The Abomination Suah couldn't understand; everything happening before him was beyond his worldview. He had never imagined that the Mother Tree of Desire, whom he viewed as the greatest, could also experience fear. This reality was an even greater blow to him than being abandoned.
"How pitiful, to be discarded so ruthlessly!" The Angel of Secrets looked at Suah, who appeared weak, pitiful, and helpless in this moment, showing a look of sympathy. "So let me send you to rest. Hopefully, you'll be a better person in your next life!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, with Lynn's cover, Klein opened the sealed box and raised the Sea God Scepter toward the Demi-God Puppet.
In an instant, lightning engulfed the area.
...
As always, when Kottman arrived on the scene, the battle had already ended.
Only a few people remained at the scene, including a familiar face that Kottman had become all too familiar with recently. Standing amidst the ruins, that familiar figure greeted him with a bright smile.
"Cleaning up after the battle again, old man!"
For a moment, Kottman wanted to strike the other with a bolt of lightning, but considering the divine message from the Lord, he held back. Taking a deep breath, he looked around at the chaos and the still-present Angel of Secrets, and politely asked, "Could someone tell me what happened here?"
"Roughly, the Rose School of Thought's scoundrels launched a despicable attack on us. Fortunately, I'm skilled at summoning help, and a big shot came to counter them, ultimately managing to kill Suah and two other unknown Demi-Gods." Lynn tilted his head, giving a simple summary of the events.
Incidentally, Reinette Tinekerr had already taken her spoils and left, having struck a deal with the Angel of Secrets regarding Suah's Characteristic. She would contribute enough in the coming years to exchange for this prize belonging to Lynn.
Hearing Lynn's words, Kottman was stunned. Taking a deep breath, he confirmed, "You killed The Abomination Suah?" His tone carried an unmistakable incredulity.
As a frequent presence across the Five Seas, Kottman often interacted with the Rose School of Thought and was very familiar with who Suah was.
A Sequence 1 Angel, Suah was also closely connected with the Chained God, suspected to be their progeny.
Killing such an angel was far more challenging than dealing with an ordinary Sequence 1.
"I have Suah's body with me, but I doubt it's suitable for you to view," said the Angel of Secrets.
"I'll report this to His Holiness." Kottman didn't insist on seeing Suah's body, knowing that as a Sequence 3, direct exposure to a mythical entity could have severe repercussions.
"As you wish," the Angel of Secrets replied indifferently, turning his attention back to Klein, whom he protected by his side.
Not for any other reason, but because Klein being equipped with an artifact and aided by Lynn, had indeed managed to kill the Rose School of Thought's Demi-God Puppet.
Thus, with the appearance of Adam, the strongest spectator, who witnessed the event and applied a buff, Klein swiftly prepared and ingested the Bizarro Sorcerer potion, choosing to ascend.
When Kottman arrived, Klein was in the midst of ascending, with the Angel of Secrets personally safeguarding him to ensure he could intervene if anything went awry.
Thankfully, Mr. Fool was still Mr. Fool. Although the plan deviated slightly, Klein successfully ascended to Bizarro Sorcerer.
"It seems I can offer my blessings early for your ascension to Demi-God. Well done," said the Angel of Secrets, watching Klein as he familiarized himself with the abilities of a Bizarro Sorcerer, unable to suppress a smile.
"It's all thanks to you," Klein replied humbly, feeling a bit sentimental. "I never imagined I'd ascend to Demi-God so soon…"
It was something Klein couldn't have dreamed of a few months prior.
"You should be more grateful to the Rose School of Thought for gifting you a Demi-God," the Angel of Secrets joked, glancing at the puppet Demi-God that Klein had turned into a marionette. "This also means Blood Admiral can finish early."
Klein also realized this and started to look at Blood Admiral Senor as if seeing a pile of gold pounds.
If he had obtained a Demi-God marionette from another pathway, Klein wouldn't abandon the highly useful Blood Admiral so easily. However, the puppet perfectly covered the Wraith's abilities, making Senor's existence largely unnecessary now that he had this new marionette.
"How's the digestion of the Bizarro Sorcerer potion?" asked the Angel of Secrets.
"I've already digested part of it, though not a large amount. At this pace, it should take less than six months to fully digest…" Klein replied, clearly acknowledging the benefit of preparing as Dwayne Dantes in advance.
To fully digest a Sequence 4 potion in six months was enough to astonish anyone in this era.
"Six months…" The Angel of Secrets frowned slightly, evidently dissatisfied with this timeframe. However, since this wasn't Klein's fault, Lynn merely snapped his fingers to ensure their conversation remained private, and then asked, "Do you think it's possible to digest the Bizarro Sorcerer potion over the internet?"
"Huh?" Klein was momentarily stunned, having never considered such an approach.
Or rather, no sane person would have such an idea.
"I think it's possible," Klein mused, recovering quickly from his initial surprise. "Since Bizarro Sorcerer potion digestion isn't bound by distance, it should theoretically work over the internet as well."
"But…" Klein hesitated, both hopeful and uncertain. "Wasn't the Coordinate of the Pre-Epoch not been confirmed yet?" Since he regularly mingled with Lynn, Klein was naturally aware of the Ancient Coordinate's analysis progress.
"Originally, it would've taken a bit longer, but you're now a Demi-God. This means you can finally approach those cocoons above the Gray Fog—those individuals who, like you, hail from the Modern era," the Angel of Secrets replied, watching him with a faint sigh. "They carry information from the Modern Era. With them, I should be able to pinpoint the Pre-Epoch's coordinates within a week."
"With enough connections, that should indeed be possible," Lynn affirmed, providing confirmation.
This sent Klein's heart racing—he felt more exhilarated than he had upon achieving his ascension to Bizarro Sorcerer.
Seeing Klein's reaction, Lynn smiled and said, "So, if all goes well, once we resolve the Backlund smog incident, we can begin our journey back to the 21st century."
(End of Chapter)