Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1384 Crimson Descent
Audrey, the "righteous" one, actually knew something about the truth of the "apocalypse."

That originally stemmed from her being commissioned by Miss "Queen" to help the "Mysterious Queen," who was now an angel but at the time only a Sequence 3, seal away some information about the "Old Days." Because Audrey was only a "Manipulator" at the time, she also could not bear the consequences of knowing this knowledge. Therefore, after helping Bernadette, she also sealed away her own memories of this matter.

Before the "Magician" went to the stars, Audrey had helped her, who knew about the "Outer Gods" in advance, to seal away this part of her memory. Later, in order to protect herself, she also used self-suggestion to forget this knowledge that only angels could safely understand.

Although the two self-hypnosis sessions did not affect Audrey's memories, they gave her a strange sense of urgency. In the process of becoming a "Dream Weaver" and secretly promoting many reforms in the Kingdom of Rune, she became utilitarian and even went against her own heart. She directly manipulated many nobles and councilors through suggestion and hypnosis to promote policies that she believed were correct in order to accelerate the liberation of the southern continent colonies and the missionary work of the two major churches, "Fool" and "End of Days".

It wasn't until she truly became an angel and her deepest memories were unlocked that Audrey understood the real reason for her anxiety. She learned that the planet was facing a threat from "Outer Gods," and that the barrier left by the original creator was in grave danger. She also learned that the end of the world might come this year, rather than in 1368 as predicted by many prophets.

While this may explain why the Church of Orthodox God selects suitable Sequence 3 members and quickly promotes them to angels, it does not explain why members of the "Tarot Society" were selected and promoted to angels in a way that disregards the cost.

According to Audrey, at least four members of the Psychological Alchemy Society's judging panel have long been "Dream Weavers," and the president is a senior saint who became famous a hundred years ago. There's no reason for the Sequence 2 trait of the Mind Dragon Erdfana to fall to her, an outsider who is also a member of the Tarot Society and is practically an openly known "spy."

Not only her, but also Hugh "Judgment", Emlyn "Moon", Leonard "Star" and other members were clearly "favored" in the process of advancing to Sequence 2 in just one month. It seems that there was a deal between gods, a compromise between the church and secular forces, and the help of more than one high-ranking being.

This led Audrey to a reasonable conjecture: the promotion of Tarot Club members was related to the faith anchors of Mr. Fool and Ms. Queen. The anchor provided by an angel must be far greater than that of a saint, and this was the price that other gods compromised to pay for the goodwill of the two newly promoted gods.

Thinking of this, Audrey looked around and found that she wasn't the only one; several other members of the party also had thoughtful expressions, as if they had thought of this as well.

The "Hermit" lady, guided by the mysterious Queen Bernadette, may already know the truth about the apocalypse; the "Moon" gentleman's clan includes three angels who have lived for thousands of years, and the existence of the Outer Gods is no secret; the "Star" gentleman seems to be a junior of an ancient angel from the Zoroaster family of the Fourth Age, and should understand the dangers of the starry sky... Her gaze lingered on the group, and finally turned to the "Magician" lady.

She has truly traveled through the starry sky and was the first among the eight members to become an angel; she must know something...

Under the spotlight, Fors smiled and sat up straight, speaking in a deliberate tone:

"I don't know much more than you do."

And most of it was Mr. "Men" who told me... she added in her mind.

Next, she told the other members in detail about the secrets of "the starry sky," "outer gods," "the coming of the end times," and "the barrier of the creator," including all the known names of the ancient gods, their general authority and symbols, and the corresponding pathways of the outer gods.

They already knew some things through high-level exchanges within the Tarot Society, but most of it was dangerous information that could only be safely known by becoming an angel and would not be observed or contaminated by external gods.

As Fors was narrating, the other seven members could feel many gazes from infinite distances directed at them, but these were blocked by the gray fog and could not penetrate.

Without the protection of the gray fog, and since they are not angels, once they form a complete concept of external gods such as the "Fallen Mother Goddess" and the "Ring of Destiny" in their minds, they will inevitably fall into the vision of these ancient beings, establish a close mystical connection with them, and either be secretly corrupted and gradually lose control, or die on the spot, becoming an unsolved case in the annals of the orthodox church.

"So, the 'man in the ring' I met that day was a follower of the 'Ring of Destiny,' a demigod blessed by an outer god..."

