~8026 words
Kiyotaka closed his eyes and imagined two things.
The first one was a bowl. It was the same bowl that he had repeatedly used to eat his favourite beef stew in, and also the same bowl in which he had concocted his Sequence 9: Lawyer's Beyonder potion. Bit by bit, he imagined it from his memory. It was a really detailed reimagination where he nailed everything down to its material and texture.
However, for the second one, Kiyotaka was a bit at a loss. If his theory of being in the future of the Earth were true, and he imagined anything from his past existence's era, that would spell trouble, since it would not qualify as "something from outside the world" on a technical basis.
Not having enough time to ponder over the nuances, Kiyotaka pressed his eyes tighter and began to imagine the general shape of the first thing that would appear in his mind. If this really was the future, any mention of the past had been removed. If a thing didn't exist, even in the oldest memories, is it really a part of history then?
In his mind's vision, a 2D square drew itself. Another square overlapped it, forming a 3D cube. Then, it morphed into a rather complex design before the front flap opening.
It was a cradle.
A cradle inside a square room that was painted in stark white colour.
A cradle that rocked itself and had a lot of buttons over its carry handle. It was a cradle which was impossible to exist in this current era, or in an era even hundreds of years into the future.
Kiyotaka felt the throbbing sensations subside, and he finally realised what he had imagined.
With his eyes closed and his nerves suddenly reverting to normal. For a moment, he was a little baffled as to why this place had appeared in his mind. However, after about 2 seconds, he arrived at the answer.
It was because, no matter what, he still thought of it. He still cherished it, in his own twisted way.
Kiyotaka's lips moved in an indiscernible manner as he whispered with a hint of nostalgia.
"Home."
**********
A new morning dawned on Backlund.
The weather had dipped quite tremendously. The night was much colder than normal and due to that, Kiyotaka could hardly get any sleep. Hence, when he woke up in the morning at 9 AM, the first thing he did was buy some new formal clothes and some casual clothes as well.
After spending around £12 on 2 formal suits and another £18 on casual ones which were mostly heavy clothes consisting of four shirts, four pants and four overcoats in black and white color, he was left with £532.
Due to his sale of potion formulas for £500, the excess payment of £50 from Mr. A, and the £12 cash-in-hand, he still had over £500 left with him, even after the extravagant shopping spree.
Once he had bought the clothes, eaten his favorite beef stew, took a cold bath and changed into his new clothes, he finally settled down into his room as he started to ruminate over the events of last night.
He had finally become a Beyonder, a Sequence 9: Lawyer to specific.
Fortunately, to his pleasure, he did not have to test himself to see the changes. The knowledge of his abilities was automatically injected into his mind. From that knowledge, he realized that he had obtained two core abilities.
Core abilities were referred to as new abilities gained during advancement. An advancement, other than the Sequence 9, does not necessarily always introduce a core ability. Sometimes, a sequence progression could only bring upon a qualitative enhancement to pre-existing abilities.
The first core ability that Kiyotaka was able to gain was called "Eloquence."
As a Lawyer he had now become a master of speech, logical and emotional reasoning while being able to influence the judgement, thoughts, and conclusions that others are brought to via words, actions, and established processes.
Through this, he was now able to effectively "distort" a target's thinking to a certain degree, making people feel very close to himself or willing to trust him. This ability was not only a power that gave him good speaking skills, but it also served as a Beyonder power that enhanced his natural persuasiveness.
The second core ability that Kiyotaka gained was called "Law Proficiency."
This ability made him good at taking advantage of the loopholes within various social rules and laws, as well as the legal weaknesses an enemy might possess. This gave him the ability to utilize the "Law & Order" as a weapon.
'Sigh...' Kiyotaka breathed loudly.
'I basically gained the bare minimum...'
'...I mean, it is a useful ability. Especially in my current body. Since I am still recovering from my alcoholic state and had previous affiliations with gang members, it is hard for a lot of people to trust me, especially those who have their fingers deep into the matters of gangs and other related topics.
Other than that, it basically offers little to no benefit. I can talk according to the situation myself and had already memorized most of the law books when I was employed at Whitethorn Security Company.
I suppose the only real benefit it can show in actual combat is to distort someone's intent with my words or make people less likely to immediately attack me.
However, I can clearly feel that my observation ability and memory have been increased by severalfold.
Sigh... there really is no going back now. I have even digested most of the potion. Turns out, to "act" as a Lawyer, I don't just need to "become" a "Lawyer." I need to have knowledge of different kinds of law. It doesn't have to be extensive, but it needs to be more than an average person.
I suppose to digest the latter half of the potion; I have to do something practical. Act as a Lawyer? Hmm... that would be too simple. Well, I can always figure it out as I use my powers more often.
Reading all those books was a good idea. Even though I was trying to become an Accountant, I still read all those books about Law... that sounds a little odd...
Come to think of it, I wanted to choose Apprentice Pathway, but I ended up choosing the ingredients for Lawyer Pathway... huh?
