Chapter 42 : End of the journey (1)

Xin Jian went to Alger Wilson.

« Hello~. I am an angel send by The Fool (but which Fool ?). He proposes to make you the bishop of His Church. Do you accept it ? »

Alger clenched his hand.

It had always been his dream to have an important position in a Church.

However, he was still reluctant to leave the Storm Church where he had passed his childhood.

Alger had to make a choice.

(Xin Jian : As a farewell, let's make others be in a dilemma…)

—————— I am the dividing line~

Xin Jian looked at Ourobouros.

Their encounter was totally unexpected, she should have lost her way a bit too much this time…

« Er… Goodbye ? I hope we'll be closer in the next timeline. »

Ourobouros nodded and left.

Xin Jian : …

—————— I am the dividing line~

Xin Jian sat at a table.

Anderson Hood and Danitz looked at her.

« What ? Can't we drink together ? » She retorted.

Anderson just accepted that a stranger suddenly accepted to drink with them as it was natural while Danitz was forced to accept it.

Xin Jian : I had increased my alcohol resistance with Roselle…

Danitz : Dogshit !

—————— I am the dividing line~

Xin Jian walked to where the City of Silver was and saw Derrick preaching The Fool.

From afar, she compared their heights.

Then, she turned back.

Is it how it feels to be small…?

—————— I am the dividing line~

« Fors Wall ! I am your fan, can I have an autograph ? »

Fors Wall lazily signed Xin Jian's book then they chatted together.

She also visited the bounty hunter in the eastern district and was reassured about her height.

(Xio : …

Xin Jian : Stop hitting me ! Stop hitting me ! I only said the truth !)

—————— I am not the dividing line~

At a certain card table in a certain bar, Xin Jian sat down.

She looked at the living corpses next to them then turned to Maric and the invisible Sharon.

She smiled.

« Could we play cards ? »

In response, Maric shuffled the cards and cut the deck.

In the middle of their game, Sharon had appeared and looked at them with her head in her hand.

—————— I am the dividing line~

Xin Jian looked into Reinette Tinker's eyes (but from which head ??) and declared with a solemn air.

« Reinette Tinker, our time together was short. » (So this farewell is even shorter…)

Xin Jian recalled something and turned back.

She made a thumbs up.

« Oh, and don't forget to ruin Gehrman even more before he goes to sleep. »

Then she disappeared.

—————— I am the dividing line~

« Er… Medici… »

"What should I say…"

Medici sighed.

Why are you sighing ??

(Medici : I'm sighing because I'm hungry.

Xin Jian : *thumbs up* What a good reason to sigh.)

Medici patted Xin Jian's head.

"Medici touched my head ?!"

Xin Jian was shocked

He tsked.

« Medici, are you sick ?»

Or can everyone see fate even though they are not from the Fate Pathway ??

He shook His head.

(As for Medici, His attitude was strange ?)

« Sorry. » He said.

Then He left.

What the- ??

Xin Jian was really worried for Him.

—————— I am the dividing line~

Above the gray fog, some gods were gathered around the long mottled table.

Xin Jian spoke up.

« Adam, thank you for your help in this round. Without you, I wouldn't have thought about hypnotizing someone each time something is annoying. »

She then turned to Lilith.

« Lilith, thank you for being there. I know that I did a bit of favoritism with Amanises, but your blessing was very useful to pull pranks on Klein. »

Then to Leodero.

« Leodoro… No, I guess it's Leodero. Well, you were a tsundere as always… »

Leodero : What ?!

Then to the Goddess of Sleeping Flowers…

« No, Xin Jian, do your farewell properly. »

Xin Jian listened to Mr. Fool's nagging and continued.

« Er, Leodero, you were true to yourself as always. »

However, since He had understood that being "true to Himself" was being a tsundere, Leodero was in a complicated mood.

« I'm kidding. (Or not.) Thank you too. »

She then turned to the last person.

