Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 158 The Mysterious Masked Man

The shepherd gently stroked the heart crystal, and the surrounding spirits seemed to be stimulated, letting out even more frenzied roars, the green fire in their eyes mixed with a hint of dark red.

The masked man frowned.

The situation was more complicated than she had anticipated. This shepherd was not only incredibly powerful, but he was also connected to the "Mother Tree of Desire" or its related forces, and possessed this sinister item.

"The Mother Tree of Desire—as expected." She murmured to herself, the filthy life force and corrupt aura emanating from the crystal in her spiritual perception confirming one of her worst guesses.

This is not merely about out-of-control extraordinary beings or wild cultists; it involves the tentacles of extraterrestrial gods.

The opponent's strength is close to the peak of Sequence 5, and with this crystal containing the aura of an evil god, it will be difficult to take them down quickly in a short period of time.

Her primary task was to ensure that the "postman's" duties were fulfilled and to clear out the pursuers, thus buying Green time.

Engaging with a shepherd corrupted by the mother tree for too long here could not only introduce more variables, but also allow other pursuers to bypass the battlefield and continue their pursuit of Green.

"I don't have time to play with you."

The masked man suddenly spoke, his voice flat.

She no longer tried to suppress her aura.

The next instant, a vast, majestic aura, seemingly representing some kind of fundamental rule of the world, erupted from her petite body!

That was not a simple expansion of spirituality, but an elevation of "existence" itself! The air suddenly became thick and heavy, and the invisible order, like a physical shackle, instantly enveloped the entire cemetery!

All the undead that were still roaring and attacking froze in place as if frozen, the green flames in their eyes flickering wildly, as if they had encountered their natural enemy. The fear from their spiritual instincts prevented them from even howling.

The ground stopped shaking, the wind completely stopped, and even the starlight seemed to dim, as if this space had been temporarily "stripped" from the normal operation of the world and incorporated into an absolutely dominant domain.

Demigod! Sequence 4! Lawful Mage!

The eerie green flame beneath the shepherd's hood suddenly shrank to the size of a pinhead. Boundless fear, like ice water poured over his head, instantly overwhelmed his reason and all fighting spirit! The heart crystal in his hand made a "crack" sound as it could no longer bear the weight. The veins on its surface twisted wildly, but it could no longer provide any sense of security. Instead, it felt like a burning ember.

Run! We must run immediately! Get away from this monster!

This thought overwhelmed everything.

The shepherd barely hesitated, even abandoning the attempt to retrieve the undead and the short sword "bitten" by the crystal. His cloak billowed violently, and his figure transformed into a blurry streak of light as he fled into the thinnest and most chaotic rift in the spirit world!

That was the most dangerous escape route, one that one would never dare to use lightly under normal circumstances, but at this moment, there was no time to worry about it.

However, the moment he began his actions, that calm yet final, judgment-like voice resounded deep within his soul: "Imprison!"

The masked man raised his left hand, making a half-clenched fist in the direction the shepherd had fled, and said, "Escape is prohibited here."

Words spoken become law!

To the shepherd's horror, the aura of his activated escape technique dissipated instantly, as if it had struck an invisible, insurmountable wall of rules! He was as if bound in place by invisible, incredibly strong shackles, unable to move even a finger! Not only his body, but even his spiritual and mental execution of the concept of "escape" was forcibly "prohibited" and "denied"!

This is the "law" of the demigods! Directly modifying local rules to define reality!

The masked woman's left hand remained in a loose clenching position, as if she truly had the shepherd's throat in mid-air. She casually swung her right hand forward.

The sound of tearing cloth filled the air.

The spatial structure was forcibly "defined" to create a new, temporary "exit." An irregular crack with chaotic light flowing along its edges appeared out of thin air in front of the imprisoned shepherd.

Inside the crack, one could vaguely see bizarre and colorful blocks of color flowing rapidly, indescribable shadows writhing, and the howling of the void wind that sent shivers down one's spine.

That is an extremely dangerous gap between the spirit world and the material world, unprotected by a stable channel. Ordinary people who are caught up in it will be torn apart or banished to an unknown corner of space and time in an instant.

