Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1392 The Instinct for Redemption
Before Angel's destructive greatsword even reached him, the surrounding cosmic space began to crumble inch by inch, causing the entire spacetime to collapse towards the "higher-dimensional observer" along with the blade, as if the entire dimensional world was falling towards an eternal doomsday.

This was not unfamiliar to the "high-dimensional observer" who could control multiple dimensions and often directly attack lower dimensions from higher dimensions, but it was the first time that He Himself had experienced the feeling of collapsing along with the entire plane.

That is the symbol and authority of "destructive natural disaster," the manifestation of the most powerful catastrophe in the entire universe.

Interfering with "God," He was unable to ascend to a higher dimension and was immediately drawn into the collapsing space. A piece of the illusory, seemingly untouchable black shadow was torn off, and black flames condensing "destructive" power emerged from the broken piece, continuing to spread in all directions and even beginning to affect His own body.

Indeed, even the part that is restricted and attacked is not the true body of the "High Dimension Overlooker," but rather an illusion that He has imagined and manifested. However, Angel's "Root of Calamity" symbol allows her to harm the original body connected to it at any time by attacking clones, puppets, or phantoms. This is why she first sought out the High Dimension Overlooker, who is not actually in this dimension.

At an infinite height, an indifferent, clear, and emotionless eye, originally hidden behind the shadows, appeared amidst the outline of black flames.

That is the true "Lord of Dimensions, the eye that looks down upon the mortal world, the source of all illusions, the creator of the world in the painting," the true high-dimensional observer.

Ignoring the flames of destruction engulfing him and the suppression of the symbols, he shifted his gaze away from the phantom he had created, causing the non-existent avatar to collapse and fall silent, while simultaneously severing the damage being transmitted from the clone to the main body.

The gaze then fell directly upon Angel, using the "overlooking" perspective from a higher dimension to a lower dimension to quickly discern all of his former weaknesses.

Because it is an acquired Old One, not a consciousness that appeared along with the Source, the newly emerged "Cataclysm of Destruction" must be formed by the union of Yin and Yang, and achieve a balance between the "Witch" and the "Red Priest". Therefore, her state should be weaker than the complete Old Ones such as "Eternal Darkness" and "Knowledge Demon", and similar to the quasi-Old Ones such as "Key of Light" and "Shadow World" that have not yet truly unified their internal will.

And the "high-dimensional observers" did indeed discover this problem.

But He quickly discovered that the connection between the two, "yin and yang united" and outwardly manifested, was exceptionally strong, because the "witch" was Angel, and the "red priestess" was her mirror image, Gray; the two were one, and their connection was unbreakable. While the evil dragon that also constituted the body of the "Cataclysm of Destruction" could be further divided into a black dragon head, a white human face, and a chaotic face forcibly inserted by the "Primordial God," this three-in-one consciousness did not dominate. The "higher-dimensional observer" attempted to interfere from a higher dimension but found it ineffective.

The only real weakness that He can exploit is the final part that makes up the "Cataclysmic Destruction," namely the yin and yang aspects of the "Creator in the Mirror."

The negative aspect is absolutely dominant and possesses a certain degree of self-awareness, while the positive aspect is weak due to the imbalance between the "witch" and the "red priest". If the higher-dimensional observer can disrupt this relationship and allow the positive aspect to recover to some extent, it may be able to disrupt the state of "destruction catastrophe" from within and cause it to self-destruct.

After glancing at this "weakness" once more, the high-dimensional observer silently withdrew its gaze.

He then began to try to reduce the dimension of the space around Angel, so that it would fall into two dimensions and become a painting created and drawn by Him.

In an instant, Angel found that his vision had narrowed, leaving only a dark line standing in front of him, which was the once empty universe and the distant starlight like a curtain.

She looked up and down, but the scenery remained the same. She tried to look left and right, but found that there was nothing in those two directions at all, and even the space itself had disappeared. Naturally, there was no trace of the "high-dimensional observer" in them.

She had transformed into a two-dimensional paper creature, fallen into the painting, and trapped inside a space with no thickness, unable to exert any influence on the outside world.

The "Eye Overlooking the Mortal World" at the top did not risk provoking the "Creator in the Mirror" by attacking further, nor did it want to get entangled with the "Cataclysmic Destruction." The source matter it needed was not on the other party, and fighting would not only bring it risks but also be of no benefit.

Without the mediation of the "Uncertain Mist," He had no intention of doing the work for other Great Old Ones, especially since the black flames carrying the symbol of "destruction" were indeed quite painful.

Before He could leave the exquisite panorama created by Angel's graceful figure wielding the black sword, the latter raised his empty left hand and proclaimed in a majestic, layered voice:
"The Three Realms and Six Paths should be one!"

That was the power she borrowed from the "Shadow of Order".

In an instant, within this space, whether it was the astral realm, the spirit realm, or reality, higher and lower dimensions were all connected into one.

While the active cooperation and assistance of the celestial lords and spirit rulers certainly played a role, the distorted order and rules symbolized by the "disordered kingdom," which the "higher-dimensional observers" craved, also played a crucial role.

Angel, a thin piece of paper, leaps out of the two-dimensional world and returns to a three-dimensional space with more dimensions. Without hesitation, she destroys herself and appears in the "mirror world" in the painting. This is a completely new self that is not confined to two dimensions.

She spread the destructive black flames from her sword, and in an instant, following the weaknesses of the world in the painting, she completely destroyed the two-dimensional world created by the Eye of the Mortal World.

This weakness was exposed because the "higher-dimensional observer" actively connected with it in order to allow its angels to bring other Outer God angels into the "Mirror World".

The shockwaves caused by the destruction of the world in the painting also affected the mirror world where Earth is located, causing a violent tremor that all the angels could perceive.

Returning to his familiar dimension, Angel looked once more at the illusory eyes that looked down upon him from above, and within those eyes that seemed to contain the universe, a new flame of destruction ignited.

Taking advantage of the weaknesses created by the attack on the clone that affected the main body, she can now directly create destruction within the opponent's body that will end everything. The power provided by "Shadow of Order" means that even if the higher-dimensional observer increases in dimension, they cannot completely avoid this kind of damage.

Almost imperceptibly, that emotionless and utterly indifferent eye shrank a little.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In a nearby star field, "Shadow of Order" Rosell also successfully intercepted "Decaying King" who was heading to another battlefield.

The battle between the two ancient beings was rather tedious. Once Roselle got close to the rotting mummy, which was as big as a planet and covered in gold, he would fall into multiple effects of "slowness" and "decay." The "disordered kingdom" that had just been incorporated into his body but had not yet fully unified his internal consciousness became somewhat unstable.

But He can also exert the opposite influence on the "declining king." Order is His great enemy that leads everything to decay. After Roselle approached and allowed His own symbol to be revealed, the greenish-blue decaying body of the giant mummy, covered in gold, began to gradually heal and restore the balance between life and death.

This effect, which was tantamount to "healing," made the "declining king" quite uncomfortable, as if his own authority had been suppressed. He instinctively felt disgusted by the figure wearing black armor and a jeweled crown, whose huge left hand, symbolizing decay, stretched out to inflict inevitable death on the other.

However, its vision and attack path were instantly "distorted," causing it to miss its target.

The "guaranteed hit" was originally supposed to be able to restrain the powers that reduce the probability of hits, such as distortion and grafting. However, the entire star field is under the watchful eye of an omniscient and omnipotent being. From time to time, the corresponding powers and concepts are slightly adjusted and modified, causing the battle to develop in a direction that is favorable to the old Earth. In addition, the "distortion" at the old level can also affect powers and symbols, turning the guaranteed hit into a guaranteed evasion.

After dodging the attack, Roselle's face, obscured by shadows, turned back to the "decaying king," searching for weaknesses within him, preparing to "amplify" them, and then use the "chaos" authority borrowed after establishing order to detonate these problems.

In the brief battle initiated by Angel, He had already discovered that the combined attack of the forces of "Destruction Catastrophe" and "Eternal Darkness" on "Decaying King" seemed to be causing something bad to happen, and might even cause the "Ring of Destiny," which was also an Outer God, to reverse time and stop this fusion.

This led Roselle to think of the "fourth pillar" hidden in the universe, and he suspected that the two Great Old Ones on Earth, who symbolize end and destruction, could not combine to form the complete pillar power, but that a third Great Old One, who also symbolizes decay, was needed on the Outer Gods side.

Of course, this has little to do with His attack. He can borrow power and authority, but he can only use the symbol to a limited extent. He cannot borrow it completely, much less combine the two powers of ending like Angel himself.

But before the borrowed "chaos" could explode within the "decaying monarch," a terrifying murmur emanated from the depths of Roselle's mind.

That information was not received from the outside world, but came from the source of His power, from the extraordinary characteristics of the "Disordered Kingdom" and the two paths of the Black Emperor and the Judge, from the indestructible spirit of the original Creator. In an instant, behind Roselle's majestic body, figures with crowned faces appeared, their hair and beards standing on end.

That was because the consciousness within the source, which was not yet fully unified, was aroused with negative emotions and flamboyant desires, and began to resist Roselle's unified command.

They were all former emperors, why should they submit to an outsider?
Roselle's attack on the weakness was immediately interrupted, and the most primal consciousness and babbling were also aroused within his target, the "decaying king".

Not only Him, but all the ancient things in this star field were affected; no one could escape or be spared.

It was the roar of an "unceasing murmur" that had no physical form and could only be attached to certain things.

He is "the origin of philosophy, the undying murmur, the symbol of the spirit of living beings, and the indelible consciousness," and is now hiding in a higher dimension activated and opened up by a higher-dimensional observer, attempting to influence the situation on the battlefield.

Angel's act of uniting the three realms and six paths into one brought the multiple dimensions closer together, allowing them to influence each other. This naturally caused the "Unending Whispers" to return to the current dimension, enabling them to attack all enemies and detonate the spiritual imprints from the "Primordial Creator" within them.

Such delirium can also harm the Outer Gods, but since they were mostly born from the union of the original Creator and the "Fallen Mother Goddess," with a layer of relationship between them, the impact on them is much less severe. In contrast, the source matter contained in the Earth's native Old Ones is mostly left behind after that Creator split and fell, so the damage caused by the delirium is much greater.

Naturally, Angel, who housed the "City of Calamity," was no exception. She had just found an opportunity to exploit the weakness left by the "High Dimension Overlord" after being burned by her flames of destruction when the consciousness of the "Evil Dragon" within her began to stir, wanting to seize control of her body.

Angel Grey, the "Red Priestess," was also affected by the negative emotions evoked by the delirium. However, being of one mind with Angel, she submitted to the will of her original self with little struggle and began to help suppress the activated "evil dragon."

But what worries Angel is not only this consciousness belonging to the "City of Calamity", but also the original positive side of the Creator in the mirror that is sealed and buried deep in his heart.

If the dormant yang aspect, which is in a state of imbalance of yin and yang within the body, is activated and combines with the yin aspect of oneself, then the original in the mirror will undoubtedly awaken. And He will take back control of the body, reclaim the source and uniqueness that originated from Him, and Angel will have no way to stop Him.

Therefore, she immediately needed to use the power of "connection" to distribute the effects of this rambling to other legion members, thereby relieving her own stress.

But at that moment, a sentence from a telepathic connection made her hesitate:

“Absorb the influence of all delirium.”

That was the statement of "Shadow of Order" Roselle, who astutely discovered some loopholes and problems in the battle.

Angel instantly understood and used his authority as the team leader to transfer the chaos from all the old ones affected by the "Unending Whispers" to himself, so that he could bear it alone.

The consciousness of "Eternal Darkness" and "Knowledge Demon," which were suppressing the "Ring of Destiny" but had stopped attacking due to the influence of the delirium, was cleared. The "Key of Light" and "Shadow World," which were assisting them, were also restored from their almost shattered and disintegrated state due to the delirium.

But Angel had to bear several times the pressure from the "original creator's" spiritual imprint within her source matter and extraordinary characteristics, and the consciousness within her that wanted to usurp her immediately took over.

The positive aspect of the "original creator in the mirror" has been revived!
Although the feminine side seems to resist union, and is resisting under Angel's guidance, the power of the aggregation tendency originating from the original creator is so immense that it is difficult for Him to resist.

Once the two truly come together, the original in the mirror will truly be born!
But at this moment, the initial negative and positive aspects, which had almost come together but only appeared in Angel's consciousness space, retreated and separated, and the positive aspect returned to a dormant state.
Angel's insane ramblings, several times greater than his own limits, returned to their original positions through the "connection," and the few who had gone mad returned to calm.

