Immediate attention was delivered to the youngest child of the Avernus Patriarch by the overseer of the ceremony.
Zil could not help but examine the overseer from afar; his eyes filled with curiosity as to what kind of power this individual was specialized with.
'Zack's cut to the neck disappeared… and Kamion's body returned to a healthy state, injury-free… that's terrifyingly fascinating.' He pondered.
Regaining her consciousness, albeit her body just escaped the present danger, Kamion van Avernus, along with the other children, lined up. Most of them were feeling ashamed, knowing that they just remained standing and worthless throughout the second part of the test.
They were overwhelmed, to say the least.
Unlike the direct blood of the Avernus Patriarch, vassal children's holistic training to becoming void knights was not extensive. Of course, unless their respective parents were ambitious enough to gain the recognition of the one seated at the top, then that would be a different story.
"In the name of the Patriarch of the Avernus Clan, Lord Vorazed van Avernus, I, the captain of the Void Knights Calvary, Cassian la Avernus, hereby declare the conclusion of the Void Graveyard Ceremony."
Everyone in the audience chamber raised their body before proceeding to bow toward the direction they were facing. Even if he was far away, his seemingly omnipresent gaze was set on this sacred place.
"Now…"
Overseer Cassian paused for a moment; his piercing eyes seemed to bore a hole through the souls of the children, particularly those who refused to even lift a sword against the incoming corrupted human.
"I will not discuss it. But you know who you are. As the prospective void knights of the Avernus Clan, I believe that you will learn about today's test for the future ahead. However, if there's something I must impart to you, remember where you belong.
"Because the moment you forget your roots, you might as well live and die alone."
These were cruel words for the children. However, it was not the same for their parents, who would take these words to heart to help their blood.
After that, he spoke of those commendable ones in this test. The children alternatively looked at Zil and Kamion, though the former gained more attention considering the acts he had committed, especially prior to the test against another competitor, Zack, who was the only failure in this time's Void Graveyard Ceremony.
"This is merely the beginning of your journey…"
Overseer Cassian then snapped his fingers, causing the scenery to abruptly distort and change in an instant.
The audience disappeared, flustering the children; their eyes scrutinizing and asking. The surroundings were composed of void, empty, and cold, and the skies turned into cosmic perspective as though the heavens loomed and watched over their spirits.
It was full of glistening dots of light.
"This is the true form of the Void Graveyard." Captain of the Void Knights, Cassian, spoke, his voice was deep and solemn.
"It contains thousands of years of history since the Founding Father founded the Avernus Clan; every weapon in this place, every bone, every lingering ego of the past… shapes the current family in this Vodinica Continent."
He paused for a moment, gazed at the children, and continued,
"Take one weapon that deeply resonates with your soul; that's your reward for your efforts."
Looking around, Zil, Kamion, and this generation's participants saw hundreds, if not thousands of weapons scattered throughout.
This space was boundless.
There were no audience chambers, no arena, and no Colosseum-like infrastructure, only the weapons nearby and afar, as well as several enormous crosses that were erected from the ground; under each cross were arsenals that seemed different in quality.
'What the hell are these stone crosses? They're as massive as wind turbines…' Zil couldn't help but admire it, his eyes scanned each one.
"Zil, as the one who performed outstandingly among others, will have the right to select first. Choose wisely. The further the weapon from where you are standing, the higher the quality. However, everyone, be warned! This will be the final test for the initial ceremony.
"In this place, all of you will be temporarily granted the All-Knowing Eye, a divine skill that appraisers use to inspect a weapon. Utilize that to your advantage.
"Either the right weapon will become your eternal companion… or what will ruin you in the years to come."
Roughly comprehending the meaning behind such words, Zil slightly bowed his head.
"It's my honor."
*
Zil van Avernus walked forward without hesitation.
Some weapons seemed so far away, yet it's strangely close. It was as though the space itself was contracting the longer he traveled this void.
'There are twelve stone crosses… the farther it is, the higher the quality of the weapons buried underneath them. But it will be highly dangerous.'
Zil read about it in one of the books in the Secondary Void Library… not about the crosses themselves but rather the soul-eating weapons in the Void Graveyard.
In other words, picking the wrong weapon would spell death.
"Scimitars, scythes, chained sickle…" He mumbled as he passed over the sixth cross.
During this time, he felt as though thousands of eerie voices were scratching his entire being. Yet he couldn't understand a single one.
It was then that on the seventh cross, under its shadow, that he witnessed a glowing dagger.
He could not help but swallow; it's the perfect assassin weapon, no matter the world.
Of course, if someone's an ordinary assassin to heart.
However, Zil was not like that, not at all.
But he could not help but focus his gaze on this dagger, which then activated the divine skill that was temporarily granted to every one of them while they were in this plane.
[Umbric Luminous Severer]
Description: [It is a weapon containing a miniscule amount of divinity of the previous apostles of Light and Darkness, who was slain by the seventh Patriarch of the Avernus Clan, Lord Gorozed van Avernus.]
Item Rank: [Unique (Growth)]
Potential Danger: [?]
Unique Effect: [The owner's soul will gain partial resistance against divine power and demonic power.]
Hidden Effect: [Upon overcoming the potential danger, a hidden skill will be unlocked.]
'That's ambiguous… and everything in this cross… perhaps onwards, also share the same level of unknown danger.'
Looking behind for a moment, Zil saw Kamion and the others walking behind.
Kamion was underneath the 5th cross, sightseeing with curious eyes, while the others were on the 1st to 4th.
'Well, there's no rule that one shouldn't check the farthest one, right?' Zil mumbled, his pace continued forward without hesitation.
*
Arriving on the last stone cross, all the All-Knowing Eye divine skill showed him was…
[?]
Description: [?]
Item Rank: [?]
Potential Danger: [Instant death upon touching]
"…"
Zil scoffed, finding it ridiculous.
However, just as he was about to return and settle for another weapon from the previous crosses, he saw something that shook his heart; his entire body could not help but tremble.
It was not because of the potential danger.
It was because of memories of the past.
Among all the weapons in this place, it was the only one that he could read the name of… and he was not even sure if it was due to the All-Knowing Eye.
Zil recalled his lover on Earth.
It had been so long since he reincarnated, but the attachment still remained.
Alina was Japanese-born, and this weapon reminded him of her, undoubtedly so.
[Katana of the Forgotten (?)]