Klein, following his learned method, wrapped his spirit body around the self-crafted Sunflame Charm. Using a ritual candle he carried, he performed an extremely simplified summoning ritual to call his spirit body from the Gray Fog. Before he could glimpse his appearance, he hurriedly flew toward the figure he'd seen before fainting.
—Klein had noticed that the figure who pierced his chest with a single hand fled toward Chanis Gate. A chilling theory formed in his mind: this orchestrator's actions likely targeted a Sealed Artifact behind Chanis Gate!
…
Radiating light, Mr. A gazed at Ince Zangwill, tilting his head, a flicker of anger in his eyes. As a devoted Shepherd of the Lord, he sensed blasphemy emanating from this man. This mere Sequence 5 dared to scheme against the great Creator—an unforgivable sacrilege that twisted Mr. A's body with rage.
…Physically twisted.
Even after advancing to Unshadowed, Mr. A retained the Hanged Man pathway's Beyonder characteristics. His abilities from Secret Supplicant to Shepherd were enhanced and mutated under the Sun pathway's demigod power. His body swelled abruptly, transforming into a massive demon via a grazed soul. This pitch-black demon, with veins and skin patterns reeking of sulfur, radiated a holy, angelic light.
As a demon, Mr. A's expression took on a saintly air.
Ince Zangwill jolted in shock. He'd assumed this figure was an Eternal Blazing Sun follower, exploiting the Evernight Church's chaos. But he hadn't expected this Sun pathway demigod to be an Aurora Order divine envoy who switched pathways—a Shepherd and fervent True Creator zealot!
This meant that Ince, who dared to manipulate their revered True Creator, would be the Unshadowed's top kill target! Ince's mind raced, survival instinct flooding his thoughts. Gritting his teeth, he tightly gripped 0-08, which was frantically scribbling "scripts."
"The Aurora Order's Unshadowed before him, for certain reasons (a large smudge of ink), damn it, due to an Aurora Order mission, prioritizes ignoring the humble Ince Zangwill. He merely unleashes a demigod-level Sunflame before rushing to his task. He assumes this puny Sequence 5 worm will perish in the flames, but Ince Zangwill, by his great luck, is carried away by a wandering spirit, escaping via the Spirit World!"
Ince Zangwill desperately wrote himself as insignificant to boost his escape odds. In a desperate bid, he chose sacrifice, trading injury for survival. As the swelling Sunflame loomed, madness glinted in his eyes—he couldn't die! He'd paid too much to flee the Evernight Church that abandoned him, taking 0-08! He'd prepared extensively for this demigod characteristic! If he escaped, he'd become a Sleepless pathway demigod!
The wound from a Nighthawk's charm ached faintly. Half his body slipped into the Spirit World, narrowly evading Mr. A's attack. Coughing up scalding, flame-seared blood, he glared at the three Nighthawks.
The dazed Nighthawk frozen in fear, the woman battling the True Creator's divine vessel, and the one sprawled immobile on the ground—Ince Zangwill loathed and cursed them all indiscriminately. He swore, once he ascended as a lofty demigod, these three worms would pay!
No, the lowly fool who injured him would pay now!
Using the now-silent 0-08, he wrote:
"After Ince Zangwill departs, 'Megose''s divinity spirals out of control, becoming a bomb that will shatter all of Tingen!"
Waiting two seconds, he sneered darkly, seeing his words unmarred. Smirking, he thought—see, he'd won, and these pests would be ground to dust. After a moment, he wrote again:
"Tingen's story ends."
With that, Ince Zangwill stowed 0-08 and fled deeper into the Spirit World. But a figure in a golden mask emerged before him. Clad in a robe embroidered with sun-like patterns, exuding majesty, the figure's aura revealed a saint's spirit body!
"Aurora Order!"
Ince Zangwill screamed in fear and venom, his already charred body seared again by Sunflame. A blazing point pierced his chest, exploding around him. Stumbling, he plunged deeper into the Spirit World, vanishing.
Meanwhile, Klein recalled his spirit body, struggling to move. He'd hurled his second self-made Sunflame Charm at Ince Zangwill, but his spirituality was depleted. Unsure if Ince had died, he knew the attack had at least wounded him again. Watching Daly Simone battle "Megose," Klein's gaze grew grave.
Black patterns from corruption marred Daly's face, signs of losing control emerging. Oily feathers and scales sprouted from her cheeks and body. Striving to maintain balance, she retreated carefully—she aimed to lure the divine vessel into Chanis Gate to contain its pollution, sparing Tingen.
Leonard lay on the ground, bloodstained. The Sunflame Mr. A unleashed had left him dazed near Chanis Gate, clutching Daly's small box, half-conscious.
Seeing this, Klein made his choice.
"The Lord that Created Everything..."
Klein lunged forward, embracing the divine vessel seething with black corruption, reciting the True Creator's Honorific Name. He tightly choked the frenzied vessel's neck, briefly stabilizing its divine pollution.
