Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Chapter 74: The BIG Sign!
30 minutes later*
I let out a long sigh and allow myself to relax a little after sending everyone out of the Sefirah Castle. The Visionary's Uniqueness and the Error's Uniqueness both revert to their original forms, becoming a pair of gloves once more, now that I no longer need them transformed into an avatar for me to use.
Honestly, I could have kept the meeting going if I wanted to. Unlike Klein in the original series, I possess more than enough Spirituality, all thanks to the support of the 22 Cards of Blasphemy. With that kind of reserve backing me, maintaining the gathering a while longer would not have been difficult at all.
Thinking about it more carefully, I've been having an increasingly difficult time controlling my train of thought lately. That includes the occasional emotional outburst, as well as this growing urge to do random, impulsive things for no clear reason. What troubles me most is that every time I leave the Sefirah Castle, my mental state seems to worsen, steadily deteriorating the longer I remain outside of it.
I reach out, and a dense swirl of gray fog gathers in my right palm. Using the authority of Deceit, I make it so that the Sefirah Castle is deceived into recognizing me as a Sequence 6: Faceless, while in truth I remain a Sequence 8: Clown. Once that falsehood is acknowledged, the gray fog begins to truly integrate into my body in the real world. From that point onward, my luck can no longer be altered so easily, as the gray fog blocks both misfortune and good fortune alike. Lastly, a person's lingering Spirituality becomes something I can perceive directly with my own eyes.
Through this, I can sense that my connection to the Sefirah Castle has grown much stronger, especially after the authority of Deceit was ruthlessly blocked by the Sefirot itself. Shockingly, and much to my delight, this deadly gamble of mine has paid off. Because of it, I will no longer need to worry so much about my luck being influenced so easily by unknown means.
Time to examine the new information now available to me through Computational Divination.
Suddenly, something occurs to me about the Acting Method and why it existed in the first place. Its true purpose was to deceive the mental imprint of the Original Creator. However, with the new information I've gained, my understanding of it has deepened, especially now that the subject of the Acting Method in the series has been expanded upon even further.
Just as stated before about the mental imprint left behind by the Original Creator, there are these True Deities within the Beyonder Characteristics, digesting it little by little by acting in a way that aligns with the godhood contained inside them. Yet that is also where the danger lies. Since acting and digestion both mean drawing closer to the nature of that godhood, it becomes all too easy to lose one's sense of self if they become too immersed in the role or continue advancing into the higher Sequences. At that point, the person is no longer truly themselves, but someone gradually overwhelmed and defeated by divinity.
I tap on the laptop's keyboard, and even more new information becomes available to me.
Godhood's nature is fundamentally tied to madness and chaos, filled with impulses toward both destruction and creation. In addition, each True Deity possesses "Their" own unique Godhood Instinct, shaped by "Their" Sefirot, Uniqueness, and the symbolisms "They" embody. These instincts, in turn, influence whether "Their" tendencies lean more toward love, preservation, destruction, or ruin.
I frown at this, my expression darkening slightly as I process the implications. Then I tap at the keyboard again, searching for more answers and forcing even more hidden information to reveal itself before me.
True Deities possess an inherent Godhood Instinct toward Convergence upon themselves. The higher "Their" level, the stronger that instinct becomes, as though it were the most fundamental impulse of all—an echo of the Original Creator's innate nature. That should have been the case according to the world setting of the series. Yet for me, the situation is completely different.
"Who is behind the 22 Cards of Blasphemy?" I mutter to myself as my fingers tap against the keyboard, trying to uncover the answer. However, I am not nearly as surprised as I thought I would be when the attempt is denied. After a brief silence, I let out a quiet breath and lower my gaze slightly. "It seems I'll have to continue advancing further through the Sequences if I want those answers…"
I tap the surface of the large table in front of me, the faint sound echoing through the quiet space. Then determination fills my eyes, for I already know what I must do next.
Descending into the real world, I quickly perform the ritual needed to enter the Sefirah Castle. This time, however, I try to enter the River of Eternal Darkness instead, using the Honorific Name of Eternal Darkness itself.
"Eternal Darkness; Singularity of All; Space-Time-in-One." I chant, making a subtle change to the ritual's steps. Rather than taking 4 counterclockwise steps in the shape of a square, I take three clockwise steps in the shape of a triangle, testing whether this altered pattern will guide me into the River of Eternal Darkness.
Everything in my vision turns pitch-black. Then, in the very next moment, I find myself standing silently atop a flowing, colorless river. Beneath my feet, the illusory dark waters drift onward, and within them, vague figures appear and disappear, floating up only to sink once more into the depths. The river continues forward in an endless direction, stretching into infinity, while I remain standing in the same spot, utterly motionless.
Suddenly, I feel a flood of emotions rising from all around me. Most of them carry shock, surprise, and even happiness, as though countless presences have just realized I am here. It feels like the excitement of someone who has known me for a very long time, someone with a deep bond to me, finally reuniting with me after far too long apart.