« Amanises… You are a wonderful person. You're pretty, beautiful and gorgeous… Well, you're kind, too. (But that's just a detail.) I thank you a lot for bearing with me and being my friend. (And by the way, I'm still continuing to favor you over Lilith right now…) »

Xin Jian sighed and looked at everyone.

« Adam, Leodero, Lilith and Amanises… I guess that's the end of our journey. Let's see each other again in our next life. »

Then there was silence.

Adam was the first to open His mouth.

« Are you sure you're not just being dramatic ? »

« Oh, shut up… »

Xin Jian slouched down on the table.

Right, there was still the hypothesis that Xin Jian's gut feeling was wrong and it wasn't yet the end of this timeline…

—————— I am the dividing line~

Then came the day when Klein tried to accommodate the Fool Uniqueness.

Xin Jian looked at Klein become a god.

He escaped from Amon by going up to the gray fog and saw Xin Jian, leisurely sitting on a chair.

« Ah. Hello. » She waved to him awkwardly.

Klein didn't know what to say until Klein's spiritual perception was triggered.

He felt another presence inside of Sefirah Castle. (No, not Mr. Fool.)

A certain dual pathway true god (the Error Uniqueness was imagined by Adam… Adam, what are you doing ?!) had followed him up there.

"Amon !"

As Klein tried to make Him leave Sefirah Castle, Amon began monologuing with a crazy smile on His face.

« Are you pleasantly surprised ? »

Pleasantly ? No, thank you…

However, Amon had gained control over Sefirah Castle ! He couldn't make Him leave !

Amon cast His gaze at him, pulled out a chair and sat down, chuckling.

« I released the suppression of the Lord of the Mysteries in my body.

Him being the owner of Sefirah Castle makes me equivalent to being the owner of Sefirah Castle. Of course, I can enter.

This is very risky. Even in the past, I didn't dare to try it before, but since you've grown to this extent, I can only take the risk.

This is very exciting. I'm quite pleased with the effects. »

As Amon spoke, slippery and sinister tentacles appeared beneath His clothes.

He took the initiative to revive part of the Lord of the Mysteries, allowing Himself to enter a half-crazy state.

Xin Jian, who was sitting opposite Amon, smiled gently.

« Really ? If this is exciting, then I want to do it too. »

Amon suddenly felt that Xin Jian was gaining more and more control over Sefirah Castle and froze.

Xin Jian crossed her legs.

« I think you missed something here. »

She had a confident smile on her face.

« Who told you that the current Lord of Mysteries isn't on my side ? »

Serifah Castle originally belonged to the Lord of Mysteries.

However, the Lord of Mysteries was now Mr. Fool, and Xin Jian was also a part of Mr. Fool since she was fused with him as the Error Uniqueness.

In other words, Xin Jian could have 100% of authority over the gray fog if she wanted to.

« Well, I said it, didn't I ? »

Amon was submerged by the gray fog and tried to escape.

Xin Jian's gaze sharpened.

« That I am the Lord of Mysteries. »

(Even though she originally didn't say it to Amon, but to Medici…)

She blocked Amon from leaving and completely overpowered Him.

Klein's pupils widened (at the grand revelation… No, Klein ! Don't listen to it ! It's not true !) and he saw Amon's ontology die. (A dual pathway true god died at the hands of a Uniqueness nice…) Uniquenesses are ruthless these days.

(Xin Jian : I was cool, wasn't I ?)

Then the triple pathway true Uniqueness aka Lord of Mysteries (?) turned to Klein.

(Klein : Wait, if you're the Lord of Mysteries, it means that this gray fog space comes from you ?

Xin Jian : Yes, yes. That's right.

And another misunderstanding began.

Mr. Fool : …)

She sighed.

« Now, it's time to talk, isn't it ? »

With a complicated gaze, Klein nodded and took a seat too.

(Mr. Fool : How did Klein recognize Xin Jian in the fog ? He should have mistaken her for Miss Devil instead.

