Chapter 214 Reactions from all parties
Five minutes later, figures appeared in the sewer, surrounding from all directions. The sound of stepping on the sewage made the originally quiet area lively again.
Most of them were wearing well-tailored military uniforms, and a few wore black windbreakers. They walked nimbly, and the leader was holding a pure white bone sword. His face was firm but full of fatigue. It was the "Sword of the Goddess" Crestai Cesima. He didn't even have time to change his broken windbreaker, so he just casually draped it over his body. His face was still a little pale, and his strength had not recovered much.
But he knew that Lanevus's situation would only get worse if he escaped from the union dormitory.
The pursuers coming from all directions soon discovered the previous battlefield. Several members of the Nighthawks "Red Gloves" with dark vision quickly stepped forward and surrounded the body lying on its back in the sewage.
Leaning on his bone sword, Cesimus half-knelt down and reached out to test Lanevus's vital signs. A Nighthawk, using his dark vision, retrieved the half arm. He took it and placed it on Lanevus's left arm, which had been severed at the elbow, fitting it perfectly.
"It looks like someone has started a massacre."
A Loen soldier approached with an oil lamp and said he had been on standby outside to prevent any incidents requiring evacuation. He didn't know the details of the battle. Seeing Lanevus's tragic death, he even looked sympathetic.
Several Night Watchmen disagreed. As the culprit of the Tingen Massacre, they didn't mind how ugly Lanevus's death was. They were just curious about who had killed this fleeing Beyonder before they could.
Lanevus's body, riddled with holes, was covered with tarot cards. Cecima reached out and peeled off a few, only to discover that, like the face-up cards, they were all "Queen" cards.
The card is very new, as if it has just been opened, but the shape is ordinary and unremarkable. It is the kind that can be seen everywhere and its origin cannot be traced.
Putting down the tarot cards, Cecima looked at Lanevus's broken arm, the ritual dagger on his chest, and the injuries on his chest and shoulders, lost in thought.
He felt that this was not a massacre, but a carefully designed ritual with certain symbolic meaning.
Looking up, the soldiers around him were whispering, and the night watchmen also looked confused.
The senior deacon did have some ideas, but he still needed to go back to St. Samuel's Church to verify them.
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Avoiding the gas lamps that were everywhere on the street, Angel returned to the safe house in the East District in fear.
She first changed out of her blood- and sewage-stained cloak and clothes, then took a shower, washing off Lanevus's blood, especially the scabby blood on his right hand, which had pierced his body. She then carefully stored her clothes and weapons, ready to clean them with Black Flame tomorrow to prevent any information from being read. She then changed into another set of clothes that had been prepared in the safe house.
Only then did she have time to reflect on this "killing" operation.
Angel was somewhat surprised that Lanevus had escaped the encirclement of the Red Gloves, led by Lady Cecima, the "Sword of the Goddess." This was likely related to the divinity of the "True Creator" in him.
But she had a plan in mind. She waited fully armed and used the magic mirror to divine, successfully determining the escape route of Lanevus, who had lost his divinity and was unable to interfere with the divination. She blocked his path and killed the fraudster who had caused the evil god's arrival in Tingen City.
Before his death, Angel returned all the wounds on Captains Klein and Dunn, who died in Tingen City, to the culprit.
She had intended to cause Lanevus to lose control during the fight, causing him to die with blood flowing from his mouth and nose, his blood vessels bursting, in order to avenge the innocent people who had died in the park but whose names she hadn't remembered.
Unfortunately, time was limited, so Angel followed his own selfish desires and gave priority to the two people he knew.
But it doesn't matter, there is still a culprit at large, Ince Zangwill.
He cannot escape sanctions.
For unknown reasons, the Aurora Society has begun attempting to summon their "True Creator" in Backlund again, and the Witch Cult seems to be stirring up trouble as well. Perhaps Zangwill and his Sealed Artifact are behind this. Angel believes that as long as he improves his strength and patiently tracks them, he'll eventually track them down.
By then, everything that happened to Lanevus today would also happen to the defected archbishop. And who knows, Angel might even be able to come up with some new tricks.
With a relieved smile, clutching the reassuring citrine, she quickly fell asleep on her simple bed in the East District safe house.
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"It's not like you to come visit so early in the morning."
