Gazing at the "Saintess of Purple" Ushaha Cheek, who had been surrounded by the upper echelons of the "Demoness Sect," even though their relationship in the past had not been particularly good, the "Saintess of Black" Medea still let a trace of pity show in her eyes.

After all, when she herself had been captured back then, the situation had been much the same as this... No, it had been even more terrifying — that had been five or six Angels... By comparison, the "lineup" here was actually still somewhat lacking.

When all was said and done, the "Saintess of Purple," though somewhat special, was still only a Sequence 3.

The truly terrifying part is that the Demigods and Angels deployed this time have almost no overlap with those who surrounded me back then... That viscount’s network of connections is simply too frightening!

There is absolutely no possibility of Ushaha escaping under his ambush... After all, no one has any idea just how many backup plans he has... Medea reflected, and as she did, the pity in her eyes gave way to something closer to "amusement."

For she had already seen that Ushaha had no intention of surrendering.

And indeed it was so. Even surrounded by the remaining "Six-Colored Saintesses," even within the interior of the "Ghost Empire" with the various rules of the "Hand of Order" bearing down upon her, Ushaha still had no thought of submitting without a fight.

The "rules" set by the "Hand of Order" are fearsome, but they are ultimately "inanimate things" — loopholes can still be found... And whether it is my "Discerner’s Robe" or the "Warlock’s Laurel Crown," both possess the ability to seek out and break through the weak points in rules...

What a pity that there is no time, and that I am temporarily unable to retrieve the "Calamity Scepter" — otherwise things might have been somewhat easier.

Hmm, Veronica, Margaret, and Katarina will be unable to do anything to me in the short term, and Sigrid, having betrayed "Mother," will be no stronger than they are...

The only ones I need to be wary of are the two Angels, Medea and Natalia!

Though the odds are slim, this is not a dead end...

I have not yet lost!

With her thoughts racing at lightning speed, the "Saintess of Purple" Ushaha Cheek made up her mind and launched the first attack.

The laurel crown atop her head, woven as though from crystal, flashed in rapid succession, and two brilliant stars materialized from thin air and exploded with a thunderous blast.

Immediately after, the space around the "Saintess of Yellow" Natalia began to warp, forming a solid "cage."

At the same time, the "Saintess of Black" Medea was suddenly bound by "moonlight" that appeared out of nowhere — as substantial as silk — and found herself unable to move.

These were two spells formed from two "hidden events" preserved within the artifact known as the "Warlock’s Laurel Crown":

"Mystery Reenactment — The Fall of Constantine," which formed a "cage" around the target, within which all Beyonder abilities were weakened and distorted, unable to achieve their normal effect.

"Mystery Reenactment — The Elegy of the Blood Moon Queen," which formed a length of "moonlight"-condensed silk that bound the target and interfered with the normal flow of their spirituality.

"The Fall of Constantine... the power of the ’Prince of Abolition’... Tsk, back in those days, the only existences capable of such a feat were Trentsost and Tudor... So then, who lent a hand when Aglaia Constantine died at Cheek’s hands?"

Ebner, controlling the "Saintess of Yellow" Natalia, sensed the "cage" around him and swiftly "cognized" the origin of the power within it.

However, he did not rush to break the effect of the "spell," and instead began studying its underlying principles.

Did Ushaha not know that he could not possibly be unaware that the "Saintess of Grey" and "Saintess of Blue" present were stand-ins for the former "Chained God" and the "Progenitor Succubus"?

Tolzna had even recovered to the level of "Angel King" — there was simply no way for the "Saintess of Purple" to escape.

Sure enough, after Ushaha saw that the "Warlock’s Laurel Crown" had successfully restrained Medea and Natalia, the "Cognizer’s Robe" on her body suddenly unfurled on its own, growing larger and larger as it spread, transforming into a "Dream Labyrinth" that enveloped the remaining Demonesses.

Watching the situation shift so abruptly, Margaret and Katarina simply looked on with calm expressions, showing neither nervousness nor any intention of making a move. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

This caused Ushaha, who had been using a Sealed Artifact to "discern" the "fear" in everyone else’s hearts, to be struck by a sudden jolt of alarm, as she inwardly muttered "not good."

