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It seems I skipped a Tarot Club meeting, but these prayers are almost turning into a chorus..... Klein rubbed his forehead, feeling like electric drills were going off in all directions. Yet, in this atmosphere, he also found that his connection to the gray fog space had further strengthened.
Although he could no longer sense the fleeting door of light, he could now vaguely see The Fool's high-backed chair and a few contracting and expanding crimson stars.
Taking a deep breath, Klein suppressed the discomfort in his brain, flipped over, and stood up. Although his thoughts were still scattered, he knew he had to deal with the scene quickly and not be discovered by anyone.
After all, resurrection was not something a normal person could do!
After closing the coffin, he found a secluded spot nearby and took four counter-clockwise steps, entering above the gray fog.
Klein sat in The Fool's position and saw four crimson stars constantly rippling. Besides Mr. Emperor, who had already requested leave, another crimson star had appeared.
Cautiously extending his spirituality, Klein saw a room he was extremely familiar with, and he saw a girl staring blankly at the candlelight.
His pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly stood up, exclaiming in disbelief, "Melissa?"
How could this be..... Klein stared intently at the prayer scene unfolded by the crimson star. The faint candlelight illuminated the desk, and the Traveler's Badge, originally gifted by Mr. Emperor, was now placed in front of his sister.
Klein instantly thought of Mr. Emperor. After all, only members of the Tarot Club knew The Fool's honorific name, and the only one who could appear in Tingen seemed to be that Duke.
He recalled his advancement to Clown under the witness of Mr. Emperor. Even Mr. Azik, who hadn't recovered his memories, could see his abnormality. Had the semi-god, semi-human Mr. Emperor discovered anything during his advancement?
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Klein's forehead. He inexplicably remembered what Mr. Emperor had said after his advancement, and his conjecture gradually formed:
"He discovered the residual aura on me. In his eyes, I am likely a Blessed of The Fool. The Mystical Item he gifted back then, and informing Melissa of the honorific name this time, were likely tests of The Fool's attitude."
Klein's expression changed. If the Hanged Man had privately leaked the honorific name without permission, as The Fool, he would certainly give him a small punishment at the next Tarot Club meeting. But if it was Mr. Emperor.....
Even above the gray fog, I would only be beaten..... Feeling emotional about his weakness, Klein, who had too many debts to be bothered, quickly suppressed the surging thoughts in his mind.
Knowing the dangers of a Beyonder, he instinctively wanted Melissa to stay away from this Pathway. Just as he was about to hide this crimson star deep within the gray fog, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of parchment at the edge of the prayer scene:
"Sequence 9 Savant!"
His raised hand paused slightly. As a Nighthawk, Klein knew this was a Beyonder Pathway controlled by the God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, which was indeed very suitable for Melissa.
His palm lifted and then fell. Klein ultimately couldn't bring himself to be ruthless. After all, his constant attention was better than Melissa going astray. As for future implications, he couldn't manage that much now.
After reciting the honorific name, Melissa looked at the quietly flickering candlelight. Suddenly, crimson light surged before her eyes, completely engulfing her, catching her off guard.
By the time Melissa reacted, towering stone pillars had appeared before her. They stood above an endless expanse of grayish-white mist, supporting a magnificent palace like a giant's dwelling.
Melissa was stunned for a second before realizing that at some point, she had sat down at the side of a mottled, ancient bronze long table. Around her and opposite were high-backed chairs that exuded a sense of solemn majesty.
At the head of the mottled long table, a figure was shrouded in thick gray fog, leaning back leisurely in the chair, seemingly looking down upon everything in the world.
As this figure entered Melissa's sight, a feeling of inner dread filled her heart. She instinctively wanted to leave her seat and worship the existence before her.
Just as she was about to stand up, she was pressed back down by an invisible force, and a low, calm voice echoed in her ears:
"No need for such trouble.
"You can call me Mr. Fool."
For some reason, Melissa's heart, which had been fearful of the unknown, instantly calmed down. Although she was still worried about what would happen next, she felt a strange sense of peace.
She cautiously raised her head slightly and spoke in a mumbling voice:
"Great Mr. Fool, I, I want to ask you to resurrect my brother. I know my request is a bit presumptuous, but I am willing to pay anything. You can make me do anything...."
