The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 503

Chapter 502
Eivass: Was there a scene like that just now?
Upon hearing the voice, Isabel finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the pressure on her shoulders suddenly lighten.
…It’s good that the funeral bell didn’t ring again.
Looking at the rising morning sun before her, Isabel’s eyes were momentarily filled with tears.
She didn’t know what danger Eivass had encountered, and after they were separated, she couldn’t help him at all. If she misunderstood Eivass’s intentions or missed the signal, the person she cared about could die.
The feeling of powerlessness and immense pressure made her stomach clench as if being tightly squeezed; if she spoke any louder, she might throw up.
“…Huh?”
Isabel looked down, looking at her semi-transparent hand.
It trembled with a crackling sound, blurring for a moment.
…This dream didn’t shatter and disappear immediately?
Isabel was also somewhat surprised and raised her head.
Shafiya, who had been paying attention to Isabel’s condition, noticed this scene simultaneously.
“You are…”
Shafiya looked at Isabel and immediately realized.
She gave a wry smile, “So all of this was a dream…”
As expected, wanting to see Isabel become stronger… was probably only possible in dreams.
Realizing that the ritual was over and there was no need to keep her identity as an Ascender a secret, Isabel shook her head and said what she had wanted to say for a long time, “Although I am an Ascender, I am also Isabel. However, I am Isabel from another, completely different world.
“In our world, Madam Meg did not die but became young again. My grandmother was not assassinated nor did she fall out with my teacher, but died of old age. Minister Dross died long ago, and I successfully inherited the throne and gained the recognition of the Round Table Hall knights… Avalon was not attacked by the Star Antimony people… or rather, we are at war with the Star Antimony.
“…I am truly sorry for deceiving your feelings.”
Isabel clasped her hands in front of her and bowed to Shafiya.
There was no such opportunity during the previous Ascension Ritual. Now that her body was gradually becoming transparent, she finally had time to say goodbye and utter these words.
But Shafiya did not blame Isabel.
Her gaze was incredibly gentle, even somewhat wistful.
“How wonderful… Compared to my world, yours is more like a dream.”
Shafiya didn’t care at all that Isabel had deceived her. Instead, she gently stroked Isabel’s head and said with heartfelt gratification, “It doesn’t matter that I am fake. All these disasters and tragedies are false… That’s great.
“By the way, Your Highness… no, Your Majesty. I should address you like that.”
She winked playfully at Isabel, “I wish you happiness— I mean, with Bishop Moriarty.”
Isabel subconsciously wanted to reply, “I wish you happiness too,” but she quickly realized… when the ritual ended, everything that remained in this dream would turn into nothingness.
So she took a deep breath and said very seriously, “I will be happy.”
—Including your share.
On the other side.
Olive also breathed a sigh of relief.
Unlike Grape, he didn’t just stand there foolishly waiting for something.
Realizing that the Shadow of Avalon ritual had gone wrong and had sucked Eivass and Lancelot in, his experience and instincts as a Ritualist made him flee without hesitation.
…Fortunately, the only one who died afterward was “Sherlock,” killed by the Flame Butterfly.
It was good that Eivass was unharmed even after the ritual ended.
The moment he disappeared, he seemed to see a huge light coming from not far away.
Although it was late at night, the world instantly became as bright as day—
…Was it an illusion?
This was Olive’s last thought.
Of course not.
That was the self-destruction of the Butterfly.
As early as her Fourth Tier, her self-destruction could heavily injure a Punisher Demon; now, she had reached the peak of the Fifth Tier… She didn’t reach the Sixth Tier simply because Eivass didn’t want her to.
Because once she reached the Sixth Tier, her actions in the Material Realm would be restricted. One Night Demon Viness was enough; what Eivass needed now was constant combat power.
And now, the Butterfly, using the Dawn Fire technique and burning all her life force, unleashed her strongest attack—
Undoubtedly, it could heavily injure “Lancelot,” who was currently unable to escape.
—”Lancelot” finally broke free from Eivass’s control.
“Lancelot” did not hesitate and swiftly charged towards the Butterfly.
