The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1293

Hassan’s death was merely an introduction.
It was not a key to open a secret treasure, but a flag erected by a climber challenging a high mountain, planted midway through their ascent.
Hassan’s soul was sent into the Dream Realm, signifying the completion of the Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s spell.
It had thoroughly transformed into a colossal crystal cannon composed of sixty-three thousand fragments of truth.
As the shimmering beam of light surged from its muzzle, four brilliant magic circles of varying colors condensed sequentially before it.
Red for fire, blue for water, green for wind, and yellow for earth.
With each magic circle the light beam reached, the circle began to rotate slowly from its stationary state, like pushing a heavy millstone. The rainbow-colored stream of light gradually began to immerse the red magic circle, akin to molten gold flowing into the grooves of a mold.
“The Sun is the father, the Moon is the mother, conceived by the wind, nurtured by the earth.”
The Geometric Heavenly Envoy whispered in four distinct voices—old man, child, man, and woman—simultaneously, accompanied by a fifth voice, a synthesized mechanical sound.
These were incantations from the Ouroboros Chronicle, the most fundamental concept of classical alchemy.
And this—this was the ancient alchemical system left behind by the former Ring Heavenly Envoy and perfected by Hermes.
Undoubtedly, this World’s predecessor was an incomparably radiant magical civilization.
This was evident from the fact that shortly after the Sin Thorns were unsealed, the Winged Ones immediately established the Sky-Piercing Tower. The earliest creations of Taiyi, even before forming nations and while still in a tribal state, already possessed mystical arts that could do almost anything.
This must have been ancient knowledge they “decompressed” from the Sin Thorns.
Modern elemental magic, in terms of both extensibility and possibility, was far inferior to ancient Rune Magic. In this regard, “technology relies on archaeology” was no mere jest in this World.
And the elves’ destruction of those ancient weapons created using rune technology might not have been solely due to their “love of peace.”
If so, when Rune Magic had reached a point of omnipotence, why was alchemy first born?
Golden transmutation? Immortality?
These things could be easily achieved with Rune Magic, which could create something from nothing and make wishes come true.
Controlling the world’s truths, manipulating all things with the highest authority—not just material transformations, but even the creation of souls,
and the resurrection of the dead could be accomplished.
So—if the goal achieved by alchemy with all its might was merely a joke that Rune Magic could easily fulfill.
Why has such an ability persisted to this day?
And how could it become the most defining art of a Path?
The answer was self-evident.
The Path of Wisdom and the Path of Balance were similar yet different.
Practitioners of the Path of Wisdom pursued truth for its own sake. They did not seek to leave a legacy or teach others; exploring truth itself was sufficient meaning for their lives.
If one overemphasized the practicality of knowledge, they would embark on the Path of Balance, seeking knowledge and science, and demystifying everything to analyze it.
These appeared to be two entirely different groups of people.
But what if—
They actually had the same purpose?
The Extraordinary ones of the Path of Wisdom, through their entire lives and by any means necessary, pursued truth, sacrificing all other common sense, morality, and pleasure for it—this was the path of the Geometric Heavenly Envoy.
And after pursuing truth, they did not seek to pass on or teach it; it didn’t matter if the truth rotted within them—this was the achievement of the Great Philosopher and Odin.
Manipulating the four elements of the Material Realm, creating new beings like alchemy, which was outside of “rune technology,” and promoting the scientific spirit of exploration, induction, and skepticism—this was the change brought to the World by the former Samsara Heavenly Envoy.
Separating the heavens and earth, sealing the mystical, burying ancient technology in forbidden ruins, and encouraging pioneers to invent new practical technologies—this was what the Hourglass had been doing.
They seemed to be completely different paths, with diametrically opposed ideals, but in reality, they were doing the same thing.
That was to free this World from the shackles of rune technology inherited from the previous generation.
It was merely that based on the “specialties” of the Path walkers, the Pillar Gods and Heavenly Envoys of the two Paths categorized them as different talents and assigned them to different positions!
Now, as all four magic circles were energized and activated, they began to spin at high speed.
The Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s unique power to shatter all surrounding matter and mana into black rifts and dust began to spread wildly. The Grey Heavenly Envoy’s domain instantly shattered, exploding like a chicken egg struck by a hammer.
This caused the boiling, multicolored mana to surge out of the grey void, instantly appearing in the Material Realm.
Previously, although they were hidden within the grey void by the Grey Heavenly Envoy, the tides and tentacles of the Great Abyss had completely submerged the area.
They had only narrowly escaped being hit on the spot because they had fled in time.
When they emerged from the grey void and fell into the depths of the ocean current, they were not crushed by the water pressure and tentacles.
All surrounding matter and mana were decomposed and devoured.
The sea was continuously emptied, and the tentacles disintegrated and shattered.
Those floating black rifts were evidence that even light was swallowed.
“This is—”
Eivass, within the Abyss Heavenly Envoy, suddenly became alert.
He recognized this power.
Although the magic circles were completely different, and the number of runes on them was far fewer than the original—
There was no doubt of it.
This was “Paradise Lost.”
The supreme spell of the Sky-Piercing Tower, embodying the essence of ancient Rune Magic, invented after all other Sky-Piercing Tower spells—the “Last Ancient Spell”!
Theoretically, this spell had long been lost.
This was because it was a supreme technique that only the King of Winged Ones was qualified to learn and use—after all, if “Paradise Lost”
were successfully activated, it would render all spells invalid before it. If used near the Sky-Piercing Tower, it would even destroy the Tower’s numerous runes, barriers, and devices.
It was a spell that could deny all spells, a spell that could defeat all mages. Naturally, it could not be possessed by other mages—and Lucifer, before his ascension, could not have possibly known that his ascension was destined to fail.
Therefore, from the moment the Fallen Heavenly Envoy was born, “Paradise Lost” was lost.
However, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy, through the knowledge pieced together by mages, and after tens of thousands of years of meticulous analysis by wise men, had recreated this ultimate spell!
It integrated six hundred and sixty-six classic spell configurations, enabling it to disintegrate all derivative spells based on these six hundred and sixty-six foundational spell configurations and automatically absorb their mana to nourish itself.
This was the “first half” of this spell.
It was like the igniter for a chain reaction.
Although there were subtle differences in essence—for example, Eivass knew that the true Paradise Lost was composed of three magic circles. It symbolized the trinity of the Ring, the Forbidden, and Samsara, paradoxically deriving the true power of “infinity.”
Through the Principle of the Forbidden, sacrifice the “present” to obtain the future; through the Principle of Samsara, transform the power of the future into the past,
and through the Principle of the Ring, bring the power of the past into the present.
This was a true chain reaction, a nested cycle.
Because of this, Paradise Lost, despite consuming and absorbing mana less than the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, was on par with the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s Paradise Lost. Furthermore, even gods would not dare to face this attack—because its essence was “infinity.”
It was the same as the question someone once asked Alistair: which is greater, infinity plus one or infinity.
And without incorporating the six elemental wings as special variables, the answer was clearly “the same.”
Eivass and the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s powers were completely different, yet the Paradise Lost they derived was on equal footing, which served as proof.
This was because this spell was actually the ultimate spell created by Lucifer through his study of the “serpent.”
It could be said that when Lucifer created this spell, he had already vaguely perceived some essence of the serpent.
The Geometric Heavenly Envoy lacked this cycle of rotation. Thus, he chose the “Metamorphosis of the Four Elements,” a power belonging to the Ring Heavenly Envoy, to supplement it.
Compared to the “infinity and multiplication” emphasized by Paradise Lost, the “Analysis Cannon” leaned more towards analyzing and digesting matter composed of the four elements into mana. Although it lacked the two elements of light and darkness, its power was undiminished; the speed at which surrounding mana was absorbed was even more than ten times that of Paradise Lost! And even matter began to collapse and disintegrate—
It was a mystical art that exchanged mass for energy—this was likely why, in another future, the Ring Heavenly Envoy specifically took away the Geometric Heavenly Envoy’s power.
Because from an occult perspective, the Geometric Heavenly Envoy had now, in a sense, become a “serpent’s tail”!