The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 473

Chapter 472
Turned to Ashes (Combined Chapter)

Hearing Diomedes’ words, Dross suddenly widened his eyes: “You…”

Before he could say anything else, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed.

The afternoon sun at three o’clock instantly vanished, as if a curtain had been drawn, and it even grew darker. While everything around them became dim, only Diomedes shone with a bright radiance. It was like lighting a candle on a stormy, power-outage night, illuminating everything around them again… but the lifeless things had turned grayish-white, ancient like an old photograph.

Diomedes stood still with his hands behind his back, gazing expressionlessly at Dross. A dim yellow flame ignited in his pupils. The moment the flame flared up, it seemed to freeze, solidifying as if a pause button had been pressed.

Under the old elf’s gaze, Dross’s movements gradually began to slow. Dross’s expression froze on his face, his outstretched hand slowed and gradually stopped. His body also gradually lost color. When Dross was completely still, his body turned black and white, like the room around him, like a statue with hollow eyes, or like a grotesque and comical posthumous photograph.

In an instant, Dross was subdued by Diomedes. It was as if those who had tried to assassinate Dross in the past were controlled by Diomedes.

Diomedes stared blankly at Dross, his gaze filled with sorrow, as if reminiscing about the past.

“Is this the strength of the Pope’s Guard…” Eivass exclaimed in a low voice, feeling a sense of aspiration.

Yanis from this timeline had left Avalon early, likely because Queen Sophia had become a seeker of the Twilight Path after using a potion. The shift in fundamental stance had created a rift between the two old friends. Yanis was clearly a firm balancer. She returned fifty to sixty years after leaving Avalon, intending to escort her old friend to her funeral. The Queen’s use of a potion to break through the limits of natural lifespan evidently violated the principles of the Path of Balance. Diomedes’ ability to freeze others’ time was clearly related to the power of the Twilight Path.

“I thought elves disliked the power of twilight,” Eivass said, some doubt in his voice, interrupting Diomedes’ contemplation.

“That’s generally true, but the Pope’s Guard is an exception,” Diomedes replied, tilting his head slightly and patiently explaining to his new master. “The inheritance of the Pope’s Guard is related to the three Paths of Balance, Devotion, and Twilight…” The old elf was not in a hurry, as time was always on his side.

Eivass knew nothing about this knowledge, as the Pope’s Guard was not a profession obtainable by players… because it wasn’t a “profession” at all. Not all elves walked the path of “profession.” The “profession” system was a new path shaped by the Great Philosopher, and only humans, with their broad and diverse adaptability in paths, needed “professions” to purify their paths. For races like elves, Children of the Moon, and dragons, who had innate path tendencies, they relied more on the more demanding “inheritance.”

“In the Church, elves generally have an adaptability to the Path of Devotion, just as humans usually have adaptability to Transcendence and Love. We are generally divided into two factions, leaning towards ‘Balance’ and ‘Twilight,’ like human political parties, with severe opposition to each other.” Balance came from the elves’ neutral attitude and their mission as equilibrators; while Twilight came from the elves’ long lifespans. Elves leaning towards the former would generally interfere more actively in the affairs of short-lived species and were willing to embrace new things, while elves leaning towards the latter were relatively more passive and indifferent, more conservative and distant from short-lived species… similar to humans who refrained from keeping pets for fear of their death.

“Are you biased towards Twilight, which is why you are so nostalgic?”

“No, I am the Pope’s Guard,” Diomedes replied. “When we receive the inheritance, we are divided into pairs and learn the powers of ‘Dawn’ and ‘Twilight’ respectively. After all, ‘Devotion’ is the core of the Church, and Balance and Twilight are merely means and directions…” Bright yellow of Balance and dim yellow of Twilight, both were yellow. Both were the light that could be emitted by lighting a candle.

…Since that’s the case. Since Diomedes is a Twilight Knight, then Mr. Oswald might be in possession of the power of “Dawn”… Eivass thought.

