## Book 627: King of the Wild Hunt Ritual
“You just said, ‘Furious vengeful spirits are impossible to appease’?”
Eivass keenly noticed the details in Merlin’s words: “What’s going on? Is my soul still lingering in this world?”
“…Yes.”
Although it was somewhat embarrassing for Merlin to speak of this to a former hero, he straightened his chest and told Sir Helchin the truth: “The ancient giants clearly couldn’t hold funerals for you. Even if some citizens collected fragments of bones, it was impossible to discern whose part it was, let alone invite Elf Priests from the Church to Avalon Island for a funeral.
“These restless souls have been transformed into undead due to powerful resentment. They are even more terrifying and stronger than they were in life.
“…And among them, the most furious undead is you.”
Merlin spoke frankly: “Because of this, our King is holding the still-experimental Heroic Spirit Summoning Ritual. Summoning the Heroic Spirits who once fought the giants to fight alongside us.
“After the battle ends, we can rely on your connection to the undead to forcibly purify them. After all, former heroes shouldn’t be transformed into feared and loathed undead due to lacking a proper burial…
“…But I think, perhaps it’s not necessary to wait until the battle is over. To confront an Apostle, ‘Heroic Spirits’ alone might not be enough. The best method I can think of is to use a Heroic Spirit as a medium to transform your former soul into the King of the Wild Hunt…”
Listening to Merlin explain his plan, and watching him begin to set up the ritual, Eivass gradually understood.
–The term “Heroic Spirit” originally referred to those undead who retained their sanity.
Normally, undead are either confused and hateful towards the living, or transformed by immense resentment.
But there is an exception: becoming undead while maintaining a clear consciousness. This requires powerful willpower to resist the encroachment of the Twilight Path on the soul… Those who can achieve this are basically heroes. Hence, these undead are called Heroic Spirits.
True Heroic Spirits are very rare. Moreover, without protection, over time, Heroic Spirits will gradually shed their divinity and degenerate into ordinary undead.
The only “true Heroic Spirit” Eivass currently knows of is the one slumbering within the Red-Hilted Sword.
–It should be one of the Knights in Arthur’s camp. It can continue to exist as a Heroic Spirit because it has been sealed within the Holy Sword, remaining dormant.
The so-called “Heroic Spirit Summoning” is not actually summoning true Heroic Spirits.
This skill, in the future, will belong to the Path of Authority. It is a skill exclusive to the “Officer” profession and its advancement, “Heroic Spirit Commander,” within the Path of Authority.
They can summon “Spirit Weapon” with simple self-awareness, or through special weapons that have received prolonged worship, summon light-aligned spirits that can control said weapons.
These Heroic Spirits are certainly not the souls of the weapon’s owners… They are merely fabricated phantoms. Or rather, they are the “Holders” in people’s minds. A residue carrying expectations and worship, an image that has become truth from falsehood.
Normally, this technique is used for guarding. For example, to guard an important warehouse, but fearing someone might steal from within, one could summon a Heroic Spirit that never sleeps and cannot be fooled by invisibility or illusions to guard the entrance.
For instance, if people established a shrine or temple to worship Sir Helchin–even if the actual Helchin had transformed into a furious undead and could not possibly be summoned. But by using “Sir Helchin’s weapon” from this shrine as a medium, the originally clear-minded and gentle Heroic Spirit Helchin could still be summoned.
This is related not only to the Path of Authority and the Transcendent Path, but even somewhat to the Path of Beauty and the Twilight Path. Necromancy also has similar abilities, capable of temporarily manifesting spirits of the dead, even those who have reincarnated.
–And in this era, the Path of Authority does not yet exist.
Eivass is likely playing the role of “the first Heroic Spirit ever summoned” in the world. A Heroic Spirit personally summoned by Arthur.
“No wonder he entered a brief time-stop field when he appeared…” Eivass thought.
It was probably similar to when Eivass interacted with Lancelot I during the Shadow of Avalon ritual.
Merlin’s task was to substitute the fake for the real Helchin.
The “Heroic Spirit Helchin,” summoned by Arthur, would sign the ritual in place of the irrational undead Helchin… thus consciously selling himself to the Great Philosopher and becoming the Great Philosopher’s King of the Wild Hunt.
Rather than summoning a large number of Heroic Spirits with Third to Fifth Tier strength, it was better to directly transform the undead Helchin into the King of the Wild Hunt.
“Hate” is extremely precious nourishment for the undead. Extraordinary individuals who become undead due to immense resentment are often much stronger than they were in life.
