Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1348 The Eighth Deadly Sin: The Ring of Ouroboros

Infinite light pierces the darkness, stretching endlessly.

It fills the world like the atmosphere, and becomes the foundation of life like the earth.

It warms the flesh and blood of all living beings like a flame, and seeps into the cracks of all things like flowing water.

Only pure light can pierce the darkness of nothingness—for that light is the miracle itself.

After eleven seconds of illumination, the light gradually faded.

The "nothingness" that appeared before Aiwass had already knelt down and returned to its original state.

He transformed back into the appearance of the Celestial Expedition Master, shedding the shell that had been devoured by the Star Insects. However, his entire body was now tattered and his recovery was extremely slow... Compared to when he first engaged in battle, when he could recover to his peak condition in an instant, so much time had passed, and he had only managed to grow his head back; the holes in his body from the insects had not yet healed.

The "nothingness" attached to him had already been destroyed by the "Light Shines Throughout the Realm" due to his hostility towards Aiwass.

However, as a vessel bearing nothingness, the Celestial Division did not die from this attack.

Aivas, flying in the air, looked at the Celestials with a serious and cautious expression.

"……snort."

Huan Tiansi snorted, his voice weak and weary: "In the end, it's nothing more than this..."

He spoke slowly, gradually rising from the ground: "Once you become completely independent and become 'the Other'... you no longer possess the power to be indistinguishable from others..."

He mocked the nothingness that had vanished without a trace.

When nothingness exists within oneself, it is utterly unsolvable.

Every thought may be infected by nothingness, and even the true self is no longer certain.

"—If that's the case, then is the powerful... truly you? Or is it just myself?"

Huan Tiansi coughed as he smiled cruelly: "Just a pathetic parasite. How rampant it was inside... how fragile it became after being exposed..."

He was so happy.

It's the kind of happy smile that only appears when everything is about to end.

"Then... it's time for our battle."

As he spoke, Huan Tiansi stared at Aiwass, a pure purple glow igniting in the depths of his eyes.

He stepped forward again—

However, he had only taken one step when a streak of light landed in front of him.

"—Now that things have come to this, do we really have to continue fighting?"

Flying in the sky, Aiwass asked solemnly, "Your mission is over. You can live in the new world without the void."

At this moment, many dark golden cracks have appeared on His body.

That was not a sign that His body could not withstand it, but rather proof that His instinct for transformation was almost impossible to suppress.

The power He used had long exceeded the limits of the Veil of Balance—modifying the rules of the world, using the Beast of Great Sin as a prototype, and creating a new sun in the material world was clearly something no mortal could do.

This has crossed the line between humans and gods.

Only a pillar god can possess such supreme authority!
Having used this power, Aiwass can no longer remain in the material world. Just as a seed must eventually sprout, the divine entity within Aiwass will eventually step into the dream world.

“I can sense that nothingness is dead. The world (Gaia) tells me the same thing.”

Flying in the sky, with a halo of blazing sunlight on his back, Aiwass's voice carried the echo of divinity: "I created the miracle of 'nothingness being killed in the light,' a fact confirmed by the eleventh of the holy numbers—it became my achievement as a pillar god, and thus the crisis of nothingness has ended."

"The catastrophe of nothingness... has indeed ended. However, the crisis of world destruction is far from over."

Despite having just mocked the Void, the Celestial Strategist now retorted, "You underestimate the Void, Aiwass. Even if you have destroyed the Void now, it will one day be reborn."

"As long as there is one person in this world who questions, 'Does this thing have any meaning?', as long as there is one person who doubts, 'My life has been meaningless'... nothingness will still exist in the world. As long as it gathers together, it will eventually be resurrected. Because it is the embodiment of the ultimate concept of 'meaninglessness'."

As he spoke, the Celestial Strategist raised his head and looked at Aiwas in the sky.

His pale lips curled up slightly, revealing a cruel smile.

"—However, there is one possibility that could kill him completely. That is to kill me completely."

Aiwass did not reply, but simply watched him quietly.

Huan Tiansi, like a mortal, looked up at the god in the sky and slowly said, "I have been fused with the Whispers of the Void for too long... to the point that I have also obtained his knowledge and secrets."

"The birth of the Twilight Species comes from the destruction of the world—but this statement is not absolute. The point is not about 'a destroyed world' or 'killing everyone in the world'... In fact, some worlds still have living people, but they have all become Twilight Species; some worlds look prosperous, but genuine Twilight Species have been born in them."