Kiyotaka suddenly fell into silence.
He was quite sure that when he had returned from above the Grey Fog, he had clearly decided on Apprentice Pathway.
Just as he was about to spiral into a paranoia, a bright red light enveloped him and then his spirit body passed through the cacophonous ravings of screams, before arriving at the Mysterious Space above the Gray Fog.
Sitting at the head of the long, mottled bronze table, The Fool had a rather concerned look on his face. Just as Kiyotaka arrived at the high back chair at the foot of the table, Klein's features visibly relaxed.
"You are alive." The Fool—Klein thought out loud.
"Fortunately." The Emperor—Kiyotaka replied with a new Eloquence that made Klein raise his brow.
Just as Kiyotaka spoke, a blurry symbol formed itself behind the high-back chair at the foot of the table.
Dominating the starry backdrop was a composition of a symmetrical, black silhouette emblem that glowed and pulsed. At its core was a spiral motif that twisted inward like a vortex of chaos and disorder with layered coils that created a hypnotic, swirling effect.
Flanking the spiral were two large, wing-like extensions that curved outward and upward, with contorted, flowing lines that twisted and overlapped in an organic yet very chaotic manner.
Above the spiral was a crown-like structure with multiple sharp, jagged spikes pointing skyward that looked like something in between thorns, antlers, or a very posh diadem.
From his enhanced mystical knowledge, Klein somewhat interpreted it and realized that Kiyotaka had chosen the Lawyer Pathway. Letting out a sigh of relief, Klein raised his voice.
"Your connection had grown very weak. It would seem like it was due to the Pathway selection..." Klein felt a little guilty and evil. After all, he had suggested the Lawyer or Arbiter Pathway to The Emperor.
This felt like sabotage.
"Yes, it has. There were a few other strange things as well, however, it's nothing noteworthy." Kiyotaka replied in a solemn manner.
'No, they are noteworthy! Tell me!' Klein urged inwardly.
"As for the connection, I suppose I understand. The reason why Roselle would have coveted one of those three pathways is because of this mysterious space. It is highly likely that the access and administrative access to this place is only possible for a Beyonder from Seer, Marauder or Apprentice Pathway."
The Fool leaned back into this chair. "While rare, there are a lot of other Beyonders from those three pathways... how come they never had access to it?"
At the same time that The Fool raised his question, an answer propped itself inside the brains of both figures sitting at the head and foot of the table.
Kiyotaka mumbled quietly: "So there are two conditions. Pick one of the three pathways and be a transmigrator. That would mean that this place is directly tied to our transmigration..."
"I share the same thought..."
The two of them fell into silence.
"Uhh, I know this sounds bad, but I did not know it beforehand. And I did not want to sabotage you to monopolise the access to this place." Klein spoke in a sincere manner. While he was stronger, he did not wish to make unnecessary enemies.
"I know." Kiyotaka replied simply. In his mind, Klein had no reason to apologise. He was going to pick Apprentice Pathway, but unbeknownst to him, he had worked towards Lawyer Pathway.
"Hmm... thanks. Well, shall we start?" Klein looked up at Kiyotaka, as if he still had a say in the matter.
Kiyotaka leaned back and sat in the same ostentatious manner as the last Tarot Gathering. "You are the convener."
The corner of Klein's lips curled into a half-smirk as Grey Fog enveloped Kiyotaka in the same manner as Klein. Then, he reached out his hand, and touched the crimson stars in order of Justice, Hanged Man and Little Sun.
The familiar gray fog and blurry human silhouettes appeared. Audrey, who had successfully advanced to Sequence 8, half stood up, lifted her skirt, and happily greeted them, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~ Good afternoon, Mr. Emperor~"
Klein observed with his spirit vision and smiled. "Welcome, our 'Miss Telepathist.'"
Kiyotaka didn't speak. When Audrey turned to look at him, he merely nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Audrey beamed after receiving the praise and approval of the two "deities" and quickly sat down with a bright smile.
*************
The meeting came to an end.
It was not much different than usual. After the praising by Mr. Fool and Mr. Emperor, there was an exchange of pages of Roselle's diary.
Klein and Kiyotaka read it in utter silence. There was a tacit agreement between the two of them to not show any signs of comprehension or reaction to whatever they were reading, and they were to discuss everything once the meeting was done.
The diary pages this time were related to an entity named Mr. Door. Emperor Roselle had established a connection with him somehow, and it was a poor fellow who was trapped somewhere.
The diary pages mostly listed the War of Four Emperors in the Fourth Epoch. The first one of them was called "Black Emperor," however, the information regarding that person was limited to what the Churches allowed to spread.
As for the other three, they were the half-insane Blood Emperor of the Tudor Dynasty, the Night Emperor of the Trunsoest Empire, and the Emperor of the Underworld of the Southern Continent, also known as Death.
There was something that seemed to have visibly shaken Klein and made even Kiyotaka a little concerned. It was a single line: "Death went mad."
Death—a God, the concept of Death had gone mad.
