Chapter 125: Closing In

Moreover, Betty had many eccentric yet brilliant ideas, which even Bayen had to admire.

She frequently discussed the design of various mechanical parts with Bayen. Although Bayen did not understand mechanics, he understood mathematics well, and from a mathematical perspective, he helped Betty solve many problems.

The more he interacted with Betty, the more he felt that one day in the future, Betty might truly recreate the gigantic mechanical titan of the former civilization, as described in legends.

After the black cat Bayen finished his explanation, Betty sought him out again to discuss mechanical parts, continually attempting to coax the details of the Lesser Transformation Spell out of him.

To avoid exposing himself, the black cat Bayen decided to steer Betty’s mind toward other issues. He said:

“Betty, I believe you may have fallen into a misconception. You are trying to build a gigantic mechanical titan. Even in the legendary former civilization, this was a massive undertaking, certainly not achievable by one person. Why don’t you try starting with just one component?”

“Just one component?” Betty seemed to have a spark of realization but couldn’t grasp it. She frowned in concentration.

“For example,” the black cat Bayen glanced at the petite Betty and mumbled, “You could create some kind of auxiliary machinery to enhance your close-combat ability, similar to an enchanted weapon, but not entirely the same.”

Betty listened to Bayen’s vague words and sank into deep thought.

“A machine similar to an enchanted weapon… I could hold it in my hand. No, perhaps it could be attached to the body like armor. Maybe I can create a unified system of armor and weapon. A complete system is too difficult. I can start with a single part, like an auxiliary mechanical arm?”

The petite Betty continued to ponder. Her mind gradually opened up, and a blurry blueprint emerged in her thoughts. She picked up the black cat Bayen, kissed him fiercely, and then, grabbing Donna, rushed home. She was impatient to start building the mechanical arm.

Meanwhile, the mirror image Ace had been steadily working at the dark worshiper ritual site.

He emotionlessly observed the dark worshipers secretly hunting residents, tormenting and sacrificing their souls to create the ritual materials.

He meticulously observed and recorded the ritual knowledge, comparing it with his previous records. The records from the village ritual were too hasty and incomplete.

In these recent days, he had made significant progress in knowledge concerning extra-dimensional location, summoning, and sacrifice. Perhaps after moving the laboratory, he could begin researching how to summon otherworldly creatures.

Over these few days, the mirror image, through secretly activating the Soul Spells Insight Perception and Mana Sensitivity, had figured out the daily routine and strength level of the bald, scarred priest.

The bald, scarred priest’s black-blood aura and the intensity of his Mana accumulation were roughly equivalent to the Pseudo-Hero level. The rune split confirmed that this was only a small node of the entire fortress’s bizarre ritual, and the Pseudo-Hero level strength was consistent with this.

Hero-level strength is extremely rare in any supernatural organization, and the dark worshipers would not be an exception.

Night fell. The host body Ace and the mirror image waited quietly, activating the Spirit of the Book’s powerful concealment ability, along the route the bald, scarred priest would take returning from a high-level dark worshiper meeting.

The bald priest cautiously scanned his surroundings, his body slightly tensed, ready to strike at any moment. Although the process of infiltrating the fortress was secretive, several dark worshipers had been caught gathering sacrifices, and the legion had begun an investigation. He had to be cautious.

The moment he stepped into Ace’s casting range, he felt a wave of profound malice rush toward him, accompanied by the wailing of souls.

This was the host body Ace activating the weakened version of the Soul Pulverization spell. This was his plan: the dark worshiper priest was highly likely to have the ability to Pseudo-Demonify, which would make him immune to illusion and charm spells. He had to be struck directly in the soul first, severely wounding his spirit.

The bald priest was extremely perceptive. He sensed that if the wailing power entangled him, he would be crippled if not killed. He quickly dodged sideways. Abyssal power surged. He instantly underwent a partial Pseudo-Demonification, growing black wings and preparing to fly.

The mirror image, positioned on the other side, was ready. The instant the host body’s weakened curse spell launched, the mirror image activated the Spell Model Advanced Magical Trickery. Accompanied by the unity of intention, gesture, and magical rhythm, he recited a poetic incantation, pointing both hands at the newly transformed priest: “Reinforcement · Seven-Layer · Freeze · Mana-Crystal Prison!”

Crack! Crack!

A thick, irregular layer of Mana Crystals, carrying a chilling aura, completely froze the priest.

The Mana Crystals then grew, eventually forming a giant sphere of ice!

The bald, scarred priest, who had been preparing to fly, was trapped within. Despair flashed in his eyes. He inflated his body, attempting to self-destruct!

Just then, the cold, wailing power of the first spell invaded his body, swiftly destroying his soul and depleting his life force.

He became utterly weak, clinging to life, unable to even muster the strength to self-destruct.

Ace continuously cast Mechanized Mind and Charm Monster on the dying priest. Seeing the charm rune structure appear behind the priest’s head, Ace’s lips curved into a smile, his eyes radiating a cold light.

“Another excellent experimental subject successfully captured!”

The mirror image drew blood from the bald priest and successfully transformed into his likeness, immediately returning to the ritual node. The host body Ace took the experimental subject back to Sub-Level 3 of the underground magic laboratory for confinement and severe interrogation.

A few days later, the host body Ace buried the incinerated remains of the bald priest. He had learned everything the bald priest knew.

The dark worshipers managed to infiltrate the fortress without being detected by the Wonders due to the assistance of the Witch more than six months prior. Rumor had it that the Witch and the Grand Leader had been lovers, but they had a falling out, yet still frequently collaborated.

A Witch is a woman who sells her soul to a Devil in exchange for power. They typically possess terrifying power and weave inscrutable plots, or rather, the Devil continuously weaves plots through them.

No one knew what the Witch and the Grand Leader discussed that night, only that the Witch’s graceful figure departed, leaving the Grand Leader’s face sallow and his expression fluctuating wildly.

A few days later, the dark worshipers’ Grand Leader urgently gathered all the priests and distributed a strange powder. He commanded all dark worshipers who had been causing unrest in the northern Medimus City-State to gather and, after applying the powder, infiltrate the city.

They successfully bypassed the fortress’s anti-evil Wonders and infiltrated the Northern March Fortress to set up the bizarre ritual.

This ritual was extremely complex. The dark worshipers engaging in skirmishes and destruction outside were all performing parts of a grand ritual. They had now arrived at the core center of the ritual to complete the final step.

According to the bald priest’s estimation, the setup within the fortress was nearly complete, with only a few key nodes remaining unfinished.