Chapter 951: Lack of Healers...? Is it really lacking?

Aiwass sat in the yard, looking at the new moon and drinking by himself.

The summer evening breeze wasn't cold, but rather refreshing. The royal gardens were deserted, with only a fairy-like white mist rising.

The white mist rising from the lake flowed around Aiwas' feet, reaching above his ankles but not even reaching his knees.

Suddenly, Aiwass raised his head and looked into the depths of the fog.

"——How come you have time to come see me?"

Aiwass suddenly spoke.

In the fog ahead, a dark shadow was gradually approaching.

It was none other than the first Dark Side, the lich Grunewald.

An ordinary skeleton, draped in a tattered black robe, slowly walked over.

"Looking to talk to you."

Grunewald's skull crackled, and a deep voice echoed from the depths of Aiwass's heart.

He sat in the pavilion, opposite Aiwass.

The three jade locks hanging from his chest struck his ribs, making a crisp clanging sound. Aside from the dim yellow flames dancing within his skull, the old skeleton bore no trace of any otherworldly power.

"I guess it's about the Fallen Angels, right?"

Aiwass asked casually, "What do you want to ask?"

He poured a glass of wine for the old lich and handed it to him.

The old lich looked down at the glass of wine. He was silent for a while because he had no flesh on his body.

"Do you have a chance of winning?" asked Grunewald.

"There's no such thing as 'odds of winning'—I must win. If I don't, I die."

Aiwass spoke firmly.

He had no room to retreat.

Of all the enemies he was destined to face in the future, the Fallen Angels were the weakest. If he couldn't even get past this one, he might as well just die.

However, Iverson's determination surprised Grunewald.

Clearly, Grünewald didn't believe Aiwass would resolutely oppose the Fallen Angels... which was understandable. After all, Aiwass was now arguably the pinnacle of power in the material world. As the former Pope, Prince of Avalon, and son of the Candlelighter, he already stood at the pinnacle.

The other side.

Even though the Fallen Angels descended into the material world and occupied the Stars... that was all.

After the initial fear and despair, ritualists from other countries gradually analyzed the essence of the Tail Ring ritual.

The gods of the past were bound by the ritual of the Ring of Tail, and could only be mortal monarchs, and could not leave the area defined by the ritual - the current territory of the Stars. Moreover, the Stars must recognize his rule, otherwise the power of the demons would be weakened.

In this situation, no matter how strong the Fallen Angel was, he was nothing more than a prisoner. Furthermore, he was nowhere near as strong as he was in the Dream World. The Wall of Balance's suppression was also effective against him.

——And what happens to Xingti is none of their business anyway. Many people think so.

There were even some people who gloated over their misfortune... After all, Xingti was very aggressive before and had offended many countries besides Avalon.

Even if Xingti planned to launch a war of conquest, that would be a matter for later. Furthermore, without the presence of the Fallen Angels, they might not be defeated by the demon army.

Therefore, if it weren't for the Theocracy's hasty conscription, all other countries would have planned to wait and see for a while.

Wait until Xingti is completely dead before taking action.

This is to prevent them from wasting too much energy in the war, so that Xingti can swallow them up after his resurrection.

Of course, the best-case scenario is for other countries to fight while they themselves conserve their forces... For this very reason, no country opposes conscription, but instead goes all out to promote the idea that "this is a just war, a war for survival." Their goal is to incite others to take ruthless action.

"The rich cherish their lives."

Grunewald's voice was low. "I thought you would choose a more conservative strategy."

The so-called more conservative strategy—that is, a gradual advance—is currently the mainstream response to the Fallen Angels' invasion of the material world.

Keep a large number of civilians inside the Star Antimony to delay the fusion of the Fallen Angels with the material world. Then station troops from the outside, surround them without attacking, and gradually erode and deplete the demon army's numbers... and then slowly demolish all the buildings.

Although the ritual array base cannot be seen once it is established, the ritual core can be removed by destroying all nearby buildings.

This way, the Fallen Angels would be unable to proactively retaliate, and their space would gradually shrink. By simply sacrificing the entire Star Antimony, they could suppress the Fallen Angels within a single city with virtually no risk.

"madness."

Aiwass sneered, "Do they think the Fallen Angels won't attack? Or do they think the Fallen Angels can't hit them?

