On the other side, Klein found Capim's corpse...
He took out a prepared deck of tarot cards, drew the 'Judgment' and 'The Emperor' cards, and tossed them onto Capim's face before scattering the rest of the deck over his body.
During the scattering, one card landed on the ground near Capim's head due to its angle of fall. It was the Hermit card, which depicted a hooded figure holding a lantern.
Klein didn't pay it much mind and headed to the rooftop to deliver his final act...
...
At that moment, an illusory door suddenly appeared in the villa's courtyard...
A handsome man in a sharply tailored formal suit stepped out from the phantom realm beyond. This was Celt Augustus, a demigod of the 'Justiciar' Pathway and an agent of MI9 in Backlund.
With a sweeping glance at the raging fire before him, his gaze pierced through the flames and smoke, landing on the four Beyonders' corpses that had been set on fire.
Simultaneously, a gust of wind surged forth, carrying a stern-faced old man in a black wide-brimmed hat and robes embroidered with storm sigils, swiftly descending.
This was Ace Snake, the 'Spellsinger of God', and the Archbishop of the Holy Wind Cathedral in Backlund diocese.
Ace glanced at Celt and asked in a grave tone, "Why are you here?"
By convention, Extraordinary incidents in the Cherwood Borough fell under the jurisdiction of the Holy Wind Cathedral.
"I live nearby." Celt replied with a less-than-pleased expression.
Ace said nothing further. He Lifted a hand toward the inferno, then summoned a howling gale that tore the flames from the building, hurling them into the artificial fountain outside.
The two demigods took in the sight of Harras and the others' corpses... then the body of Capim, which was strewn with tarot cards, including the two on his face.
One depicted an angel sounding the trumpet of 'Judgment', while the other bore the armored and crowned figure of 'The Emperor'.
An instant later, Celt and Ace both sensed something and looked up at the roof...
There, atop the partially collapsed villa, stood a majestic figure clad in black armor, with a dark crown resting upon their head.
Klein gave a slight nod. Then, with his curtain call complete, he prepared to leave.
But just then, an ethereal woman's voice spoke behind him: "Caught you."
Klein immediately recognized it... the voice belonged to the formidable lady he had encountered at the Royal Museum. At the same time, a luminous circular seal materialized beneath his feet, locking him in place.
Having followed Odis and witnessed this majestic figure, Bernadette immediately sensed that this was the same specter who had stolen the bookmarks.
Learning from last time, she hadn't acted rashly. Instead, while observing his movements, she had stealthily woven a potent spatial seal.
Klein's figure froze for a split second... yet in the next moment, he vanished without warning. Where he had stood, Bernadette's phantom-like form flickered into view.
Examining her seal with disbelief, she found it intact, with no signs of being broken.
Logically, no one trapped within it should have been able to escape, whether through the Spirit World, the Underworld, or the Astral World. And yet, her prisoner had disappeared right before her eyes.
*CRACK!*
A jagged bolt of silver lightning split the sky, illuminating the rooftop like daylight.
Bernadette swept a glance at the two demigods in the courtyard... Then, a pair of illusory wings unfurled behind her, wrapped around her form, and vanished, taking her with them.
Both Ace and Celt had sensed Bernadette's overwhelming power, so neither made any move to stop her.
Celt muttered, "They weren't accomplices."
Ace nodded. He could feel just how formidable that seal had been.
Then, the two turned toward the steam-driven carriage bearing the 'Sacred Emblem of Steam and Machinery' outside the villa...
....
Odis, who was still coughing violently from the smoke, had immediately ordered Byron and Beck to help him into the 'Machinery Hivemind' carriage the moment Klein made his exit.
He had even sternly forbidden them from stepping out...
Just as he began to recover, Ace and Celt appeared outside the vehicle. At the same time, a gust of seemingly 'living' wind wrenched the door open.
Taking a deep breath, Odis rasped, "My apologies… *cough*… I'm unwell. I can't properly greet you."
Ace demanded, "You seem to have witnessed the entire incident?"
"Indeed… *cough*." Odis had no intention of concealing it, "But I am a key informant for the 'Machinery Hivemind'. I can only submit to questioning… *cough*… with the team's accompaniment."
This was why he had rushed into the carriage. Without its protection, even if he announced his status, the two demigods could easily claim they "hadn't heard clearly" and forcibly interrogate the trio.
With Celt, an 'Arbiter' Pathway demigod present, their questioning wouldn't be any simple inquiry.
But if they, being seated in an official 'Machinery Hivemind' carriage, were subjected to Extraordinary interrogation by the Church of the Lord of Storms' archbishop and an MI9 demigod, it would be inexcusable.
Celt scoffed, "Feeling guilty?"
Then, an overwhelming mental pressure bore down on the three men, compelling them to spill every secret they held.
*Cough-cough!*
Odis wheezed, trembling under the force, but he still managed to clutch the 'Sacred Emblem of Steam and Machinery' hanging around his neck, a symbol of interlocking gears and levers, and raised it before him:
"Embodiment of Essence... *cough*... Guardian of Craftsmen... Brilliance of Technology... Your devout follower beseeches you…"
"Enough," Celt snapped, "We'll question you later."
*SLAM!*
The door was shut, and the oppressive mental pressure vanished.
Odis exhaled shakily in relief.
Beside him, Byron's understanding of the Leader's status was renewed. He whispered, "How should we answer the police and official Beyonders' questions later?"
Though not a Beyonder himself, Byron was aware of their existence...
"The truth will suffice," Odis replied.
He had already reported Byron's involvement to Max the previous Saturday. Plus, Parker had attacked first, so he had no fear of routine questioning. But he knew too many secrets to risk Beyonder interrogation by MI9.
Soon, 'Mandated Punishers' squads arrived in waves, directing the police to secure the villa and its surroundings while three members kept watch over Odis's group.
More than half an hour later, Max arrived with his team. After assessing the situation, he requested that the 'Mandated Punishers' send representatives to accompany them back to the Backlund Institute for Mechanical Research for a joint interrogation.
But the case's importance to both the 'Mandated Punishers' and MI9 exceeded Max's expectations. Celt and Ace personally took part in questioning Odis and his men...