Lanevus stood triumphantly at the port, patting his wallet, grinning at the thought of the cash he'd swindled and stashed in Backlund. Lately, the Punishers had been acting crazed, meticulously checking everyone leaving Tingen. To evade their pursuit, Lanevus opted for the safer sea route.
Once I leave, I'm never coming back. I'll buy property in Backlund or elsewhere, live as a carefree tycoon, or use my silver tongue to outwit merchants… Those Aurora Order fools? Ha, ridiculous, always obsessing over the True Creator*s Divine Descent. I'm not joining their evil god-summoning rituals—let those idiots die!
"Over there! Seal the port! The blasphemer's here!" As Lanevus gloated, a furious shout rang out. A Punisher wielding a sword leaped high, swinging his greatsword down at Lanevus. Sensing danger, Lanevus conjured a faint illusion, mentally disrupting the Punisher captain's actions. The sharp blade grazed his body, slamming into the ground, cracking the surface. Lanevus rolled, sprinting toward the city.
"Hm, what's happening outside?" In a café near the port, Benson set down his grammar book, rubbing his temples irritably. A loud commotion had just yanked him from his studies.
"Nothing, probably Punishers chasing a criminal. Don't worry, keep studying," Adrian said, sipping coffee, casually sketching on a sheet of paper. His drawing depicted a breathtaking courtyard, too exquisite for mortal realms. Oddly, everything in it exuded an eerie vibe. If one had to compare, the style resembled Picasso's late abstract works—uncanny.
Though a realistic landscape, it used abstract composition. The scene fused in bizarre, illogical ways, like a glitch in a game or a spatial distortion.
"Oh." Benson nodded, diving back into his book. As a seasoned worker, he knew his role as Adrian's liaison relied on his slightly above-average eloquence. Seizing this rare chance, he studied grammar diligently to bolster his skills. Adrian, pleased by Benson's drive, kept creating opportunities for him to learn.
No surprise he's Klein's brother… Adrian took another sip, watching Lanevus flee in panic from his window seat.
"Why are the Punishers on me so fast? Don't the Lord of the Storm's followers usually take ages to sniff out clues in cases like this?" Lanevus was baffled. He'd joined the Aurora Order's Divine Descent plot for profit, but now, fearing death, he'd fled Tingen's Aurora Order branch, which had inexplicably self-destructed. Even Megose, with whom he'd shared intimate moments, carrying an evil god's heir from their ritual, drove him near madness with fear.
Someone snitched! Was it the Aurora Order mess? Damn Church of the Storm, only this diligent when purging heretics! Normally, they'd never move this fast for my scams! Lanevus cursed inwardly, veering into an alley. Adrian shook his head, lips curling.
Heh, Lanevus is done. That alley's guarded by a Nighthawk squad. Hope the Evernight Goddess warned Her followers so these poor souls don't die from the True Creator's pollution.
The High-Dimensional Overseer gently stirred His avatar in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, addressing the True Creator, "Your move, True Creator. Unleash your divinity. To keep Adam from noticing, I'll create a 'second' Megose when you release your divine pollution. But as the price, the pollution lingering on Ince Zangwill will be consumed."
"Leave it to me," the True Creator said gravely, eyeing Lanevus, seeded with His divine essence.
"Yes, yes, YES!" Lanevus's face twisted, confronting Dunn Smith blocking his path. Dunn's deep gaze fixed on him, attempting to pull him into a dream. Lanevus glanced back, spotting Punishers squeezing into the alley behind.
A mere Sequence 8, he was trapped by both squads. His body began to warp, divine pollution seeping from his skin, attempting to channel the mad True Creator through his frail form. With the High-Dimensional Overseer's aid, the True Creator's power surged beyond His current limits. The surrounding Beyonders' expressions shifted, agony contorting their faces as the pollution spread. Lanevus, equally tormented, gritted his teeth, struggling toward the alley's exit.
"If I can just get out…"
His consciousness faded amid intensifying ravings. A black light rose from the ground, casting a dark cross in the sky.
Simultaneously, Tingen's Storm Cathedral dispatched messengers to the nearest Backlund diocese. "Spellsinger of God" Ace Snake, fueled by rage and the Lord of the Storm's oracle, rode winds and lightning toward Tingen. The Church of the Night's bishop, Anthony Stevenson, rose from the Goddess's statue, bowed deeply to a woman beside him, and vanished as if erased.
"Do you want to protect your child?"
Megose jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. Bewildered, she found herself in a lavish courtyard, unsure where she was.
"Do you want to protect your child?"
A voice echoed in her mind. Clutching her head in pain, she said fearfully yet defiantly, "I… I can! Even alone, I can work, I can raise this child. Even if his father never returns, I can nurture this sweet child! He's good, helps me, sings in my womb…"
"What if Lanevus blasphemed the Lord of the Storm?" the High-Dimensional Overseer's voice boomed, challenging her. "He stole what he shouldn't have. He's being hunted, soon to be caged in the Storm Cathedral. Can you escape the Punishers? Even if you're innocent, can you shield your unborn blasphemer's child?"
