MAEPG: Episode 91
Episode 91 Variable (1)
The interior walls were neatly finished with marble, and delicate patterns were carved into them.
Ornaments with a mysterious atmosphere were placed throughout the space, and there were even stone tablets inscribed with prayers.
The place Heinrich arrived at, walking the path of light, seemed to be a place where some solemn ritual was performed.
And in the center,
It was there.
‘That’s…’
A longsword, casually stuck in the dirt floor, unlike its clean and refined appearance.
The ‘holy sword’, the goal that brought him here.
Heinrich casually looked around and examined the interior.
As expected, multiple layers of holy barriers surrounded the entire space.
It was the Church’s arrangement to seal something inside and prepare for any contingency.
‘It must be because of that.’
Heinrich’s gaze turned back to the center.
More precisely… it was a small darkness the size of a fist, gathered on the floor where the holy sword was embedded.
It flickered intermittently, showing off its presence, looking like the sword’s shadow at first glance.
“Is that the abyss…?”
The previous Immortal Kings didn’t just cause material and human damage through war.
They also worked on breaking down the wall between the abyss and the world while covering the continent in death, and those attempts put a tremendous burden on the world.
To the point where small scratches appeared on the wall separating the world from the abyss.
And the scar that was most affected by that was what was in front of Heinrich…
The hole created by the second Immortal King using his body as a medium.
‘I heard that the other scars naturally recovered over time.’
But this abyss, perhaps because of its origin, didn’t shrink any further, no matter how much time passed.
He wondered if it was okay to pull out the holy sword, but that was the reason why this place and the cathedral existed in the first place.
It might have been a different story 300 years ago, but the cathedral could sufficiently handle an abyss of this size.
Heinrich cautiously walked towards the center where the holy sword was embedded for the final stage.
The final gate to becoming the owner of the holy sword.
Strictly speaking, this was the real final trial.
‘Those who reached this point before weren’t recognized in the end.’
Even those who overcame the difficult trials and reached the holy sword eventually knelt at this stage.
‘Shall I go right away?’
Of course, Heinrich didn’t care.
He slowly extended his right hand and firmly grasped the hilt of the sword embedded in the ground.
Sizzle—
Even though he didn’t feel any heat, his palm started to burn with a chilling sound.
The acrid smell of burning flesh spread through the surroundings.
The stimulus wasn’t just at the level of burning his flesh.
It was an excruciating pain that seemed to squeeze his entire nervous system and internal organs.
‘It’s stuck, it won’t come out easily.’
But Heinrich didn’t even flinch and just tightened his grip on the hilt.
Crackle—!
As he refused to let go of the sword,
Sparks flew from the holy sword, and a massive amount of energy flowed in.
‘This is…’
The energy, which penetrated Heinrich’s body like an electric shock, rampaged uncontrollably, and his strong body started to collapse from within due to the aftereffects.
The pain doubled, and the vast holy power he possessed was of no help in this situation.
‘Is this also part of the qualification test? …I need to hurry.’
The pain didn’t matter, but he needed to finish this as quickly as possible before he was completely exhausted.
“Haa—!”
Sizzle—!
He used both hands to grip the hilt and pulled it upwards with all his might.
Creak—
The muscles in his entire body bulged, and a scraping sound echoed from the floor.
And the moment the sword started to move slightly…
A massive amount of information from the holy sword was directly imprinted in his mind, disrupting his senses.
He frowned and examined the information.
‘This is, battle records?’
From the way to swing a weapon to the techniques of manipulating energy and how to deal with unique monsters.
The combat experiences of previous users were pouring in like a waterfall.
‘…It’s similar to when I absorbed the Immortal King’s Fragment.’
But the difference was that while the negative emotions back then tried to bite him back, this time, there was no intention to attack his mind.
Of course, there was still a risk of mental breakdown if he tried to endure it for too long.
It was the same in that it was forcibly injected into his mind.
‘It’s not just information, but even the user’s emotions at that time are flowing in… This is practically a mental attack. This must be where the two who came before were eliminated.’
He could endure simple pain with his strong will, but there was a limit to enduring this kind of mental contamination.
And he couldn’t even overcome it with holy power.
Creak!
Crackle—!
But that didn’t matter to Heinrich.
Excruciating pain continued to emanate from his hand.
Unfamiliar knowledge rampaged in his mind.
Blood flowed from all over his body, which was collapsing from the holy sword’s energy that had penetrated him.
But he smiled nonchalantly, being able to filter out excessive stimuli with “Mind Hub”.
“Hey, partner. Stop being stubborn and come out quietly. We have a lot to do.”
