Chapter 001: Deception

Chapter 001: Deception

In the Backlund Bridge area, inside a hotel room.

Aside from his thoughts, Klein could no longer control anything about himself. Even moving his eyes had become impossible.

He knew very clearly that this had to be deep parasitism.

And in such a state, he could only watch ahead with fear and despair, watching “Enyuni,” who had put on a monocle and whose appearance had transformed back into Amon’s original look, smile as he took one counterclockwise step. Then he opened his mouth and, in perfectly pronounced Chinese, quietly recited:

“Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Xian Zun.”

…Did He steal my thought just now, or my ability to speak Chinese… It should be the former. Otherwise, He couldn’t have grasped this ritual… Klein stared, unable even to dilate his pupils, his heart more anxious than it had ever been.

Amon, wearing the monocle, seemed to sense his emotions. He turned his head, glanced at him, smiled, and once again stepped counterclockwise, softly reciting in Chinese:

“Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Jun.”

Then this “Blasphemer” proceeded through the ritual with extreme familiarity. Each step He took, each incantation He spoke, made Klein’s heart sink deeper into a dark swamp, as though no trace of dawn could ever be seen again.

“…Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun.”

When Amon took the final step and uttered the final incantation, an endless expanse of grayish-white fog abruptly appeared before Klein’s eyes, while layer upon layer of prayers rang in his ears.

Without needing to listen closely, his spiritual intuition stirred, and he immediately understood what this represented:

After advancing to Scholar of Yore, he had gained initial control over Sefirah Castle. No matter who it was, whether they knew the correct ritual and the corresponding incantations or not, if they wished to enter above the gray fog, they needed his permission!

Reject Him! Joy instantly rose in Klein’s heart, and a clear thought emerged.

Yet the moment that thought appeared, he forgot it. He stood there like a statue carved from stone.

His intent to reject had been stolen by Amon.

“…” Klein once again felt despair, but the grayish-white fog before his eyes and the sound of prayers beside his ears did not disappear.

…Klein froze at first, then immediately realized what was happening:

I understand! I have to personally go above the gray fog, control Sefirah Castle, and give the order of permission before Amon can enter. There is no such thing as tacit approval!

This thought was like a single straw drifting across the water. Klein grabbed it without hesitation, afraid he would silently sink into the cold depths where no one would ever know.

Although he still did not know how to make use of it, his intuition told him that the only hope—the tiniest possibility—might be hidden here.

At that moment, Amon stopped trying and turned His gaze toward Klein.

Clearly, He had failed to enter Sefirah Castle.

This Angel of Time adjusted the monocle over His right eye. His expression did not change much as He smiled.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, your idea of saving yourself is quite interesting.”

Amon spoke in standard Loenese, yet each word seemed able to stir the forces of nature, creating wave after wave of “explosions” inside Klein’s mind.

…How can He be certain I’m The Fool, and not a blessed of The Fool… A chill ran through Klein’s mind and body. The hope that had just risen sank underwater once more.

“How am I certain?” Amon clicked His tongue, pulled over the chair from earlier, sat down, and pointed at the round stool opposite Him. “Sit. Don’t be shy.”

The moment He finished speaking, Klein moved against his will and sat down on the round stool.

Amon looked around the room, raised His hand, and stole Klein’s black silk top hat, placing it on His own head. Then, with the corners of His mouth lifted, He said, “Did you think I didn’t know that the ritual just now ultimately couldn’t succeed?

“How long has it been since Sefirah Castle stirred? How could I possibly have forgotten?

“I merely wanted to see your reaction. Your instinctive despair and reflexive rejection were very interesting. If you weren’t the one calling himself The Fool, how could you have had thoughts like that?

“My dear Mr. Fool, am I right?”

As He asked four questions in succession, Amon looked quite delighted, like an old hunter who had caught the fox by the tail.

…I was deceived… Only then did Klein understand why the other party had shown no disappointment whatsoever.

He instinctively wanted to deny it, but after thoughts raced through his mind, he merely opened his mouth with a calm face and said, “Kill me, then.”

Eh… I can speak? Klein hurriedly tried to control his body, but it was completely impossible.

The next second, he prepared to recite the Evernight Goddess’s honorific name, but the thought was immediately lost.

The thin-faced Blasphemer Amon pressed the monocle over His right eye, maintaining that same spirited interest as He said, “So you can revive in Sefirah Castle?”

…Talking with this fellow really means every word spoken is another mistake… Klein shut his mouth tightly and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Amon smiled and shook His head. “There’s no need to be so afraid. In truth, there is no irreconcilable conflict between us.”

Uh… Sitting on the round stool like a puppet, Klein froze for a moment and gave no response.

Amon leaned slightly forward, looked into his eyes, and continued smiling.

“The only conflict between us is Sefirah Castle.

“But do you truly wish to shoulder that fate? Are you truly not worried that Sefirah Castle’s original owner will revive through you?”

…That sentence struck the point Klein cared about most, leaving him momentarily unsure how to respond.

