The ditch was filled with filthy water, and there was no light in the sewers. Normal people had to carry a lantern to see clearly what was going on.
But for Klein in his spirit form, none of this was an obstacle; everything around him was already within his "eyes."
Therefore, when the " Apostle of Desire " discovered him, he also discovered the " Apostle of Desire."
Without speaking or hesitating, he opened his mouth and let out a silent Scream.
This is an attack that directly damages the soul!
The " Apostle of Desire " abruptly stopped in his tracks, as if struck by a heavy blow.
Large patches of black fell from his shadowy body, as if he were shaking off snowflakes stained with the deepest desires.
At that moment, the already severely injured " Apostle of Desire " nearly lost consciousness.
Without any physical support, he was like a candle flame in a storm, flickering and about to go out at any moment during such an attack.
His shadow suddenly dispersed, turning into a jet-black liquid that flowed in all directions, leaving one unsure which path to follow.
Just then, a shadow suddenly darted out from the darkness behind Klein and pounced forward!
The black liquid, which was no longer viscous, was merely a tool used by the " Apostle of Desire " to confuse the enemy and facilitate their surprise attack!
Klein seemed completely caught off guard, letting the shadow pounce on him.
However, the " Apostle of Desire " suddenly shivered, as if he had come into contact with the coldest and most icy thing.
The shadow slowed down rapidly, as if it had been frozen stiff.
He knew that Wraith Specter all had a built-in freezing effect, but he didn't expect that this guy wearing a dark crown could affect him as well, since he was also a spirit.
This is a complete suppression of one's social status!
Klein had anticipated this outcome. He turned halfway around, extended his right hand, and pressed it against the head of the stiff shadow.
Then, the dark gold " The Sun Brooch " hidden under the black armor flashed with a faint light.
The " Apostle of Desire " sensed danger and the coming of the Apocalypse, and wanted to resist, but was temporarily powerless.
A bright and holy light appeared out of nowhere, fell on the head of the shadow, and enveloped his body.
The surroundings were suddenly illuminated. The black shadow struggled desperately, but kept evaporating. In the blink of an eye, it had become extremely thin, its Spirituality filled with the radiance of the blazing Sun and the frantic shouts of unwillingness.
Klein gave him no chance to catch his breath, and summoned another pure and bright holy light.
The feeling of daylight lasted for two seconds before the " Apostle of Desire " collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
His body remained in a shadowy state, thin as if it had no thickness.
This Sequence 5 powerhouse, who had just assassinated a duke, died just like that, without even having time to say his last words.
At the same time, Klein saw the other party's spirit, which was suffering from a severe blow and was about to dissipate.
The Beyonder Characteristic will take a while to emerge... Should I imitate Miss Sharron, possess her shadow, and speed things up...? But I don't know that technique... Klein pondered what to do next.
Suddenly, he felt the ground tremble slightly.
Relying on his Spirituality intuition, he looked toward the place he had passed earlier.
A tall, heavy suit of silver armor came galloping towards them, its left shoulder sloping downwards stained with a large patch of congealed blood.
The Sealed Artifact "1-42"... Klein's heart tightened, and without hesitation, he enveloped the spirit of the " Apostle of Desire," ending the summoning.
His original plan was that even if he didn't have time to deal with the " Apostle of Desire," as long as an official Beyonder arrived, he would immediately "return" and hand over the follow-up matters to them.
The Red Gloves in the blood-stained silver armor had just caught a glimpse of a figure wearing a black crown and a matching cloak when he discovered that the person had vanished without a trace.
He narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the spot where the other person had just been, and found the lifeless " Apostle of Desire ".
"Eliminate clues, destroy evidence?" he said in a low voice.
Thump, thump, thump, the Red Gloves arrived one after another.
Upon returning above the Gray Fog, Klein didn't rush to use his Spirit Channeling. Instead, he left the mysterious space and entered his body in the real world.
He skillfully tidied up the candles and other ritual items, quickly removing the last trace.
Having done all this, he created another clone, took four steps backward, and arrived at the ancient palace above the Gray Fog.
Here, he can communicate directly with the remaining spirits like a true " Spirit Medium," without needing to pray to anyone or even for ritual assistance. He had already verified this when he Spirit Channeling the " Marionettist " Rosago.
Considering that the spirit of " Apostle of Desire " Belial had been Purification and could dissipate at any time, Klein decided to inquire about the more important information first.
As for the Potion recipes from the " Devil " path, he planned to consider them last. In any case, even if he obtained them, he didn't intend to sell them, lest he cultivate a few cold-blooded Serial Killer.
Gazing at the brown-haired, brown-eyed, and vacant " Apostle of Desire," Klein, his Spirituality awakened, asked:
What exactly are you plotting?
