Intis, the western city of Toulon.
A cavalry brigade stationed here had finally been unable to suppress their dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister's high-pressure policies. Under the instigation of their commanding officer, they joined the citizens in seizing the armory, preparing to resist the Parliament's chaotic orders with force.
Meanwhile, a guard force loyal to the Prime Minister—led by Beyonders of the "Demon" pathway—had long been lying in ambush.
They swiftly defeated the spontaneously uprising rebels, driving both the soldiers and the citizens of Toulon into the central square…
Then dozens of high-pressure steam machine guns were set up around them!
"Sir… this—this is a massacre!"
One machine gunner spoke with trembling voice, clearly unable to bear it, hoping the officer behind him would retract the command.
But the officer simply raised his revolver and—"Bang!"—the bullet pierced the questioning soldier's skull.
The officer ordered another shaking, terrified gunner to take the dead man's position, then coldly said:
"The cavalry brigade betrayed Intis first. Traitors are to be executed!
As for the citizens who supported them, they share the same guilt."
His gaze swept across the remaining gunners, making all of them tremble, not daring to think further.
As a "Cold-Blooded One," a member of the Nois family, this officer had long since lost his humanity!
In truth, if he weren't worried about the Church discovering that this was a large-scale "sacrifice" ritual, he wouldn't have bothered with all these steps…
"But this works too.
Once their fear and anger peak, the machine gunners will open fire immediately—
then we execute the gunners as well,
and report that the cavalry brigade massacred the town, forcing the guards to respond…
"That way, the case level won't be raised too high,
and it should stay buried for a good while."
Just as he thought this, the officer realized that chaos had spread among the citizens and cavalry trapped in the square.
Smirking, he muttered:
"So someone has figured out my plan? Heh… too late!"
After shooting down several desperate men trying to break out, he checked the extraordinary item in his hand, confirmed that the "fear" and "anger" levels were now sufficient, and was about to issue the order:
All machine guns, fire.
Just as the bullets were about to be fired—
just as despair flooded the square—
every machine gun jammed at once.
In that instant, a rider in cavalry uniform—Parliament Member Fanny Surrey—charged forward on a magnificent stallion.
The white horse leaped over the guard's encirclement, and mid-air, Fanny raised her arm and shot—
blowing the Nois "Cold-Blooded One's" head apart.
She landed in the square and stood between the citizens and the guards, one hand holding a steam rifle, the other waving forcefully, launching into a fiery, impassioned speech.
She condemned the Prime Minister's policies, criticized the cavalry brigade for choosing such radical resistance, and finally exposed the cult backing the Prime Minister's guard—
revealing their conspiracy intent on "sacrifice."
Meanwhile, the Nois family Beyonders hidden among the guard attempted to silence Fanny—
but strangely, they acted with extreme clumsiness,
allowing her to spot and eliminate each one effortlessly.
Eventually, thanks to Fanny's intervention,
the planned "Toulon Massacre" did not occur.
The cavalry brigade and the guards reached a temporary reconciliation,
agreeing to place themselves under Fanny's command for the moment.
But the one who truly prevented this catastrophe
was not Fanny Surrey at all.
In the outskirts of Toulon, in an empty field,
Two "Apostles of Desire"—both in their full demon forms—now lay motionless on the ground,
their heads separated from their bodies,
their hearts and other vital organs completely pierced through.
Floating above them was a mechanical doll wearing a maid outfit, gold hair tied with a red ribbon.
At this moment, the doll retracted the "beam" it had fired.
As if reporting, or perhaps muttering to itself, it said:
"Shanghai reporting:
Enemy eliminated."
Soon, two more voices sounded in its ears:
"Penglai reporting:
Enemy eliminated."
"Goliath reporting:
Protection target is safe."
Meanwhile, in the empty streets of Toulon,
With chestnut hair, tall build, and strikingly handsome features, Bornova Gustav looked at the "old acquaintance" before him and asked with a blank expression:
"Yaldabaoth, what exactly are you planning?"
Wearing a red suit and round-lens glasses, Yaldabaoth smiled:
"Bornova, long time no see.
You're still the type Roselle never liked…
"As for what I'm doing—
you've known me for years. Can you see it?
Heh… if it were Bernadette or Nast here, they would guess instantly."
Bornova ignored the provocation.
After a moment of thought, he asked:
"You intend to destroy the Nois family's overt forces,
forcing that hidden one—
the former 'Shadow of the Universe'—to show himself?"
Yaldabaoth merely chuckled, not confirming, but replied:
"There's also another reason:
to curry favor with a certain existence."
"A certain existence?"
Bornova pondered, then nodded.
"I see."
His gaze pierced through countless barriers, settling on the figure of Fanny delivering her speech in the square.
He murmured:
"This counts as a rather successful 'bribery.'"
It was because of that 'bribe' that everything went so smoothly.
Backlund.
Cherwood Borough, Hope Road No. 22, Hat Trick Inn.
After Fors unsealed a card, Dorian saw the face he would never forget.
Compared to when he attacked the Abraham family headquarters,
Louis Wayne's smug smile was gone—
replaced by peaceful calm, as though he had died naturally in his sleep.
As an Astrologer,
Dorian Gray's spiritual intuition confirmed immediately:
This corpse was Louis Wayne.
"Good… very good…"
Dorian whispered, voice trembling.
He raised his head to his student:
"Which powerhouse did you ask to kill him?
What price did you pay?
I can hardly imagine anyone in Backlund willing to touch someone as troublesome as him."
Fors hesitated, then said with pride:
"It was Viscount Beldan, Ebner Bryan."
Ebner Bryan?
That "Hero Detective"?
He's actually that strong?
Dorian nodded lightly, silently exhaling.
After accepting Fors as his student, he had naturally investigated her relationship with that detective.
But for the man to personally eliminate an Aurora Order "Envoy of God"…
that surprised even him.
It meant their relationship was far closer than he had assumed!
As these thoughts crossed his mind,
he sat Fors down, pulled up a chair, and cautiously asked:
"Mr. Bryan is… a powerful Beyonder?"
"Yes, teacher."
Fors nodded.
She had already gained Ebner's permission to reveal some information.
"He is a true Prophet."
Prophet?
A Prophet!
As a member of the Abraham family,
Dorian knew exactly what a true Prophet represented.
"A demigod…
Possibly even a member of the Church of Knowledge…"
But just as he thought this,
his student uttered a sentence that made him spit all the tea in his mouth:
"Ebner prophesied that Abraham's Alvin is about to ascend to Angel, return to reality, and restore the family's glory."
(End of Chapter)