During the unfolding Ouroboros ritual, Ivus felt his consciousness gradually being withdrawn.

And the Ouroboros Ring Ceremony, after being supplemented by the pastoral law, seems to have completed a certain key. The shepherding method in his body automatically flowed, and his mana and life force were constantly drawn into the void.

Ivus felt a strange feeling of dizziness, as if he had fallen asleep in a bathtub.

When Ivas woke up again, he saw a strange sight -

He was suspended in the dark void of chaos, his feet not touching the ground.

And in front of Aihuas, a strange door appeared that gradually lit up.

It was a door to a ring of crimson light. It is like a sunset that has been gouged out of its heart, and it is like a golden-red sun that has been blocked by a solar eclipse. It was spinning slowly but steadily, its edges emitting heat and steaming with golden-red flames.

— like the ring that appeared on Lancelot's chest.

Ivas looked at it, but it always felt as if something was missing.

In an instant, Evasford turned to look back.

I saw that there was another "door" behind him.

It is a crystal snake that bites its own tail and circles around to form a symbol of "∞".

Judging by the oval head of the snake, it may be a non-venomous snake. The Crystal Serpent is an intoxicatingly beautiful purple color overall, with a translucent body and a small gradient of cyan, red, and yellow.

“…… The fire of nothingness, and the serpent of infinity? ”

Ivus muttered.

The art of shepherding comes from the mysterious skill of the Celestial Division.

The dedication and transcendence of the Celestial Division, which transcends the path, leaves behind the dedication and transcendence power......

Thinking of this, Ivas stretched out his hand and touched it a little nervously but firmly.

When his hand touched the crystal serpent, it rippled like his fingertips touched a lake. It twitched in discomfort, and the beautiful crystal scales contracted and expanded, and it spun a little faster.

While the ritual is running, it is very dangerous to modify the parameters in it. If you're not careful, you'll be torn apart by an out-of-control ritual. Eivus dared to do so because after he obtained the Book of Law, knowledge of the Ouroboros Ring Ritual was etched into his brain, as if he were the inventor of the ritual himself.

He won't forget a single penny of it until Ivas "takes it out".

I saw that the color of the purple serpent's body had changed slightly—it had changed from a celestial division pointing to the path of love, to an apostle pointing to the path of authoritarianism.

The Ouroboros Ring is a forbidden ritual that pulls Tenji down. But if you just pull the apostle down, the cost will be much smaller, and the stability of the ritual will be improved. At least it shouldn't have killed Lancelot on the spot......

But just as Ivas was concentrating on modifying the ritual.

Suddenly, he heard a voice.

"I am the serpent of secrets, curled up like a snare: and in this coil there is joy."

…… What?

Ivus was stunned for a moment.

This is exactly the language in the Pastoral Tantra.

- Even though he had never heard it with his own ears, he felt it immediately...... That should be the voice of the Celestial Division!

It was a strange voice unlike the Divine Entity, which he had never heard before.

And His voice kept ringing:

"Red is one limit, and purple is another. My eyes glow red, and my clothes are purple. ”

Hearing this, Ivus suddenly realized what the red [door] was.

That's Snake Eyes!

That's the eye of the Celestial Division!

He met the eyes of the Celestial Division, and when he turned around, he saw His body. Undoubtedly, this is not a complete and continuous space.

Immediately afterward, Ivus heard a soft mockery.

— or rather, he thought it should be a mockery.

"When the world changes, things are eternal.

"The righteous will remain righteous, and the filthy will remain filthy. The king will always be the king, and the slave will always be the slave.

"No one ascends, no one descends, and all things never change. The universe has been frozen like an amber egg; The reincarnation of the world's eternal calamity is like the ring of the tail. ”

Huantenji's voice became softer, as if he was narrating something.

But then, Ivas suddenly felt a great sense of crisis.

Because Huantianji's voice suddenly became high-pitched and excited, a strong sense of intoxication was immersed in Aihuas's body.

The voice continued, "When the serpent ascends into your heart, the kiss of the stars pours out into you."

"Saint Ninety-One, this is a variable! Elevate your body! Your body will be higher than the stars—"

Hearing this, Ivus's heart panicked, and the fingertips that were in contact with the crystal serpent suddenly loosened.

