When the plot-skips players into the game world

Even though the Holy Sword needing repair has changed, and even the identity of the guardian spirit within it might have altered... ultimately, the one to be sealed remains that Saint Knight.

Thus, the preparations Aiwass made before coming to the Holy Nation were not wasted, and now they are just being put to use...

Aiwass took his deck of Tarot Cards from Isabel's hand.

Upon opening the card box and looking at the thin pile of cards, Aiwass couldn't help but sigh: "I'm almost out."

The deck of Waite Tarot purchased half a year ago now only had six cards left unused.

The Magician, Empress, Chariot, Justice, Hermit, Tower.

Of course, if the card needed by the Great Sin Beast was occupied, Aiwass could overwrite the previous card and release the unused card, just like the Earthbound Spirit card. But avoiding repetition is certainly better.

Aiwass chose two Tarot Cards for the Saint Knight, namely "Chariot" and "Justice."

The Chariot card has the same name and similar meaning in both the Thoth Tarot and Waite Tarot — relying on one's strong willpower to overcome external difficulties or balance internal conflicts, thus achieving the foundation of victory. However, beyond "victory," the Thoth Tarot also contains the attribute of "glory."

The Justice card is slightly different — the commonly seen "Justice" card in Waite Tarot becomes a completely different "Adjustment" card in Thoth Tarot.

The card face depicts a blindfolded goddess, balance scale, and sword. They all symbolize fairness, rationality, justice, order, and decree — both cards carry the attribute of "glory," and in Thoth Tarot, Adjustment also holds the trait of "victory."

These two cards, after being transformed by Aiwass, just happen to become forms more intimately intertwined with each other.

——Always Victorious, Bathed in Glory.

As for the materials needed for making the cards, Aiwass had also prepared them.

There is nothing more sacred than the antlers on Aiwass's head.

Aiwass sawed off half of his antler, dripped his own blood, and ground it into powder.

He spread his wings and took three feathers — the feathers would quickly dissipate into a faint light once separated, but at least before dissipating, they are the freshest materials.

These two core materials both come from Aiwass himself. This is really nothing for Aiwass, even much easier than collecting materials.

After all, he once made his soul into a potion to save Isabel's life.

Juicing and bottling his soul as a token of affection... this howbeit isn't as far-fetched in comparison.

To reconcile the two, he used candle tears taken from the Candle Master's chapel.

After mixing the three together, a ghostly purple radiance ignited in Aiwass's eyes.

As the ritual unfolded, holy flames ignited out of nowhere, devouring these materials —

It was a brilliant golden flame, neither fierce nor harmful. It blazed from Aiwass's palm, illuminating everything around like a beacon.

"With antlers as crown, with wings as oath, with candlelight as witness —"

Aiwass raised the flames high, slowly lifting them above his head: "I beseech the Silver-Crowned Dragon, God of the Holy Number Seven!

"The God that brooks no defiance! The God who crowns and wields the sword!

"— Grant me the crown, hear my vows, witness for me!"

With Aiwass's chanting, a cold wind howled out of nowhere, swirling within the room.

The ground and walls were rapidly coated with a layer of frost visible to the naked eye, even Sherlock stumbled a little, needing Isabel to grab him by the hand to prevent him from being swept away.

In an instant, this forest-themed café-bookstore belonging to Hebashia transformed into a snowstorm-sealed ruin. The windows were sealed shut, not even a speck of light from outside could creep in.

Even the soul orb flickering in Hebashia's hand ceased its activity, turning into a light gold ice ball, like frozen jelly... transforming into a semi-transparent gemstone egg.

Yet, even so, the candle flame in Aiwass's hand remained vigorous.

The firelight in his hand became the only radiance in this world of ice and snow.

Like the sun in winter—

Following the procedure Aiwass had taught, Hebashia placed the soul orb into the flame in Aiwass's hand.

After invoking the power of the Silver-Crowned Dragon, Aiwass concentrated and prepared to summon the power of the Fallen Celestial Marshal.

Following the fall of the Fallen Celestial Marshal, the power of the Great Sin Scholar was completely unsealed.

There's no need to worry about the Great Sin Beast being detected by the Fallen Celestial Marshal during its creation... the drawback is that what was originally fully automated has become manual now. It's like previously giving a document to a superior who signed it blindly, while now one has to run through the process oneself, troublesome but at least it won't be rejected.

After all, creating the Great Sin Beast also requires the Great Sin Seal, and the Fallen Celestial Marshal has only a limited number of Great Sin Seals.

He may not pay attention, but that doesn't mean it can't be checked, discrepancies would inevitably be problematic.

But now, as the strongest entity within the transcendence path, the Serpent Celestial Marshal naturally stole the remaining power of the Fallen Celestial Marshal.

The overall power of a celestial marshal consists of divinity granted by the Celestial Marshal Shard, the depth of one's cultivated path, and the authority bestowed by the Heavenly Department position. A strong entity may not possess a Celestial Marshal Shard and authority, such as the Fairy Queen; while a celestial marshal may not necessarily be strong, for example, the Winter Maiden who knows nothing but is sufficiently compatible with this Heavenly Department authority, can serve as a spokesperson for the authority.

