Chapter 2409 - 1154 - 1161

Chapter 1154 I"ll Give You a Chance

The path that was formed by dusk didn't seem to contain anything, but after Amon and Klein landed one after another, they didn't continue falling, as though they were walking on the ground.

This time, Amon didn't "steal" the distance. Instead, "He" "brought" Klein along as they approached the majestic projection of the Giant King's Court. From time to time, "He" would observe and admire the beautiful scenery.

Walking above the sea of clouds, they walked along a sunset bridge with the legendary palace in the distance. It was supposed to be a joyful and refreshing matter, but Klein felt as though he was walking into the Abyss, doing so one step at a time. The more he struggled, the deeper he fell.

Once he entered the Forsaken Land of the Gods, many things that he relied on would be useless.

Before long, Amon and Klein arrived at the projection of the Giant King's Court and stood in front of the tallest building.

On one side of the building was a steeple, and on the other side was a spire. The main door was far more than ten meters tall, with it being mainly a grayish-blue color. It was covered with symbols, labels, and patterns. It was where the Giant King lived, the place where Dark Angel Sasrir slept.

Klein glanced at the pitch-black hole to the left of the door, roughly determining that the door in the dream didn't need a key to open. Otherwise, the True Creator's believers wouldn't have been able to pass through. After all, the actual key back then was in Vice Admiral Iceberg's collection room.

"Next, we'll be able to enter the Forsaken Land of the Gods once the door is opened. However, we'll definitely attract the attention of others by doing so." Amon chortled and took a few steps diagonally to the edge of the door. "We won't open the door, but instead directly head over."

As "He" spoke, the Angel of Time raised "His" hand to adjust "His" monocle.

A dark blue color appeared in the corner of the grayish-blue door. It was an illusory door without any sense of being corporeal.

"The 'Door Opening' power of an Apprentice is a very low-level ability, but it's perfect when used here." Amon lowered "His" right hand and introduced in satisfaction.

Taking two steps, "He" passed through the illusory door.

Hmm, there are no useless Beyonder powers, only useless Beyonders… If I directly push the door open, I'll draw the attention of others… But from who? The True Creator? "His" holy residence, "His" divine kingdom should be somewhere in the Forsaken Land of the Gods… If I can lure "Him" over and let "Him" clash with Amon, I might be able to find a chance to escape… Without any ability to control himself, Klein followed behind Amon without leaving much of a gap, stepping into the blurry dark blue door.

The moment he stepped through, he felt the world spin around him. Even his spirituality seemed to be tom apart.

After the abnormality disappeared and his condition was restored, he realized that he was on a beach that was soaked in the glow of the sunset.

The sand and stones here were all black in color. Deep blue waves surged over from afar as they crashed into the coast, one wave after another, but they didn't produce any sounds like they should have.

They were quiet, like a grand illusion.

This sea is an illusion… Coming in would probably result in one appearing here, but it's not necessarily the case for leaving… According to the principle of reciprocity, if one wants to leave, they can only open the residence of the Giant King, where Dark Angel Sasrir is in deep sleep? With a sudden realization, Klein turned his head and looked in another direction. It was a mountain bathed in dusk. On it were countless palaces, towers, and many majestic city walls.

This was the legendary Giant King's Court.

Even if the City of Silver could find a path that leads to the beach, it would be meaningless… From the corner of his eye, he saw that Amon had changed his image.

"He" wore a black classical robe and a pointed hat of the same color. He changed from being a gentleman from the present era to an ancient mage that originated from the Fourth or even the Third Epoch.

With a thought, Klein continued looking at the Giant King's Court which wasn't too far away. He casually said, "Dark Angel Sasrir is sleeping in the palace of the Giant King."

Amon stood to his side as "He" looked in the same direction and said without any change in expression, "I know.

"I've entered the Giant King's Court and even visited the graves of Aurmir's parents."

As expected… One of Klein's guesses was finally confirmed.

He deliberated and said, "What answers you searching for1?"

"You can make a guess." Amon continued looking at the Giant King's Court and laughed.

If I had any idea, I wouldn't need to ask you… After thinking for a few seconds, he said, "Some secrets of the First Epoch?"

You can say that," Amon replied without much concern.

Klein hesitated for a moment before saying, "Aren't you curious about Dark Angel Sasrir's condition?"

"I am." Amon didn't change the direction of "His" gaze as "He" said with a smile, "But compared to me, there are still many people who are more interested in that: my zealous brother, The Hanged Man, the Dragon of Betrayal, as well as Evernight, Storm, and White. I want to see who's the first one who isn't able to hold back. Heh heh, if I can steal everything of importance inside at the critical moment, 'Their' expressions will definitely be very interesting."

This thought… The reason for stirring up such a huge matter was purely to cause trouble, to gain some excitement? Klein frowned slightly and realized that Amon's values were different from that of humans.

This is a natural Mythical Creature… Completely different from humans… Eh, why can I frown on my own… Just as he came to a realization, he sensed that something was missing in his body.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Blasphemer Amon.

There was a semi-translucent Worm of Time with twelve rings in Amon's hand. "He" smiled as "He" looked into Klein's eyes and said with some anticipation, "Since we've already arrived at the Forsaken Land of the Gods, there's no need to worry about external interference. I'll give you a chance.

"Before I reach my true destination, I will no longer "Parasitize" you. You can use every method that you can think of to escape, and I will try my best to stop you.

"Good luck. Don't disappoint me."

For a moment, Klein couldn't believe what Amon had just said. He suspected that Amon was bluffing him.

But when he thought of Amon's behavior all this while, he felt that it was something that was in line with "His" character.

"Alright." As his thoughts raced, he took a deep breath and solemnly replied under the orange glow of the sunset.

Backlund, Parliament House.

Due to King George Ill's sudden self-destruction, none of the nobles and Members of Parliament were allowed to return to their respective homes. Instead, they were gathered here to receive heavy protection from the three Churches and the military.

Dressed in a pure black dress, Audrey stood behind the railing on the second floor and quietly looked down.

As the matter had happened too suddenly and lacked any prior warning, she still found it surreal despite receiving some indication from The World Gehrman Sparrow.

She seemed to have transcended reality and was watching a performance.

Her father, brother, and the other nobles and Members of Parliament were gathered in cliques as they occupied different small rooms. From time to time, one would walk out of the small room, bringing with them the stench of smoke and their gentlemanly attire as they rushed to another discussion circle.

The ladies and madams sat in the lounge. Most of them had yet to return to their senses as their eyes were dazed and their bodies trembling.

The parliamentary staff and the military's middle and low-ranking officers were running about everywhere, transmitting information from different places.

A soldier dressed in a red shirt and white pants walked in from the outside and handed a stack of paper to the officer in charge of the hall. The officer glanced at it and immediately called for his assistant. He pointed at the small room where Earl Hall and the rest were in. Without asking anything, the adjutant took the documents and ran towards his destination.

All of this happened in a very quiet environment. Only the sound of footsteps and faint whispers echoed in the air. It was as if it was a huge oil painting drawn on the canvas of the real world. The gorgeous decorations, dark colors, dim lights, and the expressions on everyone's faces created an extremely heavy atmosphere.

Audrey pursed her lips slightly and looked at it for a while. Her mood was still at a nadir, and she only managed to maintain her calm by relying on Placate.

Why would Mr. World deal with the king…

The death of the King will definitely bring deep hatred…

It doesn't matter what Sequence the King is, because he has never shown it. This doesn't affect the overall strength of the kingdom, but this incident is enough to explain one thing: The three Churches, royal family, and military have fractured apart. The internal strife is quite serious…

The situation with Loen will be very dangerous. Its enemies will definitely not let this opportunity go… As her thoughts raced, she saw a man in a black coat rush into Parliament House.

He suppressed his voice and started talking to the officer in charge of the lobby.

As an experienced Spectator who could observe the subtle expressions and body language, reading lips was undoubtedly Audrey's strength. As she watched, she interpreted the corresponding content:

Intis has used the excuse of conflict in the borders of the Homacis mountain range to gather a large number of troops there.

Audrey bit her lip lightly as that familiar feeling of not belonging there arose again. It was as if she had seen a novel's description play out in the real world.

The grayness of the sky seemed to grow thicker. No one spoke in the house where the Morettis lived.

Benson stood behind the oriel window with a solemn expression as he looked at the people rushing down the streets.

It was unknown what he was thinking.

Melissa sat on the sofa beside the coffee table. She lowered her head and looked at the crude machinery she made. It was as if she had become a statue.

"Sigh, the situation has become even more chaotic." Benson exhaled as he touched his hairline. He turned his head back and forced a smile. "Regardless, Backlund is definitely safer than most places."

Melissa didn't raise her head. Instead, she said with an ethereal voice, "Klein found a good job, and our lives gradually improved. In the end, an accident took him away…

"We moved out of Tingen, and you got a job as a civil servant. I entered university and started on the correct path. In the end, war broke out…

"It wasn't easy for us to get used to this environment. We were praying that the war would end early. In the end, the king was blown to pieces…"

Having said that, Melissa slowly lifted her head and looked at her brother with a confused expression.

"Benson, is it that difficult to obtain and maintain a better life than what we had before?"

Chapter 1155 Walking in the Dark

Backlund, East Borough.

