The Lady Despair, Panatiya, couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Her Demoness Sect's collaboration with the Augustus family had been proceeding smoothly, aside from the promised Conqueror characteristic being delayed. Everything else was on track.
She was poised to use the upcoming event to spread a great smog over Loen, fully digesting her Sequence 4 potion and ascending to Sequence 3 Unaging. Yet, Panatiya couldn't shake a nagging sense of unease.
But what exactly was off?
As she pondered, her gaze inadvertently swept over Mr. A, passing nearby, and she paused. "Mr. A, who are those two with you?" She asked suddenly.
Unlike the original story, at Alaric's behest, this world's Aurora Order had feigned cooperation with the Augustus family, ready to betray them at any moment.
Mr. A paused, glancing at Panatiya without the reverence or fear one might expect when facing a demigod. "They are the Lord's messengers, here to assist with the upcoming descent ritual," He said calmly.
It was a lie, but Mr. A delivered it without a hint of guilt.
Panatiya's eyes shifted to the two figures behind him. Both were cloaked tightly, one wearing a mask that obscured their face entirely, the other smiling at her with a face so ordinary it would vanish in a crowd.
Her brow furrowed. Her instincts screamed that something was amiss, but Mr. A's status made her hesitate to act on intuition alone.
After all, the Aurora Order was backed by a true god, and lately, the True Creator's condition seemed markedly improved.
Panatiya heightened her guard, then flashed a soft, alluring smile, brushing her hair. "My apologies, I don't mean to doubt you. But given the importance of today's events, for the sake of our mutual success, I must be cautious…"
She glanced pointedly at the two behind Mr. A.
"…Are you done?" Mr. A asked, still calm, unaffected by her charm, his expression one of confusion, as if wondering why she was wasting words.
Panatiya, her charm rebuffed, froze. Dropping subtlety, she said directly, "May I see this gentleman's true face?"
A face didn't always reveal much, but not everyone was a Faceless or possessed related mystical items. Appearances were often hard to alter.
To Panatiya, their secrecy suggested their faces might be problematic... perhaps someone she knew.
"…No," Mr. A replied bluntly, looking at her. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Panatiya's eyes narrowed. In a flash, she appeared before the masked figure, reaching to remove their mask.
Boom!
A bolt of silver lightning struck from above, hitting Panatiya. Had she not reacted swiftly, conjuring an icy shield, the strike could have crippled her.
"According to the script, I should've waited a bit longer before hunting you," Said the ordinary-looking man, still standing beside Mr. A, his expression tinged with helplessness. "I'm not sure if the audience is in place yet."
Indeed, this unremarkable man was Klein, his appearance altered by his Faceless abilities.
After acquiring Kalvetua, a formidable Sequence 3 marionette, and using it for some time, Klein had fully digested his Marionettist potion. Now, he was preparing to ascend to Sequence 4, Bizarro Sorcerer.
The Bizarro Sorcerer's ritual required him to kill a Sequence 4 demigod in front of numerous witnesses.
The latter was manageable with Kalvetua as his marionette, but the former was trickier... ordinary people witnessing a demigod-level Beyonder battle was dangerous.
To avoid harming civilians, Klein had enlisted Adam to serve as his audience. Adam, one step from godhood, was sufficient to fulfill the ritual's requirement single-handedly.
"I'm here," came a familiar voice.
Klein looked over to see Adam, who had appeared in the air unnoticed.
Relieved, Klein nodded to Adam, then turned to Panatiya, who was dodging lightning strikes, and began hunting her with full focus.
…
"…Thank you, Miss Audrey. One hundred thirty-seven more to go," Lil' Amon said, adjusting his monocle and smiling at Miss Justice.
He was tasked with assisting Audrey in arresting Backlund's nobles and tycoons for later judgment.
Lil' Amon was no longer an ordinary Sequence 5 but a genuine Sequence 3, a gift from his true self. For an Amon avatar, advancing was simple... no potions required, just a burst of power from the original.
After all, despite his modest power, Lil' Amon was still a avatar of an King of Angel.
"I'm just doing what's right," Audrey said, lowering her gaze to avoid looking at Helyn's family, now wearing "silver bracelets."
"Why are you arresting us? We haven't committed any crimes…" Helyn said, her eyes filled with confusion and shock. She vaguely recognized Audrey as an earl's daughter but couldn't fathom why she was here, arresting them.
Compared to Helyn's outburst, her parents were calmer, their eyes assessing the situation and weighing their next moves.
"I'm sorry," Audrey sighed, looking at Helyn. "You haven't committed a crime, but the existence of the nobility itself is wrong."
Helyn froze, her expression one of bewilderment, as if she couldn't comprehend Audrey's words.
To her, the nobility's existence was natural, unquestionable.
"…You want to overthrow the nobility?" Helyn's father finally spoke, his face etched with shock.
***
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