When the plot-skips players into the game world

Alester did not hesitate for long.

Because for her, there was only one answer.

In this timeline, the Ouroboros event never occurred, and the Material Realm was completely separated from the Dream Realm. As a result, the various apocalyptic disasters lacked a foundation. Aiwass did not become the Savior but lived peacefully as the Crown Prince with Isabel into old age... In this case, the Serpent Celestial Marshal and Aiwass were no longer adversaries.

As a newly emerged Path born less than a century ago, Evolution producing a Sixth Power Level being was not an easy feat. Aiwass could very well become the strongest Transmuter as the "closest person to the Serpent Celestial Marshal," eventually transforming into the Elemental Emperor. Not to mention, the angel in front of her was clearly using elemental power.

And for someone who knew nothing about Aiwass, it was entirely possible they might mistake this angel for the Angel Envoy of the Endless Knot manifesting in the present world. After all, it had explicitly declared that it had come by the command of the Endless Knot.

...But for Alester, both of those were undoubtedly the wrong answers.

Because for her, Aiwass could only have one identity, and she would accept only one answer.

Alester pushed open the door marked "Eternal Pope" without hesitation.

——Only the Eternal Pope, Aiwass, was the Aiwass that Alester had once known.

Walking resolutely through the phantasmal hallway, Alester's mind swirled with countless thoughts.

The Nurturing Skill…

Why would a Nurturing Skill driven by the Shepherd's blood work on Aiwass?

Wasn't the Shepherd an Angel Envoy of the Serpent Celestial Marshal?

Unless the Shepherd was inherently a part of the Serpent Celestial Marshal, just as if…

"Am I just like Aiwass...?"

Alester murmured under her breath.

The mysterious technique that the Serpent Celestial Marshal had previously used to sever Aiwass was not the Dichotomy Rift of the Hourglass… but its unique Severing Tail Technique. As the name implies, severing the tail to survive… meaning the "tail" must be capable of regrowth.

If this was not Aiwass' first "tail severance," and there had been an earlier instance—then perhaps that earlier fragment was the Shepherd!

She vaguely recalled a work she had read in a previous life. In it, a certain antagonist had the power to distribute their strength to others, only to reclaim it once the others had been cultivated to their prime.

The fact that Alester could still have such a hazy impression implied she must have read it in a previous life. Yet her memory was unclear, which suggested that the Serpent Celestial Marshal had not imparted this part of the memory to them.

Dividing oneself, fostering power, and then reclaiming the original self…

...I see, is that the meaning of the "Ring of Ouroboros"?

Severing Tail Technique, Shepherd's Nurturing... Ouroboros!

——The answer was in the riddle all along!

Now the Shepherd was evidently swallowed back into the Serpent Celestial Marshal, the fragment belonging to the Shepherd having reintegrated with the Marshal itself. This was why the Serpent Celestial Marshal sought to perform the Ouroboros ritual on the Fallen Celestial Marshal… After all, the Fallen Celestial Marshal had already been nurtured by the Shepherd, making it necessary to reclaim this "lamb"!

But…

As long as one's heart of dedication remained unwavering, a fully established Nurturing Skill was almost unassailable. The Shepherd had even narrowly succeeded in nurturing the Fallen Celestial Marshal, falling short only due to a mishap at the last moment.

When he attempted to sacrifice the Fallen Celestial Marshal to himself, the backlash from the Nurturing Skill drained him of all his power.

...But what if...

What if the Shepherd had done it on purpose?

Suppose the Shepherd himself was a "fragment of dedication" severed by the Serpent Celestial Marshal, implying his essence was very much like Aiwass. His desire for dedication was so strong that he could nurture even the Fallen Celestial Marshal… which meant his dedication surpassed that of Aiwass.

——How could such a Fifth or even Sixth Power Level Transcendent so easily stray from their Path?

And do so in such a confrontational way—utterly destroying the foundation of their Path, allowing their Mystical Skills to directly backlash?

Unless...

The Shepherd's choice to devour the "Fallen Celestial Marshal" was, in itself, an act of dedication!

He realized his essence and the destiny of the Fallen Celestial Marshal—if he swallowed the Fallen Celestial Marshal's strength, and then allowed himself to be swallowed by the Serpent Celestial Marshal, the Serpent Celestial Marshal would gain all the Fallen Celestial Marshal's power.

Thus, in this way, he spared no sacrifice, including his own life, to free the Fallen Celestial Marshal from this conspiracy.

Because that ritual had not been completed, the Serpent Celestial Marshal remained fixated on the Ouroboros ritual and had to bring the Fallen Celestial Marshal down first.

Their goal was to create a complete "Ring of Ouroboros"—since a fragment of the Shepherd's essence still lingered in the Fallen Celestial Marshal!

If the Ouroboros ritual could not be completed, the Serpent Celestial Marshal would only be able to become the Endless Knot—this was the latent flaw left behind by the Shepherd!

Just like how the angelic form of Aiwass had spoken Helquinn's name and summoned the Defiant Flame Butterfly… things that did not need to be done. These aberrant actions could only mean one thing.

——They were calling for help.

Even if the Serpent Celestial Marshal used the Shepherd's blood to nurture, this was still not a properly completed Nurturing Skill. For the current Serpent Celestial Marshal lacked the sufficient dedication to match the transcendent power of that Path.

Alester still had a chance to overturn the situation!

All she needed was to overwrite the Serpent Celestial Marshal's Nurturing Skill with one that was stronger and purer!

——The liquid soul hanging around her neck was a soul fragment left behind when Aiwass ascended to the Fourth Power Level on the Path of Devotion. If she drank it or injected it into herself, she could temporarily gain a fragment of Aiwass' soul, thereby achieving Path Balance.

Both at the Fourth Power Level, their Path Power would perfectly balance!

...But that liquid soul was the treasure Alester had intended to use to reconstruct her Phantom Demon Body.

She had originally planned to use this vial of liquid soul to transform herself into a Blood Angel, and had gone through great trouble to retrieve it from Isabel. If she wanted to transform into the Great Sin Beast, this liquid soul was an indispensable material. All of these efforts had been to ensure she would not be forgotten…

Thus, when little Fernando needed it to heal his injuries, Alester remained silent and refused.

——Yet now, Alester had no other choice.

If she wanted to keep the unconscious Aiwass alive, she would have to use it.

And even…

…Not just it.

"Not just that..."

Stopping before the third painting, she murmured to herself, "Not just that..."

——She needed even more.

To ensure success.

To ensure the Nurturing Skill would definitely succeed…

Because this soul was the only one she had… there would not be a second chance.

At this moment, the metallic door was almost entirely shattered.

Alester finally saw clearly what the originally dark yellow, keratinous claw marks truly were—

They were… amber.

Amber, semi-solid and sealed within the massive door!

It appeared as if it had been violently clawed at, leaving countless indelible, scab-like scratches that resembled scars.

Even so, the battered Amber Gate had not been utterly destroyed. Not even the faintest crack had formed.

"No matter how the beast rages, the Amber Wall still stands tall… Such an apt metaphor."

Alester steeled her final resolve and stepped through the door.

It was the scarred door, the silent, unyielding door.

This was Alester's seventh time answering the question… and her eighth time stepping into the world of an ascension ritual.

The holy number was eight… the number of transcendence.

Also, the number of evolution!