Chapter 1048: Chapter 386: Death Strategy

After the “Wings of Life Fire” became angry, all the candidates quieted down.

This batch of candidates were all at the peak of the Fourth Level. No matter where in this world, they could all be considered elites and naturally, none of them was a fool.

No one wanted to openly defy an Angel Envoy, even if the other party was an Envoy of the Path of Devotion. Not to mention, the other party was also the host of the advancement ceremony.

Strictly speaking, the host should not interfere with the advancement ceremony… But this is not an absolute rule.

Just as invigilators are not allowed to converse with students. However, this does not prevent them from standing behind and after finishing reading the written answers, to give a snicker as a warning for mistakes.

And if the host themselves bore malice against a certain candidate, it would be even easier to mislead them into the wrong direction–after all, the advancement ceremony was never mandatory to be fair.

At least every advancement ceremony hosted by the Angel Envoy of the Great Sage was unfair… Demanding intelligence to pass the levels while stripping away extraordinary abilities was blatantly favoring candidates of the Path of Wisdom.

Seeing that everyone was quietly looking at Itself, the Wings of Life Fire hummed smugly.

Its voice was childish like a toddler’s, androgynous, saying, “I will preside over this advancement ceremony!

“I am one of the flames above the Candle Master, the Wings of Life Fire.”

The little deer with flames for wings said so, then pitter-pattered on the ground, running around in circles in front of everyone. It seemed to be flaunting the fiery wings on Its back.

When It returned to the high platform at the center, Its flames on Its back suddenly enlarged two to three times, with shapes and colors more complex than before. Its pristine white body also revealed many dark golden totem patterns, appearing much more solemn and dignified.

Under the “gaze” of those flame wings, like eyes, Its childish voice was overlapped with a mature male voice:

[The time limit for this ceremony is three hours, with a reality ratio of three to one.]

Upon hearing this, Aiwass frowned slightly.

Three hours… Such a short advancement ceremony?

Would this even suffice for a single battle, and how would it be possible for nine people to determine the victor?

The Wings of Life Fire continued to recite the rules:

[You must survive until the end of the ceremony, and complete special victory conditions before the early settlement.]

[Since this ceremony is a New Moon Ritual, rewards based on kill points will be calculated. When the ceremony ends and points are settled, the victor will be selected from high to low based on the points held; when six participants die or voluntarily withdraw, the ceremony will be settled early, and if there are no special victory conditions at that point, it will be considered a loss.]

“Voluntary withdrawal…”

The Old Mage repeated the regulations, realizing something.

“Any questions?”

The fiery wings behind the Wings of Life Fire shrank back, returning to Its child-like appearance, and asked seriously in a high-pitched voice, as if mimicking an adult: “Please ask!”

“Does voluntary withdrawal count as death? Will there be a penalty? How should one voluntarily withdraw?” The Old Mage “Pelican” precisely asked what everyone wanted to know.

“Voluntary withdrawal is considered a failure of the ritual but does not count as death. Penalties will be given according to ritual failure, and if one is already seriously injured or disabled, these states will carry back into the Material Realm.”

The Wings of Life Fire answered seriously: “However, to voluntarily withdraw, one must raise their hand and clearly express ‘I concede’. After I review and confirm, you may then leave the ceremony.

“So everyone, if you feel that you have no chance of winning, remember to surrender early, there’s no need to gamble your life here. The difficulty of this advancement ceremony is very high, and failure is normal… An urgent surrender during battle will not allow for immediate withdrawal.”

Among all the advancement ceremonies that Aiwass had participated in, this was the only host that explicitly said “If it’s not going to work, just give up, life is more important,” and even actively pointed out all the potential pitfalls directly.

Worthy of being an Envoy of the Candle Master.

Although It had been angered for half the day, once calmed down, It was still very kind and gentle…

Seeing no other questions from the rest, the Wings of Life Fire returned to that previous divine stance, emitting a steady voice.

[The victors of this ritual are three individuals, with special victory conditions in place]

[The special victory conditions for this ritual are: “Choose One of Three,” “Sins Enveloping,” “Sacred Resurrection”]

[Choose One of Three: When only the final three ritual participants remain, one must be eliminated within a set time limit, or all three will be deemed as having failed]

[Sins Enveloping: Participants killed during the ritual will die only once and instead will exist in an indestructible soul state, either to follow the killer while causing curse interference or to choose to continue completing tasks for points; should the killer be slain by another ascendant while a soul’s curse takes effect, the one who placed the curse shall also be resurrected]

[Sacred Resurrection: Amongst the dead participants of this ritual, the one with the highest number of points will be resurrected and achieve victory at the end of the ritual]

[The Dreamland for this ritual is constructed by the ‘Gemini Mirror,’ while the script and bonus rule details are managed by the ‘Candle Master’]

[The difficulty of this ritual is “Reality,” where actual death during the ritual inevitably leads to death in reality; permanent disability within the ritual will also lead to disability in reality]

—-Undoubtedly.

This was the most challenging promotion ritual that Aiwass had ever experienced.

Furthermore, this was the only time where there was still a chance even after one had died.

It was not just a matter of having a chance, but more than that…

In this promotion ritual, death could even be considered a quite effective strategy!

Although Aiwass had not yet seen the specific task list, he had already sharply noticed… In a certain sense, dying first could actually grant a huge advantage.

Whether it’s observing other participants’ abilities or taking the opportunity to complete tasks for points, seizing initiative!

Conversely, those who were still alive… even if they survived till the end, they would ultimately face a time-limited “Choose One of Three” elimination.

After reporting the rules, Wings of Life Fire did not immediately start the ritual, but instead paused to look at everyone.

“Do you have any questions?”

He asked earnestly: “Ask me now, before the ritual begins.”

“…The rules are quite explosive.”

Princess Noel narrowed her eyes.

The Son of the Moon, Andrea, proudly raised her head: “The New Moon Ritual should be just like this! My last New Moon Ritual was on the Path of Wisdom, and it was such a headache…”

“Because you have no brains?”

Clown Laro sharply criticized: “You didn’t join the New Moon Ritual just because you don’t have to play a role, did you?”

“—-Wait a minute.”

Before Andrea could let out another piercing cry, the Old Mage known as “Pelican,” Sandro, immediately asked, “How many people can be resurrected by ‘Sins Enveloping’? How long does the curse last, and is there an interval time?”

“A curse lasts only three minutes, can be used once every hour, and can cause significant trouble for the cursed individual… Upon death, all those who have placed curses will be resurrected together, souls can communicate with each other, and others cannot see the souls. Do you have any more questions?”

“I have no further questions.”

The Old Mage nodded thoughtfully.

“—-Then, let the ritual begin.”

As the last word from the Wings of Life Fire fell, the world plunged into darkness once more.