Chapter 147. The Lich King’s Helm of Dominion
Fenlilan stepped into the ruins of the Silver Oakleaf Royal Capital. The soldiers of the Gold Legion were methodically clearing the remaining Hydras from the Royal Territory.
He, however, broke away from the formation without hesitation and followed the lingering aura of that Divine Artifact, slipping into the royal palace like a shadow.
Deep within the palace, amid the shattered walls and rubble, an aged figure blocked his path.
Liam, a Domain-Level Powerhouse of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom, stood there with a carved cane in hand. His robes were still stained with blood that had not yet dried, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s.
“Heh, Fenlilan, I didn’t expect you to come as well. Then again, the Gold Legion is your precious treasure. Of course you keep a close watch on it.”
Fenlilan remained expressionless as his gaze swept over the man.
“Liam, surely you know the danger of that Divine Artifact.”
“You know better than anyone what price must be paid to force it into use. Do you really want to watch the Silver Oakleaf royal family be wiped out completely?”
Liam’s expression turned cold as well. He tapped his cane against the ground, producing a dull thud.
“At that time, the royal descendants of Silver Oakleaf were nearly all dead in battle, and the Hydras were about to crawl into the Royal Capital itself. If we hadn’t used the Divine Artifact, were we supposed to just stand there and watch the royal family perish?”
He let out a cold laugh.
“What is the point of saying any of this now? Pandora’s Box has already been opened. None of us gets to stay out of it anymore.”
He raised a hand slightly, and another old man emerged from the shadows of the palace. His aura was equally unfathomable. Clearly, he too was a Domain-Level Powerhouse.
At the sight of that, Fenlilan slowly drew back the Dou Qi he had been circulating.
They were determined to protect that Divine Artifact. If he fought one against two, then even if he won, he would definitely pay a steep price. It would not be worth it.
“You will regret this.”
A note of warning entered Fenlilan’s voice.
“The backlash from that thing is not something the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom can withstand.”
“That is none of your concern.”
Liam did not yield a single step.
“Fenlilan, leave the Royal Capital immediately. Otherwise, do not blame us for setting old ties aside and treating you without courtesy.”
The two Domain-Level Powerhouses released their pressure at the same time. The Dou Qi in the air began to stir restlessly, as though a clash could erupt at any moment.
Fenlilan stared at the two of them for a moment. In the end, he gave a cold snort, turned, and transformed into a streak of light that vanished into the sky.
He was not retreating out of fear. He was merely making a strategic withdrawal.
He had already memorized the aura of the Divine Artifact. Silver Oakleaf’s troubles were only just beginning.
Liam looked in the direction where Fenlilan had disappeared, then said gravely to the old man beside him, “Pass the order down. Strengthen the palace’s defenses, especially the secret chamber where the Divine Artifact is stored. Not even a fly is to be allowed inside.”
“Also, send every young member of the royal family into the Secret Realm. Three days from now, the Royal Family Secret Realm may only be exited, not entered.”
The old man nodded with a dark expression. Clearly, he also knew how troublesome that Divine Artifact was.
Liam and his companion turned and walked toward the secret chamber deep within the palace. Neither of them noticed that an eerie change was already quietly taking place inside the room where the Divine Artifact was being kept.
The Divine Artifact, covered by a sheet of black cloth, was now seeping threads of red light through the gaps in the fabric. They flowed slowly like the blood of some living creature.
Within that red light, countless phantom images of Hydras twisted and churned.
Some snake heads opened their jaws wide, baring sharp fangs.
Some lashed their long tails, trying to break through their invisible restraints.
And some, more terrifying still, let out silent roars with all nine heads at once, madness and savagery burning in their eyes.
Again and again, those phantoms slammed against the inner walls of the Divine Artifact, only to be thrown back by an invisible barrier, like trapped beasts shut inside a glass enclosure.
With every collision, the red light dimmed by a fraction, and the phantoms themselves grew thinner.
In the end, amid their unwilling struggle, they were suddenly devoured by the red light of the Divine Artifact, turning into scattered sparks that merged back into the object once more.
Inside the room, the stench of blood mingled with an indescribable rot, rising and falling with the pulsing red glow.
The patterns on the surface of the Divine Artifact seemed to come alive, drifting slowly through the red light as though they were digesting the souls that had been devoured, or perhaps tempering and strengthening them.
Liam and his companion were still outside the secret chamber arranging defenses, utterly unaware that the Divine Artifact had already become a demonic nest in incubation.
The souls of the Hydras that had been slain and absorbed by the Divine Artifact were multiplying and condensing within it in this eerie fashion, waiting for the day they would break through the seal and emerge.
Over the following months, William led his two Knight Orders in the campaign to wipe out the remaining Hydra forces.
Outside the ruins of the Silver Oakleaf Royal Capital, he saw the power of that Divine Artifact more than once.
Whenever the red light swept across the wilderness, whole swathes of Hydras were reduced to bare bones amid shrill, miserable screams. Their scales and flesh were burned away as though by invisible flames, leaving only grim skeletons swaying in the wind.
Yet strangely enough, whenever that Divine Artifact appeared, the Tree of Life Leaf he carried on him would begin to grow hot. A faint green glow would appear along its edges, as though it were giving a silent warning.
On one occasion, the red light came within less than a hundred meters of him. The leaf suddenly trembled violently, and a sharp pain shot through his body, forcing him to yank on the reins and retreat on instinct.
“Your Highness, what is wrong?” A’gu and Aila beside him both noticed something was off.
William pressed a hand to his chest. The leaf there was still faintly hot.
“It’s nothing.”
He said no more, but silently committed that strange repulsion to memory.
After returning to camp, he immediately used the Communication Crystal to report the matter to Kroll II.
There was a brief silence from the other end of the crystal before Kroll II’s grave voice came through.
“That Divine Artifact... is extremely troublesome.”
William pressed on. “Father, what exactly is it?”
“Fenlilan mentioned it before.”
Kroll II’s voice carried a trace of solemnity.
“It is the Helm of Dominion of the lesser god Lich King. It is said to be able to enslave the undead and devour life force. Back then, the Lich King was killed by three Six-Winged Angels, and the helm vanished without a trace. I never expected it to appear in Silver Oakleaf.”
William’s heart jolted.
A relic left behind by the Lich King?
No wonder the Tree of Life Leaf reacted with such fierce rejection. The life energy of the elves and the deathly power of the undead were natural enemies.
“Then Silver Oakleaf...”
“Do not concern yourself with it.”