The chaotic sound ringing in his ears disappeared in an instant.

However, the skin of his right arm, which had come into contact with the crystal snake, had already had some fine amethyst snake scales floating on it.

“…… Want my body? ”

The corners of Aihuas's mouth rose slightly: "I won't give it to you." ”

Although I have a general understanding of the motives behind the reason why the Ring Tenji became the Ring Tensi...... But that had nothing to do with Ewas.

But he wondered again - it was just a promotion ceremony, and everything was just a fake. What if you take your own body?

Or is this a simulation of the Lord of the Scales? He's revealing some kind of secret for himself......

By this time, Ivus had already modified the ritual. After he couldn't hear the voice of Huantianji, he was kicked out in an instant.

When he awoke again, he saw Lancelot I half-kneeling on the ground, a look of pain on his face—an almost infinite amount of power pouring into him.

His forehead was covered with fine sweat, but the knight of the kingdom was resolute and silent, and he did not say a word.

These forces are so huge that they can even directly break through the upper limit of the energy level. But Lancelot's body seemed to be overloaded during the ritual......

His red skin was sneering and white smoke was emitting out, and liquid power was flowing through him like flames.

It was as if some glowing creature was swimming under his skin, and every now and then a large bag would swam away and sink into his body.

"Shepherd...... I don't know if I can call you that......"

Suddenly, Lancelot endured the pain and said, "I have seen your portrait...... I've also heard the secrets of the art of shepherding. I know your soul can enter the body of the illusion......"

Ivus looked down when he heard this.

Lancelot, on the other hand, slowly stood up, his tone slow but clear: "I feel it, the ...... that was pulled into me by this ritual It should not be the knight of the crown lord, but the apostle of Xiong Tianji.

"If the body gives her a problem, so ......"

"—I'll give you my body."

"That can't be done."

Ivus smiled helplessly.

Of course, he didn't want Xiong Tiansi's apostle to come—he himself was still marked by Xiong Tiansi. If He had come down, the first person to be beaten would have been Evas.

But Ivus wasn't too afraid. After all, Isabel should have received the message from his side and was heading to the church at full speed.

All he had to do was stall for time—the time to delay the completion of the Ring of the Tail, and at the same time to delay the destruction caused by the arrival of the Celestial Division or the Apostles.

Although the shepherding method and the ring of the tail are both the power of the Ring of Heaven, and the pastor also pulled down the fallen Celestial Division back then......

“…… Wait a minute? ”

At this moment, Ivus was suddenly stunned.

- Speaking of which, how did the pastor pull down the Fallen Celestials?

In the art of shepherding...... Do you have the ability to make Tenji go to the lower realm?

Suddenly, Ivus remembered what Celestial Arcus had just said:

[——When I ascend into your heart, the kiss of the stars pours into your body]

Suddenly, Ivus suddenly thought about his first promotion ceremony.

After Ivus committed suicide from the ritual, he did not die. His soul is still attached to the Iron Hook Demon, which evolved into a deformed limb demon, and can even manipulate the opponent's body to move.

The shepherd was able to throw his soul into the phantom's body.

If you die during a pastoral ceremony, you will ......

Thinking of this, Aihuas's pupils suddenly contracted.

The Pastor of the Year......

Is he really dead?

What if it was not the shepherding technique or the Ouroboros that pulled down the fallen celestial division, but other rituals?

The Ouroboros Ring Ritual is to stuff the soul of the Celestial Division into the body of the material world; Because of this, once you are pulled down by the Ouroboros Ceremony, you cannot be reborn from the dream world until you die, and even if you are reborn, you will lose your authority. But the fact that the Fallen Heavenly Division was able to successfully go back shows that he was pulled down in the form of an illusion, which is obviously not the same ceremony.

…… And if it is pulled down in the body of a phantom.

The shepherding method can stuff the soul of the shepherd into the body of the illusion.

The last one to go back, is it really the Fallen Heavenly Division?

Why can't you be a pastor?

- Why did the Celestial Rim target the Fallen Celestial Division so much? Do you have to pull it off with the Ouroboros ritual?

