Chapter 469: The Angel King
Klein immediately picked up on an unfamiliar term from Mr. Tower's explanation.
"Angel King"? What is that?
He pondered briefly, preparing to use "The World" to ask, when Miss Justice's curious voice interrupted:
"Mr. Tower, what is an 'Angel King'? Is it the king among angels?"
Excellent question, Miss Justice! We're truly on the same wavelength! Klein perked up, and immediately made "The World" lean forward, feigning a keen interest. This time, he wasn't slower than the others.
Seeing everyone's attention on him, Ebner smiled faintly behind the fog obscuring his face. After organizing his thoughts, he explained:
"'Angel King' has two meanings.
"In the broad sense, any being that has surpassed the ordinary Sequence 1 level but has not yet become a True God is considered an 'Angel King.' The ancestor of the Abraham family, Bethel, is one such existence. He was only one ritual away from becoming a True God."
Hearing this, the Tarot Club members who had either seen the Blasphemy Slate or heard Ebner discuss Sequence 0 were merely surprised. However, for those with no prior knowledge, like Fors, "The Magician," the revelation was almost shocking enough to make her jump out of her seat.
Surpassed Sequence 1 but not yet a god? Does that mean… humans can ascend to godhood through the potion sequence? What a 'blasphemous' idea!
But the others don't seem particularly shocked… Do they already know? Could this be true? Even Mr. Fool didn't deny it… Are gods nothing more than extraordinarily powerful Beyonders? Sequence 0… is that what it means?
As Fors's mind spiraled into chaos, Ebner paused briefly before continuing:
"In a narrower sense, 'Angel King' specifically refers to the angels who served the Ancient Sun God. Of course, their power also aligns with the broader definition.
"Amon belongs to this category. As the child of the Ancient Sun God, Amon's title is the 'Angel of Time.' This likely derives from Sequence 1 of the Marauder pathway, the 'Worm of Time.'"
Ebner had wanted to share knowledge about Amon in earlier Tarot meetings, but Amon's avatar had been near Derrick, "The Sun," at the time. Revealing too much would have risked exposing secrets, drawing Amon's attention, and endangering Derrick, Mr. Fool, and even himself.
After all, I've disclosed my identity as 'Doctor Strange' at the Tarot Club before.
So, surpassing Sequence 1 means possessing two or three Sequence 1 characteristics—or perhaps even a Uniqueness? Amon is truly that powerful… But how could the Ancient Sun God 'produce' an Angel King from the Marauder pathway? What kind of True God is the Ancient Sun God? Could he be the omnipotent Creator worshipped by Silver City? Or is he connected to the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth? After all, the Marauder pathway seems to have ties to the space above the gray fog… Klein's thoughts raced as multiple possibilities crossed his mind.
So, there's a level between Sequence 1 and Sequence 0 called 'Angel King'? Alger, "The Hanged Man," listened with growing excitement, feeling that he was one step closer to uncovering the secrets of divinity. He couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder the Amon family claims to be descendants of the Ancient Sun God… Their ancestor truly was His child."
Hearing this, Klein's thoughts stirred. After a moment of consideration, he tapped the edge of the ancient bronze table with his finger and said with a smile:
"Amon doesn't have a family. Every member of the so-called 'Amon family' is one of His avatars.
"In the future, if you encounter anyone—or anything—with a monocle over their right eye, be cautious. That's Amon's hallmark."
He shared this tidbit from Roselle's diary, partly to elevate Mr. Fool's mystique and partly to warn the Tarot members. He wanted to ensure they wouldn't be caught off guard if they encountered Amon.
Every member of the Amon family is an avatar? That's… so eerie and terrifying! Audrey, "Justice," was stunned. For the first time, she had a clear understanding of just how formidable Amon and the Angel Kings could be.
One person masquerading as an entire family? How many characteristics would that require? No wonder there are so few Beyonders in the Marauder pathway… Perhaps Amon's avatars are scattered across the world! Is that why Mr. Fool warned us to watch out for people with monocles? Hmm… As the Son of God, Amon might be so arrogant that he doesn't bother hiding his habits. Or… perhaps that arrogance itself is a form of deception. I remember the Marauder pathway's Sequence 8 is called 'Swindler.'
Alger's thoughts wandered, connecting one idea after another.
As for Fors, she completely forgot her initial question. Instead, her mind wandered to new story ideas, prompting Xio, who knew her all too well, to nearly cover her face in exasperation.
It wasn't until Derrick's voice broke the silence that Fors snapped back to reality.
"Mr. Tower, aside from Amon, who else among the Angel Kings served the Ancient Sun God?" Derrick asked, hoping to confirm whether the Ancient Sun God mentioned by Mr. Tower and Mr. Hanged Man was the same as "The Lord."
