Endless Debt-Chapter 916 - 40: Ascension Ceremony (Part 3)
"Right, Bologue, no one ever set a rule about this. Who said that if devils exist, gods must also exist?
Perhaps gods are merely our own imaginations, a comfort we’ve given ourselves in the face of the terror of devils?"
Mamo spoke resolutely.
"In this world, there are no gods, nor will there be. As for the so-called Secret Source, it’s just an unsolved mystery. Once we peel away its veil of mystery, turning the unknown into the known, it becomes like ether, just an extraordinary phenomenon, much like the Alchemy Matrix, it will turn into a technology we can wield."
Mamo did not dwell on past events for long. He warned Bologue again.
"The Negative Power User is a watershed; it signifies our embarking on the true Path of Transcendence. Our ’body’ will etherealize after this, and in subsequent ascensions, so will our ’mind’ and ’spirit’.
During your ascension, you will be influenced by the Secret Source and come in deeper contact with it. But you must know that the closer we get to the Secret Source, while gaining power, we also face greater danger."
Mamo continued, "According to records post-ascension, every Prayer Believer claims they experience a strange hallucination when ascending to a Negative Power User. However, everyone’s memory of this dream-like experience is incomplete, and over time, this memory becomes thinner until it disappears entirely.
More importantly, this eerie dream is directly related to whether you can successfully ascend."
"Are there any definite indicators?"
"No, no one can be sure of what they will experience or know what needs to be done to complete the ascension."
"Sounds really mysterious..."
"Indeed," Mamo nodded, "it’s like some mysterious black-box technology. We only know this is how to ascend to become a Negative Power User, but as for the principles behind it, we have no idea."
"Could it be the Secret Source?" Bologue said, "The Alchemy Matrix Technology comes from the Secret Source; maybe the Secret Source drives our ascension.
Like an automated factory, when a Prayer Believer approaches it, it automatically processes us into Negative Power Users."
Bologue attempted to view the Secret Source from a rational perspective, directly comparing it to industry, becoming increasingly excited as if he had found some key.
"Looking at it this way, the difficulty for Debtors to ascend is obvious, eliminating those flawed souls with incompleteness."
Mamo pondered along Bologue’s line of thought, coming to another possibility, "Perhaps it rejects Condensers associated with devils?"
This time, it was Bologue’s turn to fall silent, as did Mamo, both falling into a storm of thoughts until Belli sauntered in their direction.
"Everyone, the preparations are complete. The first Ethereal Realm exploration is ready to commence at any time."
Belli didn’t even bother to pretend; she didn’t see this as Bologue’s ascension ceremony.
"We can discuss these matters thoroughly later."
Mamo exchanged a glance with Bologue, his sunken eyes meeting Bologue’s. He liked this guy; Bologue seemed like a dull, silent type, but delving deeper, you’d find he had many unique ideas.
Bologue nodded in agreement, his gaze shifting upwards as Aimou took the helmet and secured it on Bologue’s head. An electric current passed through, leaving Bologue with an inexplicable tingling sensation, followed by the faint hum of the machinery operating.
Spikes resembling steel needles recessed, pressing from all directions against Bologue’s head, fixing his skull. Belli summoned the ether, the ether concentration further increased, and the next second, numerous substantial, golden mists completely enveloped Bologue.
Bologue heard the patter of water; in the high-concentration ether environment, the projection of the Alchemy Matrix on his body surfaced.
The intricate light trails were no longer limited to Bologue’s hands. After ascending as a Prayer Believer, they had spread to his chest, covering most of his body. Upon ascending to a Negative Power User, they would entirely cover Bologue, ushering his body into the process of Etherealization.
In further ascensions beyond the Negative Power User, the Alchemy Matrix would deeply transform Bologue’s mind and spirit, corresponding to the Defender and Seeker of Glory tiers.
Once body, mind, and spirit are all sublimated, what the trinity will culminate into is unknown to anyone, as it symbolizes that mysterious supreme tier.
The Crowned.
This tier once only existed in the fantasies of alchemists, yet with the continuous rise of ether concentration, the untouchable Crowned has begun to materialize from the ethereal.
Bologue believed that with some more time, perhaps a decade, a century, when the ether concentration reaches a critical point, this intangible tier would descend into the mortal world.
It’s unimaginable what kind of world that would be.
One ether reaction after another arose, and Belli and Aimou’s eyes filled with brilliant light. But shortly after, another even more dazzling light ascended, completely overshadowing the ether reactions of the two.
Without any indications or broadcasts, Mamo directly activated the machine, commencing this exploration into the Ethereal Realm. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Indicator lights lit up successively, arcs jumping between cables. After a piercing noise, the machine above overloaded, shooting out heavy sparks. The unsettling alarm echoed continuously, screaming at Bologue as if it were going to tear his eardrums apart.
Enormous pressure was exerted on Bologue’s head, making him feel like it was about to burst. Numerous golden water droplets drew close to Bologue, pouring into his mouth and nose, yet they did not bring a feeling of suffocation.
The golden, substantial ether completely sealed Bologue, as if he was encased in golden amber. His consciousness began to blur and dissipate. Bologue sank towards another dimension, soon reaching the bottom where his consciousness gathered again.
The world of blazing white noise came into view.