It was a truly horrifying matter. Kiyotaka had no comprehensible way to react to it, but even he realised that if he had not been conditioned by the White Room to be the way he was, then surely, he would've felt his heart inside his mouth by now.
It was truly a terrifying matter.
One other thing that Kiyotaka noticed acutely was that Black Emperor wasn't just a name. Unlike "Blood Emperor" or "Night Emperor" Black Emperor had always been Black Emperor.
He wondered if it was Sequence 1 of a certain pathway.
'Hmm... Black Emperor... since I have confirmed by now that it is fate, and fate dictates a person's destination, then does that mean that me choosing The Emperor tarot card and somehow selecting Lawyer Pathway is also being dictated by the same fate?
Is it possible that Black Emperor is the Sequence 1 of Lawyer Pathway?
A part of me wants to reject the idea of fate, however, I have seen first-hand how real all of these "illogical" things are. I need to change the way my mind works and adapt to the current world. The status of this world being an alternate, or future doesn't matter.'
After seeing the world and his own fate that was no longer in his own control, Kiyotaka had a clear image of what to do. After that, he looked up at Klein who was sitting at the head of the long, mottled bronze table.
He had removed the grey fog obscuring their features as they sat with their real faces being partially clear.
"I forgot to ask due to the meeting; did you suffer from any setbacks?"
"Not really. I had felt certain things; however, I would assume that it was due to the tangible effects of the powers that are bestowed after consuming a potion." Kiyotaka spoke with a sultry elegance that made Klein's ears perk a little.
"That is good to hear." Klein offered a few sincere words before sinking back into his chair. He rubbed his temples and then sighed. "I wished to talk about a few things, but it would seem like we have to end it here. Do you mind?"
Kiyotaka shook his head and spoke in a charismatic manner. "Of course not."
"I will tell you when we can talk again."
"Sure."
Then, Kiyotaka was plunging through the clouds of ravings and screaming murmurs before finding himself back in his room. He looked through the window and saw that it had been quite deep into the day.
At that moment, Kiyotaka found an illusory door opening and a ring quickly appeared in front of him. He picked it up and stuffed it inside his pants' pocket before setting up a small ritual, reciting The Fool's honorific name and sacrificed £50 to The Fool. In the same instance, he also transmitted his "prayer" which said that he would still assist The Fool's adorer, as long as it does not threaten him in any way.
Kiyotaka had realised that it was best to make The Fool indebted to him, rather than himself indebted to him. Even though it was not a direct confirmation of a debt, for someone as smart as The Fool, Kiyotaka realised that the action itself would carry enough implication for him to pick up on it.
As he was lost in his thoughts, the door of his room opened as a man burst inside.
"Get the fuck out of here! It is my turn to sleep! Fuck off!"
***
Caressing the £482 in cash inside his pocket, Kiyotaka made his way through the streets of Backlund.
He was in a good mood today. He had finally become a Beyonder, and he no longer had to worry about money for a long period of time. What he had in cash was much more than the yearly salary of a middle-class family.
The first thing he wished to do was buy a place that was solely his. Due to the shared apartment, he had almost no privacy. Secondly, even if he wanted to sleep and laze away from the rest of the day, he could not, due to the agreement with the other guy.
As he was walking, he felt the surroundings distort and then return back to normal. After experiencing it twice in his normal state, Kiyotaka—who was not a Beyonder—quickly understood what was happening.
Appearing non-lucid, he kept walking.
'They pulled me into a dream in the middle of the day and in the middle of the street. That's quite bold of them. Did they find out that I had become a Beyonder? Hmm... I don't think my identity was compromised after the Beyonder Meeting last night.'
The ripples around him vanished, and he regained lucidity again. He paused, purposefully looked around, as if a little confused, and then began walking again. Since he was a rogue Beyonder, and a low sequence one at that, he wanted to make sure to not raise many flags.
Of course, raising some was inevitable.
Walking quietly towards a carriage, he stood in front of it. The door opened and he saw a young lady walk out of it. She looked about eighteen or nineteen. Her hair was long and black, and her eyes looked to be between grey and brown.
Kiyotaka couldn't help but let his gaze linger on her features, despite it being hidden behind a fishnet veil.
The girl looked up to Kiyotaka, and her thin, plump and pink lips curled into a courteous smile as she was escorted by a man who looked to be around 40 to 50 years of age. His hair was white, and his hairline had receded to an abnormal extent.
The man was almost double the little, frail girl's height.
As the man escorted the uncannily beautiful girl, Kiyotaka sighed. 'The problem of young noble girls becoming street girls is really a big issue.
After becoming a Beyonder, the emotions of wanting to drink or engage in sex with any kind of woman have been curbed almost completely. It seems like the little remnants of the original Williams have finally either gone dormant or have fused with me.
Hmm... the latter is more probable. While not as debilitating as before, I still felt an intense desire to copulate with the girl from before.
