Chapter 62: Warrant

『 「Power – Divine Radiance」
– Emits powerful holy light. Restores the health and magic power of targets touched by the light, and strengthens their physical abilities. 』

『 「Power – Sanctus Eudicium」
– Casts down divine judgment. Reacts to the target’s sins and malice. 』

『 「Power – Lux Purificacio」
– Casts down the blessing of light. Washes away all curses and impure energy. 』

『 「Power – Oculus Veritas」- Sees through the truth. Neutralizes illusions and lies. 』

『 「Power – Hemomancy」
– Converts blood into divine power. 』

『 「Power – Death Mark」
– Grants a mark of death. Beings engraved with the mark cannot escape. 』

“Wow!”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration at the six powers that the status window told me.

These must all be the abilities that Master Mikel had given me as an apostle.

Each and every one of them was an awesome ability.

『 ★ 【Licorice】 Dominant Thanatos Crown LV305 6 years old ♀

【Ability】
HP: 3,494/3,494 + (1,612,719)
MP: 3,394/2,911
Attack: 3,494
Magic: 3,394
Defense: 3,394
Magic Resist: 3,394
Agility: 444 (Polymorph)

【Skills】
「Area Control LV6」
「Crimson Apocalypse」
「Freeze Immunity」
「Photosynthesis LV7」
「Extinction Toxin」
「Dark Root Dance」
「Pollen Full Bloom LV8」
「Pollen – Temptation (True) LV7」
「Pain Tolerance LV4」
「Selflessness LV8」
「Pollen – Paralysis (True) LV7」
「Pollen – Recovery (Ultimate)」
「Pollen – Bleeding (True) LV4」
「Pollen – Corrosion LV6」
「Pollen – Corruption (True) LV4」
「Elysian Essence Honey」
「Flower Honey – Will (True) LV4」
「Blood System」
「Red Moon」
「Overwhelm LV7」
「Brilliance LV7」
「Poison Resistance LV7」
「Overwhelm LV3」
「Polymorph」
「Power – Divine Radiance」
「Power – Sanctus Eudicium」
「Power – Lux Purificacio」
「Power – Oculus Veritas」
「Power – Hemomancy」
「Power – Deathmark」

【Trait】
[Inferno Stigma]
[Michel’s Cheer]
[Magic]
[Prostia’s Attachment Plant]
[Blood Rush]
[Michel’s Flower]
[Automatic Costume Donning (Default – Black Dress Set) – Polymorph]
[Polymorph Effect – Black & Red Smoke]
[Perfection]
[Noble Dignity]
[Noble Lady Etiquette]
[Guardian of Shia Calt]
[Magic Collector]
[Mikel’s Apostle]

I naturally looked into my information.

There was over 1.6 million blood stored in the auxiliary battery.

What I just used on Ryandel and Revi was definitely the ‘Divine Radiance’ ability, and that power must have come from my blood through Hemomancy?

‘If all this blood is converted into divine power…’

“Oh my, haven’t I become too strong?”

I muttered to myself without realizing it.

With over 300 levels and a fancy skill set.

Now that I’ve become an Apostle of Master Mikel with these specs, I feel almost invincible.

I felt like I could defeat the Flame Lion that Master had previously captured with the help of the Ace Four.

Of course, Master and Niss are still far behind!

Hehe!

“Licorice, what’s going on?”

“Huh? I just learned of new abilities.”

“Are there more besides the Arrow of Light?”

Revi asked with sparkling eyes.

“Hmm… There’s the healing powers you experienced earlier, and things like judgment, blessing, seeing the truth, converting blood into divine power, and the death mark.”

“They’re all Mikel’s traditional domain. I don’t know much about converting blood into divine power and the death mark, though…”

Ryandel said thoughtfully.

“That’s because you’ve been misunderstanding Mikel! Mikel is also the god of war!”

“Yes, I understand…”

Then the four of them rushed at me.

