Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1398 Allocation of Source Matter

As the gray mist swirled, "Lord of Mysteries" Klein returned to the space controlled by "Source Castle".

The palace, bronze table, and twenty-two high-backed chairs that were destroyed when Angel, the "Cataclysm," killed Lilith, the "Earth Mother Goddess," were quickly restored under his will. Afterward, he sat back in the chair that belonged to the "Fool."

His black trench coat was vaguely turning into a dark cloak, and in the mist behind him, slippery tentacles with sinister patterns on their surfaces flashed by.

Focusing his mind, Klein suppressed the resurgent consciousness within him, allowing his condition to stabilize.

Although the battle with the Outer Gods was one-sided, the "Fallen Mother Goddess" still possessed the status of a pillar. Her damage to the other Great Old Ones did not need to be reflected in the offense and defense of authority and symbols. She could simply rely on "rebirth" to awaken the spirit of the original creator, the "Celestial Venerable" and the "Primordial God" within the Great Old Ones like Klein and Grisha, who had been promoted later in life. This caused their state to be continuously weakened until they eventually lost control and collapsed.

If the two pillars hadn't reached a tacit understanding before the battle, and hadn't intended to truly revive through this, Klein might have already entered a deep sleep to maintain his state, fighting against the "Celestial Venerable" in his dreams.

This is also why the Old Ones on Earth did not further pressure the "Fallen Mother Goddess" to give up protecting the other Outer Gods. Even without the constraints of a ceasefire agreement, the Old Ones on Earth need time to stabilize themselves and do not have the conditions to start another war.

Klein tamed the waving, slippery tentacles and returned them to his body. He looked at the Gray Mist Palace, where sometimes several members of the Tarot Society sat around, and sometimes only he and Angel were having a private conversation. He reached out and stroked the cold, hard tabletop, and sighed with emotion.

Five years ago, when he first walked four steps backward in his cramped rented room in Tingen City and arrived here, he never imagined that he would become one of the most powerful Great Old Ones in the universe, shouldering the arduous task of protecting the Earth, fighting against the Outer Gods, and suppressing the return of that "Celestial Being".

This short period of time was more profound than his memories of more than 20 years of life in his "previous life," and the various experiences and pressures he faced were incomparable to the time he spent as a happy corporate slave.

Fortunately, besides the difficulties and hardships, I also met many interesting people and experienced many interesting things, which gave me courage and strength to continue... Klein's gaze lingered for a moment on the first high-backed chair on his left. With a smile, he looked up at the dark blue-green light gate in the distance, and the transparent "cocoons" hanging above it.

There were hundreds of these cocoons, suspended by thin black threads that resembled spirits, moving and colliding with each other without wind. Inside were men and women of different skin colors and different attire, all with their eyes closed, yet they exuded a sense of life.

After becoming the "Lord of Mysteries," Klein was fully aware that these spirits were the many "resurrection contingents" that the "Celestial Venerable" had selected in the old world before he split from the original creator. They would be released by the Source Castle at the appropriate time and placed into the body of a recently deceased person, using the pre-allocated "Miracle Master" resurrection count to bring them back to life.

Currently, three of the cocoons of light have been opened, and the spirits released back into reality belong to Amanisis from the Second Era, Roselle from two hundred years ago, and Klein himself from five years ago.

The first one became the "Goddess of the Night" and provided considerable assistance when Klein was "resurrected." The second one became the famous "Caesar the Great," who not only plagiarized many of his previous life's ideas but also left behind a diary written in Chinese, which helped Klein through the difficult period at the beginning of his transmigration.

Now, as a "senior," Klein will also give the remaining "transmigrators" some small help. He raises his right hand, clenches his five fingers together, and causes all the suspended cocoons to break apart together from a distance.

The humanoid figures inside transformed into specks of light, flew out of the gray mist of the Source Castle, returned from the spirit world to reality, and landed on some recently deceased people in the real world.

During this period, he granted these people a little "luck" so that they wouldn't have to experience difficulties and trials that weren't theirs to begin with when they first arrived in this unfamiliar world, but that was all.

