In the early morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, the alleyways and corners were mostly quiet and gloomy.
Using Danitz's cloak, Klein blended into the shadows, moving swiftly and freely. He felt surrounded by a gray-black transparency, reality blurred and detached, and all sounds seemed to come from the depths of the Starry Sky, empty and distant.
After getting as far away from Fragrant Tree Avenue as possible, he discerned his location, "emerged" from the shadows, and appeared in an empty alley filled with broken bricks and stones.
With a flick of his wrists, Klein flung the "steel" Maviti, who was wrapped in the peacock blue " Flying Carpet," out and tossed it in front of him, determined to finish " Grazing " it before its spirit began to dissipate!
He discarded the " Flying Carpet," stepped forward, extended his left palm, slightly spread his five fingers, and looked down at the still-warm corpse.
The " Creeping Hunger " then revealed its true form, thin as if made of human skin.
Two eyes split open in the palm of its hand, their pupils bright red, as if stained with blood.
Ugh!
A chilling breeze suddenly swept through the alley, swirling and Distortion around "Iron" Maviti's corpse, forming a nearly transparent human figure with thick lips and steel-bead-like curly hair vaguely visible.
The spirit of Maviti was in extreme pain, desperately resisting the pull of " Creeping Hunger," while tiny specks of light, a mixture of gray and blackish-green, like a surging galaxy, rapidly flew out from its flesh and blood body and merged into its transparent form.
"No!"
Maviti let out a silent scream, but it was too late to beg for mercy. In despair, he could only crawl inside the human skin glove, where he was fixed to the blank finger and displayed Beyonder Characteristic, becoming somewhat connected with his environment.
This connection determines which abilities of "Iron" Maviti can be used when Grazing his soul—perhaps one, perhaps two, but no more than three. Before the specifics are fixed, they are not under Klein's control and are purely random.
" Creeping Hunger " quickly covered the paleness, eventually reverting to its previous disguise: an ordinary black glove.
Klein closed his eyes and sensed for a few seconds, then let out a sigh of relief mixed with a sense of relaxation.
This time, his luck wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.
He successfully acquired three extraordinary abilities from "Iron" Maviti, but none of them were what he desired most: an "iron-like body" that was impervious to gunfire, fire, and bombs of a certain yield, and tenacious vitality.
First, the power of " Living Corpse " allows me to unleash ferocious attacks, compensating for the shortcomings of my previous agile fighting style. Second, my mastery of "ice," while not allowing me to condense ice spears and create blizzards for direct attacks like the Witch Pathway, can Freeze the surrounding ground, lower the air temperature, and effectively affect the opponent's movements. If physical contact occurs, it can even freeze the enemy, stiffening their flesh, perfectly complementing my fighting abilities. Third, " Living Corpse Manipulation," hehe, I won't have to worry about not having enough people to form a game anymore... Klein pondered for a moment, then bent down to examine "Iron" Maviti's belongings.
He quickly found £26, 11 Soli and 8 pence in cash, as well as a bunch of seemingly normal but actually strange things, such as candles, clips, a barbed whip, and so on.
Considering that "Iron" Maviti was most likely a member of the " Rose School of Thought " and belonged to the faction that indulged in desires, Klein vaguely understood something, spat, and put away the cash.
"The ' Werewolf ' has superhuman healing abilities, and the ' Living Corpse ' has a body of steel, so they really don't need to carry any healing potions or items... Just as Danitz judged, Maviti doesn't have any magical items... That's true, magical items are rare, and many have obvious flaws and negative effects. Not everyone wants to have them, and not everyone can have them. The previous combination of ' Wraith,' ' Living Corpse,' and ' Werewolf ' only had two magical items, the ' Crimson Moon Corona ' and the ' Biotoxin Bottle '..." Klein nodded and took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
He unfolded the yellowed paper and placed it on "Iron" Maviti, covering the other's face.
This is a wanted poster, featuring a portrait of Maviti and the corresponding reward amount:
"6000 pounds!"
Klein straightened up, took a step back, stepped on the peacock blue " Flying Carpet," and pulled out a paper figure.
Snap!
With a flick of his forearm and a shake of his wrist, he threw the paper figure away, where it turned into sparks that scattered and fell to the ground.
Then, he turned into a shadow and disappeared into the alley along with the objects.
Two or three minutes later, Cordova Roye arrived with some of the " Mandated Punishers " team members. Just then, a cool breeze blew up the bounty poster, revealing "Iron" Maviti's face, his flesh and blood dissolving, his eyes wide open.
With a clatter, the bounty poster fell to the side, still face up.
Having lost track of their target, Cordova and his men silently returned to the area where the battle had taken place, carrying the body of "Steel".
After glancing at the team members inspecting the scene, Deacon Cordoba composed himself and asked in a deep voice:
"Believers in the ' The Sun '?"
This is the most important issue for him and for the parish.
The " Mandated Punishers " team members, responsible for finding clues and using supernatural means to restore the truth, were not Beyonder of the " Storm " pathway, but rather Sequence 7 " Keeper of Knowledge " corresponding to " Reader," or " Detective." He didn't rush to answer, but walked over and squatted down to examine Maviti's body.
