Actually, I still have a few Beyonder characteristics left…
Pallez immediately understood what "No Characteristics" meant, but seeing Reinette's perfectly intact head, he was somewhat puzzled why she was called "No Brain."
"Hello, Miss…No Brain."
Pallez "obediently" greeted Reinette.
Reinette pinched her fingers but eventually accepted this ridiculous "codename." "Hello, Mr. No Characteristics."
"Excellent!"
Edward smiled lightly, adjusting his posture. "Actually, there's a third member for our gathering, but I haven't decided yet whether to invite them. So for our first meeting, we'll proceed without them."
Naturally, he was referring to Roselle.
"So then, our first Misery Contest officially begins."
Pallez and Reinette simultaneously: "???"
"That's right, you heard me correctly. This gathering is called the 'Misery Contest,' and its theme, as the name suggests, is 'competing in misery.'"
Edward reclined in the bronze chair. "Whoever wins this Misery Contest will receive a carefully prepared gift from me. Aren't you two excited?"
He gestured expansively. "Well, let's cut the nonsense and get straight to the point. Please begin your performance."
As his words settled, a heavy silence filled the Sefirah Castle.
Pallez and Reinette looked at each other, both instinctively silent—absolute madness. Even gods shouldn't humiliate us like this, right?
They already suffered plenty, and now they were being forced to "compete" over their tragedies. Even a rabbit, pushed too far, would bite.
"This guy…couldn't it actually be Amon?"
Pallez couldn't help but think so; only Amon would have such a perverse taste.
"Oh, it seems our two members are rather shy," Edward said with an unsurprised smile. "Well, I'll first give you a hint of the reward for winning."
He looked at Reinette. "Miss No Brain, do you remember what I said the last time we met?"
…This gathering is somewhat related to the fate of all participants.
That was what Edward told Reinette previously.
"Exactly. As one who transcends past and future, I can give you a glimpse—accurate, not vague—of what lies ahead for you. Tell me...does that really not tempt you?"
"!!!"
Both Reinette and Pallez' hearts skipped a beat. As angels of their respective Pathways, they were well aware that some Pathways could vaguely predict future events.
But those were always fuzzy forecasts—just like Zaratul's vague prophecy to Roselle that Bernadette would become a major figure in the Mystery World.
Yet this mysterious being above the Grey Fog clearly implied it could see the future precisely and clearly.
Was that even possible?
After a pause, Pallez spoke faintly, "For over a thousand years, I've been hunted like a stray dog by a certain enemy. Because of that, I've lost all of my sequences except Sequence 1, barely surviving by parasitising and stealing the life force of ordinary humans."
Edward immediately applauded encouragingly: "Excellent. Mr. No Characteristics has bravely taken the first step, though I must say, your experiences aren't that tragic."
Pallez: "…"
—I already described myself as a stray dog barely surviving, isn't that tragic enough?
In spite of himself, he found a strange anticipation building—what kind of story would this "Miss No-Head" tell?
Edward clasped his hands and prompted: "Your turn, Miss No Brain."
Reinette sat down in the chair, fidgeting as she pinched her fingers together, mentally persuading herself: This "evil god's" request, though humiliating, was still better than the Mother Tree of Desire's constant corruption, erosion, and thirst for human lives.
Besides, no one here knew who she really was.
"A thousand years ago, my father and I established an ancient kingdom and founded a Beyonder organisation. But later…an evil god known as the Mother Tree of Desire targeted our organisation."
"It didn't just corrupt the deity we worshipped and split our organisation; it also ruthlessly exterminated all members not under its control."
"My parents, my brothers, my students…all perished one by one in battle. Now, only I remain, desperately holding on."
Reinette felt no shame in speaking the words aloud. To recount her persecution at the hands of Mother Tree of Desire was hardly disgraceful—merely a statement of fact.
"But the Mother Tree of Desire clearly doesn't intend to let me or the remaining members following me go. Just a few days ago, in a conflict, the last person I could truly call a friend died…"
At that moment, Reinette raised her eyes and looked at Edward. "Chairman, can you help me?"
"Of course I can, but not now," Edward replied.
He asked, "Tell me, how much do you understand about the power of the Mother Tree of Desire?"
Reinette was momentarily stunned. "I…only know that it's an Outer God."
Pallez, listening from the side, felt a chill run down his spine.
He thought being hunted by Amon was already tragic enough. He never expected that Miss No Brain would attract the attention of an Outer God. This Misery Contest was already lost for him.
