Kill you? This was the first time Klein had heard such a request or encountered such a task, and for a brief moment he was at a loss for how to react.
He even began to suspect that there might be a bigger conspiracy behind this.
Bishop Utravsky opened his eyes and looked down at Klein, saying:
"Kill my past self."
"... Father, don't speak so slowly..." Klein's lips twitched slightly as he asked in confusion:
"Even in mythology, no one can travel back in time. Your request is something only seven deities could possibly accomplish."
"No, what I mean is, killing the past that's still hidden deep within me, that's never truly dead." Seeing Klein's continued confusion, Bishop Utravsky hunched slightly and said, "The me who loved killing and was fanatical about battle didn't truly die with my heartfelt repentance. I can clearly feel that he's still alive within me, always wanting to regain control of everything. I'm suppressing him every moment, hoping to influence him through Mass, asceticism, and missionary work, so that he too may truly believe in the Mother Goddess's teachings and reunite with me."
Simply put, the deep imprints of the past clash intensely with current life, leading to a split in personality... Klein Moretti, offered his initial assessment, carefully stating:
"This is a psychological issue; I think what you need most is to see Doctor."
"I've tried. You may not know, but among the Beyonder Pathway the Mother Goddess possesses is the Sequence of ' Doctor,' which are the ancient ' Healing Priest.' They studied my problem and believe it's not a simple psychological illness, but also involves a tendency to lose control. If my past self ultimately overcomes my present self, I will undoubtedly lose control and become Monster," Utravsky sighed.
Then what you need is Sequence 7 of the " Spectator " pathway, " Psychiatrist "... Klein thought for a moment and said:
"Your words convince me that you've found a solution, but you're just lacking a suitable person to implement it, right?"
"Yes, over the years, besides preaching, I've also been searching for people and things that can help me. Finally, under the protection of the Mother Goddess, I obtained a very magical item, said to be a relic of a Dragon from ancient times." Utravsky, seeing that Klein wasn't scared away, replied with a glimmer of hope, "It allows the holder to enter the deepest part of the target's mind, or rather, the deepest level of their dreams, and materialize the corresponding scene. That way, you can directly see my past self, and then through battle, destroy him. In that special state, once he truly dies, he will never reappear."
"As expected of a mysterious world, they can even treat dissociative identity disorder in this way..." Klein thought to himself, then cautiously asked:
"What are the limitations, or rather, what harm would it cause to the holder? Why do you think I am unable to complete this request?"
Bishop Utravsky looked down at Klein and said:
"Once that magical item is used, the holder will remain conscious, but the mind, or rather, the dream, has many layers. In the past, I could fully exploit this to deceive you, and even hunt you down. But after the predetermined time, well, five minutes, that magical item will completely ensnare you, and your spirit will never be able to return to your body, becoming its sacrifice."
"In that case, you'll become a vegetable."
"Furthermore, because of the materialization of the scene, if you are killed in the deepest part of your mind, or the deepest level of your dream, similar aftereffects will occur, equivalent to real death."
Believe me, I was much stronger than you think.
I see... But your question isn't a problem for me at all. I'm someone who can maintain clarity and rationality in Spirit Channeling and dreams. Even if that magical item tries to completely lose me, I don't need to worry too much. As long as there's room to struggle, I can take four steps backward and chant the name of the revered one to go directly above the Gray Fog... The question is, how powerful was the former Bishop Utravsky, and how confident am I in defeating him? What are the limitations and taboos in fighting in the materialized Mind World? Klein pondered for a moment and said:
"Father Utravsky, just how powerful were you in the past? I don't believe I'm destined to lose."
Bishop Utravsky's eyes flickered for a moment:
"I am a Warrior."
"I have reached Sequence 6 of this Beyonder Pathway and become a ' Dawn Paladin '."
So he wasn't Beyonder through the " Planter " pathway... He himself said that he was only reformed by the Church of the Earth Mother after committing crimes and becoming a pirate... Sequence 6, well, it's not that I can't win. The " Magician " is the type that becomes much stronger if prepared in advance, and, based on my special abilities, the depths of my soul or the deepest levels of my dreams are practically my home turf... Klein pondered for a few seconds and said:
Will that magical item weaken him?
"Yes, but that's his main area of operation, so the weakening won't be too significant; at most, it'll be like he's already fought a fairly intense battle," Utravsky recalled of his previous attempts.
Then I'm even more confident... Klein continued to ask:
"What precautions should be taken when fighting in that special environment?"