Well, I suppose once I become a Sequence 8, I will be able to fully curb it. That said, there are quite a few things that have influenced my personality, albeit very minutely.'
Not letting his mind linger on the topic for long, Kiyotaka boarded the carriage.
He had already decided on his destination.
***
Thursday, September 27, 1349
It had been three days ever since Kiyotaka had become a Sequence 9: Lawyer.
Kiyotaka had repaid the debt of £150 to Fors via Xio and then paid an annual rent of £40 for a detached house in the suburbs of Cherwood Borough. It was a middle-class neighborhood in Backlund that was located close to the Tussock River's banks. It had many small companies and residential buildings. It neighbored East Borough and bordered West Borough.
Then he paid around £7 for renovations and a one-time deep cleaning. He paid an additional £2 to a maid who would come to clean the house once every day. He also had to buy some furniture which cost him a total of £13.
All of these expenses left him with £270 as cash-in-hand.
The house he had bought was quite spacious for a single person to live in. However, the main reason why he had chosen to buy this one was because it was very close to West Borough, which was one of the "posher" Boroughs.
In the future, when he would have a working model of alcohol engine, he would require some high-profile people to know him in order to get invested. The closer an area got to West Borough, the more the rent increased.
The same house about a kilometer away was available to be rented out for 30 pounds.
Wiping the beads of sweat from his face, Kiyotaka finally finished rearranging the furniture inside the house to his liking.
The house had a very small lawn that had a few weeds growing here and there. It had enough space for three people to sit around a bonfire of sorts. Then there was a single main door that led inside. On the outside, above the main door, there was a small chandelier hanging.
Once inside, through the main door, there was a narrow hallway. In the hallway, to the right was a drawing room with soft couches against three walls of the room, a glass table in the middle and a fireplace at the head of the room.
To the left of the narrow hallway was the maid's room. It was simple with a small dressing table, mirror, a bed, two bedside tables and two lamps. There was also an attached bathroom.
At the forefront of the hallway, where it ended, was a hall where there was a fireplace, a rocking chair, a giant shelf housing books relating to different kinds of laws and regulations.
Once the hall ended, to the left was an open kitchen. It was minimalistic and quite small, but enough for a single person to stand and cook comfortably.
Finally, at the end of the house, there was a giant master-bedroom. Unlike the rest of the house, which was rather plain and simple, this room was anything but that. From plush carpet to soft beds and expensive-looking murals and paintings and furniture, everything screamed luxury.
Kiyotaka had struck quite a good deal at the second-hand market. Using his "Eloquence" that he had gained as a Lawyer, it made it very easy to fleece people and even coerce them into selling the things at a much lower rate.
Like the luxury bed, mattress and pillows. While made from feathers of an exotic bird and skin of a rare animal, Kiyotaka was able to negotiate and influence the man into selling him everything for £3 and 10 Solis.
After getting an uninterrupted 26 hours of sleep, Kiyotaka woke up at around 5 pm. The remnant effects of alcohol dependency were receding day-by-day; hence the headache was not as severe as the other days.
'Xio will come at around 9. I still have around 4 hours to prepare everything before she comes... Come to think of it, she did mention that she might drag one of her friends with her. From Williams' memories, I know she only has one real "friend" and the others are just her informants.
That means that the author of that famous book, Fors Wall will also be coming. She is a Beyonder of the Apprentice Pathway... a pathway I wanted to pick initially due to the availability of Supplementary Ingredients and Emperor Roselle.
Sigh... no using crying over spilt milk. Lawyer has some good abilities as well. From what I have seen, once I can undergo a qualitative change, I might be able to find loopholes in a lot of other things as well, not just legal matters.'
After inhaling worrying amounts of copium, he took a bath.
He was looking forward to this as before he used to wait an hour before he could bathe. But this time, it was a simple 5 seconds walk to the bathroom and then a 5-minute wait for the tub to be filled with hot water.
Once he had taken a bath, he changed into his expensive tuxedo, strapped his revolver and kept some spare bullets into his inner pocket.
Just in case something bad happened.
Then he took to the market that was at the intersection between East Borough and Cherwood Borough. From this side, he could see the Tussock River's still surface quite easily.
First, he took a trip to the butcher shop and spent 30 pence for 3 cuts of steak. They were a good cut with a decent marbling. In the past this would've been subpar at best, but considering current standards and his own financial condition, he considered it to be the best option.
Then, he bought a bottle of Aurmir red wine that was aged for 5 years for 59 Solis. [1]
This left him with £267 3 Solis and 6 Pence.
While he was still aversive to the idea of drinking, he wanted to indulge himself a little. The path ahead was going to be pernicious, so he wanted to spend what little time he had to enjoy a little.
To reward himself for not giving in and to not do the same in the future. It had only been 11 days since he had transmigrated, but it still felt like ages.
Holding the meat, white bread, and the aged red wine close to his chest, he walked simply. As he was passing through the East Borough's thresholds, an impulsive thought crossed his mind.
He reached out to the inside of his coat and took out a ring.
