The newly arrived reinforcement team didn't panic when they saw this. The captain of the team who had replaced the golden-masked lady was also a Disciplinary Paladin. He raised his right hand and pointed at the Spirit Body hugging its head, about to chant the words "Imprison" in ancient Hermes.
But at that moment, the voluptuous female Spirit Body was the first to open her mouth and sing in the Language of the Dead!
Yes, it wasn't the commonly used means like Shriek, but a Singing of the Sea Songster.
In an instant, awkward, incomprehensible, jarring words that were completely incomprehensible came out of the female evil spirit's mouth in a strange rhythm.
Although they couldn't understand what she was singing, everyone present couldn't help but freeze on the spot. Even a transparent layer quickly surfaced on their bodies.
Everyone's souls were being pulled by an illusory power!
At that critical moment, the Band of Light on Xio's finger flashed with a blinding light. The purifying halo that originally clung to her body began to spread outwards layer after layer. White holy light warmed the surrounding MI9 detectives and also purified the evil forces in their bodies, giving them immense courage.
The two Sequence 5 Disciplinary Paladins present snapped to their senses immediately. Almost at the same time, they brandished their right hands and declared in ancient Hermes,
"The Language of the Dead is prohibited here!"
"Singing are prohibited here!"
After the announcement, the golden-masked lady, whose spirituality was nearly drained, almost lost her balance. She only managed to stabilize herself by holding onto the street lamp by the side of the road.
She took off her mask, revealing a young, handsome face. She then took out a bottle of medicine, unscrewed the cap, and downed it.
Elsewhere, after Xio's purifying halo had dispelled the effects of Singing, the baron's head in the female evil spirit's embrace suddenly opened its eyes. It stared straight at Xio as though it had locked onto something.
But at this moment, the reinforcements from MI9 had already begun attacking them.
Faced with the barrage of demon hunting bullets and Beyonder powers, the baron's face was once again covered in black spots that extended outwards. It was like black, cold armor that wrapped around his Spirit Body and Aston's.
Despite the attacks landing on them, they were unable to break through their defenses.
At the same time, the team members who were attacking, including the Disciplinary Paladin captain, suddenly realized that he had been bound by something without realizing it.
They looked down with great difficulty and discovered that the ones binding their bodies were actually their shadows!
"Commandeering Shadow? Black Knight? How is that possible…" the captain cried out in shock. But before he could finish his sentence, his shadow covered his mouth!
It wasn't his fault for making a fuss. After all, this exit could only accommodate a Sequence 5 existence, while the Black Knight was a genuine demigod.
No! It can't be a Black Knight! If the other party is really a demigod, there's no need to use such means to deal with us… But even if he's not a real demigod, such means aren't something we can resist!
The captain forced himself to calm down and think of countermeasures, but clearly, Baron Conrad and Lady Aston wouldn't give him the time.
After binding the team members with his shadow, a half-closed bronze door suddenly appeared above the baron's head.
Behind the open gap was endless darkness, like the deepest and heaviest night sky.
Indescribable pairs of eyes were hidden in the deep darkness, densely packed and everywhere, but they were unable to discern their actual appearance.
Skinless, bloody arms reached out as greenish-black vines with baby faces extended out. Palms with mouths filled with teeth grabbed everything outside as they screamed, laughed, sobbed, and yelled.
After releasing Lady Aston and leaving the seal of 1-010, the "door" in the baron's body once again sensed the entrance to the Underworld!
The bound captain and team members were powerless to resist. All they could do was watch helplessly as they were grabbed by the arms, entangled by the slippery, illusory tentacles, and bound by the greenish-black vines with baby faces!
Following that, they were dragged behind the door by these strange creatures within a second or two!
All of this happened too quickly. One second, the team was still attacking in unison, and the next second, they were bound by shadows and dragged through the door… Therefore, even the heroic lady and Xio didn't have the time to react.
Not to mention the other four detectives who were further away.
"Run! Run! This is not a monster we can fight against right now!" After the woman snapped back to her senses, she decisively issued an order. Following that, she endured her headache and forcefully released "Exile" on the baron and Lady Aston. Then, she activated a charm on her and quickly flew away.
The other four secret agents didn't dare delay when they saw this. They used their life-preservation items and fled in all directions.
The baron ignored them. His remaining head stared straight at Xio, and with the help of Lady Aston, he rapidly approached her.
A look of horror appeared in Xio's eyes. She thought that the purifying halo she had previously activated had angered the headless monster, which was why she had targeted it.
