In that instant, time and space seemed to twist under a mysterious power—the threads of fate between Qonas and Ince Zangwill quietly intersected.
The silver miniature swords that should have erupted inside Qonas suddenly reversed direction in a bizarre twist of destiny.
They blasted out of Ince's own body instead.
The devastating sword-lights sliced effortlessly through his silver full-body armour, carving it into fragmented plates that fell away. Even Ince Zangwill's physical body split open with jagged cracks.
Almost simultaneously, the Traveler marionette stepped out from the spirit world, gripping the Sea God's Sceptre that shimmered with cryptic brilliance. With a sweep of the weapon, streaks of silver-white lightning descended from the sky like dragons plunging into the sea, each carrying crushing, thunderous might.
Blinding bolts of silver lightning intertwined—one after another—forming chains of lethal meteor-like strikes that slammed down upon Ince. The dense barrage swallowed his figure instantly, erupting into a burst of dazzling radiance so bright that no one could keep their eyes open.
From his hiding place in the corner, Leonard seized the opportunity.
He surged forward as Pallez repeatedly stole from Ince. Leonard drew a revolver and pressed the barrel to his own temple. In his other hand, he held a Fate Siphon charm. His voice was deep as he chanted:
"Fate!"
Bang!
With a heavy, shocking gunshot, Leonard's head exploded—blood and brain matter splattering outward. The Fate Siphon charm activated at the same instant, transferring Leonard's death to Ince, forcing the outcome of Ince Zangwill's "death" in the threads of destiny.
"Did…did it work?"
Leonard stared fixedly at the fading thunderous light.
Pallez spoke in a low rumble:
"If Ince Zangwill were truly just Sequence 4, as we first speculated, he would certainly be dead now. But…"
Before he could finish—
A set of heavy, thunderous footsteps boomed out of the smoke, each one slamming into everyone's chest like a hammer.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Then, a colossal shadow slowly emerged from the swirling haze.
A towering one-eyed giant stepped forth. His massive frame was formed of corded, dark blue-black muscle. His greyish-blue skin radiated a chilling, oppressive aura.
Most horrifying was the pitch-black vertical fissure running from his forehead down to his nose—like a sealed, abyssal third eye, deep and unfathomable, as though it led straight into endless darkness.
This—was the mythical creature form of the Warrior pathway.
"Ah!!!"
The moment Leonard saw him, his spirituality rioted violently, brushing the edge of complete loss of control.
Pallez hurriedly took over his body and forced him to retreat through stolen distance.
Klein fared no better.
Beneath his skin, veins writhed like parasitic worms, bulging and twisting as if countless abominations were struggling to crawl out of his body.
Suddenly, he remembered something:
In Foggy Town not long ago, when he had encountered that being suspected to be the mythical creature form of the Seer pathway within the resplendent palace, he hadn't shown signs of losing control—because his consciousness had been inside the Traveler marionette.
Without hesitation, Klein shifted his consciousness into the Traveler puppet.
Instantly, all symptoms of losing control vanished.
The giant that Ince Zangwill had become let out a thunderous roar.
The horrid dark eye-fissure on his face shifted rapidly in its socket as he swept his gaze across the battlefield, bellowing, "I shall complete my glorious revenge!!"
Silver-white full-body armour once again materialised over his gigantic frame. He swung a silver longsword several meters long, dragging a sweeping arc outward.
A storm of radiant light erupted from him in a full 360-degree sweep—annihilating and incinerating everything in its path.
It was like the arrival of doomsday.
Klein hurriedly manoeuvred the Traveler marionette to his own side and began flickering repeatedly, aiming to escape into the underground area beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.
But just as he approached, he crashed into an invisible barrier and was thrown back violently.
The cathedral's underground was being blocked—sealed off entirely.
No one could enter or exit.
A realisation struck Klein.
When Ince had first appeared—burning the doctrine—those falling red sparks…
They must have come from a sealing artifact.
He had sealed the cathedral's underground from the start, isolating the church's high-ranking powerhouses and all high-grade sealed artifacts for a period of time.
No wonder no reinforcements had ever shown up.
No wonder the Nighthawks and Red Gloves never used any of their powerful artifacts.
Ince Zangwill had prepared thoroughly.
But there was one thing Klein couldn't understand—
Why had Mr. Azik not appeared yet?
Klein took a deep breath and recited the messenger summoning chant in Hermes.
Then he called out, "Miss Messenger, are you free to lend a hand?"
