Mystery: Survival from the Secret Doll

Chapter 378 The Death of the 377 Fraudster
It was a demigod-level talisman. Once crushed, it could petrify everything around it except the holder and the individual designated by the holder. It was an extremely powerful talisman.

It is obvious that it comes from Ms. Archerley, a Sequence 3 ageless witch.

This is something to ensure they have a safety net.

"I actually hope we won't need this." After all, using this is usually a situation that people at their level can't handle.

What could it be? The true creator has descended? The infant who inherited the divine power of the true creator has turned back to avenge his father?

Anything is possible. Keep something in reserve, but don't leave it too meager.

Tang put away the talisman and looked at the defense line in the dock area once again. "The problem with Lanerwus is serious in some ways, but not so serious in others."

"Hopefully, the Church of Storms and the Church of Night can resolve the issue directly... He seems to possess the power of a true creator. The Church of Night has dispatched an extraordinary individual who possesses their goddess's sacred artifact, so we shouldn't need to intervene."

"hope so."

Klein hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

He always seems to be setting a goal or making a promise.

And then... things unfolded exactly as expected.

The seed that the true creator planted in Lanluus at some unknown time suddenly erupted when the Aurora Society's stronghold was attacked and the extraordinary beings of the Church of the Night and the Church of the Storm stormed in.

The Aurora Society seemed to take Lanius very seriously, keeping a close watch on him. Even though he was on the verge of death, they still spared the life of this fraudster.

Although there were no extraordinary beings at the demigod level, the conflict between the Church of the Night, the Church of the Storm, and the Aurora Society still caused a huge riot when faced with a Sequence 5 Shepherd, even with prior preparations, allowing Lanius to escape.

At the last moment, Kresta Cecima, the "Sword of the Goddess" of the Church of the Night, killed the shepherd of the Aurora Society and severely injured Lanluus. Lanluus hid in the sewers, trying to escape through them.

The location he chose was very secluded; unless you've spent a long time in the dock area, it would be difficult to find such a hidden exit route.

He then bumped into Don and Klein.

"You can find out by doing a divination."

Although divination is not a panacea, it's understandable that diviners like to do it before going out.

What a coincidence! It's perfect for blocking the door.

"You take the lead, I'll support."

Facing the approaching enemy, Tang's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness after saying these words.

He used a sealed artifact on his body to merge into the darkness and vanish without a trace.

This time, Tang did not bring the secret puppet with him, nor did he intend to use it to eliminate the opponent.

Klein understood that this was Don giving him a chance to digest the potion.

"Don't worry, it won't be long."

He assured Tang.

Then, Klein adjusted his black top hat, took his cane, and stood in the shadows. As Lanius approached, he suddenly flicked a match.

The light from the match was blindingly bright in the dark sewers. With the magician's manipulation of the flame, it rose at an unimaginable speed, transforming into a long, blazing tongue of fire that raced toward Lanius.

Magicians don't perform unprepared acts. Before Lanius entered, Klein had already created this fire trap underground using oil-soaked cotton thread.

The flames surged forth, and Lanluus, caught off guard, had no choice but to confront a magician who, while not particularly experienced, possessed keen reflexes and extraordinary abilities.

The flames engulfed him, and Lanluus narrowly escaped from the vortex of fire, risking burns to his own life.

He was then met with air cannonballs.

The magician's long-range bombardment continued smoothly and methodically in this pre-arranged magic venue.

Flames, air cannonballs, and paper dolls played out continuously between Klein and Lanius, the firelight making the dim underground sewers appear scorching hot.

For a moment, Lanius was unable to break free from the magician's tactics hidden in the shadows.

"No...this can't go on..."

Another sharp tarot card followed the rising flames and stuck into Lanius's arm.

This is the sixth one.

Lanluus's arm was riddled with tarot cards by Klein, and in a fit of shock and rage, Lanluus suddenly felt his body become uncontrollable.

His body was bleeding, and his thoughts were similarly sluggish, distorted, and rigid.

Like a rusty gear, the rust spread to his limbs and bones, freezing everything that could be frozen.

He was terrified and struggled to move his body.

"Move! Move!"

Threads of ethereal, transparent spirit energy emanated from his body, manipulated by the puppet master hidden in the darkness.

Klein took the opportunity to use the tarot cards to inflict several more bloody wounds on Lanius.

“No…more than…one…extraordinary…hiding…in the shadows…”

Lanius could have dodged, but his rusty brain prevented his nerves from functioning properly.

The speed at which his blood was being lost made him dizzy, and his vision went black in patches. As he lost control of his body, the situation he least wanted to see came to pass.

"I thought... I could attract the attention of... the extraordinary... officials, and make them... fight to the death... so I could escape in the chaos..."

While his mind was still sharp, Lanius had no choice but to resort to his last resort: to try and ask that person for help.

"Playing with...the hands of time..."

"To roam...the shadow of fate..."

"Fraud and evil...a symbol of pranks..."

"Save me...save...me..."

I did as you said! I did as you said!
Help me! I don't want to die! Help me—!
As Lannus recited the name in a difficult, hesitant, and sluggish ancient Hermetic language, one of the tarot cards on his person—a winged angel with a monocle and lowered eyebrows against the backdrop of a manor—suddenly changed.

The angel raised its head, and a monocle carved from crystal was placed in the socket of its left eye!
A soft laugh seemed to drift from a distant land.

As if in a hallucination, on Lanius's terrified and stiff expression, the corners of his mouth inexplicably lifted slightly, as if he were trying to make a smile.

Klein felt a chill run down his spine, as if something extremely terrifying had swept over his body.

