Chapter 1192
The Momentarily Shaken Ring Heavenly Envoy
The once incomparably radiant Winged Ones have now fallen to such a state…
Eivass sighed again as he looked at Great Chieftain Erlo, who was kneeling before him as if in prayer to a god.
Recalling the past…
In the most glorious era of the Winged Ones, whether it was the elves, who were Those with breasts, or the Atlanteans, who were Those with scales, they were merely servants of the Winged Ones.
The Wing Heavenly Envoy, who ascended to godhood by slaying the Sky-Devouring Giant Nibiru as a mortal, and his split forms, Supreme Heaven and Great Philosopher; Amber, the perfect and strongest Nine Pillar God; and the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, who was tricked out of his wings and body by the Ring Heavenly Envoy. Not to mention the Ring Heavenly Envoy, who obtained half of Lucifer’s power and was elevated from Those with scales to a winged serpent.
All these great beings were Winged Ones!
Yet, despite having so many Winged Gods, the race of Winged Ones has degenerated into this barbaric and primitive state, devolving into Harpies that cannot survive without harming others.
It was as if they were tainted by Supreme Heaven’s power, becoming reckless and barbaric, inheriting anthropophagous desires from the Sky-Devouring Giant.
It was as if Great Philosopher had sealed their wisdom, leaving only a handful of sages among the Winged Ones, once the most powerful race of Casters, who spontaneously mutated to adapt to the Path of Wisdom.
They were tempted by the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, becoming fallen and sinful. They were deceived by the Ring Heavenly Envoy, scattered across the land like the Sky-Piercing Tower, unable to reunite.
—And Amber remained in slumber.
Despite the presence of so many gods, they failed to become a ladder for their kin to ascend to the heavens. Instead, they became like shackles, turning a once noble, brilliant, and incomparably glorious race into obscurity.
“…In that case, the foolish dreams of the Dwarves are probably meaningless,” Eivass murmured mockingly.
Eivass’s emotions were complex at this moment.
The fall of the Winged Ones was closely related to the Ring Heavenly Envoy—it was precisely because the Ring Heavenly Envoy tampered with Lucifer’s ascension ritual that Lucifer only ascended halfway. The spiritual body of “Lucifer,” the benevolent aspect, was torn away by the ritual, while the Ring Heavenly Envoy seized His position and successfully ascended.
This event directly led to the demise of the Winged Ones.
Later, Eivass himself inherited the authority of the King of Winged Ones from the residual soul of Lucifer that had been stripped away.
If the Ring Heavenly Envoy were to be considered a part of Eivass… No, Eivass’s sense of morality prevented him from separating himself from Ah Huan in this matter. This was because he clearly knew that it was his future, past, and alternate-timeline self. To claim they were not the same person would be too hypocritical and incompetent.
It would be like running away.
Not to mention that Eivass was now truly the King of Winged Ones—personally passed down to him by the second and last King of Winged Ones from a thousand years ago. Although Eivass had only met Lucifer once, he truly felt that He was a venerable friend, and the white wings He had given Eivass had saved Eivass several times.
It was as if he had been entrusted with a child by a friend.
And now, Great Chieftain Erlo was kowtowing repeatedly before him.
Even though Eivass had no prior friendship with these Harpies…
—How could he ignore them at this moment?
“…The burden has grown a little heavier,” Eivass muttered.
For some reason, as he decided to bear this responsibility himself… the heavy feeling that had been pressing down on his heart actually lightened considerably.
Gazing at Great Chieftain Erlo kneeling on the ground, Eivass’s pupils suddenly constricted.
A sentence spoken by the Fallen Heavenly Envoy inexplicably appeared in his mind.
Or rather… it was what the Serpent had said to Lucifer.
The memory was so clear, appearing directly in his heart, even with sounds and context. It was as if he hadn’t just recalled a sentence, but remembered speaking to Lucifer as Ai Shiping—
Not the blurred face bathed in light; nor the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, who had regained his body through the Shepherd’s self-sacrifice and thus had the same appearance as Eivass and the Ring Heavenly Envoy.
It was a new and unfamiliar face that he had never seen in his previous memories.
—It was a face with about a four-tenths resemblance to Supreme Heaven.
Compared to Ai Shiping, who wore a monocle, had long hair, and squinted his eyes—making him look like a bad person no matter how you looked at him… Lucifer’s body was as tall as a giant, but His face was as young as a boy’s.
His platinum-blond hair was braided into three strands, one tied behind his shoulders and two in front. His smile, closer to adorable than handsome, looked like that of a boy, yet more like a girl’s. His sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with an unforgettable vigor and hope.
