Chapter 56 - 56

Chapter 92: The Faith of the Great Mother

Nimrod was probably truly dead.

Seeing no movement in the distance, Ryan sighed. Just as he was about to solemnly speak and make a promise to Aurore and Lumian to maintain the basic trust within the team, he saw a figure wearing clothes with many pockets emerge from behind the woods.

"I'm a little late. I used a few methods to get away."

Nimrod smiled, speaking to the group, then his tone became slightly odd:

"...Everyone, why are you all looking at me with those expressions?"

I can't exactly say we all thought you were dead, can I? Ryan coughed awkwardly, "Apologies, we thought you hadn't managed to leave in time..."

"I really was almost caught by Madam Pualis." Nimrod slowly sighed:

"Fortunately, I was a step ahead—but we need to hurry now. Pualis discovered the traces we left behind. We injured her 'child,' and she is tracking us; it doesn't look like she'll let this go."

As if to confirm Nimrod's words, several strange noises came from the woods far away, near the castle.

During the interval when Nimrod used "Sefirah Castle" to escape the dream and redeploy his spiritual body, he saw Madam Pualis naturally follow the logic of the dream, starting to search for the intruders who had entered her home to gather clues. It wouldn't take long for her to find their location.

"Should we go to the church basement next?" Ryan frowned, the composure he had before gone: "...But if Madam Pualis and the Parish Priest cooperate, we might instantly fall into danger."

Ryan's speculation and worry were not unfounded. After all, Lumian had previously taken them to see the actions carried out by the Parish Priest and Madam Pualis at the Holy Church.

And physical cooperation often extends to other aspects, such as... faith or Beyonder matters, concerning the division of certain interests.

Updates are difficult, remember to share 101Novels.

"You should be able to tell what Madam Pualis's faith is. For her, her relationship with the Parish Priest is far less important than her belief."

Nimrod spoke while beckoning the group to head towards the church basement:

"I'm more inclined to believe they are enemies of each other, just not mortal enemies. Their goals are merely different, and their interests clash."

Lia also recalled the information and rumors about the Church over the past few years, speaking with a hint of probing:

"Perhaps it's the variant of the 'Earth Mother' faith that has appeared in recent years: the faith in the 'Great Mother'."

She recalled for a moment, then spoke to the Beyonders around her:

"We have some cooperation with the Church of the Earth Mother, but it is very limited, and we only know relatively simple intelligence."

"In Feysac and the Southern Continent, and all countries and regions where the Earth Mother is worshipped, a saying is gaining traction—that the 'Great Mother' is an avatar of the Earth Mother, and those who believe in Her can even gain miraculous powers, performing miracles of the earth."

"As you know, these powers are Beyonder abilities. But the vast majority of 'Great Mother' believers have never consumed a Potion; their power seems to be directly gifted by a deity, and it leans more towards evil."

"And the 'Church of the Earth Mother' has directly categorized this belief as the faith of an Evil God."

After Lia finished speaking, Nimrod naturally took over the conversation and addressed the group:

"That's right. Since you are all official members, you naturally know the characteristics of those blessed by an Evil God—they will gradually be influenced by the deity they worship, slowly becoming more and more like the god they believe in."

"Given that, how could those blessed by two different Evil Gods cooperate too closely?"

"...Perhaps the Evil God the Parish Priest intends to summon here is one that the 'Great Mother' does not wish to see. They are likely wary of each other, which is why they only engaged in superficial cooperation," Ryan said thoughtfully:

"It seems we really must go to the church's underground area... If the information you investigated earlier is correct, the church basement is very likely where the Parish Priest and his group pray for blessings from the Evil Existence."

Hearing Ryan's words, Valentine, a devout believer of the "Eternal Blazing Sun," became extremely furious. A hint of searing sunlight even appeared on his body, as he struggled to control his Beyonder power.

Only after Ryan calmed Valentine down did he continue speaking, affirming Nimrod's statement:

"I understand now. Going to the church basement is indeed the best option for us right now. It allows us to evade 'Madam Pualis's' tracking while finding crucial information about the ritual and the loop."

"The only issue is that we probably won't be able to avoid combat like we did in the administrator's castle. Heh, we need to prepare for a fight..."

Ryan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Judging from the last loop, the Parish Priest shouldn't have obtained very powerful Beyonder strength yet." Lumian's expression and tone were gloomy, clearly recalling his friend Raymond who died during the ritual:

"It's a good time to settle the score with them..."

But just then, Lumian felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He subconsciously looked up and saw Nimrod slowly begin to speak:

"Have you considered one possibility?"

"For example, the Parish Priest might not have lost his memories within the loop."

How could that be? Lumian's first reaction was disbelief. In his memory, the Parish Priest had not retained his memories!

He had personally beaten the Parish Priest to death with his fists at the end of the last loop. If the priest had retained his memories, how could his attitude toward Lumian not have changed at all?

Wait... Lumian suddenly shivered, realizing the most likely scenario.

What if the Parish Priest's lack of hostility toward him was a disguise?

If he realized that I could retain memories within the loop and wanted to use this as a trap to make me drop my guard... he might actually succeed!

After all, who would be overly wary of someone they had already killed once?

I almost became the prey. The roles of Hunter and prey can switch at any moment! This must be the "trap" set by the Parish Priest... Lumian felt a sudden enlightenment surge in his heart, hearing the sound of something breaking.

Just then, Nimrod's voice sounded in Lumian's ear:

"After all, we aren't the only two special people who can retain memories within the loop."

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#93Enter the church

Chapter 93: Entering the Church

"You are right."

Lumian suppressed the shock that had just appeared in his heart and nodded cautiously:

"No matter what, we must be prepared for the Parish Priest not having lost his memories from previous cycles. We need to control him immediately to prevent the cycle from restarting and our previous efforts from turning into naught."

"If, if in the next cycle he chooses not to disguise his identity and directly asks for your help as the person in charge of the church here, would you choose to believe him or me, a wild Beyonder?"

The last sentence was Lumian asking Ryan, Lia, and Valentine.

"Even so, we will definitely see through his trick afterward." Valentine, for once, spoke up proactively, his tone fanatical and angry:

"The cultists of the evil god will have nowhere to hide under the glory of the Sun!"

Lumian, who had the power of the Ring of Cycles sealed within him: "..."

Nimrod, an incarnation of mystery evil god: "..."

"Indeed." Nimrod said convincingly:

"You will eventually discover that he actually worships an evil god, but before that, he will most likely have already killed you through sinister means."

He clapped his hands and said something he had endured for a long time to Valentine:

"Even if your 'heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and all your deeds are for Justice' (Note 1), you still have to guard against betrayal in the dark and attacks from subordinates."

With that, Nimrod raised his hands high and smiled: "Praise the Sun! \o/"

Since the Parish Priest was indeed considered Valentine's'subordinate' in terms of duty, Valentine clearly didn't understand the meme in the first half of Nimrod's sentence or the blasphemous remark about the Eternal Blazing Sun in the second half. He was simply convinced by Nimrod's words and felt that what Nimrod had just said perfectly fit the image of a 'Sun' believer.

Most importantly, Nimrod loudly praised the glory of the Sun at the end, which made him quite satisfied.

It seems there are quite a few wild Beyonders who also believe in the glory of the Sun... Valentine thought happily, walking with the others towards the underground of the church... I knew that the methods for Sun believers and True Creator believers were similar; as long as you praise the deity they believe in after speaking, their attitude will improve significantly... Nimrod secretly muttered to himself, watching Valentine, whose attitude towards him had noticeably softened along the way.

As the positive and negative sides of faith, the methods used to deal with believers of the True Creator and believers of the Eternal Blazing Sun are roughly the same. And after Nimrod's tests, the effect was indeed outstanding.

—If you also transmigrate, you can try it; guaranteed no bad reviews.

"These people in the church might have Beyonder abilities: Parish Priest Guillaume Bene, Vice Parish Priest Michel, Shepherd Pierre Berry... Oh, the Vice Parish Priest might not even be one of their core members, so he might not possess Beyonder abilities."

As they approached the church, Lumian suppressed his inner anxiety, his face showing enthusiasm as he introduced the clues he had gathered to the others. Ryan heard Lumian's words and nodded calmly and steadily:

"Two to three Beyonders who worship an evil god; our chances of winning are very high."

"Six against two, the advantage is ours." Lia added with a smile.

You remind me a lot of someone... Nimrod's gaze lingered on Lia for a moment, and some slightly offensive thoughts arose in his mind.

Lia's spiritual intuition was suddenly stirred, but she couldn't find any danger around her for a while, so she could only give up after looking around.

"Prepare to enter. We will control everyone inside the church as quickly as possible, then explore the basement." Ryan said calmly, "If the evil power in the basement is truly triggered, then the servants in the church are very likely to become our enemies."

