Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

The ritual requirement for Sequence 4 of the 'Diviner' pathway, 'Trickster', is to orchestrate a grand drama, primarily through one's own power and planning, in front of a large audience, to murder a demigod or an equivalent supernatural being, and then, at the end of the drama, consume a magic potion.

Now, all of these conditions have been met.

Although he didn't capture the demigod, he personally sent him to the altar.

He personally set up the altar, and even personally selected the people who would conduct the ceremony.

Even though he never directly fought these demigods from beginning to end, he contributed more to their murder than Ember.

And the grand drama directed by Klein is, of course, the summoned Mr. "Door"—

The moment Mr. Door returned to reality, all the doors in the world were opened.

If this can't be considered a grand drama, then perhaps grand dramas don't exist at all in this world.

As for the audience, broadly speaking, anyone affected by the ceremony can be considered an audience member, even if they are unaware of who caused the influence.

Even in a narrow sense, Klein had at least nine spectators—

Seven Gods, Embers, Mr. "Door".

Other beings such as the Hidden Sage, the Primordial Witch, Adam, Amon, the True Creator, and even the gods and angels from beyond the heavens who are eyeing this land, even if they do not appear, will certainly have their eyes on this earth.

And all of these beings are Klein's audience!

Although these beings primarily focused their attention on the altar, their main concern was whether Mr. "Door" could successfully return to reality, and they paid little attention to Klein, a peripheral figure.

Even if it's just a glimpse from the side, it's still the glimpse from the divine, more than enough to meet the requirements of the ritual!

"call!"

Klein took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the embers.

The drama has only just begun, and he needs to wait until the climax of the drama to end before taking the potion at the very end.

And all of this depends on the embers—

After all, Klein had seen everything that had just happened. The seven great gods attacked at the same time, but Mr. "Door" easily neutralized them.

It's obvious to everyone that the Seven Gods are completely unable to prevent Mr. Door's return.

This is not surprising.

Before being exiled, Mr. Door was already one step away from Sequence 0. Even though he failed to advance to True God after being "contaminated" in the outer heavens, his strength was already almost on par with that of a True God.

If the seven great gods were to arrive in person, they might be able to join forces to drive it away.

However, such ineffective obstruction as it is now poses no real threat to Mr. "Men".

Klein's mind was racing, but suddenly a brilliant golden light stole his entire vision—

That was a spear of sunlight held in the hand of Ember, which he hurled high toward the Gate of Flesh and Blood!

boom!

As the dazzling sunlight pierced the sky, the surrounding bronze-colored eyes with wings, the young man in flame armor, the hazy light shield highlighting the eerie features, the earth with its eyes open and mouth closed, and the shadowy woman all vanished simultaneously, disappearing silently from the world.

Golden lightning pierced the darkness, forming a storm that violently tore apart everything in its path!

The corrupted divine power of the seven gods was instantly dissolved, and everything in the world seemed to be completely purified at this moment. No shadow could survive under that dazzling light.

Under the watchful eyes of the seven gods, the spear formed from sunlight finally pierced through the "Flesh and Blood Gate" that opened between reality and the starry sky!

The outer layer of flesh was instantly melted away, but the dazzling light still shone brightly, without being dimmed in the slightest.

The spear flashed, and the woven lightning storm transformed into a woven illusory gate, completely sealing off the gate of flesh and blood.

The spear piercing through the gate acted like a bolt, firmly securing it and preventing anyone from opening it!

The moment the door was blocked, Mr. Door, who was struggling frantically, suddenly stopped moving.

The light from the crimson robe dimmed slightly, and the figure in the collapsed sphere of light seemed to have finally regained a sliver of its own consciousness.

The dazzling spear firmly sealed the opened "Flesh and Blood Gate," and the crimson tide that was frantically trying to squeeze into the crack of the "Flesh and Blood Gate" was now completely blocked from the outside by the "door" formed by the shining golden storm!

When the gate of flesh and blood was sealed, and the crimson, malevolent tide was blocked, Mr. "Door" let out a painful growl, trying to forcibly peel the blood-red robe off his body!

The blood-red robe clung tightly to Mr. Door's figure, which was formed from the collapse of the light imprint, just like Mr. Door's skin!