At that moment, a scene suddenly appeared in her mind.
The monster's head fell directly from above, instantly digesting her head and seizing her body!
Xio, who had been surprised many times, knew that this was a "foresight" scene given to her by the Ring of Prejudice. Hence, she used this ring to bring about her outstanding agility and speed as a Clown as she pounced to the back in an unimaginable manner.
"Eh?" Just as Xio rolled on the ground, the baron's head let out a soft exclamation. This was because he had just controlled her shadow, but he had failed to break through the protection of the Light of Purification she had augmented herself with.
That layer of Light of Purification seems to be related to some existence of a very high level… Is it Sefirah Castle? Is it?!
The baron's calm eyes gradually became fervent and crazy. He was determined to obtain the young lady's body.
Hence, before Xio could get up, she once again "predicted" danger. This time, the evil spirit had bound her with "wind," and the monster's head had taken her by the shoulder.
Upon seeing this scene, she didn't have the luxury of time to think. She immediately activated the Light of Holiness on the Band of Light ring. At the same time, she didn't get up and continued rolling backward with the help of the Clown's coordination.
Escaping wasn't an option. To avoid being bound by the wind, he could only attack the evil spirit and interrupt her casting of her powers.
The terrifying "black spots" appeared once again, blocking the hastily released Light of Holiness. However, due to another failure, the madness in the baron's eyes became even more obvious. It was unknown what he was chanting, but on the other side, Xio felt something indescribable explode in her soul. She immediately lost all her strength as two streams of blood flowed out of her nose.
At the same time, Mr. Fool, who was sitting in the hall of the gray fog, suddenly stood up. This was because he could clearly see that the black spot that had been corrupted in Miss Xio's spirit was rapidly spreading. In the blink of an eye, it had covered half of her head!
"Say that name! Miss Xio, hurry up and recite that name!"
Klein anxiously muttered to himself. He couldn't help but pull Miss Xio above the gray fog.
However, he didn't do so after calming down. Firstly, he didn't know if he could purify the area through the "secret deed." He didn't know what the outcome would be if he directly pulled someone up. If this place was corrupted and invaded, then he would lose his last hope.
Secondly, by touching Mr. Tower's crimson star, he discovered that the detective had already arrived near Miss Xio. Without a safe environment, Miss Xio would still be in danger even after the "tacit" ritual… It was better to "cleanse" the corruption after Tower saved her.
"There should still be time!" Klein, who was familiar with the deeds of the Hero Detective, relaxed a little and returned to his seat belonging to The Fool.
However, he was holding tightly onto the Morning Star of Depravity necklace and Azik's copper whistle, prepared to "rescue" them at any moment.
…
Just as Xio's thoughts slowed down and she felt that she was about to be finished, an illusory broadsword made of light suddenly stabbed into the ground in front of her, turning into a Hurricane of Light that swept outwards.
The baron's head, which had originally wanted to seize Xio's body, was forced to use "black spots" again by the storm formed from "dawn."
However, this time, the effects of the "black spot" seemed to be much weaker. It failed to completely block the might of the Hurricane of Light.
He was injured!
Upon seeing this, Lady Aston was just about to take action when she suddenly saw a black-robed lady aim a pitch-black ring at her with her right hand and command her with the Language of the Dead.
However, she was unwilling to follow orders to harm Benjamin, nor did she dare disobey the lady's orders. She could only fall into a dilemma and not move.
The person who had spoken the Language of the Dead was none other than Jane. She frowned when she saw this and said to Ebner, who was carrying Xio, "That spirit doesn't seem to be of a low level. My orders have been resisted, and I'm afraid I can't delay her for long."
Ebner knew that Xio was in desperate need for treatment and purification, and he couldn't afford any delays. All he could do was look at Fors who had rushed over with the two of them.
The latter immediately understood what he meant. Then, with a snap, he pulled a dark green stone from his bracelet. Then, he grabbed onto Ebner's hand and shouted in ancient Hermes,
"Door!"
The stone immediately emitted an illusory light blue glow.
Seeing this, Jane immediately understood what was going on. She quickly went forward and held onto Ebner's arm. The four figures turned blurry and almost invisible.
They saw forms that were difficult to describe. They even saw transparent objects that didn't seem to exist. They saw different colors, and lustrous splendors that contained immense knowledge.
This was the spirit world!
After three breaths, they left the transparent and illusory state and returned to reality.
