Antares nodded. "Yes, but before that, you must defeat the demons that spawn here." He gestured toward the shadows lurking in the corners of the chamber. "You see, this place won't allow the Trident to be used as long as it remains unpurified. Not even I can interfere—you must cleanse it yourselves. Defeat the demons, and remember, their bodies also contain hidden relics you may find useful."
Blade frowned. "But you're powerful enough to do this yourself, aren't you?"
Antares sighed. "I am, but I have sworn not to harm any member of the royal family unless they are truly beyond redemption. The current king was once an honorable man, but he was cursed and turned into a demon. He is no longer himself. However, because of my vow, I cannot strike him down directly. That task falls to you."
Blade clenched his fists and nodded. "Understood. We'll take care of it."
"No, not 'we'—only you will take care of it," Antares said, looking at him. He placed his hand on Piaro's shoulder. "You should just wait here," he said to Piaro, who was getting ready to fight. Piaro wanted to battle the demons too, but seeing Antares' stern expression, he stopped and simply nodded.
Blade looked at him, dumbfounded, as he stared at the level 300+ monster. The problem wasn't that he couldn't fight a high-level monster—he had fought plenty before. The real issue was that the Demonic Mermen King was an Super Named NPC, which meant it was going to be extremely difficult to defeat, especially at his current level 152. He was barely half the level of the Demonic King.
"Is there a time limit?" Blade asked.
Antares smirked. "One year," he replied.
Blade sighed in relief. "Oh, then I'll fight him after ten months," he nodded and said confidently.
"And what will you do in those ten months?" Antares asked, still smiling.
"What else? I'll train and get stronger so that I can fight him and defeat him," Blade fired back.
Antares laughed. "Yes, you passed."
"Huh?" Blade looked at him in confusion.
"There is a thin line between courage and pride. You stood on the side of courage and didn't let your pride blind you," Antares said as he turned away.
"Go and train. After one year, I will be waiting for you," he said as he sat cross-legged near the battlefield. "Until then, I will wait here."
Valentine looked at him. "Is it necessary for Blade to fight alone?" she asked.
"You have waited many years for the liberation—one more year won't matter," Antares replied, his tone firm.
Valentine sighed, realizing he wasn't going to change his mind.
"Before I go, I have something I want to give you," Blade said, passing the Goddess Essence to Antares.
"You said it could help with your lifespan," he added.
Antares held the vial, completely dumbfounded. He was one of the few beings who had reached the level of a Dragon, the absolute predator of this world. Yet, he was plagued by his short lifespan, and the only thing that could fix it was the Goddess Essence.
But obtaining it was nearly impossible. To acquire the Goddess Essence, one had to kill someone recognized as an agent of a Goddess—only then could they obtain it. Even so, if the killer managed to defeat the agent and retrieve the essence, it would normally be cursed by the Goddess, preventing the murderer from gaining any benefits from it.
Yet here it was—a pure, uncorrupted Goddess Essence resting in Antares' hands. This was something that could truly extend his life.
"How?" Antares asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
It was the first time in a whole century that he had been truly shocked.
"The current Pope was corrupted. I got a Goddess Quest to kill him, and he dropped this," Blade replied with a shrug.
Antares stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"You must either have the God of Luck on your side or this is some god-level coincidence," he said.
Valentine looked at the laughing Antares, finding it hard to believe. The image of a dignified elder, who always guided others with wisdom, was completely shattered. Seeing him lose all dignity like this was almost surreal.
"And yet, it will help," Antares said, gazing at the vial containing the Goddess Essence.
"You have done me a great favor," Antares continued as Blade suddenly received a notification.
[ You have gained maximum affinity with Antares. ]
[ Antares will now treat you as if you were his own child. ]
"Take this," Antares said, handing him two items. "It was meant for the next Saint, and I made you one. But I wasn't sure if you were ready for it."
One item was a vial, and the other was a rune.
[ You have acquired Sun Essence. ]
[ You have acquired Rune of the Lord. ]
"I still don't know if you are ready, but it seems the Goddess is watching you. That much is enough for me," Antares said as he waved his hand.
In an instant, Piaro, Valentine, and Blade were back at Kesan Canyon.
At that moment, a message echoed in Blade's mind:
[ Almost forgot! The Sun Essence will help you unlock the artifact of the Sun God. It will unseal it. The artifact is called the Sun Sword. You can find it on the Surface, though I don't know exactly where. Once you find it, awaken it using the Sun Essence. ]
Antares' voice faded as the message ended.
Then, another message appeared:
[ See you after a year! I look forward to your growth. And lastly, take that silly princess with you. She doesn't understand human customs, so teach her that too. Thanks to the True Trident's power, her curse is now fully removed. She will no longer turn into a monster, even if she never touches the Trident again. ]
"We are back at the Surface," Valentine said as she tried to jump back into the lake.
However, every time she jumped, she simply reappeared outside of it, as if she wasn't entering a lake at all but just passing through an illusion.
"Leave it. Antares said we can only return after a year," Blade said.
Valentine pouted. "How can he do that?" she said, visibly angry.
"I won't be able to see Mom, my little brother, Leer, Bede, Father… There are so many people that need to be saved!" she shouted as she tried again and again to enter the lake, but to no avail.
*******
Like it?
A/ N : If any of you are wondering when Mc will return to Michael then it will be after 40 chaps.
Though as you guys have seen it, I have made it Multiversal book, so it is like this.
Though worry not, as you guys have seen my other book, it will start uploading from tomorrow and that one is pure Marvel with no world travel though there are summons.
***
Read More at :- patreon.com/be_king