Lennar said in a vacant tone.

“A month ago, I met the Progenitor in a dream. In addition to giving me a copy of the ‘Creator’ to help me ascend to the angel level as soon as possible, He also entrusted me with a ‘Goddess of Beauty’ attribute, saying… to keep it safe.”

Emlyn said with a sigh, not revealing Lilith's instructions to the other Tarot Club members, because they contained an important secret about the gods:

The Earth Mother Goddess Lilith believes she may perish in the future and is making arrangements for resurrection and rebirth.

Now that he knows the truth about the apocalypse and that the two extraordinary paths, "Mother" and "Moon," originated from the most powerful pillar-level ancient "Fallen Mother Goddess," he understands the current plight of the progenitor and realizes that the responsibilities and burdens on his shoulders are much heavier than he had imagined.

The Hermit, Cattleya, and the Judge, Hugh, had learned some truths from Bernadette and Fors, respectively, but after learning about the threats facing Earth in such a systematic way, their hearts became heavy.

Alger the Hanged Man and Derrick the Sun were completely unaware of the threat to the Outer Gods and the stars before this gathering, mainly because they had no familiar angels around them, and even though they had become Sequence 2, they had no way of knowing more secret knowledge.

Fors explained in detail mainly so that these two members would know everything.

"So, the end of the world is coming in July? That... only two months left, right?"

Alger murmured, the joy of becoming an angel that had once filled him had vanished, leaving only uncertainty about the future.

After taking the potion in the Shadow World and becoming the "Elder of Filthy Words," possessing complete divinity, he was still somewhat worried that his humanity was not rich enough. He could only barely maintain a balance with the help of the "Church of the Sea God" and the extraordinary beings he had trained. Now he realized that the humanity within him was not only abundant, but also excessive.

“Not necessarily,” Fors shook his head. “An elder of mine once said that one should not place too much faith in the results of prophecies and divination. The revelations of fate are only the baseline, not the truth… The prophecy revealed by Miss ‘Queen’ is that ‘at the end of July 1354, Crimson will descend from the sky.’ This seems to be the moment when the fallen Mother Goddess breaks the barrier and brings about the end of the world, but it does not mean the beginning of the end of the world.”

"In other words, depending on the interpretation, the end of the world might come sooner than expected?"

Cattleya, who was once a "master of prophecy" and has now been promoted to "sage," took over the conversation, seemingly lost in thought.

"Perhaps going further, all the gods, outward gods, and even fate itself that hope to stop the end times or hope that the end times will come sooner will cause the prophecy to change. The end times may be in two months, or it may be delayed for several years, or it may be... tomorrow."

"That's the wonder of fate, even for those great beings."

Fors answered in a vague tone.

Compared to the other members, she knew the truth about the apocalypse earlier and experienced the moment when the "Giant of Light" appeared in the depths of everyone's hearts a month ago. With Mr. Bethel's explanation, she understood that it was a sign of the true return of the "Ancient Sun God" who emerged in the Second Age, established history belonging to mankind, and fell at the end of the Third Age. She also understood that the first true "Old One" had been born on Earth, and that he was a great being of the same pillar-level Old One as the Fallen Mother Goddess.

But what puzzled her was that in the month that followed, apart from some covert changes in the two churches of "Storm" and "Wisdom", everything was calm. The astral barrier seemed to have been reinforced, the Outer Gods no longer launched joint attacks on the barrier, and even the seal on the Western Continent remained unmoved, as if the birth of "God" was just a collective hysteria of everyone on Earth.

This made her uncertain about the exact time of the apocalypse, and she could only explain the past with the phrase "fate is strange".

Whether the apocalypse is two months or two years from now, it means an unexpected burden for them. Everyone has family and friends to protect, and tasks assigned to them by their community or organization. After becoming angels, they all have a natural sense of responsibility towards their country and the entire human race, realizing that they are no longer weak beings hiding under the wings of other angels or gods.

They themselves became protectors of others.

"What should we do?"

"The Sun," Derrick asked in a deep, husky voice.

This seemed to be the question he had been pondering for a long time, the most pressing question in his mind.

Under his earnest gaze, the "magician" lady shook her head again:
"To be honest, I don't know either. I've seen things in the starry sky that you can't even imagine: massive gravitational sources that span entire galaxies, thin canvases depicting hundreds and thousands of planets, and voids stretching for millions of light-years to prevent the decay of all things and the end of time... These are the traces left by the battles between the 'Old Days,' powers that angels cannot even touch."