The moment he spoke in a playful voice, looking at the slowly rising sword,
The holy sword’s blade completely emerged from the flickering black abyss.
Whoosh—
Perhaps because it was its first time in three hundred years,
The elegant sword, shining silver, boasted its majesty, emitting a bright light.
At the same time…
《The individual meets the conditions and gains enlightenment. The skills “Holy Warrior Combat Arts” and “Comprehensive Weapon Mastery” combine and evolve into the special skill “Logia Holy Combat”.》
The battle records that had been forcibly injected into his mind combined and were completed as a single system.
‘Oh? This is amazing.’
The technique, named after the nickname the first user gave to the holy sword, was passed down through generations and developed into a combat system through modifications and improvements.
Naturally, the previous owners of the holy sword were all geniuses who represented their eras, so its level was definitely not ordinary.
While Heinrich was momentarily preoccupied with the holy sword he had pulled out,
Gulp~!
The fist-sized abyss on the floor fluctuated ominously.
The interior walls were neatly finished with marble, and delicate patterns were carved into them.
Ornaments with a mysterious atmosphere were placed throughout the space, and there were even stone tablets inscribed with prayers.
The place Heinrich arrived at, walking the path of light, seemed to be a place where some solemn ritual was performed.
And in the center,
It was there.
‘That’s…’
A longsword, casually stuck in the dirt floor, unlike its clean and refined appearance.
The ‘holy sword’, the goal that brought him here.
Heinrich casually looked around and examined the interior.
As expected, multiple layers of holy barriers surrounded the entire space.
It was the Church’s arrangement to seal something inside and prepare for any contingency.
‘It must be because of that.’
Heinrich’s gaze turned back to the center.
More precisely… it was a small darkness the size of a fist, gathered on the floor where the holy sword was embedded.
It flickered intermittently, showing off its presence, looking like the sword’s shadow at first glance.
“Is that the abyss…?”
The previous Immortal Kings didn’t just cause material and human damage through war.
They also worked on breaking down the wall between the abyss and the world while covering the continent in death, and those attempts put a tremendous burden on the world.
To the point where small scratches appeared on the wall separating the world from the abyss.
And the scar that was most affected by that was what was in front of Heinrich…
The hole created by the second Immortal King using his body as a medium.
‘I heard that the other scars naturally recovered over time.’
But this abyss, perhaps because of its origin, didn’t shrink any further, no matter how much time passed.
He wondered if it was okay to pull out the holy sword, but that was the reason why this place and the cathedral existed in the first place.
It might have been a different story 300 years ago, but the cathedral could sufficiently handle an abyss of this size.
Heinrich cautiously walked towards the center where the holy sword was embedded for the final stage.
<Pull out the holy sword and be recognized as its owner.>
The final gate to becoming the owner of the holy sword.
Strictly speaking, this was the real final trial.
‘Those who reached this point before weren’t recognized in the end.’
Even those who overcame the difficult trials and reached the holy sword eventually knelt at this stage.
‘Shall I go right away?’
Of course, Heinrich didn’t care.
He slowly extended his right hand and firmly grasped the hilt of the sword embedded in the ground.
Sizzle—
Even though he didn’t feel any heat, his palm started to burn with a chilling sound.
The acrid smell of burning flesh spread through the surroundings.
The stimulus wasn’t just at the level of burning his flesh.
It was an excruciating pain that seemed to squeeze his entire nervous system and internal organs.
‘It’s stuck, it won’t come out easily.’
But Heinrich didn’t even flinch and just tightened his grip on the hilt.
Crackle—!
As he refused to let go of the sword,
Sparks flew from the holy sword, and a massive amount of energy flowed in.
‘This is…’
The energy, which penetrated Heinrich’s body like an electric shock, rampaged uncontrollably, and his strong body started to collapse from within due to the aftereffects.
The pain doubled, and the vast holy power he possessed was of no help in this situation.
‘Is this also part of the qualification test? …I need to hurry.’
The pain didn’t matter, but he needed to finish this as quickly as possible before he was completely exhausted.
“Haa—!”
Sizzle—!
He used both hands to grip the hilt and pulled it upwards with all his might.
Creak—
The muscles in his entire body bulged, and a scraping sound echoed from the floor.
And the moment the sword started to move slightly…
A massive amount of information from the holy sword was directly imprinted in his mind, disrupting his senses.
He frowned and examined the information.
‘This is, battle records?’
From the way to swing a weapon to the techniques of manipulating energy and how to deal with unique monsters.
The combat experiences of previous users were pouring in like a waterfall.
‘…It’s similar to when I absorbed the Immortal King’s Fragment.’
