193 LOTM

The Evernight Goddess's dream projection replied with a smile, "If it's just to nurture a Lord of the Mysteries, I should be betting on Amon. At the very least, the chances of 'Him' succeeding is much higher than yours."

Without waiting for Klein to ask any further, "She" continued with a voice as ethereal as a dream:

"The era that was buried in the past is a memory shared between us, and also the critical period in which our humanity was born, sprouted, and nourished. Even if I've had a long life, it still remains my fondest of memories.

"You have its imprint in you, so I'm more willing to help you."

The love for the house extends even to the crows perching on its roof... Klein made a conclusion in the form of an idiom.

At that moment, he recalled the words Emperor Roselle had written in his diary:

Home.

In his wistful silence, the dream projection of the Evernight Goddess switched to saying,

"When you're ready, you can go to the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range anytime.

"Of course, it's your freedom to choose. No one will force you, and no one can force you either. You can choose to stop at a certain stage and not become a Great Old One, nor allow the Lord of the Mysteries to awaken in your body. Then, at the last moment of the apocalypse, you can bring the people and objects you want to protect and 'Wander' to other planets in other solar systems to avoid the attention of the Outer Deities, and create another civilization."

Klein had long thought of this problem. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm not sure if Roselle had said one thing: You can hide for a moment, but you can't hide forever."

He was speaking in Jotun with the Evernight Goddess, so it was a little odd when translating the proverb.

Escaping was just a temporary strategy. It couldn't be used as a long term plan.

After a pause, Klein continued, "Although the Universe is vast and without an end, the Outer Deities are clearly more familiar with it than we are. They're also stronger, directly representing a certain aspect of the universe. It's very difficult to avoid 'Their' pursuit. Besides, even if we succeed, peace will only last for some time. The recreated civilization will be destroyed in less than a thousand years. When that happens, we won't even have the chance to become Great Old Ones, never capable of any form of self-redemption."

This was because if one wanted to successfully escape during the invasion of the Outer Deities, they had to give up all the sefirot. Otherwise, they would definitely become the focus of "Their" attention. Let alone wandering the cosmos, even withstanding the first wave of attacks was an unknown.

The Evernight Goddess's dream projection spoke slowly,

"Apart from the items ripped from the Outer Deities, only taking away the Uniquenesses and High-Sequence Beyonder characteristics of the other pathways might not necessarily garner the attention of the Outer Deities. 'They' wouldn't spend too much time searching."

"You also said that it's not necessarily the case. The Outer Deities should still have a certain desire for the Uniqueness and High-Sequence Beyonder characteristics of similar pathways. This can help 'Them' approach the level of a pillar," Klein replied calmly. "We can't place our hopes on 'Their' feelings. 'They' aren't benevolent."

The Evernight Goddess's dream projection nodded and said, "In this aspect, you're more aware than Roselle. Of course, it's because he had learned of the Great Old Ones and the Outer Deities a little too late."

"She" continued, "You have another choice: use Pallez's method to personally lower your level and let Amon steal Sefirah Castle. This way, you can live well as a Sequence 1 angel. You don't have to constantly worry that the Lord of the Mysteries will awaken in you. It won't be that exhausting."

In the Church of Evernight's bible, there was the division of angels and archangels. Klein had always guessed that the latter referred to Sequence 1, and today, he had finally obtained confirmation.

Of course, this was only the standard of one Church, not necessarily the rest.

After hearing the Evernight Goddess's words, Klein fell silent for a long time before asking, "Can Amon be trusted?"

The Evernight Goddess's dream projection said frankly, "I can't give you a definite answer."

Klein asked again, "If the Lord of the Mysteries awakens in Amon's body, will 'He' take back all the High-Sequence Beyonder characteristics of the Seer, Marauder, and Apprentice pathways?"

"I don't know," the Evernight Goddess's dream projection replied in the same tone.

Klein fell silent again. After a while, he said, "Personally, I don't wish to become a Great Old One, but I can't let down and betray those existences who have placed their bets on me. 'They' have more or less helped me.

"Once Amon becomes the Lord of the Mysteries, 'He' will definitely help the ancient sun god retrieve the Uniqueness and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic from the Lord of Storms and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, causing 'Their' deaths.

"Besides, Amon is a reckless god."

The Evernight Goddess's dream projection nodded slightly and said, "Your humanity has been maintained well."

After making up his mind, Klein freed himself from his low spirit state. He smiled and said,

"If I hadn't maintained my humanity, and allowed the godhood to gain an advantage, I would've also made a similar choice. That's because a godhood's instinct is convergence upon oneself."

The Evernight Goddess's dream projection gently chuckled.

"Make your preparations. Meet Antigonus as soon as possible."

Klein nodded and suddenly recalled something. He hurriedly asked, "Has Amon already used Mr. Door's ritual to accommodate the Uniqueness of the Apprentice pathway?"

The Evernight Goddess's dream projection slowly replied, "If it were another existence, then definitely not.

"But if it's Amon, there's a 50% chance.

"'He' likes to take risks and seek thrills."

Klein didn't say another word as he watched the Evernight Goddess's projection vanish before him as the dream gently collapsed.

The altar that he had yet to clear occupied his vision again.

To him, heading to the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range to face the Antigonus family's ancestor didn't require much preparation from him. He would mainly rely on Sefirah Castle to produce an avatar to steal the Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic—the one from Zaratul—that he hadn't digested yet, allowing his main body to be in a unique state that could accommodate the Uniqueness.

As his mental state stabilized, even without Zaratul's remnant mental imprint, Klein could still rely on his humanity, consciousness, and anchors to barely suppress the partial consciousness of the Celestial Worthy.

However, before that, Klein's spiritual intuition told him that he needed to do something.

After looking around, he tidied up the altar and dragged Dwayne Dantès out of the fog of history.

Sitting at the table, Klein spread out a piece of paper and wrote a letter to Mr. Azik.

As it hadn't been a while since he wrote the previous letter, there wasn't much content. He only mentioned the River of Eternal Darkness that was situated underground in Calderón City, as well as the death imprints on both banks of the distributary. He emphasized the numerous Azik Eggers he had seen, and his guesses.

After folding the letter, Klein took out Azik's copper whistle and blew at it.

The skeleton messenger appeared at the size of a normal human. It knelt down on one knee and opened its palm.

After Klein handed the letter to it, he took out a gold coin from Sefirah Castle.

"This is to thank you for all the work you've done.

"If you can't accept it, hand it to your master and let 'Him' decide."

This gold coin was one of the transformed gold coins that had been tainted by the aura of Sefirah Castle.

He had already used one of them to pay Miss Messenger's fee, and he had lost one to Maric when they played cards.

The skeleton messenger was stunned for nearly five seconds, but he didn't dare disobey Klein's words. He clasped the letter and the gold coin with his bony fingers.

It disintegrated and fell to the ground like a waterfall before drilling into the ground.

Following that, Klein took out another gold coin and placed it in his pocket.

At the same time, he made the Worms of Spirit on duty in Sefirah Castle to take a look at a certain crimson star.

...

East Balam, in a cathedral belonging to the Evernight Goddess.

As the first batch of demigods participating in the besieging of the Rose School of Thought, Leonard Mitchell had already used a Sealed Artifact to reach the Southern Continent.

However, he had no progress for the time being. This was because the Rose School of Thought demigods seemed to sense the danger in the air as they simultaneously hid themselves.

This made Leonard have no choice but to wait patiently, ready to answer the call of any dispatches.

While he had nothing to do, he wore his red glove and entered the cathedral's prayer hall. He did his daily prayer in a rather devout manner.

In the dark and serene environment, he seemed to fall asleep.

After an unknown period of time, Leonard opened his eyes and stood up. He walked down the aisle towards the door.

At that moment, he saw a familiar figure. It was Klein Moretti, wearing a top hat and formal suit with black hair and brown eyes.

Leonard's pupils dilated as his brows pricked up. Klein, who was also praying, lowered his hands and stood up. He walked past him and slowly approached the altar.

During this process, neither of them spoke, as if the other party was just a stranger.

After reaching the donation box near the altar, Klein took out a gold coin from his pocket and threw it in with a serious expression.

Then, he changed direction and left the cathedral from another door.

Leonard stood in the middle of the aisle and watched this scene with a puzzled look. He frowned slightly.

