Chapter 902
Key of the Devourer (Part Two)
Eivass fell silent, looking up at Lucifer.
He was so tall that it reminded Eivass of his experience facing the Prince of Giants back in the day.
Thinking about it now, the giants probably grew so tall because of that trace of bloodline left behind by Supreme Heaven.
When Supreme Heaven was the King of Winged Ones, he must have been just as tall…
“…He and I are different.”
Eivass took a deep breath, wanting to adopt a stronger stance and utter more forceful words. But in the end, he could only let out a pale, ashen whisper: “Don’t lump us together.”
This was vastly different from the righteous indignation and powerful words he had used when telling Cardinal Galatea, “I am not a snake.”
For some reason, when facing Lucifer, Eivass felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. It was as if he had truly done something wrong, or as if his conscience had been wounded by those pure, childlike eyes.
Eivass’s words were less of an angry warning and more of a helpless defense: “I don’t remember anything… I’m just a discarded remnant.”
There was a hesitation as if he truly owed him something.
It was like he had done something he shouldn’t have to him in the past, and that shame and remorse were deeply ingrained in his heart. Time had passed, and he had long forgotten the stories and people of that era, yet he still vaguely remembered that sense of debt.
But he truly didn’t know him!
“I generally speak the truth.”
Eivass said seriously, “And I’ve never harbored any malice towards others.”
“The serpent is the same,” Lucifer replied without hesitation. “The serpent always tells the truth when he lies.
“Every single word he speaks, when taken individually, is the truth—aren’t you the same kind of person?
“You say, ‘I always speak the truth,’ but in your heart, you’re thinking things like, ‘Sometimes when I lie, I still tell the truth,’ or ‘Foxes are very good at lying.'”
“…Don’t read my mind!” Eivass frowned.
“I’m not reading your mind, because the gates of all beings’ hearts are open before me. Just as you can see colors and smell scents, the Winged Ones can sense others’ ‘hearts.'”
Lucifer simply smiled gently and knelt on one knee again. “However, you and the serpent are indeed different. When the serpent lies using the truth, his heart always believes it wholeheartedly. But you tell yourself words to convince yourself… because you still cannot accept falsehoods as truth.”
Eivass felt an inexplicable anxiety—after merging with Alistair again, achieving mental peace and perfection, he rarely felt anything that could stir his heart.
Yet now, before the remnant soul of a Heavenly Envoy from the Old World, Eivass felt like an ignorant child.
“Why do you always kneel before me?”
Eivass frowned deeply and retorted sarcastically, “I am not your king, and there is no need for you to be loyal to me.”
“Because you are too young, much younger than the serpent.”
Lucifer showed no anger and patiently explained, “I need to be at eye level with you to show that our positions are equal; and I kneel to you to express goodwill—the serpent taught me this. He told me that kneeling is a ritual used to distinguish between superior and inferior.
“I have no intention of conquering your being or your soul, nor do I wish to use the authority of the ‘King of Winged Ones,’ so I will lay my wings here. This is a reverse ritual, signifying friendship. Like sheathing a sword, retracting claws, and folding wings.”
As he said himself—being the love and radiance discarded by his original self, Lucifer’s words were indeed filled with goodwill.
Eivass also realized his lapse in composure.
He pursed his lips and frankly admitted his mistake, “I’m sorry, I don’t know why… I lost control of my emotions just now.”
“That’s a good thing.”
Lucifer said gently, “This proves that even the ‘serpent’ feels some guilt about this matter—he had to cut off his guilt to avoid affecting his actions. Doesn’t this prove his friendship with us?”
“…Is that what you think?”
Eivass was momentarily speechless.
He didn’t know how to explain—even though Lucifer had learned human language, he couldn’t quite grasp the way these ancient beings thought.
“Yes,” Lucifer nodded slightly, the golden giant as radiant and flawless as he appeared. “His feelings for us are genuine; he had to abandon us for a higher purpose. Just as his kin would sacrifice their lives for a burnt offering to reach Supreme Heaven.
“He did not gain my consent to make me a sacrifice. I am not satisfied with that. But he felt guilty and pained by it, so I forgive him. He cut off his good, and that became you. Your pain for this is his past pain; when people sin, they must repent, and repentance requires atonement.
“So I ask you—will you still deceive me, like the serpent did in the past?”
After explaining, Lucifer repeated his previous words and extended his hand toward Eivass.
However, at this moment, Eivass’s mindset and understanding had completely changed.
He was gradually beginning to understand Lucifer’s thoughts—
The handshake just now was a reunion with a past friend; this current handshake was truly a “first meeting” directed at Eivass himself.
“I will not.”
He said firmly, shaking Lucifer’s massive right hand tightly. “But I will not make promises like ‘ I will never betray’ or ‘I will never lie’…
“All I can say is—everything I do, I do with a clear conscience.
“I will never do anything I would regret. And I will not cut off the part of myself that regrets.”
Hearing this, Lucifer smiled happily.
He said gently, “Then you and he are not the same person.
“First meeting, my friend. You are very much like one of my friends… What is your name?”
“…Eivass.”