In the reception room at Earl Hall's mansion in Queens Borough, Audrey looked at the excited Viscount Glint, then glanced at the rising sun outside the window and said.
"That's because I have important news to tell you."
Grellint looked around cautiously and found that the maids had been sent away by Audrey. There was no one else around. Only the golden retriever that Audrey often brought with her was lying beside the table. Then he lowered his voice and continued.
"I ran into Conse on the way here, the one who joined MI9, and he told me some shocking news."
"You've probably heard of the Aurora Society, the cult that claimed responsibility for the ambassador's assassination. They were raided by the military last night. Airships were dispatched to encircle them, but a dangerous plot was thwarted, and several key members were killed."
The Aurora Society... I remember they worship the "True Creator," so could this be a covert operation by the Church of Evernight? I think I should have reported Lanevus's situation yesterday afternoon...
Audrey was still thinking, and Grellant, unable to hold back his words, continued to speak:
"One of them is the previously wanted fraudster named Lanevus. I heard he swindled tens of thousands of pounds in Tingen. I didn't expect he was connected to the Aurora Society and had even fled to Backlund, planning something big."
"You said he was killed, what do you mean..."
Audrey asked, thinking of Hugh's previous request to her.
"Of course he died, but he didn't die at the hands of the people chasing him. That's the strange thing I'm talking about. His body was found in the sewer. His death was horrific. He was covered with a pile of tarot cards, all of which were 'Queen' cards. Just imagine how weird that was..."
Tarot card, or the Queen card!
Audrey's eyes widened, and she could barely remain in "spectator" mode.
This is what our Tarot Club would do, it was done by Miss "Queen"!
It turned out that she had disappeared from the Tarot Club for so long in order to track down Lanevus, from Tingen City to Backlund, and finally killed this guy who carried the divinity of the "True Creator" before the official personnel.
Importantly, “Justice,” that is, me, also played a key role in this, providing intelligence and assisting in the investigation.
She almost wanted to pump her fist to encourage herself, but she finally calmed down and continued to listen to Greylint's endless chatter.
But her eyes were wandering, her mind no longer in this reception room, but rather drifting above Backlund, to the level of the gods.
Lanevus, possessing the divine nature of the "True Creator," must have some significant plans. If he and the Aurora Society succeed, it will inevitably bring disaster to Backlund and even the entire kingdom. However, these plans, under the coordination of Mr. Fool, were easily resolved by a small character like me.
Of course, it was Miss "Queen" who finally took action and killed Lanevus.
But I also participated in this kind of game at the divine level, and it was really...
So cool!
Susie, who was a little sleepy, looked at Audrey, whose cheeks were flushed, and Grellant, who didn't notice that the person in front of him was distracted, and blinked in confusion.
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"Please help me get the documents about the God's Descent incident in Tingen City."
With a tired look on her face, Cesimar put on a new windbreaker and sat on a chair in a meeting room in the basement of St. Samuel's Church, and spoke to a night watchman beside her.
When the other party nodded and prepared to leave, he added:
"Also, help me gather all the team leaders and deacons to come to the meeting."
Then he looked at the action report on the table in front of him and fell into deep thought.
Not long after, Daly Simone entered the room. She was dressed in her usual black hooded robe, with eyeshadow and blush on her face. She found a place to sit down casually, her eyes swept over Cecima, whose eyes were out of focus, and fell on the report in front of him.
Daley said "Huh" and quickly flipped through the report. A hint of anger soon appeared on her face, and she asked in a low voice:
"Why didn't I know about last night's actions?"
"Why didn't you call me when you arrested Lanevus?"
"You know exactly what he did!"
Cecima woke up from her reverie, looked at Daly, who was suppressing her anger, and replied:
"I didn't inform you because I knew what he had done. Your participation in the operation would bring unnecessary risks to everyone." He seemed to have thought of something, and a smile appeared on his lips, revealing a tooth that appeared in an invisible face. "A Tingen Night Hunter currently undergoing training in the temple is just like you, thinking about revenge all day long. But I am responsible for the entire team and must eliminate any destabilizing factors."
"I'm not a newbie who can't control my emotions. I'll stay calm and follow orders," Daly sneered. "My wrath will only erupt after Lanevus is captured. I'll inflict every punishment I can think of on him and make him realize that men are also fragile..."
She imagined without a trace how she would torture Lanevus. It wasn't until the Nightwatch captain and the deacon entered the room that Daly stopped her obscenities.
