The system reacted instantly. The details of the power he had just acquired appeared in his vision.
[Spell Card: Sacrificial Resurrection]
[Type: Restoration]
[Effect: The caster instantly resurrects a recently deceased target. This process requires the simultaneous and immediate sacrifice of one with a life force equivalent to or greater than the target's original strength. The sacrifice is irreversible and consumes the sacrificed being utterly, dissolving their essence to fuel the restoration of the target.]
[Requirement: Caster must possess a minimum Mysticism of 50. Target must not have died for more than three days. Target body's vital organs must be intact. Sacrifice must have equal or higher quality of life force to the target.]
[Cooldown: 7 days per use.]
Jack let out a long, slow breath. The power was incredible. And utterly brutal. He immediately kept the card together with his other spell cards.
"Alright, Love!" Jack said. Turning back to Reina. A dark satisfaction played on his lips. "We're done here. I've got the spell card. The physical cup stays right where it is. Let the other transcendent beings fought each other over this booby-trapped trophy."
He had essentially acquired the key ability of a Divine artifact already. Without incurring any of the associated risks. He could now resurrect the dead. Provided he was willing to immediately sacrifice another living being of sufficient quality to pay the price.
"Does the card have similar ability to the chalice?" Reina asked. Moving closer to him.
"Pretty much. It is more limited. But still, it is basically a resurrection power through sacrifice. And frankly, the cost might be the best part."
Jack considered the ethical applications... or lack thereof. He dealt in vengeance and justice. Not indiscriminate altruism.
If he ever needed to resurrect an innocent victim, he now had the perfect tool. He could simply heal the victim's body, and then sacrifice the guilty murderer immediately to bring back the victim. It was a neat and perfectly balanced transaction. And his conscience would not get disturbed at all.
"A seven-day cooldown is generous for a power this immense." Jack mused.
He looked back at the Forbidden Chalice. A still powerful artifact sitting on a forgotten altar. The demigod's trap was ingenious. And his purpose was questionable. But Jack had no intention to get involved. It was out of his league.
"So, what should we do now, Dear? Hunting for more treasures?" Reina asked.
Before Jack could answer, a dull vibration suddenly rattled the stone under their feet. A small earthquake. Not a natural one though. It was... magical.
"Something happened." Reina observed. Her eyes were narrowing. "They might be breaking through. The external battle must have concluded. Or someone forcefully entered the rift."
"Time to move, then, Love." Jack confirmed.
They still had the illusion blanket. And the high-tier Illuminated Transcendent Beings should have their heightened senses suppressed even worse than they were here. It would take time for them to reach their current location. But he had no doubt that they would get there.
"Rune!" Jack commanded. Addressing the glowing-orange fairy. "Guide us to a safe place where we could observe what would happen. Discreetly. Can you?"
Rune's orange light shifted to a deeper indigo... a color signaling caution and speed. She darted toward a dark, cracked archway in the rear of the throne chamber.
"Let's go, Love!"
Jack quickly moved. Following the fairy. With Reina right behind him. He had his [Nine-Anchor Portal Ring] ready though. Any sign they would be in danger, he would teleport them back home instantly.
They slipped through the decaying archway. Leaving the Forbidden Chalice abandoned on the altar. The massive, dark throne chamber was quickly swallowed by silence once more. Though now the silence felt less like stillness. And more like the bated breath of a great beast preparing to pounce.
Soon, they emerged from an open crack. Out of the castle ruin. Back to the open valley.
"Good job, Rune!" Jack murmured in low voice.
His fairy companion emitted a soft, satisfied pulse of orange light. Jack brought out his [Lightning Hoverbike] from the system inventory. The sleek, dark vehicle hummed faintly as it materialized.
He rode on it. And Reina climbed on behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist. Her thin fog of illusion spread out. Enveloping the hoverbike into its embrace.
The hoverbike rose silently. Its anti-gravity runic emitters barely disturbed the dust. They followed Rune, who darted ahead with renewed purpose. Her indigo glow painted fleeting streaks across the desolate, mist-shrouded plain.
The Valley of Despair stretched out before them. An endless expanse of misty gloom. Twisted, leafless trees clawed at the sky like skeletal hands. The ground was cracked and barren. Littered with jagged rocks and the occasional decaying stump.
The oppressive silence was broken only by the mournful whispers of the wind. And the faint, disjointed moans of multitudes of undead.
Reina's foggy illusion blanketed them tighter. A subtle shroud that made them indistinguishable from the swirling mists... to the senses of the valley's more primal inhabitants. The undead.
They were not much better than the undead in term of senses though. Their own enhanced senses remained frustratingly suppressed. The valley's curse was acting like a thick, damp blanket over their perceptions.
Rune pointed west. Her indigo light was pulsating with consistent direction. Jack adjusted the hoverbike's course. They bypassed crumbling ruins and skeletal forests. Maintaining a steady, cautious speed.
The drone of the hoverbike was barely a whisper in the vast, silent waste. Jack kept his eyes peeled. Scanning the desolate landscape. His dulled senses warned him of no immediate threats. But it made him worried instead.
