Chapter 237: Heroic Relics
"Very good. We’ve spilled a little blood already. Now we can continue with the ceremony. What’s the next step in our sacrifice to the heavens? Oh, I know... you, the biggest hag here, can start chanting the prayers." Dandara’s voice broke the silence.
The people around them didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Dandara had just thrown Mikhella’s opening words right back at her, and it landed like a resounding slap across the face.
Edhella’s expression turned extremely dark. She hated herself for raising such an idiotic daughter who had reacted like a coward. The girl hadn’t lost her life, but she had lost all of her honor.
"How pathetic. You really think you’re amazing, huh? Hahaha..." A malicious laugh echoed from farther back.
Everyone turned toward a tall, muscular man.
"The conversation hasn’t hit rock bottom yet. It’s still the Fourth Branch’s turn. Your Eighth Branch already got its ass kicked by Boss before," Dandara said mockingly.
The man burst into laughter. "You seriously think beating the third-strongest young faction in my branch means anything?! Hahaha... If you’ve got that much guts, why don’t you try dealing with me instead?"
Validar stood right behind him, watching in silence. If he spoke up himself, he’d only lose face. After all, accepting that fight would make no sense and would be completely unfair to Priam.
Validar’s only hope was that Priam would take the bait thrown out by his strongest disciple.
At that moment, Priam calmly looked at the man.
[Name: Dioma Escrotou]
[Race: Runevext]
[Magic Title: Ninth-Level Catalyst Mage Master]
[Karmic Title: Lucky and Deranged]
[Bloodline: 50]
[Anima: 55]
[Wheel of Fate: 95]
[Loyalty: Terrible]
Priam snorted. That idiot’s Karmic Title suited him perfectly. His luck was absurd, but everything else about him was average. Sometimes, having outrageous luck alone was enough to give someone a terrifying advantage over everyone else.
Suddenly, the sky above everyone began to distort.
The Elder Leaders looked up and, in perfect unison, ordered,
"Everyone, take your positions!"
The disciples were startled, but they quickly moved into formation.
A moment later, two radiant figures appeared in the sky.
It was a man and a woman. Physically, they looked completely ordinary, yet simply meeting their eyes made anyone’s heart pound uncontrollably.
"Greetings, Central Elders!" all of the Elder Leaders said in unison, their voices filled with respect.
The two figures in the sky gave slight nods.
"Let’s get straight to the point," the man said firmly. "For some of you, this isn’t your first Sacred Mission. But this time... this one is truly special."
Without wasting any time, he began his explanation.
Everyone would be sent to another world—but it was a world that had been almost completely destroyed. None of its original universes remained, and only a handful of races had survived.
The only place still intact was a mysterious region known as the *Kingdom of the Three Heroic Relics*.
Long ago, those relics had been the source of that world’s greatest power. Three great races possessed them and ruled everything. But after a devastating war, the universes were gradually destroyed until the destruction reached the very core of the world itself.
The scale of that conflict had been so apocalyptic that it was impossible for ordinary lifeforms to comprehend. No one knew how or why, but the three great relic bearers had truly intended to destroy one another.
At the very last second, however, as they witnessed the end of everything, the three relics were activated, creating that small Kingdom at the very center of the world.
Originally, that place had served as the world’s training ground, where the greatest geniuses pushed beyond their limits in hopes of one day reaching immortality. Even now, many of those training grounds still remained.
The Kingdom of the Three Heroic Relics was divided into three regions.
The outer region consisted of thousands of isolated microspaces, where the surviving races lived like islands floating in the void.
The inner section was a colossal continent, where most of the ancient training grounds and treasures still remained.
And at the very heart of that continent lay the entrance to the central region.
For countless ages, all three sections had remained sealed off from one another. However, at regular intervals, the outer region would reconnect with the inner one—and eleven months later, the central region would become accessible.
The mission given by the Sovereigns was simple: everyone would be sent directly into the inner region, where they could explore and claim its treasures. Eleven months later, they were to make their way into the central region.
That was where the world’s core was located, and the Mages’ mission was to destroy it.
According to the Sovereigns, the core would be weakened and powerless during that period, making it an easy target. The disciples would have thirty days to complete the mission. After that, the core’s power would begin to awaken, and everyone inside would supposedly be killed.
But that tragedy had never actually happened. On the thirtieth day, every Mage inside was brought back automatically, and the mission failed.
