Cycle of Destiny

Chapter 47 Life Etching

Harry sat on the floor, leaning against the hatch, his heart finally calming down. He looked down at the ruby ​​pendant on his chest—Beckham had gone back inside to rest, and the gem seemed a little dimmer than usual.

He slowly stood up, walked to the bedside, sat down, and began to sort out everything that had happened that day.

"...The Elf Prince cannot die," Harry muttered to himself, the waves lapping rhythmically against the ship's hull outside. "But what if...the Cardinal is also alive?"

The thought cleaved through his chaotic thoughts like a bolt of lightning.

If Archbishop Lawrence had died saving Arthas, Arthas would have left the ship midway through the journey and eventually killed himself in the forest, according to the original plot.

But if the Archbishop were alive, he could continue his mission, keeping watch over Arthas all the way to the province of Landon. In this way, Arthas would be firmly kept under the Archbishop's watchful eye, with no chance to escape into the forest and kill himself.

"Yes, that's it!" Harry looked up abruptly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

A figure in a white robe hovered in the center of the room, its pure white eyes staring at Harry, seemingly not understanding why he was so agitated.

"Little Beckham," Harry said quickly but clearly, "is there any way to keep Arthas alive while also ensuring Archbishop Lawrence doesn't die?"

Xiao Bei paused for a few seconds, as if thinking. "I don't know the specifics of Arthas's current situation, so I can't be sure." Her long eyelashes drooped slightly. "But I can go and check on him."

After saying that, her figure floated forward, passing directly through the thick wooden bulkhead, as if the wall were just a layer of mist.

Harry waited anxiously. After a few minutes—during which he repeatedly looked at the wall and paced restlessly back and forth in the cabin—Beckham's figure reappeared in the wall and silently returned to the room.

Harry was very anxious, and his first question came out: "Didn't Lawrence see you just now?" His voice was full of worry, and his eyes were fixed on Beckham's figure.

Seeing his nervous expression, Xiao Bei's lips curved slightly. "I am a soul," she said calmly. "Although I am only level nine, below the Saint rank, no one can detect me unless I reveal myself. Lawrence is a level nine divine mage; his perception is not enough to penetrate my spiritual state."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Beckham's sudden disappearance had really startled him. It would have been terrible if the archbishop had found out; thankfully, he hadn't.

Harry then turned his attention back to Arthas: "How is Arthas?"

"His condition is very bad; I'm afraid he won't live more than a few days."

"Is he that badly injured?"

"His condition is very bad; he may not live for more than a few days."

"Are you that badly injured?"

"It's a curse." Xiao Bei's tone turned serious. "One of the oldest and most powerful forbidden arts of the elves—'Life Etching'."

"Life Etching?" Harry frowned; the name alone gave off an ominous, destructive feeling.

"Yes," Xiao Bei said confidently. "In the records of the Elven race, this curse is very special. It is not an ordinary offensive magic, but a last resort that is strictly guarded by the elders and can only be used when the Elven race is in its most critical moment, with the unanimous consent of all eight elders. The Elven race calls it 'The Elven Last Line of Defense'."

"Its power..." Little Bei paused, as if searching for the most suitable explanation, "is not in its instantaneous burst, but in the essence of 'etching.' It's like an invisible carving knife, directly acting on the source of life, continuously and irreversibly eroding the life force and soul of the cursed one. The cursed person will be like being weathered away by time, their life force rapidly disappearing until they are completely exhausted."

"It sounds like some kind of necromancy." Harry immediately thought of the evil rituals in necromancy that involve sacrificing the lives of others.

“Similar, but fundamentally different,” Xiao Bei explained. “Necromancy generally requires gathering external soul power or plundering the life force of others to power it. But ‘Life Etching’… sacrifices the caster’s entire life essence.” She looked at Harry and continued, “Moreover, it follows the Elven ‘Life Compensation Law’—for every portion of life essence sacrificed by the caster, the target will suffer several times the damage and loss.”

Harry gasped. "'The Law of Life Compensation'... Doesn't that mean... this curse allows the caster to kill an enemy several times stronger than themselves?"

“That’s right.” Little Bei nodded. “Those who can cast this kind of curse are all members of the Elven Elder Council. The Elder Council consists of the eight strongest beings under the Elven King. They are the cornerstone of the Elven race’s power and the symbol of wisdom. Each of them possesses unfathomable power and long lifespans. As far as I know, this kind of curse, which costs an elder’s life, has only been used once in history, one hundred and forty years ago.”

Little Beckham looked at Harry and asked, "Harry, do you know how many wars the Arcanos Empire has fought against the Elves in the two hundred years since its founding?"

"Three times? You said the elves won all three times," Harry replied naturally.

