Chapter 1146 A Real Charlatan
As she passed through the illusory door, Trissy hid herself and jumped down from the cliff at the entrance, towards the dark valley below.
The secret mausoleum that originated from Blood Emperor Tudor was hidden here.
During the descent, Trissy's body was as light as a feather. She lost most of her weight, but her speed was in no way slow.
None of the remaining guards noticed that she had sneaked in.
Just as Trissy was approaching her target, she heard a voice say, "Concealment is prohibited here."
Trissy's figure instantly appeared out of nowhere. And in the area above the towering mausoleum in the dark valley, there was a man who had appeared at some point in time.
This man had a long, rectangular face with a white hairband on his head. He had a mustache that curled up around his mouth, and his brows were extremely thick, setting off his relatively large eyes.
He was dressed in formal attire and wore a cloak. The tips of his shoes were extremely long, and his attire didn't seem to match the times. He was the demigod who supported George III, Prince Grove.
On the head of this Sequence 3 Chaos Hunter, there was a crown made of thorns. Pure light constantly gathered into the crown, interweaving into a "sea."
Sealed Artifact 0-36.
…
Klein swam beneath the Tussock River when an image suddenly appeared in his mind just as he led his marionette, Qonas and Enuni, through the illusory door.
A black cathedral stood in front of them with its spacious door opened, revealing a man in a pair of dungarees, a gentleman in a formal suit and top hat, a lady with frilly designs along her sleeves, and a lady whose dress formed flowers with laces…
They were suspended in midair, motionless.
"Caw!" "Caw!" "Caw!"
Black ravens circled the top of the cathedral, letting out heart-stopping cries.
Without making any guesses, Klein felt like he had fallen into a crack on a frozen lake. His body turned cold as his hair stood on end.
Countless thoughts surged in his mind as they collectively shouted out a name:
Zaratul!
In the blink of an eye, Klein instinctively made a decision. He planned to switch locations with his marionettes from the outside world, and directly leave the "cathedral" in front of him.
Clearly,. he had encountered a "miracle." He didn't enter George III's secret mausoleum after passing through the illusory door; instead, he had come to a baffling place.
In the next second, he discovered that the Spirit Body Threads that were connected to his marionettes had been severed. They were rapidly floating upwards towards the interior of the pitch-black cathedral.
If it wasn't for his intuition that exceeded his own level, allowing him to detect danger ahead of time, he definitely wouldn't have been able to react in time. He definitely would've been hung up and become a member of the marionettes.
He didn't have time to think too much about it. He quickly controlled his Spirit Body Threads and collected them all, connecting them to himself, forming one "circle" after another.
This allowed him to temporarily extricate himself from the danger, but it also made him lose his marionettes, Qonas, and Enuni, in just a second.
The two marionettes' necks suddenly tightened as they were lifted up by an invisible hand before being hung up in the cathedral's interior.
Together with the original corpses, they swayed in the wind and produced voices that were different but said the exact same thing:
"Welcome back…"
…
In Memorial Square, the "imagined" King George III was still giving a speech.
"…I will further lower the wealth requirements needed for election eligibility. I will hand over even more rights to the House of Commons…"
Although the people didn't understand why there was such a development in the speech, it sounded good to them.
These are all bills that have been approved by the House of Lords, but there's no need to tell the public during this speech… It's like the King is emphasizing that he will definitely follow these bills in the future… Audrey was puzzled, but she couldn't come up with a convincing explanation.
In the dark and majestic secret Ruins No. 1 in the outskirts of Backlund.
The real George III had already worn a black crown and consumed the potion.
"His" body was transforming towards the shadow of order, extending in a magical state. As for the nine mausoleums, they were the islands in the sea of nothingness. They were the components of his entire rule. As for the people who were chanting "Emperor George III" at the same time during the ritual, there were like countless numbers of lighthouses. Together, they "anchored" this ruler of Loen, East Balam, and the Rorsted Archipelago, making "Him" completely transcend reality and become a part of the shadow of order.
During this process, George III's thoughts wandered uncontrollably as though they were being torn apart:
The Secret Order's Zaratul actually contacted me directly, hoping to provide me with help…
"He" said that "He" saw some of Gehrman Sparrow's thoughts from the Capim case, the attack on Ailment Maiden, the silencing of Crazy Captain, and Qonas Kilgor's disappearance. And "His" divination results made "Him" cooperate with me, offering to help me guard a mausoleum. There, "He" waited for Gehrman Sparrow to take the initiative to walk to "Him," because of his own goals and the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics…
"He" also said that the most important thing to do when dealing with a qualified demigod of the Seer pathway is to be patient and determined…
What a charlatan…
"He" even brought Abomination Suah…
I used my powers to sign a contract with "Them"…
Together with the helpers I invited from the Twilight Hermit Order, as well as Grove, who wields a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, even if most of the demigods of the military and royal family are fighting at the front lines or protecting Backlund, I don't have to worry about the ritual being destroyed. Unless a true deity descends into the real world…
And that's impossible… So, I originally wanted to use this opportunity to lure out any resistance, but in the end, I decided to use this opportunity to directly advance…
Heh heh, since Grove still doesn't know about these hidden cards. Well, he has no right to know…
In less than two minutes, I'll become an eternal god, the Black Emperor who rules over reality…
…
"Caw!" "Caw!" "Caw!"
In the dark world with the ravens' cawing, the corpses hanging from the black top of the church descended and passed through the main door.
Their eyes were locked onto Klein, who was outside.
Almost at the same time, a figure slowly but firmly outlined itself in midair.
Without caring about what it was, Klein quickly snapped his fingers while maintaining the special state of his Spirit Body Threads.
Pa!
A red flame surged out from his wallet and instantly enveloped him.
The flame was quickly extinguished, and Klein remained where he was, unable to leap out.
He didn't show any signs of being depressed as he immediately activated Creeping Hunger to attempt to teleport.
Klein instantly turned transparent as he appeared again, unable to take a single step.
His origin and destination had strangely been connected.
At that moment, the figure in midair had already taken form. He was dressed in gorgeous clothes, with long chestnut-colored curly hair, blue eyes, high nose bridge, and thin lips. He was none other than the Roselle Gustav from when he was an emperor.
"He" looked down at Klein as countless illusory symbols appeared in his eyes.
Klein's mind instantly swelled as he was injected with a large amount of unknown knowledge.
His head felt like it was exploding in an instant while his other thoughts were completely occupied, so much so that he couldn't even lift a finger.
Instinctively, he allowed that knowledge to split up and become injected into hundreds of Worms of Spirit.
This allowed him to regain his ability to control his body as he quickly grabbed the space ahead of him with his right hand.
His arm suddenly sank, and then he suddenly pulled back. When the marionettes passed through the cathedral's door and began their attacks, another two figures appeared in midair, dragging out a scaleless, silvery-white tail.
As he released his right hand, a giant serpent appeared in this dark kingdom.
"His" eyes were bright red and cold, and his body was covered in patterns and symbols. There were countless wheels in the details.
Snake of Fate!
Actually, this wasn't something that Klein could summon out from the Historical Void. Instead, it was Will Auceptin descending with the burning of the paper crane after using the Yesterday Once More charm.
Klein had just used Flaming Jump moments ago to seek help from the Snake of Fate.
And the reason why he wanted to "grab" at something was to conceal his true intentions. It was to prevent the opposing angel from discovering the location of the Snake of Fate, putting Dr. Aaron's family in danger.
This wasn't like how he had previously dealt with Amon's avatar back then, as he had no confidence in eliminating all the clues. Therefore, he had discussed with Will in advance on how to deal with such situations.
Fortunately, the intent Will Auceptin expressed indicated that the truth of the "summoning" from before hadn't been exposed.
At that moment, the gigantic Snake of Mercury rose up and bit its tail, turning into a mysterious and exaggerated wheel.
In midair, two figures appeared on both sides of Roselle's projection. One of them was Queen Mystic Bernadette, whose real body was in an intense battle with Sequence 1 Hand of Order William Augustus I. The other was formed from pure light, and a pair of shining wings grew on his back. It was obviously at the level of an angel!
Suddenly, the two angel projections that appeared quickly vanished. The attacks they directed at Klein, and the controlled marionettes, retreated back into the cathedral and were hung up again.
Qonas and Enuni walked out one after another. With him, they passed backward through the illusory door and left the world with resonating cawing, appearing beneath the Tussock River.
Snake of Fate. Reboot!
The giant serpent's figure vanished as well. Without any hesitation, Klein activated "Teleportation" and passed through countless spirit world creatures to another secret mausoleum. He used the remaining blood to outline the symbol and opened the illusory door.
This time, he entered the interior and saw a solemn and dark mausoleum. He summoned the Sea God Scepter and released a terrifying "Lightning Storm," again and again, destroying the target.
Then, he turned around and left the scene.
Everything went so smoothly, just like a dream.
Yes, a beautiful dream.
Klein, who could always maintain his lucidity in dreams, had realized that he was in a real dream created by someone else the moment he entered the ruins where the secret mausoleum was!
Chapter 1147 Chaos
Klein pretended not to notice the real dream. As he tried to stop his projection of the Death Consul, he tried to summon another version of "himself" from the Historical Void to fool the guards of the Tudor ruins, allowing his body to escape the dream and sneak into the secret mausoleum to achieve his goal of destroying it.
