Under the crimson moonlight, the now middle-aged Viscount Stafford staggered slightly as he slammed open the warehouse doors, but he could no longer maintain his balance and fell straight to the ground.
He wasn't wearing his usual white wig; his high hairline and rather messy black hair were fully exposed. The latter clumped together in strands, as if it had been soaked by a heavy rain and then partially dried—yet in the past several hours, the clouds had been thin and the red moon hung high; there had been no rain at all.
On Viscount Stafford's face, drops of sweat slid down along the hard lines of his features toward his neck, while beneath his skin, countless black threads seemed to be flowing.
He slowly climbed up from the ground, his body slightly hunched, his facial muscles twisted, his eyes filled with pain and worry.
After glancing around and spotting Sherman, he first felt joy, then immediately turned anxious, rushing toward her with unsteady balance.
And when Sherman saw him enter the warehouse, her face suddenly came alive, as if illuminated by a layer of light.
She immediately revealed a mixture of worry and fear, frantically trying to shake her head—but her neck was tightly fixed by spider silk and couldn't move at all.
She grew more and more anxious, until tears overflowed from her eyes, one drop after another, crystal clear and fragile.
Just as Viscount Stafford was about to reach her, a loud bang suddenly erupted between them.
It was as if an invisible wall had appeared, separating Viscount Stafford and Sherman on opposite sides, impossible to cross.
"If you want to lift the curse and take her away, then answer my questions without any concealment." At that moment, a figure rapidly outlined itself in the corner of the warehouse.
Her features were each individually charming, and together formed an exceptionally sweet appearance—like the lover every man had fantasized about in his youth. She was the Demoness Trissy.
Without waiting for Viscount Stafford to respond, she directly raised her right hand, causing a pitch-black flame to leap up.
The skin on Viscount Stafford's face, hands, and neck—all exposed areas—instantly turned transparent, revealing one blood vessel after another.
And within each vessel, black flames burned quietly, flowing silently.
The pain in Viscount Stafford's eyes reached its peak at that moment—but vanished in an instant.
His expression became extremely cold, his gaze even carrying a hint of mockery, as if the one cursed wasn't himself, but Trissy far away.
In the corner of the warehouse, large amounts of black flames suddenly rose around Trissy, illuminating densely packed invisible spider threads—but they could not ignite them.
In an instant, Trissy became like Sherman, "sealed" inside a transparent cocoon, unable to move or escape.
At the high ventilation opening of the warehouse, another figure outlined itself. This was a woman whose age could not be discerned, wearing a simple and sacred white robe, with black hair and blue eyes, delicate and ethereal, possessing an indescribable charm.
"Katarina Pelle…" Trissy, as if using all her strength, finally uttered a name.
At the same time, within Viscount Stafford's mind, Hvin Rambis—controlled by Ebner through "Pride"—also showed surprise, thinking:
"The 'Saint of White,' Katarina… why is she here?
I had thought that to capture Trissy, the main body of the 'Saint of Purple' would come personally. I had already prepared to capture her… but it turned out, just like in the original story, it's Tracy's mother who made the move… has she sided with the 'Saint of Purple'?
Hm? Katarina's state seems off… she looks like she's been controlled again…
I knew it. After everything she's experienced, the 'Saint of White' should be more cautious and wouldn't expose herself so easily… Heh, seems she's truly miserable—no matter which side she joins, she can't escape being controlled.
However, the ability controlling her feels somewhat familiar… it seems related to Helena's 'Pathway of Wealth.' Her current situation is similar to being "settled as debt" and sold to a Beyonder or item of the 'Collector' pathway…
She needs to be 'redeemed' to break free from control.
If that's the case, then she should now count as a 'commodity'—something that can be 'stolen' and transferred into a 'commodity' within the Alvine Palace."
As thoughts raced, Ebner had already formed a plan, deciding to seize Katarina when the opportunity arose, and when "returning" her, trace the connection to find that 'Collector' pathway item or Beyonder.
On the rooftop, Amon also observed the 'Saint of White's' condition, the smile on her lips deepening.
