Chapter 863
Eivass of the Fifth Tier
“If you fail, you’ll come back to be a Pillar God?”
Eivass had wanted to say something more, but Candlemaster’s statement choked him.
Since Candlemaster had spoken this far, it would be impolite not to choose [Candlemaster’s Horn]. Anyway, the [Child of the Candlemaster] form already provided necessary resurrections. Compared to [Endless Mercy], which only offered combat resurrection within three seconds of death, [Child of the Candlemaster] could provide a ritual resurrection to bring back someone who had long been dead. In the past, only Master Amber could do this!
Of course…
What truly attracted Eivass was its other trait.
—It could heal the gelled state.
Although Eivass’s Sin Thorns Fruit already had a similar ability, this one seemed more thorough. With its help, Eivass could allow the Pure White Saintess to break free from the gelled state early. At that time, the Supreme Holy Crown could be worn by someone else!
…Although he had only been Pope for a month, Eivass felt he had had enough.
It was fun at first—being able to control everything on the giant tree at will. He felt like he was playing a simulation management game, excitedly moving things here and there; or helping a fallen child here and healing a sick person there… He was no longer bound by his own body, no longer hungry, no longer tired, no longer drowsy… and no longer deluded by desire. He had a more noble, more sacred, and omnipotent posture—he could capture anything with “soul perception,” yet it was difficult for people to detect him.
He could enter any place at will, flip through books, enjoy the scenery, and sneak some offerings. Gravity could no longer bind his soul; he could fly with his thoughts, and space and distance could no longer consume his time. Every day he idly watched the sun rise and set, helping anyone he could. He could initiate private chats with any Elf in the Church, no matter where they were, and bring them over to chat.
—If there were a god walking among mortals, this is likely what it would be like.
But as Eivass gradually got used to that life, he felt the boredom and emptiness of having nothing to do. What bothered him most, however, was the loneliness. Although he could chat with many people and enjoy the lively human world… for some reason, he felt lonely. Was this god walking on earth not also a prisoner bound to the earth? No wonder the candidates for the Eternal Saintess had to get used to that kind of day-to-day calm and repetition. The position of Eternal Pope, while noble, was indeed not something a mortal could do.
Pope Eivass, originally lost in “nothingness,” could accept such an empty life—rather, he was gradually falling into nothingness, and thus didn’t realize he was on a path of self-destruction. But now that he was whole again, he realized he still found it difficult to accept this peaceful life.
Eivass was always restless. Just like when he was in school, he would always find something to do. That feeling made him feel fulfilled. So Eivass chose [Transcendent Snake] and [Candlemaster’s Horn].
Unlike the “job promotion animation” of the Fourth Tier. Perhaps because there was no professional advancement, or perhaps because of Candlemaster’s gentleness… Eivass did not feel much pain during this promotion.
Those two light spots turned into purple and red light spots, circling Eivass. Then they entered Eivass’s body one after another. He was bathed in intense warmth, as if lying on a beach basking in the sun.
But then, Eivass felt a burning sensation. It was like getting sunburned while basking in the sun—
The intense tingling and pain made him rub his skin uncontrollably. As he did so, his fair skin turned dark, withered, and peeled off, revealing layers of dark purple snake scales. Soon, Eivass’s entire skin became transparent and yellow. It was stripped away like sheets of paper, revealing scales all over his body.
At this point, Eivass unconsciously touched his forehead. There were two warm horns there. They were small, only two or three centimeters long, but they felt very comfortable to the touch… like a kind of jade, or like holding a hand warmer in winter, with a heartwarming gentleness.
The moment he confirmed the antlers, Eivass returned to reality. He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, his right hand still touching the antlers on his forehead.
“…I really grew horns.” Eivass’s mood was rather complicated. How should he cover them up? They were currently smaller than half a little finger, so a hat might work. But if they continued to grow… perhaps he could wear a headband and pretend he was wearing a deer-antler hat? In the future, he could truly say, “I’ll charge you to death”—for a male deer, headbutting is an important self-defense method.
