Intimidation

When Hugues Artois saw the gleaming silver fork aimed at him, his first reaction was surprise and bewilderment.

He couldn't believe that someone would attempt to assassinate him, Member of Parliament, under such circumstances and with such heavy protection.

The Assassin didn't seem particularly strong.

Although he was a retired veteran, he had left the military five or six years ago and entered politics, so he was no longer skilled in combat. When the two sides were only a step apart, he was unable to make an effective dodge.

Let alone him, even Sequence 9 or even Sequence 8 Beyonder would likely be unable to dodge Assassin's "Full-Force Strike attack" once the assassin "sneaks" up to them. They could only rely on their own abilities to avoid vital points or reduce the damage, thus avoiding instant death.

Of course, some Sequence 8 or Sequence 9 Beyonder can sense danger or hostility in advance, preventing Assassin from getting close and launching an attack.

In a flash, filled with intense fear, Hugh Artois turned his gaze to the Red-haired Cassandra, to the three Official Beyonder, and to his subordinates Rhone, Marguerite, and Bodouva.

But what came into his view was Red-haired Cassandra, whose body and vision were blocked by the half-breed Imre, with only a few strands of red hair showing Imre and Antoine, the Official Beyonder, looking at him with calm and indifferent eyes; Valentine, who reacted immediately but seemed to be struggling to control himself; Rhone, Marguerite, and Bodouva, who wanted to use their Beyond Ability to save people but dared not reveal the Gift of the Evil God.

At that moment, Hugues Artois felt an overwhelming sense of Despair.

Please help me!

Help me!

With a soft thud, the long-handled silver fork pierced deeply into Hugh Artois's right eye. Driven by the full force of Jenna's body, it pierced through the Eye Sockets and penetrated the brain, leaving only a small part of the handle sticking out.

Hugues Artois's thoughts suddenly became blurred.

He tried to reach out and grab something, but he couldn't even lift his arm.

I haven't become president yet... I haven't welcomed the arrival of the Great Ones... I haven't received the Divinity Gift... I can't just die like this... be killed by an Assassin with no real power... I, I don't want to die... A series of thoughts flashed through Hugues Artois's mind in an instant, and the sound of gunshots rang in his ears.

His body slumped to the ground, and his vision faded into darkness.

With a thud, Hugh Artois, the Member of Parliament for Honest Market District, collapsed to the ground, his heart ceasing to beat.

In the light that shone from the direction of the Messy Street, Jenna, with her eyes closed and a smile on her face, was shot twice by Secret Agent from the nearby Seventh Bureau.

One bullet hit her shoulder, and another bullet struck her ribs on the other side.

The pain caused her expression to Change instinctively, and her body shrank in the opposite direction as if she wanted to curl up into a ball.

Her eyes opened, and she saw Rhone and the other followers of the Evil God god staring at her with intense hatred and extreme panic, but they did not make a move.

The next second, a Golden Pistol with a magazine was pressed against Jenna's head. The half-breed Imre looked around and said, "I've subdued the Assassin. Check if the Mr. Member of Parliament can be saved, and maintain order at the scene. Don't let anyone leave for now."

He made it clear that he wanted to take Jenna back to Saint Robles Church or question her on the spot about the reasons for the assassination and Messenger behind it, preventing Cassandra and the others from taking any action to vent their anger.

As the "Shadow Tree" sank, intense light shone through it, and the streets that had been separated in different places returned to their original state, still in that Wilderness.

Lumian realized that Suzanne Matisse could no longer arouse his desires from a distance as she had before, so he turned around and decided to deal with Charlotte first.

The crimson Flames on his body Burning fiercely, charring his clothes and causing varying degrees of burns to his skin and flesh, bringing him constant pain.

This stimulated his brain, allowing him to maintain a certain level of clarity and, with the endurance of a "Mendicant Friar," to sustain thought and action, rather than simply fighting the pain.

Even for Pyromaniac, such burning can cause harm, and this harm can worsen over time, eventually threatening lives.

Of course, long before this, Lumian's spirituality must have been unable to bear it and could only let the Flames extinguish themselves.

If it weren't for the Gift of the "Mendicant Friar," his spiritual energy would probably be quite strained after the battle within the "Shadow Tree" and the self- Burning and depletion he just experienced.

Seeing Lumian turn around and see "Red Boots" Franca wielding a classic Brass-Colored Revolver, her feet gliding through the Frost on the ground as she flew towards them, Charlotte abandoned her plan to ambush him and prepared to return to the "Shadow Tree," using the environment there and the enhancements to her abilities to deal with the enemy.

Her body instantly became soft, as if some mucus was secreted.

She "performed" as a snake, using the environment full of Vines and branches to quickly return to the brown-green Giant Tree.

At that moment, Charlotte's body stiffened.

