freenovelworld Chapter 123: Code Name Alastair
Chapter 123: Code Name Alastair
Although Aiwass knew little about the Crescent Ritual, he understood it was a PVP mode.Everyone was an enemy, and only the victors could advance.
The cost of the Crescent Ritual far exceeded that of the Full Moon Ritual.
Even without penalties for failure, the material expenses were significant.
Only those with absolute confidence would choose the Crescent Ritual for advancement.
In other words, this mode rarely had freeloaders.
The difficulty of the advancement ritual increased with the participants’ strength.
Before embarking on their second Path, these transcendents had already touched high society.
They held secrets, intelligence, and resources as powerhouses.
Participating in a Full Moon Ritual at this stage meant teaming up with uncooperative newcomers.
This would spike the ritual’s difficulty exponentially.
Thus, after maxing out their first Path, transcendents often chose the Crescent Ritual for their second.
The Crescent Ritual was essentially mutual slaughter, so heightened difficulty didn’t matter much.
When chased by a bear, you don’t need to outrun the bear—just the others.
So, who would be so confident?
Either reckless young hotheads or seasoned transcendents advancing their second Path.
These participants were the latter, but Aiwass had to play the former.
A naive newcomer, unaware of the meaning of a “code name,” possessed by a shadow demon.
By luck—good or bad—he’d joined the prestigious Noble Red Society.
That was the image he crafted.
The alias “Alastair” held special meaning, known only to Aiwass.
It was a variant of the surname Alexander.
In Iris flower language, “Alexander” could be pronounced to become Alastair.
Coincidentally, Aiwass’s instinctual drive for the Transcendence Path came from his grandfather, surnamed Alexander.
His mother was an Iris noble.
This alias was Aiwass’s tribute to his past, to parents he’d never met before their separation.
As for the Noble Red Society, it was a strategic move.
A foundation for his future plans.
He didn’t recognize the others, but the old man code-named “Thunder” was clearly Inspector Gordon!
His presence in the ritual validated “Alastair’s” existence.
When Aiwass later attacked the Lloyd Society’s headquarters, the shadow demon’s origin would be clear.
It would tie back to the Noble Red Society—not some random demon summoner.
At that moment, another person appeared on the chair beside Aiwass.
They wore an oversized gray hoodie, concealing their gender and age.
“I’m guessing you’re an Adaptation Path ascender,” Mr. Antler spoke first.
“It’s still early. Shall we get acquainted? I’m Antler, a Twilight Path ascender.”
The figure remained silent and still.
Mr. Antler continued, his tone friendly.
“I think you’re a newcomer, but you must know something about advancement rituals.
Are you also on your second Path?
Everyone here, except Mr. Alastair, is a seasoned second-Path ascender.
We’re very experienced with these rituals. We could cooperate.
How should I address you? Sir, or perhaps madam?”
The gray-hooded figure tilted their head slightly but said nothing.
They didn’t speak or look up, making their features and code name impossible to discern.
Then the sixth person appeared—someone Aiwass recognized.
It was “Knight” from the last Full Moon Ritual!
Clearly, he’d failed his previous attempt and, after just half a month, was trying again.
Knight had grown noticeably since last time.
Unlike the silent gray-hooded figure, Knight quickly agreed to half of Antler’s proposal.
“We can cooperate temporarily to deal with the remaining three,” Knight said seriously.
“But since you’re saying this to me, I assume you’ve said it to others.
You’d likely favor those who entered earlier—stronger allies.
So, when the time comes, I’ll team up with Mr. Alastair and this gray-hooded gentleman.”
Though the ritual’s details were unclear, Knight openly shared his judgment and plan.
He’d grown somewhat, but not entirely.
“I’m a demon, kid,” the shadow demon hissed back.
Knight responded earnestly.
“Outside identities don’t matter in the ritual.
We’re competitors, rivals, but also potential allies.
We should address each other by code names.
Mr. Alastair, are you really not picking a code name?”
“I’ll decide after the ritual,” the shadow demon replied dismissively.
After that, Mr. Antler revealed to Knight that his main Path was Authority.
He mentioned Knight’s brigade and possible location, hinting at his high status in Avalon.
Knight, perhaps coached, repeated, “Outside identities don’t matter in the ritual.”
Though stubborn, he didn’t reveal more about himself or fully trust Antler’s persuasion.
He wasn’t a complete fool.
Knight clearly didn’t want to chat further.
He subtly advised “Alastair” to stop talking with Antler’s group.
But since Aiwass was deliberately playing the role, Knight’s advice went unheeded.
After two attempts, Knight gave up.
Aiwass, as “Alastair,” continued chatting with Antler, Red, and Thunder.
Through their calculated questions and the shadow demon’s improvisation, “Alastair’s” persona took shape.
“Alastair” was now a young man possessed by a demon since childhood.
He studied in the countryside, then moved to Grey County after junior high.
His parents were believers, but he only worshipped the Serpent Father.
After his father’s death, he inherited a modest sum.
He traveled across Avalon, working odd jobs while rock climbing and mountaineering.
He challenged himself to conquer nature.
In Garden City, near Glass Island, the Noble Red Society recruited him.
He’d just joined, barely grasping their principles or goals.
His “mentor” had provided an advancement path and taught him the ritual.
This was his first attempt—and he chose the Crescent Ritual because his mentor praised his talent.
A perfectly reasonable, vivid persona.
No issues, except that this person didn’t exist.
Aiwass decided that after the ritual, he’d have Lily help him recall and record this backstory verbatim.
They chatted for over an hour, easing the initially tense, silent atmosphere.
