164 LOTM
I can only maintain it for about a minute or so... That's way too short, isn't it? A thought flashed through Klein's mind. Without thinking about anything else, he took two steps to the desk.
He put down Groselle's Travels and quickly wrote on a piece of paper with 0-08:
"George III plans to use this speech to bait out all his enemies who want to sabotage his ritual. However, if everything goes smoothly and nothing happens, he'll take the opportunity to consume the potion and reveal his trump card to aim for divinity. After all, there are too many unknowns in the future, making it unsafe. Furthermore, he has made appropriate preparations for the ritual, they're already prepared to an adequate level.
"This is a very reasonable development."
After Klein wrote the last sentence, and before he could check if there was anything wrong with the written content, the dim quill in his hand disappeared without a trace, as though it had never existed.
And those few words seemed to drain all of his energy, making him feel dizzy. He took a few steps back and collapsed into his chair.
It doesn't make sense... It wasn't exhausting for Ince Zangwill back then... Uh, it should be because I forcefully summoned it, and I didn't dare let 0-08 weave a story on its own. When I wrote on the piece of paper, I had to rely on my own spirituality to support it. As for Ince Zangwill, he could get 0-08's cooperation, so it wasn't that draining... Klein closed his eyes and used Cogitation for a while before feeling better.
Under normal circumstances, having had no physical contact with 0-08 and merely meeting it once had made it impossible for him to summon this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. However, on the one hand, he had the Snake of Fate to personally augment his luck, and on the other hand, he had Groselle's Travels. This was the item left behind by the Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt. Inside it was the City of Miracles, Liveseyd. It had a connection to a certain degree to an existence like 0-08. If it wasn't for some high-level existence's disruption, these two items would've long been reunited.
Klein didn't know if this fate and particular connection could increase the chances of a successful summoning. He only wanted to give it a try since he didn't stand to lose anything. To his surprise, he really succeeded.
And it was precisely because of this that he didn't dare to use Groselle's Travels to bear the contents of 0-08's projection. He didn't even dare to let them come close, afraid that something irreversible would happen.
This was Backlund, which had an extremely dense population!
Yes, logically speaking, there shouldn't be any accidents. After all, 0-08 is a Historical Void projection. It's fake. Groselle's Travels was conjured by the Dragon of Imagination, and it's also fake. A fake combination can't be real in any way. They lack the foundation of a Beyonder characteristic... I can go back to the uninhabited reef island to test it... Klein rubbed his temples and returned to the desk. There, he began reading what he had just written.
He didn't directly write that George III would be unsuccessful in his advancement and die on the spot. He believed that if he interfered with a Sequence 1 angel, the projection of 0-08 wouldn't be able to be so direct. He had to be more tactful.
Furthermore, there was also the Psychology Alchemists and Amon's brother. Overly obvious effects would definitely be detected and easily made use of. All he could do was beat about the bush to mitigate the unknown.
I hope it works... After staring at it for a while, he folded the piece of paper and stuffed it into his pocket.
Then, he sacrificed Groselle's Travels back above the gray fog.
After doing all of this, Klein began to consider another problem. It was when he would head out to buy some ice-cream for Will Auceptin.
Backlund has Zaratul, and it's very possible that Amon is there. If I head out too frequently, we might run into each other. It's a little dangerous... Why don't I summon some ice-cream for Will from the Historical Void? It's very real when eating it, and it'll disappear in fifteen minutes. There's no need to worry about gaining weight at all. It's just splendid... Klein couldn't help but mumble inwardly.
In the end, he decided to change his clothes and leave the house because he had to keep his promise!
...
Saturday morning, the sky was gray and misty. It made one feel inexplicably stifled.
This was a common scene in Backlund's deep winter. Although the smog wasn't as thick and pungent like last year, the geographical environment and climate characteristics had determined that such situations would definitely exist for a long period of time. Furthermore, victory over environmental pollution was never something that could be declared in a year or two.
After putting on a black coat that covered her knees, and a black veil hat, Melissa quickly walked to the door.
Benson held his hat and shook his head.
"A young girl who isn't even twenty years old should be dressed like a teenager. You look overly mature and old-fashioned in that, understand? Old-fashioned."
Melissa glanced at her brother and simply replied, "The price of a pound of bread has risen by a quarter-pence."
"This price..." Benson tsked.
He then took out a silver pocket watch covered in vine-leaf patterns and snapped it open.
"Let's go. There's still a long way to go to the municipal square."
Melissa tersely responded and went out into the streets with her brother.
"Good morning, Mrs. Daniel." After taking a few steps forward, Benson saw a neighbor leaving. He greeted her with a smile.
He was good at chatting and had long established a good relationship with his neighbors.
The lady named Mrs. Daniel wore a pure black dress. She was in her forties and had a thin face. Her face was covered in a thin black veil that hung down from her hat. When she heard the greeting, she nodded and replied simply, "Good morning, the two of you."
She didn't make any small talk, and she coldly walked away.
As he watched her back, Benson deliberately slowed down his pace. When they finally opened up a distance, he turned to ask his sister, "What happened to Mrs. Daniel?
"I've been too busy recently, so I haven't visited the neighbors in a long time."
Melissa pursed her lips and said, "Mrs. Daniel's eldest son was confirmed to have died on the front line at the Amantha mountain range. News from yesterday." @@novelbin@@
"That tall, bashful, but thoughtful, kind, and sincere young lad? When he came back the last time, he said that he was promoted in the army and became an officer..." Benson asked in surprise.
Melissa nodded.
"I couldn't imagine that Larry would die just like that..."
Just like how she couldn't imagine the tragic deaths of her classmates at school.
In just a few seconds, some people could no longer speak, communicate, or study.
Benson was silent for a moment before sighing.
"I've been busy lately. Actually, I've been dealing with bereavement payments, but perhaps the list I received didn't include Larry, so I'm not sure.
"There's a lot of information on that list. Some are cheerful, others are humorous, others are the only child within a family. Some are determined, while others are the leaders of the soldiers around them. Some just got married and don't have children. Some are preparing presents for their youngest daughter, while others had love letters with them. They planned on sending it at the post office after the battle... But, they're all dead."
Melissa and Benson fell silent at the same time, and neither of them spoke for a long time.
When they were almost at the intersection, Melissa looked at the road ahead and said in a low voice, "What do you think His Majesty will be talking about in his speech today?"
"Perhaps it's a form of musters, or perhaps it's to convey the faith that we will prevail," Benson said in passing.
Melissa turned to look at her brother.
"This isn't like you, Benson. Shouldn't you be making some snarky remarks?"
"It should wait till the speech is heard and the specific content is understood. The most basic principle of being a person is to not make comment on things that one doesn't know enough of. Otherwise, they would be worse than a curly-haired baboon," Benson said with a smile.
At this moment, he saw another neighbor.
The other party's hair was white, and his face was half-covered with a scarf. He was wearing a thick jacket and was holding a cloth bag in his hand as he hurried past the siblings.
"Mr. Thomas's dressing is so strange... Does he still need to do something else?" Benson looked at the back of the man and asked in puzzlement.
Melissa replied in a low voice, "Mrs. Thomas is sick, and that spent quite a bit of their family's savings. Recently, with food prices sharply increasing while Mr. Thomas's income remains the same, he has to queue up at the soup kitchen every few days to get some bread. He's a decent gentleman, so he probably doesn't want others to recognize him.
"Also, the food at the soup kitchen is always limited. If one's late, there might not be any left. They'll have to go to the cathedral, the workhouse, and other places. The handouts just happen to start after His Majesty's speech, so Mr. Thomas probably wants to go there directly."
Benson nodded slowly and asked in concern, "What's wrong with Mrs. Thomas? I know a few good doctors."
"A disease caused by anxiety," Melissa explained what she had heard. "Mrs. Thomas is very worried about her youngest child who's serving in the army."
"You mean Thomas Jr.?" Benson frowned slightly.
After receiving his sister's confirmation, he fell silent, as if recalling something.
After a while, when they approached the nearest municipal square, Benson looked ahead and whispered, "Thomas Jr. is already dead..."
