Chapter 683: Two Cores

Proofread by Thomas F

Warsteel

“Your excellency, less than a minute remains,” I reminded the emperor gently.

Silver had contacted me hours ago, reminding me once more. He didn’t reply and kept looking ahead, staring at nothing. It is quite an eerie habit.

It unsettles people, and he likes that. It unsettles me as well, but I long ago learned to keep it in control.

“The bastard is detestable, but he is a citizen of my empire. So, I will help him,” said the man finally, and I felt him activate his skills.

Vast and powerful skills.

‘Activate the skills,’ I sent the command to all our people, instructing them to use their skills on the Velvet Garden.

I could feel them activating across the empire; there would have been more skills if we hadn’t been fighting, but even so, this is a large number of skills.

Silver had promised a large amount of essence for this help, including some core essence.

Even if he had promised none, the emperor would have helped him. It is the legacy with the most significant potential in the empire.

We would not let it be swallowed, because in a few years, the legacy will be ours after we destroy all the resistance.

Hun!

I was lost in thought when I sensed something; the crowned prince did too, as anger flashed in his eyes.

…

Mardel

“Brother dearest had done it,” said the Princess, and activated her skills.

A moment later, her people followed suit.

A few seconds after that. More skills are activated, from the other princes, the ones that allied with them, and the ones that are not.

It is the same with the neutral people.

“Silver seemed to have paid a lot of people,” said her son. “Even his enemies,” replied the princes with a frown appearing on her face for a fraction of a second, before turning into a smile.

…

Greltheaven

Less than a minute had remained, and I didn’t feel even a single skill.

I could see the worry in Caena’s eyes. I am worried as well, these skills are necessary to protect the legacy from any influence.

I want this battle to be just between me and Ardwayn, but they won’t let that happen.

The legacies are strategic resources, and others will interfere. I had given them things and promised more. I had spent a lot on it, and now I am getting worried.

Carla opened her mouth, about to speak, when she felt the skill.

I felt the power of the skill, and it is suppressive. It is a skill from one of the strongest classes in the world.

It’s not Emperor-Level yet, which is a sore subject for the crown prince. He didn’t get the Emperor Class, but his class is still very powerful.

Just a step below Emperor.

As his skill covered the legacy, tens of other skills emerged, and they came from his people. From the Prime Minister to the Dukes to other powerful people.

They were still activating when I felt another just as powerful skill, the same level and power as that of the Crown Prince’s.

Princess Orlena.

She might be weaker in terms of forces and has less territory than her brother, but she is as powerful as him in class and level.

With her skill, the skills of her people have come as well.

A few seconds after that, the skills of independents like Marquess Gats and other Princes had covered the legacy.

I wasn’t joking when I said I had paid a lot of people for it.

People might consider this action as me intentionally poisoning my legacy, destroying its future, but I am not. It will instead enhance my legacy and its potential.

Hun!

I was reviewing the skills enveloping my legacy, when a skill touched my legacy, shocking me.

I am not the only one who is shocked. Everyone is shocked.

“Is that from?” Ina asked. “Ashton Harbor,” I supplied, still in shock that our enemies had activated their skill around the legacy.

I was shocked, I was thinking about what to do, when I felt two more skills, which surprised me further.

“Owlspring and Amberhold,” said Carla in clear surprise.

I didn’t ask for their help; the merchants don’t interfere in matters like this. If the State had wished to, they would have told me already, which means those two did it on their own.

They might face some consequences for this.

Once I am successful with it, I will thank them for this action.

“What are you going to do with the undead’s skill?” asked Carla. “Leave it, with all these skills. It won’t be able to do anything, even if it wants to.

Many were thinking against leaving it. Especially, Ina had even opened her mouth before closing it.

The undead do not have any bad intentions behind it other than helping me, because by doing it, they will be helping themselves.

They want to preserve the legacy and wouldn’t like to see anything happen to it before they conquer the city.

There was a silence for several seconds when the contract in the core glowed.

“They have broken the connection with the throne!” stated Caena.

…

Lord Aardwyn, Tranquill Bathhouse.

“It begins!” announced Constance.

For a moment, I felt nothing, but then everything darkened around me, before the core of my legacy appeared in front of me.

The symbol of this magnificent legacy is a pool.

It is a large pool made of colourful essence with vibrant steam emanating from it. It was said that it used to be long and square, like the long pools of our bathhouse, but now it is oval.

Like the fucking bathtub.

The throne affects many things, including the shape and size of the core of its pawns. It is even said that they could fundamentally transform it into something completely different.

It all depends on the power of the master legacy.

