Chapter 159 : Rast: My Wife’s Nightblade Just Feels Right in My Hands

Chapter 159: Rast: My Wife’s Nightblade Just Feels Right in My Hands

At the edge of the Nether Abyss, atop the sky-piercing tower.

Noah was imprisoned in place by chains forged from the dim yellow River of the Underworld, now transmuted into crimson-gold links. He couldn't quite grasp the intention behind Rast's final move.

After devouring the Remnant of the Death God, Rast had inherited from it the power to control the Nether Abyss and the Divine Husk of the Death God… This was Rast's final trump card, the only bargaining chip that gave him a sliver of parity against Noah.

And yet, Rast had converted his last remaining capital into the chain that now bound Noah.

Although it temporarily restrained Noah's actions, it inflicted no real damage.

Once Rast’s vitality was obliterated by the Power of Bounty, this cage made of the River of the Underworld—now deprived of its power source—would naturally dissipate, becoming utterly useless.

Noah could sense that the slowly rotating silver-white runes in Rast’s eyes must be some sort of ability, perhaps a final contingency.

But what did that matter?

That weapon which earlier had radiated like a Fierce Sun, even causing Noah’s flesh to mutate from the radiation, had certainly been Sisel’s last card… Even if Sisel was a Legendary, the cost must have been immense. Preparing just one such weapon should have already been his limit.

If Sisel had truly exhausted too much of his strength for Rast’s sake, then on the other battlefield by the Fractured Coast, the defense would surely collapse. As the leader of the Shoreguards, Sisel could not have made such a foolish decision.

Besides a weapon bestowed by a Legendary… what other kind of contingency could allow a fourth or fifth-tier extraordinary to kill a Legendary?

And yet, in the next moment—

Noah saw a delicate and illusory pale silver key silently appear in Rast’s hand.

Particles of silver-white metal leapt and gathered on the tiny key, continuously constructing a new mechanical framework.

Then, that key-like object pointed directly at Noah.

The moment it was aimed at him, Noah felt that this half-body of Bounty seemed to be locked onto by an indescribable force.

Emerald light surged, and the Domain of Bounty expanded abruptly, diffusing through the entire Nether Abyss… Noah attempted to use his domain to identify the source of the lock.

But no matter how he tried, he found nothing.

…

Meanwhile—

【Core Guidance Component——"Key of Heaven" has locked onto the target】

【Subspace-cruising Magitech Equipment——Designation "Sword Sheath", trajectory shift successful.】

【Launch posture adjustment complete】

【Zenith Sword, ammunition loading confirmed, self-check complete——】

【Spatial-assist positioning rune——secondary verification complete】

【Beginning calculation of impact trajectory…】

Before Rast, streams of azure data surged rapidly.

These were the calculation runes built into the "Key of Heaven," delivering real-time feedback to him.

It was a weapon handed to him through Professor Agatha, Dean of the Ashen Institute, by Ophelia, Shiltina’s paternal half-sister and the Second Princess whom Rast had never met but long admired.

It was also the core guidance component of "Forbidden Catalogue 0-13: Zenith Sword Prototype."

This was a mythic weapon designed with a Legendary as the imagined adversary—and Rast’s greatest trump card for his entry into the Nightworld.

Long before the Sacred Ritual began, Rast had used mechanical components compressed into a sub-dimension owned by the Key of Heaven to complete the basic construction and early setup of the "Zenith Sword."

And now—

Amid the rotating computational runes, the myriad streams of complex data converged into a single correct result—

【Orbital calculations complete.】

【Error verification complete, trajectory correction successful.】

【Forbidden Catalogue weapon self-check passed.】

Then—

【Nightblade Grimoire "Infinite Blade" equipped】

This was Shiltina’s Nightblade, once assessed by the Forbidden Catalogue Committee of the Arcane Tower to have the potential to threaten a Legendary even before Shiltina herself had ascended to that rank… It was a truly "Forbidden" grade Nightblade.

And after overcoming the disaster echo at Frozenwater Town, and helping Shiltina resolve her lingering regret concerning Flan… Rast and Shiltina’s Bond Level had finally reached Level Five.

At this moment, what Rast was about to wield was the Grimoire newly unlocked after reaching Bond Level Five with the card “War Chariot · Shiltina”—

The reason why a mechanical weapon like the Zenith Sword could be successfully brought into the Nightworld by Rast was precisely because the Ashen Institute of Starfall University had developed a method to circumvent the rules of the Nightworld, endowing mechanical constructs like the Zenith Sword with the additional attributes of an "Emblem Armament".

And since it possessed the traits of both an "Emblem Armament" and a "Sword"—

Naturally, it could also be wielded by Shiltina’s Nightblade, "Infinite Blade".

Thus—

A ten-thousandth of a second later—

"True Name, Liberation."

The boy’s hoarse and shattered syllables echoed throughout the entire Nether Abyss.

It was not Aran, the common language of the Sixth Era, but rather the ancient tongue of the Age of Gods.

This language had long since been lost in the Sixth Era, yet coincidentally… as one of the Gravekeepers, Noah had been born in the First Era. He had personally experienced that brilliant mythic age and naturally understood the true meaning behind those words—

It meant "Divine Punishment".

The Zenith Sword, named Divine Punishment.

"Divine Punishment?"

He repeated the ancient phrase with a hint of confusion, not understanding how Rast could possibly know the language of the Age of Gods.

From the fluctuations he had just perceived using the Domain of Bounty, Noah had sensed that Rast must have utilized a fireseed inherited from the Shoreguards and, using the Grimoire stored within, reproduced the use of a certain Nightblade.

But what kind of Nightblade could allow Rast, in his current state, to turn the tide?

Just as this thought flashed across Noah’s mind—

He suddenly looked up.

Relying on his Legendary intuition, Noah sensed that something was about to descend. Though he could not hear anything, he could feel the scorching radiance.

And then he understood… why, despite clearly feeling he had been locked on to by something, his Domain of Bounty—spanning the entire Nether Abyss—could not detect the source.

It was because the object locking onto him had never come from within the Nether Abyss, but rather from beyond it, from the surface above… from the farthest end of the sky.

In the next moment—

The Nether Abyss shattered.

The crimson Zenith Sword tore through the dome of the Nether Abyss, piercing the entire murky sea.

It transformed into blazing and resplendent starlight, plunging straight down toward Noah’s head.