Chapter 852
Endless Knot
Ai Shiping
Eivass’s expression turned solemn in his soul state. He scrutinized the “Eivass” before him.
Flaming, messy, bright golden short hair stood upright, with wisps of purplish-red radiance flowing within his eyes like smoke. He was bare-chested, with clearly defined muscle groups, and his skin was a coffee-colored tan. His skin was covered in numerous silver runes, interlocking to form formations and mystical sigils that exuded a strong sense of mystery. They pulsed with the abundant elemental power in the air, continuously inhaling or exhaling the radiance of the four colors: blue, red, white, and yellow. Behind this “Eivass”, these splendors formed a colossal halo composed of flowing, four-colored light.
His mere presence projected an overwhelming aura. To describe it, it was “resplendent divine might.” This was entirely different from Eivass’s fair, jade-like skin, where muscle contours, though visible, required touch to truly feel. The “Eivass” before him gave the impression of someone who could “kill a person with just a few bare-handed blows.”
…Compared to the “aged Eivass” depicted in the painting, Eivass was more inclined to believe this was someone else he had long anticipated.
“Ring Heavenly Envoy…” Eivass murmured, “I finally meet you.”
He was the mastermind who entangled Eivass in a grand deception, making him a focal point of numerous schemes and conspiracies. He was the planner and executor of the Ouroboros Ring ritual, the primary culprit behind many world-ending crises. He was also the god who intended to devour Eivass’s existence… the true transmigrator, Ai Shiping. He had even stolen Eivass’s precious past life memories and name… or rather, he had never allowed him to retain them. In a sense, Ai Shiping was even Eivass’s true self and creator.
Until now, the Ring Heavenly Envoy had only appeared as a cryptic, riddle-speaking figure. Eivass was somewhat caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a personified Ring Heavenly Envoy. Eivass had originally assumed he would encounter this being only after defeating the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, the Calamity Demon Dragon… or even his foster father. He expected this entity to be waiting in some dark palace, awaiting his challenge, a fated opponent with whom he must decide life or death…
But now, He had appeared so early. So early that Eivass was completely unprepared, lacking even the time to build up any emotion.
“You should actually call me Endless Knot now,” Ai Shiping said with a smile, appearing quite amiable. “But Ring Heavenly Envoy works too, whatever you prefer…” He took a half-step back, observing Eivass as if appreciating his most perfect creation. “This timing is difficult to find.”
The Ring Heavenly Envoy sighed, “Only when your Soul of Transcendence is separated will you listen to me calmly. But I cannot easily descend to the Church’s domain, so I could only wait for you in the Dream Realm…”
“…Meaning,” Eivass frowned slightly, “you came before me because I died?”
“If you or Alistair died, I would come. You two must be separated… If Alistair attacked me, you would come along too, right? That would be problematic,” the Ring Heavenly Envoy said smilingly. “This Basenji, if it goes mad and bites someone, then it’s a keycap.”
Eivass did not understand what he was saying, but he could keenly sense it was not a compliment. His brow furrowed, yet he had to admit one thing: without Alistair present, he did have the patience to listen to the Ring Heavenly Envoy, and he was indeed full of curiosity.
“…What exactly do you want to do? Steal my body and ascend as the Ouroboros Ring?” Eivass retorted, “Aren’t you sufficient as the Endless Knot?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think you’re special?” The Ring Heavenly Envoy smiled somewhat helplessly. Although his tone was gentle and patient, there was an undeniable arrogance and indifference in his words. “I don’t need you to achieve the Ouroboros Ring. You don’t even understand what the name ‘Eivass’ means.”
“Listen well, Eivass—I am your shepherd. Both you and Alistair have been parts of me separated from the beginning. You’ve merely forgotten too much, thus developing self-awareness… Therefore, if I ever need to complete myself, it won’t be ‘stealing your body,’ but reclaiming my property.”
“Then what if,” Eivass said in a deep voice, “the final outcome is… I devour you?”
