Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 951: Lack of Healers...? Really?
Aiwass sat in the yard, looking at the new moon and drinking by himself.

The summer evening breeze was not cold, but rather refreshing. The royal garden was empty, with only the fairyland-like white mist rising.

The white mist rising from the lake flowed around Aiwas' feet, reaching above his ankles but not even to his knees.

Suddenly, Aiwass raised his head and looked into the depths of the fog.

"——How come you have time to come to see me?"

Aiwass suddenly spoke up.

In the fog ahead, a dark shadow was gradually approaching.

It was none other than the first Dark Phase, the lich Grunewald.

An ordinary skeleton wearing a tattered black robe slowly walked over.

"Looking to talk to you."

Grunewald's skull clicked, and a deep voice rang out from the bottom of Aiwas' heart.

He sat in the pavilion, opposite Aiwass.

The three jade locks hanging on his chest struck his ribs, making crisp clashes. Apart from the yellow flames dancing in his skull, there was no trace of any extraordinary power on the old skeleton.

"I guess it's about the Fallen Angels, right?"

Aiwass asked casually, "What do you want to ask?"

He poured a glass of wine for the old lich and handed it to him.

The old lich looked down at the glass of wine. He was silent for a while because he had no flesh on his body.

"Do you have a chance of winning?" Grunewald asked.

"There is no such thing as 'odds of winning' - I must win. If I don't win, I will die."

Aiwass spoke firmly.

He had no room to retreat.

Of all the enemies he was destined to face in the future, the Fallen Angel was the weakest. If he couldn't even get past this one, he might as well die early.

However, Grunewald was somewhat surprised by Aiwass's determination.

Obviously, Grunewald didn't think Aiwass would stand firm against the Fallen Angels... This was normal. After all, Aiwass was now the most powerful person in the material world. As the former pope, the prince of Avalon, and the son of the candlestick, he was already at the top of the mountain.

the other side.

Even though the Fallen Angels descended into the material world and occupied the stars... that was all.

After the initial fear and despair, ritualists from other countries gradually analyzed the essence of the Tail Ring ritual.

The gods of the past were bound by the ritual of the Tail Ring and could only be mortal monarchs and could not leave the scope of the ritual, which was the current territory of the Stars. Moreover, the Stars must recognize his rule, otherwise the power of the demons would be weakened.

In this situation, no matter how strong the Fallen Angel is, he is just a prisoner. Not to mention, he is not as strong as he was in the dream world. The suppression of the Wall of Balance is also effective against him.

——Whatever happens to Xingtan, it’s none of their business anyway. Many people think so.

There were even some people who gloated over their misfortune... After all, Xingti was very aggressive before and had offended more than just Avalon.

Even if Xing Ti intends to launch a war of conquest, that will be a matter for later. Not to mention, they may not be unable to defeat the demon army without the Fallen Angels.

Therefore, if it weren't for the Theocracy's hasty conscription, all other countries would have planned to wait and see for a while.

Wait until Xingti is completely dead before taking action.

This is to prevent them from wasting too much energy in the war, so that Xingti can swallow them up after his resurrection.

Of course, the best scenario is that other countries fight for their lives, while they themselves can just save their strength and muddle along… Because of this, no country opposes conscription, but instead tries its best to promote the idea that “this is a just war, a war for survival”. The purpose is to encourage others to take ruthless action.

"The rich cherish their lives."

Grunewald said in a low voice: "I thought you would choose a more conservative strategy."

The so-called more conservative strategy is to advance slowly. This is the current mainstream countermeasure against the Fallen Angels' invasion of the material world.

Keep a large number of civilians inside the Star Antimony to delay the fusion process of the Fallen Angel Division and the material world. Then station troops from the outside, surround but not attack, gradually erode and consume the number of demon troops... and then slowly flatten all the buildings.

Although the ritual array base cannot be seen once it is established, the core of the ritual can be removed by destroying all nearby buildings.

This way, the Fallen Angels would not be able to take the initiative to fight back, and their space would be gradually compressed. By sacrificing the entire Star Antimony, the Fallen Angels could be suppressed inside a single city with almost no risk.

"madness."

Aiwass sneered: "Do they think the Fallen Angels won't take action? Or do they think the Fallen Angels can't hit them?