Eivass did not reveal his surname. After a long silence, he only stated his name.
Compared to the family represented by the surname “Moriarty,” the name “Eivass” was the name Eivass truly recognized—his True Name.
He believed that Lucifer would be able to sense it.
Although he was merely a remnant soul, a fragment of consciousness, a pile of embers, or a solidified, yellowed photograph here… he was no longer the same person as the one who had become a Fallen Heavenly Envoy.
But at least this sincerity, Eivass hoped, could be sensed by the other party.
“I sense it, friend.”
Lucifer laughed lightly and relaxed. “As expected, it was worth it to keep guarding here all along…”
“…Guarding? Worth it?”
“When you do something, you must see it through to the end. This is also a lesson the serpent taught me.”
Lucifer mentioned the serpent in almost every sentence, but Eivass felt that he had a point. “The serpent said that if you give up after persevering to the end, it’s almost the same as giving up from the beginning. Therefore, if you’ve made up your mind, you must go to the bitter end and never turn back.
“Since the day my old self ascended, I have been guarding here. I watched the sun forever shine upon the Earth, and all things in the world remain unchanged. I can feel the passage of time outside, and the preservation technique is gradually wearing away. The power of the Path is seeping in, and the souls of those children I preserved here are slowly turning into demons, until no one is left to talk to me.
“But I thought, I must at least wait for the first group of people to arrive here. I will tell them how the sun died, and how the stars were born; I will tell them the truth of what happened back then, and let them know why the Fallen Heavenly Envoy was born… I want them to be wary of the serpent’s ‘lies of truth.'”
At this point, Lucifer looked at Eivass and smiled. “But I didn’t expect… the first person to arrive here would be the ‘serpent’ himself, just like in the past. Oh, I’m sorry… I forgot, you are not the serpent. Just a friend who looks very much like him.
“Now, my mission is complete…”
“Wait a moment!”
Seeing Lucifer’s body gradually becoming transparent, as if he were going to deliver his last words, Eivass hurriedly stopped him. “Tell me the story of the ‘serpent’! And how I should be wary of him… I am now an enemy in conflict with him! But I know nothing about him…”
“…Are you perhaps the shed skin of the ‘serpent’?”
Lucifer’s words were astonishing.
Seeing Eivass’s pupils constrict slightly, Lucifer smiled. “Because the ‘serpent’ mentioned you to us.
“He is not a god, yet he knows much about divine matters. I also asked him, and he always told the truth—he said he was reborn from the future to this present time, and that the distant future had ushered in the end of the world. He had gone through several cycles but had never been able to break the reincarnation. His familiarity with me stems from this.
Lucifer said gently, “He said that he became friends with me every time. He seemed a little sad when he said it. I didn’t understand why then… but now I know. It’s because each time, he needed to rely on me to ascend again.
“But I think… if this is the reason, then there’s no need to apologize to me. The destruction of the world, the rotation of time, and the recurrence of countless calamities—the most painful must be those who are still struggling. On the other hand, we who live in a daze live happily and die peacefully.
“He harbored the intention to kill me eventually, yet he came to be my friend. I only enjoyed the happiness of having a new friend, while he had to endure the torment of his conscience.
“He told me that he would leave behind many shed skins. In every era, he would constantly sever his tail and cut out a large part of himself and his most important memories, letting them experience life, and after they swelled, he would reabsorb them. He used this method to maintain his humanity. Although I don’t know why he, not being a Pillar God, would lack humanity…
“The serpent said that a person can only have one pair of eyes and one life in this world. People can only see what they see and experience what they experience. But by cutting oneself apart, one can have many lives… If a problem cannot be solved with one’s own knowledge, perhaps someone else can solve it.
“Looking at you, you should be able to solve the doomsday, right?” ‘
The voice of the golden giant was gentle and calm, exuding warmth and strength. “Cheer up.
“Since you are correct, then you shall be the one to devour him.”
“I will… devour him? Devour the Ring Heavenly Envoy?”
Eivass’s pupils widened.
Was this truly possible to achieve?
“Of course.”
Lucifer affirmed, “The serpent said so. The serpent never lies. In past cycles, there have always been victorious serpent skins. He himself was a serpent skin in a certain history, no longer his original self. Since he could win, you can win too.”
Hearing this, Eivass was enlightened!
This was incredibly important information.
Many unsolvable problems were instantly understood—
Eivass understood almost everything!
Why the actions of the Ring Heavenly Envoy seemed so disconnected from the actions of the ancient Ring Heavenly Envoy, so stubborn about leaving this world; why the Pillar Gods all bet on Eivass, yet none of them tried to kill the Ring Heavenly Envoy in advance; why the Shepherd ultimately forgave and spared the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, using his own life to thwart the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s plan; and…
Eivass’s system!
—It was subtly different from his own predictions before entering the Sky-Piercing Tower.
Now, he could basically dismiss the theory that “the system comes from the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s memories”—because the Ring Heavenly Envoy was inextricably linked to the birth and destruction of this tower; there was no part of it that was unrelated to him. Under these circumstances, how could the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s memories be missing something from here?
