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Aaron recalled the enormous body wrapped in corpse oil bandages and dripping yellow-green liquid that he had seen in the Spirit World, then looked at Astolfo in front of him and tentatively asked, "If you were caught by Him, what would happen?"
Astolfo's already substantial body suddenly expanded and contracted, and a thought was transmitted: "I will be completely assimilated, and that terrifying existence will awaken within my body."
"He will use that body and His own specifications to forcibly open a real passage in the Spirit World, and disaster will gradually spread from the Spirit World to reality."
After verifying his previous divination, Aaron's eyes lit up slightly, and he pondered for a moment before asking, "How strong is the body remaining in the Spirit World? Hmm, I mean, even without a clear consciousness, can He still exert the power of a Sequence 2?
Astolfo's distinct black and white pupils slightly widened, as if recalling, and only after a moment did he respond, "My memories are still quite fragmented. I only remember that when I was forced to separate from that Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic, some accident occurred in the Spirit World."
"It seems to have been mixed with other high-level Beyonder characteristics. Although this made Him more insane, the presence of other high-level Beyonder characteristics did indeed slow down the erosion, and the power He can exert in the Spirit World will also be much stronger than an ordinary Angel."
"This is also the reason why He has remained in the Spirit World for so long."
Mixed with other high-level Beyonder characteristics? Aaron immediately thought of the crazy ancient gods of the second epoch, and then he noticed a question in the thought transmitted by Astolfo:
"In the Spirit World? Can He not appear in the real world?"
Astolfo's form swayed up and down, as if nodding: "In the Spirit World, there is the obstruction of the Spirit World itself, as well as the help given by the Seven Lights of the Spirit World using their own positions and unique characteristics. Even the Abomination Suah is not unmanageable."
"But if He leaves the Spirit World, He will be like a firefly in the dark night, attracting various prying eyes, and various unpredictable anomalies will occur."
Aaron nodded with some disappointment, watching as the terrifying messenger, with mysterious patterns flowing around him, slowly disappeared into the colorful, rich color blocks.
He looked down at the red Moon imprint on his left hand. The strand of hair seemed to have caused no special change after merging. Looking at the newly acquired divination pendant in his hand, Aaron wisely abandoned the somewhat suicidal thought in his mind.
Sitting up from the sofa, Aaron rearranged the ritual, sacrificed the divination pendant onto the dark gold mist, and his consciousness sank into the magnificent palace.
Looking at the divination pendant in his hand, Aaron beckoned the black emperor card to merge into his body. The boundless dark gold mist seemed to gather into waves, forming a strong wind.
A majestic armor formed on Aaron's body, a pitch-black crown appeared on his head, and a long cape of the same color draped behind him. Lines containing divinity also emerged on the armor.
Feeling the surging power within him, Aaron nodded with satisfaction and took out the "Sun Chaser Scepter," which was wrapped in layers of dark gold mist in the pile of sundries.
A feeling of directly staring at the Sun rose in his heart. Aaron endured the scorching sensation that seemed to burn his soul, and spiritual energy poured into the divination pendant, beginning to divine this terrifying Sealed Artifact of Level 0.
Amidst increasingly brilliant bursts of light, a Sun seemed to rise in the magnificent palace. Aaron suddenly opened his eyes and put away the dim divination pendant.
The divine patterns on the armor pulled the surrounding dark gold mist, forcibly suppressing the somewhat out-of-control "Sun Chaser Scepter." After this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact returned to calm, he put it back into the pile of sundries.
Wiping away non-existent cold sweat, Aaron leaned back on the throne, a hint of excitement flashing across his face.
Besides the original qualities of the Unshadowed Spear and the Domain of No Shadow being qualitatively improved, the "Sun Chaser Scepter" can now harm high-level beings at the Angel level, provided the user can withstand it.
Among them, the Domain of No Shadow has transformed from a non-physical auxiliary aura into a physical boundary, capable of pushing enemies away and blocking Beyonder abilities like the Unshadowed Spear.
What excited Aaron even more was the emergence of two new abilities. One is called "Domain of Light Pursuit," but Aaron prefers to call it Divine Descent.
The Sun Chaser Scepter will emit endless light, as if it suddenly transforms into the Sun descending into reality. This ability can be released through corresponding prayer points.
