Chapter 706: A Demonic Blade

Third Person’s POV

It happened so quickly that he barely had time to react.

The sphere, which he had spent so much effort constructing and maintaining, disappeared into the weapon in the blink of an eye, leaving not even the slightest trace of the terrifying mana fluctuations it had contained.

However, the dark maw showed no sign of satisfaction.

A long, thorn-covered tongue suddenly slipped out from between its rows of teeth.

It curled across the weapon’s hilt in a disturbingly lifelike manner, almost as though the creature were licking its lips after enjoying a delicious meal.

Before Ethan could make sense of the bizarre sight, the tongue extended toward his hand and latched onto his skin.

A sharp sting immediately shot through his palm.

The next moment, blood began flowing from the wound, drawn toward the maw by a sinister devouring force that Ethan had never encountered before.

The crimson liquid streamed along the thorny tongue and disappeared into the weapon’s mouth, where it was swallowed greedily, as though the blade had been starved for countless years and had finally found something to satisfy its hunger.

A bone-chilling sensation ran straight down Ethan’s spine.

His instincts screamed at him to pull away.

Whatever this weapon was, its current appearance was far too demonic to be considered normal, and the strange force draining his blood made it abundantly clear that remaining passive could be dangerous.

Without thinking, he began to resist the devouring force, preparing to wrench his hand free before the sinister weapon could do anything worse.

However, just as he was about to act on his instinct for self-preservation, the Nexus spirit’s voice suddenly rang out within his soul.

[Don’t resist it, Ethan. It won’t harm you, as it has only just awakened.

The weapon’s spirit is acting on instinct right now.

Since it tasted your blood first and then devoured that dark sphere composed of your mana and Law Power immediately after awakening, it will establish a link with you.

You’re very lucky.

If you had been the second person to encounter it after its awakening, it might have sucked your life dry.

And even if you had been the first, you would still have died if it hadn’t sensed a similar trace of power within your soul and dark mana, the Law of Devouring, however faint your comprehension might be.

Though this logic is fundamentally paradoxical, as it wouldn’t have awakened if it hadn’t sensed the law of devouring from you.

I had bet on something like this happening, but seeing it actually unfold before my eyes is almost surreal.]

The Nexus spirit’s voice trembled as she spoke, her usual lively and irreverent tone replaced by an unmistakable mixture of shock and awe.

Ethan could not tell what had astonished her so profoundly.

Was she reacting to the sudden awakening of the sinister weapon, or was it the spell he had just created, Devil’s Eye, that had exceeded her expectations?

Perhaps it was both.

Unfortunately, with the weapon still latched onto his hand and devouring his blood, he had little opportunity to dwell on the question.

The Nexus spirit’s voice sounded again, this time carrying a weight that made Ethan instinctively pay closer attention.

[Remember this, Ethan.

This weapon is even more extraordinary than I initially expected.

It will grant you greater power and opportunities for growth that the others in this world cannot even dream of.

However, there is one thing you must keep foremost in your mind.

Be careful with this sinister weapon.

It was named the Life Devouring Saber for a reason.]

Her voice grew increasingly somber as she reached the final sentence, and the trepidation beneath her words was impossible to miss.

For the first time since the Nexus had awakened, the spirit sounded genuinely wary of something beyond her control.

And that something was the very weapon now feeding on Ethan’s blood.

Ethan nodded and waited for the weapon to complete its feeding process, allowing the strange tongue to continue drawing blood from his arm.

By now, he could feel the effects of the blood loss beginning to set in, and a faint sense of weakness spread through his body.

Although he remained composed, he couldn’t help wondering how much longer the weapon intended to feed.

Just as his patience was beginning to wear thin, the tongue latched onto his arm suddenly withdrew, retreating into the demonic maw from which it had emerged.

In the next instant, faint bloody lines appeared along the spine of the broken saber, forming intricate networks that looked as though they had been carefully etched into the metal.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he examined the changes, and the moment his gaze settled on those crimson patterns, he could unmistakably sense that the blood coursing through them belonged to him.

More than that, a profound and mysterious connection seemed to form between him and the weapon, growing clearer with every passing moment until he could no longer regard the saber as an ordinary object in his hand.

It felt like an extension of his own body, something that was no longer entirely separate from him.

At the same time, the layers of rust and accumulated dust covering the blade began to peel away, falling off in tiny fragments and revealing the gray metal beneath.

The blade’s original appearance gradually emerged, its otherwise unremarkable surface now contrasted by the vivid blood-red veins running along its spine.

Ethan couldn’t help marvelling at the strange connection he had established with the weapon.

However, before he could examine it any further, the demonic maw on the saber’s hilt suddenly began to chatter, its sharp teeth clicking together in a restless, almost frantic manner.

What is it doing now?

Ethan was initially puzzled, but he soon realized that the strange behavior was not without reason.

The moment the maw began to chatter, an unmistakable sensation reached him through their newly formed connection.

It was hungry.

He knew it was hunger because he could directly feel the impatience radiating from the weapon’s newly awakened spirit, an instinctive desire that was being conveyed to him through the bond they had just established.