Chapter 500 I am the Holy Communion, This is Mercy
During the Tail Ring Ceremony, Aiwass felt his consciousness being gradually drained away.
The Tail Ring Ritual, supplemented by the Shepherd Law, seemed to have completed a crucial point. The Shepherd Law within him automatically circulated, continuously draining his mana and vitality into the void.
Aiwass felt a strange dizziness, as if he had fallen asleep in the bathtub.
When Aiwass woke up again, he saw a strange scene -
He was floating in the chaotic and dark void, his feet not touching the ground.
And in front of Aiwas, a strange door appeared and gradually lit up.
It was a circular gate formed by a stream of crimson light. It resembled a setting sun with its heart ripped out, or a golden-red sun obscured by a solar eclipse. It rotated slowly and steadily, its edges radiating scorching heat and steaming with streams of golden-red flame.
——Just like the ring that appeared on Lancelot’s chest.
Aiwass looked at it, but always felt as if something was missing.
In an instant, Aiwasfu came to his senses and turned around to look back.
I saw there was another "door" behind him.
It was a crystal snake, biting its own tail and coiling around to form the symbol of "∞".
Judging from the oval shape of the snake's head, it is probably a non-venomous snake. The crystal snake is generally a breathtakingly beautiful purple, translucent throughout, with a small amount of cyan, red, and yellow gradient.
"...The Fire of Nothingness and the Snake of Infinity?"
Aiwass murmured.
The art of shepherding comes from the mysterious skills of Huantiansi.
The devotion and transcendent power left behind by the Heavenly Master who transcended the Dao...
Thinking of this, Aiwass stretched out his hand and touched it nervously but firmly.
When his hand touched the crystal snake, it was like a fingertip lightly touching a lake, causing ripples to appear. It twitched as if in discomfort, its beautiful crystal scales contracting and expanding, and its rotation speed increased slightly.
Modifying the parameters while the ritual was running was extremely dangerous. A single careless move could lead to the ritual's utter annihilation. Aiwass dared to do this because, after obtaining the Book of Law, the knowledge of the Tail Ring ritual had been etched into his mind, as if he himself were the ritual's inventor.
He would not forget a single bit of it until Aiwass "took it out".
I saw that the color of the giant purple snake's body had changed slightly - it had been changed by Aiwass from a celestial being pointing to the path of love to an "apostle pointing to the path of authority."
The Tail Ring is a forbidden ritual capable of bringing down the Celestial Master. However, if only the Apostle were brought down, the cost would be much lower, and the ritual's stability would be improved. At least Lancelot wouldn't be killed instantly...
But just as Aiwass was concentrating on modifying the ceremony.
But he suddenly heard a voice.
"I am the serpent of secrets, coiled like a snare: and in this coiling there is delight."
……What?
Aiwass was stunned for a moment.
This is exactly what is said in the Shepherd Tantra.
——Even though he had never heard it with his own ears, he immediately felt...that should be Huan Tiansi's voice!
It was a strange voice, different from that of a divine entity, one he had never heard before.
And His voice continues to ring out:
"Red is one limit, and purple is another. My eyes shine red, and my clothes are purple."
Hearing this, Aiwass suddenly realized what the red [door] was.
That's Snake Eyes!
Those are Huan Tiansi’s eyes!
He now met Huan Tiansi's eyes, but when he turned around, he saw his body. Undoubtedly, this was not a complete and continuous space.
And then, Aiwass heard a soft laugh.
—Or rather, he thought it was a mockery.
“While the world changes and cycles, the things of the world remain constant.
"The righteous will remain righteous, and the filthy will remain filthy. The king will remain king, and the slave will remain a slave.
"No one ascends, no one descends, nothing changes. The universe is frozen, like an amber egg; the worlds cycle in perpetual cycles, like a chain."
Huan Tiansi's voice became gentle, as if he was narrating something.
But then, Aiwass suddenly felt a great sense of crisis.
Because Huan Tiansi's voice suddenly became high-pitched and passionate, a strong feeling of intoxication enveloped Aiwas' body.
The voice continued, "When the serpent ascends into your heart, the kisses of the stars pour into you.
"Holy Eleven, this is the change! Raise your body! Your body will be higher than the stars—"
Hearing this, Aiwass panicked and suddenly loosened his fingertips that were in contact with the crystal snake.
