Chapter 1290: Successor of Truth
The Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s remaining flesh and blood began to disintegrate and vanish bit by bit, shaken by increasingly aggressive spells.
—At this moment, Hassan and Haina’s souls had not yet departed.
The two descended Heavenly Envoys had both chosen the strategy of housing the sacrificial souls within their own bodies. They diverted a portion of their power to protect the sacrificial souls, allowing them to temporarily remain within the Heavenly Envoy’s form… just as the Blood Heavenly Envoy had done previously.
This was a gift, especially so for Hassan.
Or rather, aside from the overly enraged Fallen Heavenly Envoy who directly destroyed the sacrificial soul that summoned him… the attitude of other descended Heavenly Envoys towards their sacrifices was not so harsh. Even if they didn’t provide protection, they at least safely sent the souls into the River of the Dream Realm.
Unlike their seemingly ice-cold and ruthless appearance, and their absolutely rational modes of operation, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy was exceptionally gentle towards mortals.
—For a mage, “knowing” was power.
Just as an apprentice seeking to master a new craft would find the simplest method to be hands-on instruction from their master. And now, they were personally experiencing this Heavenly Envoy-level power… this was also a form of inheritance.
The torch passed on.
The Great Philosopher guarded secrets for the myriad people of the world, and the Geometric Heavenly Envoy had prepared to become a Pillar God; now, it was destined to fall here, but the Disciples of the “Serpent Vortex” could not be left to scatter. These were the souls of all wise beings collected by the Geometric Heavenly Envoy. If they were to fall into the Origin River, it would be a waste… and if they were taken by other Heavenly Envoys, it would be unfair to these wise beings.
Their cause still needed to be continued.
To decipher the “One Hundred and Eight Thousand Ultimate Formulas” and thus reach the limit of the River of Truth, proving the truth of all things—
Then, its best successor was Hassan, who had briefly achieved synchronization with the Geometric Heavenly Envoy!
—In the mere instant of its descent, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy had already calculated the optimal solution.
The most crucial reason it was currently maintaining Hassan’s physical body was to preserve Hassan’s senses.
It wished for Hassan to absorb more understanding of the Origin River from it… this was the Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s final lesson prepared for its junior.
Indeed, the Grey Heavenly Envoy’s words were tempting—
Undeniably, even merely approaching the Great Philosopher, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy could not help but be eroded by the Void.
Those one hundred and eight thousand layers of truth already contained some knowledge that had turned into Void. In other words, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy itself was no longer pure.
Therefore, offering its own self, which had begun to be eroded by the Void, to ignite the initial spark of victory… compared to the “Ultimate Formula,” which seemed achievable only in the infinitely distant future, it was a more realistic plan.
—But the Grey Heavenly Envoy was, after all, the Heavenly Envoy of Lies. How much truth and how much falsehood could be found in its words?
Were “they” to abandon their own “Truth Plan” and instead execute the Grey Heavenly Envoy’s plan?
Thus, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy conducted an expert vote.
Unexpectedly…
The voting result was 50%:50%.
Not one vote more, not one vote less. Absolute balance was achieved between supporters and opponents, radicals and conservatives.
According to convention, a general vote should have been initiated at this point—that is, allowing the wise beings who possessed less information and wisdom than the “experts” to cast their collective votes.
However, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy did not do so.
Without conducting an additional vote, and without resetting the voting results. Instead, it chose to act.
Perhaps it was due to the influence of the Grey Heavenly Envoy beside it, causing the Sacred Number to melt into the Void; or perhaps it was the influence of the Knight Heavenly Envoy on itself, drawing miracles towards it— Even it itself did not know if it could make the right gamble. But the ancient inheritor chose to step forward.
“…But, does this have any meaning?”
Hassan’s soul, inside the Geometric Heavenly Envoy, voiced a doubtful question.
If the Void were defeated, the inheritance of truth could naturally be purified; if the Void were not defeated, then the Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s efforts would seem to be in vain. Although Hassan did not yet fully understand what the “Void” was, he could imagine it as an “incredibly powerful Good Lord.” While this Good Lord still reigned, all offerings, all admonishments, all efforts directed at its tyranny would be futile.
And thousands of ethereal voices simultaneously rang in Hassan’s ears, like wind chimes:
“If there were no meaning, we would not have persisted until now.”
“If we did not continue to persist, it should not have been so painful.”
“However, if one knows why they live, they can endure pain.”