Just like the Earthbound Spirit Eivass sealed into the Illusion Card–she was merely an ordinary mortal girl when she was human, but under immense resentment, she soared to become a Fifth Tier Phantom Demon.
Although Helchin and his retinue were brutally killed by giants in life… after dying and becoming undead, the giants dared not provoke them.
This was probably why the giants specifically designated the desolate “Beheading Valley” as a place for executions–
Essentially, it was like burying polluting waste somewhere secluded–if this place became haunted, they could simply avoid it. After all, undead couldn’t travel far, so there was no need to worry about being pursued.
“This is a good plan, Merlin.”
Arthur seconded: “It’s up to you, Sir Helchin. We need your help–your undead form possesses great power that transcends the ‘Wall of Balance.’ If you can become the King of the Wild Hunt, it would be very helpful for us to confront the ‘Tyrant’.”
–Huh? Me? Aren’t you going?
Eivass paused, looking at Arthur.
His expression was indifferent, still maintaining that calm and steady poker face.
Although his tone was as flat as if he were reciting lines, it clearly matched his usual personality. The other Knights of the Round Table had no idea that Arthur’s interior was actually occupied by another player–the future Arthur.
Arthur winked at Eivass, signaling him to relax.
–Don’t worry, just say the lines.
Eivass then calmed down.
“…Using a false me as a sacrifice and medium to complete the ritual with the true Helchin?”
Eivass coughed lightly and said solemnly: “If it is to confront the Supreme Heaven and its Apostles… I am willing to cooperate with your ritual.”
Merlin breathed a sigh of relief.
If “Sir Helchin” had a more conservative personality and disagreed, he would actually have no way to forcibly transform Helchin into the King of the Wild Hunt.
Perhaps it was impossible… or perhaps he was unwilling to do so. After all, Helchin was his idol.
…Then it would come down to a desperate fight.
With both Arthur and Helchin nodding in agreement, Merlin’s plan received the full assistance of the Knights.
With the Knights’ help in carrying and setting up, Merlin completed his ritual site at full speed.
–It was a Ritual Array composed of sixteen giant stones.
First, four of the shortest steles were placed in the east, west, north, and south directions around Eivass. Then, slightly taller steles were placed at a 45-degree angle in the outer ring, followed by four taller steles in the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, and finally four steles in the outermost ring.
It looked like a sight.
Eivass could see clearly–the four innermost steles each chronicled Helchin’s experiences from childhood to adulthood.
From birth and study as a child and adolescent, to adventures, growth, and love in his youth. The third stele detailed his achievements, and the fourth, his cause of death.
The diagonally placed steles were inscribed with words of reverence for the Great Philosopher.
Merlin drew the sword from his waist and raised it high.
“–I beseech the Great Philosopher, God of the Sacred Number Four!
“God who sees truth, God who is silent!”
He raised his voice: “When the seasons turn and the torrential rain arrives, the cries of the hounds of life and death echo. The unburied, fallen in battle, roar from the storm–”
As Merlin prayed, a thick, deep blue lightning bolt, like that of the deep sea, descended from the sky and struck the blade of his sword.
The deep blue electric light pulsed, connecting with all the steles. The inscriptions on each stele lit up, shining with deep blue electric light.
The characters leaped from the steles and floated in the void, connected by a network of electric currents.
At this moment, the sky gradually grew overcast.
With no preamble or transition, in the blink of an eye, torrential rain poured down!
It was a downpour so heavy that visibility was obscured, making it impossible to see people. As the rain fell, the electric lights formed a sphere, enveloping Eivass.
In the torrential rain that obscured all vision, the dark clouds on the horizon churned and vaguely transformed into black herds of horses and hounds.
Faintly, Eivass heard two barks.
One was clear, full of life and vitality, while the other was low, dark, with a slight echo. Each bark was closely followed by the other.
For death always follows life–just as hunting is for survival, and it always brings death.
The King of the Wild Hunt, however, is the opposite: it hunts for the sake of death, yet it brings hope of life to people.
“Those who are dead but their souls remain shall have their six domains stripped! Due to their death, the Path of Twilight; due to their strength, the Path of Power; due to their existence, the Path of Adaptation!
“In the name of the Great Philosopher, I shall reshape your Paths of Wisdom and Beauty!
“I grant you the privilege of speech and song! I grant you the privilege of thought and wisdom!”
“You shall not attack or enter any lit room with a closed door! You shall not enter any area near a church guarded by a Bishop, nor shall you attack the sick, pregnant women, or the disabled! You shall not destroy libraries and schools, nor shall you harm the brave who play and sing for you!
