Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

At 6 Rhine Street, inside the Aurora Order's hideout hall, the battle between the Mandated Punishers and the evil spirits was still raging.

Although Stuart had managed to "distort" Mr. A's "prohibitions," allowing their teammates to fight by shouting out the names of their abilities, the effects of the ritual spell Abyss of Flesh grew increasingly oppressive over time.

The spell drastically increased the spiritual consumption of each ability used, making it several times more draining than normal. It also progressively weakened their control over their abilities.

Even McConner, a powerful Ocean Songster, was forced to stop advancing on Mr. A. Instead, he teamed up with Stuart to hold him back, preventing him from targeting the Mandated Punishers, who were barely holding their ground against the relentless evil spirits.

More importantly, they could hear the sounds of battle coming from the basement and noticed the subtle changes in Mr. A's expression. This made it clear that other Beyonders had already infiltrated the ritual site below. They couldn't afford to let Mr. A or the evil spirits escape.

At that moment, Mr. A suddenly changed his direction, abandoning his attempts to approach the basement entrance. Instead, he leaped toward the door leading to the living quarters, catching McConner and Stuart off guard.

Almost simultaneously, all the Mandated Punishers, including Stuart, felt an intense headache and a burning sensation. Their noses itched as if they were about to sneeze.

"Disease!" The word flashed through their minds as they instinctively covered each other, seizing the opportunity to retrieve vials of medicine from their pockets and down them.

Since the Demoness of Affliction incident, it had become standard practice for the Mandated Punishers in Backlund to carry potions that suppressed disease symptoms. Besides, they had come here in pursuit of a Demoness, so how could they not have been prepared?

But just because they were prepared didn't mean a certain Marionettist present was as fortunate…

This Sequence 5 Beyonder from the Secret Order had been silently approaching Mr. A from the living quarters, using the "psychological invisibility" provided by one of his marionettes. His goal was to manipulate Mr. A's spirit threads and turn him into a new marionette.

Unfortunately, just as he was on the verge of taking control, he suddenly sneezed violently: "Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!" The uncontrollable sneezes caused him to lose command of the spirit threads he had been manipulating.

Illness? A disease? Did Mr. A shepherd a Demoness of Affliction? As this realization dawned on the Marionettist Tand, Mr. A appeared before him.

In the next instant, a massive sword composed of crimson magma and pale blue flames came crashing down on Tand's head.

Tand instinctively attempted a "Flame Leap," but the intensified illness prevented him from focusing enough to activate his ability. He could only watch helplessly as the gigantic sword descended toward him.

Thankfully, the necklace he wore released a glow at the last moment, forming a water shield that intercepted the Magma Sword.

The water shield shattered almost immediately, but it bought Tand enough time to suppress his illness briefly and use his Paper Figurine Substitution Technique to escape.

As the Magma Sword cleaved through the barrier, it struck Tand's head, splitting his body in two from top to bottom. However, instead of flesh and blood, thin, lightweight paper scraps scattered through the air.

The real Tand reappeared in another direction, one hand covering his mouth as he struggled to suppress his condition.

But as soon as his figure materialized, his vision was filled with an exaggerated "blood-red mouth" that lacked teeth but was instead filled with writhing, fleshy tendrils. These tendrils extended toward him at alarming speed.

It was the "mouth" on Mr. A's abdomen, which had opened wide to swallow him whole!

He wants to eat me! The thought flashed through Tand's mind as he desperately tried to use his Paper Figurine Substitution Technique again. However, his worsening illness made it impossible to concentrate.

With no other options, Tand gritted his teeth and pulled a talisman from the hidden lining of his sleeve.

Most of his extraordinary items were stored with his marionettes, leaving this talisman as his last resort. It was a gift from a Secret Order Saint, capable of performing a "Flame Leap" within a radius of one kilometer.

Summoning the last of his strength, Tand recited the incantation to activate the talisman. He then cast a hateful glance at Mr. A—I'll remember this grudge!

However, just as the talisman activated and Tand successfully leaped to a neighboring street, the scene around him shattered like glass. He realized with horror that he was back in front of Mr. A's "mouth." This time, the talisman in his sleeve was entangled and pulled away by a writhing tendril.

It had all been an illusion. Without him realizing it, Mr. A had dragged him into a nightmare.

Though the dream had ended, the real nightmare had only just begun. Tand had no means left to turn the situation around.

In the end, he was devoured whole by Mr. A's grotesque "mouth."

At that very moment, Stuart's simulated "Lightning Strike" and McConner's "Lightning Spear" finally hit Mr. A, who had just consumed Tand. But it was already too late.

This wasn't because Stuart and McConner were slow to act—Tand's defeat had simply happened far too quickly. In a matter of seconds, he had been completely consumed by Mr. A.

Without the ability to control his marionettes and with his defensive abilities suppressed, the Marionettist was no match for Mr. A.

Of course, this was also due to the fact that Mr. A, being within the Abyss of Flesh ritual, had been significantly enhanced, while everyone else had been weakened.

Mr. A didn't even flinch at Stuart and McConner's attacks, letting the lightning strike his head.

The electricity pierced through his skull, instantly reducing it to a charred, cooked mass of flesh. But that flesh began writhing and regenerating madly, restoring itself to its original state in moments.

