The Stars and The Fool?
These were the two mysterious existences most talked about in the Beyonder world recently: the believers of the Stars and The Fool's Tarot Club.
Rumor had it that They were powerful existences no weaker than the seven true gods. Therefore, when the Churches of the Seven Gods dealt with Their believers, they generally adopted conciliatory policies. Aside from trying to gather information about Them, they did not forcibly arrest Their believers.
Bernadette was a believer of the Stars, so it was understandable that he had drawn the Stars' hostility because of her. But as for this Fool, he couldn't remember ever offending the other party. He hadn't even made things difficult for His believers.
Yet They had joined forces to stop him from becoming a god?
Mr. Door had not given him an answer to this question. He had only left behind this final rune, saying that if his advancement failed, he could try using it as a final, desperate gamble.
Now, he had already reached a hopeless situation. None of the royal family members, the Demoness Sect, or the Twilight Hermit Order had appeared here. He could only try following Mr. Door's guidance and make the final gamble of his life.
As the illusory doorway drawn from his blood gradually solidified, he could clearly sense a terrifying and dreadful aura awakening behind it.
That aura made his heart palpitate. This was definitely an existence at the level of a true god, perhaps even more than one!
"Mr. Door... No!"
Before George III could say anything more, the blood and chunks of flesh he had barely managed to piece together were being devoured by the doorway behind him!
This was not a doorway meant for communication, but a sacrificial gate. And he, George III, ruler of the Loen Kingdom, was the sacrifice that had been chosen and had willingly offered itself!
But he no longer had the strength to struggle. The shadow of order was rapidly devouring the last traces of his existence in this world. Under this two-pronged assault, the face formed from blood and chunks of flesh completely exploded.
A terrifying shockwave directly destroyed the mausoleum, fully exposing the secrets hidden within the black mausoleum beneath the starry sky.
The summoned gate suddenly expanded hundreds of times in size, completely covering the shattered mausoleum. A terrifying aura faintly emanated from within the gate.
At the crack in the initial barrier, aside from the Lord of Storms and Evernight Goddess, who had closed the gates of Their divine kingdoms, the other four deities all cast Their gazes downward at this moment.
Mr. Door's aura, mixed with that of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, had actually appeared on the outskirts of Backlund!
Moreover, the aura was growing increasingly intense. It was the aura of someone about to break free from a seal!
Mr. Door's escape would mean the descent of the Mother Goddess of Depravity!
That absolutely could not be allowed!
Just as They were about to take action and perform divine descents, a gigantic ball of light, resembling a sun, hurtled straight toward the enormous gate!
Another existence had made a move! They shifted Their gazes upward and saw the stars twinkling in the cosmos.
That enormous ball of light had come from beyond the starry sky. The Eternal Blazing Sun recognized this aura. It belonged to the Supernova Dominator!
He was cooperating with the Stars!
As that sun-like sphere crashed down, the gate that had yet to fully stabilize was purified and dissolved amid a thunderous explosion.
Along with it, a vast area on the outskirts of Backlund was completely flattened.
Amid the dazzling radiance, a finger that had attempted to forcibly extend through the gate was completely burned to ashes. A black eyeball grew from its fingertip, filled with resentment and unwillingness!
They seemed to hear a venomous curse coming from the depths of the gate.
Was it over just like that?
The other three gods relaxed slightly, while the Eternal Blazing Sun frowned. The more the Supernova Dominator helped the Stars, the more certain it was that the Stars would stand on the Supernova Dominator's side in the future.
If that happened, He would face even greater danger.
Sure enough, another ball of light descended from beyond the starry sky. Resembling a blazing sun, it accurately and swiftly slammed into the divine kingdom that the Eternal Blazing Sun had only recently repaired.
"The Stars!" The Eternal Blazing Sun let out an enraged roar!
The other three deities stood within Their respective divine kingdoms, gazing from afar at the Eternal Blazing Sun's divine kingdom, which had once again been reduced to ruins, and sighed inwardly.
Judging by the pace at which the Supernova Dominator and the Stars were cooperating, the Eternal Blazing Sun wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
On one hand, He had to compete with the Supernova Dominator for the authority of the Sun. On the other hand, His divine kingdom was constantly being attacked and was already on the verge of collapse.
Under such circumstances, the Eternal Blazing Sun had absolutely no chance of winning.
The God of Knowledge and Wisdom's gaze deepened. He glanced once more at the Lord of Storms, whose divine kingdom's gates remained tightly shut, and felt that His opportunity was approaching.
Once the Eternal Blazing Sun lost the struggle for authority against the Supernova Dominator, in order to prevent the Supernova Dominator, a Great Old One, from gaining control of the Sun authority, the other true gods would inevitably allow Him and the Lord of Storms to divide the Eternal Blazing Sun's authority between themselves first.
