Backlund, somewhere.
A classical-style quill pen was being held in someone's hand.
Although it hadn't been dipped in ink, it flowed smoothly across a notebook, writing word after word.
The paragraphs already written read as follows:
"Based on an unknown coincidence, Kamarha Lisbon, a mid-level member of the Psychology Alchemists stationed in Backlund, just happened to encounter Mr. A of the Aurora Order and the 'Nightingale of Despair,' Panatiya.
Under their cordial questioning, he quickly confessed to something their organization had been busy with recently."
"It turned out that a certain Beyonder who had suffered mental collapse and fragmentation after being eroded by the True Creator was willing to pay a certain fee to request their help in treating himself."
"The two immediately determined that this Beyonder was very likely the person they were looking for."
"Unfortunately, Kamarha wasn't certain of the other party's specific address, only knowing that the other party lived in East Borough.
Mr. A, eager for revenge, attacked many coachmen, turning them into flesh puppets and distributing them across various streets in East Borough to search for traces of the other party."
"Because Mr. A deployed so many coachmen, it was very reasonable for the target to encounter him."
After writing this content, Ince Zangwill, with sculpted features and one blind eye, slowly put down the quill pen.
However, before he could make any other move, he saw the quill pen suddenly jump up on its own and continue writing after the previous text:
"What a foolish Ince Zangwill. He was dazzled by the Witch's beauty and went to help her do something that was of no benefit to himself.
He completely failed to realize that his actions brought him one step closer to the edge of death."
"Kafka Anderson possesses many peculiar secrets that Ince Zangwill will never learn."
After writing these words, the quill pen slowly stopped and floated down to the side.
Ince Zangwill stared deeply at that line of text, his body frozen like a sculpture, not moving for a long time.
***
East Borough, on streets covered with black heavy snow.
A carriage that had crashed into a lamppost was burning fiercely, emitting light much brighter than the lamppost in this dim afternoon.
"The Lord is merciful.
He makes His sun rise on the good and on the evil, sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous, drops snow on believers and on blasphemers alike."
Mr. A stretched out his palm, catching coal-black snowflakes and letting them melt into a puddle of dirty water in his palm.
He recited scripture in a voice like singing, but his beautiful eyes remained fixed on Silas, the malice and hatred in them completely undisguised.
"The Lord is merciful and generous, but as His servant, I am much more petty."
His voice was cold with murderous intent.
"Tell me, who are you? Why, when you clearly have the Lord's favor and became a servant who shepherds lambs for the Lord, did you betray Him and even kill the Lord's divine son?"
Silas's head throbbed with waves of pain. With his sister's support, he stood up again.
He looked coldly at the other party.
This handsome man in a black robe before him seemed familiar. The Shepherd characteristic in his body was reacting, telling him that the person opposite was not a lamb, but a servant who shepherds lambs for the Lord.
Without a doubt, it was Mr. A of the Aurora Order.
Although he wasn't sure how Mr. A had found him, he could be certain that the other party probably wasn't here to have a heart-to-heart chat.
"Cecilia, stay away."
He said to his sister.
A battle between two Sequence 5s would be too dangerous for a Sequence 8 to participate in.
The latter obediently left, turning to hide in the shadows of the street, waiting for an opportunity.
On the opposite side, Mr. A watched his interaction with his sister. For some reason, a mocking smile actually surged across his face as he opened his mouth:
"You..."
"Boom!"
He had barely started speaking when a crimson fireball exploded before him.
Flames surged like a tidal wave, covering Mr. A's field of vision. At the center, Silas's figure leaped out abruptly.
"Arson" plus "Flaming Jump"!
The illusory sound of ocean tides nurtured the souls of the lambs within his body, allowing him to shepherd multiple lambs simultaneously and use multiple Beyonder abilities.
Before the mocking smile on Mr. A's face could fully bloom, Silas had already appeared before him.
"Whoosh..."
The instant he landed, his body shot up in height. Horns immediately grew from the top of his head, and bat wings sprouted from his back.
He had already completed "Demonization." A lava longsword burning with dark blue flames was generated almost simultaneously, thrusting toward Mr. A.
"Magma Longsword"!
"Pfft!"
His surprise attack was very successful.
A slight resistance came from the end of the giant sword, then it smoothly penetrated Mr. A's chest.
His body seemed somewhat too small compared to Silas's massive form, but Silas didn't dare slack off.
As a fellow Shepherd, he knew best how strong the vitality of this sequence was.
He immediately pulled out the lava longsword and continued to slash down toward Mr. A's head.
"Crack!"
Mr. A's head was easily severed by him. His eyes were wide open, his face full of unwillingness, as it fell onto the dirty snow.
That simple?
Silas thought with some disbelief.
No, something's wrong.
Black snowflakes fell on the lava longsword, hissing as they were burned into water vapor.
But Silas suddenly had an illusory sense of unreality, as if everything around him was wrapped in a layer of transparent curtain.
It's a dream!
Mr. A had shepherded a Nightmare!
"Die!"
Silas threw back his head and shouted, using Ancient Hermes to emit a profane and twisted terrible sound.
"Crack..."
The sound of shattering glass came from all around. The dream was destroyed.
He suddenly opened his eyes and found himself standing in the same place. There was no body of Mr. A in front of him.
On the contrary, Mr. A was standing at a position far from him, the blackness in his eyes just fading away.
"You..."
Mr. A's handsome face twisted with surprise.
"You can actually control multiple souls at the same time?!"
He shouted.
A normal Shepherd could only shepherd one soul at a time. If they wanted to use other abilities, they needed to switch. No wonder he looked so surprised.
Perhaps, the moment he saw Silas controlling multiple souls simultaneously, he mistakenly thought Silas was a higher sequence, which was why he fled so far away.
"That's right. I'm rather special, because I'm the True Creator's favored one. He trusts me very much."
Silas answered with a cold laugh. "You can't attack me."
"You're lying!"
"Of course I'm not lying.
Actually, the reason I killed Lanevus was all arranged by the True Creator.
He felt it was too blasphemous to have a man give birth to His child, so He told me, His favored one, to do it...
It's just that I accidentally killed His child too."
Intense pain tormented Silas's spirit. He smiled viciously, joking about the other's faith.
"He has no objections, so why are you so anxious?"
And so, across from him, Mr. A's face became increasingly angry and distorted.