HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity

Edward finally let out a breath of relief.

"I suppose you could say that."

"Dad!"

"Darling!"

At the same time, Lady Hall and Audrey rushed into Earl Hall's arms.

He quickly hugged his terrified wife and daughter tightly, gently patting their backs to comfort them.

"It's over now. It's all right."

He glanced past the mother and daughter and looked first at Edward, then turned to the still-unconscious Hibbert.

Even with years of experience navigating the nobility, his mind was now in complete disarray.

The most critical question—

Why had his son, Hibbert, suddenly tried to kill him?

Just then, Lilith crawled onto Edward's shoulder and whispered,

"Edward…Audrey's dad is really okay now, right?"

"He should be," Edward replied, pocketing the coin that had landed heads-up.

Then he walked over to his brother-in-law, Hibbert.

First, he conjured a rope using Transfiguration and tightly bound him. Then, with a flick of his wand, he cast the Rennervate.

A few moments later, Hibbert slowly opened his eyes, looking dazed.

He quickly realised he was bound and sat up with a start, yelling, "Who…Edward?!"

Edward's expression was serious.

"Hibbert, do you remember what just happened?"

"What…what happened?"

He then caught sight of the blood-soaked floor and his family nearby, and his face turned pale.

"Dad, Mom, Audrey—what happened? Did someone attack the house? Are you hurt?"

"They're fine."

As Edward spoke, he cast Legilimency on Hibbert.

He discovered that Hibbert had no memory at all of stabbing Earl Hall—which strongly suggested he had been hypnotized, perhaps even mind-controlled.

Another damned Spectator pathway trick?

Edward's expression darkened.

"Alright, enough of this. The floor's cold and sticky—I'm dying for a hot shower."

Earl Hall was already helping his wife and daughter to their feet.

Audrey quickly offered, "Dad, I can use my powers to help clean you up—"

"No need."

He waved her off gently.

"I'd rather take the time in the shower to collect my thoughts."

Then, he turned to look at his son and frowned.

"Hibbert…are you truly saying you don't remember anything?"

"Dad, what's going on?"

Hibbert was starting to panic.

"Weren't we just having afternoon tea? Why are you and the floor covered in blood?

And why…why am I tied up? What the hell happened?"

Edward nodded subtly at Earl Hall.

"Forget it…"

The Earl nodded in turn.

"Maybe it's for the best."

With that, he quickly exited the dining room, with Lady Hall following closely behind.

"Dad! Mom! Audrey! What's going on? What did Dad mean just now?!"

Hibbert shouted after them in confusion.

Audrey hesitated for a few seconds—then swiftly raised her wand.

"Stupefy!"

Hibbert collapsed again, unconscious.

"Edward…was Hibbert really hypnotised?"

Edward nodded.

"Yes. That's what it looks like."

"So then…what now?"

"You can try praying to Mr. Fool for his blessing," he said calmly.

"Got it."

As she nodded, Edward flicked his wand to clean the bloodstains from her dress.

"There. Don't worry—it's all over."

"Mm…"

But she was clearly still shaken.

She bit her lip before quietly asking,

"Could Hibbert have been hypnotised by someone from the Psychology Alchemists?

Was it all…to get revenge on me?"

Her face grew pale, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Did I…get Dad and Hibbert dragged into this?"

Edward immediately pulled her into a hug, gently patting her back.

"Don't think like that. I have a feeling…things aren't as simple as they seem."

"Then what is it?"

"Let's wait. I think…we'll find out soon."

Lilith tiptoed up to Audrey and patted her hair with her tiny feet.

"Right! Don't worry, Audrey. It's not your fault, okay?"

Susie also rubbed gently against her leg.

Edward let go of her, then lightly flicked her nose.

"Alright. Why don't you go take a warm shower and relax a bit? I'll take care of things here."

"Okay…"

She lowered her head and wiped her tears on Edward's clothes, then gave a faint smile.

"Thank goodness you were here."

"Of course—"

Edward was just about to strike a playful pose to lighten the mood when his spiritual intuition suddenly surged.

"Edward! A paper crane just flew in!"

Lilith turned toward the window.

No sooner had she spoken than a dry paper crane fluttered in front of Edward.

Will's anxious voice came through:

"Run! Ouroboros is coming! Hurry!"

Whoosh!

The paper crane instantly combusted into flames and burned to ash.

"Shit! I completely forgot about that!"

Edward's expression changed dramatically.

Audrey, seeing his face, quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"An angel is targeting me—I need to flee right now!"

He spoke rapidly, then added with forced calm,

"But you don't need to worry too much. Worst case…I'll just go have a quick chat with the True Creator. You do know what kind of relationship I have with "Him". Just wait at home, alright?"

Audrey's pupils contracted sharply.

"!!"

As he spoke, he passed Lilith into Audrey's arms.

"I'm leaving Lilith with you…"

"No way!"

Lilith thrashed violently.

"Last time you said the same thing—then you disappeared for so long! You promised that wouldn't happen again!"

"But—"

"I said no!!"

She shrieked and darted up Edward's side, burrowing straight into his coat pocket.

"This little rascal…"

Edward took a deep breath, then looked at Audrey.

