The fine scales broke through the shackles of pale skin and black burns, domineeringly occupying every inch of the surface on the cold face and slender body. The muscles on the smooth back crest surged, and the bright red blood vessels showed an abnormal purple-red color, like an out-of-control giant.
It squirmed like a python, and under the crazily squirming sarcoma, two slender limbs covered in mucus emerged.
boom!
The tough wing bones pumped the air, creating two afterimages in the air. Densely dense mysterious patterns spread from the roots, and the huge wing membrane unfolded, and dark purple flames wrapped around the surface.
Sharon had never felt the world so peaceful.
She opened her eyes in a daze, and in her pale vision, two figures with different colors were standing right in front of her. The green and black figure in the body seemed to be reciting some incomprehensible language.
But Sharon didn't pay attention. The severe pain caused by the burns and rapid changes in her body, as well as her body's instinctive thirst for flesh and blood, drove her, forcing her to want to eat. She had an extremely strong desire accumulated through decades of "abstinence"
Ignite at this moment in the "devil" character.
"Desire Apostles" are "demons" who control people's hearts, and their first victims are often themselves.
"...hehehe."
With a cruel smile on her lips, Sharon struggled and stretched out her palm.
"...Blessed and blessed is the Xuanhuang God."
"Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun."
Seeing Sharon, whose "demon" transformation was obvious and whose cold face was completely unrecognizable, Klein sighed softly and unnoticeably after taking the last step in reverse.
The next moment, in Sharon's field of vision that was occupied by scarlet, the green and black figure inside disappeared strangely, while the pale figure standing beside him crawled to the ground in fear, his tall frame trembling uncontrollably.
Then, she looked at the sky with a feeling, and her consciousness disappeared.
...
"Sure enough, young people still know how to play some."
In the gray mist palace, "Mystery" looked at the figure sitting on a high-backed chair, with abstract symbols behind the chair that were difficult to identify.
His eyes slowly passed over the cold face, the crossed legs, and the torn complicated palace skirt. "Secret" couldn't help but shook his head, looking at the person who said nothing and lowered his head, tapping his fingers on the long table.
, a distraught Crane.
"I..." Klein took a deep breath, stood up with his hands clenched into fists, and lowered his head to "Mystery".
"I remember you said that 'alien' and 'demon' are adjacent paths."
"That's right." "Secret" nodded in disbelief, his black eyes cold and dull, "But jumping to adjacent paths for promotion will face far greater risks than ordinary promotions, not to mention the 'devil' characteristic directly
Infiltrated into the body of the 'Resentful Soul'."
"What do you think is the chance of success for a promotion without ritual assistance?"
The image of the Beyonder losing control quickly flashed through his mind, and Klein was speechless.
"Then...is there no other way?" After a moment of silence, Klein murmured, his voice dry and hoarse. His eyes slowly turned to the right, like a little boy who made a mistake, and glanced away.
He hurriedly moved out of the way, fearing that the fine scales and deep purple skin that symbolized the "devil" would break through the pale color in the next moment and replace the cold face.
Unlike the previous times when we witnessed Extraordinaries losing control, and unlike the curses or obsessions that lured those familiar faces to destruction, this time it was Klein himself who committed the original sin.
If he hadn't asked Miss Sharon about the whereabouts of the shadow properties of human skin, he wouldn't have met the "demon".
Or, these things will still happen, but you won't feel so guilty.
He hated his vague idea of evading guilt, but he was helpless. He wanted to gather Sharon's spirit body, but he couldn't bring his right hand down.
"Actually, there is another way." Seeing that Klein was about to make a dangerous move, "Secret" said as if unintentionally.
The half-raised right hand froze in the air. Klein raised his head, his voice surprisingly calm.
"So, what's the price?"
He took a deep breath and said, "What is the price? Equivalent exchange is also your creed."
The teasing chuckle of the Heavenly Lord in his mind became more and more annoying, "Secret"'s expression remained unchanged, and his palms faced Sharon.
"Actually, you did a good job. You pulled her spirit body up here in the first place, blocking the influence of the 'devil' characteristic on her, leaving me with enough room for maneuver."
"Just like the formation of some sealed objects, if the extraordinary person obtains the magic potion through contact rather than swallowing it, then the subsequent promotion will be a slow process."
"The magic potion will be alienated little by little, transforming the body of the extraordinary person, until it collapses into a monster of equal status, or it will be lucky enough to accept the transformation to accommodate the characteristics contained in the potion."
"Secret" turned her wrist, and layers of illusory, sticky blackness instantly rose up on Sharon's body, squirming and converging toward her heart under the powerful cohesion.
