What the hell?!
What's going on?!
Did I…just log into the Sefirah Castle too?!
Edward stood frozen, dazed for a few moments.
But very quickly, he began to process what had happened—and strangely enough, it…sort of made sense.
From the perspective of the Convergence of Beyonder characteristics, his uniqueness in the Door Pathway did place him among the very few individuals in this world who were qualified to access the Sefirah Castle.
But all of that was premised on one thing:
The previous master of the Sefirah Castle had to be dead.
Which meant…the Sefirah Castle was currently ownerless.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Edward's spine.
Could it be…Klein is dead?
Just as the thought flashed through his mind, Edward was struck by an immense repulsive force pushing him backwards.
His vision was consumed by swirling grey fog, and in the very last second before he was completely ejected, he saw—
On the bronze chair that symbolised The Fool…
A familiar figure was materialising.
In the next moment, Edward was thrown out of the Sefirah Castle—
And returned to the barrier of greyish-white mist in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, back in front of the Western Continent.
Edward stood there in silence, heart filled with conflicting emotions.
Good news: Klein was still alive.
Bad news: He had just broken into the Sefirah Castle without permission.
Would Klein misunderstand what just happened?
It felt like this—
Someone else's beloved wife was quietly resting at home, and he had just sneaked into the house, nearly catching her alone…
This was a case of "caught in the act" so bad that no explanation would ever be enough.
Even if the truth was innocent—how would that look?
———
Above the grey fog…
Klein leaned back in the bronze chair that represented The Fool.
A rushing tide of consciousness surged into his mind, slowly grounding him in reality as chaotic memories settled into place.
His expression filled with disbelief.
"I…didn't die?"
But he quickly sensed something off.
"No, wait…I think it's just my consciousness—or soul—that survived. My physical body is already dead. So I've…become some kind of undead?"
Klein stood up and began walking through the grand palace.
He first tried to return to his body—
As expected, he failed.
Then he attempted to leave the grey fog in spiritual form to see what was going on outside, but without the ability to perform a ritual summoning himself, that too ended in failure.
Next, he tried to borrow the authority of the Cards of Blasphemy to mobilise the powers above the grey fog…
But the strength he could summon was still limited to within this domain.
After several rounds of fruitless attempts, Klein was forced to face a harsh truth:
He seemed to be…trapped.
"Don't panic. Don't panic," he muttered to himself.
"As long as I'm still alive, there's always hope."
Quickly adjusting his mindset, Klein sat back down in the Fool's seat.
Propping his chin on his hand, he stared out into the depths of the grey fog toward the few flickering crimson stars overhead.
Could he rely on the members of the Tarot Club to help him escape?
Spreading his spiritual senses, Klein began checking the stars one by one:
Justice was still praying for help to save Edward from the angel who had abducted him.
The Magician wanted to speak to Edward, ask some questions—and was looking for Justice too.
The Hanged Man had found two new buyers and was hoping to get his hands on that suitcase Edward had promised.
Death was also asking for help…to rescue Edward.
Why is everything about Edward?!
If it weren't for the fact that Edward had been captured by an angel and his survival was unknown, Klein felt like he'd die of jealousy on the spot.
Oh right—there was also Little Sun.
His prayer had nothing to do with Edward, just a request for The Fool to help him identify signs of corruption in his teammates.
And then…
Klein noticed another flickering crimson star—
Edward?
He immediately reached out to connect with it.
But the moment he did, a sharp pain lanced through his head.
A familiar sensation—he was on the brink of spiritual exhaustion.
Still, Klein forced himself to extend his senses, and managed to project Edward's image within the grey fog:
"Honourable Mister Fool…"
He only had time to hear the first sentence before his vision blacked out.
It felt like falling into a deep pit—
He plummeted hard, crashing against the bottom.
His consciousness faded once more.
——
Inside Reinette Tinekerr's castle…
A faint trace of colour returned to Klein's face.
His chest slowly rose and fell.
"He…seems to be…coming back…to life…"
Reinette Tinekerr's four heads took turns speaking:
Each saying a few words, and the last simply repeated the final syllable.
———
Back in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Edward stood before the barrier of greyish-white mist and turned to the expectant crowd, including High Priest Nim.
"It seems I—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a tremor beneath his palm—
The hand pressed against the invisible barrier was shaking.
Startled, Edward turned back around.
He saw the mist ripple and shudder like a lake struck by a massive stone.
The waves collided, overlapped, and began outlining…
A door.
But just as the door's contours appeared, the ripples faded—
And the mist returned to its usual calm.
Apparently, when he had chanted the full incantation and accidentally entered the Sefirah Castle, he had touched upon the Sefirah Castle's power, briefly triggering a response from the barrier.
Unfortunately, this seal—personally placed by the previous Lord of Mysteries—could only be opened by the new Lord.
Still, for the people of Moon City, who had guarded this place for over three thousand years without seeing even the slightest reaction, this was already a divine miracle.
The high priest and the others now looked at Edward with awe and reverence.
Huh?
Suddenly, Edward felt a chill.
Somewhere far away—
He sensed a faint "call."
It wasn't a voice, not exactly.
More like…a spiritual resonance.
Wait a minute. This place is a seal left by the previous Lord of Mysteries…I just activated the Sefirah Castle by accident…And now I'm sensing something from far away…
Holy crap—
Could that be Amon?!
Nim hesitated, then asked in a trembling voice, "Lord Edward…may I ask, how did you accomplish that? Was it…your god?"
