Chapter 176
We entered the city's castle.
The city we entered was the viscount's territory, and the viscount himself greeted us.
Coincidentally, the nearby large city was the domain of the count who had died on the Pleasure Island. So, we couldn't reveal that we had come from the Hader house.
Moreover, since we had attacked the castle in southern Beltern wearing Amir's armor, it was only a matter of time before our identities were discovered.
Fortunately, the viscount didn't recognize that we were the same people who had appeared in southern Beltern. He only knew about the group that included Dran and the girl.
"Does the food suit your taste?"
"It's very delicious."
"Why did you leave our nation's Dark Forest as it was? I heard you purified the darkness in the southern small countries."
"We had to retrieve something in the east, so we were on our way here. Once we obtain it, we plan to head to western Tern."
"Ah, I see."
I made up an excuse.
It didn't matter since we needed to go west anyway.
"In that case, let us help. I don't know what you're seeking, but at least let us guide you on the road."
"Thank you for the offer, but we don't have much time. In fact, we barely have a moment even to eat like this."
"Why is that?"
"The darkness in the west is spreading. We must find the ancient relic and return to that forest as quickly as possible."
A look of disappointment appeared on the viscount's face. His reason for wanting to help us was obvious: by assisting us, he hoped to earn merit for purifying the darkness in western Tern.
"But if I may ask, who are you and where do you come from?"
"We are independent priests who lived in the central mountains. Guided by the deity's revelation, we are purifying the darkness, so please don't ask further."
The viscount swallowed dryly.
Tern is even more devout than the empire. Thus, when someone claims divine revelation, it's considered a sacred ground too profound to question.
"Are Mr. Dran and the woman priests, too?"
"My master always said, 'The deity does not distinguish between race or gender when driving out darkness.'"
"I see."
The viscount's lips twisted.
He seemed displeased with my assertion, as if believing their deity was not everyone's but their own alone.
"Is there truly nothing I can help with?"
"Please just provide the guard captain and a few soldiers as support. When we return, we'll give you an ancient temple gold coin as a token of gratitude for your help."
"Oh! Really?"
The viscount's face brightened.
Whatever the ancient temple gold coin was, it would serve as evidence that he had helped us.
/ / /
We headed southeast again.
The guard captain and six soldiers accompanied us. Since it was obvious they would try to keep an eye on us, I brought them along on purpose.
The viscount tried hard to keep us in his territory, but there was nothing he could do. With the darkness spreading, his house could collapse if he missed his chance for merit.
As expected, the location of the deity's stone was two days' walk away. We were now crossing mountains that weren't too rough, and the south would soon come into view.
"What is the area to the south like?"
"There's a vast desert. It's the place where a great war occurred in ancient times, and the demon's skulls still remain there."
"Is it safe now?"
"It is. Many expeditions have searched the area, and people are still exploring it."
"By royal command?"
"Mercenary bands and those they've hired. They paid a huge sum to the royal family and are officially investigating the area."
"Since when?"
"For about twenty years, I think."
They had searched the area for twenty years.
The grand duke must have known. He knew both about the deity's stone in that region and about the demon's essence.
Probably, the demon's essence may have already been taken by someone. It might have been the same demon's essence the grand duke or Art Syren possessed.
Hanuk must have informed them.
That those things were in eastern Tern. Hanuk must have been the one to fight the demons on that plain.
Since the southern tip of eastern Tern is the closest to Beltern for landing from the great demon island where the devil's sacred ground is, the great war must have broken out to stop them.
We reached the summit.
To the south lay a vast desert. It had once been a plain, but now it had turned to desert.
"Are the skulls beneath the desert?"
"Yes. It's so broad, and with sand piling up every year, exploration is difficult."
We went down together.
The expedition was nowhere in sight from our current location. It seemed we would likely have a major confrontation with them.
"Guard captain, wait here."
"We can help."
"If there are any without divinity among us, the relic won't reveal itself. We don't have time to wander for days in this situation."
The guard captain reluctantly nodded. If we couldn't find the relic because of them, there was nothing they could do. The viscount probably ordered them to watch us to the end.
/ / /
We ventured deep into the desert.
With no one around, I summoned the bronze knight to check our direction.
Though it was daytime, the yellow gem in the bronze knight's chest shone brightly. When I told it to look for the deity's stone, it went straight southeast.
I thought the bright light meant we were close, but that wasn't the case. We walked and walked, and still couldn't see the end. A massive sandstorm swept in from the south.
"Let's wait under that hill over there!"
We ran to the tallest sand dune. Meanwhile, the sun set and the surroundings grew darker and darker. It even felt like evil spirits were brushing past us.
We made camp below the dune.
Everyone covered their faces with linen scarves and crouched low. The sandstorm soon engulfed the area.
Kwaaa—
It was a fierce storm. I wondered if an artificial storm had turned this place into a desert.
After the long storm, half our bodies were buried in sand. We were covered in dust. At this rate, the terrain could change in a week.
"Should I light a torch?"
"No. The expedition might be tracking us. We should cover the bronze knight's light too."
We proceeded in the darkness.
At night, the temperature plummeted and the wind was harsh. The sand made walking difficult.
We walked for another three hours or so.
The bronze knight, who had been marching wordlessly, stopped beneath a relatively low sand dune.
"Is it here? Or down below?"
