He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Ai doesn't understand ritual studies.

But now, even a blind man could feel the wave rising from the depths of the Great Ceremony Pool.

The surging red liquid was formless and intangible, yet it proclaimed its grandeur with an unstoppable force and roar. This was the calamity known as the "Red Tide," a vast tremor that spread from the bottom of the pool to the present world.

The red pool rose, like a flood pouring out of the sky... yet not a single drop overflowed.

The influence was blocked by a veil.

"Closed-null, the Foundation has sunk into a mysterious silence, the designated area has been sealed off, calling for the Iron Curtain Protocol."

"Buzz..."

An invisible hum, with lush branches and leaves sprouting like blood vessels.

The next instant, the giant tree took root in this spot—

The countless roots of the Tree of Light stand on the earth, its roots extending from the mortal world to the depths of the pool, embedding themselves firmly into the bottom of the red liquid. The canopy that overflows from the top connects with the dark dome, faintly enveloping the entire suburbs, erecting an invisible giant wall that shelters the heavens and the earth.

"Academy: The highest blockade agreement - the Iron Curtain - has been deployed. The Hume Tree is maintaining regional stability. The current computing load is 57.6%, with sufficient redundant computing power. The stack valve system is online. According to data from the Grand Catastrophe observation point, the unknown grand ritual has fully commenced, and the rate of increase in the mysterious energy level is accelerating. Calculation result - minimum existence time threshold of the Iron Curtain: three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and eleven seconds."

"Committee Instructions: Standby."

.

Nighttime should be pitch black.

But at this time, in the distant suburbs, at 4:42 a.m., everything was shrouded in an endless gray twilight.

"Agent 1938, I have arrived at the Iron Curtain's blockade area."

The Hume Tree has taken over the flow of red liquid at the edge of this area. Due to the conflict between the dual systems of the present world and the Red Pool, even the signal from the internal think tank used by the agents is not very stable.

After several disconnections and reconnections to the channel in 1938, he finally managed to transmit his voice.

"I have entered the coverage area of ​​the unknown grand ritual. I am currently in good condition with no adverse reactions. The red liquid is calm... Unless otherwise instructed, I will explore the area with the highest level of chaos. Proceeding now - Status recorded."

Following covert procedures, in 1938, the "silence effect" of the professional uniform was activated, freezing his own vessel and red liquid to ensure free movement within the Red Tide.

He archived his condition on the think tank website, stepped onto this black soil, and headed deeper into the ruins.

"I am now entering the central area of ​​the grand ceremony and have not yet discovered anything unusual—the main structure of the ceremony has not yet emerged, and its medium and purpose cannot be confirmed."

Time flew by silently, and in 1938 he felt he had gone very far into the depths.

"It's 4:51 a.m. now, and I've been walking for 9 minutes into the depths of the grand ceremony."

Strangely, despite being in a remote suburb with a population density comparable to that of the bottom nest, he didn't find a single living creature on this black soil.

"Anomaly Log: No active entity found."

What happened...?

Were all the ordinary people dead?

As a veteran detective, 1938 felt fear for the first time in a long time; a chilling sensation pierced his bones, sending shivers down his spine.

Where is the body...?

As he ventured deeper into this land, an incomprehensible solute was seeping into his consciousness, and he vaguely sensed something moving before his eyes.

"Abnormal Log: I often see light flowing in my eyes, not bright or dazzling, but a pale gray color."

In 1938, they suddenly came to a stop.

He suddenly felt that something was wrong with him.

Turning on the flashlight at his waist, 1938 cast a bewildered glance around—he felt something was amiss.

"Abnormal log: Strange grayness everywhere."

This layer of gray matter is formless, imperceptible, and incomprehensible, like the shadow of some tiny thing. It lies prostrate in the surging darkness, as if sprouting limbs in the long night, dragging its bloated and enormous body, crawling deeper into the darkness in an incomprehensible way.

"Anomaly... My eyes are malfunctioning. I see many snakes, gray snakes, crawling around me—the silent environment seems to be cracking, a red tide... the red tide is affecting me, no, perhaps it's not a red tide."

I don't know from which point on, but in 1938 the lights were turned off, and the world was plunged into darkness.

"Something's wrong... What time is it now?"

.

The tall detective, his arms wrapped around his knees, trembled as he squatted on the dusty ground, the ever-present, churning sound echoing in his mind—

This medium cannot be described by any of the elements that exist in the world, but it seems to be perceptible. It is a pattern that uses proliferation instead of movement, and a ringed snake that swims in the sand with hairless, smooth scales...

But were they really snakes? My humble and insignificant mind can only interpret these things as snakes, what else could they be? Gray things that can crawl, run, and multiply, what exactly are they?

A rustling, rustling sound surged from the depths of the earth; it was the ash matter feeding, devouring the tiny outline completely.

.

.