Fors, who had just returned from the land of ice and snow, was wrapped in thick layers of clothing. She looked at the burning charcoal stove in front of her as if she had fallen into a terrible environment again. She couldn't help but shiver a few times.

"George III is already dead. The things that happened before will definitely come to an end. Perhaps we can move out of this place and head to North Borough or Hillston Borough.

"The houses there have fireplaces!"

Xio sat on a chair opposite her and similarly stared at the warm furnace. She replied with a slightly confused expression, "Let's wait another week or two.

"To be honest, I still can't believe that George III was killed so easily… I didn't have time to do anything."

This bounty hunter, who had become a Judge, sounded disappointed, confused, and puzzled. It felt as though she had lost her motivation in life.

Fors temporarily forgot about the damage caused by the cold as she consoled her, "I don't think that this was done by Gehrman Sparrow. It was done by those people who used Shermane. They were the only ones investigating the secret motives of George III. Your actions have contributed to his death to a certain degree. It's as if you had exacted your revenge in an indirect manner.

"Eh… There shouldn't be any more surveillance or suppressive measures placed against your family. You can try to start a new life. If you have the chance, you might be able to use proper channels to make an appeal for your father."

Upon hearing the last few sentences, Xio raised her head.

"Yes, the situation is getting more and more chaotic now. I'm worried that they'll be affected by the war.

"Fors, do you think it's safer to be in Backlund, or in an ordinary city that isn't near the borders?"

Fors thought for a few seconds and shook her head calmly.

"I don't know."

She added, "I plan to ask Mr. World. He must have a better grasp of the overall situation. Do you still remember? He warned us beforehand that something would happen around George III, and to avoid approaching him."

In addition, Fors also wanted to ask where the next stop of her "travels" would be so that she could make preparations early.

"Yes!" Xio nodded instinctively.

Fors flipped through the newspapers she supported with her knees, and she drank the coffee she had left. Then, she slowly got up and entered the room inside. She prayed to Mr. Fool in a low voice, asking "Him" to pass her questions to The World Gehrman Sparrow.

…

In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, near the Giant King's Court.

Without being "Parasitized" at a deeper level, Klein followed Amon to the foot of the mountain. In the frozen dusk, they circled to the front of the mythical land.

Although Amon had given him a chance to escape, he wasn't in a hurry to do so. This was because he knew very well that Amon had the strength and level of at least a Sequence 2. "He" was an angel in the truest sense of the word, an entity he couldn't fight head-on. Besides, a Marauder was known as an "Error," a loophole, a bug. Its powers were very strange, making it impossible to guard against. Klein believed that whatever normal means he could come up with to save himself would be ineffective.

I can only stay patient and wait for an opportunity that can be used… During this process, I have to keep making attempts to observe Amon's response… Yes, I still have to take note of a problem: I can't believe anything Amon says. "He" has already retrieved the Worm of Time and removed my parasitized state. At least, in terms of my condition, "He" isn't lying, but this might not be the whole truth. I can't rule out the possibility that "He" has left a Worm of Time lurking in my body. "He" might take control of my body at a critical moment… As these thoughts surfaced in Klein's mind, he "chatted" with Amon, asking about Dark Angel Sasrir. However, he saw that nearby, in the distance, the dusk was fading away as darkness blanketed the area. Lightning bolts that snarled from time to time lit up half the sky.

They had arrived at the boundary of the Giant King's Court and were about to leave the mythical kingdom.

Once I'm in the darkness, I'll either evaporate into thin air or encounter a sudden terrifying monster attack… With a thought, Klein pretended not to know anything as he continued proceeding forward. He went from the orange dusk and into the deep darkness.

At this moment, Amon, in his black classic robe and pointed hat, accompanied with a monocle, reached out "His" hand and pulled back a lantern covered in thin animal hide.

Inside the lantern, a candle made of some unknown oil emitted a faint yellow light and a slightly pungent smell.

"Carry it." Amon threw the lantern at Klein.

"…" Klein caught the lantern and fell silent.

A few seconds later, he probed, "Where did you get this from?"

At that moment, Klein imagined that Amon had summoned a projection from the Historical Void.

Amon pinched the crystal monocle and said with a smile, "I stole it from the human camp up ahead. Oh, that's the City of Silver's Afternoon Town camp."

It was stolen… Klein's eyelids twitched. He didn't ask further as he carried the lantern into the endless darkness.

The dim yellow light was like an invisible defensive barrier as it quickly spread out, creating a warm zone in the dark night.

At this moment, the lightning in the sky kept flashing. The gap between them was rather long, and there was almost no thunder. It occasionally boomed.

According to the general knowledge he had learned from Little Sun, this was nighttime in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. It was the most dangerous period.

As he proceeded forward, he first used the Faceless powers which had undergone a qualitative change. Together with Creeping Hunger, he adjusted his eye structure to adapt to this special environment. Following that, he used his spiritual perception to survey his surroundings.

He felt that, in the darkness, there were many eyes staring at him, with creatures of indescribable shapes hidden. However, every time the lightning lit up and shone brightly, there was nothing.

He wasn't worried at all about the serious backlash from using Creeping Hunger while not feeding it. From his point of view, there were only two outcomes. One was that Creeping Hunger attempted to devour him, but had its thoughts stolen away by Amon. The second was that Creeping Hunger successfully devoured him, the wearer, allowing him to be resurrected; thus, escaping from his current predicament. The latter was something he was looking forward to, while the former didn't offer any losses, other than leaving Creeping Hunger somewhat perplexed.

After proceeding forward for a while, he saw the City of Silver's Afternoon Town camp that was built using an abandoned building.

Beyond those boulders and walls that were formed by stone pillars, the bonfire quietly burned and illuminated most of the areas inside, making them completely different from the outside world.

The members of the City of Silver's exploration team were either patrolling or watching the area under the light's illumination to prevent any accidents.

One of them was a Dawn Paladin who was nearly 2.3 meters tall. He was standing at the top of a stronghold and looking into the distance, wary of the monsters hidden in the darkness.

Suddenly, he saw a faint yellow flame coming from afar in the darkness.

This… This Dawn Paladin's pupils dilated as his heart raced.

Apart from newborns and children who had yet to receive education, everyone in the City of Silver knew that this land had been forsaken by God. No one else would use fire in the darkness to create light. Even monsters who were good at controlling flames would be hidden in a dark environment before they attacked. As for the other humans, all the cities that the City of Silver had discovered to date had already been destroyed and turned to ruins. There were no survivors. The only outsider they had seen to date was the strange little boy, Jack.

And at that moment, a flame appeared in the depths of the darkness, one that was constantly moving!

What does this mean? The Dawn Paladin who was standing in the stronghold couldn't think of anything at that moment. He could only feel his body trembling slightly.

The dim yellow light slowly approached from afar. It passed by the campsite and headed beyond Afternoon Town. Vaguely, the Dawn Knight saw two silhouettes that belonged to humans. They walked deep into the darkness, and their silhouettes were strangely illuminated by the light.

Holding what looked like a lantern, they slowly left the camp and disappeared into the endless darkness.

At some point in time, the Dawn Paladin was already holding his breath until the faint yellow light was completely gone.

There are other humans? No, they can't be humans! The Dawn Paladin's eyes narrowed as he carefully turned around to inform the Elder of the six-member council presiding over this camp.

At this moment, he discovered that one of the lanterns hanging on a stone pillar was missing.

This Dawn Paladin's body stiffened as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

…

As he walked away from Afternoon Town, Klein endured the stares of numerous pairs of eyes in the depths of the darkness. He secretly made use of the powers of a Scholar of Yore, as well as his connection with Sefirah Castle, to sense the grayish-white fog that was interwoven through history.

He had succeeded.

This proved that the Forsaken Land of the Gods wasn't isolated from Sefirah Castle.

The holy residence of the True Creator, or even the divine kingdom, is located in this piece of land… If I were to trigger Sefirah Castle and create an anomaly, would it cause "Him" to cast "His" gaze over and clash with Amon… "He" is a true god. I don't have extravagant hopes in escaping in the chaos, but I can seize the opportunity to commit suicide when "He" is dealing with Amon… With a thought, Klein wanted to make Sefirah Castle quake slightly.

In the next second, this thought disappeared.

The corners of Amon's mouth curled up slightly as he walked beside him.

"The Hanged Man has no interest in Sefirah Castle. Of course, 'His' rationality might not be constant."

Klein didn't have extravagant hopes that his impulsive thought could truly succeed. He mainly wanted to test Amon's reaction and see what "His" response was. At that moment, he didn't feel depressed, nor did he hide his curiosity in asking a question, "The Hanged Man is referring to the Sequence 0 of the Shepherd pathway?"

Amon nodded slightly and said, "That's right. This symbolizes degeneration. Of course, if you want to explain it in a positive light, that is sacrifice and responsibility."

Klein thought for a moment before probing, "I thought this was a nickname you came up with."

Just like Medici.

Based on what he knew, the True Creator was born because of Rose Redemption. It was very likely related to the death of the ancient sun god. Therefore, he wanted to know what kind of attitude Amon had towards this evil god, and whether it was the same as "His" brother.

Amon nudged his monocle and chuckled.

"I've always respected the gods."

