In the blink of an eye, the Hall of Truth once again returned to a suffocating stillness—so quiet it felt oppressive, as though time itself had solidified.
Edward slowly sat down on the long black bench. With a light flick of his finger, a gold coin arced through the air and landed with the numbered side facing up. Seeing this, he let out a long breath.
Finally…a brief respite.
In truth, the situation developing to this point had far exceeded Edward's expectations. His original plan had been nothing more than taking advantage of the chaos to obtain the quill. Who would have thought that, through a series of coincidences, he would end up accomplishing something so utterly "against the heavens"?
Amon's "betrayal" was both unexpected—and, in a way, perfectly reasonable.
Unexpected, because even if Amon had developed some humanity—some traces of being "more human"—in essence, he remained the same selfish creature as always.
And selfishness was, after all, one facet of human nature.
Beyond that, there were the sparse fragments of emotion he held toward his father—the Ancient Sun God. Just as Amon himself had said, he acted in the end because Adam's excessive, overflowing sense of self-sacrifice irritated him.
Amon could ignore all things in the world—but he could not bear to watch his father march toward death once more.
"Sigh…I wonder how things will unfold with the human side of the Ancient Sun God in control. If the only way to avert this world's apocalypse truly depends on Adam's sacrifice, then my interference will have made me a sinner instead."
Edward let out a self-mocking chuckle, though he did not dwell on it. After all, everything he did had ultimately been for his own survival—nothing mattered more than staying alive!
He rose slowly and walked toward his rigidly standing "main body," whose eyes were empty and lifeless. The next moment, his avatar's form dissolved into countless writhing Worms of Star laced with greyish mist and surged into the main body.
A few seconds later, the eyes of the main body regained their clarity and brilliance.
Thus, there was once again only one Edward in the world.
Having read the original novel, Edward had naturally expected that a day like this would come after opposing Adam. If Klein in the original story could be backstabbed by a false identity he himself had "fabricated," then Adam certainly had no reason not to tamper with Edward's avatar.
So Edward had prepared long in advance. The one the Evernight Goddess had truly concealed back then had not been the avatar, but a single Worm of Star hidden inside it.
Using that Worm of Star, Edward had intermittently awakened several times over the past century—both to reclaim the imagination accumulated by the avatar, and to set up his preparations.
Because of the existence of that Worm of Star, Edward could migrate his consciousness into it at any time, allowing the avatar to "become" the main body.
At the moment the avatar thrust the cross into the main body, what remained of Edward's body had been nothing but an empty shell. Everything that happened afterwards had only been possible because of this.
Which meant that even if Amon had never intervened, Edward—though he might not have obtained the quill—could still have withdrawn safely.
"Ah—right! Lilith!"
He suddenly slapped his forehead, as though waking from a dream. He immediately raised his hand and tore open an illusory door leading directly to Lilith's side.
———
After being forcibly expelled from the sea of collective subconscious by Adam, Lilith emerged shrouded in boiling darkness. She crashed straight through a mirror surface and plunged into reality.
The next second, she passed through layer after layer of the Mirror World without hesitation and stepped into the Holy Temple of Knowledge of the God of Wisdom and Knowledge in Lenburg. She made no effort to restrain the overwhelming aura of calamity and destruction coursing through her. She stormed through the vast cathedral—repository of countless books and knowledge—and headed straight for the underground levels.
Barefoot, she strode across corridors carpeted with ancient tomes. Every slab of stone cracked under the leaking force of calamity that spilled from her body.
Just then, a white-haired middle-aged man in a papal robe appeared ahead. Smiling warmly, he bowed slightly.
"Your Excellency, I must ask you to go no farther."
Lilith gazed at him coldly.
"Has Herabergen not told you? We already reached an agreement. I'm here to retrieve Sealed Artifact 0-01."
The man shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I have received no oracle from my Lord. Furthermore, 0-01 is far too dangerous. It was personally sealed by my Lord somewhere else. Your request cannot be granted."
"Fine! If you won't give it to me—then I'll just take it!!!"
Lilith's black hair once again transformed into venomous serpents and writhing tendrils. Mirrors manifested rapidly in all directions, reflecting visions of countless horrifying disasters—each one seemingly ready to spill forth from the Mirror World at any moment.
The man's pupils flickered with runes of wisdom that dissected all things, attempting to comprehend the laws behind the disasters reflected in the mirrors and find the rule that could break them. But he soon discovered that the speed with which he analysed them could not keep up with the rate at which new mirrors appeared.
If even a single disaster within the mirrors erupted into reality—not just the cathedral, but all of Lenberg might be destroyed.
All he could do now was stall the arrival of the calamity for as long as possible, waiting for his great Lord to personally intervene and deal with this dangerous intruder.
"Stand in my way—and DIE!!!"
Lilith curled her fingers as though grasping something in the air—and every mirror around her shattered simultaneously, unleashing a wave of apocalyptic force that surged forward as though the world itself were collapsing.
At that critical instant—
A hand came down hard on the top of Lilith's head.
"Can you not act like an edgy twelve-year-old for one second? 'Stand in my way and die'? Seriously?"
Edward stepped out from the illusory door, grabbed Lilith by the back of her neck like lifting a misbehaving kitten, and tossed her—limbs limp, expression blank—back into the illusory door.