"..." Melissa didn't respond, but her expression was a little dazed.
They walked forward silently, as if they were relying on inertia.
More and more people appeared in front of them. These people were either dressed in formal attire or holding canes, dressed up as gentlemen. Otherwise, they were dressed in blue, green, yellow, and red-colored skirts; sweaters and leather jackets matched with pants; or dark-colored petticoats. Their colors were dull.
They came out of their houses and from the streets they were on, like water droplets splashing upward. They merged together at the intersection, forming a tiny stream.
The stream surged ahead, combining with other tributaries, and flowed into the square's entrance, interweaving into a majestic torrent.
The torrents slowly surged forward, flooding the square.
Amidst this torrent of humans, Melissa felt like she was as puny as a water droplet.
-x-X-x-
Due to the fact that they had arrived early, the seats that Melissa and Benson could choose from weren't too bad. They could directly see something strange on the grayish-white stone pillars in the middle of the square. Its two heads dramatically differed in size and were painted with dark blue paint. It was connected to some cables.
At the foot of the object was a troop of soldiers in red shirts and white pants. They were carrying grayish-white metal backpacks, as well as complicated structures and small-caliber rifles. They were watching their surroundings in high alert.
As more and more citizens gathered, the square began bustling with activity.
At nine o'clock sharp, the strange object on the stone pillar suddenly produced sizzling sounds. Finally, it changed into a deep and thick voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your emperor, ruler of Loen, East Balam, and Rorsted Archipelago, George Augustus III."
...That thing can talk? It's using the principles behind the telegram? Melissa's eyes widened as her attention shifted from the speech to the strange thing.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your emperor, ruler of Loen, East Balam, and Rorsted Archipelago, George Augustus III."
At Memorial Square in West Borough, Audrey accompanied her father, mother, and elder brother near the platform. She looked at the king in his formal attire as she attentively listened to his speech.
As she knew in advance what George III would be focusing on today, and the mood that would be created, Audrey didn't wear anything that she was fond of. Be it the colors or style, they were nothing a girl would wear. It was the same as the Earl's wife, Caitlyn. The dress was simple and conservative. It was black in color without any traces of accessories.
"...I'm very happy but also feel heavy-hearted to tell everyone that we've finally stopped the first stage of the Feysacian attacks. We've foiled their plans of annihilating Loen within three months...
"...But many outstanding young people have already died at the front lines and died in this war. They had a better future ahead of them. They should've accompanied their parents in growing up, aging together with their spouses, and allowing their children to grow up in a loving environment and have a good childhood...
"...The Feysacians have destroyed everything..."
Knowing why this war had started, Audrey wasn't incited by the King's speech. She only felt that he definitely had talent in inciting drama.
She heard slight sobbing sounds coming from the crowd around her. She could feel the sadness rising bit by bit as they intertwined and brewed.
Her eyes reddened uncontrollably.
The king's speech was very fake, but the sorrow of the people was real. In particular, Audrey had seen many family members who had been killed, having helped those who had lost their children, husbands, and father overnight.
This is a great resonance of emotions, the best place to consume the Manipulator potion... Audrey suddenly came to a realization, but she was unable to make use of it because, not only had she not digested the Dreamwalker potion, but she had yet to provide enough contributions to Mr. World.
She slowly took a deep breath and controlled her emotions. She shifted her gaze away from King George III and let her thoughts wander.
Mr. World is very concerned about today's speech. I wonder how he's going to exploit this...
I hope it won't lead to a serious accident...
That thing called a "radio broadcast" is based on the principles of wireless radio transmission? Mr. World mentioned that certain factions at sea have already put such technology to use... Compared to the sea which is constantly affected by storms, something like this is clearly more suitable for use on land...
As the thoughts flashed through her mind, the stern and old-fashioned George III finished the first part of his speech and solemnly said, "Let us mourn for our heroes here. Ladies and gentlemen, recite this together with me in your hearts:
"In the name of Emperor George III, I wish for the dead heroes to be at peace. I hope they will become eternal in the kingdom of the deity they believe in."
This sentence carried an indescribable sense of dignity, making everyone, including Audrey, involuntarily lower their heads, clasp their hands, and silently recite, In the name of Emperor George III...
...
In the name of Emperor George III... On the other side of Memorial Square, Klein, who was wearing a black coat and an ordinary face, stood and prayed with the crowd around him at the same time. He appeared completely normal.
After three minutes of silence, he used an avian marionette standing on the roof of a nearby building to carefully observe George III's every move in an attempt to find a sign that the king was about to quietly leave and enter the mausoleum to consume the potion.
According to Klein's understanding, the "in the name of Emperor George III" segment was core to the entire Black Emperor ritual. If one were to consume the potion, it would definitely happen at this moment, or within two to three minutes after the collective mourning. The effects would likely be lacking if there was any delay.
Eh, George III is also silently mourning. He isn't doing anything else... Klein held back his impatience and puzzlement as he patiently waited.
Tears streamed down many people's faces as the mourning gradually came to an end. Everyone opened their eyes one after another. At this moment, George III didn't do anything. He spoke again and continued his speech. @@novelbin@@
"We've already endured through the most difficult part. We'll definitely defeat this evil and brutality. This is the power of justice. This is the power of every soldier at the front lines. This is the power of every factory worker..."
This... The arrangement by 0-08 wasn't successful. George III has no intention of becoming a god today. He's just trying to "bait" any enemies who want to destroy his ritual. In any case, he can still give many more speeches like this in the future? Klein frowned slightly as thoughts flashed through his mind.
Suddenly, his expression turned solemn as he thought of a possibility.
In the blink of an eye, Klein switched places with Enuni, who was hiding in the sewers. The latter was dressed the same as him, and his external appearance looked identical to him.
Following that, Klein took four steps counterclockwise and went above the gray fog. With the help of the crimson star representing Miss Justice, he used his "true vision" to observe the situation in the square.
He was already a Sequence 3 Beyonder, so there was no need for him to use the Sea God Scepter to widen his field of view. Of course, compared to a Scholar of Yore, a Sea King's "true vision" was obviously much larger. However, there was no need for that.
The moment his gaze landed on the stage where King George III was giving his speech, his gaze froze. There was no one there, or rather, there was only a fake "phantom"!
It was an "imagined" George III giving the speech!
Before the speech, Klein had been wary of this problem. He had specially observed and confirmed that it was the real George III. Who knew that, within a few minutes, the real George III would become an imaginary George III.
In the midst of his silence, he had used the Black Emperor pathway's powers to distort and silently swap himself with a substitute? George III should've already entered a secret mausoleum and is consuming a potion in an attempt to advance! With a thought, he quickly checked the surrounding area and discovered that there was something abnormal beneath the platform. Boundless black energy was secretly emanating from there.
He then picked up the Black Emperor card on the surface of the long bronze table and tried sensing it. Using the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics, he confirmed that the power belonged to the Black Emperor pathway and came from "Distortion" powers.
Impressive. While using a speech to "bait" the enemy, he disguised himself as a fake person and secretly left to consume the potion... There's not much time left... Klein's heart tightened as he immediately returned to the real world. In the sewers, he recited in Jotun, "The sacred spirit that pursues knowledge;
"The mysterious world's lighthouse;
"Eyes that pry into fate;
"The royalty above the sea;
"The pure and holy Bernadette Gustav..."
This was the honorific name of Queen Mystic, but it was somewhat different from a normal Sequence 3's. Its range was very large and was effective all across Backlund. With regards to this, Klein suspected that the eldest daughter of Emperor Roselle had used a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to achieve this effect.
Bernadette rarely told her honorific name to anyone, afraid that some enemies would use the prayer and automatic response property to lock onto her position before she reached Sequence 2. This was very similar to what Klein had thought of.
Klein had come to an agreement with her that, as long as he recited her honorific name, she would choose any secret mausoleum and open the door with the symbol drawn by the blood in an attempt to destroy it.
Both of them didn't have any hopes of success, because the guards in the mausoleum would definitely chant the honorific names of the angels every once in a while, causing a situation that allows "Them" to see the corresponding areas through the prayer point of light. Once "They" discovered something amiss, "They" would immediately rush over to help.
