Bethel sighed before continuing, "This power might not be a blessing for him. Everything Lynn has arranged in this era might be an attempt to rid Himself of this power."
At that moment, Klein suddenly recalled his previous speculations. He couldn't help but ask, "So, is this the power that could cause Lynn to lose himself?"
"Based on my guess, that indeed should be the case. At the very least, this power and the one that's been eroding Lynn seem to originate from the same source." As Bethel spoke, his expression turned slightly grave. Then, for a brief moment, he appeared confused, as if remembering something, before suddenly saying, "During those years when I was nearly a puppet controlled by the Mother Goddess of Depravity, I seemed to have felt a trace of that power's source."
Upon hearing this, the Fool, Klein, became even more focused, and Lynn's expression mirrored his, though he felt a subtle unease deep within.
Theoretically, the only time Bethel could have sensed the power of his True self was when his true self accidentally glimpsed the Mother Goddess of Depravity and, in the process, obliterated Roselle's corrupted personality.
Lynn originally thought that the "glance of the True Self" from that incident shouldn't have affected Bethel, especially since he had never mentioned it. Lynn had also been unable to trace any influence from that event back to Bethel.
But now, it seemed that perhaps the incident had some effect after all.
"That time... It's hard to describe," Bethel said with a complex expression. "I wasn't fully conscious at the time, and my senses were not clear. After all, that power wasn't directed at me; I was merely affected... It can't even be called 'affected,' but even so, it nearly destroyed me in an instant. No, 'destroyed' isn't the right word... Perhaps 'assimilated' is more accurate? I'm not sure..."
Bethel shook his head, his expression dazed as if lost in memories, and muttered, "It was a vast, or perhaps I should say, a great consciousness. Just sensing it from afar made my awareness unbearable... I should even be thankful that I was under the control of the Mother Goddess of Depravity at that time. No, I should draw closer to Her..."
"Stop!" A voice suddenly echoed above the gray fog, a seemingly calm word imbued with an indescribable power. It wasn't anyone else but Lynn.
But at this moment, the usual ease and smile on Lynn's face were gone, replaced by a demeanor closer to His divine incarnation.
Lynn looked at Bethel, stood up, and walked to his side, raising his hand to touch Bethel's forehead. Even though this was just a projection, Lynn seemed to directly touch Bethel's true form in the Cosmos.
Bethel's face showed a hint of pain, and then he opened his eyes in confusion, "What just happened?"
"You remembered something you shouldn't have," Lynn said with a serious expression, tinged with a bit of helplessness.
If Lynn hadn't realized it at first, he now fully understood that Bethel had indeed been affected by the True self's glance. However, unlike Roselle, who was directly obliterated, Bethel had only been slightly affected, similar to what had happened to him.
Bethel had almost been assimilated by his True self.
This might sound unbelievable, but considering that the Pathway of the Door belonged to the three Families of Mysteries and that these three Families had connections to the authority held by his True self, Lynn found it unsurprising.
However, Bethel was fortunate in a way. On one hand, he was only slightly affected and didn't establish a direct connection with his True self. On the other hand, Bethel was almost completely controlled by the Mother Goddess of Depravity at the time, which somehow helped him.
And just like how Roselle, after being obliterated, remembered Lynn's True self's existence but had no idea what he saw through that glance, Bethel, who was affected and almost assimilated, also subconsciously sealed those memories until today.
As for why Bethel suddenly recalled them, Lynn thought it might be due to the right circumstances—Bethel's corruption from the Mother Goddess of Depravity had been suppressed, he carried Lynn's power, and they were discussing topics related to Him and His True self within this Sefirot of the Lord of Mysteries. Bethel also had a trace of his power projected here, so under these conditions, it wasn't surprising that his memories unlocked.
But the fact that those memories unlocked was dangerous, especially since they were at Sefirah Castle, and Bethel was a top figure in the Pathway of the Door, which meant his power buff was almost instantly amplified.
Lynn almost immediately sensed his True self, which seemed to be on the verge of glancing this way again, prompting him to make a swift decision, leading to the earlier scene.
As a result, Lynn's assimilation naturally surged once more. Fortunately, unlike Bethel, who had no resistance, Lynn, as a doppelgänger, had high resistance to assimilation from his True self, so he could still maintain stability.
At the same time, Lynn looked in a certain direction, as if seeing through Sefirah Castle to a location in the real world.
In that brief moment, although Lynn prevented his True self from glancing again, he still managed to see something.
And so, he discovered a similarly loathsome power present in this time and space.
Lynn didn't know what it was; he just instinctively despised it. But what made Lynn feel a bit creepy was the realization that, perhaps due to the heightened assimilation or the power of his True self, Lynn sensed that this loathing contained a trace of... instinctual closeness?
'What the hell?!' Lynn's assimilation dropped a bit out of sheer fright, but since it was only a borrowed trace of his True self's power, his perceptions were limited, and he quickly regained his composure.
"In the future, don't discuss anything related to Him at Sefirah Castle unless you want to draw His attention," Lynn warned, addressing Klein and Mr. Door and himself.
In the end, Lynn had been too careless. Even though he knew his True self and the Lord of Mysteries were connected in terms of authority, he still discussed these matters above the gray fog, almost leading to a disaster.
"I understand. Thank you, Lynn," Bethel said with lingering fear. Although the related memories were sealed again, the feeling of nearly being assimilated had deeply imprinted itself in his heart. Even without the memories, the fear remained. At the same time, he couldn't help but look at Lynn with concern.
'Is this what Lynn has to face? Such... such...' For a moment, Bethel struggled to describe his emotions.
"Lynn?" A voice filled with doubt and concern echoed above the gray fog. Though he didn't fully understand what had happened, Klein, who had sensed the danger in that instant, looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar young man before him and couldn't help but ask, "Are you... Lynn?"
It was clearly the same spirit, the same person, but Klein could distinctly sense that the person before him was different from the husky companion he knew.
"Allow me to introduce myself: Lynn Sotos, Angel of Secrets," Lynn said, looking at the Fool seated at the head of the bronze table. Noticing the Fool's unease, he gave a faint yet gentle smile and said:
"I am the Lynn you know, but not entirely. I am the sum of everything, the accumulation of all Lynns."
Sorry for the delay.
(End of Chapter)
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