"Restart!"
With a child's voice ringing out, the divine power of the True Creator on the Secret Saint Botis was continuously extracted. The "Degeneration" authority he had recorded vanished without a trace, and his entire state rapidly reverted to that of a few minutes earlier.
Although Amon had said that a "mad" Secret Saint would be easier to capture, Ebner at this moment had only transformed into Alvin's appearance. The body of the Miracle Invoker was not here, so rather than directly confronting the divine power of a true god, he preferred to engage in a battle of wits with a Spell Master who excelled at escaping.
Sure enough, after losing the power of the True Creator, Botis instantly regained clarity. Without hesitation, he used "Teleportation." His figure rapidly turned transparent and disappeared.
At the same time, he took out a crystal ball from the hidden pocket of his black robe, causing it to glow before it quickly shattered and merged into the void.
He was preventing mystical tracking.
He truly did not dare remain any longer. Regardless of whether the "Alvin" before him was real or fake, the fact that he could pull out a historical projection at the angel level meant that as a mere Sequence 4, Botis should not confront him head-on.
However, what surprised him was that "Alvin" merely watched this Saint of the Aurora Order leave, with no intention of intercepting him at all.
Ebner indeed was not in a hurry. He smiled inexplicably, then crouched down and dipped his finger into the blood on the ground. After that, he took out Groselle's Travels and smeared the blood onto the book's cover.
As for why there was Botis's blood on the ground? Naturally, it was required for the earlier "sacrifice" ritual. And as a Beyonder of the Apprentice pathway, the Secret Saint did not possess Mr. A's ability to "lick" himself clean.
…
After entering the spirit world, the Secret Saint Botis immediately began traversing it, heading straight toward the ruins of the God of War battlefield at the easternmost edge of the Sonia Sea.
But at that moment, his thoughts suddenly blurred, and his body involuntarily changed direction. He exited the spirit world from another location and entered a strange "world."
Before he could understand what was happening, he felt himself drawn by an inexplicable force, plunging into the sea of collective subconsciousness, and then landing in a city the size of an island.
The city's foundation was gray-white, with colossal stone pillars dozens to hundreds of meters tall rising from it. Some stood alone, while others jointly supported majestic, ancient palaces. The overall scene was both bizarre and magnificent, not something ordinary beings could have constructed.
It was the City of Miracles, Liveseyd!
Amid his shock, Botis finally saw clearly the enemy who had brought him here—the true Miracle Invoker, Alvin Abraham.
—Since he knew that the Secret Saint possessed the "Old Days Box," a dangerous item involving Outer Deities, it was naturally safest to deal with him near the entrance to the Chaos Sea.
As for monitoring Amon and the situation at the ball, Yarolan and Alvin had switched shifts—how could Ebner truly trust Amon completely? Naturally, he had left behind sufficient forces to restrain Him… Not only was Yarolan present openly, but a Spiritual Creature Angel was hidden in the shadows as well.
The subsequent events needed no elaboration. Within an enclosed space, an angel dealing with an ordinary demigod of the same—formerly the same—pathway was like a father beating his son. Even though Botis held a Grade "0" Sealed Artifact, he still had no chance to turn the tables and was easily turned into a Marionette.
Next, after having the Marionette Botis present his own Traveler's Bag with both hands, Alvin began inventorying the spoils of this battle:
"Grade '0' Sealed Artifact, 'Old Days Box'… This thing is quite dangerous. Better return it to the Abraham family and have them seal it using their old method. In exchange, I can borrow the 'God's Painting' or the 'Star Staff' in Ebner's name… Mm, let's choose the 'God's Painting.' It seems to have certain functions that historical projections can't replicate. Perfect for some research.
"No need to take out the 'Spell Master' Beyonder characteristic yet. Fors is only Sequence 6—still far from becoming a demigod… As for the Abraham family, just displaying Botis's corpse will be enough… Mm, perhaps this Marionette can be 'rented' to Klein. What price should I set?
"Nine Worms of Star can be used to create some demigod-level charms for Fanny, Helene, and the others—or sold to members of the Tarot Club for self-defense;
"Traveler's Bag is basically a spatial pouch from fantasy novels. A very practical item—I bet many people would scramble to buy it, especially Miss Justice… Mm, those Worms of Star could also be made into similar items;
"Lastly, there's a large quantity of gemstones and materials… This counts as quite a harvest. As expected of the sincerity Amon provided…"
Alvin nodded in satisfaction and immediately returned to the real world, completing the handover with Yarolan, who had been secretly monitoring the developments within the estate.
…
On the outskirts of Backlund, as space rippled like the surface of water, two figures gradually emerged.
They were the Red Angel Medici and the "Prophet" who had assisted Amon in searching for traces of Sefirah Castle—both had been forced to teleport away under the joint suppression of Sauron and Einhorn when the True Creator's curtain enveloped the estate.
"Pray to the Lord for me right now!" As soon as Medici stabilized himself, he immediately ordered the Prophet.
The reason he had endured the pressure from Sauron and Einhorn to bring out this Monster pathway angel was to establish contact with the Lord. He was already close to losing control over the other two within his soul.
However, the Prophet suddenly smiled strangely, then took out a crystal monocle and placed it over his right eye.
Seeing this, Medici unconsciously stepped back. But perhaps because he had suffered too many setbacks today, he quickly recovered and greeted,
"Well, well, little crow.
"So, what do you want with me? Or are you looking to cooperate?
"To be honest, I don't hate you that much. After all, what happened back then was entirely orchestrated by that madman. The main instigator was Alista Tudor—you could only be considered an accomplice."
The Amon avatar parasitizing the Prophet shook his head with a smile.
"Just hearing your voice makes me a bit unwilling to cooperate. How about this—you let Sauron and Einhorn come out. I have something I want to ask them."
"Tsk tsk, after all these years, still as childish and willful as ever. Do you remember who held you when you were still a baby? And who burned your hair?" the Red Angel evil spirit mocked without yielding an inch.
Amon merely replied calmly,
"Childish."
Then, without waiting for Medici's response, He continued, "I do have something to ask Sauron or Einhorn. If they can give me a satisfactory answer, I can tell you the whereabouts of a Conqueror characteristic."
Medici fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know the background of Ebner Bryan, the one who spoke with you earlier." Amon adjusted his monocle and said with a smile.
"To be honest, I actually once thought he was you… After all, you two are similar in certain ways…" Medici grumbled, preparing to release Sauron to accept the little crow's "theft" in revenge for earlier cooperating with Ebner in reading his thoughts.
But at that moment, the Prophet's expression suddenly changed. The monocle over his right eye abruptly vanished, and before Medici could react, he disappeared.
This sudden turn of events left Medici stunned for quite a while, vaguely guessing at something.
…
At the same time, in the garden, Miss Angie Amon Lavran suddenly frowned, and a monocle appeared over Her right eye.
A moment later, the corners of Her lips gradually lifted as She murmured silently,
"How interesting!
"Every time I get close to Alvin's secrets, I inexplicably fail…
"And receive no feedback whatsoever…
"Is Alvin's method simply too formidable…
"Or is it… a 'coincidence' manufactured by someone?"
(End of Chapter)