The True Creator… the dark, sinister infant seated cross-legged in the gaping tear across the Creator's chest and abdomen in the mural—was that truly the True Creator?
Yes. In the painting, He was chewing a length of intestine, blood dripping in a scarlet cascade… He, too, was among those feasting upon the Creator worshipped by the City of Silver.
While everyone else was absorbed in their own thoughts, Derrick Berg's mind was overwhelmed by pain and despair.
He recognised the one being devoured—it was the very Creator venerated by the City of Silver.
And he recognised the three figures encircling Him—they were unmistakably the three "Kings."
No wonder… no matter how sincerely we confess, no matter how desperately we plead for forgiveness, we never receive the Lord's salvation…
Derrick murmured inwardly, Because our God is dead—devoured—and will never return…
Alger turned his head toward the stupefied youth beside him, sighed softly, and had just prepared to speak when Derrick suddenly asked:
"Mr Tower, since the Eternal Blazing Sun, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, and the Lord of Storms were once the three 'Kings,' then… what about the True Creator?"
As he spoke, Derrick couldn't help recalling what the undead clergy had muttered earlier in the afternoon chapel:
"Omnipotent Lord, I confess… I tempted Sasrir; the Kings frequently schemed in the palace belonging to dusk.
The townspeople changed without my noticing; they erected secret altars, performed strange rituals, and committed acts You forbade.
I discovered all this, but it was too late. Depravity, blood, darkness, rot, slaughter, filth, and shadow had already flooded this land.
A great disaster shall begin here!"
His thoughts connected in a flash, and he continued:
"Could He be the 'Dark Angel' Sasrir—the one who gathered the Kings and the gods, formed the 'Rose Redemption,' and was tempted into conspiracy?"
His words drew surprise from everyone present—especially the Hanged Man, Alger, who felt genuine astonishment that Derrick could raise such a high-level question.
He's grown… and given how deeply it concerns his own city, he can't help but think further.
Alger nodded subtly, an involuntary proud smile—the cub has finally grown up—surfacing on his face.
Sadly, no one noticed. All attention had already shifted to Ebner, awaiting his response.
Ebner thought for a moment, then replied simply:
"'Dark Angel' Sasrir was actually part of the Creator who was devoured.
And the True Creator is also part of Him, though they are not entirely equivalent."
Part of the Creator…?
What did that mean? A clone? But how could a clone organise others against its own body?
Was this fragment tempted by some existence into betrayal? How would that even be possible…?
Such thoughts rippled through Alger, Klein as the World, and several others.
Derrick, however, was confused, unable to grasp the meaning. After a moment's thought, he asked:
"Mr Tower, could you explain in more detail? I can offer anything I can obtain… um, I believe the Chief would support me."
"Justice," Audrey and "Hermit" Cattleya spoke at once:
"I'd like to listen too. Mr Tower, what do you require?"
"If possible, I want to know as well," added Alger.
Miss "Temperance" shot a look at the World, who signaled back: Wait for now.
As for Judgement, Magician, and Moon, they remained unhurried; the first two felt they could ask Ebner privately later, and the latter believed his clan might hold relevant records—if not, he could always consult Lord Nisbet.
At that moment, Ebner calmly turned toward the highest seat and respectfully asked:
"Mr Fool, may I disclose this information?"
How should I know? Klein thought.
But he understood Ebner well by now:
If the information were truly dangerous, the man would never have brought it up—and certainly wouldn't ask for approval.
Since he was asking, the problem couldn't be significant.
The Fool leaned back casually and said with calm authority:
"No need for instructions. If you believe it poses no issue, you may share."
"Understood."
Ebner rose, bowed, and swept his gaze around the table.
"My condition is simple: within one month at the latest, each of you must find fifty to one hundred people to make a wish to me.
"And the content of the wishes—I will specify in advance."
Make a wish?
Alger instinctively recalled a lesson from a senior Mandated Punisher:
Some high-sequence Beyonders, sealed or imprisoned, might disguise themselves as wish-granting artifacts to tempt others into freeing them—like a magic lamp or a wishing fountain.
But Mr Tower clearly wasn't sealed…
And even if he were, he should rely on Mr Fool, not have them make wishes.
Could this be some unusual "acting" requirement?
Though puzzled, Alger trusted that with Mr Fool present, Tower would never harm the Tarot Club.
"No problem," he agreed.
Gathering fifty people's wishes was hardly difficult.
The others reacted similarly; after confirming there was no danger, they all accepted.
Only Derrick looked distressed.
In the City of Silver—where alertness was a permanent instinct—convincing anyone to make a wish to an unknown existence was practically impossible.
Unless that existence was the "Omnipotent Lord."
Seeing Derrick's difficulty, Ebner smiled kindly:
"Your situation is special. My condition for you will differ… When I determine what I need, I'll tell you.