Miel fluttered her hair in my hair, and Cecilia waved her flames slightly on her shoulder.

Lotte began to orbit around me faster, and Glessia came a little closer than usual.

“Huh? You want to be blessed too? Yes, you take it too!”

Arrows of light shot out from my palms and pierced through the four in turn.

Miel’s wings suddenly flapped faster, and the blue light became clearer.

Cecilia’s flame wings flared like small suns.

Lotte seemed to have gained more levitation and rose higher, and Glessia… Her eyes sparkled for a moment as if she was happy, but soon returned to her lazy appearance.

When I checked the status window again, my HP auxiliary battery had decreased slightly.

『 HP: 3,494/3,494 + (1,610,608) 』

It seemed that each one consumed about 500 HP.

This was Hemomancy’s ability!

If you have enough HP, you can use it infinitely!

I wanted to try out other abilities as well. I especially liked the ability called ‘Lux Purificacio.’

It seemed to be a purification ability since it was said to wash away curses and impure energy.

“Ryandel, hold still for a moment.”

Ryandel stopped with a puzzled expression.

I reached out to him and focused on purifying him.

In an instant, a soft light spread from my hand and enveloped Ryandel.

However, unlike Divine Radiance, there didn’t seem to be any special changes happening to him.

“Oh, nothing happened?”

“What power did you use?”

Ryandel asked, examining his body.

“Lux Purificacio. It’s an ability that washes away curses and impure energy. You seem clean!”

I smiled and used the same power on Rebi.

Her body was enveloped in light as well, but there was no special change.

I tested it on Miel, Cecilia, Glessia, and Lotte, but the results were the same.

It seemed that no one was cursed or tainted by impure energy.

“What a pity. I wanted to see the power properly…”

However, I soon changed my mind.

It was a good thing that no one was under a curse or negative influence.

‘Then what about Oculus Veritas?’

This time, I was curious about the ability to see through the truth.

Since it was said to neutralize illusions and lies, I wanted to see how it worked.

My gaze naturally turned to Lotte, the strangest creature among us.

The metal spider that Niss had modified was still circling around me.

“Oculus Veritas…”

I stared at Lotte intently and tried to activate my power.

However, there was no particular change this time either.

Lotte was still Lotte, and her appearance did not change or something hidden was revealed.

“Hmm… Is it because Lotte is not an illusion or a lie?”

I was a little disappointed, but I thought I should try using the other powers according to each situation.

‘Sanctus Eudicium’ is an ability to judge sins, so I’ll use it when I meet an evil being, and ‘Death Mark’… Well, I thought it would be good to use it on an enemy who is trying to escape.

Anyway, it’s reassuring to have these powers!

“Hmm… Lycoris, will you continue?”

When I sat there lost in thought, Ryandel asked.

“Then! We should go to the master as soon as possible!”

Thanks to the magic map that Ryandel had drawn with his crystal staff, we were able to proceed along the fastest route.

I was told that I could go this way because I wiped out all the monsters yesterday.

As we continued walking, the next night came before we knew it.

With the cold starlight illuminating the valley, we discovered a large cave carved into the ice wall.

“Lycoris, how about we rest here for a while?”

“Hmm? If you receive a blessing once, won’t your fatigue disappear?”

“That’s… My body has recovered, but my mental fatigue still remains. I think it would be better if I close my eyes for a while.”

“Aha. I see.”

A memory from when I was human faintly came to mind.

Yes, no matter how good my body was, I had to rest when my mind was tired.

“Understood. Let’s rest here.”

We went into the cave.

It was much warmer than outside, but the cold air still lingered.

Ryandel and Rebi quickly spread out their sleeping bags and lit a small magic fire.

‘Hmm, humans need to sleep… Should I just turn back into a flower?’

As soon as I returned to my original flower form through polymorph, Miel and Glessia rushed to the center of the stamen.

