Chapter 122 Antlers and Thunder

Dark and damp.

As if immersed in a warm but sticky liquid, Gordon's consciousness was gradually dragged into a deeper level.

When Gordon woke up again, he found that someone had already arrived.

"Long time no see, Commissioner Gordon..."

A deep, middle-aged woman's voice rang out, "Should I call you Inspector Gordon now?"

Gordon slowly opened his eyes and appeared in a space filled with bright red light.

Unlike the waiting room for the Full Moon Ceremony, this place wasn't completely dark, but rather felt like being in the ocean.

A dark crescent moon hung in the crimson sky, nearly black. Beneath their high enough chairs lay a sea of ​​blood, ebbing and flowing rhythmically like the ocean, churning out a profusion of white foam.

In the center of the nine chairs stood a massive, fully-armored, silver-white stone sculpture of a knight. It appeared to be about five or six meters tall, its hands resting on a massive sword, like a stone monument piercing heaven and earth.

But its legs, stepping into the sea of ​​blood, and the tip of its sword were all stained red with blood, making it look shocking.

This was also Gordon's first time performing a New Moon ceremony.

The bloody smell that permeated the environment displeased him. He subconsciously frowned slightly and looked to the left.

There were two people who arrived before him.

This means that both of them are in Avalon and their overall level is higher than his.

The first was a white-haired old man, dressed in a simple black suit, sitting upright. His belly was so large that even the suit itself bulged. The old man's hands rested on his knees, a simple gesture that gave him a faint sense of oppression. Seeing Gordon appear, he nodded slightly.

The second was a middle-aged woman with a simple ponytail. She wore a gorgeous red gown, as if she were attending a banquet. However, what completely contradicted her demeanor was the hideous boar mask she wore on her head.

—They are all acquaintances, Gordon thought.

Although they didn't have the chance to meet each other during the ceremony... but with just one glance, they could recognize who they corresponded to in real life.

We are all transcendents on the path of authority. Now, unexpectedly, we have the opportunity to meet at the promotion ceremony...

"...Yes, it's been a long time, Madam Red. From now on, we will be colleagues in the Inspectorate."

Gordon also took the opportunity to ask, "Which path are you planning to take?"

"Love. Power leads to desire, and it's time for me to branch out."

Madam Red replied without hesitation, "Also, you should call me [Red] here."

"Then you should also call me Thunder."

Gordon responded, "By the way, your code name doesn't seem to mean anything. I think you're clearly identified by the suit alone."

"'Madame Red' is also a nickname. I don't need to use one to hide another. Besides, I don't need to hide my identity either—just like you."

Madam Red replied.

After that, she looked at the old man and said meaningfully, "Minister Droste...how should we address you here?"

"antlers."

The Minister of Trade, whose last name was Droste, said solemnly, "I will be promoted to the Dusk Path this time.

"Although we are sworn enemies at this point, this is ultimately only the first stage of the New Moon Ritual, and failure carries no cost. There's no need for us to fight to the death—we're both on the same path to authority, and we know each other's true identities. How about we form a temporary alliance? Eliminate the others first, and then we can decide the outcome internally."

“It’s not impossible.”

Madam Red nodded. "Then let's not reveal our true identities or paths to the public. Let's just call each other by code names."

"After all, the New Moon Ceremony only has three promotion slots available at most," Gordon agreed. "It's better than having them fall on foreigners... By the way, my promotion this time is to the Path of Devotion."

"The path of dedication? Then do you know the art of illumination?" asked Madam Red.

"How is that possible?" Gordon shook his head. "I'm not from a church background. I don't want to get into trouble."

"Do you have any other healing abilities?"

"No."

Gordon replied without hesitation: "But I can protect you."

——Then do you have the nerve to say that you are dedicated to the path of Taoism?

It was the first time she heard that the extraordinary people on the path of dedication had no idea about healing.

Mrs. Hong's words lingered in her throat for a moment, but she swallowed them in disappointment.

When she heard that Inspector Gordon was going to be promoted to the Path of Devotion this time, she thought she would have the opportunity to enjoy the assistance of a healer in the New Moon Ceremony - the extraordinary professions in the Path of Love usually have self-destructive characteristics, which means that they are very dependent on healers.

As expected, those extraordinary devotees who dare to participate in the New Moon Ceremony alone are not serious devotees.

At this moment, blood mist began to rise from the fourth seat.

The three of them immediately stopped communicating and turned to look at the seat.

"This is……"

Gordon's eyes quickly widened.

On the fourth seat, a sticky shadow flowed and condensed into a black figure wearing a blood-stained robe.

“Hehehe…”

A low, roaring, hoarse voice, like a lion just waking up, rang out from the fourth seat: "You all arrived quite early..."

"...You're a demonologist, right?"

Gordon was so sure of himself that he said in a deep, hostile voice, "Are you from the Noble Red Society?"

He had been attacked by the Noble Red Society not long ago, and now his nerves were extremely sensitive.