To have a Blasphemer say this sounds really contradictory… Helpless, Klein put a stop to the topic.

Chapter 1156 Thinking

Most of the areas in the Forsaken Land of the Gods didn't have paths that one would consider normal, but it wasn't that difficult to walk through them. This was because large swaths of the land were barren. Everything was mostly black in color.

On the moors, there were occasional sightings of plants that stubbornly grew. They were of a variety of strange shapes and distorted sizes. Klein had no way to tell what they originally were.

Around them, in the areas that the lantern couldn't illuminate, the darkness seemed to have a life of its own. It seemed to move silently, as though it wanted to devour everything that they could blanket.

As a Scholar of Yore, Klein just needed one glance from the corner of his eye to see the Spirit Body Threads extending out from the darkness around him. They were illusory, dense, and countless. This meant that there were many monsters lurking in the darkness.

These monsters were extremely silent. They stared at Amon, who was dressed as an ancient mage, as well as Klein, who looked like a present-day gentleman. Under the dim yellow light, they walked through the wilderness.

With his eyes fixed ahead, Klein casually held the animal hide lantern in his hand, not worried about when it would be extinguished.

Just as the two of them were about to leave this barren wilderness and enter a hilly region, a deformed monster of mangled flesh with two heads and five arms suddenly trembled in the darkness behind them.

It had become Klein's marionette.

Controlling Spirit Body Threads was silent to begin with, and it wasn't more than 500 meters away.

In the next second, the monster collapsed silently, losing its life.

Walking to Klein's left, Amon, who was wearing a pointed hat, smiled. "He" raised "His" right arm and opened "His" palm, revealing something.

It was a transparent maggot with three-dimensional patterns.

A Worm of Spirit!

This was stolen from the marionette, along with the Spirit Body Threads.

Without waiting for Klein to speak, Amon easily crushed the transparent maggot with "His" fingers.

Klein immediately felt a pain that came from deep within his soul. His head felt like it was about to split open.

Thankfully, he had gotten used to this feeling from him repeated creating Yesterday Once More charms and Control Spirit Bullets. He only grimaced without losing his composure.

Amon maintained "His" smile and threw down "His" palm.

"You're too reserved. You can be more daring."

Having recovered from the pain, Klein raised his hand to rub his temples, feeling exhausted. Every Worm of Spirit was calling for him to rest.

As he was being chased by Zaratul, the spirituality that he borrowed from his past self had been mostly expended. There was still the continuous "Traveling" after that. By using Angel's Embrace to remove traces, he was already nearing his limit.

After he returned to a safe zone, he had planned on going above the gray fog to check on his surroundings before entering a deep sleep and replenish his energy. Alas, he ended up suffering an ambush from Amon, which resulted in him being parasitized. He had been tormented all the way to the Forsaken Land of the Gods. If he wasn't in a perilous situation, he might've fainted or showed signs of losing control.

"I need to rest now," Klein put down his right hand and said frankly.

He believed that Amon would satisfy his request, because the more he failed at escaping despite trying his best, the more he could satisfy this God of Mischief's desire for entertainment.

"Alright." The monocled Amon's face turned slightly as "He" said while facing the hillside, "There's a resting place there. We'll arrive soon. Of course, I don't mind if you want to camp out in the wilderness. I just feel that you humans might prefer a place that gives you a sense of security."

"Let's go there." Klein originally wanted to directly control the flame of the lantern to complete a Flaming Jump, but his drained spirituality stopped him. He could only follow Amon and rely on his feet to move forward.

Along the way, with a mind of asking more questions, he said to Amon, "Why don't you 'steal' the distance to immediately arrive at our destination?"

Amon turned "His" head and glanced at Klein with "His" monocled right eye. The corners of "His" lips curled up slightly.

"I'm not the one who wants to rest."

"…" Klein shut his mouth and quietly walked forward.

After about ten bolts of lightning flashes, Amon raised "His" hand and pointed diagonally ahead.

"We're here."

In the shadow of a hill less than a hundred meters away, there were a few buildings that looked like half-steeples. More than ten giant stone pillars protruded out from the ground, reaching only the height of Klein's knees. A few strands of wild grass grew out from the crevices, their blade-like tips were dark red like blood.

"There used to be people living here?" Klein rubbed his temples and asked.

Nudging the monocle with "His" right index finger's second joint, Amon smiled and said, "This place used to be a very large city. When the Cataclysm happened, the land cracked open and devoured the entire city, leaving behind only these structures to prove that it once existed."

The destruction of civilization… This thought suddenly popped up in Klein's mind. He sped up his pace and arrived at the destination where there was strange wild grass.

After entering a half-collapsed building, Klein instinctively looked around and observed the place.

The grayish-white stone walls that had cracked open had murals that had been washed away by thousands of years. They were already indiscernible, and he could tell that the people in the city believed that entering Heaven after death was an honor.

After regulating his breathing, Klein threw away the animal hide lantern in his hand. Leaning against a thick stone pillar, he barely managed to imagine layers of spherical lights.

He didn't care about the dangers of sleeping in such an environment.

Let the danger come strike harder! Before he fell asleep, Klein shouted in his heart.

The black-robed Amon glanced at him before casually sitting down beside him and snapping "His" fingers.

The candle that was about to burn out in the lantern stopped melting, but the dim yellow light continued to spread.

Despite only having fuel to last a few more minutes, it seemed to be able to last another few hours or even days.

It was like an error that violated the laws of nature.

After for an unknown period of time of feeling groggy, Klein finally recovered his energy and was woken up by Miss Magician's prayers.

He was temporarily unable to respond to this. He closed his eyes and pretended that he was still dreaming.

Without being "Parasitized" at a deeper level, I don't think Amon can monitor my thoughts. "He" can only tell if my thoughts are harmful to "Him"… With a thought, he secretly summoned the grayish-white fog.

He had borrowed a state from his past self through the Historical Void, a state that wasn't directly meant for escaping.

That was when Hvin Rambis invaded his island of consciousness.

This attempt wasn't stopped or stolen.

Using this state, and the fact that he was able to maintain his lucidity in dreams and the mind world regardless of any intrusions, he split a portion of his self-awareness and stayed in the spiritual sky, calmly looking down at the island.

He began to examine if there were any abnormalities in his mind and thoughts that were being parasitized.

After a series of strict comparisons, he confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his mind world.

In other words, even if there was still a Worm of Time in his body, it was still considered being parasitized at a superficial level. It was impossible to monitor his thoughts.

After finding such a "safe zone," Klein finally released his repressed thoughts and analyzed the current situation. He considered the subsequent methods for self-preservation.

Amon is a God of Mischief and also a God of Deceit. It's impossible that "He" is playing this game purely for his entertainment… If "He" really wants to do that, "He" can definitely wait until "He" meets with "His" true body and steals my fate. "He" can attempt it after obtaining Sefirah Castle. That way, even if something unexpected happens, "His" main goal will also be achieved and "He" wouldn't suffer any losses…

What is "His" goal behind this matter? If I can grasp the crux of the matter, I might be able to discover true freedom…

Also, after "He" recited the luck enhancement ritual incantation in Mandarin, "He" actually didn't show any concern towards this special language, nor did "He" ask any questions. This totally doesn't match the sense of curiosity that "He" portrays…

Uh… Did "He" deliberately use the word "Bug" to probe me… so as to see what connections I'll make…

But "He" didn't steal my thoughts. No, if all my ideas are disjointed from one another, I wouldn't be able to discover that they've been stolen…

Klein recalled the situation back then, and he used the logical connections between his thoughts to confirm that he hadn't had his thoughts stolen.

This made him confirm one thing:

That was, that being "Parasitized" at a deeper level, Amon could directly monitor his thoughts without stealing it!

Amon made it seem that he had to notice malintent before he took action. It was a bluff!

I knew it, this deeper level of "Parasitization" seems to be different from what Pallez described…

Based on this deduction, the thoughts that I've been thinking of along the way have been heard by Amon, including Earth, fellow Earthling, and child education…

How terrifying…

Thankfully, when I was plotting to destroy the advancement ritual of George III, I had imagined the perilous situation of being "Parasitized" by Amon. Half of my thoughts were my instinctive reactions, while the other half was intentionally let loose. This way, not only do I reveal my secrets, but I can also use this to gain Amon's "trust," concealing the most important and core matters.

For now, "He" definitely knows that I plan to obtain more historical secrets from "Him" so as to quickly digest the Scholar of Yore potion. However, "He" doesn't know that I'm not far from being able to fully digest it. I'm just a few steps short or just one opportunity away…

Did Amon deliberately remove the parasite and play such a game with me because "He" had once heard of Earth from the ancient sun god and had come into contact with some secrets? He plans on using my attempt to save myself to complete certain matters that might be inconvenient or impossible for "Him"? If that's the case, there will definitely be something happening next…

Yes, I have to show that I didn't notice this and still plan on escaping like a normal person."

Once I've returned to my optimal state, I'll make my first "attempt"! After a while, Klein opened his eyes.

The pointed hat-wearing Amon sat beside him and smiled at him.

"Have you decided? When are you going to take action?"

"He" acted as if "He" was Klein's partner and not the target from which Klein was trying to escape from.

Chapter 1157 Poise

Klein pressed down on the grayish-white wall and slowly sat up straight. He smiled and shook his head.