“…Alas.” Diomedes’ contemplation and memories were eventually interrupted by Eivass. He let out a heavy sigh. “We’ve finally come to this…” He finally moved. Even if it was to prove he wasn’t nostalgic, this sword had to fall. Diomedes reached his right hand behind him, bringing his index and middle fingers together. Neither fast nor slow, he stood still and casually drew a stroke before him.

A golden arc shot out from his fingertips like a whip’s blade or a soft line! It cut Dross’s body horizontally in half!

When the line of light touched him, the gray-white Dross instantly regained his color. However, his body had already been cut into two pieces with an extremely smooth cut. He didn’t even realize he had been bisected. As his upper body fell backward, he subconsciously reached out to try and balance himself. The result was that blood instantly burst out from his body like a flower, and after leaving his body, it instantly solidified in the air into gray-white stone flowers.

In Dross’s subjective consciousness, he never saw when Diomedes’ “invisible sword” was unsheathed. He had no idea what Eivass and Diomedes were talking about. He only felt that after the surroundings became dim, he couldn’t see Diomedes’ sword-swinging motion at all—he only saw a lightning-like arc remaining in his retina, and he had already been struck! What a fast sword! It was a divine speed that the senses couldn’t keep up with—

As Dross realized this, the intense pain arrived late. “Arghhhhh—” Dross, bisected at the waist, let out a shrill scream and crawled on the ground. But his voice could not escape this dim barrier. It was all frozen. Blood, fat, and organs continuously flowed out of Dross’s body, and after leaving his body, they cooled and solidified into the same gray-black as the surrounding filter. They mixed together, making it impossible to discern what they originally were. Within the illuminated area, only Eivass and Dross were brightly colored. Only they could hear Diomedes’ voice.

The old elf with the square face looked down at Dross, whom he had watched grow up, his expression complicated. “I’ve given you many chances, Charles.” The old elf sighed, and his lowered right hand slowly rose again.

“Don’t, don’t kill me… Diomedes! Grandpa Diomedes—” The man, who was eighty or ninety years old, fat and old, now had eyes filled with an overwhelming fear—fear of death, fear of the end. He cried out hysterically like a child who had fallen to the ground, “I was wrong, I was wrong, Grandpa! I’ll change… I changed! I know I was wrong, Miss Crowley… I was wrong! Forgive me, I’ll change! I don’t want to die, save me!”

An incredibly strong will to survive, incredibly sincere words. But no one around paid him any attention. Eivass and Diomedes were not people who would be softened by this. They watched him coldly, watching the fear in Dross’s eyes solidify further.

“…Please leave him to me, Mr. Diomedes,” Eivass said politely. “As for the reason…” He touched the necklace on his chest with his left hand and unhesitatingly sent the red crystal-like card flying with his right. The red card spun in the air, and after leaving Eivass, it gradually lost its color and slowed down. But the moment it solidified in the air, the black butterfly emblem on the card began to flutter its wings. Crimson flame streams gushed out, forming a vortex.

“Butterfly!” Eivass cried out her name, celebrating her awakening at this moment. The necklace on his chest also trembled, then flowed out of Eivass’s fingers, turning into flame streams and merging into the vortex. The two flame streams merged to form four gradually changing red and black butterfly wings. The edges of the wings shattered like black ash, and the patterns on the wings cracked, revealing scorching golden flame streams like lava.

Now standing at 1.7 meters tall, nearly a head taller than Yulia’s true form, the Butterfly was no longer the petite, immature girl she once was. She now looked even older than Yulia, already of Eivass’s age. And clearly, even if Yulia grew a few more years older, her height would not reach this level. Yulia’s jet-black hair, reaching her ankles, turned dark red from the ends, burning with blood-like flames. Her eyes, black with dark red irises, slowly opened, appearing cold and dangerous. She was now wearing a black gauze dress like a widow. The edges of the skirt were burning with visible dark red flames, making her look like a queen of fire embraced by flames.

She was the Butterfly, nurtured by Eivass to the Fifth Tier.

