Chapter 155: 155. Sacrifice – 2

Rizwell stood at the edge of the stone platform, his gaze was fixed on the strange symbol carved into the altar.

The engraving was unfamiliar, unlike anything he had encountered in any records or ancient scripts, yet the name etched above it left no room for doubt.

The words Eternal Sovereign glimmered faintly under the moonlight, telling him that this was indeed the place described in the message.

Even if the symbol itself carried mystery, the name anchored his resolve.

He was standing in the right place.

“My lord,” Adam spoke carefully as he stepped closer to the altar, his eyes lingered on the stone platform.

“I believe the heads are meant to be sacrificed here.”

Rizwell nodded slowly.

With a wave of his hand, a massive pile of severed heads appeared atop the altar from his storage rings, crashing down with a wet, heavy sound.

Blood spilled freely from exposed flesh and broken necks, flowing across the white stone and staining it in a deep, violent red tone.

Adam followed his lead, summoning more heads on the platform.

Heads of different races appeared one after another, stacking upon the altar in a grotesque mound.

The soldiers behind them stiffened, and some turned pale as they took in the sight.

The scene made their guts scratch and twist.

Rizwell remained still and patiently waited for some reaction.

Several minutes passed, but nothing happened.

The altar remained silent, no apparent reaction was observed by any of them.

Rizwell’s brow furrowed slightly as unease crept into his chest. He turned toward Adam.

“Did we do something wrong?” he asked quietly.

“I do not know, my lord,” Adam replied, his voice tense.

By then, the sun had completely set, and the full moon rose high in the sky, bathing the platform in pale silver light.

Stars shimmered above, and the white altar reflected the moonlight sharply, making the blood stains appear luminous, and a dark atmosphere that made their breath heavy.

Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind them.

“Your sacrifice is incomplete.”

Every soldier froze. Adam turned hurriedly.

Rizwell turned sharply as well.

At a short distance away, a man stood beneath the moonlight.

His dark green hair moved gently with the night wind, and a green raven mask concealed his face.

Emerald eyes glinted behind it, and long green robes flowed loosely around his figure.

No one had sensed his arrival.

The man walked forward calmly, ignoring the soldiers, ignoring Adam, ignoring Rizwell entirely.

He approached the altar, stepped onto the platform, and sat down casually with one leg crossed over the other.

He reached out, picked up one of the severed heads, and examined it with mild curiosity, as if inspecting a specimen rather than the remains of a living being.

Rizwell watched him closely; he could not sense any cultivation aura, not even an elemental fluctuationor any pressure.

He could not even tell what race the man belonged to.

The fact unsettled him.

“Who am I speaking to?” Rizwell asked, his tone became neutral despite the tension coiling inside him.

The man looked up.

“You may call me Viridian,” he replied calmly. “Some call me Green Raven. I am a humble servant of the Eternal Sovereign.”

Rizwell’s eyes widened briefly before he composed himself.

A servant??.

He stepped forward and bowed slightly.

“Please help me complete the ritual,” Rizwell said as he digested the fact quickly.

Viridian studied him in silence.

His gaze lingered on Rizwell’s face for several seconds before his hand slowly rose and pointed past the soldiers, toward the rear of the formation.

Rizwell heard several gasps as he turned.

Jaden’s bound body lay slumped over a horse like dead weight, ropes digging into his limbs. The moment he saw Viridian pointing at him, terror twisted his face.

“No!” Jaden screamed.”No, please no!”

“Don’t kill me!” he cried desperately. “Please!”

Rizwell felt a sharp pain stab into his chest.

He looked at Jaden, struggling and sobbing, and memories surged without warning. The moment Jaden was born.

The first time Rizwell held his tiny body in his arms.

The weight of that fragile life.

At that time, he had never imagined standing here, forced to make such a choice.

He turned back to Viridian, his voice strained, “Can you forgive him?” Rizwell asked quietly. “Please.”

Viridian shook his head. “The Eternal Sovereign does not forgive traitors.”

The words landed like a blade.

Rizwell’s hands trembled.

This was no longer about loyalty or power.

This was a father being asked to choose between his children.

He looked at Jaden again, tears streamed down his son’s face as death closed in.

More memories surfaced, of a boy learning to walk, of laughter echoing through halls.

His fingers clenched tightly.

“Is there no other way?” Rizwell asked, his voice broke. “I will give anything. My wealth, my inheritance, even my life.”

Viridian clicked his tongue softly.

“There is a way, hand over your son to the Eternal Sovereign and make him one of his servants.”

Rizwell stiffened.

“You will not see him unless the Sovereign permits it, you will also take an Oath of Eternity as the head of House Draconia.”

“Oath of Eternity?” Rizwell asked.

“Yes,” Viridian replied. “Swear under the name of the heavens that whenever the Eternal Sovereign summons House Draconia, you will respond and obey.”

“This oath will bind your bloodline across generations unless the Sovereign dissolves it.”

“There are two exceptions,” Viridian continued evenly. “The mission will never threaten the complete extinction of your bloodline, and the adversary will never be a member of House Draconia.”

He spread his arms slightly as the wind stirred his robes.

“If you cannot place your son’s head on the altar, then place something of equal value.”

Rizwell froze.

He turned slowly toward his men. Adam and the soldiers knelt without hesitation.

“We will follow your will, my lord,” Adam said firmly.

Rizwell closed his eyes briefly.

Then he looked at Jaden one last time before turning back to Viridian.

“I, Rizwell Draconis,” he declared, “Lord of House Draconia, swear an oath under the name of the heavens.”

“From this moment onward, House Draconia will obey the will of the Eternal Sovereign, unless it threatens our existence or conflicts with our own blood.”

Viridian nodded, the oath was sealed.

He walked toward Jaden and placed a hand on his head.

“Do not resist the mark of the Sovereign,” Viridian said calmly. “The only other outcome is death.”

Then he willed it.

[Ding. Mark of a slave has been placed.]

Fear twisted Jaden’s face as the mark took hold.

Viridian turned back toward Rizwell.

“Keep Jaden with you for now,” he said. “He will serve as a link between us and act as a spy within the Clayman cult.”

Rizwell nodded; many words remained unspoken as he could not understand the complete meaning of those words.

“Farewell,” Viridian said.

He walked to the altar, tapped it lightly, and stepped off the cliff.

No one watched where he landed.

Their eyes were locked onto the altar.

The stone had started trembling.

Translucent energy surged through it before releasing a pulse that rippled across the platform.

Then with a boom, the altar vanished, dissolving into nothing.

The ground shook violently.

Below the cliff, a massive array is activated, its lines glowed with translucent energy.

A tremendous burst of demonic energy erupted. Dust and debris surged upward, trees bent, and rocks were thrown aside.

Rizwell raised his hand, summoning wind elemental mana. A powerful gust swept the dust away.

What they saw was that a whole layer of ground had vanished into thin air.

Revealed beneath it was a vast underground base.

“My lord,” Adam said quietly, sensing deeply. “I feel many presences inside.”

Rizwell nodded.

“Let us go,” he said. “I can sense Alfred.”

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