It was the ring that he had paid £50 for to The Fool.
Without thinking much about anything, he wore it on his index finger. As he did, he remembered his small conversation with The Fool.
He said that this ring was made from the Beyonder Characteristic of a Sequence 9: Hunter.
The artifact had yielded astounding results which had a 0.1% chance of happening. Basically, it had the remnant effect of all of the powers that a Hunter usually gets.
While wearing this, the first benefit was that Kiyotaka's physical attributes would be boosted to such an extent that he can create sonic booms from his punches alone. The second was that he had a high chance of luring people into his trap. And third was a sense of danger. It was different from sixth sense and it stemmed from mystical means.
The downside of this artifact was that it made its wielder—in this case Kiyotaka—irrational, irritable and sexually frustrated. Even a completely passive person who had never been angered before would experience some form of irritation while using it.
Kiyotaka couldn't tell why he "suddenly" had the "thought" to wear it.
Wearing it he closely inspected his hand. The ring had fixed snugly, and it matched quite well with the skin tone of his hand. He kept looking at it and kept walking slowly.
It was unknown when he took a sharp turn and started to walk mindlessly.
The cadence of his stride shortened ever-so-slightly, as though the pavement had thickened into tar. Each bootfall began to land a fraction late as the heels dragged half an inch before the toe remembered to follow.
The streetlamps above him smeared into lazily drawn comets.
He blinked a few times, however, the smear refused to sharpen.
His left arm swung once...twice... then hung at his side. His fingers uncurled without permission as the bread and steak fell.
The ring on his finger turned warm enough to make him tangibly snap out of daze.
No, it was his body that had turned abnormally cold.
A cat crossed the alley mouth. Its tail flicked; however, the motion arrived in his mind half a heartbeat after it should have been.
Somewhere inside his skull, a thought tried to form. 'Odd... this is very... odd.' However, the syllables dissolved before they reached his tongue.
Then the ring flared like a needle of red-hot wire driven straight through the bone of his finger.
At the same time, Kiyotaka dashed through the place, leaving a barely perceptible crack in the road.
'I am being attacked! Someone tried to take control of my body!'
The world had snapped back into focus so violently that his vision tunneled to a needle's point.
His quick run through the East Borough suddenly slowed again. Someone else's rhythm overlaid his own.
Using his boosted intelligence after becoming a Lawyer, Kiyotaka quickly made some accurate deductions that appeared in his mind one after another like flashbulbs in a dark alley:
'I need to make some distance. If the person controlling me was extremely powerful, I wouldn't notice the changes. I would've been under control in an instance. That means, if I can create ample distance, I can break free from the control.'
Using the enhanced physique of a Hunter recreated by the mystical item, he made a dash, running in zig-zag patterns before coming to a certain place. It was a nicer area compared to the more dilapidated section of East Borough.
He knew this place and also the person who lived here.
It was 17 Minsk Street.
He knocked on the door as it opened.
The person on the other end had brown eyes, slightly long brown hair, an average-featured face with some stubs of facial hair. He was thin yet with a moderately muscular build.
Suddenly, the house owner's features contorted into something between a frown and a grimace before easing as a "happy smile" found its way to his face. The person—Sherlock—kept his hand behind his back, where he was ready to draw his revolver and kill the person in front of him.
"May I come in?" Kiyotaka asked in a neutral tone.
"Sure, please." Sherlock responded in a perfunctory manner.
Kiyotaka walked in and looked around. Meanwhile Sherlock—Klein kept himself on high alert. He was not sure why The Emperor had come here; however, he did not show any of his confusion and paranoia.
He planned on dealing with him as a customer.
"Have a seat." Klein spoke to him in a formal manner and smiled at him. Kiyotaka took a seat and looked up at him in a rather normal manner. "How may I be of help?"
Kiyotaka thought that talking about someone following him or trying to control him would be out of place suddenly. So instead, he wanted to leave traces in his speech pattern. Since Sherlock was trying to be a detective, Kiyotaka decided to take a leap-of-faith in terms of his deduction abilities.
Before he could speak, a sharp knock echoed from the front door.
Both men froze, exchanging a brief glance. Kiyotaka shook his head ever so slightly as the hair on the back of Klein's neck rose up.
Klein's hand drifted closer to his weapon as he rose up. The formal smile didn't leave his face. "Excuse me a moment," he said smoothly, moving to answer the door.
Kiyotaka was ready to dash and had his hand on his revolver.
Through the peephole, Klein saw a uniformed police officer standing on the stoop. It was a bobby with a stern expression. The badge on his left breast was gleaming under the gas lamp.
The policeman's face was ordinary and forgettable. He had short-cropped hair, a neatly trimmed mustache, and eyes that held a certain degree of laziness and tiresome, as if in his last hours of a long shift.
Klein's spiritual intuition remained calm.
Klein opened the door, keeping his body angled to draw if needed. "Can I help you, officer?"
