Chapter 878 "Sinner" |
Hearing Amon's question, Lumian seemed to break free from a long nightmare, only to find reality was an even more despairing abyss.
His body trembled slightly as he used all his strength to squeeze out a sound from his throat.
"Isn't He afraid? Afraid that after I truly master the peak power of calamity, I'll seek revenge against Him?"
Amon laughed. "By making such a choice, He shows He's willing to face all possible futures and accept the worst outcome.
"It makes no difference to Him whether it's you or Medici, whether you submit, give up, be angry, or hate. If either of you manages to master the peak power of calamity, seek revenge against Him, disrupt His plans, or even pull Him down from His divine throne, He would still not regret it and would acknowledge the result."
At this point, Amon paused before continuing, "Because He was born to bear all sins."
Lumian fell silent, his fists clenched tightly, with thin streams of bright red blood seeping through the gaps.
Amon glanced at the transparent but dark sky. "Time is running out. You must make your choice."
Lumian's lips moved a few times before he suddenly laughed, a mixture of anger and self-mockery.
Amon chuckled, adjusting His monocle on His right eye.
"You don't need to tell me the second half of your sentence. My task is only to send you to Morora and make you a Demoness of Despair. Whether you accept that ending, you'll have to face Him and tell Him yourself."
With that, Amon raised His right hand and gently grasped, making the Black Tear forehead accessory magically detach from the Traveler's Bag and appear in His palm.
The black, tear-shaped Sealed Artifact silently shattered, transforming into specks of faint light. These lights quickly converged into a shrunken, withered, blackened, translucent heart.
Amon then reached towards Voisin Sanson, grabbing two items.
One was a small glass vial containing dark green liquid, and the other, three silver fragments.
After making his decision, Lumian's emotions finally settled a bit. He no longer felt as out of control as before—his body had been trembling uncontrollably, and his thoughts had been fixated on destruction.
Seeing the two items in Amon's hand, Lumian suddenly paused.
Voisin Sanson had the supplementary ingredients for the Demoness of Despair?
He was also the one who suggested lifting the seal earlier…
Amon mentioned that some participants in the Hostel plan received hidden guidance in Fourth Epoch Trier's unique environment without being noticed by the evil gods… Was Voisin Sanson one of them?
Voisin Sanson himself probably didn't remember being guided, thinking he escaped Fourth Epoch Trier purely with the help of the Mirror People, and later unknowingly did some seemingly unimportant abnormal things?
Amon couldn't break out of Mr. Fool's seal on His own, so there had to be a role to accomplish the unsealing task without killing me—the test subject… Voisin Sanson's stated goal allowed him to do this without suspicion…
That individual tacitly allowed the Hostel plan to happen, without much interference or obstruction, and didn't ruin Red Angel's plan, all to prepare for now?
Realizing this, Lumian instinctively scoffed to ease his emotions. "So He can't accept just any outcome after all."
He did so much to ensure the expected result!
Amon smiled. "Willing to accept the worst outcome doesn't mean not striving for the best. And now, would you refuse to go to Morora and become a Demoness of Despair?"
Lumian fell silent again.
Amon let the Demoness of Despair Beyonder characteristic and the two supplementary materials fly towards Lumian, casually remarking, "This Beyonder characteristic will continuously spread plagues, both mundane and mystical, and you'll also be infected."
After Lumian caught them, Amon smiled again. "Do you know what the Sequence 2 of the Inevitability pathway is?"
"Sinner," Lumian replied, determined to go to Morora and complete his task no matter how painful or reluctant he felt.
"And Sequence 1?" Amon continued to quiz him unhurriedly.
Lumian shook his head.
He really didn't know.
Amon explained with a smile, "Sequence 1 is Angel of Redemption, but to me, it's not as useful as Sinner.
"The past Sinner, the present Sufferer, and the future Angel of Redemption form the trinity of the Inevitability pathway."
Amon adjusted His monocle, smiling more prominently.
"And a Sinner has the ability to revert their state to any past moment, with the duration depending on specific circumstances."
Revert to any past moment… Lumian suddenly remembered that Madam Magician mentioned Amon, the King of Angels from ancient times, once briefly became a god!
