Beyond the Old Ones

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Time*

Chapter 38: Run, Just Run!

Hours later*

I am speechless. Watching it through a monitor was one thing, but witnessing it live, in person, was another level entirely. I can't believe Momoyo actually ate the restaurant out of its entire stock of meat. Every single cut, every type—gone.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to pay a single cent. Not only did Momoyo cover the bill, but I even got my own steak for free. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the sheer amount of food she devoured.

"Man, I am so stuffed." Momoyo grins, rubbing her stomach in satisfaction. She casually tosses an empty water bottle into a nearby recycling bin, her movements relaxed and unbothered, as if she hadn't just consumed a feast fit for an army.

I hesitate for a moment before asking the obvious. "Quick question, but... do you eat that amount of food daily? Or was this just a special occasion?" My voice carries a hint of genuine concern.

If we're going anywhere else after this, I need to know—are there even enough supplies in the world to keep her fed?

Of course, if it comes down to it, I could solve this problem in my own way. A series of well-prepared rituals could certainly secure a steady supply of food. Or, if I wanted to be more efficient, I could devise a single, intricate ritual—detailed enough to ensure an endless stockpile, enough to feed both of us without issue.

But still... how does she even digest all that?

"Depends on how much I need and what I'm eating at the time." Momoyo smirk. "Even I have standards for what I can and can't eat. But don't worry, I'll cover all the food we eat in the future."

Her confidence is almost reassuring—almost.

As we walk through the now eerily empty streets of Montmartre, Momoyo glances around, scanning our surroundings. The once-bustling district is now devoid of people, the absence of life making every footstep feel louder than it should.

"So, how long until we come across our target?" Momoyo asks, her sharp gaze flicking from shadow to shadow.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a newly acquired pocket watch, one I picked up from a stall earlier while searching for a restaurant with good steaks. Clicking the top open, I check the time.

"Almost time." I murmur. "A minute or two at most."

With a snap, I close the watch and slide it back into my right pocket.

"Right." Momoyo says, cracking her knuckles before punching her right fist into the open palm of her left. "Run the plan by me again?" She looks ready for a fight, anticipation flickering in her expression.

"It's a simple plan, really. Not many steps." I reply, my gaze dropping to Aya. She rests inside a golden cage, resting on top of a plush red pillow. Holding the cage by its top handle, I shift my grip slightly before looking back at Momoyo. "Also, I'll need you to carry Aya for the entire night. You're the one who's going to be protecting her."

"Alright." Momoyo shrugs, taking the golden cage from me without hesitation. "Not like I can fight whatever we're facing, anyway."

I switch over to the Card of Wheel of Fortune, letting the Card of Blasphemy spin before me. As it turns, a radiant light erupts from its center, partially summoning the Sefirot: Key of Light. The glow bathes the empty streets of Montmartre in an eerie brilliance, casting long, wavering shadows around us.

"Alright, here's the simple plan." I keep my tone even, steady. "One: I'm going to act as bait and draw the attention of whatever's behind this towards me. Two: You and Aya will hide somewhere else and do everything in your power not to be caught. That means running, dodging, whatever it takes—just don't let it catch you. Three: You'll circle around all of Montmartre three times before regrouping with me here. As long as we follow these three steps, the ritual will work exactly as I designed it to. If not…" I pause slightly, then add with confidence. "I have a backup plan."

Before Momoyo can speak, Aya cuts in. "What's the backup plan?"

I meet her gaze and answer as seriously as possible. "We escape Paris and come back at a later date—once I've had more time to develop my skills and properly deal with this problem."

"Huh… and here I was thinking you'd perform another ritual or pull off something impossible for anyone else." Aya says, giving me a sidelong glance—skepticism flickers in her eyes, with mild disbelief.

I shrug. "Oh, I have set up another ritual beforehand. It just requires a specific moment to trigger. If that moment doesn't happen, the ritual won't activate, and all the materials I spread out will either have to be retrieved later or abandoned altogether—not really worth the effort in some cases."

Unbothered, I shift my focus inward. I've already made a brief visit to the Sefirah Castle to conduct a fresh round of Computational Divinations. The previous sets? Scrapped. The results became obsolete the moment I factored in the other Sefirot and the Error's Uniqueness. Adjustments were necessary.

"So… no fighting?" Momoyo furrows her brows, clearly displeased with the idea.

"Eh…" I offer her another shrug. "Depends on how things play out. The results of the beginning, middle, and near the end of everything will determine that."

"All right, so when do you want me to go?" Momoyo tilts her head slightly, a small frown forming on her lips.

"Now."

As I speak, I rub my fingertips together, igniting a tiny spark of fire with my Spirituality. I can already see the targets in the distance—approaching fast.