Listening to the earnest, even pleading voice, Klein used the Clown's ability to forcibly control his body's trembling and responded in a cold tone:
"Resurrection, even for gods, requires a price. I believe in the principle of equivalent exchange, but you clearly cannot pay an equivalent price."
Klein, who was constantly monitoring the color of Melissa's Spirit Body, deliberately left a glimmer of hope to prevent her from being struck again. Melissa evidently understood the implied meaning, as if she had seen dawn in the Darkness, and responded with somewhat clumsy etiquette:
"What do you wish to obtain?"
After a brief pause, The Fool's voice sounded again:
"No need to rush. Perhaps in the future, I will ask you to do some things, to provide some help to certain people. They are similar to you and will come here to regularly hold gatherings. This can help them quickly improve and become High-Sequence Beyonders."
A glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes. Without any hesitation, Melissa bit her lip and earnestly pressed on:
"Respected Mr. Fool, can I join that gathering?"
Nodding indifferently, The Fool at the head of the bronze long table materialized a deck of Tarot cards, raised his hand, and pointed:
"Yes, but they each picked a Tarot card as their codename. You can also draw one."
"The cards that already have owners have been removed from this deck."
Suppressing the excitement in her heart, Melissa didn't dare to ask more questions. She extended her right hand and drew a card from the deck of Tarot cards.
After flipping it over, she saw the holy priestess holding a scroll and sitting upright—the "High Priestess" card!
As soon as she touched that Tarot card, streams of light surged into her Spirit Body, and her mind was instantly filled with incredibly detailed Beyonder knowledge, including the acting method and various ritualistic magic.
"Go back. The gathering will be held punctually at 3 PM every Monday, Backlund time." The Fool, shrouded in gray fog, raised his hand, causing Melissa, who was still digesting the knowledge in her mind and seemed a bit dazed, to disappear from the ancient palace.
Looking at the disappearing figure, Klein gently sighed, pinching his brow. Since he couldn't stop it, he would do his utmost to protect those he cared about.
Klein pursed his lips, seeing the majestic palace and the ancient, mottled long table materialize a yellowish-brown parchment and a round-bellied steel pen before him.
.....
Ince Zangwill had successfully advanced to a demigod? The ashes of Saint Selena were the main ingredient needed for his advancement, which was also why he had meticulously plotted against the Tingen Nighthawks.
Klein tapped the edge of the bronze long table with his hand. Through divination, he had already learned the beginning and end of the matter. He only knew that Ince Zangwill and Lanevus were now both hiding in Backlund, that "City of Hope"!
Backlund..... Klein's eyes turned fierce, and he quickly made a decision. He enveloped himself in spirituality, simulated the feeling of falling, and left the mysterious space above the gray fog.
Returning to the real world, he slowly walked out of his hiding place and returned to Dunn Smith's grave.
He gazed deeply at the photo and inscription on the tombstone, then slowly drew a crimson moon on his chest before turning and walking out of the cemetery.
-----------------
In the Nation of Moonlight, crimson-to-Dark chains extended from the void, coiling around the Black Emperor. Nast, wearing a spired crown and a magnificent black robe with silver trim, sat silently on a two to three-meter-high mottled stone chair.
He had been in this place, which even the Spirit World could not perceive, for almost a week. For a Beyonder of his level, food was not a necessity; what was harder to bear was the anxiety about the future.
As if sensing something, Nast suddenly stood up. His deep black eyes, flowing with dark red light, looked at the silver moon covering the sky. Ripples spread above the Black Emperor, and a blood-colored bat portal opened. Aaron, dressed in a magnificent Duke's attire, slowly walked out.
Nast immediately felt himself locked by an invisible force, and an uncontrollable tremor rose in his heart. He looked at the smiling Aaron with disbelief. Having also perceived the change in rules, he was certain that the feeling was not caused by a Sealed Artifact of Grade 0.
Even if he was mysterious, he had only just advanced to Sequence 3 a week ago, this....
The dark red light in his eyes shifted, and the words Nast had intended to say suddenly caught in his throat. The atmosphere became somewhat stiff for a moment.
