Chapter 30: Fanatic

Chapter 30: Fanatic

Klein, dressed in a sleeping robe, did not move. Within his spiritual perception, the intruder’s Spirit Body Threads had already appeared.

In other words, as long as he wished, even without leaving the bed, he could turn everyone in 160 Böklund Street into his marionettes. Of course, for a demigod—a Bizarro Sorcerer—even the neighbors several houses away were within manipulation range.

“There are many spirits around him. One of them helped him fly and land on the balcony next door… Is this a Beyonder of the Death pathway, or the Evernight pathway? To accomplish such a thing, they must at least be Sequence 6… Is he here for Richardson? No. He’s walking toward the door of this bedroom. He has stopped there. He is extending his right hand and knocking soundlessly on the door… He is certain I can detect him?” Klein sat up, his expression slightly grave.

The earlier part of his judgment relied on the Spirit Body Threads, while the latter was something he had directly “seen,” forming an image in his mind.

After Klein became Sequence 4, not only had his Clown danger premonition been further strengthened, but the power he could pry from and utilize within the mysterious space above the gray fog had also undergone a qualitative improvement. With the two combined, it was naturally not difficult for him to use intuitive premonition across a comparatively long distance and reflect the visitor’s form and movements inside his mind.

In addition, based on his deepened control over that mysterious space in all aspects, Klein could already restrain the gray fog’s enhancement in the real world, making it impossible even for Beyonders of special pathways to see traces of it. According to his judgment, when above the gray fog, with a Card of Blasphemy attached and the Sea God Scepter in hand, the power projected into reality by The Fool could now approach the rank of a true angel without limit.

If not for that, then even though the gray fog and Paper Figurine Substitute indeed provided the ability to remain conscious in a dreamlike state, Klein would never have dared let Miss Justice face a Sequence 4—or even Sequence 3—Beyonder of the Spectator pathway.

As thoughts surged, he left the bed, put on slippers, straightened his sleeping robe, walked to the reclining chair, and leisurely sat down.

“Come in.”

The bedroom door opened silently, yet the cold wind did not enter. It only circled in the corridor outside.

The “visitor” was a man of similar age and height to Dwayne Dantès. He had black hair, brown eyes, deep features, and the typical appearance of a Loenese man.

He wore a silk top hat. His face was rather long and thin, and his bearing was quite cold. It was not the gloomy sort that made people feel uncomfortable, but rather the kind that directly embodied the meaning of a suburban cemetery at night.

In that instant, Klein saw countless spirits surrounding this middle-aged gentleman. Around him, things were dim and layered, as though a whole world were hidden there.

Klein’s spiritual intuition told him that this was a demigod.

I just returned to Backlund, and already a demigod has come knocking… Aside from the Archbishop of Backlund Diocese of the Church of Evernight, the identity of Dwayne Dantès has not exposed even the slightest problem… Klein felt a faint toothache as he looked toward the door. His face showed no expression, revealing neither anger nor surprise.

The demigod walked two steps forward, then suddenly let his right hand hang straight down in front of his body, causing his waist and back to bend like a bow drawn to its limit.

With that strange posture, he performed a solemn bow, his attitude extremely respectful. At the same time, a cold wind pulled at the door, closing it silently.

Klein nearly froze, uncertain how he should respond. Then his thoughts shifted, and he faintly developed a guess.

Just then, the demigod maintained his posture and spoke in a deep voice:

“Patrick Bryan of the Numinous Episcopate has come, following the divine oracle, to pay respects to Your Excellency.”

Divine oracle… Klein controlled the twitch of his facial muscles and, combining it with his earlier guess, roughly understood what was going on:

The Evernight Goddess’s control over the artificial Death—that is, the Uniqueness of the Death pathway—had deepened again. She could now deliver divine oracles to high-level members of the artificial Death faction of the Numinous Episcopate!

Half sighing and half laughing inwardly, Klein placed his right hand over his chest, but made no additional movement.

“What is God’s command?”

Bryan slowly straightened. Looking at the gentleman with graying temples seated in the reclining chair, he answered with faint fanaticism:

“We succeeded. God has finally awakened. He has instructed me, from today onward, to obey your commands and accept your arrangements.”

Klein had already expected this to a certain extent, but after hearing the other party’s answer, he still felt his face ache slightly. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.

This is having me, a favored one of Evernight, work part-time as a favored one of the artificial Death and secretly lead the artificial Death faction of the Numinous Episcopate… Is this a gift of fate, or the secretly marked price? Since the Goddess did not have a Church archbishop or high-ranking deacon take charge of this matter, it means She wants this to be kept strictly secret… Klein stood at once and tried to make his expression and tone appear devout.

“I will obey the divine oracle.

“God’s will is my will!”

After making his stance clear, he sat again, looked at the demigod standing upright, pointed toward the sofa opposite him, and said,

“Please, sit. Mm, and introduce yourself in passing. That belongs to basic courtesy, does it not?”

Just now, as one thought after another flashed through his mind, Klein had vaguely grasped the Goddess’s reason for handing the Numinous Episcopate’s artificial Death faction over to him:

The identity of Gehrman Sparrow was closely connected to the former Death Consul!