"Before I fill my stomach, my brain refuses to work."

He was speaking the truth, and also a lie. This was because, before becoming a complete Mythical Creature, a saint would still be hungry and thirsty. But to a Sequence 3 demigod, not eating or drinking for half a month wasn't a problem. As for a whole Mythical Creature, eating was only a hobby, not a necessity.

What he wanted to express was that, before he officially made attempts at escaping, he needed to be in optimal condition.

"The habit of a Magician," Amon commented with a smile. "I'm not in charge of providing food, but you can think of a solution yourself."

Looking at the lantern on the ground, Klein thought for a few seconds before reaching out his right hand into the air.

A not-so-tall coffee table immediately appeared in front of him. It was an item from the residence belonging to Dwayne Dantes.

Under the dim yellow light, Klein reached out once again to summon a beautifully packaged box from the Historical Void.

Inside the box was a set of cutlery, including a knife, fork, and cup.

The reason why he chose this item was because he couldn't form a set of cutlery by individually summoning them. He could only maintain three images from the Historical Void at the same time.

After setting up the cutlery in a leisure manner, Klein politely turned his head to the side and nodded at the pointed hat-wearing Amon. Following that, he summoned a medium-well done steak covered in black pepper sauce.

It landed on the porcelain plate, emitting some steam. With him slicing the steak with the knife, he revealed the remaining edge of the pink protein.

Klein forked a piece of beef and stuffed it into his mouth. He felt that the texture was real and the texture was succulent. It wasn't fake at all as it really calmed the anxiety of his stomach.

"For fifteen minutes, not only will I not feel hungry, but I will also receive 'real' provisions." After swallowing the piece of beef, Klein smiled and introduced it to Amon like a hospitable host, and not a pitiful Beyonder who had been kidnapped.

Amon pressed against the crystal monocle and nodded with a smile.

"I've tried it. It's not bad.

"Your ability to adapt is really quick. Are you really not considering being my Blessed?"

After cutting another chunk of beef, Klein forked it up and replied as though he was chatting with a friend:

"Kill me."

At that moment, the relative frequent lightning and endless darkness ruled the land. Wherever the light from the surroundings couldn't shine on, eyes were staring at the area with zero emotion. The twisted, dark-red grass gently swayed in the occasional breeze.

In the half-collapsed building, the dim yellow light painted the artistic coffee table and the exquisite cutlery with warm colors. The aroma of the steak wafted in the air, not showing any contrast with the outside world that was continuously connected to it.

Under the gaze of the terrifying monsters in the depths of the darkness, Klein enjoyed a sumptuous meal in a refined and poised manner in the desolate land that was soaked in extreme terror.

After finishing his steak, he summoned a small glass of iced wine from Maygur Manor and drank it in one gulp.

Following that, cream soup, pan-fried cod, tender lamb stew with peas, baked potato skins, and all sorts of grape wines were summoned one after another before entering Klein's stomach.

During this process, the steak that was the first to be eaten had already been maintained for a long period of time. It had vanished into thin air, but Klein's stomach and body were numbed by the subsequent food and he was oblivious to it.

Of course, the coffee table and food were replenished. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted to the end of his meal.

At the end of the meal, Klein continued reaching out his hand, pulling out a cup from the void. Inside was a ball of vanilla ice-cream.

He then used the spoon to scoop the ice-cream into his mouth, feeling it melt with its delicious sweetness.

After the ball was finished, he still wasn't satisfied as he summoned another ball of ice-cream from the Historical Void. As such, he ate five different flavors of ice-cream in a consecutive fashion.

When Klein reached out his hand for the sixth time, Amon, who was sitting on his side, suddenly laughed.

Your fate has had an abnormal change. You're lucky enough.

"Is this your preparation?"

Klein's right hand immediately froze in midair. His pupils seemed to dilate to a certain extent.

Almost at the same time, in the darkness around them, where the lanterns couldn't shine, strange creatures twitched and instantly became Klein's marionette.

This time, Klein sent out a hundred Worms of Spirit in one go, hoping that one of them would be lucky enough to avoid Amon's theft.

Right on the heels of that, behind the coffee table, a figure wearing a black coat and no hat was replaced with a disgusting vampire covered in pus.

The artistic coffee table and exquisite cutlery shattered like glass that had been smashed to the ground. Countless cracks appeared and shattered.

They quickly returned to the Historical Void, just in case it affected Klein's subsequent summoning attempts.

In the next second, the one hundred marionettes, along with the Klein, who had hidden somewhere, reached out to grab at the void. He attempted to avoid Amon's interference with quantity.

At that moment, they were all Scholars of Yore.

This was the ability of Bizarro Sorcerers, the source of the qualitative change of a Seer.

Of course, the chances of success of each marionette summoning was independent, so there was no influence each had with the other.

At that moment, the projection that Klein was summoning was the projection of Reinette Tinekerr who had recovered to "Her" peak state in the Tudor Ruins. Due to the contract and charms, "She" was the easiest angel projection he could summon from the Historical Void!

Amon was still sitting leisurely in "His" spot. "His" monocle emitted a faint glow as "He" watched the 101 Kleins summon at the same time.

With his right hands reaching out in an orderly manner before being retracted, none of his hundred marionettes succeeded. He didn't drag Reinette Tinekerr out of the void.

At that moment, Amon raised "His" right hand and also grabbed ahead of "Him."

"His" arm sank slightly, and "He" casually pulled it back. Outside the half-collapsed building, a huge cloth doll that was as huge as a castle appeared. It was wearing a dark and complicated long dress, bound by vines.

Ancient Bane Reinette Tinekerr!

Amon had stolen the historical image that was summoned by Klein!

Reinette Tinekerr's red eyes immediately reflected the figures of Klein's hundred marionettes.

Without a sound, the marionettes, that were either disguised with Klein's appearance or in the state of a monster, emitted a faint glow, turning into homed mountain goats, white rabbits, and other different animals.

Transformation Curse!

Klein's actual body had long disappeared. Then, he walked out of the flames that rose up from the animal hide lantern. He looked at the various animals that might be considered his and suddenly sat down and chuckled.

Taking a stroll after a meal effectively improves one's health."

He didn't mention anything about his attempt to escape, as if nothing had happened.

Amon maintained "His" relaxed posture and nodded cooperatively.

"I've read quite a number of books written by humans. There are indeed such opinions among them."

With that said, "He" raised "His" hand and pointed at the projection of Reinette Tinekerr.

"This is your messenger?"

This was something that could be easily confirmed, so Klein didn't hide it. He tersely acknowledged and nodded.

"What a pity." Amon sized up Reinette Tinekerr's projection and shook his head with a tsk.

As he felt the food in his stomach disappear, Klein asked, "What's the matter?"

"I should bring you to Backlund to wait for a few more days. That way, I can wait for your messenger to deliver a letter to you. Then, 'She' will become my messenger." Amon nudged "His" monocle on "His" right eye and said with a smile, "Snatching an angel messenger. That will be very challenging and fun, isn't it? Life needs some fun, excitement, and anticipation."

"I share the same thoughts," Klein replied sincerely.

"What a pity." The hatted Amon shook "His" head again. "Evemight is someone I need to be careful about. If we stayed there any longer, even I wouldn't have any idea what would happen."

As he spoke, this Angel of Time dispelled the Historical Void projection of Reinette Tinekerr, allowing "Her" to vanish in front of Klein.

You seem to be very wary of the Goddess?" Klein pretended to be a devout believer of the Evernight Goddess.

Of course, he didn't need to don a disguise. He was still a Blessed of Evernight.

Amon's gaze shifted to the lantern inside the half-collapsed building and looked at the dim yellow light.

"I'm unable to steal things that I'm curious about from a concealed state. I can't decipher what other arrangements 'She' might have and what' the key thing to take note of are."

To a King of Angels of the Marauder pathway, there was sufficient reason to be apprehensive.

Taking advantage of the opportunity while Amon was answering his question, Klein suddenly recited the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess in Jotun:

You are the Evemight Goddess who stands higher than the cosmos and more eternal than eternity…"

Just as he said that, his thoughts were lost. If he hadn't had such plans previously, he wouldn't have known that he had made such an attempt.

Amon turned to look at him and said with a smile, "Are you trying to sound me out, believing that I'll also repeat your words after stealing your thoughts and words?

"At Sequence 4 Parasite, one is able to control the stolen items and make them appear at a suitable time."

"Is that so…" Klein nodded gently. "Thank you."

As he spoke, Klein quickly summarized his experience and lessons of his escape attempt.

Because the existence of the contract and their subordinative relationship, summoning Miss Messenger is the easiest amongst all the angels I know.

Summoning the ice-cream from the past Will can establish a subtle connection with "He" who represents fate, and allow me to be blessed with luck. Yes, every ball of ice-cream represents a portion of my luck… I originally planned on summoning ice-cream as a cover to secretly summon the Snake of Fate.

In the future, the summoning had to be done with a certain degree of interference. Otherwise, Amon would be able to directly steal the Historical Void image I summon. It would only be giving "Him" a helper after going through so much effort…

Just as his thoughts raced, Amon pointed at the bunch of animals that had been cursed by the Transformation Curse, and he said with a slightly evil smile, "Aren't you worried that there won't be any suitable food in the Forsaken Land of the Gods? There it is, as long as we don't dispel the curse, they're real animals."

