Mysteries: Arcana Wars

"..."

Klein's throat moved slightly.

This sudden question was so shocking that it directly crushed his confused thoughts.

"I'm……"

A few words so simple, yet so difficult.

"I am... the Lord of Mysteries..."

Under the pressure of Spade Nine's interrogation, the confused Klein felt like a screaming chicken with its body hammered to pieces, forced to open its mouth and vomit out a sharp sound.

"...but...but I..."

A strong feeling of suffocation came suddenly, strangling the remaining words.

“…Gu…”

But I am not the Lord of Mystery!!

“…Gu…Gu…”

Believe me!

Believe me!!!

“…Gu…”

An unprecedented strong sense of crisis burst out from the thick chaos and madness with a resolute force, grabbing Klein's throat.

No! You must not—

Say this!!

Klein struggled but finally gave up on confessing and regained some sanity from the chaos. The suffocation immediately subsided, and he gasped like an ordinary human being.

Relax... Klein, you are an angel, you don't need to breathe...

Suffocation won't kill you, distract yourself, trust your reality and the discomfort will soon subside...

After quickly adjusting his state, Klein raised his head. The obsidian dagger had not left his throat. The Nine of Spades was watching a show, waiting for him to finish smoking this wind.

"Do not."

The Nine of Spades lifted the brim of his hat, and the light shone on his face for the first time.

"You are not the Lord of Mysteries."

"Varied……"

No, wait—

Klein was stunned.

Whether it is true or false is no longer distinguishable at this point, and it no longer matters. It’s just that a certain once unshakable cognition has suffered a devastating blow at this moment.

He stared blankly at the Nine of Spades.

Suddenly, there was nothing in my mind, it was completely empty and clean.

...Hahaha...After all this time, it turns out that I am not the Lord of Mysteries...

Thinking of this, Klein suddenly found it a little funny and couldn't help but laughed while shaking his head.

The absurd reality actually added a touch of comedy to his story, and he even felt a hint of relief in his smile.

...Fortunately, I am not the Lord of Mysteries...

But when he looked up and saw the cold eyes of the Nine of Spades, his strange happiness suddenly collapsed. The quicksand faded away, leaving only despair and helplessness.

...I...I am not the Lord of Mysteries...

Then who am I???

"you……

"It's just an incarnation of the Lord of Mysteries."

Klein was stunned for a second.

He suddenly felt relieved, let out a hearty laugh, and leaned back comfortably in his chair. Even the look in his eyes when he looked at the interrogator was filled with ecstasy.

Crane, you big fool, look at yourself! What stupid thing are you thinking?

You are yourself, Klein!

Who else could it be?

Who else could receive so much love and expectations from Melissa and Benson?

It's just a clone, which means an incomplete you, a part of you, a you that has left the embrace of the insect swarm, a you that has been given a special mission, a you whose memory has been cut, a you whose time and abilities have been edited...

Klein's smile froze.

...a you who was given a false identity and cognition...

You are a person who is deceived by reality, controlled by illusions, and used by gods!

One who fights with the Heavenly Lord for eternity——

you!!!!

--Snapped!

The Nine of Spades lost his patience and slapped Klein in the face.

This crisp blow threw away all his crazy and chaotic thoughts at once. The burning pain ignited Klein's reason, and even his eyes became clear.

...Damn, what the hell was I thinking just now...

"Calm down?"

Klein stopped crying and raised his head to sit up straight. He could already vaguely see the spiritual line of the Nine of Spades, which was a sign that his spirituality was recovering.

Yes, calm down, Klein...

Now, think.

as well as……

Ready to fight!

Klein didn't know why the other party thought he was the Lord of Mysteries. It was probably just a means of fishing and bombing.

With the help of a series of interrogation techniques, he was trapped in a state of madness and confusion and was forced to tell the truth.

This Nine of Spades must have other means to safeguard his judgment. Judging from the interrogation, he knows so much and can look directly at mythical creatures. His strength should not be underestimated. He is not on the same level as the Seven of Hearts.

and also.

You already know that I might be the Lord of Mysteries, and you still slapped me?

Do you think this is reasonable?!

After staring at each other in silence for a while, the Nine of Spades seemed to have finally made a judgment and took back the obsidian dagger that was against the other's neck.

The atmosphere suddenly eased, and Klein breathed a sigh of relief. This hurdle was finally over.

It’s dangerous, but…

This is too hasty...

"Can I ask a question?"

After waking up, Klein found it difficult to sort out all these events.

“Isn’t it a bit hasty for you to use this kind of interrogation to determine whether I am the Lord of Mysteries or just an avatar?

"Can't I just act?"

The look in the Nine of Spades' eyes suddenly became strange, even a little... pitying?

He walked forward, unfastened the fastenings between the chair and the ground, grabbed Klein's chair and spun it around.

In the middle of the back of the room, in Klein’s blind spot, is the secret weapon of this interrogation room.

A...humidifier???

“This is a seal that can release a powerful [Blindness] effect into the space in the form of humidified air.

“The trouble with it is that you have to plug it in to charge it, so we modified it and now it’s a wirelessly charged air humidifier.

“The seal is indestructible, but we didn’t destroy it. We just gave it an external wireless charging plug and repackaged it.

“Anyone in this interrogation room, even an angel, will lose most of their intelligence and logic, forget their extraordinaryness and spirituality, and even lose their basic ability to move. They can only answer whatever they are asked, just like taking truth serum.

“However, in practice, we have also discovered that sometimes being too [blind and stupid] can significantly reduce the quality of the prisoner’s testimony, and we have to spend some time piecing together the truth from the fragmented confessions.

"It's not just your words, all your performance and information are within my judgment basis."

...No... Although I am sure that these [blindness and stupidity] have no effect on me at all, and are all due to the sequelae of the illusion, but isn't this a bit outrageous...

But some discordant thoughts have been pierced into my subconscious mind without my knowing it.

"And this dagger."

The Nine of Spades tapped the spear.

"This obsidian dagger has the function of silencing extraordinary abilities. It can ensure that I will not be affected by the [Blindness and Stupidity] in the room, but correspondingly, my extraordinary abilities will also be silenced by it.

“However, I may still have the upper hand in this interrogation room.

"Because this is a weapon that can kill gods."

...As expected, if I say something wrong, I will be killed...

"Since I have confirmed that you are no threat to my Rorsted, there is no need to point this dagger at you."

...Thank you so much...

The Nine of Spades pulled out a pair of pliers from somewhere and cut the metal strips that secured Klein.

"You seem... very familiar with the Lord of Mysteries?" Klein flexed his wrist and asked tentatively.

The Nine of Spades turned around and gave a meaningful look.

"Now, you are free, Lord of Mysteries."

He opened the door to the interrogation room.

"Your less than faithful servant, Antigonus, serves you most unwillingly."

Outside the door, the obsidian dagger was gently put down. When he picked it up again, he had returned to the appearance of Antigonus. What was disturbing was that he stood strangely at the door, staring at Klein with sharp eyes, and held out the electric lantern to Klein. The silent blockage carried a strong sense of threat and oppression, and there was no possibility of any retreat.

"I'm kidding. Neither you nor I can escape from Roside's captivity.

"Pick up your pocket watch, we are going through the underground palace."