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*****
In the past, it was always Adam who schemed against others; even True Gods occasionally fell prey to his designs.
As the divinity of the Ancient Sun God and a Sequence 1 Author, he possessed knowledge of nearly everyone's past and their deepest secrets. This allowed him to weave layers of coincidence and orchestrate destiny to achieve his goals.
However, he found himself utterly unable to see through the background of the individual calling himself the "Angel of the Fool." He couldn't fathom how a Sequence 3 could exert the power of a True God. Even the agents he dispatched to investigate the Fool's "Sky Island" returned with nothing but the same information held by the major churches and official organizations.
The only certainty was that "The Fool" had likely not yet fully awakened or descended; this "Angel of the Fool" was almost certainly the architect of the Church of the Fool. His ultimate goal was likely to advance to Sequence 0, become The Fool, and then absorb the Uniquenesses of the Apprentice and Error pathways to become a triple-sequence True God. This was the foundation of Adam's suspicion that Mr. Door's advancement was linked to this mysterious Angel.
"If it really is as you suspect, then being careful won't help," Amon mused. After a moment of silence, he looked at Adam with a solemn expression. "I need to become a True God now."
"Are you planning to replace George III?"
Knowing Amon's character intimately, Adam instantly grasped his meaning. The apotheosis ritual for the Error pathway involved "replacing" someone else during their divine advancement. Ideally, one would replace a candidate from the Apprentice or Seer pathways to become a dual-sequence deity immediately. But those hopes were fading.
Mr. Door had already returned and ascended, and his location was hidden even from them. As for the Seer pathway, one would have to contend with that absurdly powerful Angel of the Fool first. Thus, Amon's only viable option was to replace someone from a non-neighboring pathway. While this would only make him a True God of the Error pathway, it was a necessary step.
Faced with the threat of the Angel of the Fool, Amon wanted his advancement settled quickly. The only suitable candidate currently nearing ascension was George III.
"Fine. I will help you," Adam agreed after a brief deliberation. If George III successfully became the Black Emperor, he would become much harder to control and might even attempt to subvert the Twilight Hermit Order. Promoting Amon served Adam's long-term plans better.
---
"It seems your advancement was a success. Now, isn't it time to fulfill our promise?"
George looked at the newly ascended Mr. Door and smiled, extending his right hand. Their agreement was simple: George would free him, and in exchange, Mr. Door would surrender his Uniqueness and Beyonder characteristics.
Mr. Door, draped in his blood-colored cloak, let out a chilling laugh. "Of course. Once you and I become one, you will naturally possess my Uniqueness and characteristics."
He reached out and made a crushing motion toward George. A force capable of pulverizing stars instantly bore down on him. Simultaneously, the bloody cloak behind Mr. Door elongated, lashing out like a serpent to entwine George's body.
"I figured it would go like this."
George's muscles surged with power as he braced his physical body against the star-crushing pressure. He exhaled a burst of tri-colored flames, incinerating the encroaching cloak into nothingness, before stepping back to make way for the Three Fairies.
"Get him!"
Yunxiao cast out the Mixed-Element Golden Basin. It hovered above Mr. Door, emitting a pillar of golden light that instantly snared him, pulling him toward the vessel.
"Open!"
Mr. Door's expression twisted. He manifested a Star Key and thrust it into the golden light, attempting to "open a door" through the radiance to escape. However, the light merely flickered twice before returning to a deathly calm.
In theory, a True God of the Door pathway can open any door in the universe and break any seal, commanding absolute authority over space. No known method should have been able to imprison him. Unfortunately for him, he was facing a top-tier Primordial Treasure.
The Mixed-Element Golden Basin possessed vast spatial divine power, with a capacity as boundless as the four seas. It was designed to capture the greatest of immortals and the most powerful of artifacts. During the War of the Gods, the Three Fairies had used it to seize legendary figures and strip them of their powers and cultivation. Even as a historical projection, its essence was a perfect counter to Mr. Door.
Just as Mr. Door was about to be sucked into the basin, the moonlight in the sky intensified. A surging, filthy tide erupted from the remnants of the Flesh Gate.
The Mother Tree of Desire was finally making her move. This time, the power she channeled through Mr. Door was far greater than what she had exerted over Roselle. While Roselle had been indirectly corrupted and often maintained his sanity, Mr. Door had been directly tainted, effectively becoming a puppet for the Great Old One.
George remained unfazed. Qiongxiao and Bixiao struck simultaneously, unleashing the Golden Dragon Scissors. With a single, decisive snip, the celestial blades severed the surging tide and obliterated the remaining gate of flesh.
With his support cut off, Mr. Door was vanished entirely into the Mixed-Element Golden Basin.
"Strip him of the Uniqueness and the characteristics," George commanded, stepping up to Yunxiao.
Yunxiao nodded and pointed a finger at the basin in her hand. A flash of golden light pulsed within the vessel. Just like that, the newly minted True God was stripped of his Uniqueness and his three Sequence 1 characteristics, leaving him with only the strength of a Sequence 2 Planeswalker. More importantly, the corruption of the Mother Tree of Desire was purged along with them.
As the projections of the Three Fairies faded, George reclaimed the spoils of the Door pathway. He looked at the now-lucid Mr. Door and spoke calmly:
"You broke our agreement. Therefore, I give you two choices: join my Church of the Fool as an Angel, or die right here."
"I choose the first one," Mr. Door replied. He stood up, choosing to join the church without a moment's hesitation.
Though it was the Mother Tree of Desire who had controlled his body to betray the deal, he didn't bother making excuses. He understood the reality of the situation; he was fortunate to still be alive with his Sequence 2 powers intact. If the alternative was becoming a mindless puppet and destroying the world, he would have preferred death.
(End of Chapter)