I Am the Answer, but What Is the Question?

"The remains of the Reincarnation Angel..."

Iver murmured softly.

No wonder those people always think of themselves as Sacred Entity, Angel Shard of the Ring Angel Observatory...

How could there be fragments if the Ring Angel is still alive?

Now everything makes sense.

—What the Lord of Scales and Feathers said should be true.

Even now, he still feels a sense of hesitation and unfamiliarity with his name from his Previous Life; and indeed, it is only now that he realizes that he has lost too many details in his memory.

He not only doesn't remember the names of the people who were most important to him in his Previous Life...

Looking back now, it's clear that his memory impairment had always been there.

He remembered the names Dionysus and Selene, and knew they were gods from "Greek Mythology." But his memory was missing much more—he couldn't recall why they were called "Greek Mythology," nor did he know which other gods were involved.

Perhaps I still remember some things, such as "Uranus", "Gaia", "Hades"... but I've almost forgotten the rest, and the only things I remember are a few fragmented details.

... Is it because the Ring Angel believed these were valuable memories, and therefore didn't leave them for me when they severed themselves? The existence of the "Calamity Demon Dragon" suddenly surfaced in Iver's mind.

As the dark self fragmented by the Silver Crowned Dragon, it must be the crystallization of the remaining "power" and "transcendence" that could not be fully transformed into "authority." That is an existence similar to itself.

However, the difference is that the Calamity Demon Dragon was sealed at the bottom of the Snow Mountain by the Silver Crowned Dragon, while Iver was thrown into the Material Realm by the Ring Angel.

However, another question arose in Iver's mind: he remembered that the Reincarnation Angel came from the Celestial Master of the Equilibrium Path... This was forbidden knowledge taught by Moriarty.

If I am a fragment separated from the Ring Angel, then I should be on Equilibrium Path...

You're overthinking it.

The Lord of Scales and Feathers chuckled.

Before Iver could ask any questions, He replied, "But it's not your fault, because you lacked crucial intelligence."

"...What?"

"Iver murmured."

"The Ring Angel still possesses the power of the Equilibrium Path; not only does it possess it, but its power of balance is infinitely close to its power of transcendence. What it has given you is not the power of the Equilibrium Path... because after that event, it lost its balance. What you are enduring is the power of transcendence that it overflowed."

As the Lord of Scales and Feathers spoke, he pulled Iver forward.

He raised his hand and pointed to a shattered patch of sky. "Look over there."

Iver looked up and gazed over.

It was just a feint, but he happened to see the fragment that the Lord of Scales and Feathers was pointing at.

The next moment, the surrounding world was once again colored and changed—

Iver's pupils suddenly contracted.

Because he saw "himself" in him.

... But that's not me.

He saw himself walking in the sky, shirtless.

His platinum blonde hair reached his knees, and his handsome face was more rugged and angular than Iver himself—that was the face of Iver in his early thirties. He looked thinner and stronger than Iver is now.

He had streamlined muscles reminiscent of a snake, and a purple ∞ symbol on his chest that was shimmering with light.

His abdomen was covered with various intricate and ancient runes, which extended all the way down to his back.

Behind his head, in the void, was a solar ring formed from streams of flame. It became increasingly golden-red as it rose higher, and increasingly purplish-red as it approached Iver's lower back.

The ring kept rotating... the gold gradually turned into purple, and the purple gradually turned into gold, in an endless cycle.

"Iver" points one finger to the sky and the other to the ground.

In an instant, the sky suddenly cracked open.

Half of it turned golden-red, and the other half turned purplish-red.

Then the sky gradually swirled and twisted, transforming into a giant yin-yang symbol. The very center of the vortex was right above the tip of Iver's right finger pointing to the sky.

Time throughout the world was gradually accelerated. From dawn to dusk, from dusk to dawn, time sped by rapidly. In the blink of an eye, eight cycles had already passed—

"Okay, that's enough for now."

At that moment, the Lord of Scales and Feathers waved his hand, and the entire world collapsed and shattered.

"That is the ' Ouroboros Ring,' the Lord of the Path of Metamorphosis. 'Transformation' represents the constant nature of the eternal change of all things... What goes up will eventually go down, and what goes down will eventually go up. All things change and flow, and all things are only ever-changing."

