Chapter 9:Be Afraid

Monday 20 August. 8:15 a.m.

Finishing his dishes after a hearty breakfast and setting them aside, Adryan, with his new appearance, could only let out a satisfied groan as he craned his neck.

He was now only wearing simple black trousers and black socks. 

Stretching out a little more and letting out a satisfied pop! the black-haired man grabbed a turquoise tunic with a simple embroidered waistcoat with brass detailing. 

With his new clothes on and his hair combed back. Adryan left his room with a new destination in mind: the new meeting point.

Walking through the streets of Lenburg, Adryan looked around him with critical eyes, internally he couldn't help but feel quite amazed at the difference between the city he was in and Backlund.

He and his team were in the Capital of Lenburg, Azshara. 

With fewer tall buildings but warmer colors and infrastructure, the red-haired man felt like he had stepped out of a cold winter night into a warm summer day.

Lenburg may be called The City of Knowledge, but ironically, it is not correct to call it a city. For Lenburg is a small country that became independent of Feynapotter 700 years ago.

'Although I can still see traces of the Feynapotter Kingdom...' The man thought, looking at the red-tiled roofs, a mark that was shared between Feynapotter and Feysac.

Not only that, but the most widely spoken language of Lenburg is, like its name, lenburg. The difference between it and Feysac is almost nil. Only a few words were pronounced and written differently, along with a rare accent.

'Sure, they were together for several centuries; it's obvious that there are roots that can't be pulled out no matter how hard you try. It's already part of the culture.' 

One comparison Adryan couldn't help but make was between British and American English. The difference was small but it was still noticeable in the speech.

His new home was an apartment complex in a fairly decent area of Azshara, more precisely, an upper-middle-class one. 

All the people he saw passing by wore nice clothes with bright colors and brass accessories on their wrists or collars. 

"The Church must expect a lot from you to place you in the Astope Quarter, Princess. Finding even a shared room here is a real pain." Flora remembered with annoyance, a small growl coming out of her at the thought of those days.

Lifting the collar of his tunic a little higher so that it covered his mouth, Adryan moved his lips slightly. "That and we're also easier to control and watch."

No sooner had he stepped out of his complex than he felt someone watching him. Before he could search for its source, the sensation was gone. 

"Pff, what did you expect? That they wouldn't keep an eye on you? Don't be delusional, Princess; at least 3 teams must be watching you right now. A church like this never leaves things half done; they made an investment and plan on getting every penny back." Flora snorted with amusement.

"Two grade 2 artifacts, one sequence 7 and 6 potion formulas, a residence for all your teammates, and new identities... That's an investment if I've seen one Princess. Plus that mission... A bit eerie, don't you think?"

Adryan snorted in amusement at her words and shook his head slightly, "They don't plan on making it easy for me, it seems." 

The Church's mission was simple in words, but it hid something behind it.

'I don't know what I expected, but I'm not surprised either. Who knew that the Official Beyonders of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom would be called The Wise Owls... I should have seen it coming.' 

Shaking his head at the childish image of a certain princess' pet that popped into his mind, Adryan could only sigh.

'It may not have looked like it, but the humor of those pastel ponies was brutal. And no one's going to tell me Pinkie wasn't on drugs...'

Putting aside the series he used to watch with his little cousin, the man just clutched the briefcase a little tighter in his left hand and continued on his way.

'Whatever that mission is, as long as I can score more points with the Church it doesn't matter... Besides, I won't be alone this time. I have almost all my team with me, and I'm full of pretty powerful artifacts...'

...

A while later, after a quick walk—along with several Shadows Leaps—the black-haired man exited Elysian and entered Artelia. Immediately noticing the change from one district to another, his mind went through the information he had read before arriving here.

'Azshara is divided into 6 sectors that act as districts; Elysian the main residential area of the city, Oldeah the oldest part of the city where you can still see houses dating back to pre-independence, Nexus the economic and financial center of Azshara, Technium the center of innovation and technological development, Artelia the epicenter of cultural and artistic life, and finally Helikon the academic and religious heart of Azshara and by far the most important sector...