Right now, the core of my legacy is circling the massive door with the lantern by it. It’s the core of Wander Inn.

It is massive and looks almost solid, radiating power so immense that it suppressed every inch of me and my legacy.

After today, it will no longer!

I looked at it and felt the invisible tether binding them straining. At first, there was only slight pressure, but soon it increased as the tether tightened.

In seconds, it became uncomfortable.

It paused there, and I prepared myself for what was to come, activating the artifacts at full power.

I used the emotion essence to power them instead of me. It is the advantage of being a master; I will be able to use all three artifacts, without putting strain on myself.

I powered them, feeling the boost and protection they are providing me.

A moment passed and another, when finally I felt an immense pressure descending on me. It was massive, greater than the mountain, which I felt could crush me.

“Ahhh!”

I screamed in pain as the pressure moved to snap the tether between the legacies.

The bond between the legacies is a double-edged blade. The longer the bond is, the stronger it becomes and the harder it is to break.

It also makes the backlash greater.

One and a half centuries seemed like a long time; it is above average for the bond between a Grade IV throne and a Grade III legacy.

Still, due to the legacies complementing each other, the bond is stronger than usual.

The pain increased, and it increased to the point that I felt like it would break my mind. No… it will break my mind if the pain keeps growing like this.

Snap!

It reached the limit of what I could bear, and I thought it would end up breaking my mind, when I heard the snap.

Immediately, the pain began to lessen.

Although I didn’t care about that, I focused on the freedom I felt. There is no suppression of the throne or command of its master hanging in the air.

My legacy is free, and it’s all mine.

I had never experienced this before. Since I was born, Tranquil Bathhouse had been the subject of the Wander Inn; I had only known that connection.

Now, it’s free, and it’s the most beautiful feeling in the world.

[Legacy Skill Erasure: Comfort of Hearth]

[Legacy Skill Erasure: Blissful Rest]

I was enjoying the feelings when the texts appeared before me.

Since the bond was now broken, the legacy skills I acquired from Wander Inn have also disappeared. The same thing will happen with Master Skills by the evening.

I do not care about them. I want this freedom, and for it, I am willing to make many sacrifices.

“Ardwyn, start the process,” ordered the prince. The bastard didn’t even ask about how I am feeling; the only thing he cares about is swallowing Velvet Garden.

I looked at myself and felt the backlash and damage to my spirit, but artifacts are suppressing it.

I took a moment to take a deep breath before activating the contract in the legacy.

It blazed with power, and I felt the contract in Silver’s legacy had activated as well. The feeling was faint for a moment before it became powerful.

Click!

The moment, a clicking rang out, and I felt his core before it materialized in front of me.

“My god!” I gasped.

“What is it?” asked the Prince immediately. “The core of the Velvet Garden, it’s powerful!” I replied.

They cannot see what I am seeing, or they would be more shocked than they are right now.

At first, it appeared to be a sphere, but it’s not a sphere.

“The sun!” I said as I looked at it. Which confused me; the sun shouldn’t be its core. It is a damn brothel, not some knight temple or fortress.

It should have a bed or the woman instead of damn sun.

It is also very powerful. I have seen the cores of Grade III legacies. Some are very old, but they didn’t have a core as powerful as this one.

Damn the legacy, is not even two years old.

“It didn’t matter. We have all the advantages,” said the Prince. “Start swallowing,” he ordered.

He didn’t have to say it. I could feel the power draining out of me, and this leaking power is being drawn by Silver, which is bad.

That’s why I need to finish it in an hour, at least weaken it, and Prince is right; it might be stronger than we expected, but mine is stronger than his.

Besides, we have more advantages.

…

Greltheaven

“It’s a powerful core,” said Caena as the core of the Tranquill Bathhouse appeared in front of us.

She shouldn’t have been able to see it, but my core is different from others. It is born out of witchcraft; she had just tapped into that foundation to see the other core.

It is beautiful in the form of a pool that is radiating massive power.

Tranquill Bathhouse is a Theater Class legacy of the upper echelon, and a century and a half of bonding with a throne has made it even stronger.

Swallowing would be the most herculean challenge I have ever faced, but I will do it.

I will have to do it; the survival of my city depends on it.

As I thought that, I felt the spell in Velvet Bathhouse activated. The moment it did, it started pulling the leaking essence out of the Tranquill Bathhouse’s core.

I felt its essence when I experienced the power. It is coming at my core, with only one intention.

To swallow my core.

“Everybody, prepare yourself. It has begun,” Caena informed, while I gathered my power and moved toward his core to swallow it.

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