Without hesitation, Momoyo leaps into the air, propelling herself toward the rooftops with ease. She lands effortlessly atop one of the surrounding buildings, disappearing from view just as—

The world shifts.

In mere seconds, the walls around me are no longer blank. They are covered in paintings of Leon. Each canvas bears a disturbingly similar pattern—Leon's face, twisted in sheer agony, frozen in an expression of unbearable suffering. The closer the paintings are to me, the more I notice the increase in shadowy figures. They move like relentless hunters, giving chase to what I can only assume is Leon himself—the sole figure in every painting who isn't shrouded in darkness.

Yet, something is wrong.

I can't find the right words to describe Leon. My mind refuses to register him as anything but Leon. It's as if my thoughts are trapped in a loop, unable to define him beyond that singular truth. The shadowy figures? They are not Leon. They can't be.

And somehow… that makes perfect sense.

I grin to myself. Looks like my guess was right—the Sefirot: Key of Light acts as a beacon, drawing in supernatural forces like moths to a flame. Whatever thing is behind these paintings of Leon is madly attracted to it, rushing toward me with unsettling urgency.

Lifting the Key of Light, I hover it over my left eye. The moment I do, my eyelid snaps shut, yet my vision remains unchanged—as if I never closed it at all. But now, my perception has expanded. More details unravel in my field of view, revealing the true nature of the paintings encircling me.

One by one, the images multiply, filling the space around me, cutting off any possible escape route.

A sharp sting burns at the corner of my eye. A moment later, tears leak from my left eye as I finally see it. The figures.

Some of the shadowy figures have taken form—men, women, all with faces twisted in raw grief and unbearable pain. But beneath their sorrow, I can feel it—pure hatred. A seething, absolute loathing directed at Leon.

And Leon?

His agony remains frozen in every painting, yet his eyes… they stare directly at me. And in them, I don't see fear. I don't see pain.

I see cruelty.

Step one: complete.

I don't hesitate. I swap the Card of Wheel of Fortune for the Card of Justiciar. The Sefirot: Key of Light vanishes instantly, and in its place—

A surge of thick, swirling smoke billows from the Card of Justiciar, coiling around me like a living entity. The air crackles with tension as the Sefirot: Nation of Disorder begins to manifest.

Step two begins.

As expected, the Nation of Disorder exerts a powerful influence—just like the City of Calamity. The swirling smoke spreads across the space, distorting the paintings of Leon in an instant. The cruel, agonizing expressions that once filled their faces are now replaced with something new—

Shock. Fear.

The shift is immediate. Every Leon in the paintings recoils from me, their forms flickering, twisting—desperate to escape.

One by one, the paintings begin to vanish, retreating rapidly in every direction. But amid the chaos, I catch something concerning—

Some of the paintings aren't running from me.

Instead, they're veering off in a different direction—toward where Momoyo went.

I hesitate for only a few seconds before taking off in the same direction, my footsteps quick and deliberate. The moment I move, the paintings of Leon surge forward, accelerating unnaturally, as if sensing my pursuit.

The first half of step two is complete.

Now, the second half depends on Momoyo.

She needs to survive the encounter.

As long as Momoyo completes every part of the plan, the rituals set in place to deal with the paintings of Leon should reach completion before sunrise.

If everything proceeds as expected, I'll secure my second material, bringing me one step closer to crafting a Beyonder item through ritual.

Now, all I have to do is keep applying pressure on these paintings of Leon. The ones that scattered in other directions? Mere decoys in my eyes. The real threats are the ones relentlessly pursuing Momoyo, desperate to stop me in some way.

Not that it would work. Momoyo isn't someone who can be easily taken down. And if things take a turn for the worse, Aya is there—ready to step in at a critical moment.

Author Note: So, I just went back to check a few things on the wiki of Lord of the Mysteries, and lots of things have been updated, including the names for the abilities of the Sequences of many Pathways. Therefore, just to save myself the headache now and leave this problem to the future me, who will hate me for not doing it now rather than later. I'm going to use the new names on the wiki instead of just sticking to the previous set of names. For example, the Justiciar Pathway's Sequence 9: Arbiter. one of the abilities formerly named Charisma, is now renamed as Authority.

That said, here is the current list of Pathways the MC has unlocked so far.

Wheel of Fortune: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 3%

Twilight Giant: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 100%

Paragon: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 90%

Fool: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 100%

White Tower: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 3%

Door: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 100%

Red Priest: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 15%

Demoness: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 100%

Abyss: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 100%

Darkness: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 72%

Moon: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 90%

Justiciar: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 100%

Hanged Man: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 1%

Visionary: Sequence 9 - Acting Progress: 27%

Error: Sequence 9 - Acting progress: 100%

If I've counted correctly, that's 15/22 so far. More than half have been activated.