After hearing Kevin's words, Edward didn't move. He warily scanned the crowd around them. The joyful people naturally avoided the area where he and Kevin stood, as if they hadn't noticed them—as if this had always been an empty space, with nothing in it.
At that moment, the twisted face seemed to be pulled by some unseen force, returning to the stillness of a corpse. Then its lips curled into a mechanical smile, as if an invisible hand were tugging at Kevin's mouth, forcing him to smile. His voice gradually grew more fluent as he spoke:
"Mr. Edward Smith, is that right? Sorry for the trouble. I've only just taken over this body, so I'm still not quite used to it. The little guy suddenly broke out.
"I've been trying to dig a little more out of his memories so I could get more information. But there's no need now. You showed up at just the right time!"
"What exactly are you?" Edward's tone was cold, and his expression gave no hint whether he was angry or afraid.
"Me?" The man looked somewhat forlornly toward the Holy Light Church. It was as though, at that moment, he had come alive after being a corpse.
"I'm just a poor wretch who couldn't accept disappearing, and crawled out of the Nether Sea."
"Stop speaking in riddles. You can possess Kevin's body, so you're definitely not human. What kind of monster are you?" Edward pressed.
"Let's not talk about that just yet. You killed those two 'little dogs' that can track scents, didn't you?" the man asked in return.
"Dogs that can track scents? You mean those two vampires? I killed them. What does it matter?" Edward's tone remained as cold as ever.
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. They weren't my dogs. It'll just be a little inconvenient without them to show us the way. Next time, I'll have 'Blood' lure two more out of Transylvania. But I'm very interested in you, Mr. Edward."
Edward was certain that the man in front of him was a hunter. But this hunter was different from the others of his kind.
The hunters Edward had encountered the previous two times had been overwhelmingly powerful. They hadn't said a word, just attacked outright, giving their targets no time to react.
Back then, if Edward hadn't had powerful items to rely on, he wouldn't have escaped capture. The man in front of him didn't seem in any hurry to attack. He seemed eager to talk to Edward. Then he continued:
"First, allow me to introduce myself. You can call me Mr. Insect." The man bowed politely.
"'Insect'? Is that your codename?" Edward asked.
"Of course it's a codename. My True Name disappeared when I died last time. As for my current name, I think Kevin suits me better."
"So you're going to live in this world, completely taking Kevin's place? What exactly is your goal? Why are you hunting us?"
"You? No, no, we only capture people who've undergone the 'Baptism.' Only they're pure, lives capable of being 'elevated.' But you... how should I put it? You're really quite interesting." Mr. Insect spoke unhurriedly, as if he were chatting with Edward over afternoon tea.
Edward raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling uneasy. Had the man discovered that he was a transmigrator? He asked without letting anything show:
"What's so interesting about me?"
"From 'Kevin's' memories, I discovered that you never intended to carry out the Oracle from the very beginning. That also fits the Aura you have now. The scent of a Baptizer has grown very faint. You should've already been abandoned by the lofty, singular God. You shouldn't be worth our trouble at all. But you also bear the Aura of 'Merit' bestowed by Him, which means you've completed at least one of His missions. It's truly strange!"
"What does that prove?" Edward had begun to understand.
"Of course it proves a lot. For example, someone helped other Baptizers fulfill an Oracle, and earned a great deal of 'Merit.' Perhaps an Oracle event happened here, too. But why can't I sense any Baptizers? Is it because of this?" Mr. Insect pulled a gleaming silver amulet from beneath his collar.
"Quite a clever design. You've hidden them all away, haven't you? It doesn't matter. I'll find them eventually. For poor wretches like us, time is both the most precious thing and the cheapest."
"Did you tell me all this just to make me reveal where they are?" Edward had a bad feeling.
"No, no. There's no need for me to force you to tell me anything." He continued:
"Let's not talk about these boring things. Let's talk about you instead. You're much more interesting."
"Me? What about me?"
"You're quite unusual in 'Kevin's' memories. You know all sorts of things other people don't, as if you were born knowing them. Those people in the Brotherhood even thought you were a born 'Sage'—someone who knew more than a Prophet."
Edward pressed his lips together. So his biggest secret had been discovered after all? Mr. Insect continued:
"Even if you don't say it, I know. What you received wasn't an Oracle, but a Revelation! Throughout the long river of time, there have always been a few lucky souls who received a Revelation. It's wisdom bestowed by that singular God, and those who receive it always achieve extraordinary things.
"You're clever. You hid among a group of Divine Revelation Users, and when things started looking bad, you even fled to this desolate Land of Eternal Slumber."
"What are you trying to say? And what is the Land of Eternal Slumber?" Edward kept his expression impassive, thinking to himself, A Revelation? Does that mean my reincarnation was a Revelation from God?
"What I'm saying is that you're qualified to join us now. I sincerely invite you to join 'us.' We can talk about the rest after you join." Mr. Insect smiled warmly, just as Kevin had once smiled warmly at Edward and said, "Welcome to the Godfall Brotherhood."
"You? What exactly are you?" Edward asked.
"Like I said, you'll only have the right to know once you've joined us. But I can give you a hint." Mr. Insect put on a mysterious air.