In an instant, all the mirrors vanished, along with the disasters brewing within them, leaving no trace at all—as if they had never existed.
This sudden turn of events left the middle-aged man frozen in place, his expression filled with dazed shock and confusion.
Edward bowed apologetically.
"My apologies, Your Excellency. I failed to keep an eye on the child. Almost caused a catastrophic mess. I'll be sure to discipline her properly when we get home."
"And—please help me convey my deepest apologies to the God of Wisdom and Knowledge! Truly, terribly sorry!"
With that, he slipped back into the illusory door and disappeared.
The middle-aged man stood motionless, staring blankly ahead. A mysterious voice suddenly echoed in his mind. He listened quietly for several seconds. A faint light of understanding passed through his eyes. Then he solemnly traced the holy sign of the God of Wisdom and Knowledge across his chest.
"Praise my Lord," he whispered.
———
Backlund, Empress Borough—A Small Villa
The moment Edward stepped out of the phantom doorway, he saw Lilith back in her childlike form—like a frightened little doe. Head lowered, she darted straight into his arms.
"Edward, I thought you were…I thought—"
Her lips trembled, and her pitiful expression made her seem completely unlike the same person who had just been screaming "Stand in my way and die!" while attempting to steal a Sealed Artifact.
It wasn't difficult to understand.
Lilith had waited far too long.
First she had helped Klein ascend rapidly, all to wake Edward as early as possible. Then she used Trissy, located the Edessack siblings, and seized the quill—only for her actions to instead "kill" Edward.
Of course Lilith lost her mind.
She felt she had been too naive, too overconfident—thinking she could orchestrate a grand series of schemes like Adam or the Evernight Goddess.
Bullying someone weaker than her was one thing…
Going up against someone like Adam meant only one outcome: being used in turn.
"Alright, alright," Edward said, squeezing her soft cheek. "Aren't I standing here just fine?"
"But I saw you just now…"
Confusion flickered in Lilith's eyes—then they widened with sudden realisation, shining brightly.
"So you secretly exploded with the power of friendship and reversed the situation? You beat Adam and Amon? Edward, you're amazing!"
Edward's face darkened.
"Talk properly."
Lilith scratched her cheek and giggled. "Ahh, it's been so long since I acted cute. I'm out of practice."
Edward: "…"
"So what exactly happened back there?" she asked.
Edward recounted everything that occurred after Lilith was expelled from the Hall of Truth. Lilith pinched her chin thoughtfully.
"So when you gave Amon humanity all those years ago…you were already planning for today?"
"You're giving me too much credit."
He shook his head.
"Back then, giving Amon humanity was purely for fun. I wanted to see what would happen if I forced human emotions into him."
"Later, I realised he was truly being affected by it—that's when I thought of working with him. And after that, everything just spiralled into what happened today."
"To be honest, I still don't know if this result is good or bad. I don't know if, once the True Creator awakens, He will repeat Adam's decision. Even if they represent the Ancient Sun God's humanity and divinity separately—at their core, they are the same person."
"So before they awaken, I need to confirm something."
Lilith's eyes flickered.
"You want to return to the Chaos Sea?"
"To be precise—back to Hogwarts."
Edward lifted his hand, brushing the "Door" symbol across the back. His gaze grew heavier.
"In truth…compared to Adam, I am the one who should be most worried about 'that person.'"
Lilith grabbed his hand tightly.
"Miss Lilith will go with you!"
"Mm. But before that—" Edward smiled faintly. "Let's reunite the family first."
———
Backlund—Parliament Building
The Parliament Building was in utter chaos.
King George III's sudden self-detonation had plunged the entire nation into unprecedented turmoil. All nobles and members of parliament had been forbidden from returning home. Instead, they were gathered here under the strict protection of the three major Churches and the military.
Nobles and MPs huddled in groups within various chambers, their expressions tense. Occasionally, someone would step out, smelling of tobacco and wearing a forced mask of gentlemanly calm, rushing from one discussion circle to another, hoping to gather more critical information.
Ladies and young misses sat in waiting rooms, eyes vacant and faces still frozen in lingering fear. Their bodies trembled faintly—they had not yet recovered from the shock.
Parliament staff and mid to low-ranking military personnel ran frantically through the halls inside and outside the building. Their hurried footsteps and anxious expressions betrayed their mounting dread. Every intelligence report they carried seemed to weigh upon the entire kingdom's fate.
On the second floor, Audrey stood behind a railing, wearing a pure black dress. She looked like a serene observer detached from the mortal world, watching an unfolding drama of terror and confusion.
Her calm gaze swept over the soldiers below—those who were usually considered the most elite, best-trained forces of Loen. Yet even they couldn't conceal the unease and fear in their hearts.
The king was dead.
And he had exploded right in front of everyone.
Stranger still—there had been no trace of flesh or blood left behind.
As though George III had simply ceased to exist after the explosion.
Even though Audrey had mentally prepared for this outcome—suspecting it was most likely the work of Mr. Fool—when it truly happened, shock and bewilderment filled her heart.
Just as the Tarot Club had discussed earlier—George III's sins were unforgivable.
He was despicable, manipulative, and had orchestrated the war with Feysac, resulting in countless deaths.
But the problem was—
His death would not end the war.
It would only make it worse.
So…was stopping George III's ascension to Sequence 0 truly the right choice?
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.