Amon pinched the monocle carved from crystal and, without urging Klein to answer, smiled and said, “Give Sefirah Castle to me, and all your problems will be solved.

“In that case, whether Sefirah Castle’s original owner can revive, and whether the corresponding fate can be endured, will become my worries, not yours.

“Also, the pursuit from Mr. Door and little Zaratul, the gift from Evernight, and the follow-up arrangements from that paranoid brother of mine—all of these will be my troubles to handle in your place.

“And you will break free of all this and become a Sequence 3 who belongs only to himself.

“Heh. Why should I kill you? What need do I have to kill a Sequence 3? Even if I wished to recycle your characteristic, that would still be optional. My prey will only be Pallez, little Zaratul, and Mr. Door. As for anyone else, it depends entirely on my mood.

“As for the organization you established, I can maintain it in your place. That is very entertaining, very interesting.

“If you think this price is still not enough, then I can make you my blessed. Heh heh. In the City of Silver, didn’t you pretend that The Fool was the Angel of Time, Amon? Afterward, it can become real. I will lead them out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods and let them see the light outside.

“When that time comes, you will still have the chance to advance to Sequence 2 and become an angel.”

…This… This is practically taking over every trouble and every difficulty I have, leaving only the benefits behind… Klein, who had no great desire to become a true god or control Sefirah Castle in itself, felt his heart pound. If he had not known long ago that Amon was the highest caliber of fraud, he might have agreed on the spot. In the end, however, he merely opened his mouth without expression and said, “Kill me, then.”

“Is that the only thing you can say?” Amon was not angry at all. He looked at Klein with great interest.

To Him, this was something amusing enough. It was entirely imaginable that difficulties would arise along the way; they would only make the delight after success even richer.

I’m just a heartless repeater… Klein used that lampoon to ease the pessimism and despair in his heart. Instead of answering, he asked, “How do you know the City of Silver believes The Fool is you?”

He did not dare say that the City of Silver also suspected The Fool might be the god Amon currently believed in, afraid that it would anger the other party.

Of course, if Amon were the kind who lost intelligence once enraged, Klein would definitely have tried saying that. At present, he also suspected that after initially gaining control of Sefirah Castle, he would revive above the gray fog after this death. Unfortunately, Amon was not a King of Angels from the Storm pathway, but the God of Deceit who had once given true gods headaches during the Fourth Epoch.

Amon laughed. “Do you think I had only two avatars in the City of Silver? Since you, The Fool, and that Hanged Man both interfered, I was quite willing to quietly watch.”

…There are still Amon avatars in the City of Silver… Who could be parasitized… Mm, the members of the Giant King’s Court exploration team were not parasitized. That much is certain… As Klein’s spirit tensed, he also felt this was only natural. Leonard had once told him that seeing one Amon meant a whole cluster of Amons was hidden nearby, not merely two or three.

Without thinking too much about it, Klein tried hard to regain some initiative and create an opportunity:

“You cannot directly seize my fate because you cannot withstand it right now?”

Amon nodded frankly. “Correct. That is why I wanted to peacefully make a deal with you.

“But since you refused, I can only take you to meet my main body, to a sufficiently safe place. Then I will take your fate. When that time comes, your ending will not be as good as what I described just now.”

As He spoke, the black-haired, black-eyed man with a broad forehead and thin face slowly stood and walked toward the door. Klein rose with Him and followed behind like a puppet.

As Amon reached out to open the door, He seemed to remember a question. He pressed the monocle carved from crystal, turned sideways, looked back at Klein, and asked, “What is the fourth line of your Scholar of Yore honorific name?”

In mysticism, the honorific name corresponding to any existence was not that rigid. As long as one used the correct format and certain descriptions to narrow the scope until no ambiguity remained, it could point toward the corresponding hidden existence. This was why many cultists, knowing nothing of mysticism, could fabricate chaotic honorific names and still receive feedback.

Of course, if the honorific name was not given by the hidden existence themselves, it could not enjoy “automatic response” treatment. Whether a connection could be established depended entirely on whether that existence was interested in the supplicant.

Earlier, Amon had used His understanding of Scholar of Yore and Gehrman Sparrow, along with the Decryption Scholar ability of the Marauder pathway’s Sequence 7, to reconstruct the complete honorific name that precisely pointed to Gehrman Sparrow. Yet He had not attempted to pray and use the automatic response to establish a connection and lock onto the other party’s location, because His divine intuition told Him that the fourth line had a problem and would certainly fail.

The correct fourth line instinctively flashed through Klein’s mind, but he had no intention of telling the other party.

Just then, Amon opened His mouth and recited the thought he had just had:

“Protector of magic and theatrical performances in Backlund…”

After this Angel of Time and Blasphemer finished reciting it, He said nothing for several seconds.

Then He laughed. He laughed very happily.

Only after the laughter ended did Amon push up the monocle over His right eye and say with a smile, “To be frank, that is very interesting.

“Are you truly not considering becoming my blessed?”

Klein opened his mouth and gave that familiar answer:

“Kill me, then.”