#91
Variable (1)
Neatly finished marble walls with delicately carved patterns.
Mysterious decorative objects scattered throughout, and stone tablets inscribed with prayers.
The place Heinrich arrived at, walking along the path of light, seemed to be one where a solemn ritual was held.
And at its center…
There it was.
‘That is…’
A clean and sleek sword stabbed haphazardly into the dirt floor.
The ‘Holy Sword’, the target that brought him here.
Heinrich casually glanced around and inspected the interior.
As expected, the entire space was surrounded by multiple layers of holy barriers.
All of them were arrangements by the order to seal something inside and prepare for any eventuality.
‘It must be because of that.’
Heinrich’s gaze returned to the center.
More specifically… to the small mass of darkness the size of a fist clumped at the base of the Holy Sword.
At first glance, it looked like a shadow of the sword, intermittently writhing and flaunting its presence.
“Is that the Abyss…?”
The previous Undead Kings had inflicted not only material and human damage from wars.
While covering the continent with death, they also worked to break down the barriers between the Abyss, which placed a tremendous burden on the world.
The walls separating the earth from the Abyss had small scratches forming.
And the scar with the greatest impact was that, right in front of Heinrich…
The hole created by the second Undead King using his own body.
‘I heard other scars naturally healed over time.’
But this Abyss, perhaps due to its origin, didn’t diminish no matter how much time passed.
Still, should he pull the Holy Sword from it? But was that not the very purpose of this place and shrine?
Three hundred years ago might have been different, but a darkness of that size could be sufficiently countered within the shrine dimension.
Heinrich took careful steps toward the center where the Holy Sword was embedded for the final process.
[Pull the Holy Sword and be recognized as its master.]
The final gateway to becoming the master of the Holy Sword.
Strictly speaking, this was the real last trial.
‘Those who reached this point before ultimately were not recognized.’
Even those who had overcome the difficult trials and reached the Holy Sword ended up kneeling at this stage.
‘Let’s just go for it.’
Of course, Heinrich wasn’t phased.
He slowly reached out his right hand and grasped the sword’s handle firmly.
Chiiik—
There was not a hint of heat, yet with a chilling sound, his palm began to burn.
The acrid smell of burning flesh spread around.
The sensation was more than just burning skin.
An unimaginable pain that seemed to squeeze his very nerves and innards from deeper within…
‘It’s so stiff that it won’t come out.’
Yet Heinrich’s expression remained unchanged, tightening his grip even more.
Crack—!
As he held onto the sword until the end…
This time, sparks erupted from the Holy Sword as immense energy surged into him.
‘This is…’
Like being electrocuted, the rough energy dug into Heinrich’s body, breaking free from control and thrashing wildly, causing his strong body to slowly break down from the inside.
The pain multiplied, and his vast holy power did nothing to aid him in this situation.
‘Is this part of the qualification test? …I gotta hurry up.’
While the pain was irrelevant, it was crucial to finish as soon as possible before he was completely exhausted.
Hhueup—!
Chiiik—!
Using his left hand as well, he gripped the handle with both hands and poured every ounce of strength into lifting it.
Kkiikidyik—
His muscles swelled, and the sound of friction echoed from the floor.
The moment the sword began to budge slightly…
A massive torrent of information, dizzying in nature, struck directly into his mind from the Holy Sword.
He paused, grimaced, and examined the information.
‘This is… battle records?’
From the methods of wielding the weapon to tips on managing energy, and techniques for dealing with unique monsters.
Experiences from previous users who battled with the Holy Sword poured out like a waterfall.
‘…It’s similar to when I absorbed a Fragment of the Undead King.’
The difference being that back then, negative emotions surged and tried to bite back, whereas this time there seemed to be no intent to attack his mind.
Of course, it wasn’t without risk of mental collapse if he forced himself to endure for too long.
The fact that this information was being forcibly implanted in his mind was the same.