With the apocalypse over, "Celestial Venerable" will not interfere with reality for a while, and they should have their own second lives, but Klein should not arrange everything for them.

Of course, if a fellow villager were to approach the Church of Fools based on Gehrman's legend, he wouldn't mind offering them some extra help.

However, the one who will be troubled first is definitely that overly flamboyant emperor. Hopefully, this will give him a little extra humanity... Thinking of this, Klein couldn't help but laugh again.

Immediately, he realized that because the seal on the Western Continent had been broken, many of these souls that had fallen into reality would inevitably be reborn in a world that was completely different from the environment in which the previous three transmigrators had been.

This is not a big problem. The "Fool" will surely protect that world after the end of the world. This is not only because it is his geographical homeland and an ancient civilization that has not been interrupted, but also because after the end of the world, the whole earth will inevitably move towards the stars as a whole, and there should be no national or geographical barriers.

He believed that Russell, another time traveler named Huang Tao, would think and act in the same way.

After resolving the problems left behind by the "Celestial Venerable," Klein began to consider how to deal with some of the source matter that had not yet truly become the old.

Although the "Key of Light" did not fall apart under the repeated attacks of the "Unquenchable Whispers," the three main consciousnesses within it were affected to some extent. Now that the war of the end times is over, it can choose a better time to ascend to "Endless Chaos, the Incarnation of Destiny."

As for when and by whom, it depends on luck and opportunity; even Klein, the "beacon of destiny," cannot decide that.

At least for now, the two "snakes of fate" have left the "holy monk's" Buddhist kingdom and returned to their familiar homes.

The "Angel of Fate" Urolius may not truly be willing to vie for the position of the ancients. All his motives were for his own Lord, and now the "Ancient Sun God" has truly been resurrected.

Will Unsett, the "Mercury Angel," also seems to drift along with the tide. This may be a characteristic of the "fate" path, a survival wisdom accumulated over thousands of years. Perhaps accommodating "uniqueness" was just a means of self-preservation in the past.

Klein had no idea what the “holy monk” he hadn’t had the chance to meet was thinking, but it seemed that the Dao-mergers of the Western Continent were not really interested in truly integrating into the source matter and becoming the dominant consciousness. Their merging with the Dao was more out of a spirit of sacrifice than a struggle for power and authority.

Similar problems exist in the "Knowledge Wilderness." Although the original God of Steam has become the "Demon of Knowledge," according to the "Celestial Master," if Stiano wants to gain the recognition of the consciousness of the Dao-merging beings from past generations remaining within the Source Essence, he must truly obtain the bloodline influenced by the "Mother Nest."

Before this, with the help of "God" Grisha, the God of Steam barely managed to deceive the spiritual imprint of the Daoists and participate in the Doomsday War as the ancient identity of the "Demon of Knowledge". However, how to maintain this identity after the war without being rejected by the source matter became a major problem.

While Klein could once again fool and deceive the "Wilderland of Knowledge," it was not a permanent solution and would leave too many hidden dangers for this Great Old One. The reasonable strategy was to let Steano find a solution himself from the endless knowledge and mad mysteries, while having the current "Master" start taking potions from scratch, advancing from Sequence 9 "Secret Seeker" to "Hermit," and taking over the "Wilderland of Knowledge."

What's most ironic is that both of them are willing to give up their opportunities to each other, becoming carefree angels themselves, giving the impression that the other is the one to hold up the sky if it falls.

All Klein could do was protect the other side after one side succeeded, so that they wouldn't suffer too much trouble due to their fall from grace.

Moreover, a truly stable "Knowledge Demon" must be born before the "Ceasefire Agreement" ends, that is, within 60 years, so as to prevent Earth's fighting power from being lost due to "mutual concessions".

Finally, there is the question of the "Shadow World".

After the "Mother Tree of Desire" fell, the other half of the source matter it contained, along with the two pathways symbolizing "desire" and "roaring," fell completely into the hands of the Earth.

