The giants stood hundreds of meters away from the center of the mountaintop. The volatile behemoths were unusually well-organized, each wearing a serious expression that seemed almost comical. Tom, with Grolger leading the way, arrived at the front of the formation. Even here, they remained a considerable distance from the peak's heart.
Grolger glanced at Tom cautiously, seemingly every other second, fearing the boy might suddenly attack and kill them all. It was a false alarm; Tom made no move, simply waiting quietly for Balor to appear.
The afternoon sun had already begun its descent. Grolger ordered his tribesmen to bring forth the prepared "offerings." Tom surveyed them: a mix of ordinary animals and a few magical creatures. All were alive. Most were bound, some maimed with broken legs or fresh wounds, but alive nonetheless.
Time passed slowly as the last rays of dusk spread, painting the white clouds atop the mountain with gold.
Rumble…
Without warning, the entire mountain shuddered. Tom noticed the golden clouds above were also beginning to dissipate, as if something wouldn't allow them to "stand on its head." At the very center of the mountaintop, the dark earth began to surge and churn like liquid.
Tom had noticed previously that despite the high altitude, not a single snowflake fell. However, this was hardly surprising; the phenomenon paled in comparison to the breaking of the seal by the Lanlock Dragon. But this didn't necessarily mean anything here was weaker!
The lack of significant movement caused Tom to frown slightly. There were likely two possibilities.
One: Balor was truly, utterly dead! Even the remaining divinity within his remains had almost completely vanished.
Two: Balor was still conscious! He was able to control himself, preventing his aura from dissipating!
As for the possibility that what lay beneath wasn't Balor, but some kind of divine artifact…
Completely impossible!
A divine artifact couldn't completely isolate one's senses.
"… "
As Tom watched, a colossal, jet-black stone statue slowly rose from the heaving ground! It was the very statue he had "prophesied"!
When the twenty-meter-tall statue fully emerged, an incredibly powerful pressure swept across the entire mountaintop! The giants chanted the name of their god in their guttural tongue and knelt without hesitation.
Tom, however, didn't react. The oppressive aura was… a bit weak for him, even less than the pressure he had exerted upon the giant tribe when he first arrived at the mountain.
"…"
Tom's slightly furrowed brow relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. Grolger, kneeling beside him with his head pressed to the ground, noticed out of the corner of his eye that Tom remained standing.
This startled him and filled him with greater worry. But there was nothing he could do! Before God, he couldn't rise. Even if he did, he posed no threat to Tom. Grolger grew anxious, his eye squeezed shut against the earth, but to no avail.
The "sacrifices" placed within the danger zone Grolger had previously described were all lifeless! Wisps of red light emanated from their corpses, drifting towards the giant statue's closed eyes.
"So…"
Tom took a step forward. "...to be used as a 'sacrifice' if you get too close?"
??!
Grolger, noticing Tom's movement out of the corner of his eye, felt an unimaginable chill run down his spine. He dared not look up, only praying Tom would be killed by Balor for offending their god.
"But you… seem unable to kill me."
!!!!
He's not dead?! How is this possible?! Grolger gasped for breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.
"That's right, how could a dead man possibly kill me?"
Dead?! That's right, Balor is utterly dead! The stone statue is His final resting place, completely devoid of divinity! This is precisely why this mountain can isolate Tom's senses. But a corpse, even the corpse of the King of Evil Gods, can only do so much.
He couldn't resist. Even with His high status, he couldn't change the fact that… He was truly dead!
Tom slowly walked to the stone statue, standing before Balor's corpse. This body, devoid of divinity, still possessed a terrifying divine power, even in its dissipated state! Tom transformed into a wisp of black mist and gently floated before Balor, gazing once more at the deceased King of Evil.
He reached out his left hand towards one of Balor's tightly closed eyes. The grey-gold eyeprint on Tom's palm flashed…
Snap!
The petrified eyelid shattered, and the "eyeball," slightly larger than his palm, was removed!
Strictly speaking, it wasn't really an "eyeball," as the "white" had already turned to stone; Tom left that behind. Looking at the "eye" in his hand…
It was like the most beautiful ruby in the world. The moment it appeared, even from afar, its fleeting, dazzling brilliance – like a scattering of stars – could be seen flashing across the mountaintop! Within the "ruby" was a deep, vertical pupil, its faint glow seeming to pierce through time, proclaiming this moment of eternity.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the item: Balor's One Eye!]
[Item: Balor's One Eye]
[Quality: Mythical]
[Effect: Unknown]
[Description: "Mythical" is the upper limit of quality, not its absolute limit. As a divine object that even the gods fear – even though it was almost destroyed by Luger – its quality still belongs to Mythical, and even surpasses that of ordinary Mythical quality!]
"How about it?! Tom! Aren't you awesome? Aside from the realms of the gods, you won't find anything more awesome in this entire world! Is it good enough to repair your broken mirror? Hahahaha…"
The system's unrestrained laughter echoed in Tom's mind. He wondered why this guy had been so quiet these past few days; it turned out he was waiting for this moment. Tom simply smiled at the system's words, not denying them.
"However, it is indeed severely damaged."
Although the power contained within "Balor's One Eye" remained immense, it was undeniable that it had been severely injured by Luger. Otherwise, Tom would have been dead the moment it emerged.
"Balor's One Eye" used its remaining power to preserve itself, rather than unleashing power capable of killing gods! If it weren't for a group of foolish giants who had been using the life force of "sacrifices" to keep it barely alive over the years, it would probably have turned to stone like Baror's corpse.
Even damaged and with little power remaining, it was still more powerful than ordinary divine artifacts! Just as the system said, there was nothing more powerful in this world!
---
Reading all the way to the end and you still haven't reviewed this fanfiction yet?
What are you waiting for?!
Take a few seconds to smash the Vote Button and drop a review and help us dominate the rankings!