The interior walls, neatly finished with marble and adorned with delicately carved patterns.
Mysterious ornaments scattered about and tombstones engraved with prayers.
The place Heinrich arrived at, following the path of light, seemed to be a site for some solemn ceremony.
And in the center of it all.
There it was.
'That must be...'
A longsword, starkly contrasting its neat and sophisticated appearance, was haphazardly stuck in the dirt floor.
It was the 'Holy Sword' that had led him to this place.
Heinrich casually surveyed the surroundings, inspecting the interior.
As expected, the entire space was tightly enclosed by several layers of holy barriers.
Each one designed to seal something within and prepare for any contingency, a precaution of the order.
'It must be because of that.'
Heinrich's gaze returned to the center.
Specifically, to the small darkness, the size of a fist, clustering around the base of the embedded Holy Sword.
At first glance, it might seem like the shadow of the sword, intermittently writhing, asserting its presence.
"Is that the abyss..."
The previous Immortal Kings had inflicted more than just material and human losses through wars.
They had concurrently worked on dismantling the barrier between the abyss and the surface, imposing a tremendous burden on the world.
Enough to scratch the wall that divides the surface from the abyss.
And the most significant scar from that impact was right before Heinrich...
A hole created by the second Immortal King using his own body as a conduit.
'I heard that other scars naturally healed over time.'
However, this abyss, perhaps due to its origin, has not shrunk any further than its current state over time.
Yet, one might wonder if it's alright to remove the Holy Sword, but wasn't that the very purpose of this place and the cathedral's existence?
300 years ago, perhaps, but a rift of this size could be adequately prepared for at the cathedral's level.
Heinrich took cautious steps towards the center, where the Holy Sword was embedded, ready for the final process.
<Become the owner of the Holy Sword and be recognized.>
The ultimate gatekeeper for becoming the master of the Holy Sword.
Strictly speaking, this was the real final trial.
'Those who had reached this point before ultimately were not recognized.'
Even those who had overcome the arduous trials and reached the Holy Sword had knelt at this stage.
'Shall I go ahead?'
Of course, Heinrich was unfazed.
He slowly extended his right hand and firmly grasped the handle of the sword embedded in the ground.
Creeeak—
Despite not feeling a hint of warmth, his palm began to burn with a harsh sound.
The stench of burning flesh spread around.
The sensation was not merely of flesh being scorched.
It was a tremendous pain, as if squeezing the nerves and the entirety of the entrails from a deeper place.
'It's stuck pretty tight.'
But Heinrich, without changing his expression, simply gripped the handle even tighter.
Crackle—!
As he refused to let go of the sword until the end.
This time, sparks flew from the Holy Sword as tremendous energy flowed into him.
'This is...'
The force that roughly invaded Heinrich's body, like an electric shock, ran wild beyond control, and as a result, his robust body began to slowly collapse from the inside.
The pain doubled, and the vast divine power he possessed was of no help in this situation.
'Is this also part of proving one's worth? ...I need to hurry.'
While the pain was irrelevant, there was a need to finish as quickly as possible before he was completely drained.
"Hngh—!"
Creeeak—!
Using both hands, he grasped the handle with his left hand as well, squeezing out all his strength to lift it upwards.
Creeeeak—
The muscles throughout his body bulged, and the sound of friction echoed from the ground.
At that moment, as the sword began to move slightly...
A massive influx of dizzying information directly struck Heinrich's mind from the Holy Sword.
He grimaced, examining the information.
'Is this, battle records?'
From ways to wield a weapon to techniques for channeling energy, and methods to combat unique monsters.
The experiences of previous users in battles conducted with the Holy Sword were pouring out like a waterfall.
'...This feels similar to when I absorbed fragments of the Immortal King.'
The difference, however, was that while the former involved a backlash of negative emotions aggressively biting back, this time there seemed to be no intent to attack his psyche.
