The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 410

Chapter 410
A Phantom Demon’s Heart
[Great Sin Enhancement], this is a term in a Sin Scholar’s exclusive weapon that is only second in importance to burning cards.
This is colloquially known as “enhancement” or “card fusion.”
The enhanced Great Sin Cards will have their positive effect’s numerical values slightly increased, but this is not important.
After all, a few percent increase in damage is negligible. What is important is the inverse effect—the Great Sin Beast’s true form, when summoned, will receive an all-attribute enhancement. The attribute bonus gained from fusing multiple cards is additive… The in-game numerical value is 5% per card, so fusing five cards would result in a 25% enhancement.
Great Sin Beasts already possess very high stats, and with buffs, their proportional stat increases become even more significant.
A 5% stat boost for a Demonic Hound might be imperceptible, but if a raid BOSS’s all-attributes are boosted by 5%, it could lead to a party wipe.
In guides and videos detailing raid strategies that Eivass saw on forums and video sites in his past life, there were sometimes unconventional setups. By using specialized Great Sin Beasts with specific card sets, they could achieve an effect of “Four-Pronged Luxury Support.”
Normally, a Sin Scholar is a burst damage profession requiring high operational skill, focusing on two parallel lines of attack.
This involves dual-line operation, quickly switching between different Great Sin Beasts at crucial moments to unleash skills, and then switching back to the main beast after casting. Simultaneously, their own main body rapidly draws cards and unleashes various off-field skills. During normal operations, they rely on standing Great Sin Beasts for sustained damage.
However, “card fusion” represents a different playstyle, and one that is more suitable for Eivass’s current situation.
This refers to the “standing type” strategy.
From beginning to end, only one Great Sin Beast capable of countering the BOSS is used. All other cards are dedicated to enhancing this Great Sin Beast or used for card fusion to boost its attributes. Beyond that, only a small number of cards are included for self-preservation. The remaining Great Sin Beasts are either not summoned at all, only used to chip away at health at the beginning, or saved for a final burst of damage.
In a sense, this effect might be more suitable for Eivass at present than card burning!
—Because he doesn’t have any other Great Sin Beasts to switch between!
The few cards Eivass has currently logged—[Blade of Shadow], [Lightning Halberd], [Earthbound Spirit]—can all be cast with dark-attribute mana. This means they can all be used to empower the Night Demon!
The Night Demon, already at the peak of the world’s power as a Sixth Tier entity, will be further strengthened by an additional 15%…
Eivass thought this and decided to give it a try.
He reached out and touched [Eivass’s Book of Law].
Cards appeared neatly in his consciousness, while more slots remained black and empty.
Even with the book’s cover closed, Eivass could easily identify which card was registered in each slot.
As Eivass willed it, the illuminated cards [Moon], [God of Death], and [Wheel of Fate] transformed into streams of light, swirling and flying into the card that was as clear and deep as black crystal.
“Night Demon—”
As Eivass whispered, the Flame Butterfly, which had been quietly perched on his shoulder, suddenly vanished into a puff of sparks.
Immediately, the scattered sparks collapsed into the void, forming a pitch-black card with faint, blood-red patterns roughly depicting a crow.
Before Eivass could touch it, the card spun halfway and shattered.
Dark purple lightning and black whirlwinds surged rapidly from the void. Lixia couldn’t help but gasp.
—As the strongest in Avalon, even one of the world’s foremost powerhouses, she could clearly feel a sense of danger emanating from the Night Demon Eivass had summoned!
“My Master…”
Viness murmured softly.
Her voice was unlike that of the assassin Miss or Beyad.
She hadn’t opened her mouth, yet her voice, like a dreamlike whisper in one’s ear, emerged.
Her pale, pristine body was marked with shattered scarlet patterns, as if a sacred statue had broken, revealing the blood within.
The Night Demon was enshrouded in shadows, its raven-like dark wings slightly spread behind it, countless black shadow feathers drifting in the air. Yet, like snowflakes, they melted before hitting the ground.
Eivass looked up, gazing at the Night Demon, which resembled a broken doll, and at the two red marks on its face.
He suddenly recalled everything he had seen in the illusion just moments ago—
Viness looked up in the blood rain, and two trails of blood-like tears silently streaked down her face.
…And the cracks on the Night Demon’s face at this moment bore a striking resemblance to the path those two blood tears had carved.
Furthermore, the three wounds Eivass had opened on his body, the three gateways, had been transferred to the Night Demon. It bore three peculiar scars in corresponding locations.
