Facing its former master, the golden retriever shrank back a little. It could scent that the figure before it smelled entirely different from its former owner, evoking a sense of dread.
Yet when Mr. Hoffen placed his hand on its neck and began stroking it, that familiar feeling returned.
The golden retriever slowly leaned its head against Hoffen, wearing an expression of pleasure and affection.
"Very good," Mr. Hoffen said.
Sealing an evil god inside the golden retriever did not mean the dog would be killed.
This was a seal, not merely placing the evil god temporarily inside the dog; otherwise, if the evil god could break out at any moment, what would be the point?
It was a method of soul deposit.
To use an analogy, it was like strapping a small backpack onto the golden retriever with the evil god placed inside. Whenever something was needed, one could call the dog over, open the backpack, and take it out—except this backpack could almost never slip off the dog.
Of course, there was some risk to the dog itself, but what in this world was entirely free of risk?
Furthermore, the dog would benefit from this arrangement. First, it would live longer than other dogs—far longer, in fact. Second, it would become much smarter.
Naturally, two souls sharing a single body day and night would inevitably influence each other; that was inescapable.
Either the golden retriever, growing increasingly clever, would take on a degree of human mannerisms, or the evil god would gradually become like a dog.
"All right, I understand. So, when do we begin?"
"Now," Diss said.
"Now?" Hoffen froze. "Right now?"
"Yes, right now."
"I can set up the seal quickly enough. Wait, I have a question—can I still use basic Principle spells?"
Diss nodded. "No problem. Though you are dead now, spiritual energy still remains in your body. Besides, I infused some into you when I awakened you."
"That's good, then."
Mr. Hoffen looked at Alfred. "Come, help me hold Kevin."
"Understood."
Alfred stepped forward at once, holding the golden retriever up before Hoffen.
Hoffen spread his hands and chanted an incantation. The next moment, two halos of light appeared in his palms, within which runic mysteries swirled.
Alfred felt no surprise at this, for this was the most fundamental spell of the Church of Principles—so elementary it couldn't be any more basic.
The spell was so simple... it was the equivalent of picking up a pen.
Mr. Hoffen had never known many spells to begin with; he was an academic and didn't even know how to fight.
Otherwise, the first time he met Karen, he wouldn't have slipped and nearly killed himself from the fall.
Yet with that same pen, what an ordinary person could produce compared to a painter, a mathematician, or a writer was completely different.
Mr. Hoffen only needed the pen, and then he could directly begin "drawing" the formation.
Even so, before setting to work, Hoffen looked up at Diss and said, "Because that evil god is currently extremely weak, I don't need to consider the formation's resilience, wear, or duration at all. And when a formation doesn't need to worry about such things, it's very simple."
Of course, this "simplicity" was only simple in Mr. Hoffen's eyes. Anyone would know that a formation capable of sealing an evil god could never truly be ordinary.
"I only need fifteen minutes to finish it. So, Diss, let me set it up first, and then—"
"No need. At the same time."
"At the same time?"
Diss stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Beneath his feet, massive black chains spread outward, instantly forming a black barrier that covered the entirety of Oak Cemetery.
Then, he began to release his boundary;
along with it, his aura surged upward at an astonishing speed!
Faced with this aura, Alfred felt an urge to drop to his knees. He had known Diss was powerful, but never imagined he was this powerful.
Yet this was far from the end,
for at this moment, beneath Diss's eyes, a layer of gold gradually washed over.
At this moment, Diss projected a majesty that mere mortals dared not look upon directly.
It was a crushing pressure stemming from a different plane of existence, transcending ordinary comprehension, as if he rightfully belonged there, looking down upon all living beings!
*Thud!*
Directly facing this aura inside the barrier, Alfred fell to his knees.
Mr. Hoffen went down on his knees as well;
at this moment, a feeling welled up unbidden in their hearts:
to remain standing was a sin.
Fortunately, both had been standing before and were now both kneeling, so the golden retriever remained held in Alfred's arms at a suitable distance from Mr. Hoffen.
In truth, even without being held, it wouldn't have been able to move anyway—the dog was so terrified it was already foaming at the mouth.
Diss did not look at them.
Instead, he slowly raised his head.
A small slit opened in the barrier above, and Diss's gaze pierced outward.
The moment this gaze laden with divine will penetrated the barrier,
three colossal pillars of light soared upward from the center of Rojia City.
"Can he no longer suppress his boundary?"
"It seems so. He can no longer stop himself from stepping into that domain."
"Wait, wait, wait! This is the price of your advice to wait! We chose to wait, yet he didn't even give us the chance to negotiate!"
