Chapter 951
Missing Healer…? Are We Really Missing One?
Eivass sat in the courtyard, gazing at the new moon and pouring his own drinks. The summer evening breeze wasn’t cold, but rather refreshing. The royal garden was deserted, with only a misty white fog evaporating like a scene from fairyland. The mist rising from the lake flowed around Eivass’s feet, reaching past his ankles but not yet his knees.
Suddenly, Eivass looked up towards the depths of the fog. “—Why do you have the time to visit me?” Eivass spoke unexpectedly. A shadowy figure emerged from the mist ahead, gradually approaching. It was none other than the first Black Aspect, the Lich Grunewald. The ordinary skeleton, clad in a tattered black robe, slowly walked over.
“Just to have a chat.” Grunewald’s skull clicked, and a deep voice resonated from within Eivass’s heart. He sat in the pavilion, opposite Eivass. The three jade locks hanging on his chest clinked against his ribs, producing a clear metallic sound. Apart from the dim yellow flames flickering within his skull, there was no trace of any extraordinary power on the old skeleton.
“I assume this is about the Fallen Heavenly Envoy?” Eivass asked casually, “What do you wish to know?” He poured a cup of wine for the old Lich and offered it to him. The old Lich looked down at the wine, and for a moment, he remained silent, his body devoid of flesh.
“Do you have a chance of winning?” Grunewald asked.
“There’s no ‘chance of winning’—I *must* win. If I don’t win, I die.” Eivass’s words were firm. He had no room to retreat. Among all the enemies he was destined to face, the Fallen Heavenly Envoy was considered the weakest. If he couldn’t even get past this hurdle, he might as well die now.
Eivass’s resolve, however, surprised Grunewald. It was clear that Grunewald didn’t expect Eivass to firmly oppose the Fallen Heavenly Envoy. This was understandable. After all, Eivass was currently at the pinnacle of power in the Material Realm. As the former Pope, Prince of Avalon, and the Child of the Candlemaster, he stood at the summit.
Meanwhile.
Although the Fallen Heavenly Envoy had descended into the Material Realm and occupied Star Antimony, it was limited. After the initial fear and despair, ritualists from other nations had gradually analyzed the essence of the Ouroboros Ring ritual. The former god was bound by the ritual and could only act as a mortal monarch, unable to leave the area defined by the ritual—that is, the current territory of Star Antimony. Furthermore, the Star Antimony people had to acknowledge his rule, otherwise, the demon’s power would weaken.
Under these circumstances, no matter how strong the Fallen Heavenly Envoy was, he was merely a prisoner. Not to mention, he was far weaker than he was in the Dream Realm. The suppression of the Wall of Balance was also effective against him. —As for what happens to Star Antimony, it has nothing to do with them. Many people thought this way. Some even gloated… After all, Star Antimony had been very aggressive in the past and had offended more than just Avalon.
Even if Star Antimony intended to launch a war of conquest, that would be a later matter. Furthermore, a demon legion without the Fallen Heavenly Envoy wouldn’t necessarily be unbeatable for them. Therefore, if it weren’t for the desperate conscription by the Church, most countries intended to observe for a while longer. They planned to act only after Star Antimony was completely defeated. This was to avoid depleting their own strength too much in the war, only to be annexed by Star Antimony if they revived.
Of course, the best-case scenario was for other countries to fight while they preserved their strength. Because of this, no country opposed the conscription. Instead, they fully promoted the idea that “this is a righteous war, a war for survival.” Their goal was to incite others to go all out.
“The wealthy cherish their lives.” Grunewald’s voice was low. “I thought you would choose a more conservative strategy.” The so-called more conservative strategy was a gradual advance. This was the mainstream countermeasure against the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s invasion of the Material Realm. It involved retaining a large number of civilians within Star Antimony to delay the fusion process between the Fallen Heavenly Envoy and the Material Realm. Then, troops would be stationed outside to surround and contain, gradually eroding and depleting the demon legion… and then slowly demolishing all the buildings. Although the ritual array, once established, would be invisible, destroying all surrounding buildings could also remove the ritual’s core. This way, the Fallen Heavenly Envoy couldn’t actively retaliate, and their space would be gradually compressed. By sacrificing the entire Star Antimony, the Fallen Heavenly Envoy could be suppressed within a single city with almost no risk.
