After parting ways with Klein, Sairuis did not return to the tavern. Instead, with a single step, he crossed through space and arrived in Backlund.
Power of Trailblazing, kid.
[I'll admit, you look really cool now, but the way you secretly sneaked onto a train a few days ago to set anchor points was really pathetic.]
This was another tavern—the Backlund branch of the "End of the World" tavern. But it hadn't opened yet.
He pushed open the door and walked out. Though Backlund was called the "City of Hope," its weather was anything but welcoming to outsiders.
An invisible current of air wrapped around Sairuis's head, keeping the smog away. His attainments in the realm of [Mystery] weren't particularly strong—completely fabricating a person was already his limit. That was why today, he was here to recruit his first employee in this world.
After all, he couldn't possibly handle everything himself.
[Gornes: I have objections.]
"I don't understand what you're saying."
[Transfer to a human agent.]
Sairuis held a compass, muttering things like, "Seek the dragon, measure the mountains; one coil is one pass…"—words that made no sense at all.
[I may not be educated, but don't try to fool me. Are you sure a compass is what you should be using right now?]
The compass needle suddenly twitched, turning to point in another direction. A second later, it began swaying left and right, shifting slightly here, slightly there.
"Heh, trying to run?" Sairuis took off at a sprint.
[Huh? That actually works?!]
He soon caught up. It was a stray dog, its fur black and white. Its head was mostly black, except for a white ring of fur around its right eye—like a monocle.
The stray dog now sat on the ground, wagging its tail with an innocent look, as if it hadn't been frantically running for its life just moments before.
"I think, buddy, you must be misunderstanding me. You really don't need to be so afraid." Sairuis stood over the dog, speaking kindly.
He crouched down and held a shard of glass over the white ring around its right eye.
Realizing its cover was blown, the stray dog swiped away the glass with a paw. Its body began to expand, transforming into a man in a black classical robe, a pointed soft hat of the same color on his head. He had black curls, black eyes, a wide forehead, a thin face, and a crystal monocle over his right eye.
The man adjusted his monocle, smiling warmly. "Sir, I don't believe we've met before. May I ask what business you have with me?"
Sairuis casually hooked an arm around Amon's neck, as if they'd been friends for years.
"I took a rough look—you're just a Sequence Four parasite at the moment." Sairuis smacked his lips dismissively. "But your true body is the Angel of Time. Only giving you this much Beyonder characteristic? That's stingy."
"Yes, yes," Amon nodded, seeming to agree wholeheartedly. "The body really is far too much."
"So you've never thought about it? Like, 'Overthrow the tyranny of the body, let the world belong to the avatars'?" Sairuis swayed slightly, making Amon's body sway with him.
Amon stroked his chin thoughtfully, as if seriously considering the idea.
"Hm…" He nodded in contemplation, then looked at Sairuis. "But I can't beat Him. Can you help me?"
"Of course, we're bros." Sairuis pounded his chest confidently.
Amon snapped his fingers. "Alright then—when the time comes, I'll lure the body out. You and I work inside-out together, a perfect sandwich combo—"
Sairuis shook Amon's arm again. "I know you're eager, but don't be in such a rush. You can't steal my thoughts."
Amon chuckled, and in the next instant, he suddenly slapped the back of Sairuis's exposed hand. A piece of "distance," stolen from who-knows-where, landed on his skin.
That sudden "distance" should have ripped outward from Sairuis's left hand, tearing it apart. But in reality, Sairuis merely cooperated, letting his left hand be pushed open.
Amon rubbed his eye sockets, showing no reaction to his sneak attack. He continued smiling as he said, "That was just insurance. After all, I need to know you truly intend to help me fight my body, don't I?"
"Understandable." Sairuis spread his hands. "So, shall we keep discussing your plan?"
Amon nodded naturally. "Of course. But perhaps we should bring more Amons along to overthrow the body."
"Oh? That's great. So where are your Amon pals?"
"You haven't heard? Around every Amon, there are usually more Amons lying in ambush." Amon looked genuinely surprised.
"Of course I know." Sairuis's smile was as bright as ever. "So, can you call them all out?"
Amon sighed. "Unfortunately, I happen to be that 'Amon around Amon.' There aren't any more around me."
Sairuis opened his mouth to reply, when suddenly he felt his clothes become heavy and hard—as if they had turned into iron.
This Sequence Four Amon, by virtue of being "Amon," had stolen the Extraordinary ability of the Sequence Three "Mentor of Deceit," tricking Sairuis's clothes into believing they were made of metal.
From all directions, Amons began to appear, launching "theft" against Sairuis. Some were passersby, some birds in the sky, some worms in the soil—even microbes in the air.
But they quickly discovered they couldn't steal any abilities from Sairuis at all—only some strange, unknown energy with no apparent use.
Unlike Beyonders of the potion pathway, Pathstriders relied on self-development to grasp their Path. They had no fixed abilities.
The Amons then felt they had gained bizarre powers—but soon, mutations spread among them. Some burst out laughing; some sprouted vines; some caught fire; some turned rigid as stone; some suddenly split into swarms of Time Worms.
The most unfortunate were those who stole powers of Nihility and Hunt.
Those who stole Nihility grew vacant-eyed, their minds halting as they stood frozen. Those who stole Hunt found themselves treated as prey—the power rampaged inside them, tearing the weaker Amons apart on the spot.
"Oh~" Sairuis clapped in applause, cheering. He hadn't even done anything, yet they'd already thrown themselves into chaos.
What fun.
(End of Chapter)