Chapter 329 Wrong Answer
Night had fallen. In a garden next to Campbell Street, several horse-drawn carriages belonging to the police system were parked in a disorderly manner on the lawn, and several policemen were stopping passers-by.
After replacing the operator of "1-42", the official Extraordinary people on the ground quickly gathered in the sewer again and surrounded the body of "Apostle of Desire" Jason Belia.
The thug who wreaked havoc on Backlund was treated with the utmost respect after his death: a demigod and over ten Mid-Sequence Beyonders bid him farewell with their gazes, with several expressing their "regret" for his death.
"He died inexplicably in the sewer, and you didn't even leave any clues about the murderer?"
The magnetic voice of "Singer of God" Ace Snake was now filled with anger, like a storm about to erupt with earth-shaking energy.
"Actually, there is a clue, Lord Snake."
The Beyonders from all three parties were present, representing their respective churches. Ikanser, the deacon of the Mechanical Heart, maintained basic respect for the demigod who had been fooled at a critical moment and caused the death of an important figure, but he did not give in in his tone.
"When the Sealed Artifact 1-42 arrived here, the Apostle of Desire was already dead, but two figures were still present. To be more precise, a human and a spirit. The former was a woman, and the bloodstains here were left when she was attacked. The latter was a ghost wearing a crown and black armor. He disappeared the moment 1-42 locked onto him."
"So, there's still nothing left."
Ace snorted coldly and said nothing more.
Duke Negan was assassinated less than 500 meters away from the Holy Wind Cathedral. He was tasked with protecting this important figure, but was led to the outskirts of the city by the fake Apostle of Desire. In the end, he only found a human skin wrapped in stones and sunk to the bottom of the river. This was already a major mistake.
Perhaps before long, at the Storm Church's cardinals' meeting, someone would propose transferring him out of the Backlund Diocese. With so many archbishops watching this place, his situation was extremely dangerous.
This was the main reason why he was anxious to find the real murderer. Now that the Duke was dead, he had to give an explanation to the royal family.
"Can we track them down through the bloodstains? What about other clues? The ice here hasn't thawed yet, and there are scratches on the wall from different weapons. The bodies have clearly been burned by holy light energy, and there are tarot cards scattered all over the place. With so many people, is there no clue?"
Another deacon from the Storm Church also chimed in.
Among the three extraordinary forces, they arrived the slowest, which now gave them the confidence to accuse others: You came so early, how come you don’t have any clues?
"The other party possesses the ability to counter divination. All methods have failed. Even 1-42 failed to capture the murderer who escaped through a substitute."
"We have searched the area but have not found any bodies or other bloodstains. Police are searching the streets above for clues."
"Tarot cards? Could it be the organization that's been committing so many crimes recently? That ghost might be the 'Rogue' Black Emperor!"
Since it was a collaborative process, although people from all parties were a little angry, the discussion was still harmonious.
The only witness, Leonard Mitchell, stood in the corner, watching the argument on the court coldly. He had just climbed out of a frozen makeshift bathtub, his hair was still wet and dripping with water, his neck slightly tilted to one side, as if listening to something.
At times like this, he would rather be a transparent person.
Unfortunately, his new captain, Soest, quickly remembered such an important person, called him to the body, and asked for his opinion.
"1-42's tracking has continued uninterrupted, but I didn't spot the other two until I followed my senses and arrived here. This suggests they possess anti-divination abilities comparable to a Level 1 Sealed Artifact or Sequence 4, or at least stronger than a Sequence 5 'Apostle of Desire'.
"The woman who was attacked likely used 'Mirror Double'. I've seen this ability before; it belongs to Mid-Sequence Beyonders of the 'Assassin' Path. The other ghost looks identical to the 'Black Emperor' from the Capin case. Combined with the tarot cards found on the corpse, I believe they belong to the same faction as the 'Rogue' from the Capin case, or even the same group."
Leonard analyzed carefully and did not reveal the secrets told to him by the other voice in his mind.
"The Black Emperor? Are you sure?"
"Singer of God" Ace looked at Leonard and asked with a frown.
