A Tale of Forgotten Gods

Chapter 108: The Insane Detective

Murphy heard every word as he stepped back slowly. He had gotten the warning from Jian Yue about ’Them’.

Both of the men turned and noticed the movements behind the pillar. The first one, who had blue hair, looked at another one with green hair and said, ”Didn’t we get the offering today?”

”That’s a forceful entrance.”

The second one, who put the monocle down while pulling out a normal one and wore it back into his eye, tilted his head with an amused smile curling at the corner of his lips, as his green hair blew slightly. ”It seems our guest has decided to skip the ceremony and come directly to the source.”

Murphy stepped out from behind the pillar, his fedora shaking slightly while his hand rested on the revolver in his belt. ”You don’t seem human, and that presence just made me curious; that’s it.”

The first man, taller with sharp, angular features, let out a dry chuckle. ”You are a human; with that outfit I can say you are a Detective. A human can’t understand anything outside their thinking.”

”Those are just the words of fools, maybe true for some.” Murphy’s voice was flat and cold. ”You’re an Ascended, but your ribbons are black. That’s not normal. Tell me, what you are?”

The man’s smile faltered as he removed his hand from the altar. ”I initially thought you’d be a human, but I was wrong... Mimick, aren’t you?”

Upon hearing that man’s words, the second man’s expression also wavered. ”A Lightless...”

”What am I? It doesn’t matter, as I still have a human soul, but you don’t.”

The tall man stared at him for a long moment and finally whispered. ”That’s a wrong way to describe you, and you also don’t know what you have been caught into. Yes, we aren’t humans; we are Celestials, type two Celestials to be precise.”

Murphy closed his eyes for a second. ”That implies there’s another type?”

The second man shrugged. ”They are originals; they have various shapes, though knowing our hierarchy doesn’t give you the right to stand on it.”

Murphy interrupted him with a sudden step and murmured. ”You are going to tell me, who is behind that demonic cult?”

”We aren’t, and it’s too insignificant for us, a direct disrespect that we are one of those filthy humans.”

Murphy pulled his revolver out.

The tall man laughed shortly. ”That gun can’t do an—”

Murphy shot him in the chest, but before he could hit the man, his body disappeared instantly.

The first shot shattered the silence.

”Useless.” The man’s voice came from beside him. ”We are beyond your mortal weapons.” He appeared beside him, his hand held Murphy’s shoulder.

Murphy’s lips twitched in a cold smirk. ”My bad...” Suddenly the bullet hit the man on his chest. ”I forgot to say it never misses until I want to, since it’s not a mortal weapon.”

The man clutched his chest and stepped sideways slowly. After a few heartbeats, a loud laugh echoed from him. ”Hahaha... hah.” He extended his hand and slowly uncurled his fist as the flattened bullet fell on the ground. ”Pathetic, even then it can’t break through the armor.”

The Ascended raised his hand, and the surrounding air rippled. A wave of force exploded outward, and he slammed his hand into Murphy’s chest and threw him backward. He crashed into a pillar, the stone wall creating a large clatter as it knocked the air out of him. His vision blurred for a few seconds.

The second man, who had green hair, walked forward and pulled out his long spear, which had a sharp blade attached to it like a sword.

The taller ascended also pulled his own weapon, a large sword taller than the man himself.

Murphy clenched the Glaive and activated his Apprentice’s Eyes. The world turned silver. The green threads binding the Ascended were visible now. He walked forward with his eyes glowing faintly.

The taller Ascended lunged first. His hand warped into a blade of black energy, aimed directly at Murphy’s throat.

Murphy sidestepped and caught the sword with his Glaive, then he tilted the weapon, using the second blade of the Glaive to slash the man’s chin. The Ascended’s forearm came in defense as the blade slid through him.

The second Ascended rushed forward, his hands wreathed in black fire as he moved the spear through the air. Murphy spun, his Glaive catching the flames and deflecting them upward. The fire hit the ceiling, shattering the chandelier into a rain of emerald shards. With one leg still in the air and body tilted backward, Murphy landed a spinning kick on the second man’s chin.

The man with the spear stumbled back; just then the taller Ascended regained his footing, his face twisted with rage.

Both of them lunged at once.

Murphy stood his ground. As they both went close, he jumped by using his Glaive, his body lifting in the air as they quickly shifted their directions, but before that, Murphy disappeared and appeared behind the blue-haired man and pulled his shoulder, then slammed him on the ground.

With a blur of motion, he reached out for his Glaive and used the moment and lifted his body up and slammed his boot on the second ascended. The man crashed on the wall, but impossibly strong but thin armor resisted.

