At this moment, Raphael gained a new understanding of the organization behind Audrey.
Previously, he had assumed that as a Sequence 5, Audrey was likely in the organization's leadership. But now it seemed the organization had Demigods.
Facing this person's mystical-sounding words, Raphael smiled somewhat wildly, "I'm not sure what gifts fate has given me, but I must thank you for your gift just now."
From the mysticism knowledge he had acquired, he knew there was a Pathway whose Beyonders could manipulate the fate of others.
That the 'Zombie' had been so unlucky while he had been so fortunate was highly abnormal.
At this moment, Klein, who was cooperating with Sharron to deliver the final blow to the 'Shaman King' about two kilometers away, manipulated his Marionette to smile, "You're not as arrogant as you appear."
As he spoke, the Marionette snapped his fingers, accelerating the precipitation of the Beyonder characteristic from Ackerman through manipulation of the Spirit Body Threads.
Raphael asked, "Has the battle over there ended?"
Enzo didn't answer immediately. He stared at the coalescing characteristic for a second or two before saying, "It's finished."
"What was the outcome?"
"The Shaman King and the Wraith were both eliminated," the Marionette said nonchalantly.
By now, Klein had digested most of his Sequence 4 potion and was highly proficient in applying his abilities. Combined with his Sealed Artifacts and the advantage of ambush, he had severely wounded the 'Shaman King' with his first move.
Speaking of which, Klein's timely intervention was thanks to his cautious nature. To prevent accidents, he personally observed the battle from nearby, allowing him to act promptly.
Raphael drew a sharp breath. When he had been planning to trap the Rose School of Thought, he had never dreamed of having one of their Demigods eliminated!
'The organization behind Audrey must have also deployed a Demigod, leading to such a significant victory.' he thought. Then Raphael considered further: 'So the organization Audrey belongs to has at least one Demigod, plus Audrey and the person before me, that's two Sequence 5s, and Miss Susie at Sequence 6. Additionally, the Temperance Faction seems to have close cooperation with this organization...'
'This is at least a medium-sized Beyonder organization.' he concluded.
At this point, the Marionette, Enzo, bent down, picked up the 'Zombie' characteristic, and searched Ackerman's body, finding a golden bracelet-shaped Sealed Artifact.
He tossed the artifact to Raphael, saying, "You've already obtained the Werewolf Beyonder characteristic. According to our prior agreement, there's no need to split the spoils further with you. But you played a role in tonight's battle, so this is your share of the loot."
"Thank you." Raphael didn't stand on ceremony, then he said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Raphael was mad, not stupid. He naturally had to show some respect to a Sequence 5 Beyonder.
Enzo grunted in acknowledgement and gestured for him to go ahead.
Raphael estimated official Beyonders would arrive soon, so he immediately turned and left. Only after running out of the alley did he end his Werewolf Transformation.
After brief consideration, he realized that continuing as the Mafia boss was the most appropriate course of action. So, under the cover of fog and night, Raphael returned to his apartment.
After a few steps, Maric's figure suddenly appeared on a windowpane, speaking in an extremely flat tone, "I'll find you tomorrow to talk."
Without waiting for Raphael's response, he vanished from the glass.
Raphael only paused briefly before reaching his apartment building. Carefully observing his surroundings and confirming no one was around, he climbed back into his apartment through the window.
He immediately changed into pajamas and sat on the sofa, pretending he was about to rest. In truth, he was checking his current condition. The injuries sustained in the battle had already healed due to his powerful regenerative abilities, showing no signs of the intense fight.
To Raphael's surprise, the 'Werewolf' potion actually showed signs of digestion! He pondered but couldn't pinpoint which of his actions had triggered the digestion.
Then he had a drink and smoked two cigarettes, feeling the excitement from battle completely subside.
Raphael took out the spoils he had obtained and examined them. It was a golden bracelet with a Southern Continent style. Infusing it with Spirituality, he sensed that the artifact could allow him to use Spirit Channeling.
For Raphael, this was a very practical ability. However, he wasn't clear on this Sealed Artifact's negative effects and would have to study it slowly later...
...
When midnight came and still no official Beyonders had found him, Raphael was certain his guess was correct: official Beyonders obtained no leads pointing to him.
So, as usual, he lay down on the bed to rest.
Soon after he fell asleep, the familiar pulling sensation on his Spirit Body returned. When he regained his senses, he found himself in a prison cell with iron bars.
Raphael raised his hand and saw many wounds the thickness of pinky fingers on his exposed arm, while his body was still bound by iron chains.
He immediately understood that he had been summoned to the other world with the Shadow Cottage again...
"The Demon Monarch is awake! Go quickly, inform the branch leader, the Demon Monarch is awake!"
Raphael looked up. Outside were two guards with panicked expressions on their faces.
He ignored the guards and quietly savored this marvelous sensation. He could perceive that his other self was sleeping in the apartment bed. The two consciousnesses indeed didn't affect each other, yet sensations and thoughts could synchronize.
Soon, a mass of shadow appeared outside the prison cell. The shadow took human form, revealing Qingzhi in his black robes.
"We pay homage to the Demon Monarch!" He said with some astonishment.
Qingzhi's subordinates had just replenished this body's qi. This Shadow Cottage branch leader had originally planned to hold the ritual in the afternoon to summon the Demon Monarch again. But he never expected the Demon Monarch would come on his own.
Beyond his surprise, Qingzhi also felt some concern... The Demon Monarch being summoned by him versus the Demon Monarch coming voluntarily were two entirely different concepts.
The former gave him the initiative, the latter was beyond his control...
"This vessel is too weak," Raphael said with an air of aged authority.
Qingzhi offered an apologetic smile, "My apologies for the inconvenience, Demon Monarch. But this is the demonic body most compatible with Your Lordship, determined through divination. Previous attempts using other demonic bodies for the summoning all failed." Then, after having his subordinates withdraw, he said, "This humble one has new questions and wishes to consult the Demon Monarch."
With experience from last time, Raphael was now quite adept at pretending to be a high-level entity. He chuckled, "I see you are not old in years, yet quite forgetful."
Qingzhi was taken aback, "What does the Demon Monarch mean?"
"Before asking new questions, shouldn't you first fulfill the condition you previously promised this Monarch?"
In their last transaction, Raphael informed Qingzhi about the 'Bloody Archduke' acting method to solve their problem, while Qingzhi was to tell Raphael about the history and notable figures of his world.
Hearing the Demon Monarch's words, Qingzhi smiled, saying, "This humble one was too eager to hear the teachings of a senior expert. Please do not take offense, Demon Monarch."
After gathering his thoughts, he started, "The most powerful force in this realm is called the 'Penglai Immortal Sect'..."
~~~
{T/N: Reviews would be appreciated. Stones too, if possible🙏🏾...}