Chapter 17: Absolute Sovereignty

The box was lined with red silk, and inside lay a weathered ancient sword.

It was a cross-shaped sword about 1.4 meters long, its blade edge completely shattered with scarcely an intact spot. The tip had broken off entirely. The entire sword was covered in dull gray rust, save for a faint trace of gold on the hilt, as recorded in legends. At the center of the crossguard was a large green gemstone, but it was riddled with cracks, and a large chunk was missing, clearly shattered by some external force. From the pommel extended a slender chain, covered with rust spots, and its other end appeared to have been violently torn off.

"I will have the butler prepare a guest room for you along with related information about this sword. Take it back to your room and examine it at your leisure."

Rodagindom snapped his fingers. The walls and metal gate slowly closed, restoring the storage room to its original state. The painting "The Girl by the Seaside" still hung on the bare wall.

Heather did not hesitate, clutching the box as he followed Rodagindom back to the mansion’s first floor. Shortly after, the butler quietly approached him and bowed, saying, "Mr. Heather, please proceed to the second floor. A guest room has been prepared for you there. The master must visit the mayor and cannot continue to accompany you on the estate tour; he asked me to inform you. If you have any requests, please let me know. Everyone at Rodagindom Estate will do their utmost to accommodate you."

"Understood. Please convey my sincere thanks."

The guest room prepared for Heather was a spacious and luxurious suite of about one hundred square meters, fully equipped, its decor blending understated elegance with opulence.

"May I prepare lunch for you now?"

"No, thank you. Let me be alone for a while."

After the butler and servants bowed slightly and left the room, Heather finally turned his attention back to the box and the stack of documents neatly piled on the nearby table.

[November 5, 1996: The Stowall archaeological team, in conjunction with the Hunter Association’s one-star relic hunter Satz, led a relic development and protection team to discover a suspicious underground ancient tomb in a wilderness area within the borders of the Kingdom of Kakin.]

[Due to continuous rainfall loosening the surface layers, and the tomb’s outer door cover being accidentally broken by a traveler who had lost their way, the ancient tomb was exposed to daylight once again.]

[After four days of exploration and excavation, the underground tomb was successfully opened.]

[Inside, there was nothing indicating the tomb owner’s identity—no treasures, no burial items, no sacrificial victims, not even the owner’s corpse.]

[In the vast tomb lay only a stone coffin, inside of which rested a damaged ancient sword.]

[According to careful comparison and historical myth records, this sword is highly likely the 'Absolute Sovereignty' mentioned in the ancient poem "The Triumph of Kando."]

[Multiple professional Nen users have confirmed that the sword possesses no supernatural abilities, merely an ordinary ancient blade.]

[December 15, 1996: The renowned wealthy Rodagindom purchased this sword for 15.7 billion Zenny.]

[On the same day, detailed information about this event was classified as 'Grade A,' accessible only to hunters of one-star level or above. Internal materials within the Kingdom of Kakin were sealed.]

Heather set this page aside and picked up several others, clearly internal documents from Rodagindom’s side.

[Collection Number—181]

[The cross sword 'Absolute Sovereignty' as referenced in the second chapter of the ancient poem "The Triumph of Kando."]

[This is the fourth unearthed ancient mythical weapon recorded worldwide, following the 'Light Egg,' 'Navira’s Scepter,' and 'Tide Merfolk Trident.']

[Like the previous three weapons, this sword has no Nen or supernatural abilities.]

[Suspected to have been damaged by external force.]

[The 'Black Country' mentioned as lying beyond the abyss in the poem is highly suspected to be the Dark Continent.]

[The forest dwarf who guided Prince Kando to the Black Country’s ancient tomb is highly suspected to be a 'Guide,' an Azimuth species from the Dark Continent.]

[In other words, this sword likely originates from the Dark Continent and is extremely dangerous!]

[Retracting the previous statement: this sword is not dangerous at all!]

[This is a very safe collectible.]

[This page is sealed!]

Heather leaned back into the soft sofa, deeply furrowing his brows.

Others might be unaware, but he knew all too well the dangers of the Dark Continent and the Guides.

In the hunter world, ordinary humans believe they have explored the entire globe, unaware that humanity actually lives within an immense lake called Mobius.

Beyond the lake lies the Dark Continent.

The Dark Continent is home to various 'heterogeneous humans'; magical beasts are also believed to have originated there. Ancient texts and relic records state that whenever humans set foot on the Dark Continent, catastrophic disasters befall the world. For this reason, the five continents, known as V5, established a non-aggression treaty over two hundred years ago. Should one wish to cross into the Dark Continent, they must negotiate with the Azimuth species called 'Guides,' summoned by gatekeepers.

In fact, every attempt to challenge the Dark Continent has ended in devastating failure, bearing the weight of an extinction-level calamity for humanity.

After signing the treaty, V5 secretly tried to colonize the Dark Continent, but each endeavor resulted in uncontrollable horrors.

[Weapon: Gold-Silver Ingot]—a mysterious sphere guarding ancient ruins.

[Gas Lifeform: Ae]—a being dependent on desire.

[Double-Tailed Serpent: Hell’s Bell]—a monster that spreads murderous intent.

[Breeder Beast: Pappu]—an exchange of happiness for life.

[Immortal Disease: Zobae Disease]—a curse that steals hope and plunges victims into endless despair.

Five expeditions to the Dark Continent brought back five incurable, terrifying disasters.

Judging from this, "The Triumph of Kando" recounts the tale of Prince Kando’s journey to the Dark Continent, guided by a Guide.

Those terrifying fiends, the undead lords of fantasy, the evil dragons, calamity giants, and even the World Tree piercing the heavens to reach the divine realm—they all truly exist.

Wait—there really is a World Tree.

In the manga, Gon’s father, Kin Furukusu—one of the five great Nen users of the current era—once told Gon that the Dark Continent houses the true World Tree.

Rooted in the mountains, absorbing magma, and growing beyond the atmosphere, it is undoubtedly the World Tree.

Returning attention to the ancient sword lying quietly in the box before him—

Those gods from ancient myths—the 'Wasp Goddess,' the 'King of Winter,' the 'Fire Guardian King,' the 'Queen of the Heavens,' the 'Thunder Titan,' and so forth—were they 'heterogeneous humans' so powerful that humans worshiped them as deities?

Intriguing. Forged in the Dark Continent, these divine weapons wielded by the so-called gods lost their original miraculous powers and became mere mortal relics. What caused this loss?