MTLNOVEL Chapter 523: This is Amon
At the moment when the sealed item "1-025," now covered in black spots and crimson hues, vanished from the stone platform, a certain "realm" quaked. Suspended in midair, a mummy pierced by countless brownish branches and wrapped in yellowing bandages suddenly opened its eyes through the wrappings.
In the next instant, pitch-black, sticky, and depraved liquid gushed from its upper torso, forcing the entwining brown branches to retreat slightly.
Its swollen abdomen, which pulsed as though nurturing new life, began radiating the glow of a blood moon, causing the branches embedded there to wither rapidly.
But this was not enough. The mummy, drawing upon millennia of accumulated power, let out a roar composed of overlapping Ancient Hermes words in a manner beyond human comprehension:
"The Fool that does not belong to this era!"
As this voice reverberated, faint gray fog flickered briefly, and the mummy's belly swiftly deflated. The black spots and crimson hues gradually faded, while the branches that had been forced back and withered re-embedded themselves into its body.
Yet, this time, the mummy did not let out its usual wails of agony...
...
In a standalone house in the Cherwood Borough of Backlund, Sergeant Fassin had just finished breakfast and was preparing to leave for the police station.
However, his wife, Martha, sitting across from him at the dining table, suddenly clutched her visibly swollen belly.
"What's wrong, Martha?" Sergeant Fassin immediately grew nervous, standing up to rush to her side.
This child had endured many hardships from the very beginning and was only barely saved through the intervention of "those kinds of people." Naturally, he was on edge.
Martha, however, smiled gently, her face radiating maternal warmth. "It's nothing. The baby just kicked me."
Fassin finally relaxed but couldn't help grumbling, "Quite an active one. Hopefully, they don't end up like Aetris..."
"What's wrong with Aetris? Didn't he come home this time? The child has his own career now; you should encourage him instead of scolding him every time you see him." Martha gently reproached her husband.
"He came back, sure, but not to see us! I've already found out—he's been busying himself around some laundress's daughter in East Borough. When he visited us, it was just to ask me to help find a better home for that family." Fassin said irritably.
Instead of getting upset, Martha's curiosity was piqued. "A laundress's daughter? What's her name? How old is she? What kind of girl is she? Ow!"
Just as she eagerly pressed for more details, she suddenly let out a cry of pain. Cold sweat visibly beaded on her forehead, her body trembling uncontrollably, and even her consciousness seemed to waver.
Fassin panicked, gripping his wife's hand, completely at a loss. It was only thanks to the household maid's reminder that he regained some composure.
"Sir, should I arrange for a carriage to take Madam to the hospital?"
"Yes! Yes! To the hospital!" Fassin finally snapped out of his daze, steadied himself, and headed for the door to call for a carriage.
But just then, in her dazed state, Martha grabbed his arm and muttered in a trance-like voice, "Church of the Earth Mother... to the Harvest Church... Ordinary doctors won't help..."
Her words, though seemingly delirious, were clear enough to reach Fassin's ears.
Having handled numerous Beyonder cases before, Sergeant Fassin surprisingly maintained composure, carefully considering the situation. Although the Church of the Earth Mother was not an official Loen church, it worshiped a true deity. If Beyonder forces had indeed affected his wife, they might have the solution.
While he personally favored the Evernight Goddess, his wife's condition left him unwilling to risk disobedience. Gritting his teeth, he dispatched the maid to fetch his son and called for a carriage to escort his wife to the Harvest Church.
.....
Above the quiet town of Sonia Island, storms raged and lightning crackled. Terrifying auras mingled with grotesque creatures, and the battle between four angels devastated everything in the surrounding area—even several mountain peaks had been flattened.
Despite the persistent black fog encircling the town, a few of the 666 pirates—who had originally displayed bizarre smiles that blended fear and ecstasy—suddenly snapped out of their trance, staring in disbelief at their actions and those of the others around them.
These few were Beyonders. Although not particularly knowledgeable, they quickly deduced they were part of a ritual sacrificing their sinful souls.
However, though conscious, they couldn't act. The harmony between their bodies and souls had diminished, turning their flesh into prisons for their spirits. Every movement became heavy and stiff, even lifting a finger proved difficult.
Yet this physical state was precisely what freed them from the sacrificial influence.
"The body is a cage for the mind; the world is a cage for the body." This was the authority of the "Prisoner" pathway.
As time passed, even without breaking the black fog, the "Abomination" had unknowingly eroded them!
The angels' senses were naturally keen. Seeing this, the pus-covered monster infused with the Chained God's power let out a loud, mocking laugh:
"Demon, you've failed!
"Your ritual has only furthered the Mother Tree's control over Farbauti!"
Possessing the body of Nyango Iziamai Panin, the "Duke of Terror" Adabao glanced southward and curled his lips into a grin.
"No, I succeeded."
The monster, ready to indulge further in mockery, froze abruptly as the branches entwining its body rapidly disappeared.
Simultaneously, both it and Suah felt the wrath of the Mother Tree of Desire, unable to suppress their agonized screams.
However, the two angels on Adabao's side refrained from taking advantage of the situation. They knew they couldn't eliminate the adversaries and had only come to settle debts—they had no intention of fighting to the death.
"This place was a decoy?" the iron-blooded, red-haired angel asked sideways.
"If they hadn't shown up, it would have been real." Adabao, controlling Panin's body, chuckled.
Because the ritual had been forcibly interrupted, the semi-deity suffered severe backlash. His entire body withered, and even the holy artifact in his hand dimmed.
