The flaming human figure emerging from the bronze lamp, after being mixed with the power of the gray fog space, merged into the paper-cut angel in the pile of sundries.
Suddenly, the figure formed by the fiery-gold flames grew exceptionally tall, with pair after pair of enormous, blazing white wings sprouting from its back—a full twelve pairs!
And on each pair of wings, golden patterns intertwined, and feathers inscribed with numerous mysterious symbols were present.
Silently, the paper-cut angel, formed entirely of light, flashed out and overlapped with the small "Sun" materialized from the deep red star!
Amidst the ethereal and complex sounds, brilliant and scorching light erupted. After several seconds, the gray-white mist and the mysterious space above it completely returned to tranquility, as if no one had set foot there for millennia.
An endless sense of exhaustion surged from deep within his Spirit Body. Klein instantly felt hollowed out, confirming that the distorted, ethereal, and bizarre entity no longer Entanglement the small Sun's figure.
He uncontrollably exhaled a sigh of relief, then materialized the before-and-after comparison images and threw them towards the small "Sun" figure outlined by the crimson light, allowing him to understand it himself.
Enduring the splitting headache, Klein, with the help of the "All-Black Eye," Mr. Azik's copper whistle, and the suppression of the entire gray fog space, barely managed to re-seal the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact of the Sun Pathway that Aaron had sacrificed.
"I need to quickly summarize the remaining 'Magician' principles and better grasp the mysterious space above the gray fog through digestion and advancement… There's no time to think about anything else." The last thought flashed through Klein's mind, whose Spirituality was depleted, before his consciousness plunged into chaos.
-----------------
At the bottom of the City of Silver's Round Tower, Derrick, who was praying in a low voice, suddenly saw gray-white mist once again fill his vision. In the center of the mist was a chair high above, and the The Fool sitting leisurely.
Immediately after, Derrick saw himself, himself covered by a transparent, illusory figure.
A figure wearing a black classical robe, a matching pointed soft hat, and a crystal monocle on his face, was coiling around him like a python!
This… Just as the chill rose in his heart, a sharp pain shot through his Spirit Body. Derrick groaned and fainted directly.
At the same time, a majestic and brilliant pillar of light suddenly appeared in the dark room. Chief Colin, tall and strong, exuding even purer and denser twilight light, walked out from the pillar of light formed by the divine Sealed Artifact, "Proof of Glory."
His right hand was holding a mass of silvery-white light, resembling a heart or a miniature Sun. This was the Sealed Artifact corresponding to the "Silver Knight," preserved by the City of Silver, which Colin had just restored into a Beyonder characteristic with the help of "Proof of Glory."
Streaks of light poured into Derrick's body, soothing his injured Spirit Body. As his breathing stabilized, the twilight light receded, and a translucent small worm lay in Colin Iliad's hand.
It was only thumb-length, as slender as a child's pinky finger, and completely transparent, segmented into many sections by concentric rings. It had now lost its vitality and become lifeless.
Colin Iliad looked at the strange small worm in his hand, frowning slightly. He raised his right hand, connecting with the "Proof of Glory" guarding the bottom of the Round Tower, and the dim yellow light expanded.
A figure with a split head slowly emerged. Even though it was dead, its two gray-white brain halves still seemed to squirm as if alive, trying to come together but unable to.
On the severed surfaces of the brain, viscous liquid dripped down in fine threads, yet retracted upwards like maggots.
The eyes, each on one side, were far apart, the bridge of the nose was split down the middle, blood-red and vivid. The left half of the mouth was agape, while the right half was tightly shut, appearing bizarre and horrifying.
"Amon…"
Colin Iliad looked at the Monster's corpse, which was annihilated into dust under the shroud of twilight light, carefully put away the strange worm in his hand, and whispered with a complex tone.
When he brought Derrick to the bottom of the Round Tower today, he naturally had the intention of using Amon to probe the entity behind Derrick, but things still exceeded his expectations.
The entire bottom of the Round Tower was covered by the City of Silver's divine Sealed Artifact, "Proof of Glory." As the wielder of this terrifying Sealed Artifact, Colin Iliad was confident that he could instantly detect and suppress any slight anomaly.
Although Colin Iliad inevitably diverted his attention when using "Proof of Glory" to shatter the Beyonder characteristic, the fact that he only discovered the problem and rushed over when Derrick showed abnormalities already indicated a lot.
Silently sighing in his heart, the chief of the City of Silver did not leave the bottom of the Round Tower, quietly waiting for Derrick to wake up.
