Chapter 307: Dawn Paladin

Kill you? It was the first time Klein had heard of such a

request, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond to such a task.

He even started to suspect if there was a conspiracy.

Bishop Utravsky opened his eyes and looked down at Klein.

"Kill the old me."

*...Father, can you not have such long pauses when you're

speaking...* Klein's mouth twitched as he asked in puzzlement,

"Even in the legends and myths, no one can return to the past. I'm

afraid this task of yours can only be accomplished by the seven gods."

"No, I mean, killing the past me which has never died as it resides in

the depths of my heart." Seeing that Klein was still confused, the

slightly hunchbacked bishop said, "The former me, who used to love to

kill and fight, didn't completely die just because of my contrition. I

can clearly sense that he's still living inside my body, always wanting

to regain control of everything, and I'm constantly suppressing him,

hoping that he will be redeemed through mass, ascetic cultivation, and

preaching, making him truly believe in the teachings of the Earth Mother

and become one with me again."

*Simply put, the imprints of the past are too deep, and they fiercely

conflict with your current life, resulting in a split

personality...* The pseudo-psychologist and keyboard warrior,

Klein Moretti, made a preliminary judgment and said in deliberation,

"It's a psychological problem. I think what you need most is a

psychiatrist."

"I've attempted that before. Perhaps you aren't aware. There is a Doctor

Sequence among the Beyonder pathway that the Church of Earth Mother

controls, which is also known as Healing Pastor in ancient times.

They've studied my problem and believe it's not as simple as a

psychological ailment. It's also mixed with the inclination of losing

control. If the past me defeats the present me, I will lose control

without a doubt and become a monster," Utravsky said with a sigh.

*Then what you need is the Spectator pathway's Sequence 7,

Psychiatrist...* Klein thought for a moment and said, "Your

words make me believe that you've found a way to solve your problem, but

you only lack a suitable executor, am I right?"

"Yes, all these years, besides preaching, I've also been searching for

people and objects that can help me. In the end, with Earth Mother's

blessings, I obtained a very mystical item. It is said to be a relic of

an ancient dragon." Seeing that Klein wasn't scared away, Utravsky

answered with some hope, "It allows the wielder to enter the deepest

part of the target's soul, or, in other words, the bottom of the

target's dreamland. There, a corresponding scene will be materialized.

That way, you can see the past me directly, and then, through combat,

eliminate him. In that special state, once he is truly dead, he will

never appear again."

*As expected of the mysterious world; there's actually such a method to

treat someone with split personalities...* Klein sighed with

emotion and cautiously asked, "What restrictions are there, or what harm

will it cause to the holder? Why do you think I'm incapable of

completing this task?"

Bishop Utravsky looked down at Klein and said, "Once you use that

mystical item, although the owner will remain conscious, there are many

layers to the soul or dreamland. The past me will be able to make full

use of this point to deceive you, or conversely, they can even kill you.

And after a set period of time, yes---five minutes---that mystical item

will make you completely lose consciousness, and your mind will never be

able to return to your body and become its sacrifice.

"In this way, you will become a vegetable.

"In addition, as a result of the scene's materialization, if you're

killed in the deepest part of your heart---or to put it in another way,

the lowest level of the dreamland---similar side effects will occur.

It's equivalent to true death.

"Believe me, the past me is much stronger than you think."

*So that's how it is... However, this issue isn't a problem at all for

me. I'm someone who can stay awake and rational during spirit channeling

and dreams. Even if that mystical item wants to make me lose myself

completely, there's no need to worry too much. As long as there's room

for struggle, I can take four steps counterclockwise and chant my

honorific name, and directly head above the gray fog... The problem is,

how strong is the past Bishop Utravsky, and what are my chances of

defeating him? What restrictions or taboos are there in fighting in a

materialized spiritual world?* Klein thought for a while and

said, "How strong were you, Father Utravsky? I don't think I would

definitely lose."

Bishop Utravsky's eyes turned adrift for a moment.

"I was a warrior.

"I have already reached Sequence 6 of my Beyonder pathway, becoming a

Dawn Paladin."

*So he's not a Beyonder of the Planter pathway... He himself said that

he had committed a crime and become a pirate before being converted by

the Church of Earth Mother... Sequence 6. Yes, it's not like I can't

win. A Magician is the kind of Beyonder that's much stronger if they

make preparations in advance. Also, due to my uniqueness, the deepest

part of my heart, or the lowest level of my dreamland, can be considered

as my home ground...* Klein pondered for a few seconds and said,

"Will that mystical item weaken him?"

"Yes, but it's still his main region of activity, so the weakening

wouldn't be too great. At most, it would be like he had already fought

an intense battle." Utravsky recalled his previous attempts.

That just raises my chances... Klein continued, "Is there

anything I need to pay attention to in that special environment?"

