Chapter 986
Great Sin Card: Holy Blood Angel
Leaving the Spirit Tower, Eivass felt a bit heavy-hearted. He didn’t understand why Adolf, whom he wasn’t particularly close to, would make such a sacrifice for him. Eivass could only engrave his self-sacrifice into his memory. If, one day, he were to use Adolf’s life force, he hoped he wouldn’t waste that sacrifice.
Afterward, Eivass returned to Avalon to prepare for something else.
May 9th – with hardly anyone else knowing, Eivass traveled alone to Star Antinomy, the place where he had his final battle with the Fallen Heavenly Envoy. Now that the Fallen Heavenly Envoy was dead, and the second Heavenly Envoy had not yet been summoned by the Ouroboros Ring ritual, this was a rare period of peace and leisure.
Eivass had chosen this date deliberately. The sum of five and nine was exactly “14.” “Number 14” was the beginning when Eivass truly obtained the identity of “Alain,” and it was the source of Alain’s appearance and body.
A week had passed, and the liveliness here exceeded Eivass’s imagination. There were people coming to sightsee, to pay homage, to paint, to take photos, and even to secretly dig for obsidian. Eivass even saw his own cult proselytizing among the crowd. The preacher sternly criticized those who were digging obsidian, intending to damage the “miracle land,” and someone was being interviewed. Compared to the currently deserted Star Antinomy, this place was surprisingly crowded. Eivass, hadn’t done so in a long time, used the ability of “Illusory Blood” to transform into Beyad’s appearance, carrying many things on his back to avoid being accosted by the fervent crowd.
Eivass observed from his spot for a while, sighing with emotion… then returned to the ruins of Crescent Moon Manor. Fortunately, it hadn’t been completely destroyed by the aftermath of Eivass’s battle with the Fallen Heavenly Envoy. The once magnificent and extravagant manor was now as dilapidated as a haunted house. It was also nearly half destroyed. Eivass navigated around the bricks and thick dust on the ground, relying on his memory to return to the room of “Number 14.”
The items in that room had long since been emptied. There was no bed, no cupboard, not even the glass on the windows or the window frames were left. It looked no better than an unfinished building. Eivass stood in the room, looking out with a hint of nostalgia. The deep mountains and dense forests of his memory had now been damaged by the battle. Only sparse trees and large areas of charcoal and torn earth could be seen.
He first offered a prayer, asking the emissary of the Candlemaster for help in cleaning the room. The dust-filled room was cleansed by a holy whirlwind and was also sanctified. At the same time, Eivass unbuckled the travel bag on his back, took out the materials he had brought, and sorted them.
First, a bottle of golden liquid soul. He had just been resurrected, and his soul was now complete, just enough to squeeze out a bottle.
Next was the “Nun Set” that Eivass had taken off. He had already prayed to the Envoy of Mist and received permission.
Then, a total of fourteen bottles of blood – the combined amount was roughly equivalent to all the blood in an adult’s body. Eivass hadn’t directly scooped blood from the blood pool where the Corrupted Blood Angel was raised in Daffodil Territory. Because Eivass had a bit of a潔癖 (cleanliness obsession), he found the blood there to be impure. Therefore, the blood here was basically all provided by Eivass himself. He provided twelve bottles, Isabel, wanting to join in the fun, provided one bottle, and the last bottle was provided by Selene, the Moon Witch. Her blood possessed a strong creative power, making it an excellent ritual material.
Then there were two Tarot Cards.
— Priestess.
— The World.
The former represented intuition, sensitivity, insight, and inner guidance. It symbolized “the moon, femininity, and the self.” The latter was the last card in the Tarot deck, foretelling eternal achievement and continuous success. It was also the “Ring.”
Eivass had made up his mind – attribute was irrelevant, whether it was water or earth, Alain came first. If it was water, he would find another earth-attributed Beast of Sin; if it was earth, he would try to turn Leviathan into a Beast of Sin… If not, then so be it.
Finally, there was the most valuable and unique “sole material.”
— Eivass’s complete corpse.
