But then again, the other personality of Cohinem might not be trustworthy either…
After pondering for a moment, Ebner had already understood Yaloran's true purpose for summoning him. Carefully, he asked:
"You want me to help you regain access to the 'Unknown,' don't you?"
Yaloran smiled and nodded. With her smile blossoming, the dimly lit church hall seemed, for an instant, to grow brighter.
"And how do I do that? Don't tell me I need to give you some of my blood?" Ebner pressed again.
To be honest, if that really was the method, he felt some resistance in his heart. After all, in the Beyonder world, giving one's blood to someone not intimately trusted always carried great risks.
Yaloran shook her head with a laugh, then lightly parted her lips:
"Your blood could indeed work, but only once you reach angelhood. At my current state, I can't wait that long for you to become an angel."
Without waiting for Ebner's next question, she plucked a single silver strand of hair from her head. With Mystery Reenactment, she fashioned it into a "clone" exactly like herself.
Ebner gazed at this duplicate. Compared with the one that had led him here earlier, this one was even closer to Yaloran's true body—both in aura and in strength.
"This 'clone' has angel-level abilities. True, among angels her strength would rank at the bottom, but right now I can only maintain at most two such clones. Hm, the one who intercepted the Rose School's angel for you earlier—that was actually her…
"Oh, and I must ask you to thank Torszna on my behalf. If not for His curse at the last moment, this clone might have fallen, and my precious hair would have ended up in that Rose School angel's hands."
After a brief introduction of her clone, Yaloran finally returned to the point:
"In fact, what I need you to do is quite simple—just take this clone into the 'Unknown' space behind your Eye.
"Once inside, I can rely on the connection between myself and the clone to restore my access to the 'Unknown.'
"And this will benefit you as well… Once she's in the 'Unknown,' you can 'study' her mythic form at any time, discuss occult knowledge with her, or even, in moments of danger, summon her briefly into reality to fight by your side…
"It's as if you'll always have a weakest-ranked angel with you."
Here, Yaloran winked playfully, adding in a teasing tone:
"Of course, you could also bring her into reality for… other things. She won't resist."
So you want me to send your clone into the 'Unknown'? That I can do. After advancing to demigod, I can already sustain the channel and allow intangible things to pass in and out…
And really, there's no danger to me. On the contrary, a 'pocket angel' would be incredibly useful… Isn't this even better than Leonard's 'grandpa on call'?
But, Madam… what's with that part about using her for "other things"? Do I look like that kind of degenerate?
After inwardly giving a self-righteous rebuttal to Yaloran's tease, Ebner thought of the corrupted Zaratul historical projection in the Unknown and raised the concern aloud:
"You're aware of the 'pollution' in there, right? Sending your clone in—will that cause a problem?"
At this, Yaloran's smile broadened, almost radiant:
"Thank you for the concern… But in truth, simply by seeking the 'Unknown,' one is already polluted by Him.
"In that sense, I've long been unable to leave the 'Unknown.'
"But unlike Zaratul, I am permitted by the current master of the Unknown—you.
"Besides, angels naturally have some resistance to His pollution."
As long as the 'Unknown' is still you, not the slumbering Him… then I have nothing to fear… With the bond between us, you won't seek to control me, nor would you ever let Him dictate my fate…
Yaloran's smile grew gentler, though she didn't voice these final thoughts aloud.
My 'permission'? Klein once mentioned that Arrodes told him only those permitted by 'Liu Bo' could know him. Could this be an aspect of the Unknown's authority?
Nodding thoughtfully, Ebner no longer objected. He directly opened the Pure White Eye and gazed at the clone that so closely resembled Yaloran.
At once, the clone's body began to turn translucent, breaking down into streams of dense knowledge.
In the blink of an eye, she had become a pure information lifeform and dove straight into Ebner's eye.
Ebner split off a "Wisdom Eye" to monitor her. Soon, he saw Yaloran's clone reform into human shape within, advancing step by step until she stopped before a black "blot" deep within the illusory Sun.
It was the imprint of the Vampire Duke, Rhine Karronedia.
Simultaneously, Yaloran's true body exuded the aura of the Unknown. The traces of decay and frailty on her vanished, leaving her looking more radiant—and more temptingly alluring—than before.
Different from Lilith's embodiment of pure "Beauty," Yaloran's presence blended that concept with a bewitching charm that sent Ebner's heartbeat racing.
This is dangerous… He had to activate the "Absolute Rationality State," the advanced ability of Mechanical Mind at demigod, just to keep himself steady.
Noticing his struggle, Yaloran reined in her charm slightly and smiled in explanation:
"You should know, Cohinem was also considered an Old God… Old Gods knew nothing of Sequence potions; they crudely fused characteristics of similar authorities.
"She was called the Queen of Calamity not only because she held the 'Catastrophe' from the Tyrant pathway, but also because she had absorbed characteristics of the 'Demoness of Calamity'!
"And demonesss, by nature, must indulge in ultimate pleasures and pursue passionate love… Even though she later expelled that characteristic with your help, those qualities remained, eventually becoming part of my personality.
"In short, I am more candid and fervent, while she is more volatile and restrained.
"I suspect that Cohinem's spirit was split so easily by the Dark Angel's power because she carried two conflicting Sequence 2 characteristics from unrelated paths to begin with."
So… your foundation is essentially 'Demoness,' while her other personality is 'Tyrant'? No wonder your charm is so overwhelming! It's the fusion of the Moon's 'Beauty' and the Demoness's 'Temptation.' No wonder I almost couldn't resist…
But speaking of Cohinem's other personality… I recall Lilith gave me a long-term mission: to confirm and recover the thing she took out of the Book of Calamity.
I've always suspected she meant the God Casket—or rather, one of the special souls sealed within… But I need to confirm it.
With this in mind, Ebner calmed his stirred body and smoothly shifted the subject:
"Is Cohinem's other personality inside that temple beneath the lake beside the church?"
At this, Yaloran's noble yet beguiling face darkened with vexation, and she snapped:
"Speaking of that—I was tricked by Roselle!"
(End of Chapter)