The policeman tipped his helmet politely. "Evening, sir. Inspector Daves, Backlund Metropolitan Police. We've had reports of suspicious activity in the area. There was a disturbance earlier. A thief, possibly. Mind if I ask a few questions? Won't take but a minute."
Klein's mind raced as he tried to detect any kind of anomaly.
Davis.
The name didn't ring immediate bells.
"Of course, Inspector. Please..." Klein motioned with his hand for the Inspector to come inside.
Once he was in, he casted a cursory look around. His eyes landed on Kiyotaka, lingered for a moment, and then looked at Klein who had a thin mustache over his face. "Did you hear any kind of disturbance this evening? Anyone knocking on your door? Or..." He paused, as his words turned a little malicious, "...someone you don't know asking to take refuge in your home?"
One of the veins on Kiyotaka's forehead popped and his face turned a little red.
He was feeling an intense emotion.
Anger.
However, it was not so intense that it made him irrational.
At the same time, the ring got hot again, and Kiyotaka felt the nonexistent hair on his neck stand up.
This was the Danger Intuition of a Hunter!
Before Kiyotaka could make his move, the skin across the Inspector's cheeks and brow began to crawl, as if a thousand phantom cockroaches scuttled just beneath it. Strands of hair bleached back to black, and eyes bled from brown to dark blue shade.
His pupils narrowed to pinpricks that jittered like trapped flies. The contours of his slightly sagged face snapped tight as the cheekbones became a little prominent.
'It's... him!... What?... I... am... being...controlled...again...'
Kiyotaka's thoughts turned sluggish.
At the same time, Klein reached to the inside of his pocket.
Pa!
The folded newspaper in his pocket turned into a massive shuriken shaped blade that blitzed through the air towards the intruder.
This was a Clown's Paper Dagger ability!
Just as the shuriken made contact with the intruder, his body turned thin, brittle and then tore open like a piece of paper.
Paper Figurine Substitute!
The control over Kiyotaka's Spirit Body threads suddenly loosened as he could move once again.
At the same time, the carton beside Kiyotaka in the kitchen was lit up as the intruder teleported there before reaching out into his pocket. The thin sheets of paper suddenly turned taut as they flinged at Kiyotaka and Klein at high speeds.
This was a mixture of Flame Controlling, Flaming Jump and Paper Dagger!
'He is from the Seer pathway! This is a Beyonder from the Seer Pathway!'
Klein realised this the moment the intruder turned pieces of paper into daggers.
Kiyotaka on the other end, who had the physical ability of a Hunter, quickly dodged and sidestepped with a blinding speed before maneuvering around the table. He took his revolver out and cocked it in the intruder's direction.
Despite the sudden movements and pulling the trigger during the fast and violent movements, Kiyotaka was able to pull it off flawlessly with a perfect aim.
This was a Hunter's advanced senses!
Bang!
The bullet shot through the barrel and zipped through the air. However, once again, the intruder's figure turned into a piece of paper and then was ripped open by the bullet.
The document on the desk was ignited this time as the intruder appeared right behind Kiyotaka. He did a perfect cartwheel right after teleporting there and kicked Kiyotaka's jaw so hard he fell a little distance away.
Then, he stood up and tipped his hat a little. His features had stopped squirming, revealing silky hair and blue eyes.
"Not bad for a low-sequence Beyonder. But your destiny, in the end, is to die. Oh, by the way, I am Rosago." Just as he finished introducing himself, a number of paper blades made their way to Rosago.
Instead of moving away, he snapped his fingers, and the paper blades were caught by flames. Despite being sharp and hard enough to cleave through a Hunter's body, they were still paper at the end of the day.
And paper was flammable.
"A very low Sequence Seer." Rosago exclaimed with a disappointed expression.
'Low Sequence...? The Fool is a low-Sequence Seer? Wait, that's not important.'
Just as Kiyotaka began to catalogue different abilities showcased by Rosago, he and Klein both started to feel their thoughts turn sluggish.
Rosago had once again attained initial control over Klein and Kiyotaka's spirit body threads!
At the same time, a figure blipped through the mirror in the main hall.
Appearing over Rosago, a doll-like figure appeared as she opened her mouth.
The flesh over Rosago's face started to squirm uncontrollably as his Spirit Body seemed to have suffered great damage.
The figure that had inflicted the damage was none other than Madam Sharron! The bodyguard Klein had hired for his protection after he commissioned the hit on Bakerland through Audrey via Fors and Xio!
This was a Wraith's Shriek!
Suddenly, Rosago fell to the ground and dissipated.
Sharron began to disappear as well and long claws began to grow on her right hand.
This was a werewolf's transformation!
Rosago appeared by the door as he opened his mouth and muttered: "Bang!"
An invisible air bullet tore through the air. The sound was so loud that Kiyotaka thought that Rosago had just fired a sniper at close range.
Sharron turned corporeal, avoiding the attack as the utensils behind her in the kitchen caved in and different spices and bread fell to the ground.
'That looks like some expensive bread...' Kiyotaka thought.