At the moment, he could only maintain three Historical Void projections. Death Consul Azik Eggers was one, his self-projection in a concealed state was another. He couldn't be certain if the leader of the ascetics, Arianna, was considered one. However, to be safe, he had to disperse one of them before he made another summoning attempt.
Regarding Arianna's state, apart from suspecting that "She" had descended in person due to "Her" state, Klein had other theories. Perhaps the leader of the Evernight cloister had deliberately entered a concealed state after sensing that "Her" projection from the past had been summoned while being located in the Amantha mountain range. "She" had vanished from the real world, allowing the projection to gain sentience. This was completely feasible, especially since the authority of "concealment" likely gave "Her" a certain degree of control over "Her" historical projections.
When it came to a concealment angel like this, Klein was unable to use the feedback from Scholar of Yore's maintenance of the historical projection to confirm "Her" true situation. Therefore, he didn't make any changes, so as to prevent any accidents from happening.
Just as he was about to summon his past self, the real dream silently disappeared. Everything around him returned to normal.
He was standing on a cliff at the entrance. Below him was a dark and majestic mausoleum.
An old man with an ordinary appearance was levitating in midair. Under the glow from the moss and the light from the stone pillars inside the cliff, he calmly looked at Klein and sighed in ancient Feysac.
"You weren't actually fooled by the dream I crafted."
This old man's hair was completely white, but it was thick enough. There weren't many wrinkles on his face, and his appearance wasn't anything special.
The Spectator pathway's Sequence 3 Dreamweaver? No, at least, he's not an angel… Klein tensed up and didn't respond. He immediately took out his silver adventurer's harmonica and blew into it.
No sound was produced, but Reinette Tinekerr, who was wearing a dark and complicated long dress, walked out.
One of the blonde, red-eyed heads in "Her" hands immediately spat out a rectangular diamond-like charm. Another head chanted in ancient Hermes, "Yesterday!"
Yesterday Once More!
Miss Messenger was borrowing strength from "Her" past self!
Compared to a Sequence 1 Snake of Fate, the power "She" borrowed could last longer.
However, the charm didn't change at all.
In midair, the elder in the gray robe gently chuckled and kindly reminded them, "Don't use ancient Hermes in front of me."
…Hermes… This is Hermes, the one who lived since the Second Epoch and created ancient Hermes? An angel of the Spectator pathway… The origin of the Psychology Alchemists… Klein was first shocked before he realized something.
Hermes was participating in the battle, so it was unlikely "He" had a strong desire to stop him!
No, perhaps "He" is deliberately acting to lower our guard… Beyonders of the Spectator pathway are the best at manipulating the hearts of others… Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Reinette Tinekerr's other two heads began chanting in Jotun and Elvish:
"Yesterday!"
The rectangular diamond-like charm was instantly ignited by a transparent flame before fusing with the void.
Reinette Tinekerr's body began to rapidly expand as the four heads in her hands flew up and landed on "Her" neck.
The four heads became illusory one after another.
In an instant, Reinette Tinekerr transformed into a huge cloth doll that resembled a castle. "She" was dressed in a black gothic dress with countless mysterious symbols and sinister vines. "Her" eyes were blood-red.
"She" swept his gaze across ancient Hermes. "She" opened "Her" tightly shut mouth but didn't make a single sound.
The "Spectator" pathway's angel flashed with a faint light, turning into a plump, white rabbit.
Ancient Bane, Transformation Curse!
The rabbit didn't panic at all. Its body began to swell, becoming half the size of a mountain. One stomp was sufficient to trample him to death.
To an angel of the Spectator pathway, merely believing in "Their" strength allowed "Them" to be powerful enough without being at a disadvantage due to "Their" appearance!
As the rabbit turned into a monster, a subtle change happened in the ruins. Reality and illusion intertwined, making Reinette Tinekerr a little confused as to whether "She" was in a dream or in the real world.
Klein could differentiate between the two. While he had noticed that, not only was Miss Messenger in a Mythical Creature form, but the surface of the rabbit's body was covered in grayish-white scales. All sorts of patterns intertwined together, forming three-dimensional symbols that seemed to connect to the mind.
Angels are truly terrifying. They use their complete Mythical Creature form right at the start… As Klein sighed, he didn't even dare take a second look to gain more knowledge. Firstly, he didn't have the time to do so, and secondly, his level wasn't high enough. Seeing a complete Mythical Creature form would definitely lead to being affected and receiving some negative effects. This was something he had to avoid in a dangerous battlefield.
Taking advantage of the battle between Miss Messenger and the gigantic rabbit that had transformed into a dragon, Klein used the strong winds to head for the secret mausoleum. As he recited a particular honorific name in Jotun, he reached out to grab at the air.
First time, failure; second time, failure; third time, still a failure!
Just as one fat, white rabbit after another appeared in Klein's island of consciousness, causing him to elevate his consciousness to fight back and be unable to take multiple things into consideration, he instinctively reached out his right hand and finally touched a particular image in the Historical Void.
As he pulled back his arm, the image quickly outlined itself. She was a woman wearing a dark-colored robe and a wide hood. She had a beautiful face and slightly dull black eyes.
This was the concealment angel of the Church of Evernight that he had met before.
Later, he found out in the foggy town that this was Mother of the Sky, the daughter of the ancient god, Flegrea, and suspected to be the vessel for the Goddess's descent.
Since he was able to successfully summon the ascetic leader, Arianna, from the Historical Void in one try, Klein definitely thought of trying to see if he could summon "Her."
He had been chanting the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess!
The employing of Historical Void projections by Scholars of Yore had a difficult-to-overcome restriction. It was that he was unable to summon something that involved the Uniqueness. However, objects that were merely a vessel of a deity's descent depended on how much of the deity's power was carried by the corresponding Historical Void projection or if it involved the Uniqueness. Similarly, if he wanted to summon Amon, it was impossible to summon the actual body, but an avatar would work.
To be safe, the person who he summoned was the one who had smiled at him during the Great Smog of Backlund, and he succeeded after three attempts!
Of course, if it wasn't for the Goddess's tacit approval, or perhaps providing some level of help, he might not have succeeded given a hundred attempts, a thousand attempts, or even ten thousand attempts.
The beautiful lady didn't look at him, the summoner. Instead "She" turned "Her" head and looked down at the secret mausoleum.
The entire underground ruin quaked as the dark and majestic mausoleum began to shake. Ripples appeared as though it was about to be moved into a concealed world.
At this moment, two arms extended out from the outside world. One was pressed towards the gigantic doll, Reinette Tinekerr, while the other spread out its fingers to grab at Klein.
These two arms were more than ten meters long. They were pitch-black on the surface, flowing with sticky liquids. Some of them were strangely protruding, some had skulls as heads, three-dimensional eyes, or barbed tongues.
Abomination Suah!
The remaining guards in the underground ruins went crazy. Some raised their swords to kill their companions; or they raised their guns, aimed at themselves, and pulled the trigger.
Klein's skin began to crack, and his consciousness was disturbed by a sensation of madness. He was unable to respond effectively.
The concealment angel he summoned retracted "Her" gaze through pure instinct, and "She" looked up at the two arms that seemed to come from the depths of a nightmare.
Tremendous fear caused Suah's arm to tremble slightly. Not only did "He" fail to grab hold of Klein, "He" was even cursed by Reinette Tinekerr, causing "Him" to be covered in green fur.
Immediately following that, they began to fade as they struggled with all their might, trying to escape their concealed states.
And at this moment, three figures appeared in midair in the underground ruins. They were Emperor Roselle; the first Loen king, William Augustus; and the abstract angel formed from pure light.
The Historical Void projections summoned by Zaratul followed closely behind!
With so many angels descending at the same time, just the effects from "Their" auras alone caused the entire space to quake, not to mention the intense battle "They" were engaged in.
In an instant, the pitch-black mausoleum shook even more vigorously. There was even an obvious crack on its surface.
Klein wasn't surprised at all, because this was his last contingency plan.
When the enemy was too powerful and prepared, preventing him from creating an opportunity, then it was best to draw everyone together while destroying the mausoleum; thus, creating chaos!
This was the inspiration he got from the encounter outside Bayam City.
Back then, Abomination Suah and the byproduct of the Artificial Death project attacked remotely while Sea King Kottman, Miss Messenger Reinette Tinekerr, and a demigod from the Rose School of Thought had participated in it, resulting in the collapse of an innocent mountain.
At that moment, Klein wanted the secret mausoleum in this ruin to be like that mountain.
He didn't believe that angels could control the damage to "Their" surroundings when in an intense battle!
And the lineup this time far exceeded the previous one!
It's still not enough… Then let's make it a little more chaotic… As he controlled his Spirit Body Threads to prevent them from floating upwards, he dodged and sensed the mysterious space above the gray fog. Using his basic control over it, he made it tremble slightly.
In midair, a grayish-white fog appeared as the majestic palace appeared faintly.
Sefirah Castle!
In an instant, the sky above the Holy Wind Cathedral in Backlund turned dark, as if a storm was brewing.
A bird with dark eye circles watching over the Tussock River downstream moved its gaze.
…
In the outskirts of Backlund where Ruins No. 1 was, Demoness Trissy had been robbed of several powers and suffered serious injuries. She was on the brink of death.
Bang!
She slammed against the cliff, almost embedding herself into it. Blood was everywhere.
At this moment, she took out an item. It was a rectangular diamond-shaped charm.
Yesterday Once More!
