Leonard watched the scenery getting further and further away from him in panic and astonishment, trying to open his mouth to say something, but he couldn't make a sound, nor could he interact with the outside world.
In his line of sight, Amon suddenly pressed close to Pallez, and one hand plunged into Pallez's chest.
Stained glass windows with rich and vibrant colors appeared in his field of vision, blocking his view. Leonard felt his interaction with the real world return. He roared out, somewhat bewildered and indignant:
"No!!"
His roar was continuously stretched as the distance receded, disappearing into the air.
After continuously retreating through several streets, his body finally stopped. The surrounding environment was extremely familiar to him; it was Saint Samuel Cathedral, where he came almost every day!
In the Corpse Cathedral, a few streets away, Pallez looked down at his pierced chest and torn heart, a weak, self-mocking smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
On the huge, mottled clock phantom above his head, a pointer distorted from a Worm of Time gently turned. An invisible torrent surged across long history, then vanished completely in an instant.
Amon retracted his right hand, which had been grabbing at mid-air, and chuckled, sighing:
"Heh, isn't it too late for you to react now?"
"The Corpse Cathedral cannot shield the gazes of the gods for too long. If you had fully resisted or even destroyed the Corpse Cathedral from the beginning, there was a high probability of success. But you spent your time and energy sending that Nighthawk of darkness away from here. Now, you have missed the best chance to escape."
As he spoke, his body suddenly split, transforming into countless Worms of Time that swam within the Corpse Cathedral, forming a huge, ancient, and mottled clock phantom.
The pointers quickly rotated clockwise, and an indescribable, unquantifiable invisible torrent instantly surged out, engulfing the entire Corpse Cathedral.
"Alas~" Pallez sighed softly. His already white-haired face became even more aged, age spots began to appear on his body, and the Worms of Time with twelve transparent segments under his skin could no longer be hidden.
Amon's voice came from the Worm of Time phantoms wandering in all directions, echoing with teasing and mockery:
"I'm a bit curious, why didn't you change your parasitic host? Did you think I really didn't discover you back then? Or did you believe that 'Sage,' no, now it's 'Knowledge Emperor,' believed that He could protect you?"
"Heh heh... Have you finally realized it? Realized your blind confidence, realized your extreme bad luck, realized that everything was too coincidental?"
"Although I sometimes dislike that fanatic, his ability to weave stories is indeed excellent. Even in slumber, he can silently exert influence through the Mind World."
"After ignoring my existence, did you find that everything became smooth? You even gained two Sealed Artifacts from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, enough to replenish yourself. Heh, if I didn't let you recover some strength, how could you become so arrogant?!"
Every word from Amon made Pallez's face grow paler, until the restless Worms of Time on his body could no longer be suppressed and burrowed out from beneath his skin, revealing translucent fleshy buds that swayed and grew in the air.
Gradually, this transformation seemed to reach a certain limit. Worms of Time separated from Pallez's body, transforming into faint white light and shadow, merging into the huge, mottled clock phantom directly above the Corpse Cathedral.
Pallez's figure gradually became faint until it dissipated into nothingness.
A pale white light erupted from the ancient, mottled clock phantom suspended in mid-air, quickly engulfing the Corpse Cathedral. When the light disappeared, Amon's figure appeared beneath the tall cross, holding a crystal pillar formed from light and shadow, with numerous Worms of Time with twelve segments quickly swimming and wandering inside.
He raised his hand and pressed the monocle over his right eye, a slight smile on his lips, and muttered to himself in a flat tone:
"It's been over a thousand years, Pallez, and you're still so naive and benevolent. You gave up your chance to escape for an insignificant Nighthawk. But this also saved me a lot of trouble. The gifts I prepared are no longer needed."
"And I already said the fanatic is in slumber. How could he do so much through the Mind World? It was just some speculation, plus some appropriate guidance, to make things develop along a suitable trajectory."
As the words fell, the Corpse Cathedral quickly became transparent and ethereal, sinking into the deep, dark Sea of Collective Subconscious below.
Amon adjusted the monocle on his right eye, and a pale white stream of light separated from his body, darting into the distance.
Having done all this, his figure quickly disappeared from the spot.
Boom!
In the clear sky, thunder suddenly boomed, and a few dark clouds floated out, then quickly dispersed in the howling wind.