He wasn't dead—not even seriously injured.

Under the empowerment of the ritual magic, Mr. A's recovery abilities as a "Rose Bishop" had undergone a qualitative improvement.

"Now that the most troublesome one has been dealt with, clearing the rest of you vermin will be easy… So, die for me!"

"Heh heh, after shepherding a Marionettist, if I could also obtain a Mysticism Magister, that would truly be a blessing from the 'Lord!'"

Mr. A shot Stuart a greedy and frenzied look, his hoarse laughter carrying an edge of cruelty.

He had intentionally held back his full strength, aiming to first eliminate the Marionettist Tand—the one who sought to sit back and reap the rewards. Though Tand had seemed easy to deal with, in truth, Mr. A feared the ability to manipulate "Spirit Threads" far more than any other.

As for Stuart, the Mysticism Magister? His repertoire of abilities was broad but lacked focus. While he was effective against weaker or more specialized Sequence 5 Beyonders, he lacked the firepower necessary to deal with a Shepherd like Mr. A, who boasted a wide array of powers and overwhelming vitality.

This was something Mr. A had already concluded during their brief clash after his last serious injury.

Hearing Mr. A's mocking words, both Stuart and McConner exchanged grim looks, silently agreeing that it was time to risk everything.

As a Mysticism Magister, most of Stuart's abilities required extensive preparation and couldn't be cast quickly. This made pre-arranged battlefields or ambushes his ideal scenarios. However, in situations like this—an unexpected encounter or an all-out assault—he could only rely on imitating abilities from other pathways.

But imitation never equaled the original. Just as Mr. A had anticipated, Stuart indeed lacked any truly powerful offensive abilities.

However, while Stuart lacked them, McConner, the Ocean Songster, did not. Stuart's priority now was to amplify McConner's abilities, reduce the suppression affecting him, and hold off Mr. A's attacks long enough for McConner to unleash a devastating strike.

Of course, Mr. A could see through their plan. He sneered, the corners of his mouth curling upward in disdain as he said, "The struggles of worms? What a laughable comedy."

With that, he abruptly snapped off one of his own hands. The severed hand morphed into clusters of grotesque, tumorous flesh and shot toward Stuart, McConner, and the other Mandated Punishers.

"Flesh Bombs!"

Recognizing the ability, Stuart reacted immediately. He imitated the "Confinement" ability, constructing layers of invisible barriers in front of himself and McConner to block the incoming projectiles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions erupted, and Stuart was horrified to find that his barriers were being breached one after another. He scrambled to conjure additional layers, barely managing to hold off the bombardment.

"This destructive power… Ordinary Sequence 5 Beyonders wouldn't stand a chance! Flesh Bombs are this terrifying under the enhancement of the ritual magic?"

As this thought raced through his mind, Stuart couldn't bear to imagine what was happening to the other Mandated Punishers further back. They were already struggling against the evil spirits, and now, suddenly faced with explosions of this caliber, their survival seemed bleak.

I'm sorry… I really tried my best… Why hasn't His Lordship, the Spellsinger of God, arrived yet?! Stuart's body trembled slightly, his face pale with desperation.

Seeing this, Mr. A's face twisted into a mocking, cruel smile.

Just as the situation was reaching its breaking point, more than a dozen blazing crows, radiating dazzling flames, swooped in and struck the tumorous flesh clusters mid-flight. While they couldn't fully destroy the Flesh Bombs, they significantly slowed their momentum.

At the same time, a towering half-giant, over 2.2 meters tall and powerfully built, charged forward with incredible speed. He stopped in front of the Mandated Punishers, dropping to one knee and plunging his massive sword into the ground.

A radiant light akin to the first rays of dawn erupted, forming an impenetrable wall of invisible energy that completely blocked the devastating power of the Flesh Bombs.

The unexpected reinforcements brought a look of astonishment and joy to Stuart's face, while Mr. A's expression darkened. He could sense that things were no longer proceeding according to his plan.

....

In the Basement

Meanwhile, Klein circled the altar in the basement several times but found no way to destroy or disrupt it. This was precisely why Mr. A had been so unconcerned about their intrusion—once the ritual was activated, it became exceedingly difficult to dismantle.

After a few moments of contemplation, Klein glanced at Lina, who was clad in her tight-fitting combat suit. She shook her head, signaling that she was just as helpless as he was.

Seeing this, Klein made a decision. In a low voice, he instructed, "I'm going to find an 'expert' in ritual magic to help. In the meantime, make sure Shoko doesn't wake up."

If Shoko regained consciousness, he would need to conduct another special "mystic connection" ritual to allow his spiritual body to descend again.

This ritual, recorded in The Book of Astrology and Elements, was still unfamiliar to him.

"Alright!" Lina nodded without hesitation, understanding the urgency of the situation. She didn't question Klein's plan and agreed readily.

Trusting her, Klein gave her a slight nod before dispelling the "summoning" and returning to the ancient palace above the gray fog.

There, he quickly manifested the image of "The Fool," while he himself assumed the guise of the hero bandit "Black Emperor."

After completing these preparations, Klein took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and extended his spirituality toward the crimson star symbolizing "The Tower."

(Chapter End)