Chapter 1256
Great Sin: The Star of Gluttony
Inanna—this name can also be called Ishtar.
The meaning of this name is Star.
Now Eivass, who had regained his memories from his past life, also recalled the historical and mythological knowledge he was familiar with.
Ishtar held an extremely high position in mythology, even being a supreme deity for a period. The worship and praise the ancient Babylonians offered to her was even the prototype for the praise of God in the Old Testament; her story became the prototype for the goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology.
As the ancient Babylonian goddess of nature and harvest, Ishtar was also the goddess of love, war, and fertility. Her father was the very first god of gods. However, these divine responsibilities were not important… what mattered were her experiences in mythology.
Her husband was Tamuz, the god of plants. Tamuz’s father was Enki, the god of water, the creator of life, and the King of Earth. He was not a creator god, but the founder of civilization. Tamuz was also known as Dumuzid the Shepherd, an ancient king of the city of Bad-tibira, also called the Shepherd King.
In one version of the myth, after Tamuz died by accident, Inanna ventured into the underworld alone, undergoing seven trials to retrieve her husband. However, for each layer of hell she descended, she lost a layer of her divinity until she passed through the seven gates. At this point, she was no different from mortals, having lost all divine power.
Afterward, the myth has two extensions: One believes she defeated her sister Ereshkigal and brought back her husband. Thus, after the winter, which represented death, spring returned, and all things revived.
The other believes that she, having lost all divinity, also died in the underworld. Then, under pressure from the god of gods, Ereshkigal was forced to revive her and allow her to revive her husband Tamuz.
There is another theory that asserts with certainty that Inanna herself killed her husband; she was extremely enraged by this statement, calling it “slander against me.” Yet another completely different myth describes her going to the underworld to conquer it, but dying there. Finally, she had to exchange her husband to escape the underworld.
Everything dies, the desolate end of the world, the love for Ai Shiping, the true experience of killing him but becoming angry when mentioned, using Ai Shiping as a price to leave the underworld, and then everything reviving…
—These fragments of stories perfectly match Amber and Ai Shiping.
If the eternal cycle of reincarnation were to end in this world, it would mean that Ai Shiping and Amber would also eventually meet their deaths.
Surely someone should remember their existence—not just the Amber Heavenly Envoy who remembers everything, but someone who remembers them individually.
No one is more suitable than her.
Because her birth was precisely because of Ai Shiping and Amber.
Through layer upon layer of reincarnation, the truth of history has become blurred. Just like the various versions of Inanna’s myth, and just like the various versions of Ai Shiping.
Besides… this name also reminded Eivass of another sentence.
It was the secret incantation for Eivass to unseal the Book of Law, and also the secret command that sealed Eagle Cape Village.
“Mortals, all are stars—”
At that time, Eivass did not know the meaning of this sentence, but now he understood.
As Eivass uttered this sentence again, the larva on his fingertips suddenly emitted a dazzling golden radiance.
Those two cards floated up on their own, suspended horizontally on either side.
Eivass shouted loudly—
“Inanna! I call your name at this moment… Grant you the brand of gluttony!”
This is the final brand.
And the most suitable brand for Inanna.
Gluttony is not simply about wasting food. Its essence is the obsession and attachment to all things—the obsession to continue one’s own existence, the desire to perpetuate something. The nine cycles of reincarnation, the tenacious persistence of Amber even though she was already broken, the most obvious and only suitable Great Sin was the Sin of Gluttony.
Eivass continued, solemnly declaring: My life is your life, my fate is your fate—
“—Obey me, Phantom Demon of the Twilight Path!”
Two giant, dim yellow magic circles, perpendicular to the ground, instantly appeared on the ground, one on the left and one on the right of the cards.
This time, Eivass did not need to draw upon the power of Great Sin.
With just Eivass’s will… or rather, under Inanna’s affinity, she constructed her own “insect nest” independently!
It was like a Pokémon drilling itself into a Poké Ball!
If she were to exist in the outside world like this, this world would be equivalent to having two Ambers existing simultaneously. This would either cause some chaos or cause the weaker one—that is, Inanna—to undergo some kind of mutation, creating a difference between the two.
Just like the Swamp Dweller.
Like Eivass’s mother—even if they were the same two people, they would make different choices at the same moment. It was because the world made subtle differences between them.
Eivass’s sealing of Inanna and her transformation into a Beast of Sin could also create differences between them. Therefore, this itself was an important ritual for Inanna’s birth. If this part of the ritual were not completed, she could only exist as an insect in the mortal world, unable to completely transform and be born!
However…
Just then, the ritual suddenly stalled.
Even though Inanna offered no resistance at all, and even instinctively assisted with it… the ritual still encountered problems.
—Because its “scale” was too large.
It was like a frail newborn—it had only just opened its eyes, yet its life was linked to the God-King.
