Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 572 [Song of the Abyss: Lament of Death] (5k4)

Saint Abyss, a hidden forging workshop.

The workshop's owner, the Ghost Craftsman Balin, was examining the hands of the "Lord of the Holy Abyss" before him: a dark, luminous crystal held in his left hand, and a staff exuding an aura of death held in his right.

Luo Xiu entrusted Balin with the two "legendary" quality materials and staff, namely 【Devouring Dragon - Origin Crystal】 and 【Death's Lament】, to enhance them through forging.

This puts some pressure on Balin, because he is actually only a "fourth-level destiny" blacksmith. Although he is already among the top blacksmiths at the same level, it is really difficult to forge a weapon that is sufficient for a "sixth-level destiny" saint to use.

A troubled expression appeared on Balin's face, and the "Lord of the Holy Abyss" before him said:
“I will assist you, Bahrain.”

“If you encounter an engraving that you cannot perform on your own when forging using a ‘fired steel casting furnace’, you can let me do it.”

"If you succeed, I will give you the 'key'. If you want to advance to the fifth level of the [Bitter Tea] destiny as soon as possible and become the new 'King of Burning Steel', I can grant your wish."

—"King of Burning Steel," this was another great blacksmith with the fifth level of the [Bitter Tea] destiny whom Balin hoped the "Lord of the Holy Abyss" would help him kill before Balin joined the Holy Abyss.

Bahrain and the "Steel Burners" have an irreconcilable feud, and he also aims to replace Harris and become the new "Steel Burner King".

The most important casting tool—the "Steel-Burning Forge"—was also located above the Sacred Abyss. It was specially granted to Balin by the "Lord of the Sacred Abyss" for forging purposes, and this was the most crucial thing for becoming the "King of Steel-Burning".

When Bahrain heard the "Lord of the Holy Abyss" say these words, although he still had a troubled expression on his face, he was also moved for a moment.

After pondering for a while, Bahrain nodded and said:

"Ok."

“I’ll try my best… but I can’t guarantee success. If I were the ‘King of Steel’ right now, I wouldn’t have these concerns.”

As he spoke, he took the black crystal and the staff filled with the aura of death from Luo Xiu's hand.

Balin began to examine them carefully, and the moment he actually held them in his hands, he mentally devised several feasible forging plans, and finally decided to take the safest approach.

……

During the time that the master craftsman Balin was forging.

Luo Xiu temporarily left "Sacred Abyss" to handle some church affairs in the real world. He would only return to Balin when Balin sought help to assist him with the crucial inscription process.

It was late at night.

Due to the curfew imposed on Fafnir during the war, coupled with the terrifying calamity of the "Devouring Dragon" that broke out outside the city the day before, Fafnir remains under the highest level of martial law, even though the "Devouring Dragon" and the "scars" it caused have been suppressed.

Those still active on the streets of Fafnir late at night are mostly Imperial guards on night patrol.

Elite guards, led by the Supreme Royal Guards and Throne Knights, patrolled the area. Even if the remnants of the Executioner's faction wanted to cause trouble at night, the high density of patrols prevented them from having any chance to break through.

Also walking the streets late at night were the scholars and clergy members of the Empire's "Sage's Tower" and "Holy Court".

Unlike the patrolling Imperial Army, the Imperial [Intelligence] sorcerers and [Radiance] priests generally carry out more special missions.

The main tasks of these sorcerers and clergy were to study the supernatural traces left in Fafnir, to exterminate and imprison the remaining heretics, and to seal or purify the dangers that the supernatural might bring.

When Luo Xiu returned to the real world, he had to deal with the various investigation reports from the clergy regarding the signs of calamity within Fafnir City, which had been added to the list of cases.

Because of the traces of calamity associated with the Abyss, these matters are of the highest priority within the Holy Court.

The investigation results of the numerous mysterious traces associated with the "Devouring Dragon," as well as the subsequent handling plan, all need to be handled personally by Luo Xiu, who is the "Archbishop."

At least tonight, Luo Xiu will not be able to rest—Daveld is also dealing with something similar, and Luo Xiu has to return to the "Holy Abyss" intermittently—about every ten to twenty minutes—to assist the Ghost Craftsman Balin with the inscription.