Chapter 1148 Not Late
There were very few chances to use charms in high-level battles. No one would take the initiative to leave an opening for their opponent while they chanted the incantation. The reason Trissy was able to complete the corresponding action was because she had ignited wicked black flames from the inside out. As for the black flames, they seemed to absorb all the heat in the surrounding areas, causing thick ice crystals to form. Beyond the ice crystals, there were almost invisible spider webs that wrapped around them, forming huge cocoons.
Relying on the three layers of defense, Trissy managed to buy almost two seconds, so she took out the rectangular diamond-shaped charm and chanted, "Yesterday!"
The transparent flame ignited amidst the wicked black flames. The diamond-like charm silently disintegrated before merging with the void.
This was something Klein had specially provided to the Demoness, so as to allow the damage from the three prongs to become the main assault point at any time.
Trissy immediately saw the grayish-white fog and realized that the scenes in the past were like stars, densely packed together.
There were scenes of the young him wandering the streets, coming under the control of the mafia, swindling, cheating, and stealing from others. He later joined the Theosophy Order and became an Assassin. There, he enjoyed ending lives and the bloodshed, instigating others to tear off their masks and reveal their true bestial nature. Due to various reasons, he had no choice but to become a Witch. She began creating catastrophes and it was arranged by the Demoness of Pleasure that she would become Prince Edessak's mistress. Realizing that she was becoming less and less like herself and that she was slowly losing herself to the pleasure, she felt extreme fear and yearned to escape. However, having fallen deeper into hell, she experienced immense pain and chose to be extreme.
With a thought, the scenes magnified and occupied her entire vision.
Under the light, the lawn outside the window was bright, and the horses were walking slowly. The holes of the golf course could still be vaguely seen, and inside the house, there was an antique cabinet blocking the view from the door.
The past Trissy stood at the edge and looked out, wearing a sapphire ring on her left hand.
At that time, she wasn't even a Sequence 5, and she didn't have the strength the current her needed to borrow. However, she had a ring from the Demoness Sect that was closely related to the Primordial Demoness.
This ring was the thing that Trissy wanted to borrow!
All of a sudden, the intricate ring that was inlaid with a sapphire gem appeared on Trissy's pinky. And unlike in the past, the present Trissy had fused with the mark and submitted to the Primordial Demoness. She had been greatly enhanced as a Sequence 4 demigod.
In other words, even though she wasn't a robust deity's descent "vessel," she already had the qualifications to be one.
And that sapphire ring allowed her to temporarily grasp a certain amount of initiative.
Looking at the scenes in the past, the cocoon formed by Trissy's spider silk cracked inch by inch. The thick ice crystals silently melted as the wicked black flames corroded. She raised her left hand, closed her eyes, and smiled as she placed the sapphire ring between her eyebrows.
The ring melted like metal as it flowed into Trissy's head in a surreal manner.
At that moment, the wicked black flames were completely deprived by Prince Grove as a burning white spear of light shot out.
At the front of the spear, two pure white wings spread out as they embraced the tip of the spear, like an angel, sealing off the surrounding space, and preventing the target from escaping.
At that moment, Trissy opened her eyes. They were a deep black color.
Her hair flared up one by one, each becoming as thick as a snake. The outer layer was slippery and diabolical, with clear black and white eyes embedded at the ends, or heads that looked like venomous snakes. Their mouths were slightly open as they flicked their tongues.
The spear that was condensed from pure light stopped in front of Trissy, as though it was being pressed down by an invisible hand, making it difficult for it to advance even an inch further.
It quickly turned grayish-white in color, turning from incorporeal to corporeal, as if it was carved out of stone.
With a whoosh, the spear rapidly plummeted to the edge of the cliff, shattering into countless tiny pieces.
The grayish-white color around Trissy rapidly spread out in every direction as if it had a life of its own. Wherever it passed, the stones became hard while everything else turned to stone.
The various rituals that had been set up in Ruins No. 1 were now tainted with grayish-white colors, preventing the angels guarding the other secret mausoleums from discovering the changes and coming over immediately.
Prince Grove was instantly surrounded by a grayish-white aura that emanated out of the void. With him only being capable of using the crown of thorns to maintain a small safe zone, there was no way for him to use any "Prohibition" powers.
Trissy, whose eyes had no borders marking her whites from blacks, didn't even look at her opponent. With her snake-like hair blotting out the sky, she took a step towards the secret mausoleum at the bottom of the dark valley.
Boom!
The ground began to shake violently as a dull thud sounded from deep within. Red asteroids with fiery tails appeared out of nowhere as they flew past Demoness Trissy and smashed at the mausoleum.
In an instant, this ruin was inundated with catastrophes.
George III, who was at the critical moment of "His" advancement, sensed this and immediately felt a strong sense of confusion and anger.
With great difficulty, "He" split off some of "His" strength, and with the help of the preparations he had put in place, he forcefully distorted the surrounding area and isolated the dark and solemn secret mausoleum from the real world, preventing earthquakes and meteors from approaching the target.
Boom! Boom!
Amidst all kinds of catastrophes, the cliffs crumbled one by one as the ruins began to collapse. George III's angry voice sounded from the secret mausoleum that formed a world of its own:
"Are you mad?"
For a Sequence 4 to forcefully accept the power of a true deity, the only outcome was death!
Trissy laughed. The skin on her face had been pushed to its limits. Inch by inch, they crumbled, revealing the blood and flesh that was squirming wildly underneath.
This extremely terrifying Demoness scoffed and said, "Isn't the ending of a lovely story supposed to have all the bad guys die?
"For example, you, or me…"
Before Trissy could finish her sentence, she wore that tragic smile on her face as the asteroid plummeted into the twisted secret mausoleum in a bid to destroy it.
…
In another mausoleum, Klein didn't put on a strong front. He quickly ended the connection with Sefirah Castle as though he was praying to The Fool for help.
The commotion from before had nearly caused all the angels present to stop. Unfortunately, the concealment angel Klein had summoned was a Historical Void projection. It only continued fighting based on instinct, turning the situation even more chaotic.
At this moment, William Augustus I's projection pulled out a silver sword and pointed ahead before slicing downward.
There was no need for "Him" to say anything else. The chaos in the ruins came to a stop as the battlefield was divided into different sections.
Hermes faced the beautiful and impassive lady. Abomination Suah suppressed Reinette Tinekerr; the Historical Void projections of Emperor Roselle and the Angel of Light surrounded Klein; William I stood at an isolated spot, ensuring that none of the aftershocks attacked the mausoleum below.
As expected of the Hand of Order… Klein's pupils dilated. Without thinking, he reached his right hand into the inner pocket of his clothes, and he stretched out his left hand to borrow strength from his past self.
The Death Consul, the Evernight cloister's matron, and the concealment angel were figures that exceeded Klein's own level. Be it summoning or maintaining "Them," it was a terrible burden on his spirituality. He had no choice but to borrow some power from his past self before his spirituality completely dried up.
This way, he was filled with fake spirituality once more. For the next five minutes, it was no different from real spirituality.
Then, Klein saw light.
The angel formed from pure light, which also had illusory wings on "His" back, made the layers of light surge towards him like a tidal wave, drowning him.
In the bright white sea of light, something suddenly appeared. It rapidly plummeted and approached the secret mausoleum.
It was a dark-colored book that consisted of goatskin.
Groselle's Travels!
Using his ability to split into Worms of Spirit, and his enhanced ability to shapeshift, he shrank into bookmarks made of flesh, embedding themselves into the book, using it to block the endless light's purification and melting effect.
But even so, he was still severely injured because the light still could illuminate part of his body.
This wasn't the end. Standing right beneath Groselle's Travels was Emperor Roselle, dressed in gorgeous clothes, waiting there with his hands raised.
"…" Without second thoughts, Klein could only activate the first method he knew of to protect himself:
Hiding in the Historical Void!
Boom!
A loud thunderclap boomed outside the ruin.
It rumbled in the distance in the beginning, but by the end of it, it was ringing in one's ears.
Klein, together with the projections in the Historical Void, and all the living beings in the ruins were awed and turned stiff. Instantly, the "sea of light" dimmed.
But no, there was a figure that wasn't affected—the concealment angel of the Church of Evernight. The beautiful but dull-looking lady took the opportunity to phase her body, transforming into many symbols that symbolized concealment and terror. She extended the strange world, enveloping Hermes, Reinette Tinekerr, Suah's arm, the Angel of Light, and William Augustus I within.
Although Klein had summoned a Historical Void projection—a watered-down version—some essential parts remained!
The chaos that Klein was anticipating was finally here!
As for George III's other helpers, such as that King of Angels, they were still in other mausoleums.
The moment the nearly transparent world took form, the angels inside began to resist.
Amidst the chaos, the strange world easily tore apart.
However, with the remnants of the angel's power being directed, the lady rushed out and headed for the secret mausoleum at the bottom.
Boom!
An even louder clap of thunder rang out. Emperor Roselle, who had attempted to stop them, was once again awed, unable to make any further attempts.
In an instant, the dark and majestic secret mausoleum was hit. The cracks on its surface sank deep, causing its dark interior to present itself.
In these rifts, blood appeared out of nowhere. Some were bright red, and some were dark.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Having restored his human form, Klein held Groselle's Travels while collectively launching Air Cannon with his scattered Worms of Spirit.
The mausoleum which was already on the verge of collapse had finally collapsed, and even more blood gushed out.