Rasma's figure also appeared on the rooftop, his eyes turned toward the cemetery.
Even though he had entertained countless conjectures, even though countless preparations had been laid, and even though the presence of the three Temple Elders' consciousness projections had virtually telegraphed the answer, at this moment, Rasma's heart was still filled with profound shock.
So the rival he had measured himself against all this time really had, in secret... "become a god."
"Rasma, order them to enter Rojia City," Sidi said.
But right at that moment,
in the cardinal directions of Rojia City—due north, south, east, and west, positioned at regular intervals—four pillars of light surged upward!
"Church of the Abyss!"
"Church of Samsara!"
"Church of Night!"
"Church of Principles!"
Sidi called them out one by one.
These four were all major orthodox churches. Though in absolute strength they could not match the Church of Order, that did not mean they lacked the courage to pull chestnuts from the fire.
For the temptation was simply too great—so great it was impossible to refuse.
A figure on par with a Temple Elder apostatizing with a godhead fragment was something that practically never happened, yet here it was, taking place right now.
"There's no time to wait for reinforcements! Sidi, Niven, we move first! Remember, we are not attacking Diss—we are protecting him through his ascension!
"Until the very last moment, we must not start a war!"
In the next instant, the three pillars of light took flight, streaking toward the cemetery.
Almost simultaneously, the pillars of light from the four cardinal directions sped toward it at top speed.
To ordinary people, this was just a normal rainy winter night;
but in the eyes of those at another level,
tonight was bright enough to make the eyes ache!
***
In the Inmerlais house,
on the third floor,
in the study.
The candle before Karen was burning close to its base, meaning it would flicker out before long.
Then he could take a bath in the washroom, change into pajamas, slip into a warm bed, and finally drift into sweet dreams.
He truly felt rather sleepy.
By now, the two gazes had stared at him so long he was numb to them.
Had it not been for Diss's instruction to keep watching the flame, Karen would have loved to invite the owners of those two gazes to sit down and take a break with him.
On the windowsill outside the study,
Purr jerked her head up toward the sky outside, thinking in disbelief, *Has Diss lost control of his boundary already? Shouldn't he still have two days left?!*
Just then, Purr suddenly turned her head to look at the study door behind her. Her whiskers twitched slightly, but she saw nothing.
She had once confidently told Karen that while she couldn't fight, her eyes could see through to the essence of all things.
When they faced the beguiling aberrant demon at the hospital, it was Purr who, with a single swipe of her paw, had shredded the demon's face and left it bloody.
Yet this time, Purr saw nothing. She turned her head back to watch the window.
*Diss, you have to be all right...*
Outside the study, right behind Purr, a man curved his lips into a smile.
The cat seemed to have sensed something, but it truly couldn't see him.
If he hadn't revealed anger toward Karen back then, that Inquisitor from the Church of Order would never have detected his presence either.
In the end, it was his own carelessness.
Yet could he really be blamed for being careless?
Who could have imagined that after an entire era, the Church of Order would have developed to such a terrifying degree that a local Inquisitor could actually condense a godhead fragment?
What in the world had happened to this world?!
Still, fortunately, it was precisely because of this that he had found a real opportunity.
*Now you can barely look after yourself, can you?*
*Then I shall reclaim what is mine.*
His body passed straight through the study door into the room.
"Ah..."
Karen yawned toward the dying flame, rubbing the corners of his eyes.
Just then, however, the blue flame suddenly turned pitch-black!
Black was a color too; when it swallowed all other light around it, it became the most dazzling color of all—without equal.
Karen's heart skipped a beat. He immediately began looking around in alarm, but saw nothing.
*"The bed I warmed, before I could even sleep in it, you laid down first! Do you have any idea how cold the floor is?!
"Now, I have come to take back my bed, my bedroom, my house!
"And I shall reclaim my dignity—the dignity of Raniedal!"*
Roaring in a language no one else could hear, he stepped into Karen's body.
In an instant, Karen felt an unimaginably horrifying chill sweep through his entire body, as if his very soul were frozen solid in a heartbeat.
*"You, get out of my body!"*
Raniedal roared, more than half of his form already sinking into Karen.
But right at that moment, two figures—a man and a woman—appeared on either side of Karen.
Raniedal laughed aloud.
*"Useless! It's useless, hahaha!
"Weak though I am now, pathetic though I look, my state of existence is something you cannot see or perceive!
"I knew full well that the Inquisitor who condensed a godhead would leave protective measures for this thief, but does it matter?
"Huh?!"*
An instant later, Raniedal let out a startled gasp. For the man and woman had each reached out a hand, resting them upon his shoulders—upon the nonexistent shoulders of his nonexistent form!
