At Howes Stree, building 62, the building which Lavenous had possibly rented under a false name.
Leonard opened the door and entered the small space for the second time that day- the first time he had inspected this place he had found nothing but his senses were tingling and had made plans to come back here with Klein and use his Seer talents. Alas, Amon had told him to send Klein away for another job- but in return, Amon had also given him a clue for his investigation.
Leonard made his way to the study and saw the wooden bookshelf Amon had told him about.
"Why does he always only give cryptic clues and orders instead of just telling me the information I'm going to find..." Leonard grumbled to no one but himself as he found the mechanism to reveal a hidden compartment a the back.
A letter lay silently in the hidden compartment.
A letter?
Since Leonard did not have his handy Seer next to him he turned to the second best thing he had, "Hey Old man, is this letter dangerous? Like, will it instantly vaporize me if I open it?"
[How the fuck should I know, you damn brat?! You woke me up from my nap!]
"But you're always napping!" Leonard rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe he was missing that damn Amon right now.
You know what, fuck it.
If he was going to die, then so be it. He had had enough of this Marauder Angel drama.
But just as Leonard started to read the letter, his amusement slowly faded away into horror and panic.
"A bomb?" Leonard blinked slowly.
Shit-
He had to report about this!
Amon did not like this at all.
He hated feeling weak.
Amon had never been weak- not until that time the half-sane Mr. Fool had decided to kidnap him from his journey through the starry skies and strip him of everything and force his own delusional version of 'humanity' onto Amon. Yes, he had grown to 'love' Mr. Fool in the meantime- but those days outside of the dreamland and outside the safety of Mr. Fool's comfortable and warm tentacles were not something he ever wanted to endure again.
They say that hardship builds character, and yes, Amon did build his so-called 'character' or whatever that was- but there was no saying that that hardship must be repeated again and again after all that he had already done. His character development was over- there was no need for any more struggles and hardships, he's rather be the side character helping other characters have their own character development and watch from the sidelines than live through that again.
"Ugh."
A warm hand was placed on top of his restless head, "Amon. Be good." Adam said gently.
"You try to be "good"-" Amon mimicked quotation marks with his fingers, "-after almost losing control and becoming a stack of worms and tentacles."
Adam did not respond but made Amon drop his raised hands with his other free hand like placating a child without paying attention to the tantrum. Amon almost rolled his eyes, how did he not see that this bastard was his father the first time around? Was he really that blind and stupid?
Ugh- better not to think about it too much right now or else he might accidentally slip these thoughts out and let Adam catch them.
Ugh. Freaking mind readers. Not Audrey though, she was amazing. Only if she trained her dog to not cover his face with saliva every time he saw her.
Dammit, his mind was floating around a bit too much while Adam was fixing him. Was this what people feel when they're drunk? He had only been drunk one time in the dreamworld with Zhou Mingrui-
"Ugh-!" Amon tried to physically shove his thoughts out of his mind by turning his head and snuggled harder into Adam's lap.
"It's not good to keep playing with beings stronger than you Amon." Adam chided in an even tone- like he was talking about the weather.
"Huh?" Amon scrunched up his face trying to understand his brother's words. The hell was he yapping about?
Wait, did Adam mean his condition?
"Nope, this was all me." Amon would have proudly announced this with a smug grin if he did not feel like spontaneously throwing up all of his spirit worms and extra extraordinary characteristics at this moment. He felt like shit. And what was this nausea and wanting to throw up bit? The last time he was losing control, the symptoms of human cold weren't on the list.
Adam hummed nonchalantly, "How did you do it?"
Amon was almost touched by the fact that his brother had kept his promise and did not extract the information directly from his mind- but then he remembered that just a few seconds ago he was accusing Amon of playing games that had made him end up in this state. How dare he! Whenever Amon played games with other Angels and True Gods- he always won! How dare Adam accuse Amon of losing to those creatures let alone get this hurt?!
"Don't wanna tell ya." Amon's voice came out muffled against Adam's clothes.
"Then I won't be able to help you."
This made Amon's eyebrows rise up in alarm.
"You're not going to treat me?!" He sneered as he got up from his lying position. Was this what Adam was playing at? Tell him everything or else he won't treat Amon?