"You should know that Baptizers can all advance to what you call the Fifth Stage. But the Fifth Stage is only the beginning. You're clever; surely you know what I mean?"
Seeing that Edward still hadn't spoken, he continued:
"I can give you some time to think it over. There's no need to hurry."
Edward looked around, then asked:
"What if I refuse?"
"You should know that God-Enlightened are rarer than Baptizers. I truly want to know what knowledge that singular God stuffed into your head." His lips stretched into an exaggerated grin, as if he were looking at a delicacy.
"Aren't you afraid I'll escape? Back in Ailande, I managed to get away twice, you know!" Edward asked with a faint, mocking smile.
"Ha, Mr. Edward, it seems you've already guessed some of our taboos. We really can't attack in crowded places. If we kill too many mortals, that singular God will despise us. But can you really escape this time? This is a small city with fewer than fifty thousand people, not a huge city of a million like the Imperial Capital. There's nowhere for you to hide!"
"One last question." The ring on Edward's left hand flashed, and two weapons appeared in his hands. Anyone from Edward's previous life would have recognized them as two Uzi Submachine Guns.
He aimed an Uzi fitted with a silencer at the man's head and asked:
"Can you get out of Kevin's body now?"
"Sorry, I've completely digested him. Even when I saw you just now, only scraps of his soul remained." Mr. Insect rubbed his stomach, as if he'd just eaten something delicious.
"You talked to me all this time just to digest your meal?" Edward's tone grew colder.
"Not entirely. We're required to invite every God-Enlightened person. But you'd better not accept. I haven't had a taste of a God-Enlightened person yet." Mr. Insect's voice grew increasingly frenzied, and an eerie red light began to gleam in his eyes.
"Then I don't have to feel guilty. Get back to your Nether Sea!" Edward pulled the trigger. The two Uzis rattled. With his astonishing control, he emptied both magazines—one hundred bullets in all—into the man's face in four seconds.
Back in his previous life, when Edward read transmigration novels, he'd often fantasized about building two Uzis after transmigrating and letting his enemies experience what it was like to have Uzis shoved in their faces. He'd done it this time, but he felt no joy at all.
That was because his opponent hadn't moved at all. While focused on casting a spell, Edward watched the copper bullets tap against the man's face like peanuts, leaving shallow dents before bouncing off and scattering across the ground at his feet, all of them deformed.
Mr. Insect chuckled twice, then asked mockingly:
"Is that all you can do? The 'Silver-Winged Magician' isn't much after all. Do you even understand the power of someone two stages above you..."
Before the man finished speaking, Edward had already changed magazines. "Then try this."
The two guns spat flames again. This time the bullets didn't just hit the man's face; his entire head and torso were riddled with impacts. Blood Mist burst from Mr. Insect's body, and he was turned into a human beehive.
The barrage drove Mr. Insect back a couple of steps. His mangled face was horrifying, but he didn't fall. Eerie red light flared in his eyes. The flesh and blood that had flown from his body shot back into place before hitting the ground. The countless bullet holes began to contract, squeezing out one black steel needle after another.
As Mr. Insect's flesh gradually took shape again, he roared:
"That really hurts! You actually wasted Adamantite on those copper pellets. You've succeeded in making me angry!" As he spoke, his right hand lashed out, turning into a streak of light that shot straight toward Edward's face.
Even though Edward had been prepared, he still couldn't make out the man's movements. Light flashed beneath his feet, and a thick stone wall rose between them, barely blocking the streak of light. But it didn't slow down at all. It pierced through the wall with ease, grazing Edward's cheek and carving a shallow cut into it. In the instant it passed his face, Edward saw what it was: a huge mantis foreleg.
Mr. Insect missed his first strike and withdrew his right arm, which had transformed into a mantis foreleg. He was about to attack again when light flashed beneath Edward's feet. The thick stone wall and the plaza tiles around him all turned into a thick, mud-like liquid that enveloped him, forming a stone ball.
A Hole Entrance nearly ten meters deep opened beneath him. With a whoosh, the stone ball dropped into the pit. Light continued to flicker beneath Edward's feet, and the hole rapidly closed.
Back in his previous life, watching Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward had thought that calling them Alchemists made less sense than calling them Earth-style ninjas. The screen was full of Ground Spikes and more Ground Spikes—were they Earth Travelers Sun or what? But after becoming an Alchemist himself, he'd discovered how great it was! This time, though, he wouldn't use Ground Spikes. First, he'd give him a taste of Sand Burial.
He knew this wouldn't hold his opponent for long. There were too many people here; it wasn't a suitable place for a major fight. So the item behind him activated. His blue double-breasted suit and tall, round hat gradually turned white, and silver wings spread from his back. Two streaks of blue flame shot out, and he soared into the sky.
I successfully signed a contract yesterday, and my book was featured in the fantasy category's new releases.
Thanks to Junlin Flower Sea and Marius for the monthly tickets. I was a little excited to receive the legendary monthly tickets on the very first day after signing the contract!
If you're wondering why I wasn't excited when I got my first recommendation ticket, it's because I voted for myself. ^_^
Thanks for your continued support. I'll keep working hard. This is the third 3,000-character chapter.
Before you continue