Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 827: New Moon Ceremony for Two

The Eternal Theocracy, the 22nd ring.

Aiwass opened his eyes after a long absence and returned to the material world.

His pupils glowed with gold and red, and the divine aura made his calm face look compassionate.

"Matilda..."

Aiwass said softly.

At this moment, the blue-haired cardinal on the thirteenth floor immediately responded, "I am here, Your Majesty. The ceremony has been prepared for you. You just need to change your clothes and lie on the bed.

"...But are you sure you don't need an escort? We can assign you at least three more Promoters to ensure your promotion is successful..."

"It's enough to have Aleister with me."

Aiwass's voice was gentle and calm.

There was a radiance in his lowered gaze that could not be blocked even with his eyes closed.

The pope in black and red robes answered seriously: "This is the New Moon Ceremony. Strictly speaking, there is no so-called 'teammate'. Even if we enter the promotion ceremony together, we may receive conflicting tasks or have to be in a hostile state.

"When that happens, how should I face these helpers? This is a promotion ceremony from level 4 to level 5. If they fail, it's fine. But if they die... it's very likely to lead to real death. Can I just watch them die like this?"

"...Your Majesty," Cardinal Matilda said with a serious expression, "You should know that this is their mission. Dedicating ourselves to something greater is our lifelong pursuit. If their death can help you rise to a higher position, they will surely be happy to witness this.

"The papacy cannot be lost, Your Majesty. No matter what, nothing can happen here, or the entire Theocracy will be in trouble - even if you think about it this way. Just think of it as a sacrifice for all the people in the Theocracy, and let them dedicate themselves to its sacred mission, isn't that okay?"

Dedicating others to others is itself a choice on the path of dedication.

The core of the path of dedication is to benefit others, but it does not require one to sacrifice oneself. This is why there are so many crazy people on the path of dedication.

"If you tamper with the New Moon Ceremony like this, you might be considered cheating."

Aiwass smiled nonchalantly: "Besides, you also said it. Dedicating oneself to others is what the devotee pursues... If you send someone to be promoted with me, how can you be sure that I won't sacrifice myself to help him be promoted? I have gone much deeper on the path of dedication than he has."

Cardinal Matilda rubbed her forehead with a headache. "Why don't you just wait for the full moon ceremony next month? Isn't that good? Even if we take into account Aleister who must win, we can give you four more elites. I can even go there myself..."

"Yeah, I've thought about that."

Aiwass replied: "I calculated that the chances of winning would indeed be much higher."

Cardinal Matilda suddenly perked up: "So——"

"——That's why I refuse."

Aiwass said without hesitation: "Because that would be equivalent to depriving the remaining three of the possibility of victory. This is not fair, and even more unjust."

"You are justice itself, your majesty."

"But what if there is one person in there who is more talented and has a better future than me? Even if we remove one person, what if we encounter two? Should we just wipe out their future, or even their lives, before the ceremony begins?
"According to the rules of the devotees, I should devote those close to me for the sake of others, which means that you should make way for others... But I don't want to do that, because giving up my friends would also make me feel heartbroken. I don't want to lose anyone."

Aiwass opened his eyes again when he said this. Two rays of light illuminated the entire space the moment he opened his eyes. "Before I separated from Aleister, I might have agreed with this idea. For the sake of the 'greatest sum of good', sacrifice is necessary. At that time, I even specially looked for some teammates just to get a better chance of winning at this time..."

"But now, I refuse this behavior. I was promoted together with Aleister because I was accompanying her, not because she was helping me. If there is a need for sacrifice, it should be me alone.

"So I will only ascend with Aleister, and I chose the New Moon Ceremony... At least this way, we won't encounter too many people gathered in groups in the New Moon Ceremony. And if we encounter a situation where one person must be sacrificed, I can also sacrifice myself to allow Aleister to ascend to a higher level.

"—Don't worry, Matilda. At least I'll come back alive.

"In other words, even if I die... it will not affect the Theocracy. I have made all the necessary preparations..."