Thinking carefully, there was one more thing—
When Eivass briefly became a Cardinal, he saw these words in his newly crafted **[Seal of the Cardinal]** robe:
**”—Hey, hey, hey? Can you see these words?”**
He had already dismissed the possibility that these words came from the Lord of Scales and Feathers, and now it seemed… they were so cheerful, it didn’t seem like something left behind by the Ring Heavenly Envoy. It felt more like Eivass himself… a more cheerful Eivass.
Eivass had no objection to having a system because he had the memories of the game **Ouroboros Ring** from Earth. In other words, because it was all within his cognition.
But the problem arose.
The game did feature “James Moriarty.”
But James had returned from the apocalypse!
He had clearly only lived one life, and it was a life where the Ring Heavenly Envoy chose to become the “Endless Knot,” a life where the Ouroboros Ring ritual did not unfold!
—If his own experiences were exactly the same as in the game, then what about the previous seven lives that had the same memories?
James clearly didn’t have a deep memory of Eivass, otherwise, his attitude towards him wouldn’t have been like that. But if Eivass had memories of the apocalypse and a system that allowed him to learn rapidly, there was no reason for him not to become someone important.
In other words, the Eivass of previous lives most likely didn’t have a system or the memories of **Ouroboros Ring**!
The “past life memories” that were originally taken for granted now seemed to shatter into countless pieces of glass.
From this perspective… there were only two possibilities.
One possibility was that the “Eivass” without the system or the memories of **Ouroboros Ring** was considered a “sacrifice” from the very beginning. They were not special, just like the other serpent skins.
And a mere nine lives would certainly not be enough for Eivass to gain expertise in so many professions and items, to master and construct a nearly perfect system in advance. Therefore, what constituted the system was all the “serpent skins” split by the Ring Heavenly Envoy, and it certainly wouldn’t be like this life… where only the Shepherd and Eivass were split, with no extra serpent skins.
Another possibility was that the plot of **Ouroboros Ring** in Eivass’s memory never existed from the beginning.
This was clearly impossible—because even the actions of the Ring Heavenly Envoy himself were predicted within the “game plot.”
And if this possibility were excluded…
Despite the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s strong animosity towards Eivass, repeatedly trying to possess his body, he never truly acted; he clearly knew that Eivass had already made countermeasures for the Ouroboros Ring and had the support of many Pillar Gods, yet he still proceeded with the plan as if he knew nothing…
Various strange behaviors were explained at this moment.
—He was trying to “restore” the game plot!
Regarding those “serpent skins,” Lucifer said they “had the most important part of the memory.” And for the Ring Heavenly Envoy, what was the most important memory?
It was his proof of being a traverser, of coming from another world!
He continuously divided his memories as a traverser into the Material Realm, cultivated a naive “traverser,” and then devoured one after combating the other. Through this method, he ceaselessly emphasized “who I am” to avoid forgetting himself during the long reincarnation.
Although the Ring Heavenly Envoy had lived nine lives, in a sense, he might have only lived three lives…
In the very first era, there was no James, the Savior who returned from the future, nor was there Eivass who had a love-hate relationship with the Ring Heavenly Envoy. He became a Heavenly Envoy from ancient times, became the Pillar God “Ouroboros Ring,” but was completely unable to save the world…
Perhaps the Ring Heavenly Envoy realized something then.
Afterward, he prepared for a very, very long time… He led the “Fallen Heavenly Envoy” onto the “correct path,” brought James back from the day of the world’s end, gave the Sacred Entity to Jacob to be cut… He awakened Eivass and his system, cultivating the most crucial piece.
—The most important thing about a “key” is that it fits perfectly.
If the lock were changed, the key might not work.
But this key could not be replaced no matter what… It was the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s “true self”!
Therefore, the Ring Heavenly Envoy, for the sake of this key, created a lock in reverse!
He prepared the stage, prepared the script, prepared the actors, and restored everything to what was seen in the game, until the actors appeared—and then he shattered it all.
He dared not kill Eivass directly, nor dare he possess him… because he was afraid that his own excessive interference would cause a BUG in the “script”!
At that moment, Eivass recalled something he had said to Professor Moriarty:
**”—If I am a key, then ultimately I will be a Key of the Devourer.”**
Back then, Professor Moriarty had smiled happily.
Eivass didn’t know why he was smiling then… but now, he seemed to understand a little.
The professor might not have known the “history” that he hadn’t experienced, but he was the one who could best sense the traces of destiny being manipulated and changed!
He realized that the destiny of this world was being controlled, and finally realized that the “key to everything” was in Eivass.
That’s why he smiled so happily when Eivass said that sentence!
“My friend.”
At this moment, Lucifer said gently, “If you lack courage or strength… then accept my gift.
“When you stand before the serpent, please give him my regards. Tell him, I never hated him.”
As he spoke, his entire being gradually faded and vanished.
And the three pairs of tangible white wings inlaid with gold behind him fell to the ground with a clatter.
The residual voice of Lucifer still echoed in the air:
“I’m just a little sad—we could have faced the doomsday together, and he wouldn’t have had to be so alone… so lonely that he went mad…”
(End of this chapter)