One on the neck like a crescent moon, one on the abdomen like a full moon, and one on the chest like a spiderweb… or perhaps the sun.
Recalling the illusion during the contract, Eivass suddenly understood why Viness was the Beast of Envy, and why she had almost fallen in love with Number 14 at first sight…
Eivass still remembered Number 14’s appearance.
—She resembled Viness as a child so much… Not only in appearance, but even in her aura, there was a similar quality.
Looking at her, Viness must have been reminded of her own past. Of that damp and cold rainy night, of wandering the streets helplessly… of her friendless childhood.
From beginning to end, Viness was alone.
Her parents didn’t care for her, no friends understood her, she was even betrayed and killed. Her remains became the Child of the Moon, and in her rage, she transformed into the Shadow Demon—but even the Child of the Moon had no friends, and the Shadow Demon had no other demon companions.
She walked alone for over four hundred years.
The essence of envy is the feeling of loneliness.
Beautiful love, sincere friendship, the respect of others, success in one’s endeavors…
First, her parents died early, forcing her to take over the company at a young age, thus forfeying carefree play and entertainment. Then, while she dedicated all her energy and life as a human to expand and strengthen the company, she was betrayed and died at a young age. After becoming the Child of the Moon, just before “coming of age” and being accepted by her kin, she encountered the Shadow Demon.
For “Beyad,” who inherited all of Viness’s memories and the memories of the Child of the Moon, the Shadow Demon, as an avenger, was undoubtedly her only friend.
And the Shadow Demon was likely also lacking such an understanding companion.
The fear of loneliness outweighed the fated confrontation. It was likely for this reason that the two individuals, who should have immediately fought to the death upon meeting, ultimately reached a reconciliation.
The Child of the Moon, possessing eternal life, gave up her life; and the Shadow Demon, bearing the Mark of Wrath, abandoned her hatred.
The reason Viness could shed the Mark of Wrath was probably because she already had an affinity for the Mark of Envy. If Greed leaned towards the material realm, then Envy leaned towards the spiritual.
For Viness, who was materially wealthy, she was always one step ahead. But it was precisely for this reason that she never had a companion by her side.
After that, the Empire was destroyed and reborn. As the Shadow Demon, she traveled between the Dream Realm and the Material Realm, but all her summoners were mere mortals.
In the end, nothing remained.
—Until this very moment.
“Master…”
The Night Demon called out again, “I have arrived.”
Unlike the Shadow Demon’s voice, which was always filled with malice, hers now sounded peaceful and pure.
“How does it feel?”
Eivass emerged from his illusory memories and asked, “Are you still experiencing rejection?”
“Yes, very clearly.”
The Night Demon replied.
“That’s normal. As a Sixth Tier entity, you’re already touching the limits of the world. One wrong move and you could hit that ‘invisible wall.’ However, precisely because of this, there are ways to circumvent the world’s limits.”
Lixia nodded from the side, “The Eternal Pope also chooses to seal a portion of her power. She usually chooses to slumber, linking herself with the giant tree, using her body as the central hub of the Church.”
“Fighting for too long will invite ‘Balance’…”
Eivass murmured.
He could roughly sense the increasing pressure in the surrounding space, confirming a basic estimate.
—Around three minutes.
After three minutes of full power, Eivass would need to revert his Night Demon to its Night Crow form, or switch to another Phantom Demon.
But it would be enough.
Let alone three minutes… For a Sixth Tier powerhouse, it only takes an instant to secure victory.
Just like when Maege stopped the war back then, she only used two moves from start to finish.
The first was to cease fire, the second was to draw a line.
Eivass muttered and raised his hand, “But you should be able to circumvent it by using another form…”
His intent, linked to the Night Demon, conveyed his thoughts.
The Night Demon flapped its wings, and as it was enveloped by black shadow feathers, it transformed into a beautiful little black crow, then perched on Eivass’s shoulder.
It was a peculiar feeling.
Despite being just a bird, upon first glance, it evoked a sense of “beauty.” Perhaps it was because there were no blemishes or impurities on its body, or perhaps it was its crystalline ruby-like pupils.
Eivass chuckled, tilting his head and gently stroking the crow’s head with his index finger.
The Night Crow gently pecked at Eivass’s fingertip, causing a faint smile to spread across Eivass’s face.
—I raised this child myself!
Unlike the Butterfly of Blazing Flames, which was already a high-tier Phantom Demon when caught, the Night Demon was nurtured by Eivass one feeding at a time.
