The Ritual Begins

I am sorry, Judy. Cooperation is not free, so I will let you shoulder the risks I am currently facing for the time being.

In truth, before setting off, Lynch had already realized he had stepped into an endless pit of trouble.

Unless he was willing to go against his own principles, abandon the gem, give up halfway, and wash his hands of the matter, he would have to face immense risks. One wrong step would mean total annihilation.

Seven team members, seven undercover agents, potentially representing over ten different factions—it sounded like a joke, but in reality, that was the most terrifying part.

They could not have come just to watch the show; they certainly all had agendas, and among them were those intent on sabotaging the ritual.

If it were just a simple disruption, it would be fine—at worst, everyone would just start over and find another way. However, if someone intended to kill a few people while they were at it, then Lynch, who was clearly positioned as a supervisor on Howard's side, would be the first target for a clandestine strike.

Among this group, excluding Judy, whose strength as an apostle of an evil god surpassed the others, Rooney, Jack, and Salin were all rank three. Karl and Dr. Jenna were both rank four. As a rank two, Lynch would be at a disadvantage against any one of them in a direct confrontation. Yet, having previously established an unfathomable persona, the moment the opponent made a move, they would undoubtedly use their full strength in a surprise attack, leaving him no chance of survival.

Lynch did not wish to die an unexplained death at the hands of people who were supposed to be his companions, but he could not reveal his identity either. If Howard's real people found out, they would strike from the shadows, and he would still be doomed.

In the world of mystery, there was truly no such thing as simple. The only solution was to remain vigilant at all times and leave no openings for anyone.

Therefore, when Lynch realized that someone was about to start making trouble, he immediately decided to take action as well. He would use Judy, who possessed the greatest strength, to share his risks while he seized the opportunity to uncover the true goals of these people.

It would be even better if he could pull in another ally. As for Miss Target, I will apologize to you with a heart full of guilt.

I really am a good person.

The lights in the camp gradually flickered out, leaving only the chaotic beams from the lanterns in the hands of the patrolling workers.

The surroundings fell into a deathly silence, with only the roars of beasts and the chirping of insects faintly drifting in from far beyond the valley.

The absence of insects and beasts was, in itself, a clear warning sign.

Lynch, in a state of lurking, climbed onto the roof of his barracks, pulled out a monocular, and peered toward the direction where the flash had originated.

It was a small lake outside the camp, with open terrain and water reflecting the moonlight; the visibility was quite decent.

It seemed empty, with only the mysterious crimson and the bright, silvery white—the figures of the two sisters—reflected in the lake water.

Time for a gamble. I will go take a look.

Having made up his mind, Lynch took out his cane, Blood's Temptation, and his revolver. After a moment of thought, he put the pistol away, turned his wrist palm up, and let a skull wreathed in black mist emerge from his palm before pressing it directly into his own chest.

His entire body shuddered as if struck by lightning, but immediately, a surge of power welled up from within, filling his body with strength.

Utilizing the concealment of his lurking ability, Lynch leaped lightly. The Cat's Favor was even more potent after the amplification, and he vanished into the darkness like a wisp of blue smoke.

Leaping out from the rear of the camp, he detoured around the fence to the side, approaching the lakeshore while maintaining his lurk.

The deathly silent environment seemed to carry an endless pressure, but with his cane in hand, Lynch pressed on without looking back.

I am a rank two soul manifestation soul severer; I am already a mature practitioner. I must learn to have the courage to face everything.

The lakeside was empty, the water as calm as an ancient well. Lynch frowned, silently recalling the direction of the shimmer, and skirted along the shore... Lynch pulled back the foot he had just stepped forward.

There were plants on the ground. Karl Jones's performance from earlier was still fresh in his mind.

He decided to choose the rocks by the lake instead, carefully moving from the shadowed side to the opposite bank.

He stopped and was about to let out a sigh of relief when his heart suddenly stirred. He immediately followed his instincts and stepped back, shrinking into the shadows of the lakeside rocks.

