Cursed Immortality

"Is it done?" Jacob asked Immortika with great expectation, as he couldn't verify the result of this abstract wish.

"If your lifespan is deducted according to the cost of the wish, then there is no stopping it even if you want to. So, it is done!" Immortika dismissively replied. Jacob instantly felt relieved because he didn't have to worry about that woman anymore and could focus on getting the rest of the Cosmic Vestiges.

However, this time, he wasn't going to waste his time by searching cluelessly; he had already learned his lesson, and he made another wish.

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Wish: I wish all the Legendary Keys that are not being used by anyone to appear before me!

Cost: 100% Infinity Blood & 5,000 Years of Lifespan or Only 7,500 Years of Lifespan!

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Looking at the cost of this wish, he mused, 'This wish will allow me to get all the unused legendary keys, which means I'll have clear targets once I know which key is being used. As for how many of them are not being used, let's hope I get all of them…'

"Carry through!"

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-Lifespan: 827,850 Years (All Youthful)

_____ The moment the lifespan was deducted, the space in front of them suddenly wrapped, and the next moment thereafter, four glowing Legendary Keys appeared in front of Jacob!

Jacob quickly grabbed them and looked at the glowing zodiac symbols on each one. They were the Legendary Keys of Gemini, Cancer, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, respectively!

This means the Legendary Keys of Aries, Libra, and Pisces were already being used by the others at this moment. Still, Jacob had five unused legendary keys, which means he was the only one who could enter the trial towers, while the chances of someone using the Star Ocean Medallion were very slim. So, in total, he now has four cosmic vestiges and five keys for other vestiges.

Jacob stowed away the four new legendary keys, chose his first target, and made a wish.

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Wish: I wish to enter the final trial of the Tower of Aries!

Cost: 100% Infinity Blood or Only 1,500 Years of Lifespan!

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"Carry through!"

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-Lifespan: 826,350 Years (All Youthful)

_____ Just like before, the moment his wish was carried through, the surrounding space shifted, and then, the next moment, Jacob found himself in a long, dark hallway.

The first thing Jacob felt here was extremely high temperature. Jacob stood at a threshold, the air around him thick with an oppressive heat that carried the distinct scent of smoldering embers.

As he moved forward, each step he took into the passageway was accompanied by the quiet crackle of invisible flames dancing just beyond his sight, which seemed to threaten him with flickers of light.

The temperature continued to rise as he ventured deeper. At this moment, his instincts suddenly warned him that he was nearing something powerful, something ancient.

At last, the hallway opened into a colossal chamber—the heart of the Tower of Aries—and immediately, Jacob was struck by its overwhelming grandeur.

Jacob mused coldly, 'So, I'm the first one here? Or is that person before me already dead or probably still taking the trial? Well, it still depends on what kind of difficulty that person has chosen. Nonetheless, it doesn't matter since as long as I clear this, I'll get everything!'

The chamber was circular, with walls lined by fiery murals depicting a forgotten tale just like the other towers.

The murals seemed to glow with an inner flame as if they were alive. Jacob's eyes were drawn to the first mural: it showed a towering figure cloaked in flames, a horned warrior wielding twin blades of fire. His presence was fierce and unyielding, his eyes alight with a fiery determination. This was probably Aries, the embodiment of unrelenting fire.

Moving along the mural, the next scene shows Aries leading a great battle. Flames leaped from his weapons, scorching armies of shadowy figures. The enemies in the mural were obscured, faceless, and dark, representing the chaotic forces Aries fought against. Yet, the mural was vague, leaving much to Jacob's imagination about what or who these shadows truly were, and he was expecting it.

As Jacob continued observing, the final mural showed Aries alone on a throne of flames, his form partially consumed by the very fire he wielded. In his outstretched hand hovered a sphere of pure flame, representing his essence, the fire that had both empowered and destroyed him. It was a reminder that even the mightiest flames could burn out if not controlled.

Jacob's gaze lingered on that final image—the lonely, fiery throne—and he couldn't shake the feeling that this was not what it seemed, and these murals were somewhat different from the other zodiacs.

But he didn't have a chance to mull it over because suddenly, the room began to rumble. The temperature spiked as the murals glowed brighter, their flames flaring outward, casting eerie shadows across the chamber.

Jacob instinctively raised his guard, and his aura surged with a hint of solemnity in his eyes as he knew what was coming.

The very air around him shimmered with heat as the ground beneath his feet split open, releasing streams of molten lava that flowed into intricate patterns, forming a glowing circle in the chamber's center.

From this fiery rune, a low, rumbling sound echoed, like the deep roar of an awakening beast. The flames in the chamber coalesced, spiraling toward the rune. With a sudden eruption, the Wisp of Aries emerged!

A pillar of fire shot upward from the rune, and from within the flames, a shape took form. At first, it was nothing more than a blur of blazing light, but as the flames settled, Jacob saw it—a humanoid figure wreathed in fire, its body composed entirely of molten flames. Its head bore the unmistakable curved horns of a ram, and its eyes glowed like two smoldering coals, burning with ancient, primal rage.

The Wisp's form crackled and hissed with raw power. Its flames flickered constantly as though it was barely contained within its own blazing form. Streams of fire cascaded from its arms and legs, pooling around it like molten rivers.

Every movement it made sent arcs of fire through the air, filling the chamber with the oppressive, suffocating heat of a raging inferno.

The aura of the Wisp of Aries was that of pure destruction. As it floated toward Jacob, the very stone beneath it melted, leaving molten footprints in its wake. Yet, there was something regal about it, a presence that demanded respect and awe.

This was not merely an entity of fire but the very essence of Aries himself, the fire that could both destroy and create.

The chamber was deathly silent for a moment, save for the crackling of flames. Jacob was waiting patiently for the Wisp of Aries to decide what it wanted to do.

But whether it was to fight or directly acknowledge him, he was ready for both!