"One person is responsible for one area." A scythe appeared in Nimrod's hand. Looking at him, Ryan took a deep breath and whispered to Nimrod:

"Try not to harm their lives."

"Am I a very malicious person?"

Hearing Ryan's words, Nimrod waved his hand:

"Don't worry, of course not. Even if there's an altar worshipping an evil god in the church's basement, I wouldn't kill these people. What if it just happens to meet the requirements for a sacrifice? Then we'd be in big trouble."

"By the way, if you encounter the Parish Priest and Shepherd Pierre, remember to bring them here and cut off their limbs to prevent Beyonder-level control from failing."

For Nimrod, dealing with 'NPCs' in a dream had no psychological burden, but members of organizations like the 'Nighthawks' and 'Machinery Hivemind' became Beyonders with the idea of 'protecting ordinary people'.

The three official Beyonders were initially a bit uncomfortable with Nimrod's words, but once they remembered that the Parish Priest was a believer in an evil god, they quickly overcame their discomfort.

Their mercy was never reserved for enemies.

It didn't take long for the group to knock out or stun the church's servants and bring over the unconscious Parish Priest and others.

With the cooperation of a Magician, a Warlock, and a Cryptologist—Sequences skilled in spells and inducement—the Parish Priest didn't even wake up before Ryan severed his limbs with a longsword. After stopping the bleeding, he was thrown into a room nearby.

Valentine even spat indignantly:

"Servant of the Demon! If killing you wouldn't trigger the cycle here, I would tie you to a stake and let you know the consequences of betraying the Sun!"

When it came to matters involving the Eternal Blazing Sun, the outwardly cold but inwardly passionate Valentine's aggression became particularly terrifying.

After all this was done, everyone arrived at the entrance to the basement, which led to the underground space of the church. This space was not small, with gray-white flagstones on the ground, and a half-human-height stone platform in the center.

Some items were placed in the center of this stone platform, too far away to clearly discern what they were, but they were likely objects related to evil god sacrifices.

Nimrod recognized it as a standard evil god altar at a glance; he had seen one in his own basement before, so he had rich experience. He paused and reminded everyone:

"It seems my previous judgment was correct. This is where the Parish Priest and others worship the evil god."

"Do not enter rashly. The cycle has continued many times, and there might be some residual evil god power here."

Ryan looked at the stairs leading underground, gestured to Lia with his eyes, and had her use her Beyonder power to perform a 'divination'.

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#94I'm getting a support pillar, really?

Chapter 94: I'm Fighting a pillar, Really?

Lia's divination quickly yielded results.

After concluding that there was "a certain danger that couldn't be divined," the group cautiously approached the basement.

"Be careful."

Nimrod reminded them:

"From the information I gathered through 'decryption' earlier, there's likely a significant anomaly here. This altar might even be the source of all the anomalies in Cordu Village."

Lia's pupils contracted. She nodded solemnly and entered the underground space even more cautiously than before, keeping her Beyonder item activated above her head.

Compared to them, these outsiders, although claiming to be only Sequence 7, had the unique ability to retain their memories within the loop, which they lacked.

In their eyes, Nimrod either possessed a special item that allowed him to maintain his sanity under the corruption of an evil god, or he was far beyond Sequence 7, perhaps even having touched the Door of divinity.

Regardless, they felt Nimrod's warning was worth heeding. Of course, when dealing with a Marauder, necessary vigilance was essential; sometimes, a Spectator of the same Sequence might not be able to discern a Marauder's lies.

Lia walked a few steps at the entrance, her bell constantly jingling. After a few more steps, the bell's sound paused, and Lia turned her head to address the six:

"No anomalies at the entrance."

"Anomalies are probably coming soon..." Nimrod watched Lia, who, after confirming there was nothing amiss, continued forward. He quietly spoke to Aurore, who stood beside Lumian: "Don't look around carelessly; be careful not to see the power of the evil god."

As for why he didn't warn Lumian, who also carried a lot of corruption in his dream?

Nimrod didn't warn him simply because Lumian wouldn't even activate his Spirit Vision without the Beyonder powers of the Dancer Pathway, so he wouldn't see any dirty things at all.

This was the confidence that the Hunter's blue bar before Sequence 7 gave him.

But Aurore, as a Mystery Pryer, was somewhat too sensitive and indeed needed to be careful in advance.

Aurore didn't retort; she merely nodded gently, closed her eyes, and reached out to grasp Lumian's hand beside her.

Even without activating Spirit Vision, a Sequence 7 Warlock still had a certain probability of seeing special Beyonder phenomena!

Feeling his sister's trust, Lumian took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings more vigilantly, seeing piles of human bones and some light-colored sheepskin covering them.

Seeing the bones covered with sheepskin, Lumian couldn't help but be stunned:

The three sheep brothers who were alive just two days ago have already been made into sacrifices?

No, Godfather and I already replaced those three sheep with real sheep, and the time for sacrifice hasn't arrived yet. The Parish Priest and the others shouldn't have started this cycle's sacrifice.

But that means these human bones covered with sheepskin must be from before... How long have the Parish Priest and the others been conducting these cult rituals?

As Lumian's thoughts raced, a fierce jingling sound suddenly came from ahead. He instinctively looked up and saw light-condensed armor appear on Ryan's body and illusory flames emerge around Valentine.

Lia emerged from the flames beside Valentine, just as she had appeared from the flames Aurore created earlier.

Before Lia stepped out, Lumian instinctively hid behind Ryan, pulling Aurore with him to take cover.

"What's wrong?" Aurore felt a strong pull from Lumian's direction. Although surprised, she didn't open her eyes, maintaining her previous state.

"Lia's Beyonder item just detected danger..."

Lumian subconsciously looked up at Lia, his voice abruptly cutting off, then he couldn't suppress his horror:

"Lia, your face!"

At this moment, Lia's face had become translucent, with twisted worms crawling in and out of it, looking terrifying beyond measure.

This was a sign of losing control!

"...These Spirit Worms are really ugly." Nimrod whispered to Celestial Worthy:

"When I become the Lord of the Mysteries, I'll change all these Spirit Worms into cat worms, and make them pink."

[Are you sure that would look better?]

Celestial Worthy retorted with a questioning voice, seemingly doubting Nimrod's mental state.

Nimrod thought about it carefully and suddenly realized that pink worms with cat faces wriggling under translucent skin might not be a very pleasant sight either. However, he still believed his aesthetic sense was fine:

"I think it's at least better-looking than your maggots."

[What if it's a round-headed ma...]

"Stop!" Nimrod's face changed drastically: "You're scaring me to death! I don't want to think about that!"

But even so, the corresponding image still flashed in Nimrod's mind, and his face immediately looked as if he had swallowed a fly.

Lia also noticed the changes on her face, and her gaze changed significantly.

Furthermore, the state of losing control began to appear in other parts of her body, with most of her skin becoming translucent, and worms crawling in and out.

But strangely, Lia didn't feel any change in her mental state, no tendency towards madness or losing control.

Nimrod couldn't bear to let his imagination continue. He turned his face and looked at Ryan, who was shielding Lumian and Aurore.

At this moment, the tall Warrior also began to shrink rapidly, turning into a short dwarf of 1.5 meters; and Valentine also seemed to ignite, becoming a pure being of light.

For a moment, only Nimrod, Lumian, and Aurore's states remained unchanged, still normal... or were they?

Under Lumian's somewhat panicked gaze, Aurore opened her eyes. The lake-blue eyes slowly became cold, cruel, and a hint of silver-black appeared within them.

Her spiritual body returned to the past, to the time before Rosie Louise Sanson, a Circle of Inevitability believer, had died!

This was Lumian's deepest Nightmare, a reflection of Lumian's subconscious fear within the dream!

She quickly understood her current situation, casually shaking off Lumian's tightly clasped hand, scanning the others who had undergone bizarre changes due to the power of the Circle of Inevitability, and gently stretching her somewhat stiff neck.

Then she met a face draped in a dark, yellowish-black robe, wearing a white mask, with starlight flickering in its eyes.

"Go back."

Nimrod calmly said to Rosie Louise Sanson.

The silver-black in Aurore's eyes immediately faded rapidly, and she blinked blankly.

Chapter 95: Exploiting the Bug

Sensing the power of Sefirah Castle suddenly descending upon the dream, Salted Fish, who was far away in the real world, jumped up, feeling as though he had missed a lot:

"Mr. The Fool performed a Divine Descent?"

"What's going on? Is he confronting an Outer Deity?"

...The dark, heavy robe on Nimrod quickly contracted and morphed, rapidly transforming into a yellow and black formal suit according to his will. Faint gray mist drifted from an unknown place, enveloping Nimrod's face.

