Klein, who was hiding in the shadows, felt his heart tighten before he calmed down. He wasn't alarmed at all.
This was because he was certain that the figure reflected by the gilded disc's smooth surface wasn't him. At the very least, it wasn't the real him!
If it was really him, Winner Enzo would still see the gray fog and the strange scene that resembled a Mythical Creature. This would cause Klein to faint on the spot!
Since I'm completely fine, it means that the one in the mirror isn't me … As Klein activated his Spirit Body Threads vision, he controlled Winner Enzo to approach the collapsed pale-white pillar and the shattered ancient house with the Word of the Sea in hand. He also secretly released a portion of his luck.
The dark-skinned marionette walked to the front of the gilded disc, bent down with his cane, picked it up, and carefully examined it.
The disc was split into two layers. The core was as smooth as a mirror with very few patterns. The edges were engraved with bird-like creatures, giving it an ancient and gorgeous vibe.
The image it reflected remained unchanged. It was clearly aimed at Enzo, but what appeared was the gloomy, pale, and lifeless Klein. Even the Sea God Scepter and the Tyrant card's trident and papal robe weren't missing. If it wasn't for the lack of information related to the gray fog, Klein would've definitely imagined that the disc could directly influence him through his marionette and Spirit Body Threads. Or perhaps, it would be like what happened to the Saint of Darkness in the ruins of the battle of the gods, where he had unknowingly split into another version of himself.
What does this mean … Klein unhurriedly grew out of the shadows and restored his appearance when he first entered Calderón City. Then, using the Beyonder powers of a Clown, he reflected his present state in his mind.
He held a white bone scepter embedded with blue gems, and he wore a papal robe with a cape. On his head was a trident adorned with different "jewels." His face was hidden in the corresponding shadows, appearing rather blurry. His overall bearing was gloomy and decaying, as though he was a zombie that had just been dug out of a cemetery!
This … Klein was alarmed. He never expected that his body would really change. The gilded disc was reflecting him, apart from the lack of the gray fog's fusion with reality!
It doesn't involve the gray fog, so it's not a big deal … He hurriedly consoled himself to calm down.
Normally speaking, with Klein's rich experience and excellent self-control abilities, there was no need for him to do so. However, firstly, he considered the fact that he was holding the Sea God Scepter. It made him easily irritable, so he had to be careful at all times. Secondly, he knew that this was once the divine kingdom of Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace. It had left behind all sorts of strange arrangements for her resurrection, so it was inevitable that he was more nervous than anywhere else.
After controlling Admiral Hell Ludwell to return and using his Beyonder powers to inspect himself, Klein made a preliminary judgment.
When living beings enter Calderón City, they will naturally transform into the dead. This is similar to the Underworld, but there's a fundamental difference. Here, living creatures won't suddenly die and slowly become undead creatures without the ability to think. Instead, they will directly become undead.
I didn't notice this because Enzo and Ludwell are essentially dead. There's no need for them to transform … Arrodes and Red Light Aiur Moria didn't mention this because the Traveler, spirit world creature, and angel who left alive would naturally return to their normal state after leaving? This transformation isn't able to affect the gray fog's fusion with reality. And the disc only reflects me as a dead person, not all of me. Or is it the me that has interacted with Calderón City? Klein was more inclined to the latter theory, but he wasn't certain.
At this moment, a voice sounded nearby.
Clang!
Clang! Clang!
The sound was heavy and crisp, as though someone was striking metal.
Klein wasn't in a rush to react. He listened carefully for two seconds before making Winner Enzo put down the heavy gilded disc and walk to a broken tombstone not far away.
The broken tombstone corresponded to a building that developed underground. On it were the words written in the Language of the Dead:
"… A fellow who is easily angered. He died because he used his brain to compete with the hardness of a hammer."
Winner Enzo circled around the broken tombstone and arrived at the entrance of the mausoleum-like building. He reached out his left palm, twisted the handle, and forcefully pulled open the door.
Amidst the cracking sounds of rust, the heavy door slowly opened. Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows condensed from pale-white light flew out!
They brushed past Enzo's face, head, torso, and inner thighs before flying into the distance, stabbing into the ground and vanishing. As for the Winner, he was completely unharmed.
… I have to say that such a marionette is truly a divine artifact for adventuring … Klein sighed from the bottom of his heart as he made Enzo cast his gaze at the building below.
It was a blacksmith shop. A giant with bluish-black skin and a head that resembled a smashed watermelon was holding a sledgehammer. He was constantly striking a chopping board, but there was nothing on it.
This was because the giant's Spirit Body Threads were normal and didn't belong to someone else's soul avatar. Klein secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to make Enzo take a closer look, his body suddenly turned numb as his thoughts slowed down.
He had experienced such a feeling before. Back when he was under the influence of Sealed Artifact 2-049 in Tingen City, he had experienced a similar state!
