Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
While passing through the living room, Klein’s spiritual perception was triggered. He felt that there was an invisible gaze scanning him from an unknown location.
He feigned ignorance as he entered the activity room ahead. He surveyed the area and found a spot that wasn’t too far or close to the host’s seat.
And at the moment he passed through the activity room’s door, all the attention on him vanished.
If not for the Wraith having three seals to isolate it, it probably would’ve been noticed… Mr. X doesn’t appear to be as bold and crazy as he seems… Klein sat down and moved his hood, hiding his face deeper in the shadows.
After about ten minutes, when most of the members had arrived, a brass mask-wearing Mr. X appeared by the door without causing a commotion. He walked in and headed towards his seat.
He was dressed in a black classical robe with a pointed mage hat. As he walked, he had a converged aura, but it was enough to make everyone present bow their heads without realizing it.
Turning around and slowly taking his seat, Mr. X surveyed the room and said in a deep voice, “Let’s begin.”
He’s within four meters… Klein wasn’t in a rush to take action. He retracted his gaze and patiently watched as a few gathering members exchanged information about people with abnormal luck for money. Occasionally, Mr. X would reply.
Time ticked by as the gathering’s focus went from Mr. X’s act of handing out rewards to the transactions between the members. Klein didn’t hesitate as he tapped his left thumb on the first segment of his index finger twice, activating his Spirit Body Threads vision.
Illusory black threads immediately surfaced before his eyes as they emanated from the bodies of different people, out into the void towards some boundless distance.
After making a simple distinction of the threads, Klein began to secretly control Mr. X’s Spirit Body Threads.
There were two difficulties to this mission according to his plan. The first was that having Astrologer as one of the earlier jobs in his pathway, Mr. X or the other hidden Aurora Order Saint might be able to sense the danger when he began controlling the Spirit Body Threads, acutely sensing some abnormality.
Klein wasn’t sure about Mr. X’s spiritual intuition because back when Miss Sharron existed in a Wraith state, she failed to notice Marionettist Rosago’s controlling of her Spirit Body Threads. However, for a Saint who was a demigod, a High-Sequence Beyonder who had obtained godhood, no special trait of this being would surprise Klein. It wasn’t surprising if that being’s spiritual intuition was triggered due to the changes in another person’s Spirit Body Threads.
For other Marionettist, they were probably helpless regarding this. But Klein was different. He had another identity as The Fool. He had the powers of the mysterious space above the gray fog to aid him, allowing him to rely on Paper Angels to produce interference and eliminate any hidden problems.
The gathering continued without any abnormalities. More than ten seconds passed as Klein was close to gaining initial control of Mr. X. There was only three seconds left, but this Aurora Order Oracle didn’t notice at all. He continued observing the completion of another transaction with a deep look in his eyes, his thoughts a mystery.
At the critical moment, Klein stopped!
He barely maintained his progress as he extended his hand, reaching into the pocket of the hooded robe and touching the iron cigar case which had been sealed with a wall of spirituality.
Klein moved his fingers, prodding it gently to remove the wall of spirituality, allowing it to disperse into a swirling wind inside his pocket.
He pulled back his palm and waited for a few more seconds until Mr. X’s gaze looked to the side before he continued controlling the Spirit Body Threads.
Two seconds. One second. Zero!
Mr. X’s thoughts turned sluggish as though someone had poured stirred cement onto him.
An enemy… Danger… Slow thoughts appeared in his head as he quickly made his decision. He planned on seeking help from his subordinates and the entity who was watching in secret, and put up an effective resistance.
At this moment, coldness drilled into his body, preventing his limbs and mouth from answering his will.
Admiral of Blood Senor!
A Wraith’s possession!
There were many flaws to a Marionettist’s control of Spirit Body Threads. The biggest problem was the target immediately realizing that there was a problem once initial control was attained. They would then have the ability to carry out any contingencies.
If it was one-on-one, without anyone around them, Klein could naturally use the target’s increasingly impeded state to effectively disrupt and interfere with any resistance they put up, but if the target had any aides, it was very difficult for a Marionettist’s control to fool others. It required help from the environment, or partners to conceal the matter without exposing it.
And on this point, a Wraith who was able to possess a target and forcefully control them was the best support for a Marionettist!
The reason why Klein didn’t directly enter a state of initial control was because he needed to release the Wraith.
After the initial inspection at the door, the vigilance in the activity room at the gathering location was definitely lower!
Mr. X’s eyes widened as his thoughts turned sluggish. His instinctive attempt to shout was blocked by his throat and mouth, silencing him completely.
