“Shade, even you cannot step into the water in the form of a living person. Please, allow me to bestow a blessing upon you.”
The priest pushed himself off the ground to stand. Without avoiding the others by the campfire, the scorched, half-white, half-black wings on his back slowly unfurled.
“Oh!”
Iluna let out a gasp, but seeing that Sister Devlin was “watching” the scene calmly, she shyly covered her mouth.
“May death protect you, Shade Soren Hamilton. When you stand upon the land of death, death shall be your companion.”
As he spoke, the two wings grew larger and then closed in front of him, completely enveloping Shade. By the time the wings became transparent and vanished, Priest Augustus had already sat back down, and Shade looked down at the palms of his hands.
In the palm of his left hand was the mark of a pitch-black horn; in the palm of his right was the mark of a pitch-black scythe. This seemed to represent the power of that First Angel, though Shade wasn't entirely sure.
His body temperature was dropping, yet this power of death surprisingly did not conflict at all with the blessing of the Father of the Infinite Tree.
“Now, you can walk safely upon those waters.”
The priest did not seem exhausted after this blessing; this old priest was far stronger here than he was in the world of the living.
“Additionally, if you can hold out for three minutes, I can launch one attack toward Joey Barton from the shore. It will take time, but it will definitely help you.”
“But your power is still insufficient.”
Sister Devlin also stood up, her silver crown-like blindfold facing Shade. Iluna drew the Night Watchman and handed it to Shade. Holding the longsword aloft, Shade approached the nun. The nun raised her hands slightly, cradling a slender flicker of flame.
“Shade Soren Hamilton, not everyone can utilize the Primal Fire. Are you willing to attempt to let this flame adhere to your sword?”
Shade nodded and brought the longsword close to the slender flame. Despite the Night Watchman being a metal blade, the flame ignited it instantly. The burning sword emitted immense heat, and though the fire touched Shade's hand, it did not harm him in the slightest.
The sword and the flame were made even brighter by the golden cracks at Shade's fingertips. When the two met, the flame suddenly surged upward, as if the divine afterglow had bolstered the power of the Primal Fire.
The corners of Sister Devlin's mouth curled slightly into a faint smile. Shade did not notice this; he saw the flames on the blade gradually subside until they vanished completely. However, the Night Watchman felt heavier, warmer, and more powerful than ever before.
“The Primal Fire will not only weaken the damage from death but also allow you to deal greater damage to Joey Barton.”
Withdrawing the flame into her palm, the nun sat back down. She had confirmed her hypothesis.
“If you can hold out for about five minutes, I will find a way to assist you with one attack from the shore. Even death cannot extinguish the fire in my hand... Do not forget, once the matters in Midhillburg are concluded, you must accompany me to the Order's outpost.”
Sister Devlin did not forget to remind him.
Shade nodded and finally looked at Iluna. The seventeen-year-old girl was currently in a very complicated mood. The situation was that Shade was going to face the enemy of the final chapter of the Midhillburg story, while she, as the only Chosen, could only sit here roasting by the fire.
Everyone present had their own skills, and Shade's other friends had provided various forms of assistance. Seeing the first two sit down, Iluna hurriedly stood up.
“Look, it's my turn.”
With flickering eyes, she came to Shade's side, her hands tucked behind her back.
“Joey Barton has gone too far for me to influence him with my talent for Balance, but I can give you this.”
The Life Ring appeared silently, then transformed into a golden scale. Iluna held the scale above Shade's head.
“Life and death should inherently be balanced. In the name of the Judge, the Ancient God [The Inverted Judge] bestows a blessing upon you. Shade Soren Hamilton, when the deathly erosion you suffer reaches the limit of imbalance, that power shall be converted into life.”
A golden radiance poured over Shade's head, and he gained another temporary status.
“Also, if you hold out for ten minutes, I can probably use my talent for Darkness—the [Dark Vortex] I learned after defeating Darkness—to throw a few Sun Spears at Joey Barton. My power is actually enhanced here as well; this is the great might granted by the Ancient Gods.”
As she spoke, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and kissed Shade on the cheek.
“Shade, be careful with everything.”
She suddenly twitched her nose suspiciously but did not ask.
“In a moment, you can chew a piece of [Ever-Youth Leaf] before entering the water. I've read a lot of materials; swallowing this relic not only effectively treats injuries but also significantly increases resistance to the power of death for a short time... Stay safe.”
She sat back down by the campfire, the firelight reddening her cheeks. Kissing Shade in front of strangers had cost her a great deal of courage.
“Thank you, don't worry about me. Actually, what we should consider more is how we're going to leave this place in a while,” Shade said with a smile, hoping everyone could relax a bit.
He placed the Ever-Youth Leaf in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed. Then, he gripped the Red Butterfly pendant firmly. Amidst a crimson glow, the red butterfly flew into Shade's heart.
He turned and walked toward the edge of the shallows with his longsword in hand. Behind him, the campfire burned bright, and four eyes watched him.
