Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 498 Klein's Noble Phantasm Chanting

"So, what is your answer?" Rambich III asked Klein. "Will you choose to submit to Rambich III and accept the emperor's coronation, or will you pledge allegiance to the human race to which you belong and become our enemy?"

“You only have one chance to answer. So think carefully before you answer. Remember this, when you have the opportunity to make a choice, don’t let yourself regret it.” Rambichi III spoke quite seriously.

Klein turned his head and looked around at the surrounding trash cans before turning back to Rampish III.

"How can I put it? Although you guys do seem quite interesting, I can't possibly help the trash can overthrow humanity, can I?" Klein shrugged.

Although a half-mythical creature is theoretically no longer human, Klein is still willing to consider himself human for the time being.

"Hmph, stubbornly clinging to your delusions." Rambich III snorted forcefully. "You still consider yourself human? Indeed, as long as you are human, you will be human for life."

Jambie III opened his bucket lid again and took out something that looked like a belt buckle.

Klein knew about this.

Whether it's Armor Hero or Kamen Rider, it looks like a transformation belt commonly seen in tokusatsu dramas.

"As anxious as eyes, as red as warmth, as fragile as defense, as furious as thunder, listen to the lullaby of your nine clans."

Jambisi III placed the buckle at roughly the waist position, and it instantly transformed into a belt.

"Kangxi Armor, combine!"

Oh, it's Armor Hero.

Klein didn't stop him; he just watched.

Who didn't dream of becoming a powerhouse warrior when they were a kid?
Even if I can't do it now, it seems I'd rather be an enemy of the Armor Heroes.

A golden beam of light shot up into the sky.

A golden array instantly appeared beneath the feet of Jambisi III, and within the array, a simple line drawing of a trash can appeared.

"Hmm?" Klein tilted his head.

Is this right?
Klein touched his chin.

How come he doesn't remember that Armor Hero transforms like this?
A huge golden trash can with its arms crossed slowly emerged from the formation, rising from the bottom up like an elevator.

Then he saw Rampish III first bend his knees slightly, then leap up suddenly, shouting at the same time, "Trash Beast!"

As his body passed over the giant trash can, it transformed into a beam of light and merged into it.

Politely waiting for the other party to finish transforming, Klein raised his hand and asked, "Wait a minute, are you sure this special effect is really from Armor Hero?"

"How come I didn't know that Armor Heroes could also use Super Beast Armor?"

However, it seemed that Rambich III did not want to have a proper conversation with Klein. He stretched out his hands, which were clasped in front of his chest, toward Klein, with his fingers together and his palms facing outward.

Then separate the thumbs of both hands and put the thumbs and index fingers together.

"What do you care what kind of special effects these are?"

"The Aisin Gioro clan's technique of annihilating nine generations of your family has been used to punish you for the unforgivable crime of disrespect under the laws of the Qing Dynasty. I, Kangxi, hereby declare that you are stripped of all your rights and your nine generations of your family are exterminated. Surrender now!"

A translucent golden cube suddenly appeared, trapping Klein inside.

"Imperial Escape: The Technique of Separating Nine Clans".

Golden light instantly filled the entire block.

Then came the shattering.

The block shattered, leaving nothing behind.

He stood tall and proud.

"In my presence, the enemy either flees in terror or suffers a crushing defeat."

"You ultimately know nothing about trash cans."

Behind him, Klein adjusted his half-high silk hat, wondering whether he should remind him that he had teleportation and time stop abilities, skills with long wind-up times that couldn't touch him at all.

After thinking about it, I decided against it.

However, it seems to Klein that this might be the final boss of this simulated universe.

Therefore, he decided to test out the other Noble Phantasms he had recently acquired here.

Aside from the resurrection artifact [World Awakens, Fools Return], the rest seem like things we can get used to beforehand.

Even the limited-use "There are always things that come before others" applies. Because this is a dream, using a Noble Phantasm won't consume any uses.

While Rambich III was still posing and showing off, Klein raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

Snapped.

A crisp snap of fingers rang out, accompanied by an ethereal chant, reaching the ears of every trash can.

