"Not bad..." In response to
Frankly speaking, he would rather hear curses than "compliments." That would at least mean he was very close to success.
Of course, Klein suspected that even if he did manage to escape, Amon wouldn't be furious. From the "God of Mischief's" displayed personality, He would probably find it too interesting and exciting on one hand, but inevitably a bit frustrated and disappointed on the other, eagerly looking forward to the next round.
"It's a big improvement that you thought of using the 'Door' to interfere with me," Amon laughed unconcernedly. "But don't you think that when I'm 'opening the door,' I'm in a relatively alert state and not so easily affected by surprises?"
Klein thought for a moment and replied seriously: "That's what I initially thought, but then I felt you should be able to grasp this psychological state of mine, believing that I wouldn't dare to act while you were opening the 'Door.' At that point, trying it might have a miraculous effect."
Actually doing what others think you won't do is also a strategy.
In his previous life, Klein had encountered similar multi-layered mind games, and they made his head spin.
"What if I had thought of this layer too?" Amon smiled and pushed the bottom edge of his monocle with his knuckle.
At the same time, the surviving marionettes belonging to Klein took out crystal monocles from their bodies and the void, put them on their right eyes, and stared at Klein in unison.
This made Klein's scalp tingle, and he realized that his connection with the marionettes had been severed instantly.
"Although there was progress, failure always comes with some punishment." Amon smiled, turned around, and walked towards the church.
With every step He took, the marionettes smiled one after another, then collapsed stiffly. This caused Klein's soul to be torn apart repeatedly, the blood vessels on his temples visibly bulging and contracting.
Enduring this pain, Klein stood rooted to the spot, resting for a while before barely managing to calm down.
Throughout this process, although he was deep in the darkness, he wasn't attacked by any terrifying monsters, nor was he transformed into a state of concealment.
When did Amon secretly steal the concealed divine power within this city-state? If I try to kill myself, even the thought would probably be stolen... I was still not prepared enough. I didn't grasp Amon well enough, I didn't consider the things He had stolen before... I really didn't think He would release the 'Daybreak' stolen from the God War Ruins... What else did He steal in the past and store inside His body? I have no way of knowing at all, I can't make targeted preparations... Is that monocle a container for storing stolen things, inherently a part of Amon? That's why every time He 'parasitizes,' He can produce a monocle... Klein rubbed his temples, walked back into the church, and looked at Amon in front of the radiant door, asking as if casually: "Why do you have so many monocles? Where do you usually keep them?"
Amon stroked the monocle on his right eye and laughed indifferently: "Why don't you ask me why every single one of my avatars has eyes, and where they usually keep them?"
"...I understand." Klein seemed to realize something and nodded.
Amon turned his gaze back to the door of light, whose vortex had not yet calmed, and said as if chatting casually: "I always felt that the essence of your actions this time was a large-scale preparation, rather than an attempt.
"In that process just now, what little tricks did you pull?"
Klein considered it for a moment, his smile unwavering, and replied: "You guess."
"I do have a certain guess. Do you think I guessed right?" Amon pinched the upper and lower edges of his monocle and asked back with great interest.
"Maybe yes, maybe no." Klein didn't make a definite answer at all. He cooperatively walked to Amon's side and watched as He reached out again, pressing on the pale white door of light.
Above the door of light, ripples spread out once again, becoming more and more intense and exaggerated.
After about ten seconds, the ripples dyed the surroundings, causing the door of light to expand by a full two times its size.
Amon glanced at Klein, signaling him to step forward.
Klein instinctively turned his head and looked around the church.
Outside the area illuminated by the leather lantern, some Beyonder characteristics left behind by the mutated monsters were glimmering faintly—not all of them were Beyonders when they were alive. After those ordinary people were transformed into monsters, a large part of their power came from the darkness, from corruption, not belonging to themselves, so no characteristics could precipitate out.
"Almost forgot." Amon, who had followed his gaze in a circle, suddenly shook his head and laughed.
The moment He finished speaking, clusters of Beyonder characteristics floated up, plunging into His body of their own accord, merging with Him, leaving only a small amount still remaining on the spot.
"Most of those who actively transformed into monsters were 'Apprentice' pathway Beyonders who could enter the dark side of the city-state, along with their families." Amon withdrew his gaze and casually said a sentence.
Even Beyonder characteristics of similar pathways, if eaten directly like this, should cause problems, right? Isn't it supposed to only allow jumping to a higher Sequence of a similar pathway? Can it be downwardly compatible? Klein was a bit stunned by this and asked in confusion: "Won't this accumulate madness?"
This was more than a question of accumulating madness. Klein suspected that if he did this himself, there was a decent chance he would go directly half-mad.
"Others would." Amon smiled and said, "I won't."