“…Heh.” The Ring Heavenly Envoy chuckled, completely unfazed. “If you can truly do it, then by all means. The Shepherd’s Method is just a bridge, not the destination. Whose consciousness is the main body is a trivial matter for mortals still bound by flesh. Once you die once, you’ll know it doesn’t matter. This is like the synopsis of a novel… while important, it’s not essential to read the contents. The most crucial part is the story itself.”
“When you become me, you will eventually choose the same path as I did. I understand you as I understand myself. I know what I have divided, and I know what you will choose. That’s why I asked that question just now…”
“…To let more people survive?” Eivass muttered softly. He countered, “Is this the reason you perform the Ouroboros Ring ritual?”
“Oh?” The Ring Heavenly Envoy’s expression remained unchanged, a benevolent smile like a divine statue. He spread his arms as if stretching. “Then let’s look at this world. This is a world where I haven’t performed the Ouroboros Ring ritual—what do you think?”
“…I think it’s not bad,” Eivass said honestly. “Extraordinary Power has merged with technology, it’s like…”
“—Like our past lives, right? It’s even more interesting now. Yes, if you consider the level of interest, or the development of civilization, then that’s correct.” The Ring Heavenly Envoy slightly lowered his eyes, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
“Speaking here, you might not have an intuitive feel for it.” He said, reaching out and placing a hand on Eivass’s shoulder.
The next moment—
The surrounding world was abruptly rewritten. Above the pale purple sky, silvery-white stars transformed into meteors streaking alongside Eivass. And a deep purple river surged like waves. The Ring Heavenly Envoy stood on a small piece of ice, flowing with the current. He had left all the stars behind him. Before him lay only an endless darkness that seemed to swallow everything—where the river had not yet flowed, everything was a murky, unstable darkness. Only after the Origin River had passed did it finally manifest as beautiful purple.
“This is…”
“The Eighth Origin River, River of Easier Conditions,” the Ring Heavenly Envoy said calmly, looking up. “You or I—one of us will eventually obtain the power of this river.”
“…Do you crave power so badly?” Eivass murmured.
“Crave? Power?” The Ring Heavenly Envoy laughed as if hearing a joke. “No, you fundamentally misunderstand what it means to become a Pillar God. Once you step into this Origin River, you become an immune-to-reincarnation Pillar God, and eventually return here.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the void ahead. “Do you know what that is?”
“…” Eivass did not answer. He pursed his lips, his brow furrowed. Is this truly… me? Although I was a piece cut off, why is there such a vast difference between us?
“That is the non-existent Tenth Origin River, the Void. I prefer to call it the ‘Whisper of the Void.'” The Ring Heavenly Envoy turned back to Eivass. “You must have heard of it, right? In another worldline… in the worldline where ‘New Avalon’ was called ‘London’, the story of the world being frozen in twilight on December 31st, 1999, the moment after midnight.”
“I will tell you this story from another perspective. This world has restarted eight times. On that day, the world didn’t destroy itself… it was ‘frozen.’ These eight thousand years have been cycling repeatedly. Amber preserved this world, and she was elevated to Pillar God for this achievement. Since then… the entire world has been perpetually circulating within Amber. My authority over reincarnation was not shattered before that… but was given by me to Amber.”
The Ring Heavenly Envoy calmly looked at Eivass. “Have you used the second effect of the Shepherd’s Method? Granting Phantom Demon power to others—and as we all know, Heavenly Envoys and Pillar Gods are also a type of Phantom Demon. I gave all my Pillar God power to that girl. She is the living pillar of this world.”
“…The girl within Amber, isn’t she an ‘erroneous’ Pillar God?” Eivass realized he had misunderstood something earlier.
The Ring Heavenly Envoy countered, “Why would you assume that all Origin Rivers must have an assigned Pillar God? You fundamentally don’t understand what it means to become a Pillar God. It is the living pillar of this era.”
“If becoming a Pillar God came without a price… then how did you yourself come to be?”
(End of Chapter)
