"Wu..."
"Ah!!"
The process of extracting the Sacred Gear was excruciatingly painful. Although Valerie initially tried to endure it desperately, eventually, she couldn't help but scream in agony. It felt as if her soul was being torn apart. Fortunately, this intense pain didn't last long, and soon, Tenraku extracted the Sacred Gear from Valerie's body.
"Hea-Tenraku-sama..."
Pale-faced, and drenched in sweat, Valerie felt like her entire being was on the verge of collapsing.
"It's over now. Rest well."
Although extracting the Sacred Gear was somewhat painful, it didn't leave any lasting harm to the body. Valerie just needed some rest to recover fully.
Injecting a stream of Spirit Qi into Valerie's body, Tenraku had Yubelluna help her sit on the side before inspecting the extracted Sacred Gear. What Tenraku pulled out from Valerie wasn't the typical jade jewel form. Instead, it was two silver-glowing cups, each the size of a palm, adorned with intricate and mysterious runes.
Inside the two cups were half-filled with pitch-black liquid, countless faces transforming and dissipating on the surface, accompanied by a myriad of voices whispering indistinctly.
It was none other than the legendary Tools that Destroy God - Longinus — the Holy Grail of the Secluded World, Sephiroth Graal!
However, what troubled Tenraku was that he only extracted two Holy Grails from Valerie instead of the expected three. Tenraku was certain; Valerie's Holy Grail should have been three in total!
"Valerie, was one of your Holy Grails taken by someone?"
Tenraku turned to Valerie.
"I don't know..."
"Tenraku-sama, is there a problem?"
Valerie shook her head in confusion, while Yubelluna asked.
"Valerie's Holy Grail should be three in total, but now there are only two. Someone must have taken one while she was confused or in a coma."
Tenraku explained, and the expressions of Yubelluna and the others turned astonished.
Someone had already taken one of Valerie's Holy Grails!
Various clues flashed through Tenraku's mind, and he suddenly grasped something — that damned Rizevim must be behind this!
"Tenraku-sama, what should we do now?"
The faces of Yubelluna and the others looked somewhat grim. As Tenraku's peerage, they understood better than anyone how crucial these Sacred Gears were to their master.
"For now, let's merge these two Holy Grails. But my possessions aren't that easy to take; I'll make them pay sooner or later!"
With a glint of coldness in his eyes, Tenraku stated firmly.
Without further hesitation, Tenraku directly merged the two Holy Grails into his body. Despite missing one, the two Holy Grails still provided Tenraku with a massive amount of Spirit Power, further enhancing his strength.
Tenraku had already entered the realm of a transcender, making him one of the top-tier powerhouses in this world. Reaching the next level, akin to the invincible sovereign realm of Ophis and the True Red Dragon God Emperor, wasn't an easy task.
According to Tenraku's estimation, he would need to acquire dozens more Longinus. However, considering there were only thirteen legendary Longinus, and he had already acquired nearly half of them, reaching that level was still a challenging feat.
It was indeed a troublesome matter, but thinking about it now was premature. Tenraku decided to focus on acquiring all the available Longinus first.
Suppressing his aura, just as Tenraku was about to say something to Yubelluna and the others, he suddenly grunted, and a hint of pain appeared on his face.
"Tenraku-sama, what's wrong with you?" Yubelluna and the others noticed Tenraku's abnormality and quickly supported him.
Having no energy to respond to them, Tenraku only felt an onslaught of countless information rushing into his mind, causing an excruciating headache. It felt like his entire head was about to explode.
"It's the newly fused Holy Grail causing trouble!"
The Holy Grail of the Secluded World - Sephiroth Graal, a legendary Longinus capable of overturning the principles of life, was unexpectedly forcefully imparting to Tenraku how to use it. A massive amount of information violently surged into Tenraku's mind, accompanied by many other things—
The thoughts of the living and the dead, various people's spirits, concepts—all sorts of consciousness were invading Tenraku's mind! Countless voices seemed to resonate, creating a chaotic cacophony that left him feeling distressed, confused, and with a splitting headache.
Was this the pain Valerie had endured all this time? Tenraku was now experiencing it firsthand.
However—
"A mere Longinus wants to invade me? Just become my power obediently; that's enough!"
With a low roar, the sea of Belief in Tenraku's spiritual world roared and churned. The colossal Gods and Demons Scripture emitted a dazzling light, dispelling all foreign thoughts and distractions. Quickly, Tenraku used Angelic Magic to apply a layer of mental protection.
The tumult in his mind finally quieted down. The previously agitated Holy Grail also calmed down. Tenraku breathed a sigh of relief.
"I apologize for worrying you."
"Just now, the Holy Grail attempted to invade my mind, but it's fine now."
Tenraku's recent strange behavior had indeed startled the girls. Now that Tenraku was fine, Yubelluna, Xuelan, Isabela, and Valerie all breathed sighs of relief.
"Valerie, how are you feeling now?" Looking at Valerie, Tenraku inquired.
"Although I can't use my abilities anymore, I've never felt this relaxed."
A faint smile appeared on Valerie's face as she truthfully responded. There was no regret or sorrow for losing her powers; the current tranquility and ease felt precious to her.
"It's getting late. You should go back and rest."
"We might stay here for a few more days until everything is resolved, and then we'll take you back to our home."
"Understood, Lord Tenraku."
Tenraku affectionately stroked the girl's forehead, and Valerie nodded.
"Lord Tenraku, are we staying here for a few more days?"
After Valerie left, Yubelluna asked curiously. According to the original plan, they were supposed to return after rescuing Valerie.
"Yes, that guy Rizevim's actions concern me. Let's stay here for a few more days for now."
"Alright, let's also go 'rest.'"
Carrying Xuelan in his arms, Tenraku walked into the bedroom. With a slightly red face, Yubelluna and Isabela followed suit...
To be continued...
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