Roy opened his eyes once more.
He found that he had been spending his days closing and opening his eyes, shuttling back and forth in a short period of time.
He was still in the desert where he had slain Michael, the sun high in the sky. But the blinding sunlight no longer caused any significant harm to his pupils. The sand beneath him was incredibly hot, but this slight temperature would not burn his body.
Roy knew he had completed his transformation, truly reaching a level of transcendence. From a mediocre magician, he had become a god-slayer, capable of challenging the divine.
He pushed himself up from the desert sand, and seeing his clothes were torn and tattered, he was surprised. If not for the protective layer created by the power of the original text of the Book of Law, even if Roy had become a god-slayer, he would have faced the embarrassing situation of standing naked in the desert.
Lowering his head, he carefully recalled, and to his astonishment, he found that everything that happened in the ‘Realm of Life and Death’ when he saw Pandora was vividly clear, with no memory loss.
He smacked his lips, still feeling the warmth, a sweetness on his tongue, like the scent of lily of the valley, sweetly alluring, even Pandora’s surprised expression, and the boldness of his exploration into her mouth, seeking the tenderness of her tongue, were still fresh in his memory.
“Alastor has an extremely deep understanding of ‘phases.’ The ‘Realm of Life and Death’ you just reached is a kind of phase. You, who have fully comprehended Alastor's magnum opus, the Book of 777, are capable of resisting the negative effects brought by different phases.”
As if sensing Roy’s question, the 『Holy Guardian Angel』 Ava, behind him, answered him with her unique, signal-interrupted noise.
The Book of 777 is the condensation of Alastor's ‘Beast’ ideology. In fact, that book has no detailed records of any magical rituals. It simply contains Alastor’s ‘philosophical thoughts.’
Therefore, even though Roy had fully grasped the Book of 777, he had not directly grown stronger, nor had he mastered any powerful techniques. However, he could still directly manifest his body in the face of Alastor's ‘Imaginary Number Phase.’
But this book gave Roy an opportunity, an opportunity to create a powerful technique unique to himself using the philosophical ideas in the Book of 777, just like Alastor's technique, ‘Spirit Binding.’
It’s just that the previous Roy had a deep understanding, but no practical ability, a typical case of ‘a giant in thought, a dwarf in action.’ Now, with his successful god-slaying, he finally had the ability to act after becoming a god-slayer under Pandora's Dark Sacrifice.
“Ava, did you… also go to that ‘phase’?”
“After sensing that your ‘spirit’ was going to that phase, I went to check on you, just in case.”
Roy’s mouth twitched at the sound of this. This angel’s words sounded so ambiguous, even saying things like, “Just in case.”
“Didn’t Pandora notice you?”
“With her position, it's impossible for her to detect me.”
This short sentence let Roy know that neither Pandora nor the world’s Unifiers could compare to this angel who came from the higher phase world of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life theory.
“This is a novel world. The ceremony that woman called Pandora used perfectly corresponds to the origin of this world. It’s just that her ceremony has major flaws. She could have done much better, but that’s it.”
Ava’s expression did not show any contempt, sarcasm, or other emotions, but from her concise words, you could see her difference. With just a glance, Ava was able to comprehend the essence of Pandora’s Dark Sacrifice and point directly to the flaws in this ceremony.
Roy had been diligently observing the operation of Pandora’s Dark Sacrifice ceremony, but with his knowledge, he could only vaguely see a tiny bit.
Soon, Roy realized this was not a big deal. Ava represents the number ‘93,’ the ‘Guardian of Knowledge’ and ‘Transmitter of Knowledge,’ the 『Secret Leader.’
“Ava, can you analyze Pandora’s Dark Sacrifice? Perhaps… even make this ceremony more perfect?”
Roy was quite curious about this ceremony of Pandora’s.
“Theoretically, it can be accomplished. It’s just a ‘ceremony magic’ adapted to the rules of this world, but I need time to observe this world more closely. Different worlds have too many variations in ‘variables’ and cannot be simply generalized.”
“…I know what you mean, Roy. Even if you hadn’t asked me, I would have tried to analyze this ceremony. I always have a strong interest in observing the unknown and the interesting.”
“Ha, like me and my father, Alastor? Because you find it interesting, you observe, even going so far as to participate in person.”
Roy was not questioning, merely stating an affirmation in a very calm tone.
Ava didn’t answer, because she had already shown Roy her answer with her actions.
Sometimes Ava likes to keep secrets and doesn’t want to say anything, but other times, this angel is particularly honest and uses her actions to tell you her choices.
“Let’s take a look at the power I’ve gained after becoming a god-slayer. Pandora’s Dark Sacrifice can be studied as a long-term project.”
Saying this, Roy closed his eyes and felt the changes in his body.
After killing a god and performing a ritual using the god as a sacrifice, a vast amount of ‘magical power,’ or rather, extremely high-quality magic, surged through Roy’s body.
At the same time, his body underwent tremendous changes, the biggest being his ‘magic resistance,’ which had reached an exaggerated level. Ordinary magic could no longer affect or harm him, and even Great Magic was significantly weakened in the face of his ‘magic resistance.’
This is why even powerful magicians cannot defeat the Unifiers. The Unifiers are virtually immune to mortal magic, with only a few powerful spells having any effect.
Compared to magic resistance, the growth in a god-slayer’s ‘physical resistance’ is not as exaggerated. Their vigor and physical strength far exceed those of ordinary mortals, but they are not insurmountable. Powerful magicians can also train to this level.
To be precise, although the physical strength of a god-slayer is strong, it’s still within the ‘human’ range.
However, god-slayers don’t rely on their physical strength for a living. It’s just the foundation of their foundation. The true strength of a god-slayer lies in the power they plunder from the gods!
After killing the god and completing the god-slaying ceremony, Roy instinctively knew the function and usage of his power.
“The power usurped from the gods is closely linked to the god-slayer’s own characteristics and compatibility. Two god-slayers, even if they kill the same god, may not obtain the same power… And I, who have comprehended the Book of 777, am truly fated with the number ‘seven.’”
Roy’s expression was quite strange. The Book of 777 records Alastor's thoughts, and the actual content is a desecration of the perfect meaning in the Christian Bible.
The god he killed is the strongest and most glorious angel in Christianity, also the one with the strongest connection to the number ‘seven.’
Roy had gained seven powers at once, and the comprehensiveness and power of these seven powers astonished even Roy himself. However, just like the protagonist in the original work, because he gained too many powers at once, these powers have usage restrictions.
The seven powers each have their own names. Roy thought for a moment and said, “…Michael is a ‘god-like being,’ sitting on the right hand of God, the angel who is ‘equal to God.’ In Christianity, ‘right’ also means ‘equal in honor.’ Since this is the case, these seven powers will be collectively called the 『Holy Right Hand』!”