"The core of the Twilight Seed lies in the possibility of leading the world to its end. As long as this condition is met, a new Twilight Seed will be born. The destruction of the world is merely using the 'destroyed world' as the true basis for enlightenment."

"but……"

Huan Tiansi placed his right hand on his chest and closed his eyes slightly: "I'm not bad either."

"Even though the world has not yet been destroyed, I already possess the power to destroy it. This is also why I was able to imprison a complete Twilight Seed within my body."

"—I am also a Twilight Seed, Aiwass."

"The way to destroy the world is through the Twilight Species of Eternal Reincarnation... Its name is Ouroboros."

"The Celestial Division spoke slowly."

Aiwass opened his eyes slightly.

That's exactly...

This is the cycle that this world has gone through time and time again!
Having absorbed many memories of his past lives along the way, Aiwass immediately understood everything!
—As the miracle of breaking through nothingness, Ouroboros, who returned to the past, possessed the power to reset time and space, and the authority known as the "Ouroboros Ring".

When this authority does not reside in Amber, but in Ouroboros itself... it can be used an unlimited number of times.

That's why no one knows exactly how many times the "first playthrough" was repeated.

It's like a player who keeps saving and loading; his character only knows about the "once" experience, but he has already experienced this scene countless times.

But what if Ouroboros hadn't been infected by the Void and despaired, surrendering all its power to Amber... but instead had gone through endless cycles of reincarnation?

—In fact, he had already destroyed the world.

As long as the ouroboros is not satisfied, the cycle of reincarnation will not end.

Everything is like a puppet on a string, repeating the same play time and time again.

"If I hadn't given my power to Amber back then... I'm afraid the one that would ultimately destroy the world wouldn't be the Whisper of the Void, but the Ouroboros."

“It was the ‘meaninglessness’ of nothingness that infected me, making me give up the possibility of eternal reincarnation. From this perspective, isn’t it also what has bound me?”

The astronomical constellation stands with its arms outstretched in a very natural way, embracing the sun.

"—We have merged too deeply. Even I myself do not know if I will be reinfected by the void, or if I will regain the power of reincarnation... After all, Amber is dead, who knows whether the flying insects inside are dead or resurrected."

The Ouroboros said frankly, "The Ouroboros, which has been in eternal cycles of reincarnation, is ultimately a twilight species born from the Whispers of the Void. While I can still communicate, use your Paradise Lost to completely destroy me."

He looked up at the gods in the sky and prayed for death.

At this moment, Aiwass remained silent, as if he were thinking about something.

Finally, Ouroboros became impatient.

"sentimental!"

A deep purple ignited in his pupils, and his expression turned ferocious: "If you can't bring yourself to do it, then let me knock this sun down from the sky!"

Three concentric rings suddenly appeared behind him.

Platinum, gold, dark gold.

It is the most orthodox coupling!

Divine radiance gathered together, and countless runes connected at the end.

Its majestic aura seemed so out of place with the ring that now appeared to be overflowing with purple evil energy.

However, this supreme technique is the "infinite" power that was born from the "Endless Knot" that symbolizes infinity!
The name "Paradise Lost" comes from the sorrowful feelings of the "serpent" who abandoned everything!

Even the Avatar could not withstand the loss of Paradise.

Faced with the coercion of the Cosmos, Aiwass will have no choice but to use Paradise Lost as a point of attack—

"No, I'm just thinking... is there an optimal solution?"

Aiwass's divine words echoed: "I've already thought of that. But before that..."

At this moment, with the departure of the six Great Sin Beasts, the summoning conditions for the Seventh Great Beast, [Aivas of Dawn], have finally been met.

Six enormous wings sprouted from behind Aiwass.

The top pair is brown and cyan, the middle pair is red and blue, and the bottom pair is white and black.

The same triple rings also appeared instantly behind Aiwass.

The halo, light wheel, and runes that symbolized divinity behind Aiwass all vanished without a trace... as if He had returned to being a mortal.

Even the echo that accompanied Aiwass's voice vanished without a trace—

"—Let me teach this disobedient fellow a lesson first!"

After redeeming the six grave sins, all the effects of Paradise Lost have been fully unleashed.

