305 Flaw
“How is it? Do you find it subversive?”
The Secret Keeper paused, its interest piqued as it searched for any sign of shock on Grimm’s face.
To the Lunar Monster that had secrecy as its authority, nothing was more exhilarating than breaking the sacred taboo of confidentiality. It was in these moments that its power surged, drawing strength from the shock and awe of its victims.
“So, you’re telling me that William Kane is the missing eighth Holy Spirit?”
Grimm’s expression froze, his tone hesitant as he tried to gain confirmation.
“Here’s the thing, mortal,” the Secret Keeper spoke smugly, its hopes to devour the soul growing stronger with every passing moment.
“But… isn’t this common knowledge?”
For the first time, Grimm spoke not because he was prompted by the Presiding Judge, but because he was puzzled.
“What?”
…
After all, it has been imprisoned in that book and has traveled with me for 1,008 years…
William thought from learning information over the holy emblem.
The Secret Keeper had a peculiar grasp on time, much like when William first appeared in this world. What he didn’t know was that the name William Kane had been immortalized by the Riel Empire, exalted on the altar of the Eighth Holy Spirit.
The secret he had kept for over a millennium was no longer shrouded in mystery.
But the revelation of a secret by the other party did spark something in William.
The high-level Lunar Monsters had always sensed his uniqueness as a player, but they attributed it to the powers of the Eighth Holy Spirit.
Valk had once mentioned that he longed to see more of the ‘possibilities’ William had to offer.
William’s extensive knowledge of religious texts had taught him that the Eighth Holy Spirit, Hermit, was the embodiment of spirituality and curiosity, the driving force behind creation.
Before, he had dismissed these symbols as nothing more than religious boasting. But now, it seemed that the existence of the Eighth Holy Spirit was rooted in the players’ exceptional abilities. And it all made sense.
If he had really been transported to the game world in his computer, then it had to be the players who had initiated the Doomsday Watcher game, the very game that had allowed this world to exist. And as for the history of this world, well, at least the timelines experienced by the players were all shaped by their own choices.
It was like the developer of the game was one of the Seven Holy Spirits and the players were the Eighth Holy Spirit. It was as simple as that.
“But after transmigrating into my character, I can’t save, load, or call up the console…” William muttered to himself, stopping mid-sentence.
“So, this is the essence of the Eighth Holy Spirit throne?”
…
Looking at the Secret Keeper who seemed to have been struck by a devastating revelation, Grimm asked carefully, “Um… Can you tell me the last secret?”
“So everyone on the Vic Continent now knows…”
The Secret Keeper remained in a daze, muttering unintelligible phrases. Frustrated by the lack of response, Grimm’s voice rose in urgency.
“Secret Keeper, uh… Sir? Can you tell me the secret about the birth of Ravenwood’s mother?”
As if jolted awake, his eyes widened with shock, fixating on Grimm.
“Ravenwood still thrives as an endless forest, worshiping the old gods—the Holy Tree Matriarch and the Father of the Wilderness, correct?”
Grimm nodded and thought to himself, Isn’t that obvious?
“That’s good…” The Secret Keeper breathed a sigh of relief. “Then, this secret has value… Mortal, do you know the difference between Newborn and Rebirth Void Sovereigns?”
Nod.
Grimm was about to voice his confusion when suddenly, the Presiding Judge’s voice boomed in his mind, drowning out any other thoughts.
Therefore, he nodded reflexively.
“Making a deal with you does save time… The first thing every mortal has to do after becoming a Reborn Void Sovereign is completely erase their history from Currere and sublimate that history into a part of their Moon Realm domain.
“This way, They will lose Their weaknesses in the timeline and become completely undying existences. This is also why it’s very difficult to find any traces of Reborn Sovereigns having walked Currere in mortal history,” the Secret Keeper, who had recovered from his disappointment, explained.