"Agent 1938: My eyes have turned gray, perhaps I have been elevated to be His apostle—I see the gleam seeping through the bricks and tiles… dried bloodstains, dripping ointment…"

"Note: Time 4:54, Agent 1938, who had been out of contact for ten minutes, was confirmed dead. Hume Tree has retrieved his records during the grand ceremony. The above text is the last message he left behind."

The academy has confirmed that a new "mystical aspect" has just celebrated its birthday. It has been stored at the bottom of the Red Pool, becoming a permanent element within the nest, and will continue to govern the natural order from now on...

It is characterized by high levels of ignorance, chaos, and pollution, and is extremely dangerous. It may also possess rationality, automatically identifying what it deems "enemies" and dragging them into its gray realm, currently covering the entire outskirts of the country.

Its name: gray matter

"Agent 1938, the first victim, has dissolved into ash—archived."

.

"The Second Grand Ritual: Dissolution"

"I dissolved the radiance as I understood it, and it turned out to be a dull and restrained gray... I poured this gray matter into the origin of light, like pouring blood into a red pool—from then on, perhaps wherever the radiance spreads, gray matter will flow."

"What I dissolve, the 'Name of Ash,' will become 'Ash Matter,' forever etched in this world's memory along with its radiance—"

.

.

Beneath the dome, upon the black soil.

A tall, humanoid figure swayed twice, then silently collapsed to the ground and stopped breathing.

From under the corpse, a small figure slowly crawled out; it was a boy with a face covered in blood.

He pulled a black dagger from the shadow's chest, wiped it clean, and sheathed it. Then he looked up at the sky, clasped his hands together in a devout gesture as if in prayer.

"Lord of Darkness... Praise be to your radiance."

"The third major ceremony: grief"

"I have stopped the malice, my sins are the black soil of the earth, my grief is like the red liquid in my eyes, watering the budding seedlings... They have become my sharpest blade."

.

Gray Courtyard.

Ai watched quietly as this magnificent ceremony, which covered the entire suburbs, moved on to the next step in a state of complete bewilderment.

"The fourth major ceremony: Offering"

"I……"

"Wait, Gray."

Ai suddenly interrupted Mr. Gray. Although he could no longer control this body, he could still communicate with the consciousness within the red liquid. "Although it's not good to interrupt you at a time like this, could you explain—what am I doing?"

Gray glanced at him, remaining silent; his inorganic pupils could not reflect a complete image.

Ai frowned: "Why does he seem a little dim-witted..."

"Because he is not gray."

The light curtain on the door suddenly intervened: "Ash is dead, a resolute death, a death without reservation. The shadow before you is merely a lingering obsession left behind to preside over the grand ceremony."

"Dead..."

Ai Yi seemed lost in thought. He looked at the obsession that had taken over his body and turned his attention back to the ritual.

"He has used everything he has as consumables for the grand ceremony of intercalation..."

"He..." Ai swallowed hard, then suddenly changed her mind, "Why would I go to such lengths?"

"Because of desire."

The door seemed to sigh, "Desire is such a terrible thing. In the process of pursuing it, it will slowly grow by absorbing your devotion, gradually surpassing everything, until it transcends your life, dominates your will... and becomes the only thing you seek."

"..." Ai asked noncommittally, "Is this a good thing?"

"Perhaps it does for Grey. His grand ambitions have surpassed life itself. When there is no way forward, death is a rebirth for him."

As they talked, Gray brought the ritual to a close. After offering up all the gray matter flowing in the pool, the shadow of obsession quickly lost its foundation and was on the verge of collapse, almost extinguished.

"The fifth major ceremony: Sacrifice"

"May I say something?"

Ai interrupted again, "Perhaps we can talk."

The door remained silent. "I've already told you... this is just an obsession."

But Ai ignored what the door said. He simply continued, speaking in a relaxed to almost frivolous tone, "Hmm... the obsession from Gray, which is the obsession I had last time, right?"

He paused, his tail wagging slightly, and his voice suddenly rose two octaves: "I'm super excited right now—"

The fox's eyes gleamed: "Zhou Yi, my name, a name only the two of us know."

"Gray, do you know what I used to be like? When I realized that someone like me could also weave a bright, unbearable future with a desire that transcends life itself, just like the protagonist in a shonen anime, I felt a sense of joy—that I wasn't such a useless person after all. In another timeline, I could also be someone like Gray, an eternally shining ambitious person..."

Having taken a "different path" once, I began to crave more.

Besides being an ambitious person, I can also be a corporate slave, a madman, a saint, a king, a savior...

I can become the medium through which all things exist within all beings—

-I realized that I could also have such a "possibility".

Ai suddenly seemed unable to speak. He didn't know how to use pronouns. He kept switching between "I" and "Grey" to refer to the dead but completely overturned version of himself.