At this moment, in his mind, Pallez Zoroast's slightly-aged voice echoed:

"Find a chance to get that gold coin."

...

Backlund, in a particular house.

Will Auceptin held a silver spoon and focused on digging at the pale green ice-cream in front of "Him."

Suddenly, "He" extended "His" left hand to block the side of the food.

On the chair beside "Him," Dwayne Dantès's figure instantly appeared.

"I seem to have missed your birthday twice," Klein said with a smile. "This is a belated present."

As he spoke, he took out a gold coin and pushed it to Will Auceptin.

"This is a lucky gold coin for you."

Will was stunned for two seconds before muttering, "The gift celebrating my birth was a lucky amulet. For a birthday gift, it's a lucky gold coin. You really don't have any creativity."

As "He" spoke, "He" reached out "His" chubby hand and quickly took the gold coin.

Klein smiled, stood up, and vanished.

-x-X-x-

Bayam, inside the Church of the Sea God.

After the Mass, Alger Wilson returned to his room and saw a figure appear by the window.

It was Gehrman Sparrow in a top hat and trench coat.

Without waiting for Alger to speak, Klein took two steps forward and solemnly said, "I have come under Mr. Fool's orders."

He habitually acted as the Attendant of Mysteries.

Alger immediately lowered his head and pressed his right hand to his left chest.

"Praise Mr. Fool."

Klein nodded slightly and took out an item from the junk pile of Sefirah Castle.

Alger's eyes immediately reflected a short scepter made of bones.

The tip of the scepter was embedded with tiny blue gems. A small number of them were dyed black, and a small number was covered in the light of dawn. Around it were countless pure points of light, and the sounds of illusory prayers emitted from it, stacked and holy.

Alger's eyes widened as he couldn't help but reveal a hint of greed.

As a Sequence 4 demigod of the Sailor pathway, he was extremely certain that the white bone scepter before him was the symbol of the Sea God's identity, level, and strength.

As he endured the slight dizziness from the prayers, he cast his gaze at The World Gehrman Sparrow, waiting for the deity's attendant to speak.

Klein raised the Sea God Scepter with one hand and said with a solemn expression, "This is Mr. Fool's gift and a sign of trust, as well as a reward for protecting a large number of believers.

"No matter what happens in the future, you are to keep following Mr. Fool's instructions and do your best to complete the missions 'He' gives."

"..." Alger acutely sensed the hidden meaning.

He suspected that Mr. Fool would encounter something in the future, causing "Him" to suffer injuries or enter a nadir state.

At the thought that he had already left the Church of Storms and had no way out, Alger pressed his right hand to his left chest and replied loudly, "My faith lies only with Mr. Fool!"

Upon seeing this, Klein secretly nodded before repeating what he had said to Miss Justice and Miss Judgment.

This made Alger heave a sigh of relief. After all, knowing what might happen in the future was better than not knowing anything.

Without hesitation, he repeated his words in a serious tone.

Klein handed the Sea God Scepter to him.

"You should get used to this Sealed Artifact and the daily life as a Sea God. Once you finish digesting the Cataclysmic Interrer potion, use it to concoct the potion. The prior acting will reduce the difficulty of advancing."

In fact, Klein could now remove the "Grafting" and transfer the concept of "Sea God" which was directed at him and Sefirah Castle to Alger, allowing him to directly become half a Sea God. It would allow him to better adapt to his identity and better act in advance.

However, considering how he was about to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness, he needed sufficient anchors to balance the consciousness of the Celestial Worthy's awakening. He couldn't be missing the Sea God's believers. Klein decided to wait until his condition had stabilized before completely transferring everything that was related to Sea God.

Currently, Alger was an attendant more suitable to wield the authority, helping the deity listen and respond to prayer without enjoying the corresponding anchors and identity. The Sea God Scepter's owner was still Klein, as everything still pointed at him. This was the miraculous use of "Grafting."

Alger suppressed his excitement and joy as he answered Gehrman Sparrow sincerely and received the Sea God Scepter.

Then, he deliberated and asked, "What negative effects does this Sealed Artifact have?"

"Mr. Fool has already applied certain seals to it. The negative effects of the Sea God Scepter have been greatly reduced," Klein said simply. "It will only make the wielder more irritable and cause the spirit to be in a certain state of chaos. In addition, it will drain the blood of the surrounding creatures every month. You can fly to the sea or an uninhabited island ahead of time."

That's still manageable... Alger secretly heaved a sigh of relief before asking what Beyonder powers the scepter had.

After Klein briefly described it, he vanished.

...

In the ancient palace above the fog.

After finishing the additional preparations, Klein sat on The Fool's chair and conjured a piece of goatskin and a dark red fountain pen. He began analyzing the possible developments at the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range when he faced the Antigonus family's ancestor.

If everything goes smoothly, and I enter the final stage of accommodating The Fool's Uniqueness, the Goddess will definitely have to remove the Concealment. This is because this is the only way to allow the region to interact with reality, allowing fate to connect, thus achieving the effect of fooling fate.

From Mr. Door's apotheosis ritual, the commotion caused by accommodating a Uniqueness is definitely not trivial. Once it's not concealed, this matter will definitely be detected by the other deities. Furthermore, those who are concerned about this matter must've been watching the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range recently. Once there are any changes there, "They" will immediately know.

In such a situation, there's no doubt that there will be interference, destruction, assistance, and support. It's very important to find out who the foes and allies are. Otherwise, there's no way to make targeted preparations.

The Goddess is definitely on my side. If "She" were an enemy, I would've been concealed countless times. It's impossible for me to grow to this level. To put it simply, "She" had many opportunities to sell me out. Furthermore, "She" could sell it at a very good price previously. Furthermore, to "Her," it wouldn't affect "Her" ability to support who becomes the Lord of the Mysteries. That's why "She" can make a decision based on "Her" preferences. Adam is currently unable to bypass the seal and obtain the River of Eternal Darkness.

The ones who do not wish for Amon to become the Lord of the Mysteries the most are the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Once someone attempts to destroy my ritual to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness, "They" would definitely help me and directly provide help.

Apart from these four true deities, the remaining Sequence 0s are:

Visionary Adam and the True Creator are Amon's father. The probability of helping "Him" is definitely higher than "Them" being on the sidelines; Earth Mother has placed a bet on me through Emlyn, but it's not necessarily the case that "She" would definitely help me at the critical moment. To "Her," waiting patiently for the outcome when there are no interests at play is the best choice. The Primordial Demoness's condition is odd. It's possible for "Her" to make any choice. The attitude of the God of Steam and Machinery is ambiguous. It's more likely for "Him" to remain neutral or privately make a deal with Amon and Adam. I don't have any chips to move "Him."

Other than these true deities, there are some uncommon Sequence 0s or the consciousnesses in existence that are nearly at Sequence 0.

The Lord of the Abyss, also known as the Dark Side of the Universe, is suspected to have been invaded by the Mother Tree of Desire. "He" would occasionally respond to the prayers of the Blood Sanctify Sect. It has been a long time since "He" exerted any influence on the real world. Likewise, the Chained God is in a similar situation.

What "They" will do will only depend on the Mother Tree of Desire's thoughts. And to the Outer Deities, delaying the birth of a Lord of the Mysteries should be a consensus. Under such circumstances, stopping me from being able to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness will only cause me to be at an absolute disadvantage in the competition with Amon, allowing the competition to quickly determine a winner.

The most plausible strategy of the Mother Tree of Desire is tacit consent. "She" might even help me to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness, preventing the scale between me and Amon from tilting. After that, "She" will repeatedly destroy our inclinations and attempts to converge, delaying the birth of the Lord of the Mysteries to the apocalypse.

The Red Angel evil spirit definitely hasn't recovered to the level where "He" can be involved in such matters. The Hidden Sage is very mysterious, making it difficult to guess "His" thoughts, but "He" should know that I am hostile towards "Him."

At this point in the analysis, Klein made a conclusion:

"Allies: The Evernight Goddess, Lord of Storms, Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom:

"Foes: Visionary Adam, True Creator, and Mr. Error Amon.

"Neutral with tendencies to support me: Earth Mother, Dark Side of the Universe, and Chained God.

"Neutral with tendencies to support Amon: Hidden Sage.

"Neutral and ambiguous attitudes: Primordial Demoness, God of Steam and Machinery."

