As Hulim successfully established a connection with the Demon Sword Helkem, the white radiance emanating from the sword subsided into calm.
When all the light faded, Helkem returned to its original pitch-black appearance.
At first glance, it might have seemed like an ordinary black iron sword—nothing like the Demon Sword in Violet’s hands, which bore distinctive features at a glance.
This way, she wouldn’t need to go out of her way to hide it.
For as long as she didn’t use it, it wouldn’t reveal its true form. Ordinary people would never suspect it was a Demon Sword.
“Ancestor...... Are you really giving Helkem to me?”
There was no doubt that Helkem was an S-rank artifact. Hulim wasn’t sure if she could properly wield such a treasure right now.
“You shouldn’t ask me that. Hasn’t Helkem already become yours? Perhaps you should ask if it’s willing to fight alongside you with all its strength.”
Hulim lowered her head, gazing at the Demon Sword in her hands.
Hum.
A faint white glow flickered across the sword’s surface.
“......It responded to me.”
“Then there’s no problem.”
Olubet smiled,
then turned and walked outward.
“There’s something else. Come with me.”
Soon, Hulim followed Olubet to another room.
The room was sparsely furnished—only a stone table, atop which sat a small box sealed with a magic circle.
Olubet approached the box, touched the magic circle with one index finger.
Shatter!
The magic circle above the box shattered instantly.
The box then popped open on its own.
Inside lay a purple crystal ball.
Olubet picked up the crystal ball and turned to face Hulim.
“This is a memory crystal from Tiramsuin. It contains much of my knowledge and memories—including the swordsmanship you wish to learn.”
With that, he handed the memory crystal to Hulim.
“There’s a great deal inside; you won’t finish it in a short time. Take your time to study it in the days ahead.”
Hulim took the memory crystal and tucked it away solemnly.
“I will keep it safe, Ancestor.”
Olubet nodded and continued,
“Among all I once possessed, these are the only two things worthy of being passed down to you. Now that they’re in your hands, it’s time for us to do what matters most......”
“Hulim, are you ready?”
“......I don’t know what being ‘ready’ entails. But if that power is waiting for me, I have to try, no matter what.”
“Good......”
“Then let’s go.”
......
Olubet led Hulim along a stone-paved corridor, pressing forward without pause.
The corridor seemed endless, winding downward into the depths.
After what felt like an eternity,
Olubet finally stopped.
They stood before a massive stone gate,
adorned with a gigantic seal magic circle.
“I can go no further......”
Olubet suddenly said.
He turned to face Hulim.
“Hulim, you must proceed alone from here. We don’t know what that forbidden power means for you, but I hope you will stay true to yourself and master that existence......”
“......”
“I understand......”
“Ancestor, I’m off.”
Hulim marched toward the gate.
Behind her, Olubet watched her retreating figure in silence.
Reaching the magic circle, Hulim reached out and touched it.
Shatter!
In an instant, the massive seal magic circle shattered.
Hulim felt a violent storm of unknown power surge toward her.
Crack!
The crystal necklace around her neck shattered with a crisp sound.
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The curse sealed within the magic circle—far more intense than anywhere in the mountain range—destroyed this high-tier magic item in an instant.
Just as Hulim feared the curse’s power would erode her, Helkem, slung on her back, suddenly emitted a faint white glow that enveloped her entire body, shielding her from the surging curse.
“......Thank you, Helkem!”
No longer affected by the curse,
Hulim hesitated no more and stepped into the gate......
Another long corridor.
Hulim walked on and on, until finally, the scenery ahead changed.
It opened into a vast underground cavern, with an ancient temple ruin standing in its center.
No living creatures. No sounds.
Staring at the temple, Hulim hesitated for a moment. Feeling Helkem’s power still surrounding her, she lifted her feet and walked toward it.
Hulim entered the temple.
Unlike its grand exterior, the interior was completely empty—
save for a pitch-black stone tablet standing silently in the center......
Hulim approached the stone tablet.
She stopped three meters away and examined it closely.
The tablet was pitch-black—not dyed black, but a natural black like the void of the cosmos.
Impenetrable. Boundless.
Faintly, it seemed as if runes were hidden within the black surface.
Every time Hulim tried to focus on them, they vanished, as if they’d never existed. But when she looked away, that faint sense of their presence returned.
“......What on earth are they?”
Hulim was confused.
But she had come this far—she had to continue.
She took a step closer, raised her right hand, and slowly reached toward the tablet......
Hum......
Before her hand fully touched the tablet, it stirred. Something like runes emerged, glowing faintly.
This time, it wasn’t an illusion—Hulim saw them clearly!
Yet somehow, no matter how hard she focused on the runes, her mind couldn’t retain any memory of them. It was as if their very existence was an illusion.
At last, Hulim’s hand pressed against the tablet.
Plop~!
Like a drop of water falling into a calm lake,
ripples spread across the tablet’s surface.
Hum——!!!
In the next moment, the pitch-black tablet erupted with brilliant light. Countless runes flew out of it, surged toward Hulim, and merged into her body......
【██...█......██...██████...██████......】
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah......!!!”
Hulim clutched her head and screamed in agony.
Countless unprecedented knowledge flooded her mind. Each rune carried an unimaginable density of information.
The endless stream of information filled her brain, and in that moment, she lost all control over her body.
Blood seeped from her mouth, nose, eyes, ears—even her skin—under the unimaginable pressure.
Thud!
Hulim collapsed to the ground, her consciousness fading into darkness.
