Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 673: Sacrifice I

CH673 Sacrifice I

***

"We are indeed Twilight Adjudicators."

This declaration itself appeared surprisingly inconsequential to Alex and Eleanore. However, the utterance of these words by the three BattleBane members seated opposite them held a significantly different weight—it felt like a profound release.

The venerable Guild Master of BattleBane continued, "A great many of us embraced this power without ever being privy to the curse intrinsically linked with it. Yet, there were also among our ranks those who were fully aware of the truth... and still made the conscious choice to accept it regardless."

"Do you comprehend the reason why?" he inquired.

Alex responded by shaking his head.

"Because the allure of the power was simply far too potent to resist," the man encased in armor revealed. "The inherent strength of the Twilight Adjudicators represents a sublime fusion between Combat Energy and sheer divinity—an exceptionally rare confluence of attributes, empowering one to ascend above peers of the identical rank and star.’

"That is rather peculiar," Alex remarked, a dawning realization illuminating his features. "If the Twilight Adjudicators possess such a distinct and unique intrinsic nature, then it logically follows that tracking your people should be a straightforward endeavor for the clergy. Based upon all the information you have conveyed to me, it strongly suggests that Twilight Adjudicators ought to be designated as primary targets by every single Temple.’

Setting aside any ancient animosities or grudges, the straightforward reality that the inheritors of the Twilight Adjudicators also received fragments of divinity—thereby positioning them as potential candidates for apotheosis, and consequently, posing a direct existential threat to the current pantheon of Navi—was more than sufficient justification for the Temples to pursue them with relentless fervor.

Alex would have found it far more astonishing if a dedicated divine inquisition specifically tasked with their eradication did not exist.

Under such immense and overwhelming pressure, how had the lineage of the Twilight Adjudicators managed to persevere for countless centuries, particularly when they bore such an overtly identifiable characteristic?

The BattleBane Guild Master—and even Dalton standing steadfastly behind him—emitted hollow, bitter chuckles.

"The divinity inherent to us, the Twilight Adjudicators, resides profoundly within the very core of our souls. It is conceivable that only when standing in the direct presence of a deity would this divinity be truly and unequivocally perceived. Beyond that singular circumstance, regardless of whether one is inherently weak or exceptionally strong, the divinity of a Twilight Adjudicator can exclusively be detected by another individual who is also a Twilight Adjudicator."

’Indeed… that is a most intriguing mechanism,’ Alex pondered internally.

"Consequently, the malady afflicting your guild members is undoubtedly the divine curse imposed upon the Twilight Adjudicators. However, what of yourself? What constitutes the other segment of the affliction you endure?" Alex inquired.

"My affliction is not precisely characterized as a divine curse, but rather it stems from the persistent sequelae of an ancient injury, one inflicted by divinity itself," the BattleBane Guild Master disclosed.

His gaze drifted, becoming distant, tinged with both the echoes of memory and a profound sense of melancholy.

"There was a period in my past when I was known by the name Saul Redwald. At that time, I held the esteemed position of High Priest for the Kirin—serving as the consecrated Ancestral Spirit for both the Oxborn Duchy and the noble House Cyrindale."

"You concurrently served as both a High Priest and a Twilight Adjudicator?" Alex questioned, his surprise evident.

"I inadvertently acquired the inheritance of a Twilight Adjudicator during one of my extensive travels, an event that transpired subsequent to my already having formally entered the clergy of the Holy Kirin. Given that the Holy Kirin harbored no inherent animosity towards the Twilight Adjudicators, neither form of divinity existed in conflict with the other. Consequently, I found myself capable of bearing the nature of both," the BattleBane Guild Master elaborated.

He went on to explain, "While actively fulfilling my duties as a High Priest, I maintained frequent interaction with one of the designated heirs of Duke Cyrindale. Following my acquisition of the Twilight Adjudicator inheritance, I came to the realization that this particular heir was, in fact, also an inheritor—though, unlike myself, his inheritance was derived through birthright."

"The Ducal House itself?" Alex inquired.