Yes, I'll ignore how far Adam and the True Creator have fused. I'll consider the worst-case scenario. I'll treat "Them" as the ancient sun god and treat them as a dual-pathway Sequence 0 true god... The Goddess has the Uniqueness of the Twilight Giant and Death. Although "She" hasn't accommodated them, "She" has some level of control of them using that bird-shaped, golden accessory as a medium. Even if "She" can't compare to the ancient sun god, she can definitely stall "Him"...

I'll also consider Amon as a dual-pathways Sequence 0 true god. At least two of the Lord of Storms trio have to be diverted to have a chance to fend "Him" off... From the surface, I still hold a certain advantage... Klein looked at the content listed on the piece of paper as he thought silently.

However, this advantage didn't consider the neutral factions.

Klein tapped the edge of the long mottled table and considered the worst situation.

The Primordial Demoness, Hidden Sage, and God of Steam and Machinery might all choose to help Amon based on their own secret dealings or "Their" morality.

This way, even if Earth Mother participated in the battle, Klein's side would be at a disadvantage. The God of Steam and Machinery and the other god from the omnipotent and omniscient pathway would cancel out each other. The Primordial Demoness would hold back the Earth Mother, who had just taken back the Uniqueness of The Moon. The Hidden Sage would face the Universe's Dark Side and the Chained God which were controlled by the Mother Tree of Desire—the powers that the Outer Deities could sneak into the world were extremely limited. This gave the Hidden Sage a likely advantage.

Furthermore, this cancellation was a calculation based on ideal conditions. In reality, under the chaotic situation, Amon, who was in charge of the "Error" authority, could play many tricks. It was possible that "He" would be able to find weaknesses in an instant and bypass the obstacles, causing Klein's ritual to fail and make him lose control on the spot. In addition, some deities who supported Klein on the surface might turn to help Amon due to reasons he wasn't aware of.

As for the Sealed Artifacts that could change the power balance between the deities, Klein didn't know much about them and wasn't able to make an analysis.

Heh, I didn't expect that there would be a day when I fleeced the Mother Tree of Desire. Yes, I have to make some preparations for the worst-case scenario to prevent things from developing in this direction. Klein dispersed the paper and fountain pen in front of him and cast his gaze at a particular prayer light.

His figure vanished from Sefirah Castle and appeared on Bernadette's Dawn.

-x-X-x-

Queen Mystic Bernadette seemed to have a sense of foreboding when she saw Gehrman Sparrow's arrival. Without any surprise, she put down the ancient scroll in her hand and cast her gaze at the visitor at the door.

Klein didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "I wish to borrow the Magic Wishing Lamp for a day."

Bernadette nodded gently and raised "Her" hand to pick up the Magic Wishing Lamp beside "Her."

"Her" invisible servant immediately held the unique lamp and brought it to Klein.

Klein took it and said in a deep voice, "Thank you."

Bernadette didn't make any requests. It was as though she wasn't afraid that she would end up having accumulated an additional wish and dying a strange death.

She believed that Mr. Fool would be able to resolve this problem because the existence had displayed this ability the last time.

In the next second, Klein, who had transformed into Gehrman Sparrow, vanished from the Dawn and returned to Sefirah Castle.

When he placed the Magic Wishing Lamp on the table in front of him, he immediately saw the candlewick light up, emitting a sticky light that formed a distorted, blurry golden figure.

"You haven't fulfilled your promise yet, so I won't fulfill your wishes according to your will again," Genie said with a majestic and dignified voice. "You should know that the current owner of this lamp is Roselle's daughter. The first wish you made was to place 'Her' accumulated wishes that could allow 'Her' to suffer a backlash at the level Above the Sequences on you. And this time, I won't permit you to transfer 'Her' wishes onto yourself."

When Klein had used the Magic Wishing Lamp to escape, he hadn't changed the ownership of this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. It still belonged to Bernadette, and its wielder was still Queen Mystic.

Therefore, his wish would simultaneously be accumulated on himself and Bernadette.

At that time, his first wish was to transfer the two wishes that Bernadette had previously made under his name. This cleared Bernadette's accumulated wishes, and he was burdened with two wishes.

But at the same time, this first wish was also accumulated. Therefore, after it was fulfilled, Bernadette's count became 1, and Klein's was 3.

Following that, Klein made a second wish. It would undoubtedly be counted towards both Bernadette and him.

Finally, Bernadette's wish count was 2 without exceeding the critical point, while Klein reached 4. Without any surprises, he encountered the backlash from the rules that were at the level of an Outer Deity. He died on the spot in Adam's corpse cathedral and successfully escaped.

Under the premise that Klein made another wish, it would make Bernadette's wish count reach 3, causing her to unavoidably suffer something terrifying.

Of course, he could also mimic the first wish he did previously, transferring Bernadette's wish count onto himself and spending one chance at "revival." However, the Genie had already made it clear that "He" would distort any similar wishes, allowing the wish to be realized in a way that Klein didn't wish to see.

Sigh, it's also because I was in a rush the last time. And Roselle was affected by the Primordial Moon, so the wish we came up with was definitely flawed... At that time, I should've added a description to make the first wish only count under my name. Or perhaps, I should've added another wish between the first and second wish to transfer the ownership of the Magic Wishing Lamp to me. After all, my death would result in the ownership being cleared, and the Magic Wishing Lamp would return to its wielder... As Klein sighed inwardly, he smiled at Genie.

"You should be no stranger to 'Tampering' and 'Reassembly.'

"With your level and current state as this lamp, I can now rely on Sefirah Castle to 'Graft' its ownership from Bernadette onto me. Or perhaps, we can use a different method and directly use 'Theft'?"

Genie's blurry golden figure fell silent. After a few seconds, "He" said, "Although you aren't as cunning as 'Him,' you're just as shameless.

"However, this is of no use. After you accumulate your wishes and die, the ownership of this lamp will still return to Roselle's daughter. And I will distort the rules and place your wish count onto 'Her.'

"Also, I said earlier that before you fulfill your promise, I won't fulfill your wish normally again."

Klein maintained his smile.

"I once heard a story regarding investors.

"When a company is in trouble, the ones who are more willing to provide aid will definitely be the original investors. Although they have already paid a lot, if they don't continue investing, they might not be able to recoup their investment and end up losing all their money.

"Of course, if they could use other means to retrieve their own share, or exchange their investment for greater benefits, it would be another story.

"Which type do you think you are?"

Genie stared at Klein, who was sitting in The Fool's seat, and laughed.

"After you gain a deeper grasp of Sefirah Castle, you also seem to have obtained the eloquence of a Swindler. However, unless you help me remove the seal now, it will be difficult for me to affect matters at the level of Sequence 0. At most, you will encounter a backlash from Above the Sequences laws and die again.

"However, this won't be of any help to what you wish to do now. Death means failure. Furthermore, you should know very well that losing control during your advancement will affect all your avatars. It's not something that can be avoided by cutting off all connections."

Klein smiled and nodded.

"Indeed, I haven't thought of a wish yet. I'm just making preparations."

With that said, he looked at the Magic Wishing Lamp.

"Actually, this lamp has another use that can affect matters at Sequence 0.

"I heard that a true god once attempted to destroy this lamp, but failed in the end. Indeed, how can a lamp that can seal an Outer Deity be so easily damaged? It definitely has the power of the Lord of the Mysteries or Sefirah Castle."

As he spoke, the smile on Klein's face gradually became obvious.

"It's such a waste not to use something as sturdy as this as a shield."

"..." Genie fell silent for a long time.

After such a friendly exchange, Klein and Genie exchanged their views. The fact that both of them were connected by fate had allowed "Them" to come up with a preliminary agreement.

Then, Klein placed the Magic Wishing Lamp into his pocket, prepared to use it at any time.

After completing all of this, he cast his gaze at the fragments of light related to the Hornacis mountain range in the fog of history.

He was almost done with his preparations. Next, he would create another avatar and steal the undigested Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic from himself. Then, he could face the ancestor of the Antigonus family.

And this might very well trigger a divine battle.

To be frank, Klein didn't wish for that to happen. This was because a war of deities would likely have a negative impact on the real world.

