Chapter 62: The Semi-Divine Weapon—Spear of Deicide
Charles then began to explain the historical murals to Little Green and Catherine.
Listening to the tumultuous tales, the more emotional Little Green shifted her hatred from the kingdom to the undead creatures, and finally to the Land of the Dead itself.
That little mouth kept muttering incessantly, and upon closer listen, it was all curses aimed at the damned Land of the Dead.
Catherine, however, listened intently to the stories depicted, a deep contemplative look on her face. She couldn't shake the feeling...
"Master, don't you think the story of this kingdom feels a bit too familiar?" Catherine asked grimly.
Charles was slightly taken aback and then asked, "Familiar in what way?"
Catherine didn't elaborate. She slowly walked over to the mural depicting the kingdom's first encounter with undead creatures being eradicated by those with extraordinary powers. Pointing to the story, she said, "Master, don't you think the roles we're playing are just like those who cleansed this calamity?"
"This kingdom's unrighteousness led to the Land of the Dead's arrival, but as far as I know, the preceding and subsequent artworks were all governed by the same king."
"So, although this painting cannot be fully trusted, it should not be entirely dismissed either."
"Perhaps, the giant hand that orchestrated the kingdom's downfall has once again reached our world, to replay this script!"
Charles's pupils narrowed slightly, as if he too had considered this possibility.
But... he scratched his head in puzzlement, "I remember it being stated quite clearly on the channel that those returned dead not only had to be eaten alive later on but also would bring about a necromantic catastrophe."
"Such a dangerous existence, why would they keep it around?"
Could it be... resurrection?
Charles silently pondered whether some returned dead had successfully devoured the living and then used some means to replace the Overlord.
Seeing her master lost in thought, Catherine too found herself deep in contemplation.
After all, they were a group of kids who had never lacked anything. Even Catherine herself was a privileged orphan who always got what she wanted, excelling as a solitary flower from childhood all the way through college.
That was until she crossed the wrong people and ended up sold on the black market, where she was trained while awaiting her future master's purchase.
Those times were utterly helpless and devoid of any profit-driven motives.
In short, her experiences were somewhat lacking.
They didn't spend much time dwelling on it, as there were other matters to attend to.
As they delved deeper into the passageway, the once-bright environment quickly turned eerie.
Fortunately, Charles and his group were no strangers to peril. Even the sole child among them, Little Green, was a purebred Zerg hero, inherently indifferent to such things.
Charles pulled a torch from his system space, restoring light to the passageway.
"Master, there don't seem to be any undead creatures in here." Catherine said, her strong psychic abilities easily allowing her to sense the true state of the place.
Charles nodded slightly. "That's right. I mentioned before that a Royal Corpse used to be here. Last time, it probably opened the door and let those undead creatures in."
"But since the last encounter, the Royal Corpse has been slain by Flandre and me, so there shouldn't be any monsters left here."
"Unless, of course, there was more than one of them."
That last part was purely speculative on Charles's part, as even the previous Royal Corpse had been detected by him in advance.
Catherine nodded thoughtfully, and they continued walking with Charles leading the way.
Thankfully, nothing went amiss along the way.
The surroundings were filled with bright lamps, illuminating the very core of the chamber, or rather, the altar.
For this place didn't resemble a worship hall nor a tomb layout, it was empty, with only a bronze altar at its center.
The area around the altar was marked by various discolored patches, looking as though it had rusted over time.
Charles rubbed at the rust, frowning.
This wasn't rust, it was particulate matter left behind after blood had been instantly vaporized.
He took a small step back and gestured for the women with him to do the same.
The bloodstains weren't confined to just the edges, they covered the entire altar!
"Master, look! Is that a silver spear stuck up there?" Catherine pointed to the iron rod protruding from the altar, and peering closer, they could see the metallic gleam rooted in the soil.
Charles followed her gaze and also spotted the silver spear.
Hmm... it looked like a pretty decent weapon.
For some reason, he felt an almost magical pull from it, as if some demonic force was tempting him to grasp the spear.
Charles had good self-control, so he didn't fall for it. He found it somewhat childish, thinking it unlikely that anyone would be ensnared by such a trick.
After all, the sensation was merely a psychological suggestion, and one could snap out of it by expanding their awareness.