Author : It is the spiritual intuition of a god. We won't say that Klein made the connection between Xin Jian and Miss Devil to preserve Xin Jian's mental health. She said she'd take that secret to the grave…)

In his heart, he had gradually understood that Xin Jian didn't have any bad intentions towards him.

Just now, she had even saved him by killing Amon.

In front of Xin Jian's calm gaze, Klein struggled mentally.

He instinctively couldn't accept that he had wrongfully accused her all this time and searched for a reason to prove that it was wrong.

#Xin Jian is sharing his divinity so it is reasonable if he has more humanity than in LOTM

« And… And Captain ? And Azik ? And Audrey that died in the war…? »

For once, Xin Jian took the time to explain everything one by one.

« Mr. Azik indeed fell into a long slumber because I brought him to the mausoleum. I knew that your captain would die but I didn't kill Ince Zangwill, that's also my fault, and I indeed made a war happen earlier to limit the casualties so Miss Justice's death is my fault too. I am not trying to shift the responsibility to someone else but I think that what you are reproaching me are my intentions. »

They were both at fault in this misunderstanding.

She looked into his eyes and said firmly :

« I did not have the intention to harm your friends, I only made bad decisions. I always considered you as a friend and I won't let you deny these feelings. »

Klein lowered his gaze.

« I see… »

He understood that his hate for Xin Jian might have been because of misunderstandings all along.

However…

Klein stood up.

« But I have hated you for so long… »

Xin Jian couldn't deny that she was also at fault for not explaining herself earlier and pulling pranks on him by endangering his life (like in the Great Fog of Backlund).

She couldn't deny that she wasn't completely innocent in this matter. And she had still killed him.

« How could I just erase the feelings I have felt all this time…? »

(The feelings -> hatred

Author : And no, Editor-nim, Klein and Xin Jian aren't angsty separated lovers…)

Klein smiled.

« Let's fight another time. I have to take revenge for last time. »

Xin Jian nodded.

So they fought.

As expected, Klein, a newly advanced god who had just gotten the Uniquenesses of two other pathways (the Door Uniqueness and the imagined Uniqueness of the Error Pathway, which apparently wasn't imagined but was the true physical body of the Error Uniqueness in the real world that Adam had secretly separated from Xin Jian's soul in the bone church) easily overpowered Xin Jian, and killed her.

Klein looked down at her dead body and made a self-deprecating smile.

« Now, all our debts are settled. »

He turned back.

« I forgive you, Xin Jian. »

Klein and Xin Jian had reconciled (?).

(Well, somehow.)

However, it was strange, why did the overprotective (at least sometimes) Mr. Fool not stop Klein from killing Xin Jian…?

—————— I am the dividing line~

After he got another drop of the River of Eternal Darkness to stabilize his state and visited Will, Klein held a last Tarot meeting.

When the figure appeared above the gray fog, he looked at the empty seat of Miss Justice, then the one of The Empress (Trissy), and lastly Miss Devil's seat. (Of course, The World's seat was empty too.)

Since the creation of this party, three Tarot Club members had died.

This sudden gathering was clearly beyond Leonard and company's expectations. It left them surprised and alarmed.

Before that, although they had come to Mr. Fool's divine kingdom on occasions that weren't a Monday afternoon, it was all planned. They knew in advance that they would be dragged here—they would've either applied for a mini gathering in advance, avoid the full moon ravings, or treat Mr. World with psychological problems.

It could be said that, apart from the first time, this was the second time they were summoned by Mr. Fool without any warning.

This made even the slowest members of the club catch the hint of uneasiness and feel the air freeze.

"Where did Klein go…" Leonard suddenly felt a little flustered.

In this world, he was the only one he could befriend.

Previously, when Klein suddenly appeared in the Southern Continent and threw the gold coin into the cathedral's donation box, Leonard had already had a strange premonition. He had the feeling that Klein was about to receive the judgment of fate and was bidding farewell to the past.

