Can the current Abyss no longer support even most demons? Hearing Mr. Fool’s answer, The Hermit
In mysticism, the Abyss is recognized as the filthiest, most depraved, and most chaotic place, the home of demons. And now, even most of the «indigenous residents» can no longer survive there!
The Hanged Man Alger quickly came up with two possibilities: either conditions in the Abyss had worsened so much that even demons couldn’t adapt, or its filth, chaos, and depravity had diminished, rendering it no longer suitable for demons. But he couldn’t be sure which was correct.
The Hermit Cattleya had similar thoughts, but she was even more puzzled as to why the Queen had asked such a question, and what meaning lay hidden in Mr. Fool’s reply—how it would help the Queen in the secrets she sought and the things she wanted to do.
As for Justice Audrey, she suddenly recalled the half-god «prophet» from the Church of Knowledge. He had said that the apocalypse would arrive in 1368 of the Fifth Epoch—a fact accepted by all Beyonder prophets, and even the gods themselves proclaimed it.
It was currently 1350, only eighteen years from the apocalypse… And now the Abyss was showing signs. Its already abstractly filthy and chaotic environment had broken through its limits, becoming even harsher? Audrey made a rough judgment, and unease grew in her heart.
Originally, because the apocalypse showed no signs, she hadn’t fully believed it, focusing more on the current war and the people dying, getting injured, and suffering. Now, the Abyss’s mutation shocked her into a desperate desire to improve herself, to digest her potion as quickly as possible, to obtain the Beyonder characteristic left behind by Hewen Rambis, and to advance to demigod.
Only then would she have some ability to intervene and oppose the things she didn’t want to see.
«If only Mr. World’s commissions would come more often…» Justice Audrey silently prayed in her heart, quietly calming her restless emotions.
The Star Leonard, The Magician Fors, and The Hierophant Xio still had doubts about whether the Abyss actually existed. After the Second Epoch, the Abyss had never appeared before humanity. Most demons active in reality came from the Blood Cult, and even the high‑ranking demons and evil beings invoked in rituals were likely at the top of the Blood Cult.
Of course, the Dark Side of the Universe was widely considered an incarnation of the Abyss, but its presence was very faint. If it weren’t for occasionally responding to rituals and exhibiting traits of the demonic domain, it would probably be considered purely mythological, like the
But even so, the confidential materials of the Church of the Night that Leonard had access to indicated that it was possible the Dark Side of the Universe was a disguise worn by another evil god or hidden existence.
The Sun Derrick wasn’t particularly surprised. Far from the
If it weren’t for landmark places like the Giant King’s Court, the people of the City of Silver would definitely suspect that the truth of their abandonment was being thrown into the Abyss.
While the
This question made Klein involuntarily recall the terrifyingly contradictory details in Roselle’s later diaries, and he sighed with a touch of emotion.
In the persona of Mr. Fool, he slowly shook his head.
«No…» Just as Cattleya began to feel disappointment and dismay, Mr. Fool spoke in a tone half‑joking, half‑sighing: «Not influence—corruption. Corruption that the person himself can hardly detect.»
Corruption… Emperor Roselle was corrupted in his later years? At that time, he was already a He, an angel on earth, and yet he still suffered corruption? Did this come from a true god, or from the subterranean corruption that terrified the ancient gods? Justice Audrey was stunned, and combining this with the secrets she had learned, she made a guess.
The Hanged Man Alger and the other Tarot Club members had never expected such a fate for the late Emperor Roselle, and they began to doubt his purpose in creating the
At the same time, they felt that Mr. Fool’s collection of the Blasphemy Cards likely held a deeper meaning than they had originally supposed.
«In this worldwide ‘game’, only figures like Mr. Fool are qualified to be ‘players’. The rest of us are just cards or chips… The King of Angels, Sequence 1 angels, might have a seat at the table…» The Hanged Man Alger sighed wistfully, suddenly nurturing a desire to become a ‘player’.
Did the emperor’s late story turn from a tyrant’s transformation into a demon’s? A novel that started with romance, inspiration, passion, love, adventure, and the decadent lifestyle of Intis high society ends up as a horror story? I wouldn’t dare write that! If I were writing it, I’d make the emperor’s tragic end come from betraying love, marriage, and vows… The Magician Fors couldn’t help letting her thoughts wander, feeling a sudden urge to write a biography of Emperor Roselle.