Chapter 324 Two Apostles?
"You went to the bathroom just now and did some divination on the handkerchief you got from Jason's house?"
In the hired carriage, Angel withdrew her gaze from the street view outside the window and lowered her voice to ask Sherlock Moriarty who was sitting opposite her.
When she went to Jason Belia's house in the morning, she took advantage of the fact that several Mechanical Hearts were distracted by her and secretly took out a handkerchief used in a failed demon summoning ritual from Jason's house.
At that time, Angel guessed that the handkerchief would be used for divination, so when Sherlock went to the bathroom immediately after Ikanser left, she understood his purpose.
"That's right. That handkerchief was used by Jason during the ritual. It's most closely connected to his body, mind, and spirit. After clearing out any interference, I divined a luxurious building in Backlund. It has a glass greenhouse planted with vibrant roses. This type of residential structure is unusual, but we definitely won't be able to find it right away. Ultimately, we'll have to wait for official Beyonder news."
Sherlock sighed with some regret and continued:
"Most importantly, I saw the real 'Jason' during the divination. He was hidden under a human skin, and his appearance was slightly different from the portrait we saw this morning. Combined with the misleading experience of the Sealed Artifact 'Arrodes', I suspect that any divination on 'Jason Belia' will be targeted at that human skin, or the target wearing it."
"So, the 'Jason Belia' heading to the docks to board a ship to leave Backlund isn't actually the 'Apostle of Desire' who attacked us yesterday, but one of his associates, simply using that human skin to attract the Singers of God, the Mandated Punishers, and even other Beyonders from the Orthodox Church?"
"That's undoubtedly the case. Of course, with our reminder, the Mechanical Heart and the Nighthawks should be able to quickly re-target the true 'Apostle of Desire', but perhaps during this delay, their true purpose will have already been achieved..."
They both looked out the window at the same time. In the distant sky, an invisible hand cut through the rare white clouds in the sky, leaving a curved scratch on the blue sky, with the tip pointing to the dock area in the southeast.
That was the trajectory of the Archbishop of the Church of Storms, "Singer of God" Ace Snake, flying in the wind, who was attracted by "Jason Belia".
————
"Bang, bang—"
The sound of strong winds blowing against the windows continued to sound. A dense, fast-moving air mass quickly passed through the sky, and the wind it brought tore apart the dark clouds and swept away a wisp of haze near the ground, like an abstract painter painting white and yellow colors on a blue canvas.
"Humph, how foolish and reckless."
In the attic, a pair of brown eyes looked at everything outside the window, snorted coldly and then retracted their gaze. It was the man who had shed Jason Belia's skin and become the real "Apostle of Desire".
The suitcase containing the human skin at his feet had disappeared, and the remaining smaller suitcase was also filled with stacks of large-denomination banknotes and several gold bars. He squatted down, carefully closed the suitcase, and placed it in the corner of the wall. Then he sat on a wooden chair with his eyes slightly closed, sensing everything that was happening downstairs.
He does not have the ability to see through the floor or walls to observe others, unless the other person's desire is strong, which allows this "Apostle of Desire" to easily lock onto the other person.
At this moment, the man and woman downstairs were as bright as torches in his mind.
"Such a strong desire! Even with my secret catalysis and guidance, it's still too abnormal... Did this guy take some drugs beforehand? He's so cooperative. I really can't bear to kill you."
He muttered, his right hand tilted downward, with his five fingers spread out, as if he was holding something.
When the "Apostle of Desire" sensed that the desire below had expanded to its limit, he grinned cruelly, clenched his five fingers, and twisted them hard.
In a secret room on the second floor, a "Wind-Blessed One" sent by the Church of Storms instantly sensed the danger in the adjacent room and the spiritual eruption in the attic above. Without even bothering to open the door, he directly used a strong wind to break through the thick wall and rushed into the adjacent bedroom.
With a "click", the door opened automatically at the same time, and a blond man walked into the bedroom. The two looked at each other before looking into the depths of the room.
Duke Pallas Negan, who was still full of energy and talking enthusiastically with the two of them half an hour ago, now had his eyes rolled back, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth, and lay powerlessly on a naked young woman.
"Protect him while I go to the attic and catch the murderer!"
Seeing the situation clearly, the Duke's secretary, the seemingly gentle blond young man, immediately made a judgment, and then turned and left the bedroom without hesitation, striding towards the top floor.
The furniture and furnishings along the way seemed to have life and moved away, making way for this Sequence 5 "Chaos Mentor".
In just a few seconds, he covered dozens of meters, opened the old door, and rushed into the attic.
The other "Wind-loving One" who stayed in the bedroom helped the weak Duke up and kicked his mistress away to prevent this woman, who was probably his "accomplice", from continuing to hurt the person she was protecting.
Duke Negan, relying on his Beyonder physique, recovered a little from the frenzy that had been ignited. His heart was still beating fast and slow, and the blood vessels in his brain were aching as if they were bursting, but this attack that could easily kill a Low-Sequence Beyonder was not fatal to him.