He was outnumbered and outmatched, but he was also faster, and his Apprentice’s Eyes made him more precise.

As the green-haired man, who was behind him, moved his spear through the air. Murphy quickly turned and caught the haft with his other hand and pulled the spear, throwing him away.

But then, his eyes landed on the spirit threads, who were close now; before he could turn, the blade passed by his face, running a cut on his face.

He jumped back, taking a safe distance, and that was when he noticed it. His face had begun to melt; the flesh dripped down on the ground. He quickly slammed a hand on his face, trying to lift his half-melting face. The flesh came out through his fingers, then the burning pain intensified as he clenched his face tightly, gripping the Glaive tightly.

Both men looked at him. Finding the opportunity, both of them rushed forward.

”Great Master, you need to remove the mask before you lose your identity.”

”I know!” He didn’t have time to listen. His face was still dripping, skin sloughing off like clay. He pressed his hand against his cheek further, forcing the flesh back into its place, looking at the Ascended surging toward him.

Mo Fei looked down, trying to manage his skin. Just then he heard a voice in his mind. ”Lend me, boy.”

The green-haired ascended closed in. His spear came down, but then Mo Fei tilted his head up, his eyes glowing faintly. Murphy caught the weapon effortlessly with his hand, and with a force, he broke it down. The metal scattered around, the force bruising his hand, but he didn’t flinch and straightened himself.

The green-haired man stepped back as he watched it.

Murphy looked at both of them and spat. ”Oh, don’t look at my melting face, because you’re the ones who are about to lose your shape.”

That tone wasn’t like before; that was more dry and hollow.

The green-haired Celestial took a sharp step back, his monocle slipping from his eye and shattering against the ground. The amused smirk was completely gone from his face.

The air in the chamber suddenly turned ice-cold. He pulled out his cigarette and put it in his melting lips. His cloak fluttered as he walked forward with the Glaive turning to the revolver.

He didn’t try to fix the face anymore. The skin on the left side of his face had completely liquefied, exposing the stark white of his jawbone and the wet, pulsing muscle beneath it. Yet, his face was cold and emotionless, as if he felt nothing.

He stared at the two Celestials with one normal eye and one hollow, glowing socket that burned with a terrifying, unhinged light. Murphy finally spoke again with his fractured lips curling into a horrific grin. ”Something called Celestials, huh? Now I’m curious, what type of noise your bones will make when I peel the armor off your corpses.”

His boots clicked against the ground, but the next click didn’t come; he was gone. ”That divinity won’t protect you from the Law; anything that can go wrong will. And I’m wrong for you.”

The taller Celestial turned toward the voice with his face twisted in a mixture of anger and sudden fear. He gathered the remaining black fire into his hands, forming a massive, unstable sphere of dark energy. ”Die, you wretched Mimick!”

Murphy raised his hand and caught his wrist. ”Me?”

The man quickly moved his sword. Murphy effortlessly jumped back, but the taller man threw the black flames at him.

Murphy lunged straight into the explosion.

The black fire tore into his clothes, burning away his trench coat and scorching his flesh, but he moved through the flames like a ghost without even flinching once and appeared in front of the blue-haired Celestial before the man could even register his movement.

Murphy smashed a heavy punch straight through the Celestial’s precious, impossibly strong armor. The metal shrieked as Murphy’s hand sank, breaking the blue-haired man’s bones and slamming him onto the walls behind. Though his own hand bled out, but he waved it, sprinkling the blood on the ground.

The green-haired Celestial’s eyes widened in pure horror. ”What is this trickery... you were hiding your strength?”

”That’s wrong.” Murphy hissed, leaning in so close that his dripping, exposed skull touched the Celestial’s cheek. ”That armor was only impossible if I wanted it to be.”

He then slammed another uppercut, which lifted the green-haired celestial, and then with a straight punch he threw the man toward the second ascended.

The blue-haired Celestial choked, his eyes rolling back as the man got slammed into him.

The green-haired man coughed out blood, feeling his breath being knocked out, his long sword trembling in his grip. The absolute certainty he had moments ago was entirely shattered. A type-two Celestial had just been beaten by a man using raw malice.

Murphy slowly turned his head toward them. The blood dropping from his knuckles gave the proof that he himself had been hurt massively, but how was he staring down at them with a straight face, how was he not feeling anything? They looked at Murphy’s exposed bone, melting his flesh even further, but the detective only laughed at a low, manic, breathy sound that echoed off the hall.