'Not my bread...' Klein despaired.
Not having time to focus on these things, the two of them did not look at each other, but knew exactly what to do.
'His abilities are centered around fooling one's perception. He can fire bullets just by imitating a noise, can use paper as weapons and substitutes, can change appearances and turn other people into his puppets to do his biddings...kind of like a Marionettist.
This could've been a perfect pathway for me...
Anyways, since most of his defensive abilities stem from using paper, I can just make him deplete that! He can't have an unlimited supply of paper on him. He is cautious and is not closing in for the kill, despite having the upper hand.
Was it because of the woman who is keeping him in check right now?
Yes... as expected, he really is wary. But since he followed me here so desperately, he might've overlooked a few things.
Hmm... the best bet of beating him is to assume he does not have enough paper figures to substitute himself with.'
Just as Kiyotaka finished his analysis, he looked at Klein.
"We need to keep attacking him. Exhaust his Paper Figurines."
Klein didn't reply and instead pursed his lips.
He was rather paranoid about the current matter.
On one side, he already knew Bakerland had a mid-Sequence Seer Pathway Beyonder beside him. On the other hand, for The Emperor to come here and Rosago searching him was extremely suspicious.
For a moment, he wanted to join hands with Rosago, kill the blonde man, and then alongside Madam Bodyguard, he would try to eliminate Rosago. However, from what it looked like, he was after both Kiyotaka and himself. That is why he refrained from doing anything as rash as that.
As he was thinking how to exhaust Rosago's resources, Madam Sharron turned corporeal. Her movements were stiff, and she could barely move. Her beautiful blue eyes were slowly losing their luster.
On the other end of the house, Rosago had a wide grin over his sweaty face as managed to control Sharron to quite an extent. In the time that the two were busy thinking about each other and Rosago's arsenal, Rosago had gained more than initial control of Sharron.
She was just a few seconds away from undergoing full control.
Madam Sharron's limbs jerked once, then twice. Her blue eyes dulled to glass beads as illusory threads that were attached to Rosago pulled her posture into a rigid bow. Her fingers began to twitch in unnatural angles, as if the puppeteer of this beautiful puppet was testing the strings.
However, Sharron had already prepared herself for this moment. She knew her thoughts would slow down, evident from how frozen both Klein and Kiyotaka were. So, before he could gain initial control, she had already stored a thought of an attack.
Due to the delay in thought, it executed itself just now.
In a final spasm, she exhaled frost. Ice bloomed out from her breath as it snaked across the floor to Rosago's boots and it crystallised in jagged veins that climbed up to his calves, locking him mid-step.
It was a Zombie's Ice Stun!
Kiyotaka saw a glimmer of hope.
This was the right moment to escape!
His legs coiled to bolt and escape, however, suddenly he felt irascible. His thoughts frayed like thread from a spool.
Instead of escaping, he lunged like a blind, feral and cornered prey as his right fist slammed into Rosago's jaw with bone-shattering force. His head snapped back, neck hyperextending, to an extent that it looked like Rosago's head was going to rip off from his neck.
The wall behind him caved in due to the sonic boom generated from his punch as his head crumpled inward, body thinning to parchment, tearing along the seams with a dry, soundless rasp.
Rosago's control over Sharron suddenly weakened.
Sharron's glassy gaze flicked to Kiyotaka. While she was thankful, she was also annoyed.
After all, Rosago couldn't be killed 99% of the time. By punching him, he had allowed the substitute to die and Rosago to appear somewhere else.
Clarity crashed back as Kiyotaka hissed. To mend the blunder, he whipped out the revolver, firing three shots in a blur at three different locations.
To both Sharron and Klein's surprise, two of them struck Rosago—or rather, his figurine substitutes.
The sodden and limp figurines fluttered down as their edges curled inward like dying autumn leaves.
Klein was quite baffled how Kiyotaka could predict Rosago's movement.
While this fight was not a social event in a conventional sense, which Lawyers could take advantage of, all Beyonder powers still obeyed "laws." They were as immutable as etiquette at a soiree.
Viewing the fight as a social event, Kiyotaka invoked a Lawyer's "Law Proficiency."
Using this ability, he dissected Rosago's rhythm. He could finally see the pattern and the window of time where Rosago would use the substitute.
There were other factors that helped him too. The cramped room narrowed possibilities of pseudo-teleportation.
Using this narrow room, a Hunter's danger intuition and a Lawyer's Law Proficiency and boosted intelligence, he could make quick guesses that were almost 100% accurate.
During this time, Sharron worked to regain full control over her own body, while Klein was busy dousing every newspaper, document, curtain—everything flammable—in water as it sluiced in arcs, soaking the potential conduits for Rosago's Paper Figurine Substitutes with a patter like rain on graves.
Just as Kiyotaka's bullets depleted itself, Rosago found this the correct moment to deal with the annoying rat—The Sequence 9: Lawyer—Kiyotaka.
He bolted towards Kiyotaka and then lunged at him from behind, ready to break his neck.
