What met their eyes was a surreal and radiant starry sky, free of the corruption and harsh environment previously seen in the abyss. Instead, it exuded an unimaginable beauty.
This place was a void, within which floated a sizable landmass—an island teeming with life.
Flowers, grass, trees, birds, beasts, and even various beyonder creatures thrived here. From this, it seemed like an isolated fantasy realm rather than the deepest layer of the abyss.
"This place is much like the Astral World," Amanises remarked softly, gazing at the illusory starry sky.
The current Astral World shared a similar scene: a near-ethereal starry expanse where various authorities, powers, and concepts intertwined, manifesting as stars or coalescing into nebulae.
"There's a star over there."
Suddenly, Lilith spotted a star in the Astral World that was gradually growing brighter.
Truman immediately turned his gaze toward it. In that instant, countless thoughts surged uncontrollably through his mind.
"Above the Sequence," "Astral World," "Old Ones"…
As he looked, the star, now shining brightly, erupted. At the moment those thoughts flashed through Truman's mind, it seized that fleeting connection, establishing a mysterious link with him.
Whatever is spoken shall be known.
Truman was well aware of certain truths, but he deliberately avoided delving into them. Under the protection of the Book of Dreams, he could remain unseen. But now, things were different.
By thinking of those truths while facing the star, he had exposed himself.
In that moment, the entire abyss transformed. The boundary between light and darkness blurred, replaced by a blood-red, illusory mist.
This mist did not solidify into reality, as a tangible force blocked it, allowing it to erode Truman only through the mysterious connection it had established with him.
Almost simultaneously, the Ancient Sun God, who sat daily in prayer beneath a massive cross, opened his eyes and looked beyond the Astral World.
A crimson moon dominated half of the Astral World's view.
The Ancient Sun God's figure appeared instantly in the Astral World, standing atop an illusory clock composed of twelve segments.
An indescribable, intangible torrent surged from the illusory clock, as if traversing vast stretches of history to reach the present.
"Clang!" The chime reverberated, carrying a strange power that made the crimson moon's illumination vanish.
Time itself—or rather, that scene—had been stolen, rendered invisible to all.
Holding the Blasphemy Slate, the Ancient Sun God declared solemnly and divinely, "Let there be light!"
A blazing solar radiance overwhelmed everything.
In the next moment, the crimson moon flared again. Its light was powerful, but as it came from beyond the barrier, it could not penetrate and was ultimately overtaken by the sunlight.
Far beyond the moon, stars like the Brown Star, Orange Star, Red Star, and Golden Star flickered simultaneously, their eerie presence stark against the cosmic backdrop.
The Ancient Sun God faced this silently, his sunlight exerting immense suppression on the Devil Monarch Farbauti engaged in battle.
"Get lost!"
Devil Monarch Farbauti roared in fury, likely the only deity aware of what had transpired. It bellowed, attempting to break through Giant King Aurmir's blockade to return to the abyss.
But the sunlight's radiance greatly weakened its state, leaving it even more disadvantaged against the Giant King.
To the other angels and deities, this merely seemed like the long-awaited intervention of the Ancient Sun God against Devil Monarch Farbauti.
After all, the Creator had dispatched all His angels to participate in this war from the start, and every deity was prepared for this.
Of course, some ancient gods noticed a fleeting dissonance. The Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace, in particular, felt a tremor in the characteristics within its body.
Yet, under the blinding sunlight, everything was obscured. Even if the ancient gods sought answers, they could only see a searing blaze of light.
Within that blazing sun, the Ancient Sun God stood atop the Astral World's barrier, facing the searing malice of the outer gods ahead and the foolish struggles of the ancient gods behind.
"This is a necessary sacrifice," He said softly, turning to look at the restless ancient gods.
Then He gazed into the abyss. As His angel, the Angel of Dreams allowed Him to see everything within the abyss through Truman's eyes.
Boom!
The moment Truman saw that star, it was as if a hammer struck his mind, halting his thoughts.
He had never experienced such a terrifying, intense corruption. In an instant, it tainted everything within him.
This corruption didn't merely affect Truman—it spilled outward, spreading toward the Amanises and Lilith, threatening to contaminate everyone.
"It's you!" For the first time, Truman felt the madness of losing control, as if a completely insane monster had birthed within him.
This clashed with his Purifier trait, creating a profound sense of contradiction.
But he didn't hesitate. He reached out and lightly touched the Book of Dreams. Instantly, the dreamy phosphorescence around him erupted.
It was as if the entire Dreamy Heaven was pulled from the Book of Dreams, enveloping everything and cloaking the world in a dreamlike hue.
Under the manifestation of Dreamy Heaven, all corruption was purged—akin to how a certain Fool in later times would use the gray mist of Sefirah Castle for "disinfection."
Amanises and Lilith countered the outer gods' corruption with their own methods.
The authority of Concealment allowed Amanises to evade the outer gods' gaze, while the authority of the Darkness pathway silently nullified the terrifying corruption.
Before Lilith, an identical body appeared, absorbing the outer gods' corruption in her place. It rapidly aged, completing its life cycle, and the corruption within it vanished with its end.
All three held ranks far above ordinary angels. With the barrier still robust, even if Truman had been caught off guard and formed a mystical connection with an outer god, their power was insufficient to fully corrupt them.
Strictly speaking, aside from the overwhelming suppression of their lofty ranks, this corruption might not even compare to a direct attack from an ancient god.
Truman looked at the illusory yet radiant star.
"The Mother Tree of Desire?"
"It's indeed connected to the abyss."
"Even the abyss itself has significant issues."
The deepest layer of the abyss was linked to the Astral World? This was something no one could have anticipated.
Was this what Sasrir—or rather, the Ancient Sun God—wanted to uncover? Truman's expression grew grave as he stared at the illusory, radiant star.
For now, the barrier was strong enough to block the outer gods' power, preventing their influence from seeping through.
But in a few thousand years, the Mother Tree of Desire might exploit its secret connection to the abyss, eroding this place and turning it into a bridgehead for invading Earth.
"No wonder the Ancient Sun God sent us to investigate. Even without us, Sasrir would have risked coming here himself."
To prevent this, they needed a degree of control over this place, ensuring it didn't fall into the Mother Tree's hands.
This was likely the Ancient Sun God's ultimate goal.
(End of Chapter)