A Reversal!

He had been duped. It was the simplest possible trick, costing next to nothing. With just a few words, it had driven a wedge between two people who should have stood on the same side and analyzed the problem together, setting them to watch and guard against each other with mutual suspicion. Yet this also meant the other party had conducted thorough reconnaissance beforehand. Only by truly grasping the state of their relationship could someone engineer such a split with so little effort. Moreover, the moment the enemy explicitly stated he was here to assassinate someone, one would naturally follow that train of thought: who was a suitable target? And the target chosen had been an adult thunder dragon. The dragon's nature inherently created a blind spot, because the moment Layinao assumed his true form, an assassination was practically impossible. After all, an assassination and an ambush were hardly synonymous. Karen also suspected that in the original plan, he and Lord Augie were never meant to be involved at all. The mastermind had even known that Layinao would invite Miss Daina for a private conversation. The only minor hiccup was that both he and Augie seemed to have sensed something amiss through their respective means. In response, to appease these two alert "children," each had been handed a piece of candy to keep in their mouths and savor slowly. While savoring it, one had no time to speak, so silence naturally followed. Just as after Lord Augie responded with the second half of the phrase, Karen had instinctively settled into silent observation. And that was precisely the result the other party had wanted when tossing out the candy. At this moment, Lord Augie snapped back to her senses and immediately bolted out of the box. Karen hesitated briefly, then raised a hand to signal that Purr and Kevin were free to act at their discretion and should look after Ashley. Then, with the resigned feeling of someone about to jump into a mud pit, Karen dashed out of the private box as well. Once outside, Lord Augie had already vanished. Of course, it could also be interpreted that Karen was the one who had vanished. Black mist rose before Karen, and the skeleton stepped out once more. The black robe on its body slowly slid off, revealing the bronze hue of the bones beneath. It turned out that a skeletal creature could actually project a sense of "musculature." "Section Chief Karen, my apologies. We didn't have much time to converse earlier, but now we have a bit more. "In truth, I have always found you fascinating. "An outstanding and intriguing young man whose actions are brimming with youthful vigor, yet who personally maintains a constant, cool restraint—along with talent and strength that are overshadowed by such brilliance. "I know you very well. Truly. I gathered as much information about you as I could. I know much of it is likely fabricated, but I was never looking for secrets anyway; I was searching for fragments of your character. "It is a wondrous sensation. The you wearing a mask and the you without one present two completely different faces. "To be honest, I have no desire to make an enemy of you. Thirty years from now, whether at the Church of Order's Roundtable Council or at the helm of a massive system like the Whip of Order, I believe you will hold at least one such seat." "You have far more confidence in me than I have in myself." "Is that so? Yet I know you possess tremendous confidence. I even attended a lecture given by your manservant in Yorktown's aberrant demon circle. Although he spoke subtly and excised quite a bit, I was still able to glean some very intriguing things. "For instance, what emanated from him must have been your... absolute pride." "I don't particularly care for this kind of investigation." "Then what about... the physical examinations at the knight order's hospital? Heh-heh." The skeleton let out a laugh. "In truth, you have consistently cooperated with being investigated yourself, haven't you?" Karen fell silent, quietly raising the Sword of Diamans in his hand. "No need to rush. I am willing to spar with you, not to decide life and death, nor even to achieve an outcome. Rather, thirty years from now, if I still exist, I believe I will look back with pride on having had the honor of crossing blades with you today. "There is no need to worry about what else I might have uncovered, either. "After all, I am merely an outsider. I do not belong to the Church of Order. To truly peer beyond your public persona into your private secrets, one would have to become someone close to you. "The reason I was able to perceive a few interesting details is that, unlike the high-and-mighty posture your church's senior leadership adopts when looking at you, I keenly recognized your uniqueness long ago. "Moreover, have you noticed? I have consistently addressed you with honorifics. That is not mere politeness, but genuine reverence. "Only by viewing the present you through the lens of looking at a future giant far greater than myself can I truly reap rewards. The great figures currently within your church could never adopt my perspective—humans, after all, are plagued by self-importance. "Whereas I... am not human." "The one you want to assassinate is Layinao?" "Yes, Layinao. But how should I put it? It differs somewhat from what you might imagine. If you continue down your current train of thought, you will think Layinao has defected to the Church of Order, and that our goal in assassinating him is to make the Church of the Crypt more independent... "Yet that is not the case. "What Layinao wants is to become the leader of the Church of the Crypt's Dragon lineage, and then lead the dragons away from the Church of the