Bernadette's main purpose was to attract attention!
Of course, if those angels were to arrive at a slower pace, Queen Mystic could also go from providing support to being the main offensive force.
After doing this, Klein immediately stretched out his right hand to grab the air.
As his arm pulled back, a figure appeared in front of him.
It was a woman with average facial features and dark eyes. She wore a simple robe and a tree bark belt. Her raven-black hair hung down as she stood bare feet without any shoes or socks.
The Evernight cloister's matron, the ascetic leader, the Servant of Concealment, the Grounded Angel, Arianna.
I succeeded in one try... Klein was shocked, but he didn't think too much about it. He quickly said, "Keep my existence concealed and protect the people of Backlund."
He was worried that after George III lost control due to the destruction of his ritual, he would rush out of the mausoleum and harm the people of this city.
"Alright," Arianna replied with a calm expression. She wasn't rigid or stiff at all.
...It can't be "Her" in person, right... Actually, my summoning wasn't successful, but the Goddess had already gotten Ma'am Arianna to secretly return to Backlund. The moment "She" sensed that "She" had been summoned, "She" came over... An angel of the concealment domain also has a certain degree of control over "Their" Historical Void image? As a thought flashed through his mind, he realized that he had entered a special state, no longer being sensed by the outside world.
-x-X-x-
Klein didn't have the time to think about such trivial matters. After having his existence "concealed," he immediately got Enuni to switch places with a new marionette who was formerly a pirate.
Immediately following that, he activated Creeping Hunger and brought Enuni and Qonas to the secret mausoleum in Awwa County.
As he could only maintain three images from the Historical Void at the same time, it was impossible for him to abandon his marionette and directly come over by using a summoned projection. It would occupy a crucial spot. As for the remaining marionettes in Memorial Square, they wouldn't die on the spot in half an hour. They would only appear to be in a daze. However, this wasn't something that would attract too much attention while listening to a speech. Finally, if he didn't return, the Red Gloves team from the Church of Evernight would clean up his tracks.
At the same time, outside the secret mausoleum in East Chester County, there was a young lady in a yellow layered dress and a black, old-fashioned bonnet. Pea vines grew out of nowhere as they appeared.
Her chestnut hair cascaded down naturally. Her eyebrows were long and straight, and her eyes appeared as though they were filled with a blue sea.
Looking at the mountain wall in front of her, Queen Mystic extended her right hand and quickly formed a symbol in the void.
Following the movement of her fingertips, drops of bright red blood that resembled shattered gems seeped out and froze in midair.
Soon, a complicated symbol formed from layers of "doors" appeared. They trembled slightly and seemed to resonate with something somewhere else.
In the blink of an eye, the blood-colored symbol extended into an illusory translucent door. Through it, one could vaguely see a gigantic mausoleum formed from black rocks.
Bernadette immediately walked through the illusory door and arrived inside a dim and dark area.
The light here came from the lights of stone pillars and strange underground moss growing on the cliff walls. Together, they illuminated the secret mausoleum in the light fog at the bottom.
The symbol provided by Mr. Door was really useful!
At this moment, as a ritual was being held deep underground, faint lights gathered, forming a figure midair in the darkness.
The figure had a square face, black hair and blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and a thick beard. He looked rather solemn.
His appearance and image wasn't unfamiliar to many citizens of the Loen Kingdom. This was because he had been printed on the front side of ten-pound notes. Of course, people who had never touched ten-pound notes in their entire lives could also see his statue or portraits at Memorial Square.
He was the Loen Kingdom's Founder and Protector, the first king, William Augustus I.
This was an entity referred to as "He"!
With the help of the ritual, "He" had come here directly from Backlund!
Bernadette remained impassive. With a flip of her hand, a new item appeared.
The item was golden in color, like a miniaturized water flask. However, a candlewick extended out from the mouth of the flask.
As Bernadette caressed the surface of the item with her right hand—one that was covered in mysterious and complicated symbols—the candlewick silently ignited.
The light it emitted was like a sticky water stream that sprayed upwards, forming a blurry and twisted golden figure.
"Eternal Genie of the Lamp, my second wish is to obtain the strength of a Knowledge Emperor for one day." Seizing the opportunity when William Augustus I had yet to fully descend, Bernadette spoke in a solemn voice.
The item in her hand was called "Magic Wishing Lamp." It might've come as early as the First Epoch. Although it had never been obtained by the seven Churches, it had the corresponding Grade 0 Sealed Artifact number.
"0-05"!
This item could grant its owner any ten wishes, but this was either done in a distorted form, or it came with unpredictable and terrifying outcomes.
None of its previous owners had a good ending, including Roselle Gustav.
This emperor had warned his daughter that she could use the proper choice of words and make preparations to avoid the harm brought about by the first two wishes, but she absolutely couldn't make the third wish. Absolutely not!
...
Meanwhile, the concealed Klein arrived near the secret mausoleum in Awwa County without alerting anyone.
Although time was tight, he didn't rashly approach the mausoleum by drawing the symbol and opening the door. Instead, he reached out his right hand and grabbed at the air in front of him.
After five consecutive attempts, the muscles on his arm suddenly tightened, as if he was pulling something extremely heavy.
As he retracted his right hand, a figure quickly appeared.
The figure's skin was bronze in color. He had a medium build, black hair, brown eyes, and soft facial features. Beneath his right ear was a very thin mole. It was none other than Azik Eggers.
However, unlike the Mr. Azik that he knew, the figure's gaze was cold. He wore a deep black robe embroidered with golden threads. He wore a golden bird-shaped crown, as though he was looking down on all living creatures.
This was the former Death Consul, a former Sequence 2 angel!
Without sizing him up further, Klein reached out again and "grabbed" into the void.
This time, he didn't seem to have pulled anything out, but in fact, he had summoned the former him from ten seconds ago, the him who was in a concealed state!
Then, Klein threw a small metal bottle at his projection and made himself enter the gray fog's Historical Void.
In his past self, his consciousness suddenly came alive and became extremely agile.
This concealed Klein brought the projection of Death Consul Azik and came to the secret mausoleum where the entrance couldn't be seen. He took out a small metal bottle and used his spirituality to draw with the blood that shimmered like gems. In midair, he quickly outlined the symbol that Mr. Door had given.
The symbol rapidly formed and resonated with a particular point in the mausoleum, expanding into an illusory door.
In a concealed state, Klein and Death Consul Azik passed through the door and entered the corresponding secret mausoleum.
At that moment, the guards inside had already discovered that there was an intruder and had activated the ritual they had prepared in advance. However, all they could see was the lofty Death Consul.
Somewhere in Backlund, the former, former Duke of Southville, Dlink Augustus, was just about to use a ritual to open a passageway and descend into that secret mausoleum when a man beside him suddenly frowned and said, "That's Azik Eggers. No, 'He' is very rigid. It's like a historical projection summoned by the Secret Order's Scholar of Yore.
"Your Highness, let me go over. Stay here and be wary of the Scholar of Yore who's lurking in the dark. Although they aren't angels, they're quite troublesome."
Dlink Augustus was a slightly arrogant elder. His black hair was mixed with silver threads, and he was clean-shaved. Upon hearing that, "He" laughed and said, "Isn't the Scholar of Yore just beside 'Him'? Although he's in a concealed state, I've already discovered him through the disorder of the surrounding area.
"He's misleading us, making us think that he's deliberately attacking with a historical projection while his true body has gone elsewhere. In fact, he's hidden beside Azik's projection. Once this Death Consul attracts the attention he wants, and when we place our main forces elsewhere, he'll use the concealed state to approach the mausoleum to cause destruction.
"Besides, regardless of the reason, since he's summoned an angel's projection, you won't be able to kill the target in a short period of time even if you carry a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. If this implicates the mausoleum, our efforts and persistence would've been in vain.
"If that Scholar of Yore has done three levels of misdirection and really went to another mausoleum, he won't be able to summon an angel from the Historical Void. You can easily eliminate him."