She ignored the mysterious patterns revealed on the body of the "resentful soul", and the gray mist boiled around her. She rushed around Sharon and wrapped her body layer by layer, preventing the divine power in the patterns from leaking out. The impact was only
Klein of Sequence Seven.
"But what's the cost?"
Klein looked at Sharon, who was gradually out of danger under the control of "Secret". He was not distorted by the standard knowledge popularization provided by "Secret" before, and continued to ask questions.
The glimmer in his hand was still dim, and "Secret" looked at Klein diagonally.
"Are you going to pay the price for her?"
As expected, Klein was stunned for a moment.
"Secret" looked at his younger self and couldn't help but laugh.
"A 'Wraith Soul' who is about to become a composite path demigod and a Sequence Seven who has just collected the materials for promotion. Isn't it obvious from whom it is more cost-effective to ask for rewards?"
"But this is me..." Klein's shoulders slumped, and he stared dejectedly at the faintly visible deep purple light wrapped in layers of gray mist, muttering and shaking his head.
"Secret" no longer paid attention to the half-body who was mired in self-doubt. He twisted his wrist halfway and suddenly the gray fog around him receded, revealing Sharon who was sitting quietly on the high-backed chair.
In her spiritual field of vision, a dark purple "heart" was beating slowly on the left chest of the slim figure as delicate as a doll. The evil power belonging to the "devil" was constantly breathing and contracting, but it could not penetrate the "heart".
The gray-white ripples floating silently on the outer layer can only slowly but surely release their own breath through a connection with the spirit body itself.
"If you really want to pay a price, why not let this 'revengeful spirit' enter the small gathering organized by you." "Secret" glanced at Klein and made a request that was beyond his expectation.
Entering the party?
Seeing the confusion in Klein's eyes, "Secret" continued unhurriedly:
"Just like the Augustus longed for the throne of the 'Black Emperor', I also longed to be restored to wholeness and help 'Reality' escape from madness."
"The idea of your party is good. After a while, the unobtrusive pawns will be able to achieve good results with a complete plan."
"Secret"'s eyes skipped over Klein, and stopped at the abstract symbol that was a mixture of "twisted thread" and "childless words" flashing behind him, and spoke word by word.
"To put it simply, it's the exchange of places between 'The Fool' and 'The World'."
The never-ending sea of gray fog fell into silence, and "Mysterious" stared at his own half, expecting Klein's reaction.
But beyond his expectation, a smile slowly appeared on Klein's lips.
Although bitter, he was actually smiling.
"To be honest, I feel a lot more at ease when you make such a request."
Klein rubbed the armrest of the high-backed chair at the top and patted it gently.
This was originally the "secret" Kingdom of God, and now it was returned to the other party. In his opinion, it was not an unacceptably harsh condition.
And now that he was looking at the decision he had made not long ago, Klein couldn't help but feel shaken.
If I hadn't refused Mystery's help...
No, revenge belongs to Nighthawk Klein, not to the half of "Mysterious". There is nothing to regret about this... Klein shook his head, and then looked at "Mysterious", his eyes calm and unruffled
.
"I'm willing to pay the price."
Immediately afterwards, he took the initiative to change the position between himself and "Mystery", stood up slowly, and bowed deeply to the figure behind the gray mist at the top.
"Mr. Fool, you may begin."
Snap.
The hour hand moved again, and the suspended time on Sharon quickly returned. Her pale, delicate and inhuman face frowned slightly, and she opened her eyes slightly confused.
This time, Klein saw the familiar light blue.
Dizziness occupied her brain, and Sharon looked confusedly at the endless gray fog that came into view. Forced by the awareness of vigilance she had cultivated for a long time, her blurred eyes quickly flashed with vigilance.
Under the guidance of spiritual intuition, she first looked at the figure standing respectfully at the bottom of the long table, with obvious scorch marks on her body and a slightly embarrassed figure.
Sherlock?
Looking at the figure that looked like Sherlock nodded slightly to her, feeling the inexplicable guilt in it, Sharon accidentally touched the cold stone chair with her fingertips and recalled her last thoughts before her consciousness disappeared.
I... seemed to be polluted... Immediately afterwards, she felt the pollution all over her body but found that the pollution had disappeared. Her heart moved and she looked in the direction where Klein was bowing.
On the high-backed chair at the top, a dark figure wearing a torn robe looked indifferent. The endless surging gray mist surrounded this mysterious existence. The completely black eyes hidden behind the thick gray mist seemed to contain some kind of meaning.
The unspeakable horror witnesses everything and seems to be about to swallow everything.