This was the same as the time back in Tingen when they decided to step out together and face Megose.

"Old Man's recent silence has been a little bizarre… Could something really have happened to Klein ? With Mr. Fool's level and status, as long as there's a chance, he should be able to be saved…"

Leonard's heart tightened as he suddenly turned his body and cast his gaze at Mr. Fool at the top end of the long mottled table.

This mighty existence was still enveloped by the grayish-white fog, preventing others from seeing "His" condition.

At this moment, Emlyn, Cattleya, and Derrick also discovered Mr. World and Miss Devil's absence.

Coupled with the suddenness of this gathering, they were both shocked and puzzled. They didn't know what had happened, but their instincts told them that it wasn't a good thing.

As a Clairvoyant who had recently advanced, Cattleya even felt that there was a certain problem with Mr. Fool.

"Mr. World and Miss Devil aren't here… Xio had previously mentioned that Mr. Fool and His few Blessed were about to face a major challenge, and it's very likely that they would suffer a bad fate…"

Fors was also somewhat alarmed, inevitably having a strong fear due to some unknown change.

She had once thought that she would sigh in relief because of Mr. World's disappearance, but from the looks of it, it wasn't like that. Instead, she found her heart heavy and a little horrified.

Only then did she realize that at some point in time, The World had become the pillar of support for the Tarot Club outside of Mr. Fool. It made everyone feel at ease when they saw him.

Of course, some fear was unavoidable.

As The Star Leonard and company turned around and looked at the top end of the long mottled table, Klein, who was already the real Fool, said in a low voice :

« This is a last-minute gathering. »

The members of the Tarot Club stood up one after another and greeted the being who had made them come.

« Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. »

After they sat down again, The Fool Klein surveyed the area and slowly said :

« I will be entering a state of slumber. »

Upon hearing this, Alger, Xio, and Fors felt like their speculations had finally been confirmed. Leonard, Emlyn, Derrick, and the other Tarot Club members felt their hearts sink as they became increasingly flustered and filled with puzzlement.

Of course, they weren't that surprised. The abnormal last-minute gathering and the abnormality of The World and The Devil's absence seemed to indicate that something important had happened today.

Klein maintained his last bit of clarity and said in his previous tone :

« This involves a war that's at the level of "Above the Sequences." It has something to do with the apocalypse to a certain extent. »

"Indeed…" Alger acutely caught the words "Above the Sequences."

He had long suspected that there was another level above Sequence 0 : the one occupied by the Ancient Sun God when He had eight Kings of Angels.

Now, Mr. Fool had finally confirmed his guess and resolved many of his doubts.

Cattleya and company also noticed the hidden message in Mr. Fool's words. Those who had similar guesses like The Hanged Man felt enlightened, while the ones who had never had such guesses were inevitably surprised and confused when they heard it. However, they quickly combined what they had learned from the past and came to a realization.

The Fool Klein continued :

« Only after you become an angel do you have the right to know the exact situation. Otherwise, just understanding it will bring corruption. »

This made the Tarot Club members think of the words "underground" and "cosmos." They were momentarily unable to contain their thoughts.

Klein looked at The World's empty seat and said :

« My Blessed, The World, has entered a deep slumber. It's unknown when he will wake up. »

"Then what should be done ?" Leonard nearly blurted out, but he could clearly sense that Mr. Fool hadn't finished his sentence. Therefore, he forcefully held back his urge.

The Fool Klein swept his gaze across him.

« Next is a long-term commission for all members :

Spread my name more widely, but don't clash with the orthodox Churches. When necessary, you can choose to use a more concealed method to proselytize.

This will aid in my awakening.

Also, spread the news of The World being my Blessed, and record it in the Church's Holy Bible. Of course, do not include information that involves his personal information.

Remember one sentence : The awakening of The World spells The Fool's return. »

Klein wanted to increase his number of anchors. This might be useful in the battle with the Lord of Mysteries in his dream.