Chapter 1009: Scáthach’s Request
After the first two individuals leading the charge were killed, the remaining four or five seized the opportunity and rushed forward. Their numerical advantage posed quite a problem for Ares. He was forced to treat the situation seriously, pulling the warrior off the spear he was impaled on. Then, he faced six opponents alone, wielding the spear and igniting clusters of flames.
More and more warriors’ hands itched for battle, and they stood up. In this banquet, standing up meant joining the fight. When the fourteenth warrior rose, Ares finally began to show signs of weariness.
A fair-faced male elf had, at some point, crept behind him. He crouched on Ares’s left shoulder and plunged the dagger in his hand into Ares’s neck! Just as Ares reached out to grab him, a strong, bare-chested human warrior hurled a massive thigh bone, over half a meter long. The bone, still with a piece of roasted meat attached, pierced Ares’s chest, forcing Ares back two steps.
At this moment, the elven assassin rose with incredible agility. It was a gravity-defying movement, as if he could walk on walls and jump over eaves. His body was almost parallel to the ground, and in this posture, he circled around, directly severing Ares’s head!
Ares’s headless body toppled to the ground. The slender elven assassin, holding the massive head aloft, roared in triumph, scattering blood over himself. Even his neck turned red—not from blood, but from excessive excitement.
“Good, good!”
“Still going to show off now?”
Everyone cheered him on, while some mocked the arrogant Ares. Although it was a group effort, a win was a win!
Meanwhile, Arsen was utterly stunned. While he had fought before, he had never taken a life. He had witnessed combat, but never such a bloody struggle! This was truly a divine feast, yet before he could eat a single bite, he felt more than full.
“Alright, alright… We have guests here, no need to be too bloody! If you really want to fight, let’s wrestle!” the Shadow Heavenly Envoy called out with a smile. “Everyone, continue eating and drinking! Luke, Fergus, come, sit here.”
As the Shadow Heavenly Envoy spoke, all the fallen individuals instantly revived. They resumed their harmonious feasting and drinking. Some, still eager for a fight, walked to the center of the room, intending to wrestle. Soon, others responded, forming another match. Then, to the crowd’s observation, two men began to wrestle.
The elf named Luke was covered in blood, as was Ares, whose head had just been severed. These two bloody individuals sat at the table, with an uneasy Arsen positioned between them. The strong smell of blood made him feel a bit nauseous. Arsen felt his eyes had truly been opened by this experience. The two who were just fighting now clinked glasses and drank, while Arsen leaned back, making space for them.
The burly human, Fergus, unceremoniously sat next to Viness, closer to Eivass. He leaned forward, looking at Eivass with great interest. “You must be Eivass! My name is Fergus, Lancelot mentioned you before!” With that, he extended his hand for a handshake.
Eivass directly extended his hand and shook hands with Fergus. It was a palm as hot as fire and hard as iron. This warrior from the Shadow Realm likely possessed strength on par with Level Seven, and with a stroke of luck, could even ascend to become a Heavenly Envoy. His body was covered in scars, as if splashed with sulfuric acid, burned by fire, or torn by many beasts.
If the injuries were sustained in the Shadow Realm, they would recover with every breath and leave no scars. Injuries in the Material Realm, however, could not affect the soul. This meant that the terrifying and grotesque scars on Fergus’s body were injuries etched into his soul. Most likely, they were from an Ascension Ritual. Only soul-inflicted wounds from an Ascension Ritual would carry over after death.
“Married?” The other party asked with a mere handshake. Eivass raised an eyebrow and nodded in affirmation. “Soon.”
“Oh, a newlywed couple. I heard your wife is a descendant of Lancelot… She’s probably a good woman, treat her well,” Fergus said with a lecherous smile. “You’ll need this more then. Otherwise, with your tender skin, you might not be able to handle it.”
