When the plot-skips players into the game world

"Damn!"

Aiwass's expression changed, suddenly realizing he had made a huge oversight!

Or rather, his desire for transcendence had clouded his mind… making him forget an important detail.

The initial contract he had signed was with the Shadow Demon.

And because of this, when the Shadow Demon ascended to become a Night Fiend, Aiwass's contract had already come to an end!

The contract ended, dissolving on its own—and the invisible bond between Aiwass and the Night Fiend would thus disappear.

According to normal procedure, this would mean the Night Fiend would be expelled back to the Dream Realm by the envoys of the Hourglass.

Afterwards, only if Aiwass performed a ritual directed at the Night Fiend and expended a great amount of energy, could he briefly summon the Night Fiend back to the present world—and that was if the Night Fiend responded to the summons willingly.

If this were to be described in the language of cultivation novels, the Night Fiend was already facing its heavenly tribulation and was about to ascend forcibly.

The suffix of the entry "Superior Phantom [Priority +1]" is "Divinity," which means that in a certain sense, Superior Phantoms are gods, or at the very least demigods. Their power far exceeds the limits of the world and they can only stay in the Material Realm for a very short time. Otherwise, they might incur the enmity of the Hourglass.

The Celestial Marshals pulled down by the Rite of the Ring of Ouroboros can be considered victims. Yet, even so, their presence would still be targeted by the Hourglass; not to mention those Upper-Level Phantoms who are neither envoys nor Celestial Marshals, who lack 'official status' yet dare to descend into the Lower Realm on their own.

As a third-energy-level Demon Scholar, Aiwass absolutely could not hope to sign a contract with an Upper-Level Phantom.

The profession of Demon Scholar, limited to a third energy level at most, simply did not possess that degree of power!

It was essentially the same as making a contract with a god!

The Night Fiend, possessing three domain abilities, was also indeed a god in a certain sense!

—However, what the Demon Scholar couldn't do, the Great Sin Scholar, capable of sealing a true god, could!

"I do not wish to leave, Master…"

Vinesse hugged Aiwass tightly from behind.

She emitted an ethereal, hoarse voice, like the whispering murmur of a doll: "Seal me away…"

"Just like the Defiant Flame Butterfly… seal me inside the Tarot Cards!"

Aiwass looked at Vinesse's face… her expression was like that of someone engrossed in playing a game, when suddenly their parents snatched away and lifted the console.

Her delicate and pale face lacked expressions, but the eyes already brimmed with a strong sense of unease and panic.

The crimson bloodstains on her face looked like shattered porcelain, conveying a strong sense of fragmentation.

"Don't worry, I won't let you go," Aiwass said without smiling, but utterly serious, "I've said it before… you are my little bird.

"And I… am your birdcage."

—No one can take you away from me!

Aiwass turned on the light and relit the candles.

He began preparing for card-making at a rapid pace.

If Vinesse was let go now… and she encountered the Fallen Celestial Marshal, Aiwass might never be able to summon her back!

—Keep in mind that the Fallen Celestial Marshal was almost pulled down by the previous generation's "Shepherd"!

He would undoubtedly harbor extreme hostility towards the Art of Herding.

And the Shadow Demon had ascended directly to become a Night Fiend without the Fallen Celestial Marshal's permission. If He became even slightly curious, He could realize what Aiwass had done.

It was already too late to summon the envoys of Candle Master now to inquire which Tarot Card would be suitable for the Night Fiend.

…Of course, even if Aiwass had summoned the envoys of Candle Master before the evolution ritual, he probably would not have gotten an answer. Because the card suitable for the Shadow Demon at that time and the card suitable for the Night Fiend afterward would certainly be different.

The contract within Aiwass had already collapsed, and now the Night Fiend was in a state of limbo. At any moment, it could be sent back to the Dream Realm by the descending envoys.

"Vinesse," Aiwass quickly washed the remaining cards and said softly, "it's up to you now.

"Let us draw them out together… the two cards that belong to you. The two cards most suitable for you."

This was the closest approach to "divination," relying solely on a sense of destiny to select the most suitable card for the Night Fiend.

The Night Fiend placed its hand on Aiwass's. That dark, sharp hand, like a hook or claw, made Aiwass feel an unfamiliar coldness and slickness.

It was like the damp wind at the beach at night.

"The first card, representing yourself. You draw it yourself."

Aiwass said softly, pushing and fanning the Tarot Cards sideways together with the Night Fiend.

The Night Fiend, following its instincts, chose one from the spread.

Ligeia immediately leaned in to see, and Yanis also saw from within the painting the card Aiwass had chosen. Only Yulia remained sitting on the bed, a bit sullen but still looking worriedly at Aiwass.

"—The Devil, reversed," Ligeia said in a low voice. "It makes sense."

"Then comes the second card, which can suppress your power, representing the Pillar God…"

Aiwass said, somewhat nervously.