If one's own strength is insufficient, it's less accurate to say that mortals have mastered the Celestial Marshal Shard, and more accurate to say the shard has found its own "armor"—the initiative rests in the hands of the Celestial Marshal Shard.

Just like the Fallen Celestial Marshal of old... Even as Lucifer, despite being betrayed and growing enraged, he never fell to such depths as he did now.

The guise of possession by the seven great sins reflects how, after accepting the Celestial Marshal Shard, individuals gradually become eroded by authority.

Even in the Dream Realm, what can be done by a Celestial Marshal is still beyond the reach of Vinesse, even with the Shard of the Fallen Celestial Marshal—this portion of authority is closer to traditional "power" that can be seized and borrowed.

Before a new Fallen Celestial Marshal emerges, the Pillar God and stronger Celestial Marshal on this path can temporarily wield this power. The relationship between Amber and Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal is similar, although reversed. The Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal and Hourglass jointly use Amber's authority, yet when activated, it's Amber's Celestial Marshal Shard that revives.

Since the Serpent Father disdains such trivial matters, the Serpent Celestial Marshal naturally assumes this segment of potency… In the original timeline, he utilized this authority to transform demons into Elemental Spirits.

"—In the name of the Pride Seal, I command the power of the Fallen Celestial Marshal!"

After carefully bridging the path and requesting a Mark of Sin from the unresponsive Sin Domain, Aiwass suddenly opened his eyes—

Aiwass, without pause, loudly declared, "Great Sin Celestial, Fallen Celestial Marshal—heed my summoning!

"I have understood my sins, grant me the Greed Mark!"

Between the two chants of the Silver-Crowned Dragon and Fallen Celestial Marshal, there was barely a five-second pause.

The two completely different forces merged together, slowly drawing in the two floating Tarot cards.

Suspended in the center of the two cards was a six-fold array, three to the left and right, with the golden flame in Aiwass's hand at the very center.

The shell of the flame gradually covered with a layer of ice.

Outside was transparent ice, while inside remained fire. It appeared like an ice lantern, reflecting rainbow radiance outward.

In the glow of that radiance, Aiwass found himself slipping into an illusion.

In the blur, in the backdrop-lacking darkness, he seemed to see an elf-like man resembling Sherlock.

His cheeks were more gaunt compared to Sherlock, his aura more calm. Or rather, this image was formed from Aiwass's impressions of Sherlock—the spiritual body's memory completely forgot Hermes's visage.

The pupils of "Hermes" shimmered with azure runes, his hand clutching a glorious and sacred longsword.

Unlike Hermes's indistinct features, the sword's image was extraordinarily clear. Even the millimeter-detail forging patterns were visibly distinct.

"Are you ready, Heracles?"

Hermes's gaze was somber and stern. "This sword is what you desire; the embodiment of purity, holiness, and supreme power. It can penetrate all armor, sever all spells. Yet, by wielding this sword, you might go mad… and murder your dearly loved ones."

"Ahahahaha!"

A hearty voice rang out, a robust and powerful arm took the sword too large for Hermes, effortlessly flicking it into a sword flourish.

"Such things need not concern me!"

In Heracles's words lay unhidden satisfaction and frenzy. "As long as I possess strength, it's enough!

"Hermes, great orator you are! You are too clever and sly to have faced true adversity—that's why you cannot comprehend the truth of this world!

"Listen closely, wise Hermes! Let such a fool as me teach a clever man like you one lesson—there is no insurmountable 'destiny' in this world! All ominous fate is, in essence, merely a curse! To become entangled in it means to be cursed!

"How should one respond if cursed? De-curse? No, no, that's what the weak do! To be cursed one must smash the skull of the curser! The blood and death of the caster can end all evil curses!

"There is no unavoidable fate in this world! It's merely insufficient strength—if I were impenetrable, immune to all poisons, void of hunger or thirst, neither spells nor curses could harm me a bit; fate could command me to die, but it could never achieve that!

"Strength—if one had power like Supreme Heaven, they could shatter all 'destiny' in this world! This is precisely why strength can become the world's pillar, ahahahahaha!"

Heracles dismissed Hermes's warning.

He trusted that his enormous strength could crush all schemes, kill all curses.

Absolute power bestowed absolute confidence.

In an instant, the illusion belonging to "Heracles" dissipated.

This was Heracles's final trace left in the world.

Except for this brief blurry recollection, Aiwass saw no remnant of the past.

But...

However, what he studied in Avalon's history could reveal what happened thereafter—

Heracles succumbed to a kind of raging madness—he fell into uncontrollable frenzy, imagining himself battling giants in hallucinations, actually killing his wife and two children; or mistaking his close friend as a mortal enemy, erupting in sudden rage and murdering them…

Evidently.

Heracles couldn't overcome his fate.

He was overcome by his fate.