Rank Two Divine Authority

“Look! What is that?”

Exclamations suddenly echoed around Charles Square below as people began to realize something was amiss, pointing up at the sky in astonishment.

Soon, more and more people noticed the anomaly and looked toward the east.

It was eleven in the morning, approaching noon. The bright sun hung high in the sky; it was the brightest time of the day.

Yet at this very moment, a crimson moon slowly rose, ascending in the blink of an eye to hang high in the eastern sky, shining in brilliant harmony alongside the dazzling sun.

A strange phenomenon filled the sky—the sun and moon hung in the sky together.

People in open spaces looked up, occupants inside rooms gathered by windows, and carriages ground to a halt on streets as heads popped out from windows. At this moment, nearly every citizen in Rhine City was gazing up at the sky, witnessing this unprecedented spectacle.

Ordinary people had no idea what was happening, assuming it was merely an unusual astronomical event. Yet in hidden corners of the city unnoticed by the public, pairs of eyes—some playful, some wise, some sinister, and some violent—all turned toward Charles Square at almost the exact same moment.

A moon rising in broad daylight, the power of the red moon surging once more... Had someone invoked the power of the Crimson Lady, or had that supreme entity embarked on the path of return?

In an instant, within every church and every secret society, all high-level experts capable of sensing occult anomalies stared blankly at the unprompted rise of the crimson moon, unable to avert their gazes for a long time.

Lynch knew nothing of this. In that moment, he felt a profound enlightenment wash over him.

To be rooted in this world and derive power from the faith of mortals meant bearing an innate responsibility toward both the world and its people—this was the connection between cause and effect. Just as Lynch had felt earlier, because his presence had drawn malicious individuals, he bore the responsibility to protect innocent little Martha.

Perhaps this was what Lady Luna meant by his lack of understanding regarding Divine Authority. Becoming supreme came with a price; without understanding the meaning of responsibility, one could never truly reach the realm of the supreme. The instant Lynch truly grasped this responsibility—rather than merely convincing himself with hollow excuses—everything unfolded naturally.

His soul felt abruptly yanked from his body, his vision soaring rapidly upward—looking down at himself, at the apartment, at the square, and at the world itself.

His will seemed to merge into one with the crimson moon, experiencing once more the red moon's care and deep attachment to the realm. It was the favor of the red moon, the love of a deity.

In this moment, Lynch hovered high above, consumed by a sense of omniscience and omnipotence.

Withdrawing his consciousness to refocus on his soul manifestation, the full red moon pulsed rhythmically like a beating heart, as though something was about to burst from its shell.

Once, twice... On the third pulse of his soul manifestation, a surge of power exploded within the red moon. Immediately after, a second orb of light shot out, slowly orbiting the soul manifestation like a satellite.

【God Name: Red Moon. Divine Authority: Death.】

His mind shuddered violently, and his consciousness plummeted rapidly, returning to his body in an instant.

The moment he opened his eyes, a beam of moonlight plunged from the sky, connecting the red moons of heaven and earth into one.

His soul swelled rapidly, and the phantom image of his soul manifestation grew increasingly solid. A surging wave of absolute power welled up inside him. Lynch snapped his eyes open, blood-red moonlight seemingly spilling from their corners as his piercing gaze swept through the open window, locking directly onto the cloaked man in formal attire below.

The strange man had also just recovered from the phenomenon of the sun and moon hanging together in the sky. Turning his gaze back toward the upper floor, his expression was fierce and sneering. He aimed his thumb up at Lynch, then flipped his wrist, turning it into a thumb-down gesture of provocation.

Yet the moment he completed the gesture, his gaze met Lynch's eyes, overflowing with moonlight.

Time seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second, tiny sparks of lightning flickering where their gazes met. The next instant, the formal-clad man suddenly staggered back two steps, his back slamming into the wall behind him. He clapped a hand over his mouth and nose as strands of fresh blood trickled out between his fingers.

The moonlight in Lynch's eyes flared even brighter as he leaned forward. Below, the strange man glared viciously at Lynch, pulled his top hat down, and hurriedly slipped into the bustling crowd as if terrified Lynch might pursue him, quickly vanishing down the street.

Lynch let out a long breath, relaxing his mind. The moonlight connecting heaven and earth around him dissolved, and tranquility returned to the air.

Only then did Lynch realize the physical transformation he had undergone. His five senses had jumped up a notch, becoming remarkably sharp, and his physical condition had improved significantly. Even his leg in the plaster cast, which had felt somewhat dull and sore before, was now completely back to normal.

