Chapter 214: He Who Pulls Out This Sword Shall Be King

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: He Who Pulls Out This Sword Shall Be King

When Lance opened his eyes again, his consciousness had completely broken free from the confines of the Material Realm.

Before him was a grand corridor, formed from a convergence of endless stars.

Each floating star represented a Treasure, the embodiment of a Heroic Spirit who had left an indelible mark on history.

Within this vast sea of stars, he could clearly see three that stood out.

They were casting a dazzling light upon him.

Lance’s gaze first fell upon the star on the far left, a swirl of crimson and gold. A system prompt immediately popped up.

[Option One: King’s Choice Sword]

[Treasure Tier: Gold (Legendary)]

[He who draws this sword shall be crowned king. You will gain the great power to sever all doubt, but you are also destined for a solitary path, misunderstood by mortals. You will shed your last drop of blood for strangers whose names you’ll never know. The people you save will cheer for your invincible silhouette, yet none will care for your ravaged soul.]

’This sense of déjà vu is a little too strong!’ Lance complained to himself.

He squinted, examining it closely. The Treasure within the star seemed to have the silhouette of a straight-bladed longsword with a crossguard. However, the light was so brilliant that the specific details were unclear.

Uncle Rein had repeatedly advised him to choose the Treasure of the Founding Monarch, Clovis Pendragon, during the baptism if possible.

He wasn’t sure if this sword, which seemed to demand self-sacrifice at every turn, was the one.

Next, he turned to look at the middle option.

It was a star where blue and dark red light intertwined, exuding a murderous aura.

[Option Two: Spear of the Lake]

[Treasure Tier: Gold (Legendary)]

[He who wields this spear shall take the stars for a map and the land for a bed. Transform your ambition into a thunderbolt that tears the era asunder! You need not walk alone, for a mighty army follows in your wake. Wherever your spear points shall be the borders of the Empire! Even if the stars themselves should fall, a Dominator’s conquest is never-ending!]

’No need to guess where this Treasure came from. It was definitely drawn here by that one Trait of mine.’

’That King of the North, the embodiment of a Dominator’s path, seems to retain his insatiable desire for conquest even as a Heroic Spirit.’

’He understood the origins of the first two options. But what about the last one, the star that seemed so tranquil?’

Lance shifted his gaze to the far right.

It was a pure, gentle light, rimmed with a faint golden border, and it looked completely harmless.

[Option Three: Flawless Sword Scabbard]

[Treasure Tier: Gold (Legendary)]

[The ancient Red Dragon, to prevent bloodshed and death...]

Lance’s gaze had just swept over the partial sentence.

Then, the unexpected happened.

He suddenly felt a power deep within him fluctuate violently.

It was Jhin, the Virtuoso! The sub-profession he had failed to properly acquire, which had instead forcefully "stuck" to his Pale Guard Main Profession and remained in a half-dead state ever since!

This usually dormant Profession suddenly sprang to life.

Then, to Lance’s astonishment, an invisible, pulling force projected from his chest.

Like a greedy, giant hand, this force reached across the void and enveloped the star representing the Flawless Sword Scabbard.

And it didn’t stop there.

As the force retracted, it deliberately brushed against the two nearby stars representing the sword and the spear.

The gesture was full of provocation, as if it had just flipped off the two kings.

The next second.

The entire Star Realm Corridor erupted as if it were a lit powder keg.

The stars of the sword and spear instantly went berserk.

Two completely different kingly auras erupted, and the resulting shockwave ruthlessly flung the surrounding, weaker Heroic Spirit Stars to the edges of the corridor.

The clash of auras was so ferocious that even Lance could feel a violent tremor under his feet.

’What the fuck! Jhin, the Virtuoso, what did you do?!’

The panel before him flashed manically, displaying a bright red warning.

[Warning! Due to the violent repulsion between the two Treasures, the planned trial instance has been utterly shattered!]

[Options have changed. Merging into a single option: Crucible of Kingship, The Contest of King and Dominator]

[Come! The wills of the Treasures are roaring at you! They demand that you decide who is the one true king of this world!]