His attempt to raise his hands also slowed down as they reached for a porcelain teacup by his side.
This completely violated his will. It was because of the cold aura that occupied every corner of his body!
Wraith… Marionettist… No… If this continues… I’ll die silently… Mr. X immediately controlled his spirituality as he constructed complicated symbols and labels in his mind.
He was just about to open a Traveler’s Door, which was also the Door of Teleportation, to escape the Marionettist’s control range. Compared to that, a Wraith’s possession was relatively less dangerous!
But amidst his sluggish thoughts, the illusory symbols and labels failed to appear all at once. Instead, they appeared one stroke after another in a discontinuous matter and at an insufficient speed.
Seizing this opportunity, Wraith Senor, who was possessing Mr. X, under Marionettist Klein’s control, simply moved Mr. X’s head, changing his seating position.
Such an action instantly interrupted the formation of the Traveler’s Door!
Oh no… My… reaction… is too slow… It will be… interfered… by the Wraith… Use mystical… item… Mr. X’s eyes filled with blood, but none of his subordinates around him noticed it. Even the one watching in secret didn’t notice any abnormalities.
As for the gathering members who were interacting and trading, they lowered their voices because of his change in seating posture.
At that moment, the activity room was filled with people. Although there were Beyonders everywhere and many were his assistants, Mr. X found himself in extreme solitude and was helpless.
He didn’t even know who was attacking him or where the attacker was sitting!
As the thoughts went through his mind, Mr. X regained control of his spirituality as he directed it towards the golden ring with an embedded ruby on his left index finger.
However, going from a thought to a decision, and then going from a decision to an action took too long. It was as though he was acting out his thought processes in slow motion.
This gave Senor plenty of time to raise Mr. X’s left palm, bend his finger, and tap the side of “his” forehead which was uncovered by the brass mask as though in thought.
It was a very faint tapping sound, and the strength used was quite significant, but under Klein’s control, Senor held back perfectly. It made most of the strength enter Mr. X’s mind without spreading outwards so as to hide any commotion.
Tak! Tak!
Mr. X’s thoughts of emanating his spirituality were disrupted, and he was temporarily unable to find his train of thought.
By the time he recovered, the Marionettist’s control had deepened. This made his thoughts chaotic and impeded. Even his thinking and decision-making became extremely difficult.
With the Wraith using all kinds of tiny, concealed actions to interfere with Mr. X’s attempts to use his various Beyonder powers and impressive mystical items, he slowly slid towards the abyss of becoming a marionette.
He watched helplessly as he marched towards death slowly.
Only then did he realize how terrifying and unsolvable the combination of a Marionettist and Wraith was.
The hunt continued silently under everyone’s noses.
As Klein’s control deepened, Mr. X’s actions turned stiffer and sluggish. However, with the Wraith possessing him, no one could notice any problems.
To be precise, Mr. X’s actions were no longer a result of the sluggish him, but from Wraith Senor. He wasn’t even able to show the look of despair in his eyes.
Amidst the transactions that either succeeded or failed, ranging from arguments to negotiations, five minutes quickly passed. Klein was just one last step from killing Mr. X and turning him into his marionette.
However, he couldn’t do so.
This was because he had yet to digest much of the Marionettist potion. He could only control one marionette at present, so if he wanted to convert Mr. X, he had to give up Wraith Senor.
But once he gave up Senor, this Admiral of Blood who was long dead would immediately surface and be discovered by everyone. It would bring about extreme trouble.
Similarly, if Klein didn’t give up his Wraith marionette had and assassinated Mr. X while he wasn’t able to resist, he needed to consider the Aurora Order Saint who was lurking in the shadows.
This was the second most difficult part of his plan.
To silently control Mr. X and remove his ability to resist wasn’t difficult with the combination of Marionettist and Wraith. The way to kill him wasn’t difficult as well. Mr. X in his present state could easily be finished off by Klein with an Air Bullet.
The difficulty was in leaving safely after pulling off such a stunt.
This actually required sufficient patience.
Time slowly passed with Klein appearing calm despite his tensed nerves. He pretended that he wasn’t interested in the items that appeared as he kept silent the entire time.
Finally, when the gathering came to an end, Mr. X said in a deep voice with complete normality, “The end.”
His words were succinct, just like the way he ended the previous gathering. This was what Xio described to Fors.
As the gathering’s members stood up one by one, Klein mixed in among them, looking inconspicuous. At the same time, he reached his hand into his pocket, and he flipped open Leymano’s Travels based on his sense of touch.