———
Mr. Azik had just been about to tear open space and rush out to help Klein when a familiar yet foreign aura appeared ahead of him.
A woman stepped forth—wearing a feathered serpent crown, her appearance bearing several similarities to Azik himself.
This was the leader of the Southern Continent's Numinous Episcopate—
Pale-White Empress, Sia Palenque Eggers, an angel wielding a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
———
Memorial Square
On the platform, "George III" spoke with heavy passion:
"We have endured the most difficult of times.
We shall triumph over cruelty and evil.
This is the power of justice—
the strength of every soldier on the front line,
the strength of every worker in every factory…"
Bernadette, still wearing her old-fashioned hat, watched the speech calmly.
Then she turned her head toward Lilith, who had appeared at some unknown moment.
Lilith folded her arms, frowning in confusion.
"How do you still have the mood to watch this imaginary George III giving a speech?"
Bernadette replied softly, "I'm waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
Lilith tilted her head.
"Don't tell me you're waiting for me?"
"Yes."
Bernadette nodded.
"I've always been curious—why Lilith would care so much about 'Mr. World.' You've been pushing him from the shadows all this time, accelerating his advancement."
Lilith blinked.
"Uh…your dad Roselle is about to die and this is what you're thinking about?"
Bernadette's expression remained tranquil.
"The mausoleum of George III has nine sites. With my strength alone, I cannot destroy them all in such a short time. So no matter how anxious I am, the result will not change."
Lilith gave her a thumbs-up.
'Your…mental resilience is terrifying! If it were Edward, he would've gone berserk already.'
Bernadette continued, "So Klein's advancement is related to Mr. Sparrow's return?"
"Yup."
"As long as he advances to Sequence 4, Mr. Sparrow can return?"
"That's what Edward said back then."
Bernadette fell into quiet thought.
"The Bizarro Sorcerer's advancement ritual…It requires relying primarily on one's own power and planning, and under the witness of many onlookers, murdering a demigod or an equivalent extraordinary creature. And your chosen target is Ince Zangwill?"
Lilith shrugged.
"Exactly. He's the only one who can truly ignite Klein's fighting spirit in such a short time. But right now, it's still too difficult for Klein to kill a Sequence 3 Silver Knight."
Lilith sighed with regret.
"Tch…I shouldn't have scared off that cyclops last time. If Ince Zangwill had killed Dunn and Daly, Klein would be even more fired up right now—maybe he'd have exploded with potential and taken Zangwill's head off."
"But if I actually did that, Edward would definitely be furious."
Bernadette nodded.
"I understand."
Then she took a small step forward—and vanished.
Lilith was dumbfounded.
"Wait—what do you understand?! Are you going to help Klein? If you help too much, his ritual won't complete!"
———
Outside the Secret Royal Mausoleum, East Chester County
Bernadette emerged, supported by clusters of pea vines sprouting out of thin air.
She walked forward and extended her right hand toward the mountain wall. In the air, she rapidly traced symbols. Droplets of bright red blood—like tiny rubies—bled out from her fingertips and solidified midair.
Soon, a complex symbol composed of layered "doors" formed.
They quivered faintly, resonating with something far away.
Within moments, the blood-red configuration expanded into a translucent, illusory door. Through it, one could vaguely see a massive mausoleum built of black stone blocks.
Bernadette stepped through the phantom door and descended into a dim, cavernous space.
At that moment, deep below the earth, as some ritual unfolded, a heavy and sombre light gathered—condensing into a human figure in midair.
He had a slightly square face, black hair, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and thick beard. His expression was solemn and majestic.
This was William Augustus I—the founder and protector of the Kingdom of Loen, the very first king—the same entity Bernadette had fought during the Great Smog incident.
Bernadette's expression remained unchanged. With a flip of her hand, an item appeared.
The Magic Lamp.
She brushed her fingers across its surface. The wick ignited soundlessly. The light it emitted surged upward like viscous streams of liquid, forming a hazy, distorted silhouette of pale gold.
Bernadette spoke:
"Magic Wishing Lamp Spirit, my second wish is this— Regardless of the method you choose, ensure that Klein Moretti leads and completes the assassination of Ince Zangwill to successfully fulfil the advancement ritual of the Bizarro Sorcerer."
The Genie froze.
Then roared in outrage, "%****¥%&¥"
"IT'S YOU AGAIN, MYSTERIES!!!"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.