That mission had already failed exactly eighty-six times. Sects from every corner of the universe had tried and run into the exact same dead end.
Whenever disciples entered the central region, something unknown happened. After they returned from the failed mission, not a single one remembered anything they had experienced inside. Deaths only happened during the eleven months spent exploring the inner region. Strangely enough, no one ever died inside the central region itself.
Why not just send Sages?
Impossible.
If anyone above the Mage level sets foot in that place, the world’s core immediately enters an emergency state, devours the energy of the dimension itself, and unleashes a terrifying force.
Long ago, right after the first failure, they tried exactly that—and an army of hundreds of thousands of Sages was slaughtered for nothing.
This mission resurfaced across the universe at irregular intervals, sometimes taking thousands of years before appearing again. Since it always ended in failure and the rewards weren’t worth the risk, the great sects from the other regions simply refused to take on the challenge.
Only the Ironweald Sect, which desperately lacked resources, still accepted the gamble nowadays... along with the Sorcerers from the southern region.
"At the very least, all of you should gather as many resources from the inner region as possible. The natives living there are also valuable targets, since they carry a unique material called the Great Mist Stone," the Central Elder explained.
"That resource can only be used by Sages. If you manage to bring it back, the sect will exchange each unit for one million points."
Hearing that, every disciple—even the wealthy ones from the Fourth Branch—went wide-eyed. One million points for a single stone was an utterly terrifying and unbelievable amount.
"As I mentioned, the place is filled with training grounds and treasures. However, it’s unbelievably dangerous. On average, fifty percent of the disciples die during those eleven months. The slightest mistake will cost you your life, so I strongly advise you not to take this journey lightly."
The man paused briefly before continuing,
"While those natural dangers can be avoided if you’re careful, the greatest threat is the Sorcerers. If they find you, they’ll attack to kill without hesitation. Keep that in mind, and strike back. There’s no point trying to negotiate."
"And lastly... don’t kill each other over treasures. Internal fighting between members of the sect is strictly forbidden. Anyone who breaks that rule will be punished with the harshest penalties."
The disciples let out dry sighs.
Of course, for that punishment to happen, the attacked disciple had to survive. Not only that, they needed proof of who attacked them. So... saying it was forbidden to attack fellow sect members was something only an idiot would believe.
"Your goal is to survive and grow stronger. When it’s time to head to the central region, the skies will change, so you’ll know. Just make your way to the center and try to complete the mission. If, by some miracle, you succeed... whoever does it will have their name carved into history, and our sect will receive an unparalleled reward from the Sovereign. Naturally, the sect will also reward those responsible beyond measure."
The man spoke slowly, giving the disciples time to absorb every instruction. After waiting a few seconds, he concluded,
"As you’ve heard, this mission will last a total of twelve months for you. However, time flows differently between worlds. In that particular place, time is chaotic. Sometimes one year there equals three years here. Other times, it equals thirty. There’s no way to predict how much time will have passed back home by the time you return."
The disciples nodded indifferently.
Even if it turned out to be thirty years, that was a short span for Mages like them. No one important to them would die, and nothing would truly change back home.
In the divine plane, being a Mage Master was common. Depending on the race, a Mage Master could live up to a thousand years.
But for the four members of the Ylisse clan, that time dilation wasn’t good news. Thirty years was a very significant amount of time for the people back home, and a lot could change.
Fortunately, Priam had left everything at home protected for a very long time.
’I hope it’s the shortest time this time...’ Priam thought as the image of his little sisters crossed his mind.
After a minute of silence, the Central Elder gestured to the woman beside him.
"Everything has been said. I wish you all good luck."
The woman let out a faint snort and pulled a golden crystal the size of a fist from her robe. It immediately began to shine with an intense, blinding light.
The Branch Leader Elders turned toward their disciples, wished them luck, and quickly stepped away.
Suddenly, a violent spatial fluctuation erupted into the air.
High above, an enormous vortex opened up, like the ravenous maw of a beast ready to devour heaven and earth.
The portal rippled, continuously opening and closing.
Within seconds, hundreds of thousands of disciples felt their bodies float upward against their will, slowly rising toward the heavens.
The Central Elders simply watched in silence as the massive crowd was swallowed by the rift. It all took only a few seconds, and then the place was left completely deserted.