Chapter 146: Vritra, God of the Underworld

Pallavis, carrying a shield on his back, chimed in to Lucius’s monologue.  

“So, the number of priestess’ determines how many techniques can be used… is that it?”  

He had heard of this before, but witnessing it firsthand gave him a new appreciation of its brilliance.  

Techniques are the manifestation of power.  

And as with all things that take form, there are strengths, weaknesses, and compatibilities to consider.  

However, if these techniques could be swapped out, the entire dynamic changes. It would allow one to wield numerous techniques tailored to any given situation—an almost unfair advantage.  

The Empire’s inhumane weapons, magic tools imbued with techniques stolen from monsters, pale in comparison to the Republic’s entirely different approach.  

“It takes some getting used to. I’ve been partnered with Anushka for a long time, so it’s not a problem for me. But I can’t just use techniques from other priestess’ right away. That’s why each of the Four Saints is assigned to guard a specific Great Priestess. Of course, for someone of their caliber, they can probably use most techniques, even if there’s a slight gap in proficiency.”  

“Just being able to switch techniques is already an incredible advantage.”  

“True enough. But because of that, elemental magic tools aren’t highly regarded.”  

Lucius glanced at his own magic sword.  

Technique attributes come with compatibility issues.  

For example, ice and fire techniques, or light and dark techniques, would cancel each other out, resulting in restrictions.  

“So that’s why most magic tools use transformation-based techniques.”  

“Exactly. Transformation techniques are versatile and can adapt to most situations. The only exception would be something like Ravana, which is non-elemental.”  

Priena, the woman who had accompanied Lucius to the Republic, wielded Ravana. This technique created a rain of crescent moon-shaped blades over a wide area. It was highly offensive, yet it lacked any specific attribute.  

It was likely that non-elemental techniques couldn’t be repurposed into “Seals.”  

—I see. That’s why Ravana was…

Lucius had always questioned why such an exceptional, high-tier technique was given to a foreign clan, even if they were allies.  

Perhaps it was because Ravana, a high-tier spirit, had no use within the Republic’s sacred domain. By allowing a foreign ally to contract with it, the Republic could superficially foster trust—or rather, implant a wedge to ensure they wouldn’t become a threat.  

Priena herself had been offered up as a mere pawn.  

Taken from her family at a young age to serve as a political tool, she was forced to contract with a high-tier spirit. Later, she was burdened with her clan’s unwanted tasks, such as assassinating Lucius. And when her usefulness waned, she was branded a criminal claiming royal lineage, her face disfigured, and nearly executed.  

Lucius clenched his teeth.  

—I know.

Nations and politics cannot survive on idealism alone.  

It’s easy to criticize the sacrifice of a few for the good of the many as unjust. But the real challenge lies in presenting, executing, and delivering an alternative solution.  

As things stood, Lucius had no alternative for maintaining the fragile relationship between the Republic and the Kingdom.  

“Hey, Lucius. Your face looks pretty grim. Is something bothering you?”  

Pallavis, unaware of the details, leaned in with concern.  

“…I’m fine. More importantly, there seems to be another magic eater over there.”  

Lucius pointed deeper into the forest, clearly trying to change the subject.  

“Oh, good catch! Alright, it’s my turn now!”  

“Hey, Ram! Don’t go off on your own!”  

Ray and Ram dashed into the forest.  

“Hey, you two, wait up!” 

Anushka called as she followed them.  

Lucius and Pallavis were left alone in the forest.  

“By the way, Lucius, is your magic sword repaired? Have you managed to activate ‘Fusion’ yet?”  

In response, Lucius channeled magic into his sword, activating its technique. He then attempted to draw the technique back into himself.  

But nothing happened.  

To be precise, the sword’s magic and technique flowed into his body, but he couldn’t trigger its activation.  

Something was blocking the technique from manifesting.  

“No.”  

“That’s strange. You’ve already activated the sword’s technique, so why can’t you use ‘Fusion’? Is it because of the multi-blade setup?”

Pallavis furrowed his brow in thought before suddenly widening his eyes as if a realization had struck him.  

“I think I heard somewhere that the Kingdom allows people other than priestess’ to have contracts with spirits…”  

He stared intently at Lucius.  

“Lucius, don’t tell me… are you contracted with a spirit?”  

“Yeah, I am.”  

Pallavis froze, his expression one of shock.  

“What a waste! With sword skills like yours…!”  

He abruptly shouted into the forest.  

“Is something wrong with that?” 

Lucius asked.  

“It’s a problem! The techniques of a contracted spirit and a magic sword can conflict, preventing you from using ‘Fusion’ to manifest their power inside your body or ‘Seal’ to infuse new techniques into the sword! The same goes for Priestess!”  

“Ah, I see.”  

“‘I see,’ he says! That’s it?!”  

