Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Just seconds after Ince Zangwill entered the spirit world, the colors in the room he had just vacated suddenly became unusually vivid.

The white bedsheets appeared even whiter, the brown carpet more golden, and the dark red curtains seemed to drip like fresh blood.

In this kaleidoscope of colors, Azik Eggers stepped out from rippling waves in the void.

He was still dressed in his characteristic shirt, bow tie, tailcoat, and top hat. His bronzed skin gave him an otherworldly air, though his expression was no longer gentle—it was grave.

Azik surveyed the room before quickly locking his gaze on an open notebook.

Walking over to the desk, he picked up the notebook and began flipping through its pages:

"...Under Lina's persistent persuasion, Shoko reluctantly left his rented home, intending to stay at the Lever Church for one night before returning early the next morning.

"Unfortunately, as soon as he stepped onto the street, he accidentally bumped into the invisible Irene, who was rushing to the Aurora Order's hideout. To avoid being exposed, she subdued Shoko on the spot and brought him before Mr. A.

"Due to the aggregation effect of Beyonder characteristics, it is a reasonable development for a 'Provoker' to coincidentally encounter a 'Witch.'

"Meanwhile, the Marionettist Tand, who had been trailing the Mandated Punishers to 6 Rhine Street, used his Spirit Threads to control a stray cat, delivering the Punishers' intelligence into Irene's hands as well.

"Having just received divine inspiration, Mr. A was in an extremely 'mad' state. Although he suspected that Ince Zangwill was behind everything, he arrogantly decided to trap the Punishers and the Marionettist delivering the message, offering the ensuing 'chaos' as a sacrifice for the True Creator's return.

"However, for unknown reasons, Mr. A valued Shoko highly, ordering Irene to protect his safety with her life.

"Mandated Punisher squad leader McConner and the Mysticism Magister Stuart, after surrounding the Aurora Order's hideout, refrained from launching a blind assault. Instead, they immediately sent someone to request reinforcements from the 'Spellsinger of God,' a demigod.

"Unexpectedly, the demigod Zatwin from the Rose School of Thought detected the presence of a Temperance faction member, Sharon, and tracked her to the Hillsdon district.

"The Spellsinger of God, upon receiving the call for reinforcements, flew toward the South Bridge district but happened to encounter Zatwin pursuing Sharon. Both parties realized the encounter was too coincidental. Neither wanted to engage, but their mutual misjudgments of each other's intentions led to an unavoidable clash.

"Mr. A commanded four Aurora Order members to sacrifice themselves, unleashing the terrifying ritual magic, 'Abyss of Flesh,' intending to bury and devour everyone in the entire block.

"Sensing the magic, Mysticism Magister Stuart and his team couldn't wait for reinforcements and were forced to launch a direct assault.

"Lina, determined to save Shoko, infiltrated the Aurora Order's hideout during this time."

"…"

The handwriting in the notebook then changed styles, describing how the hero bandit "Black Emperor" used the ability of "Misfortune" on Ince. It also explained how this misfortune allowed Azik to sense Ince's presence.

Seeing this, Azik narrowed his eyes, gripping the notebook and quietly sensing for a few seconds. Then, he altered the colors around him once more and stepped into the spirit world to pursue a specific direction.

"Ince Zangwill, despite using the secret technique of the 'Fallen Morning Star' to hide himself, was unlucky enough to leave his notebook behind in the room. This mistake gave Azik a way to locate him..."

While traversing the spirit world, Ince Zangwill caught something in his peripheral vision. To his shock, the feather quill of "0-08" had slipped out of his control, now floating before him and writing the very line he had just read.

"Damn it!" Ince Zangwill cursed. He quickly found an exit into reality and scribbled on a nearby rock with the quill:

"Test temporarily ceased his operations in the Southern Continent for unknown reasons. He used Sealed Artifact '2-103' to return to Backlund and happened to arrive by Ince Zangwill's side… This is reasonable."

Test was the military demigod previously seen near Capim's home alongside the "Spellsinger of God," the one tasked with escorting Princess Vera.

After writing that line, the feather quill visibly dimmed, evidently strained by this illogical "arrangement."

But Ince Zangwill dared not be careless. Although he didn't know Azik's exact Sequence, the spiritual warning he had received made it clear that Azik was not someone he could defeat.

At that moment, Ince suddenly noticed the colors of the surrounding space shifting, a sign that Azik was about to descend. Realizing this, he decided to strike first, hoping to buy time until Test arrived.

With a thought, a burst of light appeared in the area where the color blocks differed most sharply, instantly outlining an illusory double door.

The door seemed to be made of bronze. Though not entirely real, it exuded an extraordinary weight. Its surface was covered with countless strange patterns and cryptic symbols.

Creak. The door opened slightly, and pale, blood-soaked arms eagerly stretched out from within. Accompanying them were vine-like tendrils with infant-like faces and slimy tentacles with bulging eyes.

However, before Ince Zangwill could release all the undead behind the "door," he was shocked to discover that the arms, vines, and tentacles had stopped their frenzy. They quieted down, even pressing themselves flat against the ground, as if bowing in worship, welcoming their "king"!

Seeing this, Ince's heart pounded wildly, and he couldn't help but think: What rank is Azik, exactly? Though I'm not a demigod of the "Corpse Collector" pathway, my ability to control summoned undead through "Aberration" isn't inferior to that of a demigod Necromancer… Yet all of them are submitting to him? And he hasn't even fully descended!

Within moments, Ince abandoned his earlier plan of stalling for time with strength. He was left with no choice but to grab the feather quill again and rapidly write on the rock:

"A powerful spirit world creature was attracted by Azik's aura and arrived nearby, halting his descent."

No sooner had he finished writing than Ince sensed a presence nearly equal in strength to his own materialize. The shifting colors around him also came to a halt.

Whew! Ince let out a long breath of relief. Just then, a phantom-like door tore open mid-air, its surface etched with intricate symbols.

The door opened silently, and a man in a crisp suit and golden mask stepped out.

"You've finally arrived, Test." Seeing the military demigod appear, Ince Zangwill felt a momentary sense of relief. But before he could fully relax, the feather quill once again slipped from his control and began writing:

"Ince Zangwill's luck was truly abysmal. The powerful spirit world creature that had been attracted chose to submit to Azik Eggers…

"Now, he will face attacks from two formidable opponents."

Damn it! Ince couldn't stop himself from cursing aloud.

Meanwhile, the military demigod Test was staring in confusion at the strange-looking spirit world creature and the emerging Azik from the distorted colors.

"Who are they, and why are they hostile?"

"Why am I here?

"What was I supposed to do in Backlund again?"

....

South Bridge District, Rhine Street.

Mysticism Magister Stuart gazed at the ominous house emitting a sinister aura. Using his "mysticism" to investigate, he immediately started coughing violently, eventually spitting out a chunk of his own organ before finally stopping.

Seeing this, McConner, standing beside him, was startled and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"No worries… I can simulate flesh magic and regrow it…" Stuart replied, glancing at the large portion of lung he had just expelled. After a moment's hesitation, he decided against picking it back up to eat.

After all, though he could simulate it, he simply couldn't bring himself to embrace the grotesque habits of the True Creator's followers.

(Chapter End)