Klein was stunned as he suddenly looked at the goats and the white rabbits.

With him willing them, the animals looked at him simultaneously.

In a sense, they were all himself. After all, they were combinations of Worms of Spirit and monsters before being hit by the curse.

Chapter 1158 Coming to Terms

After silently staring at the rabbits and mountain goats for more than ten seconds, Klein closed his eyes and flicked his right index finger and middle finger as if he was pressing an invisible piano key.

A third of the marionette collapsed, losing the feeling of being alive.

Klein's expression immediately warped, as though he had been struck 33 times by a giant sword.

The familiar and extreme pain he felt swept through his Spirit Body, causing light-colored meat tendrils to sprout on his body. Every sprout seemed to be forming a transparent maggot.

This was the backlash from killing 33 Worms of Spirit.

After taking nearly fifteen minutes to recover, Klein made his second attempt at letting the other third of his marionettes die.

The same pain, the same time to rest, and the same actions were repeated again. Finally, he completely finished off this batch of cursed marionettes.

He couldn't handle it all at once because the damage caused by the death of a hundred Worms of Spirit was enough to make him lose control. And being cursed meant that he couldn't directly solve the problem by retrieving the characteristics.

Of course, this was the standard of a Scholar of Yore who had just advanced recently; it wasn't the performance of a Scholar of Yore who was almost done digesting the potion.

In fact, the loss of a hundred Worms of Spirit would only worsen the pain, without him showing any signs of losing control or affecting the battle. He was only acting just now, allowing his performance to match his role.

At his level, losing half the number of Worms of Spirit that he had at the same time would lead to losing control.

Once he completely digested the Scholar of Yore potion, he would be able to recover from having nearly 500 Worms of Spirit die at once. Even if he lost all the corresponding Beyonder characteristics, he wouldn't lose his status and level. He could slowly recover his strength by absorbing the Beyonder characteristics of the Seer pathway.

After completing this, the recovered Klein walked out of the half-collapsed tower-like building. He went to the darkness outside and brought back a few white rabbits and a goat.

He then realized that the darkness in the Forsaken Land of the Gods wasn't as dangerous as Little Sun had described. Most of the monsters were weak.

No, to be precise, the danger lurking in the depths of the darkness, apart from making people evaporate into thin air, nothing else can compare to the fellow beside me named Amon… Klein glanced at the thin man who was sitting near the lantern, smiling as "He" watched him busy himself. He summoned something like boiled water from the Historical Void, and he squatted down, seriously removing the fur and flesh from the white rabbits and goat.

After a series of tasks, Klein set up a bonfire. He set up a barbecue rack that came from history, and he placed a white rabbit on it. He brushed it with a full set of condiments he made himself, like basil, fennel, and salt, as he constantly turned the meat over.

At this moment, the delicacies from the Historical Void he had eaten before had long disappeared due to him no longer maintaining their existence. His body and soul were calling out for replenishment.

A tempting fragrance was gradually emanated as Amon's nose twitched slightly.

"You're really eating them?"

Without waiting for his reply, the God of Mischief continued, "They're essentially the flesh of monsters and your Worms of Spirit. Are you sure you want to eat them?"

"There's no way to undo the curse at the level of an angel. If there's no way to resist or correct it at the same level, there's no way of dispelling it. Since a thing looks like a rabbit, smells like a rabbit, and tastes like a rabbit, it's a rabbit." As Klein seriously roasted the rabbit, he gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Besides, how can I not maintain the best state if I want to escape from your grasp? For this sliver of hope, I can only challenge my psychological limits."

This is what it means to endure humiliation and suffering! Klein added inwardly.

At the same time, he sighed at the Ancient Bane's Transformation Curse.

This was many times stronger than a Sequence 3 Disciple of Silence's curse!

There's almost no limit to the amount of time it can be maintained… Clearly, an ordinary animal can use all of my Beyonder powers through the Worm of Spirit, but a deformed marionette due to a curse isn't possible… This is a curse at the angel level… Apart from putting up resistance from someone at the same level, one can use the correct method to remove it. No curse is irreversible. There are always loopholes… Heh heh, will kissing this rabbit turn it into Gehrman Sparrow? Klein made a self-deprecating comment as he analyzed to compose himself.

After hearing his reply, the monocled Amon, nodded with a smile.

"Very good.

"This is indeed a good revelation to have."

Klein didn't respond as he resumed his barbecue.

Not long after, with the help of Flame Controlling, he finished roasting a rabbit and a goat's leg. Taking advantage of the opportunity before the condiments disappeared, he matched some sweet ice tea he summoned from the Historical Void with the food, filling his mouth with fragrance. It nourished his body and mind, allowing him to effectively relieve the pressure, despair, and indecisiveness from being "kidnapped" by Amon.

During this process, he would occasionally recall the disgusting looks of the monsters, as well as the fact that the Worms of Spirit were equivalent to himself. However, he was able to bring his feelings under control very well.

After filling his stomach and replenishing his energy, he turned the remaining ingredients next to the fire into dry rations, as though he was saving up for his subsequent plans.

Seeing him slowly but orderly making all sorts of preparations, Amon suddenly nudged his monocle and asked with a slight smile, "In actuality, you're trying to stall for time before we reach the actual destination, right?"

Klein's hands paused for a moment before he continued with his actions. He smiled and said, "Yes, I'm waiting for help.

"Guess who?"

Amon didn't answer directly as "He" said with a smile, "I'm looking forward to it."

Klein continued his work until he prepared rations for three or four meals.

He thought for a moment and once again reached his hand into the void in front of Amon. He failed again and again as he kept making attempts. It was unknown what item he was trying to summon, but it seemed like he was using his actions to dare Amon into stealing it.

After watching for a few seconds, Amon smiled and shook "His" head. "He" slowly stood up and walked out the half- collapsed tower building.

Klein's right hand stopped in mid-air before he retracted it and pinched his forehead.

He muttered to himself in puzzlement, "What was I trying to do just now…"

While trying to recall, Klein stood up as well. He brought along his packed rations, picked up the animal hide lantern, and walked to the back of Amon's side.

The man and angel circled around the hill and entered a valley.

The water was sloshing in the river, but when the dim yellow light shone at it, or when the lightning in the sky lit up the area, Klein realized that there was no water in the riverbed. The sounds he had heard earlier had also disappeared.

"A river that has been transferred into a concealed state?" After some deliberation, he raised a question to Amon.

"That's right. It will only appear in darkness void of light," Amon replied with a slight nod, unfazed with the question.

"Can I drink it?" Klein pressed.

Amon smiled and said, "Sure. This was once one of the water sources of a city that had persisted for 1600 years in the darkness. As long as you can bring the water away from the riverbed, they can appear in places with light.

Your next move is to suggest that I bring the lantern to wait by the side while you hydrate yourself in the darkness? "And then, take this opportunity to transform into a concealed state?"

Klein smiled awkwardly.

"How could I use such a simple method?"

Hearing that, Amon laughed and stroked "His" monocle.

"Sometimes, the simplest plan is the most effective. You can give it a try."

With regards to the words of this peerless swindler, Klein couldn't believe it, nor did he dare to believe it. He was afraid that the other party was using reverse psychology with the truth.

He could only put the matter of the water aside and ask, "In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, how many human gathering points, like the City of Silver, have yet to be destroyed?"

Amon looked ahead and said without changing "His" expression, "The ones I know don't exceed ten.

"In this aspect, the City of Silver is lucky. At least, they can see and have the ability to touch the light."

This means that the City of Silver is very close to the Giant King's Court, the door leading out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods. There's no need to risk death to reach it. As for the other cities, no matter how steadfast they are in the darkness, no matter how many exploration teams they send out, it will all be futile. There's no way to find the exit? Indeed, from this angle, the City of Silver is unfortunate, and also lucky… This is purely dependent on the reference point… Klein held the lantern as he proceeded along the bank and began coming up with his second attempt at escaping.

Amon walked beside him, occasionally providing him with ideas that seemed reliable but had unknown actual results. "He" appeared to be suffering from schizophrenia, trying "His" best to destroy "His" true body's hopes in obtaining Sefirah Castle.

On the other side of the Giant King's Court, in the City of Silver.

After receiving the Chiefs summoning call, Derrick Berg brought the Unshadowed Crucifix to the top of the spire and entered a spacious room.

There was a mysterious and complicated altar set up here. Different items were placed in different spots—a total of six items, each of them emanating a dangerous aura.

With a glance, Derrick saw an ordinary silver flute, a mask made from a skull, and the remains of a deformed person. "You have the Unshadowed Crucifix. You can stay here for fifteen minutes, but you can't exceed that time. Otherwise, you will suffer a sudden death." Colin Iliad wore a linen shirt and a brown coat as he exhorted Derrick.

Derrick's spiritual perception was triggered as he asked, "Your Excellency, is this because of that Twilight Mask?"

His right hand pointed at the mask made from a skull.

"Yes." Colin nodded slightly and said, "I've already prepared the remains of six powerful creatures. These were all hunted by myself, or with me as the main force."

Derrick was immediately enlightened.

"You still lack the blessings of a deity?"

