“Let me reintroduce myself. Natalie Angel, Soul Severer of the fallen Lord of Order, third-rank authority.”
Lynch stared blankly at Officer Natalie. Surrounded by over a hundred grotesque creatures, the tall officer remained calm and composed. Even though the situation had not improved, for some reason, the anxiety that had gripped Lynch since entering the memory finally began to fade, replaced by an inexplicable sense of security.
“Soul Seve... hiss, watch out.”
The surrounding monsters were slowly waking from their fanaticism, and three had already tentatively lunged forward.
“Yes, Soul Severer. A group of madmen who toy with their own souls.”
Clang. Without looking back, the officer raised her sheathed sword, parrying a descending claw. With a light, lateral flick, the charging monster lost its balance, stumbling sideways and crashing into another of its kind, rolling into a tangled heap.
“You need not be afraid. I will ensure your safety. They are just a group of terror claws; they hardly count as a threat.”
As she spoke, Officer Natalie tilted her body slightly, letting a third monster rush past her. The moment it brushed by, she swung her long leg upward like a giant axe, bringing it down heavily on the creature's head and smashing it deep into the ground.
With her foot still on the monster, the officer brushed a lock of hair from her temple and offered a faint smile to Lynch:
“Now tell me, what do you see?”
I see a goddess of war.
But Lynch did not say that. Instead, he saw a massive, ghostly projection of a scale appear in the air above Officer Natalie. At the same time, an inescapable, eerie whispering echoed in his ears, as if thousands of people were murmuring to him.
The scale hung high in the sky, radiating solemn and majestic authority. Around it, three glowing patterns circled like satellites. Without even needing to look closely, the moment Lynch focused on them, his consciousness instinctively grasped their forms and meanings: a shield, a book, and a small gavel. They represented the three authorities once held by the Lord of Order: protection, law, and judgment.
“It is my first time seeing an ordinary person capable of witnessing a soul manifestation.”
Stepping on the monster's head, Officer Natalie glanced at the creatures known as terror claws. They, too, realized something had changed and were lunging from over a dozen meters away, roaring. The officer spoke quickly:
“What you see is my soul manifestation, the symbol of the Lord of Order. We use our souls to imitate the authority of gods, thereby manipulating abilities derived from that authority. Authority is our source of power, and abilities are our means of combat. Normally, a soul manifestation is invisible to others, unless we choose to display it.”
Even having just escaped death, Lynch's mind immediately grasped that the officer's attitude had undergone a complete reversal. He asked instinctively, “Are you showing me your power? Your attitude...”
“Yes. Watch closely; this is how we, the Soul Severers, fight.”
“Roar.”
The terror claws were fast. Within the time it took to speak, they had crossed the distance and surrounded them.
Officer Natalie's gaze turned icy. The monster beneath her foot let out a final shriek as its skull was crushed, blood pouring from its orifices as it went limp. She exerted force, kicking the several-hundred-kilogram creature into the charging pack.
But this did not stop the horde. In Lynch's field of vision, the dozen monsters in the front were drawing closer, the stench of blood drifting over in waves.
Officer Natalie let out a cold snort and tapped her foot lightly on the ground. Simultaneously, the glowing shield pattern outside the scale flickered.
The next moment, Lynch noticed a ring of light appear out of thin air at his feet.
The ring expanded rapidly, instantly sweeping through the three-meter area around them. The dozen terror claws at the front collided with the light, only to be sent flying as if they had slammed into a steam engine, crashing into their kin behind them.
What is this? If I had such an ability, I wouldn't have been in such a sorry state earlier.
The anomaly left Lynch momentarily stunned, but he immediately realized he was witnessing the supernatural of this world.
The effortless movements, the massive phantom behind her, and the strange, peculiar effects before his eyes deeply captivated him. For the first time, he felt a surge of anticipation for the supernatural power of this world, momentarily forgetting his own peril.
【Authority: Protection. Ability: Expel.】
A gentle voice echoed in his mind at the perfect moment, answering his unspoken question.