"No, it was his maternal bloodline," the BattleBane Guild Master corrected. "I was largely able to reconcile my own identity as a so-called 'heretical' Twilight Adjudicator due to the influence and understanding provided by the heir. Over the passage of time, our connection deepened, evolving into a relationship akin to that between a mentor and a protégé.

"My intention was to leverage my esteemed position as a High Priest to actively support his eventual ascension to the ducal seat. However, it transpired that the heir harbored absolutely no aspirations towards his father’s throne."

Albeit concealed by the helmet he wore, the eyes of the armored individual betrayed the subtle, wistful smile that played beneath.

He continued, "The heir possessed an profound and unquenchable passion for the accumulation of knowledge and the exploration of the unknown. During his academic pursuits in a distant land, his studies led him to a tome filled with forbidden knowledge—information fundamentally unlike anything he had previously encountered—and he became utterly captivated by its contents.

"It was only at a later juncture that I discovered the book contained esoteric knowledge that even the deities themselves had classified as blasphemous.

"Fortunately, the heir demonstrated sufficient wisdom to maintain his clandestine studies in utmost secrecy. Nevertheless, he was ultimately discovered by another individual—the ward of an Archbishop belonging to one of the prominent deity Temples. It transpired that the heir had previously incurred the displeasure of this ward concerning a matrimonial dispute, and the ward skillfully utilized this newfound opportunity to exact a measure of revenge for the perceived slight."

"The duchy managed to retrieve the heir before incidents escalated beyond control, yet by that point, the matter had already ballooned into an international crisis. The Temples, alongside their allied nations, exerted significant pressure on the Celahan Empire, demanding the heir be surrendered for divine judgment.

"Naturally, that could never be sanctioned. Consequently, a compromise was devised to pacify them. The heir was officially pronounced deceased—'killed', never to be seen by the world again.

"Moreover, the divine energy of a high-ranking clergyman from the Holy Kirin was publicly purged through holy flames."

"What?" Both Alex and Eleanore reacted with shock and horror.

The purification of divine energy from a member of the clergy was never a straightforward procedure.

The greater the clergyman's rank, the more profoundly that divine energy became entwined with their very soul. This connection, while bestowing greater power, also rendered them far more susceptible to their Navi or Spirit.

Most techniques for purging divine energy inflicted devastating repercussions upon the involved clergyman's soul, and the more potent the divine energy, the more severe these repercussions became.

As a result, achieving a higher rank within the clergy made it progressively harder to abandon that path and sever ties with divine devotion.

This was precisely why betrayals originating from within the clergy were exceedingly rare. It typically necessitated another Navi to personally shoulder the burden of absorbing and redirecting the divine backlash. Even then, such methods often merely facilitated a transfer of allegiance, rather than truly liberating an individual from their divine commitment.

’I suppose this is why one must hold the alchemists, healers, and researchers of Pangea in high regard. They eventually discovered methods to cleanse divine energy without inflicting irreparable harm upon the user,’ Alex reflected internally.

The most severe—and brutal—method of expunging divine energy was known as Holy Flame Burning.

Contrary to its name, it did not invariably involve literal fire. The precise procedure varied between Navis and Spirits, contingent upon their elemental affinities and divine nature.

It received this designation broadly because, irrespective of its form, it subjected the recipient to the agonizing sensation of being consumed from their soul's core as the divine energy was forcefully extracted from their being.

In essence, it entailed utilizing the bearer’s own divine energy to incinerate their soul.

Countless methods existed to inflict unbearable physical torment upon an individual, but all paled in comparison to the suffering inflicted directly upon the soul.

Physical agony could, to a certain extent, be withstood through resilience, discipline, and sheer willpower. Soul pain, however, operated differently. It bypassed such defenses entirely. Even an expert of Epic rank would falter when confronted with true soul pain.

Among the most merciless torments that could be inflicted upon a soul, the agony of soul-burning ranked among the absolute worst.

It was a punishment typically reserved solely for the most egregious transgressions within a faith.

To have such a severe punishment enacted merely to placate another faith... Alex could only offer a somber shake of his head.

***