Crypt to establish a new dragon settlement. "What we want, however, is to preserve the Church of the Crypt in its current unified state. To that end, I believe remaining a vassal church to the Church of Order is the most suitable choice. "Layinao does not see it that way. To be precise, the one who most wishes to see the Church of the Crypt and the Church of Order fracture is precisely the one who appears most 'loyal' to Order—because only if the two churches divide will he have the opportunity to break the dragons away. "He is an opportunist, an ambitious schemer whose existence, in the long run, runs counter to Order's policy of keeping the Crypt in check. "Killing him today is actually beneficial to Order." "Do you honestly think I will believe what you're saying right now?" "You don't have to." The skeleton raised a finger and tapped the air above. A layer of ripples instantly undulated overhead. "You are very close to the Guman family, and I imagine you must be exceptionally knowledgeable about arrays, being a genius. So you should be able to see what caliber of... defensive array this truly is." "It's on an entirely different level from the one before." "Yes, my apologies. I couldn't demonstrate such durability to you earlier, or you would never have opted for a wait-and-see silence. In fact, after our deliberate modifications, the strength of the defensive array here... should rival that of your Whip of Order headquarters building. "We prepared for this for a very long time, and we prepared thoroughly. "I do not believe the current you can defeat me. But even if you did, you would not be able to break free of the constraints here. You cannot stop me." Karen lunged forward, bringing his blade down in a vicious slash toward the skeleton. The skeleton thrust out a hand. A dark vortex materialized in front of it, from which it drew a blade that parried Karen's strike with pinpoint precision. Immediately following that, the skeleton took a step forward, and everything in the surrounding space began to contract violently. Taking half a step back, Karen drove the Sword of Diamans into the floor. In the next instant, Chains of Order burst forth, forcefully holding back the compressing space. The skeleton intoned, "Summon: Undead Dreamer." A gaunt, emaciated woman with long hair, barely retaining human form, coalesced from thin air. She began singing a lullaby to Karen as a potent hypnotic force surged toward him like a rising tide. With resolute eyes, Karen's gaze flickered with a black sheen that directly barred the psychic intrusion from reaching his consciousness. At the same time, he tore the greatsword free, sidestepping the Undead Dreamer in a fluid arc to bring the blade down on the skeleton once more. *Clang!* The skeleton's blade once again intercepted the greatsword's strike. "You didn't feign being affected by the mental intrusion to deceive me. May I interpret that as a form of respect toward me?" "You talk too much." "Heh-heh-heh. My apologies. When encountering my future idol, it is hard not to speak a little more. I truly cannot help myself." Both weapons rebounded under the clash of force. The skeleton launched an offensive of its own, every slash carrying terrifying kinetic power. If the two had not been confined within the defensive array, the flooring of the second-floor corridor would have been ripped to splinters already. Karen shifted to defense. Though it appeared strenuous, he neutralized each of the opponent's attacks. "This is your preferred style of combat: utilizing defense to exhaust and observe, waiting until the enemy's strength wanes to strike and secure victory, all backed by your extraordinarily abundant reserves of spirituality. "Actually, my reserves are quite abundant too, and I possess absolute confidence... but I simply have no wish to compete with you on that front. Heh-heh, I wouldn't want an accident to occur." After a flurry of strikes, the skeleton voluntarily disengaged. Then, both combatants sank into a bizarre, awkward lull. When both sides yielded initiative to play the counterattack... neither was willing to attack. "Section Chief Karen, you are holding back." "So are you." "Yet our motives differ. I have no wish to kill you—or rather, I have no desire to attempt to kill you. But what about you? Do you not wish to expose yourself, or... are you simply too lazy to bother? "Well then, to keep you from finding this too tedious, I can offer a new topic. One I think you will find quite interesting. "The inheritor of the God of the Fallen—that fellow who enjoys making sculptural art out of sand—is actually backed by ties to the Church of the Desert. "Oh, no, to be precise, it should be the Desert Believers currently agitating for separation. "The Church of the Desert is on the verge of fracturing. Before long, it will likely split into the new Church of the Sands and the old Church of the Desert. "And the Church of Order has been secretly supporting the Church of the Sands all along. Order hopes that by fracturing the Desert, it can severely weaken it, and then... swallow it whole. I imagine Order has already laid out the silverware, merely waiting for the feast to begin." "How do you know so much?" "Once again, I am honored that you didn't assume I was fishing, nor did you say: 'What are you talking about? I don't understand.'" "That assassin belongs to the Church of the Sands?" "Strictly speaking, not entirely. In this world, wandering outside the established churches, there are certain special organizations and factions. For example, Dark Moon Island, with which you share close ties, had contact with a mysterious organization over a century ago. "Later, I learned that the remains of their highly revered