I Am the Holy Communion, This Is Mercy

During the unfolding Ouroboros Ring Ritual, Iver felt his consciousness being gradually drawn away.

The Ouroboros Ring Ritual, after being supplemented by the Shepherding Method, seemed to have completed a crucial step. The Shepherding Method within his body circulated automatically, and his magical power and life force were continuously drawn into the void.

Iver felt a strange dizziness, as if he had fallen asleep in the bathtub.

When Iver awoke again, he saw a strange sight—

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

Before Iver, a strange door gradually lit up.

It was a circular gate formed by streams of crimson light. It resembled the setting sun with its heart ripped out, or the golden-red sun mostly obscured by an eclipse. It was rotating slowly and steadily, its edges radiating intense heat and billowing with golden-red flames.

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

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

In an instant, Iver a sudden inspiration and turned around to look behind him.

There was another "door" behind him.

It was a crystal serpent, biting its own tail, coiling and intertwining to form the symbol "∞".

Judging from its oval-shaped head, it is likely a non-venomous snake. The Crystal Serpent is generally a breathtakingly beautiful purple, translucent throughout, with subtle gradations of cyan, red, and yellow.

"... The Fire of Emptiness, and the serpents of infinity?"

"Iver murmured."

The Art of Shepherding originated from the mysterious techniques of the Ring Angel.

The Ring Angel, Path of Transcendence the path of enlightenment, left behind a legacy of dedication and transcendent power...

Thinking of this, Iver reached out and touched it with a mixture of nervousness and determination.

When his hand touched the crystal serpent, it was like his fingertips lightly touching a lake, creating ripples. It seemed to twitch uncomfortably, its beautiful crystal scales contracting and expanding, and its spinning speed increased slightly.

Modifying the parameters while the ritual is in progress is extremely dangerous. One wrong move and you could be torn apart by the out-of-control ritual. Iver dared to do this because after obtaining the Book of Law, the knowledge of the Ouroboros Ring Ritual was etched into his mind, as if he himself were the inventor of the ritual.

He wouldn't forget a single detail of it until Iver "removed" it.

The color of the giant purple serpent's body had changed slightly—it had been transformed by Iver from a celestial being pointing to the Path of Love into an "apostle pointing to the Path of Authority."

The Ouroboros Ring is a forbidden ritual capable of bringing down a Celestial Emperor. However, if it only involves bringing down an Apostle, the cost is much lower, and the ritual's stability is improved. At least it shouldn't cause Lancelot to die on the spot...

But just as Iver was concentrating on modifying the ritual...

But then he suddenly heard a voice.

"I am the Secret Serpent, coiled up like a snare: and within this coiling there is also joy."

... What? Iver was stunned for a moment.

This is exactly what is said in the Shepherd's Secret Covenant.

Even though he had never heard it with his own ears, he immediately sensed that it must be the voice of the Ring Angel!

It was a strange voice, unlike any Sacred Entity, that he had never heard before.

And His voice continued to ring out, "Red is one limit, and purple is another. My eyes shine with red light, and my clothes are purple."

Upon hearing this, Iver suddenly realized what that red "door" was.

Those are snake eyes!

Those are the eyes of the Ring Angel!

He met the eyes of the Ring Angel, but when he turned away, he saw His body. Undoubtedly, this was not a complete and continuous space.

Immediately afterwards, Iver heard a soft chuckle.

—Or rather, he thought it should be ridicule.

"As the world changes and cycles, the affairs of the world remain constant."

"The just will remain just, and the corrupt will remain corrupt. The king will always be the king, and the slave will always be the slave."

"No one rises, no one falls, and all things remain unchanged. The universe has solidified, like Amber Egg; the world is in Eternal Calamity cycle, like Ouroboros Ring."

Ring Angel's voice softened, as if he were narrating something.

But then, Iver suddenly felt an immense sense of crisis.

As the voice of the Ring Angel suddenly became high-pitched and passionate, a strong sense of intoxication permeated Iver's body.

The voice continued, "When the serpent rises into your heart, the kiss of the Stellaris will pour into your body."

