Chapter 477: The Many Considerations of The Fool

The first thing Klein saw was the altar, which was surrounded by layers

of light, and the tall, thin figure standing in it.

The figure took off its hood, revealing a beautiful, devilishly feminine

face, with a left chest, shoulders, abdomen, and thighs all covered in

squirming, sticky, disgusting flesh and blood.

His surroundings were filled with illusory, transparent shadows that

brimmed with feelings such as numbness, despair, pain, and depression.

Beyond the altar, the four figures which were praying had fallen. Their

skin was shriveled, and their bones were tightly wrapped, like corpses

that had been eroded for many years.

At the top of the hall, rays of light pierced through the air, quickly

entering the altar through the stone pillars, floor, and air that were

filled with symbols and magic labels.

As soon as Klein emerged from his hiding place, Mr. A opened his eyes

and looked in his direction.

His pupils were dyed with blood, and an extreme madness was contained

within his cold eyes.

If it were any other Beyonder, they would've subconsciously looked away,

not daring to look him in the eye. But Klein, who had faced the Eternal

Blazing Sun and met Blasphemer Amon, wasn't afraid of this. Calmly

pulling the trigger, he sent a silver demon-hunting bullet engraved with

many patterns flying towards the altar.

Witnessing this scene, Mr. A subconsciously wanted to raise his hand,

but he stopped in the end. He watched indifferently as the silver bullet

drilled into the layer of light surrounding the altar.

Silently, the patterned demon-hunting bullet melted and disappeared

under the layers of radiance, engulfed in untold resentment and negative

emotions.

In the end, it completely disintegrated, leaving not a single trace of

it behind.

Klein's pupils shrank as he shot the rest of the revolver's bullets. The

pale golden purifying bullets and the bronze exorcism bullets shot out,

piercing through the radiant barrier one after another.

However, they disintegrated in the same way and disappeared without

creating the slightest ripple.

Mr. A laughed hoarsely.

"It's no use, puny worm. The ritual has already officially begun, and

with your strength, it cannot be broken or interrupted. Even if you're a

Sequence 5 Beyonder!

"But you're also fortunate. You will live to witness the coming of our

Lord, and be integrated into his body."

With that, Mr. A. ignored Klein and closed his eyes again, as if he was

indeed nothing but a puny worm.

The Shepherd raised his hands in a gesture of open arms and shouted out

in ancient Hermes, "The Lord that created everything;

"The Lord who reigns behind the curtain of shadows;

"The degenerate nature of all living things.

"Your devout believers pray for your coming;

"I am willing to offer my body as a vessel to bear the burden of your

great will!"

Amidst the prayers, a light from an unknown source appeared above Mr.

A's head, completely enveloping him.

The grievances and negative emotions that were gathered around Mr. A

surged into his body like a tidal wave.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Klein snapped his fingers repeatedly and used Flame Controlling, trying

his best to attack the altar, but they still couldn't resist being

disintegrated against the barrier of light.

*What can I do? All my other mystical items are above the gray fog. To

take them out, I need to hold a ritual, which would waste at least a

minute or two, and a body without protection would be very dangerous...

What should I do?* Klein rationally stopped his attempts and

stood there, his mind racing.

Furthermore, whether it was the Sun Brooch, the Biological Poison

Bottle, the All-Black Eye, or the Black Emperor card that raised his

level, none of them seemed capable of breaking through the altar's

barrier!

*Is waiting for Miss Justice's call for reinforcements the only thing I

can do? Or do I just watch helplessly as the True Creator

descends?* Klein tensed up, his thoughts rapidly flying through

his mind. He quickly considered the corresponding strategies.

As he considered each and every item on his body, his palms

unconsciously broke out in cold sweat.

Suddenly, he thought of something!

Without having time to think about the consequences, he reached into his

pocket and grabbed something that felt metallic.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Klein took a few steps forward, jerked his arm hard, and threw the

object in his palm at the altar.

With a flash of bronze, the object entered the barrier of light.

It was an ancient, simple key.

It was the Master Key.

Within the barrier of light, the brass Master Key began to decompose and

melt.

And when its outer shell disappeared, the curse that was hidden within

it appeared, connecting to the unknown area where Mr. Door was.

In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Earl Hall.

Audrey stood by the full-length window and worriedly looked into the

distance.

She saw that the fog on the horizon was gradually thickening, turning a

pale yellow that was dyed iron-black as it slowly spread in her

location.

"There's something wrong with that." The huge golden retriever, Susie,

sat beside her and also looked at the commonly seen haze.

Yes, I hope it can be stopped in time... Audrey didn't know

what the fog represented. She silently prayed to the Goddess and Mr.

Fool that "They" wouldn't let the Primordial Demoness descend.

Suddenly, she noticed that the branches outside the window were

beginning to shake and the glass was slightly rattling.

A wind is coming... Audrey felt inexplicably happy.

Cherwood Borough, Holy Wind Cathedral.

