The dazzling greatsword formed from crimson magma and pale blue flames struck directly at Mister A's "vital point" under the effect of "Lethal Strike."
Even though Mister A, after coming to his senses, transformed into a tide of shadows, he still could not offset the damage inflicted by the "Lava Sword."
This was the effect of the "Lethal Strike" ability—no matter where it hit, it was treated as a weakness attack!
However, at that moment, the shadows that Mister A had become suddenly degenerated into soft paper, which quickly rotted into mud.
Paper Substitute!
Realizing that even the shadows couldn't nullify the damage, he promptly switched the soul he was shepherding and used the "Paper Substitute!"
But Ebner had long anticipated this. In fact, his decision to attack Mister A immediately was not just because everyone from the Aurora Order was insane and bloodstained—the more important reason was that the other party was shepherding a "Marionettist."
And to enter the church within the small town and leave this "hidden" Nation of the Evernight, the ability to control the "Spirit Body Threads" was absolutely essential.
Although Ebner himself possessed a mystical item called "String Puppet" that could achieve a similar effect, it was not crafted from characteristics and had significant deficiencies. It was unlikely to resist the pull of the "Spirit Body Threads" in the church, a force described in the original as being like a giant magnet.
Thus, when launching the "Lava Sword" through the "Magic Mirror," Ebner had already planted some psychological tricks.
These tricks came from the "Demon," and the resulting effects could have been resisted if Mister A were in full condition or could connect to the "True Creator." But given that he had just been directly hit by "Breath of the Mind," there was no way he could fully resist using just the "Paper Substitute."
The newly emerged Mister A, now on the other side, seemed to see a vivid illusion: he sacrificed the lambs of Backlund, allowing his Lord to descend and annihilate those false gods one by one.
He received the Lord's praise and was permitted to become part of the Lord…
He was ecstatic, for this was the highest honor he could imagine!
In this extreme joy, his emotions and desires rapidly expanded, soon overwhelming the isolated mental island whose defenses had already been wrecked by the "Breath of the Mind."
What he didn't know, however, was that it wasn't his long-worshiped Lord who was about to fuse with him—it was a "Magic Mirror" that had already opened its "mouth!"
Inside the "Lava Sword" released earlier, seeds of psychological invasion had already been planted, ensuring that Mister A would inevitably fall into hallucination, ultimately offering himself up "willingly."
—Different demons, evolved from various races, each possessed unique abilities. The "Demon" shepherded by the "Magic Mirror" had special strengths in the realm of dreams.
Looks like the 'Breath of the Mind' talisman I sold to Klein ended up in Mister A's hands. Otherwise, the Magic Mirror wouldn't have succeeded so easily… His mental state must have been terrible beforehand.
Thinking this, Ebner glanced at the Magic Mirror, which seemed to be "feasting" joyfully. He knew that by absorbing so many souls at once, the Mirror would suffer from "overcrowding," making some abilities temporarily unavailable…
Although the previous battle had been short, the explosion from the "Lava Sword" striking Mister A had made quite a commotion. It was very likely that it would attract the Demoness of Despair and other Beyonders trapped within the town.
Even though fusing with the Bone Dragon gives me a slight advantage against her, there's no way I could kill her during the brief period of fusion…
So before I'm fully prepared, it's better not to run into her… Heh, I'm pretty sure that after I ripped off one of her arms, she's also not eager to meet me… at least not before she goes mad from hunger.
At this thought, Ebner activated the secret art "Ivans' Hidden Barrier," concealing himself on psychological, physical, and mystical levels.
The more Ebner perfected the restoration of this secret art—which he had once deciphered from the "Fallen Morning Star"—the more he felt as if it had been naturally designed based on the abilities of the "Pure White Eye."
—Right now, he could only reproduce seventy to eighty percent of its original power, but even so, its concealment against divination, prophecy, and detection was nearly identical to when the "Fallen Morning Star" used it—perhaps even slightly superior.
