Chapter 96: Life Goddess and Fertility Goddess
The moment he grasped the hilt, dazzling silver light burst forth from the scabbard.
The Elves raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding radiance, and even the Dwarf King had to squint against the brightness that filled the entire council hall.
"How is this possible?" the Elf King muttered to himself in disbelief.
He watched as Athos, now in Kurtz's hand, radiated a brilliance it had never shown in a thousand years, just as recorded in the most ancient texts. The sacred sword Athos actually recognized this human!
This must be some kind of illusion! The Elf King's mind raced, desperately searching for rational explanations.
Or perhaps the human could only gain recognition from the Sacred Vine, and it would be absolutely impossible for him to pull out Athos completely!
The Elf King tried to comfort himself with such reasoning, but then Kurtz's next actions made him unable to maintain any composure.
Kurtz encountered no resistance whatsoever. Just as when he had pulled out Orger, he slowly drew Athos from its scabbard without any struggle. The silver blade appeared before everyone, flowing with soft, ethereal radiance.
This was the first time in several millennia that the Elf King had seen Athos emerge in its full glory. Amidst his surprise, he also felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.
Why would the sacred sword of the Elf race acknowledge a human outsider?
Unfortunately, the Elf King's doubts were destined to remain unanswered.
At the center of everyone's amazed gaze, the moment Kurtz pulled out Athos completely, an inexplicable stream of information flowed directly into his mind.
He didn't know if the Elves who had previously pulled out Athos had received such detailed information, so he decided to ask. "Your Majesty the Elf King, I would like to ask about the true origin of Holy Sword Athos?"
The Elf King shook his head slowly. "The true origin of Athos has been lost to time. Its history is far too ancient for anyone alive to remember. The only thing that can be confirmed is that Athos was once a sacred sword blessed by a certain deity."
"Is that so?" Kurtz lowered his head, carefully processing all the information he had just received.
It seemed that the Elves who had previously pulled out Athos did not receive this kind of detailed revelation.
Was it because they had never come into contact with Orger, or rather, with divine authority itself?
The moment Kurtz pulled out Athos, sudden information had appeared in his mind. It turned out that their previous understanding of deities had been slightly incorrect.
Whether false gods or true gods, they were all, in fact, genuine deities.
Just as Holy Sword Athos and Orger in his hands also shared a deep connection.
Athos, in a very real sense, was the weapon that the usurping deity had once worn and blessed.
The Dwarf King's records of deities being divided into true and false due to different beliefs was also correct, though woefully incomplete.
True and false deities were originally one unified being. Or rather, they were deities of the same authority who had been split apart by ambition and betrayal.
This was the tragic story that Athos told him.
The story between the former Fertility Goddess Yigess and the Life Goddess Alice.
These two Goddesses had originally worked together, jointly wielding the authority over life and sharing the worship of the Elves in an age when the world was much younger.
But one day, one of the Goddesses decided to separate the birth and reproduction of life, thereby creating the unnaturally appearing Skywing Clan through divine intervention.
With the faith of the newly created Skywing Clan supporting her, she became the undisputed Life Goddess.
Such ambitious actions naturally aroused the bitter dissatisfaction of the other Life Goddess, and thus an internal struggle over the same divine authority began.
But the final result was that the Life Goddess, who had gained the faith of the Skywing Clan, proved more powerful. She not only killed the Fertility Goddess in battle but also monopolized all the faith of the Elves for herself.
The place where the Fertility Goddess was finally killed became known as the Godfall Land.
But why did the Fertility Goddess later make such a dramatic comeback, even managing to usurp the body of the Life Goddess herself?
This crucial detail was not mentioned in the information Kurtz received from Athos.
It seemed that even Athos could not provide more complete information about those events. Perhaps only in the legendary Godfall Land could he learn the full story behind this divine conflict.
The power of Athos was divided into two distinct types.
One was a barrier that could release the world's strongest defensive magic, and the other was a powerful recovery ability that belonged to the authority of life itself.
How powerful was this recovery ability? Kurtz felt that if he were to cut off his arm right now, and then use the power of Athos, he could easily achieve the miracle of regenerating a severed limb within mere moments.
On the other side, as if sensing the awakened power of Athos, Orger, still held by Serie, also began emitting a brilliant golden radiance.
The golden and silver lights intertwined in the air, seemingly trying to merge but remaining clearly distinct, creating beautiful and complex patterns above their heads.
"Two legendary sacred swords!" The Dwarf King's voice trembled with overwhelming excitement. "They're actually resonating in the hands of a human!"
Seeing the two sacred swords creating such a spectacular display together, the Dwarf King exclaimed in complete disbelief.
Resonance?
Hearing him describe it that way, Kurtz chuckled wryly, feeling the actual truth of the matter through his connection to both blades.
As someone who had somehow gained the recognition of both swords simultaneously, he could clearly perceive the complex hostility and connection that existed between these two legendary weapons.
Holy Sword Athos was originally a sacred sword that had been used and blessed by the Fertility Goddess.
And Orger also contained the divine power of the Life Goddess.
It could be said that these two sacred swords, in a very real sense, had inherited the antagonistic relationship between the two Goddesses who created them.
His ability to gain Athos's recognition was actually quite simple to understand.
Because its true original owner was already long gone, and the current usurper even needed to rely on the Life Goddess's body to survive, the connection between her and Athos was naturally severed completely.
Moreover, after thousands, or even tens of thousands of years of continuous worship by the Elves, Athos had probably long lost any meaningful connection with the original Fertility Goddess, retaining only the perception of the unique authority of life itself.
Because he happened to gain this life authority through Orger, he naturally became stronger and gained Athos's recognition as a worthy wielder.
This was truly amazing! He had not only taken advantage of the Life Goddess's followers and divine authority but also claimed the Fertility Goddess's own sword for himself.
If both goddesses were still alive and at full power, they would probably have come knocking on his door with divine retribution long ago.
Thinking of this sobering possibility, Kurtz felt genuinely fortunate for the current weakened state of these two Goddesses.
Fortunately, both of them were already completely preoccupied with their own desperate survival.
Speaking of which, since he had learned so much important information, he should definitely discuss it with the others later when they had some privacy.
But for now, Kurtz turned to look at the still-incredulous Elf King with newfound confidence. "Now, do you still doubt my worthiness?"
The Elf King's expression gradually changed from shock to complete conviction. He bowed with elegant grace: "The Elves are willing to follow your arrangements without question."
Among the Dwarf race, there was an ancient legend that whoever could pull out Orger would become the rightful Dwarf King.
But because no Dwarf had ever been able to pull it out successfully, everyone had always treated it as nothing more than a legend.
Among the Elves, there was a similar legend, which to some extent was even accepted reality.
Only a true Saint among the Elves could pull out Athos, and that chosen Saint would lead the Elves forward into a new age.
Such miraculous things had indeed happened in their distant history, though no one currently alive could remember the last time it occurred.
Although the one who pulled out Athos was now a human outsider, the Elf King did not intend to violate this sacred ancient legend.
Moreover, this extraordinary human before him, who could simultaneously gain the recognition of so many legendary sacred swords, would surely be able to change their current desperate predicament and lead them all to a hopeful future.
The Elf King eagerly anticipated this possibility and found himself truly believing in it.
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