[Great Sin: Butterfly (Sun, The Hanged Man)]
[Level: 47]
[Path of Devotion, Attribute: Fire]

Just as her appearance had matured… the Butterfly was finally free from the label of “young.” Her consciousness had finally become clear and mature, no longer naive and childish as in her juvenescence. When the Butterfly was truly under control, Eivass could finally re-infuse its power into Yulia. However, Yulia herself refused. Her pride was much stronger than Lily’s—Yulia stated that she would at least break through to the Third Tier on her own, forming her own ability system with her own Path Traits. And having learned from the Night Demon, Eivass did not choose to raise the little butterfly to the Sixth Tier this time, thereby triggering the balance mechanism.

When she appeared, the originally dim barrier suddenly brightened. The flames burning on her body lit up the surrounding space, causing the gray-white things to become bright again and regain their color.

“—Demon Scholar? Phantom Demon… Yulia!” Dross, his consciousness blurred by pain, yelled unconsciously, “You’re still alive! You are a Demon Scholar!” His eyes bulged outward. The life force of a Fourth Tier Extraordinary allowed him to crawl on the ground and struggle energetically even after being bisected.

“Not bad,” the Butterfly curved her lips slightly, smiling without any mirth. “You still remember my name.” Her voice was very similar to Yulia’s, just more mature and languid. But unlike the Yulia in Eivass’s memory, the Butterfly was much more aggressive—she extended her right hand forward, and the swirling flames turned into a giant hand, grabbing Dross’s upper body and dragging it back, sticking it to his lower body like melted wax.

“Does it hurt, Mr. Scum?” Speaking gentle words, the Butterfly smiled sweetly like a girl, her left hand behind her back. The next moment, as the dark red flames turned into a scorching white, Dross’s charred body began to heal rapidly. The sensation, like being immersed in a warm spring, instantly dispelled Dross’s miserable screams. His brows relaxed, and his clenched fists, which had been bleeding, slowly loosened, his bones making cracking sounds.

Sharing memories with Yulia, she was, in a sense, another Yulia. When summoned by Eivass, the fragments of “Yulia” and “Butterfly” condensed after their deaths merged with her again. Memories from this timeline poured into the Butterfly’s consciousness. Not only the memories of the “Butterfly” who had devoured Yulia’s body in the form of a phantom demon and appeared alone… but also Yulia’s unwilling and sad emotions at her final moments. When the Butterfly separated from Yulia, Yulia and Isabel had not yet become friends. Therefore, the Butterfly was not that close to Isabel. Sophia’s death did not move her much. But she “saw” Yulia of this world die due to Dross’s conspiracy, and the uncontrolled herself nearly went mad and killed Eivass, with whom she had lived since childhood; and after Eivass finally stopped her madness and defeated her… she cried day and night, caressing the remains on the necklace. The Butterfly felt flames burning in her chest. Even if she hurt herself, the Butterfly would not have such strong resentment and hatred—she was the Butterfly, a flame butterfly that burned herself with fire.

But hurting Yulia, hurting Eivass… especially forcing her to hurt Eivass herself. This made the killing intent in her heart spread like fire, uncontrollable. Just as Dross’s life force gradually recovered and became stronger, his consciousness gradually sobered up. The Butterfly looked at Dross, who had reopened his eyes, and her lips slowly curled into a cruel yet happy smile: “It hurts… that’s right. It hurt me a lot back then.”

With the Butterfly’s clear, bell-like laughter, the flames suddenly reversed again, turning into a dark red, viscous like blood. The flames, hotter than before, clung to him like sinews, instantly seeping into Dross’s entire body. And as it burned until Dross’s consciousness became hazy again, the flames turned white again. The pain receded like a tide, and his body regained sensation from the tingling and warmth. The pain would never numb his nerves, because each time he would be restored to his healthiest state. In Dross’s pupils, pure fear finally appeared: “No, no…”

“You don’t want to die, do you.” The Butterfly danced in the air like a queen of flames, controlling flames of different attributes. She stared at Dross, her dark red pupils like solidified blood: “What a coincidence, neither do I.” The next moment, the flames reversed again. This time, the Butterfly did not reverse the flames. Instead, she directly increased the heat, burning Dross into ashes with intense killing intent.

