Chapter 68 - 68: A Major Turning Point (Double-Length)

No, that couldn't be right. A quill couldn't possibly affect a True God. So was it actually the True Creator who discovered me first, only to be coincidentally taken advantage of by Ince Zangwill? Then…does that mean the members of the Aurora Order have already arrived in Tingen? "Priscilla! Let her go! Someone help!!" Steven's voice suddenly rang out from the ward. The three of them immediately rushed over, only to see Steven sprawled on the floor, shouting in despair. "Priscilla!!" "What happened?!" Lilith darted out from beneath the bed and rushed over, meowing frantically at Edward and gesturing anxiously with her tiny paw toward the window. Steven tried to prop himself up. "Priscilla…Priscilla's been taken!" "By who?" Steven's pupils trembled. With difficulty, he replied, "Numinous Episcopate…I remember them…They killed my wife. Please, I'm begging you—save Priscilla!" "Numinous Episcopate? They crossed the sea from West Balam to Loen just to abduct a child?" "I don't know." Steven shook his head at first, then suddenly remembered something. "My wife…I think she once said it had something to do with Priscilla's origins." "Her origins?" "Alright, Edward, enough questions for now. Saving her comes first!" Klein ran several steps ahead but then noticed Edward still rooted to the spot. He frowned. "Edward? What are you spacing out for?" Edward, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke in a calm voice: "Leave Priscilla to me. You two…stay here. Don't go anywhere." "Why?" "Trust me." He picked up the shattered pendant lying on the hospital bed. Suddenly remembering something, he took the Master Key from his pouch and tossed it to Klein. "Take this key. It lets you pass through walls—could save your life in a pinch. The downside is it's easy to get lost, but that shouldn't be a problem for someone who knows divination." With that, he turned and leapt out the window. Lilith followed close behind. "Avenseguim." The pendant shot forward, leading the man and the cat swiftly away from the hospital. Back in the ward, Leonard stood there utterly bewildered. First, the True Creator, and now suddenly a group called the Numinous Episcopate? He had immediately consulted the old man in his mind, but still couldn't make heads or tails of it. "Klein, what's going on?" Klein shook his head, then took out the yellow crystal pendant. Leonard asked again, "Why did Edward want us to stay put and not go anywhere?" Klein half-closed his eyes, sketched the light sphere, and entered a meditative state. In calm silence, he repeated: "It's dangerous to return to the company now." "It's dangerous to return to the company now." "It's dangerous to return to the company now." —— After the seventh repetition, he opened his eyes and saw the yellow crystal spinning rapidly clockwise, nearly flying out of his hand. "There is danger…serious danger." Klein clenched the pendant tightly and looked solemnly at Leonard. "Captain and the others…they're in danger!" "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" The two of them immediately rushed off. Klein glanced back at the direction Edward had left, suspicion churning in his heart. Did Edward already know the company was in danger, and that's why he told us not to go anywhere? But surely he also knew that once we realized the captain was in danger, we'd rush back without hesitation. Did he not expect me to divine the company's status? Or…does whether we go or not make no difference to him? What exactly is Edward planning? What is he thinking? ——— Meanwhile, Edward was riding his flying broomstick, Lilith seated with him, following the shattered pendant's guidance all the way to the outskirts of Tingen. In the distance, two horse-drawn carriages were speeding away. The coachmen wore long black robes, their whips cracking like shadows through the air. Edward immediately cast Disillusionment Charms on himself and Lilith, then accelerated, diving toward the carriages. He had to grab Priscilla before the enemy had time to react—before they could threaten her life. Just as they were closing the distance, Edward's spirituality flared in warning. Danger! The scenery around him twisted—the reds grew redder, the yellows more vivid, whites more blinding. Colors layered and intensified as if smeared in thick, oily paint. A figure cloaked in a tattered black robe suddenly materialized above the rear carriage, hovering mid-air. He stretched out a skeletal white hand, fingers suddenly curling