This fucking Paranoid-
"Let me repeat that properly- I can't treat you," Adam said, not even a single ounce of annoyance or frustration in his calm and gentle face as he pulled Amon back to himself again.
Amon frowned.
Whatever did Adam mean by that? He couldn't treat Amon? But back in the future, his Father was always able to help him whenever he could no longer suppress and control the sequence 0 characteristics inside of him, sometimes Amon even forgot that he had any sort of backlash from so many foreign characteristics from another pathway inside of him.
Of course, he knew that Adam, who was still only a King of Angels at Sequence 1 was much weaker than an entity that was above the sequence and the God Almighty- but Amon had only deduced that it would make the treatment last longer and be more complicated than usual. After all, this was a psychological thing and Adam's sequence basically starts with being able to read and placate other being's mind.
And losing control was exactly that.
Unless this madness was something way out of league for a King of Angel to handle- but in that case Amon would've no way to last that long to clean up after this Qilangos case, talk with Klein, deal with Leonard, and only then search for his brother. He would have been long dead if the madness was that strong.
"I can keep treating the madness, but I cannot remove the source of the madness. My abilities only allow me to treat the effect and not the cause." Adam explained gently, Through the years he had spent with his older brother, Amon knew that there was some sort of worry in his usually impassive and kind blue eyes.
"The source..." Amon repeated.
Was it the Sequence 0 characteristics inside of him? That can't be it- they never gave him any trouble before this at all...
It was only after he used a portion of its abilities that he ended up this way. That was obvious.
Amon was not stupid, he had had a history of stealing powers from other gods and angels and using them for himself before returning them and none of those times led him to this state. Yes, stealing was not the same as ingesting the characteristics, but he and his clones had done a lot of experiments back in the past when he was only a few hundred years or so. Many of those experiments included his unwilling clones ingesting foreign characteristics and using those powers, but none of that coincided with the effects he was feeling right now and what Adam was saying.
"There is an energy inside of you that's trying to burst outside of you which is causing all this," Adam explained when he had Amon's head on his lap again, his hand on Amon's fluffy black hair making sure to keep using Placate. It seemed like even a second he missed using Placate on Amon, Amon would instantly go back to being half-sane and losing control again.
"Of course, I can find the source and treat it accordingly if you allow me to further look into-"
"No way." Amon shook his head defiantly, "There is no way I'm letting my own brother look into my brain and see me having sex with Klein. Unless you're a pervert who likes that sort of thing."
"..."
"Actually, I think I know what is wrong with me," Amon said after a few minutes of silence. What had that guy said about his sequence? That it was more like 'exchange' rather than 'sacrifice'? And what he had done with Qilangos's characteristics... he had simply just used those extraordinary abilities like he used his own Error Pathway abilities... he just 'ate'. That was not an 'exchange'. Even a 'sacrifice' was for some kind of goal if not that's just senseless killing.
"That is?" Adam looked at Amon.
"Give me one of your puppet doll thingies," What was that human saying when you get sick again? Oh right- "I'll get better if I vomit it all out I think~"
"?"
No wonder he was feeling nauseous~!
Kenley died.
Klein did as told and investigated Madam Sharon- and apparently that anonymous person was correct and Klein did indeed find the statue of the Primordial Demoness in Madam Sharon's belongings. After reporting it to Captain Dunn, they used the fact that it was already nighttime and called in Kenley for the mission.
In the end, Kenley was affected by the Spirit Medium's Mirror and subsequently got killed by Madam Sharon.
Then after finally killing Madam Sharon, Klein saw Captain Dunn eating Kenly's remains.
The events that had happened that night had shaken Klein so much that he did not even see Leonard's figure rushing into the Blackthorn Security Company as he was leaving for home until Leonard bumped into him.
"Klein? Are you done with the- nevermind that, this is great actually. Let's go meet Captain Dunn together." Leonard did not even wait for Klein's response and dragged the smaller man back into the building.
"Leonard- about Kenley-" Klein took a deep breath, "He's dead."
"Huh?" Leonard did not even get the time to process that piece of information when a third voice called from behind them.
"Leonard? You're back from your investigation already?" It was Dunn Smith, looking worse for wear, "What is it that you're holding?"
"This? Oh- uh." Leonard paused awkwardly, he did not know how to act after the bombshell that Klein had dropped on him. "I found this letter at Lavenou's hideout- yes, my suspicion was correct. It has some sensitive and dangerous information."