He was holding himself with both hands, as if a child playing with a beloved, self-assembled model, afraid of crushing it. And Eivass leaned fearlessly against his warm fingers, like leaning against a wall, his legs swinging freely back and forth.
“But… Serpent,” the dazzlingly beautiful Winged One gazed at Eivass, his words echoing in Eivass’s heart, “you sacrificed so much, yet no one knows of it. Is salvation unknown to anyone still meaningful?”
“Shh…”
“Oneself” chuckled lightly, raising a finger to his lips, squinting with a mysterious smile.
In an era without language, a mere meeting of eyes was enough for hearts to connect.
—Saving the world must be a secret, Lucifer.
“Never let people know…”
“Oneself” said calmly, in a language that did not exist in this time or world, with a slightly disappointed yet wistful emotion, “…never let people know what you are capable of.”
The illusion of the past vanished in an instant.
Eivass snapped back to reality, and Great Chieftain Erlo was still banging her head rhythmically against the ground like a construction worker hitting nails—with the physical quality of a Fifth Tier Extraordinary, she could smash the floor without causing the slightest damage.
That was…
The maxim of the former Savior.
Eivass was certain that this was not knowledge or memories he had ever possessed.
Therefore…
Eivass raised his head and looked at the magnificent ceiling mural.
With these bothersome things blocking his view, he couldn’t see the sky from here.
…Just like the new memories that had appeared out of nowhere, were they transmitted to him by the Ring Heavenly Envoy?
What motive did the Ring Heavenly Envoy have for doing this?
Or rather… was this also something He had experienced in the past?
Was it to stop me, to admonish me?
“Carrying an increasingly heavy burden makes it impossible to save the world… is that what you want to say?” Eivass murmured to himself in a voice only he could hear.
He should have scoffed, laughed, or roared with laughter to mock the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s cowardice, and then proudly declared, “I am not like you,” and vowed to do better—this was how he always acted.
But now, Eivass did not do so.
“The heart that saves others… should never be ridiculed, no matter what.”
Gazing in the direction of the sky—Eivass said sternly, word by word, “Whether it’s the pain and anger from being betrayed, or the exhaustion and despair from being unable to save everyone… no matter what your motive was for sending me this message… I will not ridicule you.”
Because the former Ring Heavenly Envoy was truly a Savior.
Eivass was increasingly realizing this fact.
He had truly carried all of this… he had truly fought and struggled.
It was just that he had given up now, he was tired, he regretted it.
But no matter what—
At least Ai Shiping back then, the Ai Shiping before he realized “never let people know what you are capable of,” must have done something admirable.
A failed Savior should not be ridiculed.
Otherwise, wouldn’t he himself become another Ring Heavenly Envoy?
—Compared to a failed Savior, isn’t a Savior who has done nothing even more deserving of ridicule?
“…You’ve already done very well.”
For the first time, Eivass spoke to the Ring Heavenly Envoy in such a gentle tone, “It’s just that perhaps… you lacked a little luck, or perseverance, or perhaps your direction was slightly wrong, or maybe you were just a little bit short at the end. It’s truly a pity.
“It’s okay, I’ll try this time.”
He knew the Ring Heavenly Envoy could hear him.
And at this moment.
In the Dream Realm, at the focal point.
The Ring Heavenly Envoy was indeed gazing at Eivass, sensing the blurred, partially incomplete memories.
The recent memories were what he had packaged and sent. He actually knew that this part of the memory had not been contaminated by the Void, and was not a “non-existent memory” that had appeared out of nowhere… but he was simply reluctant to part with it.
Transmitting memories did not require deleting the dungeon.
But the “purpose” of transmitting memories did—
The Ring Heavenly Envoy transmitted the memories to Eivass because he did not want those precious memories to be contaminated or rewritten by the Void. In principle, he should have deleted these uncontrollable memories that would shake him. Just like a supervillain losing himself upon hearing a childhood lullaby… such a fatal crack in the heart was not allowed to exist.
He was simply reluctant to part with them… which was why he sent this memory to Eivass before deciding to delete it.
He did not send the reason why he said these words, but as expected, Eivass guessed it.
“…Hmph.”
Ai Shiping snorted and closed his eyes.
This kind of telepathic connection brought him some joy. Eivass’s subsequent gentle words also caused his heart to waver slightly.
How long has it been since someone cared about him so much…?
“—Get out, Void.”
The Ring Heavenly Envoy, with his eyes closed, murmured lowly.
