"Hold him," Klein commanded, his voice tight.
The Secretive Plotter grabbed Kim Dokja's thrashing shoulders, pinning him to the floorboards. The [Worms of Time] beneath Dokja's skin pulsed violently, clashing with the [Nephilim] status, trying to rewrite the logic of his existence.
Klein reached into the empty air.
[Historical Void]
He didn't pull a weapon.
He pulled a person.
The air shimmered, and a figure stepped out of the fog of history. She wore a simple, elegant dress, and her emerald eyes held the depth of a calm ocean.
Audrey Hall.
Or rather, a projection of her from the height of her power as a Sequence 4 Manipulator.
Klein said rapidly. "Placate him. His mind is fracturing."
The projection didn't speak—it was merely a historical echo powered by Klein's spirituality—but it acted on his intent.
Audrey's eyes glowed with a gentle, golden light.
[Placate].
A wave of tranquility washed over the room. The dust motes in the air seemed to slow down. The golden light touched Kim Dokja's forehead.
CRACK!
Sparks of jagged, black text flew into the air. The golden light didn't sink into Dokja's mind; it slammed against an invisible barrier and shattered.
[The 'Fourth Wall' is looking at the intruder with annoyance.]
[The 'Fourth Wall' says: "Do not worry."]
The projection of Audrey flickered and vanished, her spirituality rejected by the absolute defense of the Wall.
"It is useless," the Secretive Plotter said, releasing his grip as Dokja stopped thrashing. "That Wall... it is a fragment of the 'Final Wall'. It will not allow external mental interference, even if it is benevolent. It protects its user's ego by isolating it."
Klein watched anxiously.
But the Plotter was right.
The violent spasms stopped. The worms beneath the skin calmed down, retreating deep into the spirit body. Kim Dokja didn't lose control. He simply let out a long, shuddering breath and went limp.
"He is sleeping." The Plotter confirmed, checking Dokja's pulse.
Klein slumped against the wall, wiping sweat from his forehead. "That... is a relief."
He straightened his coat. "I'll go check the town."
The Secretive Plotter scowled, looking from the unconscious reader to the door.
"I am a King of Outer Gods, not a babysitter for your 'companions'."
"You are a member of the Tarot Club," Klein countered, putting on his top hat.
Before the Plotter could draw his sword, Klein vanished in a swirl of fire.
Klein walked through the winding, cobblestone streets of the Sanguine settlement. The morning sun of the Third Epoch cast long shadows, but the town didn't hide from it.
It was a strange, harmonious contradiction.
To his left, a Sanguine male with pale skin and fangs was haggling with a human woman over a basket of Moon Flowers. To his right, a mixed-race child—human eyes, Sanguine ears—ran past, laughing.
"Combined families," Klein noted, his [Spirit Vision] observing the stable, intertwined auras. "In the Fifth Epoch, this would be heresy. Here, under the Ancient Sun God...."
He stopped by a market stall.
"How much for the bread?" Klein asked, system automatically translating.
"Two Bronze Riso," the baker replied.
Klein observed the transaction. It was small, bronze coin.
He glanced at a newspaper—or rather, a posted proclamation on a town board.
[Holy Calendar Year 1086]
[The Glory of the Creator Shines Forever.]
"Year 1086," Klein memorized the date. "The Cataclysm happens at the end of the Third Epoch... How am I even supposed to know when it ended?"
His knowledge of this epoch was probably not enough to say the least.
He found a secluded alleyway, checked for surveillance, and activated the [Hunger of the Digital Void]. The glove turned almost transparent.
Spirit World Traversal.
[The Spirit World]
The chaotic, neon storm of the Spirit World swirled around him.
He stood on a fragment of floating conceptual rock.
When he was about to move...
Shimmer.
A ripple appeared in the void.
A silver, ornate mirror manifested out of thin air. It didn't look like the cracked, taped-up Arrodes of the future. This mirror was pristine, glowing with a holy, yet undeniably chaotic light.
On its surface, words formed in ancient Feysac.
"Great Ruler... Exalted Master of the Spirit World..." The mirror vibrated, emitting a sound that sounded suspiciously like a happy sob. "You have finally come! Your humble servant, Arrodes, has been waiting for eons!"
