HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

As Hvin Rambis's repeated mental assaults wore down the protection of the Angel's Embrace, Edward's thoughts raced.

Right—Mythical creature forms, aside from boosting power, also carry intense corruption.

I didn't feel it earlier because of Dullness, which granted me immunity…but the corruption was still present, constantly eroding me.

So...

"Rebuke!"

This was the ability Edward gained when advancing to Sequence 5 by overdrafting via [Delusion]—it nullifies the harm caused by corruption and reflects it back double to the source.

The next moment, the grayish-white dragon let out a deep, guttural growl.

The greyish scales covering its body began to twist and warp on a large scale.

Tiny secondary scales started growing from within the primary ones, and its previously humanoid head could no longer maintain its shape—it swelled grotesquely, shifting rapidly toward full draconification.

At the same time, the overwhelming pressure bearing down on Edward's heart disappeared.

Edward acted decisively, hurling a coin enhanced with Magnify + Cull.

Boosted by two Sequence 4 abilities, the coin effortlessly pierced through the dragon's thick scales, shattering its not-yet-fully-draconified head.

But…that wasn't enough to kill it.

The massive dragon thrashed wildly, wings flapping, huge body rolling across the ground. From the severed neck, crimson flesh writhed, showing signs of regenerating its head.

"Magnify—Distortion!"

"Magnify—Distortion!"

"Magnify—Distortion!"

Three consecutive distortions, all magnified, intensified the earlier critical injury—bringing it closer and closer to fatality.

"Magnify—Avada Kedavra! "

The majority of his spirituality was poured in at once. The green Killing Curse, empowered by massive spirituality, turned into a deep emerald lightning bolt that struck the neck stump. The deadly green glow quickly spread across the dragon's entire body, extinguishing all vitality wherever it passed.

He then pulled out a bottle of wine made from Hufflepuff's Cup and gulped it down—instantly recovering about two-thirds of his depleted spirituality.

The cost? The Reaper characteristic he'd acquired at Bansy Island.

"Magnify—Avada Kedavra! "

A second lightning-like curse shot out, accelerating the spread of green light over the dragon's body. When every inch of vitality had been snuffed out, the enormous headless body collapsed with a resounding thud—without a head, it couldn't even let out a final death cry.

"Is it dead…?"

Edward rubbed his aching temples—his spirituality nearly exhausted.

After a moment's thought, he took out a bottle of Sequence 6 Beyonder-characteristic-infused wine and drank it down, recovering about one-sixth of his spirituality.

He flicked a coin into the air:

"Is the high-sequence Spectator before me truly dead?"

Heads—yes.

"Really? I actually killed a demigod-level Spectator…all by myself?"

Though he'd experienced the successful hunting of demigods before, it had always been with the help of others. He had mostly played the role of bait or support.

But just now, had he really slain a demigod of the Spectator pathway all on his own?

Suddenly, his vision blurred.

He saw the boundless, illusory grey fog, and deep within, Mr. Fool seated high above. The calm, solemn voice echoed:

"Everyone, I need you to pray to me continuously from now until I say otherwise."

With that, the fog vanished.

"Continuous prayers…? Is Klein in trouble again? Or…did he find a way out?"

Either way, instructions were clear. He'd comply. But perhaps it's best to wait for the demigod's Beyonder characteristics to precipitate?

Just as he had the thought, his spirituality screamed—

Run. Run. NOW.

Then, a familiar voice rang in his ear:

"Heh…Did you think killing the Spectator's body meant he was truly dead?"

Edward froze. His consciousness plunged into darkness.

——

In the hidden metal world, Hvin Rambis had finally broken through.

He passed the angelic figure wreathed in twelve black wings and golden light, reaching Edward's mind island.

He took a single step forward and ascended, pushing open the door that represented Edward's mental defences. Staring straight at the island that symbolised Edward's core awareness, his pupils suddenly turned gold.

"Let's see…what secrets you're hiding."

——

Meanwhile, at sea...

On the Sonia Sea, Alger sat in the captain's quarters reviewing sea charts.

In a few days, he would arrive in the Bayam region, completing the escort mission for Roy King of the Life School of Thought and earning a generous reward—Roy had promised full compensation for any losses incurred due to the "Curse of Misfortune" surrounding him.

Suddenly, Alger's vision blurred.

He saw the endless grey fog once again. Mr. Fool sat upon the ancient bronze throne.

"Everyone, I need you to pray to me continuously from now until I say otherwise."

When his vision returned, Alger was back in his cabin.

Though puzzled, he solemnly placed a hand over his chest and murmured:

"Praise The Fool."

——

At the same moment—

City of Silver

Derrick Berg was still in quarantine.

It had been several days since their return from the temple, and everything had remained peaceful. The only oddities among the corrupted team members were occasional strange emotional outbursts—nothing overtly dangerous.

Suddenly, his vision blurred. He saw thick mist, an ancient palace fit for a giant, and Mr. Fool seated high upon his throne in the depths of the gray fog.

"Everyone, I need you to pray to me continuously from now until I say otherwise."

As the voice faded, Derrick's sight returned to normal.

Without hesitation, he entered the washroom, pressed his palms together, and began to pray.

Unbeknownst to him, a black shadow watched silently from the darkness.

——

Back in Backlund, at the Aurora Order base…

Miss Death—Priscilla—lay sprawled lazily on the couch.

Suddenly, Medici reached into thin air and pulled out a piece of paper.

