[Blackthorn Security Company—Underground]
Lanevus, drawn through the Door of Death by the pull of the key, had sustained severe injuries.
But at this point, Dunn, Leonard, and Klein were also on the verge of collapse.
The revolver's bullets had long since been spent.
Both Flaring Sun Charms had been used up.
The "Blood Vessel Thief" had been active for over half an hour, and the hair at Leonard's temples was already beginning to turn white.
Even the ashes of Saint Selena, due to the divinity on Lanevus's body, had been greatly weakened and could no longer exert much effect.
Watching as Lanevus staggered forward again, Dunn's expression shifted. Staring at his trembling right hand, a sudden determination flashed in his eyes—
He thrust it toward his own heart.
"If you do that, you'll die~"
A crisp voice rang out—its tone indistinguishable as male or female.
The trio looked up at once and saw a black bird perched on a high beam, tilting its head to look at them.
"…Captain, that's—it's Edward's messenger!"
Klein's eyes lit up as he quickly scanned his surroundings.
"Where's Edward?"
"He's not back yet~"
The little black bird preened its feathers as it spoke.
"He sent me to help you guys. But I can't beat that guy—even with him injured, I still can't win."
"Oh, he's coming!"
The little black bird darted toward the trio. In that instant, everything around them became vibrant—reds redder, greens greener, as though the world had gained an extra layer of multicolored shadows.
Their vision blurred—and the next moment, they found themselves no longer underground, but standing in the ruins of the reception hall above.
The black bird stuck out its tongue, clearly exhausted.
"I can't go any farther. You have to run now."
But Dunn didn't move. If they'd wanted to flee, they would have already. His voice was steady.
"What is Edward doing?"
"He went to find that one-eyed man," the bird replied, urging again, "That guy's coming up—you really need to go!"
"One-eyed…Ince Zangwill?"
Klein instantly connected the dots.
"Don't know."
The black bird flapped its wings in growing urgency.
"Run! Run! Run!"
"…Huh?"
It suddenly turned back.
"He's back."
CRACK!
A flash of light, and Edward appeared.
Seeing the three of them still intact, he first let out a breath of relief—then promptly swung his wand and cast a Stupefy on Leonard.
"???"
Leonard's expression was one of pure shock as he flew two or three meters backward, landing amidst the rubble, unconscious.
Dunn and Klein immediately turned wary eyes toward Edward—or more precisely, the Edward with Emlyn's face.
"Captain, Klein—it's me, Edward."
Klein still remained alert.
"Edward? Why'd you knock Leonard out?"
"I'll explain later."
Edward dispelled his transformation with a spell and pulled out two portable cassette players. He'd come to the firm belief that spells, potions, and Beyonder powers were all weak sauce—none could compare to the might of technology.
With just these small players, even a Sequence 1 wouldn't walk away unscathed!
Boom!
The ground trembled—it seemed Lanevus was pounding on the floor (or rather, the ceiling above him).
"Come with me."
Edward rushed to Leonard's side, grabbing his arm. He reached his other hand toward Klein, who immediately acted without hesitation—grabbing Dunn with one hand and Edward with the other.
Snap!
The four of them vanished, leaving behind the two activated cassette players, which emitted a steady creak-creak sound.
Boom! Crash!
A loud rumble shook the area. The floor shattered and collapsed as Lanevus leapt upward. His pupils had turned completely white, and his face was expressionless—but on his chest and abdomen, the face of the hanged man had become fully defined, radiating madness and fury.
"KEY!!!"
Click!
One after another, the two tape players spoke:
"Leodero! Come over here!"
"Leodero! I'm calling you—how dare you not answer me!?"
"Leodero!"
"Leodero!"
Countless silvery-white lightning bolts converged once again in the sky.
But this time, they did not fall like a forest of thunderbolts. Instead, they rapidly coalesced into a single massive pillar of lightning that swallowed the howling Lanevus whole.
In the blink of an eye, Lanevus—along with the True Creator's divinity within him—was utterly erased from the world.
Over ten minutes later, Edward and the others reappeared.