The next moment, a fluorescent glow, like a will-o'-the-wisp, drifted over from the surface of the lake. Lynch immediately realized that this was likely the same flash he and Judy had seen earlier. Its brightness was not high; he had only managed to see it because it was dark enough outside and Judy had reminded him, otherwise he might have missed it.

It seems the silly girl is not so silly after all.

But what on earth is this? It looks like a giant firefly.

Lynch, dressed in black, held his breath and maintained his lurk within the shadows, using multiple layers of protection to mask his existence. He even shifted his gaze, using only his peripheral vision to observe the floating ghost fire to avoid the pressure that direct observation might bring.

He watched as the giant firefly drifted to the shore and suddenly exploded into thousands of faint, glowing insects. Accompanied by a buzzing sound, the fireflies rapidly gathered together and transformed into a humanoid shape.

The tall, thin figure was none other than the antisocial swindler, Salin.

After transforming into human form, Salin made a quick sweep of the surroundings, passing right in front of Lynch several times. Thanks to his triple concealment, Lynch was not discovered by this man whose strength exceeded his own.

Confirming that no one was around, Salin crouched by the lake and dipped his finger into the water, tracing a circle. As his finger stirred, the water within the circle began to rotate, quickly forming a whirlpool. Not long after, a somewhat familiar voice emanated from the vortex.

"You are late, Salin."

It was Walker's voice.

"That is your fault. Do not tell me that the deaths of those six openers were not your doing. Although I do not know who did it, it was definitely your people."

"No, that was the work of Prince William's men. We do not know who it was either. Do you have any guesses?"

"I highly suspect that Selene. Her attitude is too ambiguous. And it is not easy to cause the death of six openers remotely; she should have the strength to do it."

"It is not her. She appeared too late, and the probability of that is high. It must be one of the remaining five. Continue to observe. It does not matter if you cannot find them. Remember, once the openers are in place, the ritual is effectively underway. You must remain cautious at all times and ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Rest assured, it is simple."

"Good. Remember, to ensure we do not fail that gentleman's task, we must guarantee the ritual proceeds smoothly. It is best if you can personally bring the mirror back. If you truly cannot, you are permitted to give up. If necessary, you may proactively contact Lady Selene; she is a servant of the Swelling Daughter, so her stance is reliable."

Thank you very much. You are also a good person.

It seems that the gentleman they speak of and Prince William are indeed not the same person.

Lynch was calculating this in his mind when he saw Salin erase the whirlpool on the lake surface, only for him—under Lynch's bewildered gaze—to draw another one.

"It is me, Salin."

"Is everything going smoothly?"

The voice from the second vortex was even more familiar. It was actually the voice of Archbishop Trinlais.

"I have followed the target to the designated location."

"Very good. Keep a close watch on this ritual. It should not succeed in the end, but if he fails and the item truly surfaces, remember to obtain it at any cost. It must not fall into the hands of others."

"I will do it. Remember to prepare my gold."

With a few simple, perfunctory words, Salin erased the vortex once more. However, Lynch was not watching his movements; his attention had been drawn to something else.

Something was wriggling in the gaps between the rocks. Looking closely, it was a gray little mouse that had crawled out from a crevice, he knew not when.

Damn, Jack Adams. He came here to spy as well.

It is fortunate that I arrived early; if I had arrived any later, I might have been discovered.

Lynch felt his skin crawl, but he immediately realized another, even more terrifying fact.

He did not know when it started, but large patches of bubbles were beginning to churn in the center of the lake, as if the water had suddenly been brought to a boil.

The abnormal change in the lake water drew a gasp from Salin, who abruptly stood up and retreated a few steps.

However, before he could leave the shore, a massive expanse of pale, eerie existences began to rise from the pitch black depths of the water. They charged up with a speed that defied their apparent slowness, and the scale was so vast that it covered almost the entire surface of the lake.

Countless pale, hollow spikes reflected a sinister light under the moonlight.

For some reason, a sentence he had just heard surfaced in Lynch's mind.

The ritual has already begun.

Suddenly, all the spikes contracted rapidly and then shot toward everything on the lakeshore.