NOVEL WEB Chapter 1015: Unsealed
Within the stone-walled chamber of his rented inn room, Vale continued to analyze the black bell.
The artifact was currently floating on his Shadow Convergence Array that he had meticulously prepared. He already confirmed that the bell was restrained by a mysterious immortal-grade seal…
He wasn't sure what would happen if he removed the seal, but he was eager to find out.
At this time, he could really tell that the bell had so much divinity or energy within. It would be such a pity if he couldn't bring out its true potential.
Vale's eyes narrowed as he checked the item carefully.
With the memories he had just obtained, he studied the seal imprinted on the artifact. It was an ancient locking mechanism designed to suppress its core power.
Whether it had been placed there to contain its destructive potential or prevent its misuse was unclear, but one thing was certain: if he extracted it, the bell would awaken to its full capacity.
Vale raised his hand and used his Divine Extraction System carefully, targeting just the seal and not the Artifact itself.
He did this through a thin thread of shadow energy that slithered into the bell's core, locking onto the intricate rune that established the seal.
"Now," he murmured.
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes…"
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +1000, Cursed Divinity +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +1000, Cursed Divinity +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
As soon as Vale saw that it was filled with energy and Immortal Essence, he couldn't help but feel excited…
As the extraction continued, he could tell that the seal was weakening really fast.
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +800, Cursed Divinity +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +500, Cursed Divinity +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +300, Immortal Essence +100 ]
Then, as the seal disappeared, Vale stopped his extraction, ensuring that the artifact wouldn't get targeted.
Still, something unexpected happened after a few moments. The bell rotated in place, shedding layers of dust or maybe even rust…
Then, faint images of wailing spirits flashed along its dark metal surface.
"This…"
Vale immediately felt that something was off. He had to seal the surroundings!
Vale gritted his teeth, reinforcing the Energy Isolation Formation around his chamber.
Whom~
Thankfully, he made it in time!
If not for his preparations, the spiritual shockwave would have surely alerted every Arcanist and Immortal within a kilometer radius.
After a few more moments, the bell finally calmed.
It seemed that it had just finished its transformation after the seal was completely removed.
It now hovered before him, like a slumbering beast awaiting command.
As Vale stood, the bell actually moved and circled him…
"A sentient artifact?" Vale was unsure as it couldn't speak, of course.
However, the fact that it could react to him and continuously float, Vale couldn't help but have such a guess.
He extended his hand and lightly touched the surface. Immediately, information surged into his mind: the Bell's True Name—"Sable Mourning", and its restored abilities…
[ Eclipse Toll: Temporarily nullified spellcasting within its range, rendering most low to mid-tier spells inert. ]
[ Spectral Chain Ringing: Creates chains that bind spiritual beings and crush their astral forms. ]
[ Hymn of Damnation: A soul-piercing pulse that triggers torment and hallucinations. ]
Vale would need to feed the bell more power if he wanted to use these abilities, but he didn't mind it at all.
"…Let's see how you fare in real combat," Vale whispered as he was already excited to use them…
Thankfully, he had perfect targets… The battle against the Demonic Creatures was still not over!
***
As the night fog had thickened after hours of battles, Vale finally made his move…
In the distance, lightning arced around the Dimensional Rift, and roars of distant Demon Saints could still be heard.
Though the Immortal Barricade had mostly held, some demonic creatures had slipped through. They now moved through the city's alleys—avoiding the lit wards but causing chaos in darker corners…
Vale emerged from a rooftop, hidden under Presence Shift and Traceless Shift.
Soon, two grotesque Demonic Creatures, both malformed humanoids with horns and corrupted flesh, stalked through the deserted market street below.
"Perfect."
With a thought, the Sable Mourning Bell appeared beside him, floating silently in the air.
Vale whispered, "Eclipse Toll."
The bell rang—not with just a sound, but with force.
Cling~
A pulse of dark resonance rippled outward in circular waves.
Time seemed to halt for the two creatures as the energy slammed into them. Their corrupted flesh trembled as one of them tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Their spiritual energy began to distort.
Vale followed up with Spectral Chain Ringing…
"Let's see how this works."
A second pulse rang out. This time, a tangible effect occurred as gray, spectral chains erupted from beneath the creatures. The chains moved forward like they had a mind of their own.
They moved around limbs, horns, and torsos of the Demonic Creatures with violent speed.
"Ohh… It's cheaper than using Spells…" Vale muttered as he immediately found a reason to keep the item."
In any case, the first creature was yanked upward mid-leap… Then, it was impaled midair by phantom blades hidden within the chains. After that, the second howled and tried to escape into the mist… but it stumbled…
"Let's try the last one…" Vale muttered.
Just like that, a deep, melodic note echoed once more from the bell… It was almost like a monk's death chant. It was beautiful… but quite dangerous.
With the ability activated, the second creature shrieked in despair.
Although the Demonic Creatures weren't even half-immortals, they should still possess the physique that they needed.
Anyway, the creature's horns blackened, and veins of energy across its skin began to collapse inward. It fell to its knees, clawing at its chest, vomiting out corrupted spirit essence as its own energy devoured itself.
In less than thirty seconds, the street fell silent again.
'So that's the Hymn of Damnation…' Vale wryly smiled as he saw the result.