Still, forcibly enduring it for too long could risk mental collapse just the same.
The fact that it was being forcefully injected into his mind was the same.
'It's not just the information, but the emotions of the users at that time flowing in... This is practically a mental attack, isn't it? Probably why the two who came before me failed here.'
While a firm will could overcome mere physical pain, there was a limit to enduring this kind of mental contamination.
Especially in a situation where not even divine power could prevail.
Creeeak!
Crackle—!
But such matters seemed irrelevant to Heinrich.
Terrible pain continued to transmit through his hands.
Unfamiliar knowledge rampaged in his mind.
Blood flowed from various parts of his body, ravaged by the energy of the Holy Sword.
Yet, with "Mind Hub" to filter out all excessive stimuli, he smiled nonchalantly.
"Hey, partner. It's about time to stop being stubborn and come out quietly. We have a lot to do ahead."
The moment he spoke to the slowly rising sword with a smile in his voice.
Timely, the blade of the Holy Sword completely emerged from the writhing
Whoosh—
Perhaps it was the freedom after 300 years.
The elegant blade, shining in silver, continuously emitted bright light, showcasing its majesty.
Simultaneously...
《The entity has met the conditions and gained enlightenment. The skills 'Holy Warrior Combat Technique' and 'Comprehensive Weapon Technique' have merged to evolve into the special skill 'Rosia Combat Technique'.》
The battle records forcibly injected into his mind combined to form a complete system.
'Oh? This is impressive?'
The technique, named after a nickname given to the Holy Sword by its first user, was passed down through generations, undergoing modifications and enhancements to develop into a complete combat system.
Naturally, all the past owners of the Holy Sword were geniuses representing their eras, so the level was extraordinarily high.
While Heinrich, having drawn the Holy Sword, was momentarily engrossed in it...
Gurgle~
The fist-sized abyss on the ground started to stir ominously.
***
A hidden sanctuary in the southern wastelands of the Ion Continent.
In a vast underground chamber with an ominous atmosphere, a ritual was underway.
Roar—
The central magic circle roared loudly, absorbing the energy around it.
Blood, corpses, and live sacrifices, along with bizarre-looking ritual tools, crumbled and were sucked into it.
"Kihi... Kkakkyak—! Now, it's almost finished! My long wait is finally—!"
An old man laughed madly, looking at the writhing darkness at the bottom of the magic circle, and a robed figure stood far away, observing him.
As the ritual began here, the spells they had prepared across the continent were activated simultaneously.
A massive change that would overturn the world's balance was happening.
***
In the western mountains between the Talia Kingdom and the Lesc Kingdom on the Ion Continent.
[What is your name?]
Hans spoke to the man prostrated before him with an unusually kind tone.
However, the man only trembled more.
Hans, who had intended to be kind to the person who would become his subordinate, felt it was unjust.
"I... I am Victor Nolan, ye... yes..."
As he was gently looked upon with the "Eye of the Abyss," the poor dark magician, who had been studying magic alone in a remote mountain valley, forced his mouth open to barely respond.
[Good, Victor. I am— 'Hannibal Strauss.' You probably understand the current situation without further explanation, right?]
"Ye... yes... Of course. If you spare my life, I will follow your orders."
The dark magician Victor bowed his head with a face close to death.
Having his life suddenly seized by the formidable being before him, it was, in a way, expected.
The coercive power of the "Eye of the Abyss" to restrain beings of lesser demonic essence.
Naturally, its effect was not absolute on humans with established egos, not just instinctively acting monsters.
'In that regard, the "Purification Blood Crystal" used by Heinz II for subjugation is the most reliable.'
However, even if the constraint was imperfect, when cast by someone as powerful as an Immortal King, the force due to the difference in level could not be ignored.
Once someone is tied by such a leash, they can no longer escape.
No matter where they are on the continent, they would soon receive a revisit from the Immortal King Hans.
[Good to see you understand quickly. You seem quite useful... Hm?]
