Chapter 177: Chapter 158: Ritual Miracle·Phantom Colors Dye Origins Taboo
Selin plunged the dagger into his throat, but he did not pierce the windpipe; instead, he drew the dagger downwards, halting at the waist.
He cut through the dense undergarment, tracing a straight line of blood, perfectly dividing his upper body into left and right halves.
Ash’s face changed, “You’ve changed your mind.”
Selin discarded the dagger, gathered his long hair behind his ears, regaining the Elf’s elegance; his expression tranquil, his voice soft, “Imprisoning you was just naive wishful thinking on my part. You are the ‘Touch’ that Heath went to great lengths to summon; you even escaped from Shattered Lake Prison. How could I possibly confine you?”
“There are too many uncertainties in this world. As long as The Gods of Four Pillars still watch over you, accidents are enough to shatter all of my arrangements.”
“I cannot imprison you, nor can I kill you, let alone hand you over to the Crime Hunting Hall, I can’t even delay,” Selin continued, “the power of ‘Touch’ may allow you to escape at any moment.”
“So, I have come to a conclusion.”
The Elf extended the middle and index fingers of both hands like hooks and inserted them along the bloodline he had carved into his chest.
“It must be now, here, and it must be me,” Selin said calmly, “I must purify you.”
Ash tilted his head slightly, “In my understanding, ‘purification’ has a similar meaning to ‘healing’…”
“Purification means to expel impurities, destroy invaders, annihilate parasites!” Selin’s emerald eyes grew increasingly bright, as if emitting light, “And you, the unfinished ‘Touch’ residing in Heath, are precisely the object that needs purification!”
“I was originally going to use this Miracle to destroy Heath… but I was always afraid, always terrified, so I became Heath’s puppet, committing so many mistakes. Touch, I thank you, you’ve given me a chance at redemption.”
Ash narrowed his eyes, “But by doing this, aren’t you essentially killing me too? With my death, the ritual will be completed—”
“So I resorted to this Taboo Miracle.”
His green eyes, his blood, his black hair, his skin, every color on his body was emitting a vibrant luster; he was like…becoming a painting.
“Not just ‘you,’ every arrangement of The Gods of Four Pillars upon you, every mark inscribed on your body by Heath, will be driven out completely, without a trace. Everything that does not belong to this body will be thoroughly purified.”
Ash took a deep breath, “Selin, you are only a Two-winged Golden Mage, do you have that much power?”
“Of course I don’t, but… the Void Realm does.”
Selin suddenly revealed a slight smile, “You attended my class on ‘Ancient Ritual Faction’ two days ago, didn’t you?”
Ash’s pupils shrank sharply, “Taboo ritual…”
“There was something I did not say at that time,” Selin said as if lecturing on stage, “If special means are used to force a Two-winged Mage to be a sacrifice, at most you can plead for the full force of a hit from a Four-winged Mage.”
“But if a Two-winged Mage willingly undergoes the highest-grade taboo ritual, then this sincerity will be recognized by the Void Realm, and might even summon… a power beyond the Four-winged level!”
“Under the protection of the Extreme Master of Blood Moon, The Gods of Four Pillars can bestow upon you a ‘Blessing’ of only Four-winged level,” Selin said with a happy smile, “Fate still favors me; in Kaimon City, only I can precisely eliminate you, this ‘Touch.'”
Ash’s thoughts raced, he quickly pleaded, “We don’t have to come to this life-or-death point, now that I know you’re also compelled. I won’t trouble you anymore. I actually plan on leaving the Kingdom of Blood Moon, so why don’t you help me leave Blood Moon? That way, I can leave and you won’t have to sacrifice your life; it’s a win-win, how about it?”
“Touch, who do you think I am?”
Selin sneered, “The president of the Elf Rights Protection Association? A parliament member? The hidden hand behind a gang? A professor? Someone who wallows in selfish interests? A Longevity Species afraid of death and greedy for life?”
“I am already 203 years old. When I was born, the Blood Moon Judgement hadn’t even started; after I came of age, I participated in the Foreign Domain Hunting Festival; I’ve traveled across the whole of Blood Moon, witnessed the old city’s fall and the new city’s rise; I have seen and even experienced all the sufferings and entertainments of the world.”
“You really think I would cling to this age-worn life?” Selin’s eyes were full of mockery, “If not for death being unable to disobey Heath’s commands, if not for the law prohibiting suicide, I would have longed to enter the Heavenly Kingdom of Blood Moon!”
Ash was taken aback, “Longevity Syndrome? Have you lost the hope in your heart?”
“Longevity Syndrome? No, I don’t hold a Lamp of Hope in my heart, because there exists something warmer, something more beautiful.”
Selin flashed a smile, with the enormous and splendid Blood Moon right behind him, its light gently draping over him as if a Divine Being was bestowing a blessing upon him.
“I’ve long wished to perish alongside Heath, but I couldn’t resist Heath. I’ve been waiting for this chance, not for revenge, but simply to prove…”
“That I still deeply love this round of Blood Moon.”
“Ritual Miracle·Void Chromatic Pictorial Origin Taboo.”
Selin’s hands, inserted into the central bloodline, suddenly yanked apart, and his chest tore open like a curtain!
What Ash saw was not fresh red blood or purple viscera, but color!
Vibrant colors burst forth from Selin’s chest, flooding over Ash like a river.
“The language of flowers for Iron Begonias and Water Lilies is loyalty,” he whispered.
At that moment, Ash’s mind unexpectedly recalled Valcas—since Selin was not voluntarily pursuing Ash, why then would Valcas, having failed his assassination attempt, be despised and hated by Selin?
Selin’s disdain was not because Valcas failed to complete his task.
It was because Valcas ‘wanted’ to complete his task that he was despised!
Just moments before, Selin had said, “Valcas’ reward for his task was ‘to reunite with his biological child’.”
By accepting the task, Valcas showed that he had not repented and still wished to rebel against the laws of the Kingdom of Blood Moon! To the Believer Selin, this was an unforgivable sin—the law is the will of God, the rule is the desire of God, and Valcas was essentially blaspheming Selin’s faith!
“When I pass away, may the Peeling Twins strip away my skin, may the Crimson Maiden draw out my blood, may the Nightshadow Priest organize my bones, may the Blessing Angel lead my soul…”
Selin closed his eyes, softly reciting a prayer for himself.
He thought he would see the messenger who would lead him, but what emerged in his mind was a page covered in dust.
A young Selin sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, watching an elf toddler clumsily crawl towards him, making gestures as if seeking an embrace. He smiled, lifting the toddler into his arms and wiping away the drool with a handkerchief.
“Repeat after me, Val-cas.”
“No, I am not Valcas, I am Selin.”
“Yes, you are Valcas, I am Selin.”
“…and in the Promised Land, we shall eventually reunite.”
With the last stroke of color flung, the body of the disembodied elf scholar gently fell onto the carpet.
Moonlight fell upon the pure white fabric, reflecting the most pristine shade of blood.
In the vast study room, only Ash Heath remained.
Deprived of its magic power supply, the tree that had trapped Ash swiftly withered and decayed, turning into easily crushed debris.
Ash looked down at his own hands, his eyes filled with confusion.
“It seems… I’m alright?”