"We're simply seeking self-discovery, or perhaps independence," Lynn smiled as he looked at him, suddenly shifting the topic. "Alright, let's stop talking about this. Any further and it won't align with the content restrictions."
"Let's go, Klein. Now that you've accepted part of your future self's memories, it's time for you to avenge the wrongs from the past!" Lynn made a gesture of invitation, and although his tone wasn't outright goading, it was clear that he was just short of having "I'm bored, I want to see rivers of blood" written on his face.
Klein twitched his mouth, but his mind was already filled with fragmented memories. In those glimpses, his future self was being chased by Zaratul. His dogs had even died trying to save him, mercilessly slaughtered by Zaratul…
No, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became!
Although Klein didn't believe such a future would happen to him, he did feel that he needed to do something for his future self.
Fortunately, there was something he could do now.
In the core of Foggy Town, inside the pitch-black church, where the statue of the Mother of the Sky sat behind the altar, Zaratul, who was pondering when the town would welcome a new Beyonder to release him from the prison of this historical projection, suddenly sensed two new visitors.
"Finally, another fool has arrived..." Zaratul muttered the line he had repeated countless times. He was thinking about how to trick someone into opening the door when his thoughts abruptly halted upon seeing the two newcomers.
He recognized one of them instantly. The moment he saw the figure, he knew who it was.
Lynn Sotos, the Angel of Secrets, was a being whose origins were mysterious and whose strength was equally enigmatic. It was said that he was on good terms with several true Gods and angels, acting entirely according to his whims—a powerful and troublesome figure.
Zaratul hadn't encountered this angel during the Fourth Epoch, as at that time, the head of the Zaratul family was still the old Zaratul, not his younger self.
But the younger Zaratul had heard his father mention this angel before, and although that memory had long since been tossed aside, it resurfaced the moment he laid eyes on Lynn. Of course, Zaratul failed to realize that his memory had been tampered with.
'Why would the Angel of Secrets appear here? Right, his father had mentioned something about the Angel of Secrets having an interest in Antigonus…' Old Zaratul's expression had been complicated when discussing this matter, but the younger Zaratul had no time to analyze it further. His attention quickly shifted to the person accompanying the Angel of Secrets, and his brows furrowed.
Unlike the infamous Angel of Secrets, the younger Zaratul didn't recognize the person walking beside him. However, as a Beyonder of the Fool Pathway, or more accurately, a Wraith whose true body had gone mad, Zaratul keenly sensed something unusual about this individual.
A historical projection?
As Zaratul pondered this, he noticed the Angel of Secrets was observing him closely, only to sigh in disappointment.
"Just as I thought, the Attendant of Mysteries Characteristic has already been extracted. What remains here is merely a consciousness," Lynn remarked, clearly disappointed. Before meeting Zaratul, he had been hoping to fight and claim the Attendant of Mysteries Characteristic.
Unfortunately, after careful observation, Lynn concluded that Zaratul's historical projection did not contain the Characteristic. Coupled with rumors of the out-of-control Zaratul's body in the outside world, Lynn was fairly certain the Characteristic had been absorbed by Zaratul's true body.
However… "It seems there's still some value here," Lynn muttered, rubbing his chin and eyeing Zaratul a few more times. He smiled. "No wonder this historical projection has lasted so long—it's sustained by a fragment of the Miracle Invoker Characteristic."
Zaratul felt an eerie chill as Lynn scrutinized him, as if his entire being was laid bare, with no secrets left.
"What brings you here, sir?" Zaratul finally asked, deciding to take the initiative.
At the same time, he held onto a sliver of hope. No matter the reason for their arrival, the moment they attempted to leave, they would need to open the door. Once the door opened, he could reestablish contact with his true body outside and return to normal.
"Hmm, probably to beat you up," Lynn pondered for a second before answering, then glanced at Klein. "The improved historical projection will consume less spirituality. With your current level, you can probably maintain it for 15 seconds! Go ahead, if you win, you'll obtain a Miracle Invoker Characteristic."
Klein didn't respond. In truth, he was still adapting to his abilities—or rather, the abilities of the future Half-Lord of Mysteries.
It was far too advanced for someone at Sequence 5 like him. If not for the historical projection's instinctive combat abilities, Klein would have struggled to even figure out how to fight. The gap between their levels was immense. With more time, he could perhaps master these abilities, but there wasn't much time now.
So, in the end, Klein simply let the historical projection take over, while he observed from the sidelines, absorbing combat experience as he watched the projection beat Zaratul down.
It was a thorough thrashing. Although Zaratul's historical projection contained the Miracle Invoker Characteristic, against the future Lord of Mysteries' projection, it was a one-sided battle, as if a father was disciplining his son. Zaratul had no chance to fight back.
Before Klein fully understood what had happened, he found that he had already seized control of Zaratul's historical projection. At this moment, Zaratul truly became a prisoner trapped within his own historical projection.
"Clap, clap, clap—"
Applause echoed from the side. Klein looked over and saw the Angel of Secrets approaching, clapping his hands. He took Zaratul's historical projection from Klein, allowing Klein to release the combat mode of his own projection.
This gave Klein's spirituality which had been largely drained, a much-needed respite. However, he didn't completely dismiss the projection. He continued maintaining it at a low-consumption level.
Klein could sense that he could sustain this state for quite some time, and since his spirituality would be utterly exhausted once the projection was dismissed, he decided to keep it going until they left Foggy Town.
(End of Chapter)