Sequence adventurers roaming between two worlds

"Rustle... rustle..."

Consciousness felt like it was drowning in a viscous deep sea, tightly bound by countless threads.

Leo tried hard to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt like they were weighed down by a mountain, and he could only barely open them a crack.

His faint vision was as if it were covered by a thick layer of frosted glass, and the whole world was shaking violently. In the dim light, a hazy, twisted, slender humanoid figure was slowly "drifting" toward him.

"Hehe...hee hee..."

In my ears, countless noisy murmurs, like a bone-deep infection, frantically burrowed into my brain—there were mournful howls, neurotic low laughs, and countless overlapping whispers, indistinguishable in terms of gender and age.

Like a rusty saw, it was tearing back and forth in his brain.

"ah--"

Leo couldn't help but let out a low growl.

What's going on? What's wrong with me?

Just moments ago, I was walking down the street...

It didn't clash with the Universiade, did it?

His thoughts were brutally torn apart by the pain; he gritted his teeth, his muscles tense.

Ahead, the slender "figure" drew closer and closer, and the whispers in my ear became clearer, bringing with them an even more intense, sharp pain.

"...Those who wield the gold and fire, in silence, allow the rust of cowardice to corrode their hearts..."

It felt like sticky, wet mud was slowly wriggling and climbing up my neck, trying to crawl into my ear.

"Get out of here!"

Leo roared, a surge of ferocity rising within him. He gathered all the strength in his body and poured it into his right hand, attempting to deliver a powerful punch to the blurry figure in front of him!

"Bang--!!!"

But just as he exerted force, a deafening gunshot rang out, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding right next to his ears!

The blinding flash of the gun muzzle instantly illuminated the dim room, and the enormous recoil made his hands go numb, his arm flying high into the air.

The deafening gunshot was like a heavy hammer, shattering all the chaotic ramblings in his mind and instantly dissolving his elusive feeling of being detached from his surroundings, making everything crystal clear.

The world fell silent at that moment.

The blurry vision suddenly became clear, as if it had been upgraded from a mosaic to an ultra-high-definition original image.

The next second, the scene that came into view made Leo freeze on the spot, his pupils contracting sharply.

The dim light of a kerosene lamp illuminated a cramped, dark bedroom with a strong Victorian atmosphere.

The mottled dark red wallpaper, its edges peeling due to dampness, resembled layers of dried, rotting skin. To the left of the room was a tightly closed wooden window with diamond-shaped panes of glass, its dark brown curtains drawn shut, completely blocking out the cold night wind and the glow of the gas lamp.

Leo's gaze shifted downwards, and on the ground, a corpse lay limp in an extremely contorted posture.

Between his eyebrows was a bloody, mangled hole, with dark red blood meandering down the cracks in the floor, emitting a pungent, rusty smell.

This is a young man with a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and a distinctly Western appearance.

He wore an elegant, tailored long coat, straight-leg wool trousers, and a pair of gleaming high-top leather boots, exuding an air of upper-class reserve and aloofness.

A look of astonishment crossed the young man's ferocious face; he seemed to have never imagined that he would die from a gunshot wound.

Dead, dead...

Did I kill someone?

Leo lowered his head with difficulty, his gaze falling downwards.

A brass revolver came into view.

The gun was cold to the touch, and a wisp of pungent smoke was rising from the tip of the long barrel.

Most importantly, he was holding the gun in his hand.

It's cool and has a heavy feel to it.

Everything was being told to him clearly and unambiguously.

The one who shot and killed the person in front of him was himself!

"Huff... huff..."

Leo gasped for breath, his mind blank. His right hand, gripping the brass revolver, unconsciously tightened its grip, as if trying to tell himself that everything before him was just a nightmare, and that everything would return to normal after he woke up.

But the harder he gripped, the more real the cold, metallic texture became.

...It's true.

At that moment, a vast and chaotic flood of memories surged into his brain.

Leo gritted his teeth, his body trembling. After a long while, when he had finished processing the memory in his mind that was also named "Leo", a complex look appeared in his eyes.

I've traveled through time.

This is no longer China, but a strange world called "Western Pole".

The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, steam turbines were developing rapidly, and powerful ships and cannons ushered in the Age of Exploration...

