Yellow Hotel, March 28th, 6:30 PM.
The black car slowed to a smooth stop near the Yellow Hotel.
Dressed in their usual modern attire, Hargreaves stepped out first. He checked the time on his phone, then slipped it back into his pocket.
The others followed shortly after.
The crimson sun was sinking below the horizon, and the first shadows of evening spread across the street as the pale moon began to rise.
Lumian was the last to step out of the car.
He opened the chamber of his pistol, checked the fresh rounds inside, and snapped it shut with a soft click.
Before arriving, they had briefly returned to the Faculty, where Lumian replenished his ammunition, purchased a new deck of playing cards, and obtained another Seeking Charm.
Of course, Lumian's Sleight of Hand could store only four items.
Before leaving, he had already placed inside it:
a fresh deck of fifty-four playing cards,
a Seeking Charm,
a Tranquil Charm,
and a small dagger.
The Grey Lander Charm remained in Hargreaves' possession.
Nearby, Rosanne adjusted her shirt and exhaled softly, her expression cautious.
The entire team felt uneasy.
Even though they were still making final preparations, every one of them sensed that something was wrong.
Lumian also surveyed the battlefield carefully, his eyes moving across the surroundings.
Without needing to say a word, the group instinctively tightened their formation and moved closer together.
Why? It was because they were sensing a very dangerous entity.
At that exact moment, a small knife shot out from nowhere and flew straight toward Lumian's forehead.
Poof!
The figure that was struck instantly dissolved into dust. It had only been an illusion.
Lumian's true figure emerged from inside the car. He stepped out calmly and moved toward Hargreaves, pistol already in hand. Every member of the team was on high alert.
Hargreaves glanced at him and muttered under his breath, "Good thinking, Lumian. Using an illusion to probe for danger was the right move."
Lumian nodded and tightened his grip on the pistol.
His eyes swept across the area, the fountain, the expensive surroundings, the silent hotel, and then returned to the fountain.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stood there. He had silver hair and an imposing build.
It was the same young man that was in the Church of the Almighty God.
Apparently, he had now become a Bishop.
Within that church, Bishops were its frontline fighters.
Through a special ritual, they became sorcerers starting from Phase 7 without consuming potions. But in exchange, the will of the Hidden Celestial, the Almighty God, would gradually awaken within them.
The silver-haired Bishop wore a calm smile, and a sword hung across his back. Then he spoke. "What exactly are you trying to stop? This is the will of God."
Without even thinking, Hargreaves made his hand transparent, turning it translucent to avoid the effects of the Grey Lander Charm.
In a low but commanding voice, he shouted, "Regain formation! Now!"
The group reacted instantly, moving into a tight triangular formation behind Hargreaves with practiced precision.
At the same time, the silver-haired Bishop frowned and glared at them.
"You intend to disrupt the will of God!"
The small knife he had thrown earlier suddenly flew back into his hand.
In one smooth motion, he shifted into a battle stance.
Hargreaves tightened his grip on the charm box and shouted again in a low voice.
"The Grey Lander Charm!"
Immediately, Hargreaves' hair stood on end. The silent night grew even quieter as a cold wind swept through the area. Beneath the Bishop, the ground suddenly split open, revealing countless grasping hands that dragged downward.
At the same time, the Bishop felt an overwhelming urge to take his own life. Blood burst from his eyes and ears.
But he snapped out of it almost instantly and activated a spell.
"Lavish!"
In response, the ground of the underworld seemed to boil with something unseen. The hands shrieked as they were forced back, gradually retreating into the ground opening as the earth began to seal itself again.
Without wasting another moment, Hargreaves gripped the box tightly and shouted once more.
"The Grey Lander Charm!"
At the same time, he drew his gun and shot his own hand.
Bang!
Blood suddenly gushed out, then vanished at the same time.
The Bishop, who had been steadily advancing toward them, suddenly began bleeding from his hand. He paused for a moment, his movement halting.
This was another ability of the charm: damage transfer.
On the other side, Hargreaves was also bleeding from his nose.
The effects of the Restricted Item-1, 2, 3 had already begun to affect him.
The moment the group realized this, they immediately drew their pistols, preparing to fire.
But the Bishop suddenly chuckled and shouted another spell.
"Freeze!"
In an instant, all of them were forced to stop in place, guns still raised mid-aim.
...