……

About three hours later...

The sky was already extremely dark, and it was around three in the morning.

Luo Xiu had finished dealing with the church affairs that had temporarily increased for him in the real world, and on his "Holy Abyss," the Ghost Craftsman Balin had also completed the final step of strengthening and forging.

Luo Xiu then left the church's residence and went to the deep alleys of Fafnir City, where he was teleported to the "Holy Abyss".

On his way to the forging workshop in Balin, besides the bubbling steel furnace, the first thing Luo Xiu saw was the newly renovated [Lament of Death] placed on a long table by Balin.

“…It’s done.”

Balin wiped the sweat from his brow and weakly pointed to the staff on the table.

Balin had exhausted almost all his strength in this forging. But he had succeeded—and now resting on the long table was the [Death's Lament], now fully forged and enhanced!
Luo Xiu nodded slightly, his gaze then turning to the brand-new staff.

The staff, originally jet black and exuding a strong aura of death, has been re-engraved and inlaid with the [Devouring Dragon - Origin Crystal] as its new core.

Its deathly aura remained undiminished, even becoming more intense—it also exuded a spiritual aura belonging to the [Abyss] and the "Dark Eclipse," a spiritual aura that had been imbued with the Devouring Dragon's spirituality and had completed the fusion process.

It seems that Bahrain's enhanced forging process this time has indeed been done quite well.

Luo Xiu stepped forward, his right hand lightly resting on the staff on the table, and new detection information appeared on his panel.

That's the stats of the "Legendary" quality staff [Abyss Chant - Lament of Death], which has been enhanced and is now compatible with the "Sixfold Fate" system!

【Equipment Name: Abyss Chant - Lament of Death (Gold Legendary+)】

[Equipment Type: Staff/Extraordinary Weapon]

[Equipment Efficiency: "Dark Corrosion" attribute damage increased by 15%, "Dark Corrosion" resistance penetration increased by 15%, mana cost reduced by 35%, life steal increased by 35%]

[Equipment Enhancement: Divinity attribute +244, Perception attribute +285]

[Equipment Requirements: Any Destiny Level 6, Divinity Attribute 1323+, Perception Attribute 1028+]

[Equipment Characteristics Overview]

[Devouring Scepter (Enhanced Trait/Inherent): A scepter forged with the "Devouring Dragon's" primordial crystal as its core. The "Extreme Evil Corruptor" summoned by this scepter will form a phantom of the "Devouring Dragon," possessing the ability to continuously weaken and devour the target's power.]

When "Extreme Evil Corruptor - Devouring Phantom" dies, it causes a large-scale explosion in the surrounding area based on the value of that Extreme Evil Corruptor, dealing a large amount of "Dark Corruption" damage and reducing the target's maximum "Health" and "Mana" by 10% (based on this enhanced trait, the maximum reduction in maximum "Health" and "Mana" can be up to 30%).

【Cage of Cursed Spirits (Weapon Trait/Inherent): "Lament of Death" possesses the ability to capture and seal souls, transforming them into undead. Currently captured undead: 270 (First Tier: 20, Second Tier: 123, Third Tier: 88, Fourth Tier: 36, Fifth Tier: 3)】

【Extreme Evil Spirit (Active Skill/Unique): Summons “Extreme Evil Spirit - Devouring Phantom” of varying strengths based on the number and strength of the undead sealed in the “Cage of Cursed Spirits”.

"Extreme Evil Devouring Spirit: Devouring Shadow" is immune to physical damage, and every 3 instances of effective damage dealt will inflict a random, moderate curse on the target. A maximum of 5 "Extreme Evil Devouring Spirit: Devouring Shadow" can exist at a time, and each time it dies, it will consume a certain number of undead to revive.

[Death Lament (Passive/Inherent): When attacking with "Death Lament," there is a 2% chance to inflict an instant-death curse on the target. This chance increases to 80% with each hit. After successfully inflicting an instant-death curse, subsequent attacks will have the curse's activation timer advanced. (This passive skill can be turned off.)]