Edward was about to answer when—
A curious voice suddenly piped up from nearby:
"Yeah! I'm super curious too! How did you make that grey mist react?"
Edward turned around.
And came face to face with a man wearing a monocle, his expression brimming with curiosity.
Seeing Edward look at him, the man urged impatiently, "Well, go on then! I'm dying to know!"
"!!?!"
Edward's hair stood on end.
Amon?!
"Oh my, how interesting. You actually recognised me?"
Amon chuckled and casually reached for the monocle over his right eye. As it flashed with a strange glint, he added, "Forget it, I'll just take a look myself."
"Magnify—Distortion."
Edward activated two abilities instantly—twisting Amon's intent before he could complete his action.
Then—
"Magnify—No Theft Allowed in This Area!"
"Magnify—No Parasitism Allowed in This Area!"
Without hesitation, Edward grabbed Bernadette and teleported them a dozen meters away. He cloaked himself in a shield of searing magical fire and immediately opened a Traveler's Door.
Even though he knew this might put the people of Moon City in danger…at that moment, he truly couldn't care less.
"Oh my, how practised. Looks like you've dealt with the Marauder pathway more than once," Amon remarked lazily. Strange symbols flickered in his eyes as he raised a hand—
The Traveler's Door, halfway open beneath Edward and Bernadette's feet, was stolen before they could step through.
Another motion, and—
Edward suddenly lost access to multiple abilities:
Distortion, Prohibition, Magnify, Blink, and the Traveler's Door.
"Hmm? That flame-based shield…why can't I steal that one?"
Magic? Can't be stolen?
Exactly.
The Evernight had once mentioned that due to this world's rules, even "She" couldn't learn true magic, let alone Amon.
Realising this, Edward immediately raised his wand and fired a volley of green Avada Kedavras, layering it with Transfiguration spells aimed at Amon.
Amon tried repeatedly to steal the spells mid-flight, but failed again and again.
He easily sidestepped the approaching Killing Curses, but suddenly stumbled—
His body transformed into a log of wood, and the following curses and burning fire struck true, incinerating him in seconds.
But before the flames could finish, the transformed wood exploded—
Countless Worms of Time burst forth, writhing and twisting until they once again formed into Amon, now wearing his signature black robe and pointy wizard hat.
He twirled a wand in his hand, eyeing Edward with great interest.
"The abilities you use…are quite peculiar."
Edward blinked—he just realised the wand in Amon's hand was his own.
Amon casually opened his palm, where a glowing green sphere of light spun gently. With a smirk, he explained,
"It seems I can't steal your powers directly…But once you cast them, they're fair game."
With a casual flick, he returned the green sphere.
Swoosh—
But the moment it hit, Edward's body burst into flames and vanished.
Amon tilted his head.
"Oh? When did I fall into an illusion?"
"Anytime."
Bernadette stood where Edward had been, a lit matchstick floating in the air before her.
"I like that trick."
Amon reached out to steal it—
But just then, a phantom of an ancient bronze bell appeared above Bernadette's head.
The moment he tried to steal, the bell rang with a soft ding-dong—
And nullified the theft.
"Yet another fascinating ability…"
Amon rubbed his chin, the monocle on his eye flickering with refracted light.
"Strange…it almost feels like these abilities are tailored to counter me."
At that moment, Bernadette's face was suddenly covered by a metallic, pale mask that shimmered like mercury.
As Amon looked directly at her, the metal softened and reformed into a new face—Black eyes opened upon it.
Within those eyes, interwoven pale white threads formed intricate, deeply mysterious symbols.
They resembled a bird with elongated feathers—or a serpent coiled upon itself, wings tucked around.
In the next instant, the symbol pulled in the surrounding light—
And manifested physically, stretching into a tangible shape that shrouded Amon completely.
Beneath his wide brow, Amon raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled.
"I'm just a Sequence 4, you know. Is all this really necessary?"
He raised a hand and swapped places with High Priest Nim, then repeated the motion multiple times—
Trading places with several others in rapid succession.
But despite all the switching, the symbolic creature homed in on Amon without pause, adjusting instantly to his location.
Meanwhile, under the pale mask, Bernadette's face bulged with strained veins, a result of withstanding the mask's backlash.
With a stomp of her foot, the ground beneath her lit up—A massive illusory chessboard appeared.
Amon, now within it, visibly slowed for a split second—
Just long enough for the symbolic creature to catch up and merge into his form.
Amon froze.
His body went rigid—seemingly sealed by the power of the mask.
Without pause, Bernadette raised her hand and conjured a long Spear of Longinus, drenched in ancient blood-red hues.
She hurled it with divine force—
It pierced through Amon and exploded with overwhelming might.
BOOM!
Amon's body was annihilated on the spot—
Not a trace remained.
Without delay, Bernadette removed the pale mask and sent it back through a hidden door into the Spirit World.
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief—
Edward's voice sounded urgently beside her:
"That was Amon. He's an Angel of the Lord—just like the one who captured me. And although this was only a clone, it still had access to many of his powers."
"The key thing is—if you find one Amon…That usually means there's a whole bunch of Amons nearby—"
Just as the words left his mouth—a creeping rustle echoed from the shadows.
One by one, strange, grotesque monsters stepped out from the darkness.
The people of Moon City—previously frozen in place—turned to face them with smiling expressions.
Then, in perfect unison, they reached into their robes and pulled out—
Monocles.
They placed them over their right eyes and said in voices full of regret:
"Aww…we were so close."
———
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