A mere bit of the power of the Circle of Inevitability actually couldn't make him enter the "future" state, but there was a massive presence of Sefirah Castle's aura here, and Nimrod also had the Celestial Worthy's true self within him, didn't he?

Although Nimrod couldn't directly utilize the power of Sefirah Castle here, when the power of the Circle of Inevitability attempted to change Nimrod's state, Nimrod and the Celestial Worthy could unleash an exhilarating Combination Move.

This was an Error, a "BUG," and also the authority belonging to the Lord of the Mysteries.

"On your body..." Aurore reacted, her face instantly turning grim: "Was I affected just now too?"

"Yes, but I've already helped you dispel the influence on your body." Nimrod felt the extra symbol appearing on himself and waved his hand toward the people beside him:

"I just used a little something special to frighten the Evil Spirit on you."

"Sister, you were just..." Lumian's gaze suddenly became anxious as he questioned Aurore:

"What happened to you just now? What did Godfather mean by 'Evil Spirit'?"

However, Lumian felt the surrounding time slow down infinitely. He watched Aurore's eyes slowly regain their smiling appearance, and he instantly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Even the slightly embarrassing words Aurore spoke couldn't warm the chilling sensation Lumian felt:

"Lumian, how did you suddenly get a Godfather? I never thought my younger brother would actually..."

Aurore spoke as if nothing had happened, seemingly having completely forgotten what just occurred. Finally, Lumian couldn't hold back and shouted loudly:

"Aurore!"

Aurore said strangely, "What's wrong?"

Her tone was extremely natural, like an NPC who only acts according to fixed logic. After hearing Aurore's tone, Lumian clenched his hand tightly, then weakly let go.

"The speed of the Cycle has accelerated," Nimrod added, instructing Lumian:

"Do you remember what I told you before? Watch over her; as long as she's alive, there's still a way."

Lumian's expression instantly became uglier than Aurore's had been just now. He pulled back the Aurore whose eyes were beginning to look hollow and nodded with difficulty.

He knew what Nimrod meant, but he still found it hard to accept.

For a moment, Lumian actually felt a sense of déjà vu.

"Do all villagers without special traits end up like this..."

Lia nodded somewhat seriously, feeling a faint sense of pity for Lumian in her heart:

"We need to go deeper quickly and investigate the situation here. Otherwise, nobody knows what these villagers will eventually turn into. Those servants we knocked out earlier are also part of the villagers!"

"Walking in like this won't work." Valentine glanced at Ryan, who had lost his Beyonder powers beside him, and then at Lia, who was close to losing control:

"I'll try to 'Purification' the abnormalities on us."

"No need to try. The power of Fate does not belong to Depravity or defilement; it is a change to Fate and state, which is outside the scope of 'Purification'."

Nimrod stopped Valentine, preventing his attempt:

"The direction I was changed toward is the 'future.' Heh, it seems I will be able to reach a very high Sequence in the future, allowing me to even borrow a bit of power from the future through the changes here."

Having said that, Nimrod chuckled and looked around at the people present:

"There are some footprints left by the Parish Priest on the ground. There should be a safe path here."

"I currently have the highest Sequence here, and this is the result of my decryption. I trust the information I've decrypted. Next, I will be responsible for scouting the way, and Lumian will verify it. His body also possesses certain special characteristics, giving him higher resistance to pollution than yours."

"Ryan, you need to be careful. If you change again, you might directly lose control."

Lumian nodded, indicating he had no objection. The Official Trio also didn't object and followed closely behind Nimrod and Lumian, walking toward the location of the Altar.

Just as the group arrived in front of the Altar, the objects on the Altar were also exposed to everyone:

Inside the recessed part of the Altar, miscellaneous items like grayish-white candles, bottles containing liquid, and a sealed wooden box, along with a black robe, formed a circle. In the center was a circular symbol made of thorns.

After staring directly at that circular symbol, everyone except Nimrod felt dizzy. Ryan, who had recovered to normal, quickly emitted faint rays of Morning Light, helping the others suppress their mental confusion.

But at that moment, the black robe on the Altar suddenly stood up, as if worn by an invisible person. The Celestial Worthy's voice echoed in Nimrod's ear:

[A trace of the 'Sufferer' aura. It looks like the Circle of Inevitability directly sent down an Angel—I must have helped with this, compatriot.]

[Although I admit that the me of this timeline is foolish, you shouldn't let your guard down... Wait, what are you doing?]

The Celestial Worthy suddenly noticed Nimrod grabbing the black robe directly with one hand, with faint gray mist appearing in his palm, instantly engulfing the black robe.

Nimrod said seriously, "I'll leave it to you, Celestial Worthy."

Celestial Worthy: [...]

A crisis was resolved just like that.

Lia looked with a strange expression at Nimrod, who had effortlessly dealt with the Outer Deity's Creation right in front of her, feeling that he harbored unimaginable secrets. Ryan noticed Lia's expression and coughed:

"Are there no other issues here?"

"No. This should be the key to the entire Cycle." Nimrod shook his head: "Let's leave here first. After we get out, I'll tell you the information I 'decrypted'."

For Nimrod, who knew more information, this much data was enough to decrypt Lumian's dream and allow Lumian to resolve the Cycle representing the "problem" within the dream.

"Alright." Ryan nodded. After leaving the Basement, he still took on the responsibility of leading, bringing everyone above ground.

As soon as they emerged, Vice Parish Priest Michel enthusiastically greeted them, displaying an unusually excessive and fervent piety.

Nimrod gave Ryan a look, and Ryan immediately understood, knocking out Vice Parish Priest Michel, who was about to speak, with a chop of his hand.

Looking at the unconscious Michel, Lumian felt uneasy—he knew that the problem appearing on his sister was not due to a change in state, but rather an inherent abnormality within this "Cycle."

This was clearly a much harder problem to solve.

"What do we do now? Go to your godson's house?" Ryan pulled Michel aside, frowned, and looked at the Parish Priest whose limbs had been severed.

"No, utilize your wisdom."

"Think about it, besides Madam Pualis, there aren't many people in this village who can threaten our combination of one Sequence 6 and four Sequence 7s."

Nimrod clapped his hands and looked at Valentine:

"Now is the time for you, the Solar High Priest, to act—why can't we be the ones to take over the Sun Church?"

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#96Ninglu's plans

Chapter 96: Nimrod's Plan

Upon hearing Nimrod's words, everyone's first reaction was disbelief, but they quickly realized that what he said was feasible.

The person in charge of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun should rightfully be a Solar High Priest. Although a Sequence 7 may not seem high in the Beyonder world, a true "Solar High Priest" already holds a significant position among most church members, who are ordinary people.

If compared to the Nighthawks, a "Solar High Priest" would be equivalent to a city-level area bishop, like in Tingen City.

"—Of course, we can!" After realizing Nimrod's intention, Valentine immediately spoke with urgency:

"I've had enough of these cultists who desecrate the glory of the Sun. Allowing them to defile the sacred church for even a second is unbearable for us!"

Please don't include "us"... Lia, who had a tradition of flexible faith, maintained a smile on her face and silently added this in her heart.

But then Valentine's tone became hesitant again:

"However, if we stay here, will it cause other problems? For example, if the ritual cannot be completed, and this 'cycle' continues to advance, will it attract other dangers?"

"Of course, it will, but those other dangers are exactly what we want," Nimrod nodded slightly.

"The Parish Priest and his group, who are responsible for the ritual, have already been brought under our control. The only danger left to attract is the essence that triggers the cycle. We will draw this 'danger' over and then eliminate it, and the cycle here will naturally break."

"That simple?" Lia, with her keen intuition, instinctively felt suspicious, but Nimrod quickly replied:

"Of course not."

"Based on the current clues, the situation in the entire village can be simply divided into three parts: the Parish Priest who believes in Fate, Madam Pualis who believes in Mother, and the villagers who were incited by the Parish Priest."

"Of course, we cannot directly announce that a 'Solar High Priest' will take over the church and the Parish Priest's duties. If we did, most of the incited villagers would resist for their own sake, or even actively rescue the trapped Parish Priest."

"And by then, can the three of you truly strike fatally against ordinary people without Beyonder powers? These incited villagers are also part of the cycle; if the Beyonder powers within them are triggered, the danger here will immediately erupt."

"At that point, no one here would be able to escape the calamity."

Listening to Nimrod's words, Valentine's lips parted speechlessly, and he said with a hint of indignation:

"But how could they... that's the belief in an evil god!"

"You can't ask everyone to give their all for their beliefs." Nimrod looked at Valentine with a half-smile:

"Even if the belief in an evil god is a poisoned candy, at least they can taste sweetness before death, and it can make their lives better."

"Humans are creatures who weigh pros and cons. When faith in God cannot outweigh the hardships of life, doesn't that become a breeding ground for evil gods?"

Valentine was now speechless. He merely frowned, standing still.

