Crack—
At that moment, time across the entire sea seemed to have frozen.
Though the waves still rolled without end and the sea wind howled fiercely, no one present could hear those noises anymore. All they could hear was the faint, fragmented sound of cracks opening in the silent air.
At that moment, even the Observer and Boluoye had their attention drawn by that sound.
Angel was naturally no exception. He too heard the sound of the fruit shell cracking, but to him, that sound was merely an introduction.
The others had been drawn in by the sound because their perception could only reach that introductory part. They could not touch what lay deeper.
But Angel was different. He had once come into contact with the level of Mystery at Black Castle. Though he had not felt any benefit from that experience afterward, it had in fact been an admission ticket.
A ticket that allowed him to more easily touch the core of "Mystery."
Even Angel's later ability to construct relatively complete Mystical Manifestations within Nightmare Illusion had, in truth, been aided by that ticket.
At this moment, when the shell of the mysterious fruit cracked open, the others were drawn in by the sound, while Angel was captivated by the "Beginning of Mystery" pouring forth from behind the crack.
The so-called "Beginning of Mystery" was merely a provisional name Angel had given it. More precisely, it referred to the energy present at the birth of a mysterious object.
This energy was like a newborn infant. It had yet to be stained by the smoke and dust of the mortal world; without dust obscuring it, it was purer and clearer, making it easier to analyze.
Though it appeared to the others as mysterious power as well, in Angel's eyes, with