Even if it has lost contact with the original body, how can the contamination from the Outer God be so easily 'stripped away'?

Amidst the illusory splashing sounds, the crimson tide surged wildly against the 'gate,' attempting to breach the barrier and invade this world once more!

The crimson robe resisted Mr. Door's 'glass' while its hem billowed high, scattering more crimson moonlight, attempting to coordinate with the crimson, eerie tide to breach the door sealed by the dazzling light.

But before that, their gaze was once again drawn to the dazzling gold.

This time, the entire sky was covered in gold, with countless golden spears hanging high in the heavens, like swords of Damocles, hovering above their heads!

Simply sealing the gate is not enough; the power of the Outer Gods will break through the seal again sooner or later.

To solve this problem once and for all, the "Flesh Gate" must be completely destroyed.

As long as there is no door, jackals will never be able to enter the house!

"Help...me..." Mr. Door's slightly illusory eyes opened to their widest extent, uttering the first sound after returning to reality with difficulty and pain.

The ritual of return is also the ritual of His deification.

And now, He is only one step away from becoming a true god!

Once the 'doors' are completely aligned, He can break free from the control of the Outer Gods and become a true deity!

But all of this is contingent on completely stripping that blood-red robe from Him. Otherwise, even if He becomes a god, He will forever be controlled by the Outer Gods.

As if hearing Mr. Door's voice, Ember turned his gaze back to the struggling light and shadow, and slowly lowered his raised hand.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

Above the sky, countless shimmering spears poured down like a torrential rain!

Each flash of light strengthened the seal on the Gate of Flesh and Blood, making it increasingly strained. Large amounts of flesh were being consumed, and gaps were even appearing in the gate; it wouldn't be long before it was completely destroyed.

This also forced the crimson tide outside the door to surge even more wildly, washing away the brilliance that blocked the door at an even faster speed than before!

But before that, a small number of spears did not attack the Gate of Flesh and Blood; instead, they pierced through the crimson robe like sharp blades!

The suppression from the Sunlight Spear caused the crimson robe to rise and fall repeatedly, the whistling sound resembling its painful screams. Unsurprisingly, the crimson robe's suppression of Mr. "Door" was also gradually weakening; perhaps a few more attacks would allow Mr. "Door" to truly break free.

however.

It wasn't just the blood-red robe that was pierced, but also Mr. "Door" who was wearing the robe.

The Sunlight Spear never hesitated to pierce through Mr. Door's blood-red robe, taking him with it!

Mr. Door let out a painful groan. His eyes showed disbelief for a moment, but he quickly smiled wryly and resigned himself to the situation.

Yes, they weren't there to save Him in the first place.

The long robe behind him fluttered in the wind, and Mr. Door could sense that He was seeking cooperation.

He was even willing to loosen his control over Mr. Door, as long as he could keep the robe, because it was the foundation of his invasion of the world.

But Mr. "Door" has been struggling painfully for thousands of years under the control of the Outer God.

He was already exhausted.

Even if it means death, He will drag the Outer God down with Him!

Finally, one spear after another fell.

A burst of brilliant light erupted simultaneously, illuminating the entire world.

The Gate of Flesh and Blood had completely collapsed, and the crimson robe had melted away completely in the sunlight. The illusory light and shadow that Mr. "Gate" had transformed into had turned into dust inch by inch in the sunlight, leaving only countless dazzling starlight in the sunlight.

These starlight points quickly coalesced and transformed into various objects that fell to the ground.

Inside, there are a pair of eyeballs seemingly made of pure starlight, containing layers upon layers of illusory doors; three translucent, strangely shaped keys; a quietly burning, brilliant flame; a miniature starlight door; and a crystal ball formed by worms...

That was the extraordinary characteristic left behind by Mr. Door, and also the last trace he left in this world.

-

"it's over."

As everything was nearing its end, Klein grasped the potion, brought it to his lips, and poured it down.

The icy potion slid down his throat, bringing Klein a slight numbness, a numbness that went straight to the depths of his soul.

His spirits inexplicably soared, and he seemed to have suddenly ascended to the sky, looking down at the broken altar, down at Backlund in the distance, and down at the people who were panicked because the "gates were wide open".