He finally stopped beside Joey Barton's "corpse," gazing at the clusters of white shadows in the distance and the man who was still calling out loudly. He was calling a name: “Marilyn Handel.”
【Sixth Epoch, Common Calendar Year 1853, Late Autumn, Night of the Star Whale. As you step once more into true death, do you understand the mysteries of death? The First Angel grants you a blessing, the nun who tends the Primal Fire shares the power of flame, and even the naive protagonist of the stage is willing to lend aid. Longing for a beloved and finding them unattainable, the Reverse-Liver who follows death now stands at the finish line. Souls surround, the Nether Moon shines; Stranger, are you ready?】
“Generally speaking, you only say things like this after a major event has ended,” Shade said in his heart.
“As for whether I'm ready... relying on these blessings, it's still difficult to defeat him, but I really don't want to fight a second time.”
He took a step forward. Simultaneously, a steam whistle sounded behind him, and a resonant bell broke the eternal silence of the place.
A massive brass Life Ring appeared amidst billowing white steam. Four-colored spiritual lights radiated like the sun, moon, and stars into this windless dark zone.
The ancient silence was completely shattered. Amidst the tolling bell, the Nether Moon, half-sunken at the horizon, began moving upward into the darkness. The prowling white shadows stopped in their tracks and looked up at the silent moonlight above.
The divine afterglow turned into a golden stream of light that entwined around him. Shade stepped forward, but he did not touch the water's surface; instead, he slowly ascended into the sky.
“Prepare for Ascension.”
【Understood.】
“She” chuckled in Shade's ear, that gentle smile being so similar to the current Nether Moon.
The bell tolled, and the piercing steam whistle sounded like the cheers of ten thousand people. The Life Ring rotated, and the four-colored spiritual runes resonated, affecting even death itself.
“Look, it's starting again.”
By the campfire, Iluna rested her chin in her hand. Along with Priest Augustus and Sister Devlin, she watched the scene before them and muttered softly
“Sometimes, I really wonder who the Chosen one actually is.”
Miracle - Yellow Moon—
A golden spiritual rune detached from the ring and appeared to Shade's left. A witch cloaked in a mantle, holding a pale yellow moon in her hand, walked from afar and gradually overlapped with Shade's body
【May the eternal moonlight bless you.】
Blasphemy - Sloth—
A silver spiritual rune detached from the ring and appeared to Shade's right. Faintly, the phantoms of the Desire Mermaid and the Evil God [Father of Slumber] appeared and gradually overlapped with Shade's body
【Sloth, is it truly your sin?】
Enlightenment - Sleeping Princess—
A brass spiritual rune detached from the ring and appeared in front of Shade. Faintly, Miss Fiona Drago, holding a spindle, appeared before Shade and embraced him, gradually overlapping with his body
【Sacrificing oneself to save others. When the beautiful princess falls into slumber, the Stranger grants the kiss of redemption.】
Whisper - True Death—
A black-iron spiritual rune detached from the ring and appeared behind Shade. A faceless, featureless phantom of an angel with multiple wings appeared and gradually overlapped with Shade's body, as if a pair of wings had appeared on his back
【You, who have returned from the dead, have long since touched the truest death.】
The flow of the Primal Fire streamed from the Night Watchman in Shade's hand and entwined around the rapidly rotating brass Life Ring. At this moment, even Joey Barton turned around, looking at Shade in the air with a solemn gaze.
Golden Miracle, Silver Blasphemy, Brass Enlightenment, Black-Iron Whisper—the four-colored spiritual runes surrounded Shade in a quadrilateral and gradually contracted inward. The four strange phantoms truly overlapped with his body. The four people observing Shade from different angles all saw him floating with his head tilted back beneath that Nether Moon; the outline of the moon actually overlapped faintly with the outline of the Life Ring.
Steam mist drifted from an unknown place, enveloping Shade. The bell and whistle sounded, and a massive hammer fell from the dark heights, striking the high-speed rotating Life Ring with colossal force.
【Stranger, guide a drop of divinity to stain the spiritual rune you have prepared for the “Word of Sublimation.”】
【Stranger, after using this drop of divinity, you will exhaust all your divinity. The divine afterglow will still shine upon you, but the effect will last for a maximum of two months, and the effect of the divine afterglow will diminish significantly over time. If new divinity cannot soak the soul, the divine afterglow state will vanish completely.】
“She” reminded him softly.
The soul guided the brilliant golden droplet into the massive rotating metal ring behind him. The light of divinity dissipated, and golden ripples spread in all directions. Upon the lightless dark water below, silver-white specks of light actually appeared, as if a galaxy had manifested beneath the surface.
A light as dazzling as the sun converged entirely upon the Enlightenment rune [Sleeping Princess] in front. It felt as if time had ended; death itself was trembling. Not only the three by the campfire, but even Joey Barton in the depths of the waters felt the vibration of the surface.
Countless white shadows stood upon the silent waters lit with twinkling lights, looking up at the young man beneath the Nether Moon. The spiritual light could not illuminate their faces. Now, as the steam mist dissipated, everything returned to tranquility. This gaze was like staring at a god walking the earth.