The bronze knight bowed and began to dig. It would take forever at that rate, so I summoned the remaining bronze knights from my magic warehouse—just then!
Kwachik—chwarurururu—
The bronze knights suddenly sank and some tumbled in after. The plank covering the gap couldn't bear the weight and snapped. Fortunately, it wasn't too deep.
Thud.
We rolled down a sand mound piled underground. Looking up, I saw a crack in the ceiling. The six other members had not fallen in.
"Shall we come down too?"
"No. Wait up there."
Beneath the sand lay countless demon skulls. The passages were strewn with them too. Was this an underground space opened since ancient times?
Leaving the six above, the rest of us moved into the cave. The bronze knight was already heading in that direction.
But there were footprints here.
"Someone entered recently."
"The expedition must have hidden the ceiling crack."
"Probably."
There were old bloodstains on the ground. Going a bit further, we saw two rotting corpses. They weren't in armor. There were demon skulls around too.
Both had died holding out while wounded. Had they blocked the ceiling crack?
The bodies were about three months old.
"Did the expedition members fight each other?"
"Seems so."
"There's a dark power here."
Eilin drew the holy sword.
It wasn't terribly strong, but divine radiance shone out. There wasn't a gate of darkness, just some evil presence.
There were traces of water flowing on the ground. When this was a plain, rainwater gathered here and flowed this way, and over time it corroded the place, causing cracks.
At the end of the cave, we reached an underground waterfall. The water had dried up, but it was quite tall. Somewhere below, there was a being radiating a dark power.
Additionally, a rope ladder hung from the waterfall—since it wasn't rotted, it must've been set up by those who entered three months ago. Had they all killed each other?
"I'll go down first."
"Be careful."
Hans went down first.
As I was about to follow, something began approaching from the darkness. Then it suddenly rushed out.
"Hans! Dodge!"
It darted in a flash.
Hans dodged desperately, but couldn't avoid it completely and his armor was scraped at the side. A sword?
"Young lord! It's a devil!"
"Hans, climb up! Quickly!"
The fiend rolled and attacked Hans again as he dodged. Incredibly fast. And wielding a sword.
Chang—Pop—
Hans blocked the descending blade, and there was the sound of magical energy bursting. At the same time, Hans was thrown and crashed down at the base of the waterfall. At that instant, an arrow flew toward the creature—
It easily deflected the arrow.
Then it looked up the cliff.
The moment its gaze moved!
I drew my sword and leapt at it. The fiend didn't avoid me, but swept up my sword with its own.
Boom—
With a blast, I was blown back. The thing also stepped back, but quickly closed in again. It was clearly human. But corrupted by darkness, and unbelievably strong.
Tukang—
I parried its downward strike, which again released an explosion of magic. This time, since I had gone all out, I was pushed back, but so was it.
Krahak!—
The fiend, thrown back, charged right at me again, this time its body flying as it thrust its sword.
I parried swiftly, then struck it behind the head with my elbow. With a crack, it toppled over—but instantly got up again.
"What are you?"
The fiend attacked again.
Its magic power surpassed mine. And it had clearly reached a high level as a knight. It just couldn't utilize its full power now.
Its face was so decomposed it was unrecognizable, and its clothing was that of a wanderer. It was not dead. The darkness had driven it mad.
Kraaaak—
It leapt and cut down with its blade in an instant. Blocking it would likely give me an internal injury, so I threw myself aside.
As I dodged, it hit the ground and immediately sprang toward me. Xenon was the fastest foe I'd ever fought, but this one was even quicker—on par with the Sword of Light!
I deflected its thrust, then cut its side. Its defense was formidable. It fought on instinct, yet its magical energy moved on its own.
Spinning, it targeted my side again. At that short range, as I swept up its sword, I also grabbed the wrist holding its blade with my left hand and twisted.
It released its sword and rolled forward. I tumbled with it, clinging to its back and choking its neck. We rolled over the ground, wrestling.
The fiend shook violently to throw me off, clawing at my arm. Suddenly, it shot upright and dashed into the darkness with me still clinging.
Kuaaaak—
It shrieked wildly, rampaging at random. It wasn't dead, just utterly insane. Its strength was gradually fading.
This one had consumed a demon's essence.
Judging by its sword technique, even before going mad, it had been exceedingly strong. The corpses were victims killed by it.
If I kept fighting while it was numb to pain, I'd lose the upper hand. If this kept up, its magical energy would go berserk. No, perhaps it already had.
The monster finally tried to fling itself backward into a wall. Its battle instincts remained. As it attempted to smash into the wall, I braced and kicked off.
Thunk—
Instead of crashing into the wall, it bounced forward. I rolled with it again, choking it tightly. Then it began crawling with me on its back.
The fiend shuddered as it crawled. The magical energy inside it boiled, swirling restlessly. It was about to unleash a burst of force.
Krahak—
It screamed, gathering all its magic power. That was its mistake—a lapse caused by losing its mind!
Crack—
Just as its force was about to burst,
I broke its neck completely.
Thud.
It collapsed forward and died instantly. Unconsciously, it had drawn the magic it used on defense to attack, so it couldn't protect its neck.
"Whew!"
I dropped off and lay back.
It had been a long time since I had to go all out. If we had fought normally, the battle would have lasted a long while.
With my glowing right hand, I lit up its face. Dark energy began to waft out of its body. Magical energy gathered rapidly.
A demon's essence was forming.
From its very body.