…
With the destruction of a mausoleum, George III's advancement ritual was no longer stable. "He" lacked the key pillar of support.
If only one mausoleum was under attack, "He" might've been able to rely on his tenuous connection with them to put up a resistance to a certain degree. But now, "He" had suffered too intense of an attack.
"His" already incorporeal body suddenly boiled, unable to maintain the "Distortion" outside. The mausoleum that was isolated from reality finally appeared in front of Trissy.
On Trissy's tendril-squirming face, the corners of her mouth curled up.
…
Backlund City, Memorial Square.
"My subjects…" The stern and old-fashioned George III with his mustache was finishing his speech when there was a loud explosion.
His flesh and blood transformed into a flurry of fireworks that sprayed into the air.
Chapter 1149 Escape
When Audrey and company below the platform saw this scene, it was as if they were admiring a large magic show. For a moment, no one realized what had happened.
A few seconds later, the scene started to turn disorderly. Amidst screams, the king's guards all rushed up the platform.
The Cabinet ministers and the House of Lords nobles subconsciously sought a place to hide, or they mustered their courage to follow the guards to check the scene.
Audrey looked on in a daze. She wasn't too surprised, but she felt that it was surreal.
If Mr. World paid strong attention to someone, it meant that they were being watched by Mr. Fool. And to date, none of Mr. Fool's goals had failed.
This was the will of a deity.
In the other municipal square in Backlund, Melissa, Benson, and company also heard the explosion before realizing that the king's speech had come to an abrupt stop.
After a moment of silence, people began to turn rowdy as they began breaking out into a discussion amidst hushed whispers.
Fear of the unknown and fear of the future slowly occupied their hearts.
…
In the outskirts of Backlund, inside Ruins No. 1.
George III's mind was a blur. "He" felt something that couldn't be resisted inside "His" body as a volcano of extreme madness erupted in his mind. It was changing "His" body while distorting everything around "Him."
Indistinctly, "He" saw a huge black throne, one which "He" was sitting on. "He" wore an emperor's crown, looking down upon the real world with great pride. "He" had rein over his subjects, and "He" was equal to the deities.
"He" reached out "His" hand in an attempt to grab this future, but countless curses and attacks of unknown origins kept striking "Him." It prevented "Him" from touching that future.
"No…"
George III's hand, which had faded, hung in midair as "His" consciousness tore apart as "His" body mutated completely.
Trissy, who had been reduced to a blob of flesh and blood, enveloped that shadow of order using her countless thick snake hair.
Boom!
In the outside world, in the area corresponding to Ruins No. 1, large amounts of dust were stirred up into the sky like the thickest of smog.
Boom!
The area became a humongous crater that was connected to the Tussock River, opening up an inlet for the river water to rush in.
Rumble!
High up in the sky, lights dimmed as a storm containing immense horror enveloped the area.
Further away on a mountain peak, two figures watched this scene without anyone speaking a word.
They were the Demoness of Unaging Katarina, who was wearing a pure white robe, and the pale, hooded Red Angel evil spirit.
After two seconds, Saintess of White Katarina sighed softly and said, "The reason we wanted to find her was because Primordial told us that she has strong inclinations towards self-destructing."
The Red Angel evil spirit listened silently as "His" expression twisted slightly.
"I know who interfered with my response."
Katarina thought of various answers, but she couldn't be sure. Ultimately, she chose to remain silent.
The Red Angel evil spirit slowly said a word, "Evernight."
After a pause, "He" suppressed "His" emotions and added, "Otherwise, I would've long found Trissy Cheek."
Without waiting for Katarina to respond, the Red Angel evil spirit turned around and left.
…
In another ruin, a hint of joy flashed past Klein's eyes when he saw the secret mausoleum collapse and spill out copious amounts of blood. But it was ephemeral because he had to turn his attention back to his situation.
With George III's ritual failing and him not becoming Black Emperor, it meant that his goal had been achieved. What followed next was to escape!
At that moment, while the mausoleum's destruction didn't have any significant impact, Reinette Tinekerr followed "Her" agreement with Klein, and she didn't stay any longer. "She" first entered the spirit world and fled deep inside it.
The power "She" borrowed from "Herself" was coming to an end!
The maintenance of the beautiful, concealment angel had already reached Klein's limits. After it transformed into a strange world, it naturally disappeared.
Inside the half-collapsed ruin, Klein faced the arm of Abomination Suah, Hermes from an ancient time, Emperor Roselle's projection, William Augustus I's projection, and the Angel of Light projection, as well as the thunder that pointed at an unknown location. Anyone of them had the ability to easily kill him.
And for him to summon a Historical Void projection at the angel level wasn't something that could succeed within a few attempts.
Without any hesitation, Klein's body turned incorporeal as he attempted to hide in the Historical Void.
At this moment, a vortex suddenly appeared in the grayish-white fog in his vision. It was made up of countless transparent maggots that extended out transparent and slippery tentacles.
Zaratul!
Zaratul's actual body had appeared!
"He" had been waiting in the Historical Void for Klein!
At that moment, Klein's action of entering the Historical Void could no longer be reversed. All he could do was watch helplessly as he was pulled in by the vortex and thrown into the center!
He wanted to snap his fingers and ignite another paper crane, but he realized that no flames could rise up there.
Having probed him once, Zaratul was confident of "His" trump card. By relying on "His" level suppressing him, and the authority of bizarreness, "He" made Klein unable to control the flames anymore!
In addition, Klein's intuition told him that the destination after making a "Teleportation" attempt was mysteriously connected to the vortex formed by the transparent maggots.
He was unable to escape, nor could he summon enough helpers.
However, Beyonders of the Seer pathway never perform unprepared.
The vortex formed by the transparent maggots slowly spun as it received a "visit" initiated by Klein. The transparent and slippery tentacles swam over in an unstoppable manner.
They reached towards him, but they only wrapped around the ancient book covered in dark-colored skin.
The blood on the book's surface hadn't completely faded.
Groselle's Travels!
At the most dangerous moment, Klein pricked his fingers, allowing his blood to flow onto the surface of Groselle's Travels. Then, with a whoosh, he entered the book world and temporarily escaped the fatal trap set up by Zaratul.
The moment he entered the book world, he immediately stretched out his hand and grabbed forward, pulling out a marionette that he had temporarily possessed from the Historical Void.
Hvin Rambis!
He had once tested that he could summon the projections of true history here. After all, it belonged to Sefirah Castle, and praying to The Fool in the book world wasn't obstructed. Of course, if that didn't work, he had other ways to resolve it. He could summon Justice Audrey who existed in the book world's history!
In short, he needed a Mid- or High-Sequence Beyonder from the Spectator pathway to bring him into the sea of collective subconscious, into the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, and into the Hall of Truth.
Time was of the essence, so the faster, the better. This was because he had no idea how long before this Sequence 1 would be able to grasp the secret of Groselle's Travels, much less whether the other party would forcibly descend into the book world.
He could only race against time!
Hvin Rambis, who was wearing a formal suit and a dark red bow tie, held onto him with a stiff expression. He directly entered the sea of collective subconscious formed by countless shadows.
With the power of a Manipulator, they quickly shuttled through and arrived at the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, in seconds, appearing before the entrance of the Hall of Truth.
Klein released his control over his marionette, Hvin Rambis, and under the nudge from the strong winds, he "ran" through the door.
As he passed by the colorful murals, his inner voice resounded in the hall:
The chances of summoning 0-08 here should be higher…
Using it to draw or write at the end of the mural on the left side can affect the real world…
Through its arrangements, I can make Zaratul make a mistake, allowing me to find a safe escape route…
No, it's still easier to let Amon's avatar join the battle royale and implicate Zaratul. That will be easier to fulfill…
It's no wonder the Goddess wants to "bait" Amon into Backlund…
The mural on the right represents the book world. I can use 0-08 to draw another temporary door for me to leave…
While "flying", Klein's right hand kept grabbing at the void ahead.
Five times, ten times, twenty times. When Klein borrowed strength from his former self, his right hand suddenly sank as he dragged out a dull classic quill.
0-08!
In the next second, Klein arrived in front of the huge pillar that was multiple arm spans wide.
This had a clear sense of being worn down by time. It was the throne of the Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt.
Klein circled around the stone pillar and arrived at the end of the mural. He raised the quill, 0-08, and was about to write.
He had never tested for any changes when using 0-08 in here before. He was afraid that it would result in an excessive accident and alert Amon's brother, making his ploy of preventing George III from becoming the Black Emperor to be detected in advance.
At this moment, he no longer needed to bother about such matters. He could wholeheartedly weave the development that he needed.
Suddenly, 0-08, which was about to begin writing, disappeared. It disappeared before it reached the time limit!
What's happening… Klein felt alarmed.
He then realized that his words in the Hall of Truth hadn't been projected. There was silence all around him.
With his spiritual perception triggered, Klein slowly turned around and saw that the time-worn rock had turned into a hundred-meter-tall cross at some point in time.
In front of the cross was a huge, blurry figure standing there. Facing everything with its back, it was observing all life with compassion.
Inside the Hall of Truth, there were rows of black, high-back pews, but only one supplicant.
The supplicant had his eyes closed as he sat in the middle of the first row. He wore a rather simple white robe with a pale gold beard that covered half his face. His hands were clasping a silver cross in front of his chest as he wore a genial and calm look.
Adam.
Twilight Hermit Order's Chair, King of Angels Adam.
Klein didn't even know when "He" had arrived.
