Wind poured in through the huge breach in the wall.
Edwin's hand remained pressed against Ince Zangwill's head.
The head beneath his palm was as rigid as pig iron, even its scalp twitching uncontrollably.
A Sequence 5 Gatekeeper was so fragile under absolute suppression of rank that he could not even muster the thought of resistance.
But Edwin's attention was no longer on this former Archbishop.
The priest with the pale golden beard, dressed in a simple white robe, turned around against the dim backdrop of memory.
This was not a living person.
It was a preset automatic reply program, like a time-triggered Trojan virus hidden in the deepest recesses of Ince Zangwill's subconscious and memories.
As long as certain special conditions were met, this image would emerge.
Edwin frowned, but he did not make a move.
There was no point in stubbornly fighting a memory. It was like punching the air; aside from making himself look like an idiot, it accomplished nothing.
"Edwin."
The priest in white spoke.
His voice was as gentle as an organ echoing through a cathedral, carrying an innate sense of compassion.
"If my guess is correct, Ince Zangwill has already fallen into your hands."
The priest's image floated in midair, surrounded by dust drifting through the bell tower.
The priest's image hovered in midair, surrounded by drifting dust inside the Bell Tower.
Adam's image smiled, his gaze piercing through the void and landing directly on Edwin.
Edwin frowned.
He knew exactly what Adam was referring to.
It was a system he had built only after pouring an enormous amount of effort into it.
But the underlying logic of this thing did not belong to this world at all.
The things he had drawn inspiration from included, but were not limited to, the A.T. Field