In the real Hall of Truth, Amon finally recovered from the shock of seeing the "Ancient Sun God." A complex emotion flashed through his eyes, but it quickly faded, replaced by his usual frivolous, mocking expression. Behind him, the phantom of the massive stone clock began to tremble violently. Its thunderous chimes shook the entire hall.
He immediately stole the hollow historical projection of the Ancient Sun God, tossing it casually back into the historical void. Then, with several swift grabs of his right hand, he stole Lilith's current thoughts, leaving her briefly stunned.
A flash of light burst from his monocle as he attempted once more to steal Edward's fate.
"Amon, you dare!"
Within the Hall of Truth, countless mirrors manifested out of thin air, encircling Amon at the centre. From each mirror erupted strands of hair intertwined into tentacles, which instantly wrapped around Amon and dragged him toward the mirrored worlds.
Lilith stepped into the mirror world ahead of time, standing before the barrier leading into the deeper layers of the mirror realms—clearly planning to drag Amon in with her.
Though Amon did not know her exact intentions, he sensed the danger at once. He abandoned his attempt to steal Edward's fate. With a single theft, he swapped positions with Lilith within the mirror.
Then he stole distance repeatedly, flashing through layer after layer of nested mirror worlds. As he passed each mirror surface, it manifested Lilith's reflections all around him. She stared coldly at him and suddenly raised her hand to strike her own chest.
Clang!
The mirror world shattered.
Amon, who had been traversing between layers, was caught in the collapse and suffered severe damage alongside the collapsing space.
Moments later—
Both Amon and Lilith stepped out from different shattered mirrors. Swarms of Worm of Time writhed across Amon's body, struggling to escape. Meanwhile, the hollow wound in Lilith's chest had grown even larger.
Inside the mental world, Edward's consciousness was collapsing under the 'baptism' of the Ancient Sun God's power. His mental defence crumbled again, forcing him to burn through his imagination to withstand the assault.
But at this rate, even the immense reservoir of imagination he had accumulated over a century would soon be exhausted—after all, this was the Ancient Sun God, a being only half a step from becoming a Pillar!
At that moment, Edward suddenly laughed.
"Adam, if I kill myself right now, what will you do?"
"I'll wait for you by the River of Memory. I don't believe you can escape again."
"Hahahaha! Who told you memory is my only way to resurrect? Guess again—I advanced using a Miracle Invoker's Beyonder characteristic. Don't you think I might also have four resurrection chances, just like a Miracle Invoker?"
Adam's expression did not change.
"You won't abandon Lilith and run."
"Either way, I'm going to die. Since I'm dying anyway, what do I care anymore?"
"I never intended to kill you."
Edward narrowed his eyes. "Reshaping my mental world, altering my memories, even turning me into one of your psychological sub-personalities…How is that different from being dead?"
"The difference is that once the apocalypse has passed one day, I will set you free."
"Well then, I really ought to thank you."
Edward's tone cooled. "But just as you refuse to trust anyone—why would anyone trust you?"
"I have never distrusted others, nor do I believe I alone can resist the apocalypse. But you are different. That power within you—what it represents—is far too dangerous."
Adam held the cross tightly, explaining with patience, "The higher your sequence, the stronger you grow, the more it influences you. Perhaps one day you will master that power…or perhaps it will influence you in return, awakening the Oldest One within you."
He shook his head.
"I cannot allow even the possibility. I have no other choice. My apologies."
Edward said calmly, "Then I can only apologise as well."
In the real Hall of Truth, a phantom door suddenly opened behind Adam. From it stepped another Edward in Mr. Sparrow's guise—one of his avatars.
The avatar extended a hand and drew from the void an ancient, time-worn wooden cross that glowed faintly green. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he drove the cross forward with force.
A faint sound echoed—
But the ancient, blood-stained wooden cross did not pierce Adam.
Instead, it pierced straight through Edward's heart from behind.
The violent pain yanked Edward out of his mental world. His pupils dilated sharply as he stared back in shock at his avatar.
The avatar looked at him with an utterly calm, expressionless face and said lightly:
"Adam gave me humanity."
Before Edward could respond, Adam's consciousness surged like a tidal wave through the mental world, completely submerging Edward's mind and finishing the seizure of his body, soul, and consciousness.
"Edward!!!"
Lilith's eyes flushed crimson in an instant. She abandoned Amon without hesitation and charged straight toward Adam.
Adam cast her a mild glance.
