The Giant Black Heart and The Fire Sword I

Arthur waited patiently.

"I understand that if I want to become the strongest, then I also have to grab the best opportunities. While the Dragon Blood Potion path was more safe and stable, it wasn't the fastest way to get stronger."

Zen continued speaking, determination filling his eyes.

"Also, I would like to take the power of the Revenants for myself."

Arthur looked at Zen as he finished speaking.

Then, he grinned and said, "Alright."

He stood up and Zen followed suit.

Arthur began to emit waves of mana, Zen felt the temperature rise as threads of bright orange mana came from Arthur's hands and came into contact with the divine runes on the door.

[Unseal] Arthur chanted softly.

Just as he said this word, the runes on the door began rotating.

Zen could see the sweat on Arthur's temple, he looked like he was having a hard time.

He didn't want to distract Arthur so he just stood there in silence.

After a while…

Crackle—

Zen saw the rotating runes burst into flames, burning the door in the process.

The door slowly opened, gradually revealing the contents of the room to Zen and Arthur.

The two of them took a step as they entered the room.

Zen looked around and saw that there were lines of runes that spread out from the door where they came in.

There were more than 10 lines of runes, all leading to the center of the room.

Arthur took a step to the side, enabling Zen to see what was in the center of the room.

Zen looked ahead and was dumbfounded at what he saw.

Located at the center of the room was a cage made of bright orange runes. Inside it was a giant black heart that was about 3 meters in diameter.

However, what really caught Zen's attention was the sword made of fire that was pierced through the giant black heart, going diagonally through it.

The sword burned furiously. Any black energy that threatened to spread was burned by it continuously.

It wasn't difficult for him to know that this giant black heart was the Lord of Evil's Heart, while the sword-shaped fire was the God of Fire's piece of divinity.

'The way for me to be the strongest is right in front of me…' Zen thought seriously, devoid of his usual cheery self.

Arthur observed the fire sword and the giant black heart for a while, nostalgia filling his eyes.

Then, he turned towards Zen and said, "Are you ready?"

Zen nodded determinedly.

Arthur was satisfied by Zen's calm and said, "When you go inside the cage later, go to the side where the blade point of the sword is showing. You just need to touch it and absorb the Evil Energy through it. I've made all the preparations, so it should be easy for you to do what I said. Again, beware that this will cause you extreme pain. I will also need to seal the fire cage when you're inside it later to prevent the fluctuations of the operation from being detected by other existences."

Zen listened carefully, afraid of missing any details.

After saying more reminders to Zen, Arthur said, "Go. I won't be able to see you when I seal the fire cage earlier, so you can't expect me to help you."

Zen nodded and started to walk towards the fire cage.

He felt both nervousness and anticipation.

As for the thought of Arthur betraying him, Zen didn't pay it any mind. This was the moment that would decide his future. Besides, he thought that Arthur would have no reasons to betray him.

If push ever comes to shove, he was still protected by the system. He would be able to revive in this world. So, there were practically no risks.

Soon enough, Zen was inside the fire cage. He looked at Arthur and nodded, signalling him that he was ready to start.

Seeing this, Arthur mouthed the word "Goodluck" before spreading his arms towards the fire cage.

Waves of hot mana were being emitted by Arthur again as he tried to control the fire cage. Slowly, the gaps in the cage closed, making it look like a dome of fire instead of a cage.

Inside the dome of fire, Zen looked around and saw that the place was fully sealed.

Then, he began to walk where the end point of the fire sword was located and took a deep breath.

"Phew… You can do this, Zen!" He cheered himself out loud.

After gathering all the courage he had within his body, Zen took a deep breath again before slowly reaching his left hand towards the edge of the fire sword.

Zzzz~

His left hand burned as it neared the fire sword, but Zen pushed his it deeper, making his left hand be submerged in flames.

Zen felt strange. He seemed to sense something that was awakening inside him as he touched the sword made of a piece of divinity.

This made him confused since he hadn't started absorbing the Evil Energy yet.

The feeling was really vague. 'How should I put this? It's as if something within me is coming alive…'

Before he could think any further, the first strand of tamed Evil Energy reached his left hand.

"Arghh!" Zen roared in pain. It was as if needles were travelling through his veins.

The strange feeling also shot up drastically the moment the tamed Evil Energy touched his left hand.

However, there was a new feeling that accompanied it; hunger.

Like how an average man who has been starving for a week was seeing a feast for the first time.

'But what should I eat?' Zen thought as he became overwhelmed by the mix of feelings inside him.

He became more and more overwhelmed by the feeling. Then, suddenly, something happened.

His left hand which was submerged in fire, moved deeper.

Tink!

Something like a glass shattered.

Boom!

The part of the fire sword where his hand was submerged bursted, covering his entire left arm in the process.

Zen was bewildered. He found out that he couldn't control his body. It was as if he was a starving man who couldn't control his appetite and began to devour the feast in front of him.