Immediately, a warm power poured out from the depths of his soul, beginning to transform his body. A stronger Path of Devotion and Power of Transcendence surged forth together, achieving a subtle harmony. Feeling the power that had been missing half of it now complete, with no further obstacles, Eivass finally understood everything…
…No wonder Candlemaster wanted them to fuse early. Their promotion speed was too fast. If they had advanced separately, it would have resulted in the birth of a true Pope with “saint-like devotion but an utterly empty heart, willing to sacrifice his life for any ordinary person,” and a madman with “overwhelming desire, a Mark of Sin deeply ingrained in his soul, willing to sacrifice anyone to achieve his goals.”
“…The gap in Path Power from the Fourth Tier to the Fifth Tier is this intense.” Eivass looked down at his hands. Although they only appeared to be glowing, he could feel—the muscles and bones within were constantly being renewed, transforming into a more powerful form. Now, weapons of mortals could hardly injure Eivass; even if he stood in a sea of fire, the flames would not burn him in the slightest, but rather heal his wounds… even without using the Fire Worship technique. Bullets could not harm him in any way; his reaction speed was so fast he could even catch them. Extraordinary beings below the Third Tier… even if Eivass did not resist at all, they could not break through Eivass’s defense in any way.
In the ignorant ancient times, he might have been revered as a god by people. He felt that his current self, compared to his self from a day ago… he could beat at least three of them. And with almost no pressure. Eivass even felt—even with physical strength alone, he could wrestle and easily defeat a Fourth Tier demon!
“This is… the power of the Fifth Tier?” He had finally reached the same level as the powerhouses of the ‘Great’ generation. Now, even without relying on information or intelligence disparity, Eivass was truly among the world’s top powerhouses. Eivass’s promotion speed was so fast that he didn’t even have time to master many skills. In less than half a year, he had advanced from a mortal to the Fifth Tier. Soon, a new system panel popped up in front of Eivass:
Sin Scholar LV40: [Great Sin Ritual – Level 9 (0%)], [Phantom Demon Contract – Level 14 (50%)], [Curse – Level 6 (60%)], [Shepherd’s (Essence) – Level 3 (0%)], [Demonology – Level 8 (44%)]
Illuminator LV40: [Basic Praying – Level 8 (90%)], [Fire Worship – Level 8 (89%)], [Illuminate Spell · Radiance – Level 8 (0%)], [Shepherd’s (Flesh and Blood) – Level 8 (50%)], [Dawn Fire – Level 2 (60%)], [Blessing · Illuminations – Level 6 (0%)]
Mana Pool: 284/284 (None), 0/42 (Wind)
Path Traits—
[Transcendent Snake (Golden): When you confront an enemy of a higher Energy Level than yourself and fail the check, your next check gains an additional +2 priority (Divinity)]
[Candlemaster’s Horn (Golden): You can now sacrifice two-thirds of your current HP to transform into the Mythical Form · Sin Eater Beast, and continuously consume Light/Fire attribute Mana to maintain the transformation. You will revert to your original form after your Mana is exhausted.]
[In the ‘Sin Eater Beast’ form, you can only use abilities of the Path of Devotion. You are considered a high-tier Phantom Demon of the same Energy Level and Path of Devotion; you possess Divinity; you can freely control Sin Thorns without consuming Mana, similar to how a Dragon uses its breath ability, and you can also devour Sin Thorns to recover Mana; you gain perpetual recovery, as if you are always under the effect of Illuminate Spell or Fire Worship; your death in this state will result in reincarnation in the Material Realm as a Phantom Demon Egg; you can be banished to the Dream Realm with banishment abilities; while in the Dream Realm, you do not need to consume Mana to maintain the Sin Eater Beast transformation.]
[The more Mana you use in this state, the higher the conversion rate will become. When the conversion rate reaches 70%, you cannot return to human form. After the conversion rate reaches 80%, you cannot enter the Material Realm.]
[Current Conversion Rate 5%: As long as the Sin Eater Beast is on the field, all friendly units gain a 300% bonus to healing amount, and your ‘Light’ and ‘Fire’ attribute damage ignore 33% resistance; you can use the privileges of blessing, purification, recovery, healing, resurrection, and wishing like Candlemaster’s Apostle.]
Looking at these attributes, Eivass remained silent for a long time, then let out a quiet sigh. He immediately contacted the Pure White Saintess.
“Come here,” Eivass said. “I have a way to solve your gelled state problem.”
