CHAPTER 123: | THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST RELIC
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With my slash, the world suddenly turned into a pure, blank canvas.
It was colorless, empty... until the world was split in half.
Then a tint of red exploded onto the empty sheet, spraying it in blood, in an attempt to create a new-found scenery, of an acer palmatum planted on a cliff, embracing the dim glow of the moonlight.
"..."
The color in her eyes began to dull with every passing second.
I watched her heaving for breath, clasping her stomach where it was sliced in half.
Her expression was serene yet fierce, like a warrioress who knew she had achieved her lifelong goal, a death worthy of her stature.
Her armor, as tough as it could be, was shredded apart by my sword in that single instance.
I am, however, ignorant of its true durability, whether it could have withstood a zen, or perhaps, if I exaggerate, even ten zen with ease.
I watched her weakly lift her trembling head towards me.
She tried to open her mouth in an attempt to speak, but she couldn't make any sound.
Not only was her armor burned by the greatsword that swiftly sliced her stomach in half, but its fierce flames had unfortunately devoured her vocals in their relentless attempt to burn everything in the world as fuel for destruction.
I shook my head in response, not in pity, but in understanding.
She wouldn't be able to muster her last words.
She was worthy of it, but sadly, I'd poured too much power into my final strike... so much that even my...
...my body, a construct of the finest grains of sands in the world 'to maximize my movement speed,' wasn't even spared.
The hellish heatwave of the 'Awakened Sword of the Fallen' turned a mile... no, a thousand miles around it into a volcanic wasteland, devouring the lands into molten magma.
It brought destruction to all, just as it did to my form.
The construct made of the finest grains of sand was fused into a fine glass artwork, my core trapped within the molten glass that acted similar to that of magma.
Haaa... I sighed in relief.
Lumicor did his job, and in his utmost best, swiftly evacuated all of my subordinates upon detecting the faintest hint of a threat.
Now, thousands of miles above in the sky, Lumicor flicked his hand.
Three chairs appeared, with each woman sitting in them prominently.
Samantha gazed below in an aloof manner.
Solia gazed above, foolishly thinking the battle was unfolding in the sky.
Ishtar, however, now radiated an aura of maturity.
Her posture was refined from the lessons she had received from Samantha in the past two months.
One could see that her usual childlike behavior was gone, replaced with a more mature vibe that still held a hint of childishness.
She sighed in disbelief, then whispered in her usually gentle voice.
"Big sister Solia, the battle is happening down below. It's below... since we were moved thanks to the help of the Master's new subordinate."
At the mention of Lumicor, the accursed nemesis who brought her into this state, she sighed.
It was not in relief that he was now an ally, but in acknowledgment that he had become stronger by a couple of times since they'd first clashed in desperation.
Solia smiled, reminiscing about their battle, then she tried to speak.
No words came out.
Her vocals were destroyed by the thing that had impaled her neck at that time.
Solia touched her neck, traced the scar, and smiled.
She wasn't discouraged that she couldn't convey her words through speech, nor was she a master of intent who could send her thoughts to converse with him.
So, instead of feeling down, Solia merely shook her head and sighed in disappointment, unable to speak to the person she admired.
'Alas, it is such a pity that we couldn't converse right now... Maybe we'll be able to converse and share some ideas in the near future as fellow subordinates of the Master, if only the Master will deem me fit to serve him.'
Though none could hear her inner monologue, not even Ishtar, who was a judge of truth 'maybe not right now, since she was only in the process of becoming one,' Lumicor was, surprisingly, the first to notice her intents.
It was astonishing.
Lumicor, the one who didn't even bother to remember the name of 'Ashin Sae Acoustine' until it was hammered into his head, was the first to know Solia's thoughts.
He sensed the intents wiggling out of her body, disappointment for something he didn't know, reverence for her god, and longing for... something else he didn't know.
It was weird.
He was beginning to read the intents of others with more ease than before.
He sighed, then pondered what this state could mean.
'Is this realization of mine... perhaps the stage of 'Understanding the Intent of others?''
Upon this realization, Lumicor shook his head in denial.
He gazed at the man that had subdued him, then at his own hand, as he peered right through the greatsword that was twice his own body.
He sighed in confusion.
He couldn't believe it.
He was hearing the intent of the flames residing in the greatsword, shouting that it would bring extinction to the very essence of the dimension.
"ESSENCE...BURNTHEESSENCEOFTHEUNIVERSEWITHEXTINCTION!IWANTTHEEXTINCTIONOFTHEDIMENSION!LETHEREBEEXTINCTION...INEVERYWAKINGHOUR......."
"..."
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He couldn't believe it... that he... he was truly hearing the voice of the flames residing in the greatsword of Alister.
