Edward's heart instantly tensed—when something was abnormal, it was never a good sign!
If this were just Groselle's Travels, his current strength was more than enough to keep him safe. But the city before his eyes was the City of Miracles—and that was a different matter entirely!
Especially…
His gaze locked on the enormous gray-white palace, over two hundred meters tall, not far from the "Deep Sea Crater." If his memory was correct, that was the residence of the "Dragon of Imagination", Ankewelt—the so-called Hall of Truth.
Edward tossed out his divining rod again. Unsurprisingly, it pointed straight toward the Hall of Truth. But this time, he didn't dare advance rashly.
Since the Frost Dragon had fled all the way here, it clearly believed this place to be advantageous for it. Who knew what kind of "surprises" lurked within the floating City of Miracles? The sealed, polluted persona of the Dragon King inside the Hall of Truth alone would be enough to give Edward a headache.
Yet if he didn't pursue and kill the dragon, wouldn't the book's storyline stall? That would trap everyone inside and lock his advancement ritual in place as well.
After a moment of hesitation, Edward tapped his toes lightly and flew off, circling the outer rim of the Deep Sea Crater. He divined continuously while observing the city from all angles.
Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed! A rumbling explosion rang out. Below, one massive stone pillar after another collapsed within the floating city, echoing through the strange dimension.
Edward's attention snapped downward.
From amidst the collapsing pillars soared a man in a magician's robe, wearing a monocle. His face bore rare irritation. Behind him was an elderly man with three heads and four pairs of black wings.
Amon and Steph!
Edward's pupils contracted sharply. Why are they here?!
Then it clicked. In the original story, the Frost Dragon had appeared to attack the adventuring party precisely because Klein and the others' entry had completed the number of characters required for the final pages of Groselle's Travels.
But this time, when Edward entered, the headcount had still been short by two—yet the Frost Dragon had still appeared. He'd been confused at first, but now it was obvious: Amon and Steph had entered as well!
At that moment, Steph was clearly in pursuit. The crimson Flesh-and-Spirit Blade slashed again and again, each stroke radiating the waves of corruption. His three heads alternated through various abilities, launching a relentless assault on Amon.
As for Amon—he fled, occasionally turning back to "reach out" and steal Steph's thoughts or abilities, but with little effect. He actually looked rather battered.
Don't be fooled by the original novel, where a Sequence 4 Amon nearly turned the tables even when encircled by Pallez (a Sequence 1), Klein (a Sequence 4), and the Snake of Mercury. Back then, Pallez and the Will were so weakened they could hardly unleash their true might.
But Steph was the real thing—a fully intact Sequence 2 Profane Presbyter!
"Hey!"
The moment Amon spotted Edward, his eyes lit up. He pointed at him and shouted to Steph:
"See? He's your real target, not me!"
Steph glanced at Edward. Instantly, mad killing intent flared in those crazed eyes. But with two enemies appearing at once, he hesitated, uncertain whom to pursue.
Amon, of course, made the choice for him. With a sudden grab, he stole positions and swapped places with Edward, placing Edward closer to Steph.
Steph immediately abandoned all doubt and lunged furiously at the suddenly nearer Edward.
Damn you, Amon!
Edward flashed away in rapid succession, leaving behind a string of afterimages as he retreated at top speed, intending to flee the way he had come.
"Don't bother. Once you're in here, you can't leave."
Amon watched with leisurely amusement as Steph chased Edward, a faint smile curling his lips.
"Otherwise, why would I have been chased by Him in here for so long?"
Sure enough, when Edward reached the cliff where he'd first arrived, the forest and road he had come through had vanished. In their place stretched only voidlike darkness. Though nothing was visible within, his spirituality screamed of terrible danger lurking inside.
Boom!
He had no time to ponder further. Steph's Flesh-and-Spirit Blade swung down once more, brimming with the aura of corruption.
In this deranged state, Steph's Shepherd abilities had been abandoned. He fought like a berserker, relying only on raw strength, speed, and destruction. Yet even so, Edward could tell: in this form, Steph was stronger than before. One blow from that blade, and even a demigod might lose half his life.
Edward flashed aside, the corrupted edge grazing him as it fell.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amon smiling faintly, raising a hand.
"Magnify—steal!"
In the very next second, their positions swapped.
Amon's smile froze on his face. He—the "ancestor" of the Marauder pathway—had actually been countered with a "Theft"?
He immediately tried to repeat the trick, but Edward had already anticipated it.
"Magnify—Stealing is forbidden here."
Fine, fine, fine!
Almost simultaneously, Steph's Flesh-and-Spirit Blade came cleaving down toward Amon's skull. His figure vanished abruptly, dodging the fatal strike by parasitising into Steph's body.
"Magnify—Parasitism is forbidden here!"
The second prohibition landed.
