A lightning bolt once again illuminated the desolate plain shrouded in gray-yellow mist, the scene where an angelic battle had just taken place, highlighting the calm smile on Caine's face. Amun watched him for several seconds, adjusted his single-spectacle glasses, and smiled, asking, "Can't you just put it another way? 'Have you found a new hope?' It seems you've found one again." Caine's smile remained unchanged; he clenched his fist gently against his nose, then leaned on one hand as he inserted it into his pocket, saying, "I've simply just realized something: it's not your essence playing the game that makes it anything but hopeful. On the contrary, it proves that you simply can't directly seize my fate." "Oh?" Amun smiled, emitting a word of anticipation, eager to hear what Caine would say next. Klein laughed, his expression unwavering. "Otherwise, as soon as you enter the God-Abandoned Lands, you would immediately seize my fate and become the new master of 'The Source Keep.' You could then play out your game of evasion and interception only after achieving your primary objectives—thus bearing no risk at all, while I lose my chance of resurrection and my original fate. Driven by sheer survival instinct, I would then strive even more diligently to escape. Indeed, the God of Jokes might well choose to pursue excitement at the expense of risk, but you remain the God of Deceit." Pausing, Klein glanced at Amun's unchanged expression and added, "I know you possess an extraordinary ability to steal others' fates. Yet, doing something once doesn't mean you will do it—this requires assessing risks, weighing benefits against costs, and carefully evaluating gains and losses." "I think you don't want to simply steal my fate outright, because that would impose upon you all the burdens brought by the 'Eternal Citadel'—the necessity to confront the shadow of its original owner's resurrection. For an Angel King like you, this is extremely dangerous; a single misstep could mean your downfall. Therefore, you seek a loophole that allows you to gain the 'Eternal Citadel' without bearing any negative consequences—and that, inevitably, requires my explicit permission." As he spoke, Klein found himself recalling several instances from his past life when he had encountered computer viruses—each one carefully disguised as something normal, luring him to click and grant a "permission." It felt strangely similar to the current situation. After listening to Klein's words, Amon simply looked at him, silent, gently adjusting the single-piece crystal spectacles resting on his nose. Klein smiled and continued, "Since you first 'parasitized' me, you've been committing a grand deception—offering me the choice to become your眷者 while simultaneously telling me that your essence can withstand my fate, thereby placing a heavy psychological burden on me. Throughout our journey, you've continually shown me hope only to destroy it again and again, setting time limits that make me instinctively grasp at opportunities to breathe, only to abruptly shorten the timeline and disrupt my plans. In the end, you reveal yourself to be the very essence, plunging me into despair and thus eroding my will, shattering my psychological defenses until I finally collapse and choose to become your眷者, 'agreeing' to that potential transaction." Amon listened quietly and then chuckled, raising both hands and gently clapping. "A perfect argument. Yet, you seem to have overlooked one question." "I'm saying, once I've seen my true form, go to a safe place before I take your fate. Now that we haven't even reached our final destination, of course I won't risk it." Kline's expression grew slightly serious, then softened. "I'm really looking forward to what will be different there." He responded to Amun's words in the posture of Amun. The genuine Angel King adjusted his single spectacles and smiled, pointing toward the side. "It's almost there—we'll reach our destination in less than half a day." "Exactly how long?" Kline instinctively lacked confidence in Amun's somewhat vague description. Amun rubbed his chin and chuckled. "Thirty minutes." Kline turned his head to where Amun had been pointing, only to find the area dark and featureless. A lightning flash illuminated the barren plain, yet beyond it lay a denser, more intense gray-yellow mist. ……… Beckland, Queens, in the luxurious manor home of the Count Holb. After two days of chaos, Audrey's life had finally settled into a semblance of calm, deepening her curiosity about the hidden truth behind the king's assassination. Considering that Mr. The Fool seemed to hint that today's tarot reading might be canceled, Audrey decided to pray early to him, reaching out to Germaine Sparrow, the "World," to clarify the situation. She merely glanced at Suzy, the golden retriever, who immediately exited the room, closed the door behind her with her hind leg, and settled down outside. Audrey settled into her accustomed position, adopting a prayer posture, and softly chanted in ancient Hermes: "Ah, The Fool, out of this age..." ……… Beckland, East District, in a two-bedroom rental apartment. "Say, will there be a gathering today? No formal notice has been given at all..." Firth opened her lady's pocket watch and glanced at it. He shook his