As a Beyonder who joined the Intis Public Security Bureau as a member of the Secret Order, it wasn't the first time that Antoine encountered something like that.
In the past, whenever he advanced, he would hear "Hornacis... Flegrea... Hornacis... Flegrea..." He nearly lost control of himself several times.
Unlike before, the content of the whispers seemed to have changed.
After the ravings died down, everything in front of him returned to normal. Antoine frowned and muttered to himself, My mental state has been very stable recently, and I haven't consumed the potion or attempted to advance. Why would I hear the whispers of a secret existence?
This doesn't seem to be the same as before...
What does Orville mean? I lack enough information. I can't understand it at all...
Dylan, Dylan, yes, the brass of the Order have mentioned that our mysterious and terrifying leader once hid an ancient castle called Dylan...
Tsk, once I recall that existence, I can't help but shiver. Although "He" has returned to normal in the past two years, the terrifying legends and physical destruction that "He" left behind is enough to give people a lifetime of nightmares...
Antoine calmed himself down and suppressed his puzzlement. He continued to assign missions to his subordinates.
...
In front of a tombstone, Klein, who had just put down the white flowers, turned his head slightly, as though he was listening to something.
Although he didn't hear anything, as a King of Angels who wielded control over a portion of his pathway's authority, he could acutely sense that something was amiss. Some secret information was being transmitted to specific targets.
Zaratul isn't completely dead yet? Klein retracted his gaze and muttered to himself.
Back then, he had relied on his level, status, and authority to forcefully stop Zaratul's resurrection. He didn't sense anything abnormal, but after studying himself, he realized something problematic.
The Beyonder characteristic he had absorbed from Zaratul was one that contained an entire set of Sequence 9 to 1 Beyonder characteristics.
That also meant that this only included a single Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic.
And Snake of Fate Will Auceptin had mentioned that Zaratul and the ancestor of the Antigonus family had both taken an additional Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic in "Them."
Therefore, the reality of the situation was that there was no doubt that there was an additional Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic on Zaratul which had vanished. As for whether there were any additional Beyonder characteristics like Scholar of Yore and Bizarro Sorcerer, Klein had no way of guessing due to his lack of understanding of Zaratul.
Based on this situation, Klein had long suspected that Zaratul wasn't completely dead.
Of course, if the other party wanted to revive, it wouldn't be that simple. This was because using too simple a method would result in a lack of concealment. It would definitely be discovered by the higher Sequence Beyonders of the same pathway, and thus, an effective prevention method would be set up.
When Zaratul was able to separate a Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic from "Himself," "He" was undoubtedly a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries. There weren't many enemies that could restrain "Him"—ones that had to be dealt with using the most cautious of attitudes.
Therefore, Klein believed that "He" had used the portion of the Beyonder characteristics that "He" had dissociated from himself to seize an opportunity. However, it wasn't to directly use it to revive. Instead, it was a way to make plenty of preparations. "He" needed an opportunity or some mediums to make the preparations play out.
From the looks of it, "He" hid that portion of the Beyonder characteristic that contained the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic in a particular manner and concealed it carefully. Otherwise, when I advanced to Attendant of Mysteries, I should've been able to use Sefirah Castle to directly see it...
Yes, the next step should be to use some concealed method to guide or entice a specific target to revive "Him." Heh, "He" hasn't accommodated a Uniqueness, so "He" can't "broadcast on all channels." Besides, "He" has to be sure that the advanced me or Amon doesn't hear the corresponding content and spoil "His" plans. Therefore, the number of targets "He" can entice is rather limited... All members of the Secret Order, or a portion of the members? Klein, who was genuflecting, nodded in thought.
He exhaled and grumbled without hiding anything.
Why are High-Sequence Beyonders of the Seer pathway so difficult to kill?
There were all sorts of preparations and trump cards.
This made him truly understand why the Goddess didn't directly kill the ancestor of the Antigonus family.
For The Half-Fool, death might mean a new lease of life!
However, an intricate and complicated setup often means that the ability to take risks is inferior. Who knows if Zaratul's resurrection plan will benefit some lucky Secret Order member. The possibility of this happening might even be higher than "Him" returning from the fog of history. Also, there's a chance of being interfered, influenced, or exploited by the Outer Deities... Klein sneered inwardly as he slowly stood up.
