Even if the Lord was only a peripheral member of the criminal operation, acting this proactively still needed a reason.

Now it looked like there was a reason—embracing the Darkness ahead of everyone else and gaining growth for himself.

The Lord was clearly much improved compared to the first time they met; ordinary Demigods were probably no longer his match.

When he was inside the Ashfall, it felt even more like he’d returned home.

From this angle, it even lined up with the Black Doctor’s earlier performance.

The mist the latter released was clearly also related to Darkness.

All of a sudden, everything became perfectly reasonable.

In short, even if the hope of freedom had been shattered, being able to get a step ahead of his peers was already enough of a motive for Demigods to be a bit more proactive.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Including right now, the Lord looked like he was becoming even more proactive.

He seemed to have finally taken the earlier persuasion to heart. Once the ambush underfoot was exposed, the Lord didn’t say a word and suddenly fled far away.

Unfortunately, that’s how most things go—by the time you figure it out, your chance is already gone.

It was obvious that at this moment, the Lord no longer had the right to remain silent.

With that single word of retention, the Thread of Concern moved in tandem; that fleeing body was yanked straight back.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Unable to comprehend this shift, the Lord seemed, in that instant, to finally realize the enormous chasm that still existed between their levels of power, and there was despair in his voice.

"We haven’t finished the last question yet: what enlightenment did you receive?"

Fu Qian remained calm, not retaliating for the earlier sneak attack, only reminding him to mind his manners.

...

"You’re a complete lunatic..."

You could see the Lord’s sanity being trampled; he couldn’t make sense of this enigmatic creature in front of him.

But he had at least learned his manners. Very soon he let out a sigh and began sharing his Transcendent life.

"You were right. I did feel something. As for what I was specifically required to do, it’s quite special—I’m to play the role of a Justice Messenger."

Play a role, huh? Not bad; that instantly made his earlier behavior make sense.

Listening quietly, Fu Qian found this explanation quite interesting.

Because if it was just about hunting down a resurrected Catherine, the Lord’s behavior had been a little too strange.

He’d already locked onto the target, yet didn’t strike directly, insisting on waiting until she committed some crime and began devouring people.

He even had to throw out a few unbelievably cringe lines while attacking.

In hindsight, it was obviously all to stay in character.

It even explained why, despite failing to kill Catherine, he’d still gained something.

The act was what really mattered; a Justice Messenger didn’t necessarily succeed every time.

"At first I treated it like a prank, until I acted according to the instructions and was even forced to retreat, and I still actually got a reward—though what I obtained was a bit hard to believe."

Seeing Fu Qian remain silent, the Lord had no choice but to continue and voluntarily brought up what had happened at the bar.

"Since I knew Holle had been at the bar all these days, I decided to use him as a test... What I put on him isn’t Poison—you can think of it as a Mark. Its core effect is that it lets me control his shadow."

"Oh? Like what you just did?"

Fu Qian glanced at the Lord’s body, which had already completely reverted.

"Yes. The longer it lasts, the more easily I can project myself into his appearance—and even his abilities..."

The Lord admitted he’d indeed used that earlier, trying to exploit an information gap and ambush his old rival.

"I can even share his senses. So if it keeps going, what will the final result be?"

Fu Qian still showed no displeasure and even helped him fill in the additional effects.

From the Lord’s description, it was obvious he was fully aware of what had been said in the bar afterward.

"Right. As for the final stage... the title ’Ashen Messenger’ will fall to me."

The Lord hesitated for a moment, then still said it.

...

Now that was truly stealing another’s fortune.

He’d phrased it euphemistically, but Fu Qian had no trouble understanding.

The Lord’s meaning was very clear: once the Mark was planted, it was far more than simply copying someone else’s abilities. Holle’s Demigod-level authority would ultimately end up in his pocket as well.

He had to admit, it was an astonishing method. But given the nature of the Unseen Hillock—namely, that all these people were essentially symbolic manifestations of Ji Feng’s will, with an inherent connection at the root—this sort of operation didn’t seem all that unimaginable.

"So, how do you remove it?"

As he pondered quietly, a new question came up—though the one asking wasn’t Fu Qian.

Crystal, whose entire body was riddled with injuries to the point she could barely maintain a human shape, walked over slowly, staring at the Lord’s face as she spoke.

In her hand, she was carrying a body so battered that "covered in wounds" no longer did it justice.

You could only recognize him by some of the more obvious power traits, like the spines, long hair, and curved horns—this should be the genuine Ashen Messenger, Holle.

In at least one regard, the Lord hadn’t lied: the two of them had also walked into an ambush.

After a bitter fight, they weren’t foolish enough to flee back to the bar; instead, they gritted their teeth and broke through to here.

And as for the earlier conversation with the Lord, of course she’d heard it—hence Crystal’s furious question.

This was also why the Lord had hesitated earlier; naturally, he’d already noticed her presence.

"Unfortunately, there’s no way."

However, given that the terrifying Grim Ballard hadn’t reacted at all, seeming to let the question pass as mere curiosity,

the Lord certainly wouldn’t be afraid of Crystal alone, and casually gave them a despairing answer.

"Then we kill you first and see."

But what he never expected was that as soon as he said that, a cold sentence of judgment came from beneath the Armor.

...

You...

In that moment, not only the Lord but even Crystal looked stunned.

Was this guy really going to uphold justice like that?

At that instant, she and the Lord stared at the Mirror Armor Knight in unison, as if doubting whether it was still the same person inside.

Shh!

The next second, the Lord’s flesh and blood became the test material. Even though he dodged with everything he had, an invisible impact still tore a huge chunk out of his upper body.

No threats, no bargaining—"Ballard" simply struck.

"Lunatic!"

A dignified Demigod would of course never wait around to be captured.

Having been ambushed with a method he specialized in himself, and while Crystal had yet to react and follow up, currents seemed to gather within the Lord’s shattered body. Even if his flesh was ripped apart even more dramatically—hm?

Then his movements froze for a moment. That strange lustre actually dimmed slightly as he stared at his wounds in confusion.

All his injuries were inexplicably healing at high speed... as if the damage had been directly converted into treatment.

Finally couldn’t hold back, huh, Death Angel.

He couldn’t understand it, but in Fu Qian’s heart there was only a sigh; he’d seen this kind of scene before.