The magnificent greatsword of crimson magma and pale-blue flame struck Mr. A squarely in a vital spot, guided by Fatal Attack.
Even when Mr. A came to his senses and turned into a tide of shadows, he could not escape the damage dealt by the Lava Sword.
That was the effect of Fatal Attack: no matter where it struck, the blow counted as a hit on a weak point!
But then the shadows Mr. A had become suddenly turned into soft paper, which swiftly rotted into mud.
Paper Figurine Substitute!
Realizing that his shadow form could not negate the damage, he had switched the soul he was Grazing in time to use Paper Figurine Substitute!
Abner had expected this. In fact, the chief reason he had attacked Mr. A immediately—apart from the fact that Aurora Order members were blood-soaked lunatics—was that Mr. A had Grazed a Marionettist.
To enter the town's church and leave this Nation of the Evernight hidden within Secrecy, the ability to control Spirit Body Threads was essential.
Abner did have a Mystical Item, the Thread Marionette, that could do something similar. But it had not been made from a Beyonder characteristic, and its abilities were lacking. It was unlikely to withstand the church's magnet-like pull on Spirit Body Threads described in the original story.
So when Abner unleashed the Lava Sword through the Magic Mirror, he had also planted a mental trap.
That trap came from the Devil. Mr. A might have resisted its effects if he had been unharmed or able to contact the True Creator. But after taking a direct hit from Mind Breath, he could not become completely immune to it through Paper Figurine Substitute.
As Mr. A reappeared on the other side, he fell into a daze. He saw himself Sacrifice the