Ryan then took over, speaking to Nimrod:

"What should we do now?"

"It's simple. Announce that the Parish Priest has been promoted by the church, and change the 'ritual to change luck' circulating among the villagers to the belief that their faith will soon receive divine grace," Nimrod said casually.

"Even if they have been incited, their deeply rooted beliefs cannot be changed overnight. Deep down, they are still more willing to believe in the Eternal Blazing Sun."

Seeing that Valentine's expression had improved compared to before, Nimrod struck while the iron was hot and said:

"I hope you can interrogate the Parish Priest later to get the complete ritual process from him, and then Lia and I will use mystical methods to reverse-engineer this ritual."

"Of course, there might still be people in the village who are close to the Parish Priest, and we also need to investigate their identities one by one to eliminate these hidden dangers."

...After dispatching the official trio to interrogate the Parish Priest and his accomplices, Nimrod also helped Lumian bring Aurore, whose eyes had become somewhat vacant, into a room in the church.

After settling Aurore, Lumian took a deep breath and asked Nimrod:

"Godfather, is the method to resolve the cycle really as simple as you say?"

"Of course not," Nimrod replied calmly, his expression unchanged.

"How could the cycle end so simply? If it were really that simple, then the official Beyonders would have found a way to break the cycle long ago."

"The most important components of this ritual are the Lent Festival and the last night, but if there's no host, who will complete this ritual and extract the evil god's corruption from the villagers?"

"But this solution is not something we can explain in detail to those three official Beyonders—interrogate them for the ritual, then propose that this ritual must be completed to break the cycle. If I said that, would you believe I'm just an enthusiastic Beyonder who wants to break the cycle?"

Lumian felt it was unreliable just by listening. If the official Beyonders could believe such a ridiculous claim, then he felt he didn't need to have too many expectations for them.

"Forget about the official Beyonders, even I don't really believe it." After habitually saying that, Lumian tugged at the corner of his mouth and said to Nimrod:

"My dear Godfather, what do you need me to do? I am different from them; as long as Aurore can be saved, I am willing to deal with all the incited villagers in Cordu Village."

Lumian's tone was quite ruthless.

"You're being a bit extreme."

"We need to complete the ritual ourselves. The Lent Festival is manageable; we can tell Ryan and the others that we need to complete the Lent Festival for 'not alerting the enemy,' but the subsequent ritual cannot be completed."

"So we need to get the detailed ritual process from the Parish Priest and his accomplices?" Lumian's tone carried a hint of doubt:

"But if we actively complete the ritual, wouldn't that allow the Parish Priest and his group to succeed?"

"You know that actively completing the ritual would allow the Parish Priest and his group to succeed, so can't you expand your thinking a bit?" Nimrod sighed.

"We can modify the ritual so that its outcome becomes 'recovering the pollution'."

"However, by then, you, as the carrier of the pollution, will directly face the entire truth."

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#97Fors: What do you do if you wake up to find your boss working overtime?

Chapter 97 Fors: What to do when you wake up and find your boss working overtime?

"By then, as the carrier of pollution, you will face all the truth…"

Lumian chewed on Nimrod's words to him, and suddenly, some blurry images appeared before his eyes, giving him a strong sense of déjà vu.

This sense of déjà vu made Lumian's lungs feel like they were about to explode, turning his face crimson. Nimrod quietly watched Lumian, and waited until he had recovered and was panting uncontrollably before speaking:

"If I'm not mistaken, your 'Hunter' characteristic should be fully digested, right?"

"That's right." After a moment, Lumian seemed to have recovered:

"Earlier, when I realized the trap set by the Parish Priest, I felt… I felt something suddenly shatter. At that moment, I realized that the 'Hunter' Beyonder characteristic should have been fully digested."

"Very good." Nimrod nodded:

"I wasn't idle in your dream ruins the past two days. Since your potion has been digested, tonight we will go a step further and deal with the two Monsters I helped you find earlier."

"The first Monster holds a silver-black dagger. That dagger is somewhat related to the 'Fate' faith, and I need to borrow it temporarily to decipher the details of the ritual."

"The second Monster is completely engulfed in flames. It possesses Beyonder characteristics from the subsequent Sequences of the 'Hunter' Pathway, which are essential for your advancement."

"That flame Monster is a Pyromaniac who lost control and turned into a Monster. You cannot directly utilize its Beyonder characteristic. I will help you separate the 'Provoker' characteristic from it, allowing you to use it to concoct your potion."

"Tomorrow during the day, I will control the church with others and complete the Lent ritual. You will have ample time to complete your advancement."

Lumian nodded repeatedly until he heard Nimrod earnestly say to him:

"The only problem is that I don't have the formula and materials for the subsequent Pathways of the 'Hunter'. You might need to find that lady from before to trade, but that's for tomorrow."

"Don't worry, she's most likely at the Old Tavern you frequent."

...The next day, Lumian, exhausted from a night of hunting, walked towards the Old Tavern. After casually brushing off the villagers who had already begun to sink into the cycle with his usual tone, he easily found Fors sitting at a table.

"...Hello." Lumian mentally prepared his tone and greeted the woman before him very politely.

Fors raised her eyes and glanced at Lumian: "You finally came to find me. It seems you've received considerable help from him."

"I've acknowledged him as my godfather." Lumian deliberated, "He told me that he doesn't have the supplementary materials for the subsequent Pathways of the 'Hunter' and asked me to seek your help…"

Upon hearing the first half of Lumian's sentence, many thoughts surfaced in Fors's mind, and her expression suddenly became peculiar:

Him?

Isn't the only one who can use the power of Sefirah Castle and identifies as "him" Mr. Fool?

Is Mr. Fool personally helping this little guy because his condition has improved, or is the Seal of the Outer God on him very important?

Does Mr. Fool think I haven't done enough, that I haven't provided him with any help?

But I thought he would come to me after encountering trouble! Who knew you would proactively offer him help!

He barely came to me!

Fors silently complained a couple of times in her heart, instantly feeling the same urgency she had back when Gehrman Sparrow forced her to digest and advance, her humanity battling her divinity.

She swirled the wine glass in her hand and softly said to Lumian:

"You have already obtained the 'Provoker' Beyonder characteristic?"

Lumian shook his head:

"Not yet, but my godfather helped me find a flame Monster… I obtained a silver-black dagger from another Monster that can exchange Fate. Uh, I call it the 'life-hunting blade'."

Last night, Lumian hunted down the blacksmith Monster, who held an item equivalent to a Sequence 5 'Fate Diviner's' boon, and seized this Beyonder dagger from its hands. He planned to hunt the 'flame Monster' tonight!

Lumian hoped to consume the potion and complete his advancement after the hunt, so he came to the tavern today to find Fors.

Fors pondered for a moment, thinking that Mr. Fool might have promised to help Lumian separate the characteristic, so she didn't bring it up herself. She simply told Lumian that she would send the auxiliary materials into his dream that night and said no more.

After Lumian left, Fors listened to the chaotic sounds coming from the dream, muttering to herself with a hint of confusion:

"I can no longer see his Fate…"

"It's normal that I can't see Mr. Fool's Fate, but why can't I see Lumian Lee's Fate either?"

"Is it because his Fate is linked to Mr. Fool's to some extent?"

"Hmm, the changes in the dream do seem like Mr. Fool's doing. It appears there are secrets here I don't know about."

"The Lord of the Mysteries' interference with me has also grown stronger here, but it still looks like the Fool has the upper hand…"

As she muttered to herself, Fors gradually vanished as if melting into the air. The surrounding dream world rapidly shattered and twisted, splitting into chaotic realms, with only symbols representing deities and Beyonder powers silently flickering there… In the dim world, Lumian's axe fell, severing the flame Monster's head.

Nimrod stood by Lumian's side, taking the 'heart' precipitated from the flame Monster from Lumian's hand, and also receiving the blood-stained dagger Lumian handed over.

The dagger, which possessed a certain living characteristic, instantly tried to control Nimrod's Fate the moment Lumian handed it over, then it trembled, and its light almost dimmed completely.

"Leave it to me." Nimrod held the Pyromaniac's Beyonder characteristic in his hand, and specks of gray fog gathered at his side, sending it into Sefirah Castle.

He could indeed separate Beyonder characteristics, but not with the power of Sefirah Castle.

When he opened his eyes again, his surroundings had returned to his room in the Aurora Order.

He pulled out the shadow lantern from the gray fog and earnestly said to the True Creator divinity within it:

"Could you help me out? Help me separate a Beyonder characteristic."

Chapter 98: Klein Under the "Coincidence"

A slight confusion was transmitted from within the "shadow lantern" at the appropriate time. Even the Omnipotent and Omniscient God, the Lord who created everything, felt momentarily bewildered upon hearing Nimrod's extremely erratic words.