into a tight fist. A suffocating pressure slammed in from all directions. Edward immediately broke the illusion charm and Apparated away, raising his wand and unleashing a string of spells: "Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus! Sectumsempra! Levicorpus! Reducto! Bombarda Maxima!" But unlike past foes, the black-robed figure didn't dodge. He simply waved his hand lightly, and a massive humanoid skeleton manifested in mid-air, intercepting every spell. It was petrified, then shattered into countless bone fragments from the explosions. Schlick! The black-robed man's throat was slit—Sectumsempra, hidden among the previous spells, had landed true. But the decapitated figure merely caught his own falling head in his hands. He pulled off the hood that had shrouded his head, revealing a ghastly white skull beneath, then simply pressed it back onto his neck—reattaching it as if nothing had happened. The skeletal jaw creaked open with a chilling snap. "Decay." "!!" Edward's vision went black. His strength drained in an instant. Abandoning his broom, he Apparated to the ground—but even his legs lacked the strength to hold him. He dropped to one knee. The skin on his arms withered rapidly, and the veins beneath turned faint and pale. Is he…draining my blood?! One of the carriages had stopped without him noticing. The skeletal figure raised his dried hand again, fingers slowly curling inward. A pool of shadowy, inky water welled up beneath Edward, rising quickly. Pale arms shot out from within, clawing at him, dragging him downward. This—this is the same technique Mr. Azik used to kill Qilangos?! Is this guy…a demigod?! Edward's heart froze. "Unfettered!" A massive portion of spiritual power surged out. Strength returned to his body. He immediately apparated away again—but to his shock, the black water and its ghostly hands followed him to the new location, still clawing and dragging. "Protego Diabolica." Black flames erupted around him. The pale arms recoiled in panic, quickly retreating—but the black fire chased after them, igniting the inky water and then the retreating arms, burning all the way down into the Spirit World. A shrill, wailing scream echoed. The shadowy pool rapidly receded and vanished. Before Edward could catch his breath, the skeletal man suddenly appeared before him. His desiccated hand tore through the flame shield and clutched Edward's throat, lifting him off the ground. Though the flames immediately engulfed the attacker's arm, Edward had no doubt—he'd be dead before this enemy was reduced to ashes. "AAAHHH!!" A scream rang out from the carriage. The skeletal fingers loosened, and the entire figure disintegrated into sand. Edward collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. His vision warped from oxygen deprivation. Then, a small black shadow sprinted toward him. It was Lilith! She held a stark-white bone in her mouth, dropped it in front of Edward, then pointed toward the carriage with frantic meows. Edward picked up the bone—and nearly tossed it away on instinct. The chill pierced him to the marrow, and more importantly, his spirituality screamed a warning—this was a highly dangerous Sealed Artifact, one that could easily kill! He wisely chose not to test fate and stuffed it into his pouch, then looked gratefully at Lilith. "That skeletal monster…it was summoned by this sealed item? You saved me? Lilith!" "Mrow~" Lilith raised her head proudly. Edward patted her head and climbed to his feet. "I'll treat you to a feast later." Together, the man and the cat approached the carriages. With a flick of his wand, Edward blasted apart the cabin. Inside were four robed members of the Numinous Episcopate, including the coachman. Three were already dead, and the last sat slumped against the wall, barely breathing. His hands were covered in bloody claw marks—one missing two fingers, presumably Lilith's handiwork. "From the time that skeleton appeared to when Lilith forced it to retreat, it was no more than four or five minutes…and three are already dead. The fourth is on his last breath. That Sealed Artifact…really is deadly." Edward raised his wand and slit the final man's throat. "If they had one of these…could they have more?" He clicked his tongue. "Guess I'll have to find out." He rubbed the Resurrection Stone Ring on his finger, releasing a red ripple—it was the ring's [Corpse Reanimation] ability. "Ka…ka…ka…" The four dead cultists slowly twisted and rose. After a brief moment of confusion, they snarled and lunged at Edward