The Hand of Arbitration and the Punishment Knight

"The time has come?"

The revelation from Ivan, calm yet seemingly pregnant with infinite meaning, caused Gais to tense up instantly.

He straightened his glasses, his lips parting slightly, yet he found himself momentarily at a loss for where to begin his questioning.

Various revelations from his Lord flashed through his mind. Suddenly, as if catching a glimpse of dawn, his heart began to pound violently, and an irrepressible excitement surged within him.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, are you saying that you can bestow extraordinary powers upon me now?"

Gais's voice trembled slightly, fearful that this might merely be his own wishful thinking.

Ivan's voice remained devoid of change:

"It is but a meager ability derived from the sacrifice."

"However, this sliver of the Order Aspect is enough for you to step across the threshold of the extraordinary."

"The Order Aspect can discern falsehoods and settle disturbances."

Gais found it hard to believe; he had only just offered the sacrifice, and the Lord's grace had arrived immediately?

He struggled to calm his surging emotions and asked in his heart: "Great Lord, is this ability the same as that of the Night Watchmen?"

"Indeed, it is one of either the [Hand of Arbitration] or the [Punishment Knight]."

"Of course, you may also choose to offer sacrifices of other aspects to obtain corresponding abilities."

"That depends on the desires deep within your own heart."

For the first time in this world, Ivan spoke so much at once; he felt the urge to communicate, suppressed for so long, greatly relieved.

Indeed, the Remnant Corpse of spirituality that Ivan had differentiated after devouring God Blood and consuming faith energy carried fixed extraordinary abilities belonging to the Order Aspect.

The moment the red orb of light, transformed from the tentacles, entered his spirit body, a string of clear information manifested in Ivan's mind as if it were a memory he had always possessed:

The Order Aspect guided by the blood of a god.

Possesses two distinct extraordinary abilities: [Hand of Arbitration] and [Punishment Knight].

Different ability tendencies can be obtained based on different supplementary materials.

[Hand of Arbitration]: Can utilize rules to a certain extent, reinforcing them in a direction favorable to oneself.

Can designate an area to attach implementable rules; everything within that area will act in accordance with the established rules.

When the rank of the Order Aspect is higher, one can establish non-existent rules or even modify fundamental ones.

[Punishment Knight]: Possesses strong combat capabilities; physical constitution improves with rank.

Can identify targets as guilty from a mystical perspective, utilizing various possible strikes to inflict physical and mental punishment upon them.

If coordinated with the rule definitions of a Hand of Arbitration Beyonder, even greater effects can be achieved.

"So it is a fixed aspect, and it even comes with a detailed introduction."

"Why did the grace I received when advancing by absorbing faith energy contain no information?"

Ivan felt there was yet another thing he could not fathom.

However, he now had a clear understanding of his own bestowal abilities.

The grace Ivan can currently provide is divided into two types:

First, the Remnant Corpse of spirituality differentiated when absorbing enough faith energy to advance, which carries unknown aspects and specific abilities that are only revealed when bestowed upon a believer.

Second, just like before, by devouring extraordinary materials of a known aspect, he can extract the inherent aspect of the material through his differentiation ability and by consuming some faith energy, then bestow it.

"Hmm, the second type is like the extraordinary material being concocted into a Magic Potion inside my body?"

"Tsk tsk, I finally understand why extraordinary materials cannot be consumed directly; that sensation is far too stimulating and would cause anyone to lose control and fall into madness at any moment."

"It's a good thing I am a jellyfish that can reset itself..."

Ivan recalled the whisper he had heard while on the verge of losing control.

"Na... ra..."

As he recalled this syllable, a headache surged toward him like a tide; he hurriedly interrupted the memory, trying his best not to think about that syllable.

"What is this thing? I can't even think about it?"

Ivan shook his head, secretly tucking the whisper into a corner of his mind.

"These two Order Aspect abilities both seem quite powerful."

"If I could obtain one of these abilities myself, my combat power would definitely be greatly enhanced!"

"But without devouring supplementary materials, it seems I cannot choose the specific ability tendency. Whatever, it's a god-given gift; no matter which one awakens, I won't be at a loss!"

He looked at the "Magic Potion" orb within his spirit body and tried to consume it to awaken one of the abilities.

Yet no matter how he tried, the energy could only hover between the inside and outside of his spirit body, utterly unable to grant him extraordinary power.

"You've got to be kidding me, I can only devour, not absorb?"

"These seemingly powerful extraordinary abilities can only be bestowed upon others?"

Ivan's teeth felt a bit itchy; he discovered that his spirit body was unable to absorb any Beyonder energy other than faith energy.

What kind of "great philanthropist" ability is this? I consume faith energy, yet I can't even use the Beyonder abilities I gain.

Ivan looked at his body, which could only emit light and turn invisible, and couldn't help but chuckle dryly.

The only abilities he could acquire were these gifts granted when his faith energy exceeded its limit.

It seems I can only walk further and further down the path of being a charlatan...

After hearing the series of revelations from the Lord, Gais gradually calmed down and fell into a state of contemplation.

"Hand of Arbitration—that should be the same ability as that Night Watchman from yesterday."

"Punishment Knight sounds like it should be a combat-oriented Beyonder class; it doesn't feel quite right for me either."

He was conflicted; he wanted to immediately gain extraordinary power to become a Beyonder, yet he also wanted to pick an Aspect and obtain an ability that suited him perfectly.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, please forgive the hesitation of your most devout believer and most loyal servant, Gais."

Gais called out in a low voice, carrying a hint of unease.

"I am willing to provide you with more Beyonder materials as offerings, praying that you grant me a gift suited to me, so that your faithful missionary can help you recruit more believers and let your benevolence shelter even more of the masses!"

He had instinctively tried to bargain for the best value, blurting out his inner thoughts while waiting for the Lord's reply.

However, the air fell into a long silence, leaving only the sounds of peddlers echoing in the alleyway.

Beads of sweat the size of peas dripped from Gais's forehead; his heart skipped a beat as he finally realized what he had done.

Oh no, my words didn't sound like a petition to the Lord at all—they sounded like I was haggling!

This sense of transgression felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing the back of his neck until it went numb.

"Heh, of course."

"When you have suitable materials, or if you desire a different Aspect, you may pray again and recite my name in your heart."

Gais's eyes lit up; the great Lord of All Spirits was truly the most ancient and benevolent existence.

Everything in the world was, to Him, nothing more than a speck of dust in the long river of time.

His voice retreated back into his heart.

"Praise be to You! Great Lord of All Spirits!"

"Your most devout believer requests your revelation; please, all-knowing One, guide me in choosing the right Aspect so I may walk the Beyonder path that suits me best!"