NOVPUB
Chapter 348: 348
Recently, Omenka had been sending shadow-like beings from the upside-down world to observe Ikem, hoping to unsettle him. Their efforts to expand the rift between worlds had slowed nearly to a halt as the Origin Gods increased their vigilance, creating a formidable barrier against intrusion. Complicating matters, Jaws’ counterpart reported losing an agent he had been monitoring. This setback led Omenka to consider a new plan involving Ikem: if he could draw him into this world and gradually corrupt him, it would significantly serve their ambitions.
Driven by this notion, Omenka ordered the shadow beings to appear before Ikem each night. The goal was simple—test Ikem’s patience, weaken his composure, and wait for him to take the bait. Ikem, however, had enlisted Crepuscular’s daughter to spend time with him, taking his mind off the shadows’ constant watch. During his surveillance, Omenka had also learned about the ascension of a demigod, a development he and his counterpart loathed, as it meant yet another divine power to contend with. Moreover, rumors suggested that the Origin Gods were devising a plan to counter them.
A dark chuckle left Omenka’s lips as he opened his eyes. They had adapted well to these challenges, and now they held a surprise for the Origin Gods and demigods alike.
Omenka’s gaze grew distant as he looked beyond the upside-down realm, focusing on an underground sanctuary filled with cloaked figures whose faces remained hidden beneath their hoods.
Meanwhile, in the heavens, Björn—now clear-minded from the pure faith energy absorbed during Kjoric and the Terra Princess’s duel—frowned, caught in a dilemma. In such instances, tradition dictated that he should bestow a blessing upon the victor. However, the princess was not his follower, and the political ramifications of blessing her could strain his newly improved relations with the Origin Gods. While honor urged him to grant the blessing, politics advised caution.
Björn pondered this as he looked down at his hand, enveloped in a red light, and back at the Terra Clan, who were rapidly repairing the damage to their village. His gaze settled on Kjoric’s corpse, sparking an idea.
With a decisive motion, Björn cast the red light from his hand. The light descended from his celestial domain down to the Terra Clan’s village. The princess, overseeing her people, still wore her armor and wielded her hammer, occasionally sending pulses through the earth to search for any lingering threats.
"Look up, everyone!" came a shout from her people, catching the princess’s attention. She looked up to see the red light falling from the sky.
Not knowing what it was, she immediately ordered, "Get into your homes and stay clear of the light!" Her people obeyed without hesitation.
The princess watched tensely as the red light enveloped the priest’s massive rhino corpse. The creature’s body, the size of a house, began to levitate as the light formed a cocoon around it, which broke open shortly after.
In place of the corpse now stood a magnificent rhino armor, covered in a thin golden film. The princess’s eyes widened as the armor drifted toward her, attaching itself to the armor she already wore. The new armor absorbed her Ironwood armor, adopting its properties and transforming into a design that suited her perfectly. A subtle message accompanied the gift.
Raising an eyebrow, the princess laughed and looked up at the red star. "I appreciate the gift, Lord Björn," she said, as a phantom image of the rhino appeared behind her, roaring up at the sky.
The princess marveled at the transformation of her armor. The rhino’s essence, a powerful symbol of strength and resilience, had fused with her, giving her both the protection of Björn’s blessing and the remnant spirit of her fallen opponent. The faint golden film that lined the armor shimmered as it adjusted to her frame, absorbing the properties of her Ironwood armor and enhancing its already formidable defenses. The plates felt sturdy yet responsive, as though the armor itself was alive, attuned to her every move.
The ethereal rhino spirit behind her roared, its deep, resonant cry sending tremors through the earth. The townspeople, huddling inside their homes, peeked out in awe, watching their princess clad in divine armor, now with the unmistakable aura of a blessing from a god.
While admiring her armor, the princess felt a familiar pulse resonate through the earth—a response to the signal she’d been sending out. A smile crossed her face as she recognized the unique vibration of earth magic. Her father was back.
