Intis Kingdom, Trier.
The royal palace's underground catacombs.
Krismona walked unhurriedly, her steps echoing softly as she passed the small chapel-tombs and memorial pillar chambers of the first level. Descending the ancient stairway into the entrance of the second level's old ossuary, she encountered no one and nothing happened along the way.
It was as though this entire underground world held only her. Apart from the light sound of her own footsteps, nothing else could be heard.
She continued forward, soon arriving at a void-like wilderness—
There, quietly placed upon the desolate ground, lay an ancient bronze coffin.
"Oh, we finally meet."
Krismona smiled faintly. "It truly wasn't easy."
At that moment, the coffin lid shifted, revealing a deep, shadowed crevice. From it emerged a hand, its veins dark red and bulging as though near-black blood pulsed beneath the skin. In its palm rested a heart—dried to the extreme, yet still oozing a faint trickle of blood, gently and almost imperceptibly contracting and expanding.
Simultaneously, a wave of intense, dreadful malice—laced with madness and loss of control—poured forth from the coffin's crack. It whipped up a gust of insanity, making Krismona's clothes and hair billow weightlessly.
But she only shook her head.
"I wasn't talking about you, Vermonda Sauron."
Krismona tilted her head slightly, looking toward her rear flank—at the purple silhouette that had appeared there without warning.
"I was talking about Her."
"Don't you agree, Cheek?"
Her only reply was a flicker of crimson light.
———
Inside the Sefirah Castle.
Amon clapped lightly. "Pretending to be a god—doesn't it feel thrilling and fun? Watching those higher in Sequence than yourself quake in fear before you—doesn't that feel satisfying?"
"Of course."
Seated on the ancient bronze chair, Edward gazed at Amon calmly. "Welcome to my domain, Amon."
Edward's composure gave Amon a moment's pause before he chuckled. "You don't seem very surprised by my appearance. Or are you just putting on a show?"
"What do you think?"
A hint of a smile touched Edward's voice. "Considering you and I both played our parts in this affair, since I've already received a Dream Weaver's characteristic as 'payment,' there's no reason you'd be left empty-handed."
"Especially…your behaviour before and after your 'transformation' was far too obvious. Did Adam promise you something at the time?" Edward went on as if speaking to himself. "And what could Adam promise you? Since you were most interested in me back then, with Adam's character and way of doing things, it wouldn't be surprising if he offered me as your 'reward.'"
"For example, slipping you into the Sefirah Castle silently alongside me."
The smile slowly faded from Amon's face. He touched the monocle over his right eye. "You're not as stupid as you look. So you'd already prepared yourself to face me? I'm curious—where do you get the confidence to confront me?"
He lifted his gaze to the surroundings. "Is it because of the Sefirah Castle? Because I'm only a Sequence 4 avatar? Or something else entirely?"
"Isn't it possible," Edward flicked the coin in his hand once again, "that I simply have confidence in myself?"
"Actually, I'm more curious about this: why wait until they'd all left to show yourself? Haven't you been searching for Pallez for thousands of years?"
Amon raised an eyebrow. "I merely had a premonition that if I acted then, there would be great danger. Though I can't imagine what means you could possibly possess to threaten me."
"Hahahahaha!"
Edward burst out laughing. "Then you truly ought to thank your spiritual intuition."
Amon: "…"
"Oh, and by the way, something I've been meaning to ask you," Edward said. "You…and that Amon in Trier—you're the same Amon, aren't you? Pretending to meet me for the first time in the dream world was just to lower my guard?"
Amon curved his lips into a smile. "That's right. Though, unfortunately, it didn't seem to help much."
He took a few unhurried steps forward and sat down on one of the bronze chairs by the round table, his posture relaxed. "So, while I was waiting to parasitise you…what exactly were you waiting for?"
Feeling his body gradually slipping out of his own control, Edward broke free with a single burst of [Unfettered], smiling. "I thought you'd planned to directly steal my fate—to replace me as the master of the Sefirah Castle."
"What's the matter? You don't dare bear the responsibilities that come with being its master? Or are you worried that Celestial Worthy might resurrect within you?"
As he spoke, a small birdcage, about the size of his palm, appeared in Edward's hand. He set it gently on the table. "I'm just helping you weave your future little home."
"…What?"
Edward smiled faintly and opened the cage door. "Welcome home, Lil Raven."
"???"
The next instant, Amon felt an irresistible force seize him, dragging him toward the tiny cage. No matter how he tried—stealing distance, attempting to parasitise, deceiving, or escaping—it was all useless.
He could only watch helplessly as his body shrank smaller and smaller, the distance between him and the cage rapidly closing. And the moment he entered it, black feathers sprouted from his skin; his body twisted and shifted—
In the blink of an eye, he had turned completely into a small pitch-black crow, a single monocle gleaming over one eye.
Clack.
Edward shut the cage door, lifted it by the handle, and grinned. "Well? Surprised? Delighted?"
Inside the cage, Amon stared quietly into Edward's eyes. Then, with quick precision, he lifted one wing and tapped the monocle over his right eye, laughing softly. "Interesting."
Edward released his hold, letting the birdcage float in midair. "Originally, I intended to kill you. But then I thought—wouldn't that be a bit of a waste? After all, even as just one of your avatars, you might still prove…useful."