After a while, Rune flickered rapidly. Slowing her pace. She led them off the main path. Navigating through a cluster of particularly gnarled, ancient trees. Ones whose branches formed a dense, thorny thicket. Beyond it, the ground rose sharply. Forming a rugged cliff face.
Rune ascended. Her light was now a steady, encouraging green. Beckoning them upwards.
Jack steered the hoverbike expertly. Easily ascending the cliff. The terrain was rough. But the hoverbike's stability system handled it with ease.
They climbed higher and higher. Until they reached a plateau carved into the cliff face itself. It was a natural overhang. Shielded by rocky protrusions and a surprisingly dense canopy of petrified, leafless branches. Things that offered excellent concealment.
"This is it." Jack breathed. Cutting the power to the hoverbike. The silence rushed back. Broken only by the distant, almost imperceptible sounds of the valley.
They dismounted. Rune darted to the edge of the plateau. Her light shifting to a soft, watchful blue.
Jack retracted his hoverbike back to the system inventory. And followed Rune to the edge. Reina was right beside him.
From their vantage point, the ruined castle, their previous destination, was visible in the distance. A dark, crumbling silhouette against the grey sky.
It was quite far. Too far for the naked eye. Especially now that their enhanced senses were suppressed. It was hard to make out any detail in the perpetual mist.
Jack pulled out two sets of heavy, brass-cased steamrune binoculars from his Spatial Belt. Handing one to Reina.
The intricate brass and crystal mechanisms of the devices were gleaming dully in the dim light. These were no ordinary optical devices. They incorporated complex steamrune enchantments. Allowing for incredible magnification and even subtle light manipulation. Fortunately, the valley's curses did not seem to impede their functions.
They raised the binoculars to their eyes. The world zoomed in. The distant castle was now starkly clear. They could see the shattered walls, the gaping holes where windows once were, and the broken down central tower.
And around it, the mist swirled. But through the lenses, they could occasionally glimpse movement. Undead creatures.
"Stay quiet, Love." Jack whispered. His voice was barely audible. "We are far too weak right now."
Reina simply nodded. Her expression was grim. Her focus was entirely on the distant scene. She understood the stakes. Illuminated Transcendent Beings were a different breed altogether. Capable of tearing reality itself.
Their current 'Enhanced Transcendent' class was a significant step below. Being caught in their crossfire could mean instant obliteration.
They settled down. Using the natural rock formations as cover. Their eyes were glued to the binoculars. Rune hovered silently between them. Her dim blue light was reflecting her vigilance.
The wait seemed quite long. Punctuated only by the mournful cries of unseen creatures. And the distant, unsettling silence that preceded major events.
Jack felt a nervous energy thrumming through his human form. He had his [Nine-Anchor Portal Ring] ready. A silent promise of instant escape if things went sideways.
Then, the quiet shattered.
A distant explosion rippled through the valley. Muffled by the mist and distance. It was followed by a riot of sound that even their dulled senses registered. Fierce shouts. The clang of metal. The crackle of energy. And the earth-shattering impact of powerful spells.
Jack refocused his binoculars. The scene resolved into chaos. Two figures, clad in unholy white robes, moved with desperate energy. The Fallen Acolytes of the Purity Cult.
Their movements were fueled by a fanatical zeal. They were locked in a brutal pursuit. Chased by two powerful figures Jack immediately recognized.
One was Cardinal Paddy. The man in golden robes, a symbol of the Church of Prosperity. His figure moved with surprising agility for his build. His every movement radiating a steady, yet powerful, golden light.
The other was Arch Inquisitor Oakstake. A grim, formidable transcendent leader of the Trinity Church Inquisition. From his hands, blades of pale blue light that sang through the air, almost without stopping.
The two Fallen Acolytes didn't just escape. They fought back. Viciously. Unholy white light, crackled with raw, necrotic energy.
It slammed into the shimmering golden aura of Cardinal Paddy. One who deflected it with a casual flick of his wrist. Arch
Inquisitor Oakstake clashed in melee distance against the other Acolyte. Pale blue light blades met cursed white blade. Both carved through the mist with chilling precision.
Explosions rippled. Tearing through the air and sending twisted tree branches raining down. The ground beneath them shuddered with each impact.
The battle drew attention. Hordes of undead began shuffling towards the conflict. Attracted by the raw magical power and destructive energy.
Skeletons, zombies, and more grotesque mutations of decaying flesh rose from the desolate grounds. Converging on the battling figures.
Jack watched through the binoculars as the Illuminated Transcendent Beings barely acknowledged them. A casual golden wave from Cardinal Paddy disintegrated a dozen zombies into dust. Oakstake's light blades carved through spectral ghosts like paper. Their undeath energies dissolved like boiling water under his holy light.
The Fallen Acolytes dispatched the undead with equal ease. Their unholy white energies searing through hordes of them. Turning bone to ash. The undead were simply speed bumps. Irrelevant obstacles to these powerhouse titans.