Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 310 - 281 Path of Ascension

Chapter 310: Chapter 281 Path of Ascension

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Farosa de Aquilia stared blankly at Mond’s corpse, sensing that something was amiss. Xu Yang had disappeared without a trace at some point, and the silence of Nangong Island was terrifying. She paced in place, swinging the Godslayer Weapon about, but it was all in vain.

Tension and fear followed her like a shadow, and the most dreadful mental manipulation eventually took hold of her—a form of control that was extremely difficult for a witch to contend with.

Xu Yang had abandoned her! The terrifying reality struck Farosa with great fear. Without Xu Yang, what was she to do on her own? Run around, fend for herself, alone walking to the very opposite side of the world? Yet she held onto a sliver of hope, expecting Xu Yang to appear by her side at any moment.

"It’s alright now," Xu Yang tried to pat her shoulder, but Farosa remained bewildered and oblivious, lost in confusion. He looked towards Mond, "If you can’t break the illusion, I’ll have to take her away."

Mond let out a long howl, and the dragon’s chant broke Farosa’s befuddled state. Her eyes regained their clarity, and she immediately drew the Godslayer Weapon with caution.

"Mond..." she gritted her teeth.

"Let us converse with knowledge and reason," Mond lay on the platform, "exchanging thoughts amiably like truly intelligent and rational beings, presenting our respective demands. You are well aware of what just happened, and you currently do not possess the ability to defeat me."

"Soon, very soon," Farosa whispered, "you will understand."

"The Seven Witches Ritual, is it?" Mond shifted his wings on the platform, "You know nothing of the demigod realm and its system, yet you harbor the Godslayer Weapon, like an innocent child stepping into the society of monsters prematurely."

"Be more straightforward," Farosa frowned.

"Just like in the past, insignificant lives listen to the ’Path’ in the presence of truly magnificent power," Mond spread his wings wide, took to the air, circling the shrine slowly, as the light and shadows shifted around him. The bright moon and the stars wound around him, creating a dreamlike vista, "The Path of Ascension is cruel and lengthy, and within it, you must sacrifice much to touch the real Divine Power."

"I am well aware of this," Farosa stressed.

"Why does the Seven Witches Ritual require only 7 people?"

This question dumbfounded Farosa. She had never considered it; she had only read about it in ancient texts, that the most powerful Empress-level witches would use this ritual to elevate their power to realms unattainable by magic alone.

"This guy..." Farosa lowered her voice and turned to Xu Yang, "..."

She had been frightened by the Elder Dragon. Xu Yang thought to himself. Unquestionably, Lunar Fire Mond possessed strength far exceeding theirs, and his knowledge was much more profound.

"There’s no better opportunity than this," Xu Yang said in a low voice, "Other Mystics just want to kill you, but Mond still has patience."

"Go on," Farosa looked up at Mond soaring through the sky.

He stopped flapping his wings, suspended in midair, radiant and splendid. The Blackfire captives scattered throughout the island, busy planting trees, all looked up and whispered among themselves. Mond cast illusions on them to keep their focus on their work, so they could not hear the forthcoming discussion about the Path of Ascension.

"You are very aware that ’Faith and Will’ encompass the witches’ imaginations," Mond said, "the will of the witches is inherited from the Galaxy, thus their desires are far stronger than mundane wishes. Their imagination shapes your ’Godly Carapace,’ the creation you will don to act. You must wear this ’garment’ until it matches your body, thereby slowly being transformed by their imagination, not using the power they have conjured."

"...I know," Farosa frowned, "It’s the power I must acquire."

"But it also has a terrifying defect...enough to make you fall, never to rise again," Mond murmured.

"What is it?"

"Give me two fragments of the Throne of God," Mond said, "and then I will continue."

"Despicable creature," Farosa silently seethed.

"Wisdom is a priceless treasure," Mond looked at Farosa intently, "don’t you need it?"

Farosa inspected the incomplete Godly Carapace within her soul.

After the previous deity’s Throne of God shattered, there were about 20 fragments that could be used to forge a new Throne. The more fragments one had, the better the resulting Throne’s efficacy. However, these artifacts were hidden deep within Farosa’s soul, only to be willingly relinquished by her, not by force.

"You also wish to attain Ascension?" Farosa scoffed, "I thought you lacked such audacity."

"Indeed, I do not," admitted Mond frankly, "but I want to study and investigate the principles of the Throne of God. We both know it does not belong to this world; this world doesn’t have the capability to create it."

"...Take them," Farosa extracted two shining fragments of the Throne of God from deep within her soul, which then floated up into the sky, becoming Mond’s property.

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The Moonlight Dragon was quite satisfied with what it had gained.