While he said his first sentence, Dlink Augustus had already entered the passage through the ritual's activation. The rest of "His" words were spoken by the phantoms that "He" had left behind.
Inside the secret mausoleum in Awwa County, Azik Eggers scanned the area with an indifferent expression. "His" body suddenly swelled and transformed into a giant serpent that covered the area above the mausoleum.
This giant serpent was both illusory and real, as though it was formed by something incomprehensible to humans. Its entire body was covered with huge dark-green scales. White feathers grew out from the gaps, and each scale and feather had strange symbols of different shapes. Just the mere sight of them made one's flesh decompose, turning them into zombies.
This was "Quetzalcoatl," the serpent spoken of in Southern Continent myth. "His" eye sockets were burning with pale-white flames as an exaggerated, thick pair of wings spread from "His" back.
Amidst the howling wind, the feathered serpent in midair lunged forward with its upper body and spat out a pale-white flame that covered the entire mausoleum.
...Mr. Azik's Historical Void projection is definitely much weaker than before, but it's still very powerful... As expected of the biological son of Death, the consul of the Balam Empire... Although the concealed Klein had done a summoning experiment previously at sea, he never expected that Azik's projection would be so powerful.
At that moment, points of faint, gloomy glows flew out of the mausoleum, putting an end to the tidal-like pale-white flames' advancement.
Following that, they formed a figure. It was none other than the Sequence 2 Balancer, Dlink Augustus.
The moment the concealed Klein saw "Him," he suddenly turned rigid and stiff. He began acting based on instinct—a result of him returning to the Historical Void and being outside the secret mausoleum.
Then, he teleported to a secret mausoleum under the Tussock River and took out another small metal bottle. In a concealed state, he used his spirituality to draw the blood out to outline the symbol.
A few seconds later, the symbol resonated and turned into a door. With his marionettes, Qonas and Enuni, he walked in.
Of course, in the river and forest outside, he still had marionettes he just converted.
...
A figure appeared near the Ruins No. 1 in the outskirts of Backlund.
Her raven hair was radiant, and her face was slightly round. She looked beautiful, with a hint of sweetness and an outstanding bearing. She was none other than Demoness Trissy.
After Trissy approached Ruins No. 1, she also took out a small metal bottle and drew the symbol provided by Mr. Door with the blood.
An illusory door rapidly took shape.
-x-X-x-
As she passed through the illusory door, Trissy hid herself and jumped down from the cliff at the entrance, towards the dark valley below.
The secret mausoleum that originated from Blood Emperor Tudor was hidden here.
During the descent, Trissy's body was as light as a feather. She lost most of her weight, but her speed was in no way slow.
None of the remaining guards noticed that she had sneaked in.
Just as Trissy was approaching her target, she heard a voice say, "Concealment is prohibited here."
Trissy's figure instantly appeared out of nowhere. And in the area above the towering mausoleum in the dark valley, there was a man who had appeared at some point in time.
This man had a long, rectangular face with a white hairband on his head. He had a mustache that curled up around his mouth, and his brows were extremely thick, setting off his relatively large eyes.
He was dressed in formal attire and wore a cloak. The tips of his shoes were extremely long, and his attire didn't seem to match the times. He was the demigod who supported George III, Prince Grove.
On the head of this Sequence 3 Chaos Hunter, there was a crown made of thorns. Pure light constantly gathered into the crown, interweaving into a "sea."
Sealed Artifact 0-36.
...
Klein swam beneath the Tussock River when an image suddenly appeared in his mind just as he led his marionette, Qonas and Enuni, through the illusory door.
A black cathedral stood in front of them with its spacious door opened, revealing a man in a pair of dungarees, a gentleman in a formal suit and top hat, a lady with frilly designs along her sleeves, and a lady whose dress formed flowers with laces...
They were suspended in midair, motionless.
"Caw!" "Caw!" "Caw!"
Black ravens circled the top of the cathedral, letting out heart-stopping cries.
Without making any guesses, Klein felt like he had fallen into a crack on a frozen lake. His body turned cold as his hair stood on end.
Countless thoughts surged in his mind as they collectively shouted out a name:
Zaratul!
In the blink of an eye, Klein instinctively made a decision. He planned to switch locations with his marionettes from the outside world, and directly leave the "cathedral" in front of him.
Clearly, he had encountered a "miracle." He didn't enter George III's secret mausoleum after passing through the illusory door; instead, he had come to a baffling place.
In the next second, he discovered that the Spirit Body Threads that were connected to his marionettes had been severed. They were rapidly floating upwards towards the interior of the pitch-black cathedral.
If it wasn't for his intuition that exceeded his own level, allowing him to detect danger ahead of time, he definitely wouldn't have been able to react in time. He definitely would've been hung up and become a member of the marionettes.
He didn't have time to think too much about it. He quickly controlled his Spirit Body Threads and collected them all, connecting them to himself, forming one "circle" after another. @@novelbin@@
This allowed him to temporarily extricate himself from the danger, but it also made him lose his marionettes, Qonas, and Enuni, in just a second.
The two marionettes' necks suddenly tightened as they were lifted up by an invisible hand before being hung up in the cathedral's interior.
Together with the original corpses, they swayed in the wind and produced voices that were different but said the exact same thing:
"Welcome back..."
...
In Memorial Square, the "imagined" King George III was still giving a speech.
"...I will further lower the wealth requirements needed for election eligibility. I will hand over even more rights to the House of Commons..."
Although the people didn't understand why there was such a development in the speech, it sounded good to them.
These are all bills that have been approved by the House of Lords, but there's no need to tell the public during this speech... It's like the King is emphasizing that he will definitely follow these bills in the future... Audrey was puzzled, but she couldn't come up with a convincing explanation.
In the dark and majestic secret Ruins No. 1 in the outskirts of Backlund.
The real George III had already worn a black crown and consumed the potion.
"His" body was transforming towards the shadow of order, extending in a magical state. As for the nine mausoleums, they were the islands in the sea of nothingness. They were the components of his entire rule. As for the people who were chanting "Emperor George III" at the same time during the ritual, there were like countless numbers of lighthouses. Together, they "anchored" this ruler of Loen, East Balam, and the Rorsted Archipelago, making "Him" completely transcend reality and become a part of the shadow of order.
During this process, George III's thoughts wandered uncontrollably as though they were being torn apart:
The Secret Order's Zaratul actually contacted me directly, hoping to provide me with help...
"He" said that "He" saw some of Gehrman Sparrow's thoughts from the Capim case, the attack on Ailment Maiden, the silencing of Crazy Captain, and Qonas Kilgor's disappearance. And "His" divination results made "Him" cooperate with me, offering to help me guard a mausoleum. There, "He" waited for Gehrman Sparrow to take the initiative to walk to "Him," because of his own goals and the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics...
"He" also said that the most important thing to do when dealing with a qualified demigod of the Seer pathway is to be patient and determined...
What a charlatan...
"He" even brought Abomination Suah...
I used my powers to sign a contract with "Them"...
Together with the helpers I invited from the Twilight Hermit Order, as well as Grove, who wields a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, even if most of the demigods of the military and royal family are fighting at the front lines or protecting Backlund, I don't have to worry about the ritual being destroyed. Unless a true deity descends into the real world...
And that's impossible... So, I originally wanted to use this opportunity to lure out any resistance, but in the end, I decided to use this opportunity to directly advance...
Heh heh, since Grove still doesn't know about these hidden cards. Well, he has no right to know...
In less than two minutes, I'll become an eternal god, the Black Emperor who rules over reality...
...
"Caw!" "Caw!" "Caw!"
In the dark world with the ravens' cawing, the corpses hanging from the black top of the church descended and passed through the main door.
Their eyes were locked onto Klein, who was outside.
Almost at the same time, a figure slowly but firmly outlined itself in midair.
Without caring about what it was, Klein quickly snapped his fingers while maintaining the special state of his Spirit Body Threads.
Pa!
A red flame surged out from his wallet and instantly enveloped him.
The flame was quickly extinguished, and Klein remained where he was, unable to leap out.
He didn't show any signs of being depressed as he immediately activated Creeping Hunger to attempt to teleport.