head. "I don't know." Folshe grew restless, leaving his seat and pacing back and forth with slight agitation, murmuring to himself, "The 'World' gentleman hasn't responded, nor has the 'Knight of Fools' given any reply..." As he spoke, Folshe suddenly turned to his friend, who was happily eating ham, and said urgently, "Rest, try praying to the 'Knight of Fools'—ask whether today's gathering will take place as scheduled." Rest frowned slightly, set down her fork, and nodded. "Alright." She too found the current situation rather unusual. She clasped her hands together, rested her chin on them, took a deep breath, and spoke in a low tone, "A Fool who does not belong to this age..." In his dream, he was trapped within an ancient castle covered in red grape vines, no matter how hard he tried to escape. Later, through a narrow window high up, he saw the crimson moon outside, and two massive bat wings that shaded half of it. In the bloodline's legends, this was one of the symbols of the ancient goddess Lilith. Excited, Emlyn flew upward, striving to open the narrow window, and upon reaching the glass's base, discovered a tarot card. The card depicted a young man dressed in elegant attire, wearing a magnificent headdress, carrying a staff with luggage at its tip, and a small dog pulling behind him. It was the "Knight of Cups." Dreaming thus, Emlyn naturally awoke. As a Lord of the Blood, he possessed basic abilities in dream interpretation: "It must be my current circumstances that have given rise to this dream—the 'Star' has yet to deliver any human blood to me... "I am indeed favored by the Primordial... He is signaling that to escape this predicament, I must seek assistance from the 'Fool'?" "What day is today? Well, I'll simply pray—this will allow me to leave sooner." With hope in his heart, Emlyn turned over and sat up, reciting with sincere devotion: "The Fool, not of this age..." Amid the tremors, the "tide" overwhelmed the ancient, majestic palace, one after another illuminating mysterious symbols behind the eight seats flanking the bronze long table. This brought forth a new glow and fresh tremors, accompanied by a resonant hum. At the head of the weathered table, where the "Knight of Cups" sat, a complex symbol also lit up—constantly extending outward, composed of a half-twisted line and a half-blind eye, layer upon layer, becoming increasingly three-dimensional. The deep red "tide" was thus drawn toward it, coalescing into a distinct "figure" on the high-backed chair of the "Knight of Cups." This "figure," however, remained unstable—frequently distorting and dispersing, struggling to fully take form. On the desolate plain shrouded in gray-yellow mist, Kaine paused slightly, glancing upward at the lightning streaking across the sky. He then turned his gaze, holding his leather lantern, and followed Amun from behind, stepping deeper into the endless expanse of the plain. The more King Orléan advances, the deeper and more extensive the fissures on the ground become. About ten minutes later, as another lightning bolt splits the sky, Caine spots a solitary giant with a single dark green-black eye, towering several tens of meters high, lingering nearby. His body is covered in signs of decay and oozing pus, his eye sunken and lifeless—clearly long since dead. Yet he continues to wander, releasing a gray-yellow gas that weaves through the air, forming clouds and generating mist across the wilderness. The endless gray-yellow fog blanketing this vast plain is entirely due to this dark green-black giant! "The son of the Giant King Olmir, 'Brald,' the God of Honor, openly cursed my father and was thus punished to wander eternally here. Though he perished during the 'Great Cataclysm,' he has still not found release." "Amun pointed to the dark, single-eyed giant, smiling, 'If it weren't for the damage I stole from the realm, you would have been corrupted by the mist that settled after Bradel's death the moment you stepped onto this plain—becoming a lingering, cursed wanderer.' Do I even need to thank you?" Klein suddenly felt as though he were stepping directly into myth. Amun led him forward, and soon they drew near to the dark, single-eyed giant. In the area where the giant wandered, there lay a deeply secluded ravine. As lightning flashed, the base of the ravine subtly revealed a thick, broad gray-white structure. Klein glanced at it briefly, and his eyelids fluttered slightly, recalling the image he had seen during the divination of the 'Cross without Shadow.' If he remembered correctly, this was precisely where the ancient sun god, the founder of the Silver City—Amun's and Adam's father—had emerged! Was this truly the safe place Amun had mentioned? Klein's heart sank immediately. At that moment, Amun, wearing a pointed soft hat and single spectacles, walked to the edge of the ravine, facing away from the gray-white, winding buildings, gently spread his arms, and smiled, saying: "This is the sacred ground where my father awakened, hiding the history I wish to explore. My father told me that there is an ancient name for this place—..." Under the bright silver lightning streaking across the sky, Amun, dressed in a classical black robe, paused slightly, opened his arms wider, and spoke with a sense of solemnity: "Chernobyl!"