At the previous Tarot Gathering, Klein and Alger had agreed to explore that primordial island together on Wednesday.
This time, unlike in the original story, they arrived in broad daylight—and the island was bustling. The forest teemed with extraordinary creatures, and even birds found only in myth circled high overhead.
Fortunately, Klein's strength had long surpassed his original counterpart at this stage. The upgraded Creeping Hunger now possessed demigod-level capabilities, and after the battle outside Bayam it had also grazed on a Saint-level succubus. Together with the two marionettes—Admiral of Blood and Admiral of Hell…
In actual combat power, Klein was no weaker than a typical Sequence 4.
Moreover, he and Alger had cooperated many times in the past to entrap pirates; their teamwork was seamless. Thus, even though the island was far more complex in daylight than at night, they managed to reach the church Adam had "Imagined" into existence with nothing worse than a few scares.
It was worth noting that Klein had given the little "scepter" to Ebner earlier that morning—before the expedition had formally begun—so he'd had leisure then to respond to Ebner's prayer. Now, however, dusk was already descending.
Next, following the "script," they examined the mural of the Banquet of Betrayal, used Azik's bronze whistle to eliminate three terrifying, instinct-driven dead, and acquired the Blasphemy Card of Tyrant from their remains…
The only unexpected variable was the monster that attacked them—its strength inexplicable, clearly surpassing a standard demigod. Requiem failed to kill it in a single strike as it did in the original timeline.
Realizing they were about to die beneath its assault, Klein had no choice. While releasing the succubus, he asked Alger for Lemano's Travel Notes, rented from Miss Magician, flipped to the final page, and pulled out a historical projection of Ebner.
He ordered the projection and the succubus to hold the monster back, then—without hesitation—produced the Book of Endless Teleportation with one hand and grabbed Alger's shoulder with the other.
Meanwhile, Wraith Senor collected the three dead men's Beyonder characteristics and returned to the gold coin inside the iron cigarette case by using Mirror Jump.
A moment later, Klein and Alger's bodies grew indistinct, then intangible. They didn't dare watch to see if the projection and the succubus succeeded.
If they won, excellent—if they lost, were Klein and Alger supposed to stay behind and become dinner?
Yet just as they teleported beyond the island's range, a long sigh swept past their ears:
"Ah…"
Their back muscles tightened at once, adrenaline surging. Without daring to hesitate, they triggered the Book of Endless Teleportation again, turning transparent.
But the instant Klein entered the spirit world, he realized—the primordial island, home to demigod-level feathered serpents and countless extraordinary creatures, had vanished.
In its place, the deep-blue-near-black sea rocked gently, perfectly ordinary.
Had his spirituality not insisted everything was real, he would have thought himself dreaming.
Worse still, his demigod succubus had not returned to Creeping Hunger… She seemed to have vanished with the island.
Thank goodness Mr. Tower was only a projection… Klein thought in relief.
Even so, he worried for Ebner. After bringing Alger back to the harbour where he had started, Klein did not divide the spoils immediately; instead he ascended above the grey fog to confirm Ebner's safety.
Only after learning Ebner was unharmed did he truly relax.
…
At the moment Ebner's consciousness descended into his historical projection, he witnessed a beautiful succubus torn apart by a four-meter-tall monstrosity.
The creature was ash-grey all over, its body etched with plate-like carvings. Goat horns curled from its skull; its half-open hound-like jaws revealed rows of vicious fangs.
Most striking were its burning red eyes and the six pairs of grey membranous wings.
Thud—thud—thud—
Wrenching a stone halberd seven or eight meters long from the succubus's remains, it advanced on Ebner. Each footfall shook the ground, sending weighty vibrations in every direction.
Once the Machinery Emperor, Ebner had wielded a Rank 1 sealed artifact of the Planter pathway; he recognized the creature instantly—
A Six-Winged Gargoyle, an artificial race engineered by the ancient alchemists. Its core crystal was a primary material for Marionettists; its defensive and direct combat power were both extraordinary. Yet even so, the aura it emanated stunned him for a heartbeat.
This is a Six-Winged Gargoyle? An ordinary Saint might not even pierce its hide… No wonder Klein and Alger fled without looking back!
He grumbled inwardly, but felt little true concern—against something of low intellect and ridiculous defense, a Cognizer was a specialist.