Amber was currently the foundation of reincarnation. Although Inanna was merely a newborn, they were essentially the same being. The power of the Ring Heavenly Envoy and the Fallen Heavenly Envoy alone was insufficient to contain Amber’s power!
Even if it was only Amber in her infancy!
“…This is bad.”
Eivass frowned deeply, “Is it not going to work…”
But just as Eivass thought he was going to fail the sealing.
—The sky suddenly turned dim yellow.
A truly dim yellow “star” suddenly fell from the sky, crashing directly into the room sealed by Amber’s power. It passed through without any obstruction and slammed into Eivass’s body!
“This is…”
Eivass was stunned.
Before his eyes, its essence appeared out of thin air:
[Heavenly Envoy Fragment – Fragment of Remembrance and Recollection]
[—The law of remembrance and recollection, a crystallization of the Amber Heavenly Envoy’s power. The power still retains its last will and cannot be used in any way.]
The Amber Heavenly Envoy’s… Heavenly Envoy Fragment?!
—When did the Amber Heavenly Envoy die?
Why did the death of the Heavenly Envoy bring no change to this world—
The moment this thought flashed through Eivass’s mind, he was completely stunned.
Because he suddenly realized something.
The Amber Heavenly Envoy… seemed to have had no effect on the world.
Preservation Technique was actually Amber’s power, and Necromancy, transformed from Treasure Hunting Technique, already inherited the Winter Envoy’s lineage.
Not only that, but even the blessing—or rather, the curse—of eternal life for the elves was dissipated by Eivass using the Void Power from the Sin Thorns fruit.
Just as Eivass muttered during the birth of the Winter Maiden: What was the use of the Amber Heavenly Envoy?
—The answer was, it was precisely for its uselessness.
It was precisely because of its uselessness that He could self-destruct at the most opportune moment!
It was precisely because Eivass had promoted the birth of the Winter Maiden and liberated the elves—because he had changed these “histories”—that the Amber Heavenly Envoy could now fulfill this final mission.
After all, Amber itself is “amber containing insects.” When Amber is removed from Amber, the insects within can finally be fully resurrected—
The Amber Heavenly Envoy must have been a part of Ai Shiping!
His Heavenly Envoy Fragment turned into flowing light in his blood, and was absorbed by Inanna, who was hovering at Eivass’s fingertips.
And in the next moment, Inanna also completely turned into light.
Amidst the increasingly pure and brilliant dim yellow radiance, the young cicada cracked open.
The extremely pure dim yellow radiance turned into golden light, and the more brilliant golden light turned into white light.
From the jewel on its back, a humanoid figure composed of pure light gradually emerged—
And in its very center, a golden cicada pattern appeared, and those two Tarot Cards did not turn into Thoth Tarot, but melted directly into pure gold!
As they slammed together in the middle, the light was completely contained within the cards!
Unlike other Great Sin Cards, which depicted a cicada pattern on an amber background, this one directly displayed a clear picture:
It was a little girl, about seven or eight years old. She was even younger than the Amber in the Church’s mural.
She wore a white robe—a style unique to the Winged Ones, just like Lucifer’s attire.
She had snow-white long hair, amber eyes when opened, and was smiling happily. Her hands were spread like a mother’s, as if holding a transparent basin, or as if gesturing for a hug.
Behind her ears and on both sides of her feet were a pair of small pure white wings; and behind her were two large pure white wings… they were not curled into a ball like in the murals of the Nine Pillar Gods, but were fully spread backward.
—With this Heavenly Envoy Fragment as a medium, Inanna directly skipped the stage of Great Sin Beast!
[Great Sin: The Star of Gluttony (Empress, The Tower)]
[Level: 59]
[Twilight Path, Attribute Earth]
[Proper Summoning · Light of Civilization Continuation]
[Requirement: Earth 5]
[Instant, Self, Continuous Effect]
[Effect: Shining with infinite radiance, any area within the range of the light is considered “touched”; if oneself is standing on the ground, this radiance is additionally considered a continuously active Preservation Technique]
[Reverse Summoning · Inanna]
[Requirement: Earth 5]
[Maintenance: Earth 5*Daily]
[Action, Summoning]
[Effect: Summons the Beast of Gluttony · Inanna to fight for you. Inanna is considered a summoned creature; when not in combat, the Beast of Gluttony · Inanna can transform into a light cicada and enter follow mode. Only one Beast of Great Sin can exist at a time.]
[Authority: Harvest, Healing, Continuation]
[Effect: Upon Inanna’s entry, inflict the “End of Civilization” status on all enemies.]
[End of Civilization: Advanced “Petrification,” the effect is equivalent to petrification, and under this status, defense and resistance are reduced by 33%. When this status is removed, “Petrification” is automatically applied.]
