Chapter 94: Dawn Paladin

Chapter Ninety-Four
Dawn Paladin

Kill you?

This was the first time Klein had ever heard such a request or encountered such a task. For a brief moment, he did not know what reaction he should make.

He even began suspecting whether this matter hid some enormous conspiracy.

Bishop Utravsky opened his eyes, looked down at Klein, and said, “Kill the past me.”

…Father, please do not pause for breath at such frightening places…

The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched slightly. Puzzled, he asked, “Even in myth and legend, no one can return to the past. I am afraid only the seven deities could possibly complete this commission.”

“No. I mean kill the past that remains hidden in the depths of my heart and has never truly died.”

Seeing that Klein still did not understand, Bishop Utravsky bent his back slightly and said, “The former me, the one who loved slaughter and was fanatical about battle, did not completely die with my heartfelt repentance. I can clearly feel that he still lives inside my body, always thinking of seizing back control over everything. At every moment, I suppress him. I hope to influence him with Mass, with asceticism, with missionary work, letting him truly believe in the Mother’s teachings as well, so that he may once more become one with me.”

Simply put, the mark of the past is too deep and conflicts fiercely with his present life, so a split has occurred in his personality…

Klein Moretti, false psychologist and true keyboard expert, made a preliminary judgment. After weighing his words, he said, “This is a psychological problem. I believe what you need most is a psychiatrist.”

“I tried. You may not know this, but among the Beyonder pathways the Mother controls, there is a Sequence called Physician. In ancient times, it was called Healing Priest. They studied my problem and concluded that it is not merely a simple psychological illness. It is also mixed with a tendency toward losing control. If the past me ultimately defeats the present me, without question, I will lose control and become a monster.”

Utravsky sighed.

What you need is Sequence 7 of the Spectator pathway: Psychiatrist…

Klein thought for a moment and said, “Your words make me believe you have found a solution, but lack a suitable executor. Correct?”

“Yes. Over these years, aside from preaching, I have also been searching for people and objects that could help me. Finally, under the Mother’s protection, I obtained a very miraculous item. It is said to be the relic of a certain dragon from an ancient age.”

Seeing that Klein had not been frightened away, Utravsky answered with a few traces of hope. “It can allow the holder to enter the deepest depths of the target’s mind, or rather, the lowest level of their dream, and materialize the corresponding scene. That way, you can directly see the past me and eliminate him through battle. In that special state, once he truly dies, he will not appear again.”

As expected of the mysticism world. It can even treat split personality this way…

After silently sighing, Klein asked cautiously, “What restrictions does it have? Or rather, what harm will it cause the holder? Why do you think I cannot complete this commission?”

Bishop Utravsky lowered his head and looked at Klein.

“Once that mystical item is used, though the holder himself will maintain wakefulness, the mind, or dream, has many layers. The past me can fully exploit this point to deceive you, and may even hunt you in return. After the predetermined time is exceeded—hm, five minutes—that mystical item will make you completely lose your way. Your spirit will never be able to return to your body and will become its sacrifice.

“If that happens, you will become a vegetative person.

“Furthermore, because the scene is materialized, if you are killed in the deepest part of the mind, or rather, the lowest level of the dream, you will suffer similar consequences, equivalent to true death.

“Believe me. The past me is much stronger than you imagine.”

So that is how it is… But your problem is not a problem for me at all. I am someone who can keep myself awake and rational in spirit channeling and dreams. Even if that mystical item wishes to make me lose my way completely, there is not much to worry about. As long as I still have room to struggle, I can walk four steps counterclockwise and recite the honorific name, directly going above the gray fog…

The problem is, how strong is the past Bishop Utravsky, and how much confidence do I have in defeating him? What restrictions and taboos exist when fighting in a materialized mental world?

After thinking for a while, Klein asked, “Father Utravsky, exactly how strong was the past you? I do not think I am certain to lose.”

Bishop Utravsky’s gaze turned briefly dazed.

“I was a Warrior.

“I had already walked to Sequence 6 of that Beyonder pathway and become a Dawn Paladin.”

So he is not a Beyonder of the Planter pathway… He himself said that only after committing crimes and becoming a pirate was he converted by the Church of the Earth Mother…

Sequence 6. Hm. It is not as though I have no way to win. Magician is the type that becomes much stronger when prepared in advance. And because of my special circumstances, the depths of the mind or the lowest level of a dream can both be considered my home field…

Klein considered for a few seconds, then asked, “Will that mystical item weaken him?”

“It will. But that place is, after all, the main region where he is active. The weakening will not be too large. At most, it will be as though he had already fought a rather intense battle,” Utravsky said, recalling his previous attempts.

Then my confidence is even higher…

Klein continued asking, “What should I pay attention to while fighting in that special environment?”

“It is the same as real combat. Effective attacks remain effective; illusions remain illusions. However, there is one point you must note. At any moment, he may bring you into several other layers of dream, thereby creating a situation where it is difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.”