I used to be Zhou Yi, now I am Ai Yi.

"I never dreamed that even a lazy good-for-nothing like Zhou Yi, or a nobody like Ai Yi, could have such a... completely different ending as 'gray'."

This feeling is absolutely amazing.

I'm so incredibly excited!

He smiled, a colorless smile that contained pure, unadulterated joy:

"Grey, I will always remember the joy of this moment, so I will carry on this possibility, the possibility you left behind."

The road that Gray has trodden, and many more roads—will extend beneath my feet.

The thin wings on his abdomen emerged from behind him, more vibrant and alive than ever before. Their mottled colors, like an invisible pouch, enveloped and swallowed the remaining gray obsession before him.

The gray matter was swallowed down his throat.

"The Moth's Transformation: The Accommodation of the Colorless"

The ultimate goal of change, the highest level of mimicry, lies in the realm beyond imitation: acceptance.

Gray Garden suddenly fell silent.

On the pulpit, the small, gray fox suddenly stood up from its wooden chair, as if it had regained control of its body.

The radiant light flowed from within, enveloping and embracing it, as if it were before an supreme monarch—

Gray twitched his ears and chuckled:

"Little White...long time no see."

.

.

"Who is... Little White?!"

The door roared, interrupting Gray: "You, you, you, don't play dumb with me! Don't think that just because you've regained a little more of Gray's memories you can act all high and mighty in front of me. Keep pretending, you don't actually think I'll believe you... What Mr. Gray, Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, Ai, you, uh..."

The characters on the screen shrank little by little, as if they were becoming increasingly guilty.

Gray still wore the same expression, seemingly smiling, yet inexplicably exuding coldness and iciness. His azure gaze needed no medium to pierce through the mortal world and was cast directly into the Grand Ceremony Pool.

He stared silently at the ash wood door, his eyes narrowed, his expression mocking.

"Damn, how can they act so convincingly..."

The door sensed something was wrong; the fox in front of it looked terrifying, and it felt like it was about to shatter.

Seriously? You're really going to do this?

"Mr. Gray...?" (🥹)

Gray shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He stretched out his right arm toward the void, and the next moment, the arm pierced through the membrane of the mortal world and arrived at the invisible red pool.

He gently stroked the crack in the door and whispered:

"I said not long ago, Little White... I will heal you and then rebuild the path to the light. I never speak carelessly; the promises I make are promises that will surely be fulfilled."

- That's right, with that arrogant look and all that rambling on and on, that's Tie Shi Hui himself.

"Are you really gray?"

"But you're clearly dead. The evaporation and replacement of the red liquid is an irreversible death—how could you win the resurrection match?" Men exclaimed in disbelief.

Gray remained unfazed, his expression unchanged: "My color is contained within a colorless container, and at that moment, I can be Gray."

.

"And what about Ai?"

The door seemed a little tense: "Where did that damn fox go?"

"You may not understand what I mean—Ai can be gray, but gray can never be Ai."

Gray sighed and walked down from the pulpit. "Gray can never become colorless again, but colorless things can be painted with any color—my ability to stand here as Gray is a profile of Ai, a mask."

"Damn, all that talk about personas I gave you before was just empty promises, and you actually actually got to eat them?"

The door was bizarre, but it gave us a general idea of ​​the current situation:

The fox thought, "Why can't I be gray?" and then actually took a personality mask out of his pocket, put it on his face, and turned into gray.

Such pure "my thinking power," so you're the real green-skinned one.

"Boss, isn't your activity this time a bit too much?"

The door quickly came to reality and swiftly backed down, "Although our boss is incredibly powerful, the Foundation isn't someone to be trifled with. Now that your core support has been dissolved in the grand ceremony, you're all alone, and your levels and skill points have all been reset. Wouldn't it be a bad idea to completely break ties with your rivals?"

"To tear off the mask of civility?"

Gray scoffed, "After this ceremony, they won't even have anyone to settle scores with, let alone..."

He suddenly fell silent, then frowned: "Grey Court, what's going on at home?"

The gray mist gathered around him like loyal dogs: "Sir, the guests you brought over earlier are quite unruly. That apprentice from the sect has already opened several holes in the Gray Court and is trying to squeeze out... As per your request, the gray mist has not harmed them, but it's difficult to continue blocking the sect's power. What should we do?"

"The entrance hall..."

Hui squinted, then suddenly smiled: "Isn't that just perfect...?"

He turned his gaze to the distant outskirts, where the grand ceremony, which was being conceived invisibly, had already progressed to its fifth step—the sacrifice.

"In preparation for this ceremony, I secretly ventured into the deep void at the bottom of the pool, extracting materials and influences from the remains of the lamp—"

Now, everything will bear fruit.

"That little fellow, his name is Veltin, right... Grey Court, bring the guest here."

Gray wagged its tail. "I will personally greet them."

...