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*****
"I... I will speak..."
Seeing how aggressively George was pressing him, Ince Zangwill feigned a moment of hesitation before finally succumbing.
He was the fish on the chopping block while the other was the clever butcher; at this stage, remaining silent was no longer an option. However, exactly how much he would reveal, how much he would withhold, and which parts were truth versus which were lies—that was entirely up to him to decide.
As long as George recognized his inherent value, Ince reasoned, the man would not kill him easily. He would need Ince alive to extract further intelligence and to verify the validity of the information already given.
"I am well aware that you haven't finished your story, and I know that not everything you've said is necessarily true. But that doesn't matter," George remarked with a cold, thin sneer playing across his lips once Ince had finished speaking.
"Because I have plenty of methods to get what I want."
"I meant no offense, Excellency. I only wished to prove my worth. If you are willing to cooperate with me, you stand to gain far more than you can imagine," Ince Zangwill replied. Having survived countless storms and betrayals in his life, he wasn't easily rattled. Instead, he forced a hypocritical, subservient smile.
George, however, remained expressionless. He merely waved his hand dismissively.
"There is no need for that."
Before Ince Zangwill could even process the meaning behind those words, George's palm had already struck him squarely in the chest.
Utilizing the same technique he had previously used to treat those who had lost control, George began to forcibly extract the Sequence 5 'Gatekeeper' Beyonder characteristic from within Ince's body.
"You... you really are of the Sun Pathway!" Ince Zangwill's face contorted into a mask of pure agony and shock.
To plummet from the status of a powerful Beyonder to that of a common mortal in a single instant was an utterly catastrophic blow for someone like him. Although he had once been a Sequence 5 and could technically recover quickly if he obtained the corresponding characteristic again, the sheer violation of the act filled him with an uncontrollable rage.
Yet, amidst the pain, one thing was now certain: the man standing before him was a high-sequence powerhouse of the Sun Pathway.
Only an existence at Sequence 4 or higher of the Sun Pathway possessed the ability to purge and extract Beyonder characteristics from a living host through the method of purification.
Moreover, considering the terrifying speed at which George had stripped the characteristic away, it was impossible for him to be a mere Sequence 4. He was either a Sequence 3 or a Sequence 2—an Angel-level powerhouse.
Thus, despite the fury burning in his chest and his distorted features, Ince forced himself to endure. He desperately wanted to continue his attempt at persuasion. Unfortunately for him, George had no interest in hearing another word. With a flick of his wrist, he sucked Ince into a Russian nesting doll and sealed him away once more.
To George, this was simple efficiency. In a few days, once he had converted and mastered the relevant memory-related magics, he could simply perform a soul search. It was faster, easier, and much more reliable than listening to Ince Zangwill's nonsense.
"A Sequence 5 Gatekeeper characteristic... after I'm done researching it, I can sell it to the other members of the Tarot Club," George thought, stowing the glowing characteristic away. He then turned his attention to the dying spawn of the evil god he had released.
"Now, for the main event."
According to the intelligence Ince Zangwill had just divulged, this spawn was actually the offspring of the True Creator. The True Creator intended to use this vessel as a medium to descend upon this world.
The True Creator was the same evil deity worshipped by the Aurora Order—a secret organization notorious for being composed of the most delusional lunatics in existence. His holy image was that of a giant hanging upside down.
The Aurora Order was a secret organization that had only emerged within the last two or three hundred years. Its members believed that the True Creator was the architect of the entire world, that He was omnipresent, and that He resided within the body of every living being.
Because of this belief, they held that all things possessed divinity. If that divinity was nurtured to a certain threshold, one could ascend to the status of an Angel. They primarily wielded the 'Hanged Man' pathway, with a high concentration of 'Secrets Supplicants' and 'Listeners' among their ranks.
Listeners were unique in that they could directly hear the whispers of the corresponding hidden existence. Consequently, they often gained powerful, twisted, and utterly unique abilities.
However, the cost was steep. If a Listener failed to advance, they rarely survived for more than five years. This was why every single 'Listener' was essentially a madman. Even if they appeared normal on the surface, it was merely a mask for the insanity lurking beneath.
Even if they didn't actively use their 'Listening' ability, they still perceived far more than ordinary people or low-to-mid-sequence Beyonders in their daily environment. When a source of sound was close enough, the influence became overwhelming, flooding their minds with dangerous and corrupting information.
This was exactly why the major Orthodox Churches viewed the Aurora Order as a collection of psychiatric patients.
In any case, George didn't believe for a second that this so-called True Creator was the actual creator of the world he was searching for. If that were the case, the "Creator's" status would be embarrassingly low.
He estimated that the True Creator was, at most, a Sequence 0 of the Hanged Man pathway. Because He was sealed outside the planet by the seven Orthodox Gods and the world barrier—much like the other evil gods lurking on the distant stars—He had to resort to schemes like this spawn to gain a foothold. Many of the Order's claims were likely just self-aggrandizing myths.
It was much like how the Seven Gods told their believers they were the eyes, arms, or legs of the Original Creator. The God of Steam and Machinery, having ascended much later than the others, didn't even have the chance to fabricate such a grand lineage.
Actually, there was one thing George couldn't quite wrap his head around: the evil gods entrenched on the various celestial bodies outside were clearly more powerful than the Seven Gods of this world. Why were they so obsessed with this planet? Why did they desire to enter it so badly?
Was it for the souls of the humans living here? With their level of power, even if they devoured every single soul on the planet, it shouldn't significantly increase their strength. Or was it to devour the Seven Orthodox Gods themselves? If that were the case, it would at least be a somewhat logical motivation.
"Let's divine the source of this child's power!"
Lifting the dying spawn of the True Creator, George began to "fleece the wool" of the True Creator through the medium of divination.
Just like the Primordial Demoness, the True Creator was an evil god. He couldn't descend openly to deal with George like an Orthodox God might. Therefore, George felt he could exploit this connection aggressively without too much worry.
Closing his eyes and entering a state of deep meditation, an image of the Hanged Giant surfaced in George's mind—the true form of the True Creator.
Predictably, he immediately met with a counterattack from the True Creator, just as he had whenever he tried to fleece any other Sequence 0. Not only did the True Creator strike back, but He also attempted to pollute and parasitize George. However, since it wasn't a descent of His true body, these efforts had no effect on George whatsoever. Even if His true body did descend, it was unlikely He could corrupt George's soul or possess his physical form.
"Sequence 9: Secrets Supplicant, Sequence 8: Listener, Sequence 7: Ascetic, Sequence 6: Rose Bishop, Sequence 5: Shepherd, Sequence 4: Black Knight, Sequence 3: Trinity Templar, Sequence 2: Profane Elder..."
After successfully harvesting all the knowledge up to Sequence 2, George expected the True Creator to stop attacking and sever the connection, much as the Primordial Demoness had done.
To his surprise, the True Creator did not cut the link. Instead, He continued His irrational, frenzied assault. It felt as though George were dealing with a pure, unadulterated madman.
Naturally, George wasn't one to pass up a gift. He unceremoniously continued his harvest.
"Sequence 1: Dark Angel, Sequence 0: The Hanged Man... Grisha... Ancient Sun God... Betrayal..."
It wasn't just the potion formulas, rituals, and abilities for Sequence 1 and Sequence 0. Because the True Creator was attacking relentlessly without any regard for defensive divination, George's "fleecing" went even deeper. He actually managed to extract some of the darkest, most hidden secrets buried deep within the True Creator's consciousness.
"So that's how it is... this guy really is a complete lunatic..."
(End of Chapter)