When the plot-skips players into the game world

The ascendants, whether alive, dead, or lingering in the rift between life and death, all saw veils of light materialize before their eyes—

The Son of the Moon, laughing wildly, raised Blood Mountain without hesitation, piercing and flinging guests in his path;

Aiwass, whose eyes bloomed with flowers, severed the neck of the guest kneeling before him;

Aiwass's head, upon Sizhu's Holy Icon, smeared all the remaining Pure White into Crimson Red;

High in the sky, a white horse summoning thunder faced off across the distance against a Dragon that caused mountains to rise;

The eyes of the carnivorous white horse turned black and red, the bear pelt on its back igniting with Fiery Fire, while the Fox that once stood atop it now cowered in the corner of a wall;

A rat, grinning as it devoured the Lion King's liver, turned back to glance at the Old Dog standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the light;

Upon a pale purple sky adorned with silver-white stars, a deep purple river surged like waves. A shadowy figure without a face stood before him, its lips curling into a smile—joyful or menacing, it was unclear;

Behind the faceless Angel, runes revolved, while a shower of meteoric, fiery rain descended from the violet-red heavens;

And the final scene…

With a swing of a scythe, Aleister turned herself into a sculpture of crimson crystal, shattering with a clear and crisp sound!

—Only two who had withdrawn early failed to witness this scene.

Aiwass gazed upon it all, his expression complex.

In those visions… nearly every one of them featured himself.

[—And me. I am with you.]

A hollow voice echoed in Aiwass's ear.

—It was Aleister's consciousness, existing as though in a hallucination.

Just like the "Complete Nurturing Skill" Aiwass used during his first Ascension Ceremony—if one sacrificed their life, they could offer their soul and consciousness to another.

The Phantom Demon's individual will wasn't strong, so Aiwass could directly control the Demon's body back then; if the Demon had possessed a clear, independent will, Aiwass could have hidden his soul within, waiting for the Demon to bring him back to life.

But the situation with Aleister and Aiwass was quite unique.

Although the Eternal Pope had inherited the name "Aiwass," he was not the complete Aiwass. When Aleister's soul entered Aiwass, the two souls split by the "Dichotomy Rift" fused once more. For they were originally one—two halves of the true Aiwass that had been severed, now perfectly reunited.

Aiwass's soul and memories became whole again, returning to the state before the division—perhaps even more complete, reaching an unprecedented pinnacle state.

—Compared to the original muddled state, where even he felt lost and confused, often losing control or deviating due to the Path's compulsions, the now-reformed Aiwass fully understood every thought and fleeting desire in his heart.

Void or love, dedication or transcendence—he would no longer be confused.

Theoretically, when two souls merged, all traces of Aleister should have vanished.

Because in truth, "Aleister" never existed—she was merely Aiwass's "shadow." When Aiwass became complete, what was incomplete would naturally become part of the whole.

Yet, they were not stitched back together by the Hourglass… Instead, they achieved fusion through another method.

This was a miracle achievable only in the Dream Realm—

In an ascension ceremony that allowed for death, Aiwass, who had fully experienced death and truly resided in the Dream Realm, had become a Phantom Demon akin to an Undead; thus, he could undergo "Shepherd's Nurturing."

Aleister held one-third of Aiwass's soul, separated at the Fourth Level of the Path of Devotion. Combined with Aleister's alignment with the Path of Transcendence, conditions for the Nurturing Skill were perfectly met; by using the complete Nurturing Skill, she could embed her soul and consciousness into the nurtured Phantom Demon, ensuring her revival.

—Thus, instead of a standard fusion, an additional consciousness emerged.

This created the possibility for Aiwass to revive Aleister… Now, she lingered around Aiwass like a wraith-like Banshee.

However, the resurrected Aleister was no longer Aiwass's other half—for Aiwass was fully complete and no longer lacked "her portion."

To Aleister, this might even be regarded as a rebirth of sorts.

She had fully escaped her fate.

As for a missing soul—this was not a problem for Aiwass at all.

Aiwass inherently possessed the characteristics of the "Soul of Dissolution." Once his soul recovered, he could extract more liquid soul to create the foundation for Aleister's revival—without harming anyone or corrupting Aleister's memories or consciousness… As for lacking a body, had Aleister not already taken measures?

—By using Sasha's remains to transform herself into a Blood Angel.

Just as she had wished.

"…No wonder Sizhu told me, 'This ceremony might be critical for you.'"

Aiwass spoke with a complicated expression: "So it was to give me such an opportunity…"

He had initially thought the Serpent Celestial Marshal intervened in the ceremony.

But had the Celestial Marshal intervened, given his nature… after Aleister sacrificed herself, he likely would have lost his composure and taken action personally. Yet, Aiwass never saw the Celestial Marshal until the very end…

Only then did he realize it was merely a future simulated by Sizhu.

—The theme of this third painting, after all, was the Serpent Celestial Marshal, the Endless Knot, and the Ring of Ouroboros!

Aiwass himself was the protagonist of the painting!