"They don't think that the Fallen Angels are as powerless as mortals, right? They can't be destroyed by a river or a street? As long as the Fallen Angels want to, they can easily destroy the legion even if they can't get out... You should know this, right?"

"I'm at the fifth level, of course I know."

The old lich nodded and said, "But too many people have no idea about the power of the fifth or even sixth energy levels. Some people are overly pessimistic about the situation because of their fear of the gods; others are overly optimistic about the situation because of their ignorance of power.

"But if we launch a general attack right away... a lot of people will die. I'm afraid they won't hate the Fallen Angels, but the person who issued the order. Because the disaster caused by the Fallen Angels has nothing to do with them in the first place... what happens next is for the future."

"...Do you think I would not dare to take the blame?"

Aiwass finally understood what the old lich meant.

He just chuckled. “I also have a part of myself that transcends—what does transcendence mean? By any means necessary.

"I gathered these people here urgently. On the one hand, it was to shorten the time that the Fallen Angels could control the Star Antimony, so that the fusion rate would not be so high; on the other hand, it was to prevent these people from having a chance to react.

“If we give them too much time, they will start to think about it. But if I don’t give them time, they will have to execute immediately.

"As long as I win in the end, then everything is fine."

"...What if there is no victory? The whole world will probably fall into chaos and despair."

"Then let the world be buried with me."

Aiwass said calmly.

He wasn't joking - but the words shocked the old lich.

He obviously didn't know about the existence of the end of the world, but he felt Aiwass's ruthlessness and determination.

"Can you help me, Master Grunewald?"

Aiwass raised his head, holding the wine glass with five fingers of one hand, and asked softly to the old lich: "With your help, our chances of winning will increase a lot."

"……Can."

Grunewald was silent for a while. "But I am not good at direct combat. When the battle reaches a critical moment, I will bring the psychic tower over... With the psychic tower, I can exert my full strength. Otherwise, I may not be able to break the resistance of the Fallen Angels at all."

The old lich said frankly.

Aiwass nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you very much for your help."

"...Who else but me?" "Ligeia—formerly Meg, as you must know."

Aiwass replied: "There is also the Great Guardian of Avalon, who is still young and has also decided to join the war.

"I have contacted Master Yanis, she is willing to provide us with assistance, but I am afraid she cannot fight head-on. Master Chongbo owes me a favor, and he decided to come to help. And Mr. Zhu Tang from the Taichu Empire... He and Mr. Mu, the monk from the East, have now entered the advancement ceremony. If all goes well, we should be able to get at least one, or possibly two, fifth-level helpers."

At this point, Aiwass decided to reveal some important information: "As the angels who control the realm of sin and punishment, the selection of people to fight against the Fallen Angels is quite demanding. First of all, they must be 'good people' - every major sin they have committed will become a bondage to themselves in battle."

"…I'm afraid I'm not a good person."

The old lich sighed, and the hollow voice echoed with some sadness: "Or rather, the fifth-level extraordinary people of our generation... are basically not clean."

"I know. It is for this reason that many cardinals from the Theocracy also regretfully declined my invitation. The only one who was confident enough to come was Cardinal Siegfried. He believed that he had a noble and pure soul."

Aiwass said so.

He had also intended to summon Fafner and use pastoral law to bind Helechin to his wife or his son - but Cardinal Fafner refused.

Fafner said that she could join the battle at any time, but she didn't want her son to accept such a cruel fate. As for herself... she didn't need the power mixed with the power of the undead. It would only weaken her power as a dragon.

“…But having said that, Cardinal Fafnir is not sure if she can pass the test of the Fallen Angels, so she plans to wait and see from the outside. If everything goes well, she will join the battle. If not, she will help me deal with the attacking higher-level demons.”

Aiwass sighed: "When she said that, I actually gave up hope."

——This is like "I'm not sure if this child is his." When Cardinal Fafnir felt that she might not be able to pass the Fallen Angels' Sin Test, she probably really would not pass it.

What surprised Aiwas was that Cardinal Matilda also rejected him.

He originally thought that the gentle Cardinal Matilda was a purely good person.

"But Cardinal Galatea will come to help, and if I am included...if everything goes well with Zhu Tang and Mu, we will eventually have eight people participating in the battle. If all of us pass the test, it will just be the number that can be surpassed."

Aiwass said.

In fact, this configuration is not very healthy - if it is put into the game, Aiwass thinks it is already sent.

