Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

Xio recounted other observations from the gathering...

When she mentioned that the perpetrator of the serial killings was a Beyonder creature, Fors was astonished, "A Beyonder creature?"

"I was just as surprised when I heard the news," Xio said with a smile.

Fors forced an awkward smile. In truth, she had already heard some information about the serial killer during a Tarot Club meeting. She knew it was a Beyonder from the 'Abyss' Pathway, but she hadn't realized it was a Beyonder creature.

"Oh, right, I also obtained some high-level intelligence," Xio said proudly, as if presenting a treasure, "It cost me over twenty pounds..."

When she learned that this so-called 'high-level intelligence' was the concept of Beyonder characteristics, Fors responded perfunctorily, "Wow, amazing."

"Ahem..." She cleared her throat and added, "Now that you mention it, I also came across some high-level intelligence at another gathering..."

Meanwhile, she was screaming internally, 'Stop wasting money like this! A mere explanation of Beyonder characteristic theory cost 500 pounds? Agh! The Acting Method was only 200 pounds at the Tarot Club!'

...

~Green Park North Street, West Borough~

The nobleman named Blair resided here...

The Machinery Hivemind's deacon and Backlund's chief captain, Ikanser Bernad, personally led a team to visit this wealthy man under the guise of police officers.

Three carriages entered the gates of the luxurious villa. At first glance, everything appeared normal... gardeners tended to the flowerbeds, while guards patrolled with dogs in tow.

Upon reaching the villa, Ikanser and his team were greeted by the owner, who looked somewhat gaunt, as if he hadn't been sleeping well.

As soon as Ikanser stepped out of the carriage, Blair approached to shake hands. But the chief captain suddenly barked, "Fire!"

The door of the second carriage swung open, revealing a cannon barrel as thick as a man's thigh, engraved with dense and eerie patterns.

The carriage had clearly been modified. The peculiar small cannon was fixed inside, and the compartment opened outward on four sides, providing nearly a 180-degree firing angle.

Two 'Machinery Hivemind' members operated the cannon, having long prepared for this moment.

At Ikanser's command, the barrel glowed, causing the strange patterns to shift in color. A golden fireball shot from the cannon and struck one of the windows.

*Boom!*

After the deafening explosion, ghostly wails echoed from inside the room. The Extraordinary battle had begun!

While the mystical cannon fired, Ikanser drew a somewhat antiquated-looking flintlock pistol.

*Bang!*

He fired at Blair, unleashing a blazing white bullet.

Blair's face twisted into a snarl as a dozen ice-crystal-like needles materialized before him. But the bullet passed straight through them. Just as it was about to strike Blair, he suddenly collapsed, unconscious.

With a swift motion of his hand, Ikanser redirected the bullet toward a nearby pane of glass where the 'Wraith' that had just fled Blair's body was hiding.

The 'Wraith' used Mirror Blink again to evade the high-level purification bullet that posed a lethal threat to it.

Holstering his gun, Ikanser donned a pair of gloves and fixed his gaze on the 'Wraith'. Despite the distance between them, he threw a punch and struck the 'Wraith' squarely in the jaw, forcing it out of the mirror and into the real world!

Blood trickled from the Wraith's mouth as it continued dodging the bullet. It let out a piercing Wraith Shriek directed at Ikanser, but the chief captain's body shimmered with a faint star-like radiance that blocked the supernatural attack.

Meanwhile, following the initial explosion, the villa's servants, gardeners, and guards (even the vicious dogs) bared their teeth and charged at the Machinery Hivemind's carriages.

They were all zombies that were long devoid of life...

Max, the captain of the 'Machinery Hivemind' squad, leaped down from the carriage, wielding a long, heavy, and peculiar firearm with a dark golden ammunition belt feeding into it.

*Rat-tat-tat!*

As Max pulled the trigger, he channeled his Spirituality, activating the Extraordinary weapon. A barrage of purification bullets mowed down the zombies.

Glancing toward Ikanser, he saw that under the combined assault of the deacon's abilities and several Sealed Artifacts, the 'Wraith' was already injured. It was only a matter of time before it was destroyed.

The other squad members couldn't contribute much in a Sequence 5 battle, so under Max's command, his team hoisted the mystical cannon and stormed the villa's front entrance while another squad flanked the rear.

Upon entering, they spotted several wounded enemies attempting to flee. The mystical cannon and machine gun roared again, cutting them down in a hail of fire.

By now, the squad that had circled to the backyard had also engaged the enemy...

Max didn't divert to reinforce them. Instead, he led his team in sweeping the first floor. They first entered the room struck by the initial purification shell.

Inside were two 'Werewolves' and one 'Zombie'. One 'Werewolf' was dead, the other severely wounded, both sprawled on the floor.

Even the 'Zombie' couldn't withstand the purification shell's power. It was gravely injured, its strength significantly diminished by the purification effects.

As it stuffed its intestines back into its abdomen, it searched for an escape route, only to run straight into Max and his team.

Without a word, Max squeezed the trigger again...

Fear flashed in the Zombie's eyes as it dodged frantically. At the same time, under its command, the dead 'Werewolf' suddenly stood up, shielding it and taking the lethal gunfire.

While the half-transformed 'Werewolf' was torn in half, the 'Zombie', now with two additional bullet wounds, smashed through the wall and fled toward the back door.

Max and his team gave chase, but as they reached the hall, their Spiritual intuition screamed of impending danger. Before they could react, the villa's expansive and luxurious carpet abruptly rose like a curtain, obstructing their view.

Immediately afterward, every team member felt their collars tighten, as if their clothes were trying to strangle them. Their sleeves constricted as well, making it impossible to even reach up and loosen their collars.

Fear of the unknown gripped their hearts. Even these well-trained operatives showed traces of panic.

Max remained calm... He knew the one controlling all this had to be nearby. He tried to pull the trigger with his still-movable fingers, but it felt like it was welded shut... completely immovable.

Then he understood... a formidable enemy had arrived, one who could manipulate inanimate objects...