Chapter 950
Isabel’s Independent Ascension
The mist still permeated the night, obscuring the New Moon that was past the halfway point.
This month’s Ascension Ritual had likely already begun.
After seeing off the Envoy of Mist, Eivass helped others enter their Ascension Rituals before returning to the courtyard alone. He looked up at the moon shrouded in mist and sighed softly.
In recent days, the Power of Transcendence had become increasingly volatile. Not only had the power on the Transcendent Path grown, but the power of Extraordinary beings on other Paths had also seen significant increases. The higher the level of an Extraordinary, the more pronounced the effect.
Eivass had only recently ascended to the Fifth Tier, and already he felt that his level would be full within a month at most. He was about to touch the peak of the Fifth Tier!
The Grand Guardian’s reaction was even more pronounced. As Avalon’s weakest Fifth Tier Extraordinary, his strength had originally been half a Tier behind Lixia’s. Now, as everyone’s Path Power surged, the gap had become less significant.
Those students who were originally expected to reach the Second Tier only upon their graduation had, in the past half month, successively filled their power and touched the Wall of Path. Although they were unaware that this “limited-time experience acquisition greatly increased” buff would disappear on August 8th, everyone recognized the importance of not missing such an opportunity.
Perhaps because of this, many around Eivass had changed their original plans and participated in this Ascension Ritual. Lily, Selene… even Isabel. Yulia, after confirming with Eivass that her invention held the possibility of changing the world, had decisively joined the Ascension Ritual. It was rumored that even David, one of the Grand Guardian’s children, was preparing to participate in tonight’s Ascension Ritual… The Spirit Tower was the same.
Having truly witnessed the disaster of the demon’s descent, people began to crave the purest form of power. The era of peace had ended, and a chaotic world was about to dawn. In such a situation, ascending every half month would mean losing half a month of development time. Thus, Extraordinary beings no longer lingered at the brink of ascension, enduring the impulse of their Path and making thorough preparations. Instead, they ascended as soon as they could touch the Wall of Path.
At the Full Moon Ritual half a month prior, the number of participants had already tripled the usual amount. While the Father’s influence played a role, it was more so because those who had been hesitant had finally taken the step.
“… Do they really need to push themselves this hard?” Eivass sighed, somewhat worried that his friends might encounter trouble. This was, after all, an Ascension Ritual for higher-level beings. Ascending from Tier Three to Four, from Four to Five… and it was a New Moon Ritual, at that. The probability of success was at best one-third. Failure could result in severe injury or even death.
Besides Eivass’s acquaintances, a considerable number of allied soldiers stationed in Avalon had also decided to undergo their Ascension Ritual today. Eivass could understand this part. They would soon be facing demon legions head-on, and at this juncture, any increment of power was valuable. Even a one in ten chance of success would be worth trying. A Fourth Tier Extraordinary was undoubtedly stronger than ten Third Tiers, and a Fifth Tier could overpower twenty Fourth Tiers… Each ascension from the Third Tier upwards was a qualitative leap. If their strength was insufficient, they would likely die in the upcoming battle anyway. It was better to fail here – if one was weak, disabled, or severely injured, they wouldn’t have to participate in the fight. Perhaps they might even save their lives… While it could be seen as cowardice, it was understandable. They were unaware of who would confront the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, nor did they know the strength of the “assault team members” Eivass had found. It was natural to feel uncertain; after all, this was a fight to the death against a former god. Although the cleanup battles against the demons had a high chance of victory, the allied soldiers clearly still harbored fear towards gods. Their choice was understandable for that reason.
What worried Eivass the most was Isabel. Both Yulia and Lily had been guided by Eivass and possessed strong personal qualities. They were calm and intelligent, and Eivass had absolute confidence in their strength. Selene was even more exceptional. As a Moon Witch, Leviathan was considered her “creation,” so her ascension directly involved Leviathan. Sharky, that fellow, could probably fight Dragons head-on. With Selene, its “mother,” providing buffs, it could retreat safely even when facing Fifth Tier beings. As long as it wasn’t a Great Philosopher ritual that tested intelligence, she would win effortlessly.
It was only Isabel… She had only touched the Wall of Path a few days ago and was now rushing into an Ascension Ritual. She was currently pregnant, and it wouldn’t be good if she suffered severe injuries. To put it mildly, even if she wanted to ascend, why not wait another half month for the Full Moon Ritual? Furthermore, in another half a month or a month, Eivass might be able to help Isabel find her Great Beast’s avatar. Isabel’s attributes were Water and Light. Eivass hadn’t yet decided who to seal his Water Attribute Great Beast upon, as he wasn’t sure of Alistair’s attributes after her revival as a pure Blood Angel. However, for the Light Attribute, the Sun Knight was already accounted for and would be obtained after the fight against the Fallen Heavenly Envoy. Once he obtained the power of the Shepherd’s Method, wouldn’t the Ascension Ritual be a sure win?