At this moment, Adam looked up, revealing his clear, limpid eyes that resembled a child's.
He slowly stood up, speaking with a calm expression:
"George III's death causes Loen to suffer a heavy blow. Unable to sit idle any further, Intis decides to take this opportunity to launch an attack. This war officially develops into a war that sweeps through the world.
"Can you accept such an outcome?"
Chapter 1150 Mad Dash
Although there was no concept of temperature in the Hall of Truth, Klein still felt a chill down his spine when he heard that. He felt a wave of heat, and he wanted to defend himself, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say.
For a few silent seconds, his figure was reflected in Adam's limpid eyes before he said with some difficulty, "I accept it…
"But I will try my best to minimize the damage caused by the war in the future, so long as I'm still alive."
He paused and asked in a deep voice, "Is this the price you exacted for the bestowment?
"Back when a certain ascetic here mentioned your true name, you had already noticed this book and secretly made arrangements?"
Adam, who was dressed in simple white robes, didn't respond. He walked towards the mural on his left and stopped in front of one of the murals. He looked up slightly and quietly admired it.
On the mural, a book consisting of goatskin flew up into the clouds and landed in a gigantic claw.
After watching for a while, Adam said with a warm voice, "You may leave."
He immediately felt that he had been rejected by the Hall of Truth, the sea of collective subconscious of the City of Miracles, and the book world. He involuntarily floated up and flew out of the area.
During this process, he saw Adam return to the front of the black pews. Holding the silver cross pendant, he closed his eyes and prayed sincerely to the huge and blurry figure.
Outside the sea of collective subconscious, an illusory door silently appeared. It stood in midair and was connected to the outside world.
The book world also began to ostracize him, "squeezing" him out of the huge door.
Suddenly, Klein returned to the real world and returned to the grayish-white fog. He was in the state he was in prior to entering the Historical Void.
Unlike before, he hadn't been locked down by the whirlpool formed by countless transparent maggots. As for the slippery tentacles that were almost invisible, they wrapped around Groselle's Travels slightly and disappeared into thin air.
Without having time to lament over the loss, Klein's thoughts raced, and he made a choice almost purely on instinct.
He leaped into the grayish-white fog in another direction and hid in a shattered spot of light. This was the so-called Historical Void.
Klein regretted it the next second because Zaratul's slippery and terrifying tentacles had extended out from the grayish-white fog. The countless translucent maggots were no longer formed a spinning whirlpool as they disintegrated into a tidal wave that surged towards him.
Zaratul could actually fight in the Historical Void!
This was the suppression effect that high-level members of the same pathway had against lower-level ones.
A demigod of the same Seer pathway was always the best choice for dealing with a Seer demigod of a lower Sequence.
Without any hesitation, he "ran" through the spots of light and into the depths of the fog of history, just like his advancement.
Scenes of the secret mausoleum collapsing, Backlund suffering an air raid, and the tragic Great Smog flew behind him. However, the dangerous premonition in his heart didn't weaken at all; instead, it intensified significantly.
He even "saw" a thick shadow getting closer and closer, covering himself.
This was a tidal wave formed by the transparent maggots and the slippery tentacles!
Klein ran as fast as he could, constantly chanting the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess in Jotun in his mind, hoping to be saved. This was the only thing he could do, and "She" was the only existence that could save him at the moment.
Of course, if he knew of Amon's honorific name, he would definitely attempt to provoke this Blasphemer.
Only by messing things up would he have a chance of surviving.
Roselle's declaration as emperor, the modification of the steam engine, the Battle of the Violated Oath, the White Rose War, and the Twenty Year War flashed past one by one. Klein realized that his body was being increasingly covered by shadows, and his consciousness was gradually slowing down. He had a feeling that he was having his Spirit Body Threads controlled.
At this moment, Hounds of Fulgrim ran out of the grayish-white fog's various spots of light.
They were covered in pitch-black short fur, their eye sockets burning with dark red flames as the corners of their lips extended to the back of their heads.
This group of monsters-like creatures, the Sefirah Castle Keepers, ran past Klein and rushed behind him.
He immediately regained his lucidity.
F*ck! he cursed himself, his eyes slightly red as he continued "running" with his vision blurred. He went from the Fifth Epoch to the Fourth Epoch, and from the Fourth Epoch to the Third Epoch.
The massive shadow that resembled the tidal wave behind him paused for a few seconds, then it continued surging towards him as if nothing had happened, drowning out the Historical Voids he passed through.
Klein didn't hold back in expending his spirituality. He used all his might to "run" with the light spots that he had lit in the fog of history. He ran from the Third Epoch to the Second Epoch until he arrived at a lonely fragment of light. Around him was a withered forest and a normal tomb.
This was the period of history where Giant King Aurmir buried his parents.
As for the "tidal wave" that was formed by Zaratul, it didn't seem to understand this history well enough. It stopped at some unknown era and didn't manage to catch up.
At that moment, Klein's spirituality was almost exhausted. And in the fog of history, he could only borrow power from the current Void. But clearly, there was no past projection of himself here.
And when his spirituality was exhausted, he would have no choice but to leave the fog of history and return to the real world. When that time came, he would be facing Zaratul again.
Phew… Klein exhaled and pulled out another paper crane. He snapped his fingers and lit it.
However, after waiting for a few seconds, he failed to see the Snake of Fate, Will Auceptin, appear.
In the Historical Void, there's no way to use ordinary paper cranes to contact Will… Why hasn't Amon appeared yet… As his thoughts flashed, he could only repeat in Jotun, "The Evernight Goddess who stands higher than the cosmos and more eternal than eternity. You are also the Lady of Crimson, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, Mistress of Repose and Silence…"
After holding on for a few seconds, he suddenly had an idea. Hence, he didn't hesitate to leave the fog of history and return to the real world.
Just as his figure appeared, his "Spirit Body Threads" floated into the air and was grabbed by a slippery, transparent tentacle.
And opposite him, another figure appeared at the same time.
It was the barefoot, linen-robed ascetic leader, Arianna.
Based on Klein's abilities, the angel-level historical projection he had summoned must've disappeared. Therefore, the person who came was undoubtedly the actual body.
The Evernight cloister's matron glanced at Klein, and instantly, he vanished under Zaratul's tentacle.
Klein entered a concealed world belonging to Arianna. It was night time, and it was a monastery with many ancient buildings erected. There was a huge and holy crimson moon hanging high in the sky.
Using the experience gained from their past cooperation, Klein immediately used "Traveling" to appear in the crimson moon, leaving this concealed world in order to appear elsewhere.
After returning to reality, Klein had already distanced himself from Zaratul. Hence, he didn't hesitate to use "Traveling" to directly leave. And having held Zaratul back for a short period of time, Arianna entered a concealed state and left the battlefield.
Boom!
A terrifying thunderclap boomed as the transparent tentacle that attempted to reach out to where Klein had disappeared suddenly retreated, disappearing along with the actual body.
Having "Teleported" to the sea, Klein couldn't be bothered to borrow strength from his past self. He first summoned a paper figurine from the Historical Void and shook his wrist.
Most of the items he had with him had been destroyed when he became a "bookmark." It was unknown where he had lost his marionettes, Qonas and Enuni. Of course, they might've evaporated under the illumination of the Angel of Light.
Pa!
The paper figurine burned with scarlet flames as it leaped up into the form of an illusory angel that had layered wings on its back. It embraced him and removed any traces.
Then, he activated "Traveling" once again and left the area.
…
In the secret mausoleum in East Chester County, William Augustus I and Queen Mystic Bernadette managed to sense the death of George III, either through the changes in "order" or via their clairvoyant abilities.
The latter didn't stay any longer. Her body suddenly separated like a collection of soap bubbles that reflected light, scattering in all directions before bursting.
William Augustus I wasn't in the mood to stop or chase after her, but "He" didn't feel much pain.
…
After making a huge detour, Klein, who had used Angel's Embrace three times to remove his traces, finally returned to Backlund secretly. It was probably the safest place.
He didn't return to the apartment he had previously rented. Instead, he found a hotel in the Backlund Bridge area and got a room.
Of course, he didn't forget to change his appearance, height, and temperament.
The more ordinary and common his appearance was, the less attention he would garner.
After entering the room, Klein endured the mental fatigue and physical trauma he received, and he began to chant the honorific name of Sea God Kalvetua. He planned to take four steps counterclockwise and head above the gray fog. He wanted to use his "true vision" and the real Angel's Embrace to confirm his surroundings to eliminate any latent dangers.
Fortunately, Zaratul should've signed a contract with George III, so "He" can't leave the mausoleum "He" was guarding as "He" pleases. Otherwise, I would most likely have become "His" marionette in that chaotic battle… The appearance of "Him" and Abomination Suah exceeded my expectations… Klein heaved a sigh of relief and took one step in a counterclockwise manner. He opened his mouth and chanted in Mandarin, "The Exalted…"
Suddenly, Klein's body trembled. His voice came to a halt as he froze on the spot.
In his line of sight, a figure had appeared on a chair beside the full-body mirror in the room. He was a young man of medium build, wearing a dark-colored jacket and trousers. He looked like a mixed-blood man with Loen and Balam roots.
This was the marionette that Klein had lost—Winner Enuni.
Enuni smiled as he faced Klein's pair of eyes that could no longer move.
"Don't randomly leave your marionettes around. They can be tracked."
