Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

'Primordial God Almighty?' Lumian raised an eyebrow.

All around him, formless, colorless flames suddenly flared up, blazing fiercely.

Madame Pualis, cradling the infant Omebella, smiled and said, 'Within the two pathways of Calamity lies the arrangement for the resurrection of the Primordial God Almighty. During the union of Tudor and Cheek to conceive Krismona and Judith, the consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty also partially revived. Naturally, that pair of twins were younger brother and elder sister.

'Conversely, if what fused into your body wasn't Omebella and Zedus, but other divine offspring of the Great Mother, they would have been completely ineffective during that fusion. They lack the necessary symbols and mystical connections.'

Hearing this, the head on Lumian's left shoulder turned from side to side, the faces of Cheek and Alista Tudor alternating as they gazed at Madame Pualis.

Lumian struggled to suppress the urge to incinerate this part of Paramita and destroy it entirely. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

So that's how it is. Omebella was indeed killed by a direct relative. That explains her curse on the City of Silver…

Previously, Lumian had speculated that Omebella's final death stemmed from the citizens of City of Silver killing Her. Since they were Her followers, essentially her 'children,' the act of filicide—or human deicide—could naturally trigger the curse: 'Must die at the hands of a direct relative, or else become an evil spirit.'

Now it seemed that while this might be one of the reasons, it was certainly not the only one—nor even the most crucial.

The true reason was that Omebella's initial death was orchestrated by the Ancient Sun God!
As the successor to the Primordial God Almighty, the Ancient Sun God might have had fragments of the Primordial God Almighty's consciousness and spirit awakening within Him at that time—though still suppressible!

Under these circumstances, in Omebella's eyes, wasn't it essentially a god imbued with Her father's consciousness and spirit using powers derived from Him to kill Her?

Lumian suddenly understood why Madame Pualis had lured the padre into personally killing the newborn Omebella back in Cordu.

If it were only about fulfilling the symbolic act of being killed by a direct relative, Madame Pualis herself, as the mother, could have handled it. There would have been no need for such elaborate arrangements.

The only explanation was that infant Omebella had to be killed once by her biological father—the padre, who symbolized the Eternal Blazing Sun. Only then would all the necessary symbols be complete, forming a closed loop and becoming valid in the realm of mysticism.

Eternal Blazing Sun… Eternal Blazing Sun…

Lumian's pupils dilated as he was struck by a sudden realization.

Once he understood that making the padre become Omebella's father was to evoke the symbol of the Eternal Blazing Sun, one question had always puzzled him.

Why the Eternal Blazing Sun specifically?

Wouldn't the God of Steam and Machinery, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, or the Lord of Storms suffice?

This question hadn't lingered long, though. Realizing that Aurore possessed the unique conditions of being a transmigrator, having the gray fog's aura, being a Warlock, and having a younger brother, Lumian had concluded it was mere coincidence. It just so happened that Cordu worshiped the Eternal Blazing Sun.

But now, he suddenly understood—it wasn't a coincidence. It was a necessary condition.

Aside from being a transmigrator, having the gray fog's aura, being a Warlock, and the sibling relationship, there was another implicit condition: residing in a region that worshiped the Eternal Blazing Sun.

Lumian recalled his time as a casual believer of the Eternal Blazing Sun, occasionally attending Mass at the Saint Sith Cathedral in Cordu, and remembered certain praises from the padre.

'Great Father!'

'Father of all living beings!'

These weren't official titles of the Eternal Blazing Sun, yet they were written into the scriptures, frequently mentioned in propaganda and hymns, and genuinely existed!

The Great Father!

Lumian looked at Madame Pualis and blurted out, 'Is there something wrong with the Eternal Blazing Sun?'

Madame Pualis smiled faintly and replied, 'Long ago, fragments of the Primordial God Almighty's consciousness began reviving within Him. For a time, He would even occasionally lose control of Himself.

'After an extensive period, He finally managed to suppress His alienated self and achieve a fragile balance, which allowed Him to partially harness the power of the Chaos Sea. However, He had to tread carefully and limit the frequency of use. Otherwise, the corruption and alienation would deepen, and the balance would collapse.'