Klein blinked.
"I felt your supreme aura the moment you entered this realm!" Arrodes exclaimed, fireworks exploding on its surface. "But the spiritual turbulence... the Kings of Angels... the interference of the 'Rose Redemption'... I could not locate your coordinates until you released your authority!"
"I see," Klein nodded. "Arrodes. I have a question."
"Ask! Ask anything! Your servant knows all!"
"The Ancient Sun God," Klein said, his voice dropping low. "When will the assassination happen?"
The fireworks on the mirror froze.
The surface turned black.
Seconds ticked by.
Arrodes was silent.
"Master..." vivid red text appeared, dripping like blood. "It is... difficult to see."
A sad face appeared.
"Two days ago, the organization known as 'Rose Redemption' held a secret gathering. The location was shielded by the authority of 'Concealment'. I could not peek."
Arrodes' surface rippled anxiously.
"The Kings of Angels are moving. The threads of fate are tangling into a knot that even I cannot untie. My advice... do not interfere yet. Not until you have regained your full Authority. If you step into that knot now, you will be strangled."
'Even Arrodes cannot see the exact plans,' Klein thought grimly.
Suddenly, the Spirit World shook. Seven pillars of light descended from the zenith of the void.
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
They coalesced into seven distinct, ethereal figures.
The Seven Lights.
"Greetings, Ruler of the Spirit World," the Orange Light bowed, its form shifting like a candle flame. "We sensed the return of the Sefirah."
Klein straightened his back. This was one of the reasons he had come here.
"I require aid," Klein said bluntly. "I want to prevent the assasination on the Sun God."
The Lights flickered.
They exchanged glances.
"Unprecedented," the Blue Light murmured.
"Dangerous," the Red Light added.
"But," the Yellow Light stepped forward, "Your will is the law of this realm."
"We will aid you," the Orange Light confirmed. "We cannot fight the Ancient Sun God directly, nor the Kings of Angels. But we can help you."
"However," the Indigo Light warned, its voice vibrating with grave concern. "Be wary, Great Ruler." "The 'Primary' (God Almighty) is awakening within the Sun God. As 'His' will rises, it may resonate with the 'Other' (Celestial Worthy) within you."
"If the two Pillars resonate too strongly... the convergence will be catastrophic."
"I understand," Klein nodded. "Thank you."
The Lights bowed and faded into the background, ready to answer his call.
"Arrodes," Klein turned back to the mirror. "The Genie Lamp. Where is it?"
The Magic Wishing Lamp.
If he could get the Genie on his side, or at least utilize it...
Arrodes showed a map. "It is in the treasury of the Solomon family in the Northern Continent."
'Of course it is,' Klein sighed.
"Return to me when I call," Klein ordered.
"Yes, Master! Please don't abandon me again!" Arrodes faded away with a final, clingy sparkle.
Klein sat in his high-back chair. On the table before him sat the containment box holding the red, pulsating flesh he had harvested from Naboredisley.
He raised his left hand.
[Hunger of the Digital Void].
The black, sleek glove hummed, the blue circuitry lighting up.
Normally, Creeping Hunger needed a soul. But this was the Digital Void version, modified by the Tower's technology to convert raw spirituality.
He placed his hand over the red flesh. The glove opened its mechanical intake port.
Slurp.
The red flesh dissolved into data streams and red mist, sucked into the glove.
[System Alert]
[Grazing Successful.]
[Target: Avatar of Farbauti (Devil Monarch)]
[Extracting Abilities...]
Klein closed his eyes, feeling the new powers settle into the "File" slots of the glove.
[File 5: Naboredisley]
Sequence 5: Wraith Transformation. (Passive: Emotional detachment, high resistance to physical attacks).
Sequence 2: Ancient Bane. (Fragment).
[Spirit Inhaling]: This spiritual vacuum siphons the target's soul, making them unable to hide their presence or even resist its call. Once inhaled, the victim's spirit is fragmented, becoming fuel for the Digital Hunger's insatiable appetite, leaving them spiritually exposed and vulnerable to further decay.(Cooldown: High).
"Sequence 2..." Klein clenched his fist. The glove felt heavy, hot to the touch. "It is only a fragment, but it is still a demigod-level power."
He returned to the real world.