"Hmm, so what you are saying is that we might be facing an Evil God's spawn?"
"Not a spawn, no... I believe True Creator bestowed Lanevus with some of his divinity after he aided "Him" in descending, in Tingen."
Klein explained as Kiyotaka took a sip of the alcohol in front of him. His hands were twitchy and he didn't feel too good. Lighting up a cigarette, he held it between his lips and took a puff.
"If True Creator really is an evil god, as you said, then it is impossible that "He" just granted divinity to a mortal. Not to mention, True Creator is a god at the end of the day. It is impossible that "He" did not see the failed descent coming." Kiyotaka expressed his opinion.
Klein, who was not in a good mood, frowned. "You mean there is something more to it? Like the Tingen Incident was a distraction?"
Kiyotaka nodded and pushed one of the glasses with alcohol in it towards Klein. Klein took it up and gulped it.
"More or less. It is possible that the Tingen Incident was a distraction and that the real plan was something else. Think about it, an omnipotent "evil" god wants to descend, and he takes help from a Swindler.
Then that Swindler was bestowed upon divinity as a reward, before the plan was successful. I fail to believe that it was not a ruse. And if it really was not, I am not sure how True Creator ascended to divinity in the first place."
Knowing that the Sequence 0 was that of a True God, Kiyotaka had made a simple deduction that perhaps almost all True Gods were once either humans or some other mortal race, who consumed potions or Beyonder Characteristics.
Klein stared blankly at the space in front of him and stayed silent. After five minutes of sitting idly, the smoke from his cigarette reached Klein's eyes and nose as he cleared his throat. "Then that would mean that Lanevus is real descent vessel for True Creator."
"We can come to that conclusion, yes." Kiyotaka agreed, curbing the cancer-stick in his hand.
"Then the hunt won't be easy. We might need help from Nighthawks, or other organizations. At our current levels, it is impossible." Klein ruminated, worried about Kiyotaka.
He did not care about risking his own life, as long as his revenge was served. But he was certainly skeptical about recruiting Kiyotaka. After all, Kiyotaka was 2 sequences beneath him, and this whole revenge plan did not involve him on a personal level.
In a moment of pure emotion, Klein had asked him of his help, but thinking rationally, it was just akin to throwing him in front of a train for no reason. To Klein, Kiyotaka had his own big issues, involving him with Aurora Order would be just cruel.
"Do you plan on involving the Nighthawks?" Kiyotaka asked, out of curiosity.
"That should be the logical decision." Klein bit his lip as he talked.
"Well, if you really want your revenge on Lanevus, for whatever reason due to your vague past, you can still take on him yourself. What I can suggest is neutralizing the divinity he might possess."
"Neutralize divinity? What does that mean? Do you even hear what you are saying? This isn't some minor threat that we can just "neutralize", do you get me? People have died, good people I know, died. Just to stop the "supposed" spawn. And you are saying we need to neutralize it? If it was that simple, someone would have done something about it."
Klein's tone was not aggressive and his face was impassive, however, on the inside, his emotions were a mess. The faces of Captain Dunn and everyone else who had to sacrifice their lives to prevent True Creator's spawn descent flashed in his mind.
He remembered Melissa's eyes full of tears and Benson looking 10 years older than his age due to stress and sadness, he remembered seeing them cry, he remembered everything. All of that grief and anger and indignation caused his insides to churn, as if boiling in hot oil.
However, he didn't let any of it show, at least not on his features.
"It is merely a suggestion. It is impossible for an ordinary person to carry a True God's divinity without having any drawbacks. Even if there is a spawn inside Lanevus, or he himself is being groomed into a descent vessel, there has to some physical sightings." Kiyotaka explained his stance. He himself was basing everything from a logical standpoint.
"I am not sure about it, but common sense dictates that it should be this way. If so, we can merely attack the part of it that houses the divinity. Since he is a "cup", this hypothetical "seed" a "funnel" and the True God being the "liquid" that is going to fill this "cup" then all we need to do is break the funnel.
That way the liquid can't be poured properly into it. I believe I do not need to tell you what would happen if the liquid does not pour properly into the cup. There is a reason why True God is going through all this trouble to descend. If the pre-requisites were not necessary, he wouldn't be needing such a convoluted way to descend."
Klein stared at Kiyotaka for a moment, realizing at some point he had started using "he" and not "He" for True Creator. "You are crazier than I first assumed you to be."
Kiyotaka took a sip. "It is, of course, just a theory in ideal conditions. The world of Beyonders is strange, and there are many mystical things that are out of our meager understanding. It is possible that what I have just said is totally bogus and would never work.
But it is highly probable that he has weakened, even if he has gained some boons or benefits. A Sequence 9 is unable to advance to Sequence 7 without going through Sequence 8. Gaining divinity while being a Sequence 8 should have some drawbacks. But those are my two cents."
Klein hummed and then cleared his throat. "I am sorry, I shouldn't pull you into this. Not at least in the matters of Aurora Order."
Kiyotaka refilled Klein's cup and pushed it towards him. "I am already targeted by them. I even killed one of their people, surprisingly." His tone was sarcastic. Even to this day, Kiyotaka was not sure how he defeated the Rose Bishop. "Regardless, I am in the line of fire anyways."
Klein nodded. "Shouldn't you be worrying about someone else targeting you as well?"