He erased the pity and slight emotion he had just generated towards Eivass, the regret and self-examination of the past… as well as the wavering in his plan, all at once. It was as if he had seen nothing.
This inexplicable weakness must also be an infection from the Void.
“The all-pervasive Void…”
The Ring Heavenly Envoy murmured lowly, and with a wave of his hand… Eivass on the screen was switched to that of a Serpent High Priest, praying to him. Without even listening to the content of the prayer, he directly clicked “Approve.”
He decided to temporarily shift his monitor away from Eivass.
At least for now, the Ring Heavenly Envoy didn’t want to see that face or hear his voice anymore.
And at this time, in the Material Realm.
Eivass reached out and helped up Great Chieftain Erlo, who was kowtowing with increasing rhythm, like beating war drums, and said with helplessness but firm resolve, “The Winged Ones… no, the Harpy race is now my responsibility.
“In the name of the King of Winged Ones, I will lead you all to the shore of happiness.
“…But, don’t touch me, Erlo. This is my first command as King, and you are not allowed to harass me and my companions.”
Eivass slapped away Erlo, who was stroking his arm.
He could barely keep it together.
As soon as he lifted Great Chieftain Erlo, her hand had already moved up his forearm, past his bicep, and was clearly about to move towards his chest.
—What to do, the sense of a barbarian mercenary is getting stronger.
“Of course, of course, my King… that’s what I should call you, right?”
Erlo was not saddened by Eivass’s prohibition, but immediately obeyed the command and stopped being so forward.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Eivass—the bloodline trait from the Path of Authority had already told her what “King of Winged Ones” meant.
He was the Savior destined within the bloodline of the Harpy race.
It was the mark of obedience inherited from their bloodline of Winged Ones!
He was the only one in this world they could trust, the only one who could redeem them. He was a mother higher than all mothers, a chieftain greater than all chieftains.
“Monarch of a thousand years ago, the King of Destiny…” Erlo murmured. “I actually found him…”
Before being the leader of the “Voice of the Desert” organization and a mother of over thirty children, Erlo’s primary identity was that of the Great Chieftain of the Harpies.
Her wildness and violence from her bloodline, along with the madness from her bloodline of Love, naturally did not lead her to choose the opposite path of her kin out of kindness. She restrained her Harpy subordinates from raiding caravans, but she had a greater sense of “Authority” than “Power.”
It was not from kindness, but from cunning.
She realized that if they only plundered, the land would become increasingly desolate.
Harpies neither herd nor farm, nor are they good at ruling other races—this was also why they killed all other races except for the gaunt scholars. The Harpies’ absolute obedience, like soldiers, came from their bloodline traits, like bees or ants, not because their chieftains possessed any special charisma.
But even though she repeatedly won battles, she could not feed so many of her kin, and could only watch them die.
To feed an ever-increasing number of Harpies, relying solely on those scattered brothels or sand bandit camps was not enough.
She needed to make Anxi more prosperous so that they could eat better.
Therefore, she restrained the surrounding tribes and ordered them not to raid her territory. Her dispatched messengers controlled half of Anxi’s information channels… While she transported information and express delivery, she could also prevent others’ information and express delivery from reaching their destinations. When she was the only one working in this area, she had already formed a de facto monopoly.
Thus, she gained the confidence to confront the Lords and demand more concessions, more protection… and more disregard.
She also restrained her sisters and younger relatives, trying to only raid sheep flocks and not harm people. It was merely the difference between a full meal and every meal.
If they wanted to reproduce, they could find men in the city. It would be best if they brought some money back, which could also be considered a form of plunder—if not, it was just considered going out to play. All of this was because she wanted her tribe to occupy more territory and feed more kin.
The era of “Power” was long gone; this was now the era of “Authority.”
Perhaps it was for this reason that she found the King of the Harpies!
Even as a Great Chieftain, she could only control her own bloodline. She merely radiated her bloodline outwards, using her authority to gain positions among the surrounding tribal chieftains, thereby indirectly controlling the surrounding tribes.
She vaguely felt that there should be a position above the Great Chieftain.
Many Harpies believed that position should be the Sixth Tier. Thus, they performed various bloody rituals, attempting to ascend to the Sixth Tier.
Erlo believed it was not that simple.
Now, it was proven that she was right.
The King of the Harpies—
With this as their banner, all the Harpies in the world would unite and gather here.
How many people would that be?
Hundreds of thousands? Millions?
What could they achieve? Form a nation? Revive their glory?
Or…
—Become Winged Ones once more?
