Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

"What exactly did you discover? How did things get this bad?" McConner asked with a deep frown, watching Stuart use spiritual fire to burn the "lung fragment" he had coughed out. Only then did McConner breathe a small sigh of relief.

"The members of the Aurora Order are sacrificing to the 'True Creator,' borrowing a portion of His power to unleash a ritual spell called Abyss of Flesh.

"When I used mysticism to probe it just now, I was almost contaminated by His presence…" Stuart said, still visibly shaken.

"When we get back, you'll have to undergo an inspection by the Church," McConner said gravely. Then his expression turned grim. "Abyss of Flesh? The one that caused nearly 500 deaths in Feysac?"

Though the Aurora Order had a notorious reputation, large-scale massacres like that were rare, which made the incident in Feysac unforgettable for McConner.

"Yes, that's the one. The main function of the spell is to seal off space and gradually grind the selected 'sacrifices' into flesh and blood as offerings to the 'True Creator.'

"During this process, the 'sacrifices' will have their powers suppressed. What's worse, the suppression will grow stronger as the ritual progresses…" Stuart, having regained his composure, explained quickly.

"So, we and all the civilians on this street have been designated as 'sacrifices'? Damn it! The members of the Aurora Order deserve nothing but death!" McConner cursed furiously, immediately turning to the other Mandated Punishers and barking orders:

"All team members, follow me to storm the target building! Spare no cost and destroy the ritual as quickly as possible!

"There's no time to wait for Lord Spellsinger of God to arrive."

"Yes, Captain," the team members responded one after another, not a single one hesitating.

Watching the Mandated Punishers move in perfect coordination, covering each other as they advanced toward the three-story building, Stuart deliberately lagged behind to act as rearguard.

The Mysticism Magister had vaguely sensed earlier that someone seemed to be observing him, but having just suffered the backlash from the aura of the "True Creator," he didn't have the strength to perform further mystic investigations.

Perhaps… it's just a passerby? Or a Beyonder living nearby? Stuart thought to himself as he noticed that the trap he had deliberately exposed hadn't elicited any reaction from the observer. Reassured, he quickened his pace to catch up with the Mandated Punishers.

Meanwhile, not far away, hidden by his marionette's "psychological invisibility," the Marionettist Tand stared at the three-story building with his mouth agape. Moving his lips as if to speak, he muttered silently to himself:

"The Aurora Order really is a group of lunatics!

"Do they actually intend to kill everyone on this street?

"Where does Mr. A get his confidence from?

"I clearly performed a divination before this operation… How is this situation considered 'relatively smooth'?

"I'm even starting to think that I might end up getting swallowed by this Abyss of Flesh!"

Feeling the frenzied warnings from his own spirituality, Tand was fully aware of how dangerous and horrifying the Aurora Order's ritual was.

"If the Mandated Punishers' attack doesn't go well… I might have to step in and give them a hand…"

With a resigned sigh, Tand manipulated his marionette to follow the Punishers into the building.

Inside the first-floor hall of the house, Mr. A sat on the sofa, wearing a black hooded robe. His dazzlingly beautiful yet eerie face carried a faint smile as he watched the Mandated Punishers burst in from various directions. In a hoarse voice, he sneered:

"Crawlers, you couldn't hold back any longer, could you? Perfect. The 'feast' I've prepared for you is about to begin!"

Before his words even faded, four evil spirits garbed in the same style of robes as Mr. A appeared out of thin air, surrounding the Mandated Punishers.

These were none other than the Aurora Order members who had just sacrificed their own flesh and blood to the "True Creator" to activate the ritual!

Their physical bodies had returned to the deity, but their souls had been completely "corrupted," transforming into evil spirits. They were now part of the ritual spell, tasked with capturing and hunting the "sacrifices."

Moreover, empowered by the ritual, the strength of these Aurora Order members now surpassed what they had in life.

McConner, who had anticipated this situation, remained calm. With a simple hand gesture, the Mandated Punishers split into teams and engaged the "evil spirits." Meanwhile, McConner himself raised his hair on end, preparing to release "Lightning Spear" at Mr. A, who sat leisurely on the sofa.

At that moment, the feminine softness on Mr. A's face disappeared, replaced by an air of aloof majesty.

He pushed his left palm forward and, in ancient Hermes, solemnly declared:

"Lightning is forbidden here!"

"Gales are forbidden here!"

"Singing is forbidden here!"

As he retracted his hand, a cruel smile appeared on Mr. A's face. Before him, an ancient, transparent, and illusory book materialized in the air.

An ethereal, lofty voice echoed:

"I arrive, I witness, I record."

The three "forbidden" decrees were clearly abilities recorded by the "Scribe" he had shepherded.

With Mr. A's proclamations, the flashes of lightning and roaring gales within the hall vanished instantly. This sudden nullification of abilities nearly caused the Mandated Punishers fighting the evil spirits to falter disastrously.

Fortunately, the team members equipped with Sealed Artifacts quickly provided support, preventing casualties in the initial assault.

Where did the Aurora Order get the chance to "record" so many Judge abilities? McConner, a seasoned Ocean Singer, realized the situation was becoming more complicated. Even so, he remained composed, having considered various contingencies beforehand. Instead of panicking, he glanced toward the rearmost member of their group—Stuart.

As expected, despite suffering backlash earlier, the Mysticism Magister Stuart had forcibly completed a simulation. His eyes darkened instantly as he extended his right hand and uttered a word in Hermes:

"Distort!"

In an instant, Mr. A's "forbidden" intentions were twisted. Instead of complete prohibition, the restrictions now allowed abilities to be used as long as their names were shouted out loud.

To demonstrate, Stuart acted immediately.

He bellowed, "Lightning Strike!"

A silver-white bolt of electricity shot from his hand, striking an evil spirit attempting a sneak attack. The blow dispersed a significant amount of the black mist enshrouding the spirit.

"Lightning Strike" is a nemesis to the undead, an attack they cannot evade and must endure directly.

Seeing this, McConner instantly grasped the "essence" of Stuart's distorted workaround. His lips twitched slightly as he inwardly complained: Stuart, have you been broken by '2-111'? How did you manage to distort the effect into something so embarrassing?

However, the situation was critical, and there was no time to wait for Stuart to "adjust" the distortion. Bracing himself, McConner shouted, "Lightning Spear!"

Sure enough, arcs of electricity once again crackled around his hair...

...

In the basement, beside the statue of the "True Creator," Irene kept her unblinking gaze fixed on Shoko, who was bound tightly by "spider silk." She paid no attention to the battle raging upstairs, nor did she glance at the nearby blood-colored altar. Her focus remained solely on fulfilling the task Mr. A had given her, even though Shoko appeared to have "fallen asleep."

But just then, a figure clad in black armor and wearing a pitch-black crown suddenly emerged from above Shoko's head!

(Chapter End)