The chaotic sounds ringing in his ears disappeared instantly.
However, some fine amethyst snake scales had already appeared on the skin of his right arm where it had come into contact with the crystal snake.
"...You want my body?"
Aiwass's mouth corners slightly raised: "I won't give it to you."
Although I roughly understand the motivation behind Huan Tiansi becoming Huan Tiansi...it has nothing to do with Aiwass.
But he was puzzled. This was just a promotion ceremony, and everything was just a sham. Even if his body was taken away, what would it matter?
Or was this a simulation of the Heavenly Ring Master by the Lord of Scales and Feathers? He was revealing some secret to himself...
By this time, Aiwas had already finished modifying the ritual. After he could no longer hear Huan Tiansi's voice, he was kicked out instantly.
When he woke up again, he saw Lancelot I half-kneeling on the ground with a look of pain on his face - almost infinite power was pouring into his body.
His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, but this knight who founded the country had a firm gaze and was silent, not saying a word.
These forces were so immense that they could even directly break through the upper limit of his energy level. However, Lancelot's body seemed to be overloaded during the ritual...
White smoke was hissing out of his red skin, and liquid power was flowing in his body like flames.
It was as if some glowing creature was moving beneath his skin, and from time to time a large lump would appear, move away quickly, and then disappear into his body.
"Shepherd... I don't know if I can call you that..."
Suddenly, Lancelot endured the pain and spoke: "I have seen your portrait... I have also heard the secret of pastoral care. I know that your soul can enter the body of a phantom demon..."
Upon hearing this, Aiwass looked down.
Lancelot slowly stood up, his voice becoming slower but clearer: "I felt it, the one being pulled into me by this ritual... shouldn't be the Knight of the Crown, but the Apostle of the Bear Celestial Master.
"It would be troublesome if I gave her my body, so..."
"—I give you my body."
"That kind of thing can't be done."
Aiwass smiled helplessly.
He certainly didn't want Xiong Tiansi's apostle to descend—he himself was still marked by Xiong Tiansi. If "He" came, the first person to be beaten would be Aiwas.
But Aiwass wasn't too scared. After all, Isabel should have received the message from him and was heading to the Theocracy at full speed.
All he had to do was to delay time—delay the completion of the Ring of Tail, and at the same time delay the damage caused by the arrival of the Celestial Officials or the Apostles.
Although both the Shepherd Method and the Tail Ring are the powers of the Ring Angel, and the Shepherd had once pulled down the Fallen Angel...
"……etc?"
At this moment, Aiwass was suddenly stunned.
——Speaking of which, how did the Shepherd pull down the Fallen Angel?
In the art of shepherding... is there the ability to summon the celestial officials to descend to the mortal world?
Suddenly, Aiwas thought of what Huan Tiansi had just said:
[——When I ascend into your heart, the kiss of the stars will pour into your body]
Suddenly, Aiwass suddenly thought of his first promotion ceremony.
After Aiwass committed suicide during the ritual, he did not die. His soul still attached to the body of the Ironhide, which evolved into the Deformed Limb, and could even control the body of the Deformed Limb.
The shepherd is able to put his soul into the body of the phantom demon.
If death occurs during a pastoral ceremony, it will...
Thinking of this, Aiwas' pupils suddenly contracted.
The pastor back then...
Is he really dead?
What if it wasn't the Pastoral Technique or the Tail-Bearing Ring that pulled down the Fallen Angel, but some other ritual?
The Tail-Bearing Ring ritual involves inserting the Celestial Being's soul into a physical body. Because of this, once pulled down by the Tail-Bearing Ring ritual, one cannot be reborn from the Dream World before death, and even if reborn, they will lose their authority. However, the Fallen Celestial Being was able to return successfully, indicating that he was pulled down in the body of a phantom demon, clearly not the same ritual.
...and if he was pulled down in the body of a phantom demon.
The pastoral method is to insert the pastor's soul into the body of the phantom demon.
Is it really the Fallen Angels who returned last?
Why not a pastor?
Why is the Ring Celestial being so against the Fallen Celestial being? He insists on using the Tail Ring Ritual to bring him down?
Huantiansi has been planning for hundreds of years for this...