"Master, are you planning to pick up that spear?" Medusa asked with concern, noticing Charles's dazed expression as he seemed intent on reaching for the silver spear. She grabbed his hand to stop him.
At the same time, Little Green and Catherine stepped in front of him, watching their seemingly off-kilter master with caution.
МƲᏞ!ЕϺҎ@ҮᏒ
The interruption jolted Charles back to his senses.
He looked around at the women with a puzzled expression and asked, "What just happened to me?"
Catherine organized her thoughts before explaining, "Just now, as you were leading us over here, you suddenly seemed like a different person, heading straight for that silver spear."
"We wanted to stop you, but for some reason, we all hesitated. It was only when a faint green light flashed from Medusa's direction that we snapped out of it."
Hearing this, Charles broke out in a cold sweat.
What the hell, he distinctly remembered Catherine telling him there was a spear there.
Had he already been in a daze by that point?
To confirm, Charles asked the women, "Are you sure none of you mentioned the spear to me?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions on the three women's faces turned extremely strange.
Sensing something amiss, Charles asked, "What's wrong with you all?"
Finally, Little Green nervously replied, "Master, we haven't said anything to you. You've been the one telling us there was a spear on the altar!"
"And there's nothing on the altar at all... Master, are you feeling alright?"
Charles was stunned for a moment. He turned to look at the altar and saw it was indeed completely empty.
This place was fishy, and not at a low level either!
Charles distanced himself from the women, his tone serious. "Medusa, do you remember how you became my sex slave?"
Medusa nodded, her face blank. "I remember, Master. You were the king of the Maya kingdom, and I was a princess of the empire. You conquered my land, and my sister Yggdrasil and I were taken to your palace as your sex slaves."
"I remember... you branded a slave mark on my butt. Let me show you."
As she slowly turned around, seemingly searching for something, a sudden scent of blood filled the air. Charles, who had been watching her closely, narrowed his eyes.
A gleaming silver spear was protruding from Medusa's back!
He frowned, ignoring the increasingly twisted expressions on the faces of the three women, and rubbed his forehead in frustration.
Charles didn't know what was going on, but recalling a feature he possessed that couldn't be wrong, he decided to use it.
That feature was... the Eye of Data!
He scanned the women with his Eye of Data and, upon confirming they were all illusions, nodded to himself.
[Medusa (Masha)]
[Race: Zerg/Illusion]
[Combat Level: Tier 3 Upper/Tier 6 Upper]
[Skills: xxxxx]
[Background: Princess of the Kingdom of Rossen, later taken into the harem by the King of the Maya Kingdom along with her sister, Mashalin.]
Just by seeing this scene, he roughly deduced the mastermind behind all this.
It was none other than the ever-present silver spear!
Charles used his Data Eye once again, and this time he managed to see the true nature of this entity.
[Spear of Deicide]
[Tier: The Semi-Divine Weapon]
[Inherent Spear Techniques: Spear Combat, God-Slaying Thrust]
[Description: A Semi-Divine Weapon lost by an unknown divine entity in the Land of the Dead, later acquired and solely possessed by the king of the Maya Kingdom in the Celestial Abyss Continent. It has remained dormant for countless ages...]
[Note 1: This spear contains a remnant soul of a Tier 7 being. Although it has become feeble, it is still capable of resurrection through possession!]
[Note 2: Should you take up this spear, you will be under the watchful eye of the divine entity from the Land of the Dead!!!]
The Semi-Divine Weapon... a Tier 7 remnant soul... resurrection through possession...
Charles had to admit, this time the situation was quite thrilling.
The Semi-Divine Weapon.
On the Continent of Overlord, weapons are also classified by tiers.
From Tier 1 Lower to Tier 12, these belong to the mortal realm.
Beyond that, there are Semi-Divine Weapons and divine artifacts. While Charles had never heard of divine artifacts, he had some understanding of Semi-Divine Weapons.
That is... an object of obsession formed from the essence of a fallen Tier 12 mighty being.
And this object of obsession is the Semi-Divine Weapon, they can leverage it to make a return.
Yes, a Tier 12 existence is already close to divinity, so even if their physical body perishes, they will return in another form!