Chapter 69: The Holy Sword that Foresees the Future
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!" He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "The legendary holy sword actually exists."
To be honest, Rhodes had initially dismissed it as just a legend. The gods of this world were gods in the truest sense of the word. The mere fact that their power was so great that their true forms couldn't even descend to this world was a testament to that. And now you're telling me that they can't even come down here, but you can still make a sword that can strike their true forms from a distance? It was just too absurd. Even the gods themselves would have called it cheating.
"But where is it? I don't see it," Eirik said, looking around the treasury. The space wasn't that large; you could see from one end to the other. There were some swords on a nearby stone pedestal, but they looked nothing like a legendary holy sword. Even the 'Light of Ersten' that Rhodes was carrying was far superior. And due to the passage of time, the blades were dull and lifeless. Not every sword could be forged from Eternal Ore, and without proper maintenance, even the greatest of swords would lose its luster over hundreds of years. In a few more centuries, they would probably be as rusted as the ones he had seen in the dragon's lair.
"Maybe it's hidden? Like this inner vault," Norne suggested.
The others nodded in agreement. Such a precious item would surely be in the most prominent place in the treasury, but they couldn't find it. Either it was hidden, or it had been destroyed, though the latter was unlikely. The materials used to forge it were just too incredible. Even Serie had heard of some of them; they were rare materials that could withstand even the most powerful of elven spells. A sword made from such materials couldn't possibly be destroyed so easily.
Rhodes closed the book and looked around. "So the question is, where did they hide it? Don't tell me there's another inner, inner vault."
And there was something else he hadn't seen mentioned in the book: the holy relic stone slab the dwarves had supposedly unearthed. It was said to contain a massive amount of mana, like a giant power bank. To him, it was just as important as the god-slaying sword. After all, one of their goals was to use it to learn the truth about the fallen god. The more he knew, the better his chances would be when he finally entered the Godfall Land.
"It's right here," Serie said. She walked to the center of the treasury and stamped her foot. It made a hollow sound. "The special ore blocks all magical detection, but it can't block the leakage of mana from within. And there is a very strong magical reaction from below." As an elf, she was naturally sensitive to mana. Only she could have found the sword's hiding place with her senses alone. This was something the dwarves hadn't anticipated. They had never imagined that someone could improve upon their detection magic to find the treasury's general location, and then even solve their riddle. And to top it off, that someone had an elf with them who could sense the sword's location. It was as if it was all fated.
Serie waved her hand, and the dust on the floor was swept away by a gust of mana, revealing a complex, circular magic circle. Her brow furrowed slightly. Another sealing magic circle, and this one was even stronger than the last.
"Well? Shall we break it?"
With the mana from the 'Light of Ersten', she had mostly recovered, and she was confident she could break this seal as well.
"We've come this far. There's no turning back now."
She was pleased with his answer and began to break the seal. This time, it took much longer, but in the end, she succeeded. The moment the seal was broken, the entire ground began to tremble. The magic circle lit up, and the stone slab in the center slowly sank, revealing a staircase leading down.
"Let's go," Rhodes said, taking a deep breath. "Let's see this legendary holy sword."
They walked down the stairs and into a circular secret chamber. There was no other treasure here, only a single, bright silver longsword plunged into a stone pedestal in the center.
It was an exquisitely beautiful sword. No words could do it justice. Even the 'Light of Ersten' at his waist seemed to pale in comparison. After all, this was the work of countless dwarven master smiths, a true masterpiece of the ages.
"Is that... the legendary holy sword that can harm a god?" Norne murmured.
Eirik couldn't resist and reached out to grasp the hilt. But the moment his fingers were about to touch the sword, he felt a jolt of electricity and quickly pulled his hand back. "What the? It shocked me," he said, shaking his hand.
"Was it forged with a lightning-infused ore?" Serie guessed, and was about to approach it herself. But as soon as she got close, the sword released an invisible shockwave that sent her staggering back. "It won't let me get close!?" A rare look of astonishment crossed her face. Eirik had been able to get right up to it, but she couldn't even get near.
Somme scratched his head. "Let me try! It's a dwarven-forged sword. Maybe it will only accept a dwarf!" He strode forward and grasped the hilt with both hands. This time, there was no shock. He pulled with all his might, but the sword didn't budge. His face turned red and the veins in his arms bulged, but the sword remained firmly in place, as if it were a part of the pedestal itself. "Damnit!" he said, letting go, panting. "I can't pull it out!"
"Perhaps there's a specific condition?" Norne mused.
Rhodes, who had been observing from the back, slowly walked forward. He didn't reach for it right away, but just stared at the sword. He noticed some ancient text on the base of the pedestal.
"Is that dwarven script?" Serie noticed it too and began to try to decipher it. She didn't have much experience with the language, so it was a slow process.
But Rhodes had already spoken. "This sword can only be drawn by one who has been chosen."
"Only one who would slay a god may wield the sword... So it's true? How did you know?" Serie said, looking at him in disbelief after she had finished translating the text.
"That's just how the story goes."
"I don't understand." She had no idea what he meant by 'story'.
"So this sword is waiting for its chosen one," he said.
The moment he spoke, the sword suddenly trembled, and the gem on its pommel began to glow with a soft light, as if in response to his words.
Everyone held their breath.
Rhodes took a deep breath and walked forward. He felt no resistance. He reached out and grasped the hilt—no resistance, no force pushing him away. His hand closed around it, and with a gentle pull...
Zing!
A clear, ringing sound echoed through the chamber as he lifted the holy sword with ease. The runes on its blade lit up one by one, their light flowing up his arm and through his entire body, as if the sword had known him, had been waiting for him.
"See?" he said, a note of joy in his voice. "Only the chosen one can wield it." He hadn't expected it to actually work. Was he really destined to be the first hero?
Serie stared at him, a complex look in her eyes. "Who are you?"
He looked at the holy sword in his hand and smiled wryly. "To be honest, I'd like to know that myself."
His own eyes were reflected in the silver blade, and for a fleeting moment, he saw a series of fragmented images: a woman named Flamme, the most ancient of human mages, whose title he would one day steal; a familiar white-haired elf, Frieren; a dark figure with two horns on its head, with countless demons kneeling before it; and the back of a man, wielding a longsword, surrounded by demons.
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