"Sacred Number one, this is a variable! Elevate yourself! Your body will be higher than the stars—"

Upon hearing this, Iver panicked and abruptly released his grip on the Crystal Serpent.

The jumble of noises around him vanished instantly.

However, fine amethyst snake scales had already appeared on the skin of his right arm where he had come into contact with the crystal serpent.

"... You want my body?"

Iver's lips curled up slightly. "I won't give it to you."

Although I roughly understand why the Ring Angel became the Ring Angel... it has nothing to do with Iver.

But a question lingered in his mind—it was merely an Promotion Ritual, all a facade. Even if it took his body, what difference would it make? Or was this a simulation of the Ring Angel by the Lord of Scales and Feathers? He was uncovering some secret for himself...

Meanwhile, Iver had already completed the ritual modifications. As soon as he could no longer hear the Ring Angel's voice, he was instantly kicked out.

When he awoke again, he saw Lancelot I kneeling on the ground, his face contorted in pain—almost limitless power was flowing into his body.

His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but the knight who founded the nation remained resolute and silent, without uttering a sound.

These forces were simply too immense, even capable of directly exceeding the upper limit of energy levels. But Lancelot's body seemed to be overloaded during the ritual...

His bright red skin was hissing and emitting white smoke, and liquid power was flowing through his body like flames.

It was as if some glowing creature was moving beneath his skin, occasionally bulging out a large, rapidly moving bulge before disappearing back into his body.

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

Suddenly, Lancelot, enduring the pain, spoke, "I have seen your portrait... I have also heard of the secrets of the Art of Shepherding. I know that your soul can enter the body of a Phantom Demon..."

Upon hearing this, Iver looked down.

Lancelot slowly stood up, his tone becoming slow but clear. "I felt it. What was pulled into my body by this ritual... it shouldn't be the Lord's knight, but Bear Angel's apostle."

"It would be troublesome if I gave her my body, so..."

"—I'll give you my body."

"That kind of thing is impossible, isn't it?"

Iver smiled helplessly.

He certainly didn't want Bear Angel's apostle to descend—he himself was still marked by Bear Angel. If He came down, Iver would be the first to get a beating.

However, Iver wasn't too afraid. After all, Isabel should have already received the message from him and was heading to the Theocracy at full speed.

What he needs to do is stall for time—to delay the completion of the Ouroboros Ring, and also to delay the destruction caused by the arrival of the Celestials or the Apostles.

Although both the Shepherding Method and the Ouroboros Ring are powers of the Ring Angel, and the Shepherd once pulled down the Fallen Angel...

"...etc?"

Just then, Iver suddenly paused.

—Speaking of which, how did the Shepherd manage to bring down the Fallen Angel?

Does the Art of Shepherding... contain the ability to summon celestial beings to the mortal realm? Suddenly, Iver recalled the words the Ring Angel had just spoken, "—When I ascend into your heart, the kiss of the Stellaris will fall upon you."

Suddenly, Iver remembered his first Promotion Ritual.

After Iver committed suicide during the ritual, he did not die. His soul remained attached to the Iron Hook Demon, which had evolved into Deformed Limb Demon, and he could even control the other's body.

The Shepherd is capable of transferring his soul into the body of the phantom demon.

If one dies during a pastoral ritual, then...

Upon realizing this, Iver's pupils suddenly contracted.

The Shepherd of yesteryear...

Was he really dead?

What if it wasn't the Shepherding Technique or the Ouroboros Ring that brought down the Fallen Angel, but some other ritual?

The Ouroboros Ring Ritual involves placing the soul of a Celestial into a physical body in the Material Realm. Because of this, once pulled down by the Ouroboros Ring Ritual, one cannot be reborn in the Dream Realm before death, and even if reborn, will lose their authority. However, the Fallen Angel was able to successfully return, indicating that they were pulled down in the form of a phantom demon, clearly not the same ritual.

... But if it is pulled down in the form of a phantom demon.

The Shepherding Method allows one to implant the Shepherd's soul into the body of a phantom demon.

Was it really the Fallen Angel who returned in the end?

Why can't he be Shepherd?

Why is the Ring Angel so hostile to the Fallen Angel? Why is it necessary to use the Ouroboros Ring Ritual to bring it down?