“False happiness has no meaning to me; I only pursue truth.”
…
After the voices faded, a clearer voice rang out:
“Perhaps it’s for nothing; it’s just that we ourselves are still curious.”
Accompanied by visions of the past entering Hassan’s sight: A group of incredibly beautiful Winged Ones gathered in a place resembling a small lecture hall. These Winged Ones had been corrupted by words, unable to perfectly express all their thoughts. They were discussing something heatedly in their original language, speaking passionately. However, these discussions were all silenced by the Geometric Heavenly Envoy—because it did not want Hassan to inherit any corrupted knowledge from it. Yet, even the Geometric Heavenly Envoy itself did not know which knowledge was corrupted. Therefore, all it could impart were techniques and will.
“Curiosity is our everything; meaning is merely an excuse we find for ourselves. Perceiving the world inherently has no meaning, so the meaning of obtaining information is inherently curiosity.”
Hassan heard a tenderness and warmth, like that of a parent or mentor, in the Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s ice-cold, unfeeling voice. This made him almost want to cry. But he could not shed tears—because at this moment, Hassan’s last physical body had already disintegrated.
The Geometric Heavenly Envoy had completely transformed into a complex, gathered geometric body. Layer upon layer of crystal stacked up, accompanied by the still-unceasing sharp incantations, forming a bizarre structure that resembled a giant cannon. The Geometric Heavenly Envoy knew that it definitely could not defeat the Abyss Heavenly Envoy. Not just itself… not even with the Knight Heavenly Envoy and the Grey Heavenly Envoy added together. That was why they employed this stratagem, to let Calamity Red and the Abyss Heavenly Envoy wear each other down, thereby preparing a mighy force to deliver the final blow.
Just like every mage— their physical bodies were weak, and the mana stored within them was no more than that of other Extraordinary beings. But they could often rely on this, using their knowledge to leverage the power of miracles.
Finally, the power accumulated by the Geometric Heavenly Envoy reached its limit. Not even the Grey Heavenly Envoy’s “Grey Hole,” a space that concealed all secrets, could contain its existence.
—It was the “Analysis Cannon,” assembled by the Geometric Heavenly Envoy and all the sages from sixty-three thousand Ultimate Formulas! A colossal crystal cannon composed of over sixty thousand rune crystals, flowing with iridescent light, like the most exquisite work of art. Countless light spots flowed through the complex patterns, like glowing chips, forming an incomparably beautiful panorama.
The unique ability of mages was the circulation and exchange of mana. Converting wind-attribute mana into earth, to gain amplification or enhancement. And then circulating earth-attribute mana to fire, similarly gaining new buffs. Every drop of the Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s mana operated within the Ultimate Formulas, gaining more power through continuous circulation and exchange… drawing ceaselessly from the power of the Origin River. Each Ultimate Formula signified the possibility of achieving miracles with a mortal body. If it could decipher all one hundred and eight thousand formulas and protect the knowledge from being tainted by the Void, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy could truly attain enlightenment, progressing from omniscience to omnipotence, and thus to miracles!
Now, it was merely using the part of “truth” it had already deciphered to temporarily exchange for the purest power— A chain reaction continued, each drop of mana giving birth to countless new possibilities. Although it could continue, the deciphered truths had been exhausted. If it continued, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy would be unable to control the power of this attack within a manageable range.
“The number of deciphered truths has already exceeded half.” The Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s inorganic voice echoed in Hassan’s mind: “The remaining work will be handed over to you.”
The instant the cannon’s barrel ignited and flashed with fire.
Hassan’s consciousness was suddenly thrown into a dizzying spin— When he awoke again, he had already arrived in the underworld.
It was the “Preparation Area of the River of the Dream Realm.” Souls were supposed to be sent here after funerals to be interred. After seven days, the souls would be cast into the River of the Dream Realm. —These seven days were the last margin of error left for resurrection and excavation techniques. Once one entered the River of the Dream Realm, there was no turning back. If one did not become a Disciple, they would be utterly annihilated.
“…Finally.” Hassan’s soul murmured, somewhat dejectedly. “It’s over… my life.”
But now, he was not grieving for his own death. He was saddened by his inability to witness the supreme mystery of the Geometric Heavenly Envoy. It was like a miracle he himself had helped build as a humble witness and a minuscule participant was about to be unveiled, and he would not have the chance to see it— …It was also like a mentor he deeply respected was about to pass away, and he could not attend his funeral.
