Chapter 362: Forging Ahead
Floating in the air, held in Mr. Azik's hand, the scenery around Klein seemed to be filtered through a thick oil painting, making the woods, sky, and the mushroom cloud caused by the meteorite crash in the distance appear extremely unreal.
He was admiring the wonders around him and enjoying the experience of traveling through the void, when he suddenly felt Azik's hand holding his arm tremble slightly, and then the "oil painting" around him began to rotate and the colors faded rapidly.
Plane crash?
As soon as this bizarre thought popped up in Klein's mind, he felt his vision go black and he fell on all fours onto the solid ground. He rolled twice before crashing dizzily against the wall, almost turning into a thin paper figure.
"Mr. Azik?"
He hurriedly got up, calling his teacher's name while looking around.
There was a stone staircase with a gentle slope, wide enough for two carriages. On one side was a bottomless abyss, and on the other side was a towering rock wall where he landed. The top extended to a height that he could not see clearly. There was no sunlight, no white clouds, only some luminous plants barely illuminating the road. The road meandered downwards and gradually merged into the endless darkness.
Did I fall to the ground?
He was keenly aware of his current situation. Perhaps Mr. Azik had rushed here in a hurry, or perhaps he had brought living people with him, which caused a small problem with his special "travel" ability, causing them to fall into this huge underground ruins.
Yes, ruins. This is obviously not a naturally formed cave. The roads are regular and solid, and there are even some corridors and halls deliberately carved out on the rock walls.
"Go up immediately, don't stop!"
A deep voice came from behind him.
Klein looked in the direction of the voice and saw Mr. Azik, a bronze-skinned man in a black formal suit, looking seriously down the road. A half-illusory, half-real bronze double-door had appeared there at some point, pushed open a crack. Countless bloody arms and twisted tentacles emerged from the crack, swaying in the air as if trying to grab something.
Then, the bronze door was pushed open further, and a figure walked out. He was wearing a black priest's robe and a soft hat. His short dark golden hair was meticulously groomed, and his eyes were deep blue, but one of them was dull.
Ince! Zangwill!
Klein recognized the man at a glance and clenched his teeth. Even if Angel didn't die at the hands of this renegade archbishop, he still had several scores to settle with this guy!
The next moment, he turned around suddenly, moved his feet quickly, and ran upwards along the road following Mr. Azik's instructions.
He had just been promoted to Sequence 6. There was no room for him to intervene in the battle between Sequence 4 and Mr. Azik, who was obviously also at a high level of Sequence strength. Staying here would only hinder them.
As he ran along the winding road and passed the stone wall, and the moment he left the sight of the two people, he saw another figure appear in the air, standing quietly, as if there was an invisible staircase in the air.
The man with the golden mask on his face whispered in ancient Hermetic language:
"Teleportation is prohibited here."
Oh no, Mr. Azik can't escape now!
Klein paused, unsure whether he should turn back and join the battle where Azik was outnumbered.
"Don't worry, I've recalled a lot of things recently," Azik's low but reassuring voice came to his ears, "Those two are no match for me."
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"Go around the edge of the East District and head to the North District."
As the carriage approached the city of Backlund, Angel instructed the man driving.
"Yes, ma'am."
The driver responded, but his eyes were attracted by several flashes of fire passing through the sky, and he looked up involuntarily.
"Is that a shooting star? No, it's very close, it's a meteorite?"
Angel also looked up at the meteorites that were flaming and burning rapidly in the atmosphere. He watched them fly through the haze above Backlund and fall to the west. The huge impact even blew away the pale yellow mist, briefly revealing the blue sky.
She felt a little worried for no reason, until the meteorite flew over her head and there was no vibration or loud noise for a long time, she felt a little relieved.
This meant that the meteorites were either very small or landed very far away, and at least would not cause too much damage to the city of Backlund.
But Sherlock is in the western suburbs. He is going to Prince Edsac's estate today to turn down that commission... It can't be such a coincidence, right?
Angel was already somewhat stressed out by this inexplicable "coincidence". She instructed the driver who was driving slowly:
"Please hurry up and get to Golden Oak Street in the North District as soon as possible."
She did not directly tell the member of the witch sect the location of St. Samuel's Church, but chose a nearby street to avoid him noticing anything unusual.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the smog is getting thicker. If we go any faster, we'll hit pedestrians."
The driver replied, pointing to the front of the carriage.
He was not lying. The smog outside the window was even worse than in the morning, and its color had changed from white to light yellow. The air was filled with the unique smell of coal ash near the factories in the East District, as well as a pungent smell of volatile chemicals.
