Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

In the first-floor hall, with Bishop Utravsky and Hazel joining the fray, Mr. A, sensing the unexpected turn of events, decided to stop holding back. He ordered the four evil spirits to pin down Stuart, while he personally charged toward the Mandated Punishers, intent on eliminating these nuisances as quickly as possible before focusing on the Mysticism Magister.

Though the Mysticism Magister lacked powerful offensive capabilities and struggled to harm him, Mr. A was well aware that Stuart's versatile abilities also made him extremely difficult to kill.

As for the Ocean Songster McConner, who was preparing a powerful attack? Mr. A hadn't taken him seriously from the start.

The Mandated Punishers felt an overwhelming sense of pressure as Mr. A slowly approached, his every step exuding an oppressive force. Even with the half-giant bishop's protective barrier, they couldn't suppress the fear in their hearts, falling into disarray. Some of the younger members even broke down completely, their faces suddenly sprouting scales that resembled those of "Deep Ones."

Even Utravsky, usually kind and gentle, found his face twisted with strain as he gritted his teeth to maintain the protective barrier.

He knew that if he dropped the shield, death would quickly claim the young Punishers behind him.

"Intimidation!" "Frenzy!"

These were abilities unleashed by the hypnotist Marionettist Tand, whom Mr. A now controlled as a puppet.

"If I can't break through the protector's shield, I'll collapse them from within!"

Even Hazel, who was participating in battle for the first time, was gripped by fear. But at that moment, her metallic arm unfolded on its own, pulling her out of her extreme emotional state.

As she exhaled shakily, Hazel suddenly remembered the item Bishop Utravsky had handed her before entering. She quickly retrieved a strange candle wrapped in what looked like human skin, its surface bulging in several places. With a deep breath, she used her spirituality to light it.

This was the Nightmare Candle—a mystical item specifically designed to "heal" psychological disturbances.

The black wick ignited with a faint blue spiritual flame, casting a serene glow throughout the hall. Gradually, everyone illuminated by the light was drawn into a dreamlike trance.

The fear, chaos, and even signs of madness that had overtaken them vanished, and those on the brink of losing control slowly recovered.

In her dream, Hazel found herself back at the Daily Observer headquarters' masquerade ball. She saw her "naive" self pretending to trip as she secretly stole the corrupted seed polluted by the Primordial Moon from the Demoness of Affliction.

This time, however, she didn't wait for the "hero detective" to save her. Instead, as soon as she regained control of her body in the dream, she decisively severed her arm.

That act of decisiveness jolted her out of the dream and back to reality.

Looking down at her metallic arm, she murmured to herself, "So this was my inner demon… I still couldn't fully accept losing my arm. But now, I've severed it with my own hands.

"Green Lion, from now on, I'll fight alongside you. I'll never reject you again…"

By the end of her words, her tone had grown resolute. As if in response, her left metallic arm let out a roar like a lion's and morphed into the head of a green metal lion—revealing the true form of her golem.

Meanwhile, Bishop Utravsky, who had long been freed of his evil personality thanks to the Nightmare Candle previously used by Klein, was the first to regain his clarity. Fixing his gaze on Mr. A, whose eyes were unfocused, he made no move to attack, choosing instead to steadfastly maintain the protective barrier.

Mr. A, seeing this, suddenly let out a laugh. Glancing at Utravsky and Hazel, who had barged in unexpectedly, he said mockingly, "A bishop of the Earth Mother's Church? Heh, you're smart… resisting the temptation to attack me.

"This candle-like mystical item does restrain me to some extent. But it's a pity… This is the domain of my Lord. I'm under the True Creator's protection here!"

Bishop Utravsky remained silent, knowing full well he wasn't a match for Mr. A. His sole objective was clear: hold the line until reinforcements from the Nighthawks and Machinery Hivemind arrived.

Seeing this, Mr. A curled his lips into a sinister grin and said, "Do you know why I've been talking to you for so long?"

It was only then that Bishop Utravsky sensed something was wrong. But before he could react, his thoughts suddenly became sluggish, as if someone had poured freshly mixed cement into his mind.

"The Marionettist's abilities are truly excellent. While I can't turn you into a puppet right now, with your mind and movements slowed, how will you maintain the protector's shield?"

As he spoke, Mr. A once again manipulated the hypnotist puppet. The puppet raised a black revolver with intricate patterns carved on its wooden handle and began firing rapidly at the half-giant bishop.

The revolver, called Infernal Serenade, was cursed by a Pleasure Witch and a Desire Apostle. Its bullets were imbued with black flames, sulfurous fire, and the effects of "pleasure" and "corruption." This weapon was once Tand's most formidable means of attack.

However, its severe side effects made Tand reluctant to use it personally, leaving it in the hands of one of his puppets—though in the end, it became a prize for Mr. A.

A dozen bullets wreathed in black and blue flames struck the Guardian'sbarrier in quick succession, causing ripples to spread across its surface. If Bishop Utravsky had been in his normal state, he could have replenished the barrier's energy with just a thought, sealing those ripples completely.