Terrifying storms that were visible to the naked eye suddenly appeared

outside of it, and then they surged towards the east in an unimaginable

hurricane.

Whoosh!

The thick, accumulated fog was blown away, and the rich yellow and

iron-black colors quickly faded away.

Whoosh!

Dried branches fell to the ground as dust and dirt rose into the air,

following the fog into the distance.

Whoosh!

Many of the pedestrians had their hats separate from their heads, and

their bodies swayed so much that they had to hold onto trees or walls.

The sailors in the dock area felt as though they had returned to the

port city and were witnessing a typhoon.

The smoke in East Borough and the factory district thinned, and the

healthy population felt relieved of their slight discomfort.

Boom! Boom!

Lightning leaped and thunder rumbled.

They soon subsided, and a downpour began to cleanse the land.

"The Church of Storms reacted rather quickly this time... It also has to

do with us bringing the operation forward and not being fully

prepared... Heh heh, those in the middle-class and the tycoons would've

shared the same fate in this Great Smog as the commoners if it wasn't

for the respective protection they received. They would all be lambs

waiting to be slaughtered..." Lady Despair sat on a rental carriage as

she leisurely heard the pattering of the rain on the glass windows.

Even though her plans had been ruined in a timely manner, the haze from

before had caused more than 20,000 deaths according to her calculations.

Furthermore, there would be the subsequent spread of the plague.

*With this, I've pretty much digested most of my potion, but this is

just a benefit I received as a matter of convenience... With large

numbers of the population being wiped out, all this points to the Aurora

Order and to the True Creator; no one could guess what the royal family

really plans on doing... It's time I leave, along with

Trissy...* Lady Despair thought while in a good mood.

Her whereabouts were kept secretive, and she had taken care of

everything beforehand; therefore, she didn't have to worry about being

surrounded by Backlund's demigods at all.

By the time they found traces of her, she would already be far away from

the city!

Just as the Lady Despair was about to leave the carriage, her vision

blurred and she saw a figure appear before her.

The figure sat across her. It was a young woman in a hooded classical

robe, with black eyes and hair, and a beautiful but dull face.

After throwing out the Master Key, Klein held Azik's copper whistle,

then he held his breath and waited for the results.

If things failed to develop as he imagined, with the altar's barrier

remaining intact, he planned on using Azik's copper whistle to see if he

could get any help from the messenger.

If that still failed, he would go above the gray fog and use all the

items like the Black Emperor card. He had to attempt every possibility

until the very last second!

At this very moment, there was no crimson moon, let alone a clear full

moon since it was afternoon. Therefore, Klein didn't have enough

confidence in the curse contained within the Master Key, and he only

hoped that the disintegration effects of the altar's barrier would

threaten its very existence and cause it to react instinctively, such as

communicating with Mr. Door in reverse and transmitting its cry for help

to "Him."

In just a second or two, Klein saw the Master Key disintegrate into the

smallest particles of light and an illusory, distorted crimson.

The crimson quickly faded as it struggled and then suddenly exploded!

In an instant, Klein lost his sense of hearing. He saw the countless

figures formed from resentment and indignation all raise their heads and

scream.

They rapidly transformed, tinged with a blackish-green, and grew a

second skull, a third eye, or even a fifth leg...

They converged into a torrent and surged into Mr. A's body.

Mr. A suddenly opened his eyes, shock and disbelief evident amidst his

indifferent blood-red eyes.

Soon after, the radiant layer of light surrounding the altar warped and

collapsed.

Boom!

A huge explosion spread out from the center of the altar, setting off a

terrifying storm.

Crack! The four thick stone pillars closest to the blast

instantly crumbled, and the distant Klein only had enough time to duck

and roll before he was sent flying by the shockwave.

Bam!

He hit the wall, flattened into a thin sheet of paper.

The subsequent wind quickly tore apart that thin piece of paper,

scattering it in every direction.

Klein himself appeared in the corner, using the walls to withstand the

ensuing shockwave.

The destruction caused by the Master Key exceeded his imagination!

The curse that had been forcibly melted away really did have an

instinctive reaction, as it transmitted Mr. Door's roar, and the voice

of this forsaken entity, who was at least at the level of an angel,

contaminated the resentment and numbed the despair needed for the

ritual. As a result, the altar lost its balance and embarked on a path

of self-destruction!

The moment the blast calmed down a little, Klein rushed out to confirm

the results.

The illusionary figure and oppressive feeling in the air had already

vanished, leaving behind scattered remnants of the altar.

Mr. A had his body leaning forward as he knelt by a collapsed pillar. He

was missing an arm, half a face, and a number of organs. His remaining

eye was filled with bone-deep hatred.

However, his wounds were quickly covered with squirming flesh.

After that single glance, Klein didn't hesitate to run.

For him, he had achieved the ultimate goal of foiling the True Creator's

descent. If he didn't leave now, was he, a Sequence 6, going to share a

dinner with the Shepherd, Mr. A, to welcome the new year?