You called me out—the avatar of the True Creator, the human side of the Ancient Sun God—just for this?

To decompose a Sequence 7 Beyonder characteristic?

After confirming that Nimrod was not joking, the True Creator's Divinity within the "shadow lantern" still helped Nimrod begin decomposing this "Pyromaniac" characteristic.

After this Divinity was separated, although the ratio of Divinity to anchors greatly increased, coupled with Sefirah Castle's power suppressing the spirit of the Primordial God Almighty, it became slightly clearer, though not by much.

While waiting for the characteristic to decompose, Nimrod pondered what method Ince Zangwill would use to launch his final attack. But suddenly, Nimrod frowned and spoke toward the "shadow lantern" in front of him:

"Stop for a moment, True Creator—there's a problem with this lamp you're residing in."

After hearing Nimrod's words, the "shadow lantern"'s process of decomposing the Beyonder characteristic gradually ceased, but just then, Nimrod noticed that the flame inside the "shadow lantern" was still flickering dimly.

The Divinity within it seemed to be passively resonating with the outside world!

Excluding the Divinity on Lanevus, the only other Divinity related to Tingen City was the Divine Child Megoos was carrying.

Megoos, whose powers had originally gone out of control and rampaged, had returned to Tingen City and appeared near an Aurora Order stronghold!

...Klein suddenly awoke from his sleep. Prompted by his Spiritual Intuition, he sprang up, grabbed the revolver hidden nearby, and rushed to the door.

This is very wrong... Klein felt his hairs stand on end, realizing that rushing into the Darkness now was not a rational choice. However, he glanced back at the other two rooms in his house, took a deep breath, pushed open the Door, and stepped into the Darkness, one step at a time.

Klein was certain that the extreme danger he felt was Ince Zangwill launching an attack!

I can't let the coincidence he manufactures harm Benson and Melissa... Klein walked slowly forward while desperately recalling the events that had transpired recently in his mind.

What special event happened? Right, after the Tarot Club ended yesterday, people who had previously been deceived by Lanevus came to the Seer Club!

Klein's pupils suddenly contracted.

Among the people who had been deceived today, there were family members of "Megoos," who was carrying the Evil God's Ritual!

That lady even asked if I could use Divination to find Megoos's whereabouts, but she unexpectedly didn't bring any of Megoos's personal belongings, so I didn't have time to divine and promised to help her tomorrow... Thanks to Nimrod, who is Mr. L, Klein knew the intelligence concerning Megoos and Lanevus. But Klein never expected Megoos, who had lost control due to the Mystical Ritual, to appear in Tingen City again.

What is the probability that a life form dragged into the Spirit World due to contamination by evil forces could return to the real world without getting lost in the Spirit World? Even if Megoos had the True Creator's Divine Child providing guidance, she shouldn't be appearing near his home!

Judging by the mystical knowledge Klein possessed, Megoos's condition was actually more akin to an out-of-control Wraith, and an out-of-control Wraith returning to the real world should most likely choose a place associated with strong obsessions.

If my judgment is correct, and if this is indeed the work of Ince Zangwill, then the one lurking around my house is very likely Megoos, who is carrying the Divine Child... [I hope readers remember our domain 101kanshushu.com for relief from book withdrawal, it's super useful]

Klein, wearing only a shirt and a coat on his upper body, nervously gripped his pistol and walked step by step out of his front Door.

He keenly noticed that the shadows around him were unusually restless today. Whether it was the corners piled high with debris or the shadows cast by the fence under the illumination of the crimson moonlight, they gave Klein a simple and pure feeling: "Danger."

It felt exactly like facing a hungry beast in the wilderness. Although Klein had never been to a wilderness with beasts before he transmigrated, he instinctively had a similar thought.

The shadows formed in the areas not illuminated by the crimson moonlight seemed like Doors leading to the Shadow World (Note 1), from which terrifying entities could emerge at any moment to claim his life.

Klein's brain was working at high speed. He felt a stinging sensation like needles piercing his back, and every bit of spirituality throughout his body was warning him, urging him to quickly flee the danger here.

Klein glanced back at the pitch-black window behind him, gritted his teeth, and chose not to flee. Instead, he slowly walked forward step by step along the road illuminated by faint lamplight nearby.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Klein's movements were extremely slow, like a Puppet learning to walk. The crimson moonlight above the sky seemed to brighten slightly, and the stars twinkled gently, as if observing this solo performance.

The crimson moonlight scattered on the ground, making the earth seem suffused with blood diluted by water.

Not until Klein had walked hundreds of meters did the spirituality throughout his body stop desperately emitting that chilling, bone-piercing sensation, providing him with a warning. However, Klein's initial panic gradually subsided.

Whether it's Megoos or not, the danger I sensed is still following me. It seems Benson and Melissa will be fine... A few beads of sweat slid down Klein's forehead, and his pace gradually quickened.

The surrounding shadows flowed; it seemed they had just realized Klein had spotted them. They immediately twisted like oil, leaping from shadow to shadow, surrounding Klein from all directions.

No, go find Lanevus! Why are you coming after me!

I'm not the bastard who tricked you!

Klein's pupils immediately constricted to their smallest size. The instant the surrounding shadows began to flow, he broke into a desperate sprint.

"Traveler roaming the Upper World, living thing wandering the void, Messenger exclusive to Ning Lu Emonsal!"

"Help me deliver a message!"

Klein ran while shouting in Hermes Language, but this time, the Messenger figure with the powerful oppressive aura did not appear, causing Klein's heart to sink halfway.

Fortunately, the surrounding shadows seemed hesitant, their speed fluctuating, allowing Klein to maintain a certain distance from them even while running at full speed.

Now he had to figure out how to save himself.

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#99the night before

Chapter 99: The Eve

"Follow me."

Nimrod's expression was solemn as he called out to Mr. Z, who seemed to never rest.

Mr. Z walked alongside Nimrod in the corridor, observing Nimrod's somewhat hurried pace. A moment of doubt arose in his heart, and he asked frankly:

"What's wrong, sir? You seem... rather agitated tonight."

Mr. Z cast his gaze upon Nimrod's hand, looking at the lantern in Nimrod's hand with both reverence and excitement.

At this moment, the shadow lantern was burning with flickering flames, giving Mr. Z a profound... heartfelt shock.

Just by looking at the flames within this lantern, he was almost certain it was a blessing from the Lord. He even suspected that the flames were the Lord's spirit itself. But Mr. Z dared not believe his own guess, for to speculate presumptuously about the Lord was an act of disrespect and blasphemy.

Nimrod glanced at Mr. Z:

"The Lord's Divine Son has appeared in Tingen City."

Mr. Z immediately fell silent. After a moment, he could barely control his emotions, his voice becoming exceptionally excited and loud:

"What did you say? The Lord's Divine Son has returned... Has the Lady who conceived the Lord returned to Tingen? Oh, Lord, this must be the opportunity You have given me to atone for my sins. I will not fail Your trust—when shall we go to welcome the Divine Son's arrival?"

Nimrod looked at Mr. Z.

Mr. Z: "...We are going to welcome the Divine Son's arrival, right?"

"No, we are going to reclaim the Lord's divinity. To put it simply, we need to help Megoos eliminate the 'Divine Son' that is about to be born."

Nimrod rubbed his forehead: "Moreover, it's not 'we'; you need to stay here."

Mr. Z's eyebrows knitted together instantly: "Begging your pardon..."

"And you're right, there is a trace of the Lord's spirit bestowed within this lantern."

Nimrod spoke as if he hadn't heard Mr. Z: "The Lord can gradually recover with this trace of spirit, so we need to reclaim the Lord's divinity. Do you have any other questions?"

"...But then again, I will certainly follow the Lord's guidance." Mr. Z's eyebrows smoothed out again, but he still wanted to strive for glory:

"But can I truly not meet the Lord's Divine Son? Although I have not gained the Lord's highest trust, I can still dedicate myself to the Lord with the power He has bestowed."

"You must understand that the blasphemer who desecrated the Lord's glory has left his mark on the Holy Mother who conceived the Divine Son," Nimrod said to Mr. Z:

"After encountering Megoos, you may not be able to control your mind and remain stable—and you may not be able to distinguish whether the voice echoing in your mind is the Lord's or someone else's temptation."

"Moreover, you have another mission."

"You need to manage the other brothers and sisters in the Aurora Order, to prevent them from unknowingly becoming weapons in the blasphemer's hands, used to threaten the Lord."

Although it was somewhat comical to speak of "affecting one's mind" to an Aurora Order envoy who was routinely in a state of madness, Mr. Z was quite susceptible to Nimrod's approach. He immediately solemnly promised Nimrod that he would live up to the Lord's expectations and go check on the status of the True Creator's believers one by one.

Nimrod held the lantern, exerting a slight force with his feet, and walked quickly towards the Blackthorn Security Company at a much faster pace than usual.