【Abyssal Chant (Sacred Relic): This is one of the Abyssal Instruments. When used simultaneously with other weapons or equipment that have the "Abyssal Chant" affix, it can trigger "Abyssal Resonance". For each "Abyssal Chant" used or equipped at the same time, the effect of each "Abyssal Chant" will be increased by 10%, up to a maximum of 50%;
When two "World-Devouring Abyss Chant" items are used or equipped simultaneously, certain hidden effects may be triggered in specific situations.

【…】

"...!"

After Luo Xiu quickly scanned the panel, his eyes lit up.

The name of this "legendary" quality staff has changed from [Lament of Death] to [Abyss Chant - Lament of Death]. Compared to the previous version, its equipment requirements and attribute bonuses have been significantly increased.

The base effects of the original inherent characteristics and skills—"Cage of Cursed Spirits," "Extreme Evil Spirit Corrosion," and "Symphony of Death"—have all been increased by more than half. The most significant enhancements are in the two brand-new attributes, "Devouring Scepter" and "Symphony of the World-Devouring Abyss."

"Devourer's Scepter" - This grants a portion of the authority belonging to "Devourer Dragon" to [Death's Lament]. It provides a continuous weakening debuff and causes the summoned "Extreme Corruption Spirit" to self-destruct upon death, dealing a wave of "Dark Corruption" damage and reducing the maximum health and mana of the damaged target!
"Reduce maximum health and mana" is a very rare effect.

In Luo Xiu's memories of his past life, the ability to actively reduce the maximum health and mana of an enemy target was quite rare. This time, he obtained this effect from the enhancement of [Death's Lament], which can reduce the target's maximum attributes by up to 30%. Luo Xiu was quite satisfied with this.

What surprised and intrigued Luo Xiu even more was the final new entry for [Abyss Chant - Lament of Death]—

A new entry for 【The Chant of the World-Devouring Abyss (Sacred Artifact)】!
This is the same as the "Remnant of the True Dragon" entry I saw on the panel when I first obtained the [Dragon Flame Demon Sword] and [Dragon Breath Scepter] – "Song of the World-Devouring Abyss". This is clearly also a "Holy Artifact" set!
The enhancement and forging process in Balin unexpectedly unlocked a brand-new set of holy artifacts—a surprising gain. Luo Xiu pondered that it must have originated from the "Devouring Dragon," the progenitor demon itself.
Perhaps, if he used materials from a sufficiently powerful "Primordial Demon" for forging, there was a chance he could create a new "Song of the World-Devouring Abyss" weapon or equipment? Luo Xiu thought to himself, deciding that he could make more attempts related to this later. He then closed the panel, picked up the newly refurbished [Lament of Death], and looked approvingly at Balin.

“Very good, Bahrain.”

Luo Xiu smiled and said:

“I knew you were capable of it, and you did not disappoint me. I invited you to ‘Sacred Abyss’ precisely because I value your skills honed over the decades, as well as the boundless potential you still possess.”

As he spoke, he reached out and rubbed the bracelet on his left wrist, pulling out a black "key" from it.

The Obsidian Key—now that Luo Xiu has advanced to the "Sixth Destiny Path" and is even close to advancing to the "Seventh Destiny Path," this key used to open the Obsidian Gate and advance to the "Fifth Destiny Path" is no longer so rare to him.

Luo Xiu still possessed four of them. Some came from spoils of war, while others were allocated by the "Holy Court."

However, the portion from the Holy Court will not be used for the "Holy Abyss." He also plans to apply to the Holy Court for new inscription techniques, which will allow the Holy Abyss to self-sufficiently create and advance the "Golden Key" and "Obsidian Key" for the fourth and fifth levels of destiny.

Now, as Luo Xiu retrieved the new Obsidian Key from the bracelet, Balin's gaze was immediately drawn to the jet-black key.

Luo Xiu placed the key on the table, then picked up the new [Lament of Death] and left the workshop in Balin.

According to the panel detection of Balin, his level has already reached the upper limit of "Fourfold Destiny" lv.40. After I leave, he may start to try to enter his "Sea of ​​Spirituality" and try to open his "Obsidian Gate".

The next time we meet, he will no longer be the Ghost Craftsman.

He would become the "King of Burning Steel"—Barin Hertel, the "King of Burning Steel".

He will be the only Saint who, besides Indis, has not been brainwashed by "mad piety" and belongs to the [Sacred Abyss].
He is also the sixth person to enter the "Fivefold Destiny" of the "Sacred Abyss" after Koros, Baccard, Samantha, Pampas and Intis.