The terror claws inside were repelled, while those outside crowded inward. The two forces collided, creating a brief vacuum zone around the pair.
“Just stay by my side; they cannot hurt you.”
Officer Natalie smiled calmly and turned to walk outward.
Lynch's heart skipped a beat. He snatched up his top hat and hurried to follow. Before they had gone two steps, the chaotic terror claws swarmed forward again.
This time, the book pattern outside the scale flickered. Officer Natalie said coldly, “Do not approach. Back down, all of you.”
【Authority: Law. Ability: Deterrence.】
Lynch felt a surge of tension, his instinct telling him to obey and retreat, but his reason quickly regained control. He remained close to the officer's heels.
The surrounding monsters, however, seemed terrified, scrambling backward and piling into those pushing forward, unable to advance or retreat.
“Hmph, a waste of time.” The officer frowned, pointing her sheathed sword forward, and commanded sharply, “I said, open a path. Do not harm anyone.”
【Authority: Law. Ability: Command.】
For a moment, Lynch even held his breath, as he realized the dense wall of terror claws was actually parting to reveal a gap.
It was not an act of being controlled or deceived; it was more like an unwilling execution under a forced order.
Can monsters even understand human speech? Lynch was filled with questions.
“Move.”
The officer lifted her sword, back straight, and walked toward the mass of terror claws. Her solitary figure faced the hundred monsters without a hint of hesitation.
Looking at the hideous creatures surrounding them, Lynch hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed. He did not stay behind her but stepped up to walk side by side.
“Tsk.” The officer glanced at him sideways, a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. “Decent willpower. But you are too pale, and your legs are still shaking. It is unsightly.”
Lynch opened his mouth to retort, but he was too nervous to speak.
They had entered the narrow passage left by the terror claws. The monsters were inches away, their roars echoing right in his ears.
Each creature was exceptionally vicious, and any one of them could have torn him to pieces with a mere wave of their claws.
He could only think to himself, A claw just grazed my hair a moment ago. Shaking is the least of it; I am surprised I did not wet myself right then and there.
“That is enough. We are leaving now.”
Having cleared the last of the encircling terror claws, Officer Natalie grabbed Lynch's wrist firmly.
【Authority: Protection. Ability: Extraction.】
Lynch felt his vision blur and heard the whistling of wind. When his sight cleared, he found he had been pulled out of the encirclement to the other side of the altar, a good thirty or forty meters away from the horde.
More importantly, not only were there no terror claws around, but they were right next to a relatively intact earthen hut.
Officer Natalie gave a firm push, sending Lynch into the building while she stood guard at the door:
“Stay inside and do not come out. This should protect you. Now, it is time for you to do your part.”
Stumbling into the hut, the adrenaline fading, Lynch felt his body turn to jelly. He collapsed against the wall, barely able to remain upright.
This woman is incredible, but I cannot be outdone.
Do not fall. Do not lose face. If I am to die, I will die standing.
Gritting his teeth, Lynch looked around.
This ancient city was clearly not built for monsters; the original inhabitants were likely the corpses by the statues. The people were gone, but the houses remained largely intact, meaning the structures should be sturdy enough to withstand the claws of the terror claws.
It seems I am safe for now.
Until this moment, Lynch still felt a sense of unreality.
I was lying there waiting to die in front of the terrifying leader, and now I have been rescued so casually by this lady?
Her ability is truly enviable. I must master this supernatural power and take control of my own safety.
As he thought this, the roars of the terror claws echoed from outside. “Roar...”
The moment Lynch vanished, the pack outside went berserk.
Over a hundred monsters, realizing what had happened, charged forward. The heavy thudding of their footsteps sounded like a stampede, shaking the very earth.
The officer merely shook her head, knelt on one knee, and drove her sword into the ground. Holding the hilt with both hands, she raised her voice:
“Rule established: those with malicious intent may not approach.”
【Authority: Law. Ability: Legislation.】
The scale in the air suddenly lit up, casting a beam of light around the hut. Inside the glow, Lynch felt a sudden sense of solemn, chilling gravity.
