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The light chuckle, tinged with a hint of mockery, caused the originally garbled mirror surface to suddenly freeze. The watery sheen rippled, and pale words outlined themselves, preserving the dignity of the Demonic Mirror:
"The Great Ruler above the Spirit World will surely save me, you Devil…."
Looking at the pale words, Amon's smile grew even brighter. He clicked his tongue, and a Worm of Time emerged from his right palm:
"Your tone reminds me of someone, truly annoying."
"Hmm, I've changed my mind. Instead of taking you away, I'll Parasitize a Worm of Time into you. Heh, that way it'll be easier for me to witness that Great Ruler above the Spirit World…."
The ancient silver mirror, with its peculiar patterns, immediately trembled. The "eyes" on either side of the mirror, decorated with black gemstones, even subtly revealed a hint of despair.
Almost simultaneously, two slightly dim beams of light extended from the edges, and the mirror grew two somewhat insubstantial arms. Streaks of silver-white lightning appeared, but they mysteriously vanished before touching Amon.
Just then, Amon suddenly raised his head, his hand reaching for Arrodes paused, then lifted upwards, pushing the crystal monocle on his eye. His black pupils reflected a blurry image of an ancient, mottled clock.
Directly in front of the clock was an even more ethereal Demonic Wolf, covered in dark, short fur, with eight legs, standing four or five meters tall.
Without any warning, Amon's figure abruptly vanished, as if all traces of his existence had been stolen. The confined Sealed space once again saw the resurgence of the lightning ocean.
The rampant destructive aura soon caught the attention of Ikanser Bernard, a Machinery Hivemind member on duty underground today, and also a deacon of the God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.
This man, with his rigid facial features and messy, bushy brown hair, appeared before the secret chamber sealing Arrodes, watching the silver-white electric arcs spontaneously generate, accompanied by a shower of sparks.
Bang, bang, bang!
The secret chamber, specially prepared for Arrodes, seemed to be struck by an invisible hand, but the barrier could not be broken.
With the sound of electricity and banging echoing in his ears, Ikanser subconsciously touched his hair, somewhat confused as to what madness this Demonic Mirror was up to now.
Watching the increasing commotion, before Ikanser could even report, gears began to emerge from various areas of the second underground floor, finally reassembling into an old man in white priest robes and a soft clerical hat.
It was none other than Horamick Haydn, the head of the God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Backlund diocese and a member of the Divine Council, the Archbishop. However, this was clearly not his true self, but merely a refined puppet.
"Your Grace, Archbishop!"
His tense expression relaxed slightly, and Ikanser bowed respectfully. After drawing a triangular holy emblem on his chest, he voluntarily retreated to the back.
Horamick Haydn slightly raised his hand, and the secret chamber opened. Silver-white electric arcs surged out, but were suppressed in an instant.
Ignoring the surging electric arcs, Horamick Haydn examined Arrodes, which seemed to have suffered a major blow, with various unidentifiable garbled symbols appearing on its mirror surface. He frowned. This was the second time this Demonic Mirror had shown such a condition recently.
The previous time was due to the Hidden Sage's power invading… As soon as he thought of this, Horamick Haydn immediately turned his head to look at the deepest part of the underground, and only after confirming that the core of the Sealed Artifact had not changed did he retract his gaze and calmly instruct:
"Do not use Arrodes for the time being. Furthermore, raise its Sealed Artifact level from a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact to a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact!"
-----------------
Backlund, the end of the third passage on the left turn in the sewer at 116 Williams Street, on the border of West Borough and Empress Borough.
A chilling wind, as if permeating the soul, blew past. Mobet nervously looked at Alvin Gallows opposite him, who was entirely entangled in sinister vines and thorns. Even though he knew this Ancient Bane was also a follower of the Lord of Order, being watched by an Angel still made him uncomfortable.
After much stammering, Mobet finally bit the bullet and spoke:
"According to our previous agreement, everything except the Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic from the Jacob family treasure will be offered to the great Lord of Order, and that Amon avatar will be dealt with by us jointly."
Crimson, blood-like eyes stared at Mobet, or more accurately, at the illusory old man composed entirely of transparent insects within Mobet's body—this was Pallez Zoroast's true form!
