Chapter 840: Using His Advantage

With all the abnormalities vanishing, Klein heaved a slight sigh of

relief. He began to observe his surroundings. Then, he selected a

shadowy spot that wasn't too dark due to the faint moonlight. This was

to prevent himself from suffering any sudden attacks.

And the few seconds from before had made him come up with a theory about

the faint figures and beast-like growls.

They were previously corpses that were hung inside the cathedral,

producing the ravings of "Hornacis... Flegrea..."!

When Klein passed through the wall and left the cathedral, the corpses

that hung from above had turned to face the lit candle, and there

weren't any figures on the street until Klein remotely used Flame

Controlling and extinguished the flame. Everything was the same as

before!

*When the crimson moon is clear and one's spirituality is enhanced, the

"magnet" at the top of the cathedral will have a stronger influence on

the foggy town. It will be able to control those corpses to loiter

around and pretend that everything is normal? If that really is the

case, the light might actually be attracting the controller's attention.

Under such circumstances, if the flame isn't extinguished and the source

is locked on, it might result in an extremely terrifying outcome. Hmm, I

can't rely on Flame Controlling to repeatedly divert the "attention" of

those figures...* Klein reminded himself. Then, he turned to use

his Spirit Body Threads vision that he didn't deactivate, to size up the

bread, stewed beef potatoes, and red wine on the dining table.

He suspected that the food here was part of the "magnet" at the top of

the cathedral. If it was consumed, one's Spirit Body Threads would be

corrupted, and it would cause them to be unable to resist floating

towards the cathedral. This also explained why eating the food caused

them to vanish. They ended up being hung up to dry in the cathedral and

be let out to "walk" when the crimson moon turned clear. This matched

Mr. A's description of the vanished people's reappearance under the

bright moonlight.

At a glance, Klein discovered that the food was like living beings. They

had Spirit Body Threads extending out, reaching towards the ancient

cathedral.

The most special point about them was that they had only one Spirit Body

Thread, obviously being different from the dense, countless Spirit Body

Threads of a normal living creature.

Indeed, it's close to my theory... After obtaining some

validation regarding his theory, Klein retracted his gaze and considered

how to deal with Demoness of Despair Panatiya.

Beside him, Wraith Senor in his ancient triangular hat and dark red robe

appeared. This marionette's bones cracked as his face squirmed. Soon, he

turned into Gehrman Sparrow.

This was a marionette using the powers of a Faceless!

Klein observed his double for a moment and realized that there were some

flaws. The clothes couldn't be changed, and if he concealed them with an

illusion, it wasn't possible for him to fool a demigod-level Demoness of

Despair. Even Mr. A might not fall for it.

After some thought, he made Wraith Senor take off his clothes. As for

himself, he took off the black clergyman robe, and they switched clothes

with one another!

While wearing the clothes and hat, Klein's expression turned odd. Over

the past two months, the marionette had been wearing the same outfit. It

had been down the sewers and experienced an explosion, so there were all

sorts of smells mixed into the clothes. It wasn't a pleasant smell.

*Sigh, my present suffering is all a result of my laziness prior to

this...* Klein sighed silently as he completed changing his

appearance. He had turned into Gehrman Sparrow dressed as a pirate

captain.

At this moment, Senor had also changed into the black clergyman robe.

His aura was spirited and no longer cold. He looked no different from a

living person.

Klein deliberated for a moment and took off Creeping Hunger, allowing

Admiral of Blood to wear it on his left hand.

This way, the marionette was the perfect copy of Gehrman Sparrow!

*One must go all the way when putting on an act... Besides, if Creeping

Hunger were to revolt at this moment, then it will be eating the

marionette. Heh heh, once the marionette lapses, will it feel cheated?

It's like it ate a placebo...* As Klein got Senor to get used to

his state and take away the fish meat, he seriously began formulating

plans.

*Relying on a marionette that can use my Beyonder powers wouldn't be

able to defeat a Demoness of Despair, even stealing the obsidian rock

from her is nearly impossible. She's a genuine demigod after

all...*

*Even though this extremely convincing marionette gives me a chance of

achieving success in battle, such as letting it draw her attention while

I complete a sudden sneak attack and constantly swap positions; thus,

confusing Panatiya so that she can't make an accurate judgment, I can't

make up for the disadvantage that stems from the difference in our

levels and strength to achieve my goals...*

*I can consider using the marionette to engage in close combat and

attempt to control Panatiya's Spirit Body Threads. He's already a

corpse, so he wouldn't be affected by the plague. I can catch her by

surprise using this method... But there are too many problems. First,

the mysticism "viruses" and "germs" that a Demoness of Despair creates

will grow in strength. At its peak, will it be able to affect a zombie?

Second, does she still have other Beyonder powers I'm not aware of...