This presents Klein, Grisha, and other figures from the past with a difficult choice:

Is it to merge the "Shadow World" as a whole, unify the four paths, and create a great being whose strength is second only to the three pillars and the soon-to-be-born dual-source ancient, or to continue to let the two source materials that have already completed themselves and have essentially split their authority and symbol support an ancient ruler respectively?
If all are integrated, the newly formed "Mother Tree of Desire, Father of Demons, Eternal Howler, God of Lost Heart" will inevitably be based on the original "Demon King" Fabuti, because before the war, in order to stabilize His state, the uniqueness of the "Bound One" path and a part of the "Divine Abomination" characteristic were given to Fabuti, and He has an absolute advantage in these two paths.

However, Klein worried that this deity, whose mind and body had already been affected by the "Abyss" pathway, would have difficulty controlling the complete "Shadow World." He lacked sufficient anchors and had even relied on the Earth Mother Goddess's help to stabilize his state. Although the addition of the "Bound One" could reduce the impact of the other three pathways to some extent, it should not be forgotten that the "Mother Tree of Desire" had just fallen, and the will and spiritual imprint within the other half of His essence were extremely powerful. Whether what would be born then would be Fabuti or one of the three children directly born by the "First Creator" was uncertain.

Therefore, a better approach would be to give the "Abyss," the "Bound One," and half of the original "Mother Tree of Desire" to Fabuti. This would allow the symbolism possessed by the "Bound One" to lessen the influence of the "Abyss," restoring some humanity to this demon king. Furthermore, the portion of will and spiritual imprint belonging to the "Mother Tree of Desire" among the extraordinary characteristics and uniqueness of the two paths would be relatively weaker, thus not causing too much impact on Fabuti.

The other two pathways, symbolizing "desire" and "scream," along with the half of the "Shadow World" remaining on Earth, were handed over to the "Master of the Dark Abode" in the Western Continent, allowing Him to become another Ancient. The reasoning is similar to that of Fabuti: the "Shadow World" on Earth has had its consciousness and spiritual imprints worn away by successive Dao-mergers, making the pressure to ascend to the Ancient less. While the two pathways originate directly from the "Mother Tree of Desire" and retain many imprints, using role-playing methods and corresponding rituals to counteract them minimizes the risk of losing control.

Just like a cup of hot water and a cup of cold water merging to become two cups of lukewarm water... Klein smiled after initially setting his strategy, deciding to discuss this matter with his old friends such as Grisha, Angel, and Amanisis, rather than making a decision on his own.

His thoughts gradually wandered and then converged. Seeing that the time was almost up, he made a mental movement, and a series of deep red lights flashed beside the bronze table, and familiar figures appeared before him one by one.

Everyone stood up and bowed to Klein, even the "Queen," whose status was no less than that of the "Fool," did not break this unique sense of ritual that belonged to him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."

The orderly greetings echoed through the gray fog.

— Upon returning to his own divine kingdom, Angel discovers that the world has undergone tremendous changes.

What was once a somewhat confined, seemingly extremely limited space, has expanded to an almost boundless realm. Different natural disasters from various parts of the universe are unfolding here in turn: the light of supernova explosions, the flashes of matter ejected from black holes, and the heat of matter-antimatter annihilation are constantly sweeping across the area, turning it into an extremely dangerous place of destruction.

Because the original barrier of the Creator disappeared, the "mirror world," which was originally limited to the interior of the Earth, has been connected with the corresponding space of the entire universe. This has led to a corresponding change in Angel's divine kingdom, and the symbol of "disaster" has expanded to almost infinite extent.

In the midst of all the "natural disasters" in the universe, only one city in the center, a blend of various civilizations, remained untouched by any calamities. Inside, a series of upward-reaching staircases led directly to the mist in the sky, within which lay a divine throne stained with deep red blood.

This is the manifestation of the source matter contained within Angel's body within the divine realm after Angel became the "Cataclysmic Calamity".

Why did it revert back to its original state? It seems that even if it becomes the old days, it will take many attempts to permanently modify it into the way one likes... Angel had a thought and transformed the throne into a familiar single sofa, but instead of climbing the steps to sit in it, he entered the "City of Calamity" and arrived at a location closely connected to a special mirror world.

