Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The first thing Klein saw was the altar, which was surrounded by layers of light, and the tall, thin figure standing in it.
The figure took off its hood, revealing a beautiful, devilishly feminine face, with a left chest, shoulders, abdomen, and thighs all covered in squirming, sticky, disgusting flesh and blood.
His surroundings were filled with illusory, transparent shadows that brimmed with feelings such as numbness, despair, pain, and depression.
Beyond the altar, the four figures which were praying had fallen. Their skin was shriveled, and their bones were tightly wrapped, like corpses that had been eroded for many years.
At the top of the hall, rays of light pierced through the air, quickly entering the altar through the stone pillars, floor, and air that were filled with symbols and magic labels.
As soon as Klein emerged from his hiding place, Mr. A opened his eyes and looked in his direction.
His pupils were dyed with blood, and an extreme madness was contained within his cold eyes.
If it were any other Beyonder, they would’ve subconsciously looked away, not daring to look him in the eye. But Klein, who had faced the Eternal Blazing Sun and met Blasphemer Amon, wasn’t afraid of this. Calmly pulling the trigger, he sent a silver demon-hunting bullet engraved with many patterns flying towards the altar.
Witnessing this scene, Mr. A subconsciously wanted to raise his hand, but he stopped in the end. He watched indifferently as the silver bullet drilled into the layer of light surrounding the altar.
Silently, the patterned demon-hunting bullet melted and disappeared under the layers of radiance, engulfed in untold resentment and negative emotions.
In the end, it completely disintegrated, leaving not a single trace of it behind.
Klein’s pupils shrank as he shot the rest of the revolver’s bullets. The pale golden purifying bullets and the bronze exorcism bullets shot out, piercing through the radiant barrier one after another.
However, they disintegrated in the same way and disappeared without creating the slightest ripple.
Mr. A laughed hoarsely.
“It’s no use, puny worm. The ritual has already officially begun, and with your strength, it cannot be broken or interrupted. Even if you’re a Sequence 5 Beyonder!
“But you’re also fortunate. You will live to witness the coming of our Lord, and be integrated into his body.”
With that, Mr. A. ignored Klein and closed his eyes again, as if he was indeed nothing but a puny worm.
The Shepherd raised his hands in a gesture of open arms and shouted out in ancient Hermes, “The Lord that created everything;
“The Lord who reigns behind the curtain of shadows;
“The degenerate nature of all living things.
“Your devout believers pray for your coming;
“I am willing to offer my body as a vessel to bear the burden of your great will!”
Amidst the prayers, a light from an unknown source appeared above Mr. A’s head, completely enveloping him.
The grievances and negative emotions that were gathered around Mr. A surged into his body like a tidal wave.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Klein snapped his fingers repeatedly and used Flame Controlling, trying his best to attack the altar, but they still couldn’t resist being disintegrated against the barrier of light.
What can I do? All my other mystical items are above the gray fog. To take them out, I need to hold a ritual, which would waste at least a minute or two, and a body without protection would be very dangerous… What should I do? Klein rationally stopped his attempts and stood there, his mind racing.
Furthermore, whether it was the Sun Brooch, the Biological Poison Bottle, the All-Black Eye, or the Dark Emperor card that raised his level, none of them seemed capable of breaking through the altar’s barrier!
Is waiting for Miss Justice’s call for reinforcements the only thing I can do? Or do I just watch helplessly as the True Creator descends? Klein tensed up, his thoughts rapidly flying through his mind. He quickly considered the corresponding strategies.
As he considered each and every item on his body, his palms unconsciously broke out in cold sweat.
Suddenly, he thought of something!
Without having time to think about the consequences, he reached into his pocket and grabbed something that felt metallic.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Klein took a few steps forward, jerked his arm hard, and threw the object in his palm at the altar.
With a flash of bronze, the object entered the barrier of light.
It was an ancient, simple key.
It was the Master Key.
Within the barrier of light, the brass Master Key began to decompose and melt.
And when its outer shell disappeared, the curse that was hidden within it appeared, connecting to the unknown area where Mr. Door was.
…
In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Earl Hall.
Audrey stood by the full-length window and worriedly looked into the distance.
She saw that the fog on the horizon was gradually thickening, turning a pale yellow that was dyed iron-black as it slowly spread in her location.
“There’s something wrong with that.” The huge golden retriever, Susie, sat beside her and also looked at the commonly seen haze.
Yes, I hope it can be stopped in time… Audrey didn’t know what the fog represented. She silently prayed to the Goddess and Mr. Fool that “They” wouldn’t let the Primordial Demoness descend.
Suddenly, she noticed that the branches outside the window were beginning to shake and the glass was slightly rattling.
A wind is coming… Audrey felt inexplicably happy.
Cherwood Borough, Holy Wind Cathedral.