It didn’t give Lance any chance to react or refuse.

The crimson option flashed twice, then two furious torrents of suction erupted at once.

The scene before Lance’s eyes instantly distorted, and he was dragged directly into the trial jointly created by the two Treasures.

As he was pulled in, he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he heard a woman’s startled cry.

...

「A short while ago. The Royal Capital.」

Another Heroic Spirit Baptism, this one for Princess Elvira, was taking place simultaneously.

However, unlike Lance’s ceremony in White River City, the pageantry here was breathtakingly grand.

This was the Royal Capital’s most opulent Royal Prayer Hall.

The spectator seats were filled with the highest-ranking nobles and officials, all dressed in magnificent attire.

The ceremony was personally presided over by the elderly director of the Veterans’ Hospital.

To showcase the majesty of the Royal Family, the ceremony was not simplified in the slightest, instead following the most complex and orthodox of royal procedures.

For this very reason, preparations for the baptism had begun long ago, and only now was it reaching its most crucial stage.

The elderly director of the Veterans’ Hospital, his hair and beard completely white, held a heavy Holy Scripture in his hands.

With a solemn expression, he completed a prayer that lasted a full half-hour.

Today, Elvira wore a silver-blue, armored battle skirt crafted specially for the ceremony. The silver threads along its hem shimmered with a faint halo of Magic Power.

The elderly director stepped forward and placed a crown, meticulously woven from dried iris flowers, upon the young woman’s head.

Her posture erect, Elvira took firm, deliberate steps toward the center of the incredibly complex Heroic Spirit Baptism technique.

This vastly expensive ceremony was being held tonight for her and her alone.

Before the light began to rise.

Elvira glanced aside, her gaze passing over the crowd to land on Cecilia, who was standing in the front row.

Seeing the deep worry in her friend’s eyes, the Princess offered a confident smile and a slight nod, reassuring her.

Then, she looked away and planted her feet in the center of the ritual circle.

As the elderly director uttered the final line of the spell.

The entire hall filled with dazzling starlight. All the nobles present held their breath, witnessing the baptism.

This type of high-level ceremony, unique to the Royal Capital, could cause the dimension of the Star Realm to draw infinitely close to the Material Realm for a short time.

Most of the dignitaries present possessed high-level Classes, allowing them to peer through the dimensional barrier and glimpse the events unfolding within the Star Realm.

Elvira’s body was enveloped in a pillar of light. Her form grew translucent as she slowly detached from the Material Realm.

Beside the elderly director stood a sturdily built old man dressed in simple, gray clothes.

He was none other than Elvira’s teacher, the Legendary Sword Saint, Reinhardt.

He and the elderly director were old friends, and both belonged to the Royal Family’s innermost circle of Guardians.

"Do you think Her Highness can win the favor of the Holy Sword?" the elderly director asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.

"Her Highness’s Talent is the most exceptional I’ve seen in generations of the Royal Family."

The Elder Sword Saint crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the pillar of light. "Furthermore, her Essence Attribute is True Dragon Species. Her traits are incredibly similar to those of the Founding Monarch, Clovis Pendragon. Gaining its approval should not be a problem."

As he spoke, the Elder Sword Saint shot a cold sidelong glance at the nobles in the viewing gallery.

"As long as Her Highness successfully obtains the Founding Monarch’s Heroic Spirit Protection."

"This bunch of old bastards, each with their own schemes, will have to restrain themselves in the future and won’t dare pull any more tricks."

In recent years, the prestige of the Royal Family had been in steady decline.

By the current generation, a significant portion of the Royal Family’s military and financial power had been quietly carved up and taken by several other deeply-entrenched Great Nobles of the Dragon Descendant lineage.

The king had previously attempted multiple reforms to centralize power, but all had yielded minimal results.

This baptism was not merely about securing a Protection for Elvira; it was a political gambit for the very legitimacy of the Royal Family.

Just as everyone was watching, each with their own agenda, an oppressive aura—that of the King’s Way—suddenly pierced the dimensional barrier. It traveled from the distant Star Realm and flooded the hall in the Material Realm.

Every High Tier Professional present felt its pressure.