The moment she fell, the stone tablet before her, as if having fulfilled its purpose, crumbled into ashes and scattered into the air......
......
“......Where...... is this......”
Hulim stood in place, staring blankly at her surroundings.
She was in a void like the cosmos—boundless, profound darkness, vast and silent. No light. No sound.
It felt as if she was the only existence in the world.
She lifted her right foot and took a step. It felt solid beneath her, even though there was no sense of up, down, left, right—or even space itself.
She walked forward.
On and on.
She didn’t know where she was going, or why she walked.
Perhaps she could stop—but she didn’t know if stopping would mean anything.
In this space, everything seemed meaningless......
At a certain moment, Hulim stopped.
She felt light shining down from what might have been above.
She looked up.
She saw a star,
glowing with red radiance.
No......
When Hulim looked closer, she realized it wasn’t a star at all.
It was an eye.
The moment she recognized it as an eye, their gazes met.
A beam of light shot out from the eye and struck her.
Hulim felt a searing pain, as if her body was burning. At the same time, a boiling anger surged in her heart.
Then, an ancient mantra beyond words emerged uncontrollably in her mind.
This mantra was called—
【Wrath.Primordial—Annihilation Divine Light】
When the complete mantra was etched into Hulim’s memory,
the eye above seemed to finish its mission and slowly faded away.
Immediately after, a sense of weightlessness washed over Hulim.
She began to plummet toward an unknown direction in the void, her consciousness slipping into slumber once more......
......
Boom!
The entire underground space shook violently.
Olubet, standing guard outside the stone gate, felt the tremor and smiled with relief.
“It worked...... As expected, you were recognized. No—rather, it was always you......”
“Three hundred years......”
Olubet slowly looked upward.
“My mission is finally complete......”
Then, his body began to dissolve into faint particles of light, gradually fading into the air.
......
In the Heavenly Realm, Tiramsuin.
Mother Earth Goddess Terra suddenly sensed something.
“......It’s gone!”
The forbidden power in that sealed location had vanished!
She looked up, and a figure of light took shape before her.
“......Olubet, you’ve come.”
“Yes, Lady Terra.”
Olubet, radiating a faint glow, bowed deeply to Terra.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Terra stared at Olubet for a long time,
then sighed.
“......Olubet, was it all worth it?”
Olubet nodded.
“I have never regretted it. I firmly believe that power is not destruction, but hope for our world—especially after seeing the one it waited for, my faith only grew stronger!”
Terra watched him silently.
After a moment, she spoke slowly,
“......I trust your judgment.”
“Thank you, Lady Terra.”
The glow around Olubet grew brighter, and his figure became increasingly transparent.
Terra watched the change unfold.
“Your time is short...... Is there anything else you wish to say?”
“I know. But my obsession has been fulfilled. I have no regrets.”
“Is that so......”
Terra’s expression softened with sympathy.
“......Olubet, may you have a better next life.”
“I accept your blessing. Farewell, Lady Terra. And farewell, the world I love......”
Olubet’s figure dissolved completely, leaving only countless particles of light drifting across the sky......
“Sigh......”
Terra sighed again.
She waved her hand, and a mirror of light appeared before her, displaying a scene.
It was the ancient temple deep underground.
At that moment, a girl lay motionless inside—no sign of the stone tablet that should have stood there.
“Indeed...... That power has already taken residence in her. But......”
“Lady Goddess!”
A voice echoed.
Then, a fairy with six transparent wings, golden hair, and emerald eyes stepped forward.
Terra looked up at her.
“Semiris, you’ve woken earlier than usual......”
“Yes, Lady Goddess. I’ve come to greet you.”
Semiris bowed to Terra. As she lowered her head, her gaze flickered across the mirror of light.
Then, Semiris froze.
“Hul...... Hulim!!!?”
“Lady Goddess, what’s happening?! Why is Hulim in the mirror? What’s wrong with her?! Is she in danger?!”
Semiris asked frantically.
“Semiris, calm down. Don’t panic—it’s not as bad as you think.”
“Not bad? Look at how Hulim is right now!?”
“No——!!”
“I have to save her!”
With that, the desperate Semiris turned to leave.
“Wait!”
Terra quickly stopped her.
“Semiris, have you forgotten? You can’t leave Tiramsuin right now. If you go down like this, you won’t save her—you’ll endanger yourself first!”
“B-but, Hulim she......”
“Calm down and listen to me. Hulim is not in danger.”
“Huh?! She’s not? But look at her......”
Semiris glanced at Hulim’s “miserable” state in the mirror.
“This is just an overload reaction from absorbing far more power than her body can bear in a short time.”
“An overload reaction...... That’s still dangerous!”
Semiris said anxiously.
“If this continues—Hulim will become a ‘cripple’ unable to use magic!”
“The world below is so dangerous. If she can’t use magic...... No! I can’t stand by and do nothing!”
Semiris’s eyes hardened, as if she’d made a firm decision.
“Semiris, don’t be reckless! Remember, you must not leave Tiramsuin now!”
“I know, Lady Goddess. I won’t leave the Heavenly Realm, but I have to help Hulim...... I’ve thought of a way. Please don’t stop me!”
With that, Semiris raced away.
“Sigh......”
Terra had wanted to stop her, but in the end, she let her go.
“This child......”
As long as it doesn’t worsen her fundamental wounds, let her be......
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Semiris flew rapidly through Tiramsuin, heading straight for a destination.
“Wait for me, Hulim!”
“This time, I’ll give you the power to truly protect yourself!”