Seeing the visibility in front of the carriage gradually shortening, Angel could only sit back in his seat helplessly, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
Just then, a gray fog suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
————
"Great Mr. Fool, I met Mr. A of the Aurora Society and 'Lady Despair' of the Witch Cult in a ruin. They are plotting a massive conspiracy! The Witch Cult plans to 'set fire' in Backlund, creating a disaster to bury the truth of something, and the Aurora Society is using this to complete the advent ceremony of the 'True Creator'. They are about to begin!"
Hiding behind an ancient, mottled stone pillar, Klein prayed cautiously. His voice was as thin as an insect's chirp, fearing that Mr. A and Ms. Despair, who were not far away, would notice him.
He had just left the battle between Mr. Azik and two other High-Sequence Beyonders, disguised himself as Ince Zangwill to deceive the guards, and came here through a "portal" shining with a faint blue light, just then he encountered the scene of two cult leaders "plotting loudly".
"Then, let's begin," a soft female voice came from behind the stone pillar, causing Klein to peek over. "It's safe here, and no one will disturb you. You can rest assured to hold the ceremony and bring your Lord into the world. But first, please send me to the East District, where I will light the first fire."
"no problem."
After listening to the words of the woman in the white robe in front of him, Mr. A, who was wearing a hooded cloak, replied in a flat tone. He opened his hands slightly, and a translucent book appeared between his arms. Countless pages turned on their own and finally stopped at a certain page.
“I came, I saw, I recorded.”
He chanted and pointed at Lady Despair with one hand. The latter's figure became blurred in a sudden blue light and then disappeared.
Four waiters kneeling facing a stone altar continued their prayers as if they saw nothing. Their voices became louder as they overlapped and echoed in the spacious hall.
That blue light is very similar to the "portal" just now. Is this a kind of teleportation ability?
Klein's thoughts raced, and he instantly understood the details of the two people's division of labor and cooperation.
"Ms. Despair is preparing to 'light the first fire' in the East District. They are likely to conduct a large-scale sacrificial ritual!"
After hastily adding a sentence, Klein tiptoed four steps backwards behind the stone pillar and arrived at the gray foggy space. He slightly modified the image he had just prayed for, held it in his hand, and looked at the most familiar crimson star in the void.
He raised and lowered his right hand several times, and finally sighed, passing the prayer of "Sherlock Moriarty" to "Queen" Angel Granger.
He knew what choice the other party would make.
Just like knowing yourself.
When he opened his eyes again in reality, Klein heard a few muffled groans from the other side of the stone pillar, followed by Mr. A's hoarse voice:
"Give your life for the coming of our Lord!"
He sacrificed those servants? Was this the price of the divine descent ritual? No, it had to be more than that. They had made so many preparations. The Witch Cult, the Aurora Society, the military, the royal family, even Ince Zangwill were all involved...
Plop, plop.
Heavy noises interrupted Klein's thoughts. They were the sounds of waiters who had sacrificed their lives falling.
Along with all this, there were layers of groans, violent coughs and children's cries appearing in his ears.
That didn't come from the altar and hall here, but from... the East District where the Lady of Despair was!
Klein gained some insight and looked up at the dome of the hall.
Under his spiritual vision, in the collapsed defect in the center of the dome, a series of illusory and transparent figures, carrying negative emotions such as unwillingness, pain, despair, and anger, rushed into the hall one after another and merged into the ceremony on the altar.
As an expert in mysticism, Klein knew that each figure represented a living being that had just died.
This is what Ms. Despair calls "arson," an evil fire that burns lives and sacrifices souls!
Mr. A sacrificed the lives of four waiters on the altar here, guiding the dead souls of the East District to gather together. His purpose was very clear, which was to let his master, the "true creator", come.
Two powerful extraordinary people, one teleported away and was killing people in the East District, while the other was concentrating on the ritual of summoning the "True Creator". Now was the best time to escape. As long as he took a few steps forward, pushed open the door, and left this hall, everything would have nothing to do with him.
As the primary diocese of the three major churches, Backlund has more than one demigod, so it can naturally handle such "small matters" with ease.
I was just a Sequence 6 Beyonder. Staying here would only add another unwilling soul to the Heretic God's ritual...
But he knew his choice.
Just like telling Angel about the situation on the scene just now and trusting his choice.
The next second, Klein, holding the revolver tightly, smiled brightly. He turned abruptly and rushed out from behind the stone pillar.
Does 3000 words count as extra chapters?
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