Hans, who had been carefully looking around the dark magician's secret laboratory, suddenly paused.
Just then, he felt a very alien energy.
"......?"
The sudden silence increased Victor's anxiety, but he had already been pushed down Hans's list of priorities.
[What is this?]
Hans quietly looked towards one side.
A significant ritual sacrifice was being conducted some distance away.
'Are they openly conducting a ritual sacrifice? What kind of fearless fools... Shall I check it out?'
Something more concerning than the current recruitment activity had come up.
After instructing the dark magician Victor to pack up and prepare to move, Hans immediately teleported to the location where the anomaly was detected.
'This is the western edge of the Lesc Kingdom. Indeed.'
In an instant, Hans, enveloped in darkness, reappeared above a fairly large village.
The village was eerily silent for its size.
It seemed to have been entirely offered up for some ritual sacrifice, as there was almost no sign of life inside.
Only the sounds of those who had managed to escape the village too late echoed emptily as they caused a commotion.
'...Shall I hear directly from the parties involved what they were thinking by doing this?'
Hans rose to the high skies.
His robe fluttered in the rushing wind, and his eyes once again darkened with the abyss.
Under the gaze of the "Eye of the Abyss" surveying the ground...
'Found them.'
A suspicious group trying to hurriedly leave the village was detected.
And in the next instant, without looking back, darkness blossomed around those fleeing, quickly enveloping everything around them.
[Stop.]
"Eek...!"
"What... what..."
Hans, whose mere appearance spread fear around, silently observed them as they froze.
The black magic subtly emanating from the bodies of the dark wizard caught in between and those men left no room for excuses.
[I have something I want to ask you. I would appreciate it if you could spare me a moment.]
Naturally, they had no right to refuse.
The conversation that followed within the unbreachable barrier proceeded quite peacefully.
All Hans did was occasionally pat the heads of those who were merely present.
'Turns out they really didn't know anything.'
Even when he had forced them to speak through the "Eye of the Abyss" and was not satisfied with the answers, searching their minds directly yielded no significant results.
The dark wizard among them was just a fledgling following his master's will, and the rest were mere underlings following orders from above.
'They had merely flipped the switch after everything was prepared. They were trying to flee before getting caught after finishing their task but ran into me.'
That such a ritual could be activated indicated a considerable force had spent a long time preparing for this.
Fortunately, by searching their minds, Hans was able to find out who was behind this act.
'The Oath of the Reversal... Them again. They seemed quiet for a while.'
After all, considering the level of those he had encountered before, this was entirely within their capabilities.
Though why they suddenly engaged in such an act was unclear.
That was something to be investigated now.
'There are still traces left. Where has all this life force gone?'
Hans followed its trail through the sky.
And at its destination, he found something familiar yet strange.
'Is that, a scar of the abyss?'
It just so happened that Heinrich was undergoing the trial of the Holy Sword, which involved the abyss.
Unlike the abyss at the Pikaol Cathedral, however, the scar before Hans was merely a healed trace.
It was hardly visible without close attention and wasn't problematic in itself, which is why it hadn't been a concern until now...
But the flow of life force starting from the village was unmistakably heading here.
'Shall I check it out?'
Hans mobilized all his resources to meticulously analyze the remaining traces and trace back their flow.
As he began to take action seriously.
Skills like "Eye of the Abyss," "Vile Wisdom," and "Forbidden Knowledge," along with the knowledge of an Immortal King, quickly led to a conclusion.
He turned his head south.
There lay the starting point and the epicenter of the ritual that had taken place here.
'It wasn't just one or two places that were offered as sacrifices. It happened simultaneously in several places. Moreover, this ritual is only a part of their plan, what they ultimately want is...'
At that moment.
Hans's highly activated senses detected.
An enormous flow of energy erupting from the south.
[...They've opened the abyss.]
It was a massive variable that could affect the entire continent.