"The Ring of the Mysteries is actually perfect for my current situation—powerful, mysterious, and extremely practical. Moreover, its negative effects have clearly been mitigated by the Celestial Worthy."
"However, the random recitations of honorifics and accompanying corruption are still troublesome. Normally, it wouldn't matter much—I could just enter the Nation of Disorder to cleanse the contamination. But if it happens during a battle or another critical moment, it could be disastrous."
"Still, the Ring of the Mysteries isn't sealed and possesses a living characteristic. Perhaps a 'friendly negotiation' could lead to a compromise." A mischievous smile appeared on Aaron's face as he inexplicably recalled the writhing hunger that had compromised out of fear of mushrooms.
Without hesitation, Aaron extended his spirituality, mobilizing the power of the Sephirot. The dark golden mist surged, lifting the Ring of the Mysteries toward the chaos-eyed orb embedded in the throne behind him.
After some "amicable discussions," the ring finally relented: instead of random recitations, it would only recite the honorifics once per day, and it would notify Aaron in advance.
Aaron let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back on the throne. Now he could carry the ring with him at all times, prepared for most dangers.
For the first time, he felt grounded, his vision of the future clearer than ever.
But as his mental tension eased, exhaustion set in. A sudden headache struck—a sign that his spirituality was nearing depletion.
Whether it was probing the remnants left by God Almighty and the Celestial Worthy or mobilizing the Sephirot to "negotiate" with the ring, both had drained Aaron's spirituality significantly.
Even as an exceptionally powerful Sequence 9, Aaron couldn't sustain such expenditures.
Not daring to delay, he quickly closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink through the boundless dark golden mist.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his chair, the pale mask having fallen to the floor.
A wave of dizziness assaulted him. Gritting his teeth, Aaron forced himself up, swiftly dismantled the spiritual barrier in the room, collected the half-burned candles, picked up the fallen mask, and stumbled out of the chamber into his bedroom.
He knew exactly why he had to do this—anyone familiar with supernatural forces would suspect an unknown, possibly dangerous ritual if they saw the state of that room. In the world of Beyonders, the unknown meant danger. Erasing traces and avoiding suspicion was his top priority before his spirituality ran dry.
Tossing the pale mask onto the table, Aaron collapsed onto his soft bed. Darkness swallowed him as he fell into a deep sleep.
When he groggily opened his eyes again, the crimson moon hung high outside his window—night had fallen.
Rubbing his throbbing temples, he found that the symptoms of spiritual depletion had vanished. Though not fully recovered, most of his spirituality had returned.
"I need to be more careful about my spiritual expenditure next time. Facing depletion again would be troublesome. Maybe I should find a mystical item that can quickly restore spirituality..."
After a moment of contemplation, Aaron changed into a fitted silk shirt and sat in a chair, turning his thoughts to more pressing matters.
Now that he had become a Beyonder and successfully returned to the Nation of Disorder, his greatest concern had been resolved.
Moreover, the gifts left by God Almighty and the Celestial Worthy within the Sephirot filled him with confidence for the future.
His next task was to better utilize the Sephirot. First and foremost, he needed an honorific name worthy of his status—otherwise, how could he attract believers and blessed ones?
It would be utterly embarrassing if he pulled someone into the Nation of Disorder only for them to realize he didn't even have a proper honorific name.
Besides, an honorific name served many purposes. Through external ritual magic, he could open the gates of sacrifice and bestowal, truly wielding the authority of the Nation of Disorder.
This way, he could retrieve those sealed artifacts from the Sephirot via the sacrificial gates whenever needed, eliminating the need to carry them physically. Even the Death mask could have its seal broken within the Nation of Disorder by channeling the Sephirot's power.
The more Aaron thought about it, the more excited he became, and he began refining the details.
"First, my honorific name should consist of three segments. What descriptions can precisely point to me—to the Nation of Disorder?"
In truth, he already had a likely successful template: the honorific name of the last true god of the Arbiter pathway, the Night Emperor—"Embodiment of Order, Master of Rules, Divine Judge of All Mortals."
As the corresponding Sephirot of the Arbiter pathway, and with no true god or King of Angels currently in that pathway, the Night Emperor's honorific name would most likely point to the Nation of Disorder.
But this posed new problems. Using the Night Emperor's honorific name would immediately draw the attention of the forces that had destroyed the Trunsoest Empire, including the current nations of the Northern Continent and even some true gods.
Furthermore, the Night Emperor was only a true god of the Arbiter pathway, whereas Aaron's goal was to accommodate multiple pathways and the Sephirot to become an Outer God. His honorific name should reflect the characteristics of multiple pathways.
As for the honorific names of the two Black Emperors, they were even less suitable—not only were they incompatible, but given Huang Tao—Roselle Gustav's half-dead state, it was unclear whom the name would even point to now.
"...Hmm, 'Soul from Another World'? No, that's too stupid. Accurate, yes, but it would expose my greatest secret..." Aaron drafted one version after another, but none satisfied him.
After long deliberation, he finally settled on the first segment of his honorific name:
"Source and Shadow of Order."
This description was somewhat broad, so Aaron added the next line:
"Great Sovereign of the Chaotic Realm."
Using "Chaotic Realm" to refer to the Nation of Disorder avoided directly invoking the concept of a Sephirot, while "Great Sovereign" subtly hinted at the Black Emperor pathway. Combined, these two segments covered both pathways and the Nation of Disorder, effectively narrowing the focus to him alone—while also binding the Sephirot to his identity.
"The first two segments are mostly symbolic. I still need to describe my authority."
After some thought, Aaron finalized the last segment:
"Lord of Order Who Commands the Rules."
This was based on his understanding of the authority wielded by true gods of both pathways, as well as the characteristics of the corresponding Sephirot.
Aaron exhaled slowly and silently recited the completed honorific name in Hermes:
"Source and Shadow of Order."
"Great Sovereign of the Chaotic Realm."
"Lord of Order Who Commands the Rules."
The moment the words left his lips, his spirituality stirred, and a flash of boundless dark golden mist flickered through his vision.
Aaron nodded slightly. It seemed the honorific name did indeed correspond to the Nation of Disorder. When he returned, he should be able to hear his own prayer.
Pulling out a gold pocket watch from his silk shirt, he checked the time.
"Two in the morning already..." Putting further thoughts aside, Aaron tidied up briefly and went to bed.