As he spoke, Eivass suddenly felt something harden in his hand. He didn’t even notice what magical technique Fergus had used. When they first shook hands, neither of them had anything in their hands, but now, Fergus had silently handed something to Eivass. Eivass opened his palm and saw a crystal bottle, like that of a medicinal oil. Inside was a blood-red liquid. No, Eivass shook the bottle. Through the clinging liquid and foam, he quickly confirmed it was blood.
“My exclusive secret recipe,” Fergus chuckled. “Dragon of Calamity’s Blood, Shadow Thorns. Plus some secret concoctions… You only need to drink one-third at a time. I’m telling you, this is an ancient Alchemist’s lost art—certified by the Queen herself, the ultimate of ultimates!”
“…Should I drink it?” Eivass confirmed.
“Of course. Who else would you give it to? A Little Girl? No matter the reason, drugging a woman is not what a man should do!” Fergus chastised.
Eivass felt that it might not be of much use. His expression was somewhat ambiguous, but he still accepted it. As Fergus said, it might come in handy someday. This trip to the Shadow Realm was not in vain. Without doing anything else, he just received gifts. Seeing Eivass accept it, Fergus burst into hearty laughter.
“Come, drink!” the strong man exclaimed, raising his wine bowl high. “This is fine wine from the Underworld. It’s rare for you living people to visit the Dream Realm, so drink as much as you can!”
I don’t find it difficult to come to the Dream Realm, Eivass grumbled internally, and finally took a sip. The wine looked pitch black, reminiscent of petroleum. Brought to his lips, it carried a clear scent of strawberries. Ah, it looked like strawberry wine, just like the Shadow Brew the other warriors had shared earlier. But this first sip made Eivass’s eyes widen. It wasn’t that it was too delicious—it was too strong!
“…What’s the proof on this stuff?!” he exclaimed. “Isn’t this strawberry wine?!” He had, before, been shared some Shadow Brew by warriors outside, but that was merely the strength of fruit wine. This wine, however, even reminded Eivass of vodka.
“Proof?” Fergus seemed confused, not quite understanding the meaning. He just laughed heartily. “This is strong liquor! Not water, but pure essence! Look—” As he spoke, he snapped his fingers over the wine bowl. With just the friction of his fingers, he easily ignited a flame. The sparks fell into the wine bowl, and immediately, the wine caught fire.
“See, lad? This warms the belly—but you living folk should just watch, don’t try imitating it!” With that, Fergus swallowed the flaming wine directly. After finishing a bowl, he opened his mouth, showing his throat. The flames were still burning deep within his throat. He suddenly exhaled a puff of fire, extinguishing it with the airflow.
“Cool, right!” Fergus roared with laughter.
“If you can’t handle strong liquor, don’t drink it,” the Shadow Heavenly Envoy said with concern. “Don’t you have important matters to attend to?”
Eivass would have agreed originally. But after this slight delay, he began to feel a warmth rising from his chest. It wasn’t Path Power, but pure Life force. He exchanged a look with Arsen, and they both received a positive confirmation from each other. It wasn’t an illusion. This strong liquor, brewed from fruits born in a land of death, could permanently increase a living person’s Life force!
“It’s fine, I have Fire Worship Magic, I won’t get drunk…” Eivass realized this was a good thing and couldn’t help but ask, “Can this wine be brought to the Material Realm?”
“Theoretically, yes, but it’s inconvenient,” Fergus replied. “I wanted to pack some for Lancelot to take back before, but found it wouldn’t work. The light of the Material Realm, as soon as it shines on it… even for a moment, it will make it dissipate into nothingness. Only the light here is an exception—these fires are born from burning Shadow Immersion Wood, and although they are flames, they are shadows.”
“…What about outside? What is that wine that can be drunk under the lightning?”
“That stuff? That’s just water at best,” Fergus said dismissively.
“Water from the Shadow Realm is undrinkable. It’s water transformed from ‘Vengeful Hatred’ in the Material Realm, and even Hazardous for Phantom Demons,” the Shadow Heavenly Envoy explained. “So, a small amount of Shadow Brew must be added to neutralize its toxicity. This is wine without water. If you want to take some for friends, I’ll look into it. When you visit the Shadow Realm again, I’ll see if I can let you take it with you.”
