~West Borough, in a certain basement on Carter Street~
Two men lay sleeping here, both neatly dressed in black clothing with red dancing shoes on their feet.
Suddenly, they jerked upright as if receiving some command, they then hopped and skipped their way outside.
Only when they reached the street did they seem to fully awaken from their slumber and ran forward like normal people.
The red dancing shoes on their feet gradually faded away.
...
Using a Sealed Artifact, Aelia swiftly arrived at Henry Street...
Concealing her Spirituality and aura, she hid in a dark corner and quietly observed the still-lit Gale Herbal Shop.
At that moment, two figures clad in black charged toward the shop. Aelia immediately sensed that their auras were different from ordinary people.
Inside the herbal shop, Odis, as usual, had dismissed his assistant Kain and was resting alone in an armchair.
Suddenly, his Spirituality issued a warning.
He sprang to his feet, drawing his pistol from its holster. The moment he flipped the safety off, the shop door was kicked open.
Without hesitation, Odis pulled the trigger.
Outside, Aelia, who had been about to rush in to rescue him, saw six fireballs (each larger than an adult's fist) erupt from Odis's revolver, accompanied by six consecutive gunshots.
Two of the shots struck the Sequence 9 'Mystery Pryer' among the two black-clad assailants. His chest was instantly engulfed in flames.
Flailing his arms wildly to smother the fire, he ran around screaming in agony before collapsing after just a few steps.
Aelia froze momentarily. This was her first time witnessing the power of the 'Flamebolt'...
'So this is why Her Majesty values this weapon so highly!' she thought.
With this weapon, even the weaker combatants among the 'Element Dawn' (those at Sequence 9) could now stand toe-to-toe against battle-oriented Sequence 9s!
However, the remaining four bullets missed the other black-clad figure, a Sequence 8 'Melee Scholar', who nimbly dodged Odis's shots and swiftly closed in on the now-unarmed herbal shop owner.
Odis was about to activate the defensive arrays hidden within the shop's counter, which were preparations that would allow him to deal with a Sequence 8 relatively easily.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Aelia rushing toward him. Instantly, he saw an opportunity to intimidate the 'Queen Mystic'.
So Odis turned and fled.
Just as Aelia was about to charge in to rescue him, her steps faltered again. She heard the shop owner muttering something as he ran, something like "—who wields good luck…"
The distance was too great to hear clearly, but it sounded like… an honorific name!
While Aelia was still processing this, the 'Melee Scholar' delivered a powerful kick that sent Odis flying.
Had Odis's coat not been inscribed with defensive arrays, that kick might have shattered his spine.
Crashing to the ground, Odis gritted his teeth against the pain in his back... He rolled and scrambled to his feet before darting around the tall medicinal herbs in the courtyard to evade pursuit.
Internally, he prayed fervently for 'The Fool' to come online quickly...
A 'Mystery Pryer' can manage ambushes from the shadows, but in direct combat, they're pathetically weak.
Just as the 'Melee Scholar' closed in on Odis again, an overwhelming force erupted in the air above them.
Before the 'Melee Scholar' appeared a colossal black figure with twelve pairs of massive wings, each having feathers etched with mystical symbols.
An angel, a sacred angel.
This was a new ability Klein had gained after obtaining the 'Black Emperor' card.
Upon seeing the divine angel, the 'Melee Scholar' reacted as if he saw a king, a revered emperor.
With a...
*Thud*
...he dropped to his knees, all will to resist evaporating.
*Thud*
Aelia, who had just stepped inside, also fell to her knees. Trembling uncontrollably, she felt an instinctive, soul-deep submission and loyalty to that sacred angel.
The angel vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, but its influence lingered for a few more seconds.
The only one relatively unaffected was Odis, who had been praying to 'The Fool'. Though he still felt the immense pressure from those twelve wings, he remained capable of action.
Pulling a palm-sized wooden cylinder from his pocket, Odis channeled his Spirituality into it. Instantly, the wood transformed into a pure white staff.
With a swift motion, he struck the kneeling 'Melee Scholar' with a 『Cleave of Purification』...
A deep, bone-exposing golden gash appeared on the man's chest.
The golden light dimmed almost immediately, leaving behind charred black flesh.
Seizing the opportunity, Odis loaded a single bullet into his revolver and fired.
*Bang!*
This time, the shot hit its mark. The 'Melee Scholar's' chest burst into flames, but under the angel's lingering influence, he didn't even dare struggle.
Odis put away the staff and watched as the 'Melee Scholar' burned. He then calmly reloaded his revolver bullet by bullet. Once the cylinder was full, he snapped it back into place.
By then, the 'Melee Scholar' had been reduced to a charred corpse...
...
High above the gray fog, 'The Fool' (Klein) had been closely observing 'The Hermit's' battle.
He was now certain that this new Tarot Club member was… exceptionally well-equipped.
That staff was undoubtedly the Extraordinary weapon mentioned in the previous Tarot gathering. Its compact, unactivated form made it perfect for ambushes.
But in a direct confrontation, the revolver was more practical... though its firepower seemed lacking.
Its sole advantage was launching fireballs larger than fists, which could ignite large portions of an enemy's body upon impact.
This ability would be particularly effective against 'Werewolves' and 'Zombies'. Burning their skin and clothing wouldn't just deal damage, it would also disrupt their focus.
'This weapon might be worth purchasing… for dealing with Sharron's (Miss Bodyguard) enemies.'
With that thought, Klein glanced at the streets outside.
Through his True Vision, he saw the area was shrouded in a mysterious energy, likely the power of that enigmatic and formidable lady... {T/N: As for True Vision/Sight... I don't know what that is...}
However, due to 'The Fool's' display, she didn't dare to reveal herself.
Klein allowed himself a small smirk, 'That powerful lady probably never imagined that the seemingly almighty Fool only has this one trick up his sleeve...'
He cast one last look at Odis. He was confident that his earlier 'display of might' would leave that mysterious lady sufficiently wary, ensuring Odis's safety.
With that, he withdrew his gaze and returned fully to the gray fog...
After all, it would seem suspicious if a "great existence" continuously gazed at a Low-Sequence 'blessed'.
...
Aelia took a deep breath, finally being able to rise...
Her gaze was complex as she watched Odis, who was now cautiously checking whether the 'Melee Scholar' was truly dead, with his revolver still in hand.
'This herbal shop owner is actually connected to a mysterious and immensely powerful being!'
'Just how many more secrets is he hiding?'