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The Spire of Blades was a forbidden ground of the First Unity Coven and also a site used for student assessments.
Under normal circumstances, the Spire’s trial was only opened to students who had been in the coven for at least half a year,
For it to be activated this early meant only one thing. Linda’s talent was exceptional.
Linda accepted that without trouble.
In her previous life, people cursed her for being ruthless, jealous, cold–hearted, and for betraying her ancestors and sect, but no one had ever said she lacked talent.
Even after her Gilded Core had been torn out and she switched to Path of the Runic Scrivener, Linda had never fallen behind.
Her talent was real, and it was well known.
Seeing the strange and cautious looks on their faces, Linda said calmly, “Alright. I’ll go right away.”
“There’s no rush. Finish eating first,” Craig said as he picked food for her, his tone almost sympathetic. “Once you’re there, just hand the item to Mack. And be careful.”
Linda nodded. “Okay.”
Once she finished eating, Linda left.
Only then did Rafael chase the thought he had been holding back, disbelief written all over his face. “Her? The Spire of Blades? Are you sure? I’ve never been there, but my father mentioned it before.
“Only students who have been in the coven for a full year are allowed in. I don’t even want to go. But she’s only been here a month. One month. Can she really pass the trials?”
Craig snapped back, annoyed, “Do you think I’m the one sending her? This came straight from the coven leader. I’m just following orders.”
Rafael clicked his tongue. “Cold–blooded, Craig. That’s brutal.”
Craig said calmly, “Just eat. Every student has to take a master within a year. If no one takes you, you get sent down the mountain.”
Rafael’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s amazing.”
“Yes,” Craig said coolly. “With your legs broken.”
Rafael didn’t hesitate. “I’d still go down.”
Craig shot him a look. “Pathetic.”
Rafael scoffed. “If it were you, would you give up being a rich young master just to become some useless student here? Fine, going down the mountain is one thing, but you have to give the Maelstrom back to me.”
Craig snorted. “That thing carries the Beast–Ichor Bloodline of a Chimera–Kin. Do you want to take it away? Keep dreaming.”
Rafael cursed under his breath.
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Chapter 14
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Craig didn’t yield an inch.
“She’ll pass.” The sudden female voice came from Laura.
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Craig and Rafael both looked at her in surprise. Laura’s expression remained calm as she repeated, “Linda will pass.”
The Spire of Blades was also known as the Sepulcher of Lost Steel.
It was one of the forbidden grounds of the First Unity Coven. Without permission, no one was allowed to go deep inside.
It held the resting place of the spirit swords of past coven leaders, elders, students, and Rite of Blade–Interment.
No matter how they died, once a student passed, their sword would return to the Spire and become part of it.
Thousands of swords gathered together, forming a mountain of steel and spirit.
Because of this, the Spire became both a landmark of the coven and a trial ground for new students.
Holding the brocade box, Linda stepped into the Sepulcher of Lost Steel.
The moment she entered, sharp sword intent surged forward. It moved like wind, rushing past her sides in cutting streams.
Strands of her loose hair were severed as the currents brushed by. Linda watched the strands fall, her gaze lowered slightly. Her expression remained calm.
Linda’s steps were steady as she moved deeper into the Sepulcher of Lost Steel.
Sword intent pressed in from all directions, coiled and ready to strike, yet every step Linda took was firm. So firm that there was not the slightest hesitation.
Suddenly, clashing sounds echoed around her. Countless voices seemed to rise from every direction at once.
Linda didn’t stop. She held Vellum Sigil tightly in her palm, her face unchanged.
Then the scenery shifted. Linda found herself standing in a sea of yellow sand.
In the distance, demonic beasts roared as they charged forward. Before the city gates stood a lone man with a single sword.
He stood still, sword in hand, his gaze fixed ahead.
A hundred thousand demonic soldiers surged forward. The man raised his blade and cut them down.
Sand, blood, and endless screams filled the sky. The man remained before the gate, unmoving.
He didn’t retreat even a step. And he defended the city alone.
Then the scene changed. The demonic soldiers and weapons around him became trembling civilians instead.
“Don’t blame us, Sir. They said if we kill you, they’ll spare the city. We just want to live.”
“Sir, you’re an immortal. You’ll understand, right?”
“Just let us stab you once,”
“If you die, they’ll let us go. You’ve lived long enough. Please fulfill this for us.”
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Chapter 14
A chipped knife struck that man. The sound of metal scraping bone made the skin crawl.
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Blade after blade fell. Within moments, the young man’s body was unrecognizable, torn apart by blood and wounds.
Some people attacked while crying. Others shouted apologies as they thrust their swords forward.
Even after he collapsed to his knees, the blades didn’t stop.
Someone even threw open the city gate and shouted, “We killed him. Let us go.”
In that frenzy of desperate screams, no one seemed to remember that this man had guarded the gate for seven days and nights, keeping the city safe.
Linda stood before the mage. He was young, barely in his twenties.
His features had once been refined, but now they were gone. Only a mass of mangled flesh remained.
“Was I wrong?” The murmured question sounded like it came from the soul itself.
Linda stood there and heard his confusion.
“Was I wrong?” he choked out, his voice ragged.
The voice echoed in her ears, as if it were asking Linda directly.
She stepped forward slowly, crouched down, and looked at the blood–soaked ground before speaking coldly. “Act according to your heart.
“Don’t measure it by right or wrong. If this was the path you chose, then it wasn’t wrong.
Linda spoke quietly. “Defending the city, that’s your path. Becoming a demon by killing, that’s theirs.
The voice sank lower. “Then was my path wrong?”
“Was it wrong?” he roared.
Linda replied calmly, “No one knows.”
At those words, the blood on the ground transformed into surging demonic energy.
It rose into the sky, swallowing the city walls and blotting out the heavens.
Demonic energy filled the air. The people cried out as the city turned into Demons. The last place of purity was destroyed by their own hands.
The crying didn’t stop, and neither did the demonic tide. It attacked everyone, including Linda.
Within the demonic energy lay his resentment, his hatred, his confusion, and every twisted emotion he had carried.
From it, a Heart Demon was born.
Inside that heart demon, Linda saw herself. Her brows drew together slightly. “An illusion?”
“You’re lying.” The voice sneered with grim delight. “This is your real answer. If you repay hatred with virtue, then how do you repay virtue?”
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Chapter 14
“Your heart is fall of killing intent.” The voice burst into wild laughter, mocking her hypocrisy.
This was Landare own demon heart.
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Linda remained expressionless. She gathered the ruined flesh and buried it in the pit, as if fulfilling the duty of this role, treet wittig the appearance of morality.
She berried the body and raised a marker.
The dark shadow twisted beside her. “You hate them. You hate the betrayal.”
Suddenly, the civilians around them turned into Matthew, Toney, and Marietta.
A sword after sword pierced forward, each strike aimed at her heart.
Pain and sufferation surged through Linda’s chest. Her face turned pale, yet her hands did not stop as she set the marker in Mate
The shadow continued, “You were the smartest one on Azure Spire. You had the greatest talent. You did the most for the **** Yet no one ever acknowledged you.
Everyone favored the ordinary Marietta. You were unnecessary.”
Lambre Fyre turned cold. “Shut up
The shadow added, “They took your Gilded Core after ten years of cultivation because they wanted to. They handed your Benige tile to someone else just as easily. What did you get?
Va put even words through the heart. You hate them even more than I do. So what are you pretending for?”
tumbre pare darkened, dowly turning bloodshot. She dipped her fingers into the blood on the ground and wrote on a wwuuten plank
It was not a name it was the wond co
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