The red-haired angel nodded lightly before sensing something.
"Larrion is coming. It's best I don't meet Him here..."
Larrion was the High Priest of the Church of the God of Combat.
As he spoke, the red-haired angel glanced at the grotesque Rose School angels, who had stopped their howling but caused the unprotected pirates to fully mutate into monsters merely by their pain-filled cries.
"You no longer need my help here."
"Perfect timing for Larryan to handle the aftermath." The ordinary-looking elder angel smiled meaningfully.
"Without the God's tacit permission, how could I have completely eroded a semi-deity wielding a holy artifact? That man was corrupt and always involved in the Church's shady dealings. It was only a matter of time before he was purged—this just expedited the process." Adabao spoke indifferently.
"And earlier, the black fog surrounding the town couldn't even be broken by Suah. Do you really think sacrificing a holy artifact alone could produce such an effect?"
He seemed more familiar with the plain elder angel, speaking more freely.
"Too bad He doesn't understand your true purpose... After this incident, you'll likely be wanted by the Church of the God of Combat." The elder smiled as he replied.
Their exchange was clearly not for idle conversation but a calculated performance for the red-haired angel to hear, signaling the Church's implicit understanding.
"I see... but it's still best I don't meet Larrion here. Farewell!" The red-haired angel vanished before his words fully echoed.
The plain elder exchanged a glance with Adabao and then gradually faded from sight.
Meanwhile, the two Rose School angels finally ceased their agonized wails. Suah extended a grotesque, ten-meter-long black, slimy arm, grasping Panin's shriveled body on the altar and crushing it instantly.
The demon vented its frustration by dragging out Panin's dazed spirit, corrupting and degrading it.
But such actions were futile—the demon's true form wasn't even here!
After thoroughly destroying the area surrounding the quiet town, the two Rose School angels sensed an approaching danger—the High Priest of the Church of the God of Combat was closing in, carrying something immensely terrifying.
They dared not linger and swiftly fled the town.
Moments later, an elder with a salt-and-pepper beard, a square hat, and light blue eyes that exuded a commanding aura appeared above the ruins of the quiet town. In his hand was a thin brass book.
....
At the heart of Daniel's maze, the black-haired young man wearing a monocle ignored the increasingly violent tremors of the grand hall. He stared at the stone platform where "1-025" had disappeared, the corner of his lips curling into a smile as he softly murmured:
"Interesting, truly interesting.
"Daniel turned out to be a contingency left by Tolzna, capable of setting up such a scheme? That's so unlike Him!
"But since Daniel stayed in Lenburg during his time on the Northern Continent, perhaps Herabergen was the mastermind."
"This grand hall's primary function is 'sacrifice,' meant to return the characteristics He split off back to Himself.
"The golden pillars symbolize the 'Sun's purification,' while the dark, viscous essence hidden inside represents the 'Sea of Chaos'... Using the Sun as a foundation to accommodate the Sea of Chaos? Tolzna must be seeking his Father's favor.
"Maybe Adam was involved too.
"The blood-red tiles likely symbolize the 'Primordial Moon.' It's no surprise '1-025' was tainted by both the Sea of Chaos and the Primordial Moon...
"It seems the Mother Goddess of Depravity also doesn't want the Mother Tree of Desire to have too much power in this world.
"She probably meddled a long time ago—Roselle even came here... He likely left something to attract items related to the Arbiter pathway, making the Loen military's decision to bring '1-025' here seem 'reasonable.'
"That artifact originally belonged to the Church of the Storm, yet somehow ended up with the military. Clearly, Leodero was involved.
"Heh, how amusing! Daniel built this hall but didn't know the follow-up plans. Roselle placed items here without knowing the final purpose. The Loen military brought '1-025' without the intention of 'sacrifice'...
"The one who performed the sacrifice likely had no idea either... but their identity must be special; otherwise, they wouldn't have been chosen for this final step.
"No one knew the full picture, yet over a span of centuries, a complex scheme was successfully executed, completely fooling the Mother Tree of Desire.
"Heh, of course, as the Father of Demons, She would immediately sense anyone aware of the plan.
"Naturally, it wouldn't have succeeded without the 'concealment' provided by the Evernight Goddess... heh.
"But here's the most important question: who connected all these efforts across different eras without being discovered by the Mother Tree?"
The young man suddenly looked up. Reflected in his monocle was a brown tree branch. He chuckled and said, "Daniel, did you even predict how to silence me? Or did Herabergen perfect the plan? What are you trying to hide?"
Before he could finish speaking, his body rapidly dissolved into a pile of sludge. The grand hall collapsed entirely, causing many unclaimed items left behind by Beyonders to scatter into reality through shattered mirrors.
...
At Gulain Wharf, a warship with an ancient design suddenly emerged from beneath the waves. Seawater cascaded off its deck as it smoothly sailed into the port, appearing just like a regular ship.
This was the Trident, a warship belonging to the Church of the Storm, capable of deep-sea navigation. Onboard were elite members of the Red Gloves and the Mandated Punishers.
Inside a private cabin, Leonard adjusted his clothing, preparing to head to the deck.
Just then, the dressing mirror rippled like water. A small, translucent worm, the thickness of a child's finger and adorned with countless transparent rings, was "spat" out from the mirror, landing squarely on Leonard's red glove.
Startled, Leonard instinctively tensed but soon realized the worm remained motionless as if already dead.
Studying it with a grave expression, he hesitated before asking aloud, "What is this?"
Moments later, an aged voice echoed in his ear:
"That's... Amon."