884 The Will of the Realm

Heinz stood in his laboratory, holding the newly created divinity crystal.

The dark, pulsating light within the crystal was proof of his success. He had done it—he had harnessed the power of the Corrupted Divinity. This crystal would allow him and any other Dark Arts Practitioner at the First-Class level to control this chaotic energy. It could still be modified to make it a lot better, but others could do this task.

Heinz felt relieved after confirming that this compulsory task that was thrown at him was finally completed.

He then allowed himself a rare moment of celebration. His apprentices also gathered around and for sure, their faces were filled with awe and admiration.

“Today marks a new era for the Dark Arts,” Heinz declared, his voice resonating with pride. “With this divinity crystal, we can wield the power of the Corrupted Divinity. Our strength will be unmatched.”

The apprentices cheered and their excitement were also noticed by the other Alchemists and immediately gathered around.

Although this crystal wasn’t really the goal of their mission here, it was still a great breakthrough. Of course, Heinz knew that this was only the beginning and he decided not to submit the crystal to the Dark Arts Faction just yet. Instead, he would create more of these crystals, ensuring that their power was fully understood and perfected.

For the next month, Heinz worked tirelessly, refining his process and producing additional divinity crystals. Each one was a masterpiece, and he almost didn’t want to part with them…

Nonetheless, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he watched his collection grow.

‘This should be enough to leave this place…’ Heinz thought as he wasn’t really here because he wanted to… He was taken here together with other Dark Alchemists to use these Demon Saints for a larger project. Although he also liked the research that he made, it was still completely different to conduct your own research with your own volition.

Finally, after a month of relentless work, Heinz decided it was time to leave as he submitted all his findings to the Faction.

After another week of rest, he finally informed Denise that he was ready.

With a sense of anticipation, he made his way to Vale’s Castle through the arrangement that Denise has made.

Upon his arrival, Heinz couldn’t help but feel a chill seeing Vale’s Castle. He still couldn’t believe that the young disciple he had taken was now a renowned Immortal, surpassing in just less than a decade.

Anyway, he was soon escorted to Denise’s laboratory by a strange golem…

‘So this is the android I’ve heard about…’ Heinz muttered to himself.

Although he didn’t have a great talent for Golem crafting, he was still quite knowledgeable when it came to the creation of the core.

He was curious if Denise wanted his skills on this.

Soon, the familiar scent of alchemical components and the hum of magical energy filled his senses as he neared to Denise’s lab…

“Welcome, Sir Heinz. It’s been a while. I apologize for not greeting you outside.” Denise said as he gestured for Heinz to enter.

“It’s fine… Now, why are you trying to make this project of yours too mysterious? Heh, do you know that I even experimented on Demon Saints? Nothing will surprise me anymore.” Heinz proudly said.

However, as soon he entered the lab, his eyes widened in shock. There, on the study tables, lay the bodies of four Time Manipulators!

“Denise,” Heinz exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment. “How did you come by such precious specimens?”

Denise glanced at the bodies, and a smile showed her lips. “Vale brought them to me. He captured them himself. I’ve been studying their physiology and abilities… To be exact, I want them to change their physiques with your knowledge of Runic Gearsmith and Dark Mystic Artificer.”

Heinz approached the tables, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. “This is incredible. But… With that knowledge, are you planning to turn them into mechanical puppets?”

Denise smiled as she confirmed that Heinz had an idea about her plans… “I’ve been making progress, but it’s slow. Their bodies are remarkably resilient, and their physique is unlike anything I’ve encountered. I’m planning to turn them into half-androids. After all, aside from Time Manipulation, their talents in other Arcane Paths are just at the beginner level. They also age really fast because of their ability to control time…”

“They age fast?” Heinz found this really unusual, but it certainly made sense to pay a price to control time.

“I have something that might help…” Heinz said as he found this project interesting.

***

In the meantime, in the heart of the Dark Arts Faction’s grand hall, the Half-Immortals of the five main families gathered.

These families—Moontomb, Featherstar, Angelart, Ravinie, and Vermont—were the founders of the Dark Arts Path.

Today, they stood before a monumental achievement made by Heinz: the Divine Crystal, a creation that allowed even those who weren’t Immortal to harness Divinity, even if it was Corrupted Divinity.

The fact that even an Arcanist of the First Class could wield Divinity could surely change the war that they’ve been planning for a long time!

At the center of the hall, on a platform of black marble, a dozen Divine Crystals pulsed with a dark, mesmerizing light.

The Half-Immortals, each a formidable practitioner of the dark arts, gazed at the crystal with a mix of awe and elation.

These items may not be very useful for them, but they were something that they sought out if they wanted to start a war against another Arcane Faction.

After all, Half-Immortals aren’t allowed to meddle in the war of Arcanists. That would be the same for Immortals if the other Factions have them.

The Will of the Realm would be the one to suppress these Immortals if they dared to kill mortals just for pleasure. A handful of mortals may not be enough to get severe punishment from the Will of the Realm, but if the Half-Immortals or Immortals had gone too far, they might be completely suppressed, killed, or even exiled by the Will of the Realm.