Amon replied calmly, "It seems you're rather confident in whatever method you're using to restrain me."
"More or less."
Edward conjured a pair of tweezers and opened his palm. From his flesh, he drew out a writhing Worm of Time, pinched it delicately, and dropped it into the cage—holding it up before the little crow's beak.
"Here. Dinner time."
"…"
Amon didn't hesitate. He opened his beak, caught the Worm of Time, and swallowed it whole. The monocle on his right eye flickered with faint, mysterious sigils.
"…Much appreciated," he said smoothly.
Thud.
Edward tapped the table lightly, and a willow tree sprouted up behind him. He hung the birdcage upon one of its branches.
"From now on, you'll be living here for a while," he said with a small smile. "I plan to run an interesting experiment."
Amon's jet-black pupils contracted slightly. "What kind of experiment?"
"If I were to inject you with abundant humanity," Edward said, eyes gleaming faintly, "what would happen when you return to your true body?"
———
After descending from the Sefirah Castle, Edward returned to the same living room. On the rotting floorboards lay the white bones and extracted Beyonder characteristics left behind by the five who had perished.
He waved a hand, collecting them all. Strictly speaking, these remnants were the final proof that Groselle and his companions had once lived in this world.
As for the little crow Amon—Edward naturally left him in the Sefirah Castle. Bringing him out would only risk attracting other Amon clones…or even the main body itself.
And if Amon did try to stir up trouble in the Castle—well, with [Madman to the Right] plus the Castle's forced reversals, even Amon's true body wouldn't have much of a chance.
Just as Edward was about to leave the room and see where he'd ended up, a knock suddenly echoed from the door.
A weary, aged voice came from outside. "May I come in?"
It was the Angel of the Holy Word—Steph.
Edward's vigilance spiked instantly. He hadn't forgotten that this old man was still hunting him down.
However, since the angel had chosen to knock politely, it meant he wasn't planning to attack—at least for now. No doubt, he was restraining himself out of respect for Lilith.
"Come in."
Creak.
The door opened, and Steph stepped inside. His hair, once pure white, now looked noticeably thinner—likely a result of the repeated attacks he had suffered in both the dream world and the Book World.
"Your Excellency," Edward said bluntly, "you came here because of…Lilith?"
"Yes."
Steph gave a small nod and drew a book from his pocket. "Do you recognise this?"
It was Lilith's elementary school notebook.
Edward's eyes narrowed slightly. So it really was in his hands.
"Of course," he said. "I gave it to her myself."
Steph studied Edward's face closely, trying to discern whether he was lying.
After half a minute, he handed the book over. His calm, ancient eyes flickered with a trace of sorrow. "This was the keepsake she…left behind before her fall."
So, in Steph's understanding, Lilith had perished as well?
Indeed—apart from a handful of individuals, nearly everyone who had known her believed Lilith had long since fallen.
Edward took the book and opened it to the page pressed with the small red flower. He carefully lifted it out. On the back, in childish handwriting, were the words:
"Miss Lilith is the smartest kitty!"
Edward looked up. "What was your relationship with Lilith?"
Steph replied quietly, "When I was young, she took me in for a time."
"Then why," Edward asked, "did you later become…a follower of that Lord?"
"She found keeping someone by her side too troublesome," Steph said. "So she sent me to Lord Medici. And later, I came to believe in the Lord That Created Everything."
As he spoke, his eyes grew wild and devout, his tone turning cold. "You killed the Lord's messenger and impersonated Him to act in His name—that is blasphemy and sacrilege!"
"As the Angel of the Holy Word beneath the Lord's throne, I ought to strike you down myself, but…"
He paused, then stepped back slightly.
"If it happens again—one more time—it will be to the death."
With that, Steph's figure vanished.
Edward placed the little red flower back between the pages of the notebook, turning through Lilith's childish notes as he murmured, "Once again, I've been saved by Lilith's grace."
Just what point in the past had that little girl returned to—and how on earth had she built such relationships with all these legendary figures?
It really was like something out of a heroine's novel—everyone falls for me!
Sighing, he offered the notebook up to the Sefirah Castle as a sacrifice, then phased through the wall, leaving the room—whose owner he still didn't know.
The sun was sinking in the west, while the crimson moon had already risen high in the sky.
A warm, damp sea breeze brushed against his face, bringing a trace of drowsiness. Far off along the coast, fishing boats were returning to port, and fishermen were still busy unloading their day's catch.
"Huh? This is…"
Edward turned around, taking in the familiar port town, his expression tinged with surprise. "Bansy?"
This was Bansy!
Though the Bansy of 190 years ago was different from the future version, the overall layout remained nearly identical. In fact, several buildings looked exactly like the ones in the "mirror world" he had once entered.
"Why would the priest throw me into Bansy of all places?"
If it had been somewhere else, Edward might have thought it random. But Bansy—the place linked to the City of Calamity, and even the Western Continent—it was too particular to be a coincidence. There had to be some deeper purpose.
"As expected of Adam," Edward muttered bitterly. "One moment, he's smiling and saying, 'We each get what we want—are you satisfied?' The next, he's casually giving me away as a 'reward' to Amon…and now he's already arranged my next task."
"Am I satisfied?" He gave a dark chuckle.
"Satisfied, my ass."
———
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