Thunder! Successive lightning bolts plunged from the sky, blanketing every area illuminated by the massive crimson moon in a silvery "forest." The electric flashes leapt and surged, sweeping across with an aura of destruction, leaving no corner untouched. The gray-white giant dragon, still retaining its humanoid head, emerged once more—fine electric serpents darted across its stone-like scales, and subtle cracks began to appear. Heron Lembis's "psychological invisibility" could no longer sustain itself under such all-encompassing assault, as he still interacted with his surroundings, merely erasing his presence and entering a zone of attentional blindness. Once those interactions intensified, he inevitably became visible. As soon as he reappeared, the "lightning storm" subsided somewhat. Germain Sparo, at the roof, instantly blurred and materialized diagonally beneath the incomplete dragon. Immediately afterward, fine black particles emerged on the adventurer's left hand, densely clustered and deep in tone, dark and profound. His mouth opened, spilling forth words of demonish filth and decay: "Slowly!" Hewen Lambis recognized the phrase—"the hunger that creeps"—and understood the true depth of this object. He found Gelman Sparo's assault merely amusing, and immediately raised the ice-blue metal cylinder he had grasped with his left forepaw, aiming it squarely at the enemy below. Its negative effect is that the bearer has a probability of being observed by the gaze cast from the stars, gradually becoming contaminated without realizing it. Unless a certain entity performs a specific sealing, Herwin Lambis would certainly have dared not carry it at all. Even then, he strives to limit his usage, to prevent the strange entity from perishing or undergoing mutation—a fate shared by several previous bearers of the "Decaying Meteor." At this very moment, Herwin Lambis does not believe that the "Impure Speech," at most of Sequence 5, could have any impact on him, who now manifests an incomplete mythic being form. He intends to directly eliminate a threatening enemy who carries a sealed object. Yet at this very moment, his movements slow down noticeably, and his entire body seems stiff and lifeless. On the dark roof beneath the immense crimson moon, another Germán Sparo—wearing a black overcoat and a silk hat—appeared at an unknown moment. With his right hand he held a peculiar revolver featuring six barrels, and with his left palm he gently cupped the space just below Herrin Lambis, forming a loose fist and subtly rotating his wrist. "Count of the Fall," "amplify!" This was another of Klein’s secret doubles—a semi-deity of the "Lawyer" path, Qunus Colg! With Qunus Colg’s "amplify" support, the extraordinary abilities of the "Crawling Hunger," gained through pasturing souls, could now reach their peak effectiveness—elevated nearly to the level of a sequence 4, that is, the semi-deity tier! Of course, this amplification could not be applied simultaneously to multiple targets; only one could be amplified at a time. Since Hwen Lambis is currently in his mythological creature form, the "slowness" is further amplified but cannot last long. Thus, it is precisely during this brief window that Germán Sparo—whose victory is currently secured—seizes the opportunity to manipulate Hwen Lambis's "spiritual threads." Normally, it takes him three seconds to establish initial control, and with his opponent already displaying a powerful mythological creature form, the time required would naturally be extended—perhaps to six to seven seconds, or even close to ten—by which point Hwen Lambis would have already recovered from the "slowness," regained his normal state, and effectively countered the situation. At this critical moment, Qunus Colg once again directs his left palm toward the current "winner," Enyuni, swiftly curling his five fingers. Again—amplification! Amplification of the ability to manipulate the "spiritual threads." Suddenly, Enyuni, the "winner," found it easier than ever to manipulate Herwin Lambis's "spirit thread," as though the latter had not yet revealed his mythical creature form. In just three seconds, he could achieve initial control—an impressive feat. Yet the problem was that when Herwin Lambis transformed into a giant dragon, he could break free from the "slowness" effect in less than a second. Indeed, he had already broken free! At that very moment, a sharp gunshot rang out. A bullet, lacking luster but deep and neither dim nor dull, etched with numerous strange patterns, sped toward Herwin Lambis, who had just escaped the "slowness" effect. In another corner of the garden, another man appeared—Germán Sparro, dressed in a black coat and wearing a silk hat. Herwin Lambis's dragon body stiffened once more; his thoughts seemed to freeze, and even his wings behind him became rigid and inert, causing the entire dragon to collapse to the ground. "Soul-control bullet!" Klein used his "spirit insects" as the material to craft the "spirit-control bullet," forged from the mysterious spatial power hovering above the gray mist—enough to paralyze even a Sequence 3 Saint for a few seconds! At this very moment, Hewin Lambis, who now reveals only an incomplete form of a mythical being, is not much stronger than a Sequence 3 Saint. In fact, when the original Amun's duplicate was struck by the spirit-control bullet, it too stiffened for over a second. Additionally, Klein could have amplified the bullet's power through Quonas Colg, but this time, he failed to do so in pursuit of seizing the opportunity. — That sequence of coordinated actions has already made Caine marvel at the sheer effectiveness of a half-divine lawyer acting as a support, truly astonishing and immensely useful. Of course, under normal circumstances, the "Doomed Count's" "amplification" can only enhance the impact and effectiveness of his own actions, unable to assist others. Yet here's the issue: as a secret counterpart, and as one whose body hosts the "Spirit Worm," he is undeniably one with Caine and with other similar counterparts. Throughout the sequence, he wasn't