When the plot-skips players into the game world

Blood and... desire, huh.

Aiwass held the Celestial Marshal Shard of the Blood Celestial Marshal, deep in thought.

The Blood Celestial Marshal indeed suffered greatly because of unfulfilled desires. The Sons of the Moon, when it comes down to it, also because of uncontrolled desires...

They are much like the Transcendents of the Path of Love, blending various desires such as lust, hunger, and the urge to kill. It is precisely because they are controlled by their intense desire for lifedrain that they commit so many sins.

Among humans, there are those like Lily, born as a "Beast's Child," with an "innate" tendency towards crime. For them, to cleanse themselves of sin often requires greater effort compared to others... isn't this a kind of psychological disability?

The Blood Celestial Marshal relied on this power to create the race of the Sons of the Moon, who are regarded with fear and hostility by people.

"Endless hatred..."

Aiwass murmured quietly.

Why does it seem... Aleister prefers the realm of desire over that of blood?

"You guessed right."

Aleister's whispered voice echoed in Aiwass's ear: "Master..."

The moist and rustling whispers made Aiwass shiver slightly.

A bit annoyed, Aiwass conjured Aleister's Phantom Card, flicking it gently. The card emitted a metallic clang, and Aleister let out a pitiful "woof" sound.

At this time, the power dispersed from the Blood Celestial Marshal finally spread across the world.

The proclamation of the Hourglass echoed from the clouds:

[The Path of Love surpasses its limit, the Material Realm is about to ascend—]

All the Transcendents simultaneously heard the voice of the Hourglass in their minds:

[From today, the difficulty of the promotion ceremonies for advancing to the Fifth and Sixth Power Levels will drop by half a level.]

[The promotion ceremony for the Path of Love surpassing the Seventh Power Level will be conducted separately as a Lunar Eclipse Ceremony.]

[The Power of Love completely boils, the nine rivers of the Path grow more turbulent—]

[From today, even an ordinary person without Extraordinary Knowledge has a minuscule chance to gain Extraordinary Power due to intense emotional fluctuations;]

[Transcendents above the Third Level will no longer have reduced fertility due to high energy levels;]

[The birth rate of all races increases by 10%; races with lower fertility than humans get an additional 10%;]

[Transcendents outside the Path of Love can also enhance their "Blood Qi" through rituals and potions, etc.]

[The barrier between the Dream Realm and the Material Realm becomes thin, Transcendents above the Third Level might encounter Phantoms in dreams.]

[—The Balance Law has been updated, a new equilibrium point is established.]

As the voice of the Hourglass ended, the Transcendents realized one thing:

The version has updated again.

"...The world is going to be chaotic."

Sherlock closed his eyes and sighed.

He is the one who can best see the situation.

Previously, the Fallen Celestial Marshal descended, and immediately after, the Path of Transcendence surpassed the limit of the Material Realm—although some people connect them, it's not absolute.

Because the state of the Serpent Father getting increasingly off is not exactly a big secret, anyone with Third Level astrology ability can sense it. The boiling of the Power of Transcendence was foreshadowed even before the Fallen Celestial Marshal's descent.

When the Ring of Ouroboros ceremony had not been fully published, the logic of "Celestial Marshal descent leading to path limit elevation" was purely a deduction from a divine perspective. For most Transcendents, these two events didn't have a direct logical connection; some even reasoned the other way around, thinking that the overly active transcendent trait of the Serpent Father led to the descent of the Fallen Celestial Marshal into the Material Realm.

...though it's not entirely wrong. Strictly speaking, that reasoning is correct.

But now, the situation is entirely different.

The Celestial Marshal descended twice in succession, first the Path of Transcendence and then the Path of Love; and the energy level limits rose twice shortly after, precisely at the Path of Transcendence and the Path of Love, and the Celestial Marshal's subjugation and energy level elevation coincided.

Isolated proofs no more—this is no longer an exception.

Many schemers have begun to harbor their own little thoughts.

The Celestial Marshal seems... not as strong as they thought.