“Even the gods we once feared, if they cannot become the true Old Ones before the end of the world, will not be able to put up an effective resistance in this battle.”

As she coldly narrated, all the newly ordained angels present lowered their heads, feeling a profound sense of powerlessness.

In a war that even Sequence 0 gods cannot participate in, what role can these newly promoted angels, who have not yet truly mastered their own powers, play?

"Perhaps we are still of some use..."

Suddenly, Miss Justice's voice, which she had managed to muster some strength from, rang out.

"Those great beings beyond the barrier also have their own angels. They, too, cannot participate in direct combat, but they can still destroy our planet and kill all ordinary people..."

"There are nine great beings outside the barrier. If we add the 'Uncertain Mist' that the magician mentioned was severely injured and forced to retreat, then there are ten. The number of angels under their command may be in the hundreds. If they bypass the main battlefield and attack Earth, trying to kill all ordinary people and shake their 'faith,' it will inevitably worsen the condition of the gods who are directly confronting the Outer Gods."

"This little bit of interference may be the key to deciding the outcome of the war."

Audrey didn't continue, but everyone understood what she meant:
In the final battle of "kings against kings, soldiers against soldiers," they were not without purpose; as angels fighting against the Outer Gods and anchors protecting the divine, they were equally important.

"And let's not forget that we ourselves are the anchors of Mr. Fool and Miss Queen, and their important support."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," was no longer lost. He looked up and stared at everyone, summarizing in a firm tone, as if he had found a new goal.

Under his gaze, the other members also felt a burning flame of "responsibility" rise within them, and they straightened their backs again, no longer bowing their heads.

Seeing that they had recovered from the shock of the truth about the "apocalypse," "The Magician" Fors smiled and continued:

"Yes, no matter when the end of the world comes, our goal remains unchanged: to protect our family and friends and help them to the best of our ability..."

Suddenly everything went black before her eyes. The palace, tables, chairs, and other figures in the mist all disappeared, replaced by bright gas lamps, tables set with tea and snacks, and sectional sofas.

They were all shrouded in a hazy, dried-up red.

Hugh, who was sitting opposite him and had his whole body buried in the sofa, opened his eyes and looked over in confusion.

In an instant, both of them realized that the "Tarot Meeting" had ended prematurely.

Then, the red light that spilled into the living room from outside the window caught Fors's attention. She instantly disappeared from the sofa and appeared by the window, one hand on Hugh's shoulder, who had also come to the window.

It wasn't the afternoon sun outside the window, but a red moon slowly rising.

It was several times larger than a normal blood moon, seemingly appearing right next to the treetops and rooftops, so close it was as red as blood.

……

Leonard awoke abruptly from the shadows. He leaped to his feet, dispelling the "hidden" power, and stomped his foot on the ground with a thud. He looked around in confusion and realized that he was indeed back in his study at home.

The sound drew a puzzled greeting from Sherman downstairs, who was singing a lullaby to her unborn child. He paid no attention to her, however, and instead looked out the window, guided by a sudden surge of spirituality.

There stood an old man with completely white hair, dark brown eyes, and not too many wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes. He was bathed in blood-red light, and the shadows on his face looked somewhat eerie.

"Old man?" Leonard called out in confusion, "What just happened?"

How did I get kicked out of the Tarot Club? What about the others...? He had many more questions in his mind, but he was immediately drawn to the blood moon that suddenly rose outside the window, and a strong sense of unease arose in his heart.

……

"Justice" Audrey opens her eyes in the Earl's mansion in Queens; "The Moon" Emlyn awakens in the South District surrounded by dolls; "The Hermit" Cattleya looks at the red moon through her glasses on the Future, which is tossed about in the raging sea; "The Hanged Man" Alger puts on his mask again at the headquarters of the Church of the Sea God in Bayam; and "The Sun" Derrick opens the balcony door in New Silver City and looks at the city illuminated by the red moon...

And all the angels on Earth, whether belonging to various churches or secret organizations, or hiding alone in society, saw at this moment the blood-red moon growing larger and larger, almost touching the ground, and heard the pronouncements of their respective gods.

The end of the world has come ahead of schedule.

(End of this chapter)