After reviewing his own memories, Anthony (Prometheus) finally understood what Lord Laojun had meant.
Indeed—if it was merely a matter of providing the mass needed for the Kabbalah's Sephirot, then he alone would be enough.
He could fully supply all the mass required for the portion of light that lay beyond the seven days.
Cycles of reincarnation beyond counting—a lifespan even longer than Lord Laojun's. What had formed over the course of that immense span of years was precisely Anthony (Prometheus)'s very essence.
The qualities demanded by the Kabbalah's Sephirot, Anthony (Prometheus) had already acquired in full across his long cycles of reincarnation.
In a certain sense, he was even more suited to the firing of the Seed of Light than Ein.
Ein's ten-thousand-year cycle, in terms of the sheer length of its timeline, likely couldn't compare at all to the full span of Anthony (Prometheus)'s entire working career as a Forgemaster.
Add to that the plan Ein had so carefully laid out, and Anthony (Prometheus) was confident that a single firing would yield enough light for two whole worlds.
"Oh, right—Lord Laojun."
Suddenly, Anthony (Prometheus) spoke up as if recalling something. Lord Laojun's footsteps paused, as though she dreaded the prospect of her old father blurting out some other absurd notion.
But in the end, all she received was this single sentence from Anthony (Prometheus):
"This whole journey—it's been hard on you. Thank you."
Anthony (Prometheus) spoke to Lord Laojun with utter sincerity. Lord Laojun's footsteps stayed frozen in place for a long while, and within that heart that had long known little emotion, waves of complicated feelings began to stir.
"Who needs your concern, you selfish wretch who only ever cares about your own amusement."
After a long pause, Lord Laojun finally murmured the words in a low voice—calm, without a ripple, no expression at all upon her face. As if that truly was what she thought.
Having said this, Lord Laojun lifted her foot and hurried away.
Watching this scene, Anthony (Prometheus) let out a sigh, a trace of helplessness on his face.
Disliked by his own kin, was he.
Still, he called out, halting Lord Laojun's departing steps:
"Don't be in such a hurry to go. There's still something else I need to trouble you with. Have you forgotten what I just told you—that we need to find a way to keep the Underworld from falling?"
Anthony (Prometheus) spoke half-resignedly, and Lord Laojun turned her head back. Upon that expressionless face, a rare flicker of helplessness surfaced. Perhaps her heart wasn't as calm as her words made it seem. Just now she'd surely meant to have her say and bolt right off, hadn't she?
But after a long while, the blue-haired girl still walked back to Anthony (Prometheus)'s side amid a sigh. "Fine." She spoke faintly: "It doesn't really matter anymore. I should have long since gotten used to your flights of fancy, and to being dragged along for them.
"You're always like this. Could you be a little more steady next time?"
The girl was at her wit's end. Listening to these words, Anthony (Prometheus) stood there somewhat awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.
By all reason, Anthony (Prometheus) ranked higher in seniority.
And yet, in the end, he was still the one getting scolded by the girl.
Fortunately, though, the girl said nothing more after that. She quickly and meekly settled herself at Anthony (Prometheus)'s side, never straying a single step.
And Anthony (Prometheus), at last with his hands free, began to contact Carmen in the group chat.
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: @AAA City Ghost, how goes the Smog War?]
[AAA City Ghost: Same as ever. Company G is making a desperate last stand, they've unleashed all three war machines—just short of the Cockroach Emperor now]
[AAA City Ghost: Company L looks ready to fight to the death now too, the smog's getting thicker and thicker. Barring any surprises, the war should be nearing its end soon]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: I see. So in other words, the smoke pollution source still hasn't been dealt with?]
[AAA City Ghost: Nope. Why are you asking about that?]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: Nothing much, I was just thinking—could we swipe the smoke pollution source and use it to carry out the plan]
[AAA City Ghost: ?]
Looking at Anthony (Prometheus)'s words, Carmen's expression gradually turned uncanny, and at the same time, she began to suspect that Anthony (Prometheus)'s old habit was acting up again.