Sharon felt the trembling instinct coming from her soul. She only weighed it for a second or two before silently standing up and bowing slightly to the top.
"Thank you for your great existence. I wonder if I can know your name."
The cold voice of "Secret" came, but there was no answer.
"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
"This should be the most basic courtesy."
Sharon was stunned for a moment, as if she had not yet completely gotten rid of the influence of pain and pollution. She turned her head slightly dully and looked at Klein, who was still bowing to the stone statue and motionless.
"My name is Sharon, and I am a believer of the Temperance sect of the Bound God." She turned back and replied.
Hearing the name of "The Bound God", "Mystery" seemed to be interested, and he changed his sitting posture slightly.
"'God of Mysteries', you can also call me 'The Fool'."
"The God of Mysteries"..."The Fool"!
Sharon chewed on these two names that were not unfamiliar to her and had even been in contact with her recently, a hint of complexity flashed in her eyes.
She thought for a moment and lowered her gaze, only daring to stare at the long mottled table in front of "Mysterious".
"Thank you for your help, great 'God of Mystery'. I don't know what price I have to pay."
Yes, very polite... "Secret" glanced at Sharon, and then looked at Klein without any trace, and would think of the memory of him wiping his butt without saying thank you every time he performed a death divination.
The corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
"Don't worry, the 'world' has already paid the price for you."
Before Sharon could express her surprise, she continued:
"Although there is nothing you can do to help me, I think you can provide some help to my scrollers."
"I have helped you temporarily suppress that 'devil' characteristic. You can advance through the ritual at any time when you think it is appropriate."
"Devil"... Sharon bowed respectfully again.
"According to your wishes."
Under the gaze of "Secret", she looked around, taking in the entire giant palace-like palace and the endless gray fog, and finally stopped at Klein and other high-backed chairs flashing with various abstract symbols.
"Dear 'God of Mysteries'..."
"I now prefer others to call me 'The Fool'." "Secret" added casually.
Sharon paused, "Dear Mr. Fool, is there anyone else here?"
"Secret" nodded.
"Some people who have accepted my help like you, or who are my scrollers themselves."
"They set up a regular gathering and I was a witness."
Sharon fell into silence again, half-turned her body, looked behind her and finally determined, mixed with the symbols of abstract elements such as thorns and "devil" horns, then looked at Klein who was as silent as a stone statue, and shook his head.
He shook his lower lip.
"Can I participate?"
"Okay." Klein leaned back leisurely on the chair, tapped his left index finger, and a set of tarot cards with missing parts slowly unfolded in front of Sharon's eyes.
"They're codenamed after tarot cards, and here's what's left, you can pick one."
Sharon glanced at it, closed her eyes, and touched in the direction of her right hand based on her feeling.
She looked at the cards in her hand and her voice was vague and erratic.
"'Temperance', I choose 'Temperance'."
...
In a cheap hotel room in the East District, Klein checked the doors and windows that had been completely closed, and walked back to the square table in the middle of the room.
There were no burn marks on his body, and his black double-breasted coat was as new as ever. Only his gloomy eyes and the human skin mask placed on the corner of the table proved that he had just experienced some unforgettable memories.
After Sharon chose the "Temperance" card, "Mystery" asked them to leave the gray fog and informed Sharon that the party would be held every Monday at 3 p.m.
After returning to reality, Klein found the Bone Messenger standing guard beside him, holding in his hand the properties of the previous human skin shadow.
Your state will be restored to before you encountered the "demon". This is the gift of the price... Thinking of the words "Secret" in his mind, Klein kept picking up the materials with both hands and putting them into the crucible. He prepared them with familiarity.
"Faceless Man" potion.
If it is true as "Secret" said, an even greater disaster is about to happen to Backlund... Klein stared at the cup of black-green liquid, held the beaker, exhaled slowly, and looked towards
to the front.
The illusory figure of "Resentful Soul" slowly emerged. Sharon's light blue eyes, with a ring of blood red on the outside, nodded to him.
The corner of Klein's mouth curved sharply, then he raised his right hand and poured all the potion inside into his mouth.
Exciting murmurs swept through the brain without warning, and gradually disappeared under the comfort of the silent gray mist. In this way, more than ten long seconds passed.
Controlling the melting and disintegration of his skin, muscles and bones, Klein closed his eyes and drove his body solely by his feelings. His stubble and hair color changed rapidly, and his skin all of a sudden became more than ten years older. He belonged to Klein Mo
Letty's bookishness disappeared.
He slowly opened his eyes, looked at his reflection in Sharon's eyes, touched the cheek that was somewhat similar to Dunn's, and suddenly laughed.