Due to the suddenness and awkwardness of the eting, both the Faceless Man, who had opened the grave suddenly, and Leon, who was caught off guard, were stunned in place.
After several seconds of silence, recovering from their initial shock, both of them recognized each other almost simultaneously. One sprinted towards the outskirts of the cetery without hesitation, while the other, due to standing up too quickly, fell back down, his soul unstable.
"Leon!"
After catching Leon who had fallen back, Emma, startled, quickly cradled him in her arms, checking his agitated soul, anxiously calling out:
"How do you feel? Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?"
"I...I'm fine..."
Leon shook his head to indicate he was okay, then tried to lift himself from Emma's soft embrace.
Yet, with his incomplete soul and body unable to perfectly synchronize, and having the repair rudely interrupted halfway, he failed several tis to get up, instead turning over and lying back down, speaking in a muffled voice:
"I just got up too quickly... What happened just now? Why did the Faceless Man suddenly burst in?"
"He probably saw ..."
Pisces Director, in the form of a middle-aged woman, ca over to check Leon's soul, ensuring it was only slightly disordered and not otherwise hard, slightly relieved, then said with so guilt:
"Although I am also the Pisces Director, compared to the true Pisces Director, my power still falls short, making it difficult to completely hide my soul. Earlier, when I went out to check the No Return Path, he probably noticed ."
"It's not your fault."
After patting the Pisces Director's back, the Sagittarius Director nearby consoled:
"Gazing into souls is an instinct of the Overlords of the Dead Realm. Without the Sage's Cetery's masking effect, they could easily find everyone with a glance, any disguise rely lowering one's presence, making it impossible to completely evade their watch.
And if I'm not mistaken, the Faceless Man was probably outside for a while, eyeing the Sage's Cetery. In this situation, whether I or Taurus went out, we would still be discovered... Aquarius?"
Watching Leon wriggle like a large worm in Emma's arms, the Aquarius Director frowned slightly, then asked with so confusion:
"Why does it seem so hard for you to even sit up? Is the loss of a quarter of your soul affecting you this much?"
"It seems...a bit more than I expected..."
Leon couldn't help but smile bitterly upon hearing this, then stopped struggling and explained helplessly:
"These coffins in the Sage's Cetery can repair souls, but the cost is similar to that in the City of Regret, requiring a continuous reliving of one's life's regrets.
And I...I have quite a few regrets, coupled with the significant portion of my soul being missing, leaving resistant to such disruption. Hence, before the damage is initially patched, my soul's state may actually be worse than before."
"Alright, just lie down for now!"
Emma gently held Leon's head buried in her embrace, preventing him from moving, her neck slightly flushed as she looked up, pleading slightly as she spoke:
"Lord Sagittarius, Leon's current condition is indeed not very well. Can you let him rest a bit longer until his soul stabilizes before participating in the ambush plan?"
"Certainly, let him rest first."
Noticing the slightly embarrassed look on Leon's face, Sagittarius Director's usually downturned corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a rare smile, but he quickly beca serious again, sighing sowhat helplessly.
"And judging from the Faceless Man's actions earlier, he might be suspicious already, whether this ambush plan will succeed, is already uncertain."
...
"Despicable Cleaners Association!"
After fleeing the Sage's Cetery in a panic, just ahead of the Faceless Man, the Lantern Elder, still sowhat shaken, couldn't help but curse angrily:
"We agreed to negotiate in ten days, yet now, only after a few days, not only one director has co, even the Food God is here! There must be an ambush in the Sage's Cetery!"
An ambush, huh...
Turning back to the fog-enveloped Sage's Cetery and finding no one following, the Faceless Man mused thoughtfully:
"Not necessarily... Did you clearly see the Food God's state just now?"
"Huh?"
The Lantern Elder was slightly taken aback by these words, frowned in recollection, then said sowhat uncertainly:
"He seed...his soul was unstable?"
"Exactly."
Nodding slightly, the Faceless Man gazed back at the tranquil Sage's Cetery, confidently analyzing:
"Humans differ from us; losing a quarter of their soul at once would be a fatal injury for most, only those crossing the boundary between man and god could fare slightly better.
And the Food God...though he can unleash strength exceeding that of a Pillar God under certain conditions, his essence remains human, he doesn't seem to have crossed that threshold."
Hearing this, the Lantern Elder seed to understand, speaking with so excitent:
"So you an...he's here to recuperate?"
"Exactly!"
Recollecting Leon's utterly shocked expression upon seeing him, the Faceless Man nodded firmly.
"We knocked a quarter of the Food God's soul off the Cliff of the End together; he's surely heavily wounded, and the Sage's Cetery happens to have the capability to repair souls.
So he should have secretly slipped into the Sage's Cetery, leveraging its rules to nd his damaged soul, while the Sagittarius Director and the Pisces Director are likely here specifically to protect him! Most importantly..."
At this point, the Faceless Man paused slightly, then spoke with increasing certainty:
"Did you see how he appeared with that woman, embracing like that...how could that be laying an ambush?"
Now that you ntion it...does seem like so?!
After hearing the Faceless Man's analysis, the Lantern Elder nodded in agreent, then spoke with so excitent:
"So...only a few of them are likely inside the Sage's Cetery now?"
"Most likely, yes."
Nodding, the Faceless Man, eyeing the delighted Lantern Elder, spoke with great confidence:
"If we rush in now, there should only be the near-death Sagittarius Director, a weak female Cleaner, the Pisces Director plagued by severe soul splitting issues, and the Food God desperately needing to repair his incomplete soul.
Facing such an old, weak, and sick group, victory is assured for us!"
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