Chapter 196: Untitled
"Fuck."
The word came out strained rather than sharp, dragged along by the weight pressing down on his chest. The burning man remained on the ground, his back against fractured stone, heat still rising faintly from his skin as if his body had not yet accepted defeat. His grip on the sword, however, remained firm, almost stubborn, as though letting go would mean admitting something he was not ready to face.
His eyes stayed fixed on the castle ahead.
At the center of it, suspended behind a faintly shimmering force field, an orb hovered in complete stillness. It pulsed at a slow, steady rhythm, not bright enough to illuminate its surroundings yet impossible to ignore. There was something deeply unsettling about it, something that seemed to reach beyond sight and settle directly into the mind.
Despite the prominence of the Varo King World, despite the stories that painted it as a place of power and ancient glory, it had never been a world known for producing many divine beings. In all its history, only a few had ever risen to that level. Compared to the present era, where humanity alone was steadily pushing toward higher tiers of existence, this world had long fallen behind.
And yet, what he had just experienced contradicted all of that.
For someone like him, someone standing at the threshold of becoming a high god, to be so completely overpowered within a place like this was not just surprising. It was deeply wrong. The kind of wrong that hinted at something hidden beneath the surface, something that did not belong to the natural order of the world.
"I advise against going towards that forest," he said after a moment, his voice lower now, stripped of its earlier confidence. "I don’t think I can keep you safe if you do."
The admission lingered in the air longer than expected.
It was not fear in the usual sense. It was recognition. Whatever lay beyond that force field was far outside what he could handle, and for the first time in a long while, he could not see a way around it.
He had been tossed aside without resistance, overwhelmed before he could even understand what he was facing. That lack of clarity bothered him more than the defeat itself.
"I have to."
Enzo’s response came without hesitation.
He did not raise his voice or try to argue. He simply shook his head, his gaze steady on the castle, as if the decision had already been made long before this moment.
"What’s in that castle is mine," he said calmly. "I can’t leave it behind."
There was no arrogance in the statement, only certainty.
"As for what you faced," Enzo added, glancing briefly in the burning man’s direction, "it’s strange, but I don’t think it’s something that applies to me the same way."
The logic behind that claim was unclear, but the confidence behind it was not.
To the side, the others exchanged brief looks before nodding. None of them showed any real hesitation. If anything, there was a quiet acceptance among them, as though they had already decided that turning back was not an option.
This was not just a dangerous place. It was structured. Intentional.
A trial.
And if that was the case, then what had happened to the burning man was likely not something they would experience in the same way.
"You just help us find the Lilly," Zeke said with a slight smirk, looking down at him. "You’re still useful, right?"
There was a lightness to his tone, but it was not entirely without respect. Since entering orbit around the planet, the old man had been quietly gathering aura, steadily growing stronger without drawing attention to it. Seeing him forced into a corner like this felt unusual.
"Heh... I can do that," the burning man replied, a faint chuckle escaping him as he watched them begin to move. "Just don’t expect me to save you if things go wrong."
The group stepped forward together.
As they approached the force field, there was a brief moment of tension, an expectation that something would happen, that the barrier would react the same way it had before.
But it didn’t.
They passed through without resistance, as if the barrier had never been meant to stop them.
Behind them, the burning man’s expression shifted slightly, a flicker of realization crossing his face before his strength finally gave out. His body slumped fully against the ground as consciousness slipped away.
The flames surrounding him did not disappear.
Instead, they gathered into a tighter form, lifting slightly above his body and stabilizing into a steady, controlled burn. It hovered there without movement, almost like a guard that had been left behind to watch over him.
The moment Enzo and the others crossed fully into the forest, the atmosphere changed.
A voice spoke.
It did not come from any direction, nor did it echo through the trees. It appeared directly within their minds, vast and measured, carrying a weight that demanded attention.
[Welcome to the Dark Forest of Mount Cucasious, once home to the Shining Dark Knight and ruler of shadows.]
The forest seemed to deepen as the words settled, shadows stretching subtly between the trees.
[Several millennia ago, at the fall of this world, he stood his ground until his last breath.]
There was something in the tone that suggested memory rather than narration.
[Hordes of corrupted beasts, no support, only one king and his soldiers against an entire planet.]
The image formed naturally in their minds, not as a vision but as an understanding. A final stand, overwhelming odds, and a result that did not need to be stated.
[Inheritance Land: reach the castle in five days.]
The pressure in the air increased slightly.
[Enter the throne room and receive your reward. Failure means death.]
There was no threat in the voice, only a statement of rules.
[Good luck.]
The presence faded immediately after, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than before.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then, almost instinctively, they all turned toward Enzo.
"This is your call."
The responsibility settled on him without resistance. There was no need for discussion. Whatever happened next would depend on the path he chose.
Enzo remained still for a brief moment, taking in the forest ahead. The castle was visible only in fragments through the dense arrangement of trees, its outline distorted by distance and shadow. Five days was a simple condition on the surface, but nothing about this place suggested that it would be straightforward.
He exhaled slowly before nodding.
"Let’s go"
The group adjusted without question, their attention shifting forward as they stepped deeper into the forest.
The ground beneath them was uneven, covered in layers of dry leaves that made almost no sound underfoot. The trees stood tall and unnaturally still, their branches stretching outward in ways that blocked out much of the sky.
After a few steps, the silence began to change.
It started subtly, a faint disturbance that was easy to overlook at first. Then it grew more noticeable, like something moving just beyond the edge of perception.
Zeke’s expression shifted slightly as he scanned the surroundings, his earlier smirk fading into focus.
"We’re not alone."
No one responded, but the tension in the group sharpened.
From within the shadows between the trees, shapes began to form. They stayed low to the ground, their movements controlled and deliberate. One pair of glowing eyes appeared, then another, and then several more, each one fixed on the group with quiet intensity.
The forest, which had felt empty moments ago, now felt occupied.
Alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
Enzo slowed slightly but did not stop. His posture remained steady, his attention forward, even as the number of eyes continued to increase.
Whatever this place was, it had already begun testing them.