The Ritual Begins

Sorry, Judy. Cooperation doesn't come for free. For now, you'll have to bear the risks on my behalf.

In fact, even before setting off, Lynch had already realized he was caught in an endless stream of trouble.

Unless he was willing to violate his own principles, throw away the gem, give up halfway, and stay completely out of it, he would have to face immense risks. A single misstep could lead to utter ruin.

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 couldn't have just come along for the ride. They all definitely had their own agendas, and more than a few likely wanted to sabotage the ritual.

If it were just a simple sabotage of the ritual, it wouldn't be so bad; at worst, everyone would just have to start over and find another way. However, if someone wanted to take the opportunity to kill a few people while causing trouble, then Lynch, who was clearly positioned as Howard's supervisor, would be the very first target of an underhanded attack.

Within this group, aside from Judy, whose strength as an apostle of an evil god put her on a completely different level from the rest, Rooney, Jack, and Salin were all at rank three authority. Karl and Dr. Jenna were even at rank four. As a rank two, Lynch would be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation with any of them. Yet, he had previously put on a persona of being unfathomably deep. Once the opponent decided to strike, they would undoubtedly use their full strength in a sneak attack, leaving him with absolutely no chance of survival.

Lynch did not want to die senselessly at the hands of those who were supposed to be his companions, but he couldn't reveal his true identity either. If the real Howard's people found out, they would stab him in the back, and he would still end up dead.

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

So when Lynch realized someone might be starting to stir up trouble, he immediately decided to take action as well. He would use Judy, the strongest among them, to draw some of the danger away from himself, while taking the opportunity to find a way to uncover this person's true objective.

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 went out one by one, leaving only the lanterns held by the patrolling workers casting chaotic beams of light back and forth.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings, broken only by the distant, faint roars of beasts and the chirping of insects drifting in from outside the valley.

The absence of insects and beasts nearby was in itself enough to indicate a problem.

Utilizing his lurking state, Lynch scaled the roof of his barracks and pulled out his monocular, peering toward the direction where the flash of light had originated.

It was a small lake outside the camp. The terrain was open, and the lake water reflected the moonlight, making the visibility reasonably good.

There seemed to be no one there, only the mysterious crimson and the bright, silver-white moon, the figures of the two sisters reflected in the lake.

Time to take a gamble and go check it out.

Having made up his mind, Lynch took out his cane, Blood's Temptation, and his revolver. After a moment's thought, he put the revolver back. With a flick of his wrist and his palm facing upward, he allowed a skull shrouded in black mist to emerge from his palm, which he then pressed directly into his chest.

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

Relying on the concealment of his lurking ability, Lynch leapt lightly. With the amplified effect of Cat's Favor, he vanished into the darkness like a wisp of blue smoke.

He leapt out from the back of the camp, skirted along the outside of the fence to the side, and made his way toward the lakeside under the cover of his lurking ability.

The deathly quiet environment seemed to carry an endless weight of pressure, but with his cane in hand, Lynch pressed forward without hesitation.

I have rank two authority and am already a mature Soul Severer. I must learn to have the courage to face anything.

The lakeside was completely deserted, and the lake water was as still as an ancient well. Lynch frowned, silently recalling the direction where the faint light had appeared, and began to circle along the lakeside... only to immediately pull back the foot he had just stepped forward with.

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

Deciding to stick strictly to the rocks along the lakeside, Lynch carefully circled around to the opposite side of the lake through the shadows.

Stopping his advance, he was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when his heart suddenly leaped. Obeying his instincts, he immediately took a step back and shrank into the shadows of the lakeside rocks.

In the next moment, a glowing light resembling a ghost fire drifted lazily across the lake's surface. Lynch immediately realized that this was likely the flash he and Judy had spotted earlier. It wasn't very bright; he had probably only noticed it because it was pitch black outside and Judy had pointed it out right at that moment. Otherwise, he might have overlooked it entirely.