Klein instantly turned transparent as he appeared again, unable to take a single step.
His origin and destination had strangely been connected.
At that moment, the figure in midair had already taken form. He was dressed in gorgeous clothes, with long chestnut-colored curly hair, blue eyes, high nose bridge, and thin lips. He was none other than the Roselle Gustav from when he was an emperor.
"He" looked down at Klein as countless illusory symbols appeared in his eyes.
Klein's mind instantly swelled as he was injected with a large amount of unknown knowledge.
His head felt like it was exploding in an instant while his other thoughts were completely occupied, so much so that he couldn't even lift a finger.
Instinctively, he allowed that knowledge to split up and become injected into hundreds of Worms of Spirit.
This allowed him to regain his ability to control his body as he quickly grabbed the space ahead of him with his right hand.
His arm suddenly sank, and then he suddenly pulled back. When the marionettes passed through the cathedral's door and began their attacks, another two figures appeared in midair, dragging out a scaleless, silvery-white tail.
As he released his right hand, a giant serpent appeared in this dark kingdom.
"His" eyes were bright red and cold, and his body was covered in patterns and symbols. There were countless wheels in the details.
Snake of Fate!
Actually, this wasn't something that Klein could summon out from the Historical Void. Instead, it was Will Auceptin descending with the burning of the paper crane after using the Yesterday Once More charm.
Klein had just used Flaming Jump moments ago to seek help from the Snake of Fate.
And the reason why he wanted to "grab" at something was to conceal his true intentions. It was to prevent the opposing angel from discovering the location of the Snake of Fate, putting Dr. Aaron's family in danger.
This wasn't like how he had previously dealt with Amon's avatar back then, as he had no confidence in eliminating all the clues. Therefore, he had discussed with Will in advance on how to deal with such situations.
Fortunately, the intent Will Auceptin expressed indicated that the truth of the "summoning" from before hadn't been exposed.
At that moment, the gigantic Snake of Mercury rose up and bit its tail, turning into a mysterious and exaggerated wheel.
In midair, two figures appeared on both sides of Roselle's projection. One of them was Queen Mystic Bernadette, whose real body was in an intense battle with Sequence 1 Hand of Order William Augustus I. The other was formed from pure light, and a pair of shining wings grew on his back. It was obviously at the level of an angel!
Suddenly, the two angel projections that appeared quickly vanished. The attacks they directed at Klein, and the controlled marionettes, retreated back into the cathedral and were hung up again.
Qonas and Enuni walked out one after another. With him, they passed backward through the illusory door and left the world with resonating cawing, appearing beneath the Tussock River.
Snake of Fate. Reboot!
The giant serpent's figure vanished as well. Without any hesitation, Klein activated "Teleportation" and passed through countless spirit world creatures to another secret mausoleum. He used the remaining blood to outline the symbol and opened the illusory door.
This time, he entered the interior and saw a solemn and dark mausoleum. He summoned the Sea God Scepter and released a terrifying "Lightning Storm," again and again, destroying the target.
Then, he turned around and left the scene.
Everything went so smoothly, just like a dream.
Yes, a beautiful dream.
Klein, who could always maintain his lucidity in dreams, had realized that he was in a real dream created by someone else the moment he entered the ruins where the secret mausoleum was!
-x-X-x-
Klein pretended not to notice the real dream. As he tried to stop his projection of the Death Consul, he tried to summon another version of "himself" from the Historical Void to fool the guards of the Tudor ruins, allowing his body to escape the dream and sneak into the secret mausoleum to achieve his goal of destroying it.
At the moment, he could only maintain three Historical Void projections. Death Consul Azik Eggers was one, his self-projection in a concealed state was another. He couldn't be certain if the leader of the ascetics, Arianna, was considered one. However, to be safe, he had to disperse one of them before he made another summoning attempt.
Regarding Arianna's state, apart from suspecting that "She" had descended in person due to "Her" state, Klein had other theories. Perhaps the leader of the Evernight cloister had deliberately entered a concealed state after sensing that "Her" projection from the past had been summoned while being located in the Amantha mountain range. "She" had vanished from the real world, allowing the projection to gain sentience. This was completely feasible, especially since the authority of "concealment" likely gave "Her" a certain degree of control over "Her" historical projections.
When it came to a concealment angel like this, Klein was unable to use the feedback from Scholar of Yore's maintenance of the historical projection to confirm "Her" true situation. Therefore, he didn't make any changes, so as to prevent any accidents from happening.
Just as he was about to summon his past self, the real dream silently disappeared. Everything around him returned to normal.
He was standing on a cliff at the entrance. Below him was a dark and majestic mausoleum.
An old man with an ordinary appearance was levitating in midair. Under the glow from the moss and the light from the stone pillars inside the cliff, he calmly looked at Klein and sighed in ancient Feysac.
"You weren't actually fooled by the dream I crafted."
This old man's hair was completely white, but it was thick enough. There weren't many wrinkles on his face, and his appearance wasn't anything special.
The Spectator pathway's Sequence 3 Dreamweaver? No, at least, he's not an angel... Klein tensed up and didn't respond. He immediately took out his silver adventurer's harmonica and blew into it.
No sound was produced, but Reinette Tinekerr, who was wearing a dark and complicated long dress, walked out.
One of the blonde, red-eyed heads in "Her" hands immediately spat out a rectangular diamond-like charm. Another head chanted in ancient Hermes, "Yesterday!"
Yesterday Once More!
Miss Messenger was borrowing strength from "Her" past self!
Compared to a Sequence 1 Snake of Fate, the power "She" borrowed could last longer.
However, the charm didn't change at all.
In midair, the elder in the gray robe gently chuckled and kindly reminded them, "Don't use ancient Hermes in front of me."
...Hermes... This is Hermes, the one who lived since the Second Epoch and created ancient Hermes? An angel of the Spectator pathway... The origin of the Psychology Alchemists... Klein was first shocked before he realized something.
Hermes was participating in the battle, so it was unlikely "He" had a strong desire to stop him!
No, perhaps "He" is deliberately acting to lower our guard... Beyonders of the Spectator pathway are the best at manipulating the hearts of others... Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Reinette Tinekerr's other two heads began chanting in Jotun and Elvish:
"Yesterday!"
The rectangular diamond-like charm was instantly ignited by a transparent flame before fusing with the void.
Reinette Tinekerr's body began to rapidly expand as the four heads in her hands flew up and landed on "Her" neck.
The four heads became illusory one after another.
In an instant, Reinette Tinekerr transformed into a huge cloth doll that resembled a castle. "She" was dressed in a black gothic dress with countless mysterious symbols and sinister vines. "Her" eyes were blood-red.
"She" swept his gaze across ancient Hermes. "She" opened "Her" tightly shut mouth but didn't make a single sound.
The "Spectator" pathway's angel flashed with a faint light, turning into a plump, white rabbit.
Ancient Bane, Transformation Curse!
The rabbit didn't panic at all. Its body began to swell, becoming half the size of a mountain. One stomp was sufficient to trample him to death.
To an angel of the Spectator pathway, merely believing in "Their" strength allowed "Them" to be powerful enough without being at a disadvantage due to "Their" appearance!
As the rabbit turned into a monster, a subtle change happened in the ruins. Reality and illusion intertwined, making Reinette Tinekerr a little confused as to whether "She" was in a dream or in the real world.
Klein could differentiate between the two. While he had noticed that, not only was Miss Messenger in a Mythical Creature form, but the surface of the rabbit's body was covered in grayish-white scales. All sorts of patterns intertwined together, forming three-dimensional symbols that seemed to connect to the mind.
Angels are truly terrifying. They use their complete Mythical Creature form right at the start... As Klein sighed, he didn't even dare take a second look to gain more knowledge. Firstly, he didn't have the time to do so, and secondly, his level wasn't high enough. Seeing a complete Mythical Creature form would definitely lead to being affected and receiving some negative effects. This was something he had to avoid in a dangerous battlefield.