An eerie scene followed.
The terror claws had reached the hut and were about to claw at the outer walls, but after the command, they retreated reluctantly. They circled the hut again and again, but not one dared to step within five meters of the door.
“We are safe for the moment.” Unsurprised by the monsters' behavior, Officer Natalie calmly dusted off her trench coat, leaned against the doorframe, and cradled her sword. “You did well. At the very least, you are still standing on your own power. You have overturned every impression I had of you when we first met.”
“Can they understand your commands?” Lynch finally had the chance to ask his biggest question.
“They do not understand. But it is not my command that is effective; it is the authority of Law. Any sentient being with a sense of order has an innate reverence for rules. I temporarily established a regulation, and they instinctively feel fear when they attempt to break it, regardless of whether they understand the language. Even if I did not say it aloud, the result would be the same. Do you understand now?”
“Phew. You still have not answered why you are telling me all this.” Once confirmed safe, Lynch's mind returned to its usual sharpness. “This attitude reversal—something must have happened.”
“Because I am now certain that if you wish to survive, you must walk the path of a Soul Severer. There is no point in keeping it from you anymore. It is better to tell you in advance so that when you are forced to choose, you might feel a little more comfortable and less resistant.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Instead of resistance, Lynch felt an inexplicable joy:
“I, too, can possess supernatural power?”
“That comes after we suppress the mystery relic's runaway state. Before that, you have work to do.”
Officer Natalie said with a stern face:
“We are inside a special mystery relic used for sacrifice. Its effect is to retain the memory of an ancient sacrificial ritual. Everything you see seems real, but it is actually a fragment of history from tens of thousands of years ago. Establishing a link between this relic and an ordinary person is equivalent to sacrificing them to an evil god in the simplest way possible. The memory within the relic automatically completes the process; in reality, only a very simple ritual is needed. The concealment is extremely high. We must suppress this relic now, and you...”
As she spoke, Lynch watched her lips move, but her voice grew increasingly distant. Then, his chest felt as if it were being crushed by a giant stone. His vision went black, and he collapsed limply.
However, the moment his body touched the ground, his consciousness regained clarity. Lynch waved a hand at Officer Natalie with his remaining strength, crawled up with great effort, and pulled open his shirt to look at his chest. Several withered veins had already extended toward his heart.
His heart was beating rapidly, and he was covered in cold sweat. Lynch stared fixedly at his chest.
Death was so close—close enough to be despairing.
He looked blankly at Officer Natalie, who wore a look of sympathy on her stern face.
“How much time is left?” Although it looked worse than crying, Lynch at least gritted his teeth and squeezed out a smile.
“23:00. Sixty minutes.”
“Good. Keep talking.” Lynch clenched his fists. “I want to see whether death comes faster, or I do.”
Officer Natalie's expression was complex, her eyes filled with a new level of admiration. “Good. If you survive, I will treat you to a drink. I hope it is not too late. The next step is the hardest part of suppressing the relic. It can only be executed once inside. We need to read the relic's memories to find the conditions for suppression. Normally, we have to rely on trial and error, but now we have you.”
“Good. What must I do?”
“I do not know. You must explore it yourself; that is how those with the gift of inspiration do it. I will not lie to you: the fastest anyone with sharp spiritual perception has ever read a mystery's memory is over an hour. There likely is not enough time, but you can try. Remember, time is pressing. The faster, the better.”
“I understand.” Lynch nodded, gritting his teeth. “I will give it my all—for the sake of my own life.”
As he said this, he touched his withered chest: ‘Travel companion, is there enough time?’
【Reading the relic's memory in one go will take forty minutes. It can be completed within the time limit. However, your will will be under immense pressure, and you may lose your sanity in the process, leading to a failure. Splitting it into two reads would take fifty to fifty-five minutes, which is safer, but there may not be enough time left to fulfill the conditions.】
‘So I really have no second choice, do I? Then one last question: if the time runs out, will I truly die?’
【Yes.】
‘Then what are we waiting for? Come on, let us read the suppression conditions in one go.’
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