'You can tell they planned the development of the city very well. The urban plan is beautiful...' the red-haired man thought and couldn't help but let out a small smile at the memory.

It's as if the people who designed the city plans of Buenos Aires and Washington came together to create the city plan of Azshara, which, no matter how one looked at it, looked like a giant book with an eye in the middle.

While the Conspirator was impressed, he couldn't help but scoff at the boldness as he applauded it. 

After all, if you're going to brag about yourself, you might as well go big. Otherwise, you'd just be a mediocrity bragging about your decade's achievement.

'If there's one thing the traitorous trio share, it's that they all have at least a little bit too much 'Extra', but considering who they served before, it's no surprise. They're all Drama Queens...' The black-haired man thought with a flat face but with a small smile as he turned a corner and entered a new street.

The greyish sign had written on it in black words in lenburg, 'Artiros'

'It lives up to its name as the Area of Art and Entertainment...' The black-haired man thought, looking at the huge scenery before him.

Huge buildings painted in colors even more vivid than the rest of the large. Multiple shops selling art, exaggerated clothes, make-up, etc. But one stood out above the rest, for it was by far the largest on the street.

Its façade, adorned with multiple murals clearly painted by hand, displays an explosion of colors that tell the stories of past works. Wide windows, lined with ornate bronze detailing, let sunlight flood the interior. At the entrance, majestic carved wooden doors invite passers-by to discover the great acts that awaited them.

"Still as beautiful as the last time I came..." Flora spoke suddenly, her tone reminiscent of the past and sounding somewhat sad.

"We can come and see an act another day."

"...I would appreciate it. Thank you, Princess."

"Don't mention it." Adryan said with a small smile.

'My puppy hasn't been up to so many tricks as to just make up for it with a show in the shower. An occasional outing to a place she likes is fine, plus it'll help my image as an entrepreneur~' the red-haired man thought naughtily, while he was sure his little tease was pretty good, he felt it needed a little more.

What's the point of being able to see a juicy cake behind the counter if you can't taste it? At least this way, the worm might enjoy something.

Neither said anything more, and he continued his way silently down Artiros Street without further incident.

Leaving the street to a more secluded area where a variety of stores was used by the establishments along the street.

Adryan walked calmly to one of the warehouses at the far end of the street and quietly entered through the back door. His appearance was still the same as Harvey Wayne's, the only difference being that he was now wearing darker clothes.

As soon as he entered the back door, his hand moved naturally across his waistcoat, and a strange black bant was placed on his forearm. The shadows enveloped him, and he vanished from the scene and leaped into the basement below him.

Emerging from the shadows and right behind a certain smoking blue-eyed woman, the black-haired man grinned mischievously at the people who managed to see him: "Sorry I'm late. The scenery is much more enchanting than I thought."

"Iiiiiiiiiiiii!" The sudden voice behind her startled the woman, who made a little jump and spun around in alarm. A movement such that it was extremely similar to a fish jumping out of the water.

"Hahahaha! Aren't you a jumping little sardine~?" A chuckle came from his deep throat. His left hand amusedly stroked the head of the completely red-faced Fors, who looked at him ardently with courage and fear.

"...I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't do that again, Mr. Kenway..." Fors whimpered but found no strength to free herself from the man's assault, her heart almost beating out of her chest, and she was sure she almost had a heart attack!

"Ah, come on, Miss Fors, you have to be more alert so you don't get caught like that. What if I was an enemy? You'd be a salty grilled fish by now." Adryan rolled his shoulders uninterestedly and lifted his hand from the ruined hair of the Writer, who could only press her lips together.

"Kenway, when will you stop teasing her?" Árbiter Xio asked with a flat look, staring at the red-haired man who repeated his shoulder roll unimportantly.

