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The wailing souls were scorched to ashes by the crimson flames released from the "Sword of Judgment," and Aaron's figure, standing before the shattered gate of Blackthorn Security Company, was reflected in Ince Zangwill's blue-black single eye.
"Spirit World Travel is forbidden here!"
The moment his gaze met those golden pupils, the Door of the Underworld that had already opened on Ince Zangwill's forehead was forcibly closed by an Invisible Force, and even his perception of the Spirit World was blocked by an even more immense force.
Just then, a shrill shriek, filled with resentment and fury, echoed, like the whimpering of an infant.
Behind Ince Zangwill, the giant cocoon, originally shrouded by countless black threads, silently split open, releasing a viscous, pitch-black "ocean" filled with a corrupted aura.
"Blasphemer!"
Amon? Aaron, who had enveloped the entire Blackthorn Security Company in his "Domain of Judgment," paused, instinctively scanning his surroundings. Upon realizing that the intense hostility was directed at him, he remembered that he had indeed provoked the True Creator recently, so the title "Blasphemer" was quite fitting.
A horribly sharp "Corrupted Language" emanated from that "ocean," and Ince Zangwill felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer.
But this also freed him from his body's rigidity. Taking advantage of the fact that the Offspring of the Evil God, whose state was unknown, had drawn attention, Ince Zangwill clutched the dimmed "0-08" and swiftly wrote on his robe:
"Aaron Weil, who arrived for unknown reasons, stunned Ince Zangwill on the spot, temporarily depriving him of all connection to the Spirit World."
"However, the terrifying evil spirit formed by the resentment of the Offspring of the Evil God's inability to be born successfully helped the fortunate Ince Zangwill evade Aaron Weil's interception."
"The terrifying fluctuations from another battlefield disturbed the corresponding Spirit World in Tingen City, causing unpredictable changes."
"An unknown existence was drawn by the battle, felt great sympathy for Ince Zangwill's plight, and decided to help him, taking him away from the Spirit World!"
Above the ruins, a blood-yellow arm covered in writhing rotten flesh suddenly extended from behind Ince Zangwill, who was wearing a clergyman's black robe!
It grabbed Ince Zangwill's shoulder, intending to drag him into the void, into the chaotic Spirit World.
A cold glint flashed in Aaron's eyes. He did not continue to summon an Angel Projection to keep Ince Zangwill; keeping him was more valuable than killing him, but he still needed to teach him a lesson.
"This sword, once drawn, will surely hit!"
Accompanied by the low, ancient Hermes, the "Sword of Judgment" slashed out. Under the blessing of the "Domain of Judgment," the sword light, seemingly capable of shattering everything, appeared directly in front of Ince Zangwill with an illogical speed and trajectory.
Feeling the deathly aura so close, a frenzy flashed in Ince Zangwill's eyes. He blocked his forehead with the white quill, placed St. Selena's cinerary casket on his chest, and leaned his body actively towards the blood-yellow arm covered in writhing rotten flesh.
A sharp explosion briefly overwhelmed the roaring "Corrupted Language." A blood-stained arm fell to the ground, the lid of the cinerary casket was forcibly shattered, and a heart, already gradually decaying, dropped out with it.
An angry roar sounded. The blood-yellow arm, with three fingers turned to dust, dragged the unconscious Ince Zangwill, who had lost an arm, into a chaotic Spirit World.
Ignoring the fleeing Ince Zangwill, Aaron tilted his head, his eyes instantly blurring, as if stained with a golden color. He saw through the various wicked corruptions interwoven within the corrupted "ocean," locking onto the hidden source.
Leaning forward, Aaron raised the "Sword of Judgment" and once again declared in the ancient Hermes:
"Movement is forbidden here!"
"The corrupted shall be judged!"
Amidst a wailing sound, an invisible and immense power layered upon itself. A single swing of the sword directly split the dark "ocean" in two, revealing an infant-like creature with seemingly three faces, oozing foul, viscous fluid.
A slow-wriggling, somewhat ethereal umbilical cord connected to an unknown place at one end, and to the pitch-black infant at the other, which continuously uttered "Corrupted Language" in an attempt to resist the "Domain of Judgment."
The brilliant sword light shattered, and more than half of the corrupted ocean evaporated. The terrifying infant rapidly expanded under the nourishment of the umbilical cord, instantly transforming into a giant two to three meters tall, covered entirely in cold, black armor.
