As all the memory light converged, projections of history approached her one after another.
These were the past of the Seven Luminaries.
In their final moments, the Seven Sages sacrificed their power to forge the strongest being beneath the gods.
At the same time,
the remaining fragments of their primal essence were absorbed by the Immortal Spirit Orb, transforming into the Philosopher's Stone. Their bodies, under Avery’s final power, fused into a single wand.
The wand and the Philosopher's Stone—originally one—merged once more, ultimately becoming the complete wand: the Seven Luminaries.
This was their last gift to Semiris,
a weapon only she could wield perfectly.
But for Semiris, the mere sight of the Seven Luminaries filled her heart with endless sorrow.
She never used it, choosing instead to leave it somewhere......
In the history that followed, one powerful being after another obtained this wand.
The Seven Luminaries was not a cursed wand.
Yet its core, sealed with memory fragments of seven unknown ancient powerhouses, was inaccessible to the unqualified. Even users who could only adapt to part of its power faced constant pressure from conflicting energies.
Countless so-called "strongest of their era" ultimately paled in comparison to the seven ancient sages.
In the end, all fell victim to power backlash—fates as tragic as if cursed......
And every time, they refused to accept their endings.
This resentment, born of unwillingness, was inscribed into the wand’s body time and time again. Those who obtained the Seven Luminaries afterward had to contend not only with the magical conflicts of the ancient sages but also with the resentment of countless past wielders.
Inherited from the Immortal Spirit Orb, the Seven Luminaries possessed a trait that shielded it from prying eyes except for its user. Thus, later generations never knew the wand had truly become cursed......
Even so, people only believed the backlash stemmed from the wand’s overwhelming power and the inadequacy of past users. Instead, their desire for the Seven Luminaries’ power grew stronger.
Left with no choice,
to prevent this weapon—so meaningful to her—from straying from its original purpose and becoming an object of infamy, Semiris found it once more.
She split it into two to prevent its immense power from breaking the seal, then sealed it in Mirnabius, the center of the world where the seal could be maintained indefinitely......
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Wave after wave of memories flooded Hulim’s mind.
When she saw the final fate of the Seven Luminaries, a question arose:
The wand was cursed, so why had nothing happened when she touched it?
The answer to this question,
Hulim would not learn until much later......
......
At the deepest part of the dungeon,
in the space sealing the Philosopher's Stone.
Semiris—who had arrived here—was engaged in fierce combat with the Combined Golem.
During the battle, she glanced repeatedly toward the high platform.
"What on earth is going on? Why has Hulim been standing there motionless since earlier?"
"None of the previous users of the Seven Luminaries reacted like this...... Could it be that the Qualified One is special?"
"I hope nothing goes wrong......"
Semiris looked worried, yet at the same time, a faint sense of relief washed over her.
If they had followed the original plan—Hulim and Little Semiris sneaking away with the Philosopher's Stone without alerting the guardian—
it would have been a complete disaster!
No one could have anticipated that the true Qualified One would enter such a state upon touching the Philosopher's Stone!
Hulim had been standing there for over ten minutes, motionless as if her consciousness had left her body!
If it weren’t for the unexpected intrusion of a slipthrough at the last moment,
Hulim—lost in consciousness after touching the stone—would have been doomed once the guardian awakened!
"......This can’t go on. The power of this avatar is nearly exhausted."
"If only my true body could descend to the mortal realm. I could crush this thing with a single finger!"
Semiris glared at the Golem, gritting her teeth in frustration. She regretted not creating more backup avatars to send down—she could have just slept a little longer the next year to recover!
"No, if Hulim doesn’t wake up soon......"
A resolute look flashed in Semiris’s eyes.
"I’ll have to self-destruct the avatar and take this thing down with me—!"
No matter what, Hulim must not come to harm. She could never allow such a tragedy to unfold before her eyes again!
"Ugh......"
Just then,
Hulim—who had been motionless for over ten minutes—suddenly moved.
Hum——!
Almost simultaneously,
the Philosopher's Stone and the body of the Seven Luminaries emitted a brilliant glow, floating into the air and swirling around each other.
"She’s finally awake!"
Semiris let out a sigh of relief.
But then she sensed something was off.
"Strange...... Was the Seven Luminaries like this when previous users wielded it?"
Hum——!
After a burst of intense light,
the Philosopher's Stone and the wand merged once more, restoring the complete Seven Luminaries.
The wand slowly descended, landing directly in Hulim’s hands.
Beep! Beep! Beep......
Realizing the object it was tasked with guarding had vanished,
the Combined Golem suddenly entered Rampage Mode.
"Huh?!"
Semiris—whose attention had been on Hulim—was caught off guard. But with her combat experience, even a rampaging Golem could barely threaten her. She dodged its attacks with ease.
On the other side, Hulim—having just obtained the complete Seven Luminaries—noticed the battle.
"Semiris!"
Hum! Hum! Hum......
Layers of magic circles unfolded behind her.
"Super Acceleration——!"
Boom——!!!
A figure suddenly darted between Semiris and the Combined Golem.
"Hulim!? "
Semiris exclaimed in surprise.
Beep beep beep......
The Golem quickly analyzed the threat level of the intruder.
"Semiris......"
Hulim looked at her, seemingly unaware that she was in the middle of an extremely dangerous battlefield.
She had so much to say, but when the words reached her lips—memories of the fragments, the sorrow, the sacrifices—she couldn’t utter a single one.
She sidestepped lightly, evading a sword energy attack from behind.
In the end, all her unspoken words condensed into one sentence:
"......Leave the rest to me."
Hulim turned around, facing the rampaging Combined Golem.
"......Hulim."
Semiris stared at her back, wanting to join the fight. But for some reason, her heart urged her to trust her.
She didn’t know if it was blind faith in Hulim, or something more......
Beep beep beep......
Hulim’s effortless evasion caused the Golem’s threat assessment of her to skyrocket.
"Then......"
Hulim held the Seven Luminaries horizontally with both hands.
"Let’s begin the final round."