Back when the Rose Redemption stopped the resurrection of the Primordial One, in the divine battle to assassinate the ancient sun god, which involved the help of Dark Angel Sasrir, it directly brought about a disaster that affected the entire Eastern Continent. This caused more than 99% of the living creatures there to die, making large swaths of the terrain to resemble the abyss.

The War of the Four Emperors and the Pale Disaster had nearly destroyed the Northern Continent, causing countless people to die and mutate. This caused the mountains to turn into lakes, valleys into peaks, rivers changing paths, the land to collapse, and the ocean to go berserk.

The battle between the Evernight Goddess and the God of Combat happened in the astral world. It happened in the Evernight Goddess's divine kingdom, and it was relatively brief. Therefore, it had the least impact on the real world. However, before that, the world war that exceeded a year had drained the blood and tears of countless people.

If it was possible, Klein was actually willing to give up on Sefirah Castle and live on as a Sequence 1 or even a Sequence 2 angel. The matter would then develop in the most peaceful way.

However, along the way, there were already too many existences who provided him with kindness, help, and faith. At this moment, if Klein were to give up, he would put them into danger. This wasn't being kind, but selfish.

From time immemorial, which successful person didn't bear the fates of many people?

If he gave up, what about the rest?

The members of the Tarot Club, The Fool believers of the City of Silver and Moon City, Azik Eggers, Reinette Tinekerr, Will Auceptin... Various faces quickly flashed across Klein's mind.

Finally, he let out a long sigh.

If Amon could be trusted, it wasn't that Klein couldn't hand over all of this to "Him." However, this God of Deceit had always been reckless. Even "His" believers were all "Himself."

If Klein were to give up just like that—notwithstanding his own safety—the people or demigods he had just thought of might be caught by his enemies or directly end up wearing a monocle on their right eye. Among them, Will Auceptin and The Fool's believers were in the most danger.

Believe in the might of deities, but do not trust "Their" benevolence!

This was Klein's decision. When facing the Evernight Goddess, he had used the Lord of Storms and company as an example. This was telling "Her" that he wouldn't let "Her" down after all the help "She" had given. This was the existence that had bet the most on him. If Klein were to give up, the Evernight Goddess might have to pay a greater price to obtain the River of Eternal Darkness. "She" might even not be able to obtain it forever. This was because after the appearance of the two pillars—Lord of the Mysteries and God Almighty—it meant that the threat from the Outer Deities would be reduced to its lowest level. There wouldn't be any need for additional Great Old Ones to appear.

Phew, I'll later use Sefirah Castle to "Graft" the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range to the astral world. This can prevent the war of deities from bringing any harm to the real world to the greatest extent. It can also allow the deities who are guarding the cracking barrier to unleash "Their" full strength. After all, most of my supporters are orthodox deities... Klein's mind raced as he came up with a solution.

He then snapped his fingers and used Sefirah Castle to create an avatar to stand beside him.

-x-X-x-

The avatar Klein created was a blueprint of his present state, and not Dwayne Dantès, Sherlock Moriarty, or Merlin Hermes, so as to avoid any obstacles in his self-awareness.

After experiencing the mutation brought by Adam, he became more careful in such aspects.

Glancing at his avatar, Klein's thoughts made his face turn blank.

The avatar extended its right hand and stirred Sefirah Castle's strength to grab at the main body.

Again and again, it failed more than ten times. Finally, it managed to extract bits of dark light from the main body.

Finally... Klein sighed and extinguished the thought of trying to execute this attempt during the actual battle.

Despite not resisting at all, with his body and mind at ease, his avatar had still spent so much time failing while using Sefirah Castle's level and strength. It was easy to imagine its value in actual combat.

As more and more Beyonder characteristics left his body, Klein felt relaxed. He felt like he had finally abandoned a heavy burden after a long walk.

Of course, there was a certain fluctuation in his mental state. After losing the lingering mental imprint from Zaratul, the awakening of the Celestial Worthy's consciousness began to invade his mind.

This was within Klein's expectations; therefore, he wasn't flustered at all. With his self-awareness that had long stabilized, his tenacious willpower, and his ample anchors, he gradually resisted the corruption of the Celestial Worthy's will and found a new balance.

At the same time, when the Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic that Klein hadn't fully digested entered his avatar's body, its blank face suddenly twisted, growing out dark, lusterless eyes, and an indistinct white long beard.

At this moment, it greatly resembled Zaratul.

However, it was unable to withstand the madness brought about by the Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic. Its body rapidly developed towards collapse as transparent, distorted maggots crawled out and slippery and sinister tentacles extended out.

It lost control on the spot.

Klein didn't stay idle. Without any hesitation, he moved his finger, making the avatar turn into his marionette.

This terminated the process of losing control.

At this point, he had already made all preparations. His main body had completely digested the potion, allowing him to be in a state to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness. He also had a Sequence 1 marionette.

Following that, Klein leaned back into his chair and replayed what he was about to do in his mind to see if there were any fatal flaws.

This is the most I can do for the battle of the deities. I can only do my best afterwards... Hmm, am I being too optimistic about the first stage because of the Goddess's help and the supplementary River of Eternal Darkness's water? That's why I'm not worried that the Antigonus family's ancestor won't cause any accidents? After a round of scrutiny, Klein felt that he was still not cautious enough. There was a little arrogance and carelessness in the matter.

After some thought, he created another avatar which still had a blank face.

After completing this, Klein stood up, took out Creeping Hunger from the fog of history, and wore it on his left hand.

This was a preparation for any possible small-scale battles. Under such a scene, "Blink" was faster and more convenient than "Grafting."

After adjusting his collar, Klein slowly surveyed the area and made his gaze fall on the strange door of light that was stained with bluish-black. It landed on the humans who were hanging there, wrapped in transparent "cocoons."

As he scanned each and every one of them, his gaze landed on the three shattered transparent "cocoons."

In the next second, Klein's figure vanished and appeared in the grayish-white fog of history. He walked to the time before the First Epoch, and he arrived at the stacked metropolis of old.

He stood at the top of a dilapidated skyscraper that barely stood erect. He looked down at the pile of wreckage, the public transportation vehicles that had turned into metal pancakes, and numerous overlapping sedans.

Amidst the silence, he swept his gaze across the remaining buildings. It seemed to pass through the barriers of history, allowing him to see the electric lamps lit up inside them.

The light from the lamps spread out gently, illuminating the glass and skyscrapers, streets, and every corner of metropolis ruins.

After staring at it for a long time, Klein retracted his gaze and took a step back to the real world.

Right on the heels of that, he directly teleported to the summit of the Hornacis mountain range. He "saw" that ancient palace that was shrouded in fog, dilapidated, and overgrown with weeds.

His marionette and avatar appeared in front of him, like two guards.

Facing the ancient palace, Klein pressed his top hat, raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.

The peak of the Hornacis mountain range instantly turned dark. Illusory stars appeared around them.

Klein had "Grafted" this place to the astral world.

Without any hesitation, he led his marionette and avatar to the main door of the ancient palace.

The marionette that looked almost identical to him was one step ahead. It bent down, stretched out its hands, and slowly pushed the heavy stone door open.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing the scene inside.

And it was different from the last time Klein sent the Trunsoest Brass Book over. It was dark inside, making it impossible for anyone to see the numerous corpses hanging above the hall, nor could he see the cluster of transparent maggots that were sitting on the huge stone chair.

Without needing to guess, Klein made use of the intuition of a Seer at the King of Angels level to confirm that this was the change caused by the Evernight Goddess using the River of Eternal Darkness's water to allow the ancestor of the Antigonus family to enter a state of eternal slumber.

After the marionette and avatar entered, he slowly walked through the door and entered the palace.

The darkness swayed and changed.

Numerous buildings appeared in the surroundings as figures walked along the streets. Their voices spread out, causing the surroundings to become lively and noisy.

The people ignored Klein and his marionette and avatar as they headed for their destinations while chatting with each other.

They and the buildings were dark in color, almost close to black-and-white. They were like old photos that came from deep within history that had suddenly come to life.

This made Klein think of black-and-white holographic projections, the scenes in the Historical Void, and those in real dreams.

He strolled through this town and walked along the elevating streets.

And the higher they went, the more magnificent the buildings became. The massive stone pillar supported an exaggerated dome.

The people living in this "black-and-white photo" were generally tall. They seemed to be learning, working, and resting.

