Free Web NovelChapter 354: Genius Brother-In-Law
"Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!"
The sharp sound of applause echoed throughout the silent parish.
Both Clara and Hagrid stared in bewilderment as Faceless leaned back upon his throne with a bright smile spread across his face. His applause continued for several more seconds before finally coming to a stop, his expression carrying genuine admiration rather than mockery.
"Finally," he laughed, "someone actually did his homework before coming after me."
Buzz!
Both Clara and Hagrid frowned at exactly the same moment. Everything Hagrid had just revealed should have infuriated him. The stalking, months of surveillance, kidnapping plot or at least the assassination.
Yet none of that seemed to matter to him. All he cared about was the amount of effort that had gone into making the plan.
Was this man insane?
Neither Clara nor Hagrid realized they had arrived at the exact same conclusion. Unable to hold herself back any longer, Clara stepped forward and smacked Faceless on the shoulder with an irritated frown.
"Why are you clapping?" she demanded. "He just admitted he spent months stalking me and planning to kidnap me!"
Faceless slowly turned his head over his shoulder until their eyes met. His expression remained completely calm.
"If he’s incapable of carrying out those plans then aren’t they just the ramblings of a madman?" he asked quietly.
Buzz!
The answer stunned both of them.
Faceless calmly turned away from Clara once more, his attention returning to Hagrid standing below the altar. Sitting upon the elevated throne, he naturally resembled an emperor addressing someone far beneath his station.
"Everyone is entitled to an opinion," Faceless continued. "You cannot stop people from thinking."
His fingers gently tapped the throne’s armrest.
"The difference between an opinion and a genuine threat is whether that person is actually capable of carrying it out."
Hagrid’s brows drew together slightly.
After six months of preparation, tracing every relationship and engineering every step that had led to this very moment. This mortal still looked down upon him.
"You truly don’t understand your situation, do you?"
For the first time since entering the church, Hagrid took a deliberate step forward. The instant his foot settled upon the first marble stair...
The entire parish trembled violently. An overwhelming oppressive aura erupted from Faceless. The stained glass windows rattled and stone pillars groaned. Even the air itself became noticeably heavier.
Yet Hagrid remained perfectly still. Not even the slightest tremor appeared within his body.
"Even after your real body departed for Lebanon..." Hagrid continued, completely unfazed, "...he kept watching her until she entered this building. I assumed he concluded she was finally safe beneath your protection so he stopped watching. A fatal mistake."
Gone was the courteous warmth from earlier. Although his tone remained polite the kindness had completely vanished.
Faceless, however, remained unmoved while Clara, on the other hand, struggled to keep up with the conversation. Everything was happening far too quickly.
"Really?"
Faceless raised an eyebrow.
"And what exactly prevents him from noticing something is wrong right now?"
Hagrid slowly raised two fingers. Only then did Faceless’ expression become serious.
"The first is this spell."
Hagrid pointed upward toward the ceiling. A complicated array of silver runes briefly shimmered overhead before disappearing once more.
"My Mirror World. It is one of my favorite spells acquired within the Dark World."
He slowly lowered his hand.
"It resembles False World except rather than merely concealing you, it completely separates this space from reality."
He gestured around the church.
"Everyone searching for us continues perceiving the exact conditions that existed before I activated the spell.To them you are still peacefully speaking with the woman behind your throne. Not even Gods can peer into this realm. They won’t even hear their names if used here."
Buzz!
"The most entertaining part," Hagrid continued, "is that I integrated my Illusion Authority into the spell. So if big daddy decides to check on you he’ll most likely see you having an intimate heart to heart conversation with the love of his life. A conversation so personal he won’t dare interrupt it."
Only then did Hagrid’s smile become genuinely vicious.
"He’ll realize something is wrong only after I’ve already delivered the killing blow."
Buzz!
Clara’s eyes widened and her heart raced.
Could a spell like this truly exist?
