A dull explosion echoed, and Klein's body slowly fell, a hideous, scorched wound marring his temple.
Having witnessed many unspeakable horrors in the collective subconscious sea, Audrey showed no ripple of emotion at the crimson blood splattering before her, her emerald eyes curiously fixed on the hole in Klein's head.
Inside, there was no red and white brain matter; instead, there were transparent worms intertwined and coiled, their three-dimensional, layered, bizarre symbols rapidly dimming.
The next second, these transparent worms became illusory, tinged with gray and white, scattering into mottled light points and vanishing, as if dissolving into the mists of history.
Aaron glanced at the corpse whose Beyonder characteristic had been reclaimed by Sefirah Castle. Although he had no intention of directly destroying it, he also didn't plan to let it remain in the real world, to prevent Amon from finding it and using it as a medium, leaving behind future troubles.
"Set up a sacrificial ritual and offer all of these to The Fool; He will handle it properly."
After instructing Audrey, Aaron pointed to Klein's corpse and the revolver stained with mottled blood, then looked at Pallez, who was gazing at the gray-white in the Spirit World with a complex expression, and continued:
"The rest is up to you."
Pallez withdrew his gaze upon hearing this, nodding with a smile, his aged voice carrying an unconcealed anticipation:
"Although it's just a historical projection, it fulfills a long-cherished wish to see this so-called Sefirah Castle."
As his words fell, Pallez's already somewhat illusory figure collapsed into a mass of Worms of Time, merging into Klein's still-warm corpse.
This... Audrey, who had already arranged the ritual, slightly furrowed her brows, momentarily unsure whether to continue, and could only look to Aaron for help.
Maintaining Pallez's historical projection, Aaron gave Audrey a reassuring look, knowing that Klein on Sefirah Castle must also be peeking over, and explained with a smile:
"This is a necessary step. Although Sefirah Castle's status is sufficient, breaking through the seal of the Forsaken Land of the Gods still requires some external help, and this cannot be replaced by a 'Deceit' charm!"
-----------------
Inside the ancient palace, at the head of the mottled long table, Klein sat in The Fool's position, gazing down at the constantly shrinking and praying crimson stars.
After performing a divination for the upcoming action, Klein sighed softly after a moment of thought, putting the ready-to-use "Deceit" charm back into the clutter pile. His consciousness connected with Sefirah Castle, opening the sacrificial Door, and then he saw his own floating corpse and the intensely trembling figure of Pallez.
The surrounding gray fog froze for a moment and then rapidly converged towards Pallez. Klein's heart suddenly leaped. He quickly summoned the Blasphemy Slate of the Door Pathway, which finally calmed Sefirah Castle's agitation, and the feeling that something terrible was about to happen slowly dissipated.
"What a terrifying aggregate instinct. Fortunately, this is only a historical projection..."
Amidst a Vicissitudes sigh, the phantom tentacles surging under the light and shadow gradually dissipated. Pallez's figure finally stabilized. He pressed his eyes, which were slightly tinged with faint black, and continued somewhat wearily:
"This projection has already been corrupted. To avoid affecting the main body, we need to hurry!"
Klein eyed Pallez warily, once again confirming that his control over Sefirah Castle had not weakened and that he could sever the medium of this historical projection at any time. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.
Recalling the heart-palpitating feeling from earlier, Klein no longer hesitated. He immediately separated a portion of his Worms of Spirit, giving them the instruction to sever the projection medium upon successful revival, then his spirituality diffused, leveraging the power of this gray fog world.
The entire gray fog boiled, and a vast but slightly dim tide of power surged out, enveloping Klein.
Pallez's eyes shifted slightly, gazing deeply at the brilliant light Door at the highest point of the gray fog, which was tinged with a hint of greenish-black. After a soft sigh, his body instantly transformed into a mottled ancient clock, drawing this immense power towards the crimson star symbolizing Audrey.
In a deserted city-state in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, far from the City of Silver, dim yellow light dispelled the profound darkness.
Audrey's personality split stood before a simply constructed altar, praying in a low voice, while Cavendish stood with his hands behind his back not far away, manipulating numerous marionettes to guard against dangers lurking in the darkness.
Just then, Cavendish suddenly turned his head, looking strangely at the flesh and blood in the transparent container on the altar. He felt authority originating from his own "Miracle Invoker" Pathway.
Bits of light fragments surged out of the void, like transparent, wriggling insects. The flesh and blood in the altar vessel surged out, floated into mid-air, and continuously fissioned, combining with the light fragments.
In just two or three seconds, these "light fragments" coalesced, quickly outlining a human figure, none other than Gehrman Sparrow.
This is the so-called "resurrection"... Audrey, her curiosity satisfied, blinked her eyes and spoke softly with a slight smile:
"Mr. World, welcome to the Forsaken Land of the Gods!"
-----------------
Backlund, layers of magnificent palaces surrounded a towering Gothic clock tower. The melodious chime of the bell echoed, awakening people immersed in their dreams.
Under the crimson moonlight, a young man wearing a pointed soft hat and a classical black robe could be seen standing at the top of the clock tower, his head slightly raised, gazing at the sky.
His left hand held a black clock hammer, striking the hanging "Bell of Order" repeatedly, while his right hand was raised, adjusting the crystal monocle over his right eye. Through the shaking lens, faint, churning gray-white mist was vaguely visible.
"How interesting, that old fellow Pallez..."
Amon's lips curled slightly. After a click of his tongue, he muttered to himself with a playful expression:
"But what use is that? That Demonic Wolf is already my marionette..."
His indifferent voice was drowned out by the melodious bell chimes. Before the powerhouses of the three Churches and the Loen Royal Family arrived, Amon, who had caused quite a stir, quietly departed.
-----------------
La Cha Island, having received feedback from her personality split, Audrey immediately looked at Aaron:
"Mr. World has successfully resurrected in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. As per your request, Cavendish has given him a copy of the map he drew while exploring the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
Aaron, who had already felt the interruption of Pallez's historical projection, nodded. Besides the areas Cavendish had explored, he had also specifically marked a location that could help Klein completely digest the Scholar of Yore potion.
It was the place where the Ancient Sun God awakened: Chernobyl!
Recalling that there were no omissions, Aaron put Klein's matter aside. With Amon's main body absent and a Sequence 3 working with Sefirah Castle's status, unless targeted by the True Creator, the Forsaken Land of the Gods could temporarily be considered a relatively safe place.