The Kingdom didn’t have priestess’, and while many in the south contracted with spirits, it was unclear whether they studied martial arts. Because of this, Lucius hadn’t placed much importance on ‘Seal,’ though he had some hope for ‘Fusion’ as a means of enhancing his physical abilities.  

Now that it was confirmed impossible, he felt a pang of disappointment.  

—Oh well.

Even so, this didn’t mean he couldn’t use any physical enhancement techniques. By summoning Chiyou, he could access the highest-grade physical enhancement techniques.  

The manifestation of a spirit required a great deal of magic energy, so he was still intrigued by techniques that offered efficient power usage. But efficiency wasn’t what he needed right now. What he needed was to raise his limits even further.  

“Wait a second.” 

Paravis muttered, his expression growing serious. 

“You were searching for a spirit, right? Could it be… a multi-core setup?”  

Lucius didn’t recognize the term “multi-core,” but he understood its implication.  

“I have four magic cores.” 

In the Kingdom, this was referred to as *juushou* (overlapping chanting) when paired with a spirit like Siren, but in the Republic, it seemed they called it “multi-core.”  

“I see.” P

Pallavis said, his tone heavy. 

“That’s reckless… or maybe your parents were.”  

From his somber expression, it was clear that having multiple magic cores was considered taboo in the Republic as well.  

Most people had only one magic core.  

This was because attempting to possess more than one often led to death before success.  

More importantly, even the Great Priestess’ s, who had only one core, possessed more magic power than Lucius with his four. To many, this made multiple cores seem pointless.  

“Let’s go. We’ll lose track of the others.”

“…Yeah, right.”

Pallavis replied, his voice subdued.  

—

The group continued hunting the magic eaters and returned to the village of Musuumura before the evening sun set.  

Each member carried an armful of magic weapons. While damaged weapons couldn’t be used, they could be exchanged for money at the Musuumura trading post.  

“Wow, Lucius! You’re amazing! How can you tell where the magic eater are?” 

Ram, the third seat, said, clearly impressed.  

“I just have a feeling.”

Lucius replied.  

“Maybe multi-blades are particularly good at sensing magic. I’d love to have you come with us to the Abyss next.” 

Ray, the second seat, said while smiling.  

“I’m interested in the Abyss. Please take me along.”

From what he’d heard, the Abyss had stronger magic eaters than those in the Outer Forest. There might even be powerful magic weapons there that could serve his purpose.  

“Alright, next we’ll—”  

Ram’s words were cut off by Paravis.  

“No. I can’t allow it.”  

“Why not, Pallavis? People like Lucius are rare!”  

“Ram, are you trying to get Lucius killed? You can’t send someone who can’t even use ‘Fusion’ against the magic eaters in the Abyss!” 

Pallavis’s refusal was firm and unwavering.  

“But if we protect him like we do Anushka, then—”  

“The Abyss has magic eaters that are impossible to defeat, including the Three Greater Magic Eaters. Even priestess’ can barely handle themselves there. How many times have you seen what happens to those who can’t protect themselves in a crisis?”

There was an undeniable air of authority in Pallavis’s demeanor. Perhaps he was thinking of his lost brother, the man who was Tylus’ real father.  

“That’s… true, but…”  

“Besides, unlike the Outer Forest, the Abyss is overflowing with magic eaters. There’s no need for Lucius to search them out for us.”  

“But… I thought it might be safer to have him help us find weaker ones…”  

“The goal of our Spear Corps, the ultimate wish of Musuumura, isn’t that.” 

Pallavis said calmly, his words silencing Ram, who wilted like a chastened child.  

“The goal?” 

Lucius asked.  

“…Come to think of it, I haven’t told you yet. Our Spear Corps’ mission is to slay a god and return the Nether God Vritra to the cycle of reincarnation.”  

“The cycle of reincarnation? What do you mean?”  

“At the lowest level of the Abyss, the being that was Vritra still exists. Our mission is to kill it and restore it as Vritra, along with the faith it once held in this land. This is the most important task for the Noah Baptism and the responsibility of the Spear Corps, who once protected the Vritra God and its High Priestess.”  

—So there really were five main gods in the past.

Lucius couldn’t ignore the word was.  

Vritra was undoubtedly a spirit, and essentially a type of magic creature.  

He had heard tales of magic creatures evolving into something entirely different—he had even experienced such transformations himself.  

“Could it be… that Vritra evolved?”  

The four others nodded in unison.  

The equally powerful Quadra God was said to be akin to Samael. If Vritra had undergone additional malign evolutions, it was likely to have become a monstrous being on par with Samael.  

Lucius gazed into the depths of the Abyss.  

The thought of such an overwhelmingly powerful being dwelling in the shadows sent a chill down his spine.  

—The Underworld God Vritra.

Lucius repeated the name in his mind, over and over, as if to etch it into his soul.

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