Eivass reached out and gently stroked the Butterfly’s hair. It had a similar texture to Yulia’s, but it was a bit scorching hot… like a glass cup filled with boiling water. She just narrowed her eyes like a kitten, silent. For the first time appearing cruel upon her debut after gaining complete intelligence… Now that she had calmed down, she felt a bit awkward. But she had no regrets. The Butterfly thought. If she had to do it again, she would still do the same.

She would have been happy, but also sad, to see Eivass get revenge for her, torturing Dross on her and Yulia’s behalf. …It was the sorrow of a loved one forced to take revenge, forced to stain his hands with blood. Because in her memory… and also in Yulia’s memory, Eivass was the brother who was always gentle, but occasionally seemed a little weak. He would stay up all night to accompany her when she was upset, and he would take leave from work to spend a long time with her when she felt lonely at home. When they lived in the orphanage, Eivass’s favorite food was fried cod. He would be very happy when eating fried cod, and Yulia would stare at him blankly—a look like the sun, which orphans without parents and without a home should not have. For those lacking hope, that was the color of hope.

Perhaps because Yulia always watched him, Eivass thought he also liked fried cod. So, he would always grit his teeth and give her more than half. But Yulia actually didn’t like fried fish at all. It was too greasy for her; she preferred vegetables and desserts. But every time Eivass gave her food, Yulia would feel warmth in her chest. It was a feeling that made her want to cry… it was the taste of “family” in the memory of Yulia, who had no family since she could remember. Yulia knew that she and Eivass were not the same kind of people from the very beginning. Eivass had a family when he was a child. He had a father and a mother, and even memories of living with them. He vaguely remembered their appearances and names, but the memories were not deep. But Yulia was an abandoned baby. She had been an orphan since she could remember. She didn’t even know her surname, let alone whether her parents were still alive. Eivass was the sun that had fallen to the bottom, destined to rise again someday. He would eventually have many people around him; she would not be the first, nor the last. But Yulia was a bat who had lived at the bottom since birth. She had only seen one kind of light, and that was the light of the sun.

However, in Yulia’s memory… Eivass was actually much more fragile than her. He was very sensitive to pain; a bump on the head or hand would make him cry. He was also afraid of bleeding. He had once fallen and scraped his knee, bleeding, and had been so scared he thought he was going to die. Eivass was not the type with few desires. On the contrary, he was very greedy… he would feel heartbroken every time he gave away something he liked. He was also very timid, much more so than Yulia. Yulia was actually never afraid of the dark, but Eivass was always afraid of darkness… he wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but of someone killing him in the dark, just like his parents.

…But even so. He was willing to hurt himself without hesitation, feeding himself his blood; he was willing to give things he liked to Yulia, who was not related to him by blood; despite being timid, he pretended to be brave and tried to protect Yulia. So, Yulia pretended to be weak to let Eivass protect her. Because she was now Eivass’s “sister.”

But the Butterfly was different. She was a monster, a phantom demon. A paradox beast that should not exist. She was a cruel and mad phantom demon of fire, nearly burning Eivass to death in this world, and only regaining consciousness at the last moment. It was reasonable for her to burn Dross to death a few more times now… But just as the Butterfly was feeling a bit dejected, Eivass suddenly said, “You’re quite kind. You only healed him twice and then killed him completely… If it were me, I would have killed him at least ten times. As expected, a phantom demon of the Path of Devotion, no matter how bad-tempered, can’t be too bad.” The Butterfly looked up and stared blankly at Eivass. Eivass gently touched her and whispered, “Are you tired? Come back and rest.” Her lips slowly curved upwards, her body shattered, transforming into flame butterflies that slowly landed on Eivass’s fingertips.

…That was by no means the gentleness towards Yulia. She finally felt it clearly. That was the light that belonged only to her.

—Only when Dross turned to ashes did the Butterfly completely separate herself from Yulia.

Update complete!
The schedule is messed up again. Sacrificing an old author’s new book!