It was a huge square in the city, with more than a dozen full-length mirrors of different styles casually placed around it, flashing in the sparks of meteorites that occasionally streaked across the sky.

Each mirror represents a high-ranking witch of the "Church of the End Times," a reflection of the church headquarters located in Partis, the "City of Dreams" in the real world, within the divine realm.

When a divine meeting is needed, their figures appear in the mirror, and they can even cross the mirror world to come to the Kingdom of God, with Angel's permission, just as Mr. Fool summons his followers.

The "Queen" finally has her own Tarot Club, but there's a problem. Because I have more "witch" traits than "red priestess" traits, the Divine Kingdom still retains the characteristics I had before I became the Old One. It will turn all visitors into women in the biological sense. This isn't a big problem for witches, but if someone else comes to the Divine Kingdom... it would be very interesting to lure Klein in sometime... Angel's mind was filled with these thoughts. After a moment, he looked at the ancient mirror that belonged to "Grey Saintess" Judith.

The image of the "Disaster" witch, mature in temperament and beautiful in appearance, immediately appeared in the mirror. As if she had been prepared, she bowed and then stood quietly, not daring to make any unnecessary movements.

Along with Him, all the angels of the End Times Church also participated in the final battle, heading to space to intercept the Outer God angels who were attacking Earth, which had retreated to the Mirror World. Fortunately, the witches had a huge advantage on home ground. Although more than one "Disaster" witch was killed and could only resurrect herself through the hidden mirror, none of them ultimately perished.

For the same reason, they also collected some extraordinary traits left behind by the dead Outer Gods and gave them to Angel through sacrifice. Among them, Angel paid attention to a Sequence 1 "Star Dragon" trait belonging to the "Superstar Overlord" believer, a Sequence 2 "Time Giant" trait belonging to the "Decaying King" believer, and a Sequence 1 "Observer" trait belonging to the "High Dimension Overlooker" corresponding to the "Dimension" symbol.

Angel was surprised by the latter's fall, since for an "observer" who can transcend dimensions and avoid most attacks from reality, it is difficult to be fatally attacked unless one wants to die.

According to Amon, who stole the fate of Themipolus, the “Angel of Redemption,” the pathways possessed by the ancients that could mutually contain source matter and absorb corresponding uniqueness could also jump between each other. The “Dense One” pathway of the Superstar Overlord and the “Second Law” pathway of the Declining King could both allow witches or hunter angels to advance, while the “Eye of the Mortal World” of the High Dimension Overlord could be given to Klein…

The path to becoming a "superstar overlord" is relatively easy to manage; it won't be long before this path becomes entirely Earth's. However, the path to becoming an Outer God, where the Great Old Ones above haven't yet fallen, carries considerable risks. While there's nothing to worry about within Earth, once they venture into space, they may be targeted by the Great Old Ones, such as "higher-dimensional observers" and "decaying monarchs," who are unwilling to accept defeat.

However, for Earth, where almost all traits above Sequence 2 have already been assigned, every additional extraordinary trait is extremely valuable, and there should be quite a few willing to risk advancing to higher levels.

"We'll distribute them internally first. If no witch dares to take the risk, we'll use them to exchange with other Old Ones. Their angels should have gained some benefits in the battle, but there might not be any suitable candidates for promotion... As for me, after things stabilize, I can still use one 'Doomsday' witch's characteristic to maintain an imbalance of 2 Doomsday and 1 Conqueror, giving me more resources for exchange..." Angel muttered to himself, seeing that Judith was still waiting patiently, and then spoke up:

"I intend to resurrect your sister, Chrismona, who perished after the battle of the Four Emperors. Do you have any suggestions?"

These words caused the usually composed "Saintess of Ash" to reveal undisguised shock. After a moment, she shook her head and said:
"It has been more than a thousand years."

“Time is not a problem. Even if an angel falls, his soul is fragmented, and he is sent to the River Styx, he still has a chance to be resurrected. Moreover, the ‘Eternal Darkness’ will also provide assistance,” Angel explained. “Furthermore, you have kept the seal formed by His characteristics, hoping to see Him again one day, right?”