As he spoke, he slowly stood up. He casually took out a crystal monocle from his pocket and slowly wore it on his right eye.
(End of the Fifth Volume—Red Priest)
Chapter 1151 Decei
In a hotel in the Backlund Bridge area.
Apart from his thoughts that still belonged to him, Klein could no longer control anything else. Even his eyeballs couldn't move.
He knew very well that this was likely a deeper level of "Parasitizing."
In this state, he could only look ahead of him in fear and despair. He watched as Enuni, who was wearing a monocle with a smile on his face, changed into Amon's original form. He took a step forward counterclockwise and opened his mouth to speak in Mandarin in an articulate and mellow manner:
"The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
…Did "He" steal my thoughts just now, or my ability to speak Mandarin… It should be the former; otherwise, "He" wouldn't be able to grasp this ritual… Klein's pupils couldn't widen as he watched. He felt an unprecedented sense of anxiety.
As though sensing his emotions, the monocled man turned to look at him and smiled. He then took another step counterclockwise and whispered in Mandarin, "The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
Following that, this Blasphemer carried on the ritual with great familiarity. With every step "He" took, and every chant of the incantation, Klein's heart sank even deeper into a dark swamp, as though he could no longer see any light.
"…The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
When Amon took the final step and recited the final incantation, a boundless grayish-white fog suddenly appeared in front of Klein. He heard layers of pleas.
There was no need to listen carefully, as he understood what it meant with his spiritual perception.
After advancing to Scholar of Yore, he had obtained basic control over Sefirah Castle. No matter who it was, even if they had the correct ritual and corresponding incantation, they needed to obtain his permission to enter the world above the gray fog!
Reject "Him"! Klein was instantly delighted as this idea clearly surfaced within him.
However, just as he had this thought, he had forgotten it. Standing there, he looked like a statue carved from stone.
His intention of rejecting Amon had been stolen by "Him."
"…" Klein once again felt despair, but the grayish-white fog in front of him and the prayers in his ears didn't disappear.
"…" Klein was first taken aback before he understood what was going on.
I understand! I have to head above the gray fog myself and control Sefirah Castle to give "Him" permission to enter! There is no default option!
This thought was like a straw which Klein grabbed at without any hesitation. It prevented himself from sinking into the water silently without anyone hear him cry.
Although he still didn't know how to make use of this matter, his intuition told him that a slim possibility and his only hope could be hidden in this detail.
At this moment, Amon stopped the attempt and cast "His" gaze at Klein.
Clearly, "He" had failed to successfully enter Sefirah Castle.
This Angel of Time adjusted the monocle on his right eye and smiled without any change in expression.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, your idea of saving yourself is very interesting."
Amon had used the standard Loen language, but every word seemed to be able to stir the powers of nature, creating one "explosion" after another in his mind.
…How is he so sure that I'm The Fool and not the Blessed of The Fool… Klein felt his body turn cold as the hope that had just surfaced sank into the water once more.
"How am I certain?" Amon tsked and pulled the chair from before over and sat down. "He" pointed at the round stool opposite "Him" and said, "Sit down, don't stand on ceremony."
The moment "He" finished his sentence, Klein couldn't help but stride forward and sit on the round stool.
Amon looked around the room and grabbed Klein's black silk top hat. He put it on his head and said with a smile, "Did you think that I wasn't aware that the ritual would be unsuccessful?
"It hasn't been long since Sefirah Castle produced an anomaly, so how could I forget?
"I just want to see your reaction. And you subconsciously felt despair and instinctively rejected me. That was very interesting. If you weren't the one who was called The Fool, how could you have such thoughts?
"Dear Mr. Fool, am I right?"
As "He" repeated the four rhetorical questions, Amon looked rather pleased, as though "He" was an old hunter who had caught the fox's tail.
…I fell for his scam… Only then did Klein realize why Amon wasn't disappointed at all.
He subconsciously wanted to deny it, but after some thought, he calmly said, "Kill me."
Eh… I can speak now? Klein tried to control his body, but it was completely impossible.
In the next second, he was prepared to recite the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess, but this thought was immediately lost.
The thin-faced Blasphemer Amon pressed down on his right monocle and maintained his excited state from before.
"So that you can be reborn in Sefirah Castle?"
…The more I talk to this fellow, the more mistakes I make… Klein shut his mouth tightly and didn't say another word.
When Amon saw this, "He" shook "His" head with a smile.
"There's no need to be so afraid. Actually, there's no bad blood between us."
Uh… Sitting on the round stool like a doll, Klein was stunned for a moment, but he didn't respond.
Amon leaned forward slightly and looked into his eyes before continuing with a smile:
"The only conflict we have is regarding Sefirah Castle.
"But do you really wish to shoulder that fate? Aren't you worried that the original owner of Sefirah Castle will revive within you?"
"…" This was something Klein was very concerned about, making him at a loss for words.
Amon pinched the crystal monocle and didn't urge him to answer. He smiled and said, "If you give me Sefirah Castle, all the problems will be resolved.
"That way, whether the original owner of Sefirah Castle comes back to life, or if the corresponding fate can be shouldered, the person who needs to worry is me, not you.
"Also, I'll be the one to take over the subsequent arrangements of my zealous brother, 'Door,' and Lil' Zaratul's pursuits and the benediction of Evernight.
"And you will be freed from all this and just stay as a Sequence 3.
"Heh, why would I want to kill you? What's the point of killing a Sequence 3? Even if I want to retrieve the characteristic, it's still expendable. My prey will only be Pallez, Lil' Zaratul, and 'Door.' The rest will purely depend on my mood.
"As for the organization that you established, I can also help you maintain it. It's very fascinating and interesting.
"If you think this price isn't enough, then I can make you my Blessed. Heh heh, are you not pretending that The Fool is the Angel of Time Amon in the City of Silver? This can turn into a reality in the future. I will lead them out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods and see the light outside.
"When the time comes, you'll still have a chance to advance to Sequence 2 and become an angel."
…This… This is practically taking over all my worries and hardships. There are only benefits left… Klein, who didn't have a huge desire in becoming a true god and controlling Sefirah Castle, heard his heart palpitate with excitement. If he hadn't known that Amon was the number one master in deceit, he would've agreed to it on the spot. But in the end, he still said without any expression, "Kill me."
"Is that the only thing you know how to say?" Amon said without any signs of anger. He looked at Klein with piqued amusement.
To "Him," this was a very interesting matter. It was completely understandable that "He" would encounter difficulties during the process. They only served to make success even more fulfilling and delightful.
I'm just a heartless broken record… By lampooning, Klein eased his depression and despair. Instead of answering, he asked, "How do you know that the City of Silver thinks that you are The Fool?"
He didn't dare to say that the City of Silver still suspected that The Fool was the god that Amon believed in, afraid that he would provoke him.
Of course, if Amon was the type of person who would lose his intelligence after being provoked, he definitely would've tried doing so. This was because he now suspected that, after gaining initial control of Sefirah Castle, he would be reborn above the gray fog after his death. Unfortunately, Amon wasn't a King of Angels from the Storm pathway, but a God of Trickery that gave even the true deities a headache in the Fourth Epoch.
Amon laughed and said, "Do you think I only have two avatars in the City of Silver? Since you, The Fool, and The Hanged Man have intervened, then I'm happy to quietly watch from the sidelines."
…The City of Silver is still accommodating Amon's avatar… Who's the fellow who was "Parasitized"… Yes, previously, the members of the Giant King's Court's exploration team weren't "Parasitized." This is something that can be confirmed… As his mind tensed up, Klein felt that it was only natural. This was because Leonard had once told him that seeing one Amon meant that there were a bunch of Amons lurking around. It wouldn't just be a small handful.
Without much thought, Klein tried hard to come up with an attempt to create an opportunity.
"You didn't rob me of my destiny directly because you can't handle it right now?"
Amon nodded frankly and said, "Yes, that's why I want to make a deal with you peacefully.
"But since you rejected my offer, I can only bring you to see my real body, to a sufficiently safe place. Then, your destiny will be taken away. When that happens, your ending will not be as good as I just said earlier."
As he spoke, the black-haired, black-eyed man with a broad forehead and thin face slowly got up and walked towards the door. With that, Klein stood up and followed behind like a puppet.
As he reached out to open the door, Amon seemed to recall a question. He pressed down on the crystal monocle and turned to look back at him.
"What's the fourth line of your Scholar of Yore honorific name?"
In mysticism, every existence's corresponding honorific name wasn't that strict. As long as one used the correct format and certain descriptions to narrow the scope to prevent any ambiguity, they could point towards the corresponding hidden existence. This was also why quite a number of heretics who knew anything about mysticism could randomly make up honorific names while still receiving feedback.
Of course, if it wasn't for the honorific name given by the hidden existence, there was no way to enjoy receiving "feedback." Whether they established a connection or not depended on whether the existence was interested in the supplicant.
Previously, Amon had used his understanding of the Scholar of Yore and Gehrman Sparrow, and the powers of the Marauder pathway's Sequence 7 Cryptologist, to restore the full honorific name that could point accurately to Gehrman Sparrow. However, "He" didn't attempt to pray and use the "automatic response" to establish a connection to lock onto Klein's location, because his godhood intuition told him that there was a problem with the fourth sentence, dooming him to fail.
The fourth line of Klein's honorific name flashed across his mind, but he had no intention of telling Amon.