He scanned it briefly, then watched as it ignited without flame.

Turning to Mr. A, he said calmly:

"Mr. A, it's time."

Mr. A blinked in surprise.

"Your Grace, what do you mean?"

"Do what you've always wanted to do."

"What…?"

"Heh…Let the Lord descend."

Mr. A's eyes glowed with wicked light.

"At your service, sir."

Medici burst into laughter:

"Not my service. It's all…for the Lord."

"All for the Lord."

Mr. A stepped back—and vanished.

Medici's brows twitched as he glanced at Priscilla:

"Stinky brat…that mysterious being is reaching out to you again?"

Priscilla shot up.

"I'm going to the washroom!"

"Hey! You little brat—!"

She stuck out her tongue:

"Not telling you! Nyeh nyeh~!"

"Annoying little rascal!!"

——

Backlund, the Hall family's luxurious estate.

Audrey, after hearing Mr. Fool's command, immediately had Susie guard the door.

She cast an Expulsion Charm on her room, lit the incense and candles, and began to pray:

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era…"

———

[Book World—Snowy Town]

Fors had made no progress communicating with Jessica—in truth, it had been a completely one-sided conversation from the beginning. Frustrated and stifled, she was about to explode from bottled-up irritation when Klein pulled her aside and shared his plan.

"Suicide?! Are you serious?!"

Klein nodded solemnly. "I want to give it a try."

"But your theory might not even be correct," Fors muttered as her craving for a cigarette returned. "If the writing on your hand is truly a clue you left for yourself, why go about it in such a roundabout way?"

"If it were too direct," Klein replied, "perhaps we wouldn't be able to see it now at all."

"But…if I were the final boss, I wouldn't care whether the clues you left were straightforward or twisted. I'd either wipe them out completely—or worse, I'd replace them with fakes! I'd love nothing more than watching people plunge from hope into despair."

Sensing Klein's peculiar gaze, she quickly added, "I—I was speaking from the boss's perspective."

"I've considered that too," Klein said calmly. "But I can only gamble…maybe this is all just a 'game' she's playing with me. And even if I'm wrong, at most I'll only lose another portion of my memory."

As he spoke, he glanced toward the woman reading quietly under the holy glow. At the moment, she looked like a truly devout priest—her gaze calm, her expression serene.

Fors shook her head. "No! Based on how you lost your memory of having been to the church, you might lose all related memories again—everything we've experienced over the past few days."

Klein grew serious. "I'm not someone who likes to gamble. I prefer taking things step by step, with the outcome firmly in my own control. But this time…I have no choice. I have to take a risk."

"If I fail—if I lose all my memories again—then I'll be counting on you."

"..."

Fors fell silent for a while. Then, with trembling fingers, she pulled out her last cigarette. Her voice, too, began to tremble:

"If…if all of this is truly her revenge on me…I can't imagine the hatred behind it. Everyone here has been dragged into this because of me…That weight—it's suffocating."

"Don't overthink it. No one should feel guilty for the evil others do out of hatred toward them. You're a victim too, aren't you?"

Klein patted her shoulder. "It'll all pass eventually."

"The sun's coming out!" someone called loudly from the window.

A crimson sun pierced through the darkness, rising on the horizon.

Dawn had arrived.

"All right, it's time for me to act."

Klein brushed the dust off his silk top hat. "Don't worry—I won't be acting alone."

He placed the hat on his head and turned to enter the washroom.

Closing the door behind him, he retraced four steps within the spiritual wall and arrived atop the majestic grey fog.

Klein sat solemnly upon the bronze seat and extended his fingers toward the four illusory crimson stars scattered within the fog.

"Everyone, I need you to pray to me continuously from now until I say otherwise."

Once he was sure the members had received the message, he dispersed his spirituality and returned to the real world, where he raised the revolver to his temple.

Hidden in the shadows, Phoenix was instantly baffled: Edward had told it to come in and keep watch—if Klein or Fors encountered danger, it was to assist. But no one had said anything about what to do if they killed themselves!

"As usual, let's do a quick divination first."

Klein pulled out a coin and flicked it lightly.

The coin spun through the air, flipping gracefully before it fell.

Klein stared at the coin with calm eyes but did not reach out to catch it.

"…Forget it."

Bang!

The gunshot rang out.

It hurt—a lot!

"I think I regret this."

"I…"

Everything fell into darkness.

——

Klein felt like he was sinking into a deep ocean. The surrounding air pressed in on him like water under immense pressure. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move, not even open his eyes.

Soon, an intense sense of falling overwhelmed him. His soul seemed unable to keep up with the plummeting of his body—it was beginning to drift, to separate, to dissipate.

Fragments of memory flashed in his mind and quickly turned blurry:

Who am I?

Where am I?

What am I doing?

Why did I do this?

He couldn't understand. Nor did he want to think. He only wanted to sleep…sleep forever…

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."

Who…is calling me?

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."

It was Miss Death's voice.

"The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog…"

That was Miss Justice's voice.

"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck..."

That was The Hanged Man's voice.

"Your faithful servant beseeches your gaze…"

That was the Sun.

But…I'm so sleepy.

I just want to keep sleeping.

It's too noisy.

Too noisy.

Stop talking. Just stop…

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;

The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog;

The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.

Your faithful servant beseeches your gaze…"

One prayer after another. One whisper after another. Some devout, some solemn—repeating, again and again, in his ears.

Until, in a certain moment—

WHOOSH.

Klein opened his eyes.

———

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