Back when the Fallen Celestial Marshal descended, the Pope mobilized several countries' armies—but these forces were not the core combat power, and they hadn't truly fought before the Celestial Marshal was subdued; now the Blood Celestial Marshal descended... and got solved quietly.

Even the Transcendents of the local Iris Flower had no idea who settled the Blood Celestial Marshal. Because instead of occupying a territory, the Blood Celestial Marshal hid after slaughtering the Sons of the Moon, and even withdrew the originally crimson sky. Unlike the Fallen Celestial Marshal, no territories were sealed.

Could the Fallen Celestial Marshal be the exception?

Moreover, since Transcendents of the Material Realm can also contend with the Celestial Marshal—even defeating them twice, doesn't it mean the Celestial Marshal isn't invincible!

Look at the Blood Celestial Marshal, didn't cause any harm to Iris Flower; rather, did something good!

Tremendous good!

All those Sons of the Moon were killed clean by the Blood Celestial Marshal—even though it's unclear who summoned the Blood Celestial Marshal, it couldn't possibly be the Sons of the Moon, right? After all, they might be mad, but not stupid; they couldn't possibly invite someone to annihilate themselves.

And if no one invited the Blood Celestial Marshal to do this, why would the Blood Celestial Marshal eradicate its own offspring and followers for no reason?

This implies if there is a way to get this ceremony, you can invite the Celestial Marshal to do something for you?

If you defeat the Celestial Marshal, you could even raise the power level of this path for the whole world?

...Why does it feel like both outcomes are good?

What's the cost?

Seems like the cost isn't high!

"If my guess is correct... next, the Celestial Marshals will keep being pulled down by the Ring of Ouroboros ceremony."

Sherlock glanced at Aiwass: "Is this another plot by your other self?"

"Not the worry of scarcity but the worry of unequal distribution..."

Aiwass slowly nodded: "The current world situation is generally peaceful. But peace means stability... not that there are no conflicts, but that the forces have reached a balanced state.

"And now, the unlocking of the Path of Transcendence and the Path of Love will undoubtedly disrupt this balance."

Just like Iris Flower or Avalon, there are many countries ruled by one or two paths. Even the Southern Continent, without the concept of a nation, is the same—

The trolls there are mostly of the Path of Transcendence, while the goblins are usually Transcendents of the Path of Wisdom or Balance. Now, Wisdom and Balance have not been unlocked, but the Path of Transcendence has... this means the Southern Continent will soon be in turmoil.

It is like the Indians during the colonization of the Americas suddenly dropping divine weapons, gaining superpowers, and even tribe leaders summoning meteors and plagues while colonizers still used outdated firearms; or during the triangular trade when black people suddenly received Wakanda technology...

The situation would naturally reverse, attackers and defenders switching roles.

Goblin merchants naturally can't accept a situation where "everything was managed well on our side, and then the other side suddenly unlocked".

How will they solve this issue?

This question, by now, speaks for itself.

"—They'll hold the Ring of Ouroboros."

Sherlock answered: "To restore balance to the situation."

This means finding a way to bring down the Celestial Marshal of the Path of Wisdom or Balance—Balance has no Celestial Marshal currently, so they can only summon the Celestial Marshal of Wisdom.

To be more precise, that's the Geometric Celestial Marshal.

—Sherlock can even name the victim now!

Though Sherlock himself is of the Path of Wisdom and will ultimately benefit... he dares not imagine the havoc it might wreak.

"Not just that."

Aiwass shook his head: "Once this news spreads... the Path of Devotion is just a matter of time."

"...The Holy Nation probably won't."

Sherlock did not instinctively refute Aiwass but thought seriously: "You mean because the Sons of the Moon summoned the Blood Celestial Marshal and got wiped out... No, they don't know it was the Sons of the Moon who summoned the Blood Celestial Marshal. So the Horus people might directly summon the Dawn Celestial Marshal to prevent a tragedy like Iris Flower's from happening to them?"

"Not quite that."

Aiwass squinted his eyes: "I'm talking about the Dwarves of the Northern Mountains."