Great Sin Ritual of Sealing Phantom Demons

What should I do?

Yulia asked softly and obediently.

Even when she heard that Iver was going to extract the Phantom from her body, she didn't think that Iver wanted to kill her—even though, according to current technological common sense, the Phantom cannot be extracted while ensuring the safety of the host.

It wasn't that Yulia believed Iver actually possessed this technology.

Rather, Yulia genuinely believed that Iver would never harm her under any circumstances.

They grew up together, relying on each other through the most difficult and lonely times, and have never left each other since. Although they are not related by blood, the trust between them surpasses that in most families.

"Take out that amulet, Yuli."

Iver took the still-warm amulet and asked Yulia with a smile, "Aren't you curious about what's inside?"

"I think it might be the Flame Essence."

Yulia analyzed carefully. "Judging from the thickness of the amulet, the stability of its temperature, and the degree of heat accumulation, its main material should be fire essence that has been imbued with Fire Attribute magic."

"It has a subtle spicy sensation, and the ingredients may include ginger or cinnabar; but after it accumulates heat, it does not give a scalding feeling, so there should be ruby or amber as stabilizing materials, or perhaps sapphire is added for a calming effect."

The girl's voice was soft and sweet, like something out of a fairy tale, but her words were calm and rational.

"You're a genius, Yuli."

Iver praised her without reservation.

She could roughly deduce the materials she was using just by touching them.

Iver wasn't surprised. He knew that Yulia was a rational and mature girl.

Although she always acts all soft and gentle in front of me, it's just her being coquettish.

He had seen Yulia reading. She would carefully write dense reading notes using different colored pens and neat, beautiful handwriting.

When Yulia asked her adoptive father questions, she was always very serious. She would earnestly discuss matters related to her field of study, her delicate little face always stern, and her pen almost never stopped writing.

Yulia's bedroom was almost devoid of toys.

Girls of this era loved dollhouses and enjoyed playing with those exquisite Doll. But Yulia's only toy was her strange Little Bear doll, which looked as if it had been cut in half from the front with a knife and then sewn back together with thread.

In Yulia's bedroom, besides a large number of books and reading notes, there were some things that even boys her age might not be interested in.

Besides a complete set of the finest alchemical equipment, her bedroom also contained a telescope, numerous circuit components, and various woodworking tools. Yulia's bookshelves were all hand-carved and adorned with intricate carvings.

She had previously been interested in bicycles. However, her health didn't allow her to ride or go out. Moreover, as a young lady from a wealthy family, she wasn't permitted to play with such an unseemly new toy.

So Yulia did some research and made an Elven Style bicycle model out of wood and chains. If you cranked the pedals, the raised wheels could even turn.

"After today, you will be able to get rid of this body."

As Iver spoke earnestly, he pulled out two Tarot Card from the amulet, their front sides glued together, leaving them completely blank.

He held the card between his right thumb and forefinger, with his thumb hooked to his side—keeping the Hanged Man above and the Sun reversed below. He then gestured for Yulia to do the same, pressing her right thumb and forefinger against the other side.

It's about to begin.

Iver took a deep breath. He couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

This matter concerned Yulia's safety. She completely trusted Iver and therefore remained calm. Iver, on the other hand, was slightly uneasy.

But he knew he had to remain calm.

So he began to steadily infuse his magic power into the area.

When Iver infused more than ten points of mana, the entire card became scorching hot. It emitted a faint red glow, like a red-hot iron block.

As Iver continued to infuse Fire Attribute magic, the Tarot Card, which were still mortal objects, were completely burned to ashes by the flames.

Even so, it was as if an invisible rope still bound Iver and Yulia together. They were grasping something in the void, and a golden-red stream of light flowed and swayed back and forth between them.

As Iver further infused his magic, he began to chant in a low voice. "I beseech the Sacred Number Master, the God of the Three, the God of Thorns Binding the Body, the God of Burning Body Chasing Darkness."

"—I solemnly call upon you!"

"Take care of the fire in my heart as you would a candle in the corner."

But Iver's chanting did not end.

"I respectfully request the Fallen Angel."

Without pausing, Iver immediately raised his voice and solemnly declared, "The Great Sin Angel, the Priest of Fallen Depravity—"

"I have recognized my sins, and I am willing to bear the Mark of Sloth!"

When Iver simultaneously performed two prayers with completely different objectives, the prayer ritual collapsed due to the conflict.

Great Sin Scholar are unlikely to be priests, therefore they do not possess the Prayer spell.