The Domain of Light Pursuit spreads outwards. This ability, simulating the descent of the Sun, has effects including melting Beyonder abilities below the Angel level and defending against attacks with dark and evil attributes of higher Beyonder characteristics.
The other is "Sun Chasing Arrow," which is currently Aaron's strongest single-target skill among all his Beyonder abilities, somewhat similar to a super-enhanced version of the Pure White Ray ability obtained at Sequence 4.
It accumulates light according to the spiritual energy consumed, condensing a scorching white arrow of light to attack the enemy, expanding into a miniature Sun bright enough to illuminate a city, and possessing a certain supernatural sense of enemy-seeking ability.
However, both "Domain of Light Pursuit" and "Sun Chasing Arrow" place a considerable burden on the user. With Aaron's current spiritual energy, even with the black emperor card's blessing on the dark gold mist and the "Crimson Eye's" auxiliary spiritual recovery, Aaron cannot last long.
And the corresponding negative effects are several times more terrifying. Besides requiring the holder's blood to be drawn after each use, long-term holding will cause the Beyonder characteristic to forcibly detach from the body, accompanied by a strong burning sensation.
Two new negative effects have also been added: firstly, all abilities of deviant and Outliers types cannot be used when wielding the "Sun Chaser Scepter," including corresponding Sealed Artifacts.
Secondly, if the user cannot stop using the "Sun Chaser Scepter" within a relatively short period, it is equivalent to having a Sequence 2 potion poured over them.
At that time, they will either be lucky enough to successfully advance to a LightMystery Pryer, or they will lose control and go mad, turning into a Monster.
Without supplementary ingredients or the corresponding ritual, the probability of the former is so low as to be almost negligible, especially for Aaron, who is not of the Sun Pathway.
Aaron divined that the safe usage time was three minutes, of course, this is for Aaron, who currently appears to be at Sequence 6 but actually possesses the position of a demigod with the blessing of various items.
"After breaking the seal, the Sun Chaser Scepter, whether it's its abilities or its terrifying negative effects, lives up to its status as a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact."
Aaron muttered to himself with some emotion. After learning the true abilities of this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, he finally felt much more at ease.
Even though he knew that the Evernight Goddess would definitely do something after accepting his sacrifice, what others give can never compare to having one's own confidence.
Amidst the faint murmuring, the figure on the throne quietly disappeared, and silence returned to the magnificent palace.
......
On February 11, 1347, the sky was dim, and before the storm arrived, the ship bearing the large East Tucker Family emblem successfully entered the harbor, arriving at Bayam, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, the "City of Generosity."
This place is also known as the Spice Archipelago, possessing a wide variety of exotic spices, with plantations in this area serving as the economic pillar.
After leaving Tiana Port, the voyage was quite smooth. With the help of the wind, the speed remained stable at 15 knots, so they arrived at Bayam's port at noon.
Reporters from The Sonia Morning Post and The News, the best-selling newspapers in the Rorsted Archipelago, looked excitedly as the ship entered the harbor.
Because the amount of information that could be transmitted by telegraph was limited, non-urgent or non-critical content was always delayed by a few days.
So, at times, the colonists of the Rorsted Archipelago would only learn of the "latest" situation on the Northern Continent after one or two months.
But as media professionals, unlike other less informed Sea residents, they knew quite a lot about Lord Aaron on the ship.
Louise, standing in the crowd, listened to the discussions around her and curiously observed the richly dressed, tall, and handsome man walking at the very front. She immediately found him exceptionally familiar.
After thinking for a while, she remembered that he was the nobleman she had seen at the steam train station when she first arrived in Backlund.
"What a coincidence..."
Louise muttered silently, withdrawing her gaze, while her peripheral vision swept over the members of the Punisher squad following her not far behind. Then she turned and walked in another direction.
Considering the risks and uncertainties of tonight's mission, Earl Mistral refused Louise's request to go together.
And gave her another mission, which was to take the Punisher squad near the Sanguine residence and wander around the urban area of Bayam, attracting the attention of the Church of the Lord of Storms.
Unaware of the scrutiny from a certain Chaos Council member, Aaron walked down the gangplank with a gentle and warm smile, heading towards a particularly conspicuous open space in the port area, followed by members of his personal guard, including Boyer-Bailey.
Standing in the open space was an old man with white hair, but his spirit was still vigorous, as if he could rush out at any moment to personally solve all problems.
