Inside the illusory astral world enveloped by blazing sunlight, within a divine kingdom surrounded by flowing colors that resembled tree branches, Leyton sat upon a high-backed chair dotted with stars, maintaining the operation of the divine kingdom and responding to the prayers of believers on behalf of his true body.
He wore the brown long trench coat that was currently most fashionable in Backlund, wore no hat, and had only a brass-colored metallic pince-nez clipped onto the bridge of his nose as an adornment. His attire and temperament made him look like an ordinary young scholar, rather than an agent of a deity capable of appearing inside a divine kingdom.
As the sunlight illuminated the entire astral world, the barrier left behind by the Original Creator at the outermost edge of the astral world received reinforcement from the "True Creator," visibly easing the pressure on the deities of the astral world.
At the foundational layer of rules where no one noticed, a figure moving rapidly like a translucent shadow slipped into the Land of Perfection surrounded by the World Tree.
Sizing up the situation within the Land of Perfection, Roselle looked with some surprise at Leyton, who sat at the very head, and asked aloud:
"Leaving behind only a Sequence 3 avatar, and not even one from the 'Hermit' or 'Paragon' pathways—what exactly are you thinking?"
Leyton was not surprised by Roselle's appearance. Rubbing his forehead with a hint of exhaustion, he said:
"You seem to look down on Sequence 3 quite a bit, but I have always believed this is the best stage for a Beyonder. Aside from one's lifespan still being restricted, there are no other shortcomings."
"Compared to Sequence 4, a Beyonder at this stage has already obtained a qualitative leap of varying magnitude. They can respond to prayers within a certain range and possess various Beyonder abilities that can be considered miraculous, while lacking major psychological troubles, allowing them to still maintain a relatively complete humanity."
"Just like right now, only by remaining at Sequence 3 can I maximize the preservation of my humanity, while simultaneously leveraging the arrangements left behind by my true body to respond to prayers and stabilize faith."
"Once the true body returns, if His state is very poor, I will form a new self, allowing the identity of Leyton to continue existing. If His state is relatively good, I will return to the true body and help Him find a balance between humanity and divinity."
Roselle gave a noncommittal nod and asked with some curiosity:
"Neither you nor the 'True Creator' can be considered complete Great Old Ones. Even if you can rely on certain special methods to temporarily exert power at the level of a Great Old Ones, is this truly enough to tear open the seal left behind by that 'Lord of the Mysteries'?"
"If it fails, what will happen to you?"
Leyton leaned back against the chair's backrest and replied calmly:
"Theoretically, it is feasible. After reclaiming the authority of 'Paragon,' the true body of mine repeatedly deduced the feasibility of this method."
"As for failure, He will be trapped in the angle of time, but He who grasps the authority of civilization will not lose Himself. As long as the 'Lord of the Mysteries' appears, it remains possible to return."
"In the estimates of my other self, the worst-case scenario is merely entering the Western Continent in the form of Beyonder characteristics, which likewise allows for a return to the 'Knowledge Moor.'"
"Heh... you truly are a man of exceptional talent and immense daring," Roselle shook his head and lamented.
Leyton shook his head with a bitter smile and explained, "This is something that must be done. I cannot betray myself; at most, it will merely be leaving a portion behind to preserve my existing humanity."
Roselle nodded gently, no longer dwelling too much on this issue, and instead said:
"So this is the tacit understanding you reached with the 'True Creator'? He helps you enter the Western Continent, keeping the half-Great Old One who is most likely to obstruct Him from supporting Amon to become the 'Lord of the Mysteries' far away from the center of the struggle. And you have no way to refuse, nor any reason to refuse."
"Meanwhile, He takes the opportunity to create a chance for Amon—a chance to ascend 'Sefirah Castle.' As for the outcome, He likely does not care. With Him around, no matter the result, He can ensure that even if Amon fails, He will not perish."
"However, I am still somewhat puzzled. How did He erupt with power at the level of a Great Old One despite lacking two Uniquenesses? And how did you achieve the same thing without the aid of a 'Sefirah'?"
Leyton raised his hand and tapped the void before him, causing paragraphs of information to manifest out of thin air. These were pieces of information belonging to "God Almighty" and the "Demon of Knowledge."
Just like a teacher in a classroom, he provided an explanation in a very orderly manner:
"Among the five pathways encompassed by 'God Almighty,' 'The Hanged Man' and 'Visionary' are the most unique—not only because They inherently possess methods of resurrection, but also because Their authority involves omnipotence and creation."
"The grazing ability of 'The Hanged Man' paired with the virtual persona of 'Visionary' allows for the exceptionally easy manipulation of the Uniquenesses and Beyonder characteristics of the other three pathways. In this state, His status and strength approach a Great Old One boundlessly, yet He will not truly and completely fuse all characteristics, allowing Him to maintain His own state very well."
"With Adam's cooperation, the 'True Creator's' fusion progress should be quite good. After initially grasping the 'Chaos Sea' and reclaiming the authority of Storm, He can envision the remaining two false Uniquenesses, allowing His strength to temporarily return to its peak."