The faceless man in the suit said calmly, "That's a future where ' the Ring Angel devour you.' I don't want that future to come to pass."

"... He wants my body because He wants to ascend to the ' Ouroboros Ring '?"

Iver hesitated for a moment. "But as far as I know, even if He can't get it..."

"Yes, it's possible without you. But it would never be complete. Even if He didn't devour you when He became the Pillar God, He would devour you again after becoming the ' Ouroboros Ring' —you were only a temporarily separated part. Only by reuniting with you can the complete cycle from the past to the future be completed."

At this point, the Lord of Scales and Feathers looked at Iver and suddenly asked, "Do you know Arthur?"

"... The precursor to the Silver Crowned Dragon?"

Who gave Arthur the ritual?

At this point, Iver understood.

Iver turned to look at the Lord of Scales and Feathers: "The Silver Crowned Dragon... is it the experimental subject of the Ring Angel?"

"That's right, but it was a failed experiment. Arthur is the Silver Crowned Dragon, but he is not a complete ' Crowned Angel '. The influence of a Celestial Master descending to the mortal realm to reincarnate is simply too great... The reason given by the Ring Angel was to prevent the Supreme Heaven from becoming alert. Of course, He is also right. If the Crowned Angel were to descend directly to the mortal realm, the Supreme Heaven would surely have completely annihilated Arthur while he was still weak."

"But is it possible that, compared to the 'white dragon on the ground'... the 'red dragon in the sky' is a being that is closer to the essence of the Crowned Angel? And now, that red dragon is called the Calamity Demon Dragon."

The Lord of Scales and Feathers smiled, patted Iver on the shoulder, and whispered, "Just like Arthur's investor back then was the Candle Master... I chose you."

"I became friends with him back then because I saw that potential in him. But now, he's gradually become boring... So, I will still choose you."

"You are like a lamb being herded by Shepherd, poor Iver. All the Shepherd's love for the lamb is ultimately for the sweet food... but I think that's such a waste."

"I urge you to flee from this sheepfold and run into the forest—to bravely face the predators and die by their bite."

Iver couldn't even tell whether the Lord of Scales and Feathers was speaking seriously or being sarcastic.

Escape from the safe sheepfold.

They rushed into the dark forest.

Losing their inexhaustible supply of food and fodder in exchange for prey from wild beasts... Even in an attempt to escape their inevitable fate, the powerless and sweet lambs, without the protection of their Shepherd, will only face death sooner.

What's the difference between being eaten by humans and being eaten by wolves?

At least the former can eat their fill all day long.

perhaps...

Perhaps, they can escape their fate the day before they are finally eaten.

A thought flashed through Iver's mind.

But he quickly dispelled it and became resolute.

"... What should I do?"

Iver asked the Lord of Scales and Feathers, "I don't want to become food... but I don't want to die either."

The Lord of Scales and Feathers let out a pleasant chuckle, "Greedy Fox..."

He leaned down and whispered in Iver's ear, "Then let me give you a hint—you yourself are the answer."

"... Could you elaborate a bit more?"

Iver with a hint of helplessness, "I am the answer, so what is the question? I'm asking, what should I do?"

He had just said that the Lord of Scales and Feathers didn't seem like a riddle-maker.

Unexpectedly, this person turned out to be the real riddle master—so riddles that even Iver couldn't understand them.

"That's between you and the Ring Angel, and I can't interfere. There's nothing you can do right now, because you're just a lamb smelling of milk, completely defenseless. All I can do is escalate things here with you... and tell you how much your master covets you."

The Lord of Scales and Feathers chuckled and said, "As for your contract, I've already accepted it. Just as I said—I already gave you the answer before, and you've finally found the problem today. Before this, when we first met, I had already agreed to your request today."

"But you still need to be tested to complete Advanced Divine Arts; granting you power through a ritual is the most reasonable method. Sandglass has a lot on his plate, so let's follow the rules and procedures."

"... What is the test?" Iver with some concern.

But the Lord of Scales and Feathers simply patted Iver on the head. "Don't worry, it's very simple for you. A Promotion Ritual... I will personally preside over it."