Of course, this is on the premise that they have ears.

"Swallow the poison of miracles, and build a wall of folly in a place where nothing exists."

"To build an ideal city here is a beautiful dream forged for the wishes of all beings."

This was Klein's voice, yet it sounded layered and echoed endlessly.

Suddenly, the intricate alleyway became extremely flat, and the surrounding walls and overhead pipes seemed to "retreat" significantly, providing ample space.

Almost simultaneously, buildings sprang up, all of them a mix of stone and wood, none exceeding four stories in height, and in a style similar to that of Dixi Bay in the Kingdom of Rune.

"A fleeting dream, a history that does not exist."

"This place is full of lies that reflect the heart's desires."

"Even a mirage can be mistaken for reality."

In the blink of an eye, residential libraries, police stations, telegraph offices, municipal councils, small hospitals, candy factories, waterworks, gas companies, steam train stations, parallel railway tracks, and plantations outside the city took shape, and the streets were paved with cement or stone bricks.

Finally, next to the square in the center of town, behind Klein, a pointed "Church of Pleasure" emerged from the ground and stood proudly.

A non-existent space appeared here, replacing the original location of this underground city.

A bounded barrier, the rudimentary form of a divine kingdom.

With a creak.

The church doors behind Klein opened with a scraping sound.

"At this moment, witness this place that never existed before."

"Descend here..."

"The Nowhere Land of Ideals"

Rampish III, who had suddenly appeared in an unfamiliar place, was clearly caught off guard.

He looked around nervously at the unfamiliar buildings he had never seen before.

Some of the doors and windows were closed, while others were open.

Jambie III always had the feeling that there were pairs of eyes watching him from behind those doors and windows, whether they were open or closed.

Not only him, but also those spectators who were just watching the show were drawn into this strange world.

Soon, a number of people appeared in the area; some were passing by, while others were looking out of their windows.

There were gentlemen in their thirties dressed in suits and bow ties.

There are women with ordinary appearances and gentle expressions.

There are children dressed like little adults.

More and more people started looking over.

There were police officers, repairmen, gas company employees, restaurant cooks, gray-haired old men, and simply dressed farmers...

They either turned into different streets, strolled through different places, entered different houses, or lingered in the square, admiring the white doves.

Some were teasing the white doves, some were looking for vendors, some were playing the seven-stringed zither, and some were chatting with friends with smiles on their faces.

These people appeared perfectly normal, showing no signs of even their spirit threads being manipulated. If a high-sequence diviner were to appear here, he would find that these residents showed absolutely nothing abnormal about their bodies or spirit threads. Some of them pointed at Rampish III as if he were some kind of monument, while others completely ignored him and went about their own business.

Everything seemed so normal.

It was so normal that it was filled with an eerie atmosphere.

Klein walked at a leisurely pace toward Rambichi III and stood before him.

Suddenly, a spear made of garbage appeared in the hand of Rampich III. He swung the spear from top to bottom, smashing it down on Klein, who only reached his knees.

boom!
Smoke and dust flew everywhere.

But even though the spear hit Klein, the dust and smoke were actually coming from the ground not far from him.

The floor tiles were cracked and dust was flying everywhere, as if it had been hit hard.

Klein projected the damage he had suffered onto other areas.

Now, this entire Realm of Nature can be considered his "paper doll substitute".

The commotion seemed to have startled those around them. A man who looked like a worker glanced at the broken ground and then turned to look at the massive Jambie III.

He just tilted his head back and stared at Jambie III without moving or saying a word.

A few seconds later, he reached out and pulled out a black, half-high silk hat, which he then slowly put on his head.

More and more people around looked at King Jambichi III in the center, and one after another they conjured black, domed, half-height silk hats out of thin air and put them on their heads.

Their gazes lingered on the enormous Jambyl III and the four-limbed garbage cans surrounding him.

These residents, who were just normal people a moment ago, suddenly turned into secret puppets at the same time.

Their spiritual threads detached from their bodies and floated upwards, but instead of converging on any one place, they floated straight up to the sky above their heads.

