NOTE: Christmas-New Year Sale is coming, offering FLAT 30% Discount on Inheritors and Glitched Plus UItra tiers.
I hope some of you will take advantage of it and support the work, as the next Sale will be around March only.
Also, this Volume is already finished, with many chapters of the next Volume covered as well, in case some of you would like to finish it in one go.
Alright. That's it from me.
Enjoy!
************************
Ask for help?!
Luke's mind shook, as if he hadn't even considered the possibility of it.
To be fair, one couldn't blame him for not asking for help from Mr. Fool. By now, he had guessed that Mr. Fool was in an unusual state, and He might not be able to reply to his prayers on the spot.
Also, Luke couldn't ask the other Tarot Club Members for help, either.
It's been weeks since he had sent a letter to Miss Magician, detailing the strange vision he had during the Astrologer's advancement ritual.
The strange door on the moon still lingered in the back of Luke's mind like a sword over his neck.
But Miss Magician had yet to reply to him.
Not only that, the last time, around a week ago, when Luke had prayed to Mr. Fool, he had received no response, either.
At least, before, he used to see a grand image sitting on a high-back throne above the gray fog.
But even those visions were getting few and far between.
It was also one of the reasons that he had been using Iron Mentor and Trick*Step's help more and more, letting them work on their abilities.
So, when Miss Justice screamed in his mind, Luke couldn't help but doubt that it would help.
[Do Not Doubt Him!] Miss Justice reprimanded. [You are His Blessed, Luke! If you don't have faith in Him, then how will you ever propagate His name in your world?!!]
I am not doubting Mr. Fool, Miss Justice… Luke meekly replied, a touch of redness appearing on his cheeks. It's just…
[Try…] Miss Justice suggested, sighing. [If you don't get a response, then nothing would change, right? So, you must try!]
Luke let out a breath, seeing the bars bending to the extreme in front of him.
A few moments more, and the drone would get enough space to bombard the entire space within the Cell, filling it with syringes. No amount of dodging or mysterious abilities would save him, then.
The Hero costume would save him from hundreds of syringes, as it was impenetrable.
But it would take only one to put him down as well.
[You don't have time for a proper ritual…] Miss Justice worded his thoughts. [But you are an Astrologer now. Use the Crystal Ball. That's an Astrologer's medium to connect to the mysteries…]
Nodding, Luke reached into one of the deep pockets of his coat while carrying Nyx with the other hand.
Then, focusing on his Spirituality as much as he could, as much as he could afford to, Luke chanted Mr. Fool's epithets.
…
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
…
Following that, he briefly explained his precarious situation and requested Mr. Fool's blessing.
Luke wasn't sure an Angel Blessing, powerful enough to counter even Conformity and Singularity's influence, could help him with his current situation.
This was much more real and… solid, if he had put it in words.
Sure enough, a silence lingered between Luke and the Crystal Ball, the sound of the drone banging on the bars and firing syringes giving him a headache.
And just as Luke was about to put away the Crystal Ball…
Just as even Miss Justice had let out a sigh…
It happened.
A flame flickered.
It was as real as it was false, manifesting within the Crystal Ball.
In a fraction of a second, the small flame's light overwhelmed everything, blinding the eyes. Even the drone, which had been relentlessly pounding on the reinforced bars, glitched, experiencing an unusual malfunction.
Just as it had begun, it ended, all the weird phenomenon vanishing like a mirage.
Stupefied, Luke looked at his hand that held the Crystal Ball — and one more object.
It was a small, golden button… flickering as if it was made of fog… but radiating powerful Spirituality.
In his mind, Miss Justice gasped.
What is it?! Luke asked.
[
Wait! I also received the information related to it. Let me pull it up!
…
Sealed Artifact: Judge Button (Grade 2)
Specification: Its powers correspond to Sequence 6 Judge of the Justiciar Pathway. It makes its wearer easily offend people or monsters. One might end up being targeted by a demigod.
Powers:
— Exile: By saying the word "Exile", Blessed can send an overwhelming and invisible force that forces targets out at high speeds
— Confinement: While in a room, Blessed can say this word to make it Sealed, preventing entry or exit
— Death: By saying the word "Death", Blessed will fuse with some sort of strange force, creating an obvious afterimage as they quickly travel to the target to deliver a powerful strike
— Prohibition: By using it, Blessed can formulate rules that Prohibit certain actions or states, forcing everything in a certain range to comply. For Prohibition to activate, Blessed must first describe the Prohibition in any manner that is similar to this: "This place Prohibits the action/use of". Also applicable to actions like Flight, Teleportation, etc.
Warning: Judge Button will dissipate after 5 uses
…
Whoa!!!
Mr. Fool didn't hold back, Luke!
]
Luke was having a hard time not getting impressed himself. Still… Only 5 uses…
[You don't understand!] Miss Justice explained. [This is no ordinary item, Luke. These Items contain Corruption!]
Luke's eyes widened.
Why couldn't he receive ingredients from Mr. Fool for Potions? Because of Corruption!
[It's not the real Judge Button, but… a memory? Yeah, something like that.] Miss Justice continued, still sounding astounded. [Mr. Fool must have channeled an enormous amount of His powers to send it to you. I knew the link between you and the Gray Castle had strengthened after you became an Astrologer.
[Still, the Item lacks a part of a real Judge Button's abilities. I think Mr. Fool put the limitation on uses to keep some core abilities intact… Please make it count, Luke. Hurry!]
This was no time to admire Mr. Fool's godly powers, Luke knew.
With a monstrous BANG, the drone punctured through the bars and pointed the muzzle of the automatic rifle at him, as if daring him to dodge now.
In response, Luke lifted the Judge Button higher, pouring his Spirit Points into it.
********************
AN: Up to 60 more chapters are available in advance across three Tiers. [Use the link in my webnovel profile to access all options]
You can even subscribe Trial Tier for just 1 dollar to have an experience of exclusive chapters for an entire month. I hope a few of you will consider supporting the work.
100 Power Stones/day: +1 Bonus Chapter next day