Whenever it came to moments like this, in Carmen's impression, Anthony (Prometheus) always seemed to start scheming up some petty-pilfering, pluck-a-feather-off-every-passing-goose kind of job.
But for you to want even that thing—damn, you really aren't a picky eater!
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: Did your mind wander somewhere weird? That thing's meant to be used to carry out the Seed of Light plan]
Looking at the question mark Carmen sent, Anthony (Prometheus) began his explanation with a touch of helplessness.
Simply put, the original Seed of Light plan actually had very few loopholes. But now, because the script had been altered beyond recognition by Anthony (Prometheus), the loopholes had been rewritten into it.
He thought it over carefully: Benjamin hadn't died, Kali hadn't died, Daniel hadn't died either.
Most of the rest, though turned into boxed-up sprites, seemed to have gotten better during this period under Carmen's counseling.
And so an awkward problem arose: everyone was alive and well—so then, what was to be done about the Reverse Kabbalah collapse needed for the core suppression?
[AAA City Ghost: Don't tell me you're planning to manually use the smoke to drive everyone into collapse?]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: Am I that twisted? Besides, even if I wanted to it'd be hopeless—do you really think Kali could be polluted?]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: Projection. What I want is a projection. Use the smoke pollution source to project possibilities, and thereby anchor the corresponding possibility]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: And besides, the smoke pollution source also counts as an energy substance, so it should be possible to use it directly to power things—to pull out smoke-polluted versions of everyone]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: By this method, we should be able to gather the conditions for the Reverse Kabbalah. Then traverse the ten Sephirot in proper order, add me on top of that, and the Seed of Light is done]
After a brief moment of hesitation, Carmen finally agreed with what Anthony (Prometheus) said.
After all, by the looks of things, there really didn't seem to be any better way than this.
[AAA City Ghost: I guess that works. Conveniently the Smog War's about to wrap up too, so carting this thing off from Company L's side right now won't stir up any trouble]
[AAA City Ghost: Just treat it as the Smog War's curtain call]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: It won't come to that. This war will have a far grander finale—I promise you that]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: When the war ends, radiance will bathe the earth, and a colossal tree will break through the soil, rising all the way to the heavens]
And so, just like that, the whole matter was cheerfully settled.
Having finished his discussion with Carmen, Anthony (Prometheus) reached out and stroked the blue-haired girl's head. Just as always, the girl gave no response, only silently waiting for him to finish his rubbing.
Then, Anthony (Prometheus) spoke up:
"I'm going to step out for a little while—I'll be right back. Once I return, the plan will formally begin."
"Alright. I'll be waiting, then."
The girl gave a slight nod, which made Anthony (Prometheus) rub her head a few more vigorous times. At last, under the girl's disdainful gaze, Anthony (Prometheus) sheepishly withdrew his hand.
Then, he opened the chat group once more and sent out a message.
[Lord of the Pure White Throne has applied to enter the world of group member AAA City Ghost]
[World Traversal application approved]
The next instant—even having reached this stage—Anthony (Prometheus) still felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer. The moment after, his consciousness sank into the endless Primordial River.
The city. A meteor, beneath the shroud of smog, slipped quietly into the city. Within that seemingly endless mist, a figure with black hair and purple eyes walked at a measured pace.
Purple butterflies fluttered one after another around him, as if leading the way for him. Suddenly, the fluttering butterflies fell, and Anthony (Prometheus) halted his steps accordingly.
He pushed open a door and walked into that unremarkable room. Layer upon layer of sealing locks lost all response under the Forgemaster's power.
And so, in the very next moment, Anthony (Prometheus) entered that room almost entirely unobstructed.
The person inside the room lifted their head in an instant—but upon seeing the figure of the newcomer, they couldn't help freezing for a moment.
"Long time no see, Ein."
A pleasant smile hung on Anthony (Prometheus)'s face as he spoke.
