Chapter 98: Heavenly Punishment (1)
Chapter 98: Heavenly Punishment (1)
TL/Editor: Rungir
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The Agnes Empire's University Magic Tower, renowned as the pinnacle of academic excellence.
"I've never seen a spell operated in this manner before."
"Indeed, combining it with blood magic could certainly maximize its effects."
"But before that, how about this? Right here..."
In the uppermost floor of the tower, the Archmage's research lab was a hive of activity, with numerous magicians bustling about.
Notably, many among them were practitioners of blood magic, a rarity even in a vast city. The sight of so many blood magicians gathered was unusual, yet no one seemed to find it odd.
"Or maybe this way? If we twist the spell like so..."
They simply carried on with their assigned tasks as if it were routine.
In a small room within that busy lab.
"How can this be..."
Ahmad Ozlima, one of the seven heavens and the master of the University Magic Tower, gazed at the woman sitting before him with trembling eyes.
She had black hair and red eyes.
Her beauty was striking, but that wasn't what made the Archmage's eyes quiver.
"How can the essence of a human be like this?"
Ahmad, who had gained the ability to perceive a fraction of the truth, could now see the essence of people. The nature of the woman, Liushina, reflected in his eyes was shocking, not quite like Prince Zion, but still immensely startling.
An essence filled solely with bright red murderous intent.
He couldn't fathom how a human with such a nature could exist.
"Be careful with your words, old man. It's not nice to speak like that in front of someone."
Liushina, smiling slyly, spoke to Ahmad.
"I'm actually holding back," she said.
What she was restraining was not her words, but her desire to kill Ahmad.
He was one of the seven heavens, one of the strongest beings of the current age.
She wondered how many lives she could claim by taking his. The mere thought made her body quiver with anticipation, yet she restrained herself.
She couldn't disobey the orders etched in her soul by Zion.
"I feel the same way."
Ahmad responded with a chuckle, his eyes gleaming with a magician's curiosity.
His aura, matching Liushina's murderous intent, swelled boundlessly.
The room trembled as if it would collapse any moment under the clash of auras between the two magicians.
Ahmad was the first to withdraw his aura.
"Wherever you came from, for now, let's focus on the task Prince Zion has assigned us."
"I agree. My master said he would need it soon, so we should proceed as quickly as possible."
"It will be needed soon..."
Murmuring to himself, the Archmage placed a paper with a magical circle drawn on it onto the table.
It was the tracking magic circle that Zion had once given him.
However, the design of the magic circle had significantly changed since then.
"That means something big could happen soon."
"Of course~ It's an event orchestrated by the master, it has to be grand."
Liushina responded while looking at the tracking magic circle on the table.
Her eyes flickered with anticipation, contemplating the upcoming events.
In Zion's bedroom within the Chimseong Palace.
There, Zion was indulging in coffee, sunk into a chair for the first time in a while.
"How is it, Your Highness? To your liking?"
Sir Fredo, standing nearby, asked.
Zion nodded quietly in response.
Seeing this, Fredo smiled softly.
If Prince Zion, notoriously picky about coffee, reacted this way, it must be quite satisfactory.
"Please let me know whenever you'd like some more. I'll brew it right away."
The knight bowed his head as he spoke.
Honestly, Fredo wasn't sure if the current Prince Zion was the same person as before. Too much had changed.
But one thing he knew for sure:
He was one of the few people Prince Zion trusted.
And so, Fredo wanted to repay that trust in any way he could.
'Even if it's just making coffee.'
But this was how he wanted to be helpful and stay by Prince Zion's side for as long as possible.
Then,
"Your Highness, Zion."
Thierry entered through the window, not the door, and called out to Zion.
It was an unusual entrance, but Zion, unfazed, turned his head towards Thierry.
After all, it was Zion who had instructed him to come unnoticed.
"I've carried out your instructions."
Thierry bowed his head and spoke to Zion.
"I've secretly leaked to the capital's press that you haven't been going outside."
"And the other matters?"
"I've arranged it so that the information about your illness and the presence of a mysterious figure in Chimseong Palace will only be revealed after the top intelligence groups of various factions exert their utmost efforts."
At this, Zion let out a slight smile.
The first phase of setting the trap was gradually coming to fruition.
'People tend not to doubt what they've obtained through painstaking efforts.'
So, they would undoubtedly believe the information they acquired to be true.
Especially since some parts of it were indeed factual, making it harder to discern as false.
Moreover, Zion had actually not left his bedroom for several days.
As a result, aside from Fredo, even the knights and attendants of Chimseong Palace had not seen Zion's face.
Additionally, all meetings with nobles and officials had been declined.
All of this was the foundation for laying the trap.