In the past, Klein wasn't aware of the nature of it. Only after becoming a Marionettist did he realize that it meant that his Spirit Body Threads were being controlled by a Sealed Artifact!
This also meant that his Spirit Body Threads were being controlled by someone!
Furthermore, what was different from the past was that not only were his joints "rusted," as though someone had filled them with glue, but he also felt an intense numbness as though he had been struck by lightning. It made it even more difficult for him to move.
No good … It's a Spirit World Plunderer … I was wary … of it using a soul avatar … to divert my attention … and secretly approach … But I never expected … that apart from a soul avatar … it also has … a collaborator … That … giant … blacksmith … made me … careless … And the marionette's … existence … made me … ignore … my own … safety … All sorts of thoughts uncontrollably emerged in Klein's mind, interfering with his normal thoughts of saving himself.
At this moment, the giant blacksmith, whose head had cracked open, raised his sledgehammer and took a step forward, charging at Enzo in a bid to smash him into meat paste. As for Klein's neck, a cold wind seemed to blow at him, causing his hair to stand on end.
In the originally abnormally quiet surroundings, one strange creature after another surged out from the pale-white stone pillars, from the shattered houses, and from the tombstones.
Some of them only had their upper bodies, while others were so transparent that they were nearly invisible. Some were stretched and soft like noodles. Some had their chests and abdomens split open, with their organs dripping with blood. Some had dark green faces like evil spirits. Some had eyes on every part of their bodies, while others were like jellyfish that lived in the air.
Countless gazes were cast at Klein from different directions. They were emotionless and indifferent.
At this moment, Klein opened his mouth with great difficulty as he slowly and dryly spat out a word:
"Sing …"
Before he finished speaking, a mouth had already split open on the glove on his left hand, revealing his ghastly white teeth.
"Praise You!
"The Lord that created everything;
"The ruler behind the shadow curtain;
"The depraved nature of all living beings!"
Amidst this sharp voice that sounded like fingernails sliding across a blackboard, Word of the Sea, which had just tripped Winner Enzo and allowed him to dodge the sledgehammer's heavy strike, spewed out bubbles in excitement.
"Rush! Rush! Rush! "
Klein's head suddenly hurt as his thoughts returned to normal. He no longer felt sluggish.
However, his body remained "rusty," filled with a feeling of numbness.
Right on the heels of that, the motionless him relied on his spirituality to control Ludwell, who had returned to his side, to throw his left fist at him.
Bang!
Klein staggered a step back, instantly extricating himself from his sluggish state.
Then, wearing the papal tiara, his head heated up as he unfurled the cape behind his papal robe and raised the Sea God Scepter.
Blue gems lit up one after another, and dazzling silver-white lightning bolts fell from the sky one after another.
These bolts of lightning spread out their "branches," enveloping the outer regions of Calderón City within a forest of lightning. The aura of destruction and the feeling of destruction seemed corporeal!
The strange creatures that rushed out from all over the place were shattered, evaporated, and completely disappeared in the silver whiteness.
Just as the rampaging silver storm calmed down, the Sea God Scepter in Tyrant Klein's hand emitted a blinding light once again.
The tyrannical lightning snakes twisted and entangled before descending once more like huge waves, wave after wave.
After releasing Lightning Storm twice in a row, Klein was a lot more exhausted, but he also regained his calm.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat as he recalled something.
Lightning Storm was an area-of-effect attack. It didn't distinguish between friend and foe. Apart from him, who held the Sea God Scepter, and his companions beside him, everything else would suffer a destructive blow!
This also meant that Admiral Hell Ludwell was still fine, but Enzo had likely been "eliminated."
Klein instinctively looked over and saw Winner Enzo curled up beside the half-broken tombstone. Behind him was a metal sledgehammer that was still flowing with tiny bolts of lightning. Not far from the sledgehammer were two charred toes that didn't look human.
The tomb that corresponded to the tombstone had mostly collapsed. The iron-black chopping board that had fallen to the ground also had remnants of silver lightning sizzling.
… He didn't even die. As expected of a Winner. The accumulated luck must've been passively expended … Klein felt relieved as he used his Spirit Body Threads vision to observe his surroundings.
He was searching for the Spirit World Plunderer!
He believed that the Spirit World Plunderer's control of Spirit Body Threads couldn't compare to Lightning Storm's range!
The surrounding buildings, which had already collapsed and decayed, were now almost razed to the ground. The remaining stones and bones were mostly charred black, and even the heavy Gilded Disc was broken into pieces.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from a pile of rubble about a hundred meters to Klein's side.
It was a translucent white robe. It didn't have a head or limbs, as though it was being propped up by an invisible person.
At that moment, its appearance was in tatters. It was covered in cracks and black scars, making it look rather pathetic.
This is a Spirit World Plunderer, right … My rash and impulsive Lightning Storm combo seems to be quite effective against it … Upon seeing this scene, a baffling thought flashed through Klein's mind.
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