Pastor's Tantra

"So that's how it is..."

Aiwass was touched: "Take the initiative to remove the claws and fangs, and ignite the fire of civilization..."

It's not about accepting bondage, but about actively giving up power.

Choose peace instead of hegemony.

That is not weakness or surrender... but unparalleled self-confidence. It is the self-confidence that can wake up again once the situation changes. Because the country of dedication has been the core of "civilization" since its birth.

At that moment, Aiwass felt as if there was a tide surging in his heart - he heard the sound of waves in his ears.

It was as if a river shining with countless lights emerged in my heart and appeared in front of me.

The transparent river, which shone with golden light like glass, was filled with the wishes of all living beings. Countless golden runes rose upstream, circling up with low chanting and sparkling light.

And above the river, the great achievements of civilization emerged like a mirage - huge buildings, sturdy castles, farmers working in the fields, roaring machines...

It seemed that as long as Aiwas wanted, he could step forward and indulge in it.

"...Evans," Isabel suddenly whispered beside him, "I think... you don't need to take this path.

"You are not an elf, and humans are not the children of devotion. Instead, they are the offspring of love and transcendence... How can you love this world if you don't even love yourself? There is no need for you to dedicate yourself to others... You must take care of yourself first."

For some reason, Isabel just now suddenly felt a strong sense of fear.

It was as if if he hadn't grabbed Aiwass at this moment, he would never see him again.

She had had a similar feeling before...it was the day her father left without saying goodbye.

"Ah...I know."

Aiwass woke up from his thoughts, and the illusion of the river dissipated.

"What I have to consider is not 'civilization', but 'hope'. In front of it, I will always remain humble... and always have high confidence. Only by believing in the birth of miracles and the existence of possibilities can we break the fate."

Having said that, Aiwass looked at Haibasha and told him the secret - the secret that was not a secret to many people.

“Only by leveraging the power of the two source rivers and achieving Miracle 11… can we possibly break through Holy Number 10, the prison of nothingness.

"That is a desperate force that can wear down even the Pillar Gods - the reason we didn't feel it is because Hengwo and Amber bore the suffering for us."

...Is that so?

Haibasha and Sherlock, who witnessed all this...these extraordinary people on the path of wisdom, have now fully understood: what Aiwass meant was to give up the possibility of his own dedication.

As the son of the Candle Master, Aiwas could easily become a Heavenly Master of the Path of Dedication if he wanted to. It was even possible for him to inherit the position of the Candle Master and become a Pillar God.

But Aiwass rejected this possibility without hesitation.

It’s not that I don’t know the truth or don’t know how to cherish.

Even though Haibasha gave him the opportunity and revelation, and fully explained the Theocracy's thinking and choices at the time, he still refused the opportunity to think in harmony with the source of civilization.

If it happened to someone else, Haibasha would only feel stupid - even if being in tune with the source river would lose many possibilities, only the present is real, and the future is nothing but an untouchable illusion.

But if it was Aiwass... Haibasha was willing to believe in his possibility. Believe that everything he said was true.

After all, he was the one who saved his daughter and accomplished an almost impossible feat...

In a trance, Haibasha recalled a sentence that Hengwo had said to himself... to Hengwo's former friends after he became the Moon Angel and before he completely gave up everything to become Hengwo:

"——The Pillar of the First has fallen into the abyss, doomed to be hopeless.

"Just like the old scene, when the sun falls, all the animals are born.

“Everyone says that monsters are rampant and spreading like wildfire, but who could have known that this is also the way of creation?

"The beastly nature struggling in darkness and pain is always better than the nothingness that buries everything. But I think... there is another way for the world to survive."

At that time, they didn't know the meaning of Hengwo's words. They just thought that it was her pity for the Beast Master as an apostle of the Beast Master. Even though they all became apostles later, they didn't have the chance to meet again. It was even more impossible for them to know what secrets Hengwo had learned at that time.

Back then, the Beast Master fell in love with Hengwo and voluntarily transferred the position of Pillar God to his apostle... At the beginning, they all thought that this was Hengwo's strategy to seize the power of the Beast Master. In this way, he would end the disaster of monsters and bring peace to this barren land.

...But now think about it, how could the love that gave birth to the Path of Love come only from the Beast Master?

Hengwo's love was never false - she truly loved the Beast Master.

But they couldn't accept it back then... How could their pure and aloof Moon Goddess fall in love with an indescribable beast?

Now, Haibasha belatedly realized some of the truth.

The First Source River is doomed to have no hope... If the number of source rivers must reach eleven to achieve a "miracle", then the First Source River will never achieve a miracle. Because there is no tenth source river in this world.

Therefore, no matter whether it is the path of the sun, the path of the beast, or the path of love... they are all doomed to be hopeless.

This is a road that will lead to death.

...Perhaps this is why I fell in love with the Beast Master.

Or maybe that's why... the beast master was reluctant to retreat, but tried to control the power of the path again. He might not be trying to seize power, but for love... because he couldn't bear that I had to bear everything alone.

"...But if it is a disaster that even the Pillar God cannot resist..."

Croxus murmured, "How could a mortal possibly..."

She looked at Aiwass, her pupils half with admiration and half with horror.

——At this moment, Croxus felt as if he understood Hengwo.

That was indeed the Heir of the Sun, with a dazzling light that was so dazzling that it was intimidating. Aiwass did not have any holy light on his body, but he was more dazzling than the paladin beside him.

"Don Quixote is the embodiment of my will. Just like the first card of the Tarot deck, 'The Fool'... Even if it is a cliff, I will step forward."

Aiwass said softly.

He looked at Don Quixote.

Without words, Don Quixote understood his master's thoughts.

The huge silver-white paladin disappeared as the light faded, leaving only a huge sword.

This sword floating in the air is Don Quixote's traveling posture.

Just as outrageous as Aleister - Aleister is the Moon Child form, and Don Quixote is left with only a sword. Although it can float with Aiwass, Aiwass still needs to hold the sword himself to use it normally in battle.

It floated in the air, but suddenly spoke, being more talkative than the knight: "Even if only this remains, my master - I will protect you!"

"I need your protection, my loyal knight."

Aiwass said happily.

Now with Don Quixote's help, Aiwas' team's shortcomings have been initially made up. He is more confident of defeating the Blood Sky Master.

——Now there is only one last step left.

All he needs to do is ask Hengwo about his attitude toward the Blood Sky Division... As long as Hengwo doesn't refuse, Aiwas will have dealt with all of the Blood Sky Division's most difficult abilities.

This is intelligence Aiwass! If you can lose, it means you don’t have enough intelligence.

He still remembered the name of the cardinal who was the carrier of the Eternal Self. She was constantly in touch with Cardinal Galatea, who was the twin mirror god, and left a deep impression on Aiwas.

When Aiwas arrived in the Theocracy, he had already made an appointment with Chunbai to meet with the cardinal.

The Eternal Pope can know everything that happens in the church at any time and anywhere, so Aiwass only needs to speak to the air.

Her name is Hecate.