Their wings and legs tickled each other.

‘Oh my, these honey addicts.’

I made a lot of honey and fed it to them.

Miel drank the honey, her blue wings fluttering busily, and Glessia sucked up a large amount of honey with her thick beak.

Cecilia also began nibbling the edges of my petals.

Come to think of it, Lotte hadn’t eaten anything since leaving the labyrinth. She was still quietly floating in the air, blankly staring at us.

‘Poor Lotte…’

I used the returned area control radar to check if there were any good minerals in this cave.

It would be nice if there were minerals that could be fed to Lotte…

But unfortunately, there were no minerals around. There was only solid ice and rocks.

‘Hmm… I guess I should buy some gold when we get to the kingdom…’

While I was worrying about Lotte’s food, Ryandel and Rebi were already deep in sleep.

Their breathing echoed quietly in the cave.

Miel, Cecilia, and Glessia were also resting in their own ways around me.

The night passed quietly.

***

A cellar in the kingdom of Genes.

In the dim flicker of candlelight, strange patterns were drawn in blood on the floor.

The squiggly lines seemed to take on some form, but the form was completely incomprehensible to the human eye.

It was as if it had been intentionally designed to escape human perception.

Thin streams of water continued to drip from the blackened brick walls and ceiling.

But it wasn’t water. It was thick, red blood.

People in black robes were moving slowly between twelve pillars arranged in a circle in the center of the cellar.

Their faces were hidden under their hoods, so they couldn’t be seen, but the low, resonant prayers clung to my ears like spiderwebs.

“Great Abraxas, I await your coming…”

An altar was placed in the center of the circular space.

A man was tied up on it. His splendid noble attire was soaked in blood.

His chest was rising and falling regularly, but his eyes were blankly staring at the ceiling.

He seemed unconscious.

“Abraxas will rise from the underworld and reveal his glory to this world…”

One of the black-robed figures stepped forward. He was taller and more imposing than the others.

In his hand was a sword engraved with a strange symbol.

The blade seemed like clear glass, but inside it swirled something like black smoke.

“Accept our allegiance. Accept our sacrifice.”

Several of the robed men gathered around the altar.

When they lowered their hoods, noble faces were revealed.

Men and women of noble blood from the Kingdom of Genes.

Their eyes gleamed with madness.

“The ritual is proceeding as planned, Count Walter,” one of the nobles said.

“Very well. Seven more sacrifices are still needed before the Blood Moon rises.”

The one called Walter answered.

“What do you think of the recent rumors from the Empire? There have been strange signs in the Temple of the Sun…”

Another noble asked in a worried voice.

“Rumors are nonsense. The gods have been silent for thousands of years. They have no reason to move now.”

Walter answered firmly.

“When our great Abraxas descends from the underworld to this land, no god will be able to stand before him.”

He raised his sword high.

The man on the altar still did not move.

“Great Abraxas, grant us strength. The strength to open the gate through which you can pass to this world. We are your faithful servants…”

He quickly swung his sword down.

As the sword pierced the nobleman’s chest, all the candles in the room instantly turned into large, dark red flames.

The blood flowing from his body flowed down the grooves of the altar, seeping into the pattern on the floor.

The pattern on the floor began to glow red.

Then, darkness began to swirl in the space in front of the altar.

It was as if space itself was being torn apart.

“Great Abraxas, hear our voices. Send us your servant.”

Something began to take shape in the swirl of darkness.

At first, it was a vague outline, but it gradually became clearer.

It was… human-shaped, but something entirely different.

“The ritual was successful,” Walter said with satisfaction.

“The messenger of Abraxas has appeared before us. Now, when seven more sacrifices are made, the gates will open for the great Abraxas to descend from the underworld to this world.”

The other nobles looked at the entity in the swirl with awe.

“The next ritual is in four days. Prepare more sacrifices.”

All the candles in the basement went out at once.

Darkness swallowed everything up.