The six-winged Paradise Lost is its most powerful form in its ideal state!
[Paradise Lost - Dry and Warm Fire: The power and range of "Paradise Lost" are tripled]

【Paradise Lost - Darkness of Hatred: The resistance stripping effect of "Paradise Lost" is enhanced to reduce all elemental resistances by 66%; upon hitting, Paradise Lost will also dispel up to eight additional buffs】

[Paradise Lost - Warm and Humid Air: After using "Paradise Lost", you gain the "Light of Judgment" status. The Light of Judgment effect lasts for a maximum of six minutes.]

[Paradise Lost - Light of Love: "Paradise Lost" is guaranteed to hit and is instantaneous; the damage from Paradise Lost will occur after the resistance is removed, not simultaneously.]

【Paradise Lost - Cold and Dry Lands:】"Paradise Lost" will also inflict physical damage, the sum of all elemental damage.

【Paradise Lost - Cold, Wet Waters: The effect of resistance stripping is doubled when "Paradise Lost" is used on only one person】

"—Paradise Lost!"

"—Paradise Lost!"

Perhaps it was because of their tacit understanding, or perhaps because they were the same person.

Although the initiation times were different, the final launch was "simultaneous".

However, the six-winged Paradise Lost is more than six times stronger than the wingless Paradise Lost—

— Countless dazzling meteors arrived in an instant.

The light spear of the Celestial Division had just been fired when it was instantly intercepted by the light spear of Aiwass!

With the amplification of [Light of Love], Paradise Lost's effect has been changed to instant and hit. Without projectile trajectory, even its final weakness has been eliminated.

When only a third of the 666 luminous spears arrayed behind him had been fired, the Paradise Lost behind Huan Tiansi had already been destroyed. As one of the Paradise Lost spears struck the magic circle behind him, the runes on the magic circle burst into a burst of lightning and then disintegrated.

When the magic array collapsed, the Celestial Bureau finally lost its last resort.

His infinite resistance was instantly stripped away by the attack from Paradise Lost.

The terrifying physical damage killed him time and time again with just a few hits. However, Huan Tiansi's vitality was too strong; his near-infinite vitality allowed him to be fully resurrected even if he died hundreds of times in an instant.

However, the power of Paradise Lost is infinite.

If he were hit head-on by a single shot, his "infinite" life would be pierced through in an instant...

Huan Tiansi closed his eyes with a mixture of regret and relief.

Is it finally... coming to an end?

The regret lies in the fact that the Void was ultimately not completely eradicated. However, killing the more dangerous Twilight Species, the [Ouroboros], was still a gain. The Void has now been completely annihilated once; one can only hope that... the future Aiwass will be able to safeguard this world and prevent the Void from easily regenerating.

My dearest friend, I'm sorry. I lied to you again.

When you are resurrected from the River of Dreams in the distant future... I will no longer be here.

In that instant, Huan Tiansi's mind flashed to his obedient student.

—I've come to find you.

It is not Inanna of Aiwass, but Amber that belongs solely to Him.

Even the true name was swallowed up by nothingness.

perhaps……

He was willing to embark on this thorny path because [ ] had already been sacrificed by him.

In order not to let down [the sacrifice], he had to make himself a hero.

Finally, this long mission...

it is finally over.

The only regret was that he ultimately couldn't bring himself to drink the glass of wine that Amber had left for him.

Just like every player.

They wanted to save their most important, one-time-use items for the most crucial battles. But they'd rather die than use them.

Or perhaps, it's not just for this reason...

……But.

After a long while, Huan Tiansi opened his eyes with some confusion.

—How come I'm not dead yet?
He soon realized that the deadly attacks from Paradise Lost had all landed right next to him!
Just before he was about to kill him, Aiwass forcibly stopped Paradise Lost!
"Want to escape?"

Aiwass's voice rang out from the sky: "I'm giving you a chance—a chance to completely obliterate nothingness."

"As a reward... my other self. You will be able to see your loved one again after everything is over."

"This is my promise to you—the Pillar of Miracles, Aiwass."

As He spoke, a wine cup filled with amber liquid floated out from the shattered chest of the Celestial Being.

Upon seeing it, the Celestials understood what Aiwass wanted to do.

He smiled helplessly: "Really... I just use anyone I can find to the fullest. That's just how I am."

He didn't ask "How is this possible?" because miracles are born to dispel such doubts.

He didn't say "I'm unwilling to do this," because he himself wanted to completely destroy the nothingness.

Hatred overwhelmed everything.

Moreover, this in itself gives new meaning to his meaningless life—

Two playing cards flew out of Aiwass's chest.

Those were the tarot cards he bought when he first created the first Sin card.

Now only two remain.