As Aiwass said this, he took off his papal robe and put on the red archbishop's robe.

Promotion to the fourth level... No one would believe me even if I wore a priest's robe. It would be better to put on the archbishop's clothes directly, which would make people believe my honesty.

He slowly lay down on the soft bed, which was already covered by the ritual array. There was not a single unclean thing to be seen from here, and all the rituals were completed by Cardinal Cyril below, and the ritual array here was only used for connection.

This is not just for courtesy, but also to protect the Eternal Pope and the entire Eternal Church - any item may constitute a ritual under coincidence, and ritual items are more likely to do so. Therefore, except for those that are absolutely necessary, any unnecessary items will not be sent to the 22nd ring.

Anyway, the Eternal Pope is basically in a deep sleep... He doesn't need to eat, drink, or excrete. The Pope is a tower, a bond, a symbol, a scepter, an energy center... and a coat rack with the Holy Crown. But he can't be a mortal with an independent personality.

"All nine are complete..."

Aiwass lay on the bed, closed his eyes and whispered: "I am in it."

At this moment, Cardinal Cyril was presiding over this simplest and most common ceremony with great solemnity.

In the distant Leipzig, Aleister also closed her eyes and leaned sideways on a soft sofa chair, supporting her chin with one hand. Under her was a ritual array made of blood, and around her were scattered ritual offerings.

Dead seabirds, shattered mirrors, a deer heart pierced by a nail.

Melting wax figures of philosophers, bitter black salt soaked in blood, flying squirrels tied to crosses.

A horse's penis tied into an "8" with a nail pierced through it, and an oyster with a black pearl that did not belong to it stuffed inside.

Finally, there is a poisonous snake coiled at Aleister's feet.

The windows and lamps were covered with a layer of red cloth, and the room was filled with a dark red glow.

With a strong sense of sleepiness, she uttered a dream-like whisper: "Except for me...

"——All eight will die."

As eight balls of black and red flames suddenly ignited, the blood magic circle under her feet suddenly lit up with an eerie light.

Then, she was dragged deeper into the dream world.

Aleister opened his eyes and saw that the nine chairs were empty.

Above the dark red sky hung a pitch-black waning moon.

Below him was a black sea of ​​blood with the tides rising and falling and a lot of white foam.

However, the light source here is not the dark red sky or the waning moon...

In the middle of the nine chairs, a bright and warm light was shining, illuminating the sea of ​​blood beneath His feet, which had appeared black due to the dim light, into a true red.

It was a divine deer made of pure ruby.

He was pure and dazzling red, with black thorns wrapped around his body. The thorns pierced his skin, and blood kept flowing down and falling into the sea of ​​blood.

His huge crystal red antlers were like candlesticks, burning with white and pure flames.

——That’s Sizhu.

"Great Candle Master... Is this the promotion ceremony you presided over?"

Aleister quickly greeted politely.

"I just came to see you, Aleister."

A warm and steady voice like a loving father rang out in the space: "Perform well... This ceremony may be of vital importance to you."

As soon as Sizhu's voice fell, the bright red stag disappeared without a trace.

Only a stone statue of a young deer shorter than a human was left at the site.

It has four slender legs and a very cute two-headed body. There is a small sharp horn on its head, a slender and agile body, pupils that look as clear as a teddy bear, and a pair of huge flame wings on its back, like a flame butterfly. At this moment, the flames on the wings have solidified, forming a beautiful and dynamic posture.

Aleister recognized it immediately... This was the Winged Flame. It liked to save those who were lost and in desperate situations, such as those who were lost in the snowy mountains or trapped on an isolated island due to a shipwreck. It would carry them on its back and send them to a safe place like an invisible "V" flame.

It was also the Candle Apostle that Aiwass often summoned when he was in the Theocracy. Whenever Aiwass brought something to Isabel, he would ask it to help send it over.

Aleister suddenly felt a little ironic.

Because this will be the most cruel ceremony presided over by the most merciful Pillar God...

(End of this chapter)