You can owe it first."
"Thank you very much, Mr Tower."
Derrick, deeply moved yet poor with words, managed only simple, earnest gratitude.
"No need."
Ebner waved it off, surveyed the table again, then cleared his throat:
"You all know I've long had some understanding of the 'Forsaken Land of the Gods.'
After Sun explored Afternoon Town, I delved deeper and reversed the history of the final years of the Glorious Era—and uncovered new discoveries…"
Get to the point already…
Klein, fully aware of Ebner's mischievous streak, still silently protested his suspense.
Ebner continued:
"In short: Sasrir was Heaven's Vice-King, the left hand of God, and also one of the incarnations of the Ancient Sun God.
"The Ancient Sun God, born with both light and darkness within, separated His own darkness and used it together with one of His ribs to create the first angel—Dark Angel Sasrir.
"Thus, Sasrir was the leader of the eight angel kings—closer to the Ancient Sun God than even Adam and Amon.
"At the end of the Glorious Era, the Ancient Sun God sought to surpass True God.
However, He suffered horrific contamination.
Forced into a corner, He tacitly allowed Sasrir to join with the other angel kings and gods to assassinate Him—so that He could rid Himself of corruption upon resurrection.
"The assassination went smoothly because the victim cooperated.
But as you know, at the crucial moment, the three gods betrayed the Ancient Sun God.
"Maybe all three betrayed together; maybe one or two betrayed, forcing the rest to follow.
Either way, the outcome was fixed: the Ancient Sun God was devoured.
"And that pitch-black infant—the True Creator—was an emergency contingency activated in His final moment: a reborn 'humanity fragment' formed from extreme emotions fused at death's brink, regenerating within the corpse.
He eventually seized the Hanged Man pathway's characteristics and authorities such as 'Depravity.'
"But those final emotions were unimaginably extreme…
Thus the True Creator went mad—overwhelmed by negative humanity—and fell."
Ebner finished, letting silence settle over the table.
This was true esoteric knowledge—the secret among secrets of the Third Epoch.
Just hearing it could help Klein digest half his Scholar of Yore potion when the time came.
Indeed, all members—including Klein and Sharon, normally the calmest of "Puppet" and "Clown"—were stunned, mouths slightly open.
So the True Creator was the Ancient Sun God's backup… merely twisted by negative emotion?
No wonder Mr Fool calls Him the "Fallen Creator." I foolishly focused only on "fallen," assuming it was disdain…
Only now did Audrey realise:
Mr Fool had never denied His nature as "Creator."
She simply hadn't understood.
Truly, every term a deity uses carries profound significance.
While shocked, Alger also began quietly admonishing himself.
Audrey pondered further:
Even a persona born of extreme negativity shouldn't fall that quickly.
Human emotion is layered; it would change, not remain wholly negative…
Unless other influences weighed in at high sequence—
or the Hanged Man pathway itself had inherent problems…
Perhaps due to the "Depravity" authority?
Hermit Cattleya, however, focused on another point entirely:
"So the Ancient Sun God suffered contamination because He accommodated authorities and characteristics of adjacent pathways… which is why the three gods seized the moment to devour Him—essentially to seize those characteristics?
"Does surpassing a True God require absorbing traits from neighbouring pathways?
But wouldn't that inevitably lead to madness?!"
Beside her, Miss Temperance Sharon's eyes flickered. She parted her lips and uttered a single word:
"Death."
Death?
Everyone looked at her, confused.
After a few seconds, Klein translated:
"She means that Death also tried to surpass True God, then went mad and triggered the Pale Calamity."
One attempted to surpass godhood, went mad, and brought the Cataclysm.
Another attempted the same, went mad, and caused the Pale Calamity…
One created the Forsaken Land.
The other left the northern continent scarred for centuries.
Is surpassing True God truly that important? Why not be content?
Fors found herself thinking.
"Mr Tower… how did you obtain this information? Could you tell me?"
Derrick—having finally recovered—asked awkwardly.
He did not doubt Tower's words; he simply felt obligated to learn the source before reporting such terrifying truths to the Chief.
The others too looked toward Ebner.
They had always known Tower was "knowledgeable"—
but this knowledgeable?
Knowledgeable to the extent of thoroughly understanding gods, angel kings, and even matters beyond gods?
This exceeded every expectation—except for Klein, Xio, and Fors.
Klein knew Ebner's nature;
Xio and Fors were already used to his "miraculous" tendencies.
Ebner paused briefly, then replied:
"The God of Luck was also a member of the Rose Redemption.
"And I recently explored the ruins left behind by the God of Luck."
Both statements were true.
Neither had the slightest connection to how he actually knew these secrets.
(End of chapter)