Through the woods, over the man-made lake, Zhengrings broke free from his pursuers, aided by the wind. He scanned the surroundings, intending to feign a retreat along the water channel into the Tazok River, then turn and sprint toward the economic heart of Bekland, the Hillsdon district. At that moment, his vision suddenly sharpened—colors in the darkness deepened remarkably. The emerald trees grew even greener, the crimson fruits more vividly red, the dark water more profoundly black, as though painted with oil. Above, where the Crimson Moon was obscured, countless translucent, formless shadows moved, and luminous, clear radiance of various hues pulsed with mysterious knowledge. Zhengrings found himself halted, floating mid-air, beneath a dark water surface that was rising steadily. Below, pale hands reached out, grasping upward. Disaster! He realized he had been ambushed. And the ambushers were clearly of high caliber. Before him, a colossal humanoid skeleton suddenly materialized—four meters tall, with blazing black flames in its eye sockets, its white bones ethereal and hazy. Qilin Gesu gazed at the enemy with steady, emotionless eyes, a subtle smirk playing at the corners of his lips. At the same time, the glove on his left hand glowed brilliantly, as if forged entirely of pure gold. Leaning back, he spread his arms wide, as though embracing the sun. Suddenly, a pure, intense beam of light descended from the heavens, enveloping the massive skeleton. The entire world, like a painted landscape, trembled violently, and one by one, the pale hands beneath the dark water evaporated. This is the extraordinary ability of the "Priest of Light!" This is the extraordinary ability of the "Solar" path, Sequence 5! This is the nemesis of the undead! As the radiant light beam dispersed, the black flames in the skeleton's eye sockets first flickered and then died out, followed by a gradual transparency, until the entire form dissolved into the air. Before Zinglès had even used the "Priest of Light" ability once more to shatter the world like a painted canvas, his expression froze. He saw yet another colossal skeleton appear to his left—tall nearly four meters, with black flames blazing in its eye sockets, identical to the monster he had just encountered. Then, one after another, the same skeletal creatures emerged around him—first one, then two, then three—and soon, over a hundred of them! The hundred pairs of black-flame-filled eyes now converged on the same target. Below, the dark water rose steadily, nearly reaching the soles of Zinglès’s feet. Pale, ethereal hands began to extend from the surface, rising and waving upward, as if reaching for a lifeline. The Dukes of Nigan and others did not join the ranks of the "Penalists," but instead maintained their dignity, standing by the windows and on the balconies, observing as the ordinary nobles, who had previously been rushing and panicking, gradually calmed down. Having been in darkness for so long, with cries and shouts rising continuously, they had no clear idea of what had actually happened—only that the Duke might have been attacked by assassins. Archibald furrowed his brow, no longer pausing to consider the reason, and rushed swiftly toward the location of the Cardinal. As the distance narrowed, he leveraged the extraordinary abilities of the "Navigator" to see with increasing clarity. The "Song of the Divine" had a composed, impassive countenance, yet his posture conveyed deep gravity—his white hair, emerging from beneath his black soft cap, gently swayed in the breeze, accentuating his stern, silver-eyed demeanor. Archibald withdrew his gaze and stepped out of the forest. Suddenly, within his eyes, a clear lake shimmering with crimson moonlight came into view, and a tall figure near the shore appeared. This figure had a distinctive broad chin, with brown hair tied back into an ancient warrior's braid, and deep green eyes that were cool yet hollow. It was Qilin-gus! "Admiral of the Storm," Qilin-gus! Archibald was first stunned, then filled with both astonishment and joy—so much so that he could hardly believe his eyes, suspecting that the darkness had conjured a vision in him. Before he could react further, Hooran suddenly saw Zinglungs' face rapidly rotting—rotting until yellow-green pus oozed out, until flesh peeled away in great chunks. Plip! Plip! Plip! Zinglungs' face was reduced to white bone, and his two hollow eyes, detached from their sockets, fell one after another onto the lakebank. With a series of crisp cracks, Zinglungs completely collapsed, his garments spreading over him, concealing the decaying flesh and the stark, bone-white remains, as well as the shimmering light. Within less than twenty seconds, one of the seven pirate admirals, Zinglungs, died in a most strange and unexpected manner before Alger. This haunting scene remained deeply etched in Alger's mind, making him question whether he were living through a terrifying nightmare. What had happened? Hadn't Zinglungs successfully escaped? How could it have unfolded so strangely and so simply? What exactly had befallen him, that he had lost his life so swiftly? He was the Sequence 6 "Wind-warden," the master of "The Hunger That Crawls!" Who had done this? Why had they