Chapter 378: Blasphemer

Chapter 378: Blasphemer

Crossing the dance floor, the soothing music gradually faded away as Baron Larry led his guest into a private lounge.

The moment the door closed, the smile on Baron Larry's face quickly faded. He subtly locked the door from the inside and retrieved a set of clean clothes from the wardrobe, handing them over.

"Change into these; they should fit you well."

The guest, dressed modestly, obediently took the clothes and changed. A faint smile still lingered on his face.

"Thank you, they fit perfectly."

Baron Larry waited for him to finish dressing, his tone growing somber. "No, don't thank me. Helping a companion is only right."

The guest adjusted his monocle, a hint of interest flickering in his voice, which remained calm.

"What companion?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Suddenly, Baron Larry's eyes emitted a faint blue glow, which traveled along his gaze to the guest's eyes, reflecting a blue light in the guest's dark pupils.

The guest's expression gradually became blank and lifeless, a state that lasted for two to three seconds before returning to normal.

Baron Larry closed his eyes, seeming tired but more relaxed.

After modifying a companion's soul with his "Blessing" ability, he felt completely at ease. He rubbed his temples, took a moment to gather himself, and then spoke to the guest.

"Welcome to the team. Get ready to follow me as I invite the next companion."

He walked a few steps forward, but when he didn't hear the sound of footsteps following, he turned around. The newly joined companion was still standing in the same spot, deep in thought.

Baron Larry furrowed his brow. "Why aren't you—"

"Ah, I see."

His words were abruptly cut off.

The man with the monocle over his right eye showed a look of realization, as if he had figured out something crucial. His smile grew more pronounced.

"No wonder, despite the high-Sequence 'Arbitrator' pathway Saints and Angels, and multiple Demigod-level 'Spectators' present at this royal banquet, no one detected such a crude and simple anomaly."

Baron Larry stood frozen, feeling the space around him seem to thicken, causing an inexplicable unease.

He looked at the guest warily, but the guest made no unnecessary movements, continuing to speak.

"Your abilities act directly on the 'spirit body,' making the modified soul appear natural, as though it had always been that way. Yes, very direct and practical, but not as subtle as 'mental suggestion.' If the person behind you is a 'Spectator,' they are far from competent."

"During this process, the occult crime was concealed by some entity. Before you truly committed a crime in reality, the royal 'Arbitrators' couldn't detect it."

"As for the 'Spectators' from the Psychic Alchemists, they were likely influenced or instructed by my obsessive brother, either ignoring these anomalies or pretending not to notice."

The guest looked at Baron Larry with interest, adjusted his monocle, and spoke in a soft, chilling voice.

"This is intriguing. For the obsessive one to secretly assist you... I can guess the entity behind you, but I need to confirm a few details."

Baron Larry's face turned pale, realizing that the "guest" was clearly a powerful psychic. He immediately planned to escape and call for help.

Many noble guests were present at the royal banquet. Although he, a low-ranking noble, was unaware of the security arrangements, it was his only chance to survive.

At that moment, Baron Larry found his thoughts and body seemed to disconnect. No matter how hard he tried to move, his body stubbornly remained in place, and his mouth refused to open, as if glued shut.

"I have made some adjustments to the fate of this place. No matter what happens here, no one will notice, including Dreinque Augustus and his Demigod subordinates."

The guest smiled, causing despair to flicker in Baron Larry's eyes.

His senses gradually faded, his consciousness becoming blurry, as if something had taken control of his central nervous system and was probing inward.

Baron Larry involuntarily raised his hand, and in it, a crystal monocle appeared, moving toward his right eye.

...

Tingen City, 1 Narcissus Street.

After seeing Kline off and playing with Fugan's Dog's tail while waiting for the Tarot meeting to begin, Luke's movements paused, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

His connection to the servant of "Blessing" allowed him to sense the current state of his first controlled noble servant, Baron Larry, who was far away in Barkeland.

He slowly exhaled two words.

"Amon?"

One of the eight Angelic Kings under the "Ancient Sun God", the Angel of Time and his second son, the "Thief" Uniqueness of the "Master of Secrets", or the "Venerable Lord of the Yellow and Black", now possessed two Sequence 1 "Chrono Worms."

