Chapter 184: The Corrosion Begins
In the deepest part of the royal palace of the Kingdom of Ersten, in a large, empty, underground chamber.
The only thing in the room was a stone pedestal, upon which a silver longsword was suspended in the air. The 'Light of Ersten'.
It was not as brilliant as Org. Having been broken and reforged, its blade was now a dull, dark silver. Rhodes had had the corresponding magic runes inscribed on it, so that it could contain the power of faith, and now those runes flowed silently over its surface. It was the center of the room, the center of the universe, a silent and powerful presence that drew all eyes to it.
Including those of Grausam.
The moment he had set foot in the chamber and his eyes had fallen upon the holy sword, his perfect disguise had almost shattered. A muffled grunt escaped his lips, and his body trembled as if he had been struck by an invisible psychic blow. The pure, unadulterated faith of the sword was a searing pain.
So this was the power that Lord Shurahat so coveted. He couldn't even imagine the terrifying power that was now contained within this blade, the culmination of a thousand years of human faith. He forced himself to stand, his eyes, which had once been a calm and calculating black, now filled with a naked and unrestrained greed.
The Sword of Human Rights, the 'Light of Ersten', the divine weapon forged by the dwarves at the behest of the god-slayer, Rhodes. Along with the lost Divine Right Sword, Org, and the Holy Right Sword, Athos, which was now in the hands of the elven Saint, Serie, it was one of the three most powerful swords in the world.
To see it now, in person, to feel its terrifying power... it was only now that he truly understood the madness of his master's plan. To reverse the power of this holy sword... it would be a feat of epic proportions.
"Master Grausam? What is wrong?" the emperor asked, a look of confusion on his face.
He had seen the color drain from the mage's face, the way his body had trembled, as if in great pain. The light of the sword... it was an awe-inspiring thing, and it did exude an immense pressure. But not that much.
"It is nothing, Your Majesty," he said, and with a great effort of will, he forced himself to stand straight, a smile now back on his face. "The pressure of the holy sword is indeed great. It was... overwhelming. I lost myself for a moment."
A normal person would have been suspicious. A simple "pressure" should not have caused him such pain. It must have been some kind of a defensive mechanism. But the emperor's mind was now a plaything in his hands; he could not see the truth.
"I see," he said with a nod. "But if the power of the holy sword is so great, then how are we to..."
The demon knew that this was his chance. He had to get to the sword, had to complete the final, crucial step.
He slowly, carefully, approached the hovering blade. With every step, the pain of its holy pressure grew more and more intense. But the madness in his own eyes grew even more so. Closer... closer... and finally, he was there.
He reached out a trembling hand and took the hilt.
VMM!!!
The holy sword erupted in a brilliant light, not an attack, but a powerful, instinctive rejection. A wave of pure faith exploded from the blade, and he was sent flying, a strangled cry of pain on his lips. He tumbled across the stone floor and coughed up a mouthful of dark purple blood.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. He had been careless. He had not expected its rejection to be so violent. Shurahat had told him, of course, that it had a special protective mechanism, a seal that could only be broken by the blood of the royal family. He had only meant to get close, to probe the seal. But to be thrown back with such force... and he had been lucky that he had so successfully manipulated the emperor. Otherwise, he would have not even been able to complete the first step of his plan.
"Lord Grausam!"
The emperor rushed to his side. "What happened!? Why did the holy sword attack you!?" he asked, his eyes wide with confusion as he looked at the demon's twisted and blackened arm.
A flicker of a violent and shameful rage appeared in the demon's eyes. "It is nothing, Your Majesty," he said, and struggled back to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth with his uninjured arm. "The power of the holy sword is too great. My own magic... it was turned back on me. It seems... to activate it will be more difficult than I had imagined."
He had to make up an excuse, and as he did, he surreptitiously took out the ominous, purple crystal that Shurahat had given him.
"Then what are we to do?" the emperor asked, his own anxiety now even greater.
He looked at the holy sword, then at him, his mind now completely under his control, his own instincts, his own reason, all gone.
"Do not worry, Your Majesty," he said, his voice now a soothing, hypnotic sound, and his mental magic, now at its full power, washed over him, erasing the last vestiges of suspicion that had begun to form in his mind. "I have another way. But I will need a small favor from you."
"Anything, my lord," he said, his eyes now completely vacant.
"I will need you to use your own blood to break the first seal."
"How did you know...?" he asked, his own words now a slow and slurred sound.
But the demon did not answer. He just let his magic do its work. "Please do not concern yourself with such things, Your Majesty," he said, his voice a smooth and silken sound. "The most important thing now... is to unleash the power of the 'Light of Ersten'."
~~~
Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter