Chapter 156
Erich quietly stared at the surrounding members.
Led by Barnes, they were beheading the dead that charged at them.
"Is this the last place?"
As far as the shamans knew, this was the final place where their kin were being held.
However, coming here was not for simple rescue alone; this place was where the ritual of the dead that Ceres had mentioned was located.
'A place you'd only come to at the very end. It's the perfect spot to hide something.'
Apparently, when they created the ritual, the enemy had taken that into account.
That's why far more shamans were captured here than in other places. Naturally, traces of sacrifices were also far more evident.
For example, the blood soaked into the ground...
Erich followed the trail of smeared blood to where it converged.
He left the dead shambling wildly towards him to his subordinates.
― Swish.
Crouching down, Erich brushed the snow aside, uncovering the traces.
There was a ritual drawn as if in the shape of a star made of blood.
'So this is the ritual Ceres said we had to find.'
Erich nodded at Frederick standing beside him.
At that, the members all started digging there with their shovels at once.
Finally, the ritual set by the enemy was revealed. Seeing it, Frederick narrowed his eyes in disgust.
"... Damn it."
Corpses of shamans grotesquely intertwined.
Though clearly dead, they still seemed to squirm as if alive—an extremity of grotesqueness itself.
The mere sight of the structure triggered instinctive revulsion.
Yet, Erich sensed something more than mere disgust from this construct.
It was a feeling similar to what he'd sensed when Ceres had shown him Laurenti's corpse.
'This is...'
Having heard some relevant knowledge from Ceres, he had now grasped a little about the mysterious power called the divine ritual.
And indeed, there were traces of that power present in the structure that the dead had set up.
However, Erich now began to feel a fundamental doubt.
What exactly was this divine ritual, that the dead or even Incensus's power needed it unconditionally?
'Perhaps this is the critical difference from ordinary power.'
The power of aura, now considered relatively ordinary.
The divine ritual, viewed as a power on a higher level than that, made a clear difference.
For example, just as now, when a divine ritual was granted to a ritual, it produced the grotesque effect of suppressing the power of the shamans...
Lost in thought for a moment, Erich silently raised his hand and flicked his fingers lightly.
― Snap! Whoosh!
A golden spark flared from his hand and fell below. Soon, the flames clinging to the structure intensified, consuming the ritual.
― Groooaaaan.
The corpses that had squirmed bizarrely opened their mouths and spewed out heat.
The dried, hardened blood scabs melted and oxidized in the heat.
Immediately, exclamations erupted from the shamans who had served as guides in the rear.
[Oh, oh! I can feel my strength returning.]
Erich glanced over at them.
Unlike when he first saw them, an aura like a totem's miraculous power now began to flow through their entire bodies.
It was because the suppressive power of the ritual blocking their energy had vanished.
'Ceres suspected there were about six of these rituals. In terms of area, we'll have to erase a ritual every time we ascend.'
But with this, Ceres's theory was proven correct.
Erasing the enemies' ritual restored the shamans' power. For Erich right now, that was all that mattered.
***
The shamans' encampment was festive.
Not even the dead dared to step into the shamans' territory now that their strength was restored.
The few remnants were swiftly eliminated as well.
However, even as everyone drank and shared food in celebration, the old shaman, Aung-ga, still wore a gloomy expression. Erich didn't miss it.
[It seems this won't be resolved so easily, will it?]
[You see it rightly. Outsiders do not know, but the shamans of this Haratakan are all scattered.]
[Scattered...?]
Aung-ga quickly explained to Erich.
The shamans living on the middle slopes of Haratakan were, in essence, gatekeepers.
In other words, they served as soldiers to keep out outsiders.
But a key difference was that the shamans here weren't particularly strong.
Rather, young shamans were sent down to the middle slopes to hone their abilities further after some training.
In short, the shamans here were among the more mediocre of their kind.
The true experts were on the mountain above.
Erich asked Aung-ga again,
[Then, does that mean that the surviving shamans aren't just the ones here?]
[That, I do not know. Though my strength has returned, the rituals set up elsewhere are still blocking me. Until those are gone, I cannot know the fate of my brothers....]