Most importantly, they stopped him. They successfully halted his progress as he tried to enter Karen's body and reclaim the vessel he had painstakingly remade!
*How is this possible? How can this be?!
Even that Inquisitor couldn't do this!
At most, he could burn me with soul fire; he couldn't touch me either.
So what in the world are the two of you? How can you touch me right now?!*
Raniedal tried to shake off their hands, but could not.
Suddenly, Raniedal realized something and cried out, *"You are his... no, this fleshly body's... parents!"*
His current existence leaned toward nonexistence, untouchable and uncatchable. But the moment he prepared to enter Karen's body, a connection naturally formed between him and this vessel. To a certain degree, his existence shifted as well, for he, too, was now akin to being these two people's... son.
A bond transcending any contract had been established!
For at all times, a parent's hands could always sense the existence of their child.
Karen had seen Diss light candles in the study before and had wondered about the habit, speculating whether Diss was preparing some ritual or spell.
The truth was, whenever Diss lit a candle in the study, it meant he was missing his son and daughter-in-law.
*"Why?! Why?! Why?!"*
Raniedal roared in unwilling fury.
*"He isn't your son either! Your son died long ago! He is an outside invader just like me! Why do you allow his existence while barring mine?!
"Why?! On what grounds?!"*
The man and woman flanking Karen kept their hands firmly on Raniedal, but their eyes remained fixed on Karen.
It was a gentle look—the look one directed at family.
They had seen the smile that involuntarily touched Diss's face every time he finished a conversation with Karen in this study;
they had heard the light, eager footsteps of their brother, sister, and nieces and nephews rushing to enjoy lunch after Karen rang the bell on the second floor;
by the windowsill outside the study, he had counseled Mina to study hard and read while she was still young;
in the bedroom across from the study, he had handed his earned income to Lunt as pocket money, telling him to ask for more if it wasn't enough;
he had caused Mary to curb her habit of sarcastic barbs;
he had made Mason say he felt like calling Karen 'uncle';
and just a short while ago, as he sat right here, the family had willingly offered to take out a loan to help him buy a house in Wien, wanting only for him to live more comfortably and with greater dignity in a foreign land.
When the flame had first been lit, they had scrutinized him. They knew this was not their son, even if their blood flowed through the body;
when the candle had burned halfway down, their gazes had begun to soften. Perhaps he truly was not their son, but he had worked so hard to be an Inmerlais; he had proactively integrated into this family, and he had done so wonderfully.
Their son was gone; that was a fact. Fate had taken their son's life.
But in return, they had gained another family member.
Their brother liked him, their sister-in-law liked him, their sister liked him, their nieces and nephews liked him, and even Father liked him.
And Karen, in kind, loved Father, and loved every single person in this home.
This was Inmerlais. In the Inmerlais family, there was one supreme rule:
*Family comes before all!*
So how could they stand idly by and watch you harm their family without lifting a finger?!
A stalemate formed right there.
With Karen's parents barring his way, Raniedal could not completely enter Karen's body to take it over.
Because right now, he was truly weak, weak, utterly weak.
Just then, Raniedal made his decision. He still had time. He could wait for the next chance. Since that Inquisitor would be dragged into the vortex tonight, this family would fall apart afterward anyway. And the two of them would cease to exist along with it.
He could wait. He could wait for the next opportunity. In this drifting state, though his time was limited, he could still afford to wait for a while!
The decisive nature of an evil god showed itself. He stopped forcing his way into Karen's body and began pulling back. Once he departed Karen's body and was no longer tethered to him, the man and woman would no longer be able to touch him.
His form was pulling free.
But at that very moment, a slit suddenly split open in Karen's chest;
immediately afterward, a hand reached out from the slit and seized Raniedal in an iron grip!
*"No... NOOO!!!"*
***
"Diss, I've finished the formation, but there's a problem now," Mr. Hoffen said, having already covered the golden retriever in dense runes. "How do we drag him over here? Good heavens, look at all those lights flashing outside—it's terrifying! Can you even get out and make it back home now?"
Outside, a total of seven consciousness projections were converging to surround the cemetery.
"Wait, there's another very important question!" Mr. Hoffen, still on his knees, suddenly cried out. "How are we supposed to catch him? He doesn't even have a physical form!"
Hovering in midair, Diss curved his lips into a faint smile.
"We can catch him now. Because I am his grandfather."
As he spoke, a fist-sized black hole opened in Diss's chest.
He thrust his left hand directly into the dark void within his own chest.
"And also... I once opened a hole in Karen's chest too."
Chapter 70