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Dazzling sunlight pierced through everything, and everything in the mural hall instantly froze, first blazing white, then fading, and finally disappearing.
Aaron suddenly opened his eyes and instinctively rolled over to dodge, only to find himself lying on the deck of the ghost ship, with the outside world returning to midday.
Looking at the golden sea around him, Aaron recalled his exploration of the dream world just now and fell into deep thought.
He had already learned about the situation of the Specter Empire, so there was no need to continue searching outside. The remaining focus was to explore the black monastery and reach the final black ocean through there.
The dream world entered after night fell in the War of the Gods ruins was composed of the dreams of all living beings. The appearance of the black monastery and the Giant King's Court could be explained as a projection of some power in the dream world.
However, the Angel of Fate depicted in the murals inside the monastery's hall was clearly related to the black-armored man who appeared last, at least at the demigod level, or it was a manifestation of his dream.
Angel of Fate, Aurora Order... Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly, and he already had a guess in his heart.
That mysterious demigod was very likely the Aurora Order's "Saint of Darkness," Leomaster, a Black Knight of Sequence 4 of the Secrets Supplicant Pathway.
Or, more accurately, his evil personality.
While leading the pilgrimage team to find the True Creator's sanctuary, he was trapped in the War of the Gods ruins at the easternmost part of the Sonia Sea. In the collective dream, he was affected by some power and developed a split personality.
"The fact that I can meet him in the dream world indicates that the area where this Saint of Darkness is trapped is within this sea area, and since he is backed by the Aurora Order, he definitely herds more than one demigod."
"Perhaps I can make use of that good personality, but this requires an attempt after entering the dream world next time..."
Aaron's thoughts raced, and then he suddenly realized an embarrassing problem:
He had no deeply related items to the Aurora Order. The only one he had was the Listener's glove that had been corrupted by the Mother Tree of Desire, and he couldn't possibly use that for divination.
Lacking a medium for divination, it would take too much time to find the area where the Saint of Darkness was trapped in this vast sea.
After pondering for a moment, Aaron walked back into the cabin. A moment later, a paper crane appeared in his hand. He wanted to try to contact Will Auceptin.
Although he had no items related to the True Creator, Will Auceptin, as the Snake of Fate, should be able to roughly sense the location of that "Misfortune Mural," and the Saint of Darkness might be trapped nearby.
It had been almost two months since their last contact, and with no directional clues, Ouroboros should not have remained in Backlund all this time.
Thinking this, Aaron wrote a sentence on the paper crane:
"Where is the Misfortune Mural in the War of the Gods ruins?"
Placing the paper crane aside, Aaron lay down quietly, feeling the rise and fall of the ghost ship, and looking at the sky filled with gold.
Just as Aaron thought he wouldn't get a response and was preparing to find a way to contact Councilor Ricciardo, a familiar drowsiness swept over him. Aaron subconsciously glanced at the golden sky and, seeing no night approaching, voluntarily closed his eyes.
After an unknown period, Aaron awoke in his dream, finding himself unknowingly in that familiar barren plain, treading on the dark stones beneath his feet, and walking towards the center of the plain.
A huge, scale-less, silver-white long snake coiled around the black spire, its body covered with dense Ouroboros symbols. Will Auceptin sat at the very bottom, and as soon as he saw Aaron, he spoke indignantly:
"Ouroboros just left, why did you run off to the War of the Gods ruins again? That place is very unfriendly to beings above demigod level."
"Without the blessings of those few existences, even if power permeates there, it could cause unknown and terrifying mutations."
Saying that, he snorted lightly and added:
"Responding to you this time was also because I was lucky enough not to cause any mishaps."
"But Ouroboros has the protection of the True Creator and can move freely in most areas of the War of the Gods ruins. I advise you not to think about that mural."
Looking at the little boy with his hands behind his back, adopting the air of an adult lecturing, Aaron suppressed his smile and explained:
"I want to deal with the Saint of Darkness from the Aurora Order. He might be trapped near that mural, which is why I'm asking you."
Will Auceptin almost thought he had misheard. As far as he knew, the True Creator's sanctuary should be somewhere in the War of the Gods ruins. To kill his follower at the evil god's doorstep—what kind of suicidal act was this?