Apart from the Archangel Pales, who was parasitically attached to Nocturne team member Leonard, the "Blasphemer" Angel King was nearly ready to ascend to godhood. With his "Uniqueness" activated, he could wield his powers more perfectly, making him a top-tier existence even among the Angel Kings.

When Luke was still a "Deception Mentor", he had terrified Pales by pretending to be Amon, forcing Pales to control Leonard's body and flee to St. Samuel's Cathedral, leading to Leonard's subsequent torture.

Now the real one had arrived.

Luke had no particular feelings for Baron Larry. All the noble servants modified by the Dual-Hand were merely fuel.

Their role was to covertly sabotage the laws George Iii enacted during his ascension ritual and serve as expendable resources in the early stages of the new Order, dying however they might.

It didn't matter if Amon wanted to parasitize a few of them for fun, but probing their depths was a different story.

"Little thing, you didn't come to tease me, but now you're looking for trouble."

Luke stroked his chin, a pleased smile playing on his lips, causing Fugan's Dog, nestled in his arms, to shiver and lower its head pitifully.

...

The Crystal Monocle was fully pressed against Baron Larry's right eye.

His lips curled into a subtle arc, mirroring the guest opposite him.

The guest, or rather Amon, wearing the Monocle, closed his eyes.

His spirit delved into Baron Larry's subconscious sea, exploring the scenes unfolding before him.

Born into a noble family, living a carefree and mischievous life ... raping a maidservant at the age of thirteen ... taking over the family business at twenty, engaging in criminal smuggling ... squandering the family fortune ...

Ordinary and uninteresting memories flashed by. As the best "Decipherer", Amon, who already had suspicions, quickly fast-forwarded to the recent strange celestial phenomena, unsurprisingly finding inconsistencies in Baron Larry's fate.

A scene rapidly magnified, showing Baron Larry's estate. The old butler, Cleri, informed him of a visitor, and he approached the parlor with caution and suspicion.

A dark, blurry, and constantly trembling figure appeared in Amon's line of sight, impossible to fathom or understand.

This made the Blasphemer's brow furrow slightly.

"Existence information, not 'Secret,' but undecipherable... 'Unknown'?"

The ability of a Decipherer is "Decipher", but it cannot interpret information without any clues.

Amon pinched the Monocle, preparing to change his approach, exiting the subconscious sea to steal Baron Larry's fate and identity.

He planned to try and track the mysterious connection between Baron Larry and the existence behind him.

At that moment, he saw the dark, blurry figure slowly turn its neck, locking eyes with him.

The figure emitted a mocking laugh, filled with condescension and amusement.

"Naughty child, always curious, today Uncle will show you something interesting."

Behind the dark figure, a massive iron-black cross suddenly materialized, heavy as if it bore the weight of all the world's sins.

Amon was taken aback, his smile fading, his upturned lips gradually drooping.

Then he saw a stark, empty room before him, where candles flickered, illuminating a long table covered in flesh.

On either side of the table, three extremely blurry figures bent over, gnawing and devouring the flesh.

Suddenly, these three figures turned their heads, their eyes locking onto Amon.

The mystery reappeared, the Banquet of Betrayal!

The scene of the "Ancient Sun God" being betrayed and devoured by three Angel Kings, who seized his "Uniqueness" and Sequence One Extraordinary Characteristics!

Amon suddenly felt a powerful force of rejection, his consciousness involuntarily returning to his original body.

He opened his eyes. Baron Larry remained motionless, but the Monocle on his right eye seemed to have "betrayed" him, and the "Worm of Time" he had implanted within him had lost contact.

Betrayal?

Amon's usually calm and composed expression finally changed. He looked at Baron Larry expressionlessly, the light in his vision now shimmering with a dreamlike quality.

The magic's effect was to make things temporarily betray their original owner!

Amon instantly deciphered the magic's effect and, without hesitation, reached out toward Baron Larry, preparing to steal the "betrayal" effect from him.

An invisible wave flashed, but nothing changed.

The theft failed!

Amon's eyes flickered with surprise. Although he was only a demigod-level avatar, it was strange that his power was ineffective against a mere mortal who had not yet touched divinity, possessing only a fraction of "Blessing" power.

"Interesting."