The devastation before them left Klein and Dunn stunned. They couldn't fathom what kind of power could create a bottomless chasm that ran through the earth itself.
"Alright, I've already explained the basics to you."
Edward spoke as he spread a leather pouch on the ground and opened it.
"For certain reasons, I have to make it appear as though you're all dead. Otherwise, it could trigger something terrifying."
"What about Leonard?"
"He has to stay unconscious."
With a floatation charm, Edward lifted two unconscious black-robed figures from the pouch—members of the Numinous Episcopate he had captured earlier.
"Klein, give me a hand."
"On it."
Klein quickly stepped over to help move the bodies.
"What do you plan to do?"
"These two were the ones who kidnapped Priscilla. They're beyond redemption—should've died a hundred times already. I'll disguise them as you two, then kill them."
In the Harry Potter world, Polyjuice Potion had a little-known property: if someone died while under its effects, they would remain in their transformed state forever.
Edward followed closely behind, holding a bottle of unfinished Polyjuice and two cups.
"Captain, Klein—each of you, give me a strand of hair."
Without hesitation, both men yanked out small tufts—leaving Dunn's already-thinning hairline even more barren.
Edward added the hairs to the cups and poured in the potion. Once mixed, he handed them over.
"They'll drink this."
He continued moving, quickly placing Leonard in his "designated spot," then leaned close to whisper beside him:
"Old man, please don't tell Leonard the truth just yet."
"…"
Without Leonard acting as a medium, Edward naturally couldn't hear Pallez's response.
"I'll take your silence as an agreement. It's settled then."
Pallez: "…"
"They've changed!"
Edward turned around and saw that the two Numinous Episcopate members now looked exactly like Klein and Dunn.
"Alright, now get them into your clothes!"
Having changed their clothes, Edward spoke solemnly:
"From this moment on, Dunn Smith and Klein Moretti…are officially dead."
Klein looked troubled.
"But my family…"
"There's no other way. They'll have to suffer the injustice for now."
"…"
Edward turned to Dunn.
"Captain, that goes for you too."
"Me? I've always been on my own, so it doesn't really—"
"What about Miss Daly?"
Dunn, usually composed, was visibly embarrassed.
"How…how do you know about her?"
"But don't worry too much," Edward said with a smile. "There might be a chance for resurrection in the future."
He waved his hand and urged, "Alright, you two should go. I still need to wrap things up."
"Then, see you around."
"Yeah, see you."
Klein had only walked a dozen steps before he suddenly turned back.
"Oh right, Edward—about that key you gave me…It fell into Lanevus's hands during the battle. It's probably destroyed by now. I'm sorry."
He glanced toward the gaping pit.
Edward waved it off.
"You two being alive is what matters most."
Once the pair departed, Edward turned back to the two bodies on the ground. He waved his wand, restoring the scene to match the one that had originally been discovered. After confirming everything looked perfect, he Disapparated.
A few minutes later, Edward and Azik appeared one after the other.
Then Leonard awoke. Upon seeing the 'corpses' of Klein and his captain, he broke down in despair, tears pouring down his face. But before he could ask anything, he was knocked out again with another Stupefy.
It was as if the scene had repeated itself.
The events that had "already happened" remained unchanged, but the outcome…was completely different.
———
Meanwhile, Edward had already arrived in the outskirts of Tingen. The moment he landed, a subtle and profound feeling washed over him.
He knew clearly—he had completely digested the Trickmaster potion. He was now ready to advance to Sequence 7: Astrologer.
But something felt off.
Even if his recent actions could count as a successful trick, according to the acting principles he'd summarized, the entire sequence seemed to lack one crucial element—
A witness.
…Unless the goddess had been watching?
He quickly located the stone he'd placed by the roadside earlier. The moment he felt the familiar hook tug behind his navel—
A cold voice rang out behind him:
"Teleportation is prohibited here."
The Portkey's pull stopped instantly.
Edward was forced back a few steps, as if repelled by space itself. He spun toward the source of the voice, raising his wand with lightning speed:
"Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus! Confringo—!"
Every single spell missed.