Two shadow-shrouded heads, one young and one old, grew from its shoulders, flanking the grotesque infant head in the middle. It raised its long arms, wielding "Spirit-Flesh Blades" capable of corroding flesh and blood and annihilating souls.
As one of the core Beyonder abilities originating from the "Corruption" domain, it could nullify the defenses of any creature with corrupted intentions.
Having been forcibly brought into existence by resentment, it had not devoured or herded powerful souls. This was a deliberate act by Ince Zangwill, who had worried about things spiraling out of control, even though the True Creator's blessing had granted it a demigod-level status, it was unable to cast the most terrifying "Grazing" ability of the Secrets Supplicant Pathway.
Through the "Eye of Insight" granted by the "Domain of Judgment," Aaron immediately discerned the creature's true nature. If he had originally only intended to prevent the Offspring of the Evil God from further damaging the Church of the Evernight, he now coveted the creature's "Corrupted Language."
"If I kill this guy, the decrees I pronounce in the future will carry the effect of 'Corrupted Language'...." This thought flashed through his mind. Aaron directly mobilized the Nation of Disorder, his golden pupils growing even more intense as he looked at the umbilical cord connecting to the unknown place, and directly declared:
"Death!"
As the umbilical cord snapped, in a trance, Aaron seemed to see a cold eye hidden behind a curtain. Even with the blessing of the Nation of Disorder, and being infinitely close to an Angel in the real world, a layer of viscous black liquid still appeared on Aaron's body.
A brilliant "Sun" rose. Aaron, with the "Sword of Judgment" in his left hand and the "Staff of Sun-Chasing" in his right, watched as the black-armored three-headed Monster continuously tore itself apart and reformed, finally turning to dust and vanishing.
He beckoned, drawing the remaining "Evil God Umbilical Cord" from the ashes. Aaron directly sealed it. After dealing with it, he connected to the Nation of Disorder, and with the aid of the "Staff of Sun-Chasing," Aaron expelled the corruption that had invaded his body.
He did not lift the "Domain of Judgment." With a slight thought, Klein, Leonard, and Dunn appeared directly before him. A "Stone of Life" radiating intense vitality flew out of the large hole in Dunn's chest, and his barely sustained vitality rapidly dissipated.
Aaron casually put Dunn's heart, which he had recovered from Ince Zangwill, back into his chest. Then he kicked the unconscious Leonard, urging him exasperatedly:
"Old man, stop playing dead. Do you think that guy won't find you?"
"If you keep slacking off, I'll just throw you to Amon. Hurry up and get to work!"
After a few seconds of silence, an old sigh sounded, filled with helplessness:
"The last time I helped you in the Fog Sea, my accumulated power was already almost depleted, and besides...."
Before he could finish, a rectangular, "diamond"-shaped charm was thrown directly onto Leonard's forehead. One could seemingly see layers of complex symbols extending into the void from the constantly refracting light; it was the "Yesterday Reappears" charm!
Watching the charm silently disappear, Aaron directly took out the custom-made "Dunn Smith" from his spatial pocket and placed it beside Dunn, whose vitality was about to cease.
A colossal, ancient and mottled clock phantom emerged, and the ethereal long river entwined around it rippled, enveloping the two "Dunns." The large hole in the chest of the real Dunn mysteriously vanished, and his vitality reappeared, while the other body almost perfectly replicated the original death state, its heart falling out and losing all vitality.
The clock phantom dissipated, and an aged voice spoke with a hint of incomprehension:
"That Stone of Life just now could have completely revived him. Why did you still make me perform a fate transplantation?"
"Are you trying to help him complete the Undying advancement ritual?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect you to be so generous."
Glancing at the unconscious Leonard lying on the ground, Aaron curled his lips slightly:
"What do you know? This is sentiment. I'm paying for sentiment, it's none of your business."
"And this only gives him a chance. Whether he can truly achieve Undying still depends on his advancement over the next period of time."
Looking at Dunn, who was breathing steadily as if asleep, Aaron stroked his chin and asked:
"How long can you maintain this level of fate transplantation?"
Not understanding what Aaron meant by sentiment, Pallez was silent for a few seconds, then replied:
"He is currently only Sequence 7. In my current state, I can maintain it for one year. So, within one year, he must reach the level sufficient to consume the Undying Beyonder characteristic."
"Otherwise, all your previous efforts will be in vain. He will completely become a Luckless One, losing all connection to the real world, and slowly die. That Stone of Life won't be able to save him either."