Watching it obediently perch on his shoulder, and thinking of the once untamed and dangerous Shadow Demon, Eivass felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
Eivass could vaguely sense that even in its partially sealed Night Crow form, Viness could still wield some power.
Shadows, blood, curses… likely Third Tier strength. Perhaps on par with Eivass.
And because her evolution originated from the Shepherd’s Method, Lily’s connection with her was not severed like Eivass’s contract. Lily could still borrow some shadow power from the Night Demon, as the Shadow Demon had not evolved into a Flame Demon—the Night Demon also possessed shadow-attribute power.
However, the Night Demon could no longer merge into shadows like the Shadow Demon.
Compared to the incorporeal Shadow Demon, the Night Demon was a tangible entity. Its fallen angel form, resembling a statue or a doll, was its true body.
Unfortunately, Eivass truly didn’t know what kind of enemy his Night Demon was meant to fight.
Or rather, what kind of enemy would necessitate Eivass using the Night Demon to confront them.
Eivass had even used the “card fusion” technique when summoning the Night Demon this time, boosting its stats by 15%.
If Eivass didn’t switch Phantom Demons later, this 15% stat gain would remain. And by tomorrow, Eivass’s Phantom Demon cards, which were on cooldown, would recover and be usable again.
If Eivass encountered danger, she could revert to her true form and end the fight quickly.
This was not a battle against a Heavenly Envoy. Maintaining peak world-level power for too long could lead to “hitting” the Wall of Balance.
Even so, Eivass essentially carried around an Eternal Pope with him.
With the Night Demon at his disposal, Eivass immediately felt a surge of confidence.
—Now, even if Star Antinomy truly went to war with Avalon, he would have nothing to fear!
With Lixia still alive, and now the Night Demon… the “Armed Gargoyle” and “Rune Golem” that Eivass had feared before were no longer insurmountable foes.
“Brother.”
As Eivass was amusing himself with the Night Crow, Yulia, who was beside him, suddenly spoke.
For some reason, her gaze had become rather sharp.
Yulia looked at Eivass and said seriously, “The ritual that gave Lily her power… can it be used on me?”
Eivass looked at Yulia with some surprise.
In his impression, Yulia had never cared about extraordinary power. Her interest in such things was even less than her interest in mountains and rivers, formulas and theorems, mortise and tenon joints, or reagent bottles and jars.
He pondered for a moment and slowly nodded, “Yes, but we’ll have to wait for Isabel to return. I’ll prepare that ritual for you then.”
The reason Eivass hadn’t done this before was mainly due to hesitation.
After all, the Butterfly of Blazing Flames had only recently been retrieved from Yulia’s body, and Yulia had suffered from it for far, far too long. Just seeing it might bring back memories of her painful past. Therefore, Eivass hadn’t dared to bring it up too much.
But now that Yulia was actively requesting it, she must have moved past her past trauma.
As it happened, Eivass didn’t need the Butterfly of Blazing Flames’ power at the moment.
And Yulia herself had a close connection with the Butterfly of Blazing Flames, so she would likely quickly master this “power that originally belonged to her.”
Coincidentally, Eivass also wanted Isabel to witness the [Shepherd’s Essence] ritual.
Perhaps she too would wish to be ‘shepherded’ by Eivass!
Although Eivass didn’t currently have suitable power to give her… if Isabel showed such a desire, Eivass could consider “suitable for sharing with Isabel” as one of the criteria when capturing new Great Sin Beasts in the future.
This could also be considered a gift.
Eivass remembered Isabel’s gift to him, “Isolde’s Tear.”
Eivass had originally intended to return it upon his return, but Isabel had adamantly refused.
Since Eivass couldn’t force her to accept it back… it would be too hurtful.
…Besides, Eivass actually didn’t really want to return it.
It wasn’t because he was drawn to the equipment’s special effects, but because it was the first piece of jewelry Isabel had ever given him… and it was even something Isabel usually wore.
When Eivass put on that necklace, his heart had beaten erratically. Something ineffable flowed in his heart, like taking deep breaths in a storm—making him restless.
He had always been the one to offer kindness to others.
Very, very rarely… had he experienced this feeling of being cared for, being looked after.
What’s more, this feeling came from Isabel, whom Eivass perceived as “someone he needed to protect and care for.”
—It was rather amusing.
When Yulia handed Eivass the necklace, still warm from Isabel’s touch, Eivass vaguely recalled his own first Advancement Ritual.
And a gift of comparable, or even greater, value than this “second life” of his…
Eivass thought and thought…
It seemed only a “Phantom Demon’s Heart” could be a suitable return gift.