“You shall not drink the wine of the living, nor shall you eat offerings and burnt spices!
“You shall not cease your hunt, nor cease your battles! Just as the storm never stops, only temporarily resting–”
So that’s how it is.
Those who are dead but have no remains have four domains stripped… The King of the Wild Hunt ritual transforms these vengeful souls of fallen warriors with no remains into the body of the King of the Wild Hunt, restoring them from Three Paths to Five Paths…
But as he heard this, Eivass’s consciousness gradually blurred.
Fragments of memory flowed through his mind–like a series of headless photos appearing in his heart. He didn’t quite understand what these fragments meant, but just looking at them evoked a sense of warmth and nostalgia.
Ultimately, these images slowly decelerated, freezing on a joint photo of Helchin and his wife, Fafnir.
The image in Eivass’s mind began to zoom in slowly. Helchin’s bright, sunny smile became clearer and clearer, while everything else gradually blurred.
Suddenly, the Helchin in the photo seemed to come alive. The surroundings blurred and melted away.
As Fafnir in his arms turned into nothingness, he straightened up with a hint of regret.
Helchin winked at Eivass, then pointed his thumbs, which he had previously held up, towards Eivass, revealing a heartfelt smile.
He opened his right hand, where he had been giving a thumbs-up, revealing a right hand much larger than Eivass’s, and extended it forward.
“Won’t you shake hands?”
The voice that had been narrating in Eivass’s mind suddenly spoke at this moment.
In a daze, Eivass extended his own right hand and slowly shook the much larger hand.
“The rest is up to you.”
Helchin’s gentle and bright voice echoed in Eivass’s mind:
“The Lord of Scales and Feathers said… this should be enough.”
And the “Helchin” in front of Eivass gave a brilliant and hearty smile one last time, extending his other hand to Eivass, giving him another thumbs-up.
“Good luck!”
As the words fell, Helchin’s image shattered.
Then, pure “skill” flowed into Eivass’s mind–
–These were the memories of Helchin’s “Horsemanship” and “Spear Techniques”!
Three hundred years of combat experience, intermittently surging into Eivass’s mind.
Along with four ancient martial skills that once belonged to the Path of “Power,” but were now imbued with the Paths of Twilight and Wisdom–
–Destructive Charge!
–Undead Charge!
–Storm Strike!
–Thunder’s Fury!
At this moment, a new panel suddenly popped up before Eivass’s eyes:
Basic Profession–
Inheritance · King of the Wild Hunt LV2: [King of the Wild Hunt Tactics – Level 1 (0%)], [Corpse Martial Arts – Level 1 (0%)]
Then, in a daze, Eivass saw the world transform into meaningless dim yellow.
The time of the entire world seemed to freeze.
Eivass vaguely saw something looking at him from the horizon. He couldn’t see its existence at all, only felt his mood gradually become peaceful.
The moment Eivass’s mood became immensely peaceful, the dim yellow clouds dispersed.
He seemed to see something–
It was a giant, golden, turntable-like eye.
It resembled an eye, a door, a pearl, or some kind of jewel.
The moment he met its gaze, an immense fear appeared in Eivass’s heart.
It was a fear that could burn away curiosity and freeze hope, clearing his thoughts in an instant, freezing his sense of time–
When Eivass finally regained consciousness, he had returned to the Material Realm.
He had already transformed into a giant, pitch-black King of the Wild Hunt, and boundless, furious power surged within him. Eivass, who had never felt such power, even had the illusion that he could shatter the earth with a slight exertion.
Unable to resist the impulse, Eivass raised his head and let out a long roar at the sky with clenched fists.
Accompanied by his storm-like roar, thunder rumbled across the sky. Electric sparks crackled and spread through the thunderclouds, and a large area of lightning struck randomly around Eivass.
At this moment, a new panel popped up before Eivass:
Unlike his current immense power.
It was similar to the three-choice “blue sky and white clouds” traits Eivass obtained when he learned Fire Worship and stepped onto the Path of Devotion–
[Earth Affinity LV1 (Blue): You approached the Amber Egg and glimpsed a little of the essence of the earth.]
[Earth Vessel LV1 (Blue): You touched the Amber Egg, and your soul was expanded.]
[Clear Vessel LV1 (Blue): You consumed the Amber Egg, and your soul was expanded.]
–It was the Amber!
Eivass’s heart suddenly became enlightened.
This was indeed the contact from the twilight path!
(End of this chapter)
