On the rooftop of a tall building not far from the White House—
Facing the sudden, god-descent-level catastrophe, Ebner and Bernadette performed Prophecy almost simultaneously, and in the next second obtained the same critical keyword for breaking the situation:
"Arc de Triomphe"!
The Arc de Triomphe—after the Roselle era, the only marvel left standing—was located in White Maple Square, just a few hundred meters behind the Prime Minister's White House…
But that was just an ordinary structure, wasn't it… Wait!
Ebner, full of confusion and just about to ask Bernadette if she had any clues, happened to glance at an old-style building—and a flash of lightning streaked through his mind!
Wait! Arc de Triomphe… a "gate"?! I remember one entry in Roselle's diary describing how the Night Emperor once cooperated with Mr. Door to construct a temporary "Door" on an island in the then-calm Storm Sea…
And Roselle later found that ruin!
"Mr. Door told me that He once collaborated privately with the Night Emperor to briefly construct a 'Door,' attempting to draw down a great power.
'But their attempt failed. The Night Emperor went mad and fell, and He Himself was exiled from this world because of it…
'I cannot judge how much of His words are true… Perhaps the reason for His exile wasn't that, but the cooperation indeed existed.
'Because I once found a ruin of a Door on an island in the Storm Sea—and its structure matched His description.'"
Recalling that diary entry, Ebner remembered speculating that the Night Emperor had wanted to open a breach on the seal of Sefirah Castle, drawing in the power of the corresponding Nation of Disorder.
After all, the Night Emperor's soul originated from the God Coffin!
And Ebner had also once suspected that, near the end of his life and pushed to desperation, Roselle might have tried to imitate that…
Hmm. The Arc de Triomphe was only fully completed decades after Roselle's death. It kept being funded because the Delien family supported it from behind the scenes;
that "ancestor" of the Delien family was very likely Lady Julia, a former MI9 spy of Loen who clearly had a close relationship with Roselle;
The secret in the Delien family's vault was guarded by that "ancestor," who supposedly never left her post for over a century;
Their old estate was not far from the Arc de Triomphe, and their underground treasury might even lie directly beneath the monument;
Bornova once warned me that even divine vessels were unwilling to approach the Delien treasury…
Putting all this together, the true key to breaking the situation must lie in the short-term mission Lilith assigned me:
"Explore the Delien family's hidden secret."
So—did She really not know the secret within? And what roles are She and the Goddess playing in this matter?
Different Insight Eyes separately considered the clues, then merged their conclusions, allowing Ebner to instantly understand what he needed to do.
At that moment, another Insight Eye captured Yaldabaoth's flamboyant speech. Ebner immediately grasped even more hidden truths—and the cruel reality that the Churches would not be able to respond in time.
Wasting no time, Ebner broadcast the intelligence he had "insighted" into the surroundings.
He and Bernadette belonged to pathways adept at using "knowledge"; in urgent situations, this method was far faster than words.
Almost instantly, Bernadette finished receiving and analyzing the information. She understood that the only ones capable of stopping the catastrophe now were herself and Ebner.
Her expression did not change. Her palm flipped, and an item appeared.
It was golden, shaped like a small kettle—yet a wick protruded from its spout.
As her right hand slowly brushed the mysterious sigils covering its surface, the wick ignited silently.
A light like viscous liquid rose upward, forming a blurred and distorted pale-golden silhouette.
"Eternal Lamp Genie, my second wish is: grant me, for one day, the power of a 'Knowledge Emperor.'"
Bernadette spoke solemnly in Giant Tongue, without a shred of hesitation.
The item in her hand was the Magic Wishing Lamp Vera had been searching for—originating from the First Epoch. The Celestial Worthy had captured the soul of an Outer God—the Son of Chaos—and forced it into a Miracle-Invocator characteristic to create this object.
Although never held by the Seven Churches, it possessed an official 0-rated Sealed Artifact designation:
0-05.
It could fulfill ten wishes for its holder—but always with twisted results or horrifying, unpredictable consequences.
None of its previous owners met good ends—including Roselle Gustav.
However, today Bernadette sharply sensed that the Lamp Genie was oddly cooperative—there was no "twist" in the fulfillment of her wish.
Though such unusual compliance only made her more cautious, she had no time to investigate.
Feeling the power of the Knowledge Emperor flood her body, she glanced at Ebner, transmitting the instruction for him to activate the Arc de Triomphe. She herself, together with her swiftly arriving brother Bornova, rushed toward the descending Abyss.
The Dark Side of the Universe, the Devil Monarch, the Abyss—Fárbauti was a true god, an authentic Sequence 0!
Even though He had only just escaped, even though the Abyss had not fully entered reality, He was not an opponent that a false Sequence 1 "Knowledge Emperor" could fight. Bernadette charging forward meant a 90% chance of death.
Though she didn't care about that, she could have been peacefully bathing in her Backlund home. It was he who dragged her here to confront death…
Clearly, like the Church of Steam, I underestimated that Prime Minister's preparations!
Indeed—whether it was me or anyone else, even members of the Psychological Alchemy Society—when we heard he intended to summon the Abyss, we all thought he was insane and doomed to fail…
Where did that "arrogance" come from? If I was influenced into that arrogance, then the mastermind must be capable of bypassing even the Pure White Angel's spiritual protection within the Eye of Pure White!
Never mind—thinking about that now is meaningless… Since I brought her here, I must bring her back alive!
With that resolve, Ebner took out a talisman covered in complex patterns.
It was a replica he created using the Spirit Worm of the Scholar of Yore Daphne, imitating the historical-projection talisman the Goddess had once granted.
But its effect was far inferior to the original. Its projection duration was short, and like the Transformation Cards he made, it could only summon those former-life Liú Bó projections with a guaranteed 100% success rate.
Those "Liu Bos" only went up to Sequence 2 and normally could not intervene in a conflict involving a true god. But among them, Rhine Kalenddia was special… because she—yes, she—was now Lilith's vessel!
Summoning Rhine's historical projection was equivalent to Lilith acting through her.
If only I could summon Rhine's Sequence 1 Angel-King versions; with Lilith controlling her, perhaps even the Dark Side of the Universe could be forced back…
But at best, he could now only ensure Bernadette and Bornova survived.
As he considered this, Ebner ignited the talisman with spirituality and pulled a "handsome" man in a red shirt from the gap of history.
The man's eyes were dull for an instant, then brightened with clarity.
Ebner did not exchange pleasantries with Lilith—he simply nodded, and then teleported to the gate of the Delien family's old estate.
To avoid unnecessary trouble—such as bloodline verification rituals in the family vault—he released Owen at the very instant of teleportation, while his true body entered Alvin's Question Labyrinth.
But just as he prepared to step into the mansion, he suddenly found himself surrounded by four enchanting silhouettes.
(End of Chapter)