At that moment, Amon opened his mouth and read out his thoughts:
"Protector of Backlund magic and drama performers…"
This so-called "Angel of Time" and "Blasphemer" fell silent for a few seconds after saying it out loud.
Then, he smiled, very happily.
After laughing, Amon adjusted his monocle on his right eye and said with a smile, "To be honest, this is all very interesting.
"Are you really not considering becoming my Blessed?"
Klein opened his mouth and gave a familiar answer:
"Kill me."
Chapter 1152 "Error"
Upon hearing Klein's reply, Amon smiled and shook his head. As "He" reached out to open the door, "He" casually asked, "How did you think of such an honorific name?"
"It needs to have a certain connection with myself, but also be able to avoid others from using the prayer's automatic response to lock onto me. There aren't many such honorific names." Seeing that his identity had been exposed, there was no need for Klein to hide it any further. Furthermore, he hoped to use such a conversation to grasp an opportunity.
At the same time, his mind raced as he began thinking about how to save himself.
I've been deeply parasitized. If I have any thoughts that aren't beneficial to Amon, it will be easily sensed and detected by "Him"…
Today is Saturday, and it's almost Monday again. If The Fool suddenly stops the Tarot Gathering without any warning, the other members will definitely be terrified, nervous, and confused. Here, those who have the means to contact The World will definitely attempt to summon the messenger to ask for the reason. And once Miss Messenger approaches me, "She" will be able to discover the existence of Amon. Then, "She" can use the Yesterday Once again charm to recover to "Her" peak condition. With the complete strength of an angel, "She" has a sizable chance of rescuing me from Amon's avatar…
The most important thing for me now is to persist and "live" for two days!
Yes, since Amon can't steal my fate right now, why did "He" try to trade peacefully? Even if I agreed to it, "He" wouldn't dare to let me go above the gray fog to grant "Him" permission. That would mean that I'm free from "His" control and able to Sefirah Castle to effectively purify and make a counterattack against the "Parasite"…
Is the "agreement" itself a switch, and there's no need to follow up on it?
Amon deliberately didn't mention this…
As expected, it was a scam!
Having grasped a sliver of hope, Klein decided to stall for time as long as possible for the next two days. The focus of Amon was still on the honorific name that no human and angel could think of.
As he walked out of the room, he scratched his chin and said, "Have you provided any protection to Backlund's magic and drama performers?"
I've protected a Trickmaster before… Having made plans, Klein was much more cooperative than before. He answered simply, "I'm a Magician myself. I've 'performed' many times in Backlund."
The monocled Amon nodded.
"Barely counts."
He then walked out of the hotel room and went down the stairs to the street. Like a servant, he followed behind without any abnormalities.
Looking to his left and right, Amon pinched his monocle and sighed with a smile.
"How regretful."
"What's there to regret?" Klein asked in puzzlement.
I've already been caught by you. What else do you have to regret?
Amon pressed down on "His" silk top hat and maintained "His" smile.
"You can make a guess. If you can guess correctly, I can give you a better ending."
Klein didn't believe in "His" promise at all. In order to not be tricked into revealing more secrets, he shook his head and said, "I can't guess it."
"How boring," Amon said simply. "He" clenched "His" right hand into a fist and lightly tapped on "His" monocle.
From the pedestrians, the trees by the side of the street, the sparrows on the rooftops, the rats in the muddy corners, and all kinds of living creatures in the air, illusory worm-like figures flew out, returning to Amon like stars.
This son of a god's status instantly rose to the level of an angel.
As for Klein, he raised his left hand, and the human-skinned glove suddenly turned transparent.
This was the activation process of "Traveling."
At that moment, the only thing on him which was real was Creeping Hunger. The rest were made by using the powers of a Faceless, as well as the glove using flesh and blood as the material.
Seeing that "Traveling" was about to begin, Klein was taken aback as he blurted out, "Why didn't you teleport in the room?"
He had expected Amon to leave Backlund with him. After all, this was a place where even a King of Angels had to be wary of. However, he couldn't understand why "He" would open the door, go down the stairs, and leave the hotel in such ordinary fashion.
The eye behind the monocle swept across Klein as the corner of Amon's mouth slowly curled up.
"I've already answered you. What a pity that you didn't seek help from Pallez."
This Angel of Time had an obvious smile on "His" face, but there was no emotion in "His" black eyes. It made Klein shudder.
H-he's certain that I have some connection with Pallez Zoroast… Is it because of what happened the last time? No, stop it! Klein attempted to Cogitate, trying his best to control himself from thinking too much, so as to prevent his thoughts from being stolen by Amon.
Amon glanced at the panicking passers-by on the street in an impassive manner before looking up at the gray sky and saying, "I can only wait for the next opportunity. The most important thing now is to bring you to that place."
As they spoke, both of them turned transparent at the same time and vanished from the hotel's entrance. None of the people who came over felt anything amiss.
After passing through countless indescribable spirit world creatures and overlapping layers of different saturated colors, Klein and Amon appeared above the sea.
Beneath their feet was a huge fissure. The blue seawater had been cut off as they plummeted deep into the bottomless "darkness" like a waterfall without ever filling it.
This was the entrance to the ruins of the battle of gods.
With a thought, Klein asked, "You're taking me to the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"
The magnificent "waterfall" was reflected in Amon's monocle. "He" nodded slightly and casually replied, "That's right. When we get there, even your messenger won't be able to sense you through the contract."
The Forsaken Land of the Gods was clearly separated from the spirit world. Only by relying on Sefirah Castle could a connection be made.
…Amon knows what I'm planning to do… The flame of hope that was ignited in him was extinguished by the cold reality.
He couldn't find another way to save himself for the time being.
At this moment, the levitating Amon muttered to "Himself," "If my mausoleum in Backlund hadn't been destroyed by the Church of Steam, we could've used the Abyss as a springboard to head there directly. We wouldn't have to go through all this trouble."
"…" Klein guiltily changed the topic.
"The Abyss is connected to the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"
"No." Amon shook "His" head and said with a relaxed expression, "But I can use some of its characteristics to go anywhere."
"I heard that there were some nasty changes in the Abyss." With a thought, Klein probed.
Amon turned "His" head and glanced at him without concealing "His" curiosity.
"You're actually aware."
"Yes, I once thought of exploring the Abyss." Klein didn't speak further, afraid that the King of Angels of the Marauder pathway would discover that he could read Roselle's diary.
At this moment, Amon suddenly laughed.
"You want to explore the Abyss?"
"What's so funny about that?" Klein was very interested in what had happened to the Abyss to begin with; thus, he took the opportunity to cooperate with Amon in an attempt to know more.
Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly had a new idea:
Using the conversation he had with Amon, he could grasp more historical secrets to speed up his digestion of the Scholar of Yore potion. That way, he could try using it to deepen his control of Sefirah Castle and escape from his current predicament.
This thought flashed through his mind as he quickly restrained himself and stopped thinking about such matters.
In regards to his question, Amon chuckled and said, "Your visiting of the Abyss is like offering yourself as a beautifully packaged gift to someone who wants it."
"…Dark Side of the Universe?" Klein was first alarmed before he made a guess.
Amon nodded.
"'He' was originally the only surviving ancient god, the Devil Monarch, Farbauti. Now, heh."
Without finishing "His" sentence, Amon leaped and jumped into the huge, illusory rift with the strong winds.
With that, Klein lost the support of the wind and fell straight down.
After an unknown period of time, the water that resembled a fountain surged upwards rapidly, throwing him and Amon to the other side of the severed face.
Just as he entered the ruins of the battle of gods, Klein was hit by bright sunlight. He suddenly heard a series of intense and crazy ravings.
It was like a thin needle that pierced through his eardrums and stabbed into his brain, filling every thought with immense pain.
As for the Worms of Spirit that formed his Mythical Creature form, they gradually changed, as though they were about to give birth to a degenerate consciousness that didn't belong to him.
The True Creator's ravings!
With regards to this, Klein could barely withstand it, but it was difficult for him to hold on for too long. There was no way for him to go too far in the ruins of the battle of gods.
At this moment, he saw that the monocle on Amon's right eye absorbed all the light around them. It became unusually bright and white.
Then, a thick darkness ruled the sky.
Amon directly stole the "day" of the ruins of the battle of gods!
In the darkness, this Angel of Time's avatar brought Klein to an island and made him sleep against a stone pillar.
Soon, Klein arrived in the hazy dream world. He saw the projection of the Giant King's Court, which was filled with an epic feeling, opposite the black cloister and the cliff.
Amon, wearing the black silk top hat and crystal monocle, appeared beside him. With a relaxed smile, "He" pointed at the projection of the Giant King's Court that was frozen in the sunset.
"That's the entrance to the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
After some thought, Klein raised his doubts:
"Don't you need to enter a dream at a specific location to open the entrance?"
He couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope again. He thought that it would be great if Amon wasted a week or two of his time in the ruins of the battle of gods.
"That's right." Amon didn't deny what Klein had said. "He" casually said, "If you wish to open the entrance, you have to travel on a ship to the core of this ruin's waters. This might take more than a month, and you will experience many dangers that you're currently unable to withstand. As for me, I don't have to."
"Is it because you're the son of the Creator?" Klein guessed in deliberation.
"No." Amon had one hand in "His" pocket as "He" turned to walk to the black cloister's entrance. "In chaotic places like this, 'order' is in shambles, and the laws governing them have mutated. There are too many things that can be exploited."
As this Angel of Time walked, "He" turned to look at Klein.