It seemed the silly girl wasn't so silly after all.

But what on earth was this thing? It looked like an oversized firefly.

Dressed entirely in black, Lynch held his breath and maintained his lurking state in the shadows, using multiple layers of protection to conceal his presence. He even averted his direct gaze, observing the floating ghost fire only with his peripheral vision to avoid the pressure of a direct stare.

He watched as the oversized firefly drifted to the lakeside and suddenly burst, scattering into thousands of dimly glowing fireflies. Accompanied by a low buzzing sound, the fireflies rapidly coalesced, shaping themselves into a human figure.

The tall, thin figure was none other than the unsociable fraud, Salin.

Having taken human form, Salin quickly paced around the area, passing right in front of Lynch several times. Fortunately, thanks to his triple layers of concealment, Lynch managed to avoid detection by this guy, whose strength surpassed his own.

After confirming that there was no one around, Salin crouched down by the lakeside and dipped his finger into the water, casually drawing a circle. As his finger stirred, the water within the circle began to spin, quickly forming a whirlpool. Before long, a somewhat familiar voice echoed from the center of the vortex.

“You're late, Salin.”

It was Walker's voice.

“You only have yourselves to blame. Don't tell me you guys weren't the ones who killed those six gate-openers. Even if I don't know who did it, it was definitely one of your people.”

“No, that was the work of Prince William's people. We don't know who it was either. Do you have any guesses?”

“I strongly suspect that Selene. Her attitude is far too ambiguous. Besides, causing the deaths of six gate-openers from a distance is no easy feat. Her strength should be up to the task.”

“It wouldn't be her. She appeared too late, and her involvement was highly coincidental. It should be one of the remaining five. Keep observing for now; it doesn't matter if you can't find them. Remember, once the gate-openers are in place, the ritual has officially begun. You must remain cautious at all times and make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Don't worry, it's simple.”

“Good. Remember, to avoid ruining that prominent figure's plans, you must ensure the ritual goes smoothly. It would be best if you could personally bring back the mirror. If that proves truly impossible, you are permitted to give up. If necessary, you can take the initiative to contact Ms. Selene. She is a servant of the Swelling Daughter, so her stance is not an issue.”

Thanks, you're a good person too.

It seemed that prominent figure they spoke of and Prince William were indeed not the same person.

As Lynch was turning this over in his mind, he saw Salin wipe away the vortex on the lake's surface. Then, under Lynch's bizarre gaze, Salin... drew another one.

“It's me, Salin.”

“Is everything going smoothly?”

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

“I have already followed the target to the designated location.”

“Very well. Keep a close eye on this ritual. It likely won't succeed in the end, but if he fails and the item truly surfaces, remember to obtain it at all costs. It must not fall into anyone else's hands.”

“I'll do it. Just remember to have my gold ready.”

After a few brief, half-hearted exchanges, Salin wiped away the vortex once more. However, Lynch was no longer watching his movements; his attention had been drawn to something else.

Something was wriggling in a crevice between the rocks. Looking closely, it was a dusty little gray mouse that had slipped out of the gap at some unknown point.

Holy crap, Jack Adams. He came to spy on this too.

Thank goodness I arrived early. If I had been late, I probably would have been spotted.

Lynch felt a shiver run down his spine, but he immediately became aware of something else that made his hair stand on end even more.

At some point, massive quantities of bubbles had begun to boil up from the center of the lake, as if the water had suddenly been brought to a boil.

The sudden change in the lake water drew a sharp gasp from Salin, who hastily stood up and retreated several paces.

But before he could distance himself from the shore, a massive, ghastly white, eerie presence rose from the pitch-black depths. Moving with a deceptive, swift-yet-gradual speed, it surged upward, its sheer scale nearly covering the entire surface of the lake.

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

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

The ritual has begun.

All at once, all the spikes contracted at high speed, then shot out rapidly toward everything along the lakeside.