He had once caught a glimpse of the ghost that had been making headlines in the newspapers from a distance at Kapin's mansion, but before he could get close, it suddenly disappeared from his sight. Moreover, according to the judgment of another military demigod who arrived earlier, the ghost possessed angel-level anti-divination abilities. Although this might be the effect of a magical item and did not represent his own ability, it was enough for him to be cautious.
Moreover, this method of "silencing" the assassin before him is somewhat similar to the fate of "Lieutenant General Hurricane" before. After the assassination failed, the latter also died at the hands of unknown persons on the way to escape. It was as if someone had been waiting for him to appear in advance.
"It's almost certain that he was also present at the 'Aurora Society' incident in Hillston earlier this month. Just like this time, the deceased was covered in tarot cards."
Leonard replied, looking at Soest beside him. Captain Red Glove, who also participated in the operation, nodded in confirmation.
As they were talking, two Mechanical Hearts came over from a distance. They whispered a few words to Ikanser and took out a silver mirror. It was the Arrods who had almost seen the secret of Leonard before.
The poet, whose expression instantly became solemn, quietly took two steps back and let others stand in front of him.
Fortunately, there were many people eager to ask questions, and no one paid attention to him. "God's Singer" Ace Snake quickly learned how to use the seal, personally stroked the mirror three times, and asked loudly:
"Your Excellency," he paused, clearly not used to speaking in this tone, "Arrodes, my question is, who killed this 'Apostle of Desire', and where are they?"
There was no change on the surface of the silver mirror for a few seconds, making Ace almost think it had lost its effect. But then, ripples appeared on the water, revealing a magnificent scene with rich colors, like an oil painting.
The "Black Emperor" wearing a black crown stretched out his hand and pointed forward. A golden beam of light appeared, covering the "Apostle of Desire" who was kneeling and begging for mercy in front of him. The latter had a bone sword with bony spurs and an astonishing aura stuck in his head, and the hilt of the sword was held in a slender white hand.
Then, the scene shifted slowly, and a stack of tarot cards burned in a black flame. The first card in the lead was the first of the big cards, "The Fool".
The image disappeared, and the silver mirror reflected the doubtful eyes of the "Singer of God".
"Sir Snake, scenes like these without specific meanings usually indicate that the other party has carried out counter-prophecy and counter-divination," Ikanser took the initiative to explain. "The first scene is clearly the moment when the other party killed the 'Apostle of Desire'. It looks like they both acted together, and the second scene..."
He was a little stumped for words and looked at his colleagues for help.
"The tarot cards should be revealing the other party's identity. Lately, rumors have been circulating in Backlund's underground world about an organization that uses tarot cards as its symbol. They believe in the 'Fool'!" Carlson, wearing thick-lensed glasses, answered for his butler. "And the burning cards might mean... they're fighting over an uneven distribution of the spoils?"
Including Ikanser, everyone present looked at this imaginative member of the Mechanical Heart with a strange look.
"Ahem, Lord Snake, it's time for you to answer the question."
Just as the sewer fell into an awkward silence, someone quietly reminded everyone, bringing everyone's attention back to the "Singer of God".
The latter looked at Arrodes nonchalantly. He firmly believed that with his knowledge and experience, he could answer any difficult questions raised by the Sealed Object.
"Have you ever been disrespectful to the gods you believe in?"
Ace Snake, who always remained calm and composed when facing high-sequence Beyonders, suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. He felt that the gazes of the Beyonders from the three major churches around him were somewhat scorching.
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The sun was shining brightly outside the window. Today was another rare sunny day. However, Angel, who was sitting by the bay window, was not in as good a mood as the sunshine outside. She did not sit on her favorite single sofa, but knelt beside the coffee table, fiddling with the "Good Luck" revolver in her hand.
In front of her was a rose necklace that had absorbed the soul and extraordinary characteristics of the "Apostle of Desire", as well as all the evil thoughts before his death; a yellow crystal pendant with the "Secret Holy Emblem" hanging on it, sparkling in the sun; a "Frenzy Ring" that could help her hide her appearance but would accumulate all kinds of desires; and as a last resort, a "Magic Pocket Watch" that allowed her to be deterred by any flame.
One by one, "Gathering Storms" bullets engraved with intricate patterns were loaded into the revolver's cylinder. Angel stared at one side of the living room. As light footsteps sounded, the door leading to the guest room was opened from the inside, and a figure appeared in front of her.
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