Just as countless bolts of lightning submerged the hero bandit "Black Emperor," with the damage instead being transferred onto Ince Zangwill, inside the main hall of the Pitt Hotel, the standoff between Ebner and the two Saints, Wimbledon and Ivan, also came to an end with the latter pair's retreat.
Seeing the two figures vanish, and the Sauron family angel's wraith above his head along with the "Red Angel" also entering the Spirit World, Ebner finally lifted the "hidden space" that had sealed off those ordinary people and mid- to low-Sequence Beyonders.
In addition, he casually singled out "Red Glove" Cindy—who had infiltrated the celebration together with Leonard—as well as the corpse of the "Black Blade" he had killed, and "teleported" them back into Loen territory.
But just after he finished doing this, jet-black stone pillars suddenly rose up around him one after another, propping up a vast and magnificent church.
Inside this church, the surface of every pillar, every arch, and every dome was inlaid with the bones of different races. They were packed densely together, gazing at Ebner with different eye sockets, all surrounding a cross over a hundred meters tall.
Before the cross stood a blurry figure, as if compassionately overlooking everything.
This figure wore a simple white robe, had a light-gold beard that covered the lower half of his face, and a silver cross pendant hanging on his chest. He looked just like the most ordinary priest—yet he was the King of Angels, Adam!
But what was strange was that the people in the hall who had just returned to "reality" turned a blind eye to this church, as if it did not exist at all, merely fleeing in panic in all directions.
Ebner, who was able to observe all of this, allowed the church to envelop him and met Adam's gaze directly.
He was not worried that this former "Creator" would act against him. After all, he was currently only a historical projection; his true body, after ending the standoff with the two demigods, had already quietly rushed over to Klein's side—since it was the "Avengers," as the chief planner and "Doctor Strange," he had to show his face, didn't he?
Of course, more importantly, it was to assist them in withdrawing. After all, once the battle between Kings of Angels ended, the Church of the God of Combat's angels and Feysac's angels would be entering Indo Port.
Adam sized Ebner up a few times, then smiled gently and said:
"Long time no see, Unknown."
Ebner waved his hand and said, "Don't call me that. I can't even be sure who I really am right now… Just call me by my current name, just as I will only call you 'Adam.'"
"Alright." Adam nodded with a smile, then asked, "You interfered with my plan and caused me to miss the chance to obtain '0-08.' Aren't you afraid I'll retaliate?"
Hearing this, Ebner sneered and said, "Haven't I always been 'acting' according to your 'script'?
"You should be rewarding me instead!"
Adam was not surprised by his attitude and asked with interest, "You figured it out?"
Ebner nodded slightly and said meaningfully, "Since 'Adam' may not necessarily be 'Adam,' then must the 'Dragon King' truly be the 'Dragon King'?"
Adam nodded noncommittally and said calmly, "The illusory 'Omniscient Eye' that Herabergen 'simulated' was originally somewhat inferior to the real 'Omniscient Eye'… Now it seems that it was the power of the 'Unknown' that polluted Him, expanding the scope of His authority somewhat."
"What benefit did you give the God of Knowledge to make Him choose to help you?" Ebner seized the opportunity to ask, following the thread of the conversation.
He was now one hundred percent certain that the 'two-faced dragon' had sided with Adam in the struggle for 'dominance' between Adam and the 'True Creator.' Otherwise, the fact that the 'Dragon King' had long been taken by Adam and turned into his avatar would definitely have been publicized by him.
Even Ebner himself could 'see through' the truth. As a true god of the 'omniscient' domain, the two-faced dragon could not possibly be unaware of it… even if the Goddess had also had a hand in this matter.
Yes, Ebner had roughly guessed where the 'Dragon King' had fallen into Adam's trap, been controlled, and turned into a 'puppet.'
It was very likely during the first visit to see Yaloran. In order to cooperate with the 'Hidden Sage' to find the 'Knowledge Emperor' fragment in Yaloran's possession, although the Dragon King's main body had been blocked by Vera, he had still split off a personality to descend into a member of the 'Psychology Alchemists,' manifesting in the form of an ancient god. At that time, Ebner—'wolf-demonized' with the Goddess 'playing for him'—had used the authority of 'darkness' to draw out the projection of the thing the Dragon King feared most in his heart: the 'Ancient Sun God'!
What happened afterward, Ebner did not know, because he had entered the deepest layer of the Nightmare Town's dream and spent an entire night chatting with Yaloran and Cohinem.
But the Goddess never acted without purpose. Since She had allowed the 'Dragon King' to scheme against him, there must have been a deeper objective… Now it seemed that perhaps at that time, the 'Dragon King' had already been quietly 'replaced.'
Everything now was nothing more than a 'drama' directed and performed by Adam himself, all to reduce the hostility of those true gods who—because of successive generations of 'Liu Bo' and their 'big mouths'—knew that 'Adam' was the 'Ancient Sun God.'
After all, with the final Sequence 1 'Writer' being taken by the 'Dragon King' to advance, Adam's apotheosis was nowhere in sight, and the target of the gods' vigilance naturally returned to the 'True Creator.'
As these thoughts turned, Ebner heard Adam say with a smile, "Herabergen, like you, is helping 'the Real' on the surface… Heh. This time, He was blocked by the Earth Mother, an 'ally' of the Church of the God of Combat."
At this point, Adam paused, maintaining the gentle smile of a priest, and asked in an enlightening tone, "As for what benefit I gave Herabergen… with your understanding of Him, can't you guess?"
Ebner had indeed thought about this long ago. He sighed and probed, "Because He explored the 'Unknown' and was polluted by it, He neither dared to place all His hopes on me, nor fully trusted the promises later given by the 'Seal of Calamity,' so He sought a backup route with you?"
