Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1288 The Weakness That Was Attached
The red dragon was finally able to escape from the sea monster's grasp.

Since the Candlelight Recreated the world until now... all the "wars" this world has experienced can be seen as part of the power of the Crimson Calamity.

He can manifest and reenact any moment in any war.

For example, the thousands of giant cannons that roared in an instant during the war between the elves and the dwarves; or the giant beasts that could devour mountains and rivers during the war between the winged beings and the giant beasts; or the Winged Celestials who could defeat even such opponents... He could even manifest the battle in the Dream Realm against the Supreme Heaven when the "Silver Crowned Dragon" was first born.

This is the supreme authority of a pillar god.

However, since the Silver Crowned Dragon of yesteryear did not rely on his Pillar God authority to fight him, Arthur naturally did not want to use that power against Vortigern, whom he had now dethroned. If he lost this battle of wits, even if he annihilated the opponent's soul, the opponent's consciousness would slowly regenerate within his own.

After all, they were originally the same person. Just like the Supreme Heaven now, a part of it has already returned to Weizhe's body.

However, Yuan Tiansi was not deterred by this attack.

Or rather, He simply didn't know what retreating meant.

The raging sea monster completely ignored—or perhaps forgot—the three powerful beings that had lured it there, and instead focused intently on its actions.

—Because these tentacles are not actually Yuan Tiansi's body at all.

Yuan Tiansi's true form is the headless corpse left behind by the forbidden pillar god Ai Shiping. Those tentacles originally emerged from his neck, formed from overflowing forbidden power.

This is why Yuan Tiansi seems to lack common sense.

Because He really has no brain.

Although a phantom demon doesn't need a brain to think, the lack of a brain means it lacks the concept of "thinking." Just as a person in the dream world has no wings and therefore no concept of flight. Although it can achieve the goal of taking off through magic or other means, it doesn't inherently possess this instinct.

The head of that giant whale is actually the true "body" of Yuan Tian Si, and His heart is located there. Ai Hua Si's consciousness, as well as Yuan Tian Si's physical body, are also stored here.

These tentacles are actually blood vessels—or hairs—that Yuan Tiansi controlled, which he drilled out of the empty skull.

Therefore, their damage did not actually shake Yuan Tiansi in the slightest. On the contrary, the ice storm spewed out by the Silver Crown Dragon earlier hit Yuan Tiansi's main body.

It froze and shattered the waves and tentacles, but such damage meant little to Yuan Tiansi. However, it struck the "head of the giant whale" flying ahead.

—Even this attack wouldn't have caused much damage in the first place.

The reason why Yuan Tiansi was so thoroughly enraged was actually because of the equipment that Aiwas put on him.

"The Chain of Friendship"!
As a token jointly created by the Winged King and the Scaled King, this is a true divine artifact. Just like the Candlelight Apostle's spear, it has the highest priority.

This also means that it can be effective even against the Celestial Gods and the Pillar Gods.

In the original world, many formidable Avatars—including Edward, the elder brother who killed Aiwass and obtained the Heart of the Dragon—were only able to break down their special mechanisms thanks to artifacts gifted or lent by these Pillar Gods and Avatars.

Moreover, as equipment provided to Yuan Tiansi, its powerful abilities also benefit Yuan Tiansi.

Just as the information given to Aiwass by the "Hero" Ismail stated...

That power, known as "Heart of Heresy," is the very power of the forbidden pillar god of the past!

However, those benevolent patrons, possessing such a treasure, were unaware of the source of its power.

One of the reasons why Yuan Tiansi is so excited now is because he has reclaimed a portion of the ancient power that originally belonged to "himself". Therefore, Yuan Tiansi has no way to resist the equipment that provides him with benefits.

However, its other effective state, which comes from Lucifer's "Fortress of Faith," also becomes effective as a result.

A fortress of faith.

That is to obtain material power through the power of the user's mind. As long as the heart is firm, pure, and calm, a barrier of light can spontaneously form to block all material attacks.

This is naturally an incredibly powerful force.

This means that even a mortal—as long as his faith, determination, and will are infinitely firm—can emerge unscathed from the fierce attacks of the Avatars.

