372 Banshee’s Blessing (1/2)
Translator: Kris_LiuEditor: Vermillion
After accepting the scroll, Lucien calmed down a bit and asked curiously, ”Sir, you mentioned that you did many ridiculous things when you were young. What are these things?”
Fernando immediately threw a furious stare at Lucien and roared, ”That's not what you should pry into! Go back and study Spell Trigger! Don't think you can easily become a senior-rank just because of the rite!”
Lucien was startled by Fernando's roaring and he hurriedly jumped out of his teacher's office. After closing the door, Lucien murmured to himself, feeling a bit amused but also perplexed:
”So Mr. Fernando indeed did some really ridiculous things…”
...
Five days later, in the empty hall on the thirty-third floor of the headquarter of the Congress.
On the floor, a creepy magic circle in the shape of a human body was drawn using Banshee's blood and some other precious materials. The head, left chest, hands, and feet of the human body shape were drawn with the many magic lines forming into the many beating dark-red hearts.
”Lie down in the magic circle,” said Felipe.
After setting up the basic magic circle, Felipe finally let Lucien and the Lord of Storm come in the hall, leaving them out until that moment to prevent them from learning the special soul rite, called Banshee's Blessing.
After taking off all of the magic items he was wearing, the Holm Crown rings, Ice Revenger, Ogre Glove, Sun's Corona, Fire Weaver bracelet, and the magic and arcana badges, Lucien also took off the Immortal Throne magic robe and the Sidestep boots. Then, he handed all of these items to Alferris to safeguard them, who was longing so badly for them on the side.
A soul rite like this should not be disturbed by any magic items.
Alferris was not focusing on the rite at all. Staring at the items, its big amber-colored eyes were shining, and from time to time, it would lick the amulet and rings with a great sense of satisfaction.
Wearing a white shirt and slim pants, Lucien lay down as told by Felipe. The necromancer took out six huge bone nails made from senior-rank Banshee's fangs.
”Don't scream,” said Felipe in a very cold tone.
As soon as he finished his words, Felipe picked up one of the nails carved with the complicated patterns and directly knocked it in Lucien's right hand.
The nail was even sharper than Lucien expected. Lucien was a level two knight, but it still directly went through Lucien's body and nailed him to the ground. Lucien grimaced in pain although he was mentally prepared. However, he had experienced something even worse, so he did not scream.
Lucien's drops of blood shining with the dim moonlight dyed the Banshee's bone nail in crimson. However, soon the color faded very fast and finally disappeared. Lucien's blood was sucked in by the bone nail and the blood slowly went into the lines of the magic circle.
After nailing Lucien's left hand, right ankle, and left ankle to the ground, Felipe gently stuck the remaining two bone nails into the skin of Lucien's forehead and his left chest respectively. Although the two nails did not go in deep, they were immediately connected to the magic circle that Lucien way lying on, and thus they stood still in Lucien's skin, although it seemed that the two bone nails were directly knocked in Lucien's head and heart.
After finishing all of these processes, Felipe took a few steps backward and started to cast the spell. The lines of the magic circle lit up one by one.
Felipe's casting was like singing, and the hypnosis power overwhelmed Lucien through the bone nails and the magic circle. Lucien began to have a difficult time keeping his eyes open when his mind was wandering. Lucien remembered that the analysis of the spell, Spell Trigger, had been done over half… and in the next second, Lucien started to wonder what Arthur and Florencia thought of his effort on improving the structure and the material used for the magic crystal lights.
”The wind from the Land of Death, please embrace the helpless soul, and always embrace it.” Felipe lifted up his black magic staff inlaid with many colorful gems. The language he used was the special language of necromancers created by the ancient Empire of Meshkate. He walked around the magic circle about one-third of the distance.
A big white gem lit up, and Felipe's long coat flapped in the air like the wings of a bat. The wind smelled a bit decayed.
Lucien fell into a deeper trance.
”The fire from Skeleton Land, please warm the helpless soul. Please bless the soul forever.” After walking around the magic circle about one-third of the distance, Felipe cast the spell again.
The clusters of faint white flame grew out of the magic circle. Instead of doing any harm to Lucien's body, they warmed Lucien and made his soul even purer.
Fernando was standing on the side, observing what was going on with his eyes half open. In the white flame, Fernando saw the indistinct figure of a monster wearing a long black robe and holding a sickle, behind which was the background of the wasteland, where countless ghosts were loitering.
”The coldness from the silent hell, please surround the helpless soul. Give him the eternal peace.” Felipe finished the last part of the walk and a silver-colored gem lit up.
The endless silence and coldness surrounded Lucien's soul and further substantialized it.
After all of these, Felipe raised his left hand and screamed silently.
The six bone nails were engorged with Lucien's blood, and now they were distorting like real snakes, and their shadows suddenly rose into the air.
The shadows turned out to be the phantoms of some beautiful females. The fair-skinned women were half-naked, but their faces were written with great pain. However, as Felipe's silent scream continued, they opened their mouth and started to sing.
The singing was beautiful, but it could only be heard by one's soul. Vaguely, Lucien saw his own soul ripple in the singing and it slowly absorbed all the flowing liquid in the magic circle.
Two minutes later, Felipe's forehead was beaded with sweat. Putting down his left hand, Felipe took out a strange black mirror inlaid with small gems in the shape of leaves and some pale eyeballs. The back of the mirror was covered with the facial skin of a horrible Banshee.
Felipe tossed the mirror into the air and the mirror floated above Lucien. The black mirror floated right above him.