Viktor over the course of 7 days continued to work on mental defenses completing the fortress and his mind palace. As a result, every single memory he still had was i his mind and by combining it with his Mechanized Mind spell his mind was running at a speed it could not before.
As a result, his mind's ability to weave magic had gotten elevated to a new level. At that time, Iris had completed her article which spread like wildfire among the citizens of Central City.
With Barry's Speedforce, Iris was able to create a perfect sketch of Balerion as he had told her. She had added it to her article and this caused so much discussion on the internet. Of course, there were a few trolls here and there who refused to believe Iris had met with Knight.
They called her sketch fake and she was just making it up. Even with that, Iris did in fact get her promotion at the Daily Planet. However, her boss did ask her if she go to another interview to get a picture at least.
Regardless, Iris was pleased with her article and getting the word out of the thoughts of Central Cities Knightly Protector.
---
As for that protector, he was currently in his ritual room with help from Guardenia, a Seraph who had been alive in Heaven when God still lived. She knew much and her help with his ritual was greatly appreciated.
Once he completed his Mind Palace, the speed of his thoughts had been elevated so he could see the flaws in his ritual circle which he fixed. Guardenia at the same time taught him some of the Angelic Magic and runes which he needed to add to his ritual to balance out the Devil Runes.
Of course that caused its own set of issues which meant his ritual needed a total overhaul and it had grown in complexity. The issue was that casting it was going to need a ludicrous amount of magic to fuel it.
As such, he had to create a completely different magic ritual that would condense magic into Mana Crystals. Mana Crystals would help feed the ritual circle when it was time to cast it.
Viktor stood over the ritual he carved in the ground from his own blood. He didn't have any magical plant ingredients that could sustain a magic ritual so his blood had to do.
Guardenia who was floating by Viktor's left side glanced at the Magic Array they constructed before nodding. She nodded to herself, but he did wonder how she saw out of her blindfold.
"This will do. However, if you had magical herbs to make a proper ritual focus it be better. But your own blood will work."
Yami sniffed the circle before he stepped away from it. Viktor smiled as he began to feed the Magic Circle with his mana. As the lines and runes he created began to light up, he observed as his own mana and mana from the air began to be drawn into the magic circle.
Viktor, Yami, and Guardenia watched as the circle began to condense the mana drawn into it into a single point. That point of mana grew larger and more concentrated until it became a drop of liquid mana. After a few more moments, more and more liquid mana was gathered before the circle concentrated it into a solid crystal of mana.
Viktor released a breath he had been holding before he picked up the Mana Crystal.
"All that work for this tiny thing."
Guardenia knew it was annoying, but it was what they had to do.
"At least you can use the same circle over and over. Though, I would suggest building a magic array around the house to draw in more magic. Later, you can move the entire house directly over a Leyline to have access to more magic."
Viktor sighed as he decided to suck up his irritation to continue to gather more Mana Crystals. He would need plenty to feed his ritual as it was going to take a lot of Mana. Though he did congratulate Guardenia on her ability to remain awake.
"I should say you are looking much more awake than before."
She nodded.
"That is thanks to you, your progress has been swift. Though, I will remind you that you have yet to bind a powerful soul to the cross. As you know, the Sacred Gear binds a powerful soul to itself to draw on its power."
Viktor knew that was a problem, just that strong souls were not common.
"I know, but unlike Dragon Deus, powerful souls are not so common or easy to acquire to me right now. I would be going to the Fair Lands, my work would be much easier. I could find Supernatural creatures with powerful souls, like Dragons or other Magical Creatures.
It's not like I can just f-"
He stopped talking as he knew of one place on Earth with a powerful magical presence.
"Transylvania, in Romania. It is a place teaming with dark-aligned creatures, Werewolves, Vampires, and other such creatures. If I can find a powerful Vampire or other Supernatural Creature, I can bind their soul to Incinerate Anthem."
Guardenia nodded.
"You should prepare for that, and remember Incinerate Anthem can bind more than one soul to it and you can replace them as your power grows."
With that, Guardenia returned to the cross around his neck. With her gone, he continued to use the magic array to continue to create more Mana Crystals. After he created another 5, he dropped them into his shadow to keep them secured.
He then took it easy as his mana recovered before he used it again later that day to make another 5. Over the next few days, in which he didn't even leave the house to fight crime, he continued to make more Mana Crystals for his major ritual.
Instead, he sent out Yami and Lorna to keep an eye on things at night. They practically didn't need to do anything as just his name kept the remaining criminals in check. In that time, thanks to his continued efforts he managed to convince nearly 120 Magic Crystals.
It was a big amount and he felt was enough, but he took more time to increase his amount to 150. When he had the Mana Crystals he needed, he felt it was time to use the ritual he had painstakingly reworked many times to get the desired result.
He had waited until the day that the Moon was going to turn full for the most spiritual intent. Inside his ritual room, he removed the ritual for making Mana Crystals as he could always replace it when his living situation got better.
While Yami and Guardenia watched, he began to draw the ritual circle into the ground in his own blood. Guardenia floated by his side as she allowed him to work in peace. They didn't have Lorna here as while she could use magic she wasn't nearly as talented in it as Viktor.
When the entire ritual array was complete, Viktor looked it over almost 5 times making sure each rune, glyph, line, and piece was perfect.
"I got it done."
Guardenia used her projected nature to fly over it using her expertise to discern the ritual's quality. After not finding a single mistake she nodded as it would work perfectly.
"It's ready."