But the difference was that while the negative emotions back then tried to bite him back, this time, there was no intention to attack his mind.
Of course, there was still a risk of mental breakdown if he tried to endure it for too long.
It was the same in that it was forcibly injected into his mind.
‘It’s not just information, but even the user’s emotions at that time are flowing in… This is practically a mental attack. This must be where the two who came before were eliminated.’
He could endure simple pain with his strong will, but there was a limit to enduring this kind of mental contamination.
And he couldn’t even overcome it with holy power.
Creak!
Crackle—!
But that didn’t matter to Heinrich.
Excruciating pain continued to emanate from his hand.
Unfamiliar knowledge rampaged in his mind.
Blood flowed from all over his body, which was collapsing from the holy sword’s energy that had penetrated him.
But he smiled nonchalantly, being able to filter out excessive stimuli with “Mind Hub”.
“Hey, partner. Stop being stubborn and come out quietly. We have a lot to do.”
The moment he spoke in a playful voice, looking at the slowly rising sword,
The holy sword’s blade completely emerged from the flickering black abyss.
Whoosh—
Perhaps because it was its first time in three hundred years,
The elegant sword, shining silver, boasted its majesty, emitting a bright light.
At the same time…
《The individual meets the conditions and gains enlightenment. The skills “Holy Warrior Combat Arts” and “Comprehensive Weapon Mastery” combine and evolve into the special skill “Logia Holy Combat”.》
The battle records that had been forcibly injected into his mind combined and were completed as a single system.
‘Oh? This is amazing.’
The technique, named after the nickname the first user gave to the holy sword, was passed down through generations and developed into a combat system through modifications and improvements.
Naturally, the previous owners of the holy sword were all geniuses who represented their eras, so its level was definitely not ordinary.
While Heinrich was momentarily preoccupied with the holy sword he had pulled out,
Gulp~!
The fist-sized abyss on the floor fluctuated ominously.
___________________
A secret location hidden in the wasteland of the southern Ion Continent.
A ritual was in progress in a large, eerie underground stone chamber.
Kwaa—!
The magic circle in the center absorbed the surrounding energy with a loud roar.
Blood, corpses, living sacrifices, and shamanistic tools with bizarre appearances crumbled one by one and were sucked in.
“Hehe… Hahaha—! It’s almost done! My long wait is finally over—!”
The old man laughed madly, looking at the darkness writhing on the floor of the magic circle, and a large man in a robe watched him from a distance.
The moment the ritual began here, the spells they had arranged throughout the continent also activated simultaneously.
A huge change that would overturn the world was taking place.
A secret location hidden in the wasteland of the southern Ion Continent.
A ritual was in progress in a large, eerie underground stone chamber.
Kwaa—!
The magic circle in the center absorbed the surrounding energy with a loud roar.
Blood, corpses, living sacrifices, and shamanistic tools with bizarre appearances crumbled one by one and were sucked in.
“Hehe… Hahaha—! It’s almost done! My long wait is finally over—!”
The old man laughed madly, looking at the darkness writhing on the floor of the magic circle, and a large man in a robe watched him from a distance.
The moment the ritual began here, the spells they had arranged throughout the continent also activated simultaneously.
A huge change that would overturn the world was taking place.
__________________
A mountainous area between the Talia Kingdom and the Lesque Kingdom in the western part of the Ion Continent.
[What is your name?]
Hans spoke to the man prostrating himself in front of him in an unusually gentle tone.
The man trembled even more for some reason, but…
Hans, who was trying to be kind to the person who would become his subordinate and work with him in the future, felt wronged.
“I… I’m V-Victor Nolan… Y-yes…”
The poor dark mage, who had been researching magic alone in a remote mountain valley, forced his mouth open and barely answered as Hans stared at him intently with “Abyssal Eye”.
[Yes, Victor. I am— ‘Hannibal Strauss’. I’m sure you understand the current situation, right?]
“…Y-yes… Of course. I will follow your orders if you spare my life.”
The dark mage, Victor, bowed his head with a pale face.
It was only natural, considering his life had been suddenly taken away by the terrifying being in front of him.
The coercive power of “Abyssal Eye”, which bound beings of lower evil.
Of course, its effect wasn’t absolute on humans who had a developed ego, unlike monsters who acted on instinct.
‘Heinz the Second’s subordination using “Refined Blood Essence” is the most certain in that regard.’
But even if the binding was incomplete, if the caster was the Immortal King, the coercive power due to the difference in level couldn’t be ignored.
And once they were leashed, they couldn’t escape anymore.
No matter where they were on the continent, they would immediately receive a return visit from Immortal King Hans.
[I like how quick you are to understand. As expected, you seem quite useful… Hmm?]