Ein seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then gave Anthony (Prometheus) a slight nod. At the same time, within this laboratory, Carmen's phantom gradually coalesced.
It made Anthony (Prometheus)'s eyelid twitch.
Should one say, as expected of the cyber ghost? So elusive and unpredictable that even with the soul strength of a third-tier Forgemaster, Anthony (Prometheus) hadn't sensed Carmen before her appearance.
Once this one was resurrected within the light, she'd probably be even more outrageous.
"I've already heard about the matter from Carmen."
In the end, it was Ein who spoke first. He pointed at the combat screen before him and gave it a casual swipe—and so, smog shrouded the entire screen.
"It's just that, if it's a matter of obtaining the Smoke Polymer, I'm afraid it'll still be somewhat troublesome."
"That, after all, is the singularity core of all of Company L. Only when Company L goes completely bankrupt will there likely be a brief window of exposure."
"However, during that window, the probability that Company L destroys the Smoke Polymer is rather high."
"There's no need to worry about that—I'll handle it."
Anthony (Prometheus) cut off Ein's words and said directly: "I'll bring it back. Before I get that thing in hand, just move everyone to the Underworld."
"The site for the new Seed of Light plan is set there for now." Ein was rendered speechless for a moment, sizing Anthony (Prometheus) up. After a long silence, he gave Anthony (Prometheus) a slight nod.
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
Out of trust born from their last collaboration, Ein paid his respects to Anthony (Prometheus). And so, Anthony (Prometheus)'s gaze turned toward Carmen, extending an invitation to her:
"Let's go. Come along with me for a bit—you've still got some work to do."
"Should I say it's no surprise? You capitalist dog really won't let me off the hook."
Carmen let out a sigh, then gave Ein a parting word and led Anthony (Prometheus) toward the upper floors.
Before leaving, Anthony (Prometheus) tossed Ein a beacon leading to the Underworld, so that he could take the rest of the people in first.
After Ein hurried off, Anthony (Prometheus) followed in Carmen's footsteps, heading steadily upward, until at last they passed beyond the limit of the ceiling and arrived atop the building.
As far as the eye could see, what now covered the entire city seemed to be nothing but this boundless dense fog.
"We're right now in the very core zone of the Smog War."
Carmen explained offhandedly: "In other words, the inside of the L Hive."
"Your base of operations is built deep behind enemy lines?"
"As long as I'm here, nothing will go wrong."
Carmen's voice came calm and detached. She gazed into the distance. The city shrouded beneath the smog flickered with firelight and ash, with not the slightest sense of stillness.
The war was nearly over. The Five Fingers had long since joined the battlefield, and Company G, on the brink of bankruptcy, had begun ceaselessly stirring up conflict, with insect-mutated soldiers everywhere.
The smog drifted and spread, and the city dwellers shrouded within it grew gradually sickly under the day-after-day pollution—some even becoming madmen, then losing the ability to care for themselves.
"Tell me—once the light is fired, will all of this get better?"
Carmen looked at the city below, musing for a moment, and suddenly posed the question to Anthony (Prometheus).
"That's something you should be asking Ein."
"It's not like you don't know. He won't give me an answer."
Carmen shrugged, and said helplessly: "Once he's set his mind on something, no matter the outcome, he'll definitely see it through. Sometimes I really envy him.
"But this is the dream I gave him. When I cruelly left this dream behind for him, I didn't even know whether I was right."
Carmen lowered her eyelids and spoke softly, the deep smog—and the war within that smog—reflected in the depths of her eyes.
What she hesitated over was not the war itself. What she hesitated over was whether this war could lead to a result worthy of it.
"Isn't it already too late to speak of hesitation now?"
Anthony (Prometheus) shrugged and said breezily. Carmen paused slightly, and in the end, she nodded too.
"That's true. There's no need to think so much anymore."
And at this moment, butterflies flew out one after another from beneath Anthony (Prometheus)'s feet, surging into the smog, carrying away the souls of the dead. As he did this, Anthony (Prometheus) spoke calmly:
"Just keep walking forward, like Ein does."
"When the light blooms, hope will bloom. Hope won't make this world a better place, Carmen."
He turned toward Carmen and smiled: "But those who chase after hope will, won't they?"
Carmen fell silent for a moment, and in the end, she nodded.
"Then, let's begin."
And so, Carmen turned her head toward this hive shrouded in smog. Her figure within the river lifted its gaze, and then looked toward those endless stars.
Amid the search through star after star, she suddenly closed her eyes, her consciousness returning to the present. Then, she pointed far into the distance.
"There."
She declared with certainty, and Anthony (Prometheus) raised both hands, and toward that spot, struck out from afar with a clap!!
In an instant, the smog scattered entirely, as if a gale had swept through. Anthony (Prometheus)'s gaze flickered slightly, and through the Forgemaster's cage he glimpsed the existence within.
The Smoke Polymer—that hideous, ferocious monster. What it represented beyond itself was that colossal smoke itself.
It was the very singularity technology of the old Company L!
And at this moment, Anthony (Prometheus) merely brought his hands down once more, clapping softly.
In an instant, the Forgemaster's Cage completed its total sealing. The seemingly endless smog gushing outward also came to a halt.
And within the Forgemaster's Cage, the Smoke Polymer roared as if in fury, struggling in agony—yet it was as though pinned to the ground by a spear, unable to move at all!
Anthony (Prometheus) lowered his eyelids and clapped again. And so, endless butterflies flew out, stirring up a storm, swooping onto the body of the Smoke Polymer—and for a moment, it was as gorgeous and exquisite as a violet in bloom.
But Anthony (Prometheus) merely clapped once more.
And so, bright blue Soul Flames lit up upon the violet!
From that moment, the Smoke Polymer shrieked in agony, and amid its roars, it bellowed at the entire world. Countless plumes of smoke gushed forth—yet were scorched away utterly by the Soul Flames.
The Origin Furnace rumbled, dissolving into each and every butterfly. The fluttering, dancing butterflies decomposed everything they touched, like a furnace.
Anthony (Prometheus) pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands once again.
And so, this time, the sound was as if cut off mid-note. Everything froze here, leaving only the surging Primordial River flowing into that Origin Furnace.
The Smoke Polymer could no longer move at all. Amid the rumbling of the Origin Furnace, it gradually condensed and contracted, and countless butterflies withered and died within the Origin Furnace.
Until at last, an aggregate radiating gray-black and white smog manifested—yet it was like a tiny, round crystal.
Anthony (Prometheus) reached out a hand, and that crystal orb came into his grasp. Toying with it in his hand, it fit just right.
Carmen watched this bizarre scene, feeling only that it was damn well bewitched.
What was this—you stand there without moving an inch, and just casually deal with this singularity core?
"Just how strong are you now, exactly?"
The corner of Carmen's eye twitched slightly, and then she put the question to Anthony (Prometheus).
Faced with Carmen's question, Anthony (Prometheus) seemed to hesitate for a moment, a rare contemplative look surfacing on his face. But in the end, he merely shrugged.
"Hard to say. Honestly, I'm not too clear on it myself."
He looked at the smoke orb in his hand, and then continued:
"I skimmed through my earlier memories a bit, and along the way I more or less finished repairing the Underworld. The result is, the Underworld seems to have, indeed, acknowledged my return."
"The me of now is infinitely equivalent to that Underworld itself."
The essence of the Underworld was Anthony (Prometheus)'s former forging-furnace core. And now, rather than calling it some otherdimensional thing, it would be better to say that it was the world itself!
As a forging-furnace core that had once approached the very pinnacle of Forgemasters, that the Underworld possessed such capability could only be said to be within expectation.
And after the Underworld's repairs grew ever more complete, Anthony (Prometheus) at last felt the feedback coming from the Underworld.
Having poured so much money into this thing, he could finally see some return now.