The scenes here changed continuously, showing the birth of a baby, the growth of a child, the ignorance of youth, the worries of an adult, the pressure of a middle-aged man, and the sorrow of aging.

Of course, they were all interlinked with each other. Only a portion would become the main theme at times.

As Klein ventured deeper, he saw the residents of the towns die.

Their loved ones weren't overly sad. They carried the dead back home, placed them on the bed with a pillow as if the corpses were still alive.

When Klein was about to leave the town's borders, the dead got up from bed, left their family, and walked out of their homes, heading towards the highest point of the street.

There was also a city there. It seemed to be the City of the Dead, the eventual refuge of life, a kingdom of eternal repose.

This was very close to where normal people lived. The latter was distributed by the mountainside to the peak, while the former was on the peak.

Others might be surprised by such a state, but Klein instantly understood what this scenery meant.

This was because he directly saw Spirit Body Threads on the deceased.

The moment they were about to die, their Spirit Body Threads floated towards the peak, controlled by an unknown existence.

That also meant that they had become marionettes.

Therefore, the deceased could leave their own families and head to the peak after dying for some time.

And this was completely in line with the details mentioned in the "Research of the Hornacis Main Peak's Relics."

The Nation of the Evernight belonged to the Mother of the Sky from the Evernight pathway, but at the peak, there was a town used by the Antigonus family's ancestor.

Therefore, the residents of the Nation of the Evernight were respectful and afraid of Evernight. They believed in the Mother of the Sky. At the same time, they believed that death was not the end. They believed that their dead loved ones would bless them from Evernight.

Indeed, death wasn't the end. The City of Dead was just beside them—at the peak. They could reach it just by walking, and the dead would continue living their lives as marionettes.

In the eyes of ordinary people, this was undoubtedly the same as still being alive.

The nation of the living and the City of Dead were like two ends of a road. The distance between life and death was so close that they were like neighbors.

This also explained why the Nation of the Evernight didn't have tombs, as the deceased didn't need to be buried. They turned into marionettes and headed for the peak.

This should be the Nation of the Evernight from back then... Klein nodded slightly and proceeded towards the peak in the dark environment.

What entered his eyes was indeed a seemingly normal town, but everyone here was a marionette.

After passing through the marionettes who dressed and looked different, Klein entered the magnificent palace that seemed to honor a deity.

Deep in the palace, on the huge stone chair, a figure propped its elbow on the armrest, its head leaning back against the chair.

"His" face was rather young, but "His" long hair was half-white. Half of it was concealed, the other revealed; "His" appearance was that of a man, and "His" eyes were darker than Zaratul's, and they contained an indescribable sense of the vicissitudes of life. "His" facial features were pretty good, but "His" cheeks had a thick, black tuft of fur that resembled a wolf fur. "He" gave off a feeling of both old-age and youthfulness, rationality and madness.

This was the ancestor of the Antigonus family. This time, "He" didn't appear in the form of a Mythical Creature, and instead sat on a huge stone chair in "His" original appearance.

At that moment, "His" eyes were tightly shut as though "He" was in a deep sleep. And inside the hall, there were corpses wearing simple or luxurious clothes hanging from the ceiling.

They were like inverted forests that swayed gently in the wind.

After entering a state of eternal slumber, the ancestor of the Antigonus family finally managed to temporarily free himself from the state of losing control and madness, and returned to how he was before? Klein stood in the middle of the hall, looking at his target as he sighed.

The scene he saw of the Nation of the Evernight and the City of Dead earlier was the dream belonging to Antigonus—a dream that lasted for more than a thousand years.

-x-X-x-

Looking at The Half-Fool on the huge stone chair, the scenes from before, as well as the relevant scenes of the Nation of the Evernight flashed through Klein's mind. This evoked thoughts in him.

He didn't know much about Antigonus. In fact, he had almost lost control because of the ravings of "His" "Hornacis... Flegrea..." Therefore, he didn't feel any sympathy at the moment, at best some form of empathy.

The lingering memories were undoubtedly one of the best memories of the past.

Even though "He" was born extraordinary, Antigonus seemed to be deeply fond of the small, peaceful, and isolated nation.

Klein slowly exhaled as he looked away from the man with the thick, black, sharp beard, and his gaze landed on the huge stone chair to the side.

A book made of thin, yellow brass was quietly placed there. It kept having three mercury-colored lines of rules being superseded on it.

0-02, Trunsoest Brass Book.

Using powers similar to "Grafting" to complete the seal? Yes, it seems to have gone a step further. Not only is the beginning directly connected to the end, but the intelligence of the Trunsoest Brass Book has also been fooled, allowing it to ignore the middle parts that had been skipped, and not making attempts to change things. It just keeps repeating actions over and over again... Klein glanced at 0-02 and muttered to himself in thought.

This made him have some guesses about the abilities of The Fool.

Without thinking further, Klein got the Attendant of Mysteries marionette to "Graft" the starting point to the endpoint as he walked to the huge stone chair and picked up the Trunsoest Brass Book.

On the one hand, this was to eliminate any possible interference, and on the other hand, he was trying to test out Antigonus's current condition.

Seeing that The Half-Fool was still sleeping and unable to escape from "His" eternal slumber, Klein heaved a sigh of relief. He made his marionette take the Trunsoest Brass Book and retreat to the entrance of the palace to wait for him.

The reason he didn't allow his avatar to retrieve the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was that he was worried that the Trunsoest Brass Book, which had a certain connection with a sefirah, would be able to produce passive negative effects during the critical moment he was accommodating The Fool's Uniqueness. This might lead to the situation developing in a terrible direction.

When it came to avoiding the negative effects of the Sealed Artifact, marionettes were definitely better than avatars.

This was also why Klein didn't bring the Staff of the Stars. He couldn't place a time bomb beside him.

Usually, it was fine. He could rely on his level, status, and abilities so as to forcefully suppress the Staff of the Stars, but in the process of accommodating The Fool's Uniqueness, he would be very weak. He couldn't interfere with the people or things around him. Any mistakes could cause him to lose control on the spot.

To deal with the situation of Sefirah Castle being sealed, thus causing him to be unable to use its powers, Klein had no choice but to bring a Sealed Artifact that could provide "Teleportation" powers. Therefore, he chose Creeping Hunger.

At that moment, Klein felt the glove on his left hand tremble while facing a King of Angels that controlled a Uniqueness.

He then used his right hand to caress Creeping Hunger and whispered jokingly, "Don't worry. You're just a projection from the Historical Void."

Using this method to ease his taut nerves, Klein surveyed the area and confirmed that there was nothing else he needed to do.

Immediately after, he placed his hand on his chest and bowed deeply to Antigonus.

When he straightened his body and lifted his head, a complicated, mysterious, illusory brand appeared on his forehead.

This brand was like a strange door of light that was tainted with hints of bluish-black. It constantly emitted a faint grayish-white fog.

In the next second, Klein reached out his right hand. Although it wasn't too far away, not was it too close. He "contained" Antigonus's body within his fingers.

His fingers quickly closed, and with a twist of his wrist, he completed the "Theft."

He obtained nothing.

This attempt failed.

Klein wasn't depressed. He once again began stealing Antigonus's identity, fate, and self-awareness.

Although he was already a King of Angels, his powers in stealing came from Sefirah Castle. At present, he was only at Sequence 1, while Antigonus had been corrupted by the Lord of the Mysteries, a King of Angels that had accommodated the Uniqueness. There was still an obvious difference between the two.

Therefore, even if Antigonus had entered a temporary state of eternal slumber and was unable to resist, Klein suffered failure many times.

He wasn't nervous or disappointed in such a situation. This was something he had expected previously. After all, as long as the theft wasn't completed, the Evernight Goddess wouldn't dispel the concealment effect and let the fate here interact with the real world. There wouldn't be any external interference either. Klein had plenty of time and a stable environment to continue his attempts.

After failing countless times, Klein suddenly had a flash of inspiration and predicted something.

He reached out his right hand again, closed his fingers, and twisted them gently.

Suddenly, he felt something invisible leave Antigonus's body and float towards him.

At the same time, an indescribable river of light with countless distributaries appeared in front of him.

The illusory river continued to flow forward, drowning one distributary after another, allowing them to become part of the main river.