Hans, who was casually looking around the dark mage’s secret laboratory, suddenly stopped.
He felt a very strange energy.
“…?”
Victor’s anxiety intensified at the sudden silence, but he was already out of Hans’s priority.
[…What’s this?]
Hans quietly looked at one side.
A sacrificial ritual of considerable scale was being performed some distance away.
‘They’re openly performing a sacrificial ritual? What kind of fearless fools… Should I check it out?’
Something more concerning than his current recruitment activities had occurred.
He told the dark mage Victor to pack his things and prepare to move, then immediately teleported to the place where the anomaly was detected.
‘This is the western end of the Lesque Kingdom. …As expected.’
Hans, who was instantly enveloped in darkness, reappeared in the sky above a village of considerable size.
A quiet village for its size.
There was hardly any life force inside, as if it had already been offered as a sacrifice for some ritual.
Only the cries of those who were lucky enough to escape the village echoed emptily.
‘…Let’s hear from them directly why they did this.’
Hans ascended high into the sky.
His robes billowed in the wind, and his eyes were once again tainted with darkness.
And…
‘Found them.’
A suspicious group escaping the village was detected by his “Abyssal Eye”, which was surveying the ground.
And in the next instant, darkness bloomed around them, who were running away without looking back, instantly enveloping the surroundings.
[Stop.]
“Gasp…!”
“Wh-wh-what…”
Hans, who scattered fear just by his appearance, calmly examined them, who had frozen stiff.
He could faintly feel dark magic power from the dark mage among them and from their bodies.
There was no room for excuses.
[I have something to ask you. I would appreciate it if you could spare a moment.]
Of course, they had no right to refuse.
The conversation that followed in the barrier, where no one could enter or leave, was quite peaceful.
Hans just patted their heads one by one.
‘They really don’t know anything.’
He couldn’t get a satisfactory answer even when he forcibly made them speak with “Abyssal Eye”, and he couldn’t obtain any meaningful results even after forcibly searching their minds.
The dark mage among them was just a fledgling who was following his master’s orders, and the rest were just low-ranking members who were following orders from above.
‘They just flipped the switch after everything was already prepared. They were caught by me while running away before their tracks were discovered after finishing their work.’
The fact that this kind of activation was possible meant that a considerable force had been preparing for a long time.
Fortunately, he was able to find out who was behind this by searching their brains.
‘Oath of Heaven’s Defiance… those guys again. I thought they were quiet for a while.’
Well, it was possible, considering the level of the guys he had encountered before.
He didn’t know why they suddenly did this.
He would find out from now on.
‘There are still traces. Where did all this life force go?’
Hans flew through the sky, following the flow.
And he found something familiar yet unfamiliar at its destination.
‘That’s, a scar of the abyss?’
He had just confirmed the abyss through Heinrich, who had entered the holy sword’s trial.
Of course, unlike the abyss at the Picaol Cathedral, the scar in front of Hans was just a healed trace.
It was so faint that you couldn’t even see it unless you paid attention, and it wasn’t a problem in itself, so he hadn’t been concerned about it until now…
But the flow of life force, starting from the village, was definitely heading towards this place.
‘Should I check it out?’
Hans immediately analyzed the remaining traces thoroughly, using all his abilities, and reverse-engineered the flow.
And as he started to work in earnest,
Thanks to skills like “Abyssal Eye”, “Wicked Wisdom”, and “Forbidden Knowledge”, as well as his knowledge as the Immortal King, the conclusion was quickly reached.
He turned his head south.
The starting point and the center of the ritual that took place here were there.
‘There are more than just one or two places where sacrifices were offered. It happened simultaneously in various locations. And this is just part of the ritual, their ultimate goal is…’
At that moment,
Hans’s sensitive senses, which were highly activated,
Detected a massive energy fluctuation in the south.
[…They opened the abyss.]
It was a huge variable that would affect the entire continent.
A mountainous area between the Talia Kingdom and the Lesque Kingdom in the western part of the Ion Continent.
[What is your name?]
Hans spoke to the man prostrating himself in front of him in an unusually gentle tone.
The man trembled even more for some reason, but…
Hans, who was trying to be kind to the person who would become his subordinate and work with him in the future, felt wronged.
“I… I’m V-Victor Nolan… Y-yes…”
The poor dark mage, who had been researching magic alone in a remote mountain valley, forced his mouth open and barely answered as Hans stared at him intently with “Abyssal Eye”.
[Yes, Victor. I am— ‘Hannibal Strauss’. I’m sure you understand the current situation, right?]
“…Y-yes… Of course. I will follow your orders if you spare my life.”