Amon turned, smiling. "Of course, involving the uniqueness and power of a true god requires the current holder's consent. That Celestial Worthy has already diverted most of His attention to influence Project Vortex, so He certainly can't interfere with The Fool on this matter, and The Fool you believe in shouldn't object."
As He spoke, Amon spread His arms as if embracing returning power.
The monocle on His right eye shone brilliantly.
Before Lumian could react, he saw the obstacles and barriers blocking access to Morora in the special mirror world disappear, allowing him to enter the City of Exiles smoothly and without hindrance.
High above in the special mirror world, the figure wearing a golden crown and black dress nodded at Amon, not attempting to interfere with Lumian.
She was mirror Roselle. In this matter, She had placed bets on both sides, ensuring that the real Roselle wouldn't completely perish. Whether the real Roselle became a puppet of the Uncertain Mist or died to await another resurrection opportunity, it wouldn't affect Her existence and would even gradually make Her the main body.
In the next second, Amon's figure vanished from Lumian's sight.
The paper He had been reading silently floated down, completely blank—a sheet of white paper.
…
Before the bloody altar in the ancient castle.
Ma'am Hermit suddenly spoke, "The voice from that painting has weakened."
Madam Magician looked up, slightly puzzled and apprehensive. "The sealing power of the barrier has strengthened. The true god of the Door pathway has returned… No, it's not Mr. Fool, it's more like… more like Amon!"
Using her angelic intuition about the true god of her pathway, Madam Magician quickly made a judgment.
"How could Amon become the true god of the Door pathway again?" Miss Justice's heart stirred. "Did Mr. Fool or that Celestial Worthy lend Him power?"
If it was the former, it would be great news for disrupting the vortex ritual. If it was the latter, it would be serious.
"Based on current developments, it should be Mr. Fool," Madam Magician said thoughtfully.
At this moment, the Ma'am Hermit, receiving Miss Justice's report, moved her eyes slightly.
"Since the influence of the mysterious voice has weakened, the power of fate must have lessened too. Now, there should be a chance to destroy this painting!"
As she spoke, the holder of the Major Arcana card holder reached out to Madam Magician, asking for the iron cigar case.
…
In the sea near Port Santa, the seal, previously weakened by internal gray fog and external gnawing, instantly became as strong as before.
The School of Deliciousness's previous efforts were all in vain.
Deep in the primitive island, before the Black Emperor mausoleum.
The thick, pervasive white mist abruptly contracted towards the core as if squeezed by an invisible force.
The mark left by The Fool inside Roselle strengthened, alleviating some of the corruption caused by the Uncertain Mist.
Roselle's twisted, painful expression improved somewhat.
The eyes of Perle, scattered in different parts of the mist, saw a figure suddenly appear in midair. The figure wore a black robe, a matching pointed hat, and a monocle on His right eye.
He is… Isn't it said that external forces can't interfere with the vortex's operation? Perle, still barely alive, had this question when she saw the figure in mid-air look down at her, smiling happily as He introduced Himself, "Is this our first meeting? I am Termiboros."
"…" Perle suddenly felt as if her intelligence had been stolen.
How could it be Termiboros?
However, my spiritual intuition tells me that He is indeed Termiboros…
…
In the special mirror world,
Seeing Amon's figure soar upwards and vanish from sight, Lumian finally understood why He had said that whether it was the vortex ritual or another plan, it didn't matter compared to consuming Termiboros and becoming an Angel of the Inevitability pathway.
This meant there would always be a high-ranking being capable of temporarily exerting a true god's power, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike at a crucial moment!
Lumian glanced at the white paper on the ground, then looked at Franca, Jenna, and the others struggling against Higdon with the help of the Pride Armor and the Demoness's black flames. He quickly put away the Sword of Courage, gripping the Beyonder characteristic and supplementary ingredients of the Demoness of Despair, and activated the black mark on his right shoulder.
He traversed the special mirror world and returned to Morora, the City of Exiles.
Immediately, he reconnected with 0-01, using the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to help bear the damage and influence of the Demoness' plague.
Then, Lumian stood on the steps before the Knowledge Cathedral, gazing at the wide, deserted square. He began summoning the exiles most affected by 0-01 to gather quickly, aiming to save time.
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