The " Apostle of Desire " was completely cut off from the outside world by the Gray Fog, and could only answer in a daze:
"Assassinate Duke Negan."
Duke Negan... it's him again? Who wants him dead? Klein asked, slightly taken aback.
"Did it succeed?"
"It's a success," the " Apostle of Desire " answered calmly, without saying anything else.
In this state, when asked "why," he will only answer with a single word.
Poor Duke Negan, even the Lord of Storms cannot protect you... Klein drew a Crimson Moon on his chest.
He didn't try to find out the details, he asked directly:
Who ordered you to do this?
Was this the same organization that commissioned " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos? Klein recalled the previous assassination attempt.
The " Apostle of Desire " said in a completely calm tone:
"An organization, the most Concealment and oldest one, whose existence is unknown to the vast majority of Beyonder. Its members are said to include important figures from various fields, and perhaps some high-ranking officials from various churches and military forces are among them."
That sounds familiar... Could it be the Concealment organization that Emperor Roselle joined, the ancient organization that possesses the second " Blasphemy Slate "? Klein thought to himself.
"What rewards did they promise you that made you willing to give up the identity you've cultivated for over a decade?"
The " Apostle of Desire " answered with a slight change in his voice:
"A Card of Blasphemy, the ' Abyss ' card!"
The Card of Blasphemy? The " Abyss " card, one of the twenty-two Cards of Blasphemy created by Roselle! This most likely corresponds to the " Devil " pathway, no wonder the " Apostle of Desire " was willing to sacrifice everything he had accumulated over the past ten years... It held his hope of becoming High-Sequence powerhouse!
The reward is far more valuable than the task itself!
However, " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos shouldn't be attracted by such a reward, unless, unless the organization has another Card of Blasphemy he needs, or some other item...
If it really is that mysterious organization Roselle joined, it's normal for them to have collected a few Card of Blasphemy... Even if they haven't, they still possess the " Blasphemy Slate "...
Klein was startled at first, then asked in confusion:
Why are they targeting Duke Negan?
The " Apostle of Desire " had grown even weaker, and spoke in a hollow tone:
"I don't know, I'm only considering whether or not to take this task."
"Have you heard anything about it?" Klein pressed.
The " Apostle of Desire " remains in a state of calm and stagnation.
"I heard that their main purpose is resurrection, or rather, awakening the true Creator."
"They interfere with the course of history, making it conform to their own needs, so as to achieve their goals at a certain point."
"If the tides of time do not turn out as they have anticipated, they will do everything in their power to reverse the trend."
"Aside from that, they simply observe quietly, indifferently, perhaps for decades or even centuries without taking any action or undertaking any commission..."
A truly Concealment organization... matching Roselle's description of secretly Manipulation the world's affairs... and also connected to the Original Creator... Seeing the " Apostle of Desire's" spirit about to dissipate, Klein hurriedly asked again:
What is the name of that organization? How can I contact them?
The " Apostle of Desire " stared blankly ahead, its figure rapidly disintegrating.
Before disappearing completely, he answered the question from earlier:
Their names are:
" The Hermits of Fate "
Inside the building with the glass greenhouse.
The thin secretary, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and white gloves, sat with a somber expression, his face conveying deep sorrow.
"What is your name? What is your Sequence number? Which Beyonder Pathway did you take?" Ikanser Ikonser asked solemnly.
The blonde secretary answered slowly in a deep voice:
" Lockhard Siakam, Sequence 5. As for which Beyonder Pathway I belong to, you can request to view my file from Military Intelligence Section 9."
"Okay." Ikanser then asked, "Does the Duke come at a fixed time every week?"
"No, he's not one to follow a schedule, especially after being assassinated by Qilangos. Before today, nobody knew he would be here; I only heard about it this morning in the House of Representatives," Lockhard Siakam replied earnestly.
Ikanser thought for a moment and said:
"If there is a spy among you, who do you think it is? Do you have any suspects?"
Lockhard thought for a few seconds, then shook his head.
Ikanser asked about the details of the battle and got a general understanding of the process.
Seeing that Lockhard was pale and badly injured, he politely got up and went to investigate the rest of the Duke's guard.
After watching the " Machinery Hivemind " deacon leave, Lockhard took a breath and walked heavily to Duke Negan's body.
The nobleman was no longer naked, but extreme terror still lingered on his face.
Lockhard stared intently at Duke Negan's corpse for several seconds, then whispered sadly:
"Feel sorry."
At that moment, with his back to everyone, the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up slightly.
He added in his mind with unusual calmness:
"This is the choice of the times..."
P. S.: I'll be updating earlier, around midnight. I need to take care of my neck lately, so I haven't been able to update more frequently in the short term.