The dark mage, Victor, bowed his head with a pale face.
It was only natural, considering his life had been suddenly taken away by the terrifying being in front of him.
The coercive power of “Abyssal Eye”, which bound beings of lower evil.
Of course, its effect wasn’t absolute on humans who had a developed ego, unlike monsters who acted on instinct.
‘Heinz the Second’s subordination using “Refined Blood Essence” is the most certain in that regard.’
But even if the binding was incomplete, if the caster was the Immortal King, the coercive power due to the difference in level couldn’t be ignored.
And once they were leashed, they couldn’t escape anymore.
No matter where they were on the continent, they would immediately receive a return visit from Immortal King Hans.
[I like how quick you are to understand. As expected, you seem quite useful… Hmm?]
Hans, who was casually looking around the dark mage’s secret laboratory, suddenly stopped.
He felt a very strange energy.
“…?”
Victor’s anxiety intensified at the sudden silence, but he was already out of Hans’s priority.
[…What’s this?]
Hans quietly looked at one side.
A sacrificial ritual of considerable scale was being performed some distance away.
‘They’re openly performing a sacrificial ritual? What kind of fearless fools… Should I check it out?’
Something more concerning than his current recruitment activities had occurred.
He told the dark mage Victor to pack his things and prepare to move, then immediately teleported to the place where the anomaly was detected.
‘This is the western end of the Lesque Kingdom. …As expected.’
Hans, who was instantly enveloped in darkness, reappeared in the sky above a village of considerable size.
A quiet village for its size.
There was hardly any life force inside, as if it had already been offered as a sacrifice for some ritual.
Only the cries of those who were lucky enough to escape the village echoed emptily.
‘…Let’s hear from them directly why they did this.’
Hans ascended high into the sky.
His robes billowed in the wind, and his eyes were once again tainted with darkness.
And…
‘Found them.’
A suspicious group escaping the village was detected by his “Abyssal Eye”, which was surveying the ground.
And in the next instant, darkness bloomed around them, who were running away without looking back, instantly enveloping the surroundings.
[Stop.]
“Gasp…!”
“Wh-wh-what…”
Hans, who scattered fear just by his appearance, calmly examined them, who had frozen stiff.
He could faintly feel dark magic power from the dark mage among them and from their bodies.
There was no room for excuses.
[I have something to ask you. I would appreciate it if you could spare a moment.]
Of course, they had no right to refuse.
The conversation that followed in the barrier, where no one could enter or leave, was quite peaceful.
Hans just patted their heads one by one.
‘They really don’t know anything.’
He couldn’t get a satisfactory answer even when he forcibly made them speak with “Abyssal Eye”, and he couldn’t obtain any meaningful results even after forcibly searching their minds.
The dark mage among them was just a fledgling who was following his master’s orders, and the rest were just low-ranking members who were following orders from above.
‘They just flipped the switch after everything was already prepared. They were caught by me while running away before their tracks were discovered after finishing their work.’
The fact that this kind of activation was possible meant that a considerable force had been preparing for a long time.
Fortunately, he was able to find out who was behind this by searching their brains.
‘Oath of Heaven’s Defiance… those guys again. I thought they were quiet for a while.’
Well, it was possible, considering the level of the guys he had encountered before.
He didn’t know why they suddenly did this.
He would find out from now on.
‘There are still traces. Where did all this life force go?’
Hans flew through the sky, following the flow.
And he found something familiar yet unfamiliar at its destination.
‘That’s, a scar of the abyss?’
He had just confirmed the abyss through Heinrich, who had entered the holy sword’s trial.
Of course, unlike the abyss at the Picaol Cathedral, the scar in front of Hans was just a healed trace.
It was so faint that you couldn’t even see it unless you paid attention, and it wasn’t a problem in itself, so he hadn’t been concerned about it until now…
But the flow of life force, starting from the village, was definitely heading towards this place.
‘Should I check it out?’
Hans immediately analyzed the remaining traces thoroughly, using all his abilities, and reverse-engineered the flow.
And as he started to work in earnest,
Thanks to skills like “Abyssal Eye”, “Wicked Wisdom”, and “Forbidden Knowledge”, as well as his knowledge as the Immortal King, the conclusion was quickly reached.
He turned his head south.
The starting point and the center of the ritual that took place here were there.
‘There are more than just one or two places where sacrifices were offered. It happened simultaneously in various locations. And this is just part of the ritual, their ultimate goal is…’
At that moment,
Hans’s sensitive senses, which were highly activated,
Detected a massive energy fluctuation in the south.
[…They opened the abyss.]
It was a huge variable that would affect the entire continent.
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