He had been acknowledged by the Underworld. And so, the mighty power of the Forgemaster lingering within the Underworld was at last opened to Anthony (Prometheus).
Though there had been some loss across who-knew-how-many cycles of reincarnation, and it would be hard to return to its peak in the short term, even so, it was already a rather considerable legacy.
"Alright, the thing's in hand—no need to say more."
Anthony (Prometheus) let out a sigh, raised a hand, a flash of red light, and the smoke orb in his hand was sent back into the Underworld.
He then looked toward Carmen, a red beacon hovering in his hand, and said to her:
"Are you ready?"
"If you're ready, then we're about to return to the Underworld, to let the Seed of Light bloom."
Carmen heaved a sigh, took the beacon from Anthony (Prometheus)'s hand, then turned solemn and said in a low voice:
"Ready. Now, let's go."
When Anthony (Prometheus) and Carmen returned together to the Underworld, Ein had already settled all the people from the laboratory.
They were staying in the side hall of the Underworld, where Kali was playing around teasing a dog.
But, looking at the Howling Celestial Dog that seemed to be enjoying itself so much, Anthony (Prometheus) was silent for a moment, and decided in the end not to tell either of the two about this matter.
After returning to the Underworld, Anthony (Prometheus) immediately raised his hand, and the smoke orb was enlarged in an instant, then enlarged again, and then entered the deepest depths of the Underworld.
There, a single position had always been reserved for the core of the Underworld.
The smoke orb embedded itself deep into the depths of the Underworld—yet it never managed to fuse in. Anthony (Prometheus) looked at it for a while, and could only sigh softly.
Seems there's no taking the easy way out after all. But it didn't matter—he hadn't held out much hope for it to begin with.
What came next was the real business.
He looked at Ein, who came hurrying over, then glanced at Carmen, and immediately asked:
"Is everyone ready?"
"They're all prepared and in position."
Ein said softly, and so Anthony (Prometheus) gave a slight nod, and then spoke again:
"Good, then. Next—three of the eighteen levels of hell have already been cleared out for them."
"There, they will face off against the selves within their own hearts."
As Anthony (Prometheus) spoke, he gazed into the depths of the eighteen levels of hell. At last, he paused slightly and said:
"To ensure the final Sephira has sufficient mass, I too will enter within it. Next, the matter of mirroring possibilities, I'll leave to you, Carmen."
"Rest assured." Carmen nodded, signaling that she'd take care of it all.
And so, Anthony (Prometheus) slightly lowered his gaze, and the entire Underworld began to operate in accordance with Hades's will.
The next instant, the crowd in the Underworld's side hall accordingly entered the depths of hell, while Anthony (Prometheus) turned the glass window, aiming it at the smoke orb deep within the Underworld.
From that instant, smog coiled and swirled.
Amid the endless smog, Carmen operated the glass window, sifting through countless possibilities to select the fitting one. From within the smog—those polluted possibilities.
In the eighteen levels of hell, those specially set-up Reverse Kabbalah counters surged almost instantly, even faintly entering a malfunctioning state.
And so, when the several of them came back to their senses, an extra person had already appeared before them.
"Looking at this guy really is a bit infuriating."
Facing the humanoid machine before her, Kali frowned at the weapons in the other's hands—Crimson Eyes and Penitence—and let out an annoyed click of her tongue.
Then, from behind her own back, she drew that Mimicry Prototype EGO.
The next instant, blade met blade.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Daniel held a coffee cup in his hands, looking at the soul in the sky resembling a crosslike judgment, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.
"That thing's really huge. Is this another possibility's version of me?"
Daniel muttered to himself, then shook his head of his own accord.
"But I'm just an office worker—how am I supposed to deal with that thing?"
He let out a sigh, then froze slightly, hearing words that seemed to ring out right beside his ear.
"It was I who got those who trusted me killed."
"But by doing so I created more value. Betray their trust, betray their trust—I only need to betray their trust..."
