Chapter 816 Angelica's Blade
Duchess Georgina...
Angel dug in his mind for a while before he found the information he had read when he was forced by his stingy boss, Sylvia Langdon, to learn aristocratic etiquette. He recalled a photo of a good-looking but slightly serious female face.
Of course, that was the image of the Duchess from her last public appearance more than 20 years ago. She should have aged a lot now. After all, in terms of age, she is about the same age as the reigning King George III and is about to enter the ranks of the elderly.
Strictly speaking, she wasn't a member of the military, but rather a member of the royal family... What would a noble like this, one of the highest rank in the kingdom, want with me? No, I couldn't be sure it was her. Perhaps there were other female demigods in the army that neither Laura nor Vincent knew about...
With his mind racing, Angel took another sip of coffee, using the bitter, greasy drink to wash away his rising doubts. He then looked at Laura and continued to ask:
"What about the Witch Cult? They seem to have disappeared from this city. Isn't the 'White Saint' Katarina planning to rebuild their branch in Backlund?"
Angel came to this conclusion after a conversation with the "manipulator" Hvin Rambis. As an advisor to the royal family and a member of the "Psychological Alchemist Society", the latter worked closely with the royal family and inevitably came into contact with members of the "Witch Cult". From his attitude, it can be seen that the "Witch Cult" has not been active in Backlund recently, and there are not even a few people left.
"My mother hasn't come to see me, and I've rarely received a reply to the letters I sent through the magic mirror she left behind." Laura's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, making her blue eyes appear even brighter. "This gives me a guess... Do you remember me saying that the 'Witch Cult' had a deal with the conspirators behind the Great Smog, involving an item extremely important to the cult? I believe that item has been delivered to the cult."
That's something the Witch Cult would sacrifice their entire Backlund branch for, even having "Madame Despair" create a toxic haze to cover up the human trafficking... Judging by its value, it's likely a Level 0 Sealed Artifact, or a Beyonder of equal value... Could it be a trait left behind by an angel?
The "White Saint" Katarina has recently received her reward, so she stopped her actions in Backlund. She may even have left the city and returned to the headquarters of the Witch Cult to report?
But as Catalina's daughter, Lola, who has been in contact with her recently, actually spoke out about this matter so bluntly, is there some deeper meaning behind this, such as Catalina deliberately revealing it, or is Lola actually still secretly opposing her mother's behavior...
Angel's thoughts raced, and he quickly formed several possible directions, but because he couldn't verify them further, he had to suppress them in his heart.
"Oh, there's one more thing." Seeing Angel in a daze, Laura chuckled smugly and continued, "According to my mother's guess, there's some recent disagreement within the royal family. She didn't specify what it was, but I suspect it's a follow-up to the 'Great Smog,' such as the one that happened recently."
Relaying Katarina's message again, it seemed that this "White Saint" had indeed shown a clear bias. The information about the "Witch Cult having obtained that important item" was all a gift, representing her "investment"...
Angel finally understood, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Laura changed slightly, which made the "joyful" witch stunned for a moment, and even looked away unnaturally.
————
After the battle with Amon's clone, Angel became idle again. As planned, she reduced her social appearances to prepare for her journey to the "Fountain of Youth" which might last for half a month. At the same time, she waited for a call from the "East Balam Veterans Club". As expected, two days later, she received a message from Sander, asking her to wait at her doorstep at midnight on Saturday for a special carriage to meet the "female demigoddess of the military."
After learning that the other party was likely a member of the royal family, Angel naturally felt a little more nervous than before. After all, she and Klein had been investigating the faction of the royal family that was involved in the smog incident, and the information they had found showed that they had extremely close ties with the military.
So, it is very doubtful whether the invitation from a demigod who is a member of the royal family and a former soldier was made with malicious intent.
Fortunately, Angel spent a full 8,000 pounds to hand over the magical item made by the "Iron Knight" extraordinary characteristics. It was finally completed on Friday night. After being "expressed" by Mr. Fool, it came to Angel from the hands of "Hermit" Cattleya.
After finishing the ceremony of accepting the "bestowal", she immediately looked at the altar. A long sword about one meter long, with a broad blade, iron-black in appearance, engraved with countless complex runes, and a deep red flame that seemed to flow inside came into view.
Just by looking at it from a distance, Angel could feel the tangible murderous aura emanating from the sword, as if a sharp spike pierced his eyes, making it difficult to look directly at it for a long time.
