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*****
"I will remember you!"
After distorting the trajectory of the flaming spear, Mr. A did not linger to continue the fight. Instead, he immediately switched to the flying ability of a "Wind-blessed" and attempted to bolt through the window.
The members of the Aurora Order were undoubtedly lunatics, but that did not mean they were fools. The eerie infant before him was clearly a High-Sequence powerhouse who had neutralized his attacks with effortless ease. To continue the battle offered little hope of victory. Moreover, judging by the infant's words, he was an expert from the Church; his reinforcements could arrive at any moment.
Since he had failed to kill the opponent within two moves, the only logical step was to escape immediately.
Unfortunately for him, George had no intention of letting him leave. With a flash of fire, George manifested right beside Mr. A.
"It seems you have a death wish!"
Seeing George suddenly block his path, Mr. A felt a surge of joy rather than alarm. His greatest expertise lay in flesh-and-blood magic. For the opponent to draw so close to him was practically a death sentence, even if George's Sequence was a level higher than his own.
In the world of Beyonders, combat was not determined solely by Sequence level. It was a common occurrence for a lower-Sequence Beyonder to kill a higher-Sequence one. Different pathways possessed different abilities; some were specialized for combat, while others were not.
A "Shepherd" was a class specifically designed for extreme combat, particularly in close quarters. If an opponent was not careful, a Shepherd could transform into a mass of flesh and blood to invade their body. Once that happened, no matter how powerful the victim was, they would be destroyed from the inside out.
Mr. A switched to his strongest grazed soul—a Sequence 5 "Demoness of Pleasure"—and activated the "Affliction" ability to spread a negative disease infection. Simultaneously, his body dissolved into a writhing mass of bloody gore, lunging forward to envelop George.
The disease infection of a Sequence 5 was enough to drastically weaken an opponent's physical functions. Once Mr. A entered the body to wreak havoc, he could dismantle George's physical form within minutes.
Had George been a mere Sequence 4 Demigod, he might truly have fallen to such a specialized maneuver. But he was something far beyond that.
George simply snapped his fingers. In an instant, a massive dragon composed of blue Fiendfire materialized. The dragon opened its maw and swallowed the mass of flesh that was Mr. A in a single gulp.
As for the so-called "Affliction," George ignored it entirely. Forget the disease of a Sequence 5 Demoness; even the plagues of a Sequence 0 Demoness would struggle to sicken a physical body of his caliber.
"AAAAHHH!"
Tortured by the searing heat of the Fiendfire dragon, Mr. A let out a blood-curdling scream. Driven by desperation, he was forced to abandon his flesh-and-blood state, transforming into a streak of shadow to flee.
"Shadow!"
George invoked the shadow magic from his "Shadow" card. His own shadow instantly extended across the floor, manifesting into a giant hand that gripped Mr. A tightly, pinning him in place.
Having acquired the occult knowledge of the entire Hanged Man pathway from the True Creator, George could easily utilize the shadow-related abilities of that pathway to convert and cast corresponding shadow spells.
As for whether anyone would question why a Beyonder of the Seer pathway could use shadow magic? The answer was simple: he possessed the Sealed Artifact "Creeping Hunger." Whenever he used any converted magic that resembled the abilities of other sequences, he could simply claim he was utilizing a soul grazed within that artifact.
"Blow yourself up!"
Forced back into human form once again, Mr. A's eyes turned crazed. He tore off his own right arm, intending to trigger a massive "Flesh Bomb." While this move would severely deplete his vitality, he had no other choice.
The strength of this bizarre infant far exceeded his expectations. Every attack he launched was neutralized with terrifying ease. He realized that if the infant hadn't been intent on capturing him alive, he likely wouldn't have survived a single exchange.
However, just as he tore his arm away, George appeared directly in front of his face and delivered a sharp slap to his head.
This single strike was devastating. It literally slapped the grazed souls right out of Mr. A's body and forcibly ejected his Beyonder characteristics. In the blink of an eye, the dreaded Oracle was stripped of his power, reverting into a mundane, ordinary human.
"How is this possible..."
Mr. A's eyes were filled with utter disbelief. He could not comprehend how he, a dignified Sequence 5, had lost his Beyonder characteristics so effortlessly. Now, he lacked the strength to flee, or even the ability to commit suicide.
"Seal."
George pulled out a Matryoshka doll to seal the souls Mr. A had grazed. He then collected the Beyonder characteristics and the various high-end mystical materials Mr. A carried. Grabbing the now-human Mr. A by the collar, George vanished in a swirl of flames.
The entire confrontation seemed to span several exchanges, but in reality, less than five seconds had passed. By the time the wild Beyonders in the hall had scrambled to their feet to escape, the fight was already over. They stared at the spot where the flames had vanished, their faces frozen in shock.
"Who was that infant? To be so terrifying... he captured an Oracle of the Aurora Order in just a few seconds!"
At the same time, a wave of relief washed over them. They were glad Mr. A had been taken; otherwise, they might have eventually been turned into Beyonder characteristics by the Aurora Order themselves. They were also grateful the infant hadn't targeted them. Had he chosen to, they might have spent the rest of their lives in a Church dungeon.
"Is this the combat of High-Sequence experts? Truly frightening!"
"Indeed. It's my first time seeing it. Fortunately, I've already traded for the 'Sheriff' potion formula for Sequence 8."
The two speakers were Xio and Fors. They were the Beyonders Audrey had previously hired to track Qilangos and the individuals she had recommended for the Tarot Club. Because they had nearly been killed by Qilangos, Audrey had compensated them with 800 pounds each, even though they hadn't completed the task. Having just received the money, they had come to the gathering to trade for their next formulas, only to witness George's capture of Mr. A.
Meanwhile, George utilized "Flaming Jump" to leap directly to the Church of the Evernight Goddess, where he located the High Deacon, Chris.
"Mr. A, an Oracle of the Aurora Order and a Sequence 5 Shepherd. I assume this is sufficient to trade for the conditions of my advancement ritual?"
Unlike his missions to save those losing control—where he would return the characteristics to the Church—George kept the loot from these hunting missions for himself, including the Beyonder characteristics. The Church only required the target; preferably alive, but a corpse or even just confirmation of the kill would suffice.
"Of course! More than sufficient!"
Chris's face lit up with a look of pleasant surprise. Sequence 5 cultists were all "old foxes." Unless the Church obtained precise intelligence and set a careful ambush, they were incredibly difficult to apprehend. In a city as massive as Backlund, a cultist could vanish like a drop of water in the ocean. As long as they didn't cause a scene to attract the Church's attention, they were very safe.
The fact that George could capture a Sequence 5 cultist—especially one from a highly destructive group like the Aurora Order—was cause for celebration. An Oracle lurking in Backlund was certainly up to no good; their presence always signaled an underlying conspiracy. By capturing him alive, the Church could now intercept whatever plot was in motion.
As for how George had found Mr. A, Chris didn't ask. In this world, everyone had their secrets.
(End of Chapter)