Knight gradually realized this demon wasn’t evil, just arrogant.
He hadn’t used human materials; the blood on him was from clumsiness.
Though the three to Aiwass’s left didn’t buy it, he was sure Knight believed it.
Because of this, Knight and the similarly aged Alastair got along well.
The silent gray-hooded figure was gradually ignored.
During the conversation, the remaining three participants appeared.
They were likely far from Glass Island, pulled in when no suitable transcendents were nearby.
Unlike the Full Moon Ritual’s atmosphere, two of the three didn’t introduce themselves or their Paths.
One was a gaunt man, so thin he resembled weathered wood.
His back was slightly hunched, his black hair hung past his shoulders like damp seaweed, curling in strands.
He muttered to himself, head bowed.
The other was a monk in a rough, dark brown robe that looked like a rag.
He clasped his hands together and remained silent upon entering.
Aiwass now knew the Paths: Antler was Twilight, Red was Love, old Gordon was Devotion, he himself was Transcendence, Lily in the gray hoodie was Adaptation, and Knight was Authority.
That left Balance, Beauty, and Wisdom for the remaining three.
Thankfully, the ninth person eliminated one option.
“Hello, everyone! I’m ‘King,’ a Balance Path ascender and a seasoned ‘botanist’!
If you need alchemical incense or essential oils, buy from me—I offer a 20% discount off market price!
Free delivery within 20 kilometers of Mainz, and for international customers, just pay half the standard customs tax, delivered in half a month!”
The scruffy middle-aged man shouted repeatedly the moment he appeared.
“Hello, can you hear me? I’m ‘King,’ a Balance Path ascender, a professional botanist…”
“—So d*mn annoying!” Alastair rudely shouted.
Though the others said nothing, their furrowed brows showed their irritation.
But in his mind, Aiwass was floored.
‘Holy sht, it’s that ad guy from last time!’
He marveled at the world’s coincidences, their fated meeting, and this guy’s audacity.
‘You got obliterated in a Full Moon Ritual, and now you’re here for a Crescent one?
No difference if you’re instantly killed either way, huh?
And last time it was a 10% discount, now it’s 20%?
Running low on cash?
Broke but still joining a Crescent Ritual?
Why not go back to a Full Moon Ritual for another round?’
To Aiwass’s surprise, the guy actually made a sale.
The seating circled around, with the ninth person next to the first.
The ever-friendly Mr. Antler leaned over, curiously asking King about his supply.
Antler seemed interested in a large batch of alchemical incense—at least 500 white coins’ worth.
King was so excited he nearly jumped from his seat to negotiate.
Aiwass shook his head repeatedly.
‘…Unbelievable.
This sales pitch actually worked?
Is this what they call heaven rewarding hard work?’
At that moment, the stone knight statue regained its color.
It glowed with brilliant silver-white light, its golden holy sword gleaming brightly.
[All ritual participants, please be silent.]
A stern voice rang from beneath the knight’s helmet.
[This ritual is overseen by me, Gawain, a knight under the Silver-Crowned Dragon.]
As Gawain spoke, the surrounding space took shape and color around him.
It was a dim, enclosed building, everything toweringly massive.
The sea of blood beneath them turned into a boiling pot of meat broth.
They were inside the pot, white steam rising around them.
The surrounding structures were enormous—the door handle was at least ten meters off the ground.
The handle itself was massive, roughly two meters long.
It felt like they’d entered a giant’s kingdom—or been shrunk smaller than a cat.
This apostle had no interest in small talk.
Upon arriving, he launched into an uninterrupted explanation.
[For your first advancement ritual, I must explain the Crescent Ritual’s special rules.]
[Six ascenders here have multiple Paths, but note: only your advancing Path’s abilities and self-crafted corresponding Path items may be used.]
[What you experience is not a real historical event but a script written by the Nine Pillar Gods, set against history’s backdrop.]
[Each advancement dream is used only once, its contents fictional and diverging from real-world events.]
[Thus, under the Nine Pillar Gods’ gaze, you must solve puzzles, find items, defeat enemies, or survive to prove your ability.]
[This ritual lasts one hour, with a 1:1 time ratio to reality.]
[You must survive until the ritual ends or meet special victory conditions for early settlement.]
[As this is a Crescent Ritual, kill reward points are calculated.
At settlement, the top three point-holders win.
Killing all other participants triggers immediate settlement, but without special victory conditions, it results in a loss.]
[This ritual has three winners and includes special victory conditions.]
[The special victory conditions are: “Relic Scramble” and “Frenzied Slaughter.”]
[Relic Scramble: A powerful relic exists in this ritual.
Its holder’s location is sensed by all participants in real-time.
If the holder survives to the end, they win outright, ignoring other conditions.]
[Frenzied Slaughter: If no surviving participant achieves a points victory at the ritual’s end, the one with kills exceeding the sum of all other survivors’ kills wins outright, ignoring other conditions.]
[This ritual’s difficulty is “Challenge.” Death in the ritual causes four to ten days of weakness in reality.]
[Additional note: This ritual’s dream is constructed by the Silver-Crowned Dragon, with the script and scoring details set by the Serpent Father.
It is entirely unrelated to me, the ritual’s overseer.]
Gawain raised his bloodstained holy sword.
He solemnly declared the ritual’s script.
[In the year 1320, a giant couple in the giant kingdom of Arktos captured nine humans as winter provisions…]
As the sword fell from its peak, Aiwass felt a wave of intense dizziness.
The world before him warped and dissolved.
The nine seated participants vanished without a trace.