The "Seal of Calamity" having colluded with the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom" was something even Roselle had noticed and recorded in his diary.
"Yes. Those who can contend against the awakened 'Unknown' are only the 'Omniscient and Omnipotent One' and the 'Lord of the Mysteries'… And the competition for the current 'Mysteries' is not something He can interfere with, so He could only come to me…
"You should understand: 'the Real' may resent His past betrayal, but I will not."
Because you only have 'divinity,' without those worldly emotions…
And indeed, the two-faced dragon really lives up to the name—such meticulous calculation… It's just a pity that cleverness backfired. He was still tricked by 'Daniel' back then; otherwise, He wouldn't be in such a passive position now.
Just as Ebner thought this, he heard Adam suddenly change the topic and say with a smile:
"As for the thanks and reward for you? Unfortunately, I failed to keep that snake."
Ebner understood what He meant and shook his head. "It's fine. Since the 'True Creator' sent Him over as 'payment,' He can't leave without leaving something behind… You know it—He owes me!"
As he spoke, he added meaningfully, "Besides, the method left behind by the 'Seal of Calamity' has to be verified before it can be used."
Ebner suspected that the 'Seal of Calamity' very likely also had certain dealings with Adam. After all, Roselle himself had been a member of the Twilight Hermit Order.
Moreover, many of the arrangements of the 'Seal of Calamity' went beyond the scope of a 'Conqueror's' abilities. That was why he wanted to probe Adam verbally… After all, this guy also had the characteristics of the 'Reader' pathway and possessed a desire to confide in others. Perhaps it was a side effect of having once accommodated the uniqueness of the 'White Tower'?
However, Adam did not take the bait and instead turned to the topic of "rewards":
"Since 'the Real' has already allowed your plans to proceed because of your 'stance,' I cannot be stingy either.
"Afterward, I will give you the 'King of the Black Throne,' as well as 'Greed' and 'Pride'… of course, the latter two will be in the name of the 'Dragon of Imagination.'
"Together with the 'Lust' already under your control, the 'Gluttony' you are about to capture, and the 'Sloth' under the Earth Mother, the 'Psychology Alchemists' will almost entirely be in your hands.
"Hehe, after this incident, Hermes likely won't continue staying in the 'Psychology Alchemists.' When the time comes, even 'Wrath' can be decided by you.
"What do you think of this gift?"
Good grief—at this rate, the 'Psychology Alchemists' are really going to take the surname 'Liu' too… Add to that the Aurora Order, which has basically already taken the surname 'Liu,' and the Demoness Sect, most of which has also taken the surname 'Liu.' So it turns out I'm the mastermind behind the scenes of the evil organizations after all!
Ebner complained inwardly a few times. Knowing that Adam would no longer answer questions about the "Seal of Calamity," he asked thoughtfully, "You no longer need the 'Psychology Alchemists' to continue helping you create conflicts?"
"War is already inevitable… Even you cannot stop it… What's more, your own future path also requires war," Adam replied gently.
"What is my future path?" Ebner frowned and asked.
"When you become a 'Seraph,' you will naturally know." As Adam said this, he suddenly glanced in the direction of Oates Street, then nodded. "The battle over there has also ended. I still need to give 'Mysteries' a 'gift.'"
With that, He chanted as if reciting poetry:
"Under the witness of the 'Audience,' Klein Moretti completed a splendid drama and directed a miraculous murder. By this, he finished digesting his potion, and with surplus power, attempted advancement as the curtain fell on this play."
After doing all this, as the bone church gradually disappeared, Adam's figure also slowly faded away, leaving behind only a single sentence that reached Ebner's ears:
"You can tell 'Mysteries' for me: I will not intervene in his struggle with Amon. After all, with your existence, Amon's odds of victory are too low… This is my promise."
Only after He completely disappeared did Ebner's tightly furrowed brows relax. He pondered inwardly:
All gifts of fate already have their prices clearly marked in secret… Adam giving Klein a 'gift'—is he planning to have him open that door in the Giant King's Court and obtain the first 'Blasphemy Slate'?
The reason he didn't 'arrange' anything for me—is it because he can't influence my 'fate,' or because he knows that 'I' once made a promise to the 'True Creator' in this regard?
…
While Ebner's projection was conversing with Adam, in a certain "hidden" world deep within the Spirit World, the "Angel of Fate," Ouroboros, was surrounded in the center by the "Miracle Invoker" Alvin, the "Death Consul" Azik, and the "Sage" Bernadette, who was controlling Roselle's mechanical avatar.
Among them, the Roselle mechanical body controlled by Bernadette held the "Holy Seal," Azik wielded the "Divine Sword," and Alvin raised the "Magic Mirror" high.
"'The Emperor Who Brought Civilization' wields the 'Holy Seal';
"'The Sovereign Who Proclaims Death' grips the 'Divine Sword';
"'The Star King Who Achieves Miracles' raises the 'Magic Mirror';
"…to seal the 'Great Serpent' returning from reincarnation…"
Although the contents of The Book of the Three Artifacts that Ebner had obtained in the "Ghost Empire" all alluded to his own different past lives, they were not absolute…
Roselle's mechanical avatar, called a "Saint" by the people of the "World of Strange Tales," was unquestionably the "Emperor Who Brought Civilization." Now, with it being wielded by his own biological daughter, it barely met the conditions.
Mr. Azik, as the child of the God of Death, replacing his father as the "Sovereign Who Proclaims Death," also posed no issue.
As for Alvin, he himself was one of the "Liu Bo." His past was the perfect embodiment of the "Star King Who Achieves Miracles."
(End of the chapter)