The Invisible Hammer descended, and the sky itself seemed to be torn apart by this strike—a hurricane rose, and the Butterfly’s body was instantly shattered!
The storm, crushing it to a single point, shattered the Butterfly’s body and then roared out in all directions.
That was already a visible storm. In the center of the storm, only a few butterfly wings drifted in the air.
—But even so.
The Butterfly had already compressed the flame to its extreme.
Even though “Lancelot” managed to shatter her body in time, the flame still erupted.
Rather, it was precisely because she was actively shattered—that the Dawn Fire could completely burn away this last trace of life that could not be burned by itself.
This was truly the strongest attack, difficult for the normal Butterfly to unleash!
At that moment, “Lancelot” felt a sudden lightness within her body.
This powerful and healthy body was finally completely hers!
Eivass’s soul had disappeared.
Not only that.
—Even Lancelot’s soul had disappeared as well!
…Wait?!
The City Breaker’s eyes suddenly widened, realizing something was wrong.
Why had all the Ascenders left…
And the Ascension Ritual was not over?
At that moment, the City Breaker guessed the truth.
…From the very beginning, this was a trap!
The Lord of Scales and Feathers had already predicted she would come here, and this Ascension Ritual had already been tampered with by Him… Everything she had performed here was real!
While she was fighting against the Disciples under the Lord of Scales and Feathers, she was directly sucked in by Him.
“You—”
—You scoundrel who steals scales and feathers! How dare a high-ranking Pillar God ambush me, an Apostle of a Heavenly Envoy!
The curse in the City Breaker’s heart hadn’t even been uttered.
A question remained in the City Breaker’s mind.
…How could the Lord of Scales and Feathers be so sure that Eivass would use the Shadow of Avalon ritual? And that he would modify it to be able to suck her in?
After all the Ascenders left.
After a very brief delay, pure white light shone.
A miraculous radiance as bright as day—
Dawn had arrived, but this radiance surpassed the sun by thousands.
Extremely scorching flames instantly vaporized the rock layer within a radius of several hundred meters, and the roaring atmosphere turned into a shockwave, instantly spreading outward.
In the surging flames, a small, dark mushroom cloud swelled and rose.
—The shockwave, accompanied by an earthquake, roared towards them!
They were now near the Silver and Tin Hall. The palace, swallowed and controlled by the Flame Demon, was finally completely flattened. Even the lake where the Silver and Tin Hall was located was evaporated, and the Gryphon Bridge was directly shattered.
About one-fifth of the buildings in the White Queen District were instantly destroyed by the shockwave. Because of the Flame Demon’s deterrence, the number of participants fighting here was not large. Now, they were all instantly killed by the sweeping shockwave—even the indestructible Rune Golem turned black and stopped moving amidst the crackling explosions.
Next, a scorching storm roared outward.
The visible shockwave swept outwards, causing large sections of brick buildings to crack.
The entire earth began to shake, undulating like soft, trembling jelly.
—The next instant, a dark mushroom cloud slowly rose. Two rings of white smoke spread outward.
“Heh.”
The rough, hoarse voice that reported the end of the ritual let out a scoff.
Finally, the entire fictional world had fulfilled its mission and instantly shattered.
However, the City Breaker, who died within it, couldn’t have her soul return to the Dream Realm again.
A light suddenly flashed before the eyes of all the Ascenders—it was the pure white radiance emitted when the world collapsed and disintegrated.
Including the dead and the living participants of the ritual, a series of constantly changing images appeared before their eyes:
At a banquet, knights in silver armor roared, fighting to the death around them;
Facing the extremely oppressive Butterfly, Sherlock, without fear, stepped steadily forward, away from those beside him;
An old Ritualist held his heart and Ritual Knife high, standing before a coffin and chanting;
A flying ship and a falling Gryphon met in the center of the newly risen morning sun;
An old Alchemist wearing peculiar glasses, holding the Grand Guardian’s waist while sitting on a Gryphon, charged towards a dense mass of Gargoyles…
After a significant delay, the final animated image appeared.
A black mushroom cloud slowly rose.
Eivass’s eyes widened.
…Huh?
—Wait, was there a scene like that just now?
(End of Chapter)