Calming the surging prayers and whispers in his mind, Aaron, who was secretly mobilizing the power of the Nation of Disorder, nodded to Duke Liana, "Purple Moon," who had instantly appeared beside him, then gestured with an inviting hand towards the still-open blood-colored portal, meeting Nast's gaze.
Nast pondered for a moment. After confirming that the terrifying Sanguine Angel had no intention of stopping them, he left with Aaron.
After completely escaping the suppression of the Divine Kingdom fragment, Aaron unfolded his "Domain of Judgment" to envelop himself and Nast. After isolating this area from the Spirit World, he slowly began to speak:
"As the first Black Emperor, Solomon of the Fourth Epoch resurrected and rebuilt the Solomon Empire after his demise."
"Your eagerness to take us to the Solomon ruins was probably because you thought there might be a fallback for Solomon's resurrection, believing that the power of my Lord could stimulate or even awaken your Emperor, who might still be in slumber."
"Although you may have obtained some information when you acquired the Black Emperor, I must remind you that while a Black Emperor can resurrect from the order they established in the past, the birth of a new Black Emperor signifies the complete demise of the previous one."
"And several centuries ago, Roselle had already successfully advanced to Black Emperor. You can dismiss those unrealistic ideas early."
Nast's head was slightly lowered, making his expression unreadable. After a moment of silence, his deep voice echoed:
"Respected Duke Aaron, I am willing to follow the great Lord of Order."
Aaron didn't care much about the sincerity of Nast's words. In any case, after truly offering a prayer and receiving a response, Nast, who belonged to one of the two Pathways corresponding to the Nation of Disorder, no longer had a chance to go back on his word.
A smile appeared on his face, and Aaron nodded with satisfaction, then added:
"The more devout your faith in my Lord, the greater the blessings you will receive. You might even be granted that Duke of Entropy Beyonder characteristic. Even if you don't achieve Angelhood in a short time, you won't need to fear anymore."
As he spoke, that life-level tremor once again surged from Aaron's body. The dark red light in Nast's eyes expanded a few points, and he slowly chanted the honorific name of the "Lord of Order."
Thick, dark gold mist surged and expanded. When Nast opened his eyes again, he saw the magnificent and majestic figure in the deepest part of the palace. He was suddenly astonished to find that as a Sequence 3, all his abilities were suppressed to an unimaginable degree within this palace.
Most critically, he had lost his perception of the surrounding order. Even in the Sanguine's Nation of Moonlight, he had not experienced this level of suppression. His true combat power now might barely be comparable to a newly advanced demigod.
Mobilizing the power of the Nation of Disorder, it formed an all-encompassing suppression on Nast. At both ends of the throne, a triple shadow crown adorned with specks of starlight and a Tarot card depicting Emperor Roselle simultaneously appeared. The majestic voice of the "Lord of Order," which seemed to touch the soul, sounded:
"Descendant of Solomon, a great change affecting the world is about to come. Secretly develop my faith. More devout believers can allow you to receive my blessings, and truly free you from the shackles of fate!"
Feeling the desire emanating from all parts of his body, Nast stared intently at the Duke of Entropy Beyonder characteristic and the Black Emperor card he had been searching for for a long time. Suddenly, much information about the "Holy Scripture of Order" appeared in his mind.
As the most renowned pirate king of the Five Seas, who had roamed freely for centuries without being annihilated by the navies of various nations, Nast was not a muscle-brained brute. He quickly understood the meaning of "secret evangelism."
Raising his palm, Nast's illusion disappeared within the palace. Aaron looked up at the dome above, at the dazzling star that had appeared in the brilliant Cosmos, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upwards.
On the majestic mountain range, Nast, who had returned to reality, no longer saw the Duke. Before the doubt in his heart could reach his lips, strong spiritual fluctuations emerged, and a huge black three-masted sailboat "squeezed" out in a crude manner.
Thanks to the ghost ship's peculiarity, the Black Emperor, having just escaped the Nation of Moonlight, directly entered a semi-spiritual state and did not crush this mountain range.
Nast was silent for a moment, looking at the pattern formed by the scales of order and the scepter of dominion that appeared on his wrist. Then, his figure appeared on the deck of the Black Emperor, and in an instant, he entered the richly colored Spirit World.
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