Eivass took out his corpse, which was wrapped in a body bag and bound with bandages, with his arms hugging his knees. Both the corpse and the blood had been processed with the Preservation Technique, so they could be preserved for a long time without rotting.
He put the complete Nun Set on his corpse, then pried open its eyelids and, using a glass rod inserted between the eyeball and the bridge of the nose, carefully poured the liquid soul into it. The dry, lifeless pupils began to gain a lively spirit. Eivass then opened the lids of the fourteen bottles of blood and chanted in a low voice:
“I beseech Hengwo, the God of Sacred Number One, the God of Death and Rebirth, the God of Long Sight and Blindness!
I respectfully request the Banquet Heavenly Envoy, the Heavenly Envoy of Eternal Feast, the Heavenly Envoy of Gluttony!”
Eivass prayed to both Hengwo and the Banquet Heavenly Envoy simultaneously.
“In the name of the Moon and the Dragon, please reshape the body before me into a divine form—”
This was a ritual to forcibly transform a Child of the Moon. Other races, besides Children of the Moon, could also be transformed into Children of the Moon through this ritual using a corpse from the Path of Love. Eivass didn’t have much affinity for the Path of Love… however, it contained a part of Sister Sasha’s essence. The body of the newborn Alain would have the blood of Eivass, Isabel, Selene, and Sasha flowing within it!
But if it were just this, it would only be creating another Child of the Moon. However, Eivass’s prayer was not yet complete—
“In the name of the Mark of Arrogance, I command the power of the Fallen Heavenly Envoy!
Eivass continued without pause, declaring loudly, “Heavenly Envoy of Great Sin, Fallen Heavenly Envoy—hear my summons!
I have clarified my sins, grant me the Mark of Lust!”
Now that the Fallen Heavenly Envoy was dead, Eivass no longer had to worry about creating a card attracting the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s attention. With the death of the Fallen Heavenly Envoy, the Mark of Sin had become a “natural power.” Just like Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire, anyone could use it freely, so the prayer didn’t need to be too polite.
However, the Great Sin power that surged out of nowhere still halted the ritual. Three entirely different energies entered Eivass’s corpse before him! The prayer terminated due to an error, but two distinct energies had already flowed into the hands of Eivass, who was in the state of a Child of the Moon. Within Eivass’s body, something vague detached itself and merged into the corpse.
The next moment, blood surged, and the corpse melted—
With crisp laughter, in an instant, the mass of blood transformed into someone infinitely familiar yet completely different. She looked exactly like the young face from “Number 14,” but her calm and joyful smile had a drunken, fervent quality.
“Nice to meet you… my Master…” The pleasant voice came from before him, sounding completely different from when he heard his own voice. Her crystal-clear eyes, like rubies, shone with radiance. Behind her were two “blood wings,” twisted like spiral tentacles. Each wing looked like four intertwined blood-red vines, or like transparent rubies. The total number of blood vines was eight.
Alain retracted her spiral wings into her body. She gazed at Eivass, her expression complex, passionate, and focused. She knelt on one knee, extending her hands in an empty cupping gesture as if craving something.
“Long time no see, Alain.” Without needing to communicate, Eivass knew what she wanted. Eivass cut his palm and squeezed out blood like a tightly gripped lemon… dripping it into Alain’s palm. Alain quietly licked Eivass’s blood. As she licked, dark red patterns began to appear on her bare, white skin.
“…What should I call you?” Eivass gazed at Alain and said softly, “My other half?”
“No,” Alain’s flushed face, like that of a drunkard, calmed down after drinking the blood. “I am merely your subordinate… who shares the same memories as you.”
This was not a betrayal. It was a concession. She had abandoned her past, determined to accompany Eivass in a new form. It was as if one of two spinning stars had transformed into the satellite of the other.
“You and I now are so much like Ah Huan and you… but we are completely different,” Alain said softly and stood up. She wiped the remnants of blood in her hands on Eivass’s cheeks, murmuring, “Because we are connected by love…” She cupped Eivass’s face with both hands and gazed into his eyes. Her eyes were brilliant and bright. It was a proud gaze that seemed to have stared directly at the burning sun.
