A Phantom Demon Heart

[Great Sin Enhancement] is the second most important entry in the Great Sin Scholar's exclusive weapon, after Card Burning.

This is commonly known as "enhancement" or "Card Fusion".

The enhanced Great Sin Card will receive a slight numerical boost to its positive effect, but this is not important.

After all, a few percent more damage isn't a big deal; the important thing is the reverse effect—the summoned Great Sin Beast gains a boost to all attributes. The attribute bonus from Card Fusion multiple cards is additive... in the game, it's 5% per card, so fusing five cards would be a 25% boost.

The Great Sin Beast already has high stats, and with buffs, the enhancement percentage will be even higher.

A 5% stat boost from Demon Dog might be imperceptible; however, a 5% boost to all stats from a raid boss could wipe out the entire raid.

In his Previous Life, Iver had seen some rather unorthodox deck builds in the forums and video websites he visited. By using a specific Great Sin Beast paired with a special deck, one could achieve a "Luxurious Four Protect One" effect.

Normally, the Great Sin Scholar is a dual-burst class with a high skill ceiling.

This means using a dual-track system: at crucial moments, quickly switch to different Great Sin Beast to unleash their skills, and then switch back to the main Sin Beast; simultaneously, the player's main body also quickly draws cards and unleashes various off-hand skills. Normally, the Great Sin Beast on the field provide sustained damage.

"Card Fusion" is another strategy, and it is more suitable for Iver' current situation.

This refers to the "Field Presence Style" playstyle.

The entire deck uses only one Great Sin Beast that can counter the boss, and all cards are used to strengthen this Great Sin Beast, or to enhance and amplify its attributes through Card Fusion. Aside from that, only a small number of cards are included for self-preservation. The remaining Great Sin Beast are either not played, or only used at the beginning to chip away at the boss's health, or for burst damage at the end.

In some ways, this effect might be more suitable for Iver right now than burning cards!

—Because he didn't have any other Great Sin Beast to switch to! And the cards currently registered with Iver— [Shadow Blade], [Thunder Strike Halberd], and [Earthbound Spirit]—can all be activated using Dark Attribute mana. That means they can all be used to enhance Night Demon! Night Demon, already Sixth Level being and at the pinnacle of world power, will be further enhanced by 15%...

With that in mind, Iver decided to give it a try.

He reached out and pressed his hand against the Iver's Book of Law.

One by one, the cards appeared neatly in his mind, while many more were just blank, empty spaces.

Even with the book cover closed, Iver could easily identify which card he had logged into each slot.

As Iver made a thought, the glowing [Moon], [Death], and [Wheel of Fortune] transformed into streaks of light, swirling and flying into the card that was as clear and deep as black crystal.

"Night Demon—"

As Iver called out softly, the Flame Butterfly, which had been quietly perched on his shoulder, suddenly turned into a spark and vanished into the air.

Immediately afterwards, the scattered and vanished sparks collapsed into the void, transforming into a pitch-black card with a raven pattern roughly outlined on it using blood-like lines.

Before Iver could even touch it, it spun half a circle on its own before shattering.

Dark purple lightning and black whirlwind surged out of the void at high speed, and Ligeia couldn't help but gasp.

—As the strongest in Avalon, and even one of the strongest in the world, she actually sensed a clear sense of danger from the Night Demon summoned by Iver!

"My master..."

Viennes murmured softly.

The voice is different from that of the Assassin Miss and Bayard in the past.

She didn't open her mouth, but a soft, dreamlike murmur came from her ear.

Her pale, pristine body was branded with broken, scarlet lines, like a sacred stone statue shattered, its blood seeping out.

Shadows swirled around the Night Demon, its raven-black wings slightly unfurled, countless black shadow feathers drifting in the air. Like snowflakes, they melted away before reaching the ground.

Iver looked up at the Night Demon, who resembled a broken Doll, and saw the two red marks on her face.

He suddenly remembered everything he had just seen in his hallucination—

Viennes raised her head amidst the rain of blood, two silent streaks of bloody tears streaming down her face.

... And at this moment, the cracks on the Night Demon's face were very similar to the paths that the two bloody tears had traced.

In addition, the three wounds and three doors that Iver had previously opened on his body were transferred to Nightmare. She also had three strange scars in the corresponding locations.

The ones on the neck are like crescent moons, the ones on the abdomen are like full moons, the ones on the chest are like spider webs... or perhaps they are like the sun.