ancestor Bernard were stolen and destroyed. At that time, you happened to be on Dark Moon Island. "Oh, I have no wish to pry into what you did during that period, though I am certain you did something. "I merely wish to tell you: over the past thousand years, from the moment Light fell until just a few years ago, the Church of Order's steadfast foreign policy was to maintain stability throughout the church circles. Back then, every element of instability was a target to be crushed by the Church of Order. "Yet when the Church of Order shifted its stance, actively instigating and fueling contradictions and conflicts among the churches, many flies swarmed in, riding the rhythm to satisfy their own interests. "I am one of those flies—a very, very small one." "Then what was the point of assassinating the Head Bishop's family?" "Actions without a distinct objective are the hardest to investigate. In truth, the objective was rather broad: to accelerate things, to push the Church of Order into actively driving the split between the Sands and the Desert. It was an excuse delivered right to their doorstep. "Order would not manufacture an excuse in such a crude manner on its own, but it cannot refuse one handed over on a silver platter. If you were among Order's leadership, you would probably think that since it has already happened, you might as well proceed accordingly and at least reap some benefits in return." "Are you one of theirs?" "I wear many identities... I have had contact with them, but strictly speaking, I do not consider myself one of them. I dislike working alongside them, because in my view, no matter how elevated they tout their philosophies and creeds to be, as if each of them stands superior to all churches and the entire circle... "How much of that is merely the result of the orthodox churches turning a blind eye? "They are like the environmental activists who have gained popularity in secular nations in recent years. "When people are fed and content, they can watch the performance with a chuckle, perhaps even joining in on a few chants. But when hunger strikes, those flies are swatted dead and tossed straight into the rubbish bin. "A transcendent status is never their own doing; it is granted through tacit consensus. "I used to be one of them, but I am not anymore. I simply don't care for them, that is all." "One more question: why tell me all this?" "Alas, you still refuse to believe my admiration for you and my veneration for the future you. Yet this is the truth. In this world, there will always be a few who can see further ahead and place their bets on the future. "Why do you think Layinao chose to follow Norton back when Norton was merely a mid-tier figure? I was the one who prompted him. "That Layinao attained his current position is also partly due to my backing. "It is just that now, I have little use for him. He has served his purpose with me and belongs in the rubbish bin. "If I mention one more thing, you should believe me. "I have been to Allen Manor. "I lingered in the patriarch's study where you used to spend your time, and admired the portraits hanging on the study walls. There was a portrait of a cat, identical to the black cat currently at your side. "Additionally, that manor features a performance hall..." Karen's eyes narrowed slightly. "I chose not to try going inside to inspect it, as I felt doing so would severely offend you. I had a premonition that the moment I entered that performance hall, the presence inside would 'remember' me. "Please believe that I respect you. Perhaps in a year, two years, three years... I will send someone to your side, or perhaps I will come in person to seek a position and compensation under you. "Before that day comes, how could I afford to anger you?" "You knew I would come here?" "I did not. I never planned to meet you now. Fortunately, this is not my ultimate identity, so the repercussions are negligible. But I suspect your presence here is linked to that deceased former Head Bishop." "Are you a figure of the Sage lineage?" "Very close to the answer. I do possess the identity of a Sage, though you would have to search for it among the deceased. Heh-heh." "How will Layinao die?" "Killing a dragon may be difficult, but in truth, it can also be very simple. For instance... when the Rebel Dragon God broke away from the dragon race in the previous era, he waged war against his former kin and left behind a sub-divine artifact: the Spear of Rebellion. "That heavily damaged divine artifact has always been preserved by the Church of the Crypt's Dragon lineage. But although the seven primary lineages each possess their own territories and autonomy, there has been no shortage of mutual communication and infiltration over the centuries. "For instance, I have a replica in hand—one specifically crafted to counter the formidable physique of dragons." "You intend to pin Layinao's death on Daina?" "Indeed." "Aren't you afraid of provoking the High Priest's wrath?" "In truth, I understand your High Priest better than you do. To keep suppressing the Church of the Crypt and ensure it continues serving as an obedient dog, two of the seven primary lineages must be ruthlessly beaten down. "One is the dragons—a race naturally born with arrogance. An era without the gods has further inflated their ambitions, making them believe they can break away and establish their own racial sanctuary. "The other is the Sages—natural conspirators and absolute factors of instability. And that replica Spear of Rebellion meant to assassinate Layinao was crafted in secret by the Sage lineage. "Miss Daina killing Layinao provides the Church of Order with the perfect pretext to step in and investigate. If the High Priest knew