“Foolish.” Eivass scoffed. “Do they think the Fallen Heavenly Envoy won’t make a move? Or do they think he can’t reach them? You don’t think they believe the Fallen Heavenly Envoy is as powerless as a mortal, unable to destroy them across a river or a street? As long as the Fallen Heavenly Envoy wishes, even if he cannot leave, he can easily destroy armies… you should know this, right?”
“I am a Fifth Tier being, of course, I know.” The old Lich nodded. “But too many people have no concept of Fifth Tier, or even Sixth Tier power. Some are overly pessimistic due to their fear of gods; others are overly optimistic due to their ignorance of power. But if we launch a full-scale attack… many people will die. They won’t hate the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, but the one who issued the order. Because the disaster of the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s descent has nothing to do with them… What happens later is for later.”
“…You think I wouldn’t dare take the blame?” Eivass finally understood the old Lich’s meaning. He merely chuckled, “I also have a part of my transcendent self—what does transcendence mean? Do whatever it takes. I gathered people urgently, on one hand, to compress the time the Fallen Heavenly Envoy controls Star Antimony, thus reducing the fusion rate. On the other hand, it was to prevent these people from having time to react. If too much time is left, they will overthink. But if I don’t give them time, they have to execute immediately. As long as I bring victory in the end, then nothing else matters.”
“…But what if there is no victory? The entire world will likely fall into chaos and despair.”
“Then let the world be buried with me.” Eivass said calmly. He wasn’t joking—but his words did shock the old Lich. He clearly knew nothing of the world’s end, but he sensed Eivass’s ruthlessness and determination.
“Can you help me, Master Grunewald?” Eivass looked up, his five fingers gripping the wine glass as he softly asked the old Lich, “With your help, our chances of victory will increase significantly.”
“…Yes.” Grunewald was silent for a moment. “But I am not skilled in direct combat. When the battle reaches a critical juncture, I will bring the Spirit Tower… With the Spirit Tower, I can unleash my full power. Otherwise, I may not be able to break through the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s resistance.” The old Lich stated frankly.
Eivass nodded gratefully, “Thank you very much for your help. …Besides me, who else?”
“Lixia—or rather, the former Meg, you must know her.” Eivass replied, “And the Grand Guardian of Avalon, he is still young but has decided to join the fight. I have contacted Master Janis, and she is willing to provide assistance, but she probably cannot engage in direct combat. Master Amber owes me a favor, and he has decided to help. And Mr. Zhu Tang from the Taichu Empire… He and Mr. Mu from the East are currently undergoing Advancement Rituals. If all goes well, we should gain at least one, possibly two, Fifth Tier helpers.”
At this point, Eivass decided to reveal some crucial information: “As a Heavenly Envoy who controls the domain of Sin and Punishment, the requirements for confronting the Fallen Heavenly Envoy are rather strict. First and foremost, one must be a ‘good person’—every cardinal sin committed will become a restraint in battle.”
“…I am afraid I am not a good person.” The old Lich sighed, his hollow voice echoing with a bit of sadness. “Or rather, the Fifth Tier extraordinary beings of my generation… are mostly not clean.”
“I know. It is for this reason that many Cardinals from the Church regrettably declined my invitation—the only one confident enough to come is Cardinal Siegfried. He believes he has a noble and pure soul.” Eivass said this. He had originally planned to summon Fafnir and then use the Shepherd’s Method to bind Helchin to his wife or son—but Cardinal Fafnir refused. Fafnir said she could participate anytime, but she didn’t want her son to accept such a cruel fate. As for herself… she didn’t need power mixed with the power of the undead. It would only weaken her power as a dragon.
“…But she said that, and Cardinal Fafnir isn’t sure if she can pass the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s test, so she plans to observe from the periphery. If things go smoothly, she will participate; if not, she will help me deal with the invading Upper Demons.” Eivass sighed. “When she said that, I had already given up hope.” —This was like saying, “I’m not sure if this child is his.” When Cardinal Fafnir felt that she might not be able to pass the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s Great Sin test, she most likely wouldn’t be able to. What surprised Eivass was that Cardinal Matilda also refused him. He had originally thought the gentle Cardinal Matilda was a purely good person.