Colin instantly fell silent. After nearly ten seconds, he opened his mouth and slowly said, "Yes."

After some hesitation and struggles, he finally chose The Fool.

At least those mushrooms had given the City of Silver hope.

Derrick suppressed his joy and thought back to the interactions at the Tarot Club. He raised a question in puzzlement: "Why didn't you let those two god-level Sealed Artifacts give you their blessings?"

He remembered that subsidiary gods—or angels—could satisfy the requirements of the ritual. It wasn't the case that only a Sequence 0 true deity could provide blessings. After all, a Silver Knight was only a Sequence 3.

Colin fell silent again and hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "They won't give blessings."

Chapter 1159 Validation

They won't give blessings… Derrick was a little confused by this answer, not fully comprehending it.

Back in the Afternoon Town camp, when he handed the Silver Knight potion formula to Chief Colin Iliad, the other party had praised him for making a huge contribution. He believed that the upper limit of the City of Silver was no longer that of Sequence 4, and his tone didn't reveal the need to seek blessings from external sources.

Hence, Derrick had always believed that the Chief would be able to use the two god-level Sealed Artifacts to complete the Silver Knight's advancement ritual. Now, it was inevitable that he was surprised.

Back then, the Chief didn't know that the two god-level Sealed Artifacts couldn't provide blessings, and he only realized this problem when he returned to the City of Silver? Derrick subconsciously made a guess and didn't ask further. He nodded heavily and said, "Alright, I will try my best to help you seek blessings from a deity."

Demon Hunter Colin exhaled silently and pointed at the door.

"There's no one in the room opposite."

Derrick turned around and passed through the corridor, entering the half-open room.

Then, he took a seat and recited softly, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era.

"The mysterious ruler above the gray fog.

"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck…"

Inside Sefirah Castle, and hidden within the gray fog, the crimson star representing The Sun rapidly expanded and contracted. It kept repeating the process, producing rings of pleas.

And not far beside it, the crimson star representing The Magician remained in the same state because of The Fool's lack of a response. The circular rings, ripples, and tremors that the two created intertwined and became more intense.

Under the illumination of the bolts of lightning, Klein carried a leather lantern and walked into the valley. He suddenly felt that the illusory pleas in his ears became even more chaotic and louder.

However, he realized that he had heard it clearer than before. Not only could he tell that the plea came from a woman and a man, but he could also vaguely make out certain content: The woman seemed to mention "The World" and "Backlund." The man used Jotun, and the keyword seemed to be "a ritual."

Ritual, Jotun… That's Little Sun… Uh, that Chief wishes to receive Mr. Fool's blessings? Mr. Fool also needs some blessings right now… The woman might be Miss Magician, but I can't rule out Miss Justice either… The corners of Klein's mouth twitched in embarrassment. He turned his head to look at Amon in the pointed hat and monocle, and he said, "Can I pop over to Sefirah Castle to answer a prayer?"

"What do you think?" Amon was taken aback as "He" asked in amusement.

"Since you want to play such a game, why won't you let it be more exciting?" In fact, Klein didn't have any hope regarding his request. This was because, as long as he could return to Sefirah Castle, he could use the power there to make the first step in escaping from his predicament. This was equivalent to getting Amon to just set him free.

The reason he mentioned this was because he wanted to use this to start the subsequent topic.

Amon nudged the crystal monocle with his knuckle and chuckled.

"As the God of Mischief, I've been alive since the Third Epoch. I believe you know what that means.

"Yes, what do you want to ask?"

…This is an accurate grasp of my state of mind and thoughts… Klein sighed and asked, "Why did you parasitize the City of Silver's exploration team back then? You even patiently stayed in the dungeon for decades."

Amon nodded and replied in a relaxed manner, "I had a premonition that the City of Silver would obtain extremely important information. Now, this prophecy has come true, right, Mr. Fool?"

…"He" did all of that just to wait for me and the Tarot Club? From the looks of it, this Marauder pathway's King of Angels can see the disturbances in fate caused by Sefirah Castle to a certain extent… Klein had never expected the answer, leaving him momentarily at a loss as to how to continue the topic.

After about ten seconds, he sighed and said, "You're really patient."

"He" was a King of Angels who liked to play pranks; yet, "He" actually stayed inside a dark dungeon without any sources of entertainment for decades.

"This has nothing to do with patience. It didn't take too much of my time," Amon casually replied.

…I'm still used to using a human's standards when talking about a deity. To Amon, who was born as a complete Mythical Creature, a few decades is nothing. "He" might even be more than 3000 years old… Klein regulated what he knew and asked again, "The City of Silver is one of the few places that persist on believing in your father. Aren't you going overboard with what you did to the expedition team?"

This question didn't seem to be necessary, but Klein believed that it would aid him in understanding Amon's thoughts and style, doing so in order to see if there was anything that could be used.

Amon turned his head and glanced at him with his monocled right eye. "He" said with an indifferent smile, "If it wasn't for their faith in my father, the City of Silver would've already been reduced to ruins.

"Heh heh, according to my observations, they're hiding quite a significant secret. As for what it is, because of the gaze directed by you and The Hanged Man, I haven't had the chance to pry into it."

…A trueborn Mythical Creature. The deaths of just a few humans might be equivalent to trampling a few ants to death. "He" wouldn't take it to heart at all… The City of Silver actually has a secret that even Amon thinks is a big secret… What could it be? Klein thoughtfully changed the topic.

"Was Dark Angel Sasrir really created from your father's rib?"

This was something that Klein had wanted to ask the entire time, but he hadn't found the opportunity to ask.

The smile on Amon's face faded as "He" looked at the darkness in front of "Him."

"Yes, 'He' separated a portion of his characteristics and corresponding negative personalities. 'He' used his rib as the material to create Dark Angel Sasrir.

"If that wasn't the case, how could a proud and arrogant person like Medici obey the so-called Left Hand of God, the deputy of Heaven?

"Without Sasrir's rebellion, implication, and influence, even if Evernight, Earth, God of Combat, and the other Kings of Angels joined forces, it's impossible for my father to perish."

Indeed… Dark Angel Sasrir is the most key factor in this matter… It's no wonder the Goddess wanted to bewitch "Him" at the very beginning… Who would've thought that "He" would betray "Himself"? Klein's initial speculation of the battle of gods had been confirmed. He felt his Scholar of Yore potion digest a little more.

He deliberately hesitated and made a guess:

"Could your father have foreseen such a development? Dark Angel Sasrir is also the key to his resurrection?"

Amon suddenly laughed.

"You asked so many questions in order to further digest the Scholar of Yore potion, right?"

"…" Klein pretended to break out in cold sweat, and he quickly adjusted his state of mind.

"I'm just curious. What are you looking for in the Forsaken Land of the Gods? What are you pursuing? The Marauder pathway Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic that you're missing isn't here, nor is Sefirah Castle.

"Are you trying to revive your father?"

Amon maintained "His" smile and looked straight ahead.

"Yes, and no.

"My zealous brother is already very close to reviving my father. 'He' probably doesn't need my help anymore."

Adam really wants to revive the ancient sun god? I thought that "He" was purely doing it for the sake of becoming a Sequence 0… Without hiding anything, Klein called out the name of the Twilight Hermit Order's leader.

He was even looking forward to Adam beating "His" younger brother up.

Of course, beating someone up wasn't in line with the style of a King of Angels of the Spectator pathway.

"There's no need to mention 'His' name. 'He' won't interfere with my matters, nor will I interfere with 'His.' I don't address 'Him' as Adam, because I think that a nickname like 'zealous' is very suitable for 'Him.' I have to say that Medici is very talented in giving nicknames. Also, even if I say 'His' name, 'He' wouldn't be able to hear it if I don't wish for 'Him' to hear it." At this moment, the monocled Amon smiled as he exposed Klein's idea.

Following that, Klein didn't mention the Dark Angel any further, because it was obvious that Amon wouldn't answer.

Before long, the man and angel walked out of the valley and saw a silent city.

More than half of the buildings in this city had collapsed. The remaining ones had a sharp roof, as though they were towers that led to heaven.

On the surface, dark red vines and plants grew, forming fruits whose edibility was unknown.

After entering the city, he discovered that there were stone coffins placed in front of each house. Inside were skeletons or recently rotted corpses.

A common point between them was them being greatly deformed. Some had four legs; some had a slit in the middle of their eyebrows; some lacked skin, directly revealing their flesh; some had arms wrapped around their necks like tails.

"This was originally a city that believed in the Phoenix. Later, it converted its target of faith to my father, but it retained some customs related to death." The monocled Amon, casually sized up his surroundings and said, "After the Cataclysm, they were left behind in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. However, there were no edible, relatively normal plants around them, so they could only eat those corrupted monsters. Over generations, their bodies began to produce defects and psychological problems. Eventually, they were completely wiped out."

The Cataclysm brought about by the Goddess's assassination of the City of Silver's Creator really was a calamity for civilization… Before that, there were elven, giant, phoenix civilizations, and so on. After that, all that's left are traces of them… When Klein thought of the city that had been swallowed into the ground, he sighed.

In the history books, in mysticism, it was very apt to call that history: "The Cataclysm."

He paused for a moment before asking, "Why are we entering this city instead of going around it?"

