Chapter 858
The Number of Metamorphosis
Alistair didn’t hesitate for long.
For her, there was only one answer.
In this timeline, the Ouroboros Ring incident never happened, the Material Realm and the Dream Realm were completely separated, and thus, the world-ending calamities lacked a foundation. Eivass did not become a Savior, but instead lived out his later years peacefully as a Prince with Isabel… Under these circumstances, the Ring Heavenly Envoy and Eivass were no longer enemies.
As a new Path that was born less than a century ago, it was not easy for Metamorphosis to produce a Sixth Tier. Eivass could very well have become the strongest metamorph, the Elemental Emperor, as “the closest person to the Ring Heavenly Envoy.” Not to mention, the angel before her clearly used elemental power.
Anyone who had no understanding of Eivass might also mistake the angel before them for a living Apostle of the “Endless Knot.” After all, it clearly stated that it came under the command of the Endless Knot.
… But to Alistair, both were undoubtedly wrong answers.
Because to her, Eivass could only have one identity, and she would only accept one answer.
Alistair pushed open the door marked “Eternal Pope” without hesitation.
—Only Eternal Pope Eivass was the Eivass that Alistair knew from her past.
Alistair walked resolutely through the fantasy corridor, various thoughts surfacing in her mind.
The Shepherd’s Method…
Why did the Shepherd’s Method, activated by the Shepherd’s blood, work on Eivass?
Wasn’t the Shepherd an Apostle of the Ring Heavenly Envoy?
Unless the Shepherd himself was part of the Ring Heavenly Envoy, just like…
“Am I like Eivass…?”
Alistair murmured softly.
The Mystical Art that the Ring Heavenly Envoy used to cut out Eivass previously was not the Two Forms Gap of the Hourglass… but His unique “tail-cutting” method. As the name suggested, “cutting off the tail to survive”… meant that the “tail” was definitely regenerative.
If Eivass was not the first “tail-cutting,” and there was another tail-cutting before this—perhaps it was the Shepherd!
She vaguely remembered seeing a work in her past life. A villain in it had the ability to divide his power among others, and then reclaim it after the other party had cultivated it.
Alistair’s current vague impression meant she had definitely seen it in her past life. But her memory was not clear, which indicated that the Ring Heavenly Envoy had not shared this part of the memory with them.
Separating the self, nurturing power, and then reclaiming the original self…
… So that’s what “Ouroboros Ring” meant!
The tail-cutting method, the Art of Pasturing… the Ouroboros!
—The answer was on the riddle from the very beginning!
Now, the Shepherd had clearly been re-absorbed by the Ring Heavenly Envoy, and the part belonging to the Shepherd had returned to the Ring Heavenly Envoy itself. This was why the Ring Heavenly Envoy wanted to perform the Ouroboros Ring ritual on the Fallen Heavenly Envoy… The Fallen Heavenly Envoy had already been nurtured by the Shepherd, so He needed to reclaim this “lamb”!
However…
As long as her devotion remained unwavering, the established Shepherd’s Method was almost unsolvable. The Shepherd had almost succeeded in nurturing the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, and only a slight oversight at the last moment prevented it.
When he attempted to sacrifice the Fallen Heavenly Envoy to himself, he lost all his power due to the backlash of the Shepherd’s Method.
… But what if.
What if the Shepherd did it intentionally?
Suppose the Shepherd himself was a “fragment of devotion” cut off by the Ring Heavenly Envoy, meaning his essence was very similar to Eivass’s. His desire for devotion was so strong that it could nurture the Fallen Heavenly Envoy… This meant his desire for devotion was even purer than Eivass’s.
—How could such a Fifth Tier, or even Sixth Tier Extraordinary, deviate from their Path so easily?
And in such a rebellious way—completely destroying the foundation of their Path and causing their own technique to backfire!
Unless…
The Shepherd’s act of actively absorbing the “Fallen Heavenly Envoy” was itself a form of devotion!
He realized his essence and the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s fate—if he absorbed the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s power, and then he himself was absorbed by the Ring Heavenly Envoy, the Ring Heavenly Envoy would gain all the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s power.
This was why he chose this method… to release the Fallen Heavenly Envoy from this conspiracy at the cost of his own life.
Since that ritual was not completed, the Ring Heavenly Envoy was fixated on the Ouroboros Ring ritual and had to pull the Fallen Heavenly Envoy down first.
The purpose was to become the complete “Ouroboros Ring”—because there was still a part of the Shepherd’s essence within the Fallen Heavenly Envoy!
And if the Ouroboros Ring ritual was not completed, He would only become the “Endless Knot,” which was the hidden danger left by the Shepherd in the past!
Just as the angelic Eivass had spoken Helchin’s name and summoned the Butterfly… He didn’t need to do that. His current abnormal actions could only have one explanation.
— That He was asking for help.
Even if the Ring Heavenly Envoy used the Shepherd’s blood for pasturing, it was not a normally completed Shepherd’s Method. Because the current Ring Heavenly Envoy lacked the desire for devotion to match His Transcendent Path power.
Alistair still had a chance to turn the tables!
She only needed to cover the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s pasturing with a stronger, purer Shepherd’s Method!
—The liquid soul hanging around her neck was a Soul Shard left behind when Eivass’s Path of Devotion ascended to the Fourth Tier. If she drank it or infused it into her body, she could temporarily gain a part of “Eivass’s” soul, thereby achieving a balanced Path.
Both Fourth Tier, with perfectly balanced Path Power!
… But that was originally a treasure Alistair had intended to use to rebuild her Phantom Demon body.
She had originally wanted to use this bottle of liquid soul to transform herself into a Blood Angel, which was why she had managed to get it back from Isabel. If she wanted to turn herself into a Beast of Sin, this bottle of liquid soul was a necessary material. All of this was to ensure she would not be forgotten…
Therefore, Alistair remained silent even when little Fernando’s injuries needed it for treatment.
—But now, Alistair had no choice.
If she wanted to keep the unconscious Eivass, she had to use it.
Even…
… Not only that.
“Not only that…”
She stopped at the third painting, murmuring, “Not only that…”
—More was needed.
To ensure success.
To ensure the Shepherd’s Method would definitely succeed…
Because there was only one bottle of this soul, she had no second chance.
At this time, the metal door was almost completely shattered.
Alistair finally saw what those dark yellow claw marks, with their keratinous texture, truly were—
It was… Amber.
Amber, half-solidified, sealed within the door!
As if it had been frantically scratched, leaving countless deep and unforgettable beast claw marks, like scabs resembling healed scars.
But even so, this scarred Amber Door had not been destroyed. Not even a crack had been breached.
“No matter how frantic the beast is, the Amber Wall still stands tall… a fitting metaphor.”
Alistair strengthened her resolve and stepped through the door.
It was a scarred door, a silent door.
This was Alistair’s seventh answer to a question… and the eighth time she had entered the world of the Ascension Ritual.
The Sacred Number is Eight… this is the Number of Transcendence.
It is also the Number of Metamorphosis!
(End of Chapter)
