Chapter 1324
A Tender Resolution
The information provided by Morgan and Galatea was extremely crucial. Aivass was very glad he had taken “Encyclopedia” seriously enough to make a trip to the Dream Realm. The Ouroboros Ring Ritual for the Path of Beauty required summoning the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy; moreover, the Ascension Ritual could potentially be corrupted, making the New Moon Ritual, without teammates, a safer choice.
He woke up.
When Isabel opened her eyes, she saw Aivass lost in thought under the covers.
“—Do you need my help with anything, Aivass?” Isabel suddenly spoke.
Aivass was startled and turned to her. “What do you want to do?”
“What you’re worried about is the issue with the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy, isn’t it?” Isabel said softly, her gentle yet firm gaze fixed on Aivass. “I remember you said that Shang Tian Si became a Heavenly Envoy through a transaction—he, who was originally unqualified to be a Heavenly Envoy, could now die as one. Once he is reborn, he will have the chance to achieve Heavenly Envoy status through this great deed.
“In other words, apart from the Path of Beauty, all Heavenly Envoys have been established… After the fifteenth of this month, when the Full Moon Ritual concludes, many Extraordinarys of the Sixth Tier will emerge. Even without your help, they will have the possibility to defeat Heavenly Envoys and seize Heavenly Envoy Fragments.
“I think… what you’re worried about is the possibility that the Heavenly Envoy they summon is not the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy.”
“Don’t do anything foolish, Isabel,” Aivass said sternly, pushing Isabel back down as she tried to sit up. “Not to mention, I have a backup plan—you are still carrying a child. I know you already possess a Heavenly Envoy Fragment, so you are not afraid of death. But do you want Little Alistair to die along with you?”
“Of course, I have feelings for her…” Isabel murmured softly. “After all, during the Ascension Ritual, I spent three times more time with her than with you. But this is a world-ending disaster, and it concerns your safety. If…”
“—There is no ‘if’,” Aivass interrupted Isabel again, looking at her with utmost seriousness. “I will figure out how to save the world myself. I don’t need you to sacrifice yourself for this. There is no logic in the world that dictates sacrificing a child to save the world, even if this child has not yet gained her own soul, she already lives in your memory.”
Isabel gazed at Aivass for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter. She laughed so beautifully, so captivatingly. The “Beauty” radiating from her had a vitality and vibrancy. Seeing her laugh, Aivass finally relaxed. He realized his heart was pounding—even confronting the Great Abyss directly hadn’t made him this nervous.
“…You were just joking, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t,” Isabel replied, smiling gently like a saint, her gaze calm as she looked at Aivass. “Of course, I love that child as deeply as my own life; I am also so attached to life. Now that I have finally resolved all my sorrows and obstacles, I truly want to live in this beautiful world… I also truly want her to exist concretely, not just appear in the Ascension Ritual or be remembered only by me…
“—But for you, I am willing to give up all of this. I owe everything to you; it was you who saved me from the clutches of fate… I can also return them to fate with my own will.”
Hearing Isabel’s gentle murmur, as soft as a breeze, Aivass felt momentarily suffocated. It was a love so strong, so devoted, so obstinate it was almost distorted. …That’s right. Isabel already possessed a strong adaptability to the Path of Love, so strong that if she were to sacrifice it, she could gain enough power to defeat a descending Heavenly Envoy. However, under Aivass’s protection, this world had not necessitated such an action.
“You have certainly become strong, Isabel…” Aivass gently exhaled, his mood calming somewhat. He said with a wry smile, “But I wish you could be more delicate.”
“Aivass,” Isabel did not answer his statement but instead asked, “If this world must sacrifice one person, who would you choose?”
“Myself,” Aivass replied without hesitation. “I cannot make decisions for others, nor can I sacrifice them. Premature death is a mistake, and there is no such thing as a necessary evil… Or rather, the only sacrifice a person can make is of themselves.”
“Yes,” Isabel said lightly, “That’s what I think too—you taught me that.”
