Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 797: Death Should Not Be Pure

Chapter 797 -797: Death Should Not Be Pure

While Saint Delan Square was bustling, in the midst of death it was cold and quiet. Five people sat around a bonfire in front of the Stone Gate, the firelight casting their shadows around, swaying like phantom monsters from fairy tales.

Everyone was watching Shard, who continued:

“The ‘Holy Tree Scar’ ceremony is nearly complete, but the issue of the interstice remains unsolved. I think chaos must be reigning outside now. We need the power of the Chosen by Death to end everything tonight. But who should be the Chosen One?”

Joey Barton had already lost his qualification. Even if he hadn’t, Shard wouldn’t let him become the Chosen One. Right now, everyone had come here from the interstice voluntarily, which was equivalent to willingly dying in the interstice.

“The first to leave here will be the Chosen One, because all the other candidates have already died.”

Shard repeated and then looked at Sister Delphine. Sister Delphine also understood this fact. After Joey Barton, she was the second candidate, but she shook her head slightly:

“I have already embarked on the path of tending the flame. Death is not suitable for me. It’s not just me who can be the Chosen One. Maybe you can consider someone else.”

Shard then looked at Priest Augustus, who hesitated for a moment and put down the pipe lit by the Primal Fire:

“What is the Chosen One?”

He asked curiously.

“In the Fifth Era, the ‘Whispering Verses’ prophesized by the Witch mention that there will be thirteen Chosen Ones in the Sixth Era. They are the protagonists of the era, and their stories will collectively shape the unknown fate stage of the Sixth Era, influencing the future of the entire world. The Chosen by Death possesses the power of the Ancient God of Death.”

Shard explained:

“Priest, maybe you could consider…”

“No, I don’t want to take on such a responsibility. The troubles at the church are enough for me. At my age, I still have to worry about the accommodation of the choir kids, assist with the church’s quarterly financial reviews, and participate in the planning of activities for Holy Prayer Day every year. Detective, I have enough things to handle. Those trivial responsibilities belong to you younger folks.”

The priest shook his head firmly:

“Don’t involve me in this affair.”

In fact, Shard didn’t want to involve Priest Augustus either. Becoming the Chosen One meant being forced into the vortex of fate. And the Priest Augustus with an arm by his feet clearly preferred a peaceful life.

“Then we can only consider the fourth candidate.”

Shard said, then looked at Iluna.

The seventeen-year-old girl also looked at him, blinking in confusion:

“Fourth candidate? Who is that? Didn’t you say last time that you were unsure about the fourth candidate?”

But Shard kept his gaze on her, causing Iluna to suspiciously turn her head, as if thinking someone else might be beside her. Upon confirming that Shard was indeed looking at her, she slightly opened her mouth and, incredulously, pointed to herself:

“You mean… me?”

“Since you came to Midshire Fort, there have been four of you in total.”

“But…”

“Eyes that can see through the dark.”

“But that was given by you…”

“I am an observer beyond fate. I can never be the Chosen One. Apart from me, there are four people who stepped into death tonight. So why are you here too, Iluna?”

Though this reason sounded absurd, Iluna paused for a moment and then quickly shook her head:

“Shard, there must be some mistake. I am the Chosen of Balance and have already conducted the ceremony.”

“But no one said the qualification of a Chosen One couldn’t repeat on the same person.”

Shard said, and Iluna thought for a moment, seemingly unable to refute him.

“It indeed is her.”

Mr. Barton’s spirit, sitting beside Mrs. Marilyn Handel, said softly:

“After losing my power, I’ve felt death more keenly, as if I’ve melted into it. This young lady with brown hair is indeed the fourth candidate.”

Shard was relieved; his guess was correct.

But Iluna still didn’t want to accept it:

“This nun and Priest Augustus are both more suitable than me. After carrying out the judgment, I obtained some new information. Apart from the first candidate, the others, even after conducting the ceremony, gain weaker power. The further down the rank, the weaker the power they ultimately receive. From every angle, to handle the continuous troubles ahead, it’s better for a high-ranking candidate to take on the role of the Chosen One.”

This indeed was new information.

“Miss Beyas, you should see it this way.”

Priest Augustus took another puff from his pipe, his expression gentle:

“Everyone here, apart from you, has their own selfish motives.

Barton over there stepped into death for the resurrection of his beloved. I offered to help for this bone. Shard dueled for the Roder Card and a quarter of a soul. The nun witnessed this for the firewood. Only you, Iluna Beath, only you participated in this matter purely for justice and compassion.

I dare say, although you are the youngest, you are the most noble among us in this matter.”

The others nodded in agreement. The old priest, the most senior, indeed spoke wisely.

Iluna, a bit embarrassed by Priest Augustus’s words, hesitated but still shook her head. It wasn’t a modest refusal but a genuine unwillingness to accept.

Staring at Shard, the seventeen-year-old girl whispered:

“Shard, the responsibility of the Chosen One is too heavy. It’s not that I don’t want to bear it; I just think that no one should bear all the responsibilities and power alone. You all say that I am the protagonist of the era, but I am just an ordinary person… If possible, I would rather see more Chosen Ones appear, rather than facing all this by myself.”

Power comes at a cost. Shard understood Iluna’s thoughts. Her lack of greed to monopolize all power showed her understanding of her limits and awareness of her position. Few could achieve this, and Iluna’s inheritance of Balance was no coincidence.

So, Shard again looked at Priest Augustus and Sister Delphine, the former shaking his head quickly:

“Don’t worry about me, I have many things to deal with.”

He kicked the arm at his feet:

“Shard, when I return to Tobesk in a few weeks, there are some things I want to discuss with you, about… those wings. I also have many stories and responsibilities.”