The only ones with enough vitality to absorb damage were Ligeia and Mu. The Great Guardian Saint George and Cardinal Siegfried were both close-range output players with a bit of tankiness.

Cardinal Galatea is from the Path of Beauty. She can be considered a bard who can provide some not-so-adequate ranged damage and group buffs; Zhu Tang, as a great wizard, is a stationary magic damage dealer with a long reading bar; Master Chongbo can deal some damage, but it's mainly by providing shields... He is the strongest person in the world in preservation skills. The shield he created before could even block a blow from the Fallen Angel in the Angel state without breaking instantly.

The shield he created now to protect against the attacks of the Fallen Angel in his flesh state was obviously effective.

Aiwass himself was half summoner and half nurse - Lily and Yulia, who he brought in, were both part of his summoned creatures. When Aiwass took back the Sin Beast, they would lose their combat effectiveness. Their priority was not high enough. Without the Sin Beast, they could not deal damage, could not fight independently, and could only play a harassing role. Therefore, Aiwass did not count them directly.

——Then the question arises.

Even without using the Light of Paradise, Aiwass's mana is only enough to activate Paradise Lost three times.

If he needs to use other sin cards, he won't have much mana left for healing.

If the team needs treatment, Aiwass must transform into a sin beast. By devouring the sinthorns to urgently restore mana, Aiwas can meet the needs of healing team members. If so, he can't use Paradise Lost to burst. Because the wings can only be summoned in human form.

And even if he can restore mana, his mana must be reserved for damage output first... He can't heal much at all. If he heals others, then the damage output will not be enough.

——There are four melee fighters, but only half of them are healers and half of them are shields. The only serious ranged DPS are Zhu Tang and Aiwass, and it is not certain whether Zhu Tang can break the defense. The other ranged fighters are all PVP players who specialize in control——of course, they cannot control the Fallen Angel.

Some desperate teams.

The guys just wanted to fight in a flash, without considering a protracted battle at all.

The only good news is that the two main outputs are both melee physical professions.

Physical damage is only a priority determination, because it does not belong to the power of the path. The damage caused by the cut is real... the premise is that it can break the defense. Physical damage is only reduced by shields and defenses. As long as the Fallen Angel explodes, the two of them will have a chance to deal damage even without priority bonus.

Originally, Aiwass wanted Cardinal Matilda to be the healer... but she didn't come, so the team suddenly became strange.

"about this issue……"

But after hearing Aiwass's distress, the old lich said in a subtle way: "I think you don't need to be distressed."

"……Why?"

"You'll find out tomorrow."

Grunewald replied.

"... Could you please stop telling me in riddles, Mr. Grunewald?"

"Okay," the old lich compromised obediently, "I came here...actually because a distinguished guest just arrived."

"guest……?"

Aiwass frowned slightly, a little surprised: "Do I know him?"

"know."

The old lich nodded slowly: "She's here."

When Aiwass heard "she", he suddenly realized something.

Feeling the strong, sun-like glow——Aivas turned around.

In the white mist, another person appeared.

"It is you indeed..."

Aiwass breathed a sigh of relief: "Now I feel more confident."

What appeared before him was a pure-colored girl with white hair, white eyes, white robe and white clothes, glowing in the white mist.

Her body was slender and thin, and her arms and thighs were so thin that they seemed like they would break if she wasn't careful.

But she was smiling, with a motherly tenderness on her face. She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Only Aiwass knew that...just two months ago, she was only about twelve or thirteen years old.

"Your Excellency John Yongheng."

Aiwass said softly, and stood up politely and respectfully, and the old lich stood up as well.

The two men bowed to the girl, who accepted the greeting with a smile.

Because she is the true former eternal pope who just stepped down and became a saint!
Aiwass was a little surprised: "How come you...are getting old so fast?"

——All in all, it’s been less than two months!

How come he looked five or six years older in just two months?

Generally speaking, shouldn't the life span of an eternal pope be twenty years after he leaves office?
At this rate... I'm afraid she might not even survive two years!

"I remember telling you... I burned more thoroughly, so there's not much time left."

Saint John said softly, "If you lack a healer, let me do it. I will protect everyone.

"——I'm so lucky that I can still save the world after leaving my job. My predecessors were not as lucky as me."

(End of this chapter)