Captain Dunn gave Lenoard a nod before looking at Klein, "Give Leonard a brief rundown of what happened with Madam Sharon while I read the contents of the letter."
"Yes, Captain."
"...So Madam Sharon was a Demoness..." Leonard released a deep breath. Klein had just finished telling him about what had happened during his mission after Leonard had told him about the contents of the letter.
Klein nodded, "A Sequence 6 Demoness of Pleasure."
Leonard looked at Klein, "About Kenly-"
Klein cut him off, "I later saw Captain Dunn eating Kenly's corpse." He quickly confessed, his heart beating fast and rough.
He did not know what to make of this information when he had seen that sight and his first reaction was panic and fear. Was Captain Dunn losing control? Was he giving in to the madness that threatens each and every Beyonder?
Klein did not know who to ask aside from Leonard- he was the only other person at the Captain level aside from Dunn Smith and had almost the same power as the older man and worked independently of him. If something was really up with Captain Dunn like with Old Neil then Leonard was the only one he could report to.
Klein read Leonard's face and he looked a little... complicated.
"Are these signs that he is perhaps losing control...?" Klein asked hesitantly.
Leonard shook his head, "I can at least confirm that's not the case. You're safe, don't worry." Leonard flashed him a smile before he became serious again, "It is not my place to tell you and I'd rather you ask the Captain himself about this and I know he's be glad to share... but with the current situation and the contents of that letter I do not think that a chance will come soon. So let me tell you,"
Klein nodded and leaned in a little closer to listen to Leonard carefully.
"Have you heard of The Laws of Beyonder Characteristics?"
Klein nodded,
"Good, then you must know that Beyonder Characteristics can't be destroyed right? So when someone consumes Beyonder Characteristics, they themself become a 'Beyonder Characteristic'. Thus... eating a Beyonder is akin to eating their Beyonder Characteristics. This is why people continue to advance up the sequence even though many of the original main ingredients for Beyonder potions have long gone extinct."
"So... we eat other people?" Klein suddenly felt the urge to vomit.
Leonard saw Klein's queasy face and chuckled, "Don't worry, your Seuqnece 9 potion was made by Old Neil in front of your eyes using actual ingredients. And even though the Sequence 8 potion was made by yourself, from your surprised reaction I can see that you did not use human beings as ingredients. Think of Beyonder characteristics and beyonders as a triangle, base-down. Lower sequence characteristics and ingredients are at the bottom in abundance while the higher you go the fewer beyonders and ingredients there are- hence there sometimes are cases when there are no more ingredients left of that sequence level and in order to advance you have to use the characteristics of another beyonder to advance. Also, the more characteristics you have the more powerful you become- but it also has a downside that you now have to digest the extra characteristics as well making it risky. It's why Captain Dunn has been a Sequence 7 for so long despite being good at acting without knowing it."
Klein nodded as he understood, "So Captain Dunn did that... to get stronger?"
Leonard sighed, "Kind of... from what I understand of him- It's more like he wants his dead comrades to stay with him always..."
"Oh..." Klein and Leonard sat there in awkward silence for a moment before Klein attempted to break the tension between them, "Well, at least he's not losing control."
Leonard smiled, "Any more questions?"
Klein shook his head, "No."
Leonard nodded and stood up, "I'm sure Captain Dunn has already contacted the Holy Cathedral to send a mysticism expert over and find the location of the altar through the abnormal accumulation of resentment, right now it's a waiting game. Whatever that 'bomb' is, from what it sounds like we still have some time before the 'explosion'. You should go rest, unlike a Sleepless like me, you need actual rest." Leonard placed Klein's hat on his head, "Go home, I'm sure Amon would appreciate someone there to welcome him back when he returns."
"Yes. Want to get some dinner before that? I haven't had anything to eat..."
"Sure, there's this place that's open at night. My treat, since I made my dear junior work so much overtime tonight." Leonard smiled cheekily as they made their way outside the building.
'Ah~! My dear poet... you're the best!' Klein couldn't help but get energized at the prospect of food from someone else's wallet.
As Klein was fantasizing about some sweet iced tea to refresh his soul, someone bumped into him.
This was the second time in this past hour-!
