Chapter 869: Imposing Influence (First Update)

The man known as Mr. Saeqi dipped a brush made of bone and hair into a pigment of flesh and blood, straining as he pressed it into the deepening crimson spirals.

Perel's ethereal voice sounded again:

"This is a masterful painting representing the endless stars; once completed, it will allow two great beings to transmit a fraction of their power through the barrier. Though it cannot target specific entities for attack or corruption, it can impose broader influences according to predetermined rules…"

Before Perel finished speaking, Saeqi, his long hair draped over his hollow eyes, finally pressed the bone-and-hair brush into its designated spot.

His right half instantly melted like a candle, flesh and blood surging toward the brush, rushing into the spiraling crimson depths—where, it seemed, the endless stars truly connected, and no matter how much matter piled in, it vanished into nothingness.

Saeqi, now reduced to half a body and half a skull, was not yet dead; he caught the falling bone-and-hair brush with his left hand.

On the oil painting, a pinpoint dot, no larger than a needle's eye, appeared within the spiraling crimson depths.

It was a dark, shadowy hue, as if a sound emanated from within.

The face of Perel, emerging from the white mist, declared the outcome of the transaction with the "Words of Order":

"The Great 'Unquenchable Murmur' has allowed the First Philosophy, the Immortal Voice, to pierce the barrier in minute measure. All entities capable of hearing the unknown or the mysterious sound shall receive it—the higher their sequence, the greater the influence!"

"And certain faithful followers of the First Philosophy, after the Vortex Ritual truly ends, will, with the aid of the 'Mirror Folk,' approach the remnants of the 'Wastes of Knowledge' within the Fourth Era's Trill, through that special mirror world…"

…………

Trill, the true residence of the Professor and the Associate Professor.

Having just recovered from the sudden burst of brilliant light, barely able to make out their surroundings, the Professor and the Associate Professor were troubled by the current anomaly, discussing whether to take their child and flee to the small ritual square beneath the catacombs—their expressions altered.

They instinctively raised their hands to cover their ears, yet their facial muscles still twisted, veins bulging on their temples, pulsing rhythmically.

They heard an indescribable strange sound; their minds and bodies both ached.

In their agony, the Professor and the Associate Professor exchanged a glance, seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes.

This was not the voice of the 'Hidden Sage'!

This was a situation the Professor and the Associate Professor had never encountered. Though they studied 'Witch' spells and explored certain peculiar sites, occasionally discovering mysterious sounds, they had never heard one without warning—except for the 'Hidden Sage's' indoctrination. And even without carefully discerning the sound's content, they were already powerfully affected.

Fortunately, compared to the 'Hidden Sage's' indoctrination, this seemed bearable—not enough to push either of them toward loss of control.

For most Seekers of Secrets who heard this mysterious, terrifying sound, in some unknown place, a phantom light composed of chaotic information writhed like a giant serpent shedding its skin.

……

In the basement of the building housing the 'Spiritualist' magazine office.

Mr. K, clad in a black robe with a hood, suddenly rose from his chair with a red backrest.

The veins exposed on his hands had turned black, wriggling like insects.

"No, no…" Mr. K muttered in pain, "Not the Master's voice!"

He shouted suddenly, yanked off his hood, and jammed his fingers into his ears.

Mr. K's face was utterly distorted, unrecognizable; he whispered in a tone of spiritual agony greater than physical pain:

"Not the Master's voice! Not the Master's voice!"

Amid a grating, nauseating screech, Mr. K seized both ears with his hands and tore them off—flesh and blood torn open, grotesque and horrifying.

That was not enough!

Mr. K forced his fingers deep into his ear canals, rupturing the eardrums, blocking the passages.

Yet he still heard the sound.

He crawled down, knelt on the ground, weeping as he confessed to his beloved Master.

As he confessed, he vomited clumps of blood-stained internal organs.

Like Mr. K, certain angels, saints, and divine envoys of the Aurora Society suffered intense, agonizing effects, unable to obey the Master's command to prevent a certain event.

The 'Land Rejected by the Gods'.

A majestic mountain range was surrounded by strange light, its depths thick with darkness.

At the edge of the light, twisted shadows continuously coalesced, flapping like moths toward the darkness within.

The darkness sometimes split open, revealing a gaze from behind the veil.

…………

On the blood-soaked altar inside the castle, Saeqi pressed the bone-and-hair brush into a pile of silver-white powder streaked with black—unknown in composition.

The painter, now reduced to half a body and half a skull, his appearance horrifying, twisted the brush violently, then lifted it and extended it toward the unfinished 'Endless Stars' painting.

