Mr. A did not hesitate in the slightest. He feigned a desperate resistance, then swiftly withdrew and rode the raging wind to escape.
In terms of ability combinations, he was superior to Mr. S.
"Catch up to him!" When Mr. S gave chase, his heart suddenly tightened. His whole body turned cold, and even his blood seemed close to freezing.
He did not dare continue the pursuit, because at that moment, a terrifying enemy was watching him from the shadows.
Such a fear-inducing gaze, he had only ever felt it from Lord Oroboros.
In the end, Mr. A still managed to escape.
Mr. S, having lost the target, did not show much frustration. He was not the only divine envoy sent today to deal with Mr. A, there was also a Saint, a Sequence 4 Beyonder.
The reason the Saint had remained hidden was to observe whether there was anyone backing Mr. A.
Now, the Saint should have already given chase. Mr. S only needed to stay here and wait for news.
After glancing at the partially exposed basement, Mr. S ordered his subordinates to dig it open.
Once they broke through, Mr. S led his people inside. The dark environment posed no obstacle to his vision.
Inside the silent, cold basement, there was only a single empty coffin placed quietly. Nothing else remained.
Just as he stepped forward to inspect the coffin for any clues, it suddenly decayed like a sand coffin, crumbling and turning into ashes.
Mr. S's expression grew more serious. After carefully inspecting the basement and finding no other issues, he left.
Not long after emerging, he saw the Saint who had come with him today, the Saint Tenebrous, return empty-handed.
Even the Saint had lost him?
Mr. S was perceptive enough to understand the situation and wisely remained silent.
"Did you find anything in the basement?" a cold voice came from Kisma.
Mr. S quickly reported everything that had happened.
Kisma snorted, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes. In the end, he suppressed his discomfort, instructed Mr. S to take over Mr. A's role as the person in charge of Backlund, and then turned to leave.
Mr. S respectfully watched him go. As for continuing the hunt for Mr. A, since the Saint did not mention it, it meant the matter was no longer something divine envoys like them could handle.
...
On the other side, Mr. A, having escaped Tamu Town, arrived at a seaside port under the guidance of the divine oracle.
It was time for a long journey. Using his Beyonder abilities, Mr. A easily acquired a ship, driving off everyone except the sailors needed to operate it.
He entered the captain's cabin and respectfully requested the descent of the Lord.
When the passage to the spirit world opened and the Lord's figure appeared, Mr. A finally felt at ease.
Noticing the Lord's gaze on his severed arm, Mr. A's heart warmed. "Please rest assured, my Lord. My injury will recover soon."
Though he appeared severely wounded, as a former Rose Bishop, physical injuries were never truly a problem for him.
Hastur did not speak. He merely looked out the window at the vast sea. Compared to land, staying at sea avoided many unnecessary troubles.
For this vessel of the stars, distance no longer mattered much. The only thing to be careful about was that he could not descend for too long during the day.
Today, upon hearing Mr. A's plea and prayer, he had used a midday nap as an excuse to lie down and descend from the Hall of Stars.
He needed to keep his time outside within two hours to avoid suspicion.
At night, when the starlight shone brightly, that was when this vessel could truly act.
"My Lord, where are we heading?" Mr. A asked softly after his arm had regrown.
He did not quite understand what the Lord meant by "a long journey," but at that moment he had felt a tingling numbness, an inexplicable sense of awe.
Now that they were already at sea, they needed a direction.
"Wherever the eye can see, that is the direction forward."
Mr. A's heart trembled violently. After carefully comparing their current heading, his expression changed drastically.
"My Lord… are we returning to Your divine kingdom?"
Returning to the divine kingdom? That sounded rather interesting.
Hastur replied calmly, "It is time to return to that land once abandoned."
The Forsaken Land of the Gods?
Mr. A's breathing grew dry with excitement. It was said that the Lord's divine kingdom lay there. For years, believers had tried to follow the Lord's gaze back to it, yet none had succeeded.
To enter a divine kingdom, one had to at least be an angel, only such beings were qualified to serve at the Lord's side.
And him… could he have the chance to become such an angel? This journey back to the divine kingdom, this was his pilgrimage.
Was this incarnation of the Lord here to guide him to the divine kingdom in the Forsaken Land?
At the thought, even his heartbeat seemed to stop.
Bearing all sacrifices and infamy, embarking on a distant journey toward the divine kingdom, this was what his limited life was meant to accomplish.
"My Lord, I understand. Your kindness has always guided me." Mr. A murmured inwardly, becoming even more resolute.
Hastur did not stay long. He instructed Mr. A to prepare another suitable coffin, lie inside it, set up some warning measures, and then ended the descent, returning to the Hall of Stars.
In the Hall of Stars, Hastur's gaze swept toward the star representing the True Creator.
There was still no unusual activity, though Oroboros, who had once accompanied Him, was now gone.
Had Oroboros left because of Mr. A's incident?
Hastur was not particularly concerned. Though Oroboros was terrifying, his movements remained within observation.
Shifting his gaze slightly, Hastur looked at the brightest point near that star.
In the scene, Oroboros was crossing the sea.
After observing for a while, Hastur withdrew his gaze.
...
Inside the castle, Hastur stretched and got up from bed. Waiting nearby, Ariella leapt from the table's edge.
He caught it with one hand, held it in his arm, gently stroked its head, and walked out as it purred contentedly.
After waiting for some time, Caius hurried over. Upon receiving permission, he reported on the recent situation of the Red Gloves team stationed at Puning Port.
Puning Port was the one Hastur valued most among the three ports, so many Yellow-Robed monks had disguised themselves as ordinary people to gather information.
The Red Gloves' investigation naturally drew their attention, and the intelligence was passed up to Caius.
Caius had never been the most powerful or prestigious under Madam Lisa, but now he was the closest to Hastur. His authority continued to expand, even Sequence 4 demigods gave him respect.
"My Lord, should we…?" Caius made a throat-cutting gesture.
"For now, observe. They won't find anything," Hastur replied. He had no intention of openly clashing with the Church of the Evernight Goddess just yet.
They could investigate all they wanted, as long as it didn't lead back to him, they would leave safely.
"My Lord, let me go oversee the situation," said Madam Lisa respectfully.
Unlike Caius, she preferred calling him "Divine Envoy" rather than "Count."
"Do as you see fit," Hastur agreed.
"We are merely followers who pursue the shadow of God in the night," Madam Lisa said before leaving.
Caius sighed enviously. "Madam Lisa seems more energetic lately… almost younger."
Hastur only glanced at him without speaking.
Only he knew that Madam Lisa had already advanced to Sequence 2.
Within the Yellow Robe organization, only those who reached the appropriate sequence and achieved merit could learn the next potion formula.
Currently, beneath Madam Lisa, there were six Sequence 4 priests, this was all their high-end combat power.
Unlike other pathways, advancing from Sequence 4 to Sequence 3 was the hardest step.
"Stealing fate" was extremely dangerous, one could easily lose oneself entirely.
According to Caius, more than eight members had already failed at this step.
For an organization barely a century old, such a foundation was terrifying.
Under Madam Lisa's leadership, they had remained low-profile, so few had witnessed the terrifying abilities of this pathway.
The one who succeeded, Cardiff, had stolen the fate of a Sequence 3 from the Moon pathway.
Stealing the fate of a higher-sequence Beyonder, that was the requirement for advancement.
The harder the advancement, the greater the power gained.
If Cardiff had chosen to flee, even Hastur at Sequence 2 might not have been able to stop him.
But unfortunately, he chose a fate of death for himself.