During that time, the gathering members hadn't been sitting there willingly. More than once, they had tried to escape. But the unknown restraints placed upon them never disappeared. None of them could move even an inch.
All they could do was watch in torment as the two green-haired monsters continued their endless game of rock-paper-scissors, one that never seemed capable of producing a winner.
As time passed and the day Mozo began taking action arrived, the two monsters finally regained a sliver of sanity.
The Gravekeeper, who had been transformed earlier, suddenly saw the green hair on his face rapidly recede until he returned to his original appearance.
Meanwhile, the first monster grinned viciously at the remaining gathering members.
"Come on. Become me! Become part of the great Green Angel!"
"Once that poor fool finally becomes the Fool through sheer luck, we'll go make a scene! We'll turn this damned place upside down! Saints, rituals, that damned Empress, they can all go to hell! Hahahahahaha!"
As he spoke, he strode forward excitedly and pressed a hand onto Vodka's head.
The moment he did, Vodka let out a scream of agony. Then half his face began sprouting disgusting green fur, just like the Gravekeeper before him.
Seeing this, the Gravekeeper, now fully assimilated into the Green Angel, immediately clapped his hands while drool dripped from his mouth in excitement. At the same time, the restored half of his own face once again became covered in revolting green hair.
"Good! Good! There's more of me now! More of me! This is how it should've been from the start! From the start!"
After being assimilated, Vodka also grinned with his hideous face and said:
"Once we convert this entire city, once there are thousands upon thousands of us, we'll never have to fear that White Mask again!"
But in the next instant, all of them suddenly shifted personalities again. Their expressions turned cold as they spoke in unison:
"No. That won't work. We cannot oppose the Contract of Ten. Not yet. Not yet!"
Then they once more took out the Tarot deck, smiling as they stared at it.
"The completion rate exceeded expectations. We should thank the great Sun King. Thank glorious Lorain and Hayse. Without their final interference, the completion would never have become this high!"
The assimilated Vodka walked toward Flowerbed, whose face was filled with despair, then placed a hand on his forehead.
"As long as we have this, we'll definitely find a way to escape that damned thing!"
But after Flowerbed was transformed as well, concern appeared on his face.
"But what if... what if this fails again, just like all the previous attempts?"
And for the first time, Audrey found that the seemingly sane versions of these creatures no longer looked disgusting to her.
Instead, they felt holy.
Their hideous monstrous faces somehow carried the sanctity of angels.
Unfortunately, their actions were still those of demons and monsters.
In response to Flowerbed's concerns, the other monsters, or rather, the Green Angels, calmly answered:
"Then we keep searching."
As they spoke, it seemed they had loosened their control slightly. Audrey suddenly realized she could move again.
Without hesitation, she immediately pulled out an offensive rune she had only recently finished crafting and hurled it toward the original green-haired monster.
But before the rune could even reach him, it disintegrated into ashes midair.
Seeing that, Audrey instantly scrambled toward the exit on all fours.
Yet after taking less than two steps, she despairingly discovered that the doorway right in front of her had suddenly become a solid wall.
She couldn't get out.
It was over.
In despair, Audrey could only curl up trembling in the corner.
The Green Angel formed from the Gravekeeper glanced at her casually and said:
"Don't rush. You're next."
Then he placed his hand atop White Dove's head.
Very quickly, every member except Audrey was fully assimilated by the Green Angels.
Then every Green Angel in the room turned simultaneously to look at the final remaining Audrey.
Though their faces were different, the expressions upon them were exactly the same.
The scene was twisted beyond words.
Trembling violently like a leaf in a storm, Audrey could only shut her eyes in terror.
The Green Angels deliberately slowed their footsteps and approached her leisurely, clearly enjoying themselves. Audrey's earlier freedom had only been granted because they wanted amusement. The same applied now.
Listening to the footsteps drawing closer and closer, Audrey suddenly remembered the moment she had narrowly escaped death before.
The only miracle she had witnessed in her entire life.
And so, trembling softly, she once again whispered those words:
"O King of Glorious Radiance, greater than the sun itself!"
(in Ancient Elvish)
As high-sequence beings from the Faceless Court, the Green Angels naturally understood the ancient language.
Immediately, they burst into wild laughter.
"The Sun King?! Hahahahaha! A human is actually praying to the King of the Elves?!"
Among the raucous laughter, the Green Angel transformed from White Dove bent over clutching his stomach as if laughing too hard.
"Stop struggling, you stupid little girl. The Sun King died long ago! And even if He were still alive, why would He save a mere human like you?!"
But as they laughed, their laughter abruptly stopped.
Because they saw that after Audrey recited those words, a faint emerald radiance began shining around her body.
It was not the filthy murky green of the fur covering their faces.
It was the vibrant green of nature and the Sacred Trees.
The unique color of Elven miracles.
The Green Angel White Dove slowly widened his eyes before suddenly straightening his body and unleashing his high-sequence divine authority and pressure upon Audrey as he roared:
"Kneel!"
It was pressure powerful enough to force even a Sequence Five to their knees instantly.
Yet at this moment, it had absolutely no effect on Audrey.
Aside from trembling in fright, nothing happened to her at all.
And with the Green Angel's roar, a jade-green crest was suddenly activated before Audrey.
Naturally, the Green Angels recognized what it was.
It was the proof of the Sun King's personal slaves.
A mark used to warn all others that this individual was the property of the exalted ruler, the Sun King himself.
None may violate them.
Otherwise, the armies of the Elves would teach the offender the meaning of regret.
In the next instant, all the Green Angels pointed at Audrey and shouted in disbelief:
"Impossible! How is this possible?!"
"Why are you the Sun King's personal servant?! He died long ago!!!"
How could a king long dead still possess such a young slave?
Hearing the Green Angels' horrified voices, Audrey cautiously opened her eyes.
Then she saw the Green Angels staring at her in utter disbelief and even panic.
As well as the jade-green crest floating before her.
Wait... isn't this the brand that puppet put on me last time?!
No... it looks different from before?
It's become more refined... more complicated...
But that doesn't make sense either! Didn't Mozo remove it already?!
And what the hell is the Sun King's personal servant supposed to mean?!
Audrey herself was completely stunned.
She couldn't understand what was happening anymore.
But... it looked like she was safe now?!