'Though he couldn't hear Alister's intent, since his mastery was probably higher than his.'
Now he was pretty sure, that he had already reached the stage of 'Understanding the Intent of others.'
Though he was in disbelief that he had rapidly jumped into this stage in less than a few months, a stage most wouldn't even be able to achieve in their lifetime, Lumicor glanced at Samantha.
She was sitting in her chair in an upright posture, her form radiating elegance, her face brimming with noble confidence.
He couldn't help but frown deeply at this display.
That damned woman had brought him to this point, and it was because of her unique constitution that made her exist yet, at the same time, not exist.
He sighed, calmed himself, and gazed at her in an attempt to read her intent.
It would be better to make some progress in his research on this woman than to be angry at her mere presence.
Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the abyss, a thousand miles down below where Lumicor and the rest were sitting, I, on the other hand, had now cut off my connection with the quasi-artifact I had forged.
Upon the awakening of my skill, 'Torrent of Extinction' had turned into 'Awakened Flames of Extinction'.
The immense heat that radiated from the greatsword, that was twice my height, had slowly begun to die out.
Since supplying it with mana was now pointless, because there was no opponent to fight.
More so I was more curious about where I could find the conduit to complete this quasi-artifact of mine.
While it partially saddened me that I would have to delay devouring the remains of Cecilia for another time 'thanks to Lumicor killing my physical construct,' still I wasn't that saddened at the delay.
Since Cecilia sovereign core would still serve to be useful in completing the quasi-artifact of mine that would symbolize the 'second zen of the fallen authority.'
I was grateful that the flames of the 'Awakened Flames of Extinction' didn't fully burn her body to ashes.
---
[You have slain.]
? S: 1 | T: 10 | Level 50 | Indomitable Cereum Matriarch Alberon [7★]
[You have gained.]
[10,000,000,000 - EXP.]
---
[You have gained tens of levels.]
? +22 Levels
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The notification had finally arrived, but I put it in the corner of my head.
I was more interested in her core than the levels I gained from my victory.
I smiled, then glanced at her severed body for the final time.
Then I bent down.
?I slowly brought my crystallized hand to her lips, hesitating.
The act felt profane, a deep violation to the dead.
Nonetheless, I pushed my fingers past the line of her teeth, forcing my hand into the wet warmth of her mouth.
It was a grotesque intrusion, but it was the only entrance I could breach.
The only path to retrieve the core, lodged deep within the sanctum of her brain.
Minutes passed with me locating it again and again.
Since the intense heat rolling from the greatsword rendered my crystalline limbs perilously brittle.
They began to fracture, breaking intermittently with sharp, splintering cracks.
CRACK... SHATTER.
It was only possible for me to retrieve her core after searching for what felt like nearly a day, all thanks to the tough muscles protecting her insides while her carapace protected her outside.
I couldn't help but sigh at my situation, then waved my hand as I stored her body into my inventory.
---
[You had successfully stored.]
[2x Carcasses.]
---
It was quite amusing to see that her body wasn't a single carcass, but two.
It made sense to me.
She was basically cut in half by my blade, so storing her would result in individual carcasses rather than a whole.
It's pretty much understandable that she took two storage slots.
While it's intriguing to ponder this for a couple of hours, I sadly don't have the leisure for it right now.
Since what's more important this time is to complete my quasi-artifact.
And I will do this by engraving Cecilia's core, along with some of her carapace, in an attempt to increase the sword's durability by a leap.
Then, I will do the impossible and impart the 'will' of the 'Awakened Flames of Extinction' into the sword.
The concept of 'Imparting the Will' is something common only to those who have reached 'Stage 3.'
Those below that stage wouldn't be perceptive enough to see the will of a skill.
I smiled, and listened to its words earnestly.
"ESSENCE... BURNTHEESSENCEOFTHEUNIVERSEWITHEXTIN CTION!IWANTTHEEXTINCTIONOFTHEDIMENSION!LETHEREBEEXTINCTION...INEVERYWAKINGHOUR......."
Truly a will like that of the 'Awakened Flames of Extinction', which sought to bring extinction to the essence of the dimension, thus destroying reality.
Hearing these 'words' was kind of funny.
Since when could a mere 'Ascension II' skill have the capability to do that?
It was a ridiculous purpose, and I couldn't help but find this small ember of flame to be the same as me.
I aimed for Ascendance, while this flame aimed for the 'Extinction' of all.
It was funny.
I couldn't help but want to help it.
I decided I would help it become something capable of bringing its desire to life in the form of a sword.
It was now a double awakening.
The first was to cleanse its impurities.