"Don't worry. I'll be back…very soon."

He stepped back into the colour-saturated spirit world, and simultaneously called out, "Phoenix! Take me to your house—now!"

"Got it!"

Phoenix rapidly expanded in size and grabbed hold of Edward's coat.

"Let's see if he can chase us all the way to Calderón!"

———

Elsewhere.

The moment Klein and Fors returned to Backlund, they ran headfirst into the dense smog unleashed by the Lady Despair.

They watched in horror as people around them dropped like cut wheat stalks—some collapsed in agony, gripped by sudden illness, others quickly died, their faces twisted in despair.

Klein immediately motioned for Fors to fall back and take another, safer route.

"You're not coming with me?" Fors asked, startled.

"I want to try saving some of them."

"Do you have an item that can resist disease?"

Klein shook his head.

"But I can use Flaming Jump. If things get bad, I can get out. Your friend—didn't you say you were worried about her? Go. Find her."

"But…"

"Trust me. Just like you did in the Book World."

Fors fell silent for a few seconds, then muttered a worried "Don't be reckless," and quickly darted away—she truly was anxious about Xio.

Klein tore off a strip from his shirt and wrapped it around his nose and mouth, holding his breath as he charged into the smog.

But he quickly realised—no matter how determined he was, there was very little he could actually do.

After ferrying seven or eight people to safety, Klein suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and nausea.

He knew then—he had been infected.

"This definitely isn't ordinary smog…It's a Beyonder ability. A Witch's...Cough, cough!"

His chest burned with a searing pain.

If it weren't for the potion he'd consumed strengthening his body, he probably wouldn't even be able to stand.

He fumbled for his Sun Brooch, trying to use the Sun Halo to ward off the infection.

"This won't work for long…I won't be able to hold out. Cough, cough..."

He staggered, coughing again, his steps growing heavier.

He looked around at the fallen figures littering the ground, heart filled with frustration, before turning to run toward the lighter part of the fog.

"If this really is the work of a Beyonder…a Witch, then what is she trying to do? Digest a potion?"

"But to release such a horrifying, widespread plague just to digest a potion? Doesn't she realize how many innocent people this will kill?"

"No—she knows. She just doesn't care. To play her role, to advance, she doesn't care how many die."

"That's what it means to be a Beyonder…"

Klein clenched his fist so tightly his nails dug into his palm.

"Just like those photos—Loen's royal family kidnapping and selling people to build tombs...They don't care about the lives of ordinary people. To them, the masses are just disposable resources."

"This world is…rotten to its core."

Just then, the world around him suddenly turned vivid and saturated, as if a god had splashed it with oil paint.

The feeling vanished in a flash.

Klein found himself standing once again at 15 Minsk Street.

Beside him appeared the bronze-skinned, soft-featured figure of Azik Eggers.

"Mr. Azik? Why are you here?"

Azik looked calmly out the window.

"I sensed something was wrong in Backlund. I came to take a look."

"That smog…"

"Was released by a high-sequence Demoness of the Demoness Sect."

"Why?"

"To play her role. To digest a potion."

It really was that.

"Mr. Azik, could I ask you to help the people out there...?"

Klein knew how inappropriate it was to make such a request.

But he couldn't stop himself.

Azik's voice remained calm, "Someone is already taking action. Don't worry."

A fierce wind suddenly howled through the windows, rattling the panes violently. The fog that had been surging in from the distance was blown back all at once. Then, with a crack of thunder, a torrential downpour began to fall.

"That's good…that's good. I just hope…"

He didn't finish the sentence.

Because he knew—this fog had already claimed countless lives.

"Mr. Azik, what exactly is going on?"

Azik replied, "If my memory is correct, this was the doing of a demigod from the Demoness pathway—using a plague to manufacture a disaster and digest her potion."

Klein's pupils contracted.

"So…in order to digest her potion, she has to slaughter so many innocent people?!"

"...The Demoness' role and advancement have always come at the cost of disaster. Especially high-sequence Demoness—they are walking disasters. Most of them don't even view ordinary people as the same species anymore."

He paused for a moment.

"In truth, no matter the pathway, the higher one climbs in sequence, the less human they become."

Klein was silent.

Even though he had long known the twisted, tragic nature of this world…when faced with it directly, it was still nearly impossible to accept.

Suddenly, the images of those photographs flashed through his mind.

"Mr. Azik."

Klein pulled a stack of photos from his coat and handed them over.

"These…I found earlier."

He quickly recounted everything that had happened in recent days.

"Do you know why Loen's royal family is so obsessed with building these tombs?"

Azik's eyes flickered with a trace of memory.

"That should be…the Black Emperor's advancement ritual."

Klein's heart jolted.

He suddenly recalled the description on the Black Emperor tarot card regarding Sequence 0 advancement:

"Possess a nation of your own. Bind your name with the title of 'Emperor.'

Secretly construct nine pyramid-like mausoleums across various cities.

Then, within one of them, during mass rituals involving a majority of the populace, consume the Sequence 0 potion."

As expected—it was all tied to the Beyonder world.

Klein's heart grew even heavier…and angrier.

———

[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.