The unconscious body of Zaratul was indeed in a half-mad, half-out-of-control state—but even so, it still possessed an intense instinct to survive.
In that instant, it stopped in its tracks.
Seeing Edward rapidly closing in, the half-mad Zaratul made a rare, rational decision. He reached into his robes and pulled out an object resembling a vortex of writhing, shadowy worms. Then, under the triple amplification of Distortion, Magnify, and Exploit from the Historical Projection of the Duke of Entropy, Zaratul hurled it forward with all his strength.
"!!!"
Edward's heart jolted.
Catching a glimpse of Zaratul turning tail and fleeing in the opposite direction, he didn't hesitate for another second. His figure flickered—and in the next moment, he traversed space to intercept.
He appeared right before the flying object, raising a hand to block it with an Illusory Door. The projectile slammed into the shimmering barrier and was instantly halted—the same blow that could have blown apart even a demigod.
The Attendant of Mysteries's Beyonder Characteristic—secured!
"Retreat!"
Edward immediately sensed the terrifying danger surrounding this place. Without hesitation, he prepared to activate Hearth to leave.
But then, a soft, whispering voice brushed against his ear, gentle yet intoxicating, "Are you truly not going to take a look at me before deciding whether to leave?"
That voice carried an irresistible charm. Edward froze mid-action, his escape spell fading from his thoughts as his gaze was drawn toward the direction of the voice.
There, he saw—
A colossal woman, over ten meters tall, clad in a gown seemingly woven from white bone. Her black hair writhed like a mass of venomous serpents—long, thick, glistening—and at their tips, some bore actual snake heads, while others rolled their black-and-white eyes.
Her face—no, Her visage—surpassed the beauty of all things that existed. It wasn't mere appearance; Her beauty transcended the concept of beauty itself.
Even if She had been hideous, others would still perceive Her as breathtakingly beautiful.
In this moment, this woman was beauty itself.
Just as the Sequence 0 of the Door Pathway embodied the concept of "Door," this woman was the conceptual embodiment of "Beauty."
As She walked forward, Her body gradually shrank in size. By the time She stopped before Edward, She was of the same height as him. With a gentle smile, She lifted one slender, pale finger and hooked it under his chin.
"Good boy," She murmured, her voice both teasing and divine.
Leaning closer, She inhaled lightly beside his neck.
"Mmm…yes, that scent—definitely from the City of Calamity."
"!!!"
Edward's mind snapped clear in an instant.
Cold terror swept through him. Before he could even summon the thought of Hearth again, the woman's tender voice rang once more:
"Even if I can't stop you from fleeing, these little ones will follow you—and in an instant, they'll tear your body and soul apart."
Edward's pupils shrank.
Only now did he notice that his entire body had been pierced through by dozens of black, snake-like tendrils. Each tendril ended in an eye—some closed, some open—and every one of them radiated an intense, corrupting power.
As he looked down, one of the open eyes met his gaze.
Instantly, he felt something within his body begin to twist. His height rose rapidly, his chest swelled, and the bones of his face and skull subtly shifted—
Edward had turned into a woman.
And in that moment, Her identity became undeniable—
The Primordial Demoness, Cheek.
No wonder Zaratul had so decisively thrown away the Attendant of Mysteries's Beyonder Characteristic…
As the saying goes: when being chased by a bear, you don't need to outrun the bear—you just need to run faster than the other person.
Zaratul had, quite literally, tossed Edward straight into the bear's mouth.
"Mmm, not bad at all."
Cheek's slender fingers traced along Edward's cheek, admiration flickering in Her gaze.
"If your answer pleases me, I wouldn't mind helping you switch to the Demoness Pathway—and become an Angel under my command."
Edward's lips twitched slightly.
"I…actually think being a man is just fine."
Cheek's red lips curved into a charming smile.
"But you're already a woman now, aren't you?"
"..."
Fuck you!
Cheek's slender, alabaster fingers gently caressed Edward's cheek.
"Now, tell me—where is Lilith? What is she truly planning?"
"!!!"
That enchanting voice once again seeped into Edward's ears, as though whispering directly to his soul. For a moment, the urge to answer truthfully nearly overwhelmed him—but the continuous activation of Unfettered weakened the charm's effect. Gritting his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain of resisting that supernatural allure, Edward shouted two names at the top of his lungs:
"LEODERO! AUCUSES!"
Cheek froze for a heartbeat—then suddenly burst into melodious laughter.