Taking advantage of the battle between Miss Messenger and the gigantic rabbit that had transformed into a dragon, Klein used the strong winds to head for the secret mausoleum. As he recited a particular honorific name in Jotun, he reached out to grab at the air.
First time, failure; second time, failure; third time, still a failure!
Just as one fat, white rabbit after another appeared in Klein's island of consciousness, causing him to elevate his consciousness to fight back and be unable to take multiple things into consideration, he instinctively reached out his right hand and finally touched a particular image in the Historical Void.
As he pulled back his arm, the image quickly outlined itself. She was a woman wearing a dark-colored robe and a wide hood. She had a beautiful face and slightly dull black eyes.
This was the concealment angel of the Church of Evernight that he had met before.
Later, he found out in the foggy town that this was Mother of the Sky, the daughter of the ancient god, Flegrea, and suspected to be the vessel for the Goddess's descent.
Since he was able to successfully summon the ascetic leader, Arianna, from the Historical Void in one try, Klein definitely thought of trying to see if he could summon "Her."
He had been chanting the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess!
The employing of Historical Void projections by Scholars of Yore had a difficult-to-overcome restriction. It was that he was unable to summon something that involved the Uniqueness. However, objects that were merely a vessel of a deity's descent depended on how much of the deity's power was carried by the corresponding Historical Void projection or if it involved the Uniqueness. Similarly, if he wanted to summon Amon, it was impossible to summon the actual body, but an avatar would work.
To be safe, the person who he summoned was the one who had smiled at him during the Great Smog of Backlund, and he succeeded after three attempts!
Of course, if it wasn't for the Goddess's tacit approval, or perhaps providing some level of help, he might not have succeeded given a hundred attempts, a thousand attempts, or even ten thousand attempts.
The beautiful lady didn't look at him, the summoner. Instead "She" turned "Her" head and looked down at the secret mausoleum.
The entire underground ruin quaked as the dark and majestic mausoleum began to shake. Ripples appeared as though it was about to be moved into a concealed world.
At this moment, two arms extended out from the outside world. One was pressed towards the gigantic doll, Reinette Tinekerr, while the other spread out its fingers to grab at Klein.
These two arms were more than ten meters long. They were pitch-black on the surface, flowing with sticky liquids. Some of them were strangely protruding, some had skulls as heads, three-dimensional eyes, or barbed tongues.
Abomination Suah!
The remaining guards in the underground ruins went crazy. Some raised their swords to kill their companions; or they raised their guns, aimed at themselves, and pulled the trigger.
Klein's skin began to crack, and his consciousness was disturbed by a sensation of madness. He was unable to respond effectively.
The concealment angel he summoned retracted "Her" gaze through pure instinct, and "She" looked up at the two arms that seemed to come from the depths of a nightmare.
Tremendous fear caused Suah's arm to tremble slightly. Not only did "He" fail to grab hold of Klein, "He" was even cursed by Reinette Tinekerr, causing "Him" to be covered in green fur.
Immediately following that, they began to fade as they struggled with all their might, trying to escape their concealed states.
And at this moment, three figures appeared in midair in the underground ruins. They were Emperor Roselle; the first Loen king, William Augustus; and the abstract angel formed from pure light.
The Historical Void projections summoned by Zaratul followed closely behind!
With so many angels descending at the same time, just the effects from "Their" auras alone caused the entire space to quake, not to mention the intense battle "They" were engaged in.
In an instant, the pitch-black mausoleum shook even more vigorously. There was even an obvious crack on its surface.
Klein wasn't surprised at all, because this was his last contingency plan.
When the enemy was too powerful and prepared, preventing him from creating an opportunity, then it was best to draw everyone together while destroying the mausoleum; thus, creating chaos!
This was the inspiration he got from the encounter outside Bayam City.
Back then, Abomination Suah and the byproduct of the Artificial Death project attacked remotely while Sea King Kottman, Miss Messenger Reinette Tinekerr, and a demigod from the Rose School of Thought had participated in it, resulting in the collapse of an innocent mountain.
At that moment, Klein wanted the secret mausoleum in this ruin to be like that mountain.
He didn't believe that angels could control the damage to "Their" surroundings when in an intense battle!
And the lineup this time far exceeded the previous one!
It's still not enough... Then let's make it a little more chaotic... As he controlled his Spirit Body Threads to prevent them from floating upwards, he dodged and sensed the mysterious space above the gray fog. Using his basic control over it, he made it tremble slightly.
In midair, a grayish-white fog appeared as the majestic palace appeared faintly.
Sefirah Castle!
In an instant, the sky above the Holy Wind Cathedral in Backlund turned dark, as if a storm was brewing.
A bird with dark eye circles watching over the Tussock River downstream moved its gaze. @@novelbin@@
...
In the outskirts of Backlund where Ruins No. 1 was, Demoness Trissy had been robbed of several powers and suffered serious injuries. She was on the brink of death.
Bang!
She slammed against the cliff, almost embedding herself into it. Blood was everywhere.
At this moment, she took out an item. It was a rectangular diamond-shaped charm.
Yesterday Once More!
-x-X-x-
There were very few chances to use charms in high-level battles. No one would take the initiative to leave an opening for their opponent while they chanted the incantation. The reason Trissy was able to complete the corresponding action was because she had ignited wicked black flames from the inside out. As for the black flames, they seemed to absorb all the heat in the surrounding areas, causing thick ice crystals to form. Beyond the ice crystals, there were almost invisible spider webs that wrapped around them, forming huge cocoons.
Relying on the three layers of defense, Trissy managed to buy almost two seconds, so she took out the rectangular diamond-shaped charm and chanted, "Yesterday!"
The transparent flame ignited amidst the wicked black flames. The diamond-like charm silently disintegrated before merging with the void.
This was something Klein had specially provided to the Demoness, so as to allow the damage from the three prongs to become the main assault point at any time.
Trissy immediately saw the grayish-white fog and realized that the scenes in the past were like stars, densely packed together.
There were scenes of the young him wandering the streets, coming under the control of the mafia, swindling, cheating, and stealing from others. He later joined the Theosophy Order and became an Assassin. There, he enjoyed ending lives and the bloodshed, instigating others to tear off their masks and reveal their true bestial nature. Due to various reasons, he had no choice but to become a Witch. She began creating catastrophes and it was arranged by the Demoness of Pleasure that she would become Prince Edessak's mistress. Realizing that she was becoming less and less like herself and that she was slowly losing herself to the pleasure, she felt extreme fear and yearned to escape. However, having fallen deeper into hell, she experienced immense pain and chose to be extreme.
With a thought, the scenes magnified and occupied her entire vision.
Under the light, the lawn outside the window was bright, and the horses were walking slowly. The holes of the golf course could still be vaguely seen, and inside the house, there was an antique cabinet blocking the view from the door.
The past Trissy stood at the edge and looked out, wearing a sapphire ring on her left hand.
At that time, she wasn't even a Sequence 5, and she didn't have the strength the current her needed to borrow. However, she had a ring from the Demoness Sect that was closely related to the Primordial Demoness.
This ring was the thing that Trissy wanted to borrow!
All of a sudden, the intricate ring that was inlaid with a sapphire gem appeared on Trissy's pinky. And unlike in the past, the present Trissy had fused with the mark and submitted to the Primordial Demoness. She had been greatly enhanced as a Sequence 4 demigod.
In other words, even though she wasn't a robust deity's descent "vessel," she already had the qualifications to be one.
And that sapphire ring allowed her to temporarily grasp a certain amount of initiative.
Looking at the scenes in the past, the cocoon formed by Trissy's spider silk cracked inch by inch. The thick ice crystals silently melted as the wicked black flames corroded. She raised her left hand, closed her eyes, and smiled as she placed the sapphire ring between her eyebrows.
The ring melted like metal as it flowed into Trissy's head in a surreal manner.
At that moment, the wicked black flames were completely deprived by Prince Grove as a burning white spear of light shot out.
At the front of the spear, two pure white wings spread out as they embraced the tip of the spear, like an angel, sealing off the surrounding space, and preventing the target from escaping.
At that moment, Trissy opened her eyes. They were a deep black color.