But conversely...

Just as the benevolent Lord of Holy Spring City would disintegrate because He could not bear the damage He caused to the soul.

Compared to his powerful, near-immortal body, Yuan Tiansi's consciousness is also extremely fragile!
Not to mention, He had just been beaten up by Xi Tian Si.

That's why, after being provoked, it crystallized its whale-like head. That was a state similar to "Star Ice"... or rather, that was the true, most primal Star Ice!
It is precisely because He felt pain that He wanted to protect His weakness. In this respect, Yuan Tiansi is no different from a wild beast.

All of this is just as the prophecy foretold—

“From where the sun fell into the sea, a thousand tongues of fire licked the bitter black salt bed.”

"The heavenly fire bit the hem of the beast's skirt, letting the seawater scream in the stone pot."

"The shepherd of that beast comes from a place where a thousand sails are still and copper bells do not ring—"

He poured the last handful of salt water into the earthenware jar, just to wait for it to grow snake fangs.

A thousand sails remain still, and the copper bells do not ring.

That means absolute stillness, the twilight of the end times—from which comes the shepherd, Aiwass himself.

"That beast" and "the salt water poured into the pottery jar" both refer to Yuan Tiansi. The fact that it grew snake fangs means that it was possessed by Aiwas through the Shepherding Method and turned into a real "snake".

And now, the snake that had been lurking in the pottery jar has indeed revealed its venomous fangs!

When Yuan Tiansi puts on the chain of friendship, he also gains a fatal weakness!
On the other hand, the Red of Calamity's reneging on its promises and its disregard for the Red Hand Party is also part of His plan.

Aiwass was transformed into Yuan Tiansi, the two separated entities reuniting, but as a "free and newly born" being sacrificed to the "ancient and sealed" side. This foreshadows his relationship with the Silver Crown Dragon. Seeing Yuan Tiansi slaughter the benevolent lords who summoned him, and even intending to kill the Knights of the Round Table who followed "Arthur"—given this, how could he possibly attack Yuan Tiansi?

Isn't that the same as attacking himself?
Moreover, he originally hoped that the Red Hand Party would rise up against the Good Lords precisely because he himself was in a "weak" position of resistance at that time. He hoped to use the Red Hand Party to instigate war and rebellion against the Good Lords, and to launch the final Water War, thereby borrowing their strength to defeat the Silver Crown Dragon with the advantage of being weaker.

But the Silver Crowned Dragon was defeated by him with almost no resistance. Now that he is in a high position, how could he possibly continue to support the Red Hand Party in their rebellion?
The Crimson Calamity's stance has now changed.

But there is a flaw here.

That is, he didn't know that Morgan had hidden the fragments of the White Dragon.

"Morgan will surely kill Arthur, and the red dragon will surely triumph over the white dragon."

Aiwas thought to himself.

There are many ways to interpret prophecy.

At first glance, this prophecy seems to be Morgan's betrayal, killing the Silver Crowned Dragon and allowing the Red Dragon to triumph over the White Dragon.

But this is not the case.

Because the Silver Crowned Dragon is not "Arthur", but Vortigern.

But the Crimson Calamity is not the complete Arthur. Only when the two of them are combined into one can they be the true "Arthur".

This prophecy appears to be two consecutive events, but it is actually one event.

Morgan's method of killing "Arthur" was not the arrow he shot—but rather preserving the soul of the white dragon, allowing the red dragon to defeat the white dragon.

This means that the White Dragon relinquished his authority as a pillar god, could no longer suppress the Red Dragon, and had to settle things with him. And the moment the White Dragon's soul was stored away, the outcome of "Arthur's death" was already predetermined.

This was not Morgan's betrayal from the very beginning, but rather the Silver Crown Dragon's own choice.

—He is using this method to cleanse the "nothingness" within himself.

In other words, the moment the red dragon first overpowered the white dragon, Arthur's fate was sealed—

Yuantian Si.

The Red of Calamity.

Two originally flawless and perfect beings revealed a fatal flaw at the point where their fates intersected.

It was like two trains colliding head-on.

—Use their irresistible power to tear each other apart!
　Update complete, meow!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)