in a frenzy. He immediately stamped his feet and shot skyward on his broom. "Tch. This 'Corpse Reanimation' ability is still so damn useless." Edward glanced back at the direction of Tingen City. Ince Zangwill, you've successfully stalled me. That means…things have likely begun on your end too. ——— When Klein and Leonard returned to Blackthorn Security Company, they found Captain Dunn receiving a well-dressed man in gold-rimmed spectacles. Rozanne placed a cup of coffee down, then approached the two of them in a hushed voice. "That's the Mayor of Tingen. He's here to inquire about last night's meteor crash." It wasn't long before the mayor stormed out of Dunn's office, face dark with rage, barely restraining himself from cursing aloud. Captain Dunn followed him into the reception hall with a look of helplessness. "My sincerest apologies, Mr. Dennis." The mayor stopped and looked at Dunn for a long moment. His energy suddenly drained. "Forget it, Captain Dunn. From now on, the city of Tingen is in your hands." Dunn shook his hand firmly. "You can count on me." The mayor turned away, accepted his top hat from his waiting secretary, and climbed into the carriage, departing. Only then did Dunn turn to Klein and Leonard. "You're back. Where's Edward?" Leonard opened his mouth but hesitated. Klein stepped forward, his tone serious: "Captain, the company is in danger. We need to evacuate everyone immediately!" "What?" Dunn was slightly taken aback. Clatter, clatter... Accompanied by the sound of wheels, the market carriage returned, but the driver was nowhere to be seen. The moment the carriage stopped in front of the gates, a pungent stench of blood, thick with malice, rushed out to meet them. The trio's expressions changed drastically. Klein clenched his fists desperately, using the sharp pain from his fingertips digging into his palms to stay calm. He pulled out a Flaring Sun Charm and shouted, "Captain! Leonard! Get the Sealed Artifact from the basement, quick—" Drip, drip, drip... Blood trickled from the gaps in the carriage, pooling on the ground in a dark crimson puddle. Then the blood began to squirm, slowly rising, gradually forming a humanoid shape. The figure was drenched in blood, with a full forehead, black hair, and brown eyes. His lips curled in a faint smirk, his upper body bare, and where his chest and abdomen should have been was a patch of flayed, deep red flesh—those exposed muscles together formed the inverted silhouette of a hanging man. It was Lanevus! Wasn't he already dead?! Dunn stared at the figure congealed from blood with a calm face. "He must have used some mystical ability to escape back then." At that moment, Lanevus let out a mad, hoarse roar: "The key! Give me the key!!" With a thunderous crack, the world around them shattered like broken glass. Every scene collapsed and dissolved— It was the aura of a god. ——— Edward dropped from the sky, landing before a dense forest. Another carriage sat by the roadside, completely empty. But Priscilla's pendant had stopped here and refused to move further. Edward pocketed the pendant and frowned as he gazed at the forest. "They used some method to mask their trail? But if so, why didn't they hide from the very beginning?" Lilith jumped onto the carriage and sniffed around, then leapt off and sprinted into the forest, turning back once to gesture for Edward to follow. The man and the cat ventured deeper and deeper, the surrounding trees growing taller and denser, their thick foliage blotting out the sky and dimming the forest like dusk. On a normal day, this place would be full of chirping insects and birds. But now, all Edward could hear was the crunch of his boots on fallen leaves. "Is it because of those Numinous Episcopate cultists? What are they planning to do with Priscilla?" At that moment, a faint, eerie melody floated in from the distance—both sinister and divine, laced with madness. "Found them." Deep within the forest, amid a cluster of trees. Five or six robed men and women in black circled a pitch-black coffin that looked incredibly heavy. Around the coffin were golden ornaments stained with soil, flickering candles of pale fire, and one skull after another. They danced in strange, twitching, half-mad motions. The dance had a powerful rhythm and seemed imbued with a mysterious charm. Women tossed their hair, boys knelt with outstretched arms—each action beginning to subtly resonate with the surroundings. Everything within ten meters grew tainted with a wild and frenzied aura. The atmosphere