After a while, he looked up and said:
"Those who are not believers in the ' The Sun ' must be relying on the power of magical items."
"Reason?" Cordova asked, frowning.
The " Mandated Punishers " team member said:
"There is an evil aura emanating from the depths of flesh and blood here. One of the corpses was devoured in this way, leaving only its unique characteristics and artifacts. If one were a follower of the ' The Sun,' even if relying on artifacts, they would not do such a thing. To them, things from the realm of the ' True Creator ' are all defiled and must be Purification or sealed immediately. They should not and cannot be used."
Cordoba thought for a few seconds, agreed with the assessment, and then asked:
"People from the Aurora Order?"
"No, a true ' Rose Bishop ' or ' Shepherd ' wouldn't be so crude. They would definitely wrap the corpse inside their bodies and dispose of it after they leave. There's no reason to dismember it on the spot, which would waste time and leave behind a bunch of valuable things. This haste to devour it seems like a negative effect of a magical item," the " Keeper of Knowledge " said calmly.
"A magical item that possesses both the ' The Sun ' and ' Mystery Pryer ' domains? Or something similar to the ' Shepherd's ' abilities? Berg, which one do you think it is?" As a deacon, Cordova had the authority to know about the " Shepherd " and their special abilities, while the " Keeper of Knowledge " knew based on his position in the team, but the other " Mandated Punishers " did not understand what they were talking about.
" The Keeper of Knowledge " Berg stood up:
"Anything is possible."
"Any suspects?" Cordova asked in a deep voice.
Berg shook his head:
No target at the moment.
"But one thing is certain: ' Blood Brambles ' was killed by ' Blazing ' Danitz, and the other person was his accomplice, a rather terrifyingly powerful individual, no less formidable than the pirate generals."
"A terrifyingly powerful individual..." Cordova murmured gravely, then his eyes lit up. "Could it be Edwina? She can mimic some of the extraordinary abilities I've witnessed!"
" The Keeper of Knowledge," Berg, pondered for a moment and said:
"That possibility cannot be ruled out, but intelligence indicates that she was near Sonia Island a few days ago. Unless, unless she can simulate the corresponding ability and Spirit World Traversal."
Cordoba paced back and forth a few times, looked around, and said:
"Clean up the scene without disturbing nearby residents."
"I will submit the mission report, hoping to obtain more effective intelligence."
This involved a powerful individual with combat strength at least equal to Sequence 5, forcing him to suppress his volatile temper and make the most rational decision.
Inside Old Quinn's house, in the basement sealed by a heavy stone door.
Sitting on the low bed, quietly gazing at the candlelight on the table, Alger's vision suddenly blurred, and he saw the pervasive Gray Fog, and deep within the Gray Fog, seated in a high-backed chair, looking down upon everything—the " The Fool."
A blurry figure stood below, hands clasped together, pressed against his face, and spoke in a devout tone:
"Great ' The Fool,' things have been successfully resolved."
Things went smoothly? That involved "Iron" Maviti and several Beyonder... "The World" is really efficient; his strength is even greater than I imagined. No wonder he's " The Fool's " Blessed... Heh, he'll be able to sell Beyonder Characteristic at the Tarot Club again, maybe more than one... How did he bypass the influence of the Sealed Artifact "2-37"? Is it a special trait of God's Blessed? Alger's thoughts flashed, and he instinctively thanked " The Fool."
Then, he took out a small metal bottle and applied the peppermint-scented hydrosol inside to the tip of his nose.
The strong, pungent odor filled his head, Alger instantly became exceptionally clear-headed.
He had somehow acquired a white gauze mask in his hand and poured " The Moon oil" onto it.
After carefully putting on his mask, Alger stood up and slowly walked to the heavy stone door.
With steady movements, he took out a sealed metal can from inside his clothes, turned the mechanical switch, and pulled out a tube.
Then, he inserted the tube into the crack in the stone door, extending it outwards.
Without a sound, the gas inside the metal canister rapidly diffused outwards.
This is Sanguine Anesthetic Gas provided by " The Moon " Emlyn!
It can render strong ordinary people, Sequence 9 Beyonder known for their physical prowess, and High-Sequence targets with insufficient physical strength unconscious!
Even if Old Quinn can hold on, he will be significantly affected. As for his helpers and friends, well... Alger leaned against the stone door, waiting patiently.
When about one-third of the gas inside the tank had dissipated, he retracted the tube and closed the switch.
He turned around, listened intently to the sounds outside, and received a satisfactory answer.
Alger revealed a slight smile, his aura rapidly receding as he suppressed his inner turmoil.
Suddenly, all his muscles bulged, and he threw a punch forward.
" Raging Blow!"
Bang!
The heavy iron lock on the stone door shattered, and the door itself opened.
Alger withdrew his fist, stepped outside, and found the place slumbering.
P. S.: The Creeping Hunger has two modes: Grazing and devouring. The former targets spirit and Beyonder Characteristic, while the latter targets spirit and flesh.