Chapter 30: Amaterasu |
Seeing the system prompt in his mind, Xia Ya had no reason to refuse.
He had taken a massive risk, putting on an elaborate act before the Ashen Order and the entire academy, making himself appear as a willing sacrifice for the greater good.
And all of it—was for the very thing at the center of the altar, the index finger bone that served as the core of this fire sacrament.
A Sixth-Tier Corrupted Object and Transcendent Material.
If converted into Rhine Gold Coins, it would be worth at least hundreds of thousands, and even then, it was an item that couldn’t simply be bought.
After all, Sixth Tier corresponded to Titled Beastmasters or even Imperial-Tier Summoned Beasts.
No matter which superpower in the Western Continent owned it, this was an undeniable strategic resource.
Even Titled Beastmasters could use this material to further enhance their strength, and for those below that tier, it could directly upgrade their summoned beasts’ racial aptitude.
Had he followed the conventional path, even if Xia Ya completed Order Bureau or Military Department missions to an absurd degree, he would never be able to exchange for a material of this level—unless he signed a binding contract, effectively becoming a servant of the Empire.
[Confirmed: Using this Transcendent Material to complete the skill prototype: "Amaterasu."]
[Processing fire source containment…]
[Containment progress: 1%, 2%...]
As the azure text appeared, a silver-white figure flashed.
Little Snow Ferret was summoned onto Xia Ya’s shoulder.
"Seize this chance, Silver."
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we fail to contain it, we’re going to be living on scraps for the next year."
"Ying-ying!"
Little Snow Ferret nodded seriously.
This was the moment it had been waiting for.
Mastering its most powerful attack and securing its position as Xia Ya’s undisputed Number One Summoned Beast—that day had finally come!
In Silver’s right eye, gleaming like a ruby, three blood-red moons rotated continuously, reflecting into reality.
At the center of the altar, the withered, skeletal finger bone suddenly flickered.
Sometimes solid, sometimes illusory—
As if it were shifting between a tangible object and a fabricated mirage.
And as it wavered between real and unreal—
Faint ethereal light, along with the surrounding black flames, began to be drawn into Silver’s left eye.
…
Outside the altar, everyone silently watched the flame-shrouded structure, awaiting the final outcome.
The ones participating in this operation were all seasoned arsonists, and this wasn’t their first fire sacrament.
Though this one was on a different scale, past experiences dictated that a sacrifice would be reduced to ashes within mere seconds—
And the Divine Relic at the core of the ritual would absorb the offering’s essence, unleashing an unstoppable calamity upon the world.
However—
Ten seconds passed…
Thirty seconds passed…
A full minute passed…
The altar, still engulfed in black flames, remained eerily silent, showing no signs of the fire sacrament’s completion.
"Just wait," an experienced arsonist reassured. "The Divine Relic our Lord bestowed this time is far superior to the past ones. Naturally, it will take longer."
So they waited—three more minutes.
Yet the black-flamed altar was still motionless, not a single change.
"Stay calm," said the Third-Ring leader of the arsonists.
"This sacrifice was personally chosen by the Pontiff. His quality alone is worth hundreds of ordinary offerings… A slower ritual process is to be expected."
The leader’s authority in the Ashen Order was high—his words alone were enough to pacify the anxious cultists.
Another three minutes.
Then another three minutes.
At the ten-minute mark, a young arsonist finally lost patience and approached the altar to investigate.
But almost instantly—
A miserable scream echoed through the air.
The black flames surrounding the altar showed no mercy, incinerating him instantly despite his affiliation.
Soon, the stench of burning flesh filled the air.
"Do not disturb our Lord."
The arsonist leader ignored his comrade’s agonized wails, speaking gravely as a warning.
The others quickly nodded in agreement.
So they continued to wait.
Meanwhile, in the distant battlefield, the once earth-shaking battle between Monarch-Tier Summoned Beasts had grown eerily quiet.
The Molten Giant had already lost an arm and a leg, and its chest had been pierced through in two places.
The Ashen Order's Pontiff was barely hanging on, clinging to life with sheer willpower, desperately trying to stall the two Fourth-Ring Masters from disrupting the ritual.
And then—
Just as both the Ashen Order and Saint Roland Academy’s students had nearly lost all patience—
The altar… finally changed.
The black flames surrounding it suddenly flared up.
Then—
In an instant—
They collapsed inward, as if something had completely absorbed them.
The once towering inferno vanished entirely, revealing the stone altar beneath.
The arsonist leader’s eyes flashed with relief and joy.
From experience—whenever the black flames disappeared, it meant that the fire sacrament had succeeded.
The Divine Relic had now fully assimilated its power.
It would no longer leak energy uncontrollably—instead, it had been bestowed with divinity, now capable of wielding its power freely.
With absolute reverence, the leader snapped his scythe in half and knelt, his voice fervent.
"We welcome our Lord’s descent!"
"We welcome our Lord’s descent!"
Behind him, the remaining arsonists all followed suit, their expressions devout.
They had foreseen the future—
Using this left finger bone as a vessel, the Ashen Lord’s Avatar would descend upon the Imperial Capital, reducing all heretics to ashes, proclaiming the Ashen Order’s dominion across the Western Continent.
But—
A sound interrupted them.
Footsteps.
The arsonist leader saw a pair of military-style boots step into view.
Then, a familiar, leisurely voice followed.
"Oh? So your scythes are actually single-use ritual items? And here I thought they were some kind of innate soul-bound weapon."
The speaker’s tone was light-hearted, almost cheerful.
"Wait—why are you guys kneeling?"
"Whatever. Since you’re already in position, I might as well test my new skill on you… Oh, right, I almost forgot to allocate my points."
The arsonist leader blinked in confusion.
Then—
He looked up.
And saw those blood-red eyes, spinning like a kaleidoscope.
"Amaterasu."
In the fraction of a millisecond that followed—
The eternal, cursed flames ignited, reducing everything within a hundred-meter radius to nothing but embers.