Chapter 59: The Inquisitor

Beep! Beep!
The alarm clock on the bedside table beeped incessantly. Mo Xuanyu, tucked underneath the warm blankets beside it, stretched out a hand to press the stop button, then curled back under the covers to check the time on his phone.
"For a high school student, school probably lets out at around 5:00 PM, right? Still plenty of time."
Mo Xuanyu got out of bed, stretched lazily, and smoothed down his sleep-ruffled hair. He settled for a quick breakfast of vegetable salad and oatmeal.
Afterward, he began reviewing the file on the heir to the Heavenly Imperial.
Name: Lynn Engle
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Detailed Background: Both parents passed away during his middle school years, leaving him to live alone since childhood. He possesses a somewhat introverted and isolated personality. As he has grown older, the total amount of cursed power within his body has reached the special-grade level.
It is anticipated that once he completes his contract with the Heavenly Imperial, he can immediately become a Special-Grade Cursed Sorcerer of the Association.
...
Capital High School.
After the exams concluded, Lynn packed up his belongings as usual, put on his headphones, and walked alone beneath the shade of the trees.
"Lynn! We're planning a group trip to the beach for the break, you should come with us!"
Two classmates approached Lynn at that moment. Although he was quiet and taciturn in class, Lynn's handsome appearance still attracted the attention of many girls.
"Sorry, I'm preparing to go for my internship." Lynn had already been informed of the Association's arrangements beforehand, so he politely declined his classmates' invitation.
Later, Lynn arrived at the school gates and located the Association's black luxury car.
To his surprise, however, the person who came to pick him up today was not the usual logistics personnel, but a stunning young man who drew countless gazes simply by standing there.
At this moment, the youth was holding a phone, seemingly sending a message. His gentle and soft aura caused quite a few passersby to stop in their tracks.
Noticing Lynn's gaze, Mo Xuanyu put away his phone, slid it into the pocket of his overcoat, and smiled as he waved at him.
"Hello, Lynn. I am Joshua, a Special-Grade Cursed Sorcerer of the Association. I will be responsible for escorting you to Elder Saul."
He opened the front passenger door for Lynn. "We have plenty of time. Let's go grab some dinner together."
The nearby classmates cast looks of envy and jealousy toward Lynn.
Lynn got into the car with some timidity. Mo Xuanyu returned to the driver's seat, started the engine, and asked softly,
"How did the exams go? Is there anything you'd like to eat? The handover time for the Heavenly Imperial Barrier isn't until tomorrow, so our schedules are wide open."
"Thank you for your concern, the exams went smoothly. You can decide on the dinner." Lynn turned his head away shyly, his earlobes flushed with a faint red.
As it turned out, Mo Xuanyu currently possessed a full 24 points in Charm. To a teenager like Lynn who had not yet stepped out into society, this was a mature charm that was completely irresistible.
Mo Xuanyu found a high-end Chinese restaurant. Since all expenses were reimbursed by the Association anyway, he ordered whatever tasted best.
After dinner, he drove onto the highway. The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, and Mo Xuanyu reached out to turn off the car's stereo.
His voice was gentle. "If you're tired, get some rest first. I'll wake you up when we arrive."
"Thank you for your hard work," Lynn thanked him with exceptional politeness.
The vehicle sped all the way toward the core, highly classified territory of the cursed sorcerers, where Elder Saul awaited.
...
Headquarters of the Pontificate.
Inside a magnificent cathedral, a squad of cursed sorcerers with an extraordinary presence arrived at the Pope's office. There were five of them in total.
The Pope, clad in platinum-gold robes, nodded gently toward them. "Welcome, messengers from the abyss."
The leader of the group waved a hand dismissively. "We are simply here to carry out our mission. Cut the pleasantries, and tell us what you need us to do."
The Pope handed them a dossier containing the identity information of Mo Xuanyu and Lynn, as well as their upcoming itinerary.
...
"Capture both of them and bring them to me. If that proves impossible, kill them." The Pope's voice was cold.
At that moment, a pop-up window abruptly appeared in the field of vision of the squad of cursed sorcerers.
[Bramble Ring Notice: Attention, Inquisitors. You have officially intervened in the world domain of the Sacred Geometry. Please take care to conceal your identities. If your identities are exposed, you will be instantly obliterated by the Sacred Geometry!]
[Current Main Quest: Assist the Holy Pontificate in opening the Gate of the Abyss, allowing the pollution to spread across the entire continent. Afterward, the Bramble Ring will launch a war of world invasion against the Sacred Geometry.]
Having received their mission, the Inquisitors quickly left the cathedral, conversing along the way:
"This is my first time executing an invasion mission, I'm a bit nervous..."
"Are we really sure our identities won't be exposed?"
A rookie in the squad spoke with slightly trembling hands.
They were not currently executing a mission within the designated mission worlds of the Bramble Ring, but rather smuggling themselves into a world entirely controlled by the Sacred Geometry.
Once their identities were exposed, the Sacred Geometry would instantly annihilate them.
"Don't worry, the power of the Bramble Ring is far greater than you imagine. Even the Sacred Geometry won't discover us so quickly," an Inquisitor said with confidence.
"Who's taking this mission? It's best if the five of us don't act together, or the Sacred Geometry will definitely notice us."
"I'll do it," a veteran member of the team raised a hand.
"Let's get off to a flying start," he smiled with utter self-assurance.
Meanwhile, on the highway, Mo Xuanyu turned on the windshield wipers as heavy rain began to pour from the sky. He temporarily pulled the car into a service station and stepped out under an umbrella to buy two cups of coffee.