"When it's not so funny," Addyan replied nonchalantly and without looking at the short woman whose eyebrow jumped for a moment before returning to her flat expression.

Her emerald eyes clashed with expressive, offended sapphire eyes that asked, 'You're not going to defend me?' The emeralds replied, ' Become strong and defend yourself.' 

Fors held a hand to her chest at such an offense and blow. "I thought you were my friend..." she whispered. 

"..." Xio only continued to stare at her with a flat expression.

Fors just moved to one of the free couches at such betrayal and threw herself on it.

"..." Adryan watched the whole exchange with a complicated look.

"... That was... something," Flora said, unsure of what to think.

The Conspirator's black eyes moved around the basement, which was not unlike the training area in Backlund. The only things missing were the swords and spears in the corner.

Almost all of his team was here. The older duo was next to Opera and Jerry, while as usual, the cold duo was a little out of the way—still very shy, by the looks of it.

That done, he opened the briefcase on the table and pulled out multiple red poppies, red candles, and various vials and oils.

Fors looked at what Adryan was doing in alarm. Contrary to usual, she couldn't stay still in her seat and was rocking back and forth. Her spirituality was whispering something to her that made her more nervous than she was comfortable with.

'Although with this guy that's normal... The faster I get used to it, the less grey hair I'll get... Oh Steam give me strength...' Swallowing some saliva, the writer tucked her simple hat into her hair as she quickly patted her chest in a triangle.

Maric watched the same with a frown, his hand cupping his bicep and his eyes glinting in distrust. Sharron on the other hand was calm, her closed eyes and serene expression reflecting the coolness she felt.

Serena and Jerry watched curiously at what he was doing. Deep and grey eyes glowing slightly in the soft flames of the lamps that lit the basement.

Before an audience that was divided into curious and nervous sections, Adryan set up an altar—the same one he had used to trick his team before, only this time he added a few extra elements, like gunpowder.

"I won't beat around the bush; you all already know about it." Adryan began, "I am a faithful believer and follower of the Scarlet Monarch. I worship 'He' and 'He' alone.

"'He' is a just and benevolent God, not seeking to harm people but to protect them. All 'He' wants in return is that they place their faith in 'Him'.

"My Lord's aim is simple: to prepare us for the Apocalypse that is soon to befall this world. In order for as many people as possible to survive and overcome that disaster, we must be much more than we are now.

"I am not seeking to force you to believe in my Lord. I am simply acting as a shepherd. But I want you to know that if you encounter disaster or danger at any point, you can always ask my Lord for protection.

"Now what I'm going to show you is how to make sacrifices to my Lord and how you can ask for 'His' help..."

Seeing what he was about to do, Sasha stood up, somewhat alarmed, and looked at him nervously, "Captain, I trust you with my life, you know that. But is it really a good idea to do this here?"

"She really is a gorilla, very strong physically, but mentally as strong as a child who doesn't even know how to use the toilet."

Ignoring his companion's comment, Adryan shook his head at the Pugilist's words, "Have you forgotten Sasha? Every Beyonder, official or not, has heard my Lord's honorific name. 'He' no longer needs to hide, so why would I bother doing it myself?

"Besides, what good would it do? We'll be under constant surveillance by the church, sooner or later they'll see what I'm doing. It's not like they're not watching now, either; we're on probation, remember? They can't test us without watching us first.

"Don't forget the church's attitude to us."

Sasha's eyes widened momentarily before she nodded somewhat tensely. She couldn't help but feel nervous; her short experience as an Official Beyonder fell short to this.

" Forgive me, Captain..."

"It's alright, Sasha. I understand why you're nervous, but you have nothing to worry about. My Lord has already spoken to 'He', and 'They' are in mutual agreement." Adryan said calmly, his voice soft and patient.

His words echoed in the hearts of those present, an uncomfortable and barely bearable echo that made them unable to help but swallow. Those who were not aware of who the newest members were found themselves nervous and somewhat trigger-happy. 