“Then thank you, Queen,” Eivass said gratefully.
“It’s nothing,” the Shadow Heavenly Envoy chuckled. “I also have a request for you.”
“What is it?”
“The Ouroboros Ring Ritual, you should know about it. It’s the ritual to pull down a Fallen Heavenly Envoy. You, who can defeat a Fallen Heavenly Envoy… combined with your background, I believe you might understand this ritual.” The Shadow Heavenly Envoy finally stated her position and request. “I have a premonition that the Ring Heavenly Envoy might make a move against me. Can you save me, Eivass? If you need to ascend to a higher realm in the future, I will stand by your side.”
This, then, was the true reason for her passionate enthusiasm towards Eivass. A God, sincerely asking a mortal for help? Seeing this spectacle, Arsen’s eyes widened. He finally realized clearly that this trip to the Dream Realm might not just be for rescuing Sherlock. He might be privy to secrets mortals should not hear and witness miracles mortals could not possibly witness.
Upon hearing this, Eivass’s expression turned serious. “Yes.” Without much thought, he readily agreed. “I’ll help you with this, Scáthach.” Eivass unceremoniously addressed her by her divine name. This signified that their current status was almost equal. However, the Divine Heavenly Envoy, Scáthach, did not get angry. Instead, she asked humbly and seriously, “What do you plan to do?” After all, this matter concerned her life and the survival of the Shadow Realm, she could not afford not to take it seriously.
“It’s simple,” Eivass said slowly. “We’ll bring down the Blood Heavenly Envoy first. This way, no new Heavenly Envoy will be pulled down in this round of the Path of Love.”
“…And what about the next round?” the Divine Heavenly Envoy worried. “The Ring Heavenly Envoy is aiming to establish a Pillar God. It’s likely more than one round.”
“I’ll try my best to make it only one round.” Eivass narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone peaceful. “At most two rounds. If it takes two rounds… there should still be newly born Path of Love Heavenly Envoys. Don’t worry. It’s best not to involve the Banquet Heavenly Envoy and the Envoy of Mist, as they are also somewhat familiar with me.”
If it dragged on too long, the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s power would grow stronger and stronger. The Ouroboros Ring Ritual was inherently a grand ritual by the Ring Heavenly Envoy to gradually inject the underlying code of the ‘Metamorphosis’ Path into the Material Realm. The more cycles of the ritual, the more chaotic the Material Realm would become, and the stronger the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s power. After eight cycles, it would reach its peak, and the wall between the Material Realm and the Dream Realm would almost completely crumble. After multiple cycles, the entire world would gradually skew towards the endgame state of a Game.
At that time, James, Eivass’s foster father in the Material Realm, would be able to directly resist the power of a Pillar God’s Divine Artifact. Some weak, newly born Heavenly Envoys would most likely be unable to contend with the conspirators of the Material Realm. Humans would begin to usurp the power of Gods, even imprisoning them. The Heavenly Envoys who were pulled down would no longer be known as the BOSS of the current version; rather, it would be the mortals who utilized the power of the Heavenly Envoys who became tyrants on Earth, their destructive power exceeding that of descending Gods. This was the change brought about by the ‘Metamorphosis’ Path to the Material Realm. It was neither an ascent nor a descent, but continuous warfare, infinite change. The entire world would become increasingly closer to chaos, and the rate of entropy increase would gradually accelerate. Through this method, the Ring Heavenly Envoy would continuously gain Path Power. The entire world would become his ritual ground. Therefore, Eivass could not accept the Ouroboros Ring Ritual proceeding for too many rounds. In the first round, he might not have the power to change anything, but it must be stopped within at most two rounds. By pulling down the Blood Heavenly Envoy, Scáthach’s safety in the first round would at least be guaranteed.
“—Perfect timing, I’ve also had my fill of the Blood Heavenly Envoy for a long time,” Eivass said softly.
