The throbbing internal organs, the yellowish-green liquid, the quietly burning black flames, and the human body leaning forward all simultaneously entered Klein's eyes and were deeply imprinted in his mind.
The most dangerous situation he had encountered in his missions so far was dealing with Riel Bieber. Even with such a dangerous and terrifying Monster, he only managed to seriously injure the participants, without killing anyone.
Klein's only lost teammate, Old Neil, and the official deaths of Beyonder he witnessed all stemmed from a loss of control. The "culprit" was either Mysteries to identify, or pointed to an evil deity, and had nothing to do with the specific mission.
Now, for the first time in a mission, he witnessed the sacrifice of his teammates, deaths stemming from a single Error choice.
The Nighthawks are fighting against madness, and also against danger.
One mistake may mean there's no chance to make amends.
With a bang, Klein's thoughts exploded.
He seemed to be greatly provoked. He half-squatted on the ground, raised his right hand, and fired at Madam Shermane with a series of shots, sending silver Demon Hunting Bullets through countless invisible threads, aiming at her head and her semi-transparent nightgown.
Suddenly, Madam Shermane seemed to be pulled by something, quickly shifting to another direction and avoiding Klein's frenzied shooting.
Klein only regained his senses and ability to think after all five bullets in the revolver had been fired and he heard the sound of an empty gunshot.
His heart tightened, and without even changing his bullet, he threw away his pistol and reached out to grab a stack of tarot cards!
Snap!
Madam Shermane jerked to the side and saw a playing card fly by, embedding itself deeply into the surface of the dressing table.
A smile curved her lips, and her beautiful brown eyes once again turned a deep black.
Just then, her waterfall of brown hair suddenly flew up, as if blown by an invisible force.
Madam Shermane paused for a moment, and when she tried to dodge, it was too late. The " Magician " card that Klein flicked with his wrist pinned her hair to the wall.
*Snap! Madam Shermane forcefully tore off her hair, rolled forward, and her body quickly disappeared from Klein's sight.
It's invisible again... Klein slowly moved the tarot cards between his fingers, warily scanning his surroundings.
Suddenly, he understood why Madam Shermane had given up the attack and why she had slowed down.
If things had gone according to plan, Klein would have had no chance against this terrifying Witch without using the " Azik Copper Whistle "!
Yes! The captain must have arrived nearby! He was overjoyed, his eyes darting around, and he subconsciously looked towards the window.
At the same time, a judgment popped into his mind:
Madam Shermane wants to escape!
She already knew we had companions, companions who could drag her into the Dream Divination, but she didn't know if there were any other Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, or members of the Machinery Hivemind later on!
Although she is powerful, she is not someone who can single-handedly wipe out an entire squad of Beyonder!
A thought flashed through his mind, and Klein flicked his wrist, throwing the tarot cards he was holding towards the window.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! He threw out five cards in quick succession: three to block the window, and two that turned into flying knives, slashing towards the doorway.
Snap! Crack! Crack!
Amidst the sound of shattering glass, two tarot cards were driven deep into the half-open bedroom door, one after the other, and Klein heard the sound of someone dodging.
He flicked his wrist again, throwing the cards towards a spot near the door, guided by his " Clown " instincts.
The playing cards hurtled through the air with a sharp whistling sound as they approached at high speed, only to be forced into the solid wall. But a figure quickly emerged in the air – it was Madam Shermane, with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a semi-transparent nightgown.
As soon as Madam Shermane was exposed, her eyes suddenly lost their luster, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep while standing.
Captain... Klein glanced around, not in a hurry to throw out the cards, because he knew that Madam Shermane would soon break free from the dream, and if he couldn't inflict fatal damage on her within two or three seconds, she would escape by force.
Nightmare at this distance are inherently easier to break free from!
Klein bent his knees and rolled sharply to the side, half-lying on the ground, stretching out his right hand to grab the edge of the " Spirit Medium Mirror " facing upwards.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he flung the Sealed Artifact "3-0271" out before he was reflected in the mirror, sending it flying directly towards Madam Shermane.
Madam Shermane's body trembled slightly, but the light in her brown eyes quickly returned to normal, and her gaze found its focus.
Even before she regained consciousness, a layer of crystalline and solid frost appeared on her body.
However, she didn't see the flying playing cards or the silver Demon Hunting Bullets; she only saw a mirror approaching from afar, and in that mirror, she saw her own innocent yet alluring face reflected.
The beautiful face suddenly became Distortion, wrinkles appeared, bloodstains appeared, and rotting patches appeared.
"No!" Madam Shermane cried out in anguish, as if witnessing the death of her beloved.
Her skin quickly turned bluish-green, and yellow pus oozed from the corners of her eyes.
Suddenly, a quiet black flame ignited within Madam Shermane, as if she were expelling something.
Immediately afterwards, thick frost formed on the outside of the black flames, as if a coffin for slumber was being made.
Invisible threads intertwined, eventually creating a visible color, enveloping the frost layer by layer, seemingly forming a giant cocoon.
Thump, thump, thump, the Sealed Artifact "3-0271" landed, rolled forward a few times, and stopped next to Madam Shermane's huge "cocoon".