"They don't think the Fallen Angels are as powerless as mortals, right? They can't be destroyed by a river or a street? If the Fallen Angels wanted to, they could easily destroy the legion, even if they couldn't leave... You should know this, right?"

"I'm at the fifth energy level, of course I know."

The old lich nodded. "But too many people have no idea of ​​the power of the fifth or even sixth energy levels. Some, out of fear of the gods, are overly pessimistic about the situation; others, out of ignorance of power, are overly optimistic.

"But if we launch a general attack right away... there will be many casualties. They probably won't hate the Fallen Angels, but rather the one who gave the order. Because the disaster caused by the Fallen Angels had nothing to do with them in the first place... What happens next is for the future."

"...Do you think I wouldn't dare take the blame?"

Aiwass finally understood what the old lich meant.

He just chuckled. “I also have a part of myself that transcends—what does transcendence mean? By any means necessary.

"I gathered everyone here urgently. On the one hand, it was to shorten the time the Fallen Angels could control the Star Antimony, thus reducing the fusion rate. On the other hand, it was to prevent these people from having a chance to react.

"If we give them too much time, they'll start to overthink things. But if I don't give them time, they'll just execute immediately.

"As long as I win in the end, nothing else matters."

"...What if there's no victory? The entire world will probably fall into chaos and despair."

"Then let the world be buried with me."

Aiwass said calmly.

He wasn't joking - but the words shocked the old lich.

He obviously didn't know about the existence of the end of the world, but he felt Aiwass's ruthlessness and determination.

"Can you help me, Master Grunewald?"

Aiwass raised his head, clasping his wine glass with his five fingers on one hand, and softly asked the old lich, "With your help, our chances of winning will increase significantly."

"……Can."

Grunewald was silent for a moment. "But I'm not good at direct combat. When the battle reaches a critical moment, I will bring the Psychic Tower over... With the Psychic Tower, I can unleash my full strength. Otherwise, I might not be able to break through the Fallen Angel's resistance."

The old lich said frankly.

Aiwass nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you very much for your help."

“…Who else besides me?”

"Ligeia—formerly Meg, you know her, no doubt."

Aiwass replied: "There is also the Great Guardian of Avalon, who is still young and has also decided to join the war.

"I've contacted Master Yanis. She's willing to assist us, but I'm afraid she can't fight head-on. Master Chongbo owes me a favor, so he's decided to come and help. And there's also Mr. Zhu Tang from the Taichu Empire... He and Mr. Mu, the monk from the East, have both entered the advancement ceremony. If all goes well, we should be able to get help from at least one, possibly two, fifth-level masters."

At this point, Aiwass decided to reveal a little important information: "As the angels who control the realm of sin and punishment, the selection of those who will fight against them is quite demanding. First and foremost, they must be 'good people' - every major sin they have committed will become a constraint on them during the battle."

"...I'm afraid I'm not a good person."

The old lich sighed, and the hollow voice echoed with some sadness: "Or rather, the fifth-level transcendents of our generation... are basically not clean."

"I know. It's for this very reason that many cardinals from the Theocracy regretfully declined my invitation. The only one confident enough to come was Cardinal Siegfried. He believed in himself to possess a noble and pure soul."

Aiwass said so.

He had also intended to summon Fafnir and use pastoral law to bind Helechin to his wife or his son - but Cardinal Fafnir refused.

Fafner said she was ready to join the battle, but she didn't want her son to accept such a cruel fate. As for herself... she didn't need a power mixed with the power of the undead. It would only weaken her power as a dragon.

"...But having said that, Cardinal Fafner isn't sure if she can pass the Fallen Angels' test, so she plans to wait and see from the sidelines. If everything goes well, she'll join the battle. If not, she'll help me deal with the attacking higher-level demons."

Aiwass sighed: "When she said that, I actually gave up hope."

——This was like saying, "I'm not sure if this child is his." When Cardinal Fafner felt that she might not pass the Fallen Angels' Mortal Sin Test, she most likely really would not pass.

What surprised Aiwas was that Cardinal Matilda also rejected him.

He originally thought that the gentle Cardinal Matilda was a purely good person.

"But Cardinal Galatea will be here to help, and if I'm included...if everything goes well with Zhu Tang and Mu, we'll eventually have eight people participating in the battle. If all of us pass the test, it'll be the perfect number for transcendence."

Aiwass said.

In fact, this configuration is not very healthy - if it is put into the game, Aiwass feels that it is already sent.