Everything looked much the same as in the West in the 19th century, except...

Leo's gaze fell on a thick book lying open on the table not far away.

On the unfolded title page, there are dark, almost blood-red ink marks that depict an elaborately patterned circular design, which, from a distance, resembles a half-open eyeball.

—The Gospel of Thomas.

Legend has it that by using this book to perform a prayer ceremony, one can meet angels and transcend the mundane world.

"...Occultism"

Leo murmured softly.

Yes, in this seemingly paradoxical world, there exists a discipline called "mystery".

The original owner of this body was pursuing "mysticism," which led to his death and ultimately to the arrival of this new character.

Leo looked at the corpse not far ahead.

This person's name is Scott, whom the original owner met not long ago at a "secret party".

This secret gathering was introduced to him by his classmate Leona after she learned of his interest in the occult.

Ever since meeting Scott, the original "Leo" has gradually become strange.

At first, Scott used his knowledge of "mysticism" as an excuse to make him do this and that. Although the original owner did not understand, he still endured it.

Gradually, Scott's demands became increasingly excessive, including but not limited to making him perform all sorts of bizarre behaviors in public, such as walking upside down or suddenly bursting into laughter, and also making him sell all his possessions and raise materials for the ceremony.

Despite the increasingly unreasonable demands, the original owner of this body no longer resisted at the beginning and instead became "obedient".

It was as if a magical force, growing stronger with each passing moment, fundamentally influenced his thoughts...

Thinking of this, Leo felt a chill run down his spine.

Something's not right!

"Something's really off with Scott!"

"Does he possess some kind of means of controlling people?"

Leo took a deep breath and continued to dig into the memories in his mind.

The original owner of this body was invited by Scott to attend tonight's "prayer ceremony".

According to Scott, those who pass the test of the invocation ceremony will be qualified to ingest the potion and come into contact with the mystical.

And the result...

"Whether I had an audience with the angel or not, I don't know, but my arrival means that the original body died during the ritual."

"Could the culprit be Scott? Or Leona, his classmate?"

Leo frowned, his mind racing.

Potions, mysticism...

This world is absolutely extraordinary!

He instinctively walked forward, came to the table, and looked at the Gospel of Thomas on it.

Beneath the half-open eye pattern, in dark red, almost blood-red ink, was written this sentence.

"The stars revolve, the spirit fires flicker, all things return to one, all are but the slightest brilliance of the Seven Rulers manifesting in the world."

[Governing]?

Leo was shaken. If this had happened before, he might have thought it was just some meaningless title.

But now, being there and hearing the name "ruling," he suddenly felt that it might contain some great terror and secret.

He turned the pages somewhat impatiently, trying to get more information.

In the original owner's memory, Scott and the Gospel of Thomas were always inseparable, and after the original owner began to listen to his advice, Scott occasionally had the habit of taking notes in the book.

Perhaps I can learn something from those records.

"rustle……"

The pages of the book are turned.

But what came into view was:

Blank, blank, and more blank...

No, saying it's blank is not entirely accurate.

There were indeed words on the pages, but when he looked at them, the words became blurry.

It's as if he doesn't have the right to "see".

Until you get close to the end.

Leo's eyes suddenly narrowed.

The words are legible now!

He hurriedly looked over.

"(Large graffiti)... Damn it, the [Shadow] pathway Sequence 9 potion—[Thief]—has a missing main ingredient that's impossible to find anywhere!"

"What do we do? What do we do! The 'Star Gate' opens in three months. If we can't find the main ingredient for the thief's potion before then, it will be too late!"

"...Leona? Yes! Leona! She must have a way!"

"...(Large graffiti) I never expected that the missing main material could be achieved using the 'Blood Substitution Ritual.' As expected, Leona is no simple woman. Just who is she?"

"But can that commoner named Leo really meet the requirements for the main ingredient?"

"The one who holds the gold and fire, in silence, lets the rust of cowardice corrode through his heart... and then, taking his heart's blood, can it serve as the main ingredient? There's no other way but to give it a try."

The recording ends here.

Leo's thumb and forefinger, which were holding the pages steady, trembled slightly.

He couldn't tell if it was fear or anger, but he felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of his feet to his brain.

Is this to make me the main ingredient in the so-called "Thief's Potion"?

