Chapter 47 – Instant Kill
He isn't a Secrets Supplicant? None of the Sequences along that Path can melt into the air like that!
Watching Ning Lu vanish in front of him as if it were nothing, the Tuxedo Clown's state of mind shifted in a subtle way.
The Secret Protectorate had existed since the Fourth Epoch, and thanks to Zaratul's presence and its creed of staying hidden, even its mid- and lower-ranking members knew some Beyonder powers from other Pathways.
Besides, this Tuxedo Clown was a sequence 7—the same Stage as Dunn Smith, the Church of the Night's deacon.
Is he a Shepherd? The Tuxedo Clown felt his eyelid twitch and a swarm of unpleasant thoughts surfaced, instinct urging him to retreat.
But at that moment his thoughts began to slow, and panic flared inside him.
I haven't moved an inch—how could that Puppet control me? I never stepped into its range!
"Actually, I only need a few sentences to make you lose control outright, but if I speak the knowledge tied to the Cosmos here, the ones up there would know an old friend is hopping about on the ground."
Just then Ning Lu's amused voice sounded beside the Tuxedo Clown's ear:
"Know how to kill a Beyonder in an instant? Easy—bring in a higher-Sequence Beyonder of the same Pathway; he'll have no chance to resist."
"There's no higher-Sequence Beyonder of the same Pathway here, but luckily there is a higher-Sequence Beyonder artifact."
But… how… can you… not be… affected… Hearing Ning Lu's voice right behind him, the Tuxedo Clown forced his head around with disbelief, wanting to see where his enemy was.
But his neck turned far too slowly. Smiling, Ning Lu lowered the numbered 2-049 he held, letting the painted wooden face swing toward the Tuxedo Clown.
Of course he wouldn't be affected. Antigonus was half a Fool, and the Fool was one-third Celestial Worthy; when Antigonus passed on his bloodline, the will of Celestial Worthy had already rooted itself inside him.
Although Ning Lu couldn't actively enter Sefirah Castle at this moment, the Sefirah power protecting him was different from Klein's—it shielded him in the real world. And in a certain sense he equaled Celestial Worthy, which happened to resemble Antigonus himself.
Therefore, whether it was Ning Lu's terrifyingly high level of existence or his similarity to Antigonus, both kept 2-049 from trying to control him.
With a clack, the Tuxedo Clown collapsed, falling stiffly like a lifeless Puppet.
Ning Lu turned, met Klein's wide-eyed stare, and in front of him pulled a wisp of gray mist from the air, stuffing 2-049 inside.
Klein gaped. "Ning Lu, didn't you say—"
"Shh, walls have ears." Ning Lu gave him a thin, humorless smile:
"We'll talk next time we share a meal—but I came because I heard your 'voice' above the gray fog. Were you hiding something from me?"
Klein didn't know what to say. Fortunately Ning Lu said nothing more; he simply walked toward Leonard, who was struggling to hide his terror, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"Ning Lu!" Seeing this, Klein grew anxious. Though he too was wary of the mysterious Leonard, they were both Nighthawks. He hurried to Ning Lu's side and said urgently:
"They're my colleagues…"
He had never felt such dreadful pressure from a fellow townsman.
"I can see that—you're all in uniform." Ning Lu waved dismissively:
"I'm not here to fight the Nighthawks; that would ruin us both. But your colleague here is no simple man; I need to warn him about someone who devours Beyonders of the same Pathway."
So Leonard really isn't ordinary?
Wait—same-Pathway devourer… he can't be hiding a second Pathway, can he?
A twin Pathway or a ring-bound old grandpa?
Klein's mouth twitched; he quickly chose to shake Dunn awake. "Captain, Mister L is here."
Dunn opened his eyes to a slit and whispered, "I know. Keep quiet—you did well."
So you've been faking unconsciousness? Klein's face stayed calm, but inside he was stunned:
"He took 2-049."
"Maybe that's part of why he showed up to save you." Dunn's voice was still low:
"We're in no shape to fight; watch and wait. What's he doing now?"
Klein's expression turned odd:
"…Threatening Leonard?"
"?"
"Threatening Leonard."
"Leonard Mitchell." Ning Lu smiled as he addressed the half-seated Leonard:
"Or should I say, Pallez Zoroast? Seeing you haven't fled, I take it He hasn't fully parasitized you."
Saying this, Ning Lu cheerfully drew a monocle from his pocket and fitted it over his left eye.
—In this timeline, without the gray fog of Sefirah Castle to block things, he had no intention of imitating Amon completely.
"…All right, don't run, Pallez." Noting Leonard's shifting expression, Ning Lu spoke casually:
"If I really were Amon, you'd all be wearing monocles by now. I'm not; I only came to give you a message."
As he spoke, the void around him came alive and he vanished from Leonard's sight:
"What's happening in Tingen City is connected to Amon's elder brother—you know what that means."
Watching Ning Lu disappear, Leonard finally drew several ragged breaths. About to speak, he noticed his nearby colleagues watching him.
His mouth twitched; he lowered his voice:
"You all right, old man? What did he mean?"
"Shut up," Pallez replied irritably.