At that moment, a crash was heard as Dunn smashed through the window frame and climbed into the room.
He glanced at the lifeless Kenley, and his expression suddenly darkened.
Just then, the "cocoon" burst open, the ice coffin crumbled inch by inch, and the black flames turned into fireflies, scattering in all directions.
Madam Shermane's skin color returned to normal, and her eyes looked slightly tired, but there were no other abnormalities.
Her eyes reflected Klein, still half-lying down, and Dunn Smith, his hand pressed to his brow, his eyes closed.
Invisible ripples spread outwards, Madam Shermane's eyelids drooped uncontrollably, and beneath Dunn's thin black trench coat, something like a venomous snake was writhing.
Knowing that the captain couldn't control Madam Shermane for long, just like when he dealt with the Monster Bieber, Klein rolled over again and grabbed his own revolver, which he had just dropped on the carpet.
He grabbed three silver Demon Hunting Bullets with his left hand and expertly inserted them into the bullet holes.
Snap!
Klein closed the revolver, stood up, gripped the gun with both hands, and aimed at Madam Shermane, aiming at her forehead.
Bang!
He controlled his body with the abilities of the " Clown " and pulled the trigger.
The silver Demon Hunting Bullets flashed and accurately hit the "stationary target".
A bloody gash appeared between Madam Shermane's eyebrows, but the bullet seemed to have passed through many invisible barriers, losing most of its force and failing to pry open her skull.
Without hesitation, Klein fired two more shots, and saw Madam Shermane's eyes suddenly open.
Bang! Bang!
A shower of blood, accompanied by white specks, scattered outwards, transforming the stunningly beautiful Madam Shermane into a skull-crushing corpse that would haunt every man's nightmares.
Her "doubles" had already been used up long ago.
Huff, huff, Klein breathed heavily, his hands hanging down, his left hand pointing diagonally. Meanwhile, Madam Shermane, with only half her head remaining, slumped softly to the ground, her figure still outstanding, her skin fair and supple.
Dunn straightened up, opened his eyes, and lowered his hand from his brow. His expression was somewhat pale; although he was not injured, he seemed to have lost too much blood.
"If she hadn't wanted to kill one or two people before escaping, if the Sealed Artifact '3-0271' hadn't reflected her appearance at the same time, we might have only been able to injure her..." Dunn slowly stepped forward and walked to Klein's side, his voice unusually low.
If it weren't for my special circumstances, Kenley and I would have been killed within seconds of the battle starting... Klein glanced at Kenley, who lay quietly in the black ashes, and sighed:
"Captain, Kenley..."
"I know..." Dunn replied in a hoarse voice, "I made a mistake, I was deceived by Madam Shermane, I didn't expect that she had already quietly left the dream."
He paused for a moment, then spoke seriously:
"However, you have to get used to it. It's normal for Nighthawks to die on missions. Maybe I'll be next."
Klein remained silent, unsure how to respond. Nearby, Kenley opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"May the goddess bless you and grant you true peace." Dunn approached Kenley and drew a Crimson Moon on his chest.
Then, he crouched down and closed the team member's eyes.
May the goddess protect you, and may there be no more danger or madness in the peaceful Evernight... Klein also drew Crimson Moon and prayed silently in his heart.
After a few seconds, he forcibly withdrew his gaze and asked in a low voice:
"Captain, are we going to use the Spirit Channeling now?"
Dunn nodded almost imperceptibly and said:
"Don't try to ask about the ' Primordial Demoness,' it's extremely dangerous."
I'll stay by your side and make sure nothing unexpected happens to you.
Klein didn't delay any longer. He took out various materials, quickly set up the altar, and began the Spirit Channeling.
After reciting the incantation, he took a step back and used the technique of " Dream Divination " to say:
" Madam Shermane's accomplice."
" Madam Shermane's accomplice."
After repeating it seven times, Klein Dream Divination and saw Madam Shermane's spirit in a gray, misty world.
He touched the transparent, ethereal spirit, and what he saw suddenly changed.
Somewhere at night, Madam Shermane, dressed in a black hooded robe, handed a bronze book to the round-faced, kind-looking " Instigator," Tris. Upon hearing his question about the term " Witch," she chuckled slightly nervously:
"Haven't you always found it strange that all our senior executives are women...?"
So it really is Demoness Sect... Leonard's guess was completely correct; he really does have a big secret... The Sequence 7 corresponding to " Assassin " and " Instigator " is " Witch "? What a trap... Klein thought to himself.
Then, the scene changed, and Klein saw a deep hall, a small window high up, and a woman draped in a white, holy robe.
With her back to Madam Shermane, she smiled and said:
"As long as we gravitate towards the ' Primordial,' we can achieve sanctification, become stronger, find salvation, and escape the final Apocalypse."
Madam Shermane lowered her head and asked in confusion:
"But why must one become a woman, because ' Primordial ' a woman?"
"Do women simply symbolize destruction and disaster?"
The woman, whose face was obscured by Madam Shermane's Klein, answered calmly:
"No, men are the same; they are synonymous with war. These are two similar Sequence."
P. S.: First update, please vote!