The Beyonder characteristic of the "Silver Knight" had been shattered. Only by using the power of "Proof of Glory" here could he seal and suppress it.
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In Osel, at the central plaza, the crimson moonlight cast a more eerie chill upon the deserted streets.
In the empty alley, a colorful oil painting world emerged. Aaron's historical void projection slowly stepped out of the Spirit World, the golden light in his pupils growing more intense as he surveyed the entire plaza.
Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded in his ear:
"You've come…"
His pupils constricted slightly, and Aaron sharply turned his head, only to see a strange figure had appeared beside him, where there had been no one before.
This figure seemed to have always been there, but was always overlooked.
He wore an exceptionally simple white robe, with a light-gold beard covering the lower half of his face. His eyes were clear and pure like a child's, and his expression was gentle and reserved.
Looking at the wary Aaron opposite him, the middle-aged man, dressed like an ordinary priest, half-closed his eyes, raised his right hand, and tapped four times in front of him.
A silver cross pendant hung there.
Suddenly, black stone pillars rose up all around, supporting a magnificent and enormous cathedral.
In this cathedral, every pillar, every arch, every surface of the dome was inlaid with bones of different races, densely packed, their various eye sockets gazing at Aaron in the center of the cathedral.
Before Adam stood a hundred-meter-tall cross, and upon the cross, a blurred figure stood, as if looking down on everything with pity.
A vague sense of obstruction emerged, and the historical projection fluctuated for a moment before returning to calm. Aaron surveyed the familiar surroundings. Although it was only his historical projection that had come to this Corpse Cathedral, he still dared not think too much.
Silently reciting the prayers from "The Revelation of Night" in his heart, Aaron avoided those pure eyes that seemed to see through everything, lowered his head slightly, and said in a low voice:
"The Devil Monarch Farbauti has completely fallen to the 'Mother Tree of Desire.' If the 'Chained' Pathway, which is close to the 'Abyss' Pathway, is also completely controlled by Her, once the Primordial One barrier breaks, that Outer Deity's reclaiming of the 'Tenebrous World' will be almost unstoppable."
"I want to help that 'Chained God.' I wonder if you can help me conceal the anomaly in the Astral World?"
Pure golden pupils like a child's scrutinized Aaron. Rows of black seats appeared, and Adam sat in the front, saying in a gentle tone:
"You may. Additionally, I hope you understand that Medici has already fallen in the Fourth Epoch."
Aaron raised an eyebrow slightly. Does this mean he doesn't want me to interfere with the Red Angel Evil Spirit's affairs anymore, asking me to selectively ignore it?
He had already prepared to pay a heavy price, even mentally prepared to hand over "Groselle's Travels," but he didn't expect this former "Lord of the Astral World" to only make this one request.
Did the Goddess have a private transaction with Adam, or did he say that She herself could benefit from this matter?
A thought flashed and disappeared. Aaron quickly suppressed the thoughts in his heart and returned the bow with the standard Church of the Evernight Goddess prayer gesture.
Since his goal had been achieved, Aaron was unwilling to stay longer in this Corpse Cathedral. Just as he was about to dismiss this historical projection, a gentle voice suddenly came from his ear again:
"Be careful of the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity'…"
Aaron's pupils suddenly constricted, his steps halted, and he said with a slightly tense expression:
"I haven't provoked Her…"
As he spoke, Aaron carefully recalled that his only intersection with this top-tier Outer Deity might have been agreeing to help Lilith go to the Evernight Plain to search for traces of the Brood Hive.
But he hadn't even set off yet, so why did Adam issue a warning? Had something happened that he didn't know about?
Compared to the Seven Lights of the Spirit World, Adam was clearly not a good teacher and had no intention of dispelling Aaron's confusion, continuing on his own:
"The origin of the entire world, the Primordial Creator, is the initiator and terminator of the universe, and the aggregate of all contradictory concepts and symbols."
"Therefore, He naturally possesses an uncontrollable tendency to split, and once split, a strong tendency to aggregate will arise."
"According to my father's research, after the Primordial Creator fell into slumber, the two most powerful split personalities, the 'Lord of the Mysteries' and 'God Almighty,' the two Pillars, awakened."
"In the early to mid-First Epoch, They should have acquired additional, multiple Sefirot through different methods."
At this point, Adam paused, looked back at Aaron, and added, half-explaining:
"After the Primordial Creator split, at the pinnacle of all Outer Deities were the 'Three Pillars': one was 'God Almighty,' one was the 'Lord of the Mysteries,' and the last was the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity.'"