killed Zilings? As Aljer struggled to form a thousand thoughts, he heard the magnetic voice of the "Song of the Gods," Es. Snack: "Have you conveyed this intelligence to anyone else?" "Is there anyone else who knows of this intelligence?" Aljer instantly regained his composure, gazing at Zilings' lifeless body and calmly explaining: "I just received the intelligence and immediately reported it to Your Grace, the Archbishop." At this, he silently chided himself: If it weren't for Es. Snack taking a stroll by the Tassok River, and thus requiring him to spend considerable time searching for him, Zilings might have escaped the Duke of Nigen's manor entirely! Of course, he dared not voice such resentment before a high-ranking powerhouse. Instead, he spoke with respectful humility, continuing: "Even those directly receiving the intelligence have sacrificed themselves, while the intermediaries never opened the letters—this, I can confirm. Yet I cannot be certain whether the original source of the intelligence has not been compromised. After all, if we know, others might too." As he spoke, Aljer found himself pondering who had orchestrated the elimination of the 'Hurricane General' Qilinges: Was it the person who had commissioned Qilinges to assassinate Duke Nigen, or the organization itself? Yet since Zilinger has already successfully escaped without revealing anything, there's no clear reason to kill him... If it were me, I'd have Zilinger remain in hiding, making it seem as though he had already fled Beckland, and then strike again. Zilinger has always trusted only himself—he would never disclose his assassination plans to anyone. Duke Negan frequently hosts gatherings these days to discuss his proposals for September, ensuring ample opportunities to act. Aside from Zilinger himself, no one could predict exactly when or where the strike would take place... Unless, unless it's someone who is a "Prophet"... That seems rather unlikely. Any other faction? Impossible. "Miss Justice" spotted the issue immediately and conveyed the information by appealing to Mr. The Fool, and no other organization could have received the same intelligence simultaneously. Mr. The Fool... Aljer was suddenly struck by a thought: Perhaps it was one of Mr. The Fool's followers who carried out the attack! He was just in Bekland—so it was a perfect coincidence that he could lend a hand! Aljer found himself more and more convinced that his hunch was close to the truth: Only members and subordinates of the "Tarot Circle" could be the first to receive intelligence! Only the followers of "The Fool" could make the situation seem strange and purposeless! As he pondered these thoughts, Archbishop Snack remained silent for a moment, then addressed the other "Agents of Judgment" who had arrived one after another: "Zhingers has died—either by the hand of a high-tier strong individual, or by the use of a seal of equivalent rank. But this would have been quite risky, and thus, unlikely." "Based on my initial observations, I believe it was a high-tier strong individual from the 'Death' path—possibly a member of the Spiritual Order, though not the one I personally know. It might also have been a member of some other secret organization." "The motive remains unclear." "The Ling Sect originated on the southern continent. It is said that the earliest members were descendants of the Death Gods, who established a secret organization in an attempt to revive the Death Gods. After the southern continent was invaded and colonized, the Sect nearly perished, yet it managed to survive and eventually spread to the northern continent's nations. High-tier强者... Yes, only high-tier强者 could have defeated Qilin Gus in such a short span of time! One of the attendants under the 'Fool' Sir is himself a high-tier强者—no less than a 'half-god'! Aljé once again gazed at the scattered remains of flesh and bones, his entire demeanor detached, as though emotionally numb, simply staring blankly at everything around him. If one day I should betray the 'Fool' Sir... that thought suddenly arose. Immediately, the scene of Qilin Gus rapidly decaying flashed vividly into his mind. Aljé involuntarily shivered, lowering his head. At the same time, he felt a sense of ease and relaxation. " Since it was impossible to detach and hard to resist, loyalty had to be the only choice. He exhaled deeply—now that Qilin-gis was gone, no one would use that secret against him anymore. He finally settled completely. I simply told a being who is nearly divine... she silently added to herself. After a moment's thought, she offered two more specifics: "After telling you, I went to the bathroom and then to my mother's. You can ask her." "Hmm," Lord Hall nodded slightly, said nothing further, and then added, "Zilings died—he was murdered." "Who?" Audrey was both surprised and excited. "We don't know. In fact, we can't even fathom why the murderer would have chosen to kill Zilings. It's utterly puzzling." Lord Hall paused and continued, "Perhaps it was a single person, or perhaps it was an organization—secret, powerful." Unfathomable purpose... a secret, powerful organization... Could it be the followers of the 'Trickster' gentleman? Could it be our very 'Tarot Circle'? Audrey suddenly had it.