Chapter 666: Afternoon Town

That's... Klein's eyes reflected a nearly transparent object.

It appeared like a carapace of something, occasionally shrinking and

vanishing from Klein's line of sight, and at times peeking out due to an

invisible wind, revealing some of its outlines.

With it acting as an anchor point and looking further up, there were

colors of green that was almost black, standing there silently.

They look like the colors of the trees of a dark forest...

Klein mumbled without imagining what the object of those colors

signified. All he could do was boldly guess that it had something to do

with gaining a deeper control of the mysterious space above the gray

fog.

Without trying to do something that was destined to be in vain, he

jumped down from the staircase that seemed to lead to heaven and phased

back inside the palace.

With the existence of Queen Mystic in mind, Klein did some simple

tidying up before leaving the gray fog and returning to his bathroom.

After tying up the loose ends, he walked to his suitcase, took out the

Sun Brooch, and wore it on his double-breasted frock coat.

After all the turmoil he had been through, the mystical items he could

now use had returned to the state when he was in Backlund. However, he

was already a Sequence 5 and possessed one of the most difficult powers

to deal with below that of the demigods. He was, in the true sense of

the word, a powerhouse in the Beyonder world.

*I should be very agitated and happy, but I'm actually not. I'm even as

excited as when I found mermaids... This is because I've just taken

another step on my road to revenge. The true goal I wish to achieve is

still a distance away...*

*Following this, I should conclude the principles and digest the

Marionettist potion and seek out the corresponding Sequence 4 formula

and ingredients. Yes, I can only do all of these things after leaving

these waters. Next, I'll seek advice from Mr. Azik, Will Auceptin, and

Arrodes...*

*Heh heh, I should relax for the next few days. Being overly tense might

break me down and cause me to have symptoms of losing

control...* Klein turned to look at the full-body mirror in his

room. Looking at his 1.8-meter-tall build, black hair, and brown eyes,

with a thin face and cut features; dressed in a white shirt, a suit with

a bow tie, and a top hat that was matched with the pale gold Sunbird

brooch. He wore a calm expression with a deep, dark gaze.

After looking at this in silence, he raised his hands and adjusted the

buttons at his cuffs and patted his black suit.

Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the stacked, dark

buildings ahead.

Demon Hunter Colin Iliad, with two swords on his back, pointed ahead and

said, "That's Afternoon Town."

He combed his grizzled hair that was flying about in the wind that swept

through the wilderness.

That's fast... With his Axe of Hurricane in hand, Derrick

sighed wistfully in surprise.

He soon realized that it was reasonable. This was because the Giant

King's Court was located somewhere near the City of Silver. Afternoon

Town was the intersecting point that connected both nodes.

With the lightning that illuminated the night sky, he clearly saw

Afternoon Town in its entirety. It was built at the foot of a mountain

and was naturally split into upper and lower levels. Instead of calling

it a town, it wasn't much smaller than most of the ruins the City of

Silver found.

Here, the gray stones were stacked into different buildings. Some were

entirely emptied out, nearing ten meters. Some were similar to the

residence Derrick currently resided in; it was short as though any

normal person would hit their heads onto the ceiling.

These buildings were arranged close together before spreading out. Some

of them had collapsed, while a number remained standing despite showing

signs of age and tear.

*It's completely different from what's described in the

textbooks...* Derrick suddenly recalled the knowledge he had

learned from his history lessons.

According to the City of Silver's records, Afternoon Town was the door

that separated reality from myth. It was a place where humans and giants

lived together. There was day and night here, but most of the day was in

a "noon" state. Regardless of the fog, storms, or snow, none of them

were able to blot out the strong sunlight. But at this moment, it was

dark and heavy. Even if the area was illuminated by light, it lacked a

sense of brightness and there was no signs of life.

Clenching his axe tightly, Derrick, whose eyes had two miniature suns,

was on the flanks of the exploration team. He followed Chief Colin into

Afternoon Town.

This area had been cleared once on the first exploration. The streets

were covered with signs of rotting flesh and dry pus. It was completely

silent.

"Be careful. There are many strange monsters lurking in the darkness."

Colin Iliad, with his scarred face, didn't let down his guard. He drew

one of his dual swords as the silver light on his sword converged.

*This is the mythical door? When the Creator abandoned this piece of

land, even the myths were abandoned?* Derrick couldn't help but

imagine what Afternoon Town had experienced during the cataclysm. He

instinctively felt that it was probably different from the Kingdom of

Silver.

Before he could carefully observe his surroundings in search of possible

clues, he suddenly heard a teammate on the other flank anxiously cry

out, "There's something!"