The pastors are believers of Huantiansi.
According to the Shepherd's Secret Tantra, the Shepherd initially cooperated with the Ring Celestial Master's plan, cultivating demons in the material world and ultimately sacrificing all of his followers to bring down the Fallen Angel. He attempted to sacrifice the Fallen Angel to himself, but the backlash of his Shepherd's methods robbed him of all his power...
But what if this ending is fake?
Or so it seems from an outsider's perspective... But in reality, he didn't sacrifice the Fallen Angels to himself, but rather sacrificed himself to the Fallen Angels. As a result, his soul returned to the Dream World along with the Fallen Angels.
So the pastor was the traitor? Or perhaps he didn't betray the group on purpose, but rather their plan failed... or perhaps it succeeded? Was this the effect Huan Tiansi was aiming for?
If that's the case...
“…No, maybe I can actually do it.”
Aiwass whispered.
At that time, when he touched the purple ring, the Ring of Tail suddenly turned red. If the pastoral care method is the special condition for activating the Ring of Tail ritual...
It would be just like his first promotion ceremony, he could also enter the body of Tiansi who was pulled down by the Tail Ring!
However, if I failed... I might die. If I actually died during the promotion ceremony, I would also suffer a severe blow in reality.
Because whether it was Lancelot I or a certain apostle who was pulled down, they might not be judged as phantom demons...
Thinking of this, Aiwas looked at Lancelot I.
He suddenly reacted and realized something else.
From Lancelot's perspective, he didn't know what would happen next.
He didn't know whether his soul would be shattered, used as food for Aiwass, ascended to the dream world, or remained safe and sound. He had spent centuries in the dark and gloomy Land of Shadows, just to return to the human world. And now, he had barely returned, and his body had been taken away...
Even so, he had no complaints. He didn't get mad or cry, but instead offered his body to Aiwass. This was simply to prevent Xiong Tiansi's apostle from using his body to harm the people of Avalon, whom he now completely didn't know or understand.
The promotion ceremony was indeed a sham, because in the end, it was a fiction.
But everyone inside was real to themselves. The price they paid, their resolve, were genuine. Yet, Aiwass, on the other hand, hesitated because he thought it was fake... even though the risk he took was far less than Lancelot's.
If even Lancelot, who is not on the path of devotion, can do it, then why can't I?
...That's ridiculous.
Can I be considered a dedicated person?
——In a trance, Aiwass had a deeper understanding of the way of dedication.
The essence of dedication is sacrifice, but sacrifice does not necessarily have to be meaningful.
It is a strong fire that burns forever.
When something happens right in front of you, even if you know you can't stop it, even if you know you can't do anything, you still have to stand up to it.
It's simply because I can't see the tragedy happening right before my eyes.
It is clear that Aiwass has been such a person since the very beginning.
When he first rescued Isabel and Sherlock from the Ascension Ceremony, he had no idea what would happen if he died. He didn't even know them; they were just strangers. And at that time, Aiwass had no qualms about giving his life for them.
When did he start pursuing "sacrificial efficiency"? When did he become hesitant about sacrifice and dedication?
Now his desire for transcendence grew stronger, but the fire of devotion that was bright enough at the beginning gradually dimmed.
He is becoming selfish.
He needs to regain the feeling of his original intention many times before his path can temporarily return to balance.
Now, it is a [trial].
Aiwass picked up the dagger and slowly tightened his grip.
"…eat in silence, my lamb."
Taking a deep breath, Aiwass whispered.
He gripped the Dagger of Arondite tightly, pointed it at his heart, and waited for the Tail Ring ceremony to end.
Seeing his actions, Lancelot finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He slowly gave up resistance and finally nodded to Aiwass: "It's up to you..."
Aiwass watched as Lancelot's black pupils gradually turned into a frantic scarlet.
With the determination to die, Aiwass slowly pushed the dagger into his heart.
Feeling the cold blade cutting his flesh, he trembled in pain, his voice hoarse and low:
He watched the murderous intent grow stronger as it looked towards him.
Aiwass recited the secret words of the Shepherd Tantra word for word:
“—I am the Eucharist, and this is mercy.”
Have a meal, there will be the second chapter in the afternoon!
(End of this chapter)
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