Chapter 702: Secrets of the Broken Blade

Third Person’s POV

Although the Eterna Nexus had once informed him that the weapon had originally been a Rank Seven saber, its current condition hardly inspired confidence.

The blade was incredibly dull and possessed no discernible special properties, with the sole exception of its seemingly indestructible nature.

Over the years, Ethan had tried numerous ways to uncover its secrets, but none of his attempts had yielded any results.

During his time in the Dark Forest and later at the Sangrial Duchess’s castle, he had even tried to have the weapon reforged or repaired, hoping that a skilled craftsman might recognize something unusual about it.

Unfortunately, every attempt had ended in failure, and no one had been able to restore the broken blade or explain its peculiar characteristics.

He had even shown it to his master, Nyx, hoping that her extraordinary knowledge and strength might allow her to discover something he had overlooked.

At the time, Ethan had woven a convincing story with lies and truth mixed within, claiming that he had found the saber at an underground auction in Scarlet Hollow City and suspected that it might be a precious treasure disguised as a worthless piece of junk.

Nyx had laughed at his explanation and affectionately ruffled his hair, clearly amused by his attempt to uncover a hidden treasure.

Nevertheless, she had still examined the broken blade carefully.

Yet even after inspecting it herself, she had failed to discover anything unusual beyond the fact that she couldn’t find which material it was made of.

In the end, Ethan had gradually lost interest in the weapon.

Since it had neither revealed any useful properties nor responded to his attempts to repair it, he had simply tossed it into his storage ring, where it had gathered dust for all these years.

Now, however, the Eterna Nexus had brought it up again.

Ethan briefly relayed his thoughts about the saber to the lively spirit, explaining the various attempts he had made and how even Nyx had failed to uncover its secrets.

The response he received was filled with disdain.

[What would the so-called forbidden existences of this world know about that saber?]

Ethan’s expression immediately turned cold.

"Don’t insult my master."

His voice was harsher than before, leaving no room for any type of misunderstanding she might have about his statement.

Regardless of how mysterious the broken saber might be, Nyx was his master, the person who had raised him and guided him through countless difficult years.

Ethan would not tolerate the spirit casually belittling her, especially when he knew just how extraordinary she was, and what place she had in his heart.

Hearing his sharp response, the lively spirit paused briefly before answering.

[Well, I didn’t mean to pick on your master, so no need to get so fired up.]

The spirit huffed in protest.

[The reason why she wasn’t able to discover the saber’s true value is simple.

She possesses slight mastery over the Greater Law of Space and the Lesser Law of Dark Fire, so her domains of power never coincided with this saber of yours.]

Ethan’s expression changed slightly as he listened.

The spirit’s explanation was unexpected, particularly because it had casually revealed details about the Law power Nyx wielded.

However, before he could question her further, the Nexus continued. ℯ

[But luckily, your newly awakened Lesser Law of Devouring does.

You see, this saber was originally a Life Devouring Saber, and that’s all even I know about it.

So, I have a guess that it might finally react to your newfound power.]

Ethan was momentarily stunned.

There were two reasons for his surprise.

First, the spirit had just revealed information about Nyx’s mastery of the Greater Law of Space and the Lesser Law of Dark Fire, knowledge that Ethan had never expected it to be aware of.

Second, its explanation had given him a possible answer to the mystery of the broken saber.

A Life Devouring Saber.

Even its name sounded ominous and unusual.

And the fact that its original nature might be connected to the Law of Devouring offered a plausible explanation for why neither he nor Nyx had managed to awaken its hidden properties.

If the weapon truly possessed an affinity for this particular Law, then perhaps his newly acquired comprehension was precisely what he had been missing all these years.

Of course, the spirit had only offered a guess, and Ethan knew better than to mistake its speculation for certainty.

Nevertheless, the possibility was more than enough to excite him.

Eager to test whether the Nexus’s theory was correct, Ethan immediately withdrew his consciousness from his mana dimension and returned his attention to the outside world.

The dullness in his crimson eyes gradually faded as his awareness settled back into his body.

Not long after he awakened, a powerful ice storm suddenly swept across the mountainous region they were walking through.

Under normal circumstances, such a storm would not have been enough to force the group to stop.

After all, they came from a world where many regions were covered in ice and snow year-round, and most of them had considerable experience enduring harsh cold.

The biting wind and freezing temperatures alone were hardly enough to pose a serious threat to beings of their caliber.

However, the situation soon proved to be far more troublesome than they had anticipated.

As the storm intensified, the swirling snow and howling winds began to interfere with their perception, making it increasingly difficult to observe their surroundings.

Even more alarming was the fact that their soul senses were gradually becoming frozen under the influence of the overwhelming cold, leaving them with the strange sensation of being buried beneath an ancient glacier.

Their perception of the surrounding environment continued to deteriorate, and even the most powerful among them could no longer maintain their usual awareness of everything happening nearby. ℴℴ𝗺

Realizing that they could easily be ambushed under such conditions, Ethan suggested that they take shelter in a cave among the mountainous peaks they were passing.