Derrick turned his head and saw a transparent face growing out of the

wall of a ten-meter-tall stone building.

The face was filled with countless cracks. With great regularity, they

spiraled around the center, forming a single eye or mouth that resembled

a vortex.

The hurricane within the vortex was corporeal as it spewed out with a

howl. The dawn-like light from within was dense, as though they were

arrows of light.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

They struck a few members of the exploration team, but they seemed to

strike thick city walls. All they produced was dull and closely-spaced

out thuds before disappearing into the dark environment.

At some point in time, City of Silver Chief, Colin Iliad, was

genuflecting. He stabbed the silver sword in his hand into the rotting

gray ground.

He had provided the front row with the strongest protection!

At the same time, the other members of the exploration team methodically

unleashed their attacks. Hurricane's of light and scarlet fireballs

struck the monster.

Right on the heels of that, the holy light that Derrick summoned had

landed on the vortex that resembled a single eye.

Amidst the explosive boom, the boulder, which was originally covered in

cracks, collapsed. A transparent face screamed as it vaporized.

Although the battle was simple, Derrick didn't feel happy at all. He had

heard Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice discuss cases of Beyonder fights.

Matching it with the experience the City of Silver had accumulated from

resisting all kinds of monsters from the darkness, he worriedly

discovered that the City of Silver had a limited number of pathways.

Those who were not demigods lacked effective means of control, and the

situation from before proved this point.

*Thankfully, there are Sealed Artifacts that are formed when monsters

die to make up for this...* Derrick silently thought as he heard

the Chief instruct, "Move according to plan. Three to four people a

group. Search and clear the different areas."

"Yes, Chief!" The exploration team members were mostly rich in

experience. They soon formed their groups.

Derrick's group consisted of three people. Apart from him, there was

Joshua and Haim who had been to the abandoned temple with him before.

The former was a Sequence 7 Weapon Master, and he had a mystical glove

that could control fire. The latter was a recently advanced Sequence 6

Dawn Paladin. He was tall and reached a height of 2.3 meters.

The City of Silver, which had Warriors---also known as the Giant

pathway---as the main force, had an average height of 1.8 meters

(including children above the age of 6). Even if the Beyonder

characteristics were inherited, the normal genes that were modified had

accumulated with each generation. Although Derrick wasn't old, he was

nearly 1.8 meters tall and still had room to grow.

According to the designated targets, Derrick, Joshua, and Haim entered

an alley on the left in a triangular battle formation. They checked

every building that still allowed entry.

Perhaps as a result of the former sweep, they didn't encounter any

monsters. They couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"Rumor has it that the six-member council plans to set up camp here and

make Afternoon Town a stronghold," Joshua, who was wearing a scarlet

glove on his left palm, said after observing the buildings.

Haim nodded and looked down at his two partners.

"The true target seems to be..."

He pointed diagonally upwards.

"The Giant King's Court?" Derrick asked in surprise.

*Isn't it a search for the sea where Jack and company came from? Don't

we need to circle the Giant King's Court?* Derrick was filled

with puzzlement.

Haim shook his head.

"I've only heard rumors."

He swept his gaze and pointed at the entrance to the underground

chamber.

"Let's finish our search here."

Derrick answered tersely. With his night vision and ability to emit

light, he wasn't afraid of the darkness as he stepped into the

underground chamber first. Haim lifted an animal hide lantern while

Joshua followed closely in tow.

This building's underground chamber was rather wide, with traces of

dried, blackening pools. The smell of blood remained despite the many

years that had passed.

Derrick surveyed the area and suspected that a sacrificial ritual had

once been held here.

A very, very long time ago... he silently added and discovered

a candle left on the stone table which resembled an altar. He felt more

certain about his guesses.

*Why would the residents of Afternoon Town secretly hold sacrificial

rituals in their underground basement? When the Giant King's Court was

in power, they were believers of the Giant King. Later, they came under

the lord that created everything... The owner of this building secretly

worshiped other gods?* Questions arose in him as Derrick

approached the altar. He saw that the stone table was originally carved

with words, but they had been damaged by either natural or unnatural

elements.

After some careful identification, Derrick found three names:

"Ouroboros;

"Medici;

"Sasrir."

*Ouroboros? Isn't that the name of the Angel of Fate? Mr. Fool mentioned

before that Medici is also a King of Angels. Sasrir is another

one?* Derrick suddenly felt excited and horrified as he

hurriedly turned his head to shout out for his companions to take a

look.

But in his vision, the underground chamber was empty. There was only

darkness. Haim and Joshua who were supposed to be behind him were gone!