Although they had stood on opposing sides during the Fourth Epoch, there were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
Alvin Gallows nodded slightly, indifferently. A thick, dark-gold mist suddenly surged before him, and after a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"They have already attracted the attention of Amon's true body in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. We can act now."
Having said that, he ignored the stiff-faced Mobet, transforming into a streak of light and drilling into his right eye.
Mobet, who had specifically rushed back to Backlund from Feynapotter, had already learned of the agreement reached with Duke Aaron from the old man on the way. Knowing that this opportunity to stall Amon was rare, he didn't overthink it and took out a badge and a glass bottle from his embrace.
The badge was only the size of an eyeball, its surface a combination of the symbolic patterns of "Destiny" and "Concealment," precisely the token of the "Hermit of Destiny" society.
He removed the wall of spirituality from the glass bottle and poured all of Flora Jacob's blood, which had been kept active with a special array, onto the badge.
The originally dim badge, after absorbing the Jacob family bloodline, suddenly rippled with obscure light. In the void before him, a blurry "Worm of Time" symbol with twelve segments faintly appeared, resonating with it.
"Quick!"
Pallez's slightly hurried voice suddenly echoed in Mobet's mind. As the Jacob family blood vanished, it was becoming increasingly ethereal, as if it could disappear at any moment.
Startled by Pallez's voice, Mobet, still with lingering fear, retracted his gaze from the strange symbol, closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth as he touched the symbol in the void.
A strange sensation came, and then Mobet's ears seemed to hear the "dong" of a bell, ethereal and distant, as if from infinite reaches.
Mixed with the bell sound was a ravings that could tear and pollute even a Spirit Body. As a Marauder Pathway Demigod, Mobet was still affected even though he had stolen his own hearing.
As Mobet's figure vanished, the Worm of Time symbol immediately trembled, then completely shattered, forming a massive, ancient, mottled illusion.
This illusion was like the surface of a stone-carved wall clock, divided into twelve segments in total. Each segment was either grayish-white or bluish-black, intermingled with distinct boundaries, and each possessed a different symbol.
As the clock on it turned, an indescribable, invisible torrent surged forth, as if crossing a long history, seemingly penetrating some barrier.
The moment Mobet's figure appeared in the central hall of the dark world, a charm had already appeared in his hand. Pallez Zoroast's somewhat aged voice chanted in a low tone:
"Yesterday Once More!"
The shimmering River of Fate faintly appeared. Pallez, having returned to his peak, made no exploratory movements. He decisively used his Sequence 1 Worm of Time to steal the existence of this space, which concealed the Jacob family treasure, within the River of Fate, cutting off the possibility of the Amon avatar hidden here notifying his true body through the River of Fate.
Sensing Pallez's strange action of going all out as soon as he entered, even though he was somewhat surprised, the Amon avatar abandoned his cat-and-mouse amusement.
The skin of the Jacob family ancestor's stone statue in the center of the hall cracked and peeled, and one hole after another opened, from which strange insects crawled out. In a single breath, it completely transformed into Amon, wearing a pointed soft hat.
In the Nation of Disorder, Aaron leaned back on the throne, his gaze shifting from Astor's prayer image to the "Star" symbolizing Alvin Gallows.
With the enhanced true vision granted by the Sefirah, Aaron saw even more clearly: this Amon avatar was only at the Sequence 3 level, but it had Parasitized the Sequence 2 Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic from the Jacob treasure. Even Pallez, who had returned to his peak with the help of the Yesterday Once More charm, would find it difficult to take him down for a while.
They couldn't drag it out any longer. The effect of the "Yesterday Once More" Charm was limited. Once Pallez was unable to maintain the blockade and the Amon avatar managed to transmit the message, the situation in the Forsaken Land of the Gods might become unmanageable.
With this thought, Aaron decisively cast a wisp of his will into that star.
The entire palace instantly turned to dust. A chilling wind abruptly permeated the air, and Alvin Gallows appeared, his body inscribed with countless mysterious patterns and entangled in sinister vines. His enormous body seemed to stretch open this world.
White feathers grew from his chest, and the entangled sinister vines and thorns split in the middle. A terrifying, profound, and indescribable deathly aura and pressure emerged.
