CHAPTER 98: | OBTAINING THE ARTIFACT OF A SUPREME EMPEROR?

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  ? Deepest part of the Abyss — Empire of Atlantis — Time [??] ?

  ?In the deepest part of the abyss, hundreds of thousands of miles below the surface, where no rays of sunlight could ever dare to reach, an imperial city now lay reduced to a wasteland.

  At its heart, the imperial palace, once magnificent, was laid bare, transformed into an arena.

  Seven colossal pillars stood erected, turning the former palace grounds into a vast, bare platform.

  A mile above the combatants, a massive floating island, shaped like a donut with a gaping hole in its center, was anchored by heavy chains of compacted earth, so dense they could be mistaken for granite.

  The island was connected to the seven pillars below, each of which housed a bioluminescent pearl the size of a meter, glowing softly to ward off the immense darkness of the depths.

  Up on the floating island, five figures could be seen, their forms veiled in shadow as their gazes focused on the two figures waiting in the arena below, each holding their respective weapons.

  Fsshh… tik-tik… fffttt…

  A flicker of embers appeared within the arena, and in the next second, a powerful heatwave spread across the currents, boiling the surrounding water.

  The summoned embers gathered at the palm of one of the figures, his silvery-white hair swaying gloriously from the sheer pressure.

  His blood-colored pupils reflected the flames, which deliberately transformed into silken darkness before exploding in a violent, incandescent burst with a flick of his finger.

  Whfff… frrrhhh… shhhrrrkkk…

  It was like the cry of a banshee, at first silent, then bursting forth into a soul-rending screech that would make anyone listening jump from their seat.

  Initially, it was a flicker of Abyssal light that even outshone the darkness, spreading brilliantly in the ocean depths before dying down the next second.

  A soft, molten glow was left visible on his sword.

  Krrrk… krrraaack…

  A sudden silence fell, broken only by the whispers of the arena's slate grinding against itself and then splintering.

  The chains anchoring the floating sky island a mile above also strained, protesting the immense pressure.

  Fissures spiderwebbed across the ground, yet the two men merely stood their ground, unmoved by the earth screaming in agony beneath them.

  Klang-Klang!

  Seconds passed, and the ground fissures gradually settled, but the chains connecting the floating island to the pillars violently rang out as the sound of metal clanging echoed across the vast perimeter.

  "Now, in this glorious arena, a battle to the death shall begin!"

  I shouted, the earlier commotions having settled calmly.

  Raising my sword, the authority of the 'Fallen God,' I noticed Lumicor glance not at me, but at the weapon with keen interest.

  Forgetting that I even existed, he smiled with delight as he pulled something out of thin air, a pen and a notepad instead of his sword.

  It wasn't that he was unaware of my presence, but he couldn't ignore the nonsensical work of art in front of him.

  The techniques used to carve the mana circuits inside the core were unlike any employed by the most famous mana architects.

  "History states that the forefather of the 'mana architect-researchers,' Lizai, the one who pioneered this unusual study, did not use a technique of this intricacy."

  Lumicor spoke, not in his usual arrogant tone, but in one of awe.

  He was astonished that someone he considered inferior could pioneer a new method.

  "Tell me, Alister, how? Just how could a man whose brilliance isn't even half of mine pioneer a new method, to carve a more advanced circuits?"

  His voice was full of genuine questioning, as if he were challenging the world's existence for why hadn't he conceived of this method sooner.

  Silence reigned for a moment, then moths of flame rose from his armaments, glimmering in radiance before flaring up to a thousand degrees and transforming into pure light.

  For the first time in his life, Lumicor was focused.

  His silver pupils narrowed gently as moths of radiance slowly made their way into his eyeballs, making them glow with an eerie light.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Skrrrsshh… skrrrt-sskrrt… frsshhk...

  The silence broke the next second as the crisp sound of his metallic pen meeting paper echoed.

  His pace quickened, his eyes narrowed into slits.

  I smiled at his interest, unable to help but tease him since he was so utterly focused on my sword.

  'Then try your best noting this down, Lumicor,' I thought to myself.

  I raised the 'Sword of the Fallen' above my head before rapping its tip into the solid ground.

  The blade cut through the slate with ease, and the earth below writhed their way up to the sword, transforming it into something even more intricate.

  "..."

  Lumicor furrowed his brow the next second, settling into a frown of disbelief.

  The circuits carved into the sword upon its creation were wriggling like worms before settling into a new formation.

  "You... why have you changed it?"

  He spoke in a restrained tone, suppressing his desire to tear this man apart for interrupting him in his quest to dismantle the sword’s circuits.

  'He was quite shameless, asking me why I've interrupted his great time?'

  "Why? Because you've been stealing my technique without offering something in exchange. Isn't it shameless to ask why?"

  My voice was very calm as it questioned his morality and integrity, whether he was just going to shamelessly note down my technique without consulting me or offering something of equal value.

  Cough! Cough! Cough!

  Lumicor coughed three times, one for shamelessly noting my technique without permission, two for shamelessly asking why when he shouldn't have, and three for shaming himself.

