[You have learned the Artifact++ Skill: “Celestial Judgment.”]
[Effect: Calls down 12 holy swords from the sky, each one targeting and homing in on an enemy, dealing true damage.]
[Consumes 10 million mana; cooldown: 5 minutes.]
As expected, it was exactly the same skill Arceus had used.
Thanks to his [Grand Mage Hat], which had been absorbed by the [Crown of Calamity], his mana regeneration had skyrocketed to 310,000 per second.
He could regain the entire cost of the skill in just ten seconds.
In other words, this wasn’t even a real drawback anymore.
He had already seen the skill in action firsthand.
Those swords were incredibly fast.
Their tracking capabilities made them nearly impossible to avoid.
Combine that with the fact that they dealt true damage, ignoring all defenses, and it was easy to see how devastating they could be.
It was perfect.
Another skill added to his growing collection of “unique” but overwhelmingly powerful abilities.
A list he was carefully curating.
He didn’t want an arsenal filled with countless mediocre skills.
He wanted only a few, but each one capable of ending battles on its own.
“Well,” Arceus finally spoke after giving him time to analyze the skill, “that should be enough, right?”
“Yeah,” Alex nodded, “but I have two more questions.”
“Go ahead,” Arceus replied.
“I also need to tell you something important.”
The way he said it made Alex assume whatever Arceus had to say was more significant than his own questions, so he decided to go first.
“First of all, check this out.”
Alex tapped his [Digital Inventory Watch].
In an instant, the [Abyss Scythe] materialized in his grasp.
A dark, ominous weapon he had extracted from Lorien’s corpse.
Without hesitation, he tossed it over to Arceus.
To his relief, the [Crown of Calamity] didn’t try to absorb it.
That was already a good sign.
But the moment Arceus caught the weapon…
BZZT!
“Argh!”
A violent jolt surged through him.
He winced in pain as an intense, oppressive aura flared from the scythe.
His grip loosened involuntarily.
The weapon clattered onto the ground.
“That weapon is…”
Arceus took a step back, looking at his hand in shock.
“…?”
Alex frowned.
What just happened?
Arceus tried again.
He reached out, attempting to grip the scythe.
The moment his fingers brushed against it, an unseen force repelled him.
He tried again.
Same result.
Something was stopping even a Grand Mage from holding this weapon.
[Abyss Scythe (Artifact+)]
[Description: A weapon that grows stronger by absorbing souls. Can evolve into a higher form.]
“Something is rejecting me…” Arceus muttered, gripping his staff instead.
He waved it slightly, casting a spell that lifted the scythe into the air without direct contact.
With another flick, he conjured a floating desk out of pure mana.
Placing the weapon onto it carefully.
“It’s steeped in abyssal energy,” he murmured, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Then, he noticed his hand.
The one that had touched the scythe.
His eyes narrowed.
“…Damn it.”
The skin on his palm had turned black.
It was spreading.
“Tch… Abyss corruption. I hate abyssal weapons and items. Always trying to twist and consume,” Arceus sighed, heading toward one of his drawers.
He pulled out a small glass bottle filled with glowing liquid.
Immediately, he poured it over his hand.
The moment the potion touched his skin, the dark corruption began to recede.
Evaporating entirely within seconds.
“…”
Alex watched in silence.
The [Crown of the Abyss God] had tried something similar on him before.
He had been saved by the [Heart of Calamity].
Seeing another abyss-related item attempt to corrupt someone wasn’t shocking.
It was just further confirmation that these weapons weren’t to be underestimated.
Still, something was odd.
For some reason, the scythe hadn’t tried to corrupt him.
“Fascinating,” Arceus grinned, despite what had just happened, “I’ll study it. There’s a lot to uncover… and the description mentions a ‘higher form.'” Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire
“Yeah,” Alex nodded, already thinking ahead.
The potential for evolution was what intrigued him the most.
If this weapon could transform into something even stronger, it might become an integral part of his future combat style.
Now that he no longer needed to hold a staff to cast spells, he had more flexibility in battle.
He could wield his [Bleeding Dragon Claws] in his left hand.
Another weapon in his right.
And seamlessly combine them with his [Blood Arts] and [Destiny Powers].
The possibilities were endless.
In his mind, he was already mapping out different strategies.
Picturing himself at full power.
And if everything went as planned.
If he truly mastered these abilities and secured the powerful skills he was after.
Then he might actually stand a chance against the gods.
But for now…
“Second question,” Alex turned back to Arceus.
He was still analyzing the scythe.
Though he made sure not to touch it this time.
“Where’s the vial of undead blood?”
Aside from the [Heart of Calamity], this was the last key item the [Hatred Sect] needed to summon the [Hatred Demon].
Alex had successfully stopped them from acquiring it.
As of now, they had no way to complete the ritual.
Of course, he knew the demon would eventually break free on its own.
That was inevitable.
But for now, they were safe.
“…The vial of undead blood?” Arceus blinked.
Then, realization hit him.
“Oh.”
“…?”
Something about his reaction made Alex uneasy.
That vial had been stored inside the Mage Tower long ago.
Back when he was much weaker and couldn’t directly oppose the [Guardians of Hatred].
Now, though?
He could wipe them all out with ease.
Even Lord X, their leader, wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
But…
“Here it is.”
Arceus let out a nervous chuckle as he hurried over to one of his desks.
He rummaged through a few drawers and pulled out an alchemic vial.
It was filled with a deep red liquid.
However, the moment Alex laid eyes on it, his heart dropped.
Something was wrong.
“Arceus…” His voice darkened; “Why is half the liquid missing?”
“Ah, well…” Arceus scratched the back of his head, “There was a Grand Mage meeting where we were supposed to present valuable items, so I brought this along and, uh… I kind of sold half of it.”
Alex’s pupils contracted.
“TO WHO?!”
“Some mage,” Arceus waved a hand dismissively, “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“SHIT,” Alex’s instincts roared.
Even a small amount of that vial’s contents could be considered one of the key items for the ritual.
And if his instincts were right…
Then only one item remained for the ritual.
The [Heart of Calamity].
The only thing keeping the [Hatred Sect] from reviving the [Hatred Demon] was the fact that the heart was currently fused with him.
It was lodged inside the [Crown of Calamity].
And as he tried before, even if he died, it wouldn’t be separated from him.
That was his only saving grace.
‘We got lucky… but this could’ve been a disaster.’
Alex exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm.
He didn’t blame Arceus.
It wasn’t his fault.
But they had been dangerously close to catastrophe.
Among his list of enemies, there were three beings he considered [Ultimate Nemeses].
[1. The Gods] – The obvious ones.
[2. Lich, the Necromancer] – A monster who threatened all life.
And finally…
[3. The Hatred Demon.] – This one was on par with the gods, but placed third because he caused the least amount of deaths.
This list was based on the amount of destruction they would cause, but if he made it based on power, then the [Hatred Demon] would be standing at the top alongside with the gods.
These were the ultimate obstacles in his path.
If he wanted to protect everyone, he would have to eliminate them.
“For now… we should be safe.”
“Alright,” Arceus clapped his hands together, “Time for my thing.”
Alex glanced up, still processing everything.
“…Yeah?”
“The next Grand Mage meeting is in two weeks,” Arceus grinned, “And I want you to come with me.”
“Huh?”