The runes shimmered in the air:
Memory: [Sin of Solace].
Memory Rank: Transcendent.
Memory Tier: V.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Looking at ethereal weave of symbols, Sunny felt a cold shiver running down his spine.
'A weapon…'
The [Sin of Solace] was the third Transcendent Memory he had received. However, it was of a higher tier than both the Undying Chain and the Dying Wish combined. More than that, it was a weapon… something that could express its power much more directly than an armor or a charm.
Something that he desperately needed here in the cold expanse of Antarctica.
A weapon bestowed by the slaying of a Corrupted Tyrant... had to be truly powerful.
Holding his breath, he continued to study the runes.
Memory Description: [This blade is a whisper of Ariel, the Demon of Dread, who turned a beautiful monster into a queen and gave her a sinister gift of forbidden knowledge.]
Sunny tilted his head, suddenly excited.
'The Demon of Dread… another daemon? There are five of them I know of now!'
Demon of Fate, Demon of Hope, Demon of Choice, Demon of Dread…
'Wait, who was the fifth one?'
He strained his memory for a while, and then scratched the back of his head.
'Oh, right. The Demon of Oblivion. How did I forget?'
Sunny pondered about the fact that the Demon of Oblivion was so forgettable for a bit. Then, he slightly shook his head.
In any case, if this Memory was connected to a daemon, it had to be immensely powerful.
His heart started to beat faster.
Memory Enchantments: [Sinister Whisper], [Perfect Jade], [Omen of Dread], [Hideous Truth], [Cursed].
Sunny blinked.
'Wait... what? Cursed?'
What did that mean, cursed?!
Somewhat disturbed, he decided to read the description of the last enchantment first. Soon, an ugly expression appeared on his face.
[Cursed] Enchantment Description: "This blade slowly drives its wielder mad."
'What the hell?!'
His new shiny Transcendent weapon… had come with side effects?
'What kind of crap is this?! Since when do Memories have Flaws? Mad… it wants to drive me mad? We'll see who goes mad first, damn it…'
Glancing at the runes with resentment, Sunny decided to study the other enchantments before coming to conclusions.
[Sinister Whisper] Enchantment Description: "This blade can deal both physical damage and mental damage to those that it cuts, destroying not only their bodies, but also their minds. The mental damage persists like a curse, even after a single cut."
He grunted.
'How insidious…'
Mental attacks were almost as rare as soul attacks, and equally as hard to defend against. There was something terrifying about them, too, especially to those beings that were very hard to kill or nearly immortal.
After all, what was the point of living if one's sanity was gone? A blade like that… truly, it would have been a bane of someone like the eternal Chain Lords of the Kingdom of Hope.
...If only the damned Memory did not deal the same mental damage to the wielder!
Sunny grimaced, and then continued to read the runes.
[Perfect Jade] Enchantment Description: "This blade is carved from a piece of sublime jade, and as such is sharp and durable beyond logic and reason."
'Straightforward…'
[Omen of Dread] Enchantment Description: "A faint remnant of Ariel's presence lingers on this blade, striking terror into the hearts of all beings."
Sunny frowned.
'Another mental attack enchantment, but this one is passive and affects an area. Not bad… should work wonders when Nightmare is around, too…'
Finally, the last one made him frown.
[Hideous Truth] Enchantment Description: "The more the wielder's sanity is shattered, the more powerful this blade becomes. It bestows revelations of madness on those who give in to its will."
Sunny sighed.
'Damnation…'
So, basically, this already formidable weapon could grow many times more terrifying, but only if the person wielding it went completely insane. Conveniently, the Sin of Solace also drove anyone who wielded it to madness, thus providing an easy solution to unlocking the potential of the [Hideous Truth].
'What am I supposed to do with this thing? And what does that mean, give in to its will? Does this cursed sword have a will of its own?'
While Sunny liked to joke that he was a bit crazy, he did not really want to turn into a raving lunatic.
He lingered for a few minutes, then took a deep breath and summoned his new Memory into existence.
Soon, a beautiful shuangshou jian appeared in his hands. It was a straight, thin double-edged greatsword with a narrow guard and a graceful blade that gradually tapered to a sharp tip. Despite the fact that it was almost as long as Sunny was tall, the Sin of Solace surprisingly did not weigh much… in fact, it was as light as a feather.
Its hilt was carved out of black obsidian, and the blade itself was stark white, with beautiful patterns etched on it. Despite the description of the [Perfect Jade] enchantment, it did not seem rigid as stone… instead, it was both hard and flexible in perfect proportion.
A sword such as this was nimble and swift, but also capable of dealing devastating damage.
Despite its breathtaking beauty, however…
As soon as Sunny touched the cool obsidian hilt, it was as though someone whispered into his ear. He shivered and turned around, only to find that there was nothing behind him.
The whisper, however, did not disappear. It continued to flow from somewhere just out of reach, too quiet to discern any words… for now. Sunny felt that if he just concentrated hard enough, he would be able to understand what the rustling voice was saying.
And it was important… very important… to understand it.
There was a meaning to them that he just had to know...
Had to...
Before Sunny noticed, his body was covered in cold sweat. He stared at the Sin of Solace with a complicated expression, and then summoned the Undying Chain.
As soon as the bleak armor wrapped itself around his body, the insidious whisper seemed to grow weaker. Sunny was only slightly obsessed with listening to it now.
'Ah… good.'
The [Chains of Longing] enchantment of the Transcendent armor provided him with a high protection against mind attacks, and the [Cursed] attribute of the beautiful jian seemed to be just that… a strange and sinister mind attack aimed at the sword's own wielder.
Which meant that Saint, who was completely immune to mind attacks, would be able to use the jade sword without any problem. Sunny was sufficiently certain what he would be able to withstand the tantalizing whispers if need be, as well.
It was a small price to pay for being able to wield such a frightening Transcendent weapon.
'If push comes to shove, I can afford to lose a bit of sanity, too. I mean, what's wrong with going a little mad? Been there, done that…'