This was a symbol of fate. It also had many different images, such as a slowly rotating segmented wheel, or a giant serpent that had its head and tail connected. At that moment, when fate was swapped, Klein saw the river of light.

In the next second, fragmented images and scenes appeared in Klein's mind:

An eight-legged demonic wolf, who had just been born, was sprawled on the hill. Amidst the thick and black short fur on its body, transparent and distorted maggots crawled about. "He" was the youngest son of the ancient god, Flegrea, a natural Mythical Creature. At that moment, "He" was looking at "His" sister, brother, and a portion of "His" clansmen playing amongst corpses. "He" despised the crude methods they employed when dealing with their prey. "He" believed that prey should be hoisted up for slow, refined enjoyment to match their status.

This demonic wolf that could be called a subsidiary god was most afraid of his father, the powerful, terrifying, crazy ancient god. Although Flegrea had already produced many children through instinctual mating, removing plenty of "His" Beyonder characteristics, it was uncontrollable with no way to guarantee progress. Therefore, "He" was still crazy, cruel, bloodthirsty, and filled with an instinct for destruction. "He" had even killed several descendants.

This demonic wolf who could create miracles and fulfill all kinds of wishes chased after "His" prey, biting or killing them, thus enjoying a state of pure happiness.

"He" didn't have a deep impression of the subsidiary gods of "His" father, Flegrea. "He" clearly remembered that "He" hated the God of Wishes, Kotar. Even if "He" was also a demonic wolf.

Also, "He" didn't like the God of Death, Salinger. "He" found "Him" gloomy, solitary, and that "He" exuded a rotting and disgusting aura. On the other hand, Goddess of Misfortune, Amanises, met the beauty standards of both a demonic wolf and a human. "She" had a gentle personality and was very good at placating one's heart. "She" wasn't annoying, but this female subsidiary goddess rarely appeared. "She" was always like a shadow, hiding in a place that wasn't easily discovered. Of course, the demonic wolf remembered that a few of his older sisters and brothers were rather against Amanises, hoping to seize "Her" position.

The demonic wolf witnessed his father's death, the death of a powerful ancient god, and saw the blood of the ancient god splattered all over the body of the Goddess of Misfortune, Amanises. And in the chaos, the Uniqueness and a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic were pulled into "Her" hands.

"He" and one of "His" sisters escaped the kingdom of the demonic wolves and hid everywhere.

Without the protection of "His" father, the demonic wolf and "His" sister realized that their former reckless life wasn't normal. Pain and danger were present in everything. Finally, "They" crossed the sea and came to the Northern Continent. They established a concealed kingdom in the uninhabited Hornacis mountain range.

"He" and "His" sister didn't dare expose "Themselves." All "They" did was gather believers and amass a population. In this situation, "He" created the City of Dead that existed alongside a living nation, making the dead believers become "His" marionettes to complete an advancement ritual.

Although this period was filled with anxiety, it was the best time period in the memories of this demonic wolf. As "He" saw "His" sister having more and more believers, and how "His" marionette town was becoming more complete, "He" seemed to have forgotten the troubles and dangers of the outside world and achieved the first peaceful time period since "His" birth.

Under the influence of the believers, "He" and "His" sister gradually gained some so-called humanity.

After the Cataclysm, "He" finally advanced to Attendant of Mysteries and turned "Himself" into a human. With the last name of Antigonus, "He" left the Hornacis mountain range and returned to the real world outside the concealed kingdom.

From this moment onwards, Antigonus's memories and knowledge became increasingly fragmented. Many times, "He" even found "Himself" a little unfamiliar.

After "He" accommodated The Fool's Uniqueness, the situation became worse...

As the images flashed, Klein quickly came to a realization.

I am Antigonus, I am The Half-Fool!

With a loud boom, his body constantly changed. At times, he had black hair, brown eyes, and a scholarly air, a Klein Moretti who had fused with Zhou Mingrui's appearance. Occasionally, he had long white hair and a thick black beard like Antigonus. Other times, he wore a dark black cloak that made it difficult to see his face, and this mysterious person constantly extended slippery tentacles to the side.

At that moment, Klein's thoughts were extremely chaotic. His mental state was completely imbalanced.

He was barely able to maintain his self-awareness. Under the impact of the two mental storms, he teetered.

At the same time, he had received the fate of Antigonus's losing control and was on the verge of collapse.

A series of prayers rang out in his ears. Each and every word of praise was mixed together, forming an illusory image that joined the chaotic battlefield.

...

Rorsted Archipelago, Bayam, the bell tower of the Church of The Fool.

A young man wearing a pointed hat and monocle suddenly appeared here and stood behind the railing, looking down at the entire city.

Mr. Error Amon!

In the next second, "He" saw Bayam and the distant New City of Silver and New Moon City disappear as though someone had wiped them off the map with an eraser.

"How boring." Upon seeing this scene, Amon shook "His" head with a smile. "He" wasn't disappointed either.

He only wanted to test if Klein or the Evernight Goddess had repaired the bug in this aspect.

After striking the bell, "He" could be considered The Fool's Angel of Time to a certain extent. "He" could use this loophole to directly steal a portion of his anchors.

Such theft was of little value, but it was very useful at the critical moment of a ritual:

The sudden decrease in anchors would definitely tip the balance, causing Klein to lose control on the spot!

Amon then retracted "His" gaze and raised "His" hand to straighten the monocle on "His" right eye.

It was as if the light from the stars suddenly lit up in the crystal monocle.

-x-X-x-

Thud! Thud!

The doors of Backlund, Trier, Lenburg, and St. Millom opened and closed at the same time without a breeze.

Inside a white tower in the headquarters of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Lucca, who was on duty underground, sensed that something was amiss and stood up abruptly.

As a Prophet, he acutely sensed that something was happening.

The elder in a brass-threaded, white robe immediately used a mystical technique and arrived at the entrance of the underground area. He pushed the door open.

However, the door that wasn't considered heavy to a demigod didn't budge as though it was sealed by an invisible force.

Lucca Brewster didn't attempt to forcibly open it as he cast his gaze deep underground.

There was silence. There was no sound.

This isn't normal... Lucca didn't need to rely on his Beyonder powers to determine the problem here.

Usually, in the deepest part of the ground, there would always be sounds that made people's hair stand on end. But now, it was as if it had disappeared as though it never existed.

Others might not know, but as a high-ranking member of the Church of Knowledge, Lucca knew that the voice came from an extremely terrifying Sealed Artifact that even he didn't know the exact details of, so it was impossible for it to be erased out of thin air.

The current situation could only mean one thing:

Either the Sealed Artifact had already escaped the restrictions and entered a more bizarre state, or it had been sealed further, preventing it from affecting the outside world.

Regardless of the possibility, it meant that there was extreme danger lurking in the surroundings. This was because the Sealed Artifact's number was:

0-01!

At the top of Bayam's remaining bell tower, the light on Amon's monocle gradually faded, returning to normal.

Mr. Error hadn't held back from showcasing "His" new Beyonder powers, doing so to make a statement to all the existences watching "Him":

"He" had already accommodated Door's Uniqueness and obtained the corresponding authority!

"He" had used this opportunity to shut off everything related to the concept of a door in the entire world, greatly strengthening the effects of any seals.

This caused the orthodox Churches and secret organizations to be unable to use sealed items for a short period of time because no one could remove the seal.

Even if a true deity descended from the astral world, it would still take "Them" a certain amount of time before "They" could break the restrictions.

Therefore, Amon eliminated most Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in the subsequent battle of gods. "He" no longer needed to consider the corresponding interference.

Of course, such authority wouldn't be able to influence the entire world for too long unless Mr. Error had put all "His" energy into this matter. It was precisely because of this that "He" didn't do it ahead of time. Only when "He" observed the disturbance in Klein's anchors did "He" suddenly act.

The more powerful a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was, the more terrifying the negative effects would be. It was even more so for those that could produce effects at the level of a deity. Even a Sequence 0 true deity might not be able to withstand it for too long. Therefore, true deities wouldn't unseal them unless it was necessary; otherwise, this would bring about an even greater disturbance to "Them," causing them to suffer a net loss.

After doing this, Amon held up "His" palm and gently leaped up. Without the bearing of a true god, "He" sat on the railing at the top of the bell tower.

As "He" gazed at the horizon out into the sea, "He" leisurely waited for the concealment to be removed. That was when Klein's ritual to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness officially began.