‘Not only pure information but even the emotions of the previous users are flooding in… This is no different from a mental attack, right? Perhaps both previous visitors detached from here.’
If it were simple pain, he could overcome it with a strong will, but there were limits when it came to enduring this kind of mental corruption.
Especially since he was in a situation where his holy power couldn’t help him.
Kkiik!
Crack—!
But such things didn’t matter to Heinrich.
The continued horrible pain radiated through his hand.
Strange knowledge was gallivanting in his mind.
Blood flowed from everywhere in his body where the sword’s energy had breached his decaying form.
However, being able to filter out excessive stimuli with the Mind Hub, he smiled casually.
“Hey, partner. It’s about time to stop being stubborn and come out quietly. We’ve got a lot to do ahead.”
The moment he spoke with a hint of laughter while watching the slowly rising sword…
With perfect timing, the blade of the Holy Sword completely emerged from the swirling black abyss.
Fwaaa—
Was it the freedom after three hundred years?
The elegantly shining silver blade radiated bright light, showcasing its magnificence.
And at the same time…
《The entity has achieved the conditions and gained enlightenment. The skills “Paladin Combat Technique” and “Comprehensive Weapon Technique” merge to evolve into the special skill “Rozia Holy Combat Method”.》
The battle records that were forcibly implanted in his mind converged and completed into a singular system.
‘Oh? This is amazing!’
The technique named after the nickname given by the first user had survived through generations, undergoing revisions and improvements to evolve into a unique combat system.
Naturally, the past masters of the Holy Sword were all genius representatives of their times, so the level was undeniably extraordinary.
As Heinrich pulled the Holy Sword, momentarily lost in its wonder…
Gulukk~!
The small mass of darkness on the floor began to stir ominously.
*
In a hidden secret place in the Southern Wastes of the Ion Continent.
In a massive underground stone chamber filled with a sinister atmosphere, a ritual was taking place.
Kwaaa—!
The central magic circle made a deafening noise while absorbing surrounding energy.
Items such as blood, corpses, and grotesque ritualistic tools began to crumble one by one and were sucked into it.
“Kihih… Kkakakha—! It’s almost over! My long wait is finally—!”
An old man bursting into mad laughter while observing the writhing darkness at the magic circle’s base, and a large figure observing him from a distance wearing a robe.
As the ritual began here, spells arranged across the continent triggered all at once.
A massive change was about to occur, one that would alter the balance of this world.
*
In the mountains between the Talia Kingdom and Resk Kingdom in the western Ion Continent.
[What is your name?]
Hans asked the man in front of him, who was unusually kneeling, in a kind tone.
For some reason, the other party only trembled more.
But for Hans, who wanted to treat someone who would become his subordinate kindly, it was nothing short of unfair.
“I-I am B-Biktor Nollan… Yes, yes…”
When he looked steadily at him with the Eye of the Abyss, the unfortunate dark sorcerer, who had been studying magic alone in a remote valley, barely managed to answer.
[Yes, Biktor. I am— ‘Hannibal Strauss’. You understand the situation well enough without needing any elaboration, right?]
“…Yes, yes… Of course. If you spare my life, I will follow your orders.”
The dark sorcerer Biktor bowed his head with a dying expression.
It was only natural as he had suddenly had his life stolen from him by the ominous being in front of him.
The binding power of the Eye of the Abyss on a sentient being like him was not absolute.
‘In that aspect, using Heinz II’s Refined Blood Essence for binding would be the most certain.’
But even if it was an imperfect binding, the difference in rank made it impossible to ignore the force if it was someone like the Undead King.
Once the leash was on, he could no longer even run away.
Wherever he was on the continent, he would soon receive a revisit from Undead King Hans.
[Good to see you understand quickly. You seem quite useful… Hmm?]
Hans, who was breaking off his words while quietly surveying the dark sorcerer’s hidden laboratory, suddenly froze.
Just then, he felt an unusual energy.
“…What…?”