Even a Sequence 4 couldn't stare at it for long, and a Sequence 5 would probably be like looking at an incomplete mythical creature, exhibiting all sorts of uncontrolled behavior at the mere glance... This craftsman is different from Sharf. The latter prefers to make low-key accessories like bracelets, necklaces, and rings. This demigod craftsman, the "Alchemist", creates items that don't conceal the power within... Could it be that he has stimulated the provocative power within the "Iron Knight", making the holder the focus of attention wherever he goes?
Angel simply closed his eyes, recalling the information about the weapon that Cattleya, the Hermit, had included in the sacrifice:
This one-handed longsword is made from the Beyonder characteristic of the Iron-Blooded Knight and then processed through the Sequence 4 Alchemist.
"Its strength and sharpness are comparable to Beyonder weapons of the same tier. It possesses a crushing advantage over weapons crafted from mid- and low-sequence attributes. Even against Demigod-level attacks, it can be directly blocked without sustaining damage.
"Infusing a small amount of spiritual energy can imbue the blade with an extremely high temperature, enough to allow the longsword to penetrate all physical defenses, severing most weapons that come into contact with it, and suppressing the defensive capabilities of many demigods, causing them fatal damage. Its high temperature possesses the mystical property of 'destruction', capable of affecting most spiritual creatures and evil spirits, or igniting the enemy's fragile soul. When a longsword enters this state, it will actively burn other weapons within a radius of 100 meters, whether they are firearms or swords. An ordinary revolver will be heated to the point of being unusable in a few seconds, and even the bullets in the magazine will be ignited. Even a 'Level 2' sealed object will be destroyed after a minute.
"By consuming enough spiritual energy, the tip of the sword can emit a stream of high-temperature flames up to a hundred meters long. It has similar properties to a longsword, capable of cutting through almost any object and killing most spirits when swung. The duration of this flame is related to the user's spiritual energy.
“It can be thrown after being ignited, and it will fly back to the user’s hand according to his thoughts, provided that he can catch the weapon correctly. Otherwise, he may be pierced by it and become one of the victims of the sword.
"When wielding a longsword, the user can form a mystical 'connection' with those they identify as their 'companions', gathering their strength to make attacks more effective, even unleashing abilities similar to 'reaping'. Damage sustained by the user can also be shared with their companions, roughly half."
In contrast to the extremely aggressive abilities, there are two negative effects that are hard to ignore:
"Once gripping the hilt, the user will enter a 'burning' state, their blood gradually boiling and their sanity rapidly eroding. If they don't drop the weapon and cease using it, within three minutes at most, a demigod's body will be ignited and become its nourishment.
"Should the wielder become weakened and unable to continue fighting, the weapon will betray him, making the 'burning' effect even more intense, potentially severing his arm when it flies back into his hand, or causing him to kill himself in a rage that surges straight into his brain."
Sure enough, after being processed by specialized craftsmen, this weapon possessed the "connection" effect inherent in the "Iron Knight" trait, allowing the "Reaper Legion" to continue to function in my hands. Its other abilities were all related to fire, the essence of the "Hunter" path. That stream of flame was also very similar to the one used by the "Red Angel" evil spirit to sneak attack me. It had amazing penetrating power, and could even severely injure a demigod with a single blow, assuming they didn't have abilities like a Stand...
Compared to the powerful effects, the negative effects of burning oneself are very easy to avoid. For example, after a short use, throw it into the mirror space, and continue to use it after the body cools down. "Betrayal" can also be handled in the same way... This may be a reflection of the ability of the "alchemist". He has stimulated many practical abilities, but only made the longsword equivalent to a "level 1" seal come with two negative effects, and they will only appear when used. When stored alone, it is no different from an ordinary longsword.
Angel even had doubts about whether the Sequence 4 craftsman mentioned by the Hermit was really only a Sequence 4...
Could it be that some saint from the "Steam Church" is making extra money?
Moreover, why does the longsword have similar negative effects as the "Reaper Legion"? Is it because the original owner of the extraordinary characteristics, Syrio Soran, died of betrayal, so it has this effect?
But where does the "Reaper Legion's" tendency to betray come from?
Angel thought about it and reached out to touch the long sword. His palm touched the hilt, which was completely undecorated and made of the same material as the sword body. He instantly felt the blood in his body begin to boil, and even his breathing was a little hot.
Let alone three minutes, I'm afraid my body will be affected in one minute... I can use the "Rose Necklace"'s ability to repair my body to fight back, but there is a gap in status between the two, so the effect should not be great... She assessed the state of the weapon and did not try to ignite the sword, which would cause the weapons used by the guards, male servants, and butlers in her villa to protect the garden to be destroyed.
"I'll call you 'Angelica's Blade'. She can't have any other weapons besides you..."
Angel whispered with a smile on his face, enjoying the negative effects of his body gradually becoming hot.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