"But compared to the former two, the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity's' Pillar symbol was incomplete from the very beginning. This is also the fundamental reason why She was segmented, with the 'Brood Hive' and two Beyonder Pathways being separated, leaving only a partial 'Pillar' symbol."
"Although the number of authorities is somewhat related to one's Sequence and level, it is not everything. The corresponding characteristics, power, or rather, symbols, are equally important."
Aaron's eyes narrowed, inexplicably recalling his previous conversation with "Red Light" Aiur Moria, and subconsciously said:
"The 'Lord of the Astral World' God Almighty, the 'Dominator of the Spirit World' Lord of the Mysteries, is the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity' perhaps corresponding to the Material World?"
Without giving a direct answer, Adam added unhurriedly:
"The Material World is the cornerstone of everything, thus its mixed symbols are mottled and complex. Even if She reclaims the 'Brood Hive,' the symbols of the 'Goddess of Origin, Mother of All Things' cannot truly cover it."
"So She will spare no effort to continue completing Her own symbols, getting as close as possible to becoming a complete Pillar."
Just like God Almighty and the Lord of the Mysteries once did? Adam's meaning is that the "Mother Goddess of Depravity" has already sensed the "Nation of Disorder" on me and intends to act against me?
However, the two "Order" Pathways are indeed closely related to the Material World…
Just as Aaron's thoughts were racing, the crimson moonlight reappeared. Coming back to his senses, Aaron found that the Corpse Cathedral had disappeared at some point, and he was standing alone in the plaza.
Without further hesitation, he directly dismissed this historical projection. Aaron, hidden in the historical fog, returned directly to the "Nation of Disorder" and sat back on his throne, feeling the connection with the entire world. Only then did that vague sense of unease disappear without a trace.
Adam's words reminded him of many details he had not noticed before, but just now, being in the Corpse Cathedral, he dared not delve deeper. Now, thoughts flashed through his mind one after another.
"If the 'Lord of the Mysteries' and 'God Almighty' had already grasped additional, multiple Sefirot through different methods in the early to mid-First Epoch…"
"And among the ancient gods of the Second Epoch, the Demonic Wolf Flegrea was a mix of the Darkness Pathway and The Fool Pathway, while the Undying Phoenix Ancestor Gregori was a mix of the Death Pathway and the Door Pathway."
"Although it's impossible to determine the Giant King's mixed Pathway, the three 'Dog' families and the three 'Evernight' families already correspond to two. This level of connection, in a mystical sense, can no longer be explained by coincidence."
"It's highly probable that the 'Lord of the Mysteries' once accommodated the River of Eternal Darkness, leading to a mystical connection between the two Sefirot and Pathways, resulting in this degree of Pathway mixing in the ancient gods that appeared later."
"Additionally, the River of Eternal Darkness being the first to penetrate from the Western Continent might also have this hidden connection, leading to a partial mixing of the river water with the gray fog, which greatly reduced the sealing effect."
"Looking at it this way, it's not too far-fetched that the Goddess left Sefirah Castle and descended as a Demonic Wolf back then…"
Pinching his brow, Aaron leaned back in his chair, tapping the backrest with his fingers, and murmured to himself:
"Multiple 'Sefirot'…"
"The Celestial Worthy also has the title of 'Beacon of Destiny,' which fits perfectly with the Fate Pathway. Did He also accommodate the 'Key of Light'?"
As soon as this thought arose, he rejected it:
If viewed solely from the perspective of authority, the Beacon of Destiny and the Key of Light have a very high degree of compatibility.
However, if the Celestial Worthy had accommodated the Key of Light, it would mean that his control over destiny would be greatly enhanced, and at the same time, it would mean that his control and precision over his resurrection contingency plans would be extremely high.
But from the current perspective, after the Celestial Worthy's fall, the contingency plans left in Sefirah Castle, far from improving, even became senile, not only releasing only 3 Outer Deity remnants but also constantly causing trouble.
Furthermore, God Almighty and the Celestial Worthy are of the same Sequence, and the interference effect at the same level should not be exaggerated to this extent. But if God Almighty, who controls the symbol of "Omnipotent and Omniscient," had obtained the "Key of Light" first…
With the bug-level ability of "The Future He Declares Will Surely Unfold" strengthened by the authority of destiny, the failure of Sefirah Castle's contingency plans could also be explained.
Although Aaron, lacking key evidence, could not confirm his conjecture, the desire of these two Pillars for other Sefirot could also highlight the inclination of the "Mother Goddess of Depravity" from another perspective.