"As for me, although I cannot mobilize the substantial power of the 'Sefirah,' I still possess the corresponding symbolism and status. The closer I am to the Western Continent, the stronger the power transmitted through the seal becomes."
"After penetrating deep into that gray fog, I am already able to use the power of 'Knowledge Moor' to a certain extent, so naturally I can push my own strength to a point boundlessly close to a Great Old One."
Pausing for a moment to grant Roselle some time to think, Leyton then inquired, "Do you have any more doubts?"
Roselle shook his head: "No more. It seems you won't be able to offer any help regarding the struggle over at 'Sefirah Castle.'"
Leyton replied calmly: "Helping me tear open the seal of the Western Continent is no easy task; the 'True Creator's' consumption is immense. You and Evernight are sufficient to cope."
.....
Inside Saint Samuel Cathedral in Backlund's West Borough, Leonard arrived at the cathedral upon Pallez's request, silently praying before the Sacred Emblem of darkness inside the main hall.
Because it was still nighttime, there were not many believers inside the cathedral. After finishing his prayers, Leonard entered the underground area along the path to the rear-side of the main hall.
"Old man, what did you ask me to come to the cathedral for at this hour? Has something happened again?"
"The final wait is the most agonizing..."
Pallez did not answer his question. Letting out a lament, He sank into a state of dejection. No matter how Leonard called out, He no longer made a sound.
.....
Above the boundless gray fog, that ancient palace resembling a giant's residence had already vanished. Replacing it was a towering mountain peak, and upon the summit lay a expanse of palace ruins filled with countless figures.
This was the main peak of the Hornacis Mountains. Klein, whose spirit was stitched together with those of Antigonus and Zaratul, had been grafted to the space above the gray fog.
To Antigonus, this place could be considered His home field. Furthermore, it held the residual divine power of the "Evernight Goddess" and the Trunsoest Brass Book placed here ahead of time by Roselle, allowing Them to interfere with the battlefield to a certain extent.
Within the palace ruins on the main peak of the Hornacis Mountains, one figure after another—either large, small, old, or young—alternated with one another, sometimes vanishing, sometimes manifesting.
Some of them were men dressed in postman attire, some were ordinary birds, and some were organisms so minute they were invisible to the naked eye. Midair, one corpse after another hung suspended...
One crystal-ground monocle after another manifested and dropped from the right eyes of these figures, falling into a certain state of deadlock.
These were all avatars created by Amon, and marionettes left behind by Antigonus in the Hornacis Mountains. The struggle between Amon and Klein caused these avatars and marionettes to continuously swap identities with one another.
After the deadlock persisted for a period of time, all of Amon's avatars wearing monocles or sporting differently colored rings around their eyes stopped simultaneously.
Following a period of tug-of-war, Amon successfully obtained a portion of control over "Sefirah Castle."
The Amons raised their hands in unison to adjust the monocles over their right eyes, looking toward the figure where the gray fog and pitch-black fluid blended, and said with a smile:
"The upcoming battle does not require so many participants."
As He spoke, all of Amon's avatars extended their hands forward simultaneously and pulled inward, making a motion as if closing a door.
Following His actions, the main peak of the Hornacis Mountains vanished in an instant. Vanishing along with it were the deep, brooding darkness, as well as a brass-colored book that continuously flipped its pages.
Taking advantage of the interval where Klein's own mental state was unstable due to stitching together too many spirits, He utilized this portion of authority to conceal "Sefirah Castle."
"The upcoming battle belongs only to us. The content of our competition is also very simple—the degree of control over 'Sefirah Castle,' and the utilization of our respective authorities."
Amon narrated with a calm expression. While speaking, His avatars transformed into beams of white light, merging into His true body and pushing the true body's state to its peak.
Opposite Him, the worm vortex where countless wisps of gray fog and pitch-black fluid blended suddenly contracted, reconsolidating into Klein's figure—a figure that was not entirely stable.
The pressure brought by Amon finally caused the spirits within him that were separating and combating one another to achieve unity, temporarily restoring his own state.
Worm-like growths resembling dense translucent buds sprouted across his body, interweaving into a translucent dark cloak.
Beneath the cloak, no physical body existed; there was only a bizarre, cold, and illusory mask with no facial features.
Under the condition of converging three "Attendant of Mysteries" characteristics, the consciousness of the Celestial Worthy had also initially awakened inside his body. Right now, he was a highly complex psychological stitched entity.
He was currently Klein, he was also Antigonus, and to a certain extent, he was likewise the former master of Sefirah Castle—a great existence returning through awakening in a true sense.
Under this state, he had undoubtedly "fooled" history, completing a true apotheosis ritual. However, "Sefirah Castle" had been sealed away by Amon. Under the condition where it could not interact with reality, the ritual could not take effect. As time passed, he would be replaced bit by bit by the awakening consciousness of the Celestial Worthy inside his body.