The anomaly vanished. Klein breathed a slight sigh of relief, surveyed the room, and chose a spot touched by faint moonlight where the shadows weren't too thick, to avoid any sudden attack.
The experience of the last few seconds gave him a certain guess about the faint figures outside the curtain and the beast-like growling:
They were the same corpses that had been hanging inside the church, muttering "Hornacis... Freygra...!"
When Klein passed through the wall and left the church, all of them, hanging from the heights, turned towards the lit candle, while the streets were empty. Once Klein remotely extinguished the candle flame, everything was just like last time!
When the crimson moon is clear and spirituality is enhanced, the influence of that "magnet" at the top of the church on the town in the foggy world deepens, allowing it to manipulate those corpses to walk around, pretending to be normal? If so, the light might attract the attention of the "controller." In that case, not extinguishing the flame in time and letting the source be pinpointed could lead to something extremely horrible. Hmm, I can't rely on being able to control the flames to frequently divert the "gaze" of those figures... Klein reminded himself, and turned his "Spirit Body Threads" vision, which he hadn't turned off, to the bread, the beef stew with potatoes, and the dark red wine on the dining table.
He suspected that the food here was part of that "magnet" at the top of the church. If consumed, the "Spirit Body Threads" would be contaminated and uncontrollably drift towards the church. This would also explain why eating the food here causes one to vanish into thin air—they are all taken inside the church to be hung and dried, and when the crimson moon is clear, they can come out to "walk," matching Mr. A's description of vanished people reappearing under the bright moonlight.
Taking a look, Klein noticed that the food, like living beings, had "Spirit Body Threads" growing from within, extending towards the ancient church.
The most special thing about them was that each only had a single "Spirit Body Thread," a stark contrast to the myriad of threads of a normal living being.
As expected, it's pretty much what I speculated... Klein, whose thoughts had been preliminarily confirmed, averted his gaze and pondered the problem of how to deal with the "Despair Witch," Panatiya.
Beside him, the "Wraith" Senor, wearing an old tricorne hat and a dark red coat, suddenly materialized. The puppet's bones creaked, its face writhed, and it quickly transformed into the appearance of Gehrman Sparrow.
The puppet was using the Faceless ability!
Klein scrutinized the "substitute" for a while and noticed some flaws. The clothes couldn't be transformed, and if he used an illusion to conceal them, it wouldn't fool a demigod-level "Despair Witch," and even Mr. A might not fall for it.
After a moment's consideration, he ordered the "Wraith" Senor, in the form of Gehrman Sparrow, to take off his clothes. He himself also removed his black clergy robe, and the two exchanged outfits!
As he dressed, Klein's expression gradually became strange, because for the past two months, the puppet had been wearing this very outfit the entire time. It had been to the sewers, endured explosions, and was a mixture of various odors that was far from pleasant.
Sigh, the suffering I'm enduring now is all karma from being lazy in the past... Klein sighed silently, completed his disguise, and transformed into the pirate captain, Gehrman Sparrow.
Meanwhile, the "Wraith" Senor had also changed into a black clergy robe, his aura now lively instead of cold, making him indistinguishable from a living person.
Klein deliberated for a moment, then removed the "Creeping Hunger" and equipped the "Blood Admiral" onto his left palm.
This way, the puppet was a standard Gehrman Sparrow!
Gotta play the part to the fullest... And if "Creeping Hunger" rebels during this process, it will only eat the puppet. Heh, when the effect wears off, won't it feel cheated, as if it took a placebo... As Klein had the "Wraith" Senor acclimate to the state and take the fish and other items, he seriously formulated a plan:
Relying on such a "puppet" that can use my Beyonder powers—let alone defeating the "Despair Witch," even just stealing that obsidian from her is practically impossible. She is a genuine demigod...
Even if I achieve tactical success with this highly deceptive puppet, for example, using it to attract her attention while I launch a sudden sneak attack, constantly swapping positions to confuse Panatiya and make it hard for her to judge accurately, it wouldn't compensate for the difference in level and strength, and the strategic goal wouldn't be achieved...
I could consider sending the puppet into close combat to try to manipulate Panatiya's "Spirit Body Threads." It is already a corpse and no longer affected by diseases and plagues, which could catch her off guard... Two problems: first, as the "Despair Witch's" mystical "viruses" and "bacteria" become stronger and more powerful, can they affect a walking corpse? Second, does she have other Beyonder powers that I don't know about... This is highly likely!
Hmm, first, let me make a mental list of where I have an advantage or am on the same level as the "Despair Witch," and see what inspiration it brings...
The puppet that can disguise itself as me and use my own Beyonder powers is at a demigod level, and so is the ability to instantly swap positions. Other than that, there's nothing... Eh, considering the "Despair Witch's" current state, it seems I have another advantage over her...
She is in a half-mad state, her reason comes and goes, she acts quite radically, easily driven by instincts. Hmm, although she is still good at instigating and manipulating, this is a hunting instinct. I, on the other hand, am in a normal state, my intelligence hasn't been affected yet, my thinking and analytical abilities are still online...
Could it be that this time I'll win with my wits?
An idea flashed through Klein's mind, and he gradually came up with a new approach and plan:
Why should I fight to the death with the "Despair Witch" Panatiya right now?
She undoubtedly yearns to escape Foggy Town just as much. Deep down, this overrides the instinct to feed! Besides, she's full right now!
I can definitely try to cooperate with her. She provides that obsidian, I draw that special and secret symbol, and we fulfill the conditions to "open the door"...
Besides, I don't trust that Zaratul. Who knows if he has malicious intent and hidden schemes? Bringing in the "Despair Witch" can effectively muddy the waters and restrain Him to a certain extent!
Cooperation is a drama, not an action scene. A perfect decoy of the demigod level can play a much greater role than a direct fight. This is a combination of my two advantages!
Klein quickly made a decision. While pondering the details of the "cooperation negotiations," he patiently waited for the crimson moon to re-enter the mist.