A Worm of Time burst out of Steph's flesh, quickly morphing back into Amon's form. The monocle on his face gleamed faintly, and Steph froze as if caught in a petrification spell, standing motionless for several seconds—this was Amon's Deception.
Unfortunately, the pause lasted only a few seconds. Amon slipped away again, using deception to bend the rules of physics for extreme speed, but Steph had already shaken it off, resuming the relentless chase.
From the side, Edward asked evenly,
"He doesn't look normal. What happened to him?"
Amon grinned,
"Oh, I just mixed his two personalities together in the dream. Then—voilà—he turned into a mindless lunatic."
Edward: "..."
You're truly a menace.
As he fled, Amon suddenly called out,
"Hey, let's talk. Whoever dragged us in here clearly wants to use us for something. If we keep fighting like this, we'll all die."
Edward was startled. Amon and Steph were brought in here by someone? Who could possibly have the power to pull that off?
"You're saying we should cooperate?"
Deep down, Edward couldn't believe it. Amon, of all people, suggesting cooperation?
But at the moment, Edward was under the unique state of praying to himself and responding to himself. He didn't fear a mere Amon clone—at worst, he could cut the summoning short and retreat to the Sefirah Castle.
"Since you know all that, why did you try to screw me over just now?"
"That was just a joke."
"Oh? Then I suppose the Angel of the Holy Word here is also just joking with you."
Once again, Amon froze Steph with deception. He spread his hands, smiling, "Since you put it that way, I don't really care. I'm just a clone. If I die, I die. I'm not afraid of death."
"Heh."
Edward sneered. Not afraid of death? From Amon? Even His avatars were still Him. And across the entire narrative, Amon's most human trait had always been—the fear of death.
Still, staying stuck in this three-way deadlock wouldn't benefit Edward either. After a pause, he said, "I don't mind trusting you this once—'cooperating'—but what about this angel? Do you know how to bring him back to his senses?"
Amon scratched his cheek.
"Mm, probably only by killing us?"
"Die."
Suddenly, Steph ceased his frenzied assault. The madness in his six eyes seemed to ease. His three heads turned toward Edward and Amon, seizing upon that single word—"killing"—from their conversation.
He seemed to remember that he was not merely a berserker who only knew how to swing a blade.
Edward felt his heart seize as if clamped in a vice. He retreated behind an illusory door, isolating himself in "another" space to ward off the lingering effects of the Profane Word.
Amon grinned again. Seizing the moment when Edward's prohibition expired, he stretched out a hand toward him.
This bastard is trying to steal my "Door"!
"Magnify—Theft is forbidden here!"
Again Amon's attempt was thwarted. The corruption of Death crawled across his body, sprouting writhing Worms of Time from his skin. A moment later, they all vanished—but his hair had gained a streak of white. He had resisted Death's grip, for now.
Steph took the chance to close in. His Flesh-and-Spirit Blade hacked down. At the same time, he intercepted Edward's words, capturing the "forbidden" from "theft is forbidden here." With one stroke, he cleaved Amon in two.
Crash!
Amon exploded into a cloud of Worms of Time, scattering into the depths below.
Having "killed" Amon, Steph immediately turned his blade upon Edward. His left head switched to a new Beyonder ability—
Madness!
In an instant, Edward's thoughts dissolved into chaos. His body refused to obey.
"Teleportation is forbidden here."
As he advanced, Steph prohibited Edward's teleportation. His Flesh-and-Spirit Blade pierced through the illusory door, shattering the barrier between two "worlds," and stabbed deep into Edward's body.
Drip...Drip
Droplets of light slid from Edward's form. As they fell, they transformed into wriggling, radiant insects shaped like bent crescents, weaving rings of starlight that overlapped into countless illusory doors.
Boom!
A moment later, Edward burst apart like a firework of starry worms, disintegrating completely.
Having completed two kills in succession, Steph froze. His frenzied haze suddenly dissipated.
After a long pause, the two additional heads writhed and withdrew. He landed lightly on a massive stone pillar, grasped at his chest, and pulled something from within his own shadow.
The instant his shadow came alive, Steph fully regained lucidity. He had used the [Shadow of Depravation] ability, separating his evil, corrupted persona and merging it with his shadow.
With a light stomp, the living shadow transformed into armour and wrapped around him.
"You're not coming out yet?" Steph asked blandly, his expression once again calm and unreadable.
"My, my. A Sequence 2 with a brain really is sharper than one without."
Amon stepped out of the void as if strolling in casually.
"Don't you agree?"
Edward also reappeared, but kept a wary distance from both Amon and Steph.
Amon tilted his head, curious.
"Your illusions can deceive even a Sequence 2…though only while he was insane. From whom did you record that ability? Zaratul? Hmm?"
Edward didn't answer. He only asked coldly, "So? What now? How exactly do you plan to 'cooperate'?"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.