Beyond the Old Ones

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Time*

Chapter 39: Moving Forward

45 minutes later*

Thanks to the Nation of Disorder and the Card of Justiciar, the paintings of Leon have no desire to be caught by me—nor would they dare entertain the thought of fighting me. However, I can't help but wonder: What could possibly make them realize that capturing Momoyo is their only hope for survival against me?

I only foresaw the paintings of Leon's plan in advance due to Computational Divination, but the answers were incomplete—just barely enough to form a rough understanding of what was happening. After all, with the Sefirot involved, anything is possible within a given timeframe and its influences.

With a sharp turn, I narrowly avoid crashing into a lamp post without slowing down, maintaining my speed as I draw closer to the paintings of Leon. The swirling smoke clinging to my body surges, further enhancing my physical capabilities while amplifying the potency of my Sequence 9: Arbiter's Authority. With each passing second, its influence over the paintings of Leon intensifies, and the distance between us shrinks.

Just the faintest trace of the swirling smoke exuding from the Nation of Disorder's aura is enough to drive the paintings of Leon into an even greater frenzy. It pushes its limits beyond the realm of possibility, straining desperately just to keep up with Momoyo—its movements becoming more erratic, more desperate, as it teeters on the edge of madness.

"Chikao!" Momoyo shouted as she skidded to a stop, having completed three full circuits around Montmartre.

The paintings of Leon swarmed toward her with a feverish excitement, their chaotic movements betraying a ravenous hunger. Momoyo, however, looked ready to unleash devastation, her stance coiled like a spring about to snap.

Seizing the opportunity, I switched to the Card of Wheel of Fortune, summoning the Sefirot: Key of Light's aura into reality. The moment its presence manifested, the paintings of Leon froze under my gaze. The influence of the Nation of Disorder vanished in an instant, and with it, the paintings' previous hesitation.

In an abrupt shift, they abandoned Momoyo entirely. Their fear dissipated, replaced by an insatiable hunger as they surged toward me with reckless abandon.

Anticipating their charge, I swung my backpack forward, reaching inside for the Holy Night Powder. The moment my fingers closed around it, I scattered the powder into the air, instantly forming a shimmering wall of Spirituality around me.

The paintings of Leon crashed against the barrier, their forms writhing in frustration, unable to breach it.

Wasting no time, I tore down the wall of Spirituality with a silver ritual knife pulled from my backpack. As the protective barrier collapsed, I lunged toward a specific painting on my left.

In one swift motion, I tossed the silver ritual knife back into my backpack, my hand shifting as I activated the Card of Error. A black glove materialized over my right hand, and between my fingers, the Teleportation Charm.

I spoke the incantation to trigger the activation of the Teleportation Charm, targeting the painting of Leon. At the same time, I briefly invoked the Error's Uniqueness, tapping into the power of a Sequence 0—a force capable of creating Errors within everything, whether of a normal or abnormal nature. Coupled with the divine authority of Theft, I could now steal even more specific aspects of a concept, drastically increasing my success rate in most matters.

The Teleportation Charm took effect, but instead of teleporting me away, something teleported out of the painting of Leon—a direct consequence of the Errors I had introduced.

Then, at the very last second—just before I dismissed the Error's Uniqueness to avoid an untimely death—I wielded Theft, reaching into the very essence of what had emerged. In that fleeting moment, I stole the manifestation of the concept of movement itself—Leon, in the act of running, torn from his own painting.

Instantly, Leon froze. The other paintings, bound to his existence, halted as well.

An intuitive realization struck me. What I had stolen wasn't just conventional movement; it was a unique form of teleportation—a method of transitioning between 2D and 3D reality. In his two-dimensional state, Leon could move at incomprehensible speeds while slipping past many concepts that governed the 3D world.

But none of that mattered now. The ritual I had prepared in advance seized upon the stolen concept of movement, binding it to my intended outcome. Leon was forcibly drawn back into his painting, captured. Unlike before, however, he could no longer manipulate the painting itself. He was trapped, utterly unable to escape.

"Hey, Chikao, is this what you were aiming for? Trapping him inside his own painting?" Momoyo asked as she walked over, her gaze fixed on the painting of Leon lying motionless on the ground. The rest of the paintings had long since faded from existence.

"Not quite."

With a spark of fire conjured through Spirituality, I rubbed my fingertips together, generating a small flame. Then, with a flick of my hand, I tossed it onto the painting of Leon. The canvas ignited instantly, flames hungrily consuming its surface.

"Wait, what?" Momoyo blinked, caught off guard. "Why are you burning it?"

"Because it's useless as it is." I explained, watching the fire dance across the painting. "And I'm going to make something out of it."

For several moments, the painting burned, its colors warping and blackening under the heat. Then, as the ritual took effect, the flames abruptly died out—not leaving behind ashes, but a solid, brick-sized wooden block.

"This will be great for making incense or charms." I said, picking up the wooden block and weighing it in my hands. "Should be good enough to make a few."

