Additional chapter! Thank Mister_Tentacle, Thaddeus_090, kingoftheworld, and Neonii for this additional chapter.
Enjoy
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Evah wasn't surprised by the reaction. Using one form of corruption to purge another was bound to be painful. So, he calmly assessed the situation on the other side, and when he judged they'd reached their limit, he swiftly cut off the link between the Nyarlathotep fragment and the corrupted Mr. Door.
Once the screams faded, Evah turned to the past Bethel beside him, smiling. "Looks like it had some effect."
Past Bethel: …
As the same person, past Bethel could confirm Lucifer's action had indeed worked. The corruption had been partially overwritten and erased by another force.
But the catch was that the corruption Evah unleashed seemed even more domineering than the Outer God's, laced with a madness that scrambled the mind. If Evah had held on just a few minutes longer, Bethel might've been looking at a future as a little dimwit.
So, was he really just trading one Outer God's grasp for another?
Bethel was skeptical.
"But fact is, becoming a little dimwit beats death or being an Outer God's toy, right? At least a dimwit has a shot at recovery," Evah said, clearly reading Bethel's thoughts. He added, "Trust me, I'm well-versed in both temporary and permanent madness. I can offer some top-notch psychoanalysis."
Past Bethel: …
Are you hearing yourself right now?
Past Bethel just gave him a look. "I believe you. Really."
"Alright, alright, I'll admit there was a slight hiccup. But come on, it was my first try—being a bit rusty is normal," Evah said, spreading his hands with an innocent grin. "Trust me, though. The first attempt was a bit rough, but once I get the hang of it, I'll definitely clear your corruption without turning you into a dimwit."
"Let's hope so," past Bethel said, managing only a sigh.
Just then, Evah's ears caught the faintly weakened voice of Mr. Door again: "Who are you?"
"I'm Lucifer Zoroast. Sure, I fed your corrupted personality a few lies earlier, but this part's true," Evah replied, unfazed. He knew the voice now belonged to the real Mr. Door.
Though the corruption-cleansing process had been blunt, the Nyarlathotep fragment's power had temporarily suppressed the corruption within, restoring Mr. Door's clarity for now.
So, all in all, the poison-against-poison strategy was a big success. It just needed to be gradual, or the Nyarlathotep fragment might actually turn Mr. Door into a permanently crazed lunatic or a dimwit.
The Mr. Door on the other side didn't seem entirely convinced, saying only, "I don't think I know you."
"You don't know me now, but your past self does," Evah answered with a grin, stating a fact that sounded logically absurd. "In fact, Mr. Door, I made a deal with your past self. What just happened was, well, a test run."
Mr. Door was likely a bit confused. Until Evah released the summoning, he wouldn't inherit the Shadow of Time's memories, so he knew nothing of the deal Lucifer mentioned.
Past Bethel spoke up then. "I'll help you build the pocket dimension you want, but it'll take time. You probably can't summon me for long, can you?" The last part carried a probing tone.
"No need to test me, Bethel. I can't summon you for long. Reversing the flow of time isn't easy, even for me. I can't keep it up forever," Evah said openly. Some things couldn't be hidden, so he opted for candor.
Past Bethel wasn't surprised. If such a heaven-defying ability could be used indefinitely, he'd be more worried about the world's safety.
After a moment's thought, past Bethel said, "Besides that, I'll need some materials. I can craft some things myself, but others require raw materials…" He listed a slew of items, mostly spiritual materials, precious metals, and gems.
Evah listened quietly, memorizing the list and planning to fleece the True Creator's boss for resources next time. When Bethel finished, Evah asked with interest, "I thought you'd need high-level stuff, like Apprentice pathway high-Sequence characteristics…"
"If I had Apprentice pathway high-Sequence characteristics, that'd be ideal," past Bethel said, shaking his head. "But I doubt there are many Secret Sorcerers left in this world, let alone anything higher."
He figured, and rightly so, that high-Sequence Apprentice Beyonders were nearly extinct.
"Maybe you wouldn't mind if I poked around your family's place?" Eva said, stroking his chin, offering a "constructive" suggestion.
"…I'll do my best to meet your needs without characteristics," past Bethel said after a pause, his tone diplomatic.
The subtext was clear: My descendants are suffering enough; please don't mess with them.
"Fair enough, I respect your wishes," Evah said, not pressing the issue. Sure, he could raid the Abraham family, but that'd obviously piss off Mr. Door. Why bother?
The Abraham family's best asset now was a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, and using it came with massive downsides. Far better to cozy up to Mr. Door later, borrow his power, or trick him into doing the heavy lifting.
Seeing Evah genuinely drop the idea of rummaging through his descendants' home, past Bethel let out a quiet breath of relief.
Honestly, Bethel's feelings toward Lucifer were complicated. The man was mysterious, powerful, and daunting, yet seemed to be trying to save him. He appeared to bear no ill will toward the world, but just when Bethel started to feel at ease, that familiar Mischief-maker vibe came through.
Because of that, Bethel really didn't trust his family's descendants to deal with Evah.
Think about it: even with him sealed, the Abraham family still had some foundation. If his descendants had any wits, they wouldn't have fallen so far as to be practically untraceable.
—In that brief minute earlier, Bethel had deliberately searched for Abraham family records and found nothing. That was the biggest red flag.
With his descendants in such a sorry state, what could Bethel expect from them? Letting them tangle with Lucifer would probably get them devoured, bones and all.
"That's just a stereotype. Sure, I'm a Mischief-maker, but I'm not a menace like Amon. I'm a Mischief-maker with principles," Evah said, as if reading past Bethel's thoughts, rebutting earnestly.
(End of Chapter)