Lumian, who had already sensed the warning from his Eidolon, was not there.
From the car he had touched earlier, his figure materialized.
Using Sleight of Hand, the Tranquil Charm appeared in his hand. He thrust it forward and shouted, "The Tranquil Charm!"
Skywalker… please, I pray unto you, bless us exceedingly. We need your grace.
At that moment, he felt the charm in his hand grow extremely cold.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Restricted Item-1, 2, 3—the Grey Lander Charm—vibrating violently inside Hargreaves' box, already entering a frenzied state.
By now, even at 6:45 in the night, the pale moon had fully emerged.
In the silver-haired Bishop's vision, the moon began to expand rapidly, growing larger and larger, as if swelling to the size of a planet.
It seemed to collapse and reform at the same time.
His figure faltered, then cracked apart, as frost rapidly spread through his body.
Crack!
Lumian exhaled softly and thought inwardly as the pouch containing the Tranquil Charm disappeared, replaced by the Seeking Charm.
This is exactly 6:48. We need to perform the exorcism quickly.
He looked at the group and saw that they were still frozen in place.
At that moment, a surge of intense fear washed over him. His Eidolon was warning him of another great danger.
I have to act quickly, the Seeking Charm cannot only seek items, if used well it can temporarily blind the senses of someone.
Before he could act, a knife shot forward and stabbed into his leg.
"Ouch!"
Lumian gasped, momentarily losing focus and unsure of what to do.
At the same time, a figure appeared directly in front of him, as if emerging from nowhere.
It had bloodshot eyes and bulging veins spreading across its face.
Within it, the will of the Almighty God was beginning to awaken.
...
It was the silver-haired boy.
He clutched his head and suddenly began to mutate.
His body swelled larger and larger, bubbling with each passing second. One of his arms elongated, and his face twisted into confusion and instability.
Seeing this, Lumian, still standing but injured, didn't know what to do at first.
He glanced to the side and noticed that the once-frenzied Restricted Item-1, 2, 3 had begun to calm down.
He also saw Hargreaves giving a slight nod.
Only then did he understand.
Hargreaves had been using the Grey Lander Charm to interfere with and break the spell's control, forcing it into a frenzied backlash, and now it was beginning to subside.
Captain… Lumian thought inwardly, a surge of excitement rising in him.
Ignoring his pain, he rolled across the ground just as the monster's hand slammed down where he had been moments before.
In the same motion, he pushed himself back up, sprayed the contents of the Seeking Charm forward, and shouted, "The Seeking Charm!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, a brilliant glow erupted from the particles, so intense it completely obscured Lumian's vision.
He raised his hand to shield his eyes, already aware of what was happening.
When the light finally faded, he took a cautious step back.
But now he seems to have made things worse and better at the same time, because the will of the Almighty God had fully awakened.
The tall Bishop's body had now transformed into an abomination, his form twisted, with two heads growing from his shoulders.
The creature swung its arms wildly, trying to locate the young Magician who had slipped out of its grasp.
Without wasting time, Lumian drew his gun, sprinkled the last remnants of the Seeking Charm, and threw the pouch forward.
Then he immediately opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullet shot forward in rapid succession, flames wrapping around them.
Using Sleight of Hand once again, multiple playing cards appeared around him, igniting into flames as they shot toward the Bishop.
...
"Ah!"
The creature let out a shriek, but nothing seemed to change.
After a few moments, Lumian realized he was out of bullets and cards. His vision was already clouding as he lost more blood. He could barely stand, swaying as if he would collapse at any moment.
Just as he was about to give up, he heard a voice.
"Die!"
It was Vincent with green eyes.
The others had all been freed from the spell, thanks to the Captain. Hargreaves had used the charm not to only save himself, but to break the control over everyone else.
Seeing this, Lumian's eyes, already half-closed, suddenly widened.
Ignoring the pain, he bent down and pulled the knife from his leg, tears streaming down his face. Once it was out, he threw it aside.
He then noticed that Vincent's attack had only managed to momentarily stiffen the creature.
It was clear, the monster would awaken again soon.
Hargreaves, standing beside Lumian, handed him the Grey Lander Charm and said in a low, steady voice. "You guys go and perform the excorsim quickly, I'll take care of things from here."
Lumian didn't know what to say. But under the circumstances, he quickly turned and ran toward the hotel, followed by the others, leaving Hargreaves behind.