Ness, the Warlock, was making good progress. He was about to strip away the Monster's flesh layer by layer, completely suppressing it, when Caesar suddenly spoke, telling Klein and the others to step back.
His eyes, those of a Secrets Suppliant, saw clearly. The Warlock's actions were indeed grand and effective. However, as the surface curses were removed, deeper things were revealed. A certain degenerate, evil black aura was entrenched within the body, and even the light from the Warlock's powder couldn't conceal it.
As the flesh was consumed, a faint human shape emerged, and the Darkness was already on the verge of bursting forth.
But the others couldn't see it. They only saw that Ness's ability was truly working. The Nighthawks of Enmat Harbor rejoiced, hoping that this sole clue would provide them a chance to solve the case.
Leonard and Klein heard Caesar's quiet warning, looked at him in surprise, then followed his lead, stepping back and shielding the others in front of them.
"Hoo."
With the last bit of powder sprinkled, the Monster became completely still, transforming into a humanoid shape prostrate on the ground. Ness exhaled and said gravely, "The fleshy distortion has been removed by me, but its life won't last much longer. You'd best investigate it quickly, whether through spiritualism or divination."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Ness, I'll—"
Edward's smiling words hadn't even finished when the Monster, which had been quietly lying on the ground, suddenly began to move!
"Roar——"
It raised its head, and a sharp, ear-piercing roar erupted from its bloody, tattered mouth, like a knife plunging fiercely into one's soul!
"Buzz!"
Even though Caesar was prepared, his mind still trembled. Fortunately, the illusory tide had already resonated, blocking most of the damage. But the others weren't so lucky; they all covered their ears in pain, and several low-Sequence Beyonders fainted directly to the ground.
"This is impossible!"
Ness was the closest, and blood seeped from his ears. Just as his hand reached into his satchel, he saw the Monster move again. It opened its mouth wide and spewed out a pure black aura.
The aura ignited upon contact with the air, transforming into a ball of black flame.
"Boom!"
The flames, as if alive, lunged at everyone present, especially Ness and Edward at the front. The powder Ness had thrown hadn't even been lit by the ritual seal when the flames already engulfed his hand, burning fiercely and scorching his flesh.
"Ah ah ah! This is a Demoness's curse!"
Ness screamed in agony. He had thought the opponent was merely corrupted by Flesh Magic, but who would have expected another malicious curse hidden within? He had no preparation for such a countermeasure, and now his crucial hands were injured, preventing him from casting ritual seals.
The Monster continued to shriek, its flesh gradually returning to crimson, and its curse-laden cries seemed filled with mockery.
The scene was chaotic. The Nighthawks dodged the black flames, and occasionally someone would be hit, letting out cries of pain, making the situation increasingly difficult to control.
Amidst the crowd, Ms. Daly was surrounded by invisible spirits, protecting the Nighthawks around her. Several black flames also flew toward Caesar and the others. He stopped Leonard, drew a silver dagger, slashed his hand, and chanted, flicking a few drops of blood onto the ground in front of him. The black flames then changed direction, lunging at the bloodstains on the ground.
"Did you know this would happen all along?"
Amidst the clamor, Leonard leaned into Caesar's ear and chuckled softly.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Caesar looked at him and shook his head.
"Enough!"
A furious roar overpowered the other sounds. Edward's black overcoat began to twitch, as if something was hidden within, and invisible ripples began to spread. The Monster, shrieking and emitting black flames, was brushed by these ripples, stopped moving, lowered its twisted, hideous head, and fell into a slumber.
He pulled a black iron revolver from his bag, pressed it against the Monster's head, his expression furious, but in the end, he didn't pull the trigger. Instead, he sealed it in a cage.
He was a Sequence 6 Nighthawk, after all, capable of making such a Monster sleep.
Caesar thought to himself.
Seeing that the situation was gradually brought under control, Caesar picked up the ritual silver knife and continued as before, leaving blood next to each person burned by the black flames. Thus, those inextinguishable black curse flames were drawn to his blood, leaving the human bodies and falling into it.
By the time he completed a round, everyone was saved. Ness, who was burned the most severely, had exposed white bones on his right arm and had fallen into a deep coma. Edward's previously neatly combed hair was disheveled. He slowly surveyed the scene, his face turning ashen.
He seemed to have messed up.
"Captain Edward, are you alright?"
Caesar approached him politely. His clear and charming blue eyes were filled with sincerity and concern, looking directly into Edward's eyes. "What a disaster, it's truly unfortunate. Thankfully, no one sacrificed their life because of this."
Then he happily watched as the other party's eyebrows twitched violently, and his chest heaved repeatedly.
"Save the people first!"
Edward suppressed his anger, turned away from him, and called upon the Nighthawks present to organize the rescue.
After about half an hour, the chaos in front of Chanis Gate finally ended. In total, one person was seriously injured, three Nighthawks were lightly injured, and the three Nighthawks from Tingen City were unharmed. The seriously injured person was Ness Brown, a Sequence 7 of the Machinery Hivemind, the external aid invited by Edward.
Edward stood in front of Chanis Gate, his face terribly gloomy. Behind him, the Monster in the birdcage was still sleeping. The incident was not only unresolved but had also brought greater trouble, so his mood was understandable.
Everyone was busy, and no one dared to speak to him, but everyone had a thought—if they hadn't invited this Mystery Pryer back then, would the outcome have been different?
After all, the Secrets Suppliant from Tingen had just effortlessly removed the black flames of the Demoness's curse and seemed to have more solutions for similar problems.
Ms. Daly sensed the atmosphere of the crowd, thought for a moment, then walked up to Edward and whispered:
"Captain Edward, since things have come to this, it's better to make a decision quickly. The longer it drags on, the more unfavorable it will be for solving the case, and your reputation at the cathedral will also decline further."
She meant for Edward to ask Caesar for help and resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Hearing her, Edward's face couldn't help but twitch slightly. He knew Daly was right, but that would mean everything he had done before was just asking for trouble.
After hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth, walked in front of Caesar and the others, and forced a smile.
"It seems my judgment was wrong. This time, I still need the help of everyone from Tingen. Please."
"Eh?"
Caesar showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, shyly saying, "But I only know that kind of degenerate ritual. Doing it like this in front of the sacred Chanis Gate, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
"Pfft——"
Leonard, standing nearby, forcibly held back his laughter, and a rush of air escaped, making his lips emit a strange sound, like braking.