Amon felt as if he was fighting another unknown existence through Baron Larry. He clenched his right fist and tapped the Monocle lightly.

As he moved, invisible microorganisms in the air, the trees in the estate’s garden, and the seemingly normal people in the ballroom all released ethereal, star-like fragments that returned to him.

In an instant, this Demigod-level avatar instantly ascended to Sequence 3.

The process was too smooth; the other side didn’t even try to stop it?

This thought flashed through Ammon’s mind. Just as he was about to use the Sequence 3 "Deception Mentor" ability to swap the avatar with his main body, he paused.

He saw that a large number of ethereal insects were still surging toward him.

Not only from the surrounding suburban areas, but also from the Queen’s District, the North District, St. George’s District, and even the East District, Dock District, and Industrial District...

Throughout Barkeland, all entities connected to Him, all "Chrono Worms" and "Extraordinary Characteristics" He had made into avatars, were now uncontrollably surging back.

This brought the avatar directly back to the Angel level.

"Who?!"

A furious rebuke echoed from nearby, the authoritative voice causing everyone at the banquet to freeze.

The commotion was too significant, finally causing a lapse in the concealment of Fate, drawing the attention of the high-Sequence "Arbitrator."

"Tch, troublesome."

Ammon frowned. He remembered that Dreinque Augustus was a Sequence 2 "Balancer" Angel of the Arbitrator pathway, accompanied by multiple "Decree Mages" and "Chaos Hunters."

While He didn’t care about these minor figures, in the capital of the Rune Kingdom, Barkeland, He couldn’t linger for long after exposing Himself.

Under the watchful eyes of the "Night Goddess", the "Lord of Storms", and the "God of Steam and Machinery", He, who had yet to ascend to godhood, had to temporarily withdraw.

Just retreat like this?

Recalling the "Banquet of Betrayal" that had just unfolded before Him, Ammon’s dark, bright eyes flickered, showing particular reluctance to this choice.

Crack—

Before He could make a decision, He found His body cracking inch by inch, making a sound like shattering glass.

Unbearable pain spread throughout His body.

As the current strongest of the "Thief" pathway, Ammon could create avatars from parasitic abilities, most of which came from the "Thief" pathway, but there were also many from other pathways.

At this moment, not only the "Chrono Worms" but also the Extraordinary Characteristics within the avatars were forcibly returning, causing a rejection.

A rejection far more intense than the usual!

Numerous extraordinary abilities rebelled at this moment, the scale of the rebellion too large for the Angel-level avatar to prevent the collapse.

Noticing Dreinque Augustus rapidly approaching, breaking through His modified fate, a strange light flashed in Ammon’s eyes.

He pursed His lips and lightly pinched the Monocle, allowing His body to shatter, leaving behind a cold, indifferent voice.

"This is interesting. I will come for you."

His body shattered completely, turning into dozens of lifeless "Chrono Worms" and a dazzling array of Extraordinary Characteristics.

Among them, the "Thief" pathway Extraordinary Characteristics were the most numerous, followed by those from the "Fortune Teller" and "Apprentice" pathways. The "Fate" pathway was the least, with the remaining Extraordinary Characteristics distributed more evenly.

Laribaron, regaining his ability to move in the next moment, didn’t have time to celebrate before feeling his body involuntarily prostrate. He clasped his hands together and began to chant.

"Entropy Expander, the Alien God beyond the stars, the Split and Merge of all Extraordinary Characteristics."

"Your faithful believer prays for Your gaze;"

"Prays for You to accept their offering;"

"Prays for You to open the Gates of the Domain."

An ethereal gate opened, and all the Extraordinary Characteristics on the ground vanished, leaving Laribaron feeling his body stiffen again, his consciousness slowly fading.

The effects of the "Banquet of Betrayal" had disappeared!

The "Betrayal" of the Monocle he wore in his right eye had also ceased!

Laribaron was dead, and a new Ammon avatar was born.

In the next moment, a powerful gust of wind blew open the door of the lounge.

Dreinque Augustus, with a commanding presence and an authoritative air, walked in, his sharp gaze fixed on Ammon, who was using Laribaron’s body and wearing the Monocle.

"I began to suspect when the Extraordinary Characteristics of Amelius were stolen."

"Sure enough, it’s you, Ammon!"

Ammon: "..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end