"Just like real combat, effective attacks are always effective,

illusions will remain illusions, but one thing must be noted, he can

bring you into a few other levels of the dreamland at any time, creating

a situation where it's hard to determine whether it's reality or an

illusion." Bishop Utravsky emphasized, "So, you have to be at least at

Sequence 6, or some other special Sequence 7 to be able to complete this

mission, and the risk is nothing trivial. Heh, if I didn't swear on a

Holy Artifact of Earth Mother that I wouldn't ask the Church for help

before my missionary succeeds, things wouldn't have been so difficult."

So that's how it is... I'm not afraid of a dream... The corner

of Klein's mouth curled up.

"Final question. Are there any points to take note of when fighting a

Dawn Paladin?"

Bishop Utravsky frowned his wrinkled face and said with a sigh, "This is

something that requires absolute secrecy for Beyonders.

"However, as long as you participate in enough battles, others would

often be able to conclude certain traits. Besides, the more details you

know, the higher the chances of success are, right?"

"Yes," Klein answered frankly with a nod.

In a reminiscent tone, Bishop Utravsky said, "A Dawn Paladin possesses a

power akin to that of a giant, enabling the area within a 40-50 meter

radius to be basked in the light of dawn. Such light cannot only dispel

illusions, but it also has the special ability to exorcize wraiths and

specters, and it can even weaken evil spirits.

"They can conjure Dawn Armor around their bodies which would be

equivalent to specially forged full-body armor that doesn't weigh

anything or inhibit their motion in any way. If destroyed, recovery

would require a certain amount of time.

"He can also conjure different weapons. The strongest weapon would be a

two-handed great sword. It's often called the Sword of Dawn; it's sharp,

solid, and each strike has a purification effect.

"Apart from that, Dawn Paladins have a type of Beyonder power to create

a Hurricane of Light. It can directly destroy a person's body, eliminate

wraiths, and damage evil spirits."

*There aren't a lot of Beyonder powers, but they are my natural enemy.

They have high offensive strength and defense, and they're not afraid of

illusions. The only good news is that, other than for facing wraiths and

specters, the mysteriousness of a Dawn Paladin is very low...*

Klein listened as he simulated a combat situation in his mind, searching

for the most reliable way to deal with a Dawn Paladin.

The level of mysteriousness he was referring to implied strangeness,

unpredictability, unfathomability, and incomprehensibility.

Bishop Utravsky looked at him quietly. He didn't press him or drive him

away.

After gradually formulating a plan, Klein raised his head, looked over,

and said, "Perhaps I can give it a try, but I will need to leave for a

few minutes to confirm that you're not lying."

Bishop Utravsky replied with a slightly stunned voice, "No problem.

"However, I must remind you once again. Although I don't know where your

confidence stems from, do not belittle the past me. He's extremely

skilled in combat."

"I wouldn't joke with my life." Klein pressed his hand to his chest,

bowed, and stepped out of the Harvest Church. He found a secluded spot

and quickly went above the gray fog to make a divination.

After obtaining an answer that there was a certain danger but at

tolerable levels, he immediately returned to the real world. From the

beginning to the end, it only took him about ten to twenty seconds above

the gray fog.

Following that, Klein returned to the Harvest Church and said to Bishop

Utravsky, who stood in his original spot, "I'll take this commission."

Bishop Utravsky stared at him intently before slowly saying, "If you

succeed, not only will I give you the Apothecary formula, but I will

also gift you a mystical item without much of a negative side effect."

Klein was taken aback at first before he sincerely praised, "Father, you

truly are a generous person!"

Bishop Utravsky didn't say another word. He took a strange candle from a

concealed pocket in his brown clergyman's tunic.

The outer layer of the short candle seemed to be wrapped in a layer of

human skin, but there were also several bumps on it.

Its wick was about the length of a finger segment and was entirely black

in color. It was covered in tiny densely packed scale-like patterns.

"Ignite it with your spirituality." Utravsky handed the tiny, strange

candle to Klein.

Instead of following his instructions, Klein took out a matchbox, took

out a few of them, and put them in his trouser pocket. He lit and blew

out a few other matchsticks before throwing them at various corners of

the cathedral. Then, he adjusted the positions of the paper figurines,

paper notes, long strips of paper, Azik's copper whistle, and various

charms.

This was in preparation for the worst case scenario that he could

imagine.

After all of this was done, Klein snapped his fingers, causing a

blue-colored flame of spirituality to appear.

Sizzle!

He held the flame close to the top of the tiny candle and watched the

black wick light up.

Nothing seemed to change, but Klein was acutely aware that he had

entered the world of the mind.

Directly in front of him, he saw Bishop Utravsky still standing in his

original spot. His sturdy body, which was more than 2.2 meters tall,

gave off a sense of oppression.

The repentant bishop looked down at him, his facial muscles contorting.

Following that, his expression became abnormally ferocious.

Soon after, Klein discovered that the surrounding light and shadows were

rapidly transforming, and it felt like he was experiencing a real,

intense battle.

Pa!

At the end of the battle, Bishop Utravsky fell heavily to the ground.

His breathless body had blood flowing profusely.

Klein's mouth twitched as he saw the scene before him with a clear mind.

He silently evaluated.

What a professional performance.

But I know that this is a dream within a dream.