Postman Amon gazed at the young man in the distance. He could tell that this was an obvious bait—without a doubt, this was the marionette of the future Lord of Mysteries that Lynn had his eyes on. The fact that this figure appeared here meant... he was fishing!
However, Amon also knew this was bait he could not refuse.
Under Lynn's watchful eye, his only chance to fight for the position of Lord of Mysteries might be this one opportunity—even though Amon knew that this opportunity itself was deliberately arranged by Lynn.
The reason? Probably to have some fun and give that future Lord of Mysteries a little practice!
'This is truly infuriating.' Amon pushed up his monocle and sighed quietly.
At this moment, he genuinely regretted investing in the Tudor Dynasty back in the Fourth Epoch. If he had sided with Sasrir, Lynn wouldn't be favoring the other side so much.
Unfortunately, although the world does indeed offer remedies for regret, they weren't his to use. They belonged to that Angel of Secrets squatting in the bushes, spectating.
'Wait, there isn't just the Angel of Secrets...' Amon seemed to sense something. He adjusted his monocle again and sneered. "Hmph, paranoid lunatic!"
It really wasn't surprising for that person, famous for hedging his bets, to have sold him out already.
"But even so, he still won't choose you. From beginning to end, he only ever acknowledged that one." Amon said this, fading away as if disappearing into thin air, leaving only a lonely bicycle behind.
Half a minute later, in one of Klein's safe houses, the Fool, who was openly preparing for Journey to the Forsaken land of the Gods and packing his luggage, but secretly waiting for Amon to show up, finally heard a familiar voice.
"Don't throw away your marionette's carelessly, or you'll be tracked."
The familiarity of the words left Klein momentarily dazed, as if fate was overlapping at that very moment.
But the next second, Klein snapped out of it. His body should have been immobile, but he moved as he looked at the blood admiral who had been parasitized by Amon. The gem on his wrist glowed, and in the next moment, a historical projection of the future Lord of Mysteries enveloped him.
However, this time, the projection didn't immediately merge with the Fool. It was as if it had been provoked, and the pair of eyes that should have been devoid of any light now showed a trace of familiar weariness and confusion.
The consciousness of the future Lord of Mysteries, projected once again, turned its gaze toward Amon in the distance, and its eyes grew sharp.
Immediately after, Amon felt deep pain. The time worms parasitizing Klein, as well as those hiding in the surrounding air, were all crushed in an instant. Amon's true body, hidden in the shadows, also took a direct hit from an explosion.
Charred time worms littered the ground, and those that still clung to life twisted and writhed, their broken bodies looking as miserable as could be.
The projection of the future Lord of Mysteries smiled slightly at this sight and said.
"Don't parasite recklessly, or you'll be blown up."
Meanwhile, Lynn lurking in the shadows, revealed an expression of understanding.
"Indeed, a bit of stimulation helps maintain consciousness."
Yes, besides just having fun, Lynn also intended to use this to further perfect the historical projection of the future.
"This... Lynn, what kind of cheat are you giving to this kid? The aura of this historical projection seems off." Roselle, who was also crouched in the bushes, blinked in shock at Amon's miserable state. As he continued to spectate Klein beating Amon, he couldn't help but ask quietly.
You had to know, Roselle had already prepared for Klein to lose to Amon and was ready to intervene with the other powerful figures at the last second to give Amon a blow. However, the scene unfolding before him now left Roselle confused.
"Can't you see? It's a historical projection!" Lynn replied matter-of-factly.
Roselle: ...
'Of course, I can tell it's a historical projection, but normal ones don't behave like this! Otherwise, the Seer pathway would have been invincible ages ago.'
"This is a modified historical projection, capable of summoning one's future self without being restricted by uniqueness." The Angel of Secrets explained, "So, the one currently beating Amon is Klein, who has already become the Lord of Mysteries in the original timeline."
"Hiss, is that even possible?" Roselle was shocked. He couldn't help but take another few glances at the historical projection, then whispered, "Can I have this cheat too?"
Though Roselle was a Sequence 0 Black Emperor, considering the power levels of the Outer Gods, he felt it necessary to further enhance himself.
"Sorry, you can't. In the original timeline, you didn't become a Great Old One," the Angel of Secrets shook his head.
Roselle's face immediately fell in disappointment.
As they conversed, the battle outside was nearing its end.
Or rather, it shouldn't even be called a battle. The future Fool who projected his consciousness was already at the level of a true Lord of Mysteries, while the current Amon hadn't even acquired Pallez's characteristics. He could only be considered a King of Angels. With such a gap—two whole levels—this was not really a battle between equals. Future Klein beating Amon was more like child's play—even Sequence 0s could chase Amon down, let alone a Pillar.
That's just how the Beyonder world worked—the higher the sequence, the greater the difference.
By the time Lynn and the others emerged from the bushes, Amon's true body had already been reduced to a limp state, trapped inside a delicate little crystal ball. It looked like he wouldn't be able to recover for years.
The future Fool held the crystal ball containing Amon's body and, after admiring it for a moment, turned to Lynn. Tossing the ball over, he said.
"I heard you've been raising a Amon."
Whoa!
Lynn caught the crystal ball, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the future Fool. He said, "Is this a gift?"
Of course, Lynn could tell that the crystal ball was a seal, and Amon's true body had been sealed inside.
For anyone else, sealing Amon like this would be nearly impossible, but against the Lord of Mysteries, with the suppression of the same sequence, it was almost unfair.
"If you plan to raise that unlucky thing, then yes, it is," the future Fool shrugged, "Though I personally prefer just crushing him."
"Sounds a bit cruel..." Lynn tossed the crystal ball lightly, watching Amon's true body roll around inside, and said with a grin, "But if it's Amon, I suppose it's not that cruel after all."
He brought the crystal ball close to his eyes, staring at the tiny Amon within and said maliciously.
"Are you afraid? New Tiny Amon, I just might crush you!"
(End of Chapter)