In a hotel in the Backlund Bridge area.
Apart from his thoughts that still belonged to him, Klein could no longer control anything else. Even his eyeballs couldn't move.
He knew very well that this was likely a deeper level of "Parasitizing."
In this state, he could only look ahead of him in fear and despair. He watched as Enuni, who was wearing a monocle with a smile on his face, changed into Amon's original form. He took a step forward counterclockwise and opened his mouth to speak in Mandarin in an articulate and mellow manner:
"The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
...Did "He" steal my thoughts just now, or my ability to speak Mandarin... It should be the former; otherwise, "He" wouldn't be able to grasp this ritual... Klein's pupils couldn't widen as he watched. He felt an unprecedented sense of anxiety.
As though sensing his emotions, the monocled man turned to look at him and smiled. He then took another step counterclockwise and whispered in Mandarin, "The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
Following that, this Blasphemer carried on the ritual with great familiarity. With every step "He" took, and every chant of the incantation, Klein's heart sank even deeper into a dark swamp, as though he could no longer see any light.
"...The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
When Amon took the final step and recited the final incantation, a boundless grayish-white fog suddenly appeared in front of Klein. He heard layers of pleas.
There was no need to listen carefully, as he understood what it meant with his spiritual perception.
After advancing to Scholar of Yore, he had obtained basic control over Sefirah Castle. No matter who it was, even if they had the correct ritual and corresponding incantation, they needed to obtain his permission to enter the world above the gray fog!
Reject "Him"! Klein was instantly delighted as this idea clearly surfaced within him.
However, just as he had this thought, he had forgotten it. Standing there, he looked like a statue carved from stone.
His intention of rejecting Amon had been stolen by "Him."
"..." Klein once again felt despair, but the grayish-white fog in front of him and the prayers in his ears didn't disappear.
"..." Klein was first taken aback before he understood what was going on.
I understand! I have to head above the gray fog myself and control Sefirah Castle to give "Him" permission to enter! There is no default option!
This thought was like a straw which Klein grabbed at without any hesitation. It prevented himself from sinking into the water silently without anyone hear him cry.
Although he still didn't know how to make use of this matter, his intuition told him that a slim possibility and his only hope could be hidden in this detail.
At this moment, Amon stopped the attempt and cast "His" gaze at Klein.
Clearly, "He" had failed to successfully enter Sefirah Castle.
This Angel of Time adjusted the monocle on his right eye and smiled without any change in expression.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, your idea of saving yourself is very interesting."
Amon had used the standard Loen language, but every word seemed to be able to stir the powers of nature, creating one "explosion" after another in his mind.
...How is he so sure that I'm The Fool and not the Blessed of The Fool... Klein felt his body turn cold as the hope that had just surfaced sank into the water once more.
"How am I certain?" Amon tsked and pulled the chair from before over and sat down. "He" pointed at the round stool opposite "Him" and said, "Sit down, don't stand on ceremony."
The moment "He" finished his sentence, Klein couldn't help but stride forward and sit on the round stool.
Amon looked around the room and grabbed Klein's black silk top hat. He put it on his head and said with a smile, "Did you think that I wasn't aware that the ritual would be unsuccessful?
"It hasn't been long since Sefirah Castle produced an anomaly, so how could I forget?
"I just want to see your reaction. And you subconsciously felt despair and instinctively rejected me. That was very interesting. If you weren't the one who was called The Fool, how could you have such thoughts?
"Dear Mr. Fool, am I right?"
As "He" repeated the four rhetorical questions, Amon looked rather pleased, as though "He" was an old hunter who had caught the fox's tail.
...I fell for his scam... Only then did Klein realize why Amon wasn't disappointed at all.
He subconsciously wanted to deny it, but after some thought, he calmly said, "Kill me."
Eh... I can speak now? Klein tried to control his body, but it was completely impossible.
In the next second, he was prepared to recite the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess, but this thought was immediately lost.
The thin-faced Blasphemer Amon pressed down on his right monocle and maintained his excited state from before.
"So that you can be reborn in Sefirah Castle?"
...The more I talk to this fellow, the more mistakes I make... Klein shut his mouth tightly and didn't say another word.
When Amon saw this, "He" shook "His" head with a smile.
"There's no need to be so afraid. Actually, there's no bad blood between us."
Uh... Sitting on the round stool like a doll, Klein was stunned for a moment, but he didn't respond.
Amon leaned forward slightly and looked into his eyes before continuing with a smile:
"The only conflict we have is regarding Sefirah Castle.
"But do you really wish to shoulder that fate? Aren't you worried that the original owner of Sefirah Castle will revive within you?"
"..." This was something Klein was very concerned about, making him at a loss for words.
Amon pinched the crystal monocle and didn't urge him to answer. He smiled and said, "If you give me Sefirah Castle, all the problems will be resolved.
