The implication behind Regexima’s earlier words was likely that he had ordered others to modify the students' memories, rather than performing the feat himself. As soon as this thought arose, a specific face flashed in Eros’s mind.
It was the Senior Deacon of the Night Watch he had met in the Sin Realm: Bartos Vatuta.
As an elite of the Church of Reincarnation, Bartos’s mastery over the soul was undoubtedly profound. Altering memories would be second nature to him. With a professional like him on hand, Regexima had no need to dirty his own hands. Eros’s subtle inquiry was met with an unshielded confirmation from Bartos: he was indeed the one who had handled the "memory cleanup."
Relieved, Eros answered Bartos’s counter-question: "Yes. They are warlocks cultivated by the Church, after all. If my personal circumstances led to memory alterations that hindered their future promotion to Middle or High Sequences, the loss to the Church would be too great."
Bartos waved a hand dismissively. "Modifying or deleting memories does not affect one's future advancement. You may rest easy, Your Highness."
Eros nodded and fell silent, quietly observing the Sin Realm rift in the distance. Under the shroud of night, the jagged tear in reality looked even more grotesque and predatory.
A few minutes later, Regexima, clad in his sea-blue divine robes, slowly manifested on the plaza. Seeing this, Bartos reached out and swiped at the air. An illusory curtain of light descended, veiling Eros’s field of vision.
Eros didn't protest. He knew the rules.
"Your Highness’s sequence is still too low. Witnessing the Mythical Form of a High-Positioned One directly would result in instant contamination," Bartos explained in a low voice once the barrier was set.
Eros gave a noncommittal grunt. In truth, the curtain couldn't stop his eyes; he could still see everything occurring on the plaza with crystalline clarity.
Regexima stood before the rift, his golden eyes piercing the abyss that seemed to swallow souls. In that instant, the sky became oppressively heavy. Dark clouds swirled out of nowhere, blotting out the moon and plunging the world into a pitch-black void where one couldn't see their own hand.
Suddenly, a majestic, indifferent voice boomed through the darkness:
"Only the heaviest thunder can shatter the deepest filth!"
"God said: Thunder!"
As the final syllable fell, the entire world flared with blinding brilliance. Seeing the flash, Eros instinctively covered his ears.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
A split second later, a roar of thunder descended like the heavens collapsing. The very building Eros stood upon groaned, spiderweb cracks racing across its walls from the sheer sonic pressure.
On the plaza, Regexima was now a silhouette entwined with silver-white arcs of electricity. He reached up and snatched a bolt of lightning straight from the sky. The lightning coiled and condensed in his grip, forging a spear of pure radiance. With a violent thrust, he drove the lightning spear into the Sin Realm rift.
As the tip pierced the void, an illusory image of a world flickered behind the tear. Eros’s pupils contracted—he recognized that projection. It was the Sin Realm itself. The silver spearhead struck the ground of that miniature world with unstoppable force. Another world-shaking explosion followed, and the phantom image of the Sin Realm shattered into a million pieces before Eros’s eyes.
The dark clouds gradually dispersed. The rift on the plaza began to cinch shut, narrowing until it vanished entirely.
On the steam train, Undine stared out the window at the night sky that had suddenly pulsed with white light, her expression one of pure shock. The other students noticed the strange phenomenon as well, though none knew the magnitude of what had just occurred.
Back on the cracked rooftop, Bartos looked at Eros, who was just lowering his hands from his ears, and smiled. "How did Your Highness know the thunder was coming the very next second?"
Eros replied casually, "Because light travels faster than sound through air."
Bartos blinked. "Huh?"
Seeing the Senior Deacon’s blank look, Eros explained, "You only blocked my sight, not my hearing. I heard Lord Regexima’s chant. He called for 'Thunder.' If there's a flash of white light, it’s obviously lightning. And if there's lightning, thunder isn't far behind. Light reaches us first, sound comes later."
Bartos: "..."
He still looked confused. Fortunately, Regexima reappeared before them at that moment. Bartos quickly tapped his chest four times in a formal salute.
Regexima nodded, then turned to Eros. "The matter here is settled. It’s time for us to depart."
He reached out, gripped Eros’s shoulder, and took a single step forward. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
The Spirit Realm.
Aboard a massive, hundred-meter-long sailing ship, Regexima’s hulking frame materialized, followed by a dizzy Eros. As his vision stabilized, Eros looked at the desolate, shadowy world surrounding them and asked hesitantly:
"Is this... the Spirit Realm?"
He knew of this distorted dimension that mirrored the physical world; it was the source of all things "weird."
Regexima nodded. As he signaled the crew to set sail, he said naturally, "Traveling through the Spirit Realm is quite convenient sometimes."
As he spoke, the massive galleon began to rise. It didn't just move; it flew. Eros wasn't surprised—in the civilized world, a flying ship was a myth; in the mystical world, it was Tuesday.
"Feel free to look around," Regexima said casually, turning toward the cabin.
Two small boys stood there obediently. Regexima walked over, scooped one up in each arm, and strode into the cabin with a steady, practiced gait.
Eros’s mouth twitched at the sight. He shook his head and walked to the railing to look down, only to be disappointed. A layer of grey, misty clouds obscured his view. He knew the High Priest had placed this barrier to protect him from seeing things in the Spirit Realm that would instantly contaminate a low-sequence mind.
This was the first time since meeting Barbara that his "vision" had truly been blocked. It wasn't because Barbara was weak, but because Regexima was right there; she didn't dare force her sight through for fear of being detected.