As soon as he sensed the intrusion of a stranger, the animals—some in top hats and trench coats, others in elaborate, full-length gowns—stirred at once, staring at Klein with predatory intent.
In that instant, Klein, wearing the mask of "Arrogance," felt as if the entire city had turned against him.
He was no stranger to the situation in "Eden," having observed the council meeting through Miss Justice. He knew that the animals walking upright on the streets and dressing like humans were manifestations of different aspects of "Beastly Desires"—entities more conceptual, abstract, and ideological than physical.
In other words, they had no "Spirit Body Threads" and could not be harmed physically. Were it otherwise, Klein could have simply hung them all in midair, letting them sway with the wind.
The next second, led by a bear that seemed about to burst from its suit, the animals of Eden—baring fangs or growling low—rushed at Klein from all directions.
If they managed to hug or bite him, they would contaminate him with the corresponding "Beastly Desires," which could only be resisted by willpower or by using various Beyonder powers from a few
Faced with this, Klein, wearing a half-top hat and carrying the "Star Rod," raised his left hand, spread his fingers, and suddenly clenched them.
"Eden," composed of quasi-Gothic buildings, was instantly cast into shadow, as if covered by a huge curtain.
"Domain of Mysteries"—the nascent Divine Kingdom!
With this, Klein sealed off Eden, preventing any powerful beings from escaping.
Then, planting his staff on the ground, he began to walk forward step by step, like a gentleman taking a leisurely stroll after dinner.
The animals in human clothes that had charged at him naturally changed direction and embraced each other in pairs.
A serpent, flicking its tongue, swallowed a dog filled with mating desire; a bizarre figure with a spider's face wrapped its web around a giant rat with blood-red eyes; a mad werewolf tore into a lazy cat; a bear in a frock coat embraced a fox with sleek, shiny fur...
These animals, representing different facets of "Beastly Desires," "merged" with each other, mutually "neutralizing."
Wielding the authority of "Grafting," Klein passed slowly among them, as if reviewing "humanity" and "beastly desires."
And so he walked step by step to the huge cathedral, over eighty meters tall, and stopped.
He then raised his head and met the gaze of the skulls embedded in the black pillars for two seconds.
Klein's expression did not change. He raised his left hand to press down on his hat and stepped into the cathedral.
Inside, he saw a grand, empty hall, a gigantic cross, and a gray-white dragon statue coiled around it.
In front of the cross stood a modestly long table, with five chairs on each side.
At the head of the table, there was a man sitting in a black wheelchair. His face was unnaturally pale, his light yellow eyebrows long, his hair combed back neatly, and his forehead lined with wrinkles.
This was the head of the
At the same time, he was also the famous hermit
Whether this was his true body or just one of those identities was known to no one.
Seeing Gehrman Sparrow, wearing a silk top hat and black trench coat, approaching slowly with an oppressive aura, Bouli Delro gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly.
From the moment the other party had entered Eden, he had unhesitatingly tried to leave this psychic city, but had failed.
The mask of "Arrogance" on the other's face, with its eyes moved up to the forehead position, seemed to mock him.
Letting out a breath, Bouli Delro quickly "calmed" his emotions, and a pure illusory light began to glow in his eyes.
That light coalesced before him into pairs of holy, dreamlike wings, and beneath the layered wings was a pure being of light, kneeling and praying devoutly.
This was an angel.
At the same time, to Bouli Delro's left appeared an old man with completely white hair and a plain appearance, and to his right stood a priest in a simple white robe with a light golden beard covering his face.
The Ancient Angel
Klein did not stop his slow walk. He only muttered to himself:
"I wish for all that is false to disappear."
With that, he raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.
The angel of light, Hermes, and "Visionary" Adam instantly disintegrated and vanished, leaving only Bouli Delro alone in his black wheelchair.
What he had just used was the Beyonder ability of "Dream Weaver," weaving several nearly real images. Once the enemy believed them to be real, they would become real; the damage, though lacking a physical manifestation, would cause the target to die without knowing it.
Bouli Delro had already sent countless targets to "die of fright" in their nightmares.
Unfortunately, he had encountered Klein—an Angel King who could stay awake in dreams and possessed "True Sight." Using the power of "Wish" as a "Miracle Invoker," he effortlessly dispelled the illusion.