-----------------
In Empress Borough, Backlund, at Duke Negan's mansion, a grand ball was underway.
It was divided into two sections: a ballroom on the ground floor, paved with ornate flagstones carved with intricate patterns, with the Duke's excellent band in the corner.
Up the stairs from the ballroom was a circular gallery on the second floor, where guests from different factions held wine glasses, standing by the railing, overlooking the dancing below, similar to watching a fencing match from a viewing stand.
Regardless of whether the New Party and Conservative Party were at loggerheads in Parliament, Duke Negan, as a true great noble of Loen, still smiled and raised his glass to Earl Hall nearby.
This generation's Duke Negan, Pallas, dressed in a dark blue admiral's uniform, set down his crystal-polished cup, took a sip of the blood-red Aurmir wine, and said to his secretary beside him:
"After the banquet, please invite Earl Hall separately. I want to discuss raising factory workers' wages, improving their working hours, and revising the Poor Law with him. These are all motions he has been strongly pushing recently."
"When inviting him, you can first hint to Earl Hall about the matters I wish to discuss. My Negan family must get a share of the interests in the Southern Continent."
Swish, swish, swish. The secretary beside him quickly recorded Duke Negan's instructions. From MI9, and already at Sequence 5, he was Duke Negan's most trusted confidant.
The other person accompanying him was a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat, with brown hair and blue eyes, and little expression. He was the Beyonder guard provided by the Church of the Lord of Storms, a Sequence 6 Wind-Blessed.
Earl Hall, at another center of guests, skillfully dealt with the enthusiastic people. Just then, a man in a black suit, clearly unaccustomed to such social occasions, approached and whispered into Earl Hall's ear:
"Earl, something has happened in Tingen. Archbishop Anthony needs to handle it personally. The 'Admiral of Hurricanes' you mentioned earlier has not been found yet. For your and your wife's safety, I suggest you return to your mansion first."
Earl Hall subtly nodded, his expression unchanged as he extricated himself from the surrounding guests. Just as he was about to quietly inquire what had happened in Tingen that required Archbishop Anthony's personal presence, a sharp cry suddenly echoed through the banquet hall:
"You are not Gramir! Who exactly are you?"
Instinctively looking in the direction of the voice, Earl Hall's pupils slightly contracted. In front of Duke Negan appeared a man in his thirties with a distinctive wide jaw and dark green eyes.
With Audrey's reminder from the Southern Continent, Earl Hall, who had already seen related wanted posters, instantly recognized him: it was none other than "Admiral of Hurricanes" Qilangos!
Looking at Duke Negan, who had almost instantly broken free from the Nightmare, Qilangos glanced with slight surprise at the small conch tightly clutched in Duke Negan's hand, and responded hoarsely:
"Dead men don't need to know!"
As he spoke, the black glove on his left palm suddenly writhed as if alive, and a layer of dark golden, fine scales appeared on its surface.
Qilangos revealed a cruel, pleased expression, and his dark green eyes turned pale golden, emotionless vertical pupils.
Duke Negan felt a buzzing in his mind, but being someone who also wielded spirituality, he still blew into the small conch filled with strange patterns.
Whoosh!
A low tide sound spread out, rushing quickly towards the Holy Wind Cathedral.
A bad premonition arose in his heart, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. An invisible wave swept outwards.
Gentlemen and ladies alike simultaneously fell into uncontrollable fear. They left their hiding places and ran aimlessly everywhere, and the scene instantly became exceptionally chaotic.
This made the Beyonders hesitate to act rashly, fearing they might harm relatives and friends.
Seizing this opportunity, Qilangos's figure quietly appeared behind Duke Negan, his dark, cold eyes locked onto the target.
His right fist, enveloped by rapidly swirling gale, stabbed like a blade towards the target's back.
Flesh and blood splattered. Looking at the still-beating heart in his hand, Qilangos sneered. Having succeeded in one blow, he did not linger. Hurricanes swirled around him, and he ran at high speed, crashing through a lounge door and a bay window.
Amidst crashing sounds, he lunged outside the house, and with the blessing of the wind, he actually flew a considerable distance, flying out of Duke Negan's mansion.
From shedding his Faceless disguise, ambushing and severely injuring Duke Negan's Guardian, to killing the Grand Duke, Qilangos took less than 3 minutes.
This was the combination he had finally settled on after seven or eight years of adjustment, constantly changing the souls herded by "Creeping Hunger." Their abilities complemented each other, making Qilangos appear quite terrifying.
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