When that happened, "He" would strike the death knell for him.

...

In the concealed world of the Evernight Goddess.

Under the repeated impact of the awakening of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, and Antigonus's self-awareness and mental imprint, Klein's consciousness was like a sailboat in a storm. It would sometimes be thrown high while being struck down. At times, it would suffer corrosion, and at other times be slammed to the side.

This made his thoughts turn extremely chaotic. He was about to split into two different personalities, known as Antigonus, and the Lord of the Mysteries.

At the same time, his avatar also lost its rationality. It was in a state of being about to collapse into a whirlpool of maggots. Only the marionette remained standing there in a daze due to the lack of any control.

The prayers from the believers resounded in Klein's ears, forming a corresponding image of what he knew.

This was like a dam that was resisting a surging flood.

Klein wasn't too unfamiliar with such a situation. He had a similar experience after becoming an Attendant of Mysteries and swallowing Zaratul's Beyonder characteristic. Therefore, with the help of his anchors, he managed to survive the initial chaos. With great familiarity, he directed the self-awareness and mental imprint of Antigonus towards the awakening will of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings. This caused both parties to corrode each other and be occupied with each other.

The "mind storm" weakened a lot, finally giving Klein's self-consciousness a breather.

Before he could calm down, he immediately directed the image of him as a god formed by many anchors, into the two mental corruption's struggle and tried to find a new balance.

However, this didn't go smoothly. Compared to before, the essence of Antigonus's mental imprint, resilience, and madness were clearly stronger than Zaratul's. After all, this was a King of Angels that had accommodated the Uniqueness and was known as The Half-Fool.

Furthermore, Klein had also stolen the other party's identity and fate. This brought about two other negative effects.

His personality was constantly on the edge of dissociating. From time to time, he would think that he was Antigonus, attempting to fuse "His" mental imprint with his own mind. Having accepted the fate of Antigonus's loss of control, his entire body was collapsing uncontrollably. This brought about even more mental corruption.

In addition, Antigonus's mental imprint and the awakened will of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings wasn't completely incompatible. In some aspects of "Their" "battle," "They" showed signs of fusing together. It was as if "They" originated from the same existence.

This gave Klein preliminary confirmation. As a natural Mythical Creature, Antigonus was born with some of the Celestial Worthy's will. When "He" advanced to Attendant of Mysteries, the problem suddenly became serious, causing "Him" to undergo unexpected changes without "Him" realizing it. By the time "He" managed to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness, madness had apparently become another side of "Him."

In other words, before completely losing control, Antigonus was already a mentally-sutured monster to a certain level. "His" self-awareness and mental imprint were part of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, and this was something that couldn't be separated by using "Theft."

Compared to "Him," Zaratul's mental imprint was much cleaner. There was only a small portion that belonged to the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings. Most of it came from Zaratul's intense emotions at "His" deathbed.

The reason why the two were different was that, apart from the fact that Antigonus had accommodated The Fool's Uniqueness, the former had become the Attendant of Mysteries at the beginning of the Fourth Epoch. At that time, the will of the Celestial Worthy hadn't weakened to the state it was in during the late Fifth Epoch.

Without being able to form a new balance, the speed of Klein's breakdown became faster and faster. More than half of his body was formed from transparent and distorted maggots, and he extended slippery and sinister tentacles into his surroundings.

Just as he was trying his best to maintain his consciousness and not give up searching for a new balance, his collapsed body, Antigonus's crazy mental state, and the consciousness of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings all fell into a deep sleep.

This caused all the changes to stop abruptly and return to normal.

As for Klein's self-consciousness, he used his trait of resisting dreams and the invasion of his mind to maintain his clarity of mind.

That's right. The fate that I stole includes the fate of being in a state of eternal slumber outside the fate of going crazy and losing control... As for me, I can resist eternal slumber to a certain extent... Klein grabbed the sliver of clarity and gained a certain understanding of his present state.

To him, this was an opportunity.

It was only at this moment that he fully understood why the Evernight Goddess needed the river water of the River of Eternal Darkness to use as a medium to attempt this.

This wasn't only because it was difficult to put a King of Angels who had accommodated the Uniqueness, and the awakening will of the Lord of the Mysteries in "Him" to temporarily enter a state of eternal sleep, but it was beneficial to Klein for this state of eternal slumber. This could create an excellent environment of him being the only one with a sliver of consciousness while the other interference was all sleeping!

At the same time, Klein also confirmed one thing:

The reason why he was able to remain clear-headed in a dream and during the instances where his mind was intruded wasn't because of the special traits from Sefirah Castle. This was because the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings in his body was also sleeping.

Although the awakening of the Lord of the Mysteries was still greatly limited, "His" level and "His" connection with Sefirah Castle were undoubtedly stronger than Klein's. If "He" couldn't completely resist a state of eternal slumber, why could Klein?

Therefore, Klein believed that this trait was likely due to the blessings of the Evernight Goddess, a gift he received when he came to life.

The blessings given by a true goddess who wielded the power of the dream domain, and the aura, strength, and magical powers that Sefirah Castle augmented him with had combined together to form such a special trait!

It was as if a gentle song came from deep within the dream. Klein's consciousness became clearer.

Without any hesitation, he immediately adjusted the sleeping imprint and corruption in his body and found a new balance.

Following that, he extended slippery tentacles with strange patterns and used Sefirah Castle's powers to steal The Fool's Uniqueness inside Antigonus's body.

Perhaps it was because he was now Antigonus, the theft this time was successful after a small number of failures.

A translucent mask with the symbol of The Fool flew out from Antigonus's body!

The man with the thick black beard was still sleeping, as though "He" would sleep forever.

At the same time, the fog dissipated and illusory starlight shone into the hall.

This ancient palace suddenly appeared in the dark and mysterious astral world, appearing at the peak of the Hornacis mountain range.

The Concealment had been removed, and fate began to be exchanged.

At this moment in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, on one of the mountain peaks, a shadow-like curtain appeared on the surface of a huge cross. It cracked open and a man walked out from it.

"He" was Adam, dressed in a simple white robe with a thick blond beard. Behind "Him" was a thick shadow with five heads.

This shadow had partially merged with "Him," but it hadn't completely become one.

Adam raised "His" head and looked at the astral world which had been distorted from authority and symbolism. "He" smiled calmly and said to the shadow behind "Him."

"They don't seem to be aware of the reason why I used Visionary as the foundation this time.

"I've never told anyone about the results of this research."

Just as "He" said that, "He" proclaimed in a solemn and deep voice, "I am One, and also Infinity, the Beginning and the End."

"His" eyes suddenly turned illusory as an ocean that seemed to contain all possible colors that appeared around "Him."

Adam then raised "His" hand and grabbed the silver cross pendant hanging in front of "His" chest.

A burning but illusory sun suddenly appeared above "His" head. To "His" left, lightning, squalls, and waves formed a supercilious phantom. On "His" right, there was a white tower with numerous brass eyes.

The authorities and symbols that Adam had envisioned entered "His" body one after another under the influence of the Chaos Sea.

Finally, the shadow that clung tightly to Adam's back shrank into "His" body.

Suddenly, the sea that contained all the colors began to rise. Adam expanded into a giant shadow that seemed capable of holding up the world.

The shadow slowly walked on the "water surface" of the illusory, chaotic darkness. It pointed at the astral world and solemnly declared, "Let there be light!"

In a blink of an eye, the entire astral world lit up. There were no other secrets that could be concealed. Even portions of the astral world that connected to Earth, the entire astral world, and the invisible barrier that had been separated from the universe appeared.

At that moment, giant, indescribable faces seemed to cling to the transparent, cracked barrier, silently watching the developments inside.

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Inside the astral world—which was even more abstract than the spirit world, looking as though all the authorities and symbolism in the universe were included inside-every object appeared. And the light that illuminated this area wasn't spread uniformly. It was mainly concentrated in a few places, stacking together, forming spots created by a prism.

There were a total of three spots in such a state, each sealing the various illusory kingdoms. One of the kingdoms was covered in bright flowers in perpetual daylight. Another seemed to be formed from books that were opened or closed. Different figures shuttled between them as they read as a form of entertainment. One was covered in storms as lightning and thunder continued without end in the boundless ocean.

In the next second, the three different kingdoms underwent a violent change.