In the sudden silence, Biktor, who was on his knees, felt an increasing unease, but he had already been pushed to the outskirts of Hans’s priorities.
[…What is this?]
Hans quietly turned his gaze to one side.
At a some distance away, a significant-scale sacrifice ritual was occurring.
‘Are they performing a sacrificial ritual so openly? What reckless fools… I should check it out.’
Something more worrisome than his current recruitment activities had arisen.
He instructed the dark sorcerer Biktor to pack up and prepare to move, then immediately transported to the location where he had sensed the anomaly.
‘This is the western edge of the Resk Kingdom. …Indeed.’
In an instant, darkness enveloped Hans as he reappeared, overlooking a fairly sized village.
A village that, for its size, was unusually silent.
It seemed that it had already been entirely sacrificed to some ritual, with almost no life force remaining inside.
Only the sounds of those lucky enough to escape outside, panicking in the distance, echoed hollowly.
‘…I wonder what they were thinking to pull off such a thing; should I hear it directly from the perpetrators?’
Hans soared to the high skies.
Flapping his robe against the rushing wind, his gaze once again darkened.
As he looked down from the Eye of the Abyss…
‘Found you.’
A suspicious group was detected fleeing from the village.
And in the next moment, the darkness surged around them, enveloping them in no time.
[Stop!]
“Eek…!”
“W-What…?”
Hans, appearing and scattering fear around, quietly examined the petrified figures.
Faintly emanating dark energy from the dark sorcerer caught in the middle and the others.
There was no room for excuses.
[There’s something I want to ask you. I would appreciate it if you could spare some of your time.]
Naturally, they had no right to refuse.
From then on, the conversation continued in a barrier where no one could enter, and it proceeded rather peacefully.
Hans merely patted the heads of the motionless ones once each.
‘They really knew nothing at all.’
Even when he first forced them to speak through the Eye of the Abyss, he couldn’t get satisfactory answers, and even after rummaging through their brains forcibly, he found no meaningful results.
The dark sorcerer caught amidst them was merely a fledgling following his master’s orders, and the others were merely pawns acting on higher commands.
‘They just flicked a switch after everything was ready. After finishing their work, they tried to escape before their tails were stepped on, but ran into me instead.’
The fact that this kind of activation was possible indicated that a considerable force had spent a long time preparing.
Fortunately, rummaging through their minds allowed him to ascertain who was behind this nefarious act.
‘Oath of Reversal… it’s them again. They seemed quiet for a while.’
Well, it would be entirely possible for those of their level to pull off something like this.
He didn’t know why they suddenly engaged in such an act.
But he could find out from now on.
‘There are still traces left. Where did all that life force head to?’
Hans flew through the air, following the flow.
And upon reaching the final destination, he found something familiar yet unfamiliar.
‘That’s… the scar of the Abyss?’
He had just confirmed the Abyss through Heinrich, who was undergoing the trial of the Holy Sword.
Of course, unlike the Abyss within Piccaol Temple, the scar before Hans’s eyes was merely a healed mark.
It wasn’t even noticeably visible unless he paid attention, and by itself, it posed no issue, so he hadn’t thought much about it until now.
But the flow of life force beginning from the village was undoubtedly headed toward this location.
‘Let’s check it out.’
Hans immediately mobilized all his capabilities to meticulously analyze the remaining traces and retraced their flow.
Thus, as he stepped into action…
Thanks to the skills like Eye of the Abyss, Malicious Wisdom, and Forbidden Knowledge, along with the knowledge of the Undead King, the conclusion was quickly drawn.
He turned his head south.
There lay the starting point and the center of the ritual taking place here.
‘The places sacrificed are more than just one or two. They occurred simultaneously in various locations. Moreover, this is only part of the ritual; ultimately, what they want is…’
At that moment.
Hans’s highly activated senses detected an immense flow of energy surging from the south.
[…They have opened the Abyss.]
That was a massive variable that would affect the entire continent.
