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Along one path, analytic continuation is a chain of function elements on overlapping open discs, each agreeing with the preceding germ of a holomorphic function near the crossing point. The identity theorem makes this chain unique along that fixed path. Equality at a crossing means equality on a neighbourhood, not just equality of a single value.

For the deformation step, fix one intermediate path $t\mapsto H(s_0,t)$ and its continuation. By compactness of $[0,1]$, choose a finite chain of representative open discs and subdivide the parameter so that each subarc fits in its assigned open disc, with consecutive junctions in overlap neighbourhoods where the representatives agree. Joint continuity of $H$ ensures that every sufficiently nearby intermediate path uses that same chain and those same overlaps. The endpoints stay fixed, so the terminal germ of a holomorphic function stays unchanged. Existence along every intermediate path supplies this argument at each $s_0$; local constancy and connectedness of $[0,1]$ give equality at $s=0$ and $s=1$. This proves the monodromy theorem without assuming that every analytic germ projection is a covering map.

Two function elements $(U,f)$ and $(V,g)$ define the same germ of a holomorphic function at $p$ when $p\in U\cap V$ and they agree on some neighborhood of $p$. Write the germ as $[f{]}_p$. Basic open sets of the space of germs of holomorphic functions arefor open $U$ on which $f$ is holomorphic. If two such sets meet, equality of the germs gives a smaller open sheet contained in their intersection, so these sets form a basis. The projection $\pi ([f{]}_p)=p$ maps each sheet homeomorphically onto $U$. Compose this with a local coordinate on $X$ to define the complex charts on the germ space. Transition maps are the corresponding transition maps on $X$, hence holomorphic; $\pi$ is a local biholomorphism and is onto, since even constant functions provide germs over every point.

The germ space is Hausdorff. Germs over different points are separated by base neighborhoods. For distinct germs over the same point, choose representatives on one small connected disk. If their two sheets met anywhere in that disk, the representatives would agree on an open set and hence everywhere on the disk by the identity theorem, a contradiction. These sheets thus separate the germs. Together with the allowed second-countability fact, the charts make each component a Riemann surface.

Here “covering in the sense of complex analysis” means this locally biholomorphic, possibly incomplete analytic germ projection. It does not mean an evenly covered topological covering map: an analytic branch can cease to exist at a singularity, so the restriction to a component need not project onto all of $X$.

The evaluation map $E([f{]}_p)=f(p)$ is holomorphic, since on the sheet ${\tilde{U}}_f$ it is just $f$. Starting from one germ, continuation through overlapping disks produces exactly the germs in its connected component. Indeed such continuations give paths in the germ space; conversely, cover a path by finitely many successive sheets to obtain a chain of function elements. Components are path-connected because the surface is locally path-connected. No two distinct germs can be added to that component without being obtainable by continuation. It therefore represents the maximal analytic continuation, or complete holomorphic function, of any of its germs. Conversely every such maximal continuation embeds into the germ space by taking its local germs; completeness makes its image the entire component. These constructions are inverse, giving the requested bijection between complete holomorphic functions and connected components, with functions understood up to their natural equivalence as analytic continuations, rather than merely as single-valued functions defined on all of $X$.

Two holomorphic function elements represent the same germ of a holomorphic function at $z$ if they agree on some neighbourhood of $z$. For a holomorphic $f$ on an open $D\subseteq G$, set $U(f,D)=\{[f{]}_z:z\in D\}$. These sets form a basis of a topology on the space of germs of holomorphic functions: every germ lies in one, and if a germ lies in two, equality of the representatives on a smaller neighbourhood supplies a basis of a topology set in their intersection. Declaring arbitrary unions of basis of a topology sets open therefore gives a topology.

Different base points are separated by disjoint small discs in $G$. If two different germs have the same base point, choose representatives on one connected small disc. Their sheets are disjoint: any common germ elsewhere on that disc would force equality throughout the disc by the identity theorem. This proves the Hausdorff property.

The projection $\pi ([f{]}_z)=z$ maps each sheet $U(f,D)$ homeomorphically onto $D$. Use these maps as complex charts. On overlaps their transition functions are the identity, hence holomorphic; thus each connected component is a Riemann surface, and $\pi$ is a local biholomorphism, an analytic germ projection. For completeness, second countability of a component follows by following continuation chains through a countable basis of a topology of rational discs: starting at one germ, finite chains of such discs give only countably many continuation sheets, by uniqueness on overlaps, and they cover every germ in that component.

A complete analytic function consists of all germs reachable from one initial germ by analytic continuation. The supplied path-lifting equivalence identifies these with its path component. Since the germ space is locally path connected, connected components and path components agree. Thus its continuation surface is exactly one component ${\mathcal{G}}_{\mathcal{F}}$.

A local biholomorphism need not evenly cover the whole base; the germ projection is an analytic covering in this local sense. The examples below distinguish a genuine regular covering map from a surjective nonregular projection, with the meaning of regular stated explicitly.