roughly how it happened. By the time our people had shaken off the Aurora Order's pursuit and caught up with Lanevus, he had already been killed."

He quickly and meticulously explained what had happened, then stepped down from the podium.

Leonard.

Anthony called out to the black-haired, green-eyed "Nightmare," saying, "Tell everyone what happened to you back then."

"Yes."

Leonard stood on the stage, somewhat bewildered, and recounted his experience once more. He noticed the members of MI9 exchanging glances and whispering amongst themselves.

From your personal perspective, what is the relationship between these two unexpected visitors and the Aurora Order?

"That's what the black-haired, gold-eyed MI9 officer asked."

"Enemy."

Leonard answered without hesitation, "They must have killed Lanevus, who was carrying the Evil God's Offspring. Mr. A, who caught up with them, was extremely angry, and his roar was so loud I could hear it."

"What Pathway of extraordinary individuals did those two achieve?"

"One of them looked like Magician, while the other didn't display any special abilities. All I saw was that he seemed to be seriously injured, looking pained, and his body was constantly healing."

The Military Demigod paused for a moment after listening, then said, "I understand."

Leonard, unaware of what was going on, bowed slightly in greeting when Saint Anthony said nothing more, then turned and walked to the back of the conference room, choosing an empty seat to sit down.

"Our MI9's view is that this incident, along with the previous Kaping Case, is very likely the work of the same person."

The Military's Demigod said this.

"What's the reason?"

Saint Anthony asked calmly, which was also why MI9 had come to inquire about the details of the case.

"The reason is that in both cases, the real culprits were connected to the Secrets Suppliant Pathway."

The Military's Demigod.

He continued:

"In the Kaping Case, everyone present, except for the innocent girls, was devoured, leaving not a single drop of flesh or Flesh. In this case, both the priest who received the information and the person who ultimately killed Lanevus should also be extraordinary individuals of this Pathway. We speculate that he is at least Sequence 6 'Rose Bishop'."

Saint Anthony, upon hearing this, did not refute it, but simply pondered it quietly.

"Wait a minute, I have a question."

At this moment, Isabella, the "Wings of the Goddess," spoke over the crowd, "Those extraordinary individuals on the Secrets Suppliant Pathway have theoretically been brainwashed by the True Creator and will only act according to the will of that evil god. However, in the first case, the true culprit actually spared the innocent little girl, reducing the Flesh offered to the True Creator; and in the second case, the person behind it is clearly an enemy of the Aurora Order, and even killed the True Creator's offspring. No matter how you look at it, he is contrary to the will of that evil god."

Upon hearing this, Leonard's initial sense of relaxation from stepping down from the stage vanished, and his brows seemed to furrow slightly.

He remembered his colleague from Tingen, the extraordinary one who had followed the Secrets Suppliant Pathway and had been forcibly promoted to Sequence 5 Shepherd because of that Catastrophe.

"He might not actually be part of this Sequence."

The Military Demigod said, "I merely possess a Beyonder Item obtained through the corresponding Pathway."

"Hmm, that sounds more reasonable."

Saint Anthony nodded in agreement.

Leonard thought for a moment, seemingly accepting the theory, his expression slightly somber.

That's right, he was already dead. He even buried his own body in a coffin after collecting it. There was no way he could suddenly come back to life and appear in Backlund to meet him.

I'm sorry, Luther, I haven't found your sister yet.

Leonard thought to himself.

He hadn't forgotten his promise at his colleague's grave, and after that, he actively searched for Cecilia's whereabouts. He hired several Detective and searched around Tingen City, but to no avail.

For a moment, Leonard felt a pang of sadness, and he didn't even want to participate in the discussion between the Nighthawks and MI9. It wasn't until he heard the Demigod calling him again that he snapped out of his daze and quickly stood up.

Leonard.

"Ah? Yes!"

"What other aspects of the scene left a deep impression on you?"

"That Demigod asked."

Tarot cards.

Leonard thought for a moment and then answered.

"Tarot cards?"

"Yes, tarot cards were scattered all over the floor, covering Lanevus's body. To be honest, the scene looked eerie and bizarre."

Leonard briefly recalled the scene he had witnessed, and his expression turned serious.

--On Lanevus's Distortion face, beside the Flesh corpse, countless playing cards with strange images lay scattered. Some depicted leisurely men hanging upside down, while others portrayed Angel of Judgement raising their swords. Blood stained the cards, making the images on them appear bloody and mysterious.