Furthermore, the Cards of Darkness, Death, and Twilight Giant appear before me, along with Death's Uniqueness. Their arrival intensifies the emotions swirling around me until the feeling shifts into something greater, as though I am being revered, almost worshiped, by everything around me.
"Not quite what I expected this to be..." I mutter as I glance around at my surroundings. It is only then that I notice the Demon Hunting Bullets floating nearby, along with several other items suspended in the river, as though they had been quietly waiting for me to notice them.
Now I can confirm that I am capable of entering other Sefirot besides the Sefirah Castle. In addition, just like within the Sefirah Castle, I can clearly sense that the abilities of the Pathways: Darkness, Death, and Twilight Giant are enhanced while I am here. Unfortunately, despite that advantage, I am still only at Sequence 9 in these Pathways for now.
"If I recall correctly, the river water of the River of Eternal Darkness serves many different purposes. It can be used to temporarily clear memories, heal essential damage to the spirit, heighten one's spiritual perception, act as an ingredient in important rituals, and unlock various abilities, among other uses. It can even be used by Beyonders of any Pathway to erase all memories and emotions, allowing them to become an entirely new person." I pause at the very end, my thoughts lingering on the weight of that final possibility.
This makes me fall into deep thought, my mind lingering on the implications far longer than I would have liked. The more I consider it, the heavier the meaning behind those possibilities begins to feel.
"Wait a minute, when did I start thinking out loud?" I frown immediately, a trace of unease flashing through my mind. Then I reach out with my right hand, and a small portion of river water rises into the air, gathering above my palm into a colorless orb no larger than a grape.
I let it merge into my right hand, using it to heal my spirit and check whether it had been damaged at some point. Yet nothing happens. I can only assume that either my spirit was never damaged to begin with, or the damage is subtle enough that I still cannot tell just yet.
Exiting the River of Eternal Darkness, I let out a deep sigh. Then I briefly summon the Right Glove of Traveling, just long enough to Steal its ability, Traveler's Door, without having to deal with its negative effects, before sending it back to where I had stored it.
I stop for a moment and stare at the Error's Uniqueness, a trace of confusion appearing on my face. Technically, based on the new information I had gained, Amon was categorized by the author of Lord of the Mysteries as a Uniqueness that had become sentient, something similar to the Hidden Sage, the sentient form of the Hermit's Uniqueness. If that logic truly holds, then there is a high chance that the Error's Uniqueness could also become Amon at some point once it gains sentience.
That makes me wonder: during that adventuring, when I obtained the Error's Uniqueness, was it truly Amon sending himself to me? Or was it something else entirely, deliberately placing it in my hands in the hope that it would be given enough time to develop sentience and eventually transform into Amon, just as it did in the series?
I shake my head and use Loss of Control to forcibly push those thoughts out of my mind, refusing to let them linger any longer. Without wasting another moment, I activate Traveler's Door and relocate to a safer place.
The next day*
"Yes, I'm fine, Momoyo. It's already been three days since I left. Yes, I love you too. No, I did not leave because you were being clingy. No, I did not leave because you failed to show me enough love, whether in public or in bed. No, I did not leave because of your grandfather or any of your relatives. As for my own family... it's kind of half and half. I truly don't want to meet them at all. Yes, I know you and your grandfather can keep them from approaching me, but it's fine. I've already relocated to avoid them. Of course, I know this phone line is being listened to by various people. Goodbye, Momoyo. Love you too."
I hang up the phone and let out a quiet breath before using Traveler's Door to relocate once again, putting even more distance between myself and anything or anyone that might still be following me.
Once I arrive in a suitably isolated area, somewhere within a thousand miles of civilization, I finally allow myself a brief moment to settle down. Then I take out the newest object I obtained from tonight's adventuring from the Card of Red Priest.
A charred banner rests in my hands, its surface scorched as though it had endured both fire and battle without ever fully being destroyed. The flagpole is made of iron-black metal, cold and heavy to the touch, while the banner itself is marked by a large number of ominous bloodstains that give off an unmistakably dangerous feeling.
This is Salinger's Blood Banner, a Sealed Artifact: 0-01, also known as the Deity's Fallen Banner. But that is not all, it is. In addition, it is also the fucking Red Priest's Uniqueness, tainted by the corruption of both the City of Calamity and the River of Eternal Darkness. Just holding it is enough to make its sheer danger and significance unmistakably clear.
First, I started obtaining multiple Sefirot far earlier than I ever should have. And now I'm collecting Uniquenesses too? I literally obtained the Visionary's Uniqueness yesterday! So what comes next, the Wheel of Fortune's Uniqueness tomorrow? At this rate, even I can't tell whether this is absurd luck, a disaster in the making, or both at once. Most likely, both due to my existence alone.