Sharron—who had recovered a little, saw that Kiyotaka could not react in time—placed her pale, trembling hand on the wet floor.
Suddenly, the floor that was wet due to Klein dousing every flammable object in water, froze.
Rosago slipped and was about to hit his head when he suddenly did a backflip and then glided like a graceful dancer on the thin ice surface before arriving in front of Kiyotaka and punching him in the face so hard that he was thrown towards the couch.
The couch flipped and landed on Kiyotaka, burying him underneath it.
Rosago did not waste time to take control of anyone again.
Instead, he looked at Sharron and opened his mouth.
"Bang!" An air bullet fizzled through the air as she dodged. However, it was not fast enough due to the lingering effects from the failed attempt by Rosago to turn her into a marionette.
The bullet grazed her shoulder and fresh, warm blood seeped out of it, turning the complicated, regal black dress into a murkier shade.
Sharron opened her mouth and let out a soundless scream.
Wraith's Shriek!
Rosago suddenly fell as blood seeped out of nose, mouth and ears.
He did not use a Paper Figurine Substitute!
Klein flicked a Tarot card from his sleeve—The Red Priest Tarot Card. It sliced through the air, severing Rosago's leg at the ankle as blood sprayed in energetic squirts.
Rosago gasped audibly amidst reeling from the damage his soul had received as air rattled through his clenched teeth and his face contorted in a rictus of shock.
Kiyotaka snatched a piece of pipe from nearby and forced the tines between Rosago's lips as the metal bit into his gums and then he drove his knee into the base of Rosago's skull from behind.
The impact was like a mallet on hollow wood as it drove his face floorward.
Completely depleted and deprived of his Paper Figurine Substitutes due to Kiyotaka predicting his position, Rosago clawed at his last reserve.
He had left a single sheet of paper stashed outside as he ignited it. Flames licked the edges of the paper as his form blurred, teleporting in a haze of char.
However, just as he disappeared and appeared at the roof of Klein's house, Sharron's doll-like face appeared in his blue eyes. His body stiffened and his joints locked in place.
This was a Wraith's Possession!
Kiyotaka burst out of the house. The bloodlust in his eyes was visible as he hastily located Rosago and took out his revolver that he had loaded with the spare bullets from his inside pocket.
In the next instant, the bullet found its target and burrowed through Rosago's temple, exiting in a spray of gray matter and crimson blood.
Sharron ejected in time then dove back in.
Rosago jerked upright and staggered away before standing upright. 2 seconds later, he jumped down and laid dead on Klein's house's main door.
A black, pupil-less eye materialised over his body.
Kiyotaka, who had shot the final bullet, quickly took off his ring and entered an alley, running away in an instant.
As if on cue, a carriage stopped a few metres away from Klein's house as 5 people wearing the police uniform stormed towards Klein's house.
Klein's neighbour—Stelyn Sammer—had called the police after hearing multiple bullets being fired!
Klein quickly picked up the pupil-less eye and sacrificed it to himself, storing it over the Grey Fog.
Just as the police arrived, Klein raised his hands in the air and placed his revolver at his feet. "I was attacked! I was attacked! It was self-defence!" He screamed over his lungs as Sharron entered the nearby mirror.
******
Arriving at his house in Cherwood Borough, Kiyotaka quickly changed his clothes and sighed.
Counting his money, he sighed once again.
He was left with £264 3 Solis and 36 Pence after buying the three cuts of beef and red wine again.
'Sigh... not only did I get into a life threatening situation, had my identity exposed to The Fool—somewhat—and had to buy the steak and red wine again due to losing the previous one, I did not gain anything from that encounter.
That said... Why was there such a high-sequence Beyonder after me? And The Fool?
Why did I get embroiled in his matter?
Or was it because of me killing Meursault? If so, then why did he find me before the official authorities?
This is almost as if I am struck by some God or Goddess of Misfortune!
Sigh... I will think about it later. Xio and Fors might be coming anytime soon.'
Sorting his thoughts, Kiyotaka busied himself by readying the table.
On the other side, Klein sat in the police carriage as he was escorted to the police station.
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[1] A 19-year aged Aurmir Red Wine costs around £126. The more you age it, the more the price compounds. Using an average of around 25% compounding and doing some simple math, we can determine that the price of a bottle of Aurmir red wine that has been aged for 5 years would be around £2 and 19 Solis.
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Author's note: One does not realise how hard writing LOTM fights are once you start writing it. The little nuances to their power which can be used in a versatile manner while following a very rigid framework is just too much work for someone as pea-brained as me.
It doesn't help since there is virtually zero info about Black Emperor Pathway on Wikipedia. I mean, I had to make potion ingredients myself, for crying out loud. Anyways, I hope the fight was not THAT disappointing.
I am not Cuttlefish, after all.
It is a bit hard to write as well since I am not employing AI at all this time, so it's definitely more hectic.
If you had a hard time imagining the house layout, here is a picture I made.