Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

746 Corpse Wax Candle

A mystical item made from an Iron-blooded Knight Beyonder characteristic? The Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence sure is handy... A Fate Appropriator's sensitivity to fate must have contributed a bit... Or, could it be the result of sarrangement? Lumian was first surprised, then felt the aftereffects of a traumatic bestowment.

Madam Magician seemed to sense his thoughts and chuckled, saying, “I don't know if this is a bestowment from fate, but even if it is, it's the kind we were hoping for and can certainly accept.”

Lumian silently nodded.

Mr. Hanged Man, speaking calmly, said, "Don't overcomplicate your thoughts, just consider two things: “First, you now have no ability to escape this arrangement. Sometimes, what you think of as resistance or rebellion might actually be a predetermined part of the process, and Mr. Fool's Angels aren't always available to protect you. Remember, accepting reality isn't a sign of weakness; finding opportunities within such realities is a true act of courage.

“Second, maximize the benefits that this bestowment of fate brings. Work hard to improve yourself. This doesn't mean giving up but rather tests your wisdom and determination.

When you sense danger or anything unusual, remember, we will always stand by you.

Remember, Mr. Fool can interfere with those plans, but as you know, He isn't fully awake and can't frequently provide protection—only at critical moments.”

After listening intently, Lumian slowly nodded, finding a different kind of resonance and persuasiveness in hearing these ideas voiced by someone else.

Mr. Hanged Man thought for a moment, then added, "What you need to be most wary of is the attempt to resurrect the Blood Emperor through you. You must be extra cautious in similar situations going forward.”

"I'll remember that, thank you, Mr. Hanged Man," Lumian replied sincerely.

Madam Magician then steered the conversation back on track.

“You can take out the items you've gathered, and I'll help you evaluate their powers and any negative effects.”

With the promise of support, Lumian reached into the Traveler's Bag and grasped the hilt of the dark, iron-black broadsword.

Suddenly, his inner worries, like clouds in the sky, were scattered by a terrifying wind, vanishing in an instant.

Why fear a bestowment from fate?

Why fear the arrangements of the gods?

To hell with them all!

May they all go to hell!

In that moment, Lumian was filled with courage, feeling as though he could swing his broadsword at the True Creator Himself if He appeared before him right then.

He drew the black broadsword, its flames extinguished yet still radiating intense heat, and handed it to Madam Magician.

Madam Magician looked at him, took the sword, and joked, "How about we call it the ‘Sword of Courage’?"

“The Sword of Courage..." Lumian paused for a moment.

As the black broadsword left his grasp and was taken by Madam Magician, he shivered violently.

What was I thinking?

I nearly blasphemed His sacred name...

How could I believe I was capable of deicide?

In a moment of fright, Lumian's eyes returned to the black broadsword in Madam Magician's hands.

Could it be its negative influence?

Could it really inspire the courage to commit deicide?

Stars sparkled in Madam Magician's eyes as she gazed at the sword and explained, "This sword fills its bearer with courage, ensuring they are not knocked down by fear or paralyzed by fright. If you had held this sword earlier, even if you were ultimately ‘conquered, you could have endured a bit longer.

“It's extremely durable and sharp, capable of blocking direct attacks from demigods and significantly impacting their defenses. It can also enable you to perform Cull at the level of an lron-blooded Knight, but this will consa great deal of your spirituality, roughly two-thirds of it in one go.

“The sword can also absorb half of the damage for you. That is, even if you fail to block an attack and suffer a fatal wound, it can reduce the severity of that wound from fatal to grave.

“Each strike carries high-temperature flames, and depending on your will, these flames can spread from your weapon to your enemy's body upon contact, and each strike can cause massive explosion.

"If the sword is coated with your target's blood or if they've been scorched by its flames, you can throw it up to five kilometers into the sky. It will wrap itself in flames, fly toward the target like a live artillery shell, lock on, and then crash down, creating a violent explosion that can destroy everything in a typical public square.

"There are two drawbacks. First, excessive courage is a lethal poison. Human fear and apprehension are among the key reasons humans have survived to this era. A person who only knows courage and not fear will likely lose their ability to judge and analyze, leading to a swift demise.