There's a high chance that it's the case!*

*Hmm, I'll first make a list and write down my advantages or things that

are on par with the Demoness of Despair. Let's see if I can get any

ideas...*

*I can disguise myself. A marionette using its Beyonder powers can be

considered at the level of a demigod. Instantaneous swapping is also

one. Apart from them, there isn't anything else... Yes, considering

Demoness of Despair's current state, I seem to have something that I'm

better at than her...*

*She's in a half-crazed state. Her reason comes and goes at random, and

she does extreme things. She's easily led around by her instincts. Hmm,

although she's still good at incitement and allurement, that's an innate

quality for catching prey. As for me, I'm in a normal state, and I

haven't had any problems with my rationality yet. I'm still able to

think and analyze...*

Don't tell me I need to come out on top using my wit?

An idea came to Klein as he gradually formulated a new train of thought

and plans.

*Why must I fight Demoness of Despair Panatiya to the death at this

moment?*

*She definitely yearns to escape this foggy town. Deep down in her

heart, this will be something that beats her instinctive need to eat!

Furthermore, she's still full at the moment!*

*I can try to cooperate with her. She can provide that obsidian rock,

and I'll draw the special and secret symbol, putting together the

conditions for opening the door...*

*Besides, I'm not too sure about Zaratul. Who knows what schemes "He"

might be up to. "He" might be secretly plotting something. By pulling a

Demoness of Despair into this, it can effectively make the situation

chaotic and restrain "Him" in some way!*

*Cooperation is a diplomatic choice, not a militaristic choice. The

effects of an intact stand-in at the demigod level has will definitely

be better than directly engaging in battle. This is equivalent to me

obtaining benefits from both sides!*

Klein rapidly made a decision. As he pondered on the details of him

negotiating to cooperate, he patiently waited for the crimson moon to

return behind the fog.

After a while, the crimson moonlight that seeped through the

dark-colored curtains dimmed. Klein immediately made his marionette pass

through the wall and leave where he was hiding.

Then, Senor walked onto the streets with the appearance of Gehrman

Sparrow, walking straight towards the pitch-black cathedral.

In about ten seconds, Klein discovered that Senor was being affected by

an ailment.

To the dead, this was completely ineffective, but Klein could foresee

that, with the passage of time, the ailment would worsen and turn

stranger. It might even affect one's nerves and spirituality. This would

make the zombie's actions turn stiff. In the end, even its knees would

be unable to bend, making movement only being possible by hopping.

*Thankfully, I didn't choose to use the plan of letting my marionette

control the Spirit Body Threads.* Klein immediately made Senor

say out loud, "I was inside the cathedral for a while, and I'm not dead.

"I found a way to escape from this place!"

After saying that, "Gehrman Sparrow" sniffed as though his resistance to

the ailment had weakened due to the declining state of his body.

And at this moment, the white-robed Panatiya suddenly appeared at the

door of the cathedral. Her hair had been tied up once again, looking

neat and tidy.

Her slightly crazy-looking but beautiful eyes looked at Gehrman Sparrow

as she took out a strangely profound obsidian rock.

The contours of the obsidian rock was identical to the inset on the wall

behind the cathedral's statue!

"You need it?" Panatiya asked calmly.

Klein discovered that the Demoness of Despair had dispelled her plague

and ailment as he hurriedly made Senor nod.

"Yes. As long as you place it in the correct location in the cathedral,

and match it with a special symbol, we will be able to open a 'door'

that allows us to escape.

"I know that the cathedral's interior is very dangerous to you, but this

is mainly a result of Spirit Body Threads. And as a Marionettist, I can

control Spirit Body Threads to prevent you from suffering the fate of

being hung up."

Panatiya fell silent for a few seconds as she curled her lips. With a

bright smile, she returned with a question, "Then, I'll become your

marionette?

"Or you can stop helping me at the critical moment, making me turn into

a loitering figure under the moon?"

Klein was long prepared. He immediately made his marionette reply

earnestly, "What should I do to make you feel at ease?"

Panatiya didn't immediately reply. After some careful thought, she said,

"Give me your hair and flesh."

*Curses that Demonesses are good at? Using Senor's hair and flesh to

curse Gehrman Sparrow? Count me as the loser if that works!* As

Klein felt grounded, he made the marionette appear in a difficult

position.

"Then wouldn't you be able to kill me at any moment?"

Panatiya replied with a smile, "You can hand me the hair and flesh only

when entering the cathedral.

"When inside, if there are any signs of me cursing you, you can give up

controlling my Spirit Body Threads. It will be the same the other way

round too. If anything abnormal happens to me, I'll immediately curse

you.

"Once the door is opened, I'll leave first. And at the same time, I'll

return the flesh and hair to you."

"Gehrman Sparrow" hesitated for a long time as he discussed the details

with the Demoness of Despair. Finally, he nodded and said, "Alright,

let's do it."

Just as Panatiya wanted to say something, her eyes suddenly narrowed as

she slowly said, "For some reason, I'm still a little worried."