Egon was momentarily stunned. He was standing before the true Originator of the Soul Book power system, the benevolent force he had mistakenly assumed was the neutral "Library Keeper" in his novel's lore.
He hadn't written with such depth in the prequel after all. He had yet to plan the sequel.
That also means there are some things that are out of his knowledge and control.
The mystery of "ATUM" and "One Piece" was overwhelming, but the Keeper's story confirmed a crucial fact: he now possessed the ultimate tool—the Quill—to unlock the ultimate power.
Egon cautiously added,
"Grandmaster, the word on the cover is 'ATUM.' In the language of my home world, it refers to the Supreme Creator or the Final Authority."
The Keeper's eyes widened instantly. His whole body shook with excitement. "A-Tum! The Final Authority! I knew it held the truth!"
"But why can't Zadkiel read it?" Nina asked, still confused about the larger stakes.
"Zadkiel is just a thief," Egon explained swiftly. "He can only copy, never create. His power is limited to this system. The Quill, which is now part of my soul, is the final authority here. It is the key."
Egon looked back at the tattered notebook.
The footsteps of the Angels were approaching the hall entrance.
"Go, boy. It's waiting for you," the old man urged.
Egon, understanding the emergency, quickly picked up the tattered Notebook. As soon as he did, he felt an electrical buzzing sensation throughout his whole soul.
Then, with a flash of light, the Notebook vanished inside his soul body.
However, he could still feel it inside his being. Within moments, he felt a profound connection with the Notebook and the mystical Quill. They were now bonded with his soul.
With just a mental command, he made the Notebook rematerialize in his left hand. The magical Quill also appeared in his right hand.
"How do you feel?" The old man asked, looking curious.
"I am fine, I think..."
After saying that, Egon curiously opened the dark notebook.
"Do you see something again?" Nina asked.
To their disappointment, Egon shook his head. "No."
This time he wasn't deceiving them. He truthfully couldn't see anything at all. All the pages were blank.
For any beginner sorcerer, their Soul Book would have granted a spell or two. But he received nothing of that sort. Moreover, he also didn't receive any profound insight like the old man did.
Could it be he was tricked? Egon couldn't help but doubt himself.
But then he quickly denied the idea. There's no way this Soul Book would be useless. He just didn't find its correct usage yet.
"Why don't you try writing something?" Nina suggested, looking at the Quill.
The old man was also just about to suggest it. But Nina beat him to it.
Egon nodded. He was an author; writing was his only skill.
His eyes caught a Soul Book's name nearby. He decided to write its name as an experiment.
He moved the quill with a few precise strokes, inscribing the complete title:
"Blood X Berserker."
Nina and Vedtal (The Keeper) leaned closer, eager to see a miracle.
However, there was no flashy magical glow, nor any movement at all.
For a moment, they were extremely disappointed. But when their eyes fixed onto the Notebook, Egon's attention turned to the ground.
On the ground, he saw a Red Book that pulsed like a heartbeat.
His eyes widened instantly. That was the same Blood X Berserker Grimoire he had just written.
By then, Nina and Vedtal also noticed the red Grimoire. They looked shocked.
The old man, Vedtal, picked it up with a trembling hand.
Egon and Nina came closer to inspect.
After deeply inspecting its content, the old man started trembling. "Oh Heavenly Father! It's exactly the same Blood Berserker Grimoire I created. Everything is the same."
Vedtal looked toward the original Blood Berserker and saw the A-Rank Grimoire was still there.
"The original one is still there... That would mean The One Piece can replicate any Soul Book just by writing it. You have stumbled upon a great fortune, Boy," the old man said to Egon with a feverish gaze.
Egon, though, was worried about something. He was feeling very weak. His soul power had been drained a lot.
"Grandmaster, my Soul Power has been drained a lot. If I keep writing on it, I might die from depletion. And there's no guarantee if I will be able to merge with the Blood Berserker with ATUM occupying the spot," Egon said, looking a tad bit disappointed.
His analysis was sharp and instantly clarified the drawback of the ATUM Notebook: It used his own Soul Power to manifest its creations.
The A-Rank Soul Book replica had cost him dearly. His Soul Power, already strained from resisting Zadkiel was dangerously low.
Vedtal also understood the risks.
"You are correct, Egon. From the looks of things, the Quill of Finality draws on the wielder's Soul Power as the 'fuel' to convert concept into reality. You are creating something from nothing; the cost is immense. Furthermore, the Akashic Grimoire occupies your primary Soul Slot."
He looked at the replicated Blood Berserker Grimoire. "While you created this, you still need an empty secondary slot to bind it. Your body is not a machine that can hold infinite Grimoires, boy!"
The rhythmic, terrified clanging of the Angelic Warriors echoed closer, now sounding like they were right outside the main hall.
"Grandmaster, please give my friend Nina a suitable Soul Book, while let me see if I can merge with mine or not," Egon suggested.
Nina was smiling. "Please, Grandmaster. Give me something powerful."
The old man nodded. "Come with me, human girl. I have exactly the thing you need."
While they busied themselves, Egon proceeded to merge with the Blood Berserker Soul Book. The Akashic Grimoire (ATUM) was temporarily useless. But he could not return to real world empty-handed. His future was at stake here.
However, when he tried to merge with the Blood Berserker, he felt an intense resistance from ATUM. It was denying another existence from sharing its spot in his Soul.
Egon wasn't giving up just yet. He kept trying again and again. However, each time he met with crushing defeat.
Egon understood forcing it like this wouldn't work. Raising his hand over the Black Notebook, he gave it an unnegotiable order:
"BY YOUR MASTER, AND LORD, I COMMAND YOU, ATUM: DON'T RESIST!"
Hearing his absolute command, ATUM instantly went quiet. Meanwhile, the Blood Berserker quickly merged with his Soul Body, finally succeeding.
Vedtal saw this scene and was stunned. "A human with two Grimoires? How is he still not collapsing?"
Egon felt the two Soul Books within him clearly, but he didn't feel any strain or discomfort. ATUM had accepted Blood Berserker, and his Soul was strong enough to hold two of them at once.
Clang! clang! clang!
The old man's eye narrowed.
"They're here, Egon!" Vedtal shouted, pointing to a shimmering white light that was opening rapidly on the wall behind them.
"That is the exit to your physical bodies! Go! I can hold them off for mere moments!"
Egon understood the severity of time. He immediately grabbed Nina's hand, and stated running toward the portal.
At last moment, he glanced back at Vedtal, who was ready to fight the angels alone. "Thank you, Grandmaster. I promise I will return to free you!"
The old man smiled.
"Go on, Egon! I have confidence you can discover all of ATUM's secret and do as you said!"