"The ’gods’ we’re discussing aren’t the real gods," it said, "that can only be achieved by using the Throne of God. And there are many demigods, the Ancient Mystics, who are less powerful than the deities, including nineteen from the external races. In the times when the witches were at their zenith, six Witch Empresses had reigned over their respective eras in succession. After the fall of one empress, the next witch with the potential to be an empress was born. They all reached Empress-level at a very old age, and in the pursuit of Eternal Life and Power, the second Witch Empress, Dillia Delacruz, eventually devised the Seven Witches Ritual, which transformed her into the twentieth being with demigod powers. I believe this is also what you intend to do."

"Everyone desires the power of belief," Farosa frowned, "is there anything cheaper than that?"

"Blindly consuming Dewdrops will only turn you into a monstrous being neither human nor ghost. We’ve seen such things happen before," Mond said, "a normal woman turned into a mound of flesh with many limbs. A lovely Little Witch became a massive Giant Rat."

"How do you know about... the Rat Witch?" Xu Yang wondered.

"Such twisted births often require concealment, otherwise, they’re plain for all to see." Mond spoke with depth, "We are constantly watching for new players entering the high-stakes game."

"Sally swallowed the Dewdrops whole." Farosa pressed her forehead, "That was reckless."

"Through the Seven Witches Ritual, the Dewdrops created by the witches are much purer, not composed of random, chaotic thoughts. But this presents a second challenge: what are you?"

"You mean..."

"The visions within Impurity Dewdrops are fragmented, causing life to transform into grotesque forms without affecting the autonomy of the conscious mind," Mond explained. "However, the visions created by the Seven Witches Ritual are different; they coalesce, immensely intense, and will turn you into a true Witch Goddess, but this Witch Goddess, in turn, will devour Farosa de Aquilia."

"..." Farosa fell silent.

"In other words," Mond continued with a hint of scorn, "your personality will be overwritten by the ’Witch Goddess’ envisioned by the seven witches. That has been the fate of the past empresses; they were at the pinnacle of power but lost themselves, each empress undergoing a major personality change. If you are willing to trade the annihilation of your self for power, then that’s your decision."

Farosa said nothing.

"So how does one avoid that?" Xu Yang asked on her behalf.

"It’s not difficult," the glow around Mond faded as it settled back on the high platform, "She knows what to do. Ultimately, she knows many tricks. All I have to do is reveal this final hurdle to her, and once she crosses it, she will enter a higher level of competition. Of course, even if she performs the Seven Witches Ritual, her Divine Power would still be far less than that of any of the current Ancient Mystics. After all, we began our pursuit of power centuries before your kind even existed."

"Yes, I was mistaken," Farosa murmured, "Now I know what I need to do to avoid the worst outcome—the will of the Seven Witches is that of seven individuals. If they have a unified perception of me, the powerful Witch Goddess they create will overwrite me. But if they do not have a consistent idea of my temperament, will, and strategy, then the ’garment’ they create will not cover me, and instead, my main will shall merge with these fragmented concepts."

"A clever lady," Mond nodded.

Farosa’s expression grew solemn.

"I must, I must go back." Farosa felt annoyed, "You know, I have to give gifts to the Little Witches, help them brush their hair, trim their nails, and make breakfast. Shatter their image of me to produce various different fantasies, so the Seven Witches Ritual can be executed correctly. This is—truly irritating!"

"You should have shown kindness to them long ago," Xu Yang said. Farosa was known for her indifference to others’ emotions. If this opportunity made her show some benevolence, it certainly would change her image greatly.

"This door leads back to where you came from." Mond summoned a Moon-Silver portal, "You can go home anytime."

Farosa left the Godslayer Weapon in Nangong Island, hurried through the portal, and returned to Shijin Mansion, ready to surprise the witches with newfound love.

"This weapon... is it fine to leave it behind?" Xu Yang picked up the Godslayer Weapon.

"It’s a hot potato, if you catch my drift," Mond said. "I don’t want it either. Already a thousand years ago when it was crafted, the reborn Idith declared it to be an apt weapon and tried to snatch it."

"’Idith,’ another Ancient Mystic, I presume."

These ancient powerful beings were obviously not easy to deal with. Xu Yang silently reflected. One must always be careful.

"Best to keep away from its threats; Idith is forever obsessed with the Godslayer Weapon," Mond agreed, "What about you? Mortal, if you help me with something, I can guide you on how to make progress in Moon Mysticism, teaching you to create magic formulas, potions, and equipment yourself."

"I can try. What kind of trouble is it?"

"It all stems from my most rebellious daughter," Mond said with sorrow, "She preferred the flashy corporate lifestyle of the Ground to staying by her old father’s side, and to prove her spirit, she even set a password on my smart terminal before she left. How heartless can a child be to do such a thing? Or is it that children, when they reach a certain age, inevitably turn rebellious?"

"I will see what I can do," Xu Yang agreed to help, "But next time. There’s a burning city in need of a hand right