But at that very moment, she was horrified to discover that the degree of harmony between her body and soul had plummeted to an extremely low level. Her body had become a cage for her spirit, causing her movements in using the Sealed Artifact to stiffen, growing heavier and heavier with each passing moment — let alone activating any abilities...

"The body is the cage of the mind, and the world is the cage of the body.

"I have been eroded by an ’Abomination’!

"When exactly was it completed? I didn’t detect even the slightest hint of it...

"No wonder they didn’t rush to make their move after surrounding me — they were waiting for me to lose control of myself."

At that thought, the "Saintess of Purple" Ushaha dearly wanted to let out a bitter laugh, but she could no longer even command her own facial expressions.

"As long as I don’t die, there is still a chance...

"And judging by the fact that they are only ’imprisoning’ my soul rather than anything more, they do not want to kill me!"

Before losing consciousness, Ushaha had one final thought: "No — it should be that they do not dare! I am a child of the ’Primordial.’ Once I die, ’Mother’ will certainly wake from her slumber..."

...

Inside Viscount Graylint’s manor.

Klein was controlling the new Marionette "Hvin," tending to the "mental plague" he himself had been infected with.

——The "soothing" ability he had "recorded" from Miss "Justice" was not sufficient to fully dispel the influence of a Demigod-level ability.

A gentle and slightly cool breeze blew past, crossing over the sea of the collective unconscious and seeping into Klein’s mental island, making him feel as though something fetid, rotting, fractured, and contradictory within his mind was being gathered bit by bit into a single mass, and then surgically cut away and stripped out.

Klein instantly twisted his face into a grimacing expression, once again experiencing the extreme agony of his soul being torn apart.

Fortunately, from the process of crafting the "Spirit Controlling Bullet" and the "Yesterday Once More" talisman, he had already grown accustomed to this feeling, and did not end up clutching his head and rolling around on the floor.

After the highly contagious mental "virus" and the infected consciousness were separated and expelled, the cool breeze took on a warmth that made one feel like taking an afternoon nap, allowing Klein’s wounded spirit body to relax, as though soaking in a bathtub — body and mind both nourished, beginning to recover at a rapid pace.

By the time he had recovered from the mental illness, the gentle breeze that had been blowing suddenly turned fierce, sweeping through the surroundings and clearing out all remaining "virus" from the air.

Having done all of this, Klein caused the ash-grey dragon to rapidly shrink its body, reining in its divine nature and reverting to human form.

However, since Hvin Rambis’s clothing had been torn to shreds, the ash-grey scales on his body’s surface had not been put away along with it.

This caused Audrey, who had been hidden to one side and protected by Klein’s other Demigod Marionette, "Earl of the Fallen" Qonas Kilgor, to turn her face away with a slightly embarrassed look.

——In the earlier battle between Demigods, had Qonas not been there to protect her, she would very likely have already "lost control" by now... Of course, that was impossible... If she had had no one to shelter her, Ebner would not have fought Klein so fiercely to begin with.

A few more seconds passed, and from within that great red moon, the leader of the Church of the Evernight’s ascetics stepped out — Arianna, clad in a plain robe, cinched with a bark belt, and draped in long black hair. She trod upon empty air and came to hover diagonally above Hvin Rambis.

This Angel extended her right hand and gave the faintest of grasps, and with that alone, Hvin Rambis’s slightly blurred soul separated from his body and drifted upward out from the top of his head.

But she immediately shook her head: "His soul has been tampered with far too many times — it is no longer possible to extract any useful information from him."

Having said this, she shifted her tone: "However, earlier an Angel attempted to transmit power in from outside, but was stopped by me."

Upon hearing this, Klein thought for a moment and said: "Regarding the Angel you mentioned, I have some suspicions...

"He is very likely the leader of the ’Secret Order’ — Zaratul!"

"Zaratul?" Lady Arianna was silent for a few seconds, then said: "Just now, the royal family notified the Church that certain officials within the kingdom have colluded with the Secret Order and the Psychological Alchemists, and they are conducting an internal investigation."

(End of Chapter)