This is a huge boost for Shengyuan, or for himself... Luo Xiu thought to himself.

Thus, in the real world there is the dwarf Mil, and above the "Holy Abyss" there is Balin. They will both truly cross the threshold to sainthood and advance to the "Fivefold Destiny".
In that case,
They will no longer have to worry about forging weapons or equipment suitable for "six-fold destiny" or even "seven-fold destiny" in the future.

……

Fafnir.

In the manor, Monigne, the "Sword of the Holy One," had been sitting quietly on a stone chair with her eyes closed, resting. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and looked in front of her.

She saw Franya—a frail saintess with a somewhat haggard face, who looked as if she could be easily pushed over, leaning against the wall and slowly walking down the stairs.

"You're awake, Your Highness."

A smile appeared on Monigne's face. She stood up, walked towards Frania, and reached out to help her.

"…How long have I slept?"

In a weak voice, Frania asked Monigne softly.

“A whole day,” Monigne said. “Almost a whole day has passed since you lost consciousness.”

"Oh, like this."

Franya nodded.

She seemed a little dazed, and even her gait was unsteady when she was alone.

With Monine supporting her, she felt much better. After a while, Franya came to the courtyard, sat on the long stone bench, and sat next to Monine.

"...How is the situation now, teacher?"

“We have won,” Monigne replied. “The ‘Devouring Dragon’ has been successfully sealed away, and the ‘Demon Cocoon’ that it left behind beneath Fafnir has also been discovered and sealed. At least here, it will no longer pose any threat to us.”

"That's good...cough cough..."

"..."

Franya nodded, her face turning pale instantly, and she coughed twice.

She has not yet recovered from her severe overexertion, and she is currently at a rather dangerous critical point.

Monigne knew that although Franya had woken up, if another battle of the same intensity as the previous one against the "Devouring Dragon" were to take place, Franya would have to pay a price that was not just a simple one-day coma.

"..."

"You don't need to work so hard, Franya."

Monigne's tone was somewhat reproachful; this time, she directly called out Franya's name—

As the "Supreme Sword" of the Holy Court, she rarely addressed the Holy Maiden by her first name. Her expression turned serious, her voice stern, yet she still spoke softly.

"Franya, even if you don't burn yourself out and overdraw your resources in the end, we can still completely suppress the 'Devouring Dragon' and seal it."

“You should know that you are our ‘Crown of Laurel’, the Holy Maiden of the Holy Court, Franya.”

“You should cherish yourself. If something untoward happens to you because of this, I will not be able to explain it to His Holiness the Pope.”

"..."

"But I'm right here, aren't I?"

Franya turned her head slightly and smiled at Monine beside her.

A gentle breeze blew past her side, causing her hair to flutter lightly. Her eyes sparkled with bright golden light, like stars in Monigne's eyes.

"Everything I've done is so that we can have this moment now, teacher."

Franja smiled gently, her smile so pure and flawless, as Monigne listened to her say:
“We can sit here, no one has died because of this, enjoying the evening breeze, looking up at the stars, and the flawless, beautiful moon.”

"People say that the blue moon symbolizes loss... but I think it's more like a gentle sun that illuminates the night."

“That is a guide for those who walk in the night… just like us now, and that is also my [glory]. I like myself now, this way.”

"..."

"Ugh."

Monigne sighed and said nothing more.

She knew that their "saint"—Franya—was just like that.

That was the path she chose to take. Monigne could only feel sorry for her and try to dissuade her, but she would never truly stop her from doing what she wanted to do.

"That's right, teacher."

In a daze, Monigne heard Franja's voice again—

She then turned her head and saw Franya smiling at her, saying:
"As I drifted into a daze, I seemed to see again... that 'door' placed in the real starry sky."

“That must be the ‘Gate of Stars’…Professor Monigne. Perhaps I am under a momentary blessing, which will allow me to see it again…”

"I think I might be able to go even further this time. I'm sure I'll succeed."

“The limit that person can reach—the ‘Sevenfold Fate’ of [Glory]—I will also see the scenery that you have seen, teacher.”

……

(End of this chapter)