Chapter 731: Purpose

When recognizing who Perle was, Francia had already vanished, planning to circle around to her side, use a mirror to reveal her figure, and attempt a curse.

Even if the curse failed, it could create conditions for Jiana's shadow stealth to approach from behind and strike.

Neither she nor Jiana thought as much as Lumian, the "Conspirator," did—they simply instinctively felt Perle's sudden attack was extremely dangerous, more dangerous than Moran Avini, but never suspected her identity as a "Supervisor" approaching a demi-god.

As Perle spoke those words with "Words of Order," Francia suddenly felt slender, snake-like entities surge from the shadows, surrounding her in her hidden state.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—sharp, rigid ice spikes erupted from the ground like spears thrust by soldiers.

Francia leapt hastily, pressing one hand against the side of an ice spike and rolling midair to escape the area.

Her body nearly pierced, hanging from the tip of an ice spike.

Before Francia could land, black flames erupted from the shadows, racing toward her, while the slender, snake-like entities contracted violently, binding her in countless layers.

This… Francia had no time for any other response—she could only watch helplessly as the black flames struck her.

At the same time, she saw a figure emerge from the shadows: Clarisse, dressed in a black court gown with an elegant coiffure, but this "Black Witch" had a blurred face, her features shrouded in darkness, unlike a real person.

My sin is deception, trickery, exploiting others—this primarily refers to the Witch Cult, so the punishment comes from the illusory "Black Witch"? Francia's mind flashed this thought.

Her body shattered like glass.

"Mirror Double!"

Jiana, in stealth mode, also faced a strange enemy:

It was a clergyman of the "Eternal Sun" Church, clad in a white robe edged with gold thread, but his features were indistinct, unrecognizable, and his physique subtly, constantly shifted.

Intense sunlight descended, clearing all shadows from the area, exposing Jiana's body.

Jiana suddenly understood:

My sin is worshipping multiple deities, betraying the "Eternal Sun"…

So, the one punishing me is the abstract embodiment of the Church clergy…

Jiana rolled swiftly toward the other side of the quarry hollow to evade the "clergyman's" attack.

Anthony was not forgotten.

He had been preparing to use "Psychological Invisibility" to approach Perle and plunge her into "Madness," when he saw a whip lashing toward him, wrapped in silver-white lightning.

Crackling sounds erupted directly in Anthony's mind—both illusory and real—making him feel as if his soul had been slashed by sharp needles; every hair on his body stood on end.

Had his self-control been weaker, he would have screamed.

What entered his vision was a middle-aged man dressed in a black uniform and white shirt, styled as a Trier police officer.

My sin is the illegal acts I committed as an information broker, so I face Trier's police? Most Trier police have no extraordinary power—so this punisher directly manifests the "Arbiter" domain's ability? Anthony, as he caused gray-white dragon scales to protrude from his skin, skillfully ran and rolled, seeking an opening to use "Psychological Invisibility."

The already dim surroundings around Lumian suddenly grew oppressive, as if something was about to writhe into form, filling him with primal dread.

The next instant, just as that dangerous, terrifying thing was about to emerge, it collapsed and disintegrated on its own, along with the oppressive feeling and fear, melting away like snow.

Huh… the punisher tied to my sin is too high in rank to manifest directly? Combining this with Francia and others' situations, Lumian formed this hypothesis.

Behind him, spears of blazing white flame coalesced, shooting like arrows toward the flamboyantly dressed Perle.

The spears of flame stood thick and fierce, a dazzling cover for Lumian's true attack.

He had already drawn his revolver and lightly flicked the cylinder.

Inside were three of the six bullets he obtained from Yebusi.

Lumian was about to use "Implosion Bullets."

Only with these special bullets combined with his "Harvest" ability did he have even a sliver of hope to wound the suspected "Supervisor," Perle!

Bang!

In Lumian's iron-black eyes, a bullet shimmering with brilliant starlight slipped between the blazing white flame spears, streaking toward Perle's neck.

Perle stood beside the fixed entrance to the mirror world, not dodging, still smiling with an approachable warmth.

She curled her lips and said:

"You dare attack a Supervisor?"

The moment this self-proclaimed Supervisor, the socialite, uttered her first word, Lumian's starlit bullet abruptly reversed direction, without warning, hurtling straight toward Lumian's own neck.