"The movements of the other royals?"
"They are quieter than expected. It seems they'll act after the Grand Banquet."
"The Grand Banquet... I had forgotten about it because of the funeral."
Zion nodded as if he just remembered it upon hearing Thierry's words.
The Agnes Grand Banquet.
A significant event held within the Imperial Palace at this time of year, far more important than other banquets.
Only the nobles and their families close to the core of the empire's power, like the Agnes National Council, could attend.
Thus, the royals always made it a point to attend the Grand Banquet to strengthen their connections and, often, to seek spouses.
'Surely, there was no incident at the Grand Banquet in the chronicles.'
That's why he hadn't been paying much attention to it.
However, this time, it was uncertain how things might change.
As Zion tapped his fingers on the table, pondering this,
Thud!
The bedroom door opened, and someone entered.
"The purification is complete."
The woman with snow-white hair, shaking a flask containing something sparkling, was none other than the mysterious figure.
Since there was a risk of another attack at her cabin, Zion had secretly brought her into the Imperial Palace.
"Now, after drinking this, we'll begin the 'framework' in earnest."
During the process, she had learned that Zion was a prince, but she still spoke to him informally.
A behavior befitting her title.
"Prince Zion, I wish you a swift recovery."
"Your Highness, please take care."
As if on cue, Thierry and Fredo bowed to Zion and left the bedroom.
"Oh, a man and a woman alone in a bedroom. Isn't that a bit risqué?"
The mysterious figure approached Zion with a joke that was rather unbecoming of her age.
Of course, Zion did not react to her words.
Looking bored, she puckered her lips slightly and extended the flask containing the purified angel's blood towards Zion.
"Drink it all in one go. It's my first time dealing with someone like you, so I can't be certain how the process will unfold or to what extent the changes will be."
As she spoke, she moved to the bed and patted it, signaling him to sit.
"I also can't predict the level of pain you'll experience. But don't worry about the efficacy. I made the medicine, after all."
Her words were filled with pride in her own skills.
"Alright then."
Zion chuckled and sat down cross-legged where she indicated, then downed the contents of the flask.
At that moment, thump!
Once, powerfully.
Zion's heart surged.
"The effect is faster than expected. Then I'll start right away."
Noticing the change, the mysterious figure sat behind Zion with a serious expression and quickly began moving her hands.
Whoosh!
The energy flowing from her hands into Zion's body.
But Zion was unaware of the mysterious figure's movements.
Already, his heart was pounding wildly, leaving no room for anything else.
With each rapid beat, the medicine Zion had ingested spread instantly throughout his body via his bloodstream.
Whoosh!
Simultaneously, Zion's consciousness began to drift away from the external world and naturally sank inward.
'There's definitely an effect.'
The medicine, spreading throughout his body, was slowly transforming Zion's blood vessels, muscles, and even bones.
It wasn't just a superficial change but a genetic transformation.
Crack, crack!
His very essence was being endlessly broken and reformed.
This process produced a continuous, eerie sound from Zion's body.
Despite the excruciating pain, Zion endured without so much as furrowing his brow.
"This is...!"
However, unlike Zion, the mysterious figure behind him was filled with dismay.
From a certain point, Zion's body had started to repel and push out her energy.
Simultaneously, an alien darkness enveloped Zion's body.
This darkness quickly seeped inside him, engulfing any remnants of the holy blood in his veins.
'Something's wrong!'
It was an unforeseen situation.
"Your Highness, we must stop!"
The mysterious figure withdrew her hands, shouting in panic, but Zion did not, or rather, could not stop.
For him, this was a natural course of events.
A power that negated everything in the world, a force only Zion himself could wield.
Under Zion's will, his power was altering the purified holy blood inside him to his liking.
This process led Zion's physical transformation in a new direction.
Soul and body complement each other and are inseparable.
As the body transformed, Zion's mind also began to elevate endlessly.
Along with this, his realm advanced further.
Whoosh!
His power, which had been stagnant at the early third stage, suddenly soared to its utmost limit.
This caused the energies within Zion's body to go wild, attempting to break free from control, but Zion suppressed them even more firmly.
Zion knew.
This was a tremendous opportunity for him.
Whirring!
Eclaxia, now fully revealed, resonated with Zion's Black Star.
At that moment, crash!
A shockwave erupted from Zion's body, shattering everything in its vicinity.
"Ugh!"
The mysterious figure quickly retreated and cast a protective spell.
Then, she saw cracks, like spiderwebs, forming over Zion's entire body, still at the epicenter of the shockwave.
"Could it be a complete...!"
Before the mysterious figure could finish her exclamation, a burst of black light erupted from Zion's body, engulfing the entire bedroom.
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