Viktor waved his hand and from his shadow emerged the 150 Mana Crystals he had painstakingly created. He placed them down onto the Circle which would be the fuel needed for the spell to work.
He then looked over at Yami who was going to be crucial for his.
"You ready my friend?"
Yami nodded as he walked over to his place in the magic circle. The ritual would not hurt Yami or damage him, but it would leave him a bit drained until his power recovered. The Sacred Gear had been pushed hard before, and it always recovered.
Yami was willing to do this as the stronger Viktor got, the stronger he would become. With Yami in place, Viktor walked over to another part of the ritual before he reached up and removed Incinerate Anthem from around his neck.
He then placed it down on the circle before he added the last part of the ritual. He created two swords, one made of solid shadow and the second made of solid light. With the swords complete, he stabbed them into the middle of the ritual circle.
That was everything he needed so he looked over at Yami.
"You ready?"
Yami nodded with determination. Viktor then looked over at Incinerate Anthem on the floor.
"How about you Guardenia? Not nervous?"
"Not at all. The Longinus will not break that easy, they are self-sustaining and will recover in time. Besides, as long as you remain human with a limited lifespan you are at risk. Without the Sacred Gear system, our lives are bound to yours so grow strong enough to protect it."
With that, he nodded as he walked forward to start the ritual. He began to feed his mana into the ritual circle which caused the blood he drew it with to start drawing in a titanic surge of his mana.
As he focused he saw it began to devour the energy in the Mana Crystals which directed the mana into each portion of the circle. The runes and glyphs around Yami, and Incinerate Anthem lit up as it began to feed their power toward the two swords in the middle.
From Yami three things flowed into the center of the circle into the black sword. The Lycanthropy curse of Lycaon began to surge out of Yami which didn't feel all that comfortable. On top of it, the Divine power of the Shinto god Kagutsuchi which had been killed by the Divine Sword Ama-No-Ohabari which had drunk his divine blood into itself.
The third was the former Divinity now a Curse from the blade itself which all flowed into the Dark Shadow sword which drank this power along with the vast amounts of mana offered to it in the circle by the Mana Crystals.
From Incinerate Anthem, the innate Holy Energy granted to the cross by the Blood of Christ flowed into the light sword and the power of Guardenia as a Seraph which had been enhanced by the fusion with the cross.
With each second that the magic circle burned, the Mana Crystals crumbled to dust as their energy was devoured one after the other. All this power was directed into the twin swords of darkness and light which began to be pulled together.
Viktor could see how Yami grit his teeth as this was becoming unbearable. Guardenia was probably in the same boat, but the Mana Crystals were crumbling to dust. Already, more than half of them were gone and even then more and more of them followed suit.
Their energy continued to flow into the two blades which burst into a burning black and red flame along with a white and purple fire. These two energies flowed into each other and they devoured all the mana in the Crystals as power to finish their merger.
When the very last Mana Crystal burst apart, Viktor stopped feeding the magic circle. He fell to his knees and with that, the two blades which had drank deep of his two Sacred Gears consolidated into one.
In their place a pitch-black longsword flowing with white, purple, black, and red lines. It radiated a vast aura of Holyness, Curses, Divinity, and Destruction. Yami fell down as he felt drained to the bone.
Viktor didn't check on the sword first, but he picked up Incinerate Anthem and placed it around his neck. He then walked toward Yami and he picked up the dog into his arms.
"How you feel?"
Yami snorted and rolled his eyes as he was just tired. Viktor smiled as his friend was completely ok. He just needed to rest so he did the best thing he could.
"Return to my soul, both of you. You need rest more than me."
Guardenia didn't hesitate.
"That is for the best."
With that, the silver cross around his neck retreated into his soul and Yami followed after. His partner closed his eyes as he returned to Viktor's soul for recovery. With them resting, he walked toward the sword he created.
He reached down and he lifted the sword into his hand. It would be one use and he better make use of it. He squinted his eyes and focused on his remaining mana and he teleported to the roof of his house.
When he arrived on the roof he looked up at the sky and the moon in particular. It was close to full and in just a few more moments, it would reach its fullest in about half an hour. As such, he sat himself down and began to focus on recovering his mana.
As for the sword in his hands, it continued to radiate a potent aura that he would use soon. Just a few minutes before the Moon became full, he rose to his feet as he didn't need to have all his mana for this.
Instead, he ripped off his shirt leaving himself shirtless. He took a deep breath and he pointed the point of the blade toward his own heart. He took a deep breath before he plunged the blade into his own chest.
When the sword pierced his heart, he grit his teeth as he pushes it deeper into his chest. When he did so, the power of the blade began to surge into his body. The pure Lycanthropy of Lycaon enhanced with the Divine power of Kagatsuchi, the potent Divine Curse of Ama-No-Ohabari, the innate Holyness and Divinity in the cross, and the Angelic power of Guardenia.
All this power flowed into him reminding Viktor of Dante stabbing himself with Rebellion. Viktor released the sword which caused all the power into it to flow into his heart.
Dark black and red lines began to surge across his body alongside purple and white which seemed to fight against each other. However, they began to harmonize and merge together causing the Lycanthropy Curse to take hold.
These black and crimson divine and cursed lines covered Viktor's entire body and then the moon became full. When that happened, Viktor's body began to tremble as his transformation into a new species commenced.
Part God, part Angel, part Werewolf, Cursed and Divine all in one. His body began to absorb potent Lunar Energy which kick started his transformation and ascension into his new race.