"All the extracted characteristics are relatively pure, without any residual pollution from the True Creator. Even when all the characteristics are removed, the humanoid figure on the Inverted Cross doesn't disappear; it only loses the physical characteristics it borrowed from Bakerland..."
The sound of the piano tinkled as Snow multi-tasked, summarizing the results of his earlier experimentation. He glanced at the Inverted Cross resting on the sheet music stand. The small figure hanging on it still looked quite handsome, but it was the kind of handsomeness that lacked any distinguishing features,the kind where you know it's handsome, but you immediately forget what it looks like the moment you look away.
In reality, the Inverted Cross had already "grazed" all the characteristics originating from Bakerland once more. Yet, it no longer displayed any of Bakerland's characteristics, as if that part of the identity had been absorbed during the process.
While his mind wandered, a burst of thought suddenly surfaced in Snow's head. It was an accusation of his lack of focus while playing the piano.
"You can actually tell I'm distracted?" Snow frowned, but then a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he seemed to understand the reason why.
Previously, he had assumed the "growth" of this Inverted Cross required absorbing Beyonder characteristics, similar to how that "Red Angel" evil spirit absorbed characteristics of the same pathway. Now, it seemed that what it required for growth wasn't characteristics at all, but...
"Pollution."
Snow took a deep breath. His hands didn't slow their movement, but an idea began to take shape in his heart.
From the current situation, the growth of this Inverted Cross was likely a reverse application of the Hanged Man pathway's authority over the "fallen nature of all living beings," or perhaps a manifestation of "everything has divinity." By absorbing the "fallen nature" from so-called pollution or mental imprints, it grew, eventually cultivating a powerful spiritual body capable of accommodating the True Creator's consciousness.
This wasn't fundamentally different from the True Creator descending into a living vessel like Lanevus. Thus, it likely wasn't limited to absorbing pollution; it could also absorb other emotions like corruption, pain, and despair,just like the "sapling" inside Lanevus.
However, this "evil spirit" was much more pure. If it were the actual True Creator who found Snow distracted while playing the piano, He would probably have started whispering directly. The True Creator's evil spirit within the Inverted Cross, on the other hand, chose to express its dissatisfaction first.
'[True Creator's Expletive]!'
"I was wrong, I was wrong!" Snow rubbed his head as his hands shifted their movement. The piano music immediately became soft and pure. The True Creator's spirit, which had been about to start its ravings, immediately quieted down and continued listening to Snow's performance.
"It really is much more gentle..." Snow's lips quirked upward as a bold idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
It was common knowledge that the True Creator was insane. And a projection of the True Creator's consciousness shared all thoughts with the main body. Right now, this evil spirit didn't seem as insane. Had it broken away from the shared consciousness? Or was it...
Snow quickly tucked his thoughts away and glanced at the small figure on the cross, which had narrowed its eyes while listening to the music. A somewhat twisted smile appeared on his face.
...
Time wound back to the moment of Lanevus's death.
The military attaches of the embassy gradually recovered from the influence of despair and pain, looking at one another with lingering fear. Two-thirds of the guests in the ballroom were unconscious, while the remaining third were screaming at the top of their lungs.
Forcing himself to ignore the stinging pain in his head, the leading Reaper spoke. "Marani, go find the people from MI9 and ask what happened. Rodan, go comfort the guests and find someone to tend to the unconscious..."
At that moment, the Sequence 5 Reaper's expression suddenly changed. Not only him, but every Beyonder of the Hunter pathway present had more or less shifted their expressions. Their enhanced sense of smell had captured the strong scent of blood that was slowly wafting through the air.
"Dammit!"
...
Ten minutes later, the embassy was completely sealed off. Officials from MI9 and the embassy military attaches gathered in Bakerland's room.
The corpse that had been pinned to the wall had been taken down. Several professionals were crouching beside the body, examining the cause of death. Although all the guests from the ball had been detained, everyone knew the true killer had likely already escaped. Nevertheless, they cross-referenced the list of guests, trying to find any possible clues.
"There's only one gunshot wound on the chest. The remaining wounds were inflicted after death. However, the scale of the injury doesn't match the power of the bullet; it should be the fatal blow of a Reaper." The MI9 medical examiner looked at the embassy attaches with a strange expression, his face clearly saying, 'Are you sure this isn't internal conflict that you're trying to blame on the Aurora Order?'
"That was an enchanted bullet I gave Bakerland for protection. He should have had six. Aside from the one in his chest, the rest are gone. His mystical items and characteristics have also been taken..." The head of the embassy attaches spoke with a somber expression, while a hint of a suppressed laugh appeared on the face of the MI9 official.
He was a professional, after all, and he wouldn't laugh at a time like this. He simply straightened his back and spoke in a voice as calm as possible. "The window was locked from the inside, and there's no residual spirituality. There are marks on the bed where someone sat, but neither belongs to Bakerland. No one disagrees with that, right? Or perhaps your people sat here waiting for us after finding the body?"
"No." The embassy attache felt a brief surge of doubt about who truly belonged to the Hunter pathway, but he nodded in agreement with the search results.
"Then it gets interesting. According to the guards' statements and these traces, the ambassador brought a beautiful woman,whose face no one remembers,into the room and was killed by his own weapon. Afterward, the killer stayed in the room for a while, waiting for the characteristic to precipitate before quietly leaving without being noticed? And during this entire process, your gatekeepers noticed nothing? Oh, right, there are two sets of marks here, so there was another person whose arrival and departure went completely unnoticed? And during all of this, the ambassador couldn't even call for help?"
The Reaper attache's face flushed with anger, but he continued to glare. "Yes, that's exactly how it was!"
"I'm sorry, sir. I have to overturn your conclusion." At that moment, a masked member of MI9 entered. As the other masked figures stepped aside, he walked toward the corpse. "We've cross-referenced the guest list. Everyone is accounted for, and according to the interrogations, none of them are Beyonders. The killer clearly wasn't a guest. As for why your ambassador brought a woman who wasn't a guest into his room... we're also quite curious. Surely he wouldn't be unable to remember even the people he invited, would he?"
"That's impossible! I was in the ballroom the entire time! If a Beyonder had sneaked in, I would have definitely noticed!"
"But the fact is, the other party came and went, and even killed someone, and you failed to notice." The MI9 official shook his head with an expression that said, 'You're trying to frame us.' "As your Great Emperor Roselle once said, 'Every step leaves a trace.' But all current traces indicate that you are lying. If you cannot provide a factual account, we won't be able to hand over the 'killer' as you've requested. Additionally, the guests are citizens of our country. It's been confirmed they have no suspicion, so please release them immediately."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: Red Angel (红天使) - Medici, an evil spirit and former King of Angels.
T/N: Hanged Man (倒吊人) - Sequence 0 of the Hanged Man pathway.
T/N: Reaper (收割者) - Sequence 5 of the Hunter pathway.
T/N: Hunter (猎人) - Sequence 9 of the Hunter pathway.