She felt as if she were facing a giant dragon, a predator at the top of the food chain, and an uncontrollable, instinctive fear and trembling arose within her, turning her into a state of extreme panic.

She ran around her current location in a chaotic manner, as if fleeing from an unseen enemy.

Not far from her, where the Golden Rooster Inn staff were suspended by Vines and branches, Information Broker Anthony Reid emerged from behind Iron-Black Gas Streetlamp.

His Deep Brown Eyes had turned pale gold at some point, and they had turned upwards.

He is a "Psychiatrist," Psychiatrist Sequence 7 of the "Spectator" Pathway.

The word we just used was "Intimidation"!

In very ancient times, this was also called "Dragon Might"!

The brown-green Vines and branches around Anthony Reid, controlled by Suzanne rather than driven by the "Shadow Tree," were also Intimidation and fled from his side.

Seeing Charlotte lose her Rationality and fall into chaos, unable to dodge Lumian's attacks, Suzanne, who was desperately absorbing her life force, narrowed her eyes and Curse with barely concealed resentment, "You will all die! You will all die today!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! From the "Shadow Tree," newly grown trunks, not belonging to the main body, were hurled at Lumian like javelins, aiming to pierce his body and impale him in the Wilderness.

Aside from her ability to use the "Fallen Dryad" ability, Suzanne Mattis has not yet recovered to the point where she can affect targets tens or even hundreds of meters away.

Lumian had anticipated this; with a roll, he entered the area where Charlotte was running around in disarray.

A series of thuds rang out as the tree trunks, resembling javelins, were planted not far from him, like Hammer forcefully striking the Wilderness.

Lumian stood up, wreathed in crimson Flames, arms slightly outstretched, and laughed loudly, "Come on, kill me!"

If Suzanne were to unleash another saturation attack on the area, he might still be able to dodge, but Charlotte, caught in the chaos, Certain Death surely die!

As he shouted, semi-illusory crimson Fire Raven once again materialized behind Lumian. They circled and traced several paths, locking onto Charlotte Calvino.

Branches and Vines on the ground surged up wildly, quickly enveloping Charlotte and protecting her inside.

A series of booming sounds rang out as crimson Fire Raven landed on Charlotte, shattering branches and igniting Vines, peeling away the layers of this "Actor's" outer shell.

Bang!

Having closed the distance considerably, Franca readily raised her right hand and pulled the trigger.

A Iron-Black bullet flew from the classic Brass-Colored Revolver, and with the help of the gaps opened by the Fire Raven, it accurately struck Charlotte's head.

That Fascination yet innocent and delicate face was instantly shattered into pieces, with its eyes, nose, and mouth splattering everywhere with red or white liquid.

The Corpse, now only a mutilated head, ran a few more steps in a chaotic manner before finally collapsing to the ground.

"Go to hell!" Suzanne roared.

Along with this sentence, brown branches, green Vines, thick trunks, pale Flowers, and other things, in all sorts of forms, surged toward Lumian, Franca, and Anthony.

Although the scene was extremely frightening, Lumian did not sense Danger Premonition.

With Suzanne Matisse not yet fully recovered, this attack, which would consume a great deal of spiritual energy, seemed to be all bark and no bite.

Lumian started running again, his crimson Flames burning his own flesh and blood, and charged into the scene that resembled Primeval Forest.

Vines were set ablaze, Flowers were scorched, branches were blackened, and trunks were avoided, but none of this could stop the enemy from approaching the "Shadow Tree."

Suddenly, these things shrank back, taking the humans who had been suspended with them back to the "Shadow Tree".

Suzanne had figured it out. There was no need to waste energy venting her anger. It would be better to wait for the three prey to close the distance on their own, to get into the range where her desires could take effect, and then use her best abilities to deal with them properly.

She was very resentful of her current weakness, which was one of the reasons why she didn't initially recite the Incantation to seek help:

Before the Sacrifice is drawn into the "Shadow Tree," the Divine Child dares not appear in Trier. Afterward, she is confident, but she also needs to push the ritual to a certain point and obtain the protection of that Ritual before she can face the Divine Child by combining with the "Shadow Tree."

That One Divine Child was exceptionally mad, never restraining himself from causing any potential Corruption for the sake of his subordinates.

That One "Lady Moon" only promised to intercept potential Destroyers for a period of time, and Suzanne dared not allow followers of other Deity to enter the "Shadow Tree."

With a series of thuds, Lumian traversed the suddenly empty Wilderness and the somewhat dilapidated streets, heading towards the giant brown-green Giant Tree. Franca and Anthony each chose an entry point and followed behind from different directions.

Those lucky vendors, pedestrians, and tenants who were not yet caught by branches and Vines took the opportunity to escape to the surrounding Wilderness and to the edge of the land.