Amon smiled and said, "In the Second Epoch, apart from wielding the Death pathway, the Phoenix Ancestor also occupied part of the Apprentice pathway. Some of the decorations here can become a loophole that I can make use of to shorten our journey to our final destination."

Klein's expression immediately darkened.

Chapter 1160 Improving

City of Silver, at the top of the spire.

After waiting for a long time, Derrick still didn't receive a response from Mr. Fool.

This made him panic a little. He didn't understand what this meant, nor did he know how to deal with it.

Mr. Fool is in a state where he can't respond to his prayers? Yes, "He" informed us two days ago that the gathering next week would be canceled. This should be a sign… Having recalled what happened previously, Derrick barely managed to calm his anxiety and nervousness.

He couldn't be blamed for having such a huge reaction, because the City of Silver's textbooks recorded similar situations:

The Creator who normally responded to "His" believers suddenly stopped responding and forsook this land!

After a few seconds of silence, Derrick stood up and returned to the room where the Chief was. He said to Colin Iliad, "We have to wait a few more days."

"Wait?" Demon Hunter Colin repeated the keyword as he frowned slightly.

From his point of view, this was an unusual matter, seemingly symbolizing a bad development.

Derrick resisted his instinctive reaction of scratching the back of his head, and he nodded with some difficulty.

"Yes."

The grizzled Colin Iliad stared at him for a few seconds before nodding slowly.

"Alright, head back first."

Backlund East Borough, inside a two-bedroom rental apartment.

Fors, who was wrapped in thick clothes, paced around the warm stove, her face full of doubt.

Finally, she turned her head and looked at Xio.

"Why hasn't Mr. World replied?"

"Perhaps he's preoccupied with something," Xio explained the reason she had long considered. "Perhaps it's because it's not convenient for Mr. Fool to pass on your prayers. 'He' has temporarily paused the gathering."

Fors nodded thoughtfully and said, "Mr. Fool informed us that the gathering will be temporarily paused next week. It was only decided in the middle of the week. Is this related to George III?"

Recalling Mr. World's investigations all this time, Xio acknowledged and said, "Very likely."

In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, in the dead silent city.

Dressed in a classic black mage's robe, Amon led Klein into a relatively complete cathedral.

Segmented stone pillars lay tilted, and dark red weeds grew out from their cracks, wrapping around the avian sculptures.

With the animal hide lantern in hand, Klein surveyed the area and confirmed that the residents of this city weren't truly dead. There were still a few survivors left. He had no idea what method they had used to transform into monsters of the deep darkness. They were hiding from the faint yellow light, surrounding a cathedral in a place that couldn't be seen. They wanted to attack the two ordinary-looking humans, Klein and Amon.

The reason why Klein was able to confirm that these monsters were originally residents of this city was because their Spirit Body Threads had a certain abnormality. Some were grayish-white, some were distorted, and some were sticky. They were completely different from the monsters elsewhere. They greatly resembled the corpses inside the coffins.

I don't know what kind of despair and mental breakdowns will make the remaining humans choose such a path… Perhaps the deepest sense of despair was that they couldn't see hope on a daily basis while the situation around them worsened… With a sigh, he made use of this opportunity to adjust his mentality.

He was experiencing various instances of hope surfacing, only to be met with despair time and time again.

The monocled Amon walked to the edge of the light and walked all the way into the deepest part of the cathedral.

Klein followed behind and saw a door covered in pale white light.

"This city is actually split into two parts: 'light' and 'darkness.' They're using certain abilities of the Apprentice pathway to hide a portion of the area. They have to use a specific 'door' to enter," Amon said as "He" pointed ahead.

A Secrets Sorcerer's powers? With some realization, Klein nodded, indicating that he knew what was going on.

Amon then said, "Behind this door is the 'dark' side of this city. I can use it to connect to a similar region far away. We can directly arrive there and shorten our journey."

As expected of the incarnation of loopholes… Klein watched as Amon stretched out "His" left hand and pressed down on the door formed from pale white light.

The light began to ripple as it rapidly spread outwards, becoming more and more intense.

At that moment, a deformed monster hiding in the depths of the darkness while spying on the cathedral suddenly trembled, becoming Klein's marionette.

Twenty or thirty seconds ago, Klein had already completed the process of obtaining initial control over it and deepened his influence. However, he waited until now before he completely converted it.

Right on the heels of that, Klein and the marionette reached out their hands at the same time. They took advantage of the opportunity when Amon changed the "door," and they grabbed something.

In his hand was something in the shape of a full moon, and was embedded with scarlet gemstones, the Scarlet Lunar Corona. In his marionette's hand was an ancient, brass-colored Master Key!

At the same time, they opened their mouths and made a "bang" sound. They used Air Cannons to push the Scarlet Lunar Corona and the Master Key to the door of light.

These two items combined could make one hear Mr. Door's pleas for help. This also meant that Mr. Door's powers could enter the real world to a limited extent.

And this was the controller of all "doors." He was one of the existences who was most unwilling to see Amon become an "Error" or control Sefirah Castle!

Klein didn't expect that the sealed Mr. Door could really hurt Amon. He only hoped that he could use this opportunity to interfere with the Angel of Time and create a good enough opportunity for himself.

Of course, if Mr. Door could cause any abnormal changes to the door, magnifying or distorting the loopholes created by Amon; thus, affecting the King of Angels of the Marauder pathway and teleporting "Him" far away, Klein would definitely sincerely thank Mr. Door for a week.

After his previous attempts, Klein realized his greatest disadvantage. It wasn't that he was one Sequence short and had a qualitative gap in power level. Instead, he had lost the initiative and couldn't make proper preparations. Every time he began preparing, he would be interrupted or foiled by Amon.

For a veteran Magician, unprepared performances were often synonymous with failure.

If he could make preparations in advance, he could quietly summon Mr. Azik's, Reinette Tinekerr's, and Snake of Fate Will Auceptin's historical projections. Against a Sequence 2, even if there was no way to deal with "Him," it would definitely create a very good opportunity to escape.

At that moment, the Scarlet Lunar Corona and ancient-looking Master Key whistled through the air and arrived at the door of light.

The white light that formed the illusory door distorted and devoured the two items. It was dyed crimson as it collapsed into a whirlpool.

It was as though the bottom of the vortex was invisible, like a gigantic eye.

Just as Amon was about to turn around, "He" made a slight pause as if "He" had heard an old friend's shout.

However, this pause disappeared instantly, as though it had never appeared.

With Amon's gaze directed at Klein, the latter instantly lost six Beyonder powers.

This included the control of Spirit Body Threads, the summoning of Historical Void projections, Paper Figurine Substitutes, Flame Controlling, Underwater Breathing, and Bone Softening.

Of course, losing these six Beyonder powers for a marionette didn't affect Klein's subsequent operations.

The indiscernible pause from before had allowed Klein to switch places with his marionette in time!

He had already arrived deep in the darkness outside the cathedral. The deformed monsters around him trembled and turned into his marionettes.

For targets such as these that weren't even Sequence 5, it took only two or three seconds for Klein to transform them into marionettes. And by the time he summoned the Scarlet Lunar Corona, he had already begun doing similar actions.

As he enjoyed the darkness without any scruples, he attempted to transform into a concealed state or successfully commit suicide. At the same time, he reached out with his marionettes to grab at the fog interwoven with history.

This time, he split the marionette into three groups, summoning Reinette Tinekerr, Mr. Azik, and Snake of Fate Will Auceptin, respectively. He didn't want to follow his past mistakes, where he had managed to succeed with great difficulty only to have "Them" taken away by Amon. With such arrangements, he might be left with one or two.

Of course, the premise was that Amon was unable to steal multiple Historical Void projections at once.

This was something that Klein needed to confirm.

Klein retracted his hand, but he didn't grab anything.

All the marionettes who summoned the Snake of Fate failed. Among the Scholars of Yore groups who summoned the Death Consul and Reinette Tinekerr, two of them had their arms tense up slightly.

Klein was delighted as he suddenly felt that this attempt could end up turning into a real escape attempt.

At this moment, the crystal monocle that Amon wore emitted a terrifying light.

The entire city, including the surrounding rivers, hills, and wilderness, were all filled with pure, scorching sunlight. "Day" had once again descended upon this land after bidding farewell to it for thousands of years.

Amon had stolen the "day" from the ruins of the battle of gods!

In the face of such a "day," not only did Klein feel like his body was about to melt, but he also heard familiar and crazy ravings in his ears. They were like steel needles that pierced through every Worm of Spirit.

This caused his mind to be filled with immense pain. His marionette's summoning attempts had failed while on the brink of success.

The "day" in the battlefield of the gods contained the True Creator's ravings!

The deformed monsters that were hiding deep in the darkness, which were the few survivors of the city, seemed to temporarily regain their senses. They stared blankly at the "day" and couldn't help but narrow their eyes.

Then, they wildly charged towards the source of that "day," melting one by one into dust.

Far away in the City of Silver's Afternoon Town campsite, the guards at the stronghold also noticed that there was a light coming from the northeast. It was different from lightning, just like the scene of the sun rising from the legends.

This scene only lasted for a few seconds before it shattered and the sky returned to its dark state.

As soon as he recovered from the ravings, Klein saw the pointed-hatted Amon standing in front of him.

This Angel of Time nudged "His" monocle and smiled.