my true identity, he would order my execution and then attend my memorial service. "As for Miss Daina, I know who her father is, but I know even better that all the High Priest and the comrades who followed him have ever asked of Miss Daina is... that she stays alive. "The Church of Order won't make her pay with her life. At worst, they will lock her away somewhere, which will actually keep her completely safe, sparing the High Priest and those uncles of hers from having to keep playing the part of loving family." "What about Augie?" "Augie... a similar position, a similar scenario. However, she is currently being held up by her mother. Her mother was banished to the abyss on her father's personal orders for past crimes; I dispatched people to rescue her only recently. "After the dragons are suppressed, someone will need to pick up the pieces. She is well-suited for the role, as her bloodline is quite noble among the dragons." "So you don't belong to any of the seven primary lineages." Light flared in the skeleton's eye sockets. "Hahahaha! Have you guessed it? You've already guessed it, haven't you? Hahahaha!" The skeleton raised both arms, abandoning its earlier calm composure as it became intensely thrilled. "An ordinary person—no, the vast majority of people—could never have guessed it. Yet you deduced it from our conversation alone. My intuition was not wrong, my investigation was not wrong, and my judgment was even less wrong! "In the future, there will unquestionably be a seat for you within the Church of Order. "Being confined to the Yorktown Region is merely a minor hurdle on the path ahead. You will accumulate power here, biding your time until the tiger steps out of the forest. "Even so, I still hope you will speak the words you left unsaid. "I wish to hear it. I wish to receive recognition—recognition from you." The skeleton drew itself upright, bowed its head, and leaned on its blade with both hands. If it dropped to one knee, the posture would look remarkably like a knight's investiture ceremony. Karen remained silent. "I beg of you, speak it. This is very important to me. I am very lonely; I need validation." Karen remained silent still. "That bone dragon will ultimately find its way into your hands. Consider it my investment." Karen still did not speak. "My true name is Zagis ben White. That is the name my biological father gave me. You won't find records of him, because when I was three years old, he died, and I changed my name." Karen finally opened his mouth. "What you believe in... is the Crypt." "*Hiss...*" The skeleton spread its arms wide. "Yes! The Crypt is my faith! To outsiders, the seven founding deities at the origins of the seven primary lineages merely found an excuse to collaborate and establish a church, resembling more of an alliance guild. But in reality, the great God of the Crypt truly exists. In my eyes, His status is in no way inferior to Order or Light. "Those seven founding deities were merely seven subordinate deities under His banner. "And what I revere is the true faith of the Crypt. Thank you for your validation. I do not believe anyone else could have guessed this answer." "Then why has the God of the Crypt never truly shown Himself?" "Why should He?" the skeleton asked. "Why should He?" "If the God of the Crypt knew that after the previous era ended, this current era would be one where gods do not walk the world, why would He reveal Himself? Merely so that in an era without gods, a few tales of His deeds could circulate through church circles for people to read?" "And what is your view?" "The God of the Crypt was the first chief god to foresee the future of the eras. The crypt is His sanctuary. What I am doing now is doing whatever it takes to preserve the framework of the Church of the Crypt, preventing it from falling apart. "Because if the gods return... then the God of the Crypt will be the very first to return!" "Then let me congratulate you in advance." "Thank you." The skeleton raised a hand to stroke its smooth, hard cranium. "Ah, the assassination has begun. Behold." *Whoosh—* As if a massive curtain had been drawn open, the concealments over every private box on the second floor vanished entirely. The commotion from above caused everyone below to look up in unison. Like a raised stage, every 'spotlight' converged on that single spot. Upon the stage, Miss Daina held a purple spear in one hand, wearing a look of sheer shock. It was a double-tipped spear—the very weapon whose original incarnation the Rebel Dragon God had wielded in the previous era to slaughter his own kind. At this moment, one end of the spear had already pierced straight through Layinao's chest. The proud physical constitution of the dragons was as brittle as thin paper before this specialized bane. "Layinao will not survive. He was already gravely injured not long ago while killing a rival. This strike is precisely enough to claim his life. There, it is all over. "Farewell, Section Chief Karen. Please do not forget: in some shadowy corner, someone already sees you as the next Norton." "I think you might want to wait a moment." "Hm?" Above, Miss Daina, holding the spear, had appeared as though she had just run Layinao through. Yet in the next second, The confusion and panic in her eyes vanished completely. Her other hand shifted slightly, exerting a dragging force on the double-tipped spear toward herself, and she abandoned all defensive wards, actively throwing herself forward. *Squelch!* The spearhead drove into Miss Daina's abdomen, penetrating clean through as terrifying kinetic force flooded into her body, wreaking frantic havoc! Down below, screams immediately erupted: "Miss Daina and Lord Layinao have been assassinated!"