A large part of the reason he didn't bring the other members of the Aurora Order with him was the very explanation he had given Mr. Z earlier.

With Ince Zangwill watching in Tingen City, and Adam overseeing the larger picture, even with his extremely high Beyonder status and the blessing of Sefirah Castle, he couldn't have a crowd of believers with obvious characteristics following an "invisible person" out in the open!

—This "invisible" refers to being undetectable through divination, foresight, arrangements, and similar methods.

Nimrod arrived at the entrance of Blackthorn Security Company in no time.

At this moment, Blackthorn Security Company was quiet, with only a faint light keeping the surroundings from being too dim—the door was tightly locked, but there was still a faint light inside.

The Nighthawks maintained some Beyonder powers ready for deployment every night, or rather, as members of the Evernight Goddess's Church, the Nighthawks were created to face dangers in the Darkness from the very beginning.

It's perfectly reasonable to lock the door at night.

This thought flashed through Nimrod's mind, but then he felt an almost absurd amusement at the words that had sprung up within him.

His expression remained unchanged. He simply raised his arm abruptly, his body twisting in a way rarely seen by ordinary people, bringing his fist directly down upon the door of Blackthorn Security Company.

The starlight in the sky seemed to brighten, like the eyes of a deity watching the human world. A crimson veil enveloped Nimrod, seemingly scrutinizing this Beyonder ability that clearly did not belong to Earth.

"Are you watching me?"

"—You are indeed watching here, 'personally' witnessing the stage Adam has set."

"Don't rush, Amanises, I am not your enemy."

Nimrod's lips curved into a smile: "I'm merely here to remind your believers, to prevent them from silently dying with your tacit approval—this matter is beneficial to you."

He shook the lantern in his hand:

"Do you see? The True Creator and I are allies. How could humanity's creator befriend an Outer Deity? Even if you don't believe me, you must believe the former 'Ancient Sun God,' right?"

The crimson veil slowly moved away from Nimrod, and the sound of shattering glass drew the Nighthawks' attention—Leonard rushed up from the steps leading underground, then rolled back in the opposite direction the instant he saw Nimrod.

"O-o-o-o-old man!" Leonard was horrified: "Is that Amon? Is that Amon? Why is He here?"

"Don't panic!" Pales shouted loudly into Leonard's ear: "It's that high-level existence you met last time—He bears us no ill will, you're overreacting."

"...It's hard not to be scared facing a high-level existence, isn't it?" Leonard retorted: "What should I do now?"

"Can't you use your brain?" Pales said, exasperated: "Why didn't I see you scared when you saw me? Go and negotiate with Him, see what He's here for."

"He knows this is the headquarters of the Evernight Goddess Church's Nighthawks. Breaking your door open directly can only mean one thing—He has urgent matters to discuss with you!"

Leonard's gaze solidified, and his clever intelligence immediately took over:

"Old man, are you saying..."

"The long-accumulated problems in Tingen City are about to erupt into a major disaster?"

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#100cooperate

Chapter 100: Cooperation

Leonard cautiously poked his head out from behind the stairs. As soon as he did, he heard Nimrod speak to him from a distance:

"Leonard, if I remember correctly, that should be your name."

"Call Dunn Smith over. Megoos has returned to Tingen, and I need your assistance to eliminate the True Creator's Divine Son."

Leonard pondered the meaning behind Nimrod's words.

Then he glanced at Mr. L, the devout follower of the True Creator.

"...Huh?"

...Dunn Smith walked up with a grave expression, and Daly's face was equally solemn.

After walking to about five meters from Nimrod, Dunn took a deep breath and asked Nimrod:

"Mr. L, what brings you here?"

"To make a long story short." Nimrod stood still, leaning on his cane, his voice calm:

"The mastermind you know has made his move. Under the influence of various 'coincidences,' Megoos has now returned to Tingen City."

"I couldn't contact Klein. The mastermind has probably taken control of Megoos, who is pregnant with the Divine Son, to pursue him, wanting to kill Klein, who has repeatedly obstructed them."

"Heh, besides that, the mastermind's other goal is to have Klein lead Megoos to you, kill you, and then seize Saint Selena's ashes behind Chanis Gate."

Nimrod raised the lantern in his hand:

"This lantern houses the 'True Creator Divinity' stripped from Lanevus's body. It resonates with the divinity within the Divine Son—you should know that resentment and hatred are the nourishment for evil gods, and the Lower Street of Tingen just so happens to have no shortage of despair and resentment."

"It won't be long before Megoos completely loses control and becomes a Monster possessing a portion of the True Creator's power. By then, everything in Tingen City will be wiped out, including you and me."

Dunn's gaze flickered:

"Your words are illogical. The Divine Descent of the True Creator is your long-cherished wish. Even if the cost is your lives, you shouldn't be thinking of preventing the advent of your Lord."

For followers of the True Creator, if offering themselves is all it takes for their Lord to descend, then it is not a sacrifice, but supreme glory.

"That's right." Nimrod said expressionlessly, "But what if I don't worship the True Creator?"

Dunn was stunned for a moment.

"Within the Aurora Order, there are also Saints who believe in the Lord's other aspect, the 'Sun God,' such as the 'Saint of Black,' Leomaster. I am the same; I also hope that the Lord's other side gains the upper hand. What should awaken is not the fallen and aberrant Hanged Man, but the 'Sun God' who symbolizes light."

"As for the rest, content like 'the Sun belongs to the Sun God' that I mentioned falls under what you call 'heretical doctrines.' But since the Eternal Blazing Sun Church is also considered an evil god church by you, I don't think it should offend your beliefs."

Nimrod's laughter was devoid of emotion, but his words made Dunn quickly make a judgment.

Regardless of whether the words of this Aurora Order Saint were true, they had no reason to ignore Mr. L's words at this moment.

"—What do you need us to do?"

Dunn cautiously said to Nimrod, signaling Daly beside him with his eyes to inform the others and non-combatants—the church's basement was connected to this place, and Chanis Gate could not be left unguarded. If ordinary clergy were left in the church, it would only lead to unnecessary sacrifices.

At the same time, for the experienced Daly, she could also send an urgent telegram at a glance from Dunn, informing St. Samuels Church in Backlund of what was happening here and requesting powerful reinforcements.

The situation here was no longer something they could resolve. Megoos, possessing the True Creator's divinity, was infinitely close to a demigod-level powerhouse.

Moreover, in terms of status, she and the child in her womb were, to some extent, equivalent to the True Creator, equivalent to a true deity.

"I carry the Lord's bestowal, capable of separating the divinity of the Divine Son within Megoos and the spirit belonging to the True Creator."

Nimrod maintained his previous posture and said to Dunn:

"But the problem now is that Megoos is controlled by '0-08.' We must make her lose her ability to resist before we can perform the ritual of stripping her spirit, and that is something I cannot do."

"Since you know the laws related to Beyonder characteristics, you should understand that Saint Selena's ashes are a demigod-level Beyonder characteristic."

Dunn fell into hesitation for a moment—he understood what Mr. L meant, but could he really trust the Aurora Order, which worshiped an evil god?

[If they refuse to cooperate with you, what will you choose?]

During Dunn's brief hesitation, the Celestial Worthy spoke, asking Nimrod.

"What else can I do? Turn around and run, of course." Nimrod replied in his mind:

"I don't have the pre-allocated resurrection chances like Klein. I really can't risk my life here, can I?"

"However..."

Nimrod's lips curled slightly:

"They won't refuse to cooperate with me."

"After all, the Nighthawks are the Guardians of Tingen City."

Dunn didn't hesitate for long; he quickly made a decision:

"We can provide some help. As you said, if we don't deal with Megoos and the True Creator's Divine Son, the entire Tingen City will suffer immense losses."

"But we need to see your sincerity, Mr. L. We have already sent a telegram requesting help to St. Samuels Church, but waiting for St. Samuels Church's support might be too late."

"But even now, we have the ability to make Megoos fall into a brief slumber, though it requires... a very heavy price."

Dunn's words had two layers of meaning: the first was to tell Nimrod the extent of what they could do, and the second was to warn the True Creator's Saint.

After saying this, Dunn saw Nimrod nod gently, slowly exhaling:

"Heh, I never thought that I and the Aurora Order would one day cooperate to some extent."

"Neither did I." Nimrod shook his head: "Go prepare for battle—Klein is about to escape back, and I don't want to see you die in front of me."

Chapter 101: The Same Choice

Obviously, no one present took Nimrod's last words seriously—after all, who would think that a Saint of the Aurora Order would bestow a blessing upon a member of the orthodox churches?