Madame Pualis smiled brilliantly and asked rhetorically, 'Now you understand why the true birth of Omebella is so significant, don't you?

'Her true father is the Primordial God Almighty. Her current father is the Eternal Blazing Sun, within whom the consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty has revived.

'When She was born in essence, the Eternal Blazing Sun, as a symbol of the Primordial God Almighty, will be significantly strengthened. The mystical connection between the two will blend together.

'With the symbol of the Primordial God Almighty greatly reinforced, do you think the fragile balance the Eternal Blazing Sun has been maintaining can still exist?'

In the astral world, where abstract concepts and symbolic representations intertwined.

The radiant, golden Sun, connected to a blazing giant enshrouded in Chaos, suddenly broke off its battle with The Fool.

He contracted instantly, merging once again with the sacredly glowing golden Sun.

The Sun's surface abruptly darkened, patches of shadow spreading swiftly to cover half of its 'face.'

The gigantic golden sun alternated between the form of a handsome, energetic young man with short golden hair draped in a pure white robe, and a blazing, searingly bright fireball.

The young man's expression grew increasingly distorted, His body half-shrouded in dark shadows seeping from within, gradually dissolving. The dark patches on the terrifying fireball expanded, while the divine radiance diminished.

Suddenly, behind the golden sun, a silhouette subtly emerged.

It was a female figure dressed in layered but unadorned pitch-black robes, dotted with what seemed like brilliant stars. From Her ribs and waist extended two pairs of arms covered in short, deep-black fur.

Evernight Goddess!

In the Goddess's six hands, two held heavy black scythes, two cradled ancient bird-shaped golden ornaments, and two raised a massive sword seemingly forged from condensed orange-red light, aiming it at the Eternal Blazing Sun.

The young man with the distorted face in the white robe glanced at the spot where the Evernight Goddess had previously stood and saw a terrifying feathered serpent with massive wings blocking a fissure with its own reflection, maintaining the barrier.

The feathered serpent could only hold out for a short time, and even then, only because the Evernight Goddess had not yet left the astral world.

The Eternal Blazing Sun turned toward the Evernight Goddess, asking in excruciating pain, 'When… did you find out?'

Two of the Evernight Goddess's hands holding the bird-shaped golden ornaments underwent rapid changes, causing an illusory, wide, dark, colorless river to manifest behind Her.

The river flowed silently, drawing close to the Evernight Goddess.

'I had some suspicions during the Cataclysm. After obtaining Destined Madness, I fully understood your anomalies.' Evernight Goddess's voice was soft, almost as if She were soothing the Eternal Blazing Sun to sleep.

Simultaneously, the heavy black scythe and the massive orange-red sword descended upon the Eternal Blazing Sun at an unhurried pace, yet their movement carried the force of the colorless, dark river. The progress of the dark patches spreading across the surface of the golden sun slowed.

The once-handsome and vibrant Eternal Blazing Sun, Aucuses, began to laugh.

Struggling to suppress His alienation and natural defensive instincts, He looked earnestly at the Evernight Goddess and pleaded, 'Please kill me.'

He would rather die as a god than lose Himself and linger on in torment!

Suddenly, His face contorted again, and the dark patches overtook the sun's surface. An ancient voice seemed to echo from across history: 'If you kill Him, the barrier will lose another support. Can the barrier be kept up?'

The Evernight Goddess responded without any emotion, 'I just saw you collaborating with the Mother Goddess of Depravity, and you are the strongest Notary.'

Without hesitation, she brought down the heavy black scythe and the massive orange-red sword.

The dark, illusory river seemed to flow closer.

Those awake deep into the night and the strongest beings in the world simultaneously turned their gaze to the sky.

A blazing, brilliant, pure golden sun rose, illuminating the entire world.

In the next second, the sun shattered into fragments of divine light tinged with darkness, scattering to various corners of the world.

It resembled stars falling in a rain-like cascade.

…

Fourth Epoch Trier, beside the half-collapsed ostentatious palace.

Maintaining her smile, Madame Pualis replied, 'The true birth of Omebella holds two additional symbolic significance.

