**Chapter 830**
**Death Strategy**
With the “Fiery Wings of Life” enraged, all the Ascenders fell silent.
This batch of Ascenders were all at the peak of the Fourth Tier. They were considered elites no matter where they were in this World and were naturally not fools.
No one wanted to openly defy an Apostle, even if the Apostle belonged to the Path of Devotion. Not to mention, that Apostle was also the Host of the Ascension Ritual.
Although strictly speaking, the Host was not allowed to interfere in the Ascension Ritual… this was not absolute.
Just like Invigilators were not allowed to converse with students. However, this did not prevent them from standing behind and letting out a scoff as a warning of error after reading the completed answers.
And if the Host harbored malice towards a particular Ascender, it would be even easier to misguide them in the wrong direction—after all, Ascension Rituals had never been mandated to be fair.
At least, all Ascension Rituals hosted by Apostles of the Great Philosopher were unfair… Their Extraordinary Abilities were stripped away while requiring them to clear the challenges with intelligence, which was a blatant favoritism towards Ascenders of the Path of Wisdom.
Seeing everyone fall silent and look at him, the Fiery Wings of Life let out a self-satisfied hum.
He emitted a voice as tender as a child’s, neither male nor female: “I will be hosting this Ascension Ritual!
“I am one of the Fires Above the Candlemaster, the Fiery Wings of Life.”
The little deer with fiery wings said this, pattering on the ground and running a few laps in front of everyone. It was as if it were showing off the fiery wings behind it.
When it returned to the central high platform, the fiery wings behind it suddenly expanded two to three times, and their shape and color became much more complex than before. Many dark gold totem stripes appeared on its fair body, making it look much more solemn and dignified.
And under the gaze of its flame wings, which resembled eyes, a mature young male voice overlapped with its tender voice:
[The time limit for this ritual is three hours, with a real-world ratio of three to one.]
Upon hearing this, Eivass frowned slightly.
Three hours… Such a short Ascension Ritual?
This time might not even be enough for a single battle, so how could nine people decide on a winner?
The Fiery Wings of Life continued to recite the rules:
[You must survive until the end of the ritual and complete the Special Victory Condition upon early settlement.]
[Because this is a New Moon Ritual, kill rewards will be awarded as points. At the end of the ritual and settlement, the winners will be chosen based on their held points from highest to lowest; if six ritual participants die or voluntarily withdraw, the ritual will be settled early. If the Special Victory Condition is not met at this time, it will be deemed a loss.]
“Voluntarily withdraw…”
The old mage repeated the rules, realizing something.
“Any questions!”
The fiery wings behind the Fiery Wings of Life retracted, returning to its childlike appearance, and it asked seriously in a childish voice, as if imitating adults: “Please speak!”
“Does voluntarily withdrawing count as death? Will there be punishment? How should one voluntarily withdraw?” The old mage “Pelican” precisely asked what everyone wanted to know.
“Voluntarily withdrawing counts as ritual failure, but not death. Punishment will be administered as per ritual failure. If you are already severely injured or disabled, you will also bring the corresponding condition back to the Material Realm.”
The Fiery Wings of Life answered seriously: “But when voluntarily withdrawing, you must raise your hand and clearly state ‘I surrender.’ You can withdraw after I approve and confirm.
“Therefore, everyone, if you feel you have no chance of winning, remember to surrender early. There’s no need to lay down your life here. The difficulty of this Ascension Ritual is very high, and failure is normal… If you surrender in an emergency during battle, you will not be able to withdraw immediately.”
This was the only Host among all the Ascension Rituals Eivass had participated in who clearly told the Ascenders, “If you can’t do it, just give up, your life is more important.” Moreover, he proactively pointed out all the potential pitfalls.
Truly an Apostle of the Candlemaster.
Although he got angry after being bothered for so long, he was still kind and gentle after calming down again…
Seeing that the others had no further questions, the Fiery Wings of Life resumed its sacred posture and spoke in a steady voice.
[The winner of this ritual will be three people, and there is a Special Victory Condition.]
[The Special Victory Condition for this ritual is: “Choose Three,” “Bound by Sin,” and “Sacred Resurrection.”]
[“Choose Three”: When there are only three ritual participants left, one person must be eliminated within the time limit, otherwise all three will be deemed to have failed.]
[“Bound by Sin”: Ritual participants killed by other ritualists will not die immediately. Instead, they will follow the killer in an indestructible soul state and cause curse interference, or choose to continue completing the mission to earn points. Each person has only one chance; if the killer is killed by another Ascender while a soul’s curse is in effect, the curser will also be resurrected.]
[“Sacred Resurrection”: In this ritual, the ritual participant among the dead with the most points will be resurrected at the end of the ritual and directly win.]
[The Dream for this ritual will be constructed by the “Twin,” with the script and bonus point details handled by the “Candlemaster.”]
[The difficulty of this ritual is “Real.” True death in the ritual will inevitably lead to death in reality; permanent disability in the ritual will inevitably lead to disability in reality.]
—Undoubtedly.
This was the most difficult Ascension Ritual Eivass had ever experienced.
And this was the only ritual where “there was still a chance even after death.”
It was even more than just “having a chance”…
In this Ascension Ritual, death could even be considered a rather effective strategy!
Although Eivass had not yet seen the specific mission list, he had keenly realized… in a sense, dying the earliest would grant a huge advantage.
By observing the abilities of others, or by seizing the opportunity to complete missions and earn points, they could instead grasp the initiative!
Conversely, those who were still alive… even if they survived to the end, they would ultimately have to go through a “Choose Three” timed elimination.
After stating the rules, the Fiery Wings of Life did not immediately start the ritual but paused to look at everyone.
“Do you have any further questions?”
He asked seriously: “Before the ritual begins, you can ask me now.”
“…These are very explosive rules.”
Crown Princess Noel narrowed her eyes.
Child of the Moon Andrea lifted her head proudly: “A New Moon Ritual should be like this! My last New Moon Ritual was hosted by the Great Philosopher, and it was a headache…”
“Because you have no brain?”
The Clown, Laro, commented sharply: “You participate in New Moon Rituals because they don’t require you to play a role, right?”
“—Wait a moment.”
And before Andrea could unleash another sharp outburst, the old mage Sandro, codenamed “Pelican,” immediately asked: “How many people can be resurrected by ‘Bound by Sin’? How long does the curse last, and is there any interval?”
“The duration of one curse is only three minutes, and it can be used once per hour, causing great trouble to the cursed… When death occurs, all cursers will be resurrected together, and their souls can communicate with each other, though unseen by others. Any other questions?”
“I have no questions.”
The old mage pondered, nodded.
“—Then, the ritual begins.”
As the last word from the Fiery Wings of Life fell, the World once again plunged into darkness.
(End of this chapter)