"The Marauder pathway's Sequence 0 has a very abstract name, Error.
"It was named by my father. 'He' once used a strange word of unknown origins to represent it:
"Bug.
"When translated, it's a trojan horse of fate, the slug of time, the loopholes in rules, the manifestation of all errors."
Chapter 1153 The Sunset Tunnel
Font:Big Middle Small
Previous Index Next Add Bookmarks
"Error"… Bug… Is that the essence of the Marauder pathway? As he came to a realization, Klein also confirmed one thing.
That was that the ancient sun god, the City of Silver Creator, Amon's father really did come from Earth.
The word that Amon said was standard English!
Fellow Earthling, your two children have really caused me so much pain… If only they were all like Bernadette… As he lampooned inwardly, he asked curiously, "You want to use this dream world's… loophole?"
Klein controlled himself and didn't use the term "bug" to describe it, lest it would arouse suspicion in Amon due to his overly ordinary fluency when speaking the word. He would then reveal a trump card for no reason.
Faced with a King of Angels who could steal his thoughts and deeply "Parasitize" him, he had very few trump cards to begin with. He had to make good use of every single one of them. Who knew when they might end up being effective.
At that moment, Amon had already walked out of the black cloister.
"He" had one hand in his pocket, and without doing anything, the heavy door opened automatically, as though it was welcoming the arrival of a distinguished guest.
"You can think of it that way, but in actual fact, it's a little more complicated than that." Amon didn't show the might of a Blasphemer at all as he casually answered Klein's question, "This dream world doesn't have any errors, or rather, loopholes. It's just that, due to the clashing of remnant divine powers, some places appear more chaotic. And I can use this chaos to create a loophole."
As the huge door that was prepared for the giant was completely opened, Amon pinched his monocle and walked into the hall, venturing deep inside.
During this process, "He" smiled and gave a more in-depth explanation:
"You should know very well that this cloister is composed of dreams."
"Yes, it comes from the dreams of different living beings in the ruins of the battle of the gods." After some thought, Klein added, "It might also be left behind by some dreams from the past."
At that moment, the man and angel walked on a winding black staircase. The light of dusk shone through the stained glass from high above, bringing with it a feeling of burning holiness.
Amon touched the human skull engraving on the railings and smiled as "He" took in the surroundings.
"Generally speaking, the area you enter this dream world is where you end up when waking up, regardless if you're in the dreams of other living beings in other seas."
Unable to nod, Klein could only express his opinion with words.
"That's right."
"And after I create a loophole, I can wake up in the corresponding location by entering other dreams. Clearly, this cloister is much smaller than the sea ruins outside. The structure is even narrower. Perhaps, we can reach our destination in a few minutes." There was a hint of joy in Amon's tone.
To "Him," creating and exploiting loopholes was a joyous matter.
…This… Amon is actually able to use such a method to quickly pass through the ruins of the battle of the gods. We won't even be wasting an hour or two, much less one or two weeks… As expected of a King of Angels, the Blasphemer of the Fourth Epoch… The glimmer of hope that was generated in Klein vanished instantly.
He wasn't sure if Amon had deliberately not mentioned it in advance, so as to enjoy watching the bubbles of "His" target's hope being popped time and time again. Or if "He" didn't care about such trivial matters. All he could do was to curb his heavy depression and say, "You want to control the core dream of this illusory world?"
He remembered Queen Mystic Bernadette mentioning that she didn't dare enter the black wooden door in the deepest depths of the cloister.
"It's not me, it's us," Amon replied with a smile.
"He" seemed to suddenly recall something. He raised his hand to adjust his monocle and asked with interest, "Why did you put a monocle on your marionette?
"I didn't even need to prepare one myself."
"…" Feeling awkward for a second, Klein thought for a second and decided to answer truthfully, "Not long ago, in order to digest the Bizarro Sorcerer potion, I deliberately wore this monocle in front of the Red Angel evil spirit."
Amon, who was walking down the stairs suddenly paused. "He" turned "His" head to look at Klein and smiled.
"Very interesting."
This Angel of Time said thoughtfully, "To think that Medici hasn't completely died. Next time, if I encounter 'Him,' I'll disguise myself to look like you, and then I'll wear a monocle in front of 'Him' again."
Poor Sauron Einhorn Medici… As a whole King of Angels, can you not be so senseless… Is this the so-called "God of Mischief"? When Klein heard that, he felt wistful, not knowing what to say.
Amon pressed down on the crystal monocle and asked, "Did you wear this monocle on your left eye?"
"How did you know?" Klein was shocked, imagining that Amon had stolen the scene from the fog of history.
"How did I know?" Amon said with a smile. "There are two possibilities. Firstly, it's because you're of a Beyonder of a low level, so you're definitely not a match for that fellow Medici. You were afraid that if your disguise was too realistic, then you would incur a fatal subconscious attack and deduced that you would be better of doing so. Secondly, if you had the intention of imitating me and ended up doing an accurate imitation, then I might be able to use the ripples generated by fate to detect the incident. Since I didn't notice it, it must mean that the monocle was worn on the wrong spot.
"Make a guess. Which possibility is it?"
…I will choose the most dangerous possibility, regardless of whether it's true or not… This way, I will be even more careful and cautious in the future when it comes to matters like this… Of course, there must be a future first… Since Amon didn't show any signs of viciousness or oppression. Klein had unknowingly let down his guard and felt that Amon was an easy-going King of Angels. But now, he suddenly snapped to attention as he came to a realization that this was a trait of a master swindler!
"The second possibility." Klein gave his answer.
Amon didn't say if he was right. "He" reached the bottom of the stairs and came to the lowest level of the cloister. He stopped in front of a black wooden door covered in strange patterns.
"I've been here before. Once this door is fully opened, the power inside will shatter the dream world in its entirety," Klein said as he attempted to extract more historical secrets from Amon.
Amon reached out for the handle, his thin face impassive as he said, "This is my father's final dream. The corresponding location is where 'He' perished."
…The ruins of the battle of gods was where Rose Redemption attacked the ancient sun god, the source of the Cataclysm? When Klein heard that, he tensed up as his thoughts raced.
With regards to this answer, after understanding the formation of Rose Redemption, he had a corresponding theory regarding the various abnormalities in the ruins of the battle of gods. He wasn't too shocked now, and the Scholar of Yore potion had even been digested to a certain degree.
Immediately following that, he let out an indescribable sigh.
This was the closest he had gotten to the ancient sun god.
Previously, when he saw it through dream divination, they were separated by a distant stretch of both space and time.
The ancient sun god and Emperor Roselle were the protagonists of an era, but in the end, they ended up miserable. The ending was tragic… Roselle still has the means of being revived. I wonder if this former "Creator" had any similar setups… Dark Angel Sasrir? The True Creator? Amidst his thoughts, Amon opened the black wooden door covered in strange patterns.
There was a sea inside, and the blinding sunlight shot straight at it. There seemed to be a rich gold color hidden in the waves.
Klein didn't understand what the thick gold represented previously, but now, he had a preliminary idea.
It was the blood of the ancient sun god!
Before "He" died, "He" was affected by the power of the "Evernight" and fell into a dream. He dreamed of his body being torn apart, staining the sea with blood.
Clang!
As the black wooden door opened, an unimaginable aura emanated out, causing the entire cloister to violently shake, as though it had encountered an earthquake that could destroy this world.
Amidst the dust and collapsed stone bricks, the two of them entered the golden sea through the wooden door.
Following that, he felt his Spirit Body melt as his psyche evaporated. In seconds, he would become fertilizer for the dream.
At this moment, bright and pure white light shone out from Amon's crystal monocle, instantly shattering the dream world.
"He" returned the "day" he had stolen to the ruins of the battle of the gods, allowing the place to turn from night to day!
At the same time, "His" and Klein's figures turned somewhat transparent. Then, they appeared in midair above a sea that was dyed golden.
The temperature here was higher than what Klein imagined, but it wasn't as dangerous as the dream.
Or rather, the sea in the core region of the ruins of the battle of the gods was separated into safety zones due to various clashes of divine power. As long as one didn't blindly explore the area, then there wouldn't be too much of a problem.
In the next second, Amon's monocle drew in all the light from "His" surroundings, making himself appear extremely bright.
"Day" was stolen and "night" had fallen once again. After the two landed on an island in a safe zone, they once again entered the dream world.
This time, they appeared outside the black wooden door covered with strange patterns.
Amon adjusted "His" monocle, which "He" wore on "His" right eye, and pulled it with "His" left hand, "stealing" the distance between the entrance and the cloister.
Both of them took a step forward at the same time, leaving the cloister and arriving at the edge of the cliff. Opposite them was the projection of the Giant King's Court that was frozen in the dusk.
Klein originally thought that Amon would follow procedure and chant the corresponding honorific name, but to his surprise, "He" only raised "His" right hand and snapped "His" fingers.
The clouds that separated the two mountains instantly boiled as they parted to the left and right, revealing an invisible dark rift at the bottom.
The projection of the Giant King's Court on the opposite side suddenly sucked all the rays of light from the sunset over, letting them surge forward and fill up the deep crack.
Hence, in between the two mountains, an orange-red light road appeared in the clouds.
"Let's go." Amon gave a low laugh as "He" leaped down the cliff. With the fluttering of "His" clothes, "He" landed on the passage formed by dusk.
Unable to resist, Klein could only follow and jump down the cliff.