"I'm sorry. I've only seen brief mentions in ancient texts. Apart from knowing that Amon's brother, another child of the Ancient Sun God, was also an Angel King, I don't have more details," Ebner replied apologetically.
He then shifted the topic back to the Abraham family.
"The Abraham family suffered a significant decline due to the Full Moon Curse, which left them unable to nurture talents capable of advancing beyond Sequence 6. Many of their treasures became targets of covetous forces. To counter this, they began training apprentices from outside the family, hoping that once these apprentices became demigods, they could uncover the curse's origins and find a solution."
Hearing this, Alger, "The Hanged Man," chuckled and said confidently, "Power without balance always invites disaster. As Emperor Roselle once said, 'Grasping a sharp blade by the edge.'"
Ebner nodded. "Exactly. When the trunk of a tree is weak while its branches grow too strong, it plants the seeds of tragedy. Ambitious apprentices turned their eyes toward the Abraham family's powerful Sealed Artifacts, resulting in internal conflict.
"Although these apprentices didn't fully succeed, they did manage to destroy what little strength the Abraham family had left, leaving it in an even more desolate state. Many core members, overwhelmed by negativity, despair, and futility, chose to leave and settle elsewhere to escape their pain.
"That's all I can add about the Abraham family."
"That's all"? You've practically laid bare all their secrets! Klein quipped internally, reflecting on the "Master Key" he possessed. That artifact likely originated from a branch of the Abraham family. The young man who previously owned it probably had a father who was so disheartened by their circumstances that he never shared key warnings about its use—leading to the son's fatal mistake under the full moon.
So that explains it… Madam Anlisa, her husband, and Mr. Lawrence must all be core members who left the Abraham family. No wonder they had such powerful mystical items capable of teleportation—that's the Abraham family's legacy at work.
Although she had suspected this for a while, Fors, "The Magician," finally gained a comprehensive understanding of her past "encounters" from Mr. Tower's explanation. Taking a deep breath, she said:
"Thank you, Mr. Tower. You've answered many of my lingering questions.
"I'll transcribe the first chapter of Glimpses Beyond the Spirit World and offer it as a sacrifice to Mr. Fool after the gathering. Mr. Fool, is that acceptable?"
Receiving Mr. Fool's approval, Fors relaxed and asked about acquiring the extraordinary material, Deep Sea Mackerel Blood. However, none of the other members had any leads. Xio had inquired during her recent voyage, but to no avail. Only Alger mentioned that he had a lead on it, though he hadn't obtained it yet.
Audrey, "Justice," also reiterated her interest in acquiring a Mirror Dragon's eye and blood, as well as the fruit of an Elder Tree for her advancement to "Psychiatrist," though she didn't press too hard. After all, she was on the verge of joining the Psychological Alchemy Society.
Klein considered selling the Beyonder characteristic he had obtained during the Capim case, but upon reflection, he realized no one in the group seemed to need "Sheriff" or "Interrogator." Since Xio, "Judgment," had already secured the "Judge" characteristic, Klein decided to wait until he could find a suitable craftsman to forge it into a mystical item before selling.
With trading concluded quickly, the meeting transitioned into the sharing of noteworthy events and information.
Audrey surveyed the group with a faint smile and began, "Last week, an interesting case unfolded in Backlund. The central figure has been dubbed the Hero Bandit, 'The Black Emperor.'"
"The Black Emperor?" Alger, who had been only half-paying attention, suddenly snapped to attention, his eyes narrowing instinctively.
He had recently learned that the card by Mr. Fool's side was one of Roselle's Blasphemy Slates, known as the "Black Emperor."
Could this be related to Mr. Fool? Alger shot a quick glance at the head of the bronze table before bowing his head once more.
Fors, seated beside Xio, stole a glance at her. She attempted to glean something from the outwardly composed woman who exuded an air of confidence and strength. Yet, Xio, accustomed to maintaining her façade, revealed nothing.
Similarly, Audrey, receiving no reaction, continued her story. She recounted the details of the Capim case, particularly emphasizing the tarot cards—the "Judgment" and "Emperor"—that were placed on Capim's body.
She omitted details about the safe, deeming it irrelevant.
Tarot cards on the body? Is that our secret group's signature? Alger's sharp ears caught an important term: human trafficker.
He turned toward the head of the table and humbly asked, "Mr. Fool, is Capim connected to the disappearance of slaves in the colonies?"
Alger had been investigating the disappearance of several South Continent tribes and the mysterious vanishing of slaves from islands in the Sonia Sea. He instinctively felt this might tie into those phenomena.
After all, only something shrouded in secrets could pique Mr. Fool's interest.
Klein, reminded by Alger's question, suddenly felt as if he could see the threads connecting various events. While he couldn't confirm his guesses, he pondered them briefly before chuckling softly.
"You can ask Miss Judgment for more details. My Blessed only made a minor contribution to that matter."
(End of chapter)