Blackthorn Security Company quickly entered a state of busyness. Several Nighthawks of lower Sequence were assigned to guard the Chanis Gate underground, while Dunn Smith and Daly Simone, who were skilled in combat and held the highest Sequences, stood guard on the ground floor. Dunn took out Saint Selena's Urn, and Daly stood beside Dunn, dragging the "2-078" door of death.

As a Beyonder of the Death Pathway, Daly had a certain sensitivity toward Death, ensuring that even if an error occurred and the door of death escaped its Seal, she would have a way to respond.

What surprised Dunn was that Leonard Mitchell, who usually seemed the most unreliable and secretive, strongly requested to participate in this battle and even volunteered to wear the "2-105" vessel of blood.

Out of trust for his teammate, Dunn decided to agree to Leonard's request.

Meanwhile, Nimrod held the shadow lantern and silently concealed himself within the shadows of the corner.

"Do you think we can succeed?"

Leonard quietly crept up beside Nimrod, desperately suppressing the panic in his voice. Nimrod glanced at Leonard:

"Why don't you ask that old man parasitizing you?"

"I..." Leonard was momentarily speechless. "I asked..."

Judging by your reaction, Pallez Zoroast didn't answer you, did he?

I'm actually quite curious how Pales described me to you, to make you, this Chuunibyo, so terrified... Although Nimrod was quite curious, he didn't continue teasing Leonard, merely waving his hand:

"Tell Pales I'm not Amon. If I were really Amon, could he still be living here safe and sound?"

"However, you're really lucky to have met the only—no, the two consciences among the Marauders. Forget Amon; even if you were parasitized by a Jacob, you wouldn't be yourself right now."

"The two?" Leonard subconsciously asked back.

"The other one is me."

With that, Nimrod ignored Leonard, and Leonard pursed his lips, wrapping the vessel of blood around his wrist.

Before long, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Everyone present tensed up, looking toward the Darkness ahead.

From the Darkness, an intense aura of danger rushed over them. Dunn tightly gripped the box in his hands. His superhuman Dark Vision allowed him to be the first among the four present to see the scene within the Darkness.

On the street outside the door, Klein Moretti's face was pale as he ran with all his might; behind him, countless shadows distinct from the Darkness flowed like oil, finally converging into a humanoid figure.

The upper half of this humanoid figure was a pregnant woman with a protruding belly and golden hair cascading backward, while the lower half was a long skirt seemingly composed of black mud-like shadow.

The long skirt dragged on the ground, leaving a trail of shadow that seemed capable of swallowing everything around it.

The flesh on both sides of her neck was rapidly wriggling, seemingly attempting to form two protruding heads on either side of her main head.

She gently stroked her belly with her right hand, while her left hand had transformed into stark white bone. The tip of the bone slowly grew, resembling a sharp Bone Knife.

[Wow—an incomplete 'Trinity Templar', an incomplete 'Profane Presbyter'. I see that the favored ones of God Almighty can also pull off this trick.]

Celestial Worthy's tone was filled with amusement: [Can you win?]

Just as Celestial Worthy spoke, the pale-faced Klein Moretti rolled through the doorway of Blackthorn Security Company that Nimrod had shattered. He didn't have time to wonder why so many people were gathered here, only hearing Dunn's deep voice:

"Daly!"

Daly instantly understood Dunn's meaning. She stretched out her hands and threw the wooden door frame she held forward—the door of death landed behind Klein, and after sensing the aura of freedom, it swiftly attached itself to the door of Blackthorn Security Company.

But in the next instant, Megoos charged into the door of death like a fully speeding truck.

The door of Blackthorn Security Company shattered rapidly, leaving only speckles of starlight-like color in the air; simultaneously, Megoos's fair skin was stained with a chilling color, covered in large patches of corpse spots.

Just as Celestial Worthy had said, the current Megoos was displaying the characteristics of a Trinity Templar and the incomplete power of a Profane Presbyter. It was truly fortunate that a beyonder item without divinity could momentarily obstruct the Demigod Megoos, and the price for blocking the Demigod was the shattering of the door of death.

Double the good news.jpg

Dunn unhesitatingly opened the bone-textured box in his hand.

Inside the box, the extremely deep Dark Cosmos appeared in everyone's sight. Strands of cold black threads drifted in the air, surging toward Megoos almost instantly.

"You all deserve to die."

Megoos spat out dense Profane Words. The Sequence 4 Beyonder characteristic in Dunn's hand instinctively recoiled upon sensing this Angel-level power, immediately scattering away from Megoos's body.

If it weren't nighttime, the home ground of the Darkness Pathway, Saint Selena's Beyonder characteristic might have been directly knocked down by Megoos, whose special characteristics were fully activated!

Leonard, who had already aimed the vessel of blood at Megoos, also instantly turned pale, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Daly timely supported Dunn, who had retreated several steps. The Spiritual Bodies around her were constantly trembling.

She closed her eyes, and two lines of bloody tears streamed from Daly's eyes.

She had tried to find Megoos's weakness while Megoos was affected, but the Sequence gap between them was too vast. Daly suffered a severe backlash simply by opening her "Death Eye" for an instant.

While all three suffered severe backlash, Megoos raised her upper body, seemingly gathering strength.

The current Megoos could almost be considered "half" a Sequence 3! (Note 1)

But at this moment, Nimrod raised the shadow lantern in one hand, while with the other, he directly tore open his shirt, actively removing the gray mist behind his neck, exposing the Inverted Cross Brand on his body to the air.

He also had a Profane Presbyter Beyonder characteristic sealed on his body, which was enough to pierce the coincidence created by "0-08" and slow down Megoos's mutated state!

Nimrod originally intended to save this move for Ince Zangwill, but Megoos's unusual mutation forced him to reveal it prematurely.

However, the mutation on Megoos's body continued. The swollen flesh on both sides of her shoulders kept throbbing, faintly growing the outlines of facial features.

Seeing the scene before him, a look of determination flashed in Dunn's eyes. He unhesitatingly withdrew his right hand and stabbed toward his chest.

He turned his face, looked at Daly who was struggling to support him, and his lips moved slightly:

"I'm sorry, Daly."

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#102Ince, why don't you look behind you?

Chapter 102: Ince, why don't you look behind you?

A heart, carrying the tranquility of night and the variability of dreams, fell into Saint Selena's ashes.

As Megoos's mutation slowed, Dunn unhesitatingly removed his heart, the place where all his Beyonder characteristics gathered, using it as a medium to further activate Saint Selena's ashes.

Klein, seeing this scene, was instantly stunned. He never imagined things would turn out this way.

He thought he was only facing a Sequence 5 Beyonder, Ince Zangwill, who controlled "0-08".

He thought the entire Nighthawks team could deal with Megoos, who was pregnant with a demigod, but he didn't expect the captain to pay with his life.

He was only a Sequence 9 Seer, and the escape had exhausted all his strength. His body had reached its limit, losing all combat effectiveness.

Just then, Klein saw a silver-black light simultaneously appear in the nearby corner and on the captain's body.

But the light flashed and quickly disappeared into the dark threads emerging from the box Dunn held.

Klein only thought this was Dunn activating Saint Selena's ashes in his hand, and could only helplessly recall any ritual magic in his mind that could transfer injuries, wanting to see if he could save the captain who had lost his heart.

Megoos, seemingly sensing the threat emanating from Dunn, immediately tried to interrupt Dunn's actions with her "Words of Filth".

"—Captain!" Leonard's eyes were bloodshot, and blood mixed with tears streamed from his eye sockets.

His face flushed instantly, and blood vessels twitched like poisonous insects under the effect of Beyonder power, while the vessel of blood in Leonard's hand rapidly expanded, completing a "theft".

Pallez Zoroast lent his power to Leonard at the most critical moment, allowing Leonard to successfully steal Megoos's "Words of Filth," making Megoos lose the ability to speak.

Leonard coughed up a mouthful of blood, uttering words filled with rich blasphemous meaning:

"Submit!"

Returning an attack with their own method is one of the biggest characteristics of the Error Pathway.

Just as "0-08" controlled by Ince Zangwill could not affect Nimrod and Klein, who were blessed by Sefirah Castle, and could only influence them through indirect means, Ince Zangwill likewise could not affect the Sequence 1 Archangel Pallez Zoroast!

Megoos, with two layers of influence on her, trembled in her legs, bending downwards inch by inch under the effect of the "Blasphemous Words".

Immediately after, overwhelming dense black lines enveloped Megoos, causing her gradually mutating body to become rigid.

"Mr. L, it's time for you to fulfill your promise!"

Just then, Dunn, in a low voice, loudly called out a name Klein hadn't expected.

Klein initially thought he had misheard, but the next moment he saw one ray of light after another emerge from the Darkness, yet that figure remained hidden in the Darkness and never appeared.

One after another, materials belonging to the domains of "Depravity" and "shadows" in mysticism floated in the air as if alive, swarming towards Megoos under the control of the shadow.