As the brush descended, Saeqi's remaining half-body and half-skull began to melt like candle wax.

Soon, the brush carried the painter's remains to complete the silver-black ring.

Almost simultaneously, the ring became ethereal—as if scraped, or seeping into the air.

Faintly, three figures emerged upon the silver-black ring, endlessly circling it, shifting positions as if chasing one another without pause.

The 'Endless Stars' painting was complete—but Saeqi would never see it.

Perel, the 'Overseer,' spoke again:

"The Great 'Cycle of Fate' has bestowed its gaze. All external forces interfering with the Vortex Plan are destined to fail!"

………

Above the blue sea, the sky, cleared of clouds by intense light.

The 'Magician' lady, dressed in a lady's shirt and a brown ankle-length skirt, appeared alongside the 'Justice' lady and the 'Hermit' lady.

The latter wore her own glasses, and over both ears was layered a radiant veil of starlight.

Just now, when the mysterious, terrifying, unknown sound appeared, the 'Magician' lady had promptly sealed the 'Hermit' lady's ability to hear—both physically and mystically.

Though this could not fully block the sound's influence, it significantly reduced its effect, preventing the 'Hermit' lady from being rendered incapable of even a single movement or a 'Witch' spell.

Gazing down at the blue sea, the 'Magician' lady frowned slightly:

"I clearly targeted the island where the Emperor sleeps."

"This is the third failure—Wandering has failed…"

"Destined to fail?"

The only one here who could hear the 'Magician''s voice was the 'Justice' lady, dressed in a white dress with golden embroidery.

The 'Justice' lady was about to convey the question to the 'Hermit' lady via mental link when the 'Hermit' lady, clad in a purple robe with patterns, foresaw a scene.

She immediately, despite her pain, activated 'Fairy Magic,' conjuring in her palm a vivid, unreal wool ball.

The 'Hermit' lady tossed the wool ball forward; it rolled clumsily into the void, leaving behind a single thread in the air, pointing the way.

In the blink of an eye, the illusory wool ball rolled out of the void and back to the 'Hermit' lady's feet.

…………

In Trill, the villa where several members of the 'Rose Sect' hid was now shrouded in sacred, pure light—as if a golden sun were slowly forming there.

Not a single shadow, not a trace of darkness, remained.

Angoulême de François and his team were awakened by Saint Vief's attack on the villa.

They immediately received orders from Saint Plaisy to evacuate the area at once.

But before they could turn, the sky above erupted in blinding brilliance, nearly blinding them, shaking them to their core.

When the light dimmed slightly, they recovered and sprinted toward streets far from the villa.

Angoulême's greatest relief was that the surrounding residents had already been evacuated.

After running a while, he suddenly saw stars, his thoughts momentarily hazy.

He realized he and his team had returned to their original position—interfering with Saint Vief's actions.

…………

In Trill, high above.

The figures of Mr. Hanged, Mr. Star, and Mr. Moon swiftly materialized.

"We can't find Mr. Seven of Wands or Mr. Two of Cups—or rather, we cannot reach the safehouse where they're hiding," said Mr. Hanged, dressed as a captain, riding the storm, quickly understanding the situation, to Mr. Star, clad in a white shirt and black coat with red gloves, and Mr. Moon, in a formal tailcoat.

Mr. Moon, handsome of face, with crimson eyes and a pair of enormous bat wings gently flapping behind him, gave no reply.

He turned his head toward a place in the plaza where bright light had erupted, murmuring in confusion:

"An ancestor's call?"

Mr. Star spoke in a hoarse, aged voice:

"It is the influence of Fate."

"Yes," said Lady Judgment, stepping out of the void, clad in a knight's training uniform, "I felt the calls of Mr. Two of Cups and Mr. Seven of Cups—but I cannot manifest there."

Mr. Star continued in his aged voice:

"There are only two ways to resolve this: first, find a medium through which the power of Fate has seeped slightly, and destroy it; second, discover a flaw in Fate's operation and exploit it to escape our predicament. Of course, all this assumes the entity named Fate is merely using a medium to exert a slight influence, and has not descended into our world."

"Find the medium…" Lady Judgment murmured, then added, "I'll ask Wil for help!"

As she spoke, a diamond on her bracelet on the left wrist glowed with pure light.

Simultaneously, from Mr. Star's eye sockets, ears, and nostrils crawled forth worms—translucent and opaque, interwoven with rings.

ps: If I had added an extra chapter yesterday and ended here, wouldn't it have been even more agonizing? Hmm, adding an extra chapter tonight.

(End of Chapter)