Recalling the hallucinations during the contract, Iver suddenly understood why Viennes was the Beast of Jealousy, and why she had fallen almost in love with No. 14 at first sight...

Iver still remembers what No. 14 looked like.

—She looks so much like Viennes when she was a child...not just in appearance, but even in temperament.

As Viennes looked at her, he must have been reminded of his own past. He thought of that damp and cold rainy night, of walking helplessly down the street... of his childhood without friends.

From beginning to end, Viennes was alone.

Her parents didn't care about her, she had no friends who understood her, and she was even betrayed and murdered. Such a corpse became the Child of the Moon, and in her anger, she became the Shadow Fiend—but even the Child of the Moon had no friends among the Child of the Moon, and the Shadow Fiend had no other demon friends.

She walked alone for over four hundred years.

Jealousy is essentially a feeling of loneliness.

Beautiful love, sincere friendship, respect from others, success in one's career...

First, her parents died early, forcing her to take over the company at a young age, depriving her of the chance to play and have fun. Then, as she devoted all her energy and life as a human to building the company into a powerful force, she was betrayed and killed while still very young. After becoming Child of the Moon, she encountered the Shadow Demon just before she was about to "come of age" and be accepted by her kind.

For "Beard," who inherited all of Viennes' memories and was the Child of the Moon, Shadow Fiend, as an Avenger, was undoubtedly her only friend.

And Shadow Fiend probably lacks such an understanding.

The fear of loneliness outweighed the fateful duel. Perhaps that's why the two people who should have fought to the death immediately after meeting ended up making peace.

The Child of the Moon, who possessed eternal life, gave up her life; and the Shadow Fiend, who possessed the mark of rage, also gave up hatred.

The reason Viennes was able to abandon the Wrath Brand was probably because she inherently possessed the inclination towards the Jealousy Brand. If greed is more inclined towards the material realm, then jealousy is more inclined towards the spiritual realm.

For the materially wealthy Viennes, she was always one step ahead. But precisely because of this, she never had a companion by her side.

Since then, the empire has been destroyed and reborn. As the Shadow Demon, she travels between the Dream Realm and the Material Realm, but all the summoners are nothing but mediocre people.

In the end, nothing was left behind.

—Until this very moment.

"Owner..."

The Night Demon called out once more, "I have arrived."

Unlike Shadow Fiend's voice, which was always filled with malice, she appeared serene and pure at this moment.

How are you feeling?

Iver awoke from his hallucinatory memories and asked, "Is the feeling of rejection still there?"

"Also, it's very clear."

"That's what Night Demon replied."

"That's normal. The Sixth Level has already touched the limit of the world. One wrong move and you'll run into that 'invisible wall'... But precisely because of this, there are also ways to avoid the limit of the world."

Ligeia nodded in agreement, saying, "The Eternal Pope also chooses to seal away a portion of her power. She usually chooses to sleep, linking herself to the giant tree and using her body as the central hub of the Theocracy."

"Will prolonged fighting lead to 'equilibrium'...?"

"Iver murmured."

He could roughly sense the gradually increasing pressure in the surrounding space and determine a basic number.

— It takes about three minutes.

After three minutes of unleashing her full power, Iver will need to deactivate her Night Demon form and revert to Night Raven; or simply switch to another Phantom.

But that's enough.

Let alone three minutes... for Sixth Level powerhouse, victory can be secured in an instant.

Just like Meg stopped the war back then, she actually only used two tricks from beginning to end.

The first sentence was to cease fire; the second sentence was to demarcate the boundaries.

Iver murmured, raising his hand. "But you should be able to use another form to avoid it..."

The thought connected to the Night Demon was transmitted to Iver.

Night Demon flapped its wings, transforming into a beautiful Little Crow shrouded in black shadow feathers, and then perched on Iver's shoulder.

It's a very magical feeling.

It's just a bird, yet it gives off a "beautiful" impression at first glance. Perhaps it's because it has no other colors on its body, or perhaps it's because of its ruby-like, crystal-clear pupils.

Iver chuckled, tilted his head, and gently patted the crow's head with his index finger.

The Night Raven gently pecked at Iver's fingertip, causing a faint smile to spread across Iver's face.

—I raised this child myself! Compared to the Paradox Flame Butterfly, who was already Greater Phantom Demon phantom demon when she was captured, the Night Demon was raised by Iver bit by bit.