Yet, despite having a Sure-Win Method, Isabel still chose to ascend. “In a situation of absolute safety, an Ascension Ritual is meaningless,” Isabel stated. “If I complete the Ascension Ritual relying on the power you gifted me, wouldn’t it be like when you and Sherlock helped me ascend in the past? Or even more egregious – like a teacher hand-delivering a high-level alchemical item to a student for their Ascension Ritual. If I complete the ascension using this method, it would only prove that the power of this level holds no significance for you anymore; you could even directly escort someone to this level. Even if I complete the ascension and obtain higher-level power, it would be like a child’s toy to you. I would then be equivalent to being dependent on you. But if I’ve already resolved to depend on you, what difference does ascension make? Since you can grant me this power, you can also easily protect me from enemies that this power can handle. It’s merely self-gratification, a deceptive act of self-deception. Thinking ‘perhaps I can help you in the future’ and staying in a state of absolute safety while increasing strength, but ultimately only increasing my own power, which cannot help you in the slightest. Before you came to school, I heard some seniors starting businesses with their family’s money. I thought then… the companies they started with this money, the profits they earned, and the problems these profits could solve, couldn’t they be solved without starting this company? In the end, besides turning some money from ‘their parents’ money’ into ‘their own money,’ what else was different?”
“I don’t want to be that kind of person,” Isabel said seriously. “If I truly want to help you, then for the final ascension, I still have to risk participating in an Ascension Ritual where you cannot help me. Then you would refuse me for reasons like ‘she doesn’t have this experience yet’ or ‘it’s too dangerous to participate in this level of ritual on the first try.’ The power gained through a shortcut doesn’t truly belong to oneself. Therefore, I want to complete the Ascension Ritual with my own strength. If I fail, it means my level is simply this.”
Eivass had no choice but to agree. Isabel’s reasoning was sound. She was correct – if Isabel planned to ascend to a level where Eivass’s gifted power could no longer protect her in the future, he would indeed refuse her ascension for such reasons. The reason would indeed be that Eivass believed she “lacked the ability to ascend on her own.” … Both Isabel and Yulia initially had soft and helpless personalities, but now they were both increasingly firm and persistent. “Beauty and Authority… The Path of Perfection,” Eivass murmured. Unlike the “Path of Miracles” that Eivass and Yulia sought, Isabel seemed to pursue the “Path of Perfection.” Sculpting the stubborn stone of oneself with the chisel of Authority, gradually improving and erasing one’s flaws, discovering the “ultimate beauty” within that entire block of stone. It wasn’t about creating a “perfect sculpture,” but about unearthing the “beauty” that already existed. Isabel was determined to become better… Perhaps the former Queen of Flowers came about in this way.
Then it was best not to stop her. At least while Eivass was here, the Ascension Ritual would be safer. Eivass was, after all, a Fifth Tier healer, and he also mastered the Miracle Power. If they truly encountered any problems, Eivass would save them, even at a price. However, the real reason Eivass agreed was that Isabel genuinely had the potential to complete the ascension independently. She was utterly different from her past self. Ever since she realized that her true path was that of an “actor” and not a “painter,” her growth rate had instantly skyrocketed. Master Janis had indeed recognized Isabel’s talent on the Path of Beauty, but compared to Janis, Isabel was less adept at painting. Performance was her true path! Her ability to master the Mask of Secrets Grimoire in such a short time was proof of her talent. This ability had an extremely high ceiling, arguably one of the most powerful inheritances on the Path of Beauty. It allowed her to replicate the image and power of others. But this was undoubtedly an ability that required accumulation and gradual strengthening. To create a mask, one needed to be sufficiently close to the target and familiar enough to fully grasp their psychology and personality. At the very least, one needed to be familiar enough to judge what decisions they would make and what they would say in any given situation. Currently, Isabel had already created four masks, belonging to Lily, Lixia, Alistair, and Eivass. With the masks in hand, Isabel could temporarily take on their appearance and wield their Fourth Tier strength. Of course, while this ability seemed powerful, her replicated Alistair and Lily were blank versions without Great Beasts or equipment. How much power she could wield depended entirely on Isabel’s perception of them. If she wasn’t sure if they possessed certain abilities, she couldn’t use them. Furthermore, she couldn’t gain their experience, and she might not be able to use these abilities that were too unfamiliar to her. For example, Lily was a melee-type Extraordinary, but Isabel herself lacked close-combat experience. It was like an actor without combat training trying to perform an action scene. Although she had meticulously made the masks and created these “characters,” as the “actor,” she might not be able to perform them perfectly.
Even so… this was still a system that allowed for the use of Extraordinary Power across different Paths! By simulating the abilities of other Paths, she could walk the true path of becoming a “versatile genius”! Eivass chose to trust Isabel. Therefore, he did not wait by Isabel’s bedside, ready to rescue her at any moment, but sat in the courtyard, awaiting their good news.
(End of Chapter)