Under the corrosive, mad divinity, Klein's remaining left hand eroded rapidly.
The Honorific Name worked! Klein's heart steadied. Signaling Daly with his eyes to push the vessel into Chanis Gate, he chanted the True Creator's name, striving to stabilize its divinity.
Only he could do this, as Klein was a True Creator's favored. Only his call could draw the True Creator in the Land Abandoned by God to pinpoint this rogue divine vessel, sealing it within Chanis Gate!
"The Lord who Reigns Behind the Curtain of Shadows,
The Degenerate Nature of all Living Things"
Of course, Klein knew the consequences of reciting this name. Daring to chant an evil god's Honorific Name in Hermes would likely brand him a traitor to the orthodox churches. At best, like Old Neil, he'd be a pitiable soul corrupted by an evil god… Seeing Daly Simone's disbelief, Klein smiled bitterly inwardly. He could only hope Daly and Leonard would conceal this battle's final act, sparing his siblings from church scrutiny after his death.
If this "mad" divinity wasn't stopped, "Megose," the True Creator's vessel, would detonate like a catastrophic bomb, its divine pollution ravaging Tingen, destroying everything he cherished. Staring at Daly, Klein's eyes seemed to plead:
Lady Daly, help me…
"I beseech You, end Tingen's calamity."
Daly, gritting her teeth, slammed Chanis Gate shut. It sealed all pollution, locking Klein in darkness. His body slumped, a bitter smile crossing his face as the vessel's divinity withered under Chanis Gate's deathly aura and the True Creator's restraint. As Daly closed the gate, Klein caught her subtle nod, tears glistening on her face. Smiling contentedly as darkness enveloped him:
Benson, Melissa, live happily…
His pension should ensure his siblings' comfort. Benson could quit his job, join Old Gao, and avoid grueling work. His dear sister Melissa could study what she loved, living happily…
Oh, almost forgot Old Gao. If I die, my old friend will grieve, won't he?
In that moment, Klein fully digested his Clown potion.
His body softened to the ground, but as darkness loomed, a faint voice reached his ears:
"Your Excellency, the Favored? Why are you here?"
Straining to look, Klein saw only a hazy figure.
A ray of light.
…
"Not bad, little Klein's done much better than before. He protected his companions and survived. I didn't expect him to drag the divine vessel into Chanis Gate. I thought Tingen would be half-destroyed," the High-Dimensional Overseer said, glancing at a light screen, addressing the silent True Creator beside him. "What's wrong, Creator?"
"I'm just puzzled," the True Creator said gravely. "In his final moment, he wondered if you'd grieve for him."
Is all your humanity fake? The True Creator thought sincerely. Even gods like Them couldn't match the High-Dimensional Overseer's vibrant humanity, Their emotions rarely surfacing. But you, High-Dimensional Overseer, so sentimental, why feel no sorrow now?
"Hm, I know. That's truly Klein's thought, not the cold Celestial Worthy," the High-Dimensional Overseer nodded, pleased. "This shows Klein hasn't been overtaken by the Celestial Worthy due to the butterfly effect my arrival caused."
You see, a certain High-Dimensional Overseer, who prefers anonymity, carelessly tossed "Walls of Dimensions" during the Celestial Worthy-God Almighty war, accidentally harming allies. This let the unlucky Supernova Dominator and Inextinguishable Ravings seal part of the Celestial Worthy's *Sefirot on Earth. Later, a briefly lucid Celestial Worthy chummily called the High-Dimensional Overseer brother, hoping to trick him into exposing his Sefirot for a kill.
"So you don't feel sad?"
"Why should I?" The High-Dimensional Overseer looked baffled. "Is Klein dead?"
"…No."
"Daly's alive, Dunn's alive, Leonard's alive, Kenley's alive, even Old Neil's alive. The Evernight won't let her church brand Klein an Aurora Order 'traitor.' Benson and Melissa will get his pension, and they'll even reunite with Klein someday."
"Right."
"So why should I be sad?" the High-Dimensional Overseer said deliberately. "Beyond sharing some basics and sending him on Qilangos's hunt, I haven't helped him directly. This is the best worldline Klein fought for. Why grieve?"
Countless "Gao" faces bore the same satisfied smile, calmly retorting.
"Even if he died now, why would I grieve?" The High-Dimensional Overseer scoffed. "He stopped the prelude to a god-orchestrated catastrophe. Klein's not unresurrectable. Even at life's cost, it's a glorious victory."
"On the contrary, I'm thrilled."
"I'm genuinely thrilled my friend Klein's worth my continued bet, not the Celestial Worthy."
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
The next update should wrap Tingen's story. Tomorrow, I'll post a short side chapter on Gao's past, sound good?
By the way, in one "worldline" the High-Dimensional Overseer observed, Klein could've landed here as the Celestial Worthy. Gao just had to time Klein's arrival to disrupt the Evernight Goddess, preventing her from "tucking in the quilt."
But our plot-savvy High-Dimensional Overseer chose to watch the show.