When he turned his focus inward, he clearly saw a second orb of light orbiting his soul manifestation. It represented his Death authority. However, as he had not yet comprehended any specific abilities, the Death Divine Authority was merely an empty frame for now, waiting for him to gradually unlock its secrets in the future.

Behind him, little Martha clutched one of Lynch's hands tightly. Her small body trembled slightly with tension, but she remained obediently hidden behind him, covering her mouth without making a sound.

Lynch scanned the street below to confirm the strange man was gone before letting out a breath. Turning around, he patted little Martha's head and comforted her softly, “It's alright, that person is gone now. You don't need to be afraid. Do you know him?”

The little girl threw herself into Lynch's arms and hugged him tightly, burying her head against his stomach and rubbing against him. After holding on for quite a while, she looked up with an aggrieved expression and shook her head. “No, I don't... It's just that I suddenly felt really scared earlier, and I don't know why. I thought something like that was happening again.”

Lynch suddenly recalled that this child was also a survivor of an occult incident; her father had died at the hands of those cultists from Thorn Flower. No wonder she was so sensitive to the pressure of mysterious forces. Softening inside, Lynch gently stroked her hair and reassured her, “That person wasn't after you, so don't worry. Go help your mother. When Natalie gets here later, tell her to come straight upstairs.”

Lynch wasn't lying to her. The man in formal attire was clearly targeting him, not little Martha. That was why she had been standing by the window for so long without being attacked, only receiving threats after Lynch himself appeared.

Lynch was deeply puzzled. He reflected on his time since transmigrating and didn't think he had offended that many people. Counting them up carefully... it was really only the believers of Ancient Flicker, the cultists of Abyss Weaver, the wanted sea criminal Walter Davis the fish-face, Chairman Grant, Walker's Ranger trio... Wait, I've only been in this world for seven or eight days and spent most of it bedridden, so how did I manage to offend so many people?!

The more Lynch tallied them up, the more alarmed he grew, until he didn't even dare keep counting. The problem was that all these troubles had sought him out! It had to be a side effect of stepping onto the path of immortality, which endowed him with a physique that naturally attracted the mysterious. It definitely wasn't because he had a punchable face!

【Heh heh.】

Oh well. Regardless of how many people he'd pissed off, at least he had successfully saved Maya, and he had partially completed the commissions from Duke Vane and Archbishop Trinlais. That meant he had gained a tentative foothold in this world.

His next step was to find a way to make a fortune using the information about Zur Baha Sahr to break free from his destiny of poverty. At the same time, he needed to follow up on the commission regarding the Norin-Rhine Railway. In that case, a family as large as the Valente family was merely the tip of the iceberg, and even greater behemoths might be involved behind the scenes, so he had to remain exceedingly cautious.

Then there was the Shadow Alliance. Black Spider had a major god standing behind him, and taking one hit through the picture frame certainly hadn't killed him. The man possessed vicious methods and sinister intent; there was no way he would abandon his malice so easily. He... might very well be Lynch's greatest enemy on the path of immortality and must not be underestimated.

That should be all of them for now. Once his cast was removed today, he'd find time to visit the Valente household to see the young lady, then pay a direct visit to Grant, that greedy capitalist, resolving all the addressable issues first.

Oh, right, and that fifty-pound check. As soon as he could move around, he needed to cash it. With his second authority newly activated, he would ask Officer Natalie to take him around to see if he could purchase some suitable abilities, and then test his arcana affinity. Who knew what kind of abilities could be unlocked under the Death Divine Authority? Hopefully they wouldn't be as useless as that guy's from the Church of the Black Night. He was actually looking forward to it.

After jotting down and sketching out his future plans on his detective notebook, Lynch finally wore a satisfied smile. Dropping his pen, he pulled up his shirt and reached out to feel his smooth stomach.

The two wounds showed no trace of scarring. Lynch pressed around on his belly, left and right, unable to feel any pain whatsoever. He couldn't help but marvel at the magical abilities of this world. Just as he was hunched over, absorbed in circling his former wounds with a pen to compare the skin, a sudden feeling came over him. Looking up, he saw Officer Natalie standing at the bedroom door, staring at his foolish behavior with a conflicted look on her face.

“You really are bored out of your mind, aren't you?”

“Yeah.” Lynch nodded aggrievedly. Anyone confined to a bed for sixteen days straight would get restless enough to grow fur.

“Well, perfect. You're supposed to get your cast removed today anyway, which means you can get out of bed and move around, right?”

“Hmm? Is there something going on?” Lynch's eyes lit up.

Officer Natalie glanced around and lowered her voice. “Klin, the Watchers' archivist, sent me a message asking us to head over whenever we have time.”

“Those photos? They got results?”

“Yeah.”