Therefore, if anyone truly discovered clues and began investigating the change of ownership within the Numinous Episcopate’s artificial Death faction, they would discover a connection to Gehrman Sparrow. Then they would come to a sudden realization, believing they had grasped the truth and understood why the artificial Death had initially come alive and issued a divine oracle.

Based on that conjecture, Klein deliberately made Dwayne Dantès use one of Gehrman Sparrow’s catchphrases.

Patrick Bryan sat on the sofa and thought for a moment before saying,

“I am Loenese. I once went to East Balam for business. Because I contracted an illness there and nearly died, I was rescued by members of the Numinous Episcopate and received a god’s grace in a ritual, surviving as a result. From then on, I secretly changed my faith.

“The faction I belong to is always slandered by other members of the Numinous Episcopate. They believe we blaspheme God and attempt to create a new Death ourselves. But that is not the case. We firmly believe that God did not fall at the end of the Fourth Epoch, but merely sank into slumber. He needs to be awakened through specific methods, gradually revived. Facts have proven that we were right. You are the witness.”

The ancient documents I obtained don’t say that. That group of high-level members of the Numinous Episcopate fully knew they were imitating the Hidden Sage by creating an artificial Death… Could it be that the gentleman opposite me isn’t a core member of the artificial Death faction, and that he does not possess sufficient knowledge about concepts like the Uniqueness? But how can a demigod possibly not be a core member? Even if the Numinous Episcopate transformed from the former Balam royal family and Church of Death, possessing deep foundations and many powerhouses, it would not be able to waste a demigod like this… Not even the seven orthodox Churches could do such a thing… Klein listened, filled with doubt, and calmly asked,

“What about the other high-level members of your faction?”

Respect appeared on Patrick Bryan’s face.

“When I joined the Numinous Episcopate, God had already awakened a little. This was entirely due to the achievements of those Saints in the past. In ritual after ritual, they sacrificed themselves.

“At present, we have three Saints and one angel. They are all in East Balam. I am responsible for all matters in Backlund.”

This isn’t right. According to the information Leonard provided, members of the Numinous Episcopate in Backlund are divided into multiple small groups, mutually unaware of one another. Each group only contacts designated personnel in the Southern Continent. There is no overall person in charge at all… Klein’s first reaction was that Patrick Bryan was lying, but he immediately rejected that idea, because these matters would be very easy for the favored one mentioned in the divine oracle to verify.

He thought for a moment, then asked instead,

“What is that angel’s name? Where is He at present? Has He received a divine oracle?”

Patrick Bryan answered openly,

“God instructed me that I may not tell others, nor may I ask others about related matters.

“Our leader is called Haiter. That is both his surname and his given name. He was once the High Priest of the Church. Later, he received God’s grace and became an angel. He has always been committed to awakening the slumbering God. During one ritual, he suffered severe corruption and is currently unable to leave his mausoleum. Otherwise, he will directly lose control. He can be considered my teacher.”

This demigod who has existed since the Balam Empire period is clearly the soul figure leading the artificial Death plan… Klein asked thoughtfully,

“Are he and the other two demigods Balamese? Pure-blooded?”

“Yes.” Patrick Bryan nodded.

I think I roughly understand what happened… Klein could not help sighing inwardly.

He believed that Patrick Bryan was not a normal demigod, but rather a byproduct of the artificial Death plan!

Back then, Haiter and the other members of the artificial Death faction of the Numinous Episcopate had not intended to save a Loenese man. Instead, they had meant to use him as a sacrifice or material for some ritual. In the end, the attempt they themselves had not been confident in produced an accident. The Uniqueness of Death gained an initial instinct, or perhaps underwent another kind of change, resulting in Patrick Bryan surviving and establishing a certain connection with the so-called artificial Death. Both his spirit and body were stained by something special.

Having witnessed these circumstances, Haiter and the other high-level members began regarding Patrick Bryan as one of the keys to the success of the artificial Death plan. They gave him potions, taught him knowledge, instilled in him faith in Death, and wove a perfect reason for their own actions. And because Bryan’s own state was special, he advanced rapidly step by step until he became a demigod and half-human existence.

Of course, no matter how crucial he was, he was still experimental material. Patrick Bryan had never truly been treated as a member of the Numinous Episcopate’s artificial Death faction. Later, he had even been sent to Backlund in the Loen Kingdom, where he led two or three groups of members, coordinating various rituals in an attempt to further activate the Uniqueness.

This guess matched all the information Klein currently had:

First, Leonard had mentioned that the Numinous Episcopate’s artificial Death faction had placed their experiment in Backlund, intending that if any accident truly occurred, it could destroy their enemy’s capital.

Second, many small groups maintained single-line contact with the Southern Continent, and Backlund had no overall person in charge.

Third, Patrick Bryan’s understanding of the artificial Death situation greatly diverged from the truth.

In other words, those people on the Southern Continent had not cared at all whether Bryan lived or died, nor had they told him the truth. Other than him being a byproduct of the artificial Death plan, there was no better explanation.

Mm, from the look of it, the Goddess’s current degree of control over the Uniqueness remains limited. She can only issue divine oracles to a fanatic like this, someone who has a direct connection with the artificial Death. She still cannot influence angels and Saints like Haiter… Klein gathered his thoughts and asked,

“What Sequence are you currently?”

Patrick Bryan did not hide it.

“I am an Undying.”