The masked man gently pushed his loosely clenched left hand forward.

"Go in and reflect on your actions."

The shepherd couldn't even scream. His body, enveloped and imprisoned by the invisible force of law, was like a piece of discarded trash, "thrown" into the spatial rift without any resistance!

In the final moment before he disappeared into the crevice, one could vaguely see the boundless fear, despair, and disbelief emanating from the eerie green flames beneath his hood.

Immediately afterwards, the masked man clenched his right hand into a fist.

The ripping sound rang out again, and the spatial rift closed and disappeared as quickly as a zipper, as if it had never existed. Only the faint, rapidly calming ripples of spiritual energy remaining in the air testified to what had just happened.

The cemetery has returned to its deathly silence.

No, it was an even deeper, deathly silence than before.

All the awakened spirits were completely annihilated the moment the Law Domain unfolded. The jet-black heart crystal also lost its support as the shepherd was banished, falling onto the moss with a "thud." Its luster was dim, and it was covered with cracks. Most of the evil aura inside had dissipated, turning it into a dangerous remnant of a piece of Xi Jinping's discarded artifact.

The masked man slowly lowered his hands.

The suffocating demigod aura surrounding her receded like the tide, returning to her body, and her petite figure became inconspicuous once again.

Only the breathing beneath the white mask quickened slightly, indicating that the continuous use of high-level abilities had not been entirely without depletion.

She walked to the heart crystal, gently nudged it with her toe, and after confirming that it was basically ineffective and that most of the contamination had been purified by the Law Domain, she stomped on it and crushed it.

The masked man glanced again at the spot where the shepherd had disappeared, his gaze calm.

The black horse galloped forward at high speed, the night wind blowing fiercely against Green's face.

He could clearly feel that the burning sensation that followed him like a shadow, as if invisible threads were stirring his desires and spirit, was rapidly dissipating like the receding tide.

Its disappearance was so abrupt, so unlike the intense, consuming force it had previously displayed.

"Did the masked man defeat the Pleasure Witch?" Green wondered to himself.

Wow, that's impressive. The fact that he could take down a Sequence 6 powerhouse so quickly can only mean one thing: the masked man's strength is beyond imagination.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate that the masked man was on his side.

After walking for about ten more minutes, the dancer in his arms gradually began to breathe steadily and slowly. Although she was still weak from the high fever, her breathing was no longer the gasping of someone on the verge of collapse. The trembling in her body also slowly subsided.

Green felt her arms around his waist loosen their grip a little.

A while later, a groan filled with confusion and discomfort rang out.

The dancer's long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

A few seconds later, the confusion in her eyes faded, and as she gradually regained her senses, she immediately closed her eyes again, her cheeks flushed.

She found herself in an extremely intimate position, leaning against Green, her cheek against his chest, and she could even feel his body temperature and heartbeat through his thin shirt.

She was wrapped tightly in an unfamiliar male coat, her dance dress underneath in disarray.

Thinking back to her previous attempts to seduce him, she no longer knew how to face this strange man.

"If you're awake, don't pretend to be asleep, hold on tight to me."

"Ah!" she cried out softly, as if she had been burned. She tried to pull back, but because her body was still limp and powerless, she only managed to press the two of them closer together in vain.

Green's arm was firmly around her waist to prevent her from falling, and his voice came calmly: "Don't move."

His voice was devoid of emotion; there was no blame, nor any ambiguity.

The dancer's face turned even redder, almost burning up.

She stopped struggling, buried her face even lower, and whispered, her voice barely audible, filled with deep shame and a barely perceptible tremor: "I'm sorry—I don't know what happened to me just now—I couldn't control myself—"

Those images made her wish she could jump off her horse immediately and disappear into a crack in the ground.

"No need to apologize," Green said in a deep voice. "It's not your fault. You were affected by an extraordinary ability—the ability to manipulate desires."

"Extraordinary ability?" Jasmine looked up, a hint of fear and lingering dread flashing in her eyes.

As someone who frequented the semi-black market area like the Old Cat Tavern, she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the word "extraordinary," and knew...

That implies a danger and strangeness far beyond common sense.