“Please form a contract with me, let me accompany you. We will never become a new snake and its tail… because we will never separate.”
“Okay.” Eivass did not hesitate at all. There was no need for pleasantries between himself and himself. He understood Alain completely, just as Alain completely understood him. Even though they were heading in completely different directions, this understanding was like these two cards leaning against each other, fused together—
“The current me is… Holy Blood Angel,” Alain said, word by word, proudly. “Alistair Crowley!”
“Alistair Crowley, I call your name now… bestowing upon you the Mark of Lust.” Eivass continued, raising and displaying the cards in his hand, solemnly declaring. The next part was chanted by Alain herself: “My life is your life…” Eivass continued chanting: “My fate is your fate—
—Obey me, Phantom of the Path of Love!”
There were no flashback memories. They didn’t even enter a hallucination—the entire process was completed directly in the Material Realm! Because their minds were synchronized from the very beginning. A giant, horizontal black magic circle instantly formed on the ground, enveloping Alain and rapidly ascending. At its highest point, a fox pattern appeared in the sky. Dark red circular marks were branded around the fox pattern—then the magic circle began to collapse from the outer edge, leaving only a crimson ring about one meter in diameter.
Two brand new giant Tarot Cards, one above and one below, were slowly printed from the void, appearing above and below the ring. Crimson lightning connected these two cards, as if some magnetic force was drawing them closer. The Priestess now had two intertwined snakes behind her head, but overall, the card was still composed of blue and gold. The World transformed into the Cosmos—the angel stepping before the ringed gate had taken on a completely different form. The divine maiden symbolizing “Eve” was in the center of the ring, and the circular ring, composed of countless paradoxes, resembled a water droplet or a womb. At the four corners were divine beasts symbolizing Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. Eve was entwined with a colorful snake, its head connected to the sun, and the sun was within a giant eye.
Finally, as the two cards gradually formed and became clear, they slowly moved towards the center. The moment the two cards fused together, they suddenly burst into light, condensing into a transparent pink card. It looked like a pink diamond, with a fox’s head outlined in blood-red. Eivass reached out and wrote his name. Its attributes immediately became apparent.
[Great Sin: Holy Blood Angel (Priestess, Cosmos)]
[Level: 50]
[Path of Love, Attribute: Water]
[True Summoning · Holy Blood Manipulator]
[Requirement: Water 5]
[Instant, Self, Continuous Effect]
[Effect: Manipulate any amount of one’s own fresh blood, separating it from the body and sanctifying it into Holy Blood. It can be freely manipulated, deformed at will, condensed into ice, or dissipated into mist. It can be mixed into any fluid up to ten times its volume while maintaining control; Holy Blood can be consumed to heal oneself or others; the closest distance for Holy Blood to oneself must be within sixty meters, the farthest distance is unlimited; however, Holy Blood must be condensed into a single entity, with no interruptions in between.]
[Inverse Summoning · Holy Blood Angel]
[Requirement: Water 5]
[Maintenance: Water 5 * Daily]
[Action, Summon]
[Effect: Summon the Beast of Lust · Holy Blood Angel to fight for you. The Holy Blood Angel is considered a summoned creature; in a non-combat state, the Beast of Lust · Holy Blood Angel can transform into Alistair Crowley and enter a follower state. Only one Great Sin Beast can exist at a time.]
…Duration? Eivass wasn’t entirely sure, so he looked again.
Was the True Summoning’s duration infinite? So strong! Eivass was quite moved – did this mean he now had an “auto-attack” ability?!
Wait? He suddenly saw a line below and was startled: “The follower form is… Alain?!”
“Precisely,” Alain’s voice, unheard for a long time, echoed in Eivass’s mind. “This way, we can never be separated like a snake and its tail. I am you, and you are me… we will always be together. You are the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s tail, the key that opens his door. I am also your key… the key to opening the future. Not all keys are without price, just as you will eventually become a master-devouring key, and using me—” Alain drawled. Eivass waited for her to finish. But in the end, Alain let out a bell-like light laugh:
“…There is no price needed. Because I am you.
—Because I love you (myself).”
(End of Chapter)