Therefore, the strange and unusual behaviors that Scott instructed in the original owner's memories were all to fulfill the needs of the ritual.

This is cannibalism!

Leo wished he could raise his brass revolver and fire a few more shots at Scott's corpse.

But the most urgent matter is not venting anger, but...

He took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions and focused his gaze on the corpse in front of him.

What should we do with this body?

Leo's gaze shifted as he looked at the scene inside the room, his brows gradually furrowing.

"The location of this ritual is in the original owner's home... Scott's original idea was to fake the original owner's suicide in order to avoid the police department's investigation."

But now.

The dead man became Scott...

A man of clearly distinguished background died in his own home, and given the incredibly loud gunshot earlier, the neighbors and even the guards patrolling the street must have heard it.

The patrol officers will arrive soon.

After all, it involves firearms, and the impact is quite serious...

"I don't have much time left."

"Scott's body must be disposed of before the police arrive... that way, there will be room for excuses, no, for justifications."

Leo gritted his teeth and got up.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

"Tap tap, tap tap..."

Outside the door, light footsteps gradually approached, accompanied by a gentle female voice.

"Mr. Scott, is the ceremony complete? We should leave soon... those hyenas are coming after us by scent."

Leo's eyes widened, and his heart nearly stopped beating.

The moment he heard that voice, the image of a girl took shape in his mind.

Her smooth, flaxen hair was carefully braided into a plait and casually draped over one shoulder.

A perfectly tailored dark gray wool maxi dress, with flawless pure white lace adorning the neckline and cuffs.

What is most memorable about her are her amber eyes, which seem to be constantly swirling.

—Leona!

The female classmate who introduced the original owner to the "secret gathering"!

How did she end up here?

Does this mean that everything Scott did was under her "watchful eye"?

"Clatter".

The door handle was turned, and the lock cylinder inside made a faint mechanical sound.

Leo felt a chill run down his spine.

Scott possesses a certain degree of "extraordinary" ability, capable of influencing people's thinking. So, could Leona, whom Scott marveled at as "definitely not simple," be an ordinary person?

The probability is almost zero!

"If she finds out, and Scott dies at my hands, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Leo was extremely anxious.

"Mr. Scott?"

A gentle female voice rang out again, this time the owner of the voice was clearly pressed against the crack in the door.

Why aren't you saying anything?

pat!

The doorknob was turned again, and thankfully, the door was locked from the inside, preventing Leona from pushing it open.

Before Leo could even breathe a sigh of relief.

A crisp "click" sound came from inside the door lock cylinder.

The door lock was forcibly opened by some unknown means!

"Squeak..."

The old door was slowly pushed open.

The dim light from the kerosene lamp swarmed in through the crack in the door, like menacing ghosts baring their fangs.

Leo gritted his teeth, raised the brass revolver in his hand, and pulled the trigger.

A "click" sound.

There are no bullets.

"This time, I'm definitely dead."

Despair welled up in Leo's heart.

Just then, an ancient mirror suddenly appeared in his mind.

"What... what is this?"

With a thought, Leo vanished from his spot in an instant.

Behind the pushed-open door, a slender figure emerged from the shadows, carrying a brass kerosene lamp.

She stared in astonishment at Scott, who lay motionless on the ground.

"What happened? Leo... killed Scott? How could an ordinary person like him do that?"

Leona raised her slender eyebrows slightly, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

She walked up to the Gospel of Thomas, turned it to the title page, and looked at the slightly open, blood-red eyes on it.

"The ceremony actually succeeded?"

"But Scott died instead? Interesting..."

A slight curve appeared at the corner of her bright red lips.

A hazy black mist suddenly appeared in Leona's eyes: "Interesting fellow, let me see where you went..."

Her eyes moved slowly, each glance landing on the spot where Leo had just stepped.

At this moment, her eyes paused, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"Those annoying hyenas, they came pretty quickly."

"But I have remembered your 'spirit,' you cannot escape..."

boom!

The window was violently broken open, and several figures rushed in.

"The spiritual energy of the blasphemous ritual has disappeared."

"Captain, there's a body over there!"

The one referred to as "Captain" was a man in a trench coat with a pipe in his mouth and his collar turned up high.

He adjusted the brim of his hat, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.