Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

~Backlund, near the docks, outside a warehouse~

When Byron noticed several of Capim's subordinates subtly closing in on him, he realized he had been exposed...

Without hesitation, he handed his wallet to his assistant and said, "I'll draw them away. You take a carriage straight to Unit 199 Hailin Avenue. Tell the waiter there: Lion requests the Leader's help! Once you meet the Leader, hide nothing. Answer every question he asks truthfully."

The assistant opened his mouth to protest, but Byron cut him off, "No time to explain. Go! Whether I live or die depends on how fast you get there!"

With that, Byron turned and sprinted away, successfully drawing most of the pursuers after him.

Understanding the urgency of the matter, the assistant quickly left their surveillance spot. After multiple failed attempts to shake off the remaining pursuers, he finally hailed a carriage and raced toward the address Byron had given...

....

~Backlund, West Borough, Odis's laboratory~

Having worked nonstop for two days, Odis stared at the short sentence on the workbench, momentarily stunned before realizing it was the code phrase he shared with Bernadette...

He chuckled wryly, "Welcome."

Bernadette's voice echoed through the air, "Your expression doesn't look very welcoming."

"Probably because I'm a little tired," Odis replied with a smile, "Once the experiment is done, I'll cook myself a proper lunch as a reward."

"It's almost five in the afternoon."

"Concentrating on work always makes time slip away unnoticed," Odis mused before asking, "What brings you here?"

From afar in Backlund, Bernadette communicated through her Invisible Messenger near Odis, saying, "I was simply curious about what you've invented this time."

Odis raised an eyebrow and asked, "You haven't been watching me build this prototype for the past two days, have you?"

"No."

Odis paused: 'Why does that sound so unconvincing?'

Bernadette's voice continued, "What exactly are you making?"

Odis grinned and replied, "This is an invention that could change the future."

As he spoke, he pulled aside a rug on the floor, revealing a heptagram formation beneath, "But first, I need to conduct a live experiment..."

"You're actually performing a live experiment?!"

"Of course. How else can I be sure it works?" Odis replied casually, picking up a jar of colorful powder from the table.

Bernadette sounded surprised, "I've never even done live experiments myself..."

Ignoring the Queen Mystic's astonishment, Odis scooped up a handful of the powder and placed the remaining contents outside the outer ring of the heptagram formation.

Then, sprinkling the powder in his hand over the array, he chanted in Hermes:

"I, in my name, summon thee,

Lord of a realm in the Underworld, great Samensael...

By the guidance of this formation, descend into this array and behold thy summoner...

Partake of the offering I provide, and heed my command..."

*Whoosh!*

The room instantly turned cold, as if plunged into a winter seaside gale, freezing every inch of skin. A swirling fog coalesced within the summoning array, and two crimson eyes glared coldly at Odis from within.

Simultaneously, the fog enveloped the clay jar, claiming Odis's offering.

Observing this process, Bernadette was astonished. She knew the heptagram formation was a summoning array, but few used it because simple altars were far more convenient and nearly as effective.

Yet she also knew that malevolent spirits or weaker evil entities from the Underworld or Spirit World often tricked summoners into using such arrays, allowing them to channel more power into the material world.

What puzzled her was that the evil aura of Odis's summoned being remained strictly confined within the array... Outside of the array, aside from the chilling cold, there was no trace of corruption.

Odis continued:

"Great Samensael, bring me three individuals who are guilty of heinous crimes but have escaped justice...

Strip them of their tongues and render their bodies rigid and immobile..."

The fog vanished, then reappeared close to seven seconds later. From within the fog, three figures tumbled out... a middle-aged man, a woman in her thirties, and an elderly man around sixty.

Judging by their attire, they were well-off. But now, they stood frozen, completely paralyzed.

Where their mouths should have been, there was only smooth skin, as if they had never possessed lips or tongues. Their eyes bulged with terror as they stared at Odis.

Odis addressed the fog again:

"Great Samensael, I thank thee for thy aid. We coexist in harmony, assisting one another... I provide offerings, and thou obey my commands...

Soon, I shall deliver these three wicked souls into the formation. Feast upon their flesh and souls...

Now, depart from this world and leave this heptagram formation..."

The fog dissipated without protest.

As Odis adjusted the three paralyzed people, he explained, "Samensael excels at distinguishing good from evil. These three are undoubtedly vile criminals."

Bernadette remarked, "Your method of acquiring test subjects is... unconventional."

She then pointed at the heptagram formation and asked, "You've modified at least sixteen elements of this summoning array. After these changes, the summoned beings can't harm you?"

"Below the level of an Angel," Odis replied.

He then placed a brass helmet that resembled multiple layered domes onto the middle-aged man's head, "Theoretically, unless summoning demons, no harm should come to the summoner."

"...After studying conventional summoning arrays, I realized they prioritize classical forms over practical safety measures. So I drastically modified the design, converting the summoned entity's power into a protective barrier for the caster. Of course, suitable offerings are still necessary... otherwise, they won't cooperate."

Adjusting the device, he announced, "Now, the experiment begins."

The middle-aged man was unable to speak or plead, and could only express his terror through his wide and panicked eyes.

Odis channeled his Spirituality into the helmet. The device activated smoothly, emitting a phantom light from its tip that swiftly sank into the man's skull...