Chapter 15: A Reminder by Way of Informing

Chapter 15: A Reminder by Way of Informing

“Adam is closer to godhood now.”

That simple sentence instantly stirred towering waves in the hearts of every member of the Tarot Club.

Aside from Star Leonard, even Judgement Xio—who had been told a number of important common facts in advance by Magician—joined the other members in suddenly recalling the information related to Adam:

The son of the ancient sun god, the Creator of the City of Silver; the brother of the Blasphemer, Amon; and one suspected to be among the eight Kings of Angels!

And this mythical figure, who had existed before the Cataclysm, had begun to move in the real world once more—and was now closer to godhood!

This… If this is enough to make Mr. Fool sigh, then Adam is likely only one step away from godhood—from Sequence 0. He may be able to take that step at any time… Hanged Man Alger instinctively made this judgment. His hands clenched tightly, and all kinds of thoughts began turning uncontrollably through his mind:

“A true god of Sequence 0 is about to be born!

“Even in the Fifth Epoch, can true gods still be born?

“Will this be the first true god to ascend in this epoch?

“After the gods ceased descending into the real world, a Sequence 0 can still appear!”

Alger had always considered himself rather ambitious. Now, he had even begun aiming toward Sequence 2, toward the rank of angel. Yet after hearing about Adam, he still found it somewhat difficult to accept.

After all, the last true god to achieve Sequence 0 had been the former God of Craftsmen, now the God of Steam and Machinery. And that was something that had happened all the way back in the middle-to-late Fourth Epoch.

Since the beginning of the Fifth Epoch, in more than thirteen hundred years, no existence had ascended to a divine throne!

No wonder Mr. Fool said the era had changed because of this… As The Hermit, Cattleya’s thoughts swirled chaotically, realization suddenly struck her. It was as though she could see the rolling tide that swept everything away at the end of every epoch.

Because she had already gathered all her materials and begun preparing for the ritual to reach Sequence 4, because she had hope of obtaining divinity and changing her form of life in the future, she had been in a state of joy, anticipation, and anxiety. Now, from nowhere, a strange sense of panic and fear entered her heart. All she wanted was to communicate with the Queen face-to-face and confirm what lay ahead.

The reactions of Magician Fors, Judgement Xio, and the other members were more or less similar. On one hand, they were shocked that Adam was attempting to strike the rank of deity; they had never imagined such a thing could occur in the Fifth Epoch. On the other hand, they felt a measure of worry over their current lives. After all, whether it was Moon Emlyn, who came from the Sanguine, or Justice Audrey, who stood within the upper circles of the Loen Kingdom, they all lived in the Fifth Epoch, lived within an atmosphere accumulated over more than a thousand years of history. They did not dare show even the slightest blasphemy toward the orthodox gods. Even when facing evil gods such as the True Creator, they felt reverence from the depths of their hearts and acknowledged Their status and level. Therefore, they could not believe that another deity might suddenly appear, nor could they imagine what would happen next.

In their eyes, The Fool was a reviving ancient god—an existence that had originally sat upon the seat of Sequence 0.

Closer to godhood… Becoming a god… Sun Derrick, however, felt more excitement than anything else. It was as though he had seen hope and found a goal to strive toward.

In his understanding, only Sequence 0 could save the City of Silver!

Adam? Becoming a god… Star Leonard did not know who Adam was, but he could still understand the simple and direct meaning behind the phrase “closer to godhood.”

He immediately thought of the ordinary priest who had picked up 0-08 in front of Klein after that battle ended.

“That was Adam? Or Adam’s subordinate? No. 0-08 is a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. Only Adam, who is very close to godhood, would have the confidence to act personally… No wonder the battle against Ince Zangwill was much simpler than I expected. I thought the best outcome for Klein and me would be to drag Ince Zangwill down into hell with us… Who is Adam? Why have I never heard of Him before…” Perhaps because an angel was already parasitizing him, and because he knew certain secrets of the Fourth Epoch, Leonard was not quite as shaken by Adam’s further progress toward godhood. He felt more confusion and curiosity toward the other party’s true identity.

At this moment, The Fool, shrouded in gray fog, did not speak again. He offered no further explanation, as though He had merely reminded the members to prepare for the changes of the era.

While everyone was either dazed or lost in thought, The World, Gehrman Sparrow, looked at Star Leonard and said concisely,

“Adam is the child of the ancient sun god and the brother of the Blasphemer, Amon.”

Leonard was instantly startled and failed to control his expression.

He had a deep impression of Amon. In fact, because of Old Man Pallez Zoroast’s descriptions, he had developed an extremely serious psychological shadow toward that existence. And Adam was actually Amon’s brother. That meant His level of terror was very likely on the same level!

The World ignored Star’s reaction and continued on his own:

“At present, it can be confirmed that Adam is one of the eight Kings of Angels. His title is the Angel of Imagination, placing Him side by side with Amon, the Angel of Time.