Ebner looked around and realized that this was his bedroom.
Outside a house on Tucker Street, Baron Conva watched helplessly as his target "Teleported" away.
After all, with only his head left, he didn't have the ability to move. At this moment, Mrs. Aston was still affected by Jane's orders and unable to move.
As for the residents of the nearby streets, they had long been evacuated by MI9 in various ways. He couldn't find anyone suitable to reconstruct his body.
About a minute later, Lady Aston shook off Jane's orders. She immediately picked up the baron's head, carefully hid her body, and flew towards the East Borough.
Not long after they left, an ordinary-looking, grizzled elder slowly walked out of the house that had been mostly destroyed as the exit of the sealed space.
He stared in the direction of the baron and Lady Aston as he muttered to himself thoughtfully, "It didn't cause any reaction… Could it really not be him?"
As he spoke, he cast his gaze towards the independent space created by 1-010. It was as though the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact's seal was useless against him.
The military obtained 1-025… Whose plan was this? That Tyrant actually tacitly allowed it…
Just as the elder was pondering over the matter, the MI9 elite team, who had rushed over after receiving the call for help, walked out of the exit.
They covered each other and advanced in turn, appearing very wary… But strangely, the elder was leisurely standing not far from them, but they ignored him as though he didn't exist.
…
In an unknown space, a mummy wrapped in yellow bandages was pierced by countless brown tree branches and suspended in midair.
Its stomach bulged, and from time to time, some parts bulged and shriveled, as though it was giving birth to new life.
The mummy's mouth was open as it kept screaming in extreme pain.
However, when 1-025, which was contaminated by the Primordial Moon, underground corruption, and the aura of Sefirah Castle, was sealed in a special puppet by the military saint,
Although the mummy continued to scream, its painful cries seemed to contain an additional, indescribable feeling.
…
In the bedroom of the villa on Kingst Street, after discovering that they had "Traveled" back to their bedroom, he placed Xio on the bed.
At this moment, Xio's condition was already very serious. The black spots rapidly spread at a discernible pace, covering her neck, shoulders, arms, and chest.
"Ah!" Fors subconsciously cried out when she saw this scene. She then thought of something and hurriedly took out a bottle of restorative medicine from her sling bag.
"It's of no use…" Ebner shook his head when he saw her actions. Then, he said to the two ladies behind him solemnly, "I'm going to hold a ritual for Xio to purify those black spots… Oh, please leave for a moment."
Time was of the essence, so he didn't care how suspicious his explanation was.
Jane guessed that there might be some secret that was inconvenient for her to reveal to them, so she glanced at him and didn't ask further. She only nodded and said, "Okay, call me if you need any help."
With that, she opened the bedroom door and walked out.
Fors came to her senses and looked at the black spots that were still spreading on Xio's body. She couldn't think of a solution as her lips quivered. Biting her teeth, she suddenly turned around and left the bedroom with Jane.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Ebner, but the situation reminded her of a similar plot she had once written in her novel. There were always tragic outcomes, the kind that she couldn't even see the last time…
Therefore, she was very worried and afraid.
"Believe in Ebner. He seems to have a high chance." Jane looked at Fors, who was in a daze and patted her shoulder in consolation.
After a short battle, the two of them had some ties.
"Thank you…" Fors barely composed herself and looked at the mysterious hooded lady in front of her. She politely said, "My name is Fors. Fors Wall… Ma'am, how may I address you?"
"Just call me Jane," Jane introduced vaguely, then changed the subject. "Miss Wall, are you the author of Stormwind Mountain Villa?"
Fors didn't hide the truth as she nodded generously. "Yes, have you read my book?"
"That's my favorite novel to read," Jane said excitedly. "Can you give me an additional character?"
"Huh?" Fors wore a blank look, puzzled as to why the mysterious and powerful Miss Jane would suddenly become so friendly.
Just as they were chatting, a female voice suddenly sounded from the stairs. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Fors and Jane were alarmed as they looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a girl in pajamas with an excellent figure walking over with a lamp in one hand and a revolver in the other.
It was Fani who had been woken up by the conversation.
…
In the bedroom, after using his spirituality to seal the room, he leaned toward the bed and pressed Xio's shoulder. He quickly said,
"Do you remember what I said before?
"Quickly use ancient Hermes to recite that honorific name!