He gestured to the "Wind-Follower" who was supporting him to take off a necklace shaped like a conch from his neck, and helped him pass it to his mouth. He took a deep breath and blew it out. The air flow with saliva poured into the conch, turned into an invisible tide, and instantly surged out of the bedroom and rushed in all directions.
After being assassinated by "Vice Admiral Hurricane" Qilingos three months ago, the Storm Church prepared such an extraordinary item for the Duke. As long as the conch is blown, the sound it produces will be heard by "Singer of God" Ace Snake in the Holy Wind Cathedral, and the latter promised that he would come to support as soon as possible.
After doing this, the Duke seemed to have used up all his strength and leaned on the "Wind-loving One" unable to move. The latter directly carried him on his back, opened the window and jumped from the second floor, landing in the back garden of the luxurious villa.
Seven or eight armed Duke Guards heard the commotion and gathered from all directions. Most of them were retired elite soldiers, and among them were even two Low-Sequence Beyonders. Seeing the beleaguered Duke and the Storm Church Beyonders protecting him, this well-trained guard surrounded him, forming a human wall to block any possible attacks from all directions.
The Wind-Follower gently laid Duke Negan flat on the lawn, put him in a comfortable position, and comforted him:
"His Excellency the Archbishop is in the Holy Wind Cathedral not far away. He will arrive in less than half a minute after hearing the necklace's sound."
"Tell him to catch him alive. I want to know who is targeting me!"
Duke Pallas Nigan, the largest land noble in the Kingdom of Loen besides the king and leader of the Conservative Party, gritted his teeth and spoke angrily.
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In the Hillston area, in a two-story building near the Cherwood area.
One by one, the "Nighthawks" and "Mechanical Hearts" were busy in the living room on the first floor. Some were collecting suspicious items, while others were carrying buckets of hot water into the adjacent bathroom and pouring them into the bathtub. Their eyes would occasionally glance towards the center of the living room, where stood a tall man wearing silver-white full-body armor.
With the help of his companions, Leonard put on the "1-42" and put down the visor. He walked to the coffee table with heavy steps, bent down slightly, and looked at the antique silver mirror lying flat on the table.
"Are you sure there's no danger?"
He stretched out his hand and placed it on the surface of the silver mirror, then turned his head to look at Ikanser beside him.
The latter nodded: "Don't worry, it won't cause permanent damage to your body."
It sounds like there's a big problem... But it's understandable that they're unwilling to elaborate on the effects of the seal. Our cooperation is only temporary.
Leonard complained inwardly but didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he followed the other party's instructions and stroked the mirror three times, making the living room, which already had only a few gas lamps, even darker.
This Apostle of Desire's hideout had been ravaged by the Mandated Punishers only an hour prior. By the time the Nighthawks arrived with 1-42, the volatile Storm Lord followers had already departed, tracking their target. Team leader Soest quickly had Leonard don the Seal, preparing to use the evidence from this location to locate the enemy. Unexpectedly, the subsequent arrival of the Mechanical Hearts suggested another possibility.
"Respected Arrodes, my question is, where is the 'Apostle of Desire' who attacked Isengard Stanton's residence yesterday?"
The room grew quiet. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their gaze towards the mirror, which was shimmering with water. A blurry image soon appeared there:
In a garden next to a luxurious villa, a burly man with blue hair and beard was half-kneeling on the ground. Several armed guards with their fragile necks cut lay lying around him. Among the bright rose bushes, even brighter blood was spilled on the ground. Not far away, a naked woman with a broken head curled up on the concrete floor, seemingly having died from a fall from a height.
Looking down from a high altitude, in the center of this abstract oil painting lies a half-naked, bloated man, his eyes wide open, his eye corners torn, his face full of panic, his own fear having taken his life.
"This is Duke Pallas Negan... The Mandated Punishers are chasing the wrong person. The 'Apostle of Desire' isn't even on the ship at the docks!"
Ikanser exclaimed.
As a deacon of the Mechanical Heart, the armed forces of Backlund's Steam Church, he inevitably had to deal with many nobles. Among the nobles he had met, the man in the mirror who died in a miserable state was undoubtedly of the most noble status.
It was clear that the "Apostle of Desire" was willing to expose his identity to attract the attention of the official Beyonders, and used his companions to divert the attention of the "Singer of God" in order to assassinate this real big shot.
And from the pictures provided by Arrodes, it can be seen that he has succeeded.
In full view of everyone, a black shadow emerged from the attic window of the villa next door, flowed down the wall like liquid, and the moment it landed in the garden, it turned into a blurry human figure.
He rushed out of the garden in a few steps, came to the street, and without hesitation, dived into the sewer nearby and disappeared without a trace.
The scene disappeared, and words written in scribbled handwriting appeared on the silver mirror.
"Answer the question, lie, or refuse to answer and you will be punished."
Without time to grieve for the deceased Duke Negan, Leonard immediately gathered his composure, pursed his lips, and watched the words shift and transform into questions:
"Is there..."
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