Catching a glimpse of Aaron's indifferent expression out of the corner of his eye, and recalling the deep and terrifying Darkness in the War of the Gods ruins, a terrifying guess surfaced in Will Auceptin's mind: Could it be that one...
Quickly calming the thoughts in his mind, he lightly coughed and said directly:
"That paper crane will guide you to that mural. The residual power I left on it can temporarily shield Ouroboros's potential gaze."
"And I suggest you act when night sweeps over the War of the Gods ruins. With the blessing of that residual power, you should be much safer, at least you won't be watched by the True Creator."
At this point, he lightly coughed and directly waved his hand, forcibly ending the dream.
Aaron detached from the dream, his expression strange as he looked at the paper crane floating autonomously beside him, pointing in a certain direction. While controlling the ghost ship to sail in that direction, he muttered to himself:
"Is this because he's afraid I'll attract the True Creator? Tsk, but his idea coincides with mine."
Aaron was not worried about the True Creator. The Seven Gods were all watching, and a mere demigod was not worth the risk for this evil god to act.
The most likely to appear was Ouroboros, but with the help of Darkness and Fate, as long as the battle ended quickly, there would be no problems. Moreover, he also had Groselle's Travels.
Following the paper crane's guidance, the ghost ship sailed on the golden sea. The sky suddenly darkened. Aaron, thinking it was the arrival of a dream, subconsciously looked up and gazed into the distance:
Lead-colored clouds emerged one after another, overlapping each other, seemingly completely enveloping the surrounding sea.
A huge roar came, and in the blinding flash of lightning, a hurricane rolled in from afar.
It connected the clouds above to the sea below, more exaggerated than any giant in legends, like a colossal snake coiling to destroy the world.
This terrifying tornado brought mountain-like waves, and the branch-like lightning did not cease with the arrival of the heavy rain, continuously striking the sea surface, splitting into tiny electric snakes that spread in all directions.
The pattering raindrops hit the deck of the ghost ship, and a name instantly rose in Aaron's heart: "Lord of Storms" Leodero, a feeling of the Apocalypse having arrived lingered in his mind.
Not trying to be brave, Aaron controlled the ghost ship to dock beside a small island. He didn't go ashore, no Monster appeared, and he quietly waited for the storm to end.
Such a storm did not last too long. After about fifteen minutes, the waves subsided, the hurricane dissipated, and the midday sun once again dominated the sky.
He glanced at the depths of the island, where there seemed to be unusual fluctuations emanating, but Aaron had no desire to explore the island and directly controlled the ship to leave.
After about a few hours, just as Aaron was pondering whether his next entry into the dream would be random within a certain range or start from where he last left off, night arrived once again.
Aaron quickly regained his clarity and rationality in the dream. He opened his eyes and looked around, finding himself appearing not far from the monastery. The monastery's door remained open, and the original Saint of Darkness had disappeared.
Not immediately advancing, Aaron wanted to seize the time to verify his idea before the danger truly emerged.
He softly chanted his honorific name, established a connection with the sub-consciousness within the Sefirah, and let the sub-consciousness take over his sleeping body in the outside world.
Aaron, lying on the deck of the ghost ship, suddenly opened his eyes. The Darkness Mark on his wrist resonated with the thick, viscous Darkness around him, and the pulling sensation that seemed capable of dragging one into Darkness instantly disappeared.
Through the synchronized perspective of the Sefirah's sub-consciousness, Aaron in the dream world clearly felt this change. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards, and then he ended this attempt.
Aaron looked back at the black monastery not far away, gripped the "Sword of Judgment" in his hand, and walked back into the mural hall, heading straight into the depths. Feeling no danger, he pushed open the black wooden Door.
Behind the black wooden Door was not an absurd or bizarre scene, but rather a very ordinary hall filled with many miscellaneous items.
At the most conspicuous position in the hall was a pair of double iron Doors. Just as Aaron was about to walk over, the corner of his eye caught sight of an inconspicuous black wooden Door in the corner, identical to the one he had entered through.
Aaron frowned, but still turned and walked towards the wooden Door. He extended his hand to grasp the handle. The Door was not locked; with a gentle push, it opened by itself.