A projection could not open the Pure White Eye, but his current "Cognize" was more than sufficient.
In moments, countless Wise Eyes descended, jointly analyzing the gargoyle's weaknesses. Within his internal White Tower, Ebner "created" the illusory Beyonder characteristic of a Demon Hunter, transformed into a Hunter, conjured a powerful Guardian Barrier to withstand the gargoyle's strikes, and opened Hunter's Eye to identify weak points from the perspectives of other pathways.
Soon, within his internal simulation, the spot previously struck by Requiem appeared.
Klein's attack hadn't broken the defense, but it had indeed caused damage.
A few more lethal hits right there should do it.
Setting his plan, he dismissed the Demon-Hunter characteristic inside the White Tower and replaced it with Iron-Blooded Knight.
After all, this was merely a projection—death cost nothing. Even mutual destruction was a bargain.
But when he remembered that the creature might be nothing more than a monster Adam had Imagined, the whole affair suddenly felt… meaningless.
A historical projection fighting an imagined monster… perhaps the confrontation between the Original Creator and the Celestial Worthy had been just as tedious.
As these odd thoughts drifted across his mind, he condensed a spear of flame and hurled it at the damaged spot. Meanwhile, he leveraged the fulcrum of fate, ensuring the gargoyle could scarcely avoid the strike.
Crack!
A gunshot-like echo rang out as the spear punched into the gargoyle's chest.
An explosion followed; the massive stone creature swayed violently, the flames in its eyes snuffed out.
After a brief pause, it toppled forward like a collapsing mountain, shaking the earth with seismic force.
Yet even in death, it managed to meet Ebner's gaze—turning his lower leg and foot to stone.
"Petrification…? So this Six-Winged Gargoyle even contains high-level Demoness materials?
Tch. A hybrid of the Seer and Demoness pathways. What exactly were the ancient alchemists implying?"
Still grumbling, Ebner casually severed the petrified portion of his leg, regenerated it with Flesh Magic, then Flashed into the church interior.
He refused to believe Adam would arbitrarily increase the island's difficulty; eight times out of ten the monster had been placed expressly to make Klein expend the ability to summon his historical projection…
Meaning that the true target was likely him. Adam was planning something.
But suddenly, he stopped.
The mural beside him was changing.
The long table—
The three Gods and the black infant devouring the Creator—
All faded.
In their place appeared a figure more radiant than the Primordial Creator, more eerie than the Celestial Worthy, more beautiful than the Mother Goddess, darker than the River of Eternal Darkness.
All contradictions merged into that being without the slightest disharmony. Instead, Ebner felt an instinctive certainty—
It was meant to be this way.
"That is… the portrait of the Initial?"
Shock hammered through him; his throat dried. The image grew clearer, fine details emerging.
The Initial's eyes were half-open, as though newly awakened.
It lifted Its gaze—
And saw a strange "human" appear out of nowhere.
For the first time, the eyes that held the concepts of wisdom, destruction, creation, fate, and fallenness showed pure bewilderment.
And Ebner, outside the mural, stared fixedly at the figure the Initial saw the moment It awakened—
Because the person's appearance was exactly the same as his own before transmigration.
The Initial had witnessed Liu Bo's transmigration?!
Then this mural depicted—
The birth of the Unknown.
So that was how it was…
This world, this universe—everything originated from the Initial.
Every being and non-being, from basic particles to galaxies, from insects to Old Ones, was part of the Initial, or created by It, or derived from Its creations…
In this cosmos, the Initial was truly omniscient and omnipotent—
Nothing should exist that It did not know.
But his transmigration shattered that absolute law.
For the first time, the Initial encountered something It could not understand.
Thus—
The concept of the Unknown was born.
As a Reader skilled in interpreting symbols and revelations, Ebner felt blood rushing to his head; countless Wise Eyes shut down, as if trying to prevent him from thinking further.
At that moment, a long sigh sounded beside his ear:
"Ah…"
The projection dispersed instantly.
Back in his home in Backlund, just after reassuring Klein of his safety, Ebner suddenly felt his head swim—and collapsed forward.
Fortunately, Xio Derecha, already home, reacted swiftly and caught him, pulling him gently into her arms.
(End of chapter)