"Thank you, please come again!"
Before Mo Xuanyu had a chance to get back into the car, a notification from the Sacred Geometry abruptly interrupted his steps.
[Sacred Geometry: Attention, Chosen One. You will encounter Inquisitors from the "Bramble Ring" within the next three hours.]
[Please slaughter them all.]
"Huh??"
Mo Xuanyu stood frozen in place, holding the cups of coffee, and stared at the Sacred Geometry with a bewildered expression.
Soon, the Sacred Geometry provided him with a wealth of additional data.
First was the true nature of the Sacred Geometry.
Fundamentally, the Sacred Geometry could be considered a large-scale domain space formed by the materialization of higher-dimensional rules.
It continuously screened talented individuals, bestowed upon them the status of Chosen Ones, and cast these Chosen Ones into various world instances to nurture and strengthen them.
Aside from the Sacred Geometry, there were two other spatial existences similar to it.
One of them was named the Bramble Ring.
Just like the Sacred Geometry, the Bramble Ring was also a materialization of higher-dimensional rules.
Contractors within the Bramble Ring were likewise referred to as "Chosen Ones," while an elite faction among them was known as "Inquisitors."
If the countless worlds in the universe were compared to a cake, the Sacred Geometry alone monopolized 70% of it.
The remaining 30% was carved up by the Bramble Ring and other spaces.
The Sacred Geometry holding onto so many resources naturally aroused the jealousy of other spaces, and the one that fought against it most fiercely was none of the others, but the Bramble Ring.
The so-called war of world invasion was even more intriguing; it could be seen as a war waged by the two spaces to seize dominance over the world.
However, to initiate a war in a world already completely controlled by the Sacred Geometry, a crucial prerequisite had to be met.
That was, the current world must be in a state of disorder.
What constitutes a state of disorder?
It refers to a condition where the world's will loses control, or encounters pollution and other factors, making it unable to continue driving the world's development—that is a state of disorder.
A world in a state of disorder was like a piece of cake dropped on the ground, and the Bramble Ring caught the scent and swarmed in.
To plunge the Cursed Continent into disorder, the Bramble Ring had dispatched an elite squad of Tier 2 Chosen Ones, namely the Inquisitors.
Inquisitors were a special title; they usually served as the vanguard for the Bramble Ring's wars of world invasion.
With the help of the Bramble Ring, these Inquisitors would first smuggle themselves into a world and then stir up all sorts of chaos within it.
Their goal was to completely destroy the order of this world, making it convenient for the Bramble Ring to subsequently enter the arena and rival the Sacred Geometry.
However, the Inquisitors took a risk by doing this. According to the Regulations of the Stars, the Sacred Geometry had the right to directly annihilate all Inquisitors invading this world.
The reason the Sacred Geometry had not directly obliterated them this time was that it wanted to test Mo Xuanyu's strength.
If Mo Xuanyu could successfully slay all the Inquisitors, he would be qualified to receive a special, mysterious reward from the Sacred Geometry.
If Mo Xuanyu failed, the Sacred Geometry imposed no penalties; he could abandon Lynn and run away at any time, though the reward would certainly be forfeited.
Mo Xuanyu returned to the car, where Lynn had just woken up. He handed one of the cups of coffee to him.
"The rest of the journey might get a bit eventful. Get ready."
"What's wrong?" Lynn asked with some confusion.
Mo Xuanyu gave a faint smile, his azure eyes carrying a hint of playfulness in the dim interior of the carriage.
"Someone is coming to hunt us down."
"Hunt us down?!"
Lynn was, after all, a high school student with no practical combat experience. Despite his massive cursed power, he had not yet contracted any cursed objects or spirits, meaning his combat effectiveness was virtually nil.
Mo Xuanyu started the car and drove back onto the highway.
Compared to Lynn's tension, Mo Xuanyu was actually quite looking forward to the impending battle.
Inquisitors dispatched as vanguard forces were bound to be absolute elites among Tier 2. He wondered how his own strength stacked up against theirs.
The time was currently 2:00 AM.
As their vehicle entered an empty tunnel, the Inquisitors he had been anticipating arrived right on schedule.
It was a man dressed in a black suit, standing quietly at the exit of the tunnel, toying with a Rubik's cube in his hand.
Behind him followed several Pontificate cursed sorcerers, completely blocking off the tunnel.
The vehicle slowly came to a halt at the edge of the tunnel.
"Mr. Joshua, there are a lot of them!" Lynn watched Mo Xuanyu anxiously as he saw him prepare to get out of the car.
"Just small fry. There's only one true opponent."
Mo Xuanyu unbuckled his seatbelt, suddenly reaching out to ruffle Lynn's hair.
"Don't be afraid. I will safely deliver you to your destination."
With that, Mo Xuanyu stepped out of the car, casually drawing the Nightmare Moon saber from his spatial storage.
Seeing Mo Xuanyu step down, the handsome man slowly put away the Rubik's cube and flashed Mo Xuanyu an amiable smile.
"Nice to meet you, Chosen One of the Sacred Geometry. My code name is 'Magician'. And you?"
"Shiyu," Mo Xuanyu replied casually.
"A nice name. As cute as your face."
"Such a cheesy pickup line," Mo Xuanyu retorted ruthlessly.
The Magician didn't get angry either; he simply commanded the surrounding Pontificate cursed sorcerers to charge at Mo Xuanyu, intending to test Mo Xuanyu's strength first.