~Backlund Bridge, West Balam Dock, In An Abandoned Shipyard~
The battle between Maric of the 'Rose School of Thought'sʼ Temperance Faction, and the Indulgence Faction's 'Zombie' (Jason) and 'Werewolf' (Tyre) commenced...
Maric, who had been fleeing moments ago, suddenly spun around and drew a black revolver, firing six consecutive shots at Jason and Tyre.
At first, neither of the Indulgence Faction members took the revolver seriously. Both 'Zombie' and 'Werewolf' Sequences possessed formidable defenses... ordinary bullets couldn't even pierce their skin.
But the moment the gun fired, they were stunned...
Because what erupted from the revolver weren't bullets... they were fireballs.
Maric primarily targeted Tyre.
At close range, three of the shots struck the 'Werewolf', engulfing his upper body in flames. His clothes and body hair ignited instantly.
Maric's other hand (the one not holding the gun) suddenly sprouted elongated nails as he lunged forward, driving them into Tyre's chest.
Jason rushed to intervene, but Maric had already swapped the revolver for a pure white staff. A weakening aura emanated from the staff, affecting all three combatants.
With a swing, Maric unleashed a [Cleave of Purification] at Jason, carving a deep golden wound into his chest.
The gold faded, leaving behind charred black flesh. Jason paled further and staggered back.
The [Cleave of Purification] had a natural inhibitory effect against him. But he knew he had to save Tyre at all costs. Gritting through the pain, he charged forward again.
Then, in his vision appeared a figure in a black court dress, with pale golden hair and exquisite features.
It was the 'Wraith', Sharron! {T/N: 'Wraith' is the Sequence 5 of the 'Chained' Pathway... Also, I used square brackets to indicate the use of Beyonder abilities in this chapter...}
She immediately used [Possession] on Jason. His own hands snapped up and clamped around his throat.
Seizing the opportunity, Maric ripped out Tyre's heart, the sole weakness of a 'Werewolf'...
The flames on Tyre's body had begun to wane. Clutching his chest in horror, he felt his strength draining rapidly.
At that moment, a red ornament on Tyre's person caught the attention of Sharron, Maric, and Klein.
Most of Tyre's clothes had burned away, but the delicate accessory remained untouched. It was shaped like a full moon, studded with black-red gemstones, its center engraved with lunar symbols and mystical sigils...
It was the 'Scarlet Lunar Corona'!
[Image Here...]
None of the three had expected the enemy to entrust this Sealed Artifact to their lowest-ranking member, Tyre.
But upon reflection, it made sense...
The original plan had been for Sharron to possess the Sequence 6 Jason while Maric fended off Tyre and assisted in the assault.
Had Tyre activated the 'Scarlet Lunar Corona' then, both Sharron and Maric would've been weakened, leaving them vulnerable to the enemy's Sequence 5 'Wraith'. The battle would've turned disastrous...
Fortunately, Klein had witnessed the power of the Flamebolt and white staff the night before and rented them from 'The Hermit'.
His reasoning was simple... while the 'Zombie' (Jason) was immune to fire, he would instinctively dodge the Flamebolt's projectiles.
Since Maric had never displayed fire-based abilities before, Jason would need a moment to assess the new threat, which would create an opening to eliminate Tyre.
Thus, they altered their strategy: Maric would use the two Extraordinary weapons to target Tyre first.
The execution went even smoother than planned...
The Flamebolt posed little threat to a Sequence 6 like Jason, but for the Sequence 7 Tyre, the flames would obscure his vision and judgment for critical seconds.
The real surprise, however, was the 'Scarlet Lunar Corona' being in Tyre's possession!
Maric lunged to seize it, only for Klein to suddenly fire at the ground near him.
The enchanted bullet forced the 'Wraith' (Steve), who had been preparing to possess Maric, into visibility.
Maric engaged Steve while Klein used [Flaming Jump] and teleported to the smoldering Tyre and claimed the 'Scarlet Lunar Corona'.
The rest of the battle was a foregone conclusion...
Klein weakened both Steve and Jason. Sharron first banished Jason through the 'Underworld Door', then the trio overwhelmed Steve.
Despite possessing another mystical item, Steve stood no chance and was swiftly eradicated.
The spoils of war were plentiful.
While cleaning up, Maric handed the staff, the Flamebolt, and 120 pounds cash that he had prepared to Klein.
"I have to admit, that was an exceptionally cost-effective rental." Said Maric, then he asked, "Can I buy the Flamebolt?"
The staff held little appeal to him... its weakening effect applied to the wielder as well.
Klein nodded, "I'll ask for you."
....
~Early Morning, Gale's Herbal Shop~
Odis stretched vigorously, his energy and stamina now fully restored, and prepared to head out for breakfast at a café...
But as he stepped into the shopfront, someone knocked on the door.
He glanced at his pocket watch, it was just past seven... he wondered who'd be buying herbs this early.
Opening the door, he found Max waiting.
The angular-faced squad captain of the 'Machinery Hivemind' studied Odis for a few seconds before smiling, "You look well."
"Barely," Odis replied wryly, "The advancement was riskier than I had imagined."
He knew his friend was checking on his condition.
Max handed him a paper bag, "Fresh red bean toast."
"Perfect timing. I was just thinking about breakfast." Odis fueled the stove to boil water while chatting idly and grinding coffee beans.
"Backlund has been restless lately," Max remarked, lighting a cigarette, "Another extraordinary skirmish broke out at the docks yesterday."
He exhaled smoke, closing the shop door with his free hand, "Captain Ikanser paid a steep price to learn it was an internal conflict within the 'Rose School of Thought'...."
"...One participant was a woman in a black court dress with pale golden hair. Another was a man who controlled corpses, seemingly covered in black fur. The third wore face paint and a double-breasted frock coat."
Odis didn't pause in preparing the coffee, "Any portraits?"
"You might not know, but this Pathway's Sequence 7s possess strong anti-divination traits," Max said with a sigh, "Especially the man with the painted face. Even with Sealed Artifacts, we couldn't even discern specifics like hair color or height."
'Of course you couldn't,' Odis thought.
If Ikanser had paid a price, they must've undoubtedly used Sealed Artifact 2-111, 'Magic Mirror Arrodes'...
That thing was The Fool's lackey. Even without interference from the gray fog, it would never provide useful intel against him...