Half of those spiritual threads penetrated deep into their bodies, while the other half merely pointed to the sky and swayed gently, like seaweed.

"It's like directing a super-sized movie, and I'm the screenwriter, the lighting director, the prop master, the makeup artist, and all the actors..." Klein raised his hand and rubbed his slightly sore temples.

"If I use this Noble Phantasm too often, I feel like I'm really teetering on the edge of losing control."

"One wrong move and you could develop a split personality, plunging into the abyss of madness..."

Klein muttered to himself as he watched everything unfold before him.

The residents quickly got into a fight with the trash can doors, but it was clear that the trash cans were at a significant disadvantage, as the residents were immune to damage and all the damage from the trash cans' attacks was transferred to the surrounding walls or the ground.

Soon, a resident suddenly pulled out a huge golden cross.

It was like toppling a domino; one by one, the residents pulled out their weapons.

The Key of God. Candy Greatsword, Wonders, Sealed Relics...

They can retrieve anything that Klein once possessed from the mists of history.

Within this inherent barrier called Utopia, each resident is essentially a Sequence Four demigod, a puppet of Klein, and can borrow Klein's abilities at any time.

"Hmm..." Klein suddenly realized that his Trickster potion was being rapidly digested.

He soon discovered that the small disturbances had ended.

The trash cans and the residents of Utopia stopped fighting.

Although these trash cans considered rebelling when utopia first arrived, they suddenly became quite easy to talk to after several minutes of friendly conversation.

Those who understand the times are wise.

They quickly reached a treaty of peaceful coexistence with the inhabitants of Utopia, agreeing to not interfere with each other.

And so, the residents and the garbage cans gathered in twos and threes, all looking toward Klein and Rampich III in the center.

Boss, we've never beaten you, so you'll have to work hard on your own.

Keep going, we'll support you from the bottom of our hearts.

"Is that your boss?" A resident of Utopia asked with the curiosity of someone who had been dumping trash cans.

The trash can immediately shook its head.

"Irrelevant."

Zambichi III? I have no interest in that.

The entire process, from start to finish, took less than five minutes.

The enormous Rampish III looked down at Klein, wanting to say something, but unable to utter a word.

After much deliberation, Jambie III finally managed to utter a single sentence.

Are you a cheater?

Klein nodded without any embarrassment.

"Yes, I am."

Jambishop III remained silent.

"Ugh……"

A sigh was heard.

I never imagined that after so many years of conquering all sides, I, Rambichi III, would die at the hands of such a cheat...

That's enough... that's enough...

He brandished his spear, the Lance of Jambie III, once again, pointing it at Klein.

"Defeat me, and give me the end a warrior deserves."

“Okay.” Klein nodded.

"Wait, shouldn't you say something sentimental to try and keep me here?" Rambich III made a gesture as if to suggest that he could still be saved.

"It's too late, I've already prepared my skill."

A crisp sound of a gold coin being tossed into the air rang out.

Then came the ticking of the pocket watch and the sound of banknotes.

"Xi, is it possible to reconcile?" Rambichi III still wanted to salvage the situation one last time.

"Let's talk about it next time," Klein said with a gentle smile.

No, while waiting for what Jambie III would say, a brass pendant appeared in Klein's hand.

It hangs vertically downwards, swaying gently.

Klein opened his mouth again and sang in that ethereal, aria-like tone:
"The crown of the fool is revealed here, a thread hanging down from the gaps in history."

"God so loved the world."

"With three thousand years of slumber as the key, the curtain of spirituality is unveiled here."

"The echoes of history and the future intertwine here."

"Truth slumbers in delusion."

"Listen to the lies that turn established facts into falsehoods."

"Witness this: this is a 'miracle' that comes at a price."

"There are always things that matter more than others."

…………

P.S.: Well, the part that took me the most brainpower to write about today was the Noble Phantasm chanting. I thought about it for a long time.

I'm never satisfied. Some parts feel awkward, while others don't feel juvenile enough or have the right vibe.

I spent over an hour thinking about just one of them.

In short, I'm asking for monthly votes at the end of the month.
(End of this chapter)