"Don't worry. He won't die. I only intend to take away his Beyonder characteristics—freeze him forever at Sequence 4—and then let him help me take that person's place."
"Fuck you!"
———
Meanwhile, in the city of Backlund
Guided by the instinct of a true deity, Roselle led Bernadette straight to the inn in the East Borough—but by the time they arrived, only two corpses remained.
A male corpse sat against a chair, blood flowing from his seven orifices. His life force had been drained clean. A faint smile of release rested upon his face, and even in death, his eyes were turned toward the royal palace.
A female corpse sat on the floor, leaning against the man's leg. A short dagger was buried in her chest, her body soaked in blood. Even in her final moments, she gripped the man's hand tightly.
"That's Edessak and Helena—the siblings."
Seeing Roselle's confusion, Bernadette explained, "They were the children of George III, the one who tried to ascend as Black Emperor. Because they discovered George III's secrets, they became disposable pawns. After escaping with their lives, they devoted themselves entirely to revenge."
Roselle said coldly, "To be hated so much that even one's own children want you dead…What a failure. Someone like him nearly becoming the Black Emperor? That would've brought shame to the entire pathway."
Bernadette replied, "In truth, most kings and emperors throughout history drift away from their children. The more capable the child, the more wary the father. And most kings have numerous offspring—someone like you is actually very rare."
Roselle stroked his beard with satisfaction.
"Of course."
"Dad, did you think I was complimenting you?"
Bernadette gave him a sidelong glance.
"I was referring to your diary entries."
"…"
Roselle's calm expression instantly collapsed. "Can you stop bringing up the diary?"
"Then shall we talk about the night of my birthday banquet—when you climbed into another woman's bed and got caught by her husband?"
Roselle: "Let's…not talk about that either."
"Or how about the time you tried to 'replenish your vitality' to impress those socialite ladies, but the tonic backfired and you—"
Roselle abruptly clamped a hand over her mouth. "A young lady shouldn't say everything that comes to her lips! Learn some restraint!"
Bernadette said calmly, muffled under his hand, "Dad, I'm already one hundred and ninety-one years old."
"You're still a little girl to me."
Roselle then turned his gaze around the room and frowned.
"Something definitely happened here recently. Something involving Adam."
He closed his eyes. After a moment, he broke into a grin. "Found them. Let's go."
Holding Bernadette's hand, he stepped forward—twisting through reality itself—heading directly toward the Hall of Truth hidden deep within Groselle's Travels.
But at that moment, a velvet-blue night sky unfurled before them. Starlight dotted the darkness like countless shimmering jewels.
The Astral Realm.
Tap…tap…tap.
Light footsteps emerged from the tranquil darkness, where moonflowers and nigh-vanillas grew in abundance.
She walked out draped in starlight, serene as the night itself. Though she stood before them, she seemed to exist and not exist at the same time.
The instant Bernadette saw the woman, her heart skipped a beat. Though they had never met, she instinctively understood—
The lady before her was the Lady of Crimson of the Church of Evernight, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, the Evernight Goddess.
Bernadette immediately lowered her gaze—unable to look upon a deity directly.
As for Roselle, the Black Emperor…he was "father" first and a god second.
Roselle, naturally, cared far less. He stared directly at the Evernight Goddess and asked, "May I ask…what exactly do you mean by this?"
The Evernight Goddess spoke softly, "From the Fifth Epoch onward, it has been accepted among the gods that we no longer walk in the real world. We remain in the Astral Realm to maintain the barrier. Though you have only just achieved your true ascension, you should ideally follow this convention."
She paused.
"Of course, as the newly ascended Black Emperor, no one expects you to strictly abide by this immediately."
Roselle frowned. "Then why bring me here?"
The Evernight Goddess smiled. "As fellow remnants of the 'Old Era'—fellow 'compatriots' from the ancient days—is it strange to meet face to face?"
"You chose not to meet me earlier or later, but at this exact moment?" Roselle narrowed his eyes. "Did Adam and Amon attack Edward and the others?"
"That's correct."
"So you're deliberately stopping me from helping them?"
"If you choose to think so, that's fine."
Roselle's fingers flexed. "Your Excellency…are you bullying me just because I've only just ascended?"
"Of course not. Once one ascends to Sequence 0, one naturally grasps the corresponding authorities. As long as your mind remains stable, the difference between our strengths is not significant."
Her tone softened, almost comforting.
"I only hope you will wait a moment longer…"
She paused—then smiled. "Besides, don't you want to go and see Stiano?"
———
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