The second was for it to become an artifact capable of shifting its form to my liking, thus becoming not just the 'Awakened Sword of the Fallen,' but also the 'Spear of Destruction,' the 'Claws of Hellfire,' that I had theory of, and other... stuff... that I wanted to create.
I smiled at this concept.
It was simple yet complex at the same time.
If I pulled this insanity off, then forget about forging the ultimate weapon, I could literally create an entire solar system when that concept is elevated further.
While drowning in my fantasy, I casually lifted Cecilia's core high above, looking at its purplish shade.
I closed my eyes, then I slowly and deliberately took my steps, walking toward the greatsword embedded in the ground.
Step...
Step...
Step!
I passed through the rubble, now molten magma from the intense heat the greatsword still radiated even after I had cut off its supply.
'Now it was time to officially create an armament of my own.'
I lifted my head, glanced at the greatsword for the final time, then squeezed my eyes shut.
I raised the core high above and chanted in a language that none know.
Slowly, I entered the mental world of the 'Awakwened Flames of Extinction', where its embryonic 'will' was developing.
I sighed, watching its formless shape sleeping in the sea of flames.
I reached my hand out, not to forcefully grab it, but to gently caress its 'cheeks.'
Slowly, I chanted the same unknown words in a gentle voice, like a mother singing a lullaby.
I bent my knees, gently lifted the formless embryo out of the mental realm, and smiled.
I opened my eyes.
My vision was graced with the murky depths of the abyss and the flickering, ethereal light of the embryo in my embrace.
"Little embryo, now it's time for you to meet your new home."
I smiled, softly muttering those words like a loving mother whispering her sweet nothings.
The embryo opened its 'eyes,' looked at me in confusion, then at the greatsword with even more confusion.
It tried to decide whether it should return to the mental realm or enter the greatsword.
Before it could decide, in its indecisiveness, I had already continued my words.
"Little embryo, the sword is a weapon that shall bring extinction. Why not stay in there and fulfill your duty right this moment?"
The embryo, the 'will' of the 'Awakened Flames of Extinction,' hesitated.
It pondered the allure of bringing extinction as early as possible, but it hesitated.
Because how could it, a mere embryo, dare to dream of bringing extinction this early?
So, I added another sweet nothing.
"Little embryo, why hesitate when you'll grow stronger the earlier you bring extinction to all? Won't inhabiting this sword this early be a good decision? I will use this very weapon to bring extinction to life, thus feeding you in the process. Isn't it better to become stronger than to wait and sit in the mental realm, where no one knows when you'll grow big enough?"
The embryo pondered my words, more convinced, but still it hesitated.
This time, it was questioning itself, was inhabiting a weapon that couldn't change its form like a flame good enough for it?
So, I added another word as I used my affinity to change the structure of the greatsword.
"Why worry about your form when I can still help you keep your formless nature? You can become anything you want, a humanoid, a sinister weapon, a planet, or anything. So why hesitate when everything is already on your plate?"
The embryo finally nodded at my words and slowly dissipated into a wisp.
FWOOSH.
It entered the sword, convinced by my logic.
Now it was time to wait and see the result of it emerging as an artifact... and into an entirely different skill than what it was supposed to be.
I gazed at the 'will' slowly settling into the greatsword after finally entering the core of Cecilia, or perhaps, the core of the sword itself.
The 'will' then began to wiggle its tendrils into every available circuit that I had meticulously carved.
"..."
Hours seemed to pass in an instant.
The 'will' had already taken root in every corner of the greatsword.
Now, it was already an artifact.
But something was missing, it was me, granting it the name it rightfully deserves.
I scratched my chin gently as I pondered... what name should a weapon made solely for the extinction of all receive?
'Hmm... maybe that name will do. It pretty much suits this concept.'
I smiled, then placed my hand on its hilt as I declared.
"I shall grant you the name that is worthy of you! You shall be named... Mercy."
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[The dimensional record is in shock at your heaven-sent mind. Your ability to awaken your skill for the second time all on your own is beyond any praise that it could mutter, so the dimensional record laid its verdict in the recognition of a true Interial.]
[Your skill had successfully awakened.]
? AWAKENED FLAMES OF EXTINCTION -> Mercy [Active | 5,000 - Mana | Ascension II | Quality: Zenith Emperor]
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Mercy [Active | 5,000 - Mana | Ascension II | Quality: Zenith Emperor | Awakened: x2]
This is an Ascension of a true formless weapon. It can be the flames of purgatory, the true earth of the boundless universe, but there is only one truth to this existence called Mercy, and it is to bring extinction to all.
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[In achieving a feat that is deemed as impossible by the extraordinary, you had achieved a title fit of your stature.]
? Interial