Daniel furrowed his brow, looking at that existence in the sky surging with black smog. After a moment, he sighed, and drank down the coffee in his cup.
"I think I understand a little now. But seeing it like this, I really am unwilling to admit that's myself."
The coffee had gone a bit cold.
Daniel thought to himself.
Apart from Daniel and Kali, many more people were doing similar things at this moment.
In a higher level of hell, Hod faced another self, looking at that body, slimelike and viscous, rolling with black smoke.
"Come on—your goodwill is useless anyway. So why not just put away that hypocritical kindness? You know better than I do just how suited you are to doing evil!"
Hod looked timidly at the girl before him, who wore a corrupted smile and mocked him wantonly, and couldn't help swallowing.
Benjamin stood with both hands stuffed in his pockets, gazing silently at a decrepit-looking version of himself, saying nothing.
The former Gallion, now Binah, sat on a plastic chair, drinking tea with another self covered all over in black smoke.
Tiphereth had to face her dead younger brother. He had come back to life—yet that brother, covered all over in black smoke, was interrogating her.
Yesod was gazing in silence at the self lying in the coffin, its skin being peeled away bit by bit.
And there were more still—Malkuth, Netzach, and so on.
Anthony (Prometheus)'s gaze swept over them one by one, and at last drew all his lines of sight back, calmly looking ahead of himself.
Before him, too, a stretch of black smoke was ceaselessly churning, repeatedly attempting to gather into form—yet always falling short at the final step.
Anthony (Prometheus) had his own part to deal with as well.
He took in the entire scene of the eighteen levels of hell. Now, the Seed of Light plan was proceeding steadily.
Thanks to Carmen's counseling, the department heads' wishes had essentially all been resolved. Therefore, they didn't actually meet the requirements of the Reverse Kabbalah.
But, by mirroring their possibilities through the black smoke, and then having them face off against another-possibility version of themselves, the requirements of the Reverse Kabbalah could be fulfilled.
And so the final result was quite simple. Extract the portion belonging to the Reverse Kabbalah, and use the smog to shape it into form—and thus, the collapsed department heads thereby appeared.
Then, by the very people whom Carmen had now successfully guided through their issues, those collapsed existences would be crushed by their own hands, or released and set free.
Thereby, leaping across the Sephirot of the Kabbalah's tree, accomplishing the miracle known as the Seed of Light.
The only shortcoming was that this could only produce light enough to shine for seven days.
But according to Anthony (Prometheus)'s prediction, to apportion enough light for his own side, at least ten days' worth would be needed.
So, in the end, the decision Anthony (Prometheus) made was: wouldn't it work to just conjure up a smog-derivative for himself too?
And so he did just that. But right afterward he discovered that this smog-derivative was acting like it had blown a fuse—spinning round and round in place, just refusing to come out for the life of it...
Anthony (Prometheus) had watched this thing nearly take form several times—and the result? Not ten-odd seconds later, it blew up again!
"Hey man, would you move a little?"
With a pained look on his face, Anthony (Prometheus) gave the smog a couple of kicks.
He'd already made his preparations for his own collapsed state to be utterly unreasonable—prepared for a bitter fight, even to pay a price to settle it!
And the result? This thing turned coward and chickened out, wouldn't even come out!
Refusing to believe it, Anthony (Prometheus) kicked it several more times in a row. And just as he was about to hold his nose and give up, all of a sudden, he was stunned to discover that the smog had finally moved!
After a bout of frenzied twitching, the smog slowly formed into Anthony (Prometheus)'s shape. Then, just as Anthony (Prometheus) waited full of anticipation, that smog scattered again.
And this time it scattered completely—not even a wisp of smoke could be seen. And just as Anthony (Prometheus) was doubting his very life, he heard a voice echoing right by his ear.
"What're you doing, bro?"
That familiar voice interrogated Anthony (Prometheus) thus: "What are you always looking for some nonexistent thing for? Your possibilities have long since converged! You really think you're playing around as a Forgemaster?"