Similarly, all the blazing white flame spears inexplicably returned to Lumian's side, engulfing him.

Lumian had no time to use "Teleport"—he was struck by the implosion bullet, his body collapsing inward toward a single point.

Crack!

He turned entirely into a mirror, which shattered into countless fragments, vanishing without trace at the point of convergence.

After fighting Yebusi, Francia had given Lumian another "Mirror Double"!

Seeing this, Perle was unsurprised; she sighed and smiled:

"From my own perspective, I'd certainly prefer you die now, releasing that angel—it would greatly aid our shared cause—but unfortunately, the one who made the 'black box deal' with me demands you alive."

Lumian's figure materialized in a corner of the quarry hollow, hearing Perle's words.

In a flash, he formed numerous hypotheses:

"'Black box deal'?"

"Perle is Yebusi's direct 'Supervisor'—she escaped pursuit by the Major Arcana because she completed another high-tier 'black box deal,' and in return, she must capture me and deliver me somewhere?"

"When did she learn Moran Avini was in trouble? Had she been monitoring Moran Avini's mansion? Or did she receive intelligence through another channel?"

"Surely not because the 'Purifiers' were unprofessional and failed to seal the news?"

"Why capture me alive? Who wants me alive?"

"Like Su Shanna Ma Disi, as a sacrifice?"

"Or is the one who made the 'black box deal' with Perle the 'Sufferer' of the 'Sinner' organization, who doesn't want Thelmpelos to escape his seal, hoping to control this angel and use him as material for his own advancement?"

"No—if it were merely the 'Sufferer,' even if he could mislead the 'Magician' and others temporarily, he couldn't prevent their return to rescue, yet Perle remains calm…"

"Is the other party in the 'black box deal' the 'Desire Mother Tree' or the 'Great Mother'? Only they could organize a force against the Major Arcana in this world…"

As these questions flooded Lumian's mind, his "Conspirator" intuition linked two of them:

One: Who is Perle, the "Supervisor," making the 'black box deal' with? Two: How did she learn of Moran Avini's trouble so quickly and immediately initiate a high-tier 'black box deal'?

These two questions intertwined, instantly leading Lumian to one realization:

Among the 'Purifiers,' there was a non-transmigrant core member of the 'April Fools'—he collaborated with 'Loki' and masterminded the loss of the humanoid seal object, yet even today, the 'Eternal Sun' Church has not uncovered who was responsible!

"Could the 'Broker' have a hand in this?"

"Yes—only a core 'April Fools' member embedded in the Church and a 'Purifier' who lost the humanoid seal object, who have no visible connection and may not even know each other, could explain why the 'Eternal Sun' Church, with its countless seals and demi-gods, has found nothing after so long!"

"From the 'Eternal Sun' Church's view, the 'Purifier' who lost the seal object truly seemed to have merely made a momentary 'mistake'—no motive, no link to the 'April Fools'…"

"Has the 'School of Truth' infiltrated the 'Eternal Sun' Church with its 'Brokerage' operations?"

"Of course—only the 'Shadowless' avoid gray deals, and most 'Purifiers' never reach Rank 4; likewise, not all cardinals are of the 'Sun' Path…"

"Thus, the 'School of Truth' has long been connected and cooperating with the 'April Fools'…"

"Damn, it really is a Broker organization—linked to every faction!"

"So it was the 'School of Truth's' inside contact in the 'Eternal Sun' Church who urgently passed the news of Moran Avini's trouble to the 'Supervisor' Perle?"

"After receiving the message, Perle immediately held a high-tier 'black box deal'—but with the 'April Fools'? No, they lack such power—it must be their Beihoude Heavenly Sovereign, or another high-rank subordinate of the Sovereign?"

"No wonder they want me alive…"

"Perle originally may have only intended to trade an item to sever her link with Moran Avini, but the other party in the 'black box deal' proposed a new plan—turning her from passive to active, allowing her to execute a deception and set a trap?"

"How far it goes depends on improvisation…"

"If it truly is the 'April Fools,' and the will of that Heavenly Sovereign is faintly present, then the 'Magician's' failure to detect the trap is explainable."

Thinking this, Lumian was suddenly chilled:

Thelmpelos warned me twice about the 'School of Truth'—could it be because he saw the corresponding fate unfolding, saw his own chance to escape the seal, and thus actively pushed things forward?

(End of Chapter)