Because the moment the ritual was completed, an aura was already being drawn in—and because the ritual collapsed immediately upon connection, it would not disturb the Nine Pillar Gods or the Fallen Angel.

It's like a phone call that's been dialed but hung up before it even connects.

At the moment the prayer collapsed, two distinct auras, resulting from the failure of the prayer, surged into his card.

Theoretically speaking, that's a form of punishment.

But punishment itself is also a form of power.

—The Great Sin Ritual is a ritual that simultaneously borrows the power of the Nine Pillar Gods to suppress the Phantom Demon and uses the Great Sin Power to seal it! The radiant and scorching aura of the Candle Master flowed downwards from Iver's eyes into his body. His eyes suddenly ruptured and bled, two lines of bloody tears slowly sliding down.

The crimson aura, mediated by Iver, flowed upwards through the illusory bond between Iver and Yulia.

The cold, dark aura of the Fallen Angel slowly rose, guided by Iver to the area beneath the ligament, where it transformed into a tray.

The dark red and black auras intertwined, constantly adjusting their frequencies. An increasingly violent, scorching storm roared in all directions, and Lily couldn't help but retreat, shielding her face with her hands.

As Iver's magic continued to slowly flow into the void, the phantom within Yulia finally awoke.

Her already red pupils suddenly brightened, and her expression changed. "What are you doing?"

The Paradox Flame Butterfly sensed a strong threat.

A powerful suction force emanated from the void where their fingertips were touching; it was a feeling that was both incredibly familiar and incredibly warm.

"Yulia" looked like she was going to glare fiercely at Iver, but she didn't look fierce at all at the moment.

Iver simply stared at it expressionlessly.

Soon, Yulia's expression turned pitiful again. "Save me, brother, I'm going to die—"

"You won't die. Neither you nor Yulia will."

"Iver answered softly."

Then, he called out the name of the phantom, "Paradox Flame Butterfly! I call your name now, and brand you with the Mark of Sloth! My life is your life, my destiny is your destiny—"

"—Obey me, Phantom Demon of the Path of Dedication!"

Iver's voice boomed, majestic as a god.

The aura of the Fallen Angel slowly moved between the two, pushing towards Yulia.

It was merely a bridge built with a little Dark Attribute magic, yet it was enough to connect their hearts.

A crimson, illusory chain emerged from Iver's heart and swiftly pierced into Yulia's body.

It was a chain built by Iver's "soul" and "fate," an extremely fragile thing formed from all the lives Iver had experienced so far.

Only this thing... can resonate with the phantom demon after being injected into its body.

In that instant, everything went black before Iver's eyes.

He seemed to be hallucinating, or perhaps he had gained some of Yulia's memories.

Or rather, those were memories left behind when the "Paradox Flame Butterfly" controlled Yulia's body—

Most of them were Yulia, panting heavily, coughing in a corner. Her clothes and blankets were gradually scorched black, and white smoke billowed from her body.

Others uncontrollably erupted from her entire body in flames, with faint streams of flame forming butterfly wings behind her.

And Iver also saw the familiar "warehouse".

That was the warehouse where the explosion had occurred.

Yulia staggered forward, her body covered in cracks like broken porcelain, coughing violently from time to time, coughing up large clumps of dark red powder.

The powder floated in the air like butterfly scales or ruby fragments.

Like red stars filling the night sky, they looked incredibly beautiful in the dark warehouse.

They continued to absorb the flames bursting from the cracks in Yulia's body, becoming increasingly bright.

When the density and brightness reach a certain level, it explodes with a bang!

Yulia was thrown back by the blast wave and crashed to the ground.

She was struck hard on the back, writhing in pain on the ground, coughing violently. But she couldn't cough up blood; only red powder and fleeting glimpses of flame appeared.

Yulia's barely suppressed cough filled Iver's ears.

"I want to... become healthy..."

Her voice, heavy with emotion, rose in a low whisper, "I want to live..."

The next moment, Iver's vision was plunged into darkness.

In complete darkness, Yulia lay naked, curled up, fast asleep in the deep red crystal.

The crystal shell, seemingly filled with blood, was now riddled with cracks. Silver-white runes clung to it like tape barely holding together a broken vessel.

Yulia floated in the crystal with her eyes closed. Her body was covered in gruesome wounds, from which the blood seemed to flow, or perhaps to extinguish the flames gushing from the wounds.

So that's how much pain she was in...

"I've come to save you."

A flutter of emotion stirred within Iver, who murmured softly, "I made it... Yuli."

"You will live. I swear."

Floating in the void Iver slowly raised his illusory hand and gently pressed it onto the Red Crystal.