At that moment, Viscount Stafford grabbed at his own body and pulled out a phantom doll tightly wrapped in black fiery threads.
He first glanced at Sherman beside him, then spoke to Trissy about how he had turned the situation to his advantage, finally glancing again at Sherman and concluding with a smile:
"…your gift was quite good…"
Hearing Viscount Stafford's words, Sherman—who had been struggling instinctively—suddenly stopped all movement, her expression becoming unprecedentedly blank.
Her eyes widened, yet lost focus, as if she were sinking inch by inch into water.
"Love…" Trissy suddenly laughed, sounding both mocking and self-deprecating.
She showed no tension on the surface, but secretly called out to the "old man."
The "All-Seeing Eye" parasitizing her mind pretended to sigh, then used the real "old man's" Worms of Time to simulate the aura of Pallez Zoroast.
At the same time, within Trissy's eyes, two slightly dim Worms of Time with twelve translucent segments each were reflected.
The two Worms of Time connected head to tail, forming identical vertical rings.
The rings slowly rotated, projecting behind her an ancient, mottled, enormous phantom.
This phantom resembled the surface of a stone-carved wall clock, divided into twelve sections, each either gray-white or dark cyan, interspersed yet clearly separated, each bearing different symbols.
Dong!
A bell-like sound, as if crossing through history, rang out, echoing layer by layer within the "empty" warehouse.
In the next moment, clarity briefly returned to the eyes of the 'Saint of White,' Katarina. Her expression changed abruptly, and she was about to dive into the mirror world—but before she could act, she fell back into her previous state. Only this time, as a "commodity," her "owner" had changed.
Faced with this sudden turn of events, Viscount Stafford retreated swiftly like a leopard, arriving beside the bound Sherman, then pulling out from his inner pocket a cross ornament stained with verdigris, its surface protruding with several sharp spikes, as if it had once pierced someone.
At that moment, Viscount Stafford pressed the cross against Sherman's neck, seemingly intending to use it to threaten Trissy, who had gained the upper hand.
Seeing this, how could Sherman not understand? The expression she hadn't yet withdrawn froze on her face, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.
"Love…" Trissy, having regained control of her body, sighed once more, then prepared to command the 'Saint of White' to deal with Viscount Stafford and take Sherman away.
But at that moment, Hvin Rambis—who had been hiding in Stafford's mind—heard the plea from that avatar of the 'Saint of Purple.'
"Even at this point, the main body of the 'Saint of Purple' still refuses to act? Truly cautious!" Ebner had no particularly good way to deal with a Demoness who constantly "hid" and only acted through avatars and puppets. Fortunately, luring out that "Undying Demoness" was only incidental—his main goal was to draw Amon into the game.
Thinking this, Ebner no longer hesitated, controlling the "Pride" to transform into a giant dragon and fly out from Viscount Stafford's body.
He deliberately released a trace of Zaratul's aura through his connection with Hvin, but quickly erased it.
At the same time, Princess Vera—who had long been following beside the disguised "Alvine Abraham" posing as Zaratul—caused the surrounding "mist" to subtly shift, revealing faint traces of the power of the "Hand of Order."
Inside the warehouse, upon seeing the "giant dragon," Trissy immediately received a warning from the "old man," realizing she no longer had the ability to act. She decisively chose to abandon Sherman, letting the 'Saint of White' take her into the "mirror world."
The giant dragon pursued instantly.
…
On the rooftop, Amon stared seriously in the direction the dragon and Demoness had departed. After several seconds of contemplation, she smiled again and thought:
"The one who turned that 'Manipulator' into a marionette is Zaratul? And the direction they fled in—there's faintly 'Order' power hidden there…
Is this a trap? A trap set for me?
Heh, it seems Zaratul and Pallez have really joined forces… makes sense. Both were once subordinates of Solomon, so they have a basis for cooperation.
Also, the owner of that 'Order' power seems to be a 'Hand of Order'…
Has the Augustus family also joined their alliance?
This is… quite interesting."
(End of Chapter)