"That way, whether the original owner of Sefirah Castle comes back to life, or if the corresponding fate can be shouldered, the person who needs to worry is me, not you.
"Also, I'll be the one to take over the subsequent arrangements of my zealous brother, ‘Door,' and Lil' Zaratul's pursuits and the benediction of Evernight.
"And you will be freed from all this and just stay as a Sequence 3.
"Heh, why would I want to kill you? What's the point of killing a Sequence 3? Even if I want to retrieve the characteristic, it's still expendable. My prey will only be Pallez, Lil' Zaratul, and ‘Door.' The rest will purely depend on my mood.
"As for the organization that you established, I can also help you maintain it. It's very fascinating and interesting.
"If you think this price isn't enough, then I can make you my Blessed. Heh heh, are you not pretending that The Fool is the Angel of Time Amon in the City of Silver? This can turn into a reality in the future. I will lead them out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods and see the light outside.
"When the time comes, you'll still have a chance to advance to Sequence 2 and become an angel."
...This... This is practically taking over all my worries and hardships. There are only benefits left... Klein, who didn't have a huge desire in becoming a true god and controlling Sefirah Castle, heard his heart palpitate with excitement. If he hadn't known that Amon was the number one master in deceit, he would've agreed to it on the spot. But in the end, he still said without any expression, "Kill me."
"Is that the only thing you know how to say?" Amon said without any signs of anger. He looked at Klein with piqued amusement.
To "Him," this was a very interesting matter. It was completely understandable that "He" would encounter difficulties during the process. They only served to make success even more fulfilling and delightful.
I'm just a heartless broken record... By lampooning, Klein eased his depression and despair. Instead of answering, he asked, "How do you know that the City of Silver thinks that you are The Fool?"
He didn't dare to say that the City of Silver still suspected that The Fool was the god that Amon believed in, afraid that he would provoke him.
Of course, if Amon was the type of person who would lose his intelligence after being provoked, he definitely would've tried doing so. This was because he now suspected that, after gaining initial control of Sefirah Castle, he would be reborn above the gray fog after his death. Unfortunately, Amon wasn't a King of Angels from the Storm pathway, but a God of Trickery that gave even the true deities a headache in the Fourth Epoch.
Amon laughed and said, "Do you think I only have two avatars in the City of Silver? Since you, The Fool, and The Hanged Man have intervened, then I'm happy to quietly watch from the sidelines."
...The City of Silver is still accommodating Amon's avatar... Who's the fellow who was "Parasitized"... Yes, previously, the members of the Giant King's Court's exploration team weren't "Parasitized." This is something that can be confirmed... As his mind tensed up, Klein felt that it was only natural. This was because Leonard had once told him that seeing one Amon meant that there were a bunch of Amons lurking around. It wouldn't just be a small handful.
Without much thought, Klein tried hard to come up with an attempt to create an opportunity.
"You didn't rob me of my destiny directly because you can't handle it right now?"
Amon nodded frankly and said, "Yes, that's why I want to make a deal with you peacefully.
"But since you rejected my offer, I can only bring you to see my real body, to a sufficiently safe place. Then, your destiny will be taken away. When that happens, your ending will not be as good as I just said earlier."
As he spoke, the black-haired, black-eyed man with a broad forehead and thin face slowly got up and walked towards the door. With that, Klein stood up and followed behind like a puppet.
As he reached out to open the door, Amon seemed to recall a question. He pressed down on the crystal monocle and turned to look back at him.
"What's the fourth line of your Scholar of Yore honorific name?"
In mysticism, every existence's corresponding honorific name wasn't that strict. As long as one used the correct format and certain descriptions to narrow the scope to prevent any ambiguity, they could point towards the corresponding hidden existence. This was also why quite a number of heretics who knew anything about mysticism could randomly make up honorific names while still receiving feedback.
Of course, if it wasn't for the honorific name given by the hidden existence, there was no way to enjoy receiving "feedback." Whether they established a connection or not depended on whether the existence was interested in the supplicant.
Previously, Amon had used his understanding of the Scholar of Yore and Gehrman Sparrow, and the powers of the Marauder pathway's Sequence 7 Cryptologist, to restore the full honorific name that could point accurately to Gehrman Sparrow. However, "He" didn't attempt to pray and use the "automatic response" to establish a connection to lock onto Klein's location, because his godhood intuition told him that there was a problem with the fourth sentence, dooming him to fail.
The fourth line of Klein's honorific name flashed across his mind, but he had no intention of telling Amon.
At that moment, Amon opened his mouth and read out his thoughts:
"Protector of Backlund magic and drama performers..."
This so-called "Angel of Time" and "Blasphemer" fell silent for a few seconds after saying it out loud.
Then, he smiled, very happily.
After laughing, Amon adjusted his monocle on his right eye and said with a smile, "To be honest, this is all very interesting.
"Are you really not considering becoming my Blessed?"
Klein opened his mouth and gave a familiar answer:
"Kill me."
