Outside Calderon, beneath the collapsed pale giant pillars.
Nast, who had returned to his normal human form, looked solemnly at the increasingly dense and terrifying grey-white mist in the distance. The fear originating from the depths of his soul had not lessened since leaving Sonia Island.
The dark red light in his deep black eyes flickered, and distorted order quietly spread, causing chaos in a certain surrounding area, doing its utmost to conceal the stimulation that the "Pale Death" in Bernadette's hand was exerting on the deepest part of Calderon.
Under the enhancement of the Duke of Entropy, Bernadette stripped away some of the information torrent that had originally actively integrated into this Sealed Artifact, and once again used the "Sage" card and the "Wheel of Fortune" card to isolate the restless "Pale Death".
This was the divine kingdom of the Undying Phoenix Ancestor; any authority of the Death Pathway would be distorted. If they were not in the outer area and their own Sequence was not adjacent to Death, they would not have been able to seal this Sealed Artifact.
The "Mystical Reenactment" of Roselle had long since vanished, replaced by Azik Eggers, who had a cold expression, more akin to his appearance as the Consul in the Fourth Epoch. This was also Bernadette's reward for protecting Azik as he merged his soul in the Abyss of Ferrying.
After being stripped away, the corrupted information torrent did not return to Bernadette's body, but instead condensed in "Azik's" hand into a phantom, transparent "Pale Death" that was merely a shell.
Bernadette controlled this Mystical Reenactment of Azik to rush towards the depths of Calderon. Seizing this opportunity, Nast finally distorted a certain order, successfully escaping the outer area before the city rioted.
An indescribable roar came from behind them. Suppressing her curiosity, Bernadette, using the imprint left in the Spirit World when she advanced to Sage, instantly vanished into the depths of the Spirit World with the greatly exhausted Nast.
Her peripheral vision caught sight of the orange-red light, symbolizing twilight, covering the spiritual sky. The surging grey-white mist of Calderon carried a giant bird covered in pale flames, rushing out, with mysterious patterns woven into its feathers, seemingly layered with illusory Doors beneath.
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The pain of a soul being split was replaced by chaos, and Klein's thoughts were divided, transforming into different consciousnesses.
The grey-white world, surrounded by countless phantoms, shattered into pieces. Within the fragments of thought, scenes flashed by.
There was Zhou Mingrui, with children around his knees, his face full of happiness; there was Klein Moretti, a diligent and responsible ordinary Nighthawk who worked until retirement; and there was the mad adventurer who personally killed Ince Zangwill in a lightning storm....
These seemed to be dreams, but Klein seemed to have lost his usual ability to remain lucid in dreams at this moment, gradually and unconsciously immersing himself in them, living through one life after another.
Different self-cognitions collided and merged in his mind, deepening his humanity little by little.
"I am Klein, and I am Zhou Mingrui, and even more, I am a Guardian..."
The fragmented consciousnesses merged, and Klein, distinguishing illusion from reality in his dreams and finding himself again, gathered his thoughts into a single, most intense consciousness, pulling himself free from the dream.
His thoughts gradually broke free from their solidified state, and Klein slowly opened his eyes, seeing an open, church-like dome above him. Through the gaps, he could vaguely discern the faint crimson moon hidden in the mist.
Where is this?
Klein suddenly flipped over and stood up. Disregarding his own condition, he first surveyed his surroundings to ascertain his environment, and was astonished to find that this seemed to be a church, and he appeared to be lying on a dark altar.
"Congratulations, Mr. Fool, on advancing to demigod. It's much faster than I expected...."
A somewhat familiar voice, with a hint of teasing, reached him. Klein's pupils suddenly contracted, and he turned his head to look behind him.
There stood a stone statue, in the overall shape of a female human, but with two beast legs growing from its ribs and waist respectively, covered in short, coarse, black fur.
Around it were black ribbons, like extending tentacles, and beneath its feet, spirits slept, as if forming a constellation around it.
And the face of this stone statue was exactly the same as that mysterious woman he had last seen during the Backlund Great Smog!
Before the questions in his mind could even arise, Klein noticed Aaron standing with his hands behind his back to one side of the statue, a faint smile on his face.
His taut nerves relaxed slightly, and the Worms of Spirit in Klein's brain rapidly wriggled, as he pondered how he should respond.
"The Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger...."
Without giving Klein any time to think, Aaron chuckled softly and, in perfect Mandarin, uttered five words.
The intonation, completely different from any language in this world, caused Klein's body to stiffen abruptly. He looked up in disbelief, and having just experienced the tempering of his mind in the dream, he even thought he was still dreaming.
An unprecedented sense of ease brought a warmth to Klein's eyes, just like the first time he read Roselle's diary back in Tingen. He took a deep breath, using a mix of Mandarin and a teasing tone to mask his almost-crashed brain:
"That's such an old-fashioned code phrase. I think memorizing the periodic table is more suited for me...."
Aaron smiled and waved his hand, giving Klein some time to digest the explosive amount of information contained in those few short sentences. He, who had just regained the Justiciar Pathway's Uniqueness, was not short on this bit of time.
The sense of emotional belonging and identity brought by the sudden news gradually receded from his heart. Having calmed down again, with his rationality back in control, Klein coughed lightly, shamelessly called out "Fellow Countryman," and then, in a familiar tone, asked:
"Where is this?"
He wants to freeload off me? Where is your dignity as a hidden existence?
Aaron, his mouth twitching slightly from being called "Fellow Countryman," glanced meaningfully at the smirking Mr. Fool, then clicked his tongue and replied:
"More than 1,000 years ago, this was the 'Nation of the Evernight,' which can also be considered the origin of the Antigonus family."
"Hmm, as for now, it's a place of imprisonment and punishment specially arranged by the Evernight Goddess, completely isolated from the outside world."
"Moreover," Aaron nodded with satisfaction, looking at Klein whose expression had subtly changed, and added:
"You can try to see if you can still sense Sefirah Castle."
Stunned by this remark, Klein sensed it, and his pupils slightly contracted. Before he could speak again, he suddenly felt the surrounding environment change.
What re-entered his vision was a small town enveloped in mist and a deep, clear, cold night. He was standing on top of an ancient-style, spire-roofed church, overlooking the entire town.
Around the church were scattered many buildings: ordinary two-story residences, simple wooden houses, a bakery with a signboard, and a grey-white mill powered by a waterwheel.
The town, full of life, had not a single pedestrian. They seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep in the quiet and peaceful night, making it seem extremely eerie.