"How naïvely adorable. Do you really think that merely speaking their names will make them attack me here—in my own divine kingdom?"
Edward bared his teeth in a grin.
"Why not?"
Suddenly, streaks of dazzling silver-white lightning descended from the sky.
Bolts of thunder branched out like the limbs of a colossal tree, enveloping the surrounding hundreds of meters into a roaring "forest of lightning." The aura of annihilation and ruin became so tangible it seemed to weigh upon the soul itself.
In that instant, an apocalyptic pressure fell from above.
Cheek's pupils contracted sharply, her expression shifting to disbelief as she lifted her head.
"Leodero, you actually dare—"
But as the first bolt of lightning struck, she immediately realised something was wrong. The thunder lacked the tyrannical might of that true Tyrant. At best, it carried only the spiritual weight of a Sequence 2 being—a mere imitation cloaked in false grandeur.
"You little trickster," she hissed.
And in the very next instant, Edward's figure vanished, dissolved by the activation of Hearth.
"..."
The smile faded from Cheek's flawless face, replaced by a calm, tranquil expression.
"Lilith…big sister," she murmured, her tone chillingly soft. "Why can't you just die peacefully?"
———
The Evernight Goddess's Divine Kingdom
The moment Edward appeared within the boundless darkness, the tendrils piercing through his body began to swell and writhe violently, transforming into wriggling black serpents that sought to shred both his flesh and soul.
He curled up in agony, desperately summoning thunder and theft to resist the invasive serpents within him—but the effect was minimal. He could feel his strength rapidly fading, death closing in by the second.
Disease, poison, curses, and the gnawing of venomous snakes—all erupted within him simultaneously. Just as Cheek had said, his body and soul were being torn apart from within.
Struggling to his feet, he glanced around at the serene darkness filled with moonflowers and night-blooming herbs, then gritted his teeth and shouted:
"End Summoning!"
Gray-white mist surged up around him. In the blink of an eye, Edward returned to the Sefirah Castle.
He stumbled and collapsed onto the bronze seat, his body battered and broken. Those black serpents continued devouring his flesh and soul from within, sending waves of unbearable pain through him—so intense that his consciousness nearly dissolved.
The Sefirah Castle trembled violently. Pillars crumbled, gardens overturned, and the eternal, resplendent palace collapsed into ruins.
Amon's birdcage swayed wildly amidst the tremors, swinging back and forth as though on a pendulum.
Bang!
Edward's body suddenly exploded, shattering into countless fragments. Each fragment was composed of one or more squirming Worms of Stars, glimmering faintly with celestial light.
The fragments scattered across the floor—then, under the influence of aggregation, slowly converged toward one point: the Attendant of Mysteries' Beyonder Characteristic.
After a long moment, Edward's form reassembled—still retaining the appearance of a woman.
Panting heavily, he thrust a hand into his chest, forcibly extracting the Attendant of Mysteries' Beyonder Characteristic and tossing it onto the bronze round table.
"My, you've certainly developed quite a unique taste,"
Amon's mocking voice drifted out from the birdcage, brimming with schadenfreude.
"First a child, now a woman."
"Shut up."
Edward struggled to prop himself upright, collapsing forward onto the cold bronze table. Every nerve screamed in pain; he could still feel those serpentine tendrils twisting deep within his body.
Still, based on the original account of Klein's repeated "experiments" within the Sefirah Castle, Edward knew—unless the damage exceeded the Castle's endurance, he should remain "immortal" here.
Amon's tone turned casual.
"Weren't you off hunting Zaratul? How on earth did you end up provoking Cheek?"
"I…told you to shut—"
Edward forced himself to sit up straight—but then froze.
His eyes locked on the man sitting leisurely across from him. The figure wore a monocle upon a broad forehead and a black, old-fashioned coat, legs crossed in casual ease.
Edward's pupils dilated.
Amon was sitting there—outside the birdcage—holding the cage by its handle, smiling pleasantly.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman," he said, his tone almost cheerful.
"..."
Edward's breathing quickened, his mind reeling.
"How—how could you possibly escape that birdcage? Even if you'd found a loophole, you couldn't have broken the restraint with just a clone's power…"
Then, as realisation struck, his pupils shrank.
"You're—"
Snap.
Amon snapped his fingers lightly.
"Correct. But unfortunately, no prize."
Adjusting his translucent monocle, he smiled faintly and said, "That's right. I'm Amon's true body."
"From beginning to end…it's always been me."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.