—The wise man.

—The Hermit.

Now, when they fly in the air, they have become Thoth Tarot.

The Sage, also known as the "Magician," is an androgynous golden humanoid figure, standing on an extremely narrow point, yet maintaining balance and composure. He is like a magician, wielding a scepter burning with fire, a holy grail filled with water, a sword as sharp as the wind, and a steadfast coin.

A shimmering winged egg floats beside him, gazing at the scepter made from the head of a crested ibis—

His feet have wings, and behind him is a staff of serpents, signifying that he is Thoth, or Hermes himself. The crested ibis is a symbol of Thoth, thus signifying his separated self. The two serpents wearing crowns and tiaras are entwined on the staff, gazing at the pen and scroll respectively, signifying "writing" and "being written."

This symbolizes Ai Shiping's life in the past.

From a naive and directionless "fool," he took the first step on a long journey.

The Hermit card depicts an old man walking alone in the darkness, with only the lamp he carefully protects as the sole source of light in the world. His head is not that of a human, but that of a crested ibis—which also symbolizes Hermes, the god of wisdom.

Hermes is considered a guide to the underworld, leading souls there. Therefore, he is the mediator between the two worlds, a mentor guiding those who cross over.

At the same time, the hermit is also a symbol of solitude. Completely detached from the world, isolated from all life. Cherishing the only light, singing praises to the light that illuminates the new world.

—This is precisely the life of the Celestial Division.

The amber-colored liquor became the "glue" that held the two cards together.

When the two cards were joined together by the Amber Wine, they shone with infinite light.

It appeared like a point of light on Aiwas's fingertips.

"I am your totem, I am your father, I am your god."

Aiwass murmured: "You shall not touch my holiness, you shall not harm my body—"

"But when I die, you should grieve; but after the day I die, you should rejoice!"

That is a prayer from the Pastor's Tantra.

It was also a message that the Celestial Observatory left for Aiwass in the past.

This method of riddle-solving is used to bury information that is not infected by nothingness.

And now...

"Father" and "God" have become Aiwas.

He lay helplessly on the ground, having lost all his divine power.

The roles of the two are reversed here.

Who will be sacrificed? What will come to an end? What words will be passed down through the ages?

"I offer you my hymn of sacrifice! My love, my child, my flesh, my heir, my altar, obey my command—"

As he spoke, Aiwas stretched his hand down from the sky.

Huan Tiansi weakly raised his hand.

They are clearly separated by the distance between heaven and earth.

But in the next instant, their fingers crossed the "impossible" barrier and touched—

"I have sealed the Whispers of the Void and the Ring of Ouroboros together here."

Aiwass declared: "You will travel from the past to the future, and with infinite power, you will completely obliterate nothingness!"
"When the nothingness and the infinity perish together, you and your loved ones will return once more as the light of infinity!"

"—I swear to you in the name of miracles!"

The next moment, the Celestial Division completely disappeared and turned into a card.

Its front features the bare-chested Celestial, while its back shows the curled-up Amber.

This is an eighth deadly sin that does not exist.

Its crime is called "nihilism".

Created by the power of miracles, these are cardinality cards with no attributes and will never be used.

Even though it is still an eternal struggle against nothingness... it is different.

If we move towards "hope", then "pain" is not meaningless.

Sisyphus's torment lay in the fact that the boulder would eventually roll down. However, at a delicate point of balance, a miracle would occur.

If fueled by love, miracles will eventually be born from "meaninglessness," and true hope will emerge.

Under Aiwass's power, nothing is "impossible".

That was not a vow that would last forever, but a "miracle" that could be achieved in just eleven years.

Miracles are the seeds that bring hope!

And then the last two cards were returned to their places.

The Book of Law was finally completed.

Using two Twilight Seeds as materials, the power of the Book of Law has surpassed everything in this world.

It finally revealed the last entry—

However, it was so dazzling that no one except Aiwass could see it clearly.

It possesses all possibilities.

It can do everything in the world.

This is a "miracle".

The supreme law that enables people to do what they want to do—

"It's like the journey of the Tarot cards. From the first Fool to the last World... Now, the cycle is complete."

As his body gradually disintegrated and radiated infinite light, Aiwass spoke while raising the Book of Law, which also shone with light: "I will create a future where the great sin of [nothingness] can be redeemed!"
In the name of the sun!

"This is where miracles occur—"

"Reshape the world and all its phenomena!"

(End of main text)

(End of this chapter)