Chapter 951 |
Chapter 951
Yuder finally heard the news of success through the words of the returned Steiber.
“I thought it was incomprehensible gibberish, but the Commander understood immediately upon hearing it. I saw everything you did on my way here and how the Commander dealt with it,” Steiber had reported.
Steiber, shortly after departing from the land, encountered the aftermath of a massive current caused by Yuder. Initially, the tremendous vibrations and unusual movements rising from below led him to believe a monster had finally reached them. This prompted an early dive, before reaching the location of Dover and the first team members. Upon entry, he was met with an incredible sight: a massive swarm of indeterminate debris, caught in a whirlwind-like current originating from the deep sea, being pushed towards the land.
Yes, it could only be described as a mass of debris.
Transparent, barely discernible fragments of various monsters were chaotically mixed with sea plants and branches floating in the ocean. The sight of the seawater, as if with a will of its own, sweeping and pushing this debris was both wondrous and unbelievable.
The massive flow nonchalantly passed beneath his feet. Stunned by the unexpected sight, Steiber used his strength to head back toward the land, eager to understand what it all meant.
Soon after, he witnessed everything being torn apart by a massive sword aura that had come flying from the land.
True sword aura, they say, splits everything it touches. The sword aura used by Kishiar did just that, even splitting the dense fog over the sea.
The sight was neat and overwhelmingly impressive.
Though he only indirectly experienced the thrill sent by the sea split by the sword aura from afar, Steiber thought he would never forget that scene for the rest of his life.
Even though he had never directly seen the sword aura of a swordmaster before, he immediately recognized what it was. Anyone from the capital knew the legends of the first Emperor leaving the Emperor's Sword Mark with the divine sword Orr, having grown up hearing them.
The sword aura, said to be so immense it could split the sky and earth, was a brilliant blue.
And the resplendent silver of the divine sword Orr, emitting it and protecting its master.
Steiber had been the one to accompany Kishiar to the capital recently, when Kishiar went to verify his rightful ownership of the real divine sword at the Pope's request. Even though he was born and lived in the capital, the deepest interior of the Imperial Grand Remple he entered for the first time was beautiful but also uncomfortably disturbing.
Most of those present believed Kishiar to be deceiving and were intent on exposing the falsehood, their eyes wide open with anticipation. It had been a long time since the Emperor's authority waned and the nobles began to belittle the imperial family, but perhaps their attitude was too presumptuous. Just standing in the back, Steiber's fists trembled with the offensive remarks that were hurled incessantly.
It was unbearable to just stand and watch those who hardly seemed to have had a proper conversation with Kishiar La Orr insult the Commander so cunningly. If it had been young, hot-blooded men there instead of Steiber, they probably would have thrown punches without a second thought.
Steiber suspected that was probably why he had been chosen for this role.
However, the Commander remained composed. At that moment, he appeared slightly more fatigued than usual, yet he countered the adversaries' nonsensical remarks with a smile, elegantly and without a hint of weariness. To the casual observer, it might have seemed as though Kishiar was merely laughing off insulting comments, but after the conversation, it was invariably those who had instigated the argument who were left red-faced.
And then, he, appearing last in front of the Pope, did not lose his composure as he drew the divine sword Orr, presenting it before everyone.
In stark contrast to its ornate scabbard, adorned with various jewels and magic symbols, the blade that emerged seemed surprisingly unremarkable. However, this was merely Steiber's uninitiated impression, as the Pope and others fell silent and attentive in a moment.
“...May I examine it closely?"
The Pope's vision was poor. He brought a thick lens to his eye and carefully inspected the blade of the divine sword, then slowly placed his hand over the sword's body.
He was seeking to verify firsthand that the divine sword responded to divine power. Everyone watched intently, not wanting to miss a single detail.
Divine power slowly flowed from within the Pope's wrinkled fingers. Despite his title, the amount wasn't as immense as one might expect, especially compared to those like Lusan who used divine power liberally. However, objectively speaking, it was far more substantial than most of the priests who lacked divine power.
When the Pope removed his hand, a new light emerged over the silver blade. Everyone could feel the unique and mystical divine power it emitted.
The light shattered, transforming into some sort of scripture before eventually subsiding. The Pope, bringing his hands together, declared,
“This is undoubtedly the real divine sword Orr. I am honored to meet the new master of the sword before presenting him to the embrace of the divine.”
His quiet but unequivocally clear affirmation stirred everyone. Some murmured in disbelief, while others demanded a more thorough confirmation method, questioning how mere observation of divine power infused in the sword could be enough. It amazed Steiber that, even after witnessing a miracle of the divine sword that no one else could replicate, such skepticism could exist.
Ultimately, it was Kishiar himself who silenced the clamorous scene.
“Verification, you say? I don't mind doing whatever.”
“Very well, then let's proceed with another method...!”
“But I do have one concern. What if, in conducting additional verification, someone suspects that I doubt the authenticity of the divine power personally manifested by His Holiness the Pope? I would be fine if that's not the case.”
His questioning, accompanied by an innocent smile and a tilt of the head, seemed almost too naive for his stature. Everyone around the Pope fell abruptly silent.
“...”
Everyone here knew that the priests nowadays struggled due to their almost non-existent divine power. It was not for no reason that young priests, reputed to be born with abundant divine power, were summoned all the way to the grand temple. Lusan, too, would have had a place there if he had been fortunate enough in this regard.
Priests who wanted to keep their lack of divine power a secret occasionally resorted to deception. They would disguise the luminance emitted when using divine power with magic tools and the like.
Thus, Kishiar's statement was essentially a pointed inquiry, wondering if the Pope might have indulged in such a shameful act. Of course, no one had actually entertained such a thought, but the fact remained that there were calls for more and thorough verification methods.
The Pope, a figure of neutrality who had aged into profound quietude, deemed it unnecessary to concern himself with the matter. It was simply a case of excessive eagerness born from the desire of those fixated on exposing Duke Peletta's falsehoods.
Kishiar's question incisively exploited this weakness, swiftly overturning the atmosphere.
No matter how impudent they were, none could dare assert in the Pope's presence that the divine power he personally wielded was not genuine. Such a claim would transcend the Pope himself, implicating the honor and identity of the entire Temple of the Sun God.
The rude onlookers quickly fell silent, and the eyes of those accompanying the Pope grew more stern. Eventually, the impertinent ones left hastily, murmuring hopes of meeting again. Not long after, the Pope departed, having spent some time in private conversation with Kishiar.
Steiber felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He only regretted not being able to laugh out loud.
And now, standing before the southern seas, Steiber felt an even greater emotion watching Kishiar wield the sword, emanating an aura more intense than anyone else's. There it was, the 'real' sword mastery that anyone who had practiced with a sword, including lads like Jimmy who used to play knights with wooden swords before awakening, had dreamed of.
How he wished those insolent ones could have witnessed this spectacle!
They, more than anyone, should have seen it!
It was as if he had glimpsed a scene from a myth...
Several times, Steiber paused in his explanation, seemingly unable to fully express his emotions through mere hand signals.
"Anyway, after confirming the Commander's response, I immediately returned. I met with Dover and the others too."