Huantiansi did not hesitate to lay out for hundreds of years for this purpose......

The pastor is a believer in the Celestial Division.

According to the "Shepherd's Tantra", the pastor originally cooperated with the plan of the Celestial Division, cultivated demons in the material realm, and finally sacrificed all his followers, and pulled down the Fallen Celestial Division. He tried to sacrifice the Fallen Celestial Division to himself, and was thus robbed of all his power by the rebellious pastoral law......

But what if this ending is fake?

Or rather, from an outsider's point of view...... But in reality, instead of sacrificing the Fallen Celestial Division to himself, he sacrificed himself to the Fallen Celestial Division, and his soul thus returned to the dream realm with the Fallen Celestial Division.

So is the pastor a betrayer? Or maybe it's not an active betrayal, but a plan that fails...... Or maybe it succeeded? This is the effect of the Ring of Heaven?

If that's the case......

“…… No, I might be able to. ”

Ivus whispered.

At that time, when he touched the purple ring, the Ouroboros suddenly turned red. If the shepherding method is a special condition for activating the Ouroboros ceremony......

Then, just like his first promotion ceremony, he can also enter the body of Tenji who was pulled down by the Ouchitail Ring!

However, if it fails...... You may die. If you actually die during the promotion ceremony, you will also suffer a heavy blow in reality.

Because neither Lancelot I, nor one of the apostles who was pulled down, could not be judged as a phantom......

With that in mind, Ivas looked at Lancelot I.

He suddenly reacted and realized something else.

From Lancelot's point of view, he didn't know what was going to happen next.

He didn't know if he would be gone, or if he would be nourished by Evas, or if his soul would ascend to the dream realm, or if he would be unharmed. He watched the Shadow Nation for hundreds of years, just to return to the human world. And now that he has just returned, he has been robbed of his body......

Even so, he had no complaints. He didn't go crazy or cry, but took the initiative to give up his body to Evas. Just to prevent Xiong Tianji's apostles from using his body to harm the people of Avalon, whom he no longer knows or understands at all.

The promotion ceremony is indeed a sham. Because in terms of results, it's a fictional story.

But everyone in it is real in their own eyes. The price they paid, all the determination was real. On the contrary, Ivas has scruples because "this is false...... Even if he took much less risk than Lancelot.

If not Lancelot can do it, then why can't I?

…… It's ridiculous.

Can I be considered a devotee?

- In a trance, Ivus gained a deeper understanding of the way of giving.

The essence of giving is sacrifice, but sacrifice does not have to be meaningful.

It was a strong fire, burning forever.

When something happens right in front of you, even if you know you can't stop it, even if you know you can't do anything, you have to go up.

It's just that I can't see the tragedy happening right in front of my eyes.

Obviously, from the very beginning, Ivas was also such a person.

When he first saved Isabel and Sherlock from the promotion ceremony, he had no idea what would happen to him when he died. He wasn't familiar with them at all, they were just a bunch of strangers. At that time, Ivas will be able to give his life for them without hesitation.

When exactly did it start...... Is he starting to pursue "sacrificial efficiency"? Is his sacrifice and dedication starting to grow daunting?

Now his transcendent heart is stronger, but the fire of devotion that was bright enough at first is gradually dimming.

He is becoming selfish.

It takes many times to regain the emotion of his original intention in order to make his path temporarily rebalanced.

Now, it is a trial.

Ivus picked up the dagger and slowly clenched it.

“…… Eat in silence, my lamb. ”

Taking a deep breath, Ivus whispered.

He gripped Arondatte's dagger tightly and aimed it at his heart, waiting for the Ouroboros ritual to end.

Seeing his actions, Lancelot finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He slowly gave up his resistance, and finally nodded at Ivus: "It's up to you......"

Ivas watched as Lancelot's black pupils grew frenzied scarlet.

Determined to die, Ivus slowly pushed the dagger into his heart.

Feeling the cold blade cutting through his flesh, he trembled in pain, his voice hoarse and muffled:

Looking at the killing intent that was getting stronger and stronger when he looked at him.

Evas recited word by word the secret words of the Pastor Tantra:

"—I am for the sacrament, and this is for mercy."

(End of chapter)