“However, the Lady of Starvation, Her Highness Camilla, had deviated from this path. Perhaps She had plans for the eventual competition for Currere’s Precept, or perhaps Her ascension ritual was tampered with, preventing Her from bringing that period to the Moon Realm… In short, the final outcome was two parallel timelines happening in Ravenwood, leaving an extremely long scar on Currere’s time. It had lasted for about 4,000 years when I was sealed.”
In other words, it has lasted for more than 5,000 years, William thought. Then, he used his Soul Voice to get Grimm to continue asking questions.
“Will the time fragmentation create irreparable contradictions?”
Grimm parroted the question.
“Contradictions, perhaps, but the Lady of Starvation, in Her mortal form, left a lasting influence on the Forest Elf traditions. The corpse that transformed into the World Tree caused them to remain at the level of a hunting civilization, without the need for large-scale agriculture or a precise calendar. Their understanding of time comes only from unreliable memories,” the Secret Keeper replied with a stiff smile once again, “which can greatly reduce the chaos caused by the time fragmentation.” ”
As long as there were no historical records, there would be no historical contradictions.
With that said, the Secret Keeper chuckled and continued, “One of the timelines is one you’ll recognize. The Forest Elves coexist with the forest, a culture of corpse-eating woven into their way of life. But then, there’s the other timeline, the one She created. Countless corpses, mimicking life, walking towards corruption in the dead forest.”
Ask it under what circumstances will these two timelines mix.
William couldn’t help but recall the brief glimpse he had of that other timeline.
The Secret Keeper raised an irrelevant topic, “You know about the Forest Elves, don’t you? How they turn into trees when they grow old? Then, do you know how those treeified Forest Elves perceive the outside world?”
Grimm shook his head.
“Those Forest Elves will dream,” the Secret Keeper replied.
“What do you mean?”
“In their dreams, they find themselves in another Ravenwood. The Lady of Starvation injects fake memories into their aging souls, allowing them to start a new life with a new identity.”
Ask it what does this have to do with the mixing of the timelines?
Grimm immediately repeated the Presiding Judge’s question.
“If someone senses that their memories might be fake, it’s possible for them to bring their rotten body into your time. That’s how two different periods of time will be mixed.”
…
“Calamity!”
The thick book slammed shut, and the Secret Keeper’s furious roar echoed through the room.
Grimm was drenched in cold sweat as he looked to the Presiding Judge, who had pulled him up from the book. It took a moment for him to catch his breath.
“It just said…”
“One day, I’ll have your soul,” William finished the sentence for him.
With the information he needed, William swiftly fished out the Dean of the Blackwater Arcana University.
Realizing that it had been tricked, the Secret Keeper immediately roared angrily. It would definitely have Grimm’s soul.
Why didn’t he say something harsh to me?
Grimm opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, a scorching heat spread from his arm. The brand had reappeared.
“Secret-keeping brand. The Secret Keeper uses it to mark the souls he intends to torment in the future.”
William looked at the chain-shaped brand on the other party’s arm and said.
Upon hearing his calm tone, Grimm immediately asked anxiously, “Can you help me remove it?”
No matter what, it wasn’t a good thing for his soul to be coveted by a Demon General.
William shook his head.
“I’m afraid not. However, you need not fear. The Secret Keeper is unable to escape that book. He was simply bluffing with those harsh words.”
“But…”
“That’s the way of the Moon Realm. Once they’ve set their sights on you, there’s no escape,” William explained with a sly smile.
“The only way to truly be rid of them is to erase their existence. And when I find Judgment 11, which corresponds to the Forbidden Sage, I’ll do just that. The brand on your hand will disappear along with the Secret Keeper.”
But William’s words weren’t just for Grimm.
It was also for himself.
The Lady of Starvation had abandoned her temporal origin in Currere, enabling her to ensnare Ravenwood within Her Moon Realm. It presented an ideal opening to commence the defilement of Currere.
Nonetheless, it had also laid bare Her mortal past, creating a lethal vulnerability in Her immortal existence.
This offered an opportunity to maim, or possibly terminate, the Void Sovereign.
I had been grappling with the problem of how to halt the rite. Isn’t this the answer?