He could tell at a glance that the man's red robe was stained with blood. He could even smell its stench. The materials for the New Moon Ritual were hard to come by, but materials from the human body could replace six of them. If he only had the wax figure, the snake, and the mirror, things would be much simpler.

It is just getting dark now, and the only ones who can enter their ceremony at this time are the extraordinary people in Avalon... or even those on the Glass Island.

Demonologists are accustomed to killing people to obtain materials for their rituals. Gordon understands that the Demonologist's advanced class, "Demon Incarnation," requires killing a large number of people and extracting materials from their bodies for rituals. Without such cruel practices, a Demonologist would be nothing more than a "scholar."

Reincarnation as a powerful and immortal demon is extremely tempting. Those demon scholars who walk on the path of transcendence are ultimately unable to resist the call of the power of the path, trying to transcend the essence of life, transcend the limitations of lifespan and flesh, and move towards this inevitable conclusion.

...However, even the knowledgeable Gordon had never seen a demonologist who could make such a commotion during his first promotion ceremony.

Even if he has an extraordinary level in other paths, when he advances to the transcendent path, he can only use the power of the transcendent path.

How could a first-level demonologist have such a powerful demon?

"You are the demonologist of Xingti."

Deer Antlers spoke in an old and calm voice: "Who is your mentor?"

At this moment, Aiwass, including his hair...his entire body was covered with liquid shadow demon.

The shadows cast by the shadow demon made his originally short hair look like long black hair.

Aiwass, who had just woken up, just raised his eyebrows.

You old guy, you are quite experienced.

He actually knew that demon scholars from the Star Antimony Kingdom could contract high-level demons in advance—they were summoned by powerful demon scholars and then had their apprentices sign the contract. Whether the apprentices could control them was their own problem.

Those powerful demons who were tricked into making a pact with the weak were bound to be dissatisfied. Their disobedience and desire to escape the malicious intent of their pact masters would bring tremendous pressure to the young demonologists.

If they didn't want to be attacked by the demons, these young people had no choice but to try their best to show off their talents. However, these demons were far stronger than their own level, so no matter how they showed off, it was difficult for them to gain their recognition.

It's like being chased by a ferocious beast - these young demon scholars are constantly squeezed by the sense of crisis, forcing out their potential for transcendence to the greatest extent.

If he ultimately lost control, it would only mean the loss of a student, and such people were everywhere on Star Antimony. Countless people yearned to become demonologists, to change their own fates and dominate the fates of others. After all, the summoned demon was still there; they could simply find another master.

After repeated selection, every demon scholar that is finally cultivated controls a demon that is far more powerful than himself and has an extremely strong desire to surpass himself.

"Tell him, 'I don't know anything about mentors. Hand over your identity or I won't answer any of your questions.'"

Aiwass mentally instructed the Shadow Demon, "Remember to be fierce, and preferably reckless and arrogant—disguise yourself as someone who appears to be mentally retarded and easily exploited. Make a distinction between you and me."

The Shadow Demon immediately responded in his mind with the voice of Miss Assassin: "Okay, Master."

Then, the black liquid on Aiwass' body resonated with the sound, emitting a low and resonant sound like a lion's roar:

"You lack the most basic courtesy, old man. I need no mentor—tell me your name right now, or I'll let the demons feed on your flesh!"

As Aiwass spoke, the sticky shadows on his body began to flow, condensing into a ferocious demonic head. A blooming black flower blossomed on his raised face, and countless pitch-black fangs entwined within it, emitting a sinister black aura.

"...Oh, no. You're not a demonologist, you're a demon."

The old man said with great interest, "Demons possessed by shadow demons are truly rare. We in Avalon actually have such extraordinary beings.

"We still have time, so why not get to know each other, Mr. Shadow Demon? I'm Deerhorn, this is Thunder, and that's Red... You're the new guy, right? In that case, perhaps we can work together. How about eliminating the others first?"

A demon is different from a demonologist. If a demonologist has contracted a powerful demon, he or she will most likely have a mentor.

However, it is completely random for a demon to be possessed by a demon - that is to say, a complete newcomer without a mentor may also be possessed by a powerful demon.

When Lu Jiao realized that this "demon" might be a newcomer, he immediately realized that Aiwass could be used. So his attitude immediately became very sincere, and it seemed that he had no discrimination against the path of transcendence.

"Thunder" and "Red" on the side said nothing, just watched the deer horns performance quietly.

——You want to act, right?

Aiwass realized that the confrontation of the New Moon Ritual had already begun at this moment.

"You have a very good attitude, old man. Just ignore what I said before."

So he narrowed his eyes slightly, letting the shadow demon wrapped around his body answer in a very natural manner: "Then you can call me Aleister... This is my name.

"Yes, I'm a newcomer. I'm from the Noble Red Society, and today is my first time participating in the promotion ceremony."

This is the first chapter of the day!

The second chapter is not finished yet, it will be posted at 6pm!

(End of this chapter)