Seeing the middle-aged man dressed as a priest, Anderson was stunned for a full second before he felt a shackle shatter within his mind. Countless fragments of memory broke through the invisible barrier and surged forth, like pent-up emotions finally bursting free.
He remembered what had happened in the past two months. He remembered what the mission the demigod had given him was!
Back in Bayam, acting on an impulse, he had met up with that demigod. Following them, he left the Rorsted Archipelago and sailed to a secluded place.
There, he met the priest beside him. He was arranged to lie inside an ancient coffin, submerged in a liquid mixed with mystical materials and strange blood, letting the concoction slowly seep into him.
After over a month of erosion, a deep red "chrysalis" formed inside him. His memories from that period were then "locked away," and he was sent to West Balam with a psychological suggestion planted in him that he couldn't leave before his memory was restored.
That meant the mission the demigod had given him was not completed. It was still ongoing, and everything before was just preparation!
As the images flashed one after another, Anderson realized that throughout his entire process—playing the harmonica on the street, checking into the inn with Danitz, asking the Knowledge Church's missionary for a "Comprehend Languages" charm, and coming to the Northern Borough until today—this mild and innocent-looking priest had always been by his side.
When he ate, he sat at the next table. When he checked in, he was in the room next door. When he walked down the street, he walked shoulder to shoulder with him. When he played the harmonica and performed with hand puppets, the one watching warmly from across the street was him!
Yet, Anderson had never noticed any of this. Danitz, who was with him, and the others around them hadn't noticed either, as if they had never seen this priest at all!
A chill welled from the depths of his heart, shooting up his spine and rushing into his mind. Anderson felt that simply recalling this period of his life was maddening, a drive towards losing control.
Danitz, who had put some distance between himself and Anderson, looked at Ince Zangwill in the black priestly robe, then at the simple priest who was praying with his eyes closed. He quickly lowered his head and softly chanted in ancient Hermes:
"The Fool who does not belong to this era; "The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog; "The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck..."
Many days ago, he had received the oracle from Mr. Fool, ordering him to pretend to do business while actually staying hidden near Anderson, and to pray immediately if anything abnormal happened.
Although he didn't know what would happen or who they might encounter, Danitz, who always cherished his life, decided to follow the instructions to the letter. Even if the abnormality that appeared might just be him overthinking!
For this reason, he had specially worn the glove made from Grozelle's remaining Beyonder characteristic, ensuring that in a similar scene, he would act before thinking, not wasting a single moment!
At this moment, Ince Zangwill stopped in his tracks. His eyes, one a deep blue bordering on black and the other crawling with blood vessels, simultaneously reflected the image of the priest in the simple white robe with a silver cross pendant.
Within his mind, from his mouth, an angry voice rang out:
"Adam!"
The son of the Creator, the Angel of Genesis, Adam!
Before Ince Zangwill could finish speaking, the eyes of the simple priest across from him snapped open. His light-colored pupils had been stained with pure gold.
Suddenly, pitch-black stone pillars rose up around them, supporting a vast and magnificent cathedral.
Within this cathedral, the surfaces of every pillar, every arch, and every dome were inlaid with the bones of different races. They were densely packed, their various eye sockets staring at Ince Zangwill, clustering around a cross a hundred meters tall.
Before the cross stood a blurry figure, as if looking down at everything with pity.
This was a bone church, a bone church that showed not the slightest bit of gloom but instead overflowed with a sense of sanctity!
On the walls, windows, and doors of the church, transparent, twisted faces appeared, as if countless souls were sealed within, preventing any Beyonder from feeling the existence of the Spirit World and the Astral World!
The square and the passersby from before were all gone, expelled from this suddenly appearing bone church.
The classical quill in Ince Zangwill's hand had long since flown up, writing rapidly on his black clerical robe:
"Anderson Hood is a friend of Gehrman Sparrow and has caught Ouroboros' attention. Based on certain unknown factors, it is logical for Ouroboros to descend here at this point in time!"
As the quill struck the exclamation mark, rays of light streamed in from the stained glass windows high in the bone church, transforming into layers of illusory, pure wings.
Beneath the coverage of the wings, a