  "Ahem, you are right about that. It seems that I've shamelessly tried to steal your technique without consent. So allow me to apologize."

  His words were polite, the first time I'd ever heard him speak in such a manner.

  He bent his head in a one-hundred-sixty-degree bow, then dusted himself off before grabbing something out of thin air.

  Another notepad appeared in his hand, and he casually threw it.

  "This compensation should suffice. As an apology."

  Smiling at his response, this Lumicor did possess some shred of humility, perhaps, though I suppose not entirely, since his arrogance was usually so over the top.

  Extending my arm, which glowed softly, I let the notepad slide from my index finger into my palm.

  It glowed softly before floating just inches away from my face, its title laid bare before me.

  "Attainment of Starlight."

  I let the title burn in my memory.

  Lumicor's apology was quite genuine to hand me his attainment, though it was useless for me since I had long already comprehended it, still, his gesture counted.

  Casually storing the notepad into my inventory, I then glanced at Lumicor, who was now glued to the 'Sword of the Fallen' even more than before.

  "How astonishing. If I were a little bit dumber, I might ponder that it wasn't just a sword, but a lifeform molded into a sword."

  Lumicor's words settled into the currents as he gazed at the sword within my grip, then at his own, which floated behind him.

  He compared them, then shook his head at the stark disparity between the two.

  "It's just that it's such a pity that even with the knowledge I've gleaned from countless references, it still couldn't rival the intricacies of this sword."

  His gaze was directed at the weapon, seemingly forgetting the duel he had proposed.

  I felt it, the profound yearning of a researcher, a thirsty one at that.

  Unknowingly, Lumicor extended his hand, yearning to hold his opponent's sword for but a second.

  "Such a pity indeed. If only I could observe it closely..."

  He sighed, then closed his eyes as he composed himself.

  He opened them again, gazing straight into my eyes before he proposed.

  "Let me observe your sword."

  Amused by his thirst for knowledge, a feeling I once shared when I was just a newborn, a smile unknowingly formed on my lips.

  ?Closing my eyes in gratification, that he would rather be shameless just for the sake of knowledge, I took a few steps back and sat down as a throne made of dirt rose to catch me.

  "Interesting. Tell me, what will you offer in return for my knowledge?"

  Lumicor’s pupils glowed softly as he glanced at me for a moment.

  He read my intent, then smiled.

  He couldn't believe that there was no opening in it, but he ignored them since confirming my interest was his actual goal.

  ?Seeing my intent writhing with interest, he now had the confirmation he needed and nodded.

  ?His eyes gleamed with confidence as he extended his hand, clenched the empty space, and pulled something from his inventory, a small box appeared, shrouded by a protective layer of his mana.

  ?He then glanced at me, confirming my interest in the item inside the box, and I didn't betray his expectations, I too felt something interesting was inside this small container.

  "I shall offer this in exchange."

  Lumicor opened the box, and a fractured crown that seethed with a history as ancient as it could be appeared.

  It was an artifact, no, not just a normal artifact, but a cursed artifact, and a growth one at that.

  'I'nteresting. Offering me something like this would usually mean he had ill intent, wanting me to succumb to the curse.'

  But judging from Lumicor's attitude, he wouldn't do it, as he was a person who upheld honor like it was his life.

  "An interesting offer you've got. But there's a glaring problem, Lumicor... this item is cursed. That means it's not that valuable compared to my knowledge."

  Lumicor understood my words, he knew that this crown was practically a junk since its purpose was unknown, but its history, which spanned since the beginning of their world, made it surely valuable.

  "Indeed, you are right about that. A cursed artifact's value varies with its history."

  I nodded at his words, since it was true that the value of a cursed artifact varies based on its history, because the power of a cursed artifacts depends on the role they've played in the world and how well-known they are.

  Lumicor locked his gaze on me, staying eerily silent.

  Then he touched the crown, and part of his finger instantly blackened from the invasive corruption.

  But Lumicor was faster, he reached for his sword, then ruthlessly pummeled it down on his finger, cutting it off before his entire hand was tainted with the darkness of the crown.

  "This crown holds an ancient history that all have not forgotten. It's the crown of the Supreme Emperor, the first emperor that graced this world, and who had tragically died at the hand of the Old Ones."

  I peered through his intent, it was radiant and pure, without any blemish.

  Lumicor wasn't lying, since I would have read his intent before he could even ponder about it.

  So, was this crown truly that impressive?

  'Yes, it was impressive, just based on the content that made this crown.''

  This crown was made from an extremely valuable material, and it was none other than a piece of the World Core.

  "So tell me, is this enough for me to receive your knowledge, Alister?"

  I smiled at his question.

  Lumicor, confirming my intention, closed the box, then threw it at me.

  I casually lifted my hand and caught the box, then opened it as I lifted my feet and kicked the 'Sword of the Fallen' toward him.

  Lumicor nodded as he extended his hand.

  Moths of embers rose from the ground, then flared violently as they turned into radiance before forming a honeycomb-like shield, blocking the sword.

  Without any hesitation or tinge of regret from bartering that accursed crown away, Lumicor had already begun his inspection, observing the circuits of the sword.

  Maybe give it a try? ??