The Priest seemed to want to confess his secrets to Shard, just like Dr. Schneider did two months ago:

“Sister Delphine, you might actually try to bear this responsibility. Although I’m not familiar with the Fire of the Primordial, it seems you’re looking for firewood? Fire means life, but fire also means death. Bearing the power of the Ancient God, peeping into death in the blindness of darkness might be of great help to you.”

This time, the nun didn’t shake her head and hesitated slightly: freeweɓnovel.cѳm

“Guarding the Primal Fire is my responsibility. I can bear the power of death, but not all of it. Inheriting death makes one closer to death. If Joey Barton became the Chosen One, the clash between death and reverse life might keep him as he is. Maybe that’s the meaning of being a Person of Reverse Life.”

Mr. Barton’s soul showed a bitter smile:

“Fate, indeed.”

“It seems that’s true. Would a living person inheriting death gradually transform into the undead or the living dead? That’s quite a predicament.”

Shard was pondering, and Joey Barton spoke again:

“Mr. Hamilton, to solve this problem, we just need to make the Chosen One’s power less pure.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Chosen One qualification must belong to one person only, it cannot be shared by two people. That cannot be changed. The young lady over there is already the official Chosen One, yet she still became another candidate. She might be able to obtain part of the power of death, thus making death no longer pure. The nun inheriting the qualification wouldn’t gradually transform into the undead.”

Shard looked at him suspiciously, he seemed to know too much.

Mr. Barton tightly held the hand of the woman beside him, looking calmly at Shard:

“Mr. Hamilton, since you say the requirement for the Chosen One Ceremony of death is the death of everyone else, what happens if the prior candidate suddenly ‘resurrects’ during the ceremony of the subsequent candidate?”

Iluna suddenly understood:

“If I perform the ceremony, but before it’s completed, Sister Delphine returns from the interstice, then Sister Delphine would be the Chosen of Death. And I would also gain part of the power, a small amount. This way, the nun’s power would be incomplete.”

“Yes.”

Barton fell silent after that.

It should only be the Chosen of Death who can do this, after all, other candidates for the Chosen One wouldn’t encounter ‘death and resurrection’ situations.

Shard gave Mr. Barton a suspicious glance but didn’t voice his doubt. He indeed lost the Chosen One qualification, but Shard felt that this cursed man gained something else. Maybe it was due to Iluna’s judgment or his inherent talent with death, but it wasn’t something Shard needed to care about. For the Chosen One, he had made his judgment:

“Sister, is this feasible? You become the Chosen One of Death, but Iluna gains a small part of the power, making death impure?”

Actually, when the Chosen of Darkness died, Iluna also inherited part of the darkness power, and the Dark Vortex is evidence. Thus, Iluna managed to obtain the power of the chosen three times in a row, even though only the power of balance was complete.

“This is good.”

The nun nodded.

“Sister, do you understand death and termination?”

Shard inquired, still worried.

“I once peeped into the world after the flame extinguished from the glimmer of the flame. Yes, I understand it all.”

Only then did Shard smile and clap his hands to draw everyone’s attention, announcing the final decision:

“Then let’s do this—Iluna, you first leave here, followed by Sister Delphine. The nun will become the third Chosen one, and the Witch Council should be pleased. Iluna, according to the story we concocted, I mean, reorganized earlier, inform the Church of everything that happened here. As for Sister Delphine’s identity…”

“You do not know me, just say: it’s a blind nun with an eye patch.”

Sister Delphine voluntarily offered, not planning to hide her identity from the Church.

Joey Barton didn’t care about the qualification that had belonged to him, Ms. Hendel didn’t understand their conversation at all, Priest Augustus squinted his eyes enjoying his tobacco, Sister Delphine sat expressionlessly on the stone, Iluna was still somewhat apprehensive, and Shard, sitting by the campfire, gazed at the Nether Moon over the distant water, the moonlight casting on his face devoid of excitement and joy.

He slightly lowered his head, large shadows covering his face; squinting his eyes and furrowing his brows showed his worry.

[Do you know what’s going to happen next?]

“Yes.”

[Then why did you consume that last drop of divinity ahead of time? That was your last drop of divinity.]

“Because, I fear the Duke might not come tonight due to apprehension. I can’t be with them all the time, but He is always peeping. Tonight is the best chance, because their duties are likely to end tonight. This is a conspiracy that spans two eras, involving multiple Deities, affecting several periods, encompassing countless fates, indirectly leading to tonight’s event. Compared to the Chosen One’s epic, the story from the start of this banquet till now is more like a myth, a terrifying and eerie myth. And I will never allow this story to end in tragedy.”

Shard’s brows furrowed deeply:

“Even I only realized when I saw that hook, the Vampiric Duke has been manipulating everything from the last era, just to… so that’s why an Evil God is an Evil God.”

[He isn’t after the interstice or the Chosen One, so why do you want to stop him?]

“Just like when I stopped him the first time.”

Then came a soft chuckle:

[I see, you haven’t changed. But Outlander, are you confident? If He really comes, in your mortal state, the ‘Soul Fishing Rod’ alone can’t forcefully gain divinity.]

The first drop of divinity from the Lord of the Blood Feast, that time, the Deity had just stepped into the shadow, so Shard succeeded. The second drop of divinity from the Lord of the Blood Feast, Shard was in divinized state, so he succeeded. But if he used the relic with only his mortal form, the chance of success was very low, and the Deity wouldn’t be without resistance.

“I understand, but I’m not the only one with goodwill.”

Shard halted his thoughts as he heard the sound of a door opening.