"What did Lanius do?!"

He saw the enigmatic smile on Laneus's lips, and without hesitation, he took the tarot cards and threw them at Laneus's neck. It was the "Fool" card.

Then, Lanius felt a chill on his neck and a sweet, metallic taste filled his mouth.

The rapid backflow of blood made him feel suffocated as if he were being submerged in water.

"Why... why..."

The smile on Lanius's lips had not disappeared, but blood foam rose to his head, and blood spurted from his neck.

"Because I am the embodiment of deception and mischief, aren't I?"

Amon's voice came from a very distant place, still smiling, "When you made a deal with me, well, I only promised to help you and protect you as long as you didn't harm me. You see, I did keep my promise. Under the Aurora Society, you haven't been hurt much and haven't faced the fate called death."

"no no……"

This is different from what you said before!
They're just magicians... maybe with one guy who's not a demigod at most... Why would you...?

Why won't you help me!

You didn't keep your promise... Why?!

"Well, that's a problem." Amon paused for a moment, then said jokingly, "Generally speaking, I'm very trustworthy, but this time it's something I can't handle, yeah, it's that simple."

Lanius's eyes widened, but the smile on his lips grew even wider.

It grew larger and larger, and the skin and flesh at the corners of its mouth seemed unable to support it, showing signs of tearing. Lanluus's consciousness became increasingly chaotic, and amidst the mysticization, Amon's voice, and the disintegration of his body, he could no longer remain conscious.

He had only one last thought left.

How can it be……

How could there possibly be an enemy that even that "blasphemer" couldn't face...

He's a liar, he's a liar...

“I never lie,” Amon corrected him, “but since you’re about to die, I’ll give you a piece of advice.”

"Don't casually utter the honorific names given to you by others, for it will bring misfortune... Well then, goodbye, my poor, lost lamb..."

Despite the deception and pranks, even though the name had been altered by that fellow Nicolas Flamel, Amon could still hear the prayers.

He responded horribly, luring Lanius, the extraordinary one who had taken the path of the thief, to the city of Tingen.

He promised to grant Lannus divinity, helping him attain demigod-level power.

He also promised to protect Lanius and not let him die easily.

Look, didn't he obtain the divinity of the true creator, and then, in a situation where even He could not protect him, he gloriously went to his death?
What an interesting deal!

Lanius fell backward, his body plunging into the ankle-deep water, creating a splash.

"died."

Tang emerged from the shadows, knowing the solution through a spiritual premonition.

Slitting one's throat is hardly a dignified way to die.

And Amon...

Tsk tsk, this guy is really good at exploiting loopholes. Honestly, how could he fool a little kid like that?
Klein walked over and checked Lanius's belongings. Finding nothing, he looked at Don and asked, "Shall we wait here for a bit?"

"Yes, notify the Church of the Night and the Church of the Storm and have them come over to check the scene. After all, this operation is a joint effort by three official Extraordinary organizations, so we need to inform them first."

"I'm going to rescue them. I wonder how they are doing after that chaotic fight."

Even if they went out like this, their identities as the great detective and the assistant would still be perfectly protected to them.

Tang and Klein, one is a Faceless Man and the other has a sealing artifact made by a Faceless Man, so they don't need to worry about their identities being exposed. They can just claim to be investigators and everything will be fine.

Klein nodded. Tang went out to contact the Church of the Night and the Church of the Storm, and to check on their situation. Klein stayed here to guard the corpse and make sure nothing unexpected happened.

Lanius lay quietly in the filthy, foul-smelling water of the sewer. Blood still gushed from the wounds on his body that had been cut by the tarot cards, and the smell, combined with the stench of the sewer, was simply indescribable.

Klein sat silently on a relatively clean, protruding piece of corpse, waiting for the others to arrive.

ended.

Klein looked at Lanluus's corpse and felt the potion in his body being partially digested.

"Magicians never perform unprepared. A proactive performance can help the magic potion be absorbed, and it also requires a certain audience to watch and give praise."

This is a summary of the rules for playing a magician by Klein.

After killing Lanius, an accomplice in the Sunwell incident that led to Dunn Smith's death, Klein finally felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

He let out a soft breath, his body relaxing slightly.

Just then, Klein's gaze sharpened.

His spiritual premonition suddenly began to frantically remind him that there was a problem, that a new situation had arisen!
Kleinten stood up abruptly, and flames in his hands quickly illuminated the direction of Lanruus's corpse.

A monocle, seemingly carved from crystal, appeared in Lanius's left eye socket at some unknown time.

A monocle?!
Klein's hair stood on end; he immediately thought of Leonard Mitchell, a fellow Nightwalker from Tingen!
He also wore a monocle.

"Amon?!"

Lanius suddenly opened his closed eyes, his bones cracking. He—no, He—gradually straightened up from the filthy water, the tarot cards stuck in his body falling off one by one, a smile on his face, a smile full of joy.

'Lanius' touched the rim of the conspicuous, spotless monocle with his dirty fingers, then greeted Klein with a smile.

"Good evening, Klein Moretti... oh no, excuse me, I should call you Sherlock Moriarty now?"

Before Amon could finish speaking, he was greeted by a crushed talisman that emitted a grayish-white light.

To ensure the body was intact, before leaving, Don handed over the petrification spell created by Archerley to Klein, who was guarding the body.

Lanius's body instantly turned to stone and stiffened, and his monocle fell into the water with a snap and disappeared.

His entire body turned gray and white, becoming a seated stone statue, and he was no longer heard.

Amon: ...

Tsk tsk, that's quite a stress response.

really interesting.

(End of this chapter)