Chapter 406: The King of Terror Descends from the Heavens
After Aleister was well-fed and quenched, Inspector Webber planned to escort this terrifying young lady home.
——After all, given Aleister's identity, if something happened after she left his side... he would be in big trouble if followed up on.
He absolutely could not afford that responsibility. Not only could he not afford it, but even dragging out his boss and his boss's boss wouldn't be enough to fill the gap...
In one's middle years, it is best to seek stability above all.
To prevent any mishaps along the way, Inspector Webber even made a call to arrange a car and driver from the bureau to take Aleister back.
Aleister, with her eyes squinted, curled up in the back seat, casually chatting with Inspector Webber, who was also seated in the back.
"Have you heard?"
Inspector Webber, while fiddling with his phone, casually mentioned: "About that doomsday prophecy the Demon Followers talk about."
"Doomsday prophecy?"
Aleister pondered briefly, then shook her head: "I might have heard it, but I didn't pay much attention... What prophecy?"
"It says that in July 1999, a King of Terror will descend from the heavens... I don't remember the rest. In short, following that, a god will rule the world under the guise of happiness. Places in Camelot were quite chaotic last month, with many people preparing for disaster."
"...Rule the world under the guise of happiness, how does that relate to the end of the world?"
Aleister was somewhat puzzled: "Isn't happiness good? If they're ruling the world, doesn't that imply the world will continue on?"
"Don't know, who cares — those Demon Followers have been crazy not just for a year or two. Anyway, July is already past."
Inspector Webber laughed lightheartedly: "It's already August now, and we haven't seen any sign of that 'King of Terror', have we? Maybe they just made it all up..."
Just then, the earth suddenly transmitted an abnormal fluctuation.
A wave of invisible shock swept through, causing every tree on the street to rustle loudly in an organized and violent noise.
All electronic devices malfunctioned instantaneously, even Inspector Webber's phone screen went dark. Some cars slowed down abruptly, and all the traffic lights on the streets malfunctioned — either all were lit or all were out, and the electronic billboards on the street corners flickered erratically.
In that instant, Aleister sat up straight in the back.
Others might not feel it... but she felt an extremely strong Power of Transcendence piercing through her spine at that moment.
She couldn't stop trembling, twitching slightly in the car — that sensation was like hitting a funny bone, waves of warmth, numbness, and uncomfortable electric currents suddenly spreading to her extremities.
What was... that?
Aleister's eyes suddenly widened.
This feeling, she had experienced it before —
Whether it was the Banquet Celestial or the Winter Celestial's ascension, such phenomena that affected the entire world had occurred.
Was it the ascension of some Celestial Marshal?
But that seemed off...
Apart from this "world-class electronic malfunction" brought on by the invisible shockwaves, nothing else seemed to have happened.
——Could it be some kind of "BUG Celestial Marshal" ascending?
But at that moment, the entire world suddenly came to a halt.
The moment Aleister saw the question in the car, her pupils constricted.
She flung open the car door and stepped straight out.
The question was: "Who is the King of Terror?"
Three choices were given below:
——"Endless Knot," "Fallen Celestial Marshal," "Shadowy Celestial Marshal."
One Pillar God, two Celestial Marshals.
In an instant, all the previous inconsistencies surged to her mind.
Aleister remembered clearly...
The foster father once told Aiwass that the "evolution" Path of the future was the Serpent Celestial Marshal seizing the strength of the Fallen Celestial Marshal through the Ring of Ouroboros ritual. Demons on the transcendence Path disintegrate and are reborn, their powers merging with the Fairy Kingdom and transforming into elemental spirits of the six major elements... An "Elementalist" is not a Mage who manipulates the strength of elements, but rather resembles a Shaman who serves or commands elemental spirits.
——Those elemental spirits are actually those demons; Elementalists are still Demon Scholars, except that what they study is no longer Demonology, but Elementalism.
It's like a company replacing its top executives, and after the new leadership lands, a group of employees are let go.
Afterward, the company shifts its operational direction, abolishing previous rules and projects. The employees are still the same, as are the clients, but everyone starts over from scratch.
Because the new leadership brought substantial investment, the company's situation immediately improved, and performance requirements were no longer so strict... so the workload for every team below decreased, and welfare benefits all improved accordingly.
Then the new leadership brought over a batch of mid-level managers from their previous company—these are the Alchemists of the Fourth Level and above, and they recruited a group of new employees attracted by the new benefits. Namely, newcomers who start from scratch learning the Extraordinary Skill of an Elementalist.
But now...
Inspector Webber has mentioned several times that "Demon Followers" still exist and are troublesome. And their name has changed to Demon Followers, not Demon Scholars—this means the Fallen Celestial Marshal still exists and has made his demonic faith public.
No longer collecting souls in secret and cultivating Demon Scholars like Serpent Father did, but openly preaching!
And in this world, there is also an "Elemental Emperor" of the same Level as the Eternal Pope... which means, they're all at the Sixth Power Level.
The Sixth Power Level represents an unreachable limit for humans, indicating this world has not experienced the Ring of Ouroboros ritual.
But if the Fallen Celestial Marshal isn't dead, then from where does the power of the Elementalists come?
Besides, there are other paradoxes—these are pieces of information tapped out during a conversation between Aleister and Inspector Webber.
For instance, Avalon has become Camelot, and Glass Island has become New Glass Island. On another world line, this is due to the devastation of the Shadowy Celestial Marshal.
On this world line, Isabel sacrificed the soul of her Path of Love, along with her ability to love and give birth, to revive the blasted and cursed land of Avalon.
Yet on this world line, Isabel already has more than one child with Aiwass—and the name of the first child, now the Queen of Camelot, is even called Aleister!
——But this is the agreement between Aleister and Isabel!
Because Aleister did not want to disappear without a trace, so Isabel planned to forever remember Aleister in this way. In other words, Isabel must first know about Aleister, and Aleister must also fear his own disappearance.
In other words, Aleister must separate from Aiwass and become a distinct person before it is possible for Isabel to name her first son or daughter Aleister...
Aleister's brain turned to mush in an instant.
"...What should I choose?"
Aleister murmured softly to himself.
At this moment, the Spiritual Body of Aiwass was sitting in the passenger seat, looking towards those three doors.
Aiwass thoughtfully: "So it is, there are not only possibilities of one world line, but multiple world lines intertwined..."
Unlike Aleister, he, with his broader vision and greater freedom of movement, had already understood.
Because they do not know of the existence of "surveillance"... those who have been promoted still recklessly misuse their abilities and past experiences. The result is death or arrest for nearly all of them; they hardly have much choice.
This is already the fifth question; the progress bar has passed the halfway mark.
Yet this painting has barely changed... Up to this point, it has been three lines running parallel!
"Choose some things, negate others..."
Aiwass stared steadfastly at the "Endless Knot" option.
If guided by his true nature, he would choose this.
After being schemed against for so long, it would be odd if he didn't have a temper—even if the other party is considered his other half, or even his true self, it doesn't prevent him from wanting to take back his own body.
That's a genuine enemy. It's a matter of life and death, no other choice.
...But would introducing a Pillar God as an enemy be a bit too absurd?
For Aleister's sake, and for the safety of other ascenders... It's better to choose the most correct answer.
So Aiwass walked through the door that belonged to the "Fallen Celestial Marshal".
"...There's nothing to be afraid of."
Aleister took a deep breath and without hesitation entered the "Endless Knot" door.