"In those three instances, do you know how many times the Elf King defeated top human warriors?"

"Three times?" Harry recalled what Beckham had said before: "The outcome of a war is often determined by the strongest fighting force." He didn't understand why she would ask such a simple question.

"The war was won three times, but the Elf King only won twice. Although the Elf King lost the second time, the elves still defeated the humans."

Harry was puzzled by this answer. If the strongest human warriors defeated the Elf King in the second war, why did they still lose in the end? This completely contradicts the saying that "the outcome of a war is often determined by the strongest warriors."

She slightly adjusted her hovering posture, her voice carrying a calm tone as if recounting history: "About one hundred and forty years ago, an emperor known as the 'Iron-Blooded Holy Knight' appeared in the empire. His personal martial prowess was extremely strong, reaching the terrifying realm of the Saint rank at a very young age. After inheriting the throne, he wanted to wash away the empire's shame, so he took the initiative to attack, leading a human army to flood the elven defenses like a torrent."

Coincidentally, at that time, the Elf King's seven descendants were only around three to five years old, greatly dispersing the Elf King's power. Besides bloodline inheritance, the Elf King's power also followed a crucial principle: it could be passed down upwards, but not downwards. In other words, the Elf King's descendants could ascend to the pinnacle of power through his blood, but conversely, if the Elf King killed his own descendants, although his power would temporarily return to its peak, he would quickly suffer a severe backlash. This was likely a restriction set by the Elf God to ensure the normal succession of the Elf King.

In short, if the Elf King wanted to defeat the "Iron-Blooded Paladin," he had to kill his seven children. Although he would suffer a backlash afterward, the power he would gain in the short term would be enough to deal with the crisis, and he could raise offspring again after the war, ensuring the continuation of his bloodline.

But for some reason, he didn't choose to do so. The Elf King, at the lowest point in his power, was no match for the 'Iron-Blooded Paladin,' and it seemed the already limited living space of the Elven race was about to be completely taken away, threatening the race's extinction. At this most dangerous moment, for the survival of the race, the Elder Council finally used 'Life Etching.' Four level-nine elders… simultaneously sacrificed their lives.

Xiao Bei's voice lowered: "Elves' vitality is inherently much stronger than humans', and with these four elders being top-tier level nine experts, the power of the curse actually broke through the suppression of their cultivation levels. That almost invincible emperor, within just seven days, saw his immense vitality rapidly wither and weaken, as if it had encountered an invisible black hole, ultimately dying in despair. The human army, without its commander, fell into chaos and panic, allowing the elves to seize the opportunity to counterattack and reclaim their lost territory. They not only avoided annihilation but also gained considerable benefits from this war. Therefore, even though they defeated the Elf King this time, they still lost the war."

Harry remained silent, processing the story Little Beck had told him. He hadn't expected the elven curse to be so powerful; it truly lived up to its reputation as "the last line of defense for the elves."

"This curse... was originally strictly forbidden to be used on the descendants of the Elf King," Xiao Bei continued. "The Elf King's power inheritance depends entirely on bloodline. Every prince and princess is a vessel for the future power of the Elf race, the hope for the continuation of the race and the fight against external enemies. Within the Elf race, the birth of the Elf King can only rely on the power of the Elf King's descendants themselves. Other elves are strictly forbidden from interfering in the competition for the Elf King. This is almost an ironclad rule of the Elf race, and those who violate it will only face death. Moreover, casting this curse would be a permanent and irreversible huge loss to the Elder Council itself. Every use of it would severely weaken the overall power of the Elf race. It should never be used unless absolutely necessary."

"But now... they've used this curse on Arthas," Harry continued.

Seeing Harry's increasingly understanding look, she uttered the key point: "Yes, the elders not only interfered in this matter, but also used a powerful curse on Arthas activated by the 'Multiplier Law.' This can only mean one thing: the elders within the Elven race, or rather, the core conservative faction that controls the elders, harbor a hatred and fear of Arthas, this half-blood prince, that surpasses their reverence for tradition and consideration for the overall strength of their race. They are willing to violate the commandments, willing to pay a huge, irreversible price, to ensure Arthas's death, and to erase all traces of his existence as quickly and thoroughly as possible. The Elven elders sacrificed all the essence contained within their long lives; no wonder even the archbishop was powerless."

Harry slowly sat back down on the edge of the bed. He understood completely—Arthas's existence was not merely about maintaining that fragile balance; his half-human blood was an intolerable blasphemy and a tremendous threat to the elders who upheld pure-blood supremacy and viewed humans as inferior beings.

They were willing to use the ultimate forbidden technique to erase this "stain" from the future of the Elven race.

"...Are you confident you can save him?" Harry was uncertain, his voice was soft, but still carried a hint of expectation.