The Ring Angel has been planning for this for hundreds of years...

The Shepherd is a follower of the Ring Angel.

According to the * Shepherd's Secret Covenant *, the Shepherd, in accordance with the Ring Angel's plan, nurtured demons in the Material Realm, ultimately sacrificing all his followers to bring down the Fallen Angel. He attempted to sacrifice the Fallen Angel to himself, but the backlash from the Shepherding Method stripped him of all his power...

But what if this ending is fake? Or what if it looks like this from an outsider's perspective... In reality, he didn't sacrifice the Fallen Angel to himself, but rather sacrificed himself to the Fallen Angel, and his soul returned to the Dream Realm along with the Fallen Angel.

So, is the Shepherd a traitor? Or was it not a deliberate betrayal, but rather a failed plan... or perhaps a success? Is this the effect the Ring Angel wanted?

If that's the case...

"... No, I might actually be able to do it."

"Iver said in a low voice."

At that moment, when he touched the purple ring, the Ouroboros Ring suddenly turned red. If the Shepherding Method was the special condition for activating the Ouroboros Ring Ritual ...

Just like his first Promotion Ritual, he could enter the body of the Celestial Being, who had been pulled down by the Ouroboros Ring! However, if he failed... he might die. If he truly died during the Promotion Ritual, he would suffer severe damage in reality as well.

Because neither Lancelot I nor any of the apostles who were brought down could be judged as phantom demons...

Thinking this, Iver looked at Lancelot I.

He suddenly realized something else.

From Lancelot's perspective, he had no idea what would happen next.

He didn't know if he would be annihilated, become nourishment for Iver, ascend to the Dream Realm, or remain unharmed. He had spent centuries guarding the Shadow Land, a land shrouded in darkness, all for the sake of returning to the mortal Human World. And now, having just returned, his body had been taken away...

Even so, he had no complaints. He neither went mad nor wept, but instead willingly offered his body to Iver. This was simply to prevent Bear Angel's apostle from using his body to harm the people of Avalon, whom he no longer knew or understood.

The Promotion Ritual was indeed fake. Because, in essence, it was a fabricated story.

But everyone inside, in their own eyes, is real. The price they paid, all their resolve, is real. Yet Iver, on the other hand, hesitates because "it's fake"... even though the risks he takes are far less than Lancelot's.

If even Lancelot, who Dedication Path, can do it, then why can't I?

... That's ridiculous.

Can someone like me be considered a contributor?

—In a daze, Iver gained a deeper understanding of the Path of Dedication.

The essence of Path of Dedication is sacrifice, but sacrifice does not necessarily have to be meaningful.

It was a fierce fire, burning eternally.

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

It's simply because they can't witness the tragedy unfold before their eyes.

From the very beginning, Iver was this kind of person.

When he first saved Isabel and Sherlock from the Promotion Ritual, he had no idea what would happen if he died. He didn't know them at all; they were just a group of strangers. And yet, Iver was willing to give his life for them without hesitation.

When exactly did he begin to pursue "efficiency of sacrifice"? When did his sacrifices and dedication become hesitant and timid? Now his desire to surpass others grows stronger, but the flame of dedication that was initially bright enough is gradually dimming.

He is becoming selfish.

It takes repeated moments of rekindling the initial inspiration for his path to briefly regain balance.

Now, it is a trial.

Iver picked up the dagger and slowly gripped it.

"... eat in silence, my lamb."

Taking a deep breath, Iver said in a low voice.

He gripped the Arondight dagger tightly, pointed it at his heart, and waited for the Ouroboros Ring Ritual to end.

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

He slowly gave up resisting, and finally nodded to Iver: "It's up to you now..."

Iver watched as Lancelot's black pupils gradually turned a frenzied crimson.

With a death wish, Iver slowly pushed the dagger into his heart.

Feeling the cold, sharp blade cutting into his flesh, he trembled in pain, his voice hoarse and low: staring at the growing killing intent directed at him.

Iver recited the secret words of the Shepherd's Secret Covenant word by word:

"—I am the Lord's Supper, this is grace."