Nwadiebube and his people had returned to his territory under the cover of night, safely making their way to the capital. Arriving at last, Nwadiebube felt a thrill of excitement coursing through him, holding the branch was like holding onto a hot iron. Yet, before he could properly celebrate, he needed to put away a powerful, dangerous artifact. This artifact was a "perk" of his leadership, something discovered by one of his followers—shaped like a key.
At first, he’d thought it was insignificant. But one day, a trembling researcher presented it to him, nervously explaining its capabilities. The artifact was one presented to him b his subjects and was later discovered to be a summoning key—a double-edged sword, as dangerous to the user as to the enemy. Its strength depended on the energy sacrificed to it, and its range of summoning was still unknown.
The researchers had learned its power by accident, summoning a creature they couldn’t control. The creature had slain the one who summoned it as their energy has been drawn out and then turned on the others in the room, only to be subdued by nearby guards. This key had given Nwadiebube a sense of security as he ventured into Terra Clan territory, where he planned to sacrifice his followers’ energy to the key if things went awry.
Thankfully, the apeling he encountered had shown wisdom, avoiding confrontation, which had been a relief to Nwadiebube—he secretly dreaded using the artifact. Now, back in his kingdom, he secured the key in a safe alongside other dangerous artifacts. With a vibrant branch in hand, he made his way to the underground caverns where Ezinne resided. If anyone could interpret the power contained in the branch, it was her.
Though he had reached the fifth stage of his training, he still sought Ezinne’s guidance on matters like this. Entering the cavern, the residents stirred, their attention drawn to the branch. Ezinne, an elderly woman, appeared before him with a speed defying her age, reaching out a trembling hand toward the branch.
"Where did you find this, child?" she asked.
The king paused before replying, noticing his sister just behind Ezinne. He deflected, "Does it matter how I came by it?"
Ezinne pulled her hand back, frowning at him. "That response is exactly what I feared, boy," she said, her tone unusually stern. "How much did you risk to obtain this?"
Nwadiebube scowled, a golden circle emanating from his feet to encompass Ezinne and the princess, drawing them into his domain. There, he explained what had happened, and when he released them from the domain, both women stood in silent horror. His sister’s hand flew to her mouth, and Ezinne staggered back, eyes wide.
"Have you forgotten the full name of the patron god of the ape-lords?" Ezinne asked, her voice shaking.
Annoyed by their reactions, Nwadiebube gritted his teeth. "What is your point, woman?"
Ignoring his frustration, Ezinne replied, "Ikenga—the god of nature and curses." The last word struck him like a splash of cold water.
"Curses." How could he have overlooked that? His kingdom’s structure and rules had largely shielded him from the impact of curses. Even his nobles, despite their faults, were disciplined enough to avoid actions that would draw curses upon themselves.
He’d dismissed curses, believing they held no threat to him or his people. But now, it seemed he’d stolen something from the garden of the very god who created those curses.
In all his planning, he had never considered the gods’ action in his plan. Even though he knew the supposed treasure came from a god, he never considered his action from taking from Ikenga.
"Was it because the gods were elusive and never had taken much action against them mortals which made him complacent in their ways, what happened to him?"
The weight of his realization hit Nwadiebube like a tidal wave. His once-confident demeanor faltered as he stumbled, his knees buckling slightly under the crushing weight of the implications. Ezinne’s warning echoed in his mind, reverberating with a dreadful certainty he could no longer ignore.
Ezinne regarded him with a hard but sympathetic expression. "You may have prepared yourself for the consequences of your actions, child, but the god of curses does not play by rules we mortals understand."
Taking a deep breath, Nwadiebube steadied himself and straightened. "So, you’re saying... that simply possessing this branch might doom us? Or is there a way to reverse this before Ikenga’s wrath falls upon my kingdom?" He looked at Ezinne, searching her face for any hint of hope