turned increasingly sinister, tinged with something sacred. A cold, invisible wind blew from the coffin. The leading cultist raised his head, then bowed it low, chanting in a voice that seemed to come from the underworld: "You are the essence of death; You are the lord of the departed; You are the final destination of all life." The Spirit Dance of the Numinous Episcopate? A ghostly green hue crept over the skulls around the coffin, blending with their natural color to create a deeply unsettling effect. The dance grew more intense. That underworld voice echoed louder. The skulls began to float one by one, as though gaining life. Suddenly, the dancers stopped. All of them fell to their knees, fervent and crazed. The lead cultist drew out a pure white feather and staggered toward the coffin, shouting once more; "Return, return, My Lord, Let Your footsteps once again tread this land!" He released the feather. As it floated down, the moment it touched the coffin, it emitted a black radiance, spreading outward swiftly—cold, deathly, and domineering. The next instant, Priscilla's small frame rose from the coffin, hovering in the air. The feather landed on her, slowly merging into her body, and then— One pair of phantom wings after another unfurled from her back. The cultist instantly dropped to the ground, arms spread wide in worship. "Return, my Lord! Return!" His hair, visible beneath his hood, turned from black to white as if his life force were being drained. Whoosh! Priscilla opened her eyes—completely black. The phantom wings behind her solidified, each feather both holy and twisted. "Our god has descended! Our Lord has returned!" The cultists screamed with even greater frenzy. Suddenly, a grotesque doll rolled into their midst. In a flash, all but the lead cultist lunged at it in mad aggression. "Confundo Maxima!" Edward dove from the sky. The wave of Confundus Charm rippled through the cultists. Even the lead cultist was briefly stunned. He broke free first, turned to Edward, and bellowed, "Kill him!" The six other cultists scrambled up—only to fall again, vines crawling all over them. As they pulled out knives to cut themselves free, four figures leapt from the shadows—Edward's faithful zombie escorts. "Avada Kedavra!" Not knowing the cultist's Sequence, Edward didn't hold back with the second spell—pouring twice the spirituality he'd used against the rampaging Megose. The cultist screamed and was blasted backward. Blood streamed from every orifice. Weak and trembling, he slammed a hand into the ground. A translucent gate began to form, layers of shadows spilling forth as it descended from another realm. Creaaaak— The door opened. A wave of malicious hatred poured out. Behind it surged countless restless spirits, clawing to break through. "Kill him!" the cultist roared again. The mark of the underworld appeared on his forehead. The spirits burst from the gate in a flood, swarming toward Edward. He apparated a hundred meters away, then swept his wand: "Protego Diabolica! Fiendfyre! Bombarda Maxima!" Three powerful spells were unleashed, devouring his spirituality. Black flames wrapped him in protection. Crimson fire lashed outward. As Fiendfyre ignited the nearest wraiths, a violent explosion followed— Boom! The wraith horde was consumed in a torrent of fire, everything turned to ash. The blaze surged into the open gate. Even the forest was caught in the inferno. From above, the once-dense woods now had a massive bald patch scorched into them. Edward, wand raised, sweat dripping, gasped for breath. He hadn't yet mastered the Dragon Fire Spell, but he'd gained decent control over Fiendfyre—otherwise, this entire forest would've been reduced to cinders. He took a deep breath and snapped his wand forward. "Go!!" The Fiendfyre slithered like a serpent through the gate and vanished into the spirit realm. The cultist collapsed, scorched all over like he'd been burned by the fire himself. "Aaaaaaah!!!" A shrill scream erupted—from Priscilla. Edward felt like he'd been struck in the head with a sledgehammer. When he came to, he was on the ground, his whole body wracked with searing pain, as if something were trying to grow out from beneath his skin. No—not as if. White feathers, tinged with greasy yellow oil, pierced through his skin, sprouting from within. Gritting his teeth, he yanked them out one by one, soon drenched in his own blood. The cultist closest to Priscilla was already fully feathered, face frozen in a mad grin. He knelt, arms outstretched, laughing