So, was it modern then…

As Aiwass pondered, the score sheet appeared:

[Necessary task completed]

["Endless Banquet": Completed "Tower of Feast" through another method (Completed)]

["Tower of Feast" Total Score: 3000, Contribution Score: 2590]

["Animal Kingdom": Completed "White Horse King" through another method (Completed)]

["White Horse King" Total Score: 4500, Contribution Score: 2200]

["Goodbye": Completed "With Me" through another method (Completed)]

["With Me" Total Score: 6000, Contribution Score: 5800]

[Total Score: 10590, Rank: First]

[Special Victory: "Divine Resurrection" Completed]

Bathed in golden light, Aiwass's ethereal Angelic body began to take on the contours of flesh.

Scattered consciousness gradually coalesced, his soul returning to a corporeal state. Sensations sharpened as his five senses restored; the omnipotent awareness of his soul form slowly subsided.

…In the end, no one bound by sins survived.

Was it truly a trap then… No, it couldn't exactly be called a trap.

Perhaps with different paintings it might have been possible. But this final painting was far too difficult, leaving no room for infighting among ascendants…

"…The necessary task was to escape from the painting."

Aiwass murmured under his breath: "When did it begin…"

He paused, then suddenly realized.

It was during the final choice—he had left the painting first before it completed!

Which meant, the "nine questions" were the real trap!

At least one question must remain unanswered to allow escape; the ninth question was the point of no return otherwise!

…Was this itself a kind of metaphor?

The world had already restarted eight times, making this the ninth cycle.

Applied to the "painting," it correlated to answering eight questions. Only one remained.

—In essence, answering the last question ensured permanent entrapment.

"…Wait."

Aiwass's eyes widened.

He suddenly realized what Sizhu—or the Gemini Mirror—was trying to convey.

The ninth question referred to the ninth cycle.

—If he didn't "leave" this time, he would never leave!

Was Sizhu urging him to leave?

"Of course, you can leave. This is your final chance."

A voice, warm as a father's, resonated in the space: "But if you don't leave now, you never will.

"You will become 'one of the painted.'… That's why that child was so anxious."

Aiwass instinctively rebutted: "But… if I leave, what will happen to this world's people?"

"—Eternal recurrence, or descent into twilight."

Sizhu's voice remained gentle: "Just like the choices you've seen.

"You are not of this world, child. You are but a wandering soul… yet you carry such heavy burdens. There is no reason for someone halfway through the journey to bear all the responsibility.

"So, you may leave. At any moment until the very last."

"…Is that why you didn't stop the Celestial Marshal?"

Aiwass's eyes widened, suddenly grasping Sizhu's stance with searing clarity.

Sizhu—and perhaps the other Pillar Gods—weren't unaware of the Celestial Marshal's actions.

They simply knew how bleak the path ahead was.

Without the resolve for mutual annihilation, it was better to abandon the sinking ship at the final moment.

Hence, they supported Aiwass but didn't oppose the Celestial Marshal.

As they had become "Pillar Gods," the pillars of this world, they could no longer leave.

"…I don't want to leave."

After a long silence, Aiwass firmly declared: "There are people in this world who love me, people who need me. There are people I must save, and people I must kill.

"My ties are here—returning to another world would be like leaving my home again. To tear open a scar that has already healed into a wound; can it ever return to the state before the injury?

"I no longer have a home there… My home is here."

"Then I hope you cherish this home, child."

Sizhu spoke kindly.

Although merely a deer, Aiwass felt as if it smiled warmly at him.

With a tender gesture, it nuzzled Aiwass and spoke softly: "The starving have no thought; the solitary, no love.

"—Drink deep of my blood… and sing and speak."

With Sizhu's sacred words, blood trickled from its neck.

Instinctively, Aiwass opened his mouth, and the blood fell into it.

In that instant, six terms appeared before Aiwass.

—Not three, but six!

Three gold, three purple.

Three devotion, three transcendence!

Because both the Path of Devotion and Path of Transcendence belonged to Aiwass, and with only one survivor, the ascension quota of three was maximized.

Thus, when Aleister and Aiwass fused, it was equivalent to his victory on both paths!

[Exalted Sacrifice (Purple): When using "Sacrifice," lose 33% of maximum life to guarantee the effect doubles. Usable three times per month.]

[Endless Mercy (Gold): Your healing can revive those who've just died.]

[Four-colored Wings (Purple): Gain four-colored wings to transform your Mana Pool into one element—wind, earth, water, or fire—for one use per day per color.]

[Elemental Emperor (Gold): All wind, earth, water, and fire-related spells and abilities gain +1 priority (Divinity).]

[Transcendent Snake (Gold): When failing a check against a higher-level entity, gain +2 priority on the next check (Divinity).]

[Priority bonuses from the same source (e.g., Divinity) only apply once.]

With a sonorous ring, one purple ascended to gold!

[Pillar God's Grace—]

[Sizhu has elevated one term for you!]

[Si Zhu's Horn (Gold): You've drunk the blood of Sizhu's neck and become the Son of Si Zhu.]