"So, once you use that up, you can't get any more?" Momoyo raised an eyebrow. "Also, now that this is over, how about we find a place to stay for the night? I'd rather not sleep outdoors—especially not out here, where who knows what is lurking. And I still don't have a way to fight spirits…" She shivered at the thought.

"Hm. I can get more, but it would mean spending more money than necessary to make another one this size." I replied. "Still doable, though."

Momoyo rolled her eyes. "Then what was the point of all this if you can just buy more? If it's about money, just ask. I don't mind lending you some."

"I'd have to agree with Momoyo on this one." Aya's skeptical voice came from within her cage. "Why put ourselves at risk for something like that?"

"Because by doing this, I'm ruining a lot of people's plans—both present and future." I grinned devilishly, fully aware of how the Fates could have exploited the painting of Leon in countless ways.

Momoyo sighed but didn't press further.

"Anyway, I know just the hotel we can stay at." I said, turning on my heel and leading the way with Momoyo following right behind me.

The next day*

Finalizing... Idle S9Lawyer survived for 6 years.

Idle S9Lawyer brought back Wintry Blade.

Acting Progress... 100%. 3x Boost in effect... 100%.

Unlocking Beyonder's Abilities of the Black Emperor Pathway's Sequence 9: Lawyer.

1. Brainwash: Lawyers are masters of eloquence and reasoning. They can influence judgement, thoughts, and conclusions through their words, actions, and established progresses, distorting or guiding their target's thinking to a certain degree, through methods like making one feel very close to them, or willing ot trust them.

2. Law Proficiency: They are skilled at finding and taking advantage of loopholes within various social rules and laws, as well as the legal weaknesses of enemies, granting them the ability to use "Law & Order" as a weapon against their opponents.

Huh… Did IdleS9Lawyer encounter Xio Derecha to get this Sealed Artifact?

Well, it doesn't really matter. At least now I have a better Beyonder weapon to use—especially since its downside is bearable compared to others.

The downside is a gradual loss of body temperature. If the limit is exceeded—roughly three to four hours—the wielder turns into an undead. This process can be countered by engaging in activities that generate body heat.

Not much of a downside if I don't use it for too long.

Its power resembles that of Sequence 5: Wraith from the Chained Pathway. Anyone struck by this blade, even with the lightest touch, would freeze stiff—their thoughts locked in place, as if possessed by a wraith. And as the battle drags on, even without direct contact, the enemy's mind would grow sluggish, their movements slow and rigid.

Overall, I now have access to another higher-Sequence ability—or, to be precise, a Mid-Sequence level Beyonder ability. Still, it surpasses Sequence 9.

I brought out the Wintry Blade, a transparent, nearly invisible triangular blade. Almost immediately, I felt my body temperature drop. Not rapidly, but enough for me to notice.

I switched to the Card of Abyss, and the Wintry Blade became noticeably easier to wield. However, I had no intention of experiencing the Sealed Artifact's negative effects, so I switched back to the Card of Black Emperor and sealed the Wintry Blade within it once more.

My gaze lingered on the Card of Black Emperor, particularly on its Brainwash ability. It gave me mixed feelings, especially with the Nation of Disorder amplifying it beyond its usual limits.

On the bright side, dealing with people is going to be a whole lot easier—no need to beat them down or rely on my identity as an assassin.

"Hey, Chikao, are you sure this is the place where Aya's body might be?" Momoyo asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I mean, it's kind of weird to be searching for her body at Disneyland."

"I'm not entirely sure." I admitted, adjusting my grip on the golden cage, now covered with a red silk sheet to keep Aya hidden from view. "My predictions didn't point directly to her body—just to people connected to her in some way." I glanced around, scanning the crowd. "We're here to test our luck and see if we can find a lead through them. They might not know Aya personally or have any idea where her body is, but even small clues could help me improve my chances of tracking it down."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but do you have an exact description of these people and where they are right now?" Momoyo asked, glancing around at the moving crowd. "Because there are a lot of people here, and not many are stopping." She scanned the area and is already assessing potential targets.

"Yup. Much easier than pinpointing Aya's exact body location." I replied, smirking. "All we have to do is follow this." I handed her a small notebook filled with names, descriptions, times, and locations. "With this, we'll capture everyone on the list."

Momoyo flipped through the pages, then frowned. "Wait… why is one of them a little boy?" She looked up, confusion and doubt written all over her face.

"Not an actual kid." I clarified before she got the wrong idea. "He just looks like one. The guy's actually in his thirties." I pointed at the entry in question, making sure she understood.

"Right." Momoyo nodded slowly. "Do you think we can also take some time to enjoy the rides? I mean, we're in Disneyland Paris." She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, watching for any reaction.

I shrugged. "I don't see why not. Some of our targets will be on the rides anyway, which just makes things easier for us."

Her expression brightened slightly. "Good. Because if I have to spend all day running around chasing people, I'm at least checking Space Mountain out first."