Looking at it standing obediently on his shoulder, and thinking of the arrogant and dangerous Shadow Fiend of the past, Iver felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

Iver could vaguely sense that even in his partially sealed Night Raven form, Viennes could still use a portion of his power.

Shadows, blood, curses... it's probably at the Third Level of power. Perhaps it's on par with Iver.

Perhaps because her evolution stemmed from the Shepherding Method, Lily's connection with her wasn't severed like the contract between Iver and her. Lily could still borrow a portion of the shadow power from the Night Demon, because the Shadow Demon hadn't evolved into a Balrog—the Night Demon also possessed shadow-attribute power.

However, Night Fiend can no longer blend into the shadows like Shadow Fiend.

Unlike the Shadow Demon, which has no physical form, the Night Demon has a physical form. Its true form is that of a fallen angel, resembling both a stone statue and Doll.

Unfortunately, Iver really didn't know what kind of enemy his Night Demon was going to fight.

Or rather, what kind of enemy is worthy of Iver's use of Night Demons to fight?

Iver summoned Night Demon this time and even used the "Card Fusion" technique to enhance the data by 15%.

If Iver doesn't switch Phantoms again, then this 15% stat boost will remain stuck there. Tomorrow, the Phantom Demon Card that Iver has put on cooldown will be usable again.

If Iver is in danger, she can revert to her original form and quickly resolve the situation.

This is not a battle against the Celestials. If we maintain our world-class power for too long, we might "crash" into the Wall of Equilibrium.

Even so, Iver is practically carrying around an Eternal Pope.

With Nightmare at his disposal, Iver immediately felt more confident.

—Even if Xingti were to go to war with Avalon now, he would be completely unafraid!

Now that Ligeia is still alive, and with Nightmare added to the mix... the "Armored Gargoyle" and "Rune Golem" that Iver previously feared are no longer insurmountable enemies.

"Elder brother."

Just as Iver was teasing the Night Raven, Yulia suddenly spoke up.

For some reason, her gaze became somewhat sharp.

Yulia gazed at Iver and said earnestly, "The ritual that gave Lily power... can it be used on me?"

Iver looked at Yulia with some surprise.

In his memory, Yulia had never cared about supernatural powers. She was less interested in those things than in Mountains and Rivers, mathematical formulas and theorems, mechanical parts, and reagent bottles.

He thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Okay, but we'll have to wait for Isabel to come back. I'll prepare the ceremony for you then."

Iver didn't do this before mainly because he was too afraid to.

Because the Paradox Flame Butterfly had only recently been removed from Yulia's body, and Yulia had been tormented by it for far too long. Just seeing it might remind her of her painful past. Therefore Iver dared not mention it too much.

But now that Yulia has taken the initiative, she must have moved on from the past.

Fortunately, Iver doesn't need the power of the Paradox Flame Butterfly for the time being.

Yulia herself has a close connection with the Paradox Flame Butterfly, so she should be able to quickly master this power that "originally belonged to her".

And coincidentally, Iver also wanted Isabel to see the "Shepherding · Essence" ritual.

Who knows, she might also want to be shepherded by Iver!

Although Iver currently does not have a suitable power to give to Isabel... if Isabel has such a wish, when Iver captures a new Great Sin Beast in the future, he can also use "suitability to share power with Isabel" as one of the selection criteria.

This can be considered a gift.

Iver still remembered the "Isolde's Tears" that Isabel had given him.

Iver originally intended to return it to her upon his return, but Isabel firmly refused to accept it.

Iver couldn't very well force them to return it... that would be too hurtful.

... Moreover, Iver didn't really want to pay it back.

It wasn't that he was attracted to the special effects of the equipment itself, but rather because it was the first piece of jewelry Isabel had ever given him... and it was even the Isabel always wore.

When Iver put on the necklace, he felt his heart pounding erratically. Something indescribable was flowing within him, like gasping for air in the face of a storm—making him restless.

He was always the one offering kindness to others.

Very rarely... I've experienced this feeling of being cared for and looked after.

Not to mention, this feeling also came from Iver's impression of "Isabel, who needed his protection and care".

—It's funny to think about.

When Yulia handed Isabel's necklace, which was still warm from her body, to Iver, he vaguely recalled his first advancement ceremony.

And gifts that are comparable to, or even surpass, the value of "one's second life"...

Iver thought and thought...

It seems that the only possible return gift is "A Phantom Demon Heart".