hysterically: "The Lord! The Lord is reborn! The Lord descends—!" Feathers grew from his eyes, his mouth, his nostrils... He remained kneeling, dead. "Impossible! The Salinger is long dead! Even the artificial death project is nowhere near completion. And if the real one were reborn, the Goddess...the Goddess wouldn't sit idly by!" "No time to think. I need to survive first. Sorry, Priscilla." Edward gritted his teeth, preparing to Apparate and flee. Just then, the colors around him intensified. Amid that shifting mosaic, Azik Eggers stepped out from rippling void-like water, appearing beside the coffin. Still in his shirt, bowtie, tailcoat, and top hat—bronzed skin, gentle features. He furrowed his brows, reaching out a hand toward the floating Priscilla. The screaming stopped instantly. Her wings faded, turned translucent and then vanished. She dropped from midair and landed safely in Azik's arms. He looked down at the delicate girl, confusion in his brown eyes. "Why...do I feel so close to this child?" "In my memory...it feels like I once knew a child like this." "But...that should have been a very long time ago." He gently rubbed his temple as if the memories caused him pain. Edward rushed over. "Mr. Azik! How's Priscilla?!" "Her name is Priscilla?" Azik carefully held her. "She's fine...for now." "How did you get here?" "I sensed a familiar force...mingled with something... something that felt bound to my bloodline. So I came to check." "Bound by bloodline?" Edward froze. "You mean...Priscilla is your descendant?" Azik shook his head. "I'm not sure. You know I've lost my memories. Do you know this child?" "Uh...I only know her mother was from West Balam. As for her father—I do know him. He's a dentist in Tingen, a Mr. Steven Green." "I see. I'll go ask him myself." Edward hesitated, then asked, "Just now...did the God of Death really attempt resurrection through her?" "No. Bit, if I had been even a few minutes later, she would've lost control and become a monster." Azik looked Edward in the eye. "Thank you...for buying her that time." A cold wind swept by. A massive humanoid skeleton suddenly appeared—over four meters tall, its eye sockets blazing with black fire. Its bones were hazy and spectral. In its hand was a slip of paper. Azik took the note, his expression darkening. "Klein...is in danger." ——— Half a minute later. They arrived at the Blackthorn Security Company. It had become a ruin—scorched, shattered, and eerily silent, like a tomb. Where the reception hall once stood was now a bottomless abyss. Edward couldn't help but wonder—how could Klein and Dunn, even with their strength, cause such devastation? Azik scanned the ruins, his gaze finally landing on Klein's corpse—cut cleanly in two, mangled beyond recognition, except for his blood-smeared but intact face. His eyes were wide open, filled with terror. Dunn's body wasn't far. A gaping wound in his chest had shredded his heart. His face was frozen in the same fear, his pupils dilated and lifeless. The third body—Leonard... No. He stirred, then opened his eyes. After a brief daze, he crawled up, staggering toward his fallen comrades. He let out a deep, broken sob. "No..." Leonard's legs gave out, and he collapsed. His green eyes were filled with pain, tears sliding down his cheeks. After a long while, he finally noticed Edward. His face twisted in fury, his voice hoarse as he yelled, "Edward, you—" "Stupefy!" A Stunning Spell struck him mid-sentence. Leonard collapsed, unconscious. "Hoo—" Edward exhaled, speaking rapidly. "At a time like this, we can't be distracted by unnecessary information. If I don't know...then it doesn't exist." "Edward?" Azik looked over, setting aside the grief from Klein's death. "Mr. Azik, the Mandated Punishers and the Machinery Hivemind will be here any moment. We have to go." Azik studied him for a moment, then gave Klein's corpse one last mournful glance. He nodded. "Alright." Azik disappeared into the spirit world, carrying Priscilla. Edward didn't leave immediately. He circled the ruins twice, searching carefully, but found no clear signs that Ince Zangwill had been here. He sighed in disappointment—but it was within expectations. Glancing again at Klein's bisected body, the charred lower half— "Heh...you really didn't leave me with much wiggle room, huh." CRACK! His figure distorted and vanished. Moments later— Thud-thud-thud! Urgent footsteps approached. The Punishers and Heart of Mechanics members had finally arrived. ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.