He temporarily didn't have any thoughts of finding the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic. This was because, under the immense pressure brought by Error Amon, he had no choice but to seize the opportunity to strengthen his humanity and stabilize his mental state. He had to head to Calderón City in the spirit world to retrieve the river water of the River of Eternal Darkness, so as to accommodate The Fool's Uniqueness. He had no time to waste on non-urgent matters.
By the time he successfully advanced and restored a new balance for the situation he was in, he didn't mind heading to Intis and dealing with the members of the Secret Order in search of the hidden treasure vault that Zaratul had hidden. This would completely put the angel who had lived since the Fourth Epoch to eternal rest.
He reined in his thoughts and lowered his head to look at the tombstone in front of him. Klein slowly retreated, inserted his hand into his pocket, and turned to the side to enter the spirit world.
In recent times, he was like a tourist in mysticism. Occasionally, he would return to where he used to be, and occasionally, under the guidance of fate, he would casually travel around the spirit world, heading to different realities to witness different scenes.
As a result, his self-awareness and self-consciousness gradually recovered and solidified. He was now able to use his anchors to suppress the awakening will of the Celestial Worthy to a certain extent.
This made his mind a lot more stable than when he met the Evernight Goddess.
In the spirit world—the saturated layers that resembled an abstract oil painting—Klein wandered aimlessly as he walked a few steps in a direction that wasn't in the usual meaning of the word direction.
Following the guidance of fate and spirituality, he left this place and returned to the real world.
The first thing that appeared before him was a small square and a cathedral belonging to the Evernight Goddess.
At this moment, many people were entering the cathedral, looking delighted.
I'm back in Backlund? Klein looked up at the sun that penetrated the thin clouds and followed the crowd to the cathedral's door.
The moment he passed the entrance, his gaze suddenly froze.
He saw Benson.
Benson Moretti.
The black-haired, brown-eyed man's face looked somewhat similar to Klein's. However, the slightly older-looking man had his hair combed neatly backward, revealing his broad forehead.
He stood beside the altar, wearing a well-ironed suit, looking a little nervous.
Klein stared for two seconds before quickly looking away.
Following that, he swept his gaze across the front pew and saw Melissa in a white, conservative dress.
Compared to before, the young lady's face no longer had that adolescent look on it. There was more meat to her face, making her no longer look so skinny.
She kept chatting with the people around her, skillfully handling all kinds of matters and socializing.
She still dresses in such an old-fashioned manner. Thankfully, she didn't wear black... The corners of Klein's lips curled up as he mumbled. He walked to a corner of the cathedral and found a seat to sit down.
About ten minutes later, Melissa finished her work and sat in her seat.
The joyous music started to play as it gradually turned solemn.
A lady wearing a clean, white wedding gown held her father's arm in one hand and held her mother's arm with her other. She walked down the aisle towards the altar.
Benson, who was standing near the altar, gulped a mouthful of saliva and couldn't help but smile.
This was his wedding.
Klein, who was in the corner, saw this scene and leaned back a little. He lowered his head slightly and muttered, "He smiles like a curly-haired baboon..."
After the bride was brought to the front of the altar by her parents, she bowed to Benson before facing the Sacred Emblem and the priest.
Benson bowed and turned around.
After the bride's parents sat down, the priest said, "Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of this couple in marriage under the auspices of the benevolent Goddess.
"Praise the Lady." All the guests present raised their right hands as long as they were believers of the Evernight Goddess before drawing four points in a clockwise fashion, drawing out a star.
This included Klein.
When everyone settled down, the priest turned his head and said to the bride, "Do you, Lucy Brook, take Benson Moretti to be your lawfully wedded husband, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?"
The lady named Lucy looked at the Evernight Goddess's Sacred Emblem and nodded solemnly.
"I do."
Benson's smile reappeared.
The priest turned to look at him and said, "Do you, Benson Moretti, take Lucy Brook to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?"
Benson immediately nodded and said, "I do!"
Upon seeing this and hearing him, Melissa's vision turned blurry. Her heart winced along with joy.
After going through all sorts of ups and downs, their family was finally welcoming a new member.
Suddenly, she turned her head subconsciously to the corner and saw an empty seat. There was no one there.
Melissa immediately pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.
After scanning the area for several seconds, she slowly retracted her gaze and looked back at the altar.
It wasn't until the priest announced that Benson and Lucy were man and wife did Melissa smile again.
...
In the Hall family manor in East Chester County, Klein walked out of the void.
He had stabilized his mind, and could now seek treatment from his psychiatrist. At the same time, he needed to solve a problem.