"You divined it?" Kiyotaka was not surprised. Having a Seer friend had its advantages, but it also come with disadvantages. It was very easy for Klein to pry into his matters.
"I did. There is something odd going on in Backlund. I did the divination after you survived the Rose Bishop. Most of the information that I could gain via Dream Divination or any other forms was somehow "hidden." I could not get any information on your fight.
However, what I did notice was a suspicious man and his giant black dog with red eyes roaming in the same housing society as yours. I found it suspicious so I did a little more digging, and I found some vague signs.
I have a detective friend, Isengard Stanton. He is currently looking for the Devil Dog as well. With his help, we might be able to solve your issue."
"My issue?" Kiyotaka did not react much. "I never asked for help."
"I could never not help my friends."
"We are friends?"
"Well, you worry for me. So, yeah."
Kiyotaka flattened the creases in his shirt. "Fair enough assumption. But frankly speaking, I do not think your help is going to be enough. Is it possible to hire Miss Sharron? She is a Sequence 5: Wraith, yes?"
"Yeah, she is. She would cost £1,000 though. Uhh, I mean, her services would cost £1,000."
"For how long?"
"Around a week."
"That is expensive."
"Tell me about it." Klein scoffed. "Also, don't you earn some proper money anyways? Why is that expensive to you? I should be the one complaining about money!"
"I am not really as rich as you think I am." Kiyotaka corrected. "And besides, even if i was rich, I would still be hesitant to spend this much money. But well, it concerns my life, so I suppose its not that bad."
Klein who was in a bad mood until now felt it lighten a little.
"Oh yes, I know who the owner of the Devil Dog is." Kiyotaka suddenly spoke out.
"Huh?! Really?"
"Mhm. I was recently recruited by one of my acquaintances for an audit to acquire shares. The man who had come to find me in one of your divinations is called Patrick Jason. As you mentioned before, it is highly possible that he is either from the Blood Sanctify Sect or from one of the three Devil families." Kiyotaka explained in great length how came to the confirmation that Patrick Jason was the owner of the Devil Dog.
"Well, that's just fucked." Klein sighed as he sank deeper into his seat. "They know who you are. You need to change your appearance. Hmm... If you want, you can come with me to the Beyonder meeting and find a Mystical Item for yourself."
Klein was genuinely worried now.
"However, I don't think that would be enough to lose a potentially Sequence 5 Beyonder with a Sequence 6 helper. The only way of changing appearance fully that I know of is Faceless."
"Faceless?"
"Yeah. Its a Sequence 6. But I am not sure where you will be able to find a mystical item corresponding to that." Klein fell in deep thought. "I can ask around with one of my seniors, if you want."
"I would appreciate that, but there is no hurry. You should worry about the Lanevus matter first, rather than worrying about me."
"Well, as your senior, I can't have you die on me now, can I?"
Kiyotaka looked up and then rubbed his neck.
The two fell in silence for a long moment.
"Are you doing something tonight?" Klein asked as he slapped his thigh.
"I am free." Kiyotaka replied calmly.
"Hmm... Let us hunt him tonight then."
"You are awfully hasty for a Seer." Kiyotaka joked in his monotonous tone.
"There are things you don't get to refuse," Klein said quietly. "Not if you still want to sleep at night." Kiyotaka saw the tension settle into Klein's tightened jaw, the thin stubble doing nothing to hide it.
*****
OUTSKIRTS OF CHERWOOD BOROUGH
Amidst the rubble, Xio stood still with her expressions empty and stunned. Her olive-colored eyes were red, fixed on what little remained of the expensive furniture and the piles of clothes, blackened and burned beyond recognition.
Nothing had been spared. Xio swallowed a dry lump of saliva.
"Williams... you idiot." Her voice came out in a shudder. "This is why I told you not to become a Beyonder."
Her fingers curled slowly at her side.
"This is my fault," she breathed shakily. "I should have been sterner."
A paper was clutched in her hands, with only the header visible as she crumpled it.
Sequence 8: Barbarian
*****
St. George Borough's Sird Street
The banging of steel against steel, screws being forced in, one after another, was loud as their shrill screech cut through the air. The place smelled thick with alcohol, mixed with something sour and over-fermented.
It was a smell that stuck to the throat like lice to scalp.
The space was cramped and sounds came from everywhere at once.
A man stood in front of a giant structure, something like a large box. Its surface was even but unpolished, patched together with steel plates and bolts.
The man was covered in dirt and grime, however, his hands were worse. The tips of his fingers were split open and stained dark with blood that had flown and dried ages ago.
Suddenly, he fell backward on his buttocks. He sat there for a moment in a breathless daze and then looked up.
The white of his eyes were streaked with blood.
Slowly, those eyes lit up.
His thin lips pulled into a smile that did not quite fit his face.
Suddenly, he started laughing.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he laughed, washing clean lines through the soot on his cheeks. His shoulders shook and a manic sound filled the room.
He dragged himself forward and wrapped his arms around the box, holding it close.
His hand moved forward and twisted something.
A low rumble exploded from inside the box as it spread through the air, growing stronger and heavier as time went.
The sound changed, warped, until it almost resembled a human voice, no, multiple voices, groaning and screaming with pain and something disturbingly close to pleasure tangled together.
The noise spilled outward, echoing through the narrow street.
Outside, the evening grew colder and the air turned even more frigid and polluted.