For some unknown reason, the Lord of Storms had provoked the High-Dimensional Overseer and was being targeted at every turn, leaving Him severely wounded. Meanwhile, only His own condition remained perfect.
That would be enough to tip the scales of the other true gods in His favor.
But for now, He would also close the gates of His divine kingdom to avoid becoming entangled in unnecessary trouble.
...
The massive explosion on the outskirts of Backlund created an enormous shockwave that destroyed a large number of houses along Backlund's outer districts.
Chaos continued to spread, but the Loen royal family soon presented George III's successor, the First Prince Jevington Augustus, and officially characterized all the chaos that had occurred today as a terrorist attack carried out by the Feysac Empire!
Using this as a pretext, they declared full-scale war on the Feysac Empire!
Members of the three major Churches also stepped forward to support Jevington Augustus and selected him as the next king of the Loen Kingdom.
Hastur and Klein did not involve themselves in any of these matters, quietly concealing their contributions and their names.
In South Borough, Klein had just seen off Miss Messenger from his rented room.
This time, he had asked Miss Messenger to help destroy the mausoleum and prevent George III from becoming a god. He needed to pay 10,000 gold coins for her services.
Compared to the risks Miss Messenger had taken, this price was already extremely cheap. But for the poor and impoverished Mr. Fool, it was still a crushing debt.
"Your messenger isn't simple. Fortunately, She doesn't seem to harbor any malice toward you."
Only after Miss Messenger had left did Mr. Azik appear in Klein's room.
"Miss Messenger is a very good person. She's already helped me many times," Klein said with a nod.
Azik gave Klein a deep look. "You should know that in the Beyonder world, when someone provides corresponding assistance, an equivalent repayment is required."
"Miss Messenger and I have always conducted equivalent transactions. Every time I ask Her for help, I have to pay an enormous amount of gold coins."
"Gold coins? You should understand that money of this sort isn't enough to move someone of Her level. I hope you know what you're doing."
Klein silently nodded, but inwardly sighed. Who said money couldn't move important figures?
Mr. Fool, available for hire online. One favor for only 5,000 gold coins. Fair prices for young and old alike, first come, first served.
Klein priced himself at half of Miss Messenger's rate.
Of course, he only thought about it briefly before quickly shifting the topic to the massive explosion on the outskirts of Backlund today.
Even from a great distance away, the explosion had caused a large number of houses in Backlund's outer districts to collapse. The actual situation at the site had to be far more severe and terrifying.
Furthermore, the three Churches had displayed exceptional tacit understanding regarding this matter. They sealed off the outskirts and prevented anyone from going there to investigate.
To the outside world, they had the Loen royal family claim that the blockade was meant to capture enemies from Feysac.
"I'm not certain either. My guess is that a certain true god took action and erased George III's final chance of survival."
Azik raised his head and looked toward the starry sky, vigilance flashing through his eyes.
"George III actually fell so easily. It almost feels like a dream." Klein sighed.
"Many people acted against George III today. Aside from Bernadette, there was also a mysterious figure who was difficult to perceive. At the critical moment, that person stole the mausoleum that should have belonged to George III. That was what directly caused George III's advancement to fail."
Klein strongly agreed with this point. He had also been inside the mausoleum at the time.
"Mr. Azik, do you know anything about the Stars?"
Azik did not answer. He merely told Klein not to think too much about matters concerning the starry sky.
Klein understood that this was Mr. Azik's way of protecting him, so he changed to a lighter topic. "Mr. Azik, where are you planning to go next?"
"Northern Feysac. The waters there begin freezing over in September. It's very suitable for sea fishing, and you can even fish for seals. Would you like to come along and relax?"
"No. I still have some things to take care of." Klein shook his head and declined. He still needed to return to the sea and seek an opportunity to advance to a higher Sequence.
Besides, if he stayed by Mr. Azik's side and had someone to rely on, he was afraid he might never want to go adventuring again.
"Sometimes, people should take some time to relax." Azik could see Klein's complicated emotions.
"I'll keep writing letters to you, Mr. Azik."
"I look forward to your letters. They'll be one of the few comforts I'll have amid the distant ice and snow."
Azik did not remain with Klein for long. He had taken action to prevent George III from becoming a god, and as long as the Loen royal family put their minds to it, they would certainly be able to uncover his identity.
After seeing Mr. Azik off, Klein felt much more relaxed. As usual, he went to the restaurant along the street to eat.
Only when he saw Leonard rush over in a hurry and then hurry upstairs to check on Benson and Melissa did he finally feel truly reassured.
Tomorrow, he too would leave Backlund and return to the sea to once again become a pirate hunter.
Although Miss Messenger wouldn't come chasing him for repayment, the feeling of being in debt really was unpleasant.