"Just like in a real battle, an effective attack is always effective, and an illusion remains an illusion. However, one thing to be careful of is that he might take you into other layers of the dream at any time, creating situations where it's difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion," Bishop Utravsky emphasized. "Therefore, you must be at least Sequence 6, or some special Sequence 7, to possibly complete this commission, and the risk is considerable. Ah, if I hadn't sworn an oath, using the Mother Goddess object as my witness, not to seek the Church's help until my missionary work was successful, things wouldn't be so difficult."
I see... I'm not afraid of dreams overlapping dreams... Klein said, a smirk playing on his lips.
One last question: What are the characteristics of the ' Dawn Paladin ' combat?
Bishop Utravsky tugged at his wrinkled face and sighed:
"This is something that needs to be kept absolutely secret by Beyonder."
"However, if you participate in enough battles, others can often summarize the results, and the more detailed your knowledge, the higher your chances of success, right?"
"Yes." Klein nodded readily.
Bishop Utravsky spoke in a reminiscent tone:
" The Dawn Paladin possesses the strength of Giant, capable of filling an area of forty to fifty meters around with the Dawn. This Dawn can dispel illusions, has a special ability to slightly dispel Wraith Specter, and can even weaken Evil Spirit."
"He can condense ' Dawn Armor ' on his body, which is equivalent to a refined full-body armor, but without any noticeable weight, so it won't affect his movements. If it's damaged, it will take some time to recover."
"He can also conjure different weapons, the strongest of which is a two-handed greatsword, often called the ' Sword of Dawn,' which is sharp, sturdy, and has a Purification effect with every strike."
"In addition, the Dawn Paladin possesses an extraordinary ability: to create a ' Storm of Light,' which can directly destroy the human body, annihilate Wraith, and wound Evil Spirit."
There aren't many extraordinary abilities, but they're all very effective against me. They're the type with strong attack power, high defense, and no fear of illusions. The good thing is that, except when facing Wraith Specter, the " Dawn Paladin " has very low mystique... Klein listened as he mentally rehearsed the battle, searching for the most reliable approach.
The degree of mystery he refers to is bizarre, strange, inconceivable, and incomprehensible.
Bishop Utravsky watched him quietly, neither urging nor driving him away.
After gradually forming an idea, Klein raised his head and looked up, saying:
"Maybe I can give it a try, but first I need to leave for a few minutes to make sure you're not lying."
Bishop Utravsky responded with a hint of surprise:
"No problem."
"However, I must remind you again, although I don't know where your confidence comes from, never underestimate me from the past; he was extremely skilled in combat."
"I wouldn't joke with my life." Klein placed his hand on his chest, bowed, then left the Harvest Church and quickly went to a secluded spot above the Gray Fog to perform a Divination.
After receiving an answer that was somewhat dangerous but still bearable, he immediately returned to the real world. In total, he only spent about ten or twenty seconds above the Gray Fog.
Immediately afterwards, Klein re-entered the Harvest Church and addressed Bishop Utravsky, who stood there in the same spot:
"I accept this commission."
Bishop Utravsky gazed at him for a moment, then slowly began to speak:
"If successful, I will not only give you the ' Apothecary's' recipe, but also a magical item with minimal negative effects."
Klein was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed sincerely:
"Father, you are such a generous man!"
Bishop Utravsky said nothing more, and took out a strange candle from a hidden pocket in his brown priest's robe.
The outer layer of that small half-candle looked like it was wrapped in human skin, but with several bumps sticking out.
Its wick is only about the height of a finger joint, and is entirely black with fine, densely packed scale-like patterns.
"Light it with your Spirituality." Utravsky handed the small, strange candle to Klein.
Klein did not immediately do as he was told. Instead, he took out a fire box, pulled out a few sticks, put them in his pocket, lit and blew out a few, and threw them in different corners of the church. Then, he rearranged the positions of the paper figures, notes, strips of paper, Azik Copper Whistle, and various talismans.
This was preparation based on his worst-case scenario.
After completing all this, Klein snapped his fingers, causing a pale blue Spirituality flame to emerge from his fingertip.
Sizzle!
He brought the flame close to the tip of the half-burnt candle, watching the dark wick suddenly light up.
Everything around him seemed unchanged, but Klein was acutely aware that he had entered the Mind World.
He saw that Bishop Utravsky was still standing in the same spot directly in front of him, his strong body, over two meters and twenty centimeters tall, was extremely imposing.
The penitent bishop looked down at the person opposite him, his facial muscles Distortion little by little, his expression turning unusually fierce.
Immediately afterwards, Klein noticed that the light and shadow around him were rapidly changing, and he felt as if he were experiencing a real and intense battle.
Snap!
In the end, Bishop Utravsky collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, and died.
The clear-headed and rational Klein stared blankly at this scene, his lips twitching slightly as he silently commented:
"The performance was very professional."
"But I know this is a dream within a dream."