She had barely begun studying divine magic. Everything she knew consisted of beginner level spells. Absolutely nothing even approached the complexity of what Hagrid had just described. The only reason the Order had permitted her to travel was because an Archangel accompanied her.
But if this spell truly functioned as Hagrid claimed even Gabriel would never hear her no matter how loudly she tries to reach out to him.
"Fortunately, the first reason hardly matters because your original body cannot search for you even if he desperately wanted to." Hagrid smiled again.
Buzz!
The statement struck Clara even harder. Her knees weakened beneath her and she instinctively grabbed the side of the throne to steady herself.
Faceless didn’t even glance toward her. His attention never left Hagrid.
"How?"
His voice remained frighteningly calm. Hagrid smiled with obvious satisfaction.
"You’ve accumulated far too many enemies."
He casually opened his hands.
"So all my lord needed was to negotiate a temporary truce with Wrath He summoned your true consciousness and imprisoned it inside the Underworld. It will require some time before he escapes."
Faceless frowned thoughtfully. So that explained it. He could no longer hear Damian nor the System.
"So the real question standing before you is whether you truly possess enough strength to defeat me before my main body escapes your master’s prison." Faceless slowly leaned back once again.
Hagrid immediately shook his head.
"No.You’ve misunderstood everything."
His smile became unexpectedly gentle as he pointed toward Clara.
"The real question isn’t whether I can defeat a clone carrying roughly thirty percent of your true strength."
His finger slowly lowered toward the frightened young woman hiding behind the throne.
"The real question is whether I can take her away from you. Killing you would merely be an additional reward. It isn’t actually necessary."
Thud!
Dark crimson aura erupted from Hagrid while dark violet aura exploded from Faceless.
The two forces collided head on and the entire parish rang with metallic shrieks as though thousands of swords continuously scraped against one another.
Crimson and violet painted every corner of the church. The stained glass shattered, marble cracked and the altar trembled violently.
Unable to withstand the terrifying clash, Clara collapsed onto the floor. Her body shook uncontrollably. She could clearly see the unimaginable pressure pouring from both men.
Yet strangely she couldn’t actually feel any of it touching her.
’Relax. As long as I’m here not even a God can harm you.’ Faceless’ calm voice echoed directly inside her mind.
Clara blinked in surprise. Only then did she remember she wasn’t standing beside an ordinary demon. She stood beside one of the Seven Princes of Hell. For the first time since Hagrid entered, she genuinely felt safe.
"Demigod but considerably stronger than even Kan of the Kasok Clan."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Impressive."
Hagrid responded with another elegant bow.
"Naturally."
A trace of pride entered his voice.
"As the man destined to elevate my clan into the ranks of Dukes those overgrown ice lizards were always destined to remain beneath me."
"Heh..."
Faceless couldn’t stop himself from grinning. A dangerous madness slowly surfaced within his eyes. If circumstances were different he was almost certain they would have become good friends.
Unfortunately his brother in law was still a complete piece of shit.
"I just hope Hazel forgives me for killing her brother." He sighed.
Clara stared at him in confusion.
How could he still be worrying about Hazel’s feelings when his own life was hanging by a thread?
...Meanwhile...
Damian slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself seated cross legged within a vast circular chamber swallowed by darkness. Only dim crimson torches embedded along the stone walls illuminated the room, their flames burning without producing smoke.
His gaze naturally lowered.
A massive ritual circle drawn entirely in blood covered the floor beneath him. The symbols etched into it seemed ancient. At each of the four cardinal points knelt a humanoid figure with purple skin, dressed in thin silk garments now soaked crimson.
Their hair hung messily over their faces.
Each one held their own freshly torn heart between both hands as blood slowly dripped onto the ritual beneath them. Their identities remained impossible to determine.
"So you’re the little brat who’s been interfering with my territory."
An unnatural beastlike voice echoed from somewhere within the darkness ahead. The darkness shifted and a single pair of reptilian crimson eyes slowly opened.
They stared directly at Damian, overflowing with unmistakable murderous intent.