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era…"
Xio flipped her eyelids that were pressed down by the black spots, unable to move. Her mind raced with great difficulty, and she only reacted two to three seconds later. Following that, she chanted in a low voice without any hesitation,
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
"The mysterious ruler above the gray fog;
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck…"
Just as she said that Xio was surprised to see crimson starlight surge out of the void and sweep towards her.
Above the gray fog, in the towering palace that looked like a giant's residence.
Seeing Miss Xio finally recite her honorific name and activate the "secret deed" ritual that Mr. Tower had secretly prepared, Klein suddenly felt the entire mysterious space tremble. The motionless grayish-white fog began to flow!
The crimson star representing Miss Xio emitted a tidal-like illusory glow.
Countless beams of light condensed, turning into the blurry figure of Miss Xio. This figure seemed to be bonding with a great existence, allowing her to gain a wonderful Soul Body experience.
However, there were black spots tightly circling the illusory Miss Xio, making her look extremely uneasy.
As the "secret deed" ritual was about to be completed, Klein felt agitated by the "black spots." The grayish-white fog and the mysterious space above it clearly began to ripple with power!
Klein was temporarily unable to combine these powers with his own spirituality to create Beyonder effects that could exorcise evil spirits, but according to the mysticism knowledge recorded in the "Feast of Blood," he had long prepared another method.
Lowering his gaze, Klein's gaze landed on the Fallen Morning Star necklace in his hand.
Following that, he used his spirituality as a whirlpool to draw over the pried power from the mysterious space and directed it towards the necklace like a tidal wave.
The slight tremble above the gray fog became obvious. Specks of pure light intertwined and swept towards Klein, blending with his spirituality.
"Placate!"
"Summoning Holy Light!"
At the same time, Klein activated the two powers contained in the Morning Star of Depravity and transmitted them to Miss Xio through a secret deed.
With the augmentation of the high-level powers, the two powers were essentially close to God's Bestowment.
A few seconds later, he saw the "black spots" on Miss Xio's body and Spirit Body rapidly fade away. However, there were still some ominous marks. Klein hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to pull Miss Xio's Soul Body into the gray fog to perform a thorough "sterilization".
However, before he pulled her up, Klein carefully did a divination.
…
As indescribable beams of light surrounded her, Xio, who was about to lose consciousness, suddenly felt her thoughts turn much clearer. However, before she could think further, she heard a roar.
A second or two later, the terrifying roar vanished. She then saw herself in an ancient and majestic palace, sitting beside a mottled green table. Beneath her feet was an endless grayish-white fog, and in front of her was a towering figure looking down at her.
This scene was both unfamiliar and familiar to her. She had seen it once in a "dream," but it had never appeared again after she found Ebner to exorcise the evil spirit.
That purification was actually useless… He probably knew long ago… He had always believed in this mysterious existence? That's why he didn't feel that nervous when he heard that I had chanted that honorific name…
Or even… That might've been set up by him… I'm so silly. How could I have placed such a precious book of mysticism in my study? I never even suspected that…
So that's how it is. It's no wonder he suddenly knows so much despite being an ordinary public school graduate. It's as if he knows everything! He obtained knowledge here!
However, the Church of Earth Mother seems to think highly of him… Could it be that this mysterious existence known as The Fool is related to Earth Mother?
I wonder if there's a chance of figuring out my father's grievance?
Thoughts suddenly popped up in Xio's mind, but this was clearly not a good time to think. She pursed her lips, stood up, and bowed at the figure shrouded in gray fog.
"Are you… the great King of Yellow and Black?"
"You can directly call me Mr. Fool. Have a seat," Klein smiled and replied calmly.
Xio bowed again and sat down, confirming that she had escaped the state of nearly losing control.
She secretly glanced up and thought.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, what was that black spot?"
How would I know what that is? You're so close to "Tower," so shouldn't you ask him? Although there's no basis, I feel that he definitely knows.
As he lampooned inwardly, Klein said in a calm tone,
"Your spirit and body have been corrupted by some force.
"There's no problem now."
Xio stood up and bowed when she heard that. "Thank you for your help, Honorable Mr. Fool."
"There's no need to thank me. I'm The Fool who likes fair and equal exchange. The Tower has already paid the corresponding price for this," Klein said leisurely.
"Tower? Are you referring to Ebner?" As Xio asked, she was very touched. She couldn't imagine the price that Ebner had paid. After all, the target of the transaction might very well be a deity.
Is it really Detective Ebner Bryan? I've finally confirmed it!
Shrouded in the gray fog, The Fool laughed and nodded gently.
"Yes."