"That's right. The Mother Tree of Desire is indeed an Outer God, an existence that even the Seven Gods can't counter. Therefore, I…naturally can't help you at the moment."
"At the moment?"
Both of them caught that word.
Reinette began to sense a clearer understanding of the "Chairman's" power.
Pallez suddenly had a realisation: if this being in front of him was truly what he thought, then sooner or later it would also snatch away his own Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, just like Amon.
He felt a mixture of reluctance and helplessness. His only hope was that it would only take away the Sequence 1 characteristic, not his life.
Clap!
Edward lightly clapped his hands. "Alright, let's return to the main topic."
"So far, Miss No Brain seems to be ahead in this Misery Contest. After all, her family, relatives, and friends are all gone. But this also has something to do with Mr. No Characteristics holding back a bit."
"Since Mr. No Characteristics is being modest, I'll just relay it on his behalf."
Pallez: There's no reason to be modest about this!!
"As an angel of one of the Fourth Epoch's most powerful families, after the war of the Four Emperors ended in defeat, Mr. No Characteristic and his family endured the reckoning. He himself became the prey of a King of Angel's millennium-long pursuit."
"They say the Jacob family fared the worst among families wielding Marauder Pathway—living like rats in the gutters, barely surviving. But in fact, Mr. No Characteristics' family vanished in the course of the purge."
"As far as I know, except for Mr. No Characteristics himself, no direct descendants of that family remain in this era. So in terms of misfortune, everything Miss No Brain endured, Mr. No Characteristics experienced equally."
"Your entire lives have been accompanied by death—relatives, descendants, students, friends—one by one departing before you, while death seemingly deliberately passed you by, leaving you to suffer alone."
"Do you consider this a torment, or a mercy?"
Pallez and Reinette fell into silence.
Having lived for over a thousand years, Pallez was long detached from life and death. But having the "Chairman" state it so blatantly still carried a touch of melancholy.
"Of course, death is actually fair. Maybe it let you live this long just to give you hope…only to extinguish it brutally later."
"Since this is a Misery Contest, we won't just compare past sufferings. We'll also look at your respective fates in the future."
Edward snapped his fingers.
The next moment, the scenery in the little garden shifted dramatically.
They were transported to the "outside world," where in the distance, a figure rapidly approached. Behind her, more than ten figures followed.
As they came closer, it was unmistakable: Reinette, dressed in an elaborate, dark black gown, and the two leading the chase were Abomination Suah and the King of Curses Barranca.
Soon, the people of the Indulgence faction blocked Reinette's path. After a fierce battle, her stunning head was first severed, followed by a brutal onslaught that ended her life.
"…"
Watching this unfold, Reinette's spirit collapsed. Even though she had long anticipated this ending, actually witnessing it filled her with inevitable despair.
So, everything I did was in vain?
So, all my struggles were meaningless?
Pallez gazed at her beautiful face and thought: Oh, so that's why the "Chairman" calls her No Brain?
Snap!
Edward snapped his fingers again.
Reinette, along with Suah, Barranca, and the others, vanished. After another whirlwind of shifting clouds, they arrived somewhere else.
This time, it was the future Backlund.
A person parasitised by Pallez returned home through a porch, only to see someone already sitting on the sofa—a figure dressed in a classic black robe and a pointed hat, with one leg casually resting over the other, leisurely reading a newspaper.
Upon detecting Pallez's presence, the figure lifted his head, adjusted his monocle over the right eye, and revealed a mocking smile.
It was Amon.
Pallez turned to flee.
But the surroundings changed. Pitch-black stone pillars suddenly rose up, supporting a grand, magnificent cathedral.
Each pillar, arch, and dome was inlaid with bones of various races, densely packed in chaotic disarray, their hollow eyes staring at Pallez in the centre of the hall—as if presiding over a judgment.
Amon's right hand reached out.
The next moment, Pallez was forcibly drawn from the parasitised human body and swallowed by Amon in one gulp—transformed into a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic and absorbed.
Amon turned his head toward Pallez and displayed that signature, sinister grin.
Pallez: "!!!"
Though he knew it was an illusion, that final glance from Amon still sent shivers through his soul—more terrifying than even witnessing his own demise.
Yet compared to "young" Reinette, the elder Pallez remained relatively calm. The crucial point: Amon needed his Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, and so did this enigmatic "Chairman."
Which meant neither would let the other take it easily.
Fine, Pallez thought with bitter resignation. I'll be the spoils of war between you two great powers. Do as you please. I'll just lie down and let it happen.
———
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