Behind the Door was a storage room. A full-length mirror stood on the left, and a figure in a linen short robe was huddled on the right.
"Who?" the figure in the linen short robe asked urgently but softly, his voice filled with despair and pain.
Aaron's tense nerves immediately relaxed. He had already clearly seen the figure's appearance with his night vision:
His face was weathered, with deep wrinkles on his forehead, at the corners of his eyes, and around his mouth. He looked exactly like the black-armored demigod from last time, so he should be the good personality of that Saint of Darkness.
Aaron, not knowing when the dream would end, did not answer his question and shamelessly spouted nonsense:
"Mr. Leomaster, I am Mr. B of the Aurora Order. I am here on the orders of Lord Kisma, the 'Saint Tenebrous,' to help you escape your predicament. For this, I even brought a holy relic."
Hearing the stranger directly call out his name, Leomaster was stunned for a moment. And upon hearing "Aurora Order" and "Saint Tenebrous" Kisma, he seemed to grasp at the last straw.
Although his memory was fragmented due to his split personality, these two sets of words still stirred his remaining memories, making him, who believed himself to be in a desperate situation, instinctively choose to believe.
The joy on his face diminished slightly, and he glanced worriedly at the hall:
"Mr. B, we'd best close the Door first. We can't let that Devil catch us, otherwise..."
The muscles on his face visibly twitched twice, and his smile also vanished, as if recalling something unpleasant.
Aaron nodded expressionlessly and gently closed the Door. He had originally prepared for the other party not to believe him, but he didn't expect this guy to be so easily deceived. Was this also a sequela of his split personality?
Looking at Leomaster, whose face still showed fear, Aaron lightly coughed and said:
"This space is not stable, so let's make a long story short. The holy relic that can take you out requires your blood."
Aaron raised his hand to stop Leomaster, who was about to cut his own wrist, and regardless of whether the other party understood, he explained:
"Not here, but when you wake up one day and find yourself out of here, in a world you've never seen before, then find a way to send your blood out of the seal."
Looking at the somewhat confused Leomaster, Aaron did not continue to explain. After night faded, the main personality, "Saint of Darkness," would definitely occupy the demigod body in the outside world.
Leomaster, this split good personality, was definitely suppressed tightly, which could be seen from the pursuit in the dream world alone.
But if the main personality, "Saint of Darkness," were severely wounded in the dream world, Leomaster would most likely gain temporary control of the body and accomplish what Aaron wanted him to do.
This was also a last resort. Aaron would not put himself in danger in a place that could trap a powerful demigod and even cause him to split his personality.
After all, he didn't want an unbridled evil personality to appear. If not handled well, it could even affect his control over the Sefirah. In this situation, Groselle's Travels was undoubtedly the best choice.
Just as Aaron was thinking this, two figures were clearly reflected in the full-length mirror opposite Leomaster.
One was Leomaster, with many wrinkles and dark hair, and the other was Aaron Weil, with deep eyes, mature and dignified.
At this moment, when Aaron made no movement, the him in the mirror slowly turned his head and showed a sinister smile at himself!
Ripples suddenly spread across the mirror's surface, and a hand reached out. That Aaron Weil, identical to him, crawled out of the mirror, his face stained with a distinct sense of grimness by the Darkness!
Tsk, even with a dark filter, he's still just as handsome.... Aaron calmly looked at the other party, raising the "Sword of Judgment" in his right hand, from which crimson flames were already flowing.
The sinister Aaron Weil opposite him curved his lips upward, also raised his right hand, and a longsword wreathed in flames also appeared in his hand.
Leomaster was so frightened by this sudden change that he trembled, shrinking into a corner and not daring to make a sound.
My copy? Aaron frowned slightly, simultaneously taking a step forward to block in front of Leomaster.
After all, this guy absolutely couldn't die in the aftermath of the battle. Then he expressionlessly raised his left hand.
A scepter, seemingly made entirely of gold and flowing with crimson flames, suddenly appeared in his left hand, seemingly out of nowhere.
The Sun Chaser Scepter!
Although actions in dreams must conform to logic to achieve the desired effect, this place certainly could not affect the Sefirah.
At least the outer area could not reach the extent of affecting things related to the Sefirah; the experiment outside the black monastery just now had confirmed this.
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