Maric's left hand trembled slightly, and his eyes, which could barely contain their malice, turned to his companion; seeing how Sharron was still as calm and composed was the best balm the Zombie could ask for.

His hands stopped shaking, and his gaze lost its dark edge. Giving a weak nod, the pale man waited with the doll-like woman.

'This is crazy... I wanted to believe it was a lie, another trick of his to deceive... But it was real, Kenway is the believer of a Secret Existence...' Xio thought heavily, her hands clenching into white-knuckled fists.

Letting out a soundless sigh, her hands relaxed, and her emerald eyes grew cold. Her cool gaze watched and waited for her new leader to begin.

<You will have the chance to avenge your father>

'This much is acceptable...' Xio thought, trying to calm down, but her beating nervous heart didn't want to cooperate. The fact that the Apocalypse was real and fast approaching was terrifying.

Fors was on her side, hiding behind her friend and trembling slightly. With a nervous smile on her face, the teachings of the God of Steam and Machinery replayed over and over in her mind, telling her how this was a horrible idea!

'But... If one of the Orthodox Churches is willing to accept this, then it should be safe, right? Surely the Scarlet Monarch is a benevolent Existence...' Fors consoled herself with a crazed look and a shaky smile. Her hand gripped her friend's arm for support as she held one of the stones from her bracelet in the other's.

'Always have an escape ready... There is no shame in running away with one's tail between one's legs to live another day...' 

She would deal with the boosted ravings when she escapes from here if the situation goes wrong...

A thought and the red candles burst into orange flames. The red-haired man watched everything with serene eyes.

Adryan wasn't nervous or scared that the Bearded Lizard would discover that he was carrying the City of Calamities. 

He had already pulled out Creeping Hunger and the Burnt Band when he got to his room in the apartment building. He did that because, again, he wasn't afraid of the Lizard finding out.

In fact, he wanted him to. He wanted him to find out.

'The likelihood of you having 'IT' is not low at all. And I know you know very well what it means for me to have the Sephira, don't you?' Adryan thought with a small smile on his face.

'You know that if I lose and the Soup wins, you'll be more than dead since you'll not only have to worry about the Rapper but also have to hide from the possible Calamity of Destruction~'

Now that the Lizard knew that the Rapper could move through the physical world and was no longer 'trapped' in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, Adryan was sure he was nervous.

Would he be attacked out of nowhere? Devoured by his own shadow before he could do anything? Watch as his own flesh was consumed in the same way he consumed the flesh of his Lord?

'I want you to be afraid of that. Be terrified of it! Be HORRIFIED by the mere thought!!'

'That way, you can protect me better~ For who better to protect you from your Furious Lord than a future Calamity?'

With eyes glittering mischievously, Adryan clasped his hands together in prayer and spoke in Ancient Hermes.

"The Scarlet Monarch who burns Depravity;

The Calamity forgotten by Time;

The Stranger that comes from the Unknown;

Your devoted servant prays for your attention;

I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom!"

No sooner was the prayer completed, and after only 3 seconds, the orange flames of the candles exploded into a blazing scarlet fire that rose up to form a doorway.

The illusory background of the flames cleared, and in it could be seen a majestic city covered in yellowish smoke, with pure fire humanoids in rusty red armor patrolling. 

Above that City and sitting on a yellow cloud was a figure watching them, a small smile on 'His' face hooded by the hood of the tunic 'He' was wearing...

..

Watching as the flaming door closed, the red-haired man did not return to his body but remained seated in a beach chair on the yellowed outskirts. The Scarlet Monarch's disguise was discarded as soon as the door had closed. His red hair swayed in an invisible wind, and his scarlet eyes stared earnestly at his hand.

One thing he had noticed the times he changed his appearance and did not return it to normal the moment he entered the City of Calamities was that he would always have his original appearance once inside the Sephira.

'My appearance may change but inside I will always be Adryan Kenway, that will never change...' the red-haired man thought calmly as he turned with interest the object in his left hand.