But Klein's anger and frustration was lost when he saw the woman in front of him.
She was a young lady, in her twenties at most. She was in a ruffled hat and loose dress. She had lovely facial features, blonde hair, green eyes, and also a depressed yet silent temperament. She was quite a beauty. The most eye-catching thing about her was her stomach that bulged out. She looked like she was more than seven months pregnant.
Klein was stunned, and he felt that he had seen the young pregnant lady before.
Suddenly, he heard Leonard say in surprise, "Miss Megose?"
The lady who had been impregnated by Lavenous!
Klein looked at her carefully and studied her state. She looked out of breath and a little shaken as if she had run over here. And in the middle of the night at that? She seemed to be really struggling...
Her mental health seems to have worsened… Klein recalled that he hadn't managed to activate his Spirit Vision and check on Megose's situation previously. Hence, he lifted his teeth and was about to tap his left molars.
Just then, a series of thoughts screamed through his head in increasing intensity.
"Don't look!
"Don't look! Don't look!
"You'll die!
"You'll die if you look!
"You'll die if you look!"
Klein stood rooted on the spot like a statue as his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
It was like having a deep and heavy nightmare that he nearly couldn't wake up from.
No wonder he had failed to look at her with his Spirit Vision before- it was his own self saving himself from danger and losing control from looking at what must not be looked at by mere mortals!
Klein looked sideways at Leonard and realized that the Nightmare was also covered in cold sweat, and his eyes were filled with horror.
Suddenly, Klein understood what the bomb Lanevus was referring to!
It's the baby in Megose's stomach!
It's the baby that he left behind!
Klein suddenly associated the description in the letter with Hood Eugen's answers, and he suddenly remembered something that he read in Emperor Roselle's diary.
"I started the Industrial Revolution with my own hands and personally ushered in the Age of Steam and Machinery, but this will only become the hotbed for the descent of an Evil God upon this world?"
Klein started connecting the dots. The black altar in Hood Eugen's memories, to his Psychiatrist abilities, to the tragic world as described in Lanevus's letter. Klein felt like he was close to the truth- Lanevus obtained a ritualistic magic linked to the True Creator from an Aurora Order member. With Hood Eugen's help, he turned Megose into a vessel to gestate a certain power. Then, this power made use of the resentment, oppression, and gloominess surrounding the factories to quickly grow until maturity. In other words, the ritual itself needs this resentment, oppression, and gloominess in order to succeed!
The child in Megos's body was the son of an evil god waiting to descend on the world!
The resentment of child laborers that die before their time... and the factory workers and female workers who live less than ten years...
Klein remembered the black fog of despair and discontent hanging all over Tingen when traversed through the spirit world and felt like what Emperor Roselle had said was really true- this was the ideal condition for the descent of an Evil God upon this land!
It felt as if Klein's entire body was shivering from fear-
You must not look directly at God!
It was alright- they still had time. Megose probably wasn't ready to give birth yet.
He turned and shot a look at Leonard Mitchell, and nodded.
They just needed to call for backup from The Holy Catherdal as soon as possible meanwhile keeping Megos calm and distracted- make sure not to make her- and hence "Him"- threatened till Beyonders who could actually face something of this strength arrive and-
And then they heard a noise- the noise of a baby crying.
Leonard felt his entire being shake. They were not prepared for any kind of fighting- they did not have any sealed artifacts and it was just the two of them against what could be an Evil God, not to mention that not just Klein but even he himself was extremely drained and tired!
Leonard quickly calculated the chances in his mind- but it was still muddled from almost looking at a divine being! Leonard couldn't think-
[Tell the lad to go get the other Captain!]
The Old Man's voice rang in his ear.
[Close your eyes and hold that thing back till they get backup! It is not sacrificing yourself, aside from this- neither you nor the rest of Tingen has any chance to survive!]
[Don't let Amon's lessons go to waste!]
"Klein, get out-!" Leonard pushed Klein behind him- and their eyes met for a split second. That split second was all Klein needed to understand what Leonard wanted to say. Klein did not let his hesitation last and ran right back inside the Blackthorn Security Company.
He needed to evacuate the place, tell Captain Dunn about the situation and somehow retrieve all the sealed artifacts they would need as quickly as possible.
If he was even a little slower-
Leonard will die!