Her hair flared up one by one, each becoming as thick as a snake. The outer layer was slippery and diabolical, with clear black and white eyes embedded at the ends, or heads that looked like venomous snakes. Their mouths were slightly open as they flicked their tongues.
The spear that was condensed from pure light stopped in front of Trissy, as though it was being pressed down by an invisible hand, making it difficult for it to advance even an inch further.
It quickly turned grayish-white in color, turning from incorporeal to corporeal, as if it was carved out of stone.
With a whoosh, the spear rapidly plummeted to the edge of the cliff, shattering into countless tiny pieces.
The grayish-white color around Trissy rapidly spread out in every direction as if it had a life of its own. Wherever it passed, the stones became hard while everything else turned to stone.
The various rituals that had been set up in Ruins No. 1 were now tainted with grayish-white colors, preventing the angels guarding the other secret mausoleums from discovering the changes and coming over immediately.
Prince Grove was instantly surrounded by a grayish-white aura that emanated out of the void. With him only being capable of using the crown of thorns to maintain a small safe zone, there was no way for him to use any "Prohibition" powers.
Trissy, whose eyes had no borders marking her whites from blacks, didn't even look at her opponent. With her snake-like hair blotting out the sky, she took a step towards the secret mausoleum at the bottom of the dark valley.
Boom!
The ground began to shake violently as a dull thud sounded from deep within. Red asteroids with fiery tails appeared out of nowhere as they flew past Demoness Trissy and smashed at the mausoleum.
In an instant, this ruin was inundated with catastrophes.
George III, who was at the critical moment of "His" advancement, sensed this and immediately felt a strong sense of confusion and anger.
With great difficulty, "He" split off some of "His" strength, and with the help of the preparations he had put in place, he forcefully distorted the surrounding area and isolated the dark and solemn secret mausoleum from the real world, preventing earthquakes and meteors from approaching the target.
Boom! Boom!
Amidst all kinds of catastrophes, the cliffs crumbled one by one as the ruins began to collapse. George III's angry voice sounded from the secret mausoleum that formed a world of its own:
"Are you mad?"
For a Sequence 4 to forcefully accept the power of a true deity, the only outcome was death!
Trissy laughed. The skin on her face had been pushed to its limits. Inch by inch, they crumbled, revealing the blood and flesh that was squirming wildly underneath.
This extremely terrifying Demoness scoffed and said, "Isn't the ending of a lovely story supposed to have all the bad guys die?
"For example, you, or me..."
Before Trissy could finish her sentence, she wore that tragic smile on her face as the asteroid plummeted into the twisted secret mausoleum in a bid to destroy it.
...
In another mausoleum, Klein didn't put on a strong front. He quickly ended the connection with Sefirah Castle as though he was praying to The Fool for help.
The commotion from before had nearly caused all the angels present to stop. Unfortunately, the concealment angel Klein had summoned was a Historical Void projection. It only continued fighting based on instinct, turning the situation even more chaotic.
At this moment, William Augustus I's projection pulled out a silver sword and pointed ahead before slicing downward.
There was no need for "Him" to say anything else. The chaos in the ruins came to a stop as the battlefield was divided into different sections.
Hermes faced the beautiful and impassive lady. Abomination Suah suppressed Reinette Tinekerr; the Historical Void projections of Emperor Roselle and the Angel of Light surrounded Klein; William I stood at an isolated spot, ensuring that none of the aftershocks attacked the mausoleum below.
As expected of the Hand of Order... Klein's pupils dilated. Without thinking, he reached his right hand into the inner pocket of his clothes, and he stretched out his left hand to borrow strength from his past self.
The Death Consul, the Evernight cloister's matron, and the concealment angel were figures that exceeded Klein's own level. Be it summoning or maintaining "Them," it was a terrible burden on his spirituality. He had no choice but to borrow some power from his past self before his spirituality completely dried up.
This way, he was filled with fake spirituality once more. For the next five minutes, it was no different from real spirituality.
Then, Klein saw light.
The angel formed from pure light, which also had illusory wings on "His" back, made the layers of light surge towards him like a tidal wave, drowning him.
In the bright white sea of light, something suddenly appeared. It rapidly plummeted and approached the secret mausoleum.
It was a dark-colored book that consisted of goatskin.
Groselle's Travels! @@novelbin@@
Using his ability to split into Worms of Spirit, and his enhanced ability to shapeshift, he shrank into bookmarks made of flesh, embedding themselves into the book, using it to block the endless light's purification and melting effect.
But even so, he was still severely injured because the light still could illuminate part of his body.
This wasn't the end. Standing right beneath Groselle's Travels was Emperor Roselle, dressed in gorgeous clothes, waiting there with his hands raised.
"..." Without second thoughts, Klein could only activate the first method he knew of to protect himself:
Hiding in the Historical Void!
Boom!
A loud thunderclap boomed outside the ruin.
It rumbled in the distance in the beginning, but by the end of it, it was ringing in one's ears.
Klein, together with the projections in the Historical Void, and all the living beings in the ruins were awed and turned stiff. Instantly, the "sea of light" dimmed.
But no, there was a figure that wasn't affected—the concealment angel of the Church of Evernight. The beautiful but dull-looking lady took the opportunity to phase her body, transforming into many symbols that symbolized concealment and terror. She extended the strange world, enveloping Hermes, Reinette Tinekerr, Suah's arm, the Angel of Light, and William Augustus I within.
Although Klein had summoned a Historical Void projection—a watered-down version—some essential parts remained!
The chaos that Klein was anticipating was finally here!
As for George III's other helpers, such as that King of Angels, they were still in other mausoleums.
The moment the nearly transparent world took form, the angels inside began to resist.
Amidst the chaos, the strange world easily tore apart.
However, with the remnants of the angel's power being directed, the lady rushed out and headed for the secret mausoleum at the bottom.
Boom!
An even louder clap of thunder rang out. Emperor Roselle, who had attempted to stop them, was once again awed, unable to make any further attempts.
In an instant, the dark and majestic secret mausoleum was hit. The cracks on its surface sank deep, causing its dark interior to present itself.
In these rifts, blood appeared out of nowhere. Some were bright red, and some were dark.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Having restored his human form, Klein held Groselle's Travels while collectively launching Air Cannon with his scattered Worms of Spirit.
The mausoleum which was already on the verge of collapse had finally collapsed, and even more blood gushed out.
...
With the destruction of a mausoleum, George III's advancement ritual was no longer stable. "He" lacked the key pillar of support.
If only one mausoleum was under attack, "He" might've been able to rely on his tenuous connection with them to put up a resistance to a certain degree. But now, "He" had suffered too intense of an attack.
"His" already incorporeal body suddenly boiled, unable to maintain the "Distortion" outside. The mausoleum that was isolated from reality finally appeared in front of Trissy.
On Trissy's tendril-squirming face, the corners of her mouth curled up.
...
Backlund City, Memorial Square.
"My subjects..." The stern and old-fashioned George III with his mustache was finishing his speech when there was a loud explosion.
His flesh and blood transformed into a flurry of fireworks that sprayed into the air.
-x-X-x-
When Audrey and company below the platform saw this scene, it was as if they were admiring a large magic show. For a moment, no one realized what had happened.
A few seconds later, the scene started to turn disorderly. Amidst screams, the king's guards all rushed up the platform.
The Cabinet ministers and the House of Lords nobles subconsciously sought a place to hide, or they mustered their courage to follow the guards to check the scene.
Audrey looked on in a daze. She wasn't too surprised, but she felt that it was surreal.
If Mr. World paid strong attention to someone, it meant that they were being watched by Mr. Fool. And to date, none of Mr. Fool's goals had failed.
This was the will of a deity.
In the other municipal square in Backlund, Melissa, Benson, and company also heard the explosion before realizing that the king's speech had come to an abrupt stop.
After a moment of silence, people began to turn rowdy as they began breaking out into a discussion amidst hushed whispers.
Fear of the unknown and fear of the future slowly occupied their hearts.
...
In the outskirts of Backlund, inside Ruins No. 1.