Bishop Utravsky stressed the point. “So you must at least be Sequence 6, or belong to certain special Sequence 7s, to have any possibility of completing this commission. And even then, the risk is considerable. Heh. If I had not sworn an oath using one of the Mother’s holy objects as witness, vowing not to ask the Church for help before achieving success in preaching, this matter would not be so difficult.”

I see… But I am not afraid of dreams layered within dreams…

The corner of Klein’s mouth curved up.

“One final question. What are the combat characteristics of a Dawn Paladin?”

Bishop Utravsky tugged at the skin of his wrinkled face and said wistfully, “To Beyonders, that is something that must be kept absolutely secret.

“However, as long as one participates in enough battles, others can often summarize it. And the more detail you know, the higher your chance of success. Correct?”

“Yes.”

Klein nodded frankly.

Bishop Utravsky spoke in a tone of reminiscence.

“A Dawn Paladin possesses the strength of a giant and can fill an area of forty to fifty meters around himself with dawn light. This dawn light can break illusions, and also possesses a small amount of special power for dispelling resentful spirits and shadows. It can even weaken evil spirits.

“He can condense Dawn Armor over the surface of his body. It is equivalent to refined full-body armor, yet it has no obvious weight and does not affect movement. If damaged, it requires some time to recover.

“He can also condense different weapons. The strongest is a two-handed greatsword, often called the Sword of Dawn. It is sharp, sturdy, and every strike has a purification effect.

“Apart from that, Dawn Paladins have another Beyonder ability: creating a Storm of Light. It can directly destroy human bodies, eliminate resentful spirits, and wound evil spirits.”

Not many supernatural abilities, but every one counters me rather hard. It belongs to the type with powerful attack, strong defense, and no fear of illusions. The good part is that, aside from facing resentful spirits and shadows, the “mystery level” of a Dawn Paladin is very low…

As Klein listened, he simulated the battle in his mind, searching for the method with the greatest chance of success.

By “mystery level,” he meant the degree to which something was strange, bizarre, inconceivable, and difficult to understand.

Bishop Utravsky quietly watched him, neither urging nor driving him away.

Once Klein gradually gained an idea, he lifted his head and looked up.

“Perhaps I can give it a try. But before that, I must first leave for a few minutes and confirm whether you have lied.”

Bishop Utravsky looked slightly stunned as he replied, “No problem.

“However, I must remind you again. Although I do not know where your confidence comes from, you absolutely must not underestimate the past me. He is extremely skilled at battle.”

“I would not joke with my own life.”

Klein pressed a hand to his chest and bowed. Then he withdrew from Harvest Church and found a nearby secluded, empty spot, swiftly going above the gray fog to perform divination.

After obtaining the answer that there was a certain danger, but that it was still bearable, he immediately returned to the real world. Altogether, he had spent only ten to twenty seconds above the gray fog.

Right afterward, Klein reentered Harvest Church and said to Bishop Utravsky, who still stood where he had been, “I accept this commission.”

Bishop Utravsky gazed at him for a while, then slowly said, “If you succeed, I will not only give you the Apothecary formula, but also gift you a mystical item with no major negative effects.”

Klein first froze. Then he sincerely exclaimed, “Father, you truly are a generous man!”

Bishop Utravsky said no more. From a hidden pocket inside his brown clerical robes, he took out a section of strange candle.

The outer layer of that short candle looked as though it were wrapped in a ring of human skin, yet several bumps protruded from it.

Its wick was only a finger joint high, entirely pitch-black, divided into fine, dense scale-like patterns.

“Use your spirituality to light it.”

Utravsky handed that short, strange candle to Klein.

Klein did not immediately follow his instruction. Instead, he took out a matchbox, removed a few matches, placed them in his trouser pocket, struck several more, blew them out, and threw them into different corners of the church. Then he adjusted the positions of his paper figurines, notes, paper strips, Azik’s copper whistle, and various charms.

This was preparation based on the worst situation he could imagine.

Once all of that was done, Klein snapped his fingers, causing a section of pale-blue spiritual flame to emerge from his fingertip.

Sizzle!

He brought the flame to the top of the short candle and watched the pitch-black wick ignite with a whoosh.

Everything around him seemed to remain unchanged, but Klein clearly realized that he had entered the world of the mind.

He saw Bishop Utravsky still standing before him. His robust body, more than 2.2 meters tall, possessed tremendous pressure.

The repentant bishop looked down at the person opposite him as the muscles of his face twisted bit by bit. His expression became unusually vicious.

Immediately afterward, Klein discovered that the light and shadows around him were transforming rapidly. He felt as though he were experiencing a real and intense battle.

Snap!

At the end of that battle, Bishop Utravsky heavily fell to the ground. Blood flowed everywhere. He no longer breathed.

Awake and rational, Klein looked blankly at the scene. The corner of his mouth twitched as he silently judged:

“The performance is very professional.

“But I know this is a dream within a dream.”