Recalling her own completely unlike-herself state just now, she immediately believed Green's explanation, but her fear deepened.

"Who—who is it? That sailor?"

"It wasn't him." Green shook his head. He wasn't really sure who it was either. "It might be some kind of witch who's good at manipulating desires, or something similar. But for now, everything should be fine; the effects are fading."

He paused, feeling the body in his arms still stiff and trembling slightly, and added, "How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

The dancer carefully sensed it.

The burning heat and empty longing within her body had vanished without a trace, leaving only deep exhaustion and muscle soreness, especially in her thighs and lower back—probably from riding the horse earlier—she dared not think any further.

"I'm so tired—I have no energy at all—and I feel a little dizzy," she answered honestly. "But—that strange feeling is gone. Thank you—thank you for bringing me out."

She said it from the bottom of her heart.

Although the process was extremely embarrassing, the consequences would have been unimaginable if this man hadn't acted decisively and taken her away.

"Hmm," Green responded, accepting the thanks.

He paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought, then asked, "What's your name? In the tavern, they seemed to call you 'Jasmine'?"

"That's a flower name," Jasmine whispered. "My real name is—Rachel. Rachel Miller."

She hesitated for a moment, but still revealed her real name.

"Green Morris."

Green pulled on the reins, slowing the horse, and continued, "Where are you planning to go now? Back to the tavern?"

Back to the tavern?

Rachel's body trembled slightly. That place had just given her such a terrifying experience, and although she wasn't sure if the danger was completely over, she absolutely didn't want to set foot there again anytime soon.

Moreover, given her current disheveled state, who knows what she'll face when she goes back?

"I just went there to make money—" Her voice betrayed a hint of confusion and helplessness, "I don't know either."

Green sensed her hesitation and fear.

He recalled the "postman's" parting words and the potential hidden dangers left behind by that strange ability. Who knew if that power, which directly affected spirituality and desire, might have any latent "seeds" or subsequent effects?

He himself might be alright for the time being because of his prayers to the Fool and the pocket watch, but Leah was just an ordinary person.

"I'm going to St. Milon, the Grand Cathedral of the Church of the Night," Green said. "I need to take care of something. I suggest you—come with me."

Rachel froze, then looked up at Green: "To—church?"

"Um."

Green nodded. "What you just experienced wasn't a simple drugging or illness; it was a clear attack by an extraordinary force. The Church of the Night handles these kinds of incidents. Have them check you to make sure there's nothing left in your body—" or if you've been marked. This is for your safety.

Green's words were realistic and not exaggerated, but every word struck Rachel's heart.

What remains?

Tagged?

The thought that terrible feeling of being powerless might return, or that something even more evil might be lurking inside her, sent chills down Leah's spine.

"But—will the church care? I—I'm just a dancer in a pub—" Rachel said with some self-consciousness.

"You are a victim of an extraordinary incident, and the church has a responsibility to intervene in the investigation, or at least not to ignore it."

Greene comforted him softly, "Besides, providing clues about that possible witch lurking in the shadows would also be valuable to the church. Come with me, I can explain the situation to you."

"At least let someone knowledgeable in this area take a look, just to put your mind at ease. If everything is fine, then you can decide where to go next. If there are problems, it's always better to deal with them early than for them to suddenly erupt later."

Rachel remained silent.

Green's suggestion was reasonable, even considerate of her. Going to the church for a checkup seemed like the safest option at the moment.

Although her instinctive awe and sense of alienation from the church made her somewhat resistant, this resistance was nothing compared to the extraordinary, unknown dangers.

More importantly, at this moment, she was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and utterly helpless.

The man in front of her, named Green, was taciturn and even somewhat rough and direct in his actions. However, he did not take advantage of her when she was at her lowest point. Instead, he helped her escape from danger and is now giving her advice that is beneficial to her.

This sense of reliability, so rare in her chaotic world, made her want to hold on to it.

"—Okay." After a long pause, Rachel nodded gently, leaning back more comfortably into Green's arms. "I'll go with you. Thank you—thank you, Mr. Green."

"Just call me Green," Green corrected, flicking the reins and propelling the black horse forward once more.