Ark Undead

“In the past, in the Undying Arena, the Heroic Spirits would only appear after the arena gates opened. But this time, it’s different.”

The appearance of the heroic spirits was a huge change for the Temple of Heroes, making it impossible for them to grasp the timing of the sacrifices.

The Undying Arena can't be held every year or two; they don't have that kind of foundation.

"First, I want to clarify one point. To hold an immortal competition, we need to invoke a sacred artifact. And what the sacred artifact requires is not an ordinary sacrifice, but death."

The high priest didn't seem to care about revealing these secrets; he told the Undead and Pallas quite openly.

Pallas listened intently; she had always regarded the priesthood as a sacred profession.

"die?"

The immortals didn't understand what the high priest was talking about for a moment.

"Human sacrifice?"

“It was not a human sacrifice. If it were, we would not have offered the sacred object for so long.”

The high priest shook his head.

“It is an item that can represent death.”

As he spoke, the high priest looked around.

Even in the reception room, small statues of the twelve heroes were neatly arranged around the room.

"Over the years, the Temple of Heroes' understanding of the sacred relics remains very weak. Our interpretation of the relics' words is also incomplete. But at least we know a few conditions."

"The power of sacred objects is not inexhaustible. They can bestow blessings upon warriors, but they also require corresponding replenishment."

"The source of replenishment is not the powerful warriors offered as sacrifices. Rather, it is the corpses or ashes of the strong."

The undead raised his chin slightly, gesturing for the high priest to continue.

"The ashes after cremation, mixed with a certain amount of pure Originium fragments, can provide a sufficient energy source for the sacred object and also soothe it."

In fact, the Undead had already guessed this.

During the Age of Fire, an immortal led a battle that revered immortality and the inability to lose one's mind, which eventually evolved into the immortal arena of that time.

The undead can open the path to the Undead Arena by the campfire, and the key to opening it is the unburnt remains of powerful warriors.

It is also known as the remains of a king.

The conditions stated by the high priest were largely met.

The warriors of the Age of Fire used their souls as the foundation of their power. Therefore, their corpses would also bear the remnants of their power.

An insatiable fighting spirit is also a necessity for opening up new paths.

Originium, as a current form of energy, allows the Undead to sense the intertwining of soul and humanity.

If the ashes of a powerful warrior are mixed with Originium fragments, it is indeed possible to briefly simulate the state of a king's remains.

"After the twelve heroes died, they were cremated. Some of their ashes were buried in the cemetery as part of their bodies. In accordance with instructions, we also kept some of their ashes as a key to unlock the Undying Arena."

The high priest sighed.

"These ashes have been preserved for almost a century."

“We also tried using some of the ashes as a key to appease them, but the effect was getting worse and worse.”

"The warriors of Minos are no longer as valiant as they once were, and no new heroes have emerged. If the wrath of the sacred relics cannot be appeased..."

The Undead are silent, and the High Priest laments, simply because they can no longer bear the loss caused by the sacred object.

According to the Temple of Heroes, the relics grant them power, but also subject them to the harassment of heroic spirits.

The problem is that in order to gain power, one must also overcome the challenges posed by heroic spirits.

But now, Minos is growing weaker under the weight of the current power. The relic is now more like a death warrant.

"About two years ago, the relic once again experienced a large-scale uprising, and no priest was able to decipher its whispers. But since then, every few months a group of heroic spirits have appeared, seeking warriors to fight within the territory of Minos."

"The high priest said."

"The reason why the Undead Arena has been delayed is because the Temple of Heroes believes that the current Minoan warriors do not have enough ability to challenge the Heroic Spirits."

"But suppressing the wrath of the sacred relic is not an outcome we can bear, which is why we extended an invitation to all of Terra."

The Undead nodded; that made sense.

Since the sacred object can bring power, why doesn't Minos, who needs power now, use it as an internal channel to digest it?

They only went public with this because they couldn't afford to take such a risk.

“A few months ago, Pallas heard an oracle. She had informed us long ago, and it was at that time that we decided to find a way to maintain Minos without relying on sacred objects.”

The high priest looked at the undead before him and asked.

"Sir Knight, we have witnessed your power. But I still want to ask, after today's Undying Arena, are you truly capable of taking the sacred relic away?"

The immortal sat up straight.

This isn't a question of whether or not it can be taken away.

"I will definitely take it with me."

The Immortals Theory.

"I promise."

Only he knew that it contained not only the so-called sacred object, but also a woman eagerly awaiting the arrival of a hero.

This was his assurance to the high priest.

It is also a promise to the Fire Mage.

The next morning, when Melanie woke up from the straw, the familiar figure was still beside her.

Kroos was fast asleep, her arms around his, while the crackling of the campfire echoed quietly in the warehouse.

The Undead sat by the campfire, and he actually took off his helmet, staring blankly at the spiral sword in the fire.

The firelight illuminated the face of the undead, allowing Melantha to see once again her teacher's face, which was essentially devoid of emotion.

His thin lips were slightly pursed, as if he was thinking about something very important, something that was troubling him.

"teacher?"

Melantha called out "Undead!" and the Undead snapped out of their daze.

"woke up."

The Undead turned his gaze, his dark eyes seeming to hold flames, as he looked at his disciple.

"Did you sleep well?"

Yesterday, Melantha waited for him at the warehouse. Like Kroos, she waited until late at night, but he didn't return, so she had no choice but to go to sleep.

"I feel very safe and secure when the teacher is around."

Melantha gently pulled her hands out of Kroos's embrace, sat up, tidied her hair, and then climbed over to the undead and sat down with him by the campfire.

Onstan isn't here, and Skadi is still fast asleep.

"Today is the day of the immortal competition."

The Undead picked up the last piece of wood from the side, broke it in half, and threw it into the fire in front of him.

Once the firewood has burned out, it will be about time for them to set off.

"Yesterday, I wanted to talk to you about it, but I didn't have time."

The immortal looked at Melantha.

This girl possesses a tenacity that even the immortals acknowledge, but she doesn't understand what the Undead Arena represents.

"Get ready."

"Ah."

Melantha picked up her straight knife.

The straight sword, after being polished by Vulcan, became even sharper, and Melantha vaguely saw that some patterns seemed to have appeared on the straight sword.

But in the blink of an eye, it disappeared again.

The immortal thought for a while longer, but still didn't speak.

The essence of immortal arena is a life-or-death struggle.

The Undead have been teaching Melantha this kind of battle from the very beginning; no matter what he says, it's useless.

It's better to worry about Maria, this lively and cheerful girl, who has never truly escalated the level of combat to the point of life and death.

However, it's too late now.

When the battle begins, the undead will be focused on dealing with their enemies and won't have time to talk to them about these things.

It all depends on individual performance.

Half an hour later, everyone had their gear ready and gathered at the hotel entrance.

Maria and Zofia also arrived beside the Undead, ready for battle.

It was still morning, but as players competing in the Undying Arena, they naturally had to be prepared.

Of the sixteen contestants in this Undead Arena, more than half are not native residents of Minos.

But Rhodes Island alone took up five or six spots.

Undead, Melantha, Maria, Surtr, Bloodthorn, Skadi.

The biggest surprise was that Maria and Melantha were able to fight their way to the Undead Arena.

Surtr, because he followed the Undead, could be considered half a Rhodes Island person.

Maria is going to visit Rhodes Island afterward, and since Nearl is an operator on Rhodes Island, Maria is practically one of them.

The other four are all Rhodes Island's contracted operators.

The Undead looked towards the distant altar of the Temple of Heroes and said.

Let's go.

...