“However, Cardinal Galatea will come to help, and with me… if Zhu Tang and Mu’s situations go smoothly, we will have a total of eight participants. If all of us pass the test, it will perfectly match the transcendent number.” Eivass said. Actually, this configuration wasn’t very healthy—if it were a game, Eivass felt they were already doomed. The only ones with enough life force to absorb damage were Lixia and Mu. The Grand Guardian, Saint George, and Cardinal Siegfried were both melee damage dealers with some tankiness. Cardinal Galatea, following The Path of Beauty, could be considered a Bard, providing some insufficient ranged output and group buffs. Zhu Tang, as a Great Wizard, was a stationary caster with long casting times. Master Amber could deal some damage, but he primarily provided shields—he was the strongest in Preservation Technique in this world. The shields he created before could even withstand a single blow from the Fallen Heavenly Envoy in his godly state without shattering instantly. Now, the shields he created could obviously defend against the attacks of the Fallen Heavenly Envoy in his embodied state. As for Eivass himself, he was half a summoner and half a healer—Lily and Yulia, whom he brought with him, were considered part of his summoned creatures. Once Eivass recalled the Beast of Sin, they would lose their combat effectiveness. Their priority was not high enough; once separated from the Beast of Sin, they couldn’t deal damage or fight independently, only serving to harass. Therefore, Eivass did not count them.
—So, the problem arises. Eivass’s mana, without using the Light of Paradise, was only enough to activate Paradise Lost three times. If he needed to use other Great Sin Cards, his mana would be insufficient for healing. If the team needed healing, Eivass would have to transform into the Sin Eater Beast. By devouring Sin Thorns to urgently recover mana, he could meet the team’s healing needs—but in doing so, he couldn’t use Paradise Lost for bursting. Because his wings could only be summoned in his human form. Moreover, even if he could recover mana, it would have to be prioritized for output—he couldn’t heal much. If he went to heal, the output would be insufficient. —A whole four melee fighters, only half a healer and half a shield. The only true ranged damage dealers were Zhu Tang and Eivass, and it was uncertain if Zhu Tang could break through the defense. The other ranged fighters were PVP players with crowd control—but they naturally couldn’t control the Fallen Heavenly Envoy. A somewhat despairing team. It was like facing a rush strategy, completely disregarding sustained battles. The only good news was that the two main damage dealers were melee physical classes. Physical damage bypassed priority judgment because it did not belong to Path Power. The damage dealt was genuine… provided it could break through the defense. Physical damage would only be reduced by shields and defense. As long as the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s armor was broken, they would have a chance to deal damage even without priority bonuses. Eivass had originally intended for Cardinal Matilda to fill the healer role—but since she didn’t come, the team’s composition became strange.
“Regarding this issue…” But upon hearing Eivass’s distress, the old Lich’s expression was somewhat subtle. “I don’t think you need to worry.”
“…Why?”
“You’ll know tomorrow.” Grunewald replied.
“…Can you not speak in riddles, Mr. Grunewald?”
“Alright,” the old Lich conceded compliantly, “I came here… because a distinguished guest just arrived.”
“Guest…?” Eivass frowned slightly, slightly puzzled. “Do I know her?”
“Yes.” The old Lich nodded slowly. “She has arrived.”
When Eivass heard “she,” he suddenly realized something. Sensing a powerful, sun-like radiance—Eivass turned around. In the white mist, another figure appeared. “It is you after all…” Eivass breathed a sigh of relief. “Now I have confidence.” Appearing before him was a girl dressed in white hair, white eyes, white robes, and white clothes, radiating like pure color in the white mist. Her body was slender and delicate, her arms and legs so thin they looked like they could break at any moment. Yet, she smiled, her face filled with a motherly tenderness. She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. Only Eivass knew… that just two months ago, she had looked like she was only twelve or thirteen.
“Your Excellency Ruoan Eternal.” Eivass softly spoke, rising respectfully, and the old Lich also stood up. The two bowed to the young girl, who accepted their gesture with a smile. For she was the true former Eternal Pope, who had just stepped down to become a Saint! Eivass was somewhat astonished. “How can you… age so quickly?” —In less than two months! In two months, how could she have aged five or six years? Generally, the lifespan of an Eternal Pope after stepping down should be around twenty years? At this rate… she might not even live for two more years!
“I remember telling you… I burn more completely, and have little time left.” Saint Ruoan said softly, “If there’s a lack of healers, let me be. I will protect everyone. —It’s truly fortunate, to be able to save the world after retiring. My predecessors were not as lucky as I am.”
(End of Chapter)
