Chapter 164: Curse of Balance

Watching the Corrupted Dryad disappear into the coffin, Aurelius subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon confirming there was no further danger for the time being, he immediately collapsed to the ground.

He was exhausted. Both mentally and physically.

Every muscle in his body screamed, the boundless pain assaulting his senses, while his mind was dizzy, as though a mountain was weighing down heavily on it.

For a moment, Aurelius didn't even want to move.

He simply lay there, breathing heavily. The battle had ended, but everything that happened replayed in his mind.

Sealing the Corrupted Dryad had seemed easy under his and the Undead Knight's cooperation, yet it had actually taken a heavy toll on him.

It was only natural.

He had already fought a fierce battle against the Undead Knight less than half an hour ago, operating the Ocean's Wrath and the Sea God's Trident to their fullest, while casting several other skills.

Now, after fighting with an even stronger opponent, he was bound to suffer greatly.

Although the battle had lasted for less than a minute from start to finish, the Spirit in Aurelius' body was drained completely.

He didn't have enough Spirit to cast a single skill.

If it were not for the fact that his physique was extraordinary and his defenses far surpassed those of the same Rank, even the weakest Rank 1 Awakener would be able to defeat him.

Fortunately, there was only a single other being in the underground hall.

...And that person did not fare any better than Aurelius.

Raising his head, Aurelius glanced at the Undead Knight not far away.

Just like him, the skeleton had also collapsed to the floor, laying there lifeless.

Half of its bones were melting like a candle, while the other half was riddled with giant fractures that grew bigger and bigger.

Although it had not personally fought with the Corrupted Dryad, the Undead Knight had previously used Purification continuously.

Then, it had been forced to activate the mysterious coffin, activating the Gate of the Underworld and summoning the Undead Evil Spirits.

Its condition was even worse than Aurelius'.

Perhaps more importantly, unlike him, who could consume the Potions he had prepared beforehand to recover, the skeleton had nothing to help it.

In the interface hovering above its head, the Level beside its name continuously decreased.

Level 41. Level 40. Level 39.

The lifeforce in the Undead Knight's body was rapidly passing away!

Even with its extraordinary strength and strength, it seemed destined to turn back into a mortal.

For ordinary Awakeners, this was merely a loss of strength. Heartbreaking but not deadly.

But for a skeleton, it would obviously be impossible to survive without the Mana to sustain its existence.

The Undead Knight was once a powerful Awakener and knew this very well. Yet it didn't seem to care about its approaching death at all.

It showed no fear or despair.

Its gaze remained fixed on the coffin that sealed the Corrupted Dryad, a trace of longing and relief flashing across its face.

Seeing it act like this, and combined with its previous words, Aurelius seemed to understand something.

Several seconds later, when he had finished regulating the rioting forces in his body and the Potions had helped him heal, he rose to his feet and approached the skeleton.

Stopping a few feet away, he looked at it and opened his mouth to speak.

"Is it worth it?" he asked a seemingly incomprehensible question.

Yet the Undead Knight understood his meaning.

It struggled to shake its head, its bones creaking as it did.

"You don't understand. I've been working to save her for centuries."

"It has long since become my deepest obsession."

"Even if I die, I'm willing to pay that price as long as she awakens."

The skeleton's voice was low, but Aurelius could hear it clearly.

These words confirmed his guess.

From the very beginning, the being who was being resurrected was not the Undead Knight at all!

Instead, it was the Corrupted Dryad currently lying inside the coffin!

By now, he had a rough understanding of the entire situation.

'The Undead Knight arrived at this place centuries ago, with the goal of resurrecting its dead companion.'

'Ultimately, it succeeded. However, perhaps due to violating a taboo, it also suffered backlash as a result.'

'The Undead Knight itself was injured, losing most of its strength.'

'At the same time, the woman it wanted to resurrect was also corrupted. Countless Undead Evil Spirits were born out of her resentment, forming the core of the Dryad Forest.'

'In the end, the Undead Knight could only suppress her, waiting for the day it could purify the resentment and help her wake up.'

The Valor Family had obviously assisted it greatly in achieving its purpose.

Presumably, the sacrifices Edward's ancestors had brought had been given to the Corrupted Dryad.

Perhaps those sacrifices had been the reason the Undead Knight had been able to maintain the seal for so long.

Unfortunately...

Aurelius shook his head as he looked at the Undead Knight and then toward the coffin.

"You still failed..."

"Although she has been sealed again, it's only a matter of time before she breaks out. With your current state, you won't have the chance to purify her."

His words brought a wry smile to the skeleton's lips.

"You're right. With my current state, it's impossible for me to live long enough to help her awaken. It seems that I've wasted the past few centuries. However..."

As it spoke, the Undead Knight turned toward Aurelius.

"...you should have the chance to help her recover."

The moment it finished speaking, the skeleton's gaze turned ferocious.

The flames in its eye sockets suddenly turned crimson and flared.

It waved its hand, pointing its skeletal finger at him.

Aurelius had long realized that there was something wrong with its state.

He had already moved away from the skeleton.

But the moment its hand moved, a crimson light erupted from his own body.

Before he could react, the crimson light resonated with the flaring flames and flew out of him. Transforming into a single stream of light, it whistled through the air, ending up in the Undead Knight's hands.

Aurelius' expression shifted.

He had carried this fragment for so long that he had almost forgotten its existence.

He had never expected the Undead Knight to notice it, much less possess a way to forcibly draw it out of his body.

It was a fragment of the Relic he had obtained from a Sunless Sect cultist in the past!

Due to its evil nature, Aurelius had never used it, merely equipping it to enhance his Base Stats.

Yet after so long, this Relic had reappeared in this world.

And the person responsible seemed very familiar with it!

"The Blood Crown... It's been a long time since I last saw it..." the Undead Knight whispered under its breath..

"Back then, I had gathered materials from everywhere, requesting the assistance of hundreds of Alchemists and Weapon Refiners to help me forge this thing."

"It was broken in the war back then and plundered by the Sun Church. I thought I would never have the chance to meet it again.'

'I never expected that it would still be helpful to me even after its destruction."

Determination flashed across the skeleton's eyes. The fracturing of its bones began to grow quicker, as though its death was drawing closer.

The Undead Knight didn't seem to care, however.

It looked at the Blood Crown and traced its fingers along its surface before shifting its focus to Aurelius.

"Kid, haven't you been eyeing my inheritance all this time?"

"I'm willing to give you a chance."

"This is both an opportunity and a curse for you. Whether you take advantage of it, it will depend on your luck."

"It might help you open the road to the divine. It's equally likely it will lead to your demise."

"Either way, my goal will be achieved!"

Bang!

Out of nowhere, the Undead Knight's body exploded!

It transformed into countless bone fragments, which subsequently turned into dense black mist.

The mist poured into the Blood Crown, as though it had found an outlet.

The Relic fragment that had accompanied Aurelius for so long erupted with extraordinary power far beyond its apparent rank.

A connection between it and its owner was revealed.

Seeing the once-invisible line connecting him and the Relic become visible, Aurelius had a bad premonition.

He instinctively wanted to sever the connection and relinquish his control over the Relic.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Before he could react, the invisible bond had already begun to change.

The next moment, his fears were confirmed.

Dense mist appeared along the connection and rapidly moved toward him along the line.

Then, it disappeared into Aurelius' body, forming a black mark.

He couldn't understand what was happening at first.

But soon, a loud chime echoed within his mind.

Notifications flooded his vision.

"Ding!"

"You have been cursed!"

"Curse of Balance has been detected!"

"..."