Although it felt somewhat redundant, Violet couldn’t help but point at the black-and-white mask and ask casually, “What is this?”

 

The Diviner’s response was equally concise and clear.

 

“It’s a soul.”

 

Realizing that this explanation might be too obscure, the old man quickly clarified.

 

“More precisely, it is the materialized form of a soul that has been assimilated and is now deceased.”

 

“……..?”

 

The Saintess Yuna, who clearly knew a lot more about the situation, added immediately.

 

“Miss Dawn, this is the soul of the Holy Knight Karina Brett, or rather, the materialized form of the 【Void】 energy that once constituted her soul. And now…”

 

“Is that so…”

 

Although she didn’t explicitly state it, Yuna’s implication was clear.

 

It was evident that the leader of the Knight Templar squad, the girl with a quarter of Lightborn tribe bloodline, did not survive. Although this outcome was anticipated when the initial news arrived, and both she and Yuna, or rather everyone, had expected it, confirming it still brought a sense of melancholy.

 

“What about her body?”

 

“It is in the quiet chamber within the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, along with the mask. It was brought back by Mr. Dead Soul last night. After the matter is settled, we will hold a funeral for her and the other fallen Holy Knights… allowing them to return to the embrace of the light.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Violet nodded, having understood the general situation. She then shifted her gaze back to the black-and-white mask in the Diviner’s hand.

 

“So, do you know what this is?”

 

Since Mr. Diviner had mentioned the term “assimilation” earlier, many things were explained, but even so, assimilation requires an initial source. Undoubtedly, that is the true core of this incident, the so-called mastermind.

 

Moreover, it has now been confirmed that this person is neither Karina Brett nor the mask attached to her.

 

Understanding the implication, the old man nodded in silence and retrieved an old book from his seemingly bottomless sleeve, handing it to Violet with a sigh.

 

“Around the day before yesterday, on the second day of Miss Dawn’s visit to the Chamber, I was meditating on omens in the morning. For some unknown reason, I detected a strange force emerging within the omens, abruptly disrupting the already gradually clarifying situation… It was quite incredible.

 

“I initially thought this was due to Miss Dawn’s sudden appearance, but upon closer inspection, I found that this malevolent force was far from ordinary, and it even obscured the ability to discern celestial signs…

 

“Few entities throughout history can cause such anomalies. I suspect that the person behind this might have transcended-level, existing as a terrifying presence beyond human imagination.

 

“However, the will of the world is here. Even the most powerful beings can hardly exert their full strength in this world. At most, they may descend in the form of divine will or avatars, but they are not necessarily unbeatable.”

 

“Thus, I began to follow the clues and searched through the ancient texts stored in the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. I also sent capable subordinates, who recently returned, to investigate several locations indicated by the omens. Finally, combining internal and external clues, I found this book.”

 

During the explanation, Violet had already opened the old, oddly small book in her hands, which had neither title nor description on its cover and seemed made from ancient materials rather than modern paper.

 

This was a biography, detailing the mythological stories about beings known as the 【Faceless One】.

 

The girl’s eyes quickly scanned the introductory page.

 

The 【Faceless One】 are mythical creatures that exist only in legends but are not considered mythological species. They do not possess the extraordinary individual power of myths and are not a fixed or specific race.

 

Instead, they are an extremely strange phenomenon that can be transformed from any other individual or even self-replicate into more of their kind.

 

The core of the 【Faceless One】 is a mask. The black-and-white mask that obscures their appearance is their signature and unique feature, and also the medium through which they spread.

 

In the mythological era, these creatures were even regarded as moving plagues. Even if only a few existed, if they were not effectively controlled after appearing, they would quickly multiply and spread uncontrollably, like a plague, until all surrounding beings were assimilated into Faceless One.

 

According to the book, in ancient times, there were many large-scale disasters caused by the rampage of the Faceless One, leading to mass extinctions of entire biological populations at the national level. It was only through the direct intervention of deities that their further expansion was halted.

 

However, even if 【Faceless One】 in a particular region were completely eradicated, new ones would soon appear elsewhere, as if they were endless, and even the gods could not completely eradicate them.

 

According to the book’s reasoning, the author seems to believe that behind the Faceless One, there is likely a terrifying evil god comparable to a true deity. It is this entity’s presence that causes the Faceless One’s disasters to repeatedly erupt in various places, making them difficult to eradicate.

 

It is evident that this book was written many thousands of years ago. Based on some details, it was likely authored before the disaster of the gods and their disappearance.

 

As a result, it does not provide a more detailed description of the 【Faceless One】 in later times, only emphasizing that any appearance of similar creatures should be taken very seriously.

 

Of course, given the limited time, Violet could not read through the entire book, which is quite thick. After roughly scanning the main content and understanding what the diviner wanted to convey, she quickly closed the book and looked up.

 

“So, according to this book, the increasing number of black-and-white masks appearing in Bright Light City now are the disasters of the 【Faceless One】 described here, right?”

 

With great seriousness, the diviner nodded.

 

“Although it is somewhat incredible, combining the recent situation in the city with the intelligence Her Highness Yuna possesses and the information my disciple has brought back, we have briefly discussed and believe that the probability of this being the case is at least over seventy percent.”

 

The expression of the Saintess Yuna also appeared to be exceptionally serious.

 

“Yes, since the end of the mythological era and the founding of the Holy Empire, many ancient and strange creatures, including the 【Faceless One】 recorded in this book, have not been seen again for thousands of years. Even my Summerfield family knows very little about such beings.”

 

“Without the secret intelligence from the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, we would probably still only have a partial understanding of their threat. If this matter is not properly handled, the resulting disaster and impact could far exceed expectations, potentially leading to the complete destruction of Bright Light City, and even… causing a biological extinction event comparable to the ‘Abyssal Invasion’ that recently occurred in the southern part of the world.”

 

“Although all nine Holy Knight Orders and various forces in the city have been mobilized for a joint search, to be honest, I am worried that these creatures might continue to hide and spread secretly among the people… After all, it seems that once someone is assimilated by the Faceless One, it is basically equivalent to death…”

 

“【Faceless One】… Hmm, quite interesting.”

 

Not showing the same degree of anxiety as the other two, the White Fox Lady simply raised the ancient book in her hand, signaling to the diviner.

 

“I haven’t finished reading this book yet. Is it alright if I borrow it for a while longer?”

 

Since Violet specifically asked, Mr. Diviner naturally did not oppose.

 

“Not at all. Although this is the original copy, we have early transcriptions and backups of similar ancient texts in the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. Even if it is truly lost, it would be of no great consequence. Consider it a gift to Miss Dawn. But putting that aside, the most urgent issue right now is…”

 

Mr. Diviner turned around, and everyone’s gaze naturally followed him back to the grey-clad swordsman with the codename 【Dead Soul】, who was sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, and whose wound emitted a strong and ominous aura.

 

With the content from the book as context, Violet immediately understood the problem the swordsman was facing.

 

“Oh, so he has also suffered from… assimilation?”