A faint layer of black flames surged forward from various parts of the room, and the shadows around Megoos also seemed to be ignited by these black flames.

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In the burning of the black flames, the black mud-like shadows on Megoos's body disintegrated, and her originally swollen abdomen rapidly shriveled.

Klein, with his remaining spirituality, keenly sensed that the horrifying sacredness within Megoos's abdomen was being stripped away by the surrounding ritual materials, flowing from Megoos's body towards the dark corner.

With a "thump," Megoos's mutated body returned to normal. Her body softly collapsed to the ground, her face retaining a twisted expression of both pain and serenity.

The black threads dissipated from Megoos's body, retracting one by one into the box held by Dunn Smith.

Watching the heart in Saint Selena's urn beat slower and slower, Klein, having recovered some strength and spirituality, took two steps forward and, unable to bear it, called out to Dunn, who was being supported by Daly:

"—Captain!"

Just now, Klein had thought of a way to save Dunn Smith.

The essence of the Gray Fog Space he controlled was to pull a person's spirit body there; as long as the spirit body was not extinguished, there was still hope!

The Spirit World exists in this world; as long as there's life, there's hope—Klein no longer had time to consider what would happen if his special abilities were exposed to the Church. He only thought that Captain Dunn couldn't die here.

Although he hadn't worked with them for long, the Nighthawks partners had given Klein a sense of home—besides Nimrod, his fellow countryman, and "Klein's" siblings, the Nighthawks partners were the most important people to the current Klein.

But just then, Klein saw a hint of astonishment and panic in the captain's deep gaze.

The heart in Saint Selena's urn beat, one beat after another. Dunn opened his mouth, squeezing out a roar from his throat:

"Don't come over!"

Klein instinctively paused, then felt an unbearable sharp pain in his left shoulder.

He turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a black priest's robe standing there. His palm was extended forward, having just shattered his shoulder blade.

If not for Dunn's voice, Klein would have been directly pierced through the heart.

"Tsk." The middle-aged man's expression was utterly gloomy, and Klein recognized the man's identity—his hair was dark gold, he had one blue-black eye, profound features, and pale skin.

This was the mastermind behind Tingen City, the renegade Archdeacon who controlled "0-08," Ince Zangwill!

"So talkative..." Ince Zangwill's expression was twisted, and he looked at Dunn Smith, who was still standing before him, with a venomous tone:

"Always messing up my plans. I'll make you watch your companions die one by one!"

"You damned, damned Nighthawks!"

With that, he swung his right hand, aiming for Klein's neck.

Before coming here, Ince Zangwill had already confirmed with "0-08" that no one here could obstruct him anymore—since that was the case, he would make these people pay with their lives for their actions.

Just then, the shadow behind Ince Zangwill wriggled, and a silver-black flash of a blade suddenly appeared!

Piercing straight into Ince Zangwill's back!

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#103All night

Chapter 103: The Final Night

Klein watched helplessly as a flash of blade light suddenly emerged from the shadows, accurately slicing into Ince Zangwill's back!

A sharp stinging sensation came from behind him, and Ince Zangwill's originally twisted and malicious expression instantly filled with confusion and terror.

He clearly had great difficulty fighting "0-08."

That pen was clearly an extremely dangerous Sealed Artifact within the Church.

There were clearly no blind spots left in the script written by this damned Feathered Pen.

Why was there still someone here launching a sneak attack against him?

The pain surged in Ince Zangwill's chest, but after a moment, he realized that the silver-black short blade had not caused him fatal damage; the injury was essentially just flesh torn open by the blade tip.

And this was not a serious injury for a Sequence 5 Beyonder.

Ince Zangwill, who was already close to losing control due to his previous severe injuries, immediately burst into maniacal laughter:

"You think a weapon imbued with Beyonder powers can kill me? You know nothing about Beyonder power..."

Extreme excitement followed extreme terror, making Ince Zangwill, whose mental state was already poor, look somewhat deranged. He turned around, endured the pain, pulled the silver-black short blade out of his body, and scanned his surroundings.

A Sequence 9 who was exhausted, a sequence 8 who was unconscious, a dying Nightmare, and a severely wounded Spirit Medium.

Of course, there was also the Beyonder who had emerged from the shadows right in front of him—a cruel smile appeared on Ince Zangwill's lips. He tossed the silver-black long blade aside, intending to use the power of the Gatekeeper to kill this overestimating assassin.

"You know nothing about the Outer Deity Pathway." Nimrod, however, leaned close to Ince Zangwill, smiled, and whispered a single word to him in Ancient Hermes Language:

"Exchange."

Ince Zangwill hesitated for a moment, but the next instant, an indescribable pain erupted in his chest, blood spurted from his torso, and he felt the very source of life being instantly snatched away from his body—

Thump.

He had visibly become more open-chested.

Klein clutched the spot where his arm was broken, feeling his mind go numb—he saw Captain Dunn's previously shriveled chest return to normal in a short time, feeling as if he had witnessed a miracle.

Ince Zangwill, however, was not so lucky. Even though he managed to use the power of the Gatekeeper in time to protect his Spirit Body and life, he was instantly severely wounded—for Beyonders below the level of a Demigod, and even for some physically weaker Demigods, the heart is one of their most important weaknesses.

Terrified and astonished, he looked at the figure in formal attire before him, watching as the figure took a monocle from his pocket and placed it over his left eye socket, a slight upward curve appearing at the corner of his mouth:

"In the future, don't trust your Beyonder items too much, especially since that Feathered Pen of yours never treated you as its master."

"And, don't underestimate true 'Deities'."

Nimrod waved his hand, picking up the life-hunting blade that had fallen to the ground while raising the lantern in his hand.

He had just exchanged the fates of Dunn Smith and Ince Zangwill, making Ince bear the consequence of "losing his heart" instead of Dunn.

A dark, fallen, yet strangely sacred aura immediately rose around them. Nimrod's heart was perfectly calm. He watched "0-08" tremble and roll off Ince Zangwill's body, and an idea surfaced in his mind:

"The Deities who noticed this place should be making their move now..."

Just as Nimrod was thinking this, countless stars suddenly twinkled in the dark night.

As if sensing the aura of the True Creator about to descend into the real world, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared in the Darkness, descending from the sky with an intent seemingly capable of destroying everything, aimed directly at Blackthorn Security Company!

He ignored the fact that this place was guarded by the Evernight Goddess's Nighthawks, intending to eradicate the True Creator, who was about to descend, while He was still in the cradle.

[Lord of Storms.]

Nimrod heard Celestial Worthy's sneer: [You arrived quickly at this moment—couldn't hold back after sensing the aura of God Almighty's successor?]

Having said that, Celestial Worthy spoke to Nimrod with a hint of appreciation:

[You certainly have guts. Heh heh, daring to gamble with a 'True Deity' at Sequence 7, aren't you afraid of being struck dead by a bolt of lightning from the Tyrant?]

"If Amanises wasn't here watching Leodero, I wouldn't dare let the True Creator reveal His aura." Nimrod smiled, put away the life-hunting blade and the sun scythe, and said to Celestial Worthy:

"But now... this is within my expectations. Tell me how I can act more like you? You wouldn't want your only recovered spirit to be locked up in a small dark room with me, would you?"

[Heh, just restrain yourself a little.] Celestial Worthy chuckled softly: [You are already similar enough to me, otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen you as the final backup plan for my resurrection.]

[It's a pity that the me of a few thousand years ago was still a bit too young. I never expected that someone like you would exist in this world. I failed to discern your true nature, which is why I am still trapped here.]

Nimrod understood Celestial Worthy's meaning. If Celestial Worthy himself admitted he couldn't discern Nimrod's "true nature," much less Amanises—with this thought, Nimrod relaxed slightly and looked around him.

The sky was pitch black and serene, with stars embedded in the night curtain, emitting faint light. Nimrod stood in the center of the Sea of Eternal Slumber Flowers, naturally gazing towards the figure standing in the distance.

In the center of the sea of flowers, a figure stood quietly.

It was a female figure completely shrouded in black gauze, holding a crimson Moon in her hands, which emitted a gentle moonlight.

However, beneath Her ribs were four arms covered in pitch-black wolf fur, adding a touch of eeriness to Her quiet and beautiful appearance.

This was the Evernight Goddess's Divine Kingdom—but Nimrod had long prepared a contingency plan for encountering this situation, believing that the Evernight Goddess might have become wary of him due to his previous actions, so he didn't feel the urgency of being locked up in the Evernight Goddess's Wonderful House.

Nimrod had just prepared his emotions and was about to take a few steps forward, but the next moment, the surrounding scene quickly vanished like an illusion. For some unknown reason, he could even sense a hint of disdain from the vanishing scene.

Nimrod: "?"

Why did you directly kick me out of the Divine Kingdom's door?