This force returned to the body of the "Unending Whisper" that had fallen to a lower dimension, and it ascended to a higher dimension once more, placing itself in the same position as the "Higher Dimensional Overlooker" who had returned to this place.

The entire solar system returned to the moment when Angel was preparing to attack the "higher-dimensional observer"—time had reversed!
Having already had a similar experience, Angel immediately realized that the "Ring of Fate" had used its authority and symbolism to prevent the original true birth in the mirror.

"His 'redemptive instinct' will try to prevent a cosmic-level catastrophe that will affect Himself. No matter what happens to any Great Old One, the death of any Great Old One will not cause such a terrible consequence, except for the appearance of a new Creator and the birth of the 'Fourth Pillar' that symbolizes the end of the universe."

Russell's voice arrived late, explaining everything.

Both of these symbols of the end are closely related to Angel. Therefore, the first time the Ring of Destiny made its move was when Angel, in combination with the power of "Eternal Darkness" Amanisis, attacked "The Decaying King" and was about to unite the three symbols of the end of the Great Old Ones. The second time was when Angel actively absorbed all the mad ravings, allowing the masculine side of the original creator to awaken.

This is the problem discovered by the "Shadow of Order," which is adept at finding loopholes in the existing order.

Therefore, as long as I make good use of this characteristic of the "Ring of Destiny", I can even make that Outer God work for us and become an aid to change the course of the battle... Angel understood, and his gaze once again fell on the High Dimension Observer who lived in a high dimension but exposed himself because the "Three Realms and Six Paths" were combined into one, as well as the "Unending Whispers" which was also hiding in a high dimension.

The Ring of Fate's time reversal is tantamount to sending them to Angel's destructive greatsword.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the original battlefield near Earth, "Lord of Mysteries" Klein had also just shaken off the influence of "The Unending Whisper".

Of course, the whispers he received did not come from countless clones and puppets, but directly from the source essence and uniqueness within his body, which was the fundamental reason why the ancient one restrained him.

Fortunately, some of the ramblings were grafted onto the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the "Super Star Overlord" by Klein, while others were actively absorbed by Angel. Klein, for the same reasons as Roselle, did not stop Angel's almost self-destructive behavior.

The result was good, not only proving the concerns of the "Ring of Fate" in this apocalyptic war, but also turning back time to before the entire battlefield was affected by the "Unending Whispers".

The influence of the rambling disappeared. On one hand, he continued to fight against the rebirth of the "Fallen Mother Goddess," and on the other hand, he tried to interfere with this pillar-level Ancient who was located in the real world and had difficulty entering the spirit world and the astral world.

The other three former ones who were held back by him could be dealt with by their clones and secret puppets.

But at that moment, the "Goddess of Fate," trapped in the time loop, quietly raised the silver-black illusory dagger in her hand.

He had learned of the external battle situation through the ever-changing, interconnected river of fate that bound him. He knew that the "Key of Light" was currently besieging the "Ring of Destiny" alongside several other ancient beings from Earth, while the latter also had to constantly monitor other battlefields to prevent a horrific catastrophe that would destroy the universe. It was difficult to say which side he was on. Meanwhile, the "Decaying King" was tied down by Roselle and had no way to escape in the short term. The "High Dimension Watcher" and the "Unending Whisper" had been brought back to the face of the "Cataclysmic Disaster" by time reversal...

He must find a way to break the deadlock here, otherwise, once the "God" who is currently nowhere to be found appears, and once one or two Old Ones are dealt with on other battlefields, the remaining pressure will be borne by Him, who is tied up here, along with the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the "Super Star Overlord"!

In the previous rescue by the "Fallen Mother Goddess" who favored her eldest daughter, a new tributary of the River of Fate had been born, breaking free from the endless cycle of death. The Goddess of Fate, with the help of this illusory, mercury-colored tributary, quietly looked at the "Lord of Mysteries," at the beacon of fate, the King of Time and Space.

As the eldest daughter born from the true union of the Fallen Mother Goddess with the Creator after the birth of the first three sons, the symbol of the Goddess of Fates is special enough to influence the Great Old Ones and even the Pillars, weaving their destinies and even changing their fates.

Now, He will cut off the river of fate of that "Lord of Mysteries," isolate Him, and leave Him with no future and no hope!

(End of this chapter)