“His goal in dealing with Ince Zangwill was to obtain 0-08 and make up for the shortcomings on His path to godhood. And His plan succeeded.”

Angel of Imagination… Adam is a King of Angels of the Spectator pathway? Justice Audrey instantly thought of the title of the Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt!

And she had long known that the mind dragons represented the Spectator pathway.

As for Leonard, he once again ran into a comprehension problem, stumped by the concept of a King of Angels. Too embarrassed to ask, he decided to wait until the Old Man awakened and then consult Him.

Hanged Man Alger mulled over The World, Gehrman Sparrow’s words. His expression turned slightly odd, and he asked tentatively,

“You seem to have witnessed this matter?”

The moment his words fell, he, The Hermit Cattleya, and the others heard that familiar hoarse laugh.

Only after The World, Gehrman Sparrow, finished laughing did he cast a glance at The Star and say lightly,

“The ones who killed Ince Zangwill were me and my companion.”

“…” The Hermit Cattleya’s mind went blank for an instant.

She could accept Gehrman Sparrow casually resolving matters like killing Hell Admiral, but she had never imagined that he would one day be capable of killing a true Sequence 4 demigod!

Cattleya quickly calmed down, because in a battle involving a King of Angels, it was not impossible for a Sequence 5 to kill a heavily injured demigod under all sorts of coincidences. And he had had companions.

Justice Audrey, however, “read” certainty and confidence from The World’s tone. Unable to restrain her curiosity, she asked,

“Mr. World, have you already become a demigod?”

The World, Gehrman Sparrow, did not answer directly. He chuckled and said,

“If there are matters involving demigods in the future, you may commission me.”

Every member present understood the implication behind his words:

He was already a genuine Sequence 4 demigod—and one with the strength to kill an enemy of the same level!

At this moment, The Hermit Cattleya felt a strange calm. She worked hard to recall the deeds of Gehrman Sparrow she had personally witnessed and heard of, confirming beyond doubt that before the ruins of the divine battle, he had only been Sequence 6, relying on that glove to contend with a Sequence 5.

And the fact that Gehrman Sparrow had sought mermaids at the ruins of the divine battle without hunting any of them showed that they had been required for a ritual. This meant that he had indeed been advancing to Sequence 5 back then. His later performances could likewise prove that point.

Yet now, only around three months had passed since Gehrman Sparrow entered the ruins of the divine battle, and he had already advanced to Sequence 4, becoming a demigod. This almost overturned Cattleya’s understanding of the world!

She was not particularly old, not even thirty, but it had already been seven or eight years since she became a Sequence 5 and received the title Star Admiral. Only in the past year or two had she felt confident about challenging the gate of the demigod realm and begun preparing accordingly. She had considered that an exceptionally outstanding speed.

Mr. World is amazing! He became a demigod so quickly! Sun Derrick felt genuine joy, and his admiration toward Mr. World grew even stronger. He only hoped he could become a demigod as quickly as the other party.

Justice Audrey was both shocked and delighted. Immediately afterward, she gained a deeper understanding of The World, Gehrman Sparrow’s abnormal mental state:

“It seems that part of his gloom, darkness, and depression comes from the mutation that occurred after becoming a demigod. It is a negative effect of the potion that gradually accumulated, similar to how I nearly lost control because of my own state when I became a Psychiatrist…

“Also, after becoming Sequence 4 and gaining divinity, he could naturally glimpse more of the truth. That allowed him to discover that he had slept for a long time, that his family had already passed away, and that he suddenly lost his goal…

“How pitiful. With the gentleness hidden in his heart, he must have very deep feelings for his family and friends…

“But I’m truly envious. As a favored one of Mr. Fool, can he advance so quickly… I also want to become a demigod sooner. Mr. Fool’s words just now—that ‘the era has changed because of this’—really made people panic…”

While Moon Emlyn and the others remained shocked, stunned, and disoriented, Hanged Man Alger felt similar emotions. He was deeply envious of The World, Gehrman Sparrow, and even a little jealous. But he also thought of more:

As Mr. Fool’s favored one, it was clearly no accident that Gehrman Sparrow had become involved in the matter of Adam, a King of Angels, and 0-08…

Thinking in reverse, the more reasonable explanation was that this was a matter jointly planned by the Angel of Imagination, Adam, and Mr. Fool!

Only that could explain everything.

Two mythical figures who had existed before the Cataclysm—one seeking revival, the other seeking to go further—had secretly come together!

Amid his many thoughts, Alger had another idea:

Since Adam had obtained 0-08 and opened the gate toward a divine throne, then what about Mr. Fool? What benefits had He seized from this matter?

Almost subconsciously, Hanged Man Alger turned slightly, buried his head a little, and looked toward the head of the bronze long table.

He did not dare look directly. He could only pay attention to the edges and corners.