In his hands was the Card of Blasphemy. 

With a serious look, the red-haired man infused a bit of his spirituality into the card, which quickly became three-dimensional and turned into a small pocketbook.

Adryan calmly looked at the head figure of Emperor Roselle and opened the book to the first page.

<>

Sequence 9: Secrets Supplicant

Primary ingredients: 50 milliliters of the blood of the Blind Goat and the ears of the White Stag.

Supplementary ingredients: 30 milliliters of holy water, 10 grams of pure silver, 10 olive leaves, and 20 hairs of the White Stag...

**

Sequence 8: Listener

Main ingredients: 50 grams of the Honey of the Red Stung Bee and 10 drops of the blood of the Pale Crow.

Supplementary ingredients: 27 milliliters of holy water, 5 grams of white gold, 7 grams of copper, 4 claws of the white raven...

**

Sequence 7: Shadow Ascetic

Main ingredients: The shadow remnants of a Forsaken.

Supplementary ingredients: 10 milliliters of holy water, 3 drops of the blood of a Believing Shepherd, 5 drops of one's own blood...

**

Sequence 6: Rose Bishop...

**

Sequence 5: Shepherd...

**

Sequence 4: Black Knight

Ritual of Advancement: With the souls you have graced, engage and devour an Evil Spirit of the level of a Demigod.

**

Sequence 3: Trinity Templar...

**

Sequence 2: Profane Presbyter...

**

Sequence 1: Dark Angel...

**

Sequence 0: Hanged Man

Ritual: Orchestrate an event that plunges a continent into utter despair, shadows, and pain. immerse yourself in the collective despair. When despair reaches its peak, consume the potion.

<>

'Well... at least this answers how he was able to survive when he was betrayed, and he wasn't killed...' Adryan thought calmly as he looked at the Sequence 0 ritual.

'With his death, the land was plunged into disaster, and he himself drowned in despair. Waking up in his own corpse, the conditions were complete...' Sighing, the red-haired man let the pocketbook return to its letter-like appearance and blew it back to its former place.

Watching as the letter was enveloped by the yellowish smoke, a chuckle came from him.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't use you just because you revealed your investment in me? I really thank you though, I doubt that without that information the Bearded Lizard would have been so kind to me.

"I'll be sure to put your sacrifice to good use~" Dragging out sweet words, a small chuckle left his lips, and his scarlet eyes sparkled. 

'Though, of course, there is the possibility that he revealed himself with exactly that in mind...' a part added to his heart, but it was one that Adryan would take into account just the same.

If it was the case that they were both being used by each other, then fair play.

His gaze moved down from where the Card ended up to his left forearm, where a half-opaque flame tattoo seemed to be slowly filling in. His right arm looked normal here, unlike in the real world.

'At this rate, it shouldn't take more than 8 days for him to recover...' Letting out a somewhat relieved sigh, the red-haired man could only shake his head.

'At least now I know my soldiers can't die.'

Shaking his head, his gaze moved around him for a moment towards the multiple small orange flames floating around the field. Floating like little fireflies on moonless nights, a few more would appear every so often.

Adryan easily found the flames that represented himself, Flora, and Charlotte. The rest were people he didn't know but whose prayers still reached here, and he could hear the murmurs.

'There are more than yesterday...' 

Shaking his head, he put off adjusting his answering machine for another day and began to draw the sphere of light.

...

Reopening his eyes, Adryan looked at the objects in front of him. A big smile on his face as he stood and straightened up and gave a military salute.

"Praise the Monarch!"

With his thanks to his 'Lord' done, the red-haired man turned around and looked at the nervous group behind him.

In front of the altar were now two large vials where one floated the Matured Manhal Fish's Eyeball while the other was filled with the red Goat-Horned Blackfish Blood.The remaining ingredients were supplementary ones.

All the ingredients to concoct the Spectator potion were ready.