But his thoughts were sluggish, and he could only watch helplessly as the bullets repeatedly struck the same weakened area, gradually expanding the "damage" to the barrier. He hadn't even had time to react.

As the barrier neared its breaking point and the half-giant bishop's life hung in the balance, several Mandated Punishers, who had just recovered from their Nightmare Candle-induced dream, launched desperate attacks to stop Mr. A.

However, their abilities, weakened after prolonged exposure to the Abyss of Flesh, were so feeble that Mr. A didn't even bother dodging. His focus remained entirely on killing the half-giant bishop first, after which he planned to unleash his Flesh Bombs to systematically kill the Punishers, offering their deaths as tributes to the True Creator.

But just as Mr. A prepared for the final blow, Hazel's figure suddenly appeared in front of Bishop Utravsky. She raised her metal arm, now in the shape of a green lion's head, and blocked all the incoming attacks.

At the same time, she used her other hand to push the bishop's sturdy body.

Although Hazel's meager strength only caused the towering half-giant to sway slightly, it was enough to break him out of his sluggish state. Regaining clarity, Utravsky promptly re-established the protective barrier.

"Well done, Priestess Macht." The half-giant bishop's kind face softened into a gentle smile as he praised her.

"I… I just remembered a story Ebner once told me during a casual chat, about Sealed Artifact 2-049. The ability of the puppet in that story seemed very similar to what you just experienced, Bishop, so I decided to give it a try," Hazel stammered, blushing slightly at the unexpected praise.

Hearing their exchange and realizing his plan had failed, Mr. A's expression turned grim. He knew that relying on the Marionettist's abilities alone would no longer suffice, so he prepared to shift tactics and unleash his most powerful attack to shatter the Protector's barrier head-on.

But before he could act, McConner's long-prepared attack was finally ready. Above the Ocean Songster's head, three radiant gems floated into view, their brilliance illuminating the hall.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning infused with divine power descended from the heavens, striking Mr. A squarely on the forehead.

The strike was so swift and powerful that it left no room for reaction.

As the bolt connected, McConner collapsed on the spot, unconscious. The three radiant gems shattered into fine powder, their purpose fulfilled.

Mr. A didn't even have the chance to scream. The divine lightning fried him instantly, reducing him to a puddle of blood.

Witnessing this dramatic turn of events, Hazel gasped in shock before her expression shifted to one of joy. "Is he dead?" she asked, her voice trembling with relief.

She could sense the terrifying power of that lightning bolt and didn't believe any mid-to-low Sequence Beyonder could survive such an attack.

The other Mandated Punishers who had regained their senses shared similar expressions of elation, believing that the terrifying foe had finally been vanquished.

But Utravsky didn't lower the barrier. Narrowing his eyes, he murmured, "One of the evil spirits is missing."

"What?" Stuart, who had also thought Mr. A was doomed, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he realized the possibility of what the bishop was implying.

His fears were soon confirmed. The puddle of blood that Mr. A had been reduced to began writhing and reassembling before their very eyes. In mere moments, he had reformed into his previous form, his stunning yet eerie features as intact as ever.

With a dark, piercing glare, Mr. A looked at Utravsky and sneered, "You old bastard… you really are cautious!"

Then, casting a cold glance at the unconscious McConner, Mr. A's lips curled into a cruel smile. "After that attack, your Ocean Songster might never wake up again. And as for me? Under my Lord's protection, I can resurrect endlessly.

"Your so-called 'strongest attack' is meaningless to me.

"As long as this ritual persists, you'll never kill me! Even your so-called archbishops would be powerless against the Abyss of Flesh!"

As he spoke, Mr. A secretly shifted into his Demon state, preparing to exploit any sign of despair or frustration among his opponents. Once those emotions surfaced, he would detonate them, creating chaos to breach the Protector's barrier.

But before he could act, the oppressive atmosphere of blood and corruption that had filled the room abruptly dissipated. The remaining three evil spirits dissolved into nothingness, as if erased by an invisible hand.

It was clear to everyone—the Abyss of Flesh ritual had been neutralized!

At that moment, a figure clad in black armor and a matching mask emerged from the floor. Hovering in midair, the Hero Bandit Black Emperor appeared through the hole in the roof left by McConner's lightning attack. With a hand placed over his chest, he bowed to the room, as though taking a final curtain call for an extraordinary performance.

Sensing something, the armored figure turned toward the sky and spotted an elderly man in a priest's robe from the Church of Steam, flying rapidly toward their location. The Hero Bandit Black Emperor bowed again, this time toward the approaching figure, and then vanished into thin air before anyone could say another word.

Meanwhile, seizing the distraction, Lina used an extraordinary item to escape through the sewers, carrying the still-slumbering Shoko far from the chaos.

"That was… the Hero Bandit Black Emperor?"

(Chapter End)