"Your womb will be cut open, you'll be thrown into a water dungeon, dying miserably. Your family won't know the Church of the Storm took you—they'll think you perished in an accident. If you have Storm-worshipping relatives, they'll pray to the executioners who killed you."
Megose's face paled, trembling at His words. Her lips quivered, and she collapsed to her knees, whispering, "Save me… save my child…"
"Drink this, and you'll gain the power to protect your child," the High-Dimensional Overseer's voice intoned. A Scholar potion materialized, landing in Megose's shaking hands. "The choice is yours: drink it, gain knowledge to protect yourself and your child, or hope for the Lord of the Storm's mercy, waiting at home for Punishers to break in and kill your child."
"But… my family… if I leave, they'll…" Megose's eyes glazed, reaching helplessly toward the emerging figure. The High-Dimensional Overseer laughed, His voice shaking the courtyard, warping it chaotically. Megose knelt, holding back tears.
"One promise," He sneered. "Sell your life to me, and I'll make an identical 'Megose' suffer in your place."
"Thank you for your mercy…"
Awaking from the dream, Megose wiped her tears, clutching the potion. She drank it slowly, then clutched her head, slamming it against the wall as cosmic ravings overwhelmed her. After the pain eased, she rose, eyes open.
Gently touching her swollen belly, she used her newfound knowledge to disguise herself, following the voice's guidance and heading resolutely to the port. A rigid figure materialized in her room, peeling into existence, identical to Megose.
"Truly great, a mother. Willing to sell everything for her child. Heh, if you hadn't agreed, I'd have hesitated to seize your body outright," Adrian murmured, gripping his coffee cup. His cold gaze fixed on the half-dark sky tainted by the *True Creator*'s divinity. To His true form, he said, "Refill my cup, thanks."
"…"
"Now, please," Adrian nodded earnestly. "This is called hiding in plain sight—a rare chance. Oh, tell the True Creator to push harder, cover the potion's traces."
From his pocket, Adrian drew a Hermit's Beyonder characteristic, mixing it with his coffee-turned-potion and swallowing it. Benson rubbed his tired eyes from reading, noting the blackened sky clearing, muttering, "It's dawn…"
"Indeed, dawn," Adrian echoed, smiling—a triple win. The True Creator's Divine Descent vessel was preserved, the Lord of the Storm gained peace, and Adrian injected more power into Earth. A world where only Lanevus suffered was achieved. Caught by two Sequence 3s, he'd likely be taken to Backlund, facing endless interrogation.
"But can I make you spill Aurora Order secrets?"
The High-Dimensional Overseer*l manipulated His last Tingen pollution, then peeked from His cosmic Sefirot, calling the Mother Tree of Desire.
"Hey, sis, check this out!" He slung an arm around the Mother Tree of Desire, dragging her to the astral barrier. Though reluctant, unsure why this nutcase was acting up, she was hauled by the dual-pathway, Source-empowered High-Dimensional Overseer. Watching Him gleefully press His true form against the barrier, sharing His vision, she thought, This is the power of the never-acting High-Dimensional Overseer? Noted, might come in handy.*
She saw two Sequence 3s and a polluted human. Puzzled, she glanced at Him, only to feel a kick to her rear, slamming her against the barrier.
Instantly, every god's attention locked onto the face-planted *Mother Tree of Desire*.
"High-Dimensional Overseer, you…"
"That's the way!" He snapped his fingers, watching Lanevus, flanked by two Sequence 3s, shudder and collapse. Smiling, he said, "True Creator, oh, True Creator. To keep your secrets safe, I pissed off the Mother Tree of Desire. Don't I deserve more thanks?"
You could've handled Lanevus differently, the True Creator stressed.
Fine, it was mostly to mess with the Mother Tree of Desire. Shrugging, He strolled off with a bewildered Benson.
Anthony Stevenson's face was grim as he whispered to an equally stern Ace Snake. Hesitating, Ace pried open Lanevus's skull—both Saints recoiled, faces solemn.
Without external injury, Lanevus's brain had vanished.
----
Disclosed Information:
Overlook Pathway:
- Sequence 9: Scholar
- Full Title: "Starry Sky Scholar"
- Grants star-related knowledge; without Old One protection, the potion causes instant death by pollution.
- Greatly enhances learning, memory, and inspiration, qualifying users for ritual magic.
- Due to the High-Dimensional Overseer's influence, random knowledge is imparted, determined by the pathway's apex.
- Potion-takers subtly become arrogant, irreverent scholars—a side effect. Failing to respect knowledge or treat others humbly during acting risks being consumed by the potion.
(End of Chapter)