"If it's mass you need to fill in, then just use yourself—why go to all that trouble racking your brain over those collapsed forms?"
Then, the voice slowly dissipated, leaving behind only a dumbfounded Anthony (Prometheus).
Damn it—that was his own voice!
And that tone—Anthony (Prometheus) knew it all too well. That was his past self, or rather, himself from the previous cycle of reincarnation.
Wait, bro, how come you're here too?
Anthony (Prometheus) instinctively lowered his head to glance at the Ruby on his body, and then, all of a sudden, realized a possibility.
It was unlikely to be some hokey not-having-died phenomenon—after all, that was himself, and of this much Anthony (Prometheus) was certain.
Then there was only one possibility.
Because it really couldn't find a possibility after searching for so long, the smog had in the end activated the memory information left behind in the Ruby, forcibly conjuring one up out of nothing.
Still, come to think of it, the Ruby had, in a certain sense, also recorded Anthony (Prometheus)'s cycle after cycle of reincarnation. This information, in a certain sense, could also count as a facet of Anthony (Prometheus).
But also thanks to the reminder from his past self, Anthony (Prometheus) had more or less figured out the road ahead.
"After all that fuss, isn't it still just me sitting on the golden toilet?"
Anthony (Prometheus) said helplessly, looking at the Seed of Light sprouting before him. He let out a sigh, reached out, and thrust his hand into it.
And so, gentle light, under Anthony (Prometheus)'s nurturing, began to be gradually kindled.
The long transmission of mass had begun.
Throughout this long transmission, within the other levels of hell, the struggles too were gradually reaching their conclusions.
The mimicry in Kali's hand flashed, slicing off the machine's head, and she lit a cigarette.
"Did you protect others?"
At the very end, that head asked Kali. Kali took a drag of her cigarette and smacked her lips.
"Probably."
She tossed the cigarette down, letting the butt fall to the ground, flickering with tiny sparks.
Hod gently embraced his other self, softly soothing the other. They were all, in fact, words Carmen had once said—yet the corrupted smile on the other's face gradually faded.
Daniel regretfully picked up his utterly empty coffee cup, looked at that collapsing cross, and gave a soft sigh.
"At least this time I can't betray others' trust again, right?"
He capped it off with that somewhat flippant line.
Netzach tossed aside that bottle of beer, and Malkuth, in a notebook, cherishingly wrote down the handwriting reminding herself.
Yesod, facing the self in the coffin, simply undid the buttons and draped the garment over that blood-soaked flesh.
Tiphereth embraced her younger brother, softly singing a nursery rhyme of days past, for a long, long while.
Benjamin stood before his aged self, taking with his own hands the pocket watch the other handed over.
Until at last, Binah rose to her feet, hearing the voice of her other self.
"It's truly miraculous, isn't it?"
The other self spoke thus. Binah's footsteps paused slightly, and then she nodded toward the other.
"Yes, truly miraculous. And so, I will watch over them always."
She narrowed her eyes, looking at the radiance shining in the distance, and spoke with delight:
"Perhaps they really will sever a cycle this once?"
And so, all of everything, lit up upon the Sephirot.
Until Anthony (Prometheus), watching that gradually swelling radiance, gave a soft sigh, and reached out a hand to his side. "Coming?" he asked. Standing beside him, Ein did not hesitate, and slowly nodded.
And so, in that moment, the two of them entered hand in hand into the radiance.
The ever more innocent self—the final Kether Sephira—was successfully lit.
Moreover, in the very instant Anthony (Prometheus) walked over, Hades's accumulation across the long cycles of reincarnation finally erupted.
And so, from that very instant!
The colossal tree broke through the earth, and radiance spilled across the world. Countless beams of light cascaded down, illuminating the entire world into broad daylight.
Whether the Underworld, or the city now in the midst of the Smog War, all were bathing beneath the shining of the radiance.
The Seed of Light now stood tall upon the earth!
____
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