"Well done."

Chapter 1161 Countdown

Well done… Faced with Amon's "praise," Klein forced a smile and politely replied, "Thank you."

To be honest, he preferred to hear curses rather than "praise," as that meant that he was close to succeeding.

Of course, Klein suspected that even if he managed to escape, Amon wouldn't be flustered and exasperated. Based on the character displayed by this God of Mischief, it was very likely that "He" found it interesting and exciting while also inevitably feeling a little depressed and disappointed to the point of being eager for the next round.

"It's a huge improvement to be able to think of using Door to disrupt me." Amon smiled indifferently. "But don't you think that I'd be in a relatively more vigilant state while 'Door Opening'? And that it's actually not that easy to be affected by an accident?"

After some thought, Klein answered seriously, "That's what I thought in the beginning, but later on, I felt that you should be able to grasp my state of mind, believing that I wouldn't dare to act when you opened the door. When that happens, making an attempt might work wonders."

Doing it when others believe that you wouldn't do it was also a strategy.

In his previous life, Klein had come into contact with games that had such a higher level of thinking that made his head spin.

"What if I thought of this level as well?" Amon said with a smile as "He" used "His" knuckle to nudge the bottom of his monocle.

At the same time, the remaining marionettes, which were still alive, took out crystal monocles out of thin air and wore them on their right eye. All of them cast their gazes at Klein.

This left Klein's scalp tingling. He discovered that the connection between the marionettes and himself had instantly been severed.

"Although you've improved, failure still demands some level of punishment." With a smile, Amon turned around and walked towards the cathedral.

As "He" took a step forward, the marionettes revealed smiles one after another as they collapsed to the ground stiffly. This caused Klein's soul to be torn apart again and again as the blood vessels on his forehead visibly bulged.

As he endured the pain, he stood rooted to the ground and calmed down after a long while.

During this process, although he had always been in the depths of the darkness, he didn't suffer any attacks from the terrifying monsters, nor did he turn into a concealed state.

When did Amon steal the concealment powers in this city? If I had tried to commit suicide, I definitely would've had the thought stolen from me… My preparations still aren't enough. I don't have enough confidence when dealing with Amon, having not considered the things "He" might have stolen into consideration… I really didn't expect "Him" to release the "day" that "He" stole from the ruins of the battlefield of gods… Regarding what else "He" stole in the past, or whatever "He" has on "Him," I have no idea. I can't make targeted preparations… That monocle is some sort of vessel used to store stolen items? Or is it part of Amon to begin with? So every time he parasitizes someone, a monocle will be taken out… Klein rubbed his temples and walked into the cathedral. Looking at Amon before the door of light, he asked, seemingly casual, "Why do you have so many monocles? Where do you usually place them?"

Amon stroked the monocle on "His" right eye and smiled indifferently.

"Why don't you ask me why every avatar of mine has eyes? And where do I usually place them?"

"…I understand." Klein nodded in enlightenment.

Amon cast "His" gaze back to the door of light that had yet to calm down from the rippling. "He" casually said, "I have the nagging feeling that this operation of yours is a major preparation piece, and not an attempt.

"What cheap trick did you pull off during that process?"

After some deliberation, Klein replied with a smile, "Guess."

"I do have some guesses. Do you think I've guessed it correctly?" Amon asked with interest as "He" pinched the edge of his monocle.

"Perhaps, or perhaps not." Klein didn't give a clear answer as he cooperatively walked to Amon's side. He saw "Him" reach out again and press down on the pale white door of light.

Above the door of light, ripples appeared once again as they became more intense and exaggerated.

After about ten seconds, the ripples spread the surroundings, causing the door of light to expand twice in size.

Amon glanced at Klein, gesturing for him to take a step forward.

Klein instinctively turned his head and looked around the cathedral.

Beyonder characteristics left behind by the mutated monsters were shimmering outside the area that the lantern had lit up. They weren't all Beyonders when they were alive. After those ordinary people turned into monsters, a large part of the power came from the darkness and degeneration. The powers didn't belong to them, so no characteristics were purged.

"I almost forgot." After taking a look together with Klein, Amon suddenly shook "His" head and smiled.

Just as "He" finished his sentence, a bunch of Beyonder characteristics floated up and entered "His" body. They merged with "Him," leaving only a small portion behind.

"Most of the people who chose to transform into monsters are of the Apprentice pathway, Beyonders and their family members who can enter the city's 'dark' side," Amon said casually as "He" retracted his gaze.

Even if it's a similar pathway's Beyonder characteristic, it would be problematic if it's directly "eaten," right? Shouldn't it only be possible to jump to a higher level of a neighboring pathway? It also allows the accommodation of lower Sequences? Seeing this, Klein was a little stunned as he asked curiously, "Won't this accumulate madness?"

This wasn't just a matter of accumulating madness. Klein suspected that if he did it himself, there was a high chance that he would go crazy.

"Others will," Amon said with a smile, "but not me."

A true "bug"… Klein couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Then, the distance between him and the door of light disappeared.

Subconsciously, he forgot about the remaining Death pathway's Beyonder characteristics, and he entered the mutated door of light with Amon.

Endless darkness and squirming lines of light were mixed together, giving rise to the feeling of a sudden descent.

About ten seconds later, he discovered that he and Amon had appeared on a square. The dim yellow light of the animal hide lantern seemed to be stopped by an invisible force, causing it to only illuminate half the square.

Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the surroundings.

With the help of the lightning, Klein saw several incomplete statues erected around the square. They either had their hands tied to their backs, had their bodies entangled with the thorny roses, or looked like mummies. They gave off the feeling of being "restrained."

"This city first believed in the Mutant King." Like a qualified tour guide, Amon introduced the situation of each "scenic site" to Klein. "They're very interesting. They're usually restrained and quiet, just like ascetics. However, once they encounter prey, or in special moments in time, they will release a bloodthirsty desire to kill. You can imagine that on the night of the full moon, this is a city where werewolves roam."

From the looks of it, the Mutants originally had the concept of temperance… Later on, it was led astray by the Mother Tree of Desire… Using the new round of lightning, Klein took a few more looks and asked thoughtfully, "The Mutant King's image is close to that of a mummy?"

"No. Although 'He' is an ugly and twisted man, 'He' likes to entangle 'Himself with thorny roses." Amon scoffed.

Klein took the opportunity to ask, "What kind of idols will your believers worship?

"In mysticism, your symbol is a clock and a Worm of Time?"

Amon scratched "His" chin and said, "In theory, my believers are all 'me.' I don't need to trouble myself with building an idol."

My believers are all 'me'… Thankfully, I have a Blessed like Danitz now… Klein suddenly realized that he was quite similar to Amon in certain aspects.

Of course, when I say "my believer is myself," it's a funny story. When Amon says that "my believers are all 'me,"1 it becomes a horror novel. The difference in style is quite huge… Klein finally mocked himself.

As Amon walked forward, "He" continued, "However, in my father's era, quite a number of people believed in me. Some of them set off with the name 'Angel of Time,' using the emblem of the clock to construct my idol. Some of them used the title of 'God of Mischief and used a crow covered in mysterious patterns as my image, while others combine the two together."

Having said that, the monocled Amon suddenly turned "His" head and glanced at Klein before curling his lips.

"We're less than three days away from our final destination."

That is to say, I only have three days left… Klein nearly drew in a cold breath of air. The pressure increased rapidly, making him feel as though his nerves were being crushed.

He had yet to determine the true purpose behind this game Amon made, nor did he discover any traces of what he was being driven to do. This meant that he was unable to grasp the key, and he was unable to find a real opportunity to escape.

The performance of Amon's avatar made him understand that he might not even be able to last ten seconds before "Him."

As his thoughts raced, Klein fell silent. Following that, he walked out of the square covered in ruins.

There were few pedestrians on the streets as they came and went in a hurry. In Pritz Harbor, where many houses were covered in bum marks, the chestnut-haired Queen Mystic placed a newspaper on the table.

The first page of the Tussock Times was about the king's assassination. It also claimed that the assassin came from Feysac or Intis.

"This isn't stopping the disaster, nor is it worsening the disaster…" Bernadette muttered to herself with a serious expression.

She pondered for a moment, picked up the cloth on the table, and wrapped it up. Then, she released her fingers and allowed it to relax.

This time, the coffee cups, pens, newspapers, and other items in the tablecloth disappeared. What appeared were ritual items like silver-made candles.

Following that, Bernadette held a ritual and summoned Gehrman Sparrow's messenger.

As a partner, she felt that she needed to ask about the other party's situation and see if there was anything else she needed to help with.

The moment the ritual ended, four blonde, red-eyed heads walked out of the burgeoning candle flame. Dressed in a dark and complicated long dress, Reinette Tinekerr's neck was empty.

Bernadette's eyelids twitched indiscemibly before she picked up the letter and gold coin that she had prepared earlier and handed it to the messenger.

One of Reinette Tinekerr's heads bit on the letter and gold coin while the other head sized up Queen Mystic for a few seconds.

"She" shifted "Her" gaze back and walked into the void. However, just as Bernadette was about to put away the tablecloth, Miss Messenger suddenly appeared again.

One of the two heads with blonde hair and red eyes spoke one after another:

"He…" "Has disappeared…"