The only 0-level sealed artifact originally possessed by the Witch Cult was the "Fear of Love," formed from the "Calamity" witch's characteristics. This artifact was Christmana's relic. For over a thousand years, no "ageless" witch had attempted to use it to advance. This was partly because many Sequence 3 witches, having lived long lives, were unwilling to advance further, facing the risks of divine erosion and loss of control. On the other hand, it was also due to the deliberate arrangement of "Grandmother" Judith.

Seeing that her thoughts had been exposed, Judith stopped talking and simply nodded, a hint of anticipation appearing on her face.

After cutting off the mirror communication, Angel turned around and left the square, arriving at a ruin on the edge of the "City of Calamity".

This was originally a modern street in the 21st century, possibly originating from a city in an ancient era that was destroyed due to the awakening and fragmentation of the "original creator." However, the clean streets, towering skyscrapers, and dazzling streetscapes have long been destroyed and torn apart by some irregular gravitational force, twisted in an extremely bizarre way. Concrete, glass shards, and lampposts connected to steel bars fly everywhere, yet strangely remain still in the air.

Angel knew that this was a reflection of the special mirror world in her own divine realm where she had sealed the remains of the "Super Star Overlord," and that as time went on, this destructiveness would gradually spread to other locations and even begin to interfere with the power of the "City of Calamity."

After all, it is a complete source substance, and it is more focused on "reality". Even the "Lord of Mysteries" could not seal it for a long time, let alone Angel's temporary isolation using the special nature of the mirror world. It is bound to be short-lived.

Therefore, no matter how many hidden dangers there are, and even if he may have to face the residual consciousness and spiritual imprint of the "Super Star Overlord" later, Angel must accept this source substance as soon as possible and control its power.

Moreover, this might not be without its benefits. The consciousness of the "evil dragon" is not at peace within me. Introducing the Super Star Overlord might be able to restrain it, allowing my other side, Angel Gray, to escape from this tedious task... Just as I thought of the mirror image that had already merged with me, Angel's figure appeared before me with a more three-dimensional outline and a slightly androgynous face.

Upon seeing her, Angel beamed and gave her a big hug before saying:

“We have won. The Outer Gods have fled. The ‘Mother Tree of Desire’ and the ‘Super Star Overlord’ have both donated their source matter to Earth.”

"Yes, I know, I know everything."

Gray responded with a smile.

The long-term effort finally yielded results. The painful ending in her memory was gone, allowing her to completely relax both physically and mentally. She also remembered the worries that had been buried deep in her heart.

“…Next, I plan to incorporate the source matter of the Superstar Overlord, as well as His only ‘Dense One’ pathway. This will relieve some of the pressure on the ‘Red Priest,’ and perhaps allow you…”

Angel was still rambling on about her plans, but Gray had no interest in listening anymore. Her expression turned serious, and she interrupted her, saying:

"Next, there is one more very important thing."

"Do you remember what the final step was each time we traveled through time via the power leak points in various places of the 'City of Calamity'?"

Angel's words came to an abrupt halt. She stared at Gray's face, which was almost identical to her own, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

Of course she remembers...

From the nearby ruins, a small head peeked out, looking at the two figures whispering. Soft golden hair was pulled into the sky by the chaotic gravity of the place, and great confusion filled its purple eyes.

Having just awakened from her slumber, she was filled with curiosity about everything in this world.

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 the northern part of Backlund, the sun had already begun to set, and for some reason, a crimson moon, paler than usual, gradually appeared, casting its soft light on every street.

Half an hour had passed since the meteor shower that streaked across the sky, but many people were still excitedly discussing the dreamlike and magnificent scene, believing that their wishes would surely come true.

Perhaps it really is possible; there is at least one "Miracle Master" among them. However, I saw Him secretly return to Backlund and enter the Church of the Goddess of Night in the North District... As she walked past the crowd discussing, a smile appeared on Audrey's face.

After a moment's thought, she turned around and walked towards the church.

P.S.: I originally thought the ending would be quick, but I have a lot more to write, so there might be three, four, or five more chapters...

(End of this chapter)