“…” Seeing Aivass momentarily speechless, Isabel laughed and pulled him onto the bed, rubbing his forehead. “Don’t worry, my dear. If everything goes smoothly, I won’t do these things. If we can live well, who would want to die?”
…Is this also a “failsafe”?
Hearing Isabel’s words, Aivass finally understood why she had suddenly become so resolute. It was Morgan’s words that had stirred her.
“I shouldn’t have taken you to see Morgan,” Aivass said, pushing her down, his voice rough. “That witch has corrupted you!”
“To give you determination, Aivass. And to increase your pressure,” Isabel stroked Aivass’s cheek, as if wiping away tears that were not there, or perhaps were. She murmured, “I know… you’re the type who performs better under more pressure, right?”
“I am different from Ai Shiping,” Aivass said without hesitation. “He would sacrifice Amber, but I will not sacrifice you.”
“Then do you have a plan?” Isabel retorted. “Just having determination isn’t enough. If you have a plan, I can help you execute it. If you think I’m in the way, bring someone else—time is running out. We only have the last twenty days. In fact, we only have five days. After the Ascension Ritual on the fifteenth, the Ouroboros Ring of the Path of Beauty might land. That means other Heavenly Envoys might be summoned.
Yes, they weren’t worried about the Path of Beauty’s Heavenly Envoy not being summonable. When humans were not strong enough, the descent of Heavenly Envoys was a disaster; but when humans became strong enough, the descent of Heavenly Envoys became a prize everyone wanted to snatch. It was like obtaining an item in a Pac-Man game that allowed you to turn around and bite the BOSS.
Aivass was also not worried about being unable to snatch Heavenly Envoy Fragments—he was now a legitimate Earthly Heavenly Envoy, undoubtedly the strongest in the world. Without such confidence, how could he dare to confront an enemy that even Pillar Gods feared?
Furthermore, Aivass could even modify the Summoning Ritual to target the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy if he knew who was about to summon the Heavenly Envoy of the Path of Beauty… just like Vivian had done before.
His only concern was that some unknown person might secretly perform the Summoning Ritual first and direct the Ouroboros Ring Ritual to the wrong Heavenly Envoy. Isabel’s mention of “necessary sacrifice” also referred to this.
Aivass pondered for a long time but could not come up with a good solution. But fortunately, Aivass thought of something else. He had been advancing through sheer willpower for too long, even becoming a god himself. He had resolved too many problems with his own strength… At some point, Aivass had forgotten that he was also a Priest. Perhaps it was because he disliked relying on others. Thus, any problem he could solve himself, he would subconsciously avoid seeking help for. When faced with a problem that truly exceeded his comprehension and had to be solved within a time limit… it was better not to blindly overexert himself.
Aivass immediately summoned his most trusted Lord of Scales and Feathers—after he created his new body, the Path Crystallization in his chest disappeared, and thus the contract with the Lord of Scales and Feathers became void. Consequently, Aivass could not use High-Tier Divine Art for direct divine descent but had to contact the Lord of Scales and Feathers through conventional divine art means.
“—Help me, Boss!”
Even though he hadn’t summoned the Lord of Scales and Feathers for a long time, the Boss was as reliable as ever. Or rather, She seemed to have been watching Aivass, dying of anxiety. Thus, as soon as the “call” connected, before Aivass could even ask, the Lord of Scales and Feathers proposed a possibility: “Is there a chance that you don’t need to summon the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy at all?”
“…What?” Aivass was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something.
“The Butterfly of Paradoxical Flames being unable to resonate with Heavenly Envoy Fragments to ascend might indeed be due to incompatible Path laws… but there’s actually another possibility. —That is, she might have already been halfway through her ascension. Because she has ‘used’ a Heavenly Envoy Fragment, she cannot resonate with other Heavenly Envoy Fragments. After all, you already know that the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy was born from Mithra’s remains, and Mithra was formed from one of the Great Philosopher’s eyes. How could she not be able to use a fragment of the Great Philosopher? Unless, she has already been locked onto by the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy’s fragment. You don’t need to summon the Butterfly Heavenly Envoy—you just need to help her complete the remaining half.”
(End of Chapter)