Only Ligeia and Mu possessed sufficient vitality to absorb damage, while Grand Guardian Saint George and Cardinal Siegfried were both slightly more tanky close-quarters damage dealers.

Cardinal Galatea is from the Path of Beauty. She can be considered a bard, able to provide some not-so-sufficient ranged damage and group buffs; Zhu Tang, as a great wizard, is a stationary magic damage dealer with a long reading bar; Master Chongbo can deal some damage, but it's mainly shielding... He is the strongest person in the world in preservation skills. The shield he created before was even able to block a blow from the Fallen Angel in the Celestial State without instantly shattering.

The shield he created now to protect against the attacks of the Fallen Angel in his flesh form was obviously effective.

Aiwass himself was half summoner, half healer—the Lily and Yulia he brought with him were considered part of his summons. When Aiwass reclaimed the Sin Beast, they would lose their combat effectiveness. Their priority wasn't high enough; apart from the Sin Beast, they couldn't deal damage, couldn't fight independently, and could only serve as harassment. Therefore, Aiwass simply didn't count them.

——Then the problem arises.

Even without using Light of Paradise, Aiwass's mana is only enough to activate Paradise Lost three times.

If he needs to use other sin cards, he will not have much mana left for healing.

If the team needs healing, Aiwass must transform into a Sin Beast. Consuming Sinthorns to urgently restore mana is necessary to meet Aiwass's healing needs—and without this, he can't use Paradise Lost for a burst, as wings can only be summoned while in human form.

And even if he could restore his mana, his mana must be reserved for damage output first... He can't heal much at all. If he heals others, then the damage output will not be enough.

— Four melee rangers, only half healer and half shield. The only serious ranged damage dealers are Zhu Tang and Aiwass, and it's unclear whether Zhu Tang can penetrate defense. The other ranged rangers are all PVP control players—naturally, they can't control the Fallen Angel.

Some hopeless teams.

We guys are here to fight in a flash, with no intention of a protracted battle.

The only good news is that the two main outputs are both melee physical professions.

Physical damage is only prioritized, as it doesn't belong to the power of the path. The damage dealt is genuine... provided it can penetrate defense. Physical damage is only mitigated by shields and defense. As long as the Fallen Angel's armor is debuffed, the two of them will have a chance to deal damage even without the priority bonus.

Originally, Aiwass wanted Cardinal Matilda to be the healer... but she didn't come, so the team suddenly became strange.

"Regarding this question..."

But after hearing Aiwass's distress, the old lich said something subtle: "I think you don't need to worry."

"……Why?"

"You'll find out tomorrow."

Grunewald replied.

"...Could you please stop with the riddles, Mr. Grunewald?"

"Okay," the old lich compromised obediently, "I came here...actually, because a distinguished guest just arrived."

"guest……?"

Aiwass frowned slightly, a little surprised: "Do I know him?"

"know."

The old lich nodded slowly: "She's here."

When Aiwass heard "she", he suddenly realized something.

Feeling the intense, sun-like glow—Aivaz turned around.

Another person appeared in the white mist.

"It's you indeed..."

Aiwass breathed a sigh of relief: "Now I feel more confident."

What appeared before him was a girl with white hair, white eyes, white robe and white clothes, a pure color that seemed to be glowing in the white mist.

Her body was slender and thin, and her arms and thighs were so thin that they seemed like they would break if she wasn't careful.

But she was smiling, her face filled with motherly tenderness. She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Only Aiwass knew that...just two months ago, she was only about twelve or thirteen years old.

"Your Excellency Joan Yongheng."

Aiwass said softly, and stood up politely and respectfully, and the old lich stood up with him.

The two men bowed to the girl, who accepted the greeting with a smile.

Because she is the true former eternal pope who just stepped down and became a saint!

Aiwass was a little surprised: "How could you...age so quickly?"

——At most, it’s been less than two months!

How come he looks five or six years older in just two months?

Generally speaking, shouldn't the lifespan of an eternal pope be twenty years after he leaves office?

At this rate... I'm afraid she might not even survive two years!

"I remember telling you... I burned more thoroughly, so there's not much time left."

Saint John said softly, "If you lack a healer, let me be your healer. I will protect everyone."

"——I'm so lucky to be able to save the world after leaving my job. My predecessors weren't as lucky as me."

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(End of this chapter)