Everything Under Control

The ship was going down—his holy mystery!

Standing on the shore, Lynch’s heart sank as he realized he might be in for a catastrophic loss.

Yet he was stuck on land, dozens of meters away from the large vessel, utterly powerless to help, not even knowing where the enemy was.

Over a dozen vessels of varying sizes drifted across the river, some entering port while others departed. Every single one appeared completely ordinary, without the slightest sign of launching an attack.

Tens of thousands of people were also crowded across the other seven long piers and the port plaza behind them, all pointing and gesturing toward the scene, making it impossible to tell who might be an enemy.

As a result, even if Lynch wanted to stop the attack, there was nothing he could do. He could only watch as the three river porpoises collided.

Flashes of fire burst forth alongside a deafening roar.

The three river porpoises detonated at the same time, sending violent tremors through the water and hurling towering plumes of spray into the air, creating what felt like a torrential downpour.

For a moment, everyone on the pier was stunned by the blast, staring blankly at the soaring deluge of water and thick smoke.

Yet Lynch realized something was wrong. The trajectory of the three river porpoises should have sent them slamming directly into the ship—why had they crashed into one another instead?

Because in the split second before impact, the large ship had vanished.

An illusory phantom of the Scepter of the Black Night had suddenly risen above the vessel. Emerging from behind the six-star priest, the massive phantom enveloped the entire ship before the vessel vanished into thin air.

It hadn't merely cloaked its presence—it had vanished entirely. One moment the water had been parted by the hull, and the next it returned to absolute stillness, as if the ship had never existed in the first place. Unable to check their momentum, the three river porpoises collided in the very spot where the vessel had been, triggering a tremendous explosion.

【Authority, Concealment, Ability, Erasure of Existence】

Even from dozens of meters away, Lynch could still feel the ripple of change brought on by this homologous authority.

So the Goddess of the Black Night's authority also included Concealment, and Concealment was far more than simply hiding physical objects away. In that critical moment, the six-star priest had directly hidden the very concept of the ship's existence, achieving an absolute defense.

After all, no one could harm something that did not exist.

It seemed his understanding of Concealment was still far too shallow; he had never even imagined an authority could be used like this.

However, even after understanding this, he hadn't managed to comprehend a new ability. Lynch instinctively realized that his mastery over the red moon's Divine Authority and the Concealment authority was not yet deep enough to allow him to grasp such a technique. This brush with it had merely deepened his understanding of Divine Authority by a sliver.

It seemed he still needed to keep raising his rank.

“Ah... A miracle! Praise the Black Night!”

Cries of awe rippled through the distant crowd across the port. Three seconds after vanishing, just as the water mist cleared, the large ship suddenly reappeared out of thin air, as if none of it had ever happened.

The moment it reappeared, it immediately resumed its docking maneuver, quickly guiding its massive hull into the berth.

Amidst the prostrations and prayers of the Black Night faithful, the large vessel smoothly pulled alongside the pier's long bridge to complete its docking. The attackers seemed equally startled by the escorts' feat of hiding the entire ship, mounting no further actions and allowing the vessel to dock without further interference.

More port soldiers swarmed onto the pier, locking it down completely, while the barrels of several gun batteries on either side swiveled up to aim at the river.

Soon after, two small boats shot out from the shipyard, swiftly approaching the long pier where the large vessel was berthed and patrolling back and forth across the water to cut off any riverine pursuit. The moored ship had already lowered its gangplank, and the five escorting priests, flanked by soldiers, hurried across the long pier toward the reception party that had been waiting for them.

“See? As I said, they are experienced and trustworthy. They have traversed perilous sea routes, let alone a simple inland transport.” The archbishop remained unperturbed throughout, keeping his composure even when the vessel was on the verge of being blown apart.

“Who were the attackers just now?”

“It is not yet certain. Likely pirates who infiltrated from the river mouth, or perhaps some wanted fugitive. Those people are far crazier than ordinary pirates—this is hardly the first time they have attacked the military.”

“Do the authorities just let them run rampant like this without taking any measures?”

“Most fugitives are twisted Soul Severers who have lost their sanity and turned bloodthirsty. They are formidable in strength, completely unconcerned with whether ordinary people witness the power of the occult world, and exceedingly elusive. On top of that, they secretly cooperate with certain secret societies and enjoy their protection, making them exceptionally difficult to capture.”

“If these people are so troublesome, would they really just give up like this?”

“Hm? Mr. Levive, did you sense something?”

Having heard from the Watchers about Lynch's keen inspiration, Trinlais did not dare dismiss his words lightly.

“Not necessarily, but controlling beasts for an aerial strike and explosions only to cease completely the moment the ship docked feels somewhat unnatural. I am a little worried they might have another plan to snatch the cargo. I would suggest tightening our guard just to be safe.”

“You worry too much, Mr. Lynch Levive. Faced with overwhelming force, no matter how crazed those fugitives are, they wouldn't dare continue pressing. Besides, even if they refused to give up, we wouldn't give them the slightest opening. Everyone here has weathered countless crises; until we reach an absolutely safe location, we will never relax our vigilance.”

A cold voice laced with sharp displeasure interrupted Lynch and Trinlais's quiet exchange. Looking up, they saw that the escort party had already drawn near.

Security remained tight, particularly among the four escorts, who kept their hands on their sword hilts at full alert. The leading six-star priest glared unhappily at Lynch before bowing slightly toward Trinlais, sketching a diagonal cross over his chest with a finger—the sign of the Scepter of the Black Night.

“Praise the Serene Night, Lord Archbishop.”

“May the profound darkness bless you forever, Knight Rick. Thank you for your hard work on the journey. Please pay it no mind; Mr. Levive meant no harm. He was merely concerned for the safety of the cargo, not questioning your professionalism or ability. Heh, let us begin the handover.”

Trinlais tapped his knuckle against Rick's priestly robe several times—a blessing of the Black Night—then smiled and waved his hand. Several accompanying priests promptly brought the carriage over.

A reserved smile appeared on Six-Star Priest Rick's square face. He gave a hand gesture, and the guarding soldiers immediately formed an impenetrable perimeter, raising their rifles outward. Rick then signaled the escorts to load the crates onto the carriage before carefully opening them one by one, allowing the receiving priests to check every item against the inventory.

“There is no need to worry, Mr. Levive. Everything is under control. Over the past three days, we have strictly adhered to the escort protocol without a single moment of negligence, ensuring nothing could go wrong with the shipment.”

The goods in the crates were indeed completely safe, not a single piece missing, neatly arranged in pristine order. Knight Rick puffed up his chest with pride as he raised the small case in his hand and gestured for Lynch to step forward.

“This is the shipment personally arranged by His Holiness the Pope, protected by the highest tier of security measures. I escorted it the entire way, never letting it leave my side, and stayed vigilant at all times. If something could go wrong under such conditions, then I—”

The case opened. It was completely empty.