In the prayer hall of Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard hesitated, wanting to take a step, but not knowing where to go. The struggle between Amon and Pallez was not something he could participate in.
After a moment of hesitation, he walked to the Dark Sacred Emblem at the front of the hall. Since the old man sent me to the church, it at least means it's safe here, or, He wants me to ask the Goddess for help?
"Wait for you to ask for help? Then I'm afraid there won't even be a corpse left of me." Pallez's somewhat weak voice echoed in Leonard's ears.
Leonard froze for a second, his eyes widening in disbelief, then he lowered his head, pretending to pray, and whispered:
"...Old man?"
"You... you're not dead? I saw Amon's hand pierce your chest, and I thought..."
"And you thought I'd already been eaten by Him as an after-dinner snack?" Pallez interrupted Leonard impatiently. After two seconds, he continued, "That avatar has indeed been eaten by Amon."
"Avatar?" Leonard exclaimed in surprise, then realized he was currently praying. After a silent confession, he lowered his head a bit more.
"I previously swallowed two Sealed Artifacts of the Marauder Pathway beneath the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, which improved my condition somewhat. When I encountered Amon just now, I had already separated a Sequence 2 avatar and actively let him steal his own destiny, reducing his Beyonder characteristics to make this Sequence 2 avatar the main body."
Pallez briefly explained his self-rescue operation, then sighed again:
"I was still careless. I only paid attention to Amon and forgot about Adam, entering the script They had prepared in advance."
Leonard almost exclaimed again. He swallowed, suppressing the astonishment in his heart, and hesitantly asked:
"Adam? Isn't He gone?"
After a moment of silence, Pallez sighed and explained:
"He merely returned to his main body, He isn't dead. The True Creator now can be considered a Visionary."
"Have you forgotten? The future He proclaims will surely unfold and become reality. How could I, an old and frail Worm of Time, avoid a story written by a Visionary? To be precise, I am now an even weaker Trojan Horse of Destiny."
Leonard listened in silence. After completing a prayer, he got up and left the prayer hall of Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Arriving at the fountain square, Leonard let out a long breath as he watched the people coming and going. The tense string of his heart, which had been taut due to Amon's appearance, finally relaxed.
He paced to the edge of the square, feeding the pigeons while asking in a deep voice:
"Old man, you sent me to the church just now not to make me pray to the Goddess?"
"Can your Goddess hear your prayers? Will She respond to your prayers?" Pallez scoffed, then sighed, "Too many people pray to Her every day. She can't possibly listen to every single one, even if it involves Amon."
"Then why don't you pray to the Fool?" A calm voice, tinged with amusement, sounded nearby.
"Oh right, why would I…" Leonard suddenly froze. His expression stiffened again. He had heard this voice before, just now, in his rented room.
On Leonard's right hand, a white pigeon with a black eye patch over its right eye shook its head, Amon's voice coming from its beak:
"Why are you all silent?"
"Are you thinking that I've already obtained the characteristics of a Worm of Time, so why haven't I left Backlund yet? Or are you wondering why I dared to appear directly next to the Evernight Goddess's church?"
Pallez's aged voice echoed around: "A mere Sequence 4 avatar."
The white pigeon with the black eye patch raised its wings, pressed the black eye patch over its right eye, and chuckled:
"Then why don't you come out and swallow me whole? What are you afraid of?"
Amon's words had not yet fallen when the white pigeon suddenly lost its voice. Its body disappeared from Leonard's hand as if being erased bit by bit by an eraser.
A beautiful, expressionless, very young-looking black-haired woman silently appeared beside Leonard.
Her black eyes were dark and deep, yet lacked sufficient spirituality, appearing quite dull.
Silent darkness spread from beneath her feet, rapidly rippling outwards in circles, dissolving Amon's hidden avatars one by one, turning them into part of the tide.
The surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and there was no sound at all. A deathly silence permeated the tranquil atmosphere.
"Heh…" "It seems…" "You can still…" "Act…" "Goodbye…"
Amon's voice intermittently sounded around, as if his purpose in sending avatars was merely to confirm the Evernight Goddess's state.
Leonard's throat bobbed twice as he swallowed the saliva in his mouth. He looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared before him, feeling somewhat at a loss.