At this moment, his emotions became inexplicably agitated. He felt as if every pedestrian passing by below was connected to him by an invisible thread, and they were following his commands, performing all sorts of behaviors, whether joyful or angry, sorrowful or happy.

As Klein calmed his mind, he felt the power of the potion spreading within his body, like a net with each thread sharp and pointed.

Suddenly, Klein felt his spirit and flesh being torn into countless tiny parts. Unable to endure it any longer, he let out a scream from the depths of his soul:

"No!"

His thoughts, no longer fragmented, broke into pieces that combined with different pieces of flesh and blood, developing their own consciousness:

There's a Klein in pain, a Klein arrogant, a Klein cold-blooded, a Klein gentle, a Klein who enjoys himself, and Zhou Mingrui, Sherlock Moriarty, Gehrman Sparrow, and Dawn Dantes...

His entire spirit seemed to have been put into a blender by someone.

Pale fleshy growths appeared on his face, neck, and the back of his hands, as if they had their own life force, constantly growing outwards and turning into transparent worms. Underneath his clothes, there were also traces of wriggling movement.

Klein felt as if he would disintegrate into a ball of transparent worms at any moment, each scattering to different places!

Under the sunlight, the worms that "grew" out of his body shimmered with mysterious, three-dimensional symbols, connecting to higher levels and linking to the underlying laws, directly representing abstract concepts such as the bizarre, madness, change, power, and knowledge.

In the howling, cold wind, illusory black lines appeared all around Klein, tangling together to form strange "tentacles".

As his tentacles spread out, his spiritual body, astral body, mental body, and etheric body all turned into fragments, merging into different worms. Klein's various thoughts were noisy, chaotic, and contradictory. He floated gently, seemingly flying towards infinite heights, where countless phantoms surrounded a twisted and enormous building, playing music, giving speeches, roaring, or muttering.

In Klein's chaotic senses, everything around him layered up, as if it had become a spirit world, yet there were living people coming and going, and stars shining.

At this moment, the same vivid memory appeared in one fragment after another of his thoughts—

Those were the gazes fixed upon him, coldly watching him, high above yet unmistakably clear.

Above them was one half of the sky burning, while the other half was swallowed by flesh and blood, clearly divided.

And the same.

Flames and flesh were also watching him.

Under these gazes, Klein gradually regained his self-awareness.

I……

who am I?

Klein had already answered this question during the "Faceless Man" phase, so there was no need to think about it further; he quickly figured out his identity:

A person from Earth, whose memories have been somewhat reshaped by Klein's fragmented recollections;

A person deeply influenced by the experiences of those who work the night watch;

A person who is self-protective, afraid of danger, yet willing to give everything for what they believe in;

A guardian, a pitiful wretch.

The strange senses, not originating from the spiritual or mental body, gradually separated from the fragmented pieces, coalescing into new thoughts of Klein: indifferent, calm, detached, and condescending thoughts that could see the true nature of the world from more angles and perspectives.

He understood that this might be divinity, and without resisting, he used it to string together the original fragments of his spirit body one by one with black threads.

It slowly returned to being a whole.

Only then did he understand the purpose of the promotion ceremony.

This is a mark, and also an anchor point. Compared to other methods, the "Trickster" whose mind is split needs an anchor point much earlier!

However, this does not require the support of faith. On the contrary, faith is too complex, too chaotic, and contains too many personal emotions. It is easy for the fragmented state of this ritual to erase the humanity of the ascendant who is currently only at Sequence 5, leaving only divinity.

A magnificent and profound drama, watched by a large audience, is enough to serve as an anchor!

Although the audience was small, none of them were pushovers. And Klein, under their watchful eyes, was arguably the focus of the world!

The whole thing finally took shape, and all sorts of knowledge surged out from the depths of the demigod's spirit, sweeping through Klein's mind and bringing him an indescribable shock, making his head feel like it was about to explode.

However, having already begun to possess divinity and having experienced many things, he passed through this stage relatively easily by observing from the sidelines.

The transparent worms on his face, hands, neck, and under his clothes shrank back into his body, and he transformed back into Klein Moretti with black hair and brown eyes.