Moreover... in this small town, the effect of "Concealment" seemed even stronger... Ebner suspected that even if he stood right in front of an ordinary demigod, they might not necessarily notice him...
.....He thought for a moment and remembered that Klein had once divined the "Fallen Morning Star" and obtained the result that it was crafted by Roselle... But although the item came from Roselle's hand, the secret technique might not necessarily have...
Who exactly was this "Evans"? The secret technique he created not only better drew upon the higher-level power of the "Pure White Eye," but also worked more effectively in areas shrouded by "Darkness"...
Could he also have been a traveler brought by the "Pure White Eye"?
Did Roselle or the "Calamity Seal" discover one of his relics, and thus learn of this secret technique, eventually integrating it into an "Extraordinary item"?
While his thoughts raced, completely concealing his figure, Ebner entered the eerie and mysterious mist-shrouded town that was not far away, within a mist world so quiet there were no other sounds.
Inside the town, many houses still had their doors wide open. On the tables inside, there were half-eaten pieces of white bread, glass goblets filled with red wine, and scattered silver cutlery... It was as if the owners had just gotten up mid-meal to welcome guests from afar, only to suddenly vanish without a trace...
Based on the original novel, Ebner knew that everything in this town, including the food, were secret puppets of the "Half-Fool" Antigonus who slumbered deep within the church. The moment anyone ate those things, they would immediately become a member of the town's "Secret Puppet Group," and be hung up in the church like cured meat.
Because the "Magic Mirror" was temporarily unusable, in order to verify whether this place truly matched the original description, Ebner could only take out the trophy he had obtained after killing Bekron—the "String Puppet"—from his coat pocket.
Although this item made it difficult for him to operate the "spiritual body strings" to the level of a true "Marionettist," it still allowed Beyonders of other pathways to see those illusory black strings.
Casually entering a house and relying on the vision of the "String Puppet," Ebner looked toward the food, discovering that they resembled living creatures—with "spiritual body strings" sprouting from within, stretching toward the direction of the ancient church.
The most unique aspect about them was that each only had a single "spiritual body string," a clear difference compared to the dense, countless strings of normal living beings.
As expected... It seems that my decision to kill Mr. A and obtain the "Marionettist" trait and soul was the right one.
Thinking this, Ebner did not rush to check the church, but instead looked through the window at the crimson moon amid the mist, watching it gradually penetrate the fog and illuminate the small town with a clear and serene glow...
When the crimson moon becomes clear, changes will happen here, and it will become extremely dangerous. Ebner recalled the description from the original novel, casually closing and locking the door.
Afterward, while paying attention to the gradually "livelier" streets outside, he split a part of his mind to sort through the souls being pastured within the "Magic Mirror" and began making selections.
After releasing the "Desire Apostle," there were still six souls inside the "Magic Mirror," namely the Sequence 8 "Provoker" and "Swindler," the Sequence 6 "Pleasure Witch" and "Faceless," the Sequence 5 "Dreamwalker," and the Sequence 4 "Devil."
As for Mr. A's side, including himself, there were eight souls.
They were: Sequence 8 "Doctor," Sequence 6 "Baron of Corruption," "Scribe," "Devil," "Wind-blessed," and Sequence 5 "Marionettist," "Affliction Witch," and "Shepherd."
Among these, "Affliction Witch" could replace "Pleasure Witch," "Marionettist" could replace "Faceless," and "Devil" was overlapped by the "Devil" soul from before... Meanwhile, "Shepherd" was covered by the "Black Knight" of the "Magic Mirror" itself...
By removing the lower-tiered "Doctor," "Provoker," and "Swindler," there would be exactly seven left: "Affliction Witch," "Marionettist," "Dreamwalker," "Baron of Corruption," "Scribe," "Wind-blessed," and "Devil."
I really made a huge profit this time! Ebner couldn't help but sigh emotionally as he looked at the traits spat out by the "Magic Mirror" after his selections.
(End of Chapter)