"Are you the one the Lord specifically commanded me to eliminate?"
The Lord?
The True Creator?!
Oh shit—the Aurora Order really showed up?!
Before Edward could react, his vision blurred—a black-robed man appeared before him in a flash. His light brown hair curled faintly, yet somehow radiated a stony toughness. His dark, deep eyes seemed to contain countless secrets.
Crack!
With a crisp snap, the man snapped Edward's concealed wand in half.
In the man's eyes, a phantom silver book flipped rapidly through its pages.
Then, in an emotionless voice, he spoke a single word—one foul and corrupted in nature, drawn from the language of demons:
"Die."
Splurt!
Edward's heart felt like it had been crushed by an invisible hand. His vision dimmed rapidly. Death loomed over him like a tide.
Suddenly—his body grew light, as though someone had yanked him away.
When his consciousness returned, he realized he was now over ten meters away. Beside him stood a man of striking beauty—yes, beauty. This man was so exquisitely lovely he looked almost like a woman.
A…Mr. A?!
Did he just save me?
"Mr. A," the black-robed man said coldly. "Do you know what you're doing?"
"That man is under orders from the Lord Himself. He is to die."
Edward was stunned.
Wasn't Mr. A from Aurora Order? Then…why save me?
Mr. A gave a slight bow and replied calmly, "My apologies, Your Grace. But I, too, received a command from the Lord—He wants this man brought before Him alive."
"You're talking nonsense."
The phantom book in the black-robed man's eyes flipped faster.
"Step aside. Or I won't hesitate to kill you too."
Mr. A straightened up. His beautiful, near-androgynous face now held a look of disdain.
"You're welcome to try."
He turned his head slightly toward Edward and said coolly, "What are you waiting for? Run."
"…"
Edward didn't hesitate. He turned and fled.
Sure, Mr. A had just saved him—but that didn't change the fact that the guy was a terrifying criminal. Worse, he also wanted to take Edward to the True Creator.
So yeah—no thanks!
BOOMMM!—
A clash exploded behind him.
A battle had begun—between a Sequence 4 demigod of the Apprentice pathway and a Sequence 5 Shepherd of the Hanged Man pathway. Both wielded a myriad of abilities from other paths. The moment they fought, powers of all kinds erupted in the air.
Space trembled. Destruction raged outward in waves.
But at the center of the storm, the two combatants were untouched—Mr. A, even at Sequence 5, was holding his own against a demigod!
"Saint of Secrets" Botis blinked three times in succession. With each flash, he summoned a clone made of Worm of Stars. The three clones surrounded Mr. A while the original gave chase to Edward.
He spread his arms and summoned down a blazing column of holy fire from the heavens, targeting Edward.
"I'm so dead, I'm so dead—"
But Mr. A instantly blinked between Edward and the light.
His clothes burned to ash under the heat. His skin blackened. Yet his expression never changed.
"Die."
Botis again spoke that profane word—this time, aimed at Mr. A.
Splurt!
Mr. A coughed up a shattered heart. Black armor burst from beneath his skin, spreading over his body.
His eyes glowed a deep, bloody red.
"Black Knight?!"
"Raargh!"
With a roar, Mr. A punched forward—his fist transforming into an enormous, razor-sharp sword.
The black blade slashed skyward, instantly piercing through the distance between them and striking Botis.
But it caused no harm—
Botis had already retreated behind the illusory Door of Secrets.
Schlick!
Mr. A's abdomen suddenly tore open.
A withered black infant hand reached out from within, its wrist still connected to his body.
The hand opened wide—and in its palm, a mouth appeared.
"Waaah—!!"
A piercing wail rang out.
The Door of Secrets shattered. Botis screamed and fell from the sky, blood pouring from his eyes and ears.
"My Lord—arghhh!"
Hundreds of meters away, Edward started bleeding from all seven orifices. It felt like his skull was about to explode.
He stumbled and fell backward—
And just as he hit the ground, the earth split open beneath him.
A little black bird burst out, straining with all its might to pull him into the spirit world.
"FIVE…STICKS…!!!"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.