He was well-built, his muscles filling out his bishop's robe, and with each breath, the surrounding wind stirred, and the air was humid.
Aaron, who had already learned about him on the ship, smiled and extended his right hand, greeting him: "Good afternoon, Your Excellency Jogori."
Diocesan Bishop Jogori, a Sequence 5 Ocean Songster, was responsible for representing the Wave Church in welcoming Aaron. A smile appeared on his serious and rigid face, and he also extended his hand:
"Good afternoon, Your Excellency Earl."
Their hands clasped together, and several quick-eyed reporters captured the moment, already planning the headlines for tomorrow's newspaper.
Ignoring the surrounding noise, the two walked ahead and entered a luxurious carriage, discussing recent events or interesting anecdotes from the Sea.
Aaron was somewhat surprised to find that Bishop Jogori was quite talkative, which did not quite match Aaron's impression of those irritable old men.
Even though Aaron did not choose the Church of the Lord of Storms as his faith, and his opinions on the subsequent Grain Act diverged from Duke Negan, who was supported by the Church of the Lord of Storms, this would not change the cooperative interests between the East Tucker Family and the Church of the Lord of Storms.
Given Aaron's identity as a believer in the Evernight Goddess, the fact that a Sequence 5 Bishop personally came to greet him was enough to show the sincerity of the Church of the Lord of Storms.
Considering Aaron's identity as a believer in the Evernight Goddess, the carriage did not go to Daffodil Street in Bayam's St. George Borough. Although it was a wealthy area, it was too close to the Church of the Lord of Storms' Wave Church.
Bishop Jogori thoughtfully arranged for Aaron to stay on Phil Street in Bayam's South District, which was the aristocratic gathering area of Loen.
After conveying Archbishop Yann Courtman of the Rorsted Sea's invitation for tomorrow to Aaron, Bishop Jogori bid farewell and left.
Recalling tonight's plan, Aaron's expression suddenly became a little strange. Watching the carriage drive away, he muttered to himself:
"Tomorrow? I wonder if His Excellency the Sea King will still have the energy to meet me tomorrow?"
-----------------
Outside Bayam City, at Oak Manor, the crimson moonlight cast down, adding a touch of silence and gloom.
In the woods, birds chirped and insects crawled, and occasionally small wild beasts scurried past. Sharron, still dressed in Gothic style, walked very quickly on the humus-covered ground.
Unbeknownst to her, a faint sense of unease had always lingered in Sharron's heart. Therefore, she refused Maric's suggestion to act together, leaving almost all items to Maric.
She only kept the potion given by Earl Mistral that could accelerate her integration with the Spirit World, a specially made charm inscribed with the advancement ritual array, the already prepared Sequence 5 potion, and the charm given by Mr. Blessed.
Oak trees grew luxuriantly, their leaves intertwined, almost forming a dense green barrier.
As she moved through the woods, the red Moon's light could only sporadically penetrate the thick leaves and fall onto the ground, illuminating the dense bushes and weeds.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Branches broke off from the surrounding trees, their surfaces covered with black-red ice shards, shooting like arrows towards Sharron.
And those dense bushes and weeds also seemed to have their own vitality, connecting together to form an impenetrable monstrous web, which suddenly "pounced" over!
Suddenly, Sharron felt as if every tree, every leaf, every stone, every blade of grass around her wanted to kill her.
The long-standing sense of unease in her heart was confirmed. Plans always change, and before she could even begin her advancement, the Rose School of Thought appeared.
Spiritual energy surged. Sharron was about to activate the charm given by Mr. Blessed when her body stiffened, and all her movements stopped.
Her azure pupils reflected "Admiral of Blood" Senior, who wore a worn-out tricorn hat, had sunken eye sockets, and a terrifyingly pale complexion, looking more like a malevolent spirit than a human.
The arrow-like branches pierced through the rigid Sharron and landed in the distance, while the monstrous web immediately enveloped everything there, coiling into a sphere that gently Creep ed.
No sound emerged, nor did any blood seep from within the monstrous web. There was only a paper figure, seemingly formed from crimson moonlight.
This was the "Moon Paper Figure" that Earl Mistral had specially given her before her departure. It could allow Sharron to withstand one fatal injury or a direct attack on her Spirit Body.
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