merely amplifying himself—he was amplifying others as well! Seizing the moment when Hervin Lambis fell into a state of paralysis, the "Winner" Enyuni achieved initial control over the "Spirit Thread." The incomplete dragon, though now freed from rigidity, now experiences mental sluggishness and a noticeable lag in movement. Undoubtedly, once the "Mystic Sorcerer" acquires powerful duplicates, their synergy unleashes an exceptionally formidable strength. Moreover, Caine possesses unique items—such as his "Controlled Spirit Bullets"—that function like cheat tools, which only he can create, since only he can harness the mysterious powers of the gray mist above. While stronger figures like Amon can also craft similar incantations or bullets, the specific effects differ. As Hermine Lambis was initially stabilized, Caine began preparing to disrupt the other's resistance, aiming to prevent him from breaking free and eventually becoming a duplicate. Yet at this moment, a sudden, sharp pain struck his head, and an uncontrollable agitation surged through him. His mood then plummeted—he no longer felt any sense of joy, grew increasingly self-critical, and even yearned to simply abandon his life, wishing only to avoid burdening others. In an instant, he became agitated once more, his vision seeming to blaze red, filled with hatred toward everything he saw, yearning to destroy every object he encountered. Not good... Before his mental state deteriorated rapidly,克莱恩 realized he had, at some point, been influenced by Herwin Lambis, and his psyche had undergone an abnormal shift. He quickly attempted meditation to counteract this disordered mental condition, yet within his mind flashed a series of thoughts that seemed to belong to different people: "Just let it end like this..." "Wow, I need to think of ways to save myself!" "What's going on? I feel like I've developed a serious mental illness... "A contagious mental illness? The one Miss Justice mentioned—this indeed appears to be a high-sequence ability under the 'Audience' pathway!" "What's the point of all this? There's already a half-deity-level 'psychiatrist' across from him. Simply transform him into a secret puppet, and the issue will be resolved effortlessly." "Seeing that Germán Spáro hadn't fired his second bullet, Hewen Lambis broke into a faint smile. Though he hadn't fully anticipated the strong synergy between Germán Spáro and his two doubles, and had quickly found himself in a near-desperate situation, he hadn't done nothing before he withdrew from the collective unconscious ocean. Prior to that, he had subtly sown the seed of 'contagious madness' among Germán Spáro's doubles. While doubles, by nature, are the dead and thus cannot have their consciousness manipulated by means outside the 'spiritual thread,' this didn't mean they lacked a mental island—indeed, it was merely silent. Hewen Lambis' action had been to plant a seed of madness precisely within that stillness." That seed cannot affect the secret entity itself, but it can quietly infect the vast collective unconscious ocean around it, placing the now-occupied body—after the exchange—unconsciously within an environment saturated with "contagious mental illnesses." Moreover, the very frenzy itself can be transmitted backward through the "spirit lines." Since this infection originates from within the entity itself, rather than being shielded by the protection of an angel, it can at best be somewhat weakened or delayed in its onset. This is a high-sequence ability of the "audience" pathway—the "spirit plague" of the Manipulator! In ancient times, it was not uncommon for individuals who had long been suppressed to suddenly exhibit unusual symptoms, and these symptoms would then spread to affect others around them, giving rise to what was known as "collective hysteria." There once existed an old folk song that sang: "Seven young women danced in an odd, strange manner on the street; Nine men beside them laughed so hard they rolled about on the ground; The noble passengers on passing carriages struck their own faces; Children standing by the houses stared blankly, tears streaming down their cheeks; People began to harm one another, and the entire city went mad." Upon reflection, this song evoked an undeniable sense of fear. Yet Hewen Lambis knew that the scenes described in the song had actually occurred, stemming from an observer's experience during a half-divine experiment. An intensely contagious "spiritual epidemic"! Once Germain Sparo's essence fell into madness, Hewen Lambis would undoubtedly lose his control over the secret figures—thus freeing himself from his current predicament. It won't take long—just a few seconds! At this moment, Herwin Lambis, the "Controller," did not fear Germain Sparo's spell—the one Oudel had used, which could swap the short-term destinies of two people. If such a swap occurred, Germain Sparo would quickly deteriorate into a mere automaton, his thoughts sluggish and his body stiff. For Herwin Lambis, infection with the "spirit plague" was a relatively manageable issue. Just then, Herwin Lambis observed Germain Sparo on the roof, using his left hand to gently grasp the black barrel of the left-hand revolver, his fingers lightly closing around it and his wrist making a subtle turn. "Twist!" Using Quonas Colg's extraordinary ability, Caine "twisted" the severity of his own mental illness, lightening it instantly and slowing its progression! Seizing this still-clear moment, he raised the "Great Bell" revolver once more and fired. Bang! Another "spirit-control bullet" was launched, striking the sluggish, large, incomplete dragon. Meanwhile, Qunnas Colg activated "Amplification!" Hewen Lambis had been attacked, yet remained under Enyuni's control—the "winner"—due to a severe and prolonged state of paralysis. Kline Mer timed his shots, firing the third "spirit-control bullet" before Hewen Lambis fully recovered. While the effects of the third "spirit-control bullet," amplified, were still unfolding, the gray-white incomplete dragon shuddered and regained normal movement, no longer stiff.