Terrifying storms that were visible to the naked eye suddenly appeared outside of it, and then they surged towards the east in an unimaginable hurricane.
Whoosh!
The thick, accumulated fog was blown away, and the rich yellow and iron-black colors quickly faded away.
Whoosh!
Dried branches fell to the ground as dust and dirt rose into the air, following the fog into the distance.
Whoosh!
Many of the pedestrians had their hats separate from their heads, and their bodies swayed so much that they had to hold onto trees or walls.
The sailors in the dock area felt as though they had returned to the port city and were witnessing a typhoon.
The smoke in East Borough and the factory district thinned, and the healthy population felt relieved of their slight discomfort.
Boom! Boom!
Lightning leaped and thunder rumbled.
They soon subsided, and a downpour began to cleanse the land.
“The Church of the Lord of Storms reacted rather quickly this time… It also has to do with us bringing the operation forward and not being fully prepared… Heh heh, those in the middle-class and the tycoons would’ve shared the same fate in this Great Smog as the commoners if it wasn’t for the respective protection they received. They would all be lambs waiting to be slaughtered…” Lady Despair sat on a rental carriage as she leisurely heard the pattering of the rain on the glass windows.
Even though her plans had been ruined in a timely manner, the haze from before had caused more than 20,000 deaths according to her calculations. Furthermore, there would be the subsequent spread of the plague.
With this, I’ve pretty much digested most of my potion, but this is just a benefit I received as a matter of convenience… With large numbers of the population being wiped out, all this points to the Aurora Order and to the True Creator; no one could guess what the royal family really plans on doing… It’s time I leave, along with the True Creator… Lady Despair thought while in a good mood.
Her whereabouts were kept secretive, and she had taken care of everything beforehand; therefore, she didn’t have to worry about being surrounded by Backlund’s demigods at all.
By the time they found traces of her, she would already be far away from the city!
Just as the Lady Despair was about to leave the carriage, her vision blurred and she saw a figure appear before her.
The figure sat across her. It was a young woman in a hooded classical robe, with black eyes and hair, and a beautiful but dull face.
…
After throwing out the Master Key, Klein held Azik’s copper whistle, then he held his breath and waited for the results.
If things failed to develop as he imagined, with the altar’s barrier remaining intact, he planned on using Azik’s copper whistle to see if he could get any help from the messenger.
If that still failed, he would go above the gray fog and use all the items like the Dark Emperor card. He had to attempt every possibility until the very last second!
At this very moment, there was no crimson moon, let alone a clear full moon since it was afternoon. Therefore, Klein didn’t have enough confidence in the curse contained within the Master Key, and he only hoped that the disintegration effects of the altar’s barrier would threaten its very existence and cause it to react instinctively, such as communicating with Mr. Door in reverse and transmitting its cry for help to “Him.”
In just a second or two, Klein saw the Master Key disintegrate into the smallest particles of light and an illusory, distorted crimson.
The crimson quickly faded as it struggled and then suddenly exploded!
In an instant, Klein lost his sense of hearing. He saw the countless figures formed from resentment and indignation all raise their heads and scream.
They rapidly transformed, tinged with a blackish-green, and grew a second skull, a third eye, or even a fifth leg…
They converged into a torrent and surged into Mr. A’s body.
Mr. A suddenly opened his eyes, shock and disbelief evident amidst his indifferent blood-red eyes.
Soon after, the radiant layer of light surrounding the altar warped and collapsed.
Boom!
A huge explosion spread out from the center of the altar, setting off a terrifying storm.
Crack! The four thick stone pillars closest to the blast instantly crumbled, and the distant Klein only had enough time to duck and roll before he was sent flying by the shockwave.
Bam!
He hit the wall, flattened into a thin sheet of paper.
The subsequent wind quickly tore apart that thin piece of paper, scattering it in every direction.
Klein himself appeared in the corner, using the walls to withstand the ensuing shockwave.
The destruction caused by the Master Key exceeded his imagination!
The curse that had been forcibly melted away really did have an instinctive reaction, as it transmitted Mr. Door’s roar, and the voice of this forsaken entity, who was at least at the level of an angel, contaminated the resentment and numbed the despair needed for the ritual. As a result, the altar lost its balance and embarked on a path of self-destruction!
The moment the blast calmed down a little, Klein rushed out to confirm the results.
The illusionary figure and oppressive feeling in the air had already vanished, leaving behind scattered remnants of the altar.
Mr. A had his body leaning forward as he knelt by a collapsed pillar. He was missing an arm, half a face, and a number of organs. His remaining eye was filled with bone-deep hatred.
However, his wounds were quickly covered with squirming flesh.
After that single glance, Klein didn’t hesitate to run.
For him, he had achieved the ultimate goal of foiling the True Creator’s descent. If he didn’t leave now, was he, a Sequence 6, going to share a dinner with the Shepherd, Mr. A, to welcome the new year?