A white bone gateway slowly emerged from the split body. Mysterious symbols, pale and greenish-black, one after another, protruded and intertwined on the white bones. After forming a whole, they collapsed inward, transforming into a boundless, slowly rotating Dark vortex.
"Gate of Rebirth!"
A terrifying transformation curse, mixed with a deathly aura capable of annihilating all life, assailed him. The smile on Amon's face vanished.
This "Blasphemer" avatar, who had been continuously using the Trojan Horse of Destiny to graft destiny abilities to evade attacks, finally shifted his gaze from Pallez Zoroast to the enormous figure emitting a deathly aura, and said coldly:
"So it's Trunsoest's remnant…."
Before he could finish speaking, his expression changed from indifference to gloom. At the same time, a majestic and grand voice resounded throughout this space:
"No Destiny Grafting is allowed here!"
"No Parasitism is allowed here!"
Under the influence of two consecutive decrees, although he had continuously tried to steal and tamper with the decrees, being cut off from his true body, he could at most be considered a "Trojan Horse of Destiny."
Coupled with Pallez Zoroast's interference, he was no longer able to tamper with these two decrees, which were empowered by the Nation of Disorder.
Under the full assault of the two Angels, the Amon avatar, affected by the transformation curse and turned into a black crow, was stripped from the Parasitized Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic.
Looking at Pallez, whose aura was rising steadily, the black crow slightly shook its wings, took out a monocle from the void, and placed it on its left eye. There was no longer any hint of annoyance, as if this worst-case scenario had only slightly surprised him:
"It's a pity for the thousand years of waiting, but I am indeed very curious. You seem to have known all along that one of my avatars was hidden here."
"As your old friend, can you tell me why, Pallez?"
Pallez, having accommodated this Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic and completed all the torn and missing characteristics, restoring his complete Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, said nothing. He simply raised his right hand towards the black crow.
Pallez had no interest in answering a God of Deceit. Making him shut up forever was the correct approach.
Amon, in crow form, shook his head regretfully, his figure slowly dissipated, leaving only a light chuckle:
"Pallez, I look forward to our next meeting…."
Vast power poured out, completely shattering the crystal formed by transparent insects. Pallez looked at the re-condensed Sequence 3 Mentor of Deceit characteristic, only then confirming the complete disappearance of that Amon avatar.
Alvin Gallows slowly closed the Gate of Rebirth. The immense deathly aura and chilling wind gradually dissipated, and the surrounding scene slowly revealed itself.
The aftermath of the previous battle had completely destroyed the hall. Items emitting spiritual fluctuations floated in the void, some of which even emitted divine fluctuations.
Mobet, who had been affected by the decree prohibiting Parasite and had left the battle early, now excitedly walked towards Pallez, who had re-condensed his physical form, holding several items in his hands.
Pallez's gaze swept over the Parasite and Secrets Sorcerer characteristics in Mobet's left hand, then looked at the two Tarot cards clutched in his right hand. A hint of understanding flashed in his somewhat weathered eyes.
One card was a portrait of Roselle, leaning against the Cosmos, with an illusory Door appearing before him. The other was a portrait of Roselle, leaning against a twelve-segment clock formed by light and shadow.
And in the upper left corner of both Tarot cards, brilliant starlight condensed into a line of text: "Sequence 0: Door"; "Sequence 0: Error".
"Old man, you succeeded?"
Meeting Pallez's gaze, Mobet immediately asked somewhat eagerly. Only after receiving an affirmative reply did he let out a sudden sigh of relief, realizing that the items in his hands had disappeared at some point, replaced by a crystalline, dazzling ball of light. Staring at it for too long, his consciousness even felt a little disoriented.
Pallez looked at Alvin Gallows with some apology and explained:
"I will repay this characteristic in other ways in the future. Please convey my gratitude to that great existence."
Alvin Gallows nodded noncommittally. After accepting the two Blasphemy cards, his already enormous body opened its mouth and inhaled all the spiritual items in this space, whether characteristics or materials, together.
That Mentor of Deceit characteristic was, strictly speaking, one of Pallez's spoils of war. Since it was intended for his descendant's advancement, Alvin Gallows did not stop him.
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