There were only nine cards representing the Pillar God, and one of them had already been taken by the Defiant Flame Butterfly. The chances of accurately drawing a card belonging to the Pillar God from the remaining ones wasn't that high… unless this was indeed a "divination" elicited by their spirituality.

Afterwards, Aiwass revealed the Tarot Card.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"...The Upright Lovers."

Aiwass said softly, "A card belonging to the Gemini Mirror... It makes sense."

As a Shadow Demon, an avatar of "Beyard," it was because it devoured its former self, the Son of the Moon, that it lost the Brand of Fury; and it was precisely because it devoured its former self again during the promotion ceremony presided over by the Gemini Mirror, that it regained the Brand of Jealousy.

And as an Upper-Level Demon, the Night Fiend had a certain conceptual connection with the "mirror" as well.

To suppress [The Demon] with [The Lovers]!

Aiwass immediately started creating cards with the remaining ritual materials in the room.

Since he had already prepared the materials for the Sin Card needed by the Shadow Demon, Aiwass made it quickly.

But as he worked, Aiwass's brows were already tightly furrowed.

He remembered that his Dark Attribute Mana Pool had a cap of only 44 points.

Because he had never considered the possibility that the contract would become invalid after the Shadow Demon transformed into the Night Fiend... Aiwass had to obtain the remaining six points of Dark Attribute Mana right now, no matter what.

There are ways to restore mana on each Path.

The Path of Devotion involves prayer, but it's impossible to recover Dark Attribute Mana through prayer— the Path of Devotion's Shepherd's Nurturing uses Priest mana, and the type of mana that prayer can restore is the same.

As for the Dark Attribute Mana, Aiwass had basically never depleted it.

Aside from the initial card-making, it had only been used when applying Shepherd's Nurturing to Lily.

The method to regain mana on the Path of Transcendence is sacrifice. By sacrificing the life of another, one can restore their own mana.

But Aiwass couldn't possibly trigger a heavenly scourge—he had sworn an oath.

At this moment, the Night Fiend already sensed unrest. The world was rejecting it, and the Hourglass had noticed its existence.

...Damn it, what should I do?

If push comes to shove...

Aiwass clenched his teeth, his right hand grasping his left wrist.

Ligeia seemed to realize something, her pupils suddenly constricted.

...Offering up one's left arm, to gain a bit of extra mana... it might be feasible.

After all, there should be ways to grow it back later, he could think of several methods now...

But the question was, was his own arm... worth six mana points? To whom should he offer the sacrifice?

But just then, Aiwass looked up at the "Lovers Card" on the table, and again at the standing mirror in the bedroom, and suddenly paused... realising that another, better solution was right there before his eyes.

—Did you anticipate this as well, Gemini Mirror?

So, Aiwass first prayed to the Candle Master with utmost devotion, rapidly restoring the mana he had used during the recent Shepherd's Nurturing ritual.

Even though the consumption itself was not much, combined with the healing from the Fire Rite Skill, it was quite a bit. Fortunately, he was able to use the last prayer of the day to fully restore his condition.

Once his mana was replenished, Aiwass ran to the front of the mirror in two steps, loudly praying at the same time:

"I call upon the Gemini Mirror! The divine of the sacred number two, the god without eyes, without self, the god of pure and flawless beauty—

"I am you..."

As the surface of the mirror glowed, Aiwass rushed straight into the mirror.

The other Aiwass from within the mirror emerged, and the two voices overlapped for an instant: "You are me—"

The shadow became reality, the body turned to a mere illusion.

Another Aiwass, with crimson eyes, emerged from the mirror.

—It has been mentioned before, the three attributes of the mana pool in the Son of the Moon form do not correspond one-to-one with Aiwass's human form. They are added up and then divided by three.

In other words, once Aiwass switched to the Son of the Moon form, the remaining two types of mana from the other attributes could be balanced out to make up for the deficit.

Aiwass's mana pool had 52 points in the Light attribute, 44 points in the Dark attribute, and 55 points in the Fire attribute.

After averaging, it balanced perfectly, filling the pool to the brim!

Thereupon, Aiwass placed two Tarot cards face down together, with their faces opposite each other.

Dark Attribute Mana poured in like a vortex... After surpassing five points, the cards were already completely torn apart. This is why there was no need for overly precious card-making materials.

And a dark purple, faintly extant card outline was in Aiwass's grasp.

Then Aiwass began to chant again, calling upon the Gemini Mirror for the second time:

"I call upon the Gemini Mirror! The divine of the sacred number two, the god without eyes, without self, the god of pure and flawless beauty—

"Please watch over my soul, let it be as pure as a mirror's surface..."

"—I earnestly request the Fallen Celestial Marshal!"

Aiwass didn't pause for a moment and proclaimed aloud, "The Celestial Marshal of Great Sin, the Fallen Celestial Marshal!

"I have clarified my sins, and I am willing to bear the Brand of Jealousy!"

The prayer ceased on its own due to error, but two utterly different auras had already flowed into the hands of Aiwass in his Son of the Moon state—