George III's mind was a blur. "He" felt something that couldn't be resisted inside "His" body as a volcano of extreme madness erupted in his mind. It was changing "His" body while distorting everything around "Him."
Indistinctly, "He" saw a huge black throne, one which "He" was sitting on. "He" wore an emperor's crown, looking down upon the real world with great pride. "He" had rein over his subjects, and "He" was equal to the deities.
"He" reached out "His" hand in an attempt to grab this future, but countless curses and attacks of unknown origins kept striking "Him." It prevented "Him" from touching that future.
"No..."
George III's hand, which had faded, hung in midair as "His" consciousness tore apart as "His" body mutated completely.
Trissy, who had been reduced to a blob of flesh and blood, enveloped that shadow of order using her countless thick snake hair.
Boom!
In the outside world, in the area corresponding to Ruins No. 1, large amounts of dust were stirred up into the sky like the thickest of smog.
Boom!
The area became a humongous crater that was connected to the Tussock River, opening up an inlet for the river water to rush in.
Rumble!
High up in the sky, lights dimmed as a storm containing immense horror enveloped the area.
Further away on a mountain peak, two figures watched this scene without anyone speaking a word.
They were the Demoness of Unaging Katarina, who was wearing a pure white robe, and the pale, hooded Red Angel evil spirit.
After two seconds, Saintess of White Katarina sighed softly and said, "The reason we wanted to find her was because Primordial told us that she has strong inclinations towards self-destructing."
The Red Angel evil spirit listened silently as "His" expression twisted slightly.
"I know who interfered with my response."
Katarina thought of various answers, but she couldn't be sure. Ultimately, she chose to remain silent.
The Red Angel evil spirit slowly said a word, "Evernight."
After a pause, "He" suppressed "His" emotions and added, "Otherwise, I would've long found Trissy Cheek."
Without waiting for Katarina to respond, the Red Angel evil spirit turned around and left.
...
In another ruin, a hint of joy flashed past Klein's eyes when he saw the secret mausoleum collapse and spill out copious amounts of blood. But it was ephemeral because he had to turn his attention back to his situation.
With George III's ritual failing and him not becoming Black Emperor, it meant that his goal had been achieved. What followed next was to escape!
At that moment, while the mausoleum's destruction didn't have any significant impact, Reinette Tinekerr followed "Her" agreement with Klein, and she didn't stay any longer. "She" first entered the spirit world and fled deep inside it.
The power "She" borrowed from "Herself" was coming to an end!
The maintenance of the beautiful, concealment angel had already reached Klein's limits. After it transformed into a strange world, it naturally disappeared.
Inside the half-collapsed ruin, Klein faced the arm of Abomination Suah, Hermes from an ancient time, Emperor Roselle's projection, William Augustus I's projection, and the Angel of Light projection, as well as the thunder that pointed at an unknown location. Anyone of them had the ability to easily kill him.
And for him to summon a Historical Void projection at the angel level wasn't something that could succeed within a few attempts.
Without any hesitation, Klein's body turned incorporeal as he attempted to hide in the Historical Void.
At this moment, a vortex suddenly appeared in the grayish-white fog in his vision. It was made up of countless transparent maggots that extended out transparent and slippery tentacles.
Zaratul!
Zaratul's actual body had appeared!
"He" had been waiting in the Historical Void for Klein!
At that moment, Klein's action of entering the Historical Void could no longer be reversed. All he could do was watch helplessly as he was pulled in by the vortex and thrown into the center!
He wanted to snap his fingers and ignite another paper crane, but he realized that no flames could rise up there.
Having probed him once, Zaratul was confident of "His" trump card. By relying on "His" level suppressing him, and the authority of bizarreness, "He" made Klein unable to control the flames anymore!
In addition, Klein's intuition told him that the destination after making a "Teleportation" attempt was mysteriously connected to the vortex formed by the transparent maggots.
He was unable to escape, nor could he summon enough helpers. @@novelbin@@
However, Beyonders of the Seer pathway never perform unprepared.
The vortex formed by the transparent maggots slowly spun as it received a "visit" initiated by Klein. The transparent and slippery tentacles swam over in an unstoppable manner.
They reached towards him, but they only wrapped around the ancient book covered in dark-colored skin.
The blood on the book's surface hadn't completely faded.
Groselle's Travels!
At the most dangerous moment, Klein pricked his fingers, allowing his blood to flow onto the surface of Groselle's Travels. Then, with a whoosh, he entered the book world and temporarily escaped the fatal trap set up by Zaratul.
The moment he entered the book world, he immediately stretched out his hand and grabbed forward, pulling out a marionette that he had temporarily possessed from the Historical Void.
Hvin Rambis!
He had once tested that he could summon the projections of true history here. After all, it belonged to Sefirah Castle, and praying to The Fool in the book world wasn't obstructed. Of course, if that didn't work, he had other ways to resolve it. He could summon Justice Audrey who existed in the book world's history!
In short, he needed a Mid- or High-Sequence Beyonder from the Spectator pathway to bring him into the sea of collective subconscious, into the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, and into the Hall of Truth.
Time was of the essence, so the faster, the better. This was because he had no idea how long before this Sequence 1 would be able to grasp the secret of Groselle's Travels, much less whether the other party would forcibly descend into the book world.
He could only race against time!
Hvin Rambis, who was wearing a formal suit and a dark red bow tie, held onto him with a stiff expression. He directly entered the sea of collective subconscious formed by countless shadows.
With the power of a Manipulator, they quickly shuttled through and arrived at the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, in seconds, appearing before the entrance of the Hall of Truth.
Klein released his control over his marionette, Hvin Rambis, and under the nudge from the strong winds, he "ran" through the door.
As he passed by the colorful murals, his inner voice resounded in the hall:
The chances of summoning 0-08 here should be higher...
Using it to draw or write at the end of the mural on the left side can affect the real world...
Through its arrangements, I can make Zaratul make a mistake, allowing me to find a safe escape route...
No, it's still easier to let Amon's avatar join the battle royale and implicate Zaratul. That will be easier to fulfill...
It's no wonder the Goddess wants to "bait" Amon into Backlund...
The mural on the right represents the book world. I can use 0-08 to draw another temporary door for me to leave...
While "flying", Klein's right hand kept grabbing at the void ahead.
Five times, ten times, twenty times. When Klein borrowed strength from his former self, his right hand suddenly sank as he dragged out a dull classic quill.
0-08!
In the next second, Klein arrived in front of the huge pillar that was multiple arm spans wide.
This had a clear sense of being worn down by time. It was the throne of the Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt.
Klein circled around the stone pillar and arrived at the end of the mural. He raised the quill, 0-08, and was about to write.
He had never tested for any changes when using 0-08 in here before. He was afraid that it would result in an excessive accident and alert Amon's brother, making his ploy of preventing George III from becoming the Black Emperor to be detected in advance.
At this moment, he no longer needed to bother about such matters. He could wholeheartedly weave the development that he needed.
Suddenly, 0-08, which was about to begin writing, disappeared. It disappeared before it reached the time limit!
What's happening... Klein felt alarmed.
He then realized that his words in the Hall of Truth hadn't been projected. There was silence all around him.
With his spiritual perception triggered, Klein slowly turned around and saw that the time-worn rock had turned into a hundred-meter-tall cross at some point in time.
In front of the cross was a huge, blurry figure standing there. Facing everything with its back, it was observing all life with compassion.
Inside the Hall of Truth, there were rows of black, high-back pews, but only one supplicant.
The supplicant had his eyes closed as he sat in the middle of the first row. He wore a rather simple white robe with a pale gold beard that covered half his face. His hands were clasping a silver cross in front of his chest as he wore a genial and calm look.
Adam.
Twilight Hermit Order's Chair, King of Angels Adam.
Klein didn't even know when "He" had arrived.
At this moment, Adam looked up, revealing his clear, limpid eyes that resembled a child's.
He slowly stood up, speaking with a calm expression:
"George III's death causes Loen to suffer a heavy blow. Unable to sit idle any further, Intis decides to take this opportunity to launch an attack. This war officially develops into a war that sweeps through the world.
"Can you accept such an outcome?"
-x-X-x-