Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1225: Chapter 1223: Abandonment King

Praise the Pontiff, this is what true absence of light really looks like.

It’s not as simple as swallowing the light whole; it seems the concept of “light” itself has been completely dispelled.

You should know that the Prism of Radiant Transformation changes the fundamental rules of the world concerning color, which cannot be resolved by mere envelopment in darkness.

In the silent night, with the chill of the vanished light, a ring-like solace envelops the entire body, inducing a tranquil desire for sleep.

Faced with such an ideal development, Fu Qian couldn’t help but marvel at the image of a figure in splendid robes leaning back in repose that emerged in his mind.

The matter just now was quite simple; before activating the Eye Within the Eye that had long been prepared, he first initiated the second effect of the Dark Moon Ring.

The reason, naturally, was the effect’s description of “absolute absence of light” in Deep Sleep of Time and Moon.

The current situation is akin to the Prism of Radiant Transformation causing a misalignment in the aspects of light and color, leading to an error in the entire historical segment.

If one could specifically target this, it’s possible that the previously locked mission could be reactivated.

Even though he clearly no longer had a chance to continue the mission, the initial subtle investigation followed by the recent execution had secured the possibility of completion—that is, destroying the finger bone.

Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the mission may have been completed, but the judgement was obstructed.

Of course, this was all merely an attempt, and Fu Qian was not so certain about the specific outcome.

This is also why he didn’t activate it at the very last moment but allowed a few seconds for error tolerance.

Had there been no effect, then the Eye Within the Eye would still have shattered as planned.

…

It turns out this Temple Knight’s devotion was still insufficient, daring to doubt the Pontiff’s mighty power.

Almost immediately upon the ring’s effect being triggered, the notification of mission completion appeared.

This undoubtedly confirmed two things—

The finger bone was indeed the key to Midas becoming real.

And the misalignment created by the Prism of Radiant Transformation had indeed been purged.

Not corrected, but purged, like directly chopping off an arm transformed into tentacles, turning its nature into that of a disabled person rather than a monster.

The part that caused recognition errors ceased to exist, a solution that was both simple and delightful.

Of course, Fu Qian didn’t quite believe that this help was specifically provided by the Pope.

The ring almost appeared in his hand without delay after releasing the arrow.

If this was indeed an ad-hoc intervention, it would be akin to connecting two worlds, piercing through the Divine Beings’ methods, discovering a targeted solution, creating an Extraordinary Item, and delivering it into his hands—all in an instant, every astonishing step completed in the blink of an eye.

He even made time to record an audio message for himself.

It’s a bit too much for imagination.

Rationally speaking, the ring seems more like a relic.

Already placed there long ago, as long as one tried to establish a connection, it would automatically arrive in his hands.

One basis for this is the introduction of the ring.

“Farewell”, “Last Refuge”; these words undoubtedly contrast with the Witch’s usual tone.

She even left a name for herself—Niel Glegorya.

The Pope’s real name?

This was something she refused to disclose no matter what previously.

Amidst contemplation, faint streaks of light began to reappear before his eyes, but there was no reaction from the Prism of Radiant Transformation.

The reason is simple; it’s not that the night had ended, but rather, with the conclusion of the mission, he had already returned to the warehouse.

…

[Mission Evaluation: Dispel Light and Uphold Order]

The mission summary appeared punctually.

[All mortals fear the dark, and in the nights of the gambling city, you can especially sense this.

However, what most people overlook is that light not only can illuminate the path ahead, but also has the ability to illuminate the wrong path.

The only consolation is that those lost in this brilliance often do not realize this.]

On this day, true darkness enshrouded the city, and all returned to silence.

For when the concept of light fades away, so too does the fear of darkness.

On this most ordinary of nights, an almost impossible heist was perfectly executed, adding another legendary tale to the city’s history.

Among the lost items was a special bone, which should have been implanted into a gambler’s hand, granting him luck as well as the realization of his true name.

But the reason legends remain legends is that no one can touch them.

You’ve corrected this just in time, just as you’ve corrected the world]

[Kill: None]

[Reward: SAN Points +20]

[Special Reward: Ascension]

[Special Reward: Bone of the Gambler]

[Special Reward: Eternity Lock]

[Current SAN Points: 96, current Inspiration: 99]

[Would you like to play the event recap?]

Not a bad haul of rewards; it seems like I’ve made it, too.

Listening silently, Fu Qian found the special rewards.

In fact, the moment he returned to the warehouse, he was nearly certain the plan had been a success.

For one very obvious reason, after the ascension to a Pseudo-Divine Being, his Ranking did not plummet continuously, and he remained at Second Phase.

The gains from consuming the Crystalline Sun during the mission were also completely retained.

Of course, having a certificate is better, at least there might be a name on it.

[Ascension: You have ingested a trait that matches the ritual and fused perfectly with it, officially ascending to a Pseudo-God.

A Pseudo-God is a counterfeit Divine Being, and the rotten clothes you choose determine the type of falsehood.

The rotten clothes are the skin of a true Divine Being, therefore no one but you can distinguish the true from the fake.

His name is your name, his body is your body, his symbol is your symbol]

[Esteemed Name: Abandonment King]

[You possess the power of life and death, wielder of Calamity, souls wither because of you, while bodies are bestowed the tranquility of Eternity]

So the Tyrant is just a nickname after all?

The Mechanical Abandonment King, this one does sound quite domineering.

Amidst these reflections, Fu Qian continued to see an emblem flash before his eyes.

It seemed to be a rough sketch of a palm, with the lines symbolizing the fingers stretching outward at peculiar angles.

Where one in the middle swelled and bulged, forming a distinct oval nodule.

An eye?

This shape quickly reminded Fu Qian of when he incarnated as the Abandonment King, with those omnipresent, stacking orange pupils.

Could it really be the wielder of Calamity?

The description suddenly became vividly accurate.

This was clearly his symbol from now on, Fu Qian was certain of it.

The instant he saw that emblem, he felt a special connection to it.

To some extent, it was like a crude, abstract portrait of himself, simple yet precise, containing the essence of his power.

And in realizing this, the first thing that came to Fu Qian’s mind was the numerous similar emblems he had encountered along the way.

Especially those engraved on the Golden Holy Grail.

If they are all symbols of divine power, doesn’t that mean the Blind Eye Association has been using “eyes” to spy on Divine Beings and then carve their likenesses onto the Grail for their own use?

The Blind Eye Association truly had it coming, meeting such a pitiful end.