In the area with perpetual daylight, all the flowers emitted light, as if they had become burning, miniature suns.

The countless miniature suns intertwined together and surged deep into the kingdom before rising into an abnormally blinding golden sun. It emitted a scorching light that could illuminate the entire world, an entire solar system.

However, no matter how much energy was released by this almost-real sun, or how many flares of super high-temperature flames it created, it was unable to break through the prism-like spots of light. Every destroyed layer had a new layer produced at an equal speed.

In another part of the astral world, on the surface of the mysterious country formed from all kinds of books, bits of brass points of light rapidly circulated on the spot of light, forming mysterious symbols that seemed to be searching for a critical point or effective method to destroy the barrier.

During this process, the faint light formed a pair of illusory eyes that directly saw the weak spots and created eyes there.

Meanwhile, inside the spot of light, there was also faint light swirling in it. It repeatedly took form, changing the critical points of the structure.

This made it seem as though both sides were in a contest of their calculative abilities, with neither side clinching victory.

In the boundless sea that was enveloped by lightning, wind, and rain, the spot of light suddenly lit up.

It brought a portion of matter and approached the limit to speed, creating a violent "wave" that could destroy a planet.

Such a "wave" and the tiny bits of light constantly struck the prism-like spot of light, turning it into countless falling specks of light.

At some point in time, the spot of light began to ripple like an illusory ocean that seemed to contain all colors. It seemed to solidify the surrounding environment, causing the light spots that carried the storm to slow down uncontrollably. Then, the points of light repeated a state of acceleration and deceleration. This kept repeating, but they refused to give up. With the Chaos Sea as a source, Adam used "Himself" and the True Creator as a pillar, "Envisioned" three Uniquenesses, and accommodated them into this system. Adam seemed to exceed the limitations of Above the Sequences and became Half a Great Old One. "He" was able to forcefully suppress the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom by "Himself," trapping the three Sequence o true gods within "Their" respective divine kingdoms!

At that moment, "He" seemed to return to "His" peak condition, becoming that ancient sun god who slew one ancient god after another.

"He" chose the two pathways of Visionary and The Hanged Man as "His" foundation for "His" resurrection because, apart from them having the trait of resurrecting, this was also the result of "His" research: this had the highest chance of becoming God Almighty.

After using either one of the two pathways of Visionary and The Hanged Man to become a true god and gaining initial control over the Chaos Sea, "He" could take back the remaining Uniquenesses and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics. This was the easiest path to advance to the Lord of the Astral World.

And in this matter, there was something more special about Visionary than The Hanged Man.

When the Visionary first gained control of the Chaos Sea and accommodated a second Uniqueness and corresponding Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic to a certain extent, "He" could "Envision" the remaining, fake symbolism and authority, allowing "Him" to briefly obtain strength that transcended the Sequences, giving "Him" half a Great Old One's strength.

However, at the end of the Third Epoch, the ancient sun god's plan was: after being assassinated, "He" would immediately revive in the Giant King's Court where Sasrir was. "He" would first take back The Hanged Man's Uniqueness and three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics and became a Sequence o true god. Then, with the first Blasphemy Slate placed beside "Him," "He" would gain preliminary control over the Chaos Sea. With this foundation, he would allow Angel of Imagination Adam to awaken and return to "His" main body to form a support.

After building such a system, the ancient sun god would make use of The Hanged Man's "Grazing" ability and a Visionary's Virtual Persona means to control the Uniquenesses and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of the Sun, Reader, and Sailor pathways to allow "Himself" to become infinitely close to a Great Old One and to maintain a minimum level of stability.

"He" didn't directly accommodate the Chaos Sea and the other three pathways' Uniqueness and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, because "He" didn't want to advance to become a Great Old One, a pillar, in that era. That would inevitably lead to the resurrection of God Almighty, causing "Him" to lose "Himself."

"He" planned on controlling the situation and materials. When the apocalypse approached, "He" would finish the last few steps and become a pillar with self-consciousness.

And back then, "He" didn't plan on using Visionary as a foundation because he hadn't obtained the Quill of Alzuhod. "He" lacked the main ingredient. When the Kings of Angels betrayed "Him" and the plan failed miserably, "He" decided to take advantage of the disaster to take the best path when "He" was revived in Adam.

At this moment, Adam, who had transformed into a giant shadow, stood on the water surface of the illusory, chaotic darkness, reflecting the astral world into his eyes, making it difficult for the three true gods to break through the restrictions.

Surrounding "Him" were beams of light that constantly fell from high above with blazing tails, illuminating the entire Forsaken Land of the Gods, making both the Northern and Southern Continents experience midday conditions simultaneously.

In Bayam's remaining bell tower, Amon, who was sitting on the railing, nudged the crystal monocle. With both hands propped up, "He" suddenly leaped up and entered the astral world.

During this process, "His" left hand had an ancient mottled stone slab appear at some point in time.

The first Blasphemy Slate!

Amon had once used it to seal the gap caused by Mr. Door's returning ritual, to prevent the invasion of the Mother Goddess of Depravity.

After the return ritual ended, and the Door of Flesh and Blood completely collapsed without a tunnel to maintain anymore, "He" retrieved the Blasphemy Slate.

At that moment, Amon casually threw the ancient, mottled stone slate down from the astral world and allowed it to land somewhere in the Fog Sea.

It was a mountain that tore out of the boundless black fog.

There was no end to its depth. Its surroundings appeared like a continent.

After the first Blasphemy Slate landed, it accurately stabbed into the peak of the mountain, forming an illusory sea that contained all the colors.

At the same time, Amon entered the astral world and saw the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range that had been "Grafted" here. "He" saw the ancient and dilapidated palace on the mountain peak.

Wearing a pointed hat and a classic black robe, "His" body rapidly expanded, instantly reaching the scale of a mountain.

"He" opened "His" mouth, as though "He" was about to swallow Antigonus's magnificent but dilapidated palace.

Suddenly, "He" saw a blurry figure.

This figure was wearing a long, layered black dress that was not complicated but had countless stars speckled on it.

"She" was as big as the current Amon. A pair of huge arms covered in dark black short hair grew out from both "Her" torso and waist, but there was a beautiful and gentle face that was covered in thin black gauze.

"Her" eyes seemed to compress the starry night sky. It made one feel at peace, but it also made one feel an uncontrollable fear.

One of "Her" two hands held a huge scythe, and another pair held a bird-shaped, golden accessory. The remaining pair held nothing as though "She" was holding an invisible object.

Evernight Goddess!

In the next second, Amon, who was wearing a monocle on "His" right eye, was quickly wiped away by an eraser like "He" was a sketch.

The Evernight Goddess raised "Her" two empty arms as she held up an almost invisible fog. On the surface of the fog, multiple "doors" of different shapes rapidly opened in different spots, but they were instantly blocked, preventing any loopholes from taking place.

The Evernight Goddess floated above the peak of the Hornacis mountain range in the astral world as "She" focused on controlling the fog world in "Her" hand, preventing Amon's true body from escaping.

As more and more doors appeared, the opening of doors became faster and faster. This goddess was unable to deal with it alone. All "She" could do was raise "Her" other two arms and raise the huge scythe.

The dark black scythe rapidly turned into a corporeal coffin made of black fog.

The almost invisible fog world was stuffed into the coffin, and all the movements instantly ceased. It was as though death had occurred.

However, this silence only lasted for a second. On the surface of the black fog-formed coffin, a series of "doors" took form and opened again.

As the Evernight Goddess sealed the doors, "She' raised "Her" arm that held a bird-shaped, golden accessory.

The orange glow of twilight fell, adding a sense of decay and extinction to the heavy black coffin.

The formation and opening of the doors slowed down as both parties entered a tug-of-war.

At that moment, at the foot of the Evernight Goddess, the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range collapsed.

It was like the apocalypse had arrived early.

At the same time, python-like black tentacles extended out from somewhere in the astral world.

There was an eye at the end of each tentacle, either opened or closed. Any object that was seen by them would instantly turn into grayish-white rock. And anything touched by the tentacles distorted as limbs and heads stretched out, turning into good-looking women of all sizes.

As the grayish-white spread rapidly, the tentacles surged towards the ancient and dilapidated palace, rushing towards Klein who was about to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness.

Primordial Demoness Cheek!

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