It seemed like this was the first time she had seen Daly like this. Cecima looked at the angry "Necromancer" with a complicated look until all the participants were seated.
The team leaders and deacons also looked over worriedly. Most of them had heard about the tragedy in Tingen City and the relationship between Daly and a certain team leader.
A night watchman walked into the room and handed the Tingen City incident file to Sesima.
The latter was flipping through documents while asking the captains of other teams carrying out different missions to report on their work. Daly, having lost all her strength after her outburst, remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the report on the encirclement and suppression of Lanevus.
"Laneverus' autopsy report shows that in addition to the massive chest and abdominal wounds inflicted during the battle with Lord Cecima, there were four larger wounds and over twenty smaller wounds throughout his body, many of which bore burn marks. The fatal wound was a penetrating wound to the chest, not caused by a sharp weapon, but rather by a bare-handed attack from behind. Furthermore, his left forearm was severed at the elbow, and the chest was stabbed with a common ceremonial dagger. Hmm, it's possible that this dagger severed his left arm."
A captain read the report in his hand.
"Also, there's a similar penetrating wound on his right shoulder as the one on his chest, but strangely, the clothing there isn't damaged, just like..."
"Looks like a wound that was transferred from somewhere else, doesn't it?"
Cecima, who had been looking down at a document, raised her head and interjected, then threw the document in her hand on the table. The nearest deacon took it and took a look.
"It's very similar to the deaths of those three people, right?"
He seemed to be asking the deacon who was looking over the documents, but his eyes were fixed on Daly.
"...Yes," Daly answered, her voice a little hoarse, as if from the yelling just now. "Dunne's chest wound was moved to his right shoulder, but he ended up bleeding too much... Klein's left arm was severed by a sharp weapon, and his chest was pierced from behind. And Angel..."
"The witch from Tingen died from being stabbed in the heart by a sharp weapon."
The butler holding the Tingen City documents continued.
"No, she's not a witch!"
Daly, still furious, looked at the deacon angrily, then seemed to come to her senses, said "sorry" and sat back in the chair.
The deacon had a look of confusion and offense on his face, but he looked at his colleagues who were looking at him with complicated expressions and said nothing.
"Now isn't the time to argue, is it? Besides, aren't we discussing Backlund's affairs? Miss Angel Granger is our colleague, and a hero who died for Tingen. Please don't call her that anymore."
Soest, who was sitting on the other side of the long table, tried to smooth things over, but his bias was very obvious, which attracted a strange look from the deacon who had spoken out of turn.
"Okay, continue reporting."
Cecima brought the subject back on track.
"Lanevers' body was covered with many tarot cards. It could be some kind of symbolic ritual, or it could be the killer's personal habit. We tend to favor the former. This is likely the work of an organization we don't yet understand."
"Does the informant have any clues?"
"The report from Sivellas Field was delivered anonymously, while the report from Saint Samuel Church was instigated by a bounty hunter. A companion was killed while investigating Lanevus, and this bounty hunter harbored a grudge and reported the case out of anger."
Another captain replied.
"Following this lead, we traced the gas explosion that occurred on Dharavi Street in the East District on Friday night. At the time, the police discovered traces of supernatural powers and reported it to the Mechanical Heart team responsible for that area. The final investigation has not yet been completed, but local witnesses saw a woman fighting a tall enemy. Based on their testimony, we determined it was a 'witch' and a 'Rose Bishop.'"
Rose Bishop?
Cecima recalled the "idiot Rose Bishop" Lanevus had mentioned before his escape. It seemed very likely that this was the Beyonder who had committed murder and arson in the East District.
But who is that "witch"?
Lanevus's body bore multiple burn marks, a testament to the "witch's" ability to control the cursed flames...
Looking at the deacon who had just shouted "The Witch of Tingen", he remembered the woman he met in the Serenity Church, Angel Granger.
Unexpectedly, she found the clue so quickly and started her own revenge.
Putting her thoughts aside, Cesimar stopped discussing the topic of "witches" and instead talked to them about the plot of the "True Creator" and the possible follow-up actions of the Aurora Society.
Daly, who had regained her composure, looked thoughtfully at Cecima, who had changed the subject, and fell into deep thought.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival... 4,000 words, just consider it an extra chapter?
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