[But if those above are stronger than the shamans here, wouldn't they have resisted somehow?]
[A shaman who cannot use his power is no different from an ordinary person. I suspect shamans all over Haratakan are facing the same ordeal. It weighs heavily on my mind.]
Aung-ga's face grew even darker. Erich slowly nodded.
Not only was he concerned for Aung-ga, but a new worry arose for him as well.
He was troubled by the true intention behind this ritual Ceres had spoken of.
'Every magic has a purpose... Perhaps this ritual's purpose isn't only to suppress the shamans' power...'
Ceres had determined that the ritual was quite sophisticated and difficult to break.
From a magical perspective, its purpose itself was ambiguous.
It was constructed to be hard to shatter by normal means, and to maintain it, a tremendous amount of life was invested.
Yet, if that much effort was put in, it would have made sense to add an extra barrier spell to prevent outsiders from entering.
That is, it was painstakingly constructed, but ironically easy to break from within—that was this ritual.
Something about it was off.
'The dead also know that I headed to Haratakan. They likely never intended to face only the shamans.'
If so, what did this ritual aim for?
Beyond simply restraining the shamans, does maintaining this ritual help them against Erich...?
Is that all?
But how, exactly? That question circled around in Erich's head. Then, Aung-ga continued,
[But perhaps there is hope.]
[Hope?]
[Shamans in Haratakan each have their own role. I am the mountain keeper among them. I am responsible for training young shamans and stopping outsiders.]
[... So you're saying?]
[There are shamans stronger than I am in Haratakan. They might have found a way to resist this ritual, unlike me.]
[How many shamans stronger than you are there in Haratakan?]
At Erich's question, Aung-ga let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh.
[If you go to the holy ground—our headquarters and learning place—there are more than you can count.]
[How likely is it that the headquarters has already fallen?]
Erich thought it very likely that it had already fallen. But Aung-ga saw through Erich's intent and smiled drily.
[I'd say the likelihood is close to zero.]
[... What do you mean?]
[The leader of all shamans resides at the headquarters. That person would not have been taken in by this ritual. However...]
[However?]
[The headquarters is protected by a powerful barrier, so they may still be holding out. I do not know how much time remains, though.]
Erich thought deeply. Even if it hasn't fallen yet, their defeat is inevitable.
Otherwise, the dead would not have been able to march easily towards the Great Wall in the future.
'Perhaps they were invaded even before the Great Wall.'
Maybe, to the dead, the shamans were a greater threat than expected—thus, they sought to eliminate them first.
In that sense, Aung-ga's words were hopeful.
There was a chance the headquarters had not yet fallen.
Even though a red cloud, symbolizing the power of the dead, spread wide, that was not proof the headquarters had collapsed.
Erich asked Aung-ga,
[How does the headquarters' strength compare to these mountain keepers on the middle slopes?]
[... You mean, combining all the young shamans here?]
[Yes.]
[Even if you combined all the strength here, it would be less than a tenth of that at the headquarters.]
Erich's eyes narrowed. That was the extent of the gap in power between the two.
However, if they had such strength, it would significantly help in dealing with the dead.
With hope in his heart, Erich asked Aung-ga again,
[So, should we head up to the headquarters?]
[If we destroy all the rituals, shamans at the headquarters should be able to use their power even outside the barrier. In my opinion, it's best to break all the rituals along the way.]
Erich flicked his finger as he listened to Aung-ga.
'It would take too long to break every single one as we go.'
Of course, rescuing the shamans would bolster their forces, but Erich did not have much time.
'... There are still five rituals scattered throughout this vast Haratakan...'
Erich's eyes turned to the towering peak of Haratakan. Then, a glint crossed his gaze—a good idea had struck him.
Raising the corners of his mouth, Erich slowly said to Aung-ga,
[... Don't landslides occur often on Haratakan?]
[... Excuse me?]
Aung-ga blinked in confusion. It seemed he was frightened, wondering what on earth Erich was imagining.
But Erich did not care. He had no intention of handling every tiresome task one by one.