"Second, it needs companions. You'll need to prepare at least thirty ordinary broadswords to place around it to complete the sealing process. Otherwise, within about fifteen minutes, it will start attacking everyone nearby indiscriminately, including you. Don't think about using the residual aura of the Blood Emperor to avoid or deter this, as this sword doesn't have living characteristics; it's a manifestation of its destructive godhood.

"It also constantly emits high temperatures, causing ordinary broadswords around it to gradually melt. So, you'll need to regularly replace its companions. Similarly, for you as the Reaper, it means enduring a progressively intensifying burn injury.

"That's about it. If you don't mind, we can call it the ‘Sword of Courage.”

Lumian nodded and replied, "Can the negative effects of being filled with courage be avoided if it's carried in the Traveler's Bag?"

"Yes," Madam Magician nodded gently.

Lumian pondered further and asked, "In the room where I found this sword, there was only one piece of armor, an altar, and two other items. Why didn't it destroy those things?"

"That suit of armor is its companion,” Madam Magician replied promptly.

Lumian did not inquire further and began to consider how to use the Sword of Courage: / must fully assess the situation and make the right judgment before drawing the sword...

This isn't a commander's scepter; it's a bugle for the charge...

/ts use must not exceed fifteen minutes...

While thinking, Lumian reached out and took hold of the Sword of Courage.

In the next second, he felt he didn't need to overthink: Fear of this, fear of that—all of that only leads to failure!

One should not be overly cautious or indecisive, just do it!

What is there to fear?

Madam Magician reached into the void and, from nowhere, produced dozens of broadswords with slight variations in design, letting them fly towards Lumian.

After placing the Sword of Courage among these broadswords and stuffing it back into the Traveler's Bag, Lumian snapped back to his senses.

He couldn't help but silently scoff at himself.

An Ascetic's abilities don't work in this case...

Then, he took out a piece of pristine, fine leather and a half-solid, pale yellowish-red candle housed in a transparent glass vial.

Stars again twinkled in Madam Magician's eyes as she took the two items and examined them for several seconds.

“This is indeed the potion formula of the Demoness of Despair, but the human skin carrying it comes from an ancient Demoness of Despair and contains strong, mystically powerful viruses, bacteria, and fungi. It causes those who touch or gaze upon it to gradually contract various diseases. If contact and observation don't exceed ten seconds, recovery will occur on its own,” Madam Magician briefly explained about the pristine leather.

Her gaze then shifted to the peculiar candle.

“This is a corpse wax candle, made from the corpse oils of an Iron-blooded Knight and a Demoness of Despair mixed with other substances.”

Corpse wax candle... And from two demigods' corpse oils... Although Lumian had seen much of the world, he still found the candle somewhat eerie and terrifying when he looked at it again.

“What is its use?" he asked, more concerned with this issue while feeling strangely uneasy.

Madam Magician deliberated before responding, "Once lit and used in pacts and Cogitation, it should probably be paired with a ritual, but the specific details and ultimate effect are unclear. Hmm, you have the residual aura of the Blood Emperor, maybe you can try it directly without a ritual.”

Lumian didn't hesitate. "Alright, I'll try it now."

With an Angel and Saint watching over him, if anything went wrong, they could save him.

Why wait to try it alone when he got back?

Neither Magician nor The Hanged Man stopped him.

Lumian took the corpse wax candle from the glass jar and sat cross-legged on the deck.

Snap-his fingers produced a blazing white flame, and he immediately lit the black wick of the corpse wax candle.

Then, he closed his eyes, visualized a pattern, and began to Cogitate.

In the tranquil state of dispersion, a hint of dark fragrance entered his nostrils, causing his marrow to itch as if it were about to ignite.

Lumian didn't try to endure this sensation; he simply concentrated on maintaining his cogitative state.

After stime, a dark mist suddenly appeared "before" his eyes.

He seemed to be standing in this mist, on the edge of a barely visible street.

Across the street, various not-too-tall buildings appeared as if they were mere shadows.

Ding-ding—a vehicle resembling a steam train cfrom the other end of the street. It had few segments, just two, with no distinctive chimney but a strangely shaped bracket extending from the top, connecting to something in midair.

Wh—Lumian's memory was instantly triggered.

He had seen a similar scene in Fourth Epoch Trier!

It heralded the appearance of the second level in that special mirror world.