'First, as the divine offspring of the Primordial God Almighty and the Brood Hive, once She fully enters the real world, will the one who once usurped Her identity be able to bear this fate and maintain even a basic state?'

…

In the astral world, where abstract concepts and symbolic representations intertwined.

Earth Mother Lilith, with Her ample and graceful figure, cradling a baby in Her arms and a faint red moon behind Her head, cast Her gaze upon the crumbling golden sun and the figure wielding the scythe and sword.

The illusory crimson moon was suddenly drawn toward Her and leaped into Her body.

Her voluptuous, graceful form cracked instantly, and from the fissures burst forth streams of crimson moonlight.

'Amanises, let me sleep. In this way, my authority and symbolism can still contribute to the barrier,' Earth Mother Lilith spoke with extreme pain and difficulty.

The figure of the Evernight Goddess, Amanises, who had just vanquished the Eternal Blazing Sun, vanished as if erased.

Moments later, She reappeared behind Earth Mother Lilith.

Almost simultaneously, as the Sun fell, new stars lit up in the sky—red, orange, gold, blue, brown… eight in total.

Each was colossal, like new suns, descending to the same height as the crimson full moon, exerting immense pressure on the barrier, causing it to audibly crack and fissure.

The barrier's sustaining power was insufficient.

Having just completely destroyed the Tree of Shadow, leaving only its roots, and not yet had time to eliminate Suah and Tirié, Mr. Fool raised His head and looked toward the astral world.

All His bodies disappeared abruptly, reappearing there as a series of symbols and various abstract concepts.

Some symbols consisted of segments of Pupil-less Eye and Contorted Lines, others were layered doors, and others resembled the hands of a clock.

The teetering invisible barrier steadied.

Forsaken Land of the Gods, atop a majestic and stretching mountain range.

After the darkened sun fell, the darkness here dissipated.

Beside the enormous cross, Visionary Adam, clad in a simple white robe with a thick golden beard, returned to normal. At His feet was a dense black shadow with five heads, exuding malevolence.

Both He and His shadow looked ahead, to a realm encompassing all colors and possibilities, simultaneously illusory and real 'sea.'

From the depths of the Chaos Sea came an ancient voice: 'Come, my child. Merge with me.

'You are out of time. The apocalypse is nigh. Your only choice is to risk merging with me, then contend for dominance on equal footing.'

Visionary Adam and the True Creator, Grisha, shifted Their gazes downward, toward the lands outside the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

They saw the Northern and Southern continents, cities like Backlund, Trier, Feynapotter, and St. Millom, the awakened people stirred by the Sun's eruption, and the mountains, rivers, and seas.

They withdrew Their gazes and stepped into that realm of all-encompassing colors.

They sank beneath its waves.

…

Fourth Epoch Trier, beside the half-collapsed Tudor Palace.

Madame Pualis gazed wistfully at Lumian and Aurore, sighing as she spoke, 'The final important symbolism of Omebella's birth is this:

'Previously, She was born from the Brood Hive and the Primordial God Almighty. Now, She is born from me, representing the Great Mother, and the padre, symbolizing the Eternal Blazing Sun. Since the Eternal Blazing Sun, as a symbol of the Primordial God Almighty, has been strengthened, the Brood Hive, as a symbol of the Great Mother, will undergo similar changes.

'Moreover, the Brood Hive and the Great Mother Themselves have an exceptionally tight, nearly unified mystical connection.

'With such a transformation, what will the Great Mother gain?'

Lumian did not answer. Following his intuition, he directed his gaze upward to the formless, colorless flames.

There, the night sky had appeared, and the crimson full moon suddenly brightened.

Elsewhere in the mirrored world, Franca, who had just shattered the Demoness of Black's true body and her mirrored self, also looked up.

Across the world, every demigod raised their gaze to the sky.

The crimson full moon, which had always seemed perched atop a clock tower, suddenly descended without warning, appearing closer, as if just above everyone's rooftops or nestled in the wild treetops.

A diaphanous, eerie moonlight spread across every corner of the land and sea.

All was crimson, as if drenched in blood.

(End of Volume Seven—The Second Law)