“Then why are we waiting for as long as thirty minutes? Weren’t we originally planning to barge in together and overwhelm them with numbers?”
“That was the initial plan.”
Kriel stared at the gates of the monastery nestled in the mountains, which were growing closer by the moment. From inside the monastery, he could feel the pulsing of a dark and murky energy. It seemed as though, by opening the door to his soul and embracing the power of the Abyss, he could summon heavenly vitality to surge through his body.
Heavenly, my foot. More like a mental asylum.
Kriel brushed off the urge that flickered within his body with a wry smile.
“The condition inside the monastery is unusual. It appears that the Abyss has significantly eroded it.”
“Erosion by the Abyss, huh? Are you saying it’s been transformed into a dimensional rift?”
A dimensional rift where unfamiliar laws of nature took hold. When powerful supernatural forces became saturated in a confined space beyond a certain threshold, transformation into a rift often occurred.
Of course, not all dimensional rifts were created by the Abyss. There were plenty of independent rifts, like dragon lairs or the fairy realms where fairies gathered.
However, in this era, the Abyss was by far the easiest force to create a dimensional rift. Rifts born from the Abyss were known as “Chasms”.
“Blindly throwing a large group into a Chasm is a bad strategy. Even if everyone here is a saint and won’t be swayed by the illusions the Abyss shows, the culprit might escape while we’re wandering around the Chasm.”
Morgina’s eyebrow twitched. Kriel’s words were essentially a declaration that he would ensure none of the saints would be aimlessly lost in the Chasm for thirty minutes.
“So, what? You’re planning to destroy the core of the Chasm on your own?”
“I’ve done similar things a few times. Haven’t you been by my side?”
In the western army, Morgina had collaborated with Kriel on several occasions. When their forces were trapped in a dimensional trap prepared by the machines of ancient dwarves, Kriel had ventured out alone and decapitated the machine general.
“You’re just a lunatic obsessed with chivalry….”
“This isn’t chivalry; it’s what I call rational division of roles. What can I do if I’m the best at tracking the traces of the Abyss?”
In Kriel’s judgment, this Chasm exploration wasn’t all that dangerous. The monastery’s divine energy was masking the presence of the Abyss quite effectively. In other words, the presence of the Abyss was faint enough to be concealed by the monastery’s blessings, which lacked any remarkable relics.
If he ignored any monsters charging at him and focused solely on finding the core of the Chasm, thirty minutes should be more than sufficient.
As Kriel pondered how to locate the core of the Chasm more quickly, he felt the horned dagger at his waist begin to vibrate. The moment he drew the blade, the spirit inhabiting it spoke.
[That. Even I think charging into a Chasm alone is a bit crazy.]
For the first time, Morgina thought that the talking blade had made a valid point.
***
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The heavy sound of someone gripping and knocking the round door knocker. There was no response from inside.
Kriel grabbed the knocker again and struck it forcefully.
This time, he sensed movement from inside.
“Who’s there?”
Morgina’s gaze shifted toward Kriel. He attempted to convey his intent through the shape of his lips but quickly realized that most of his face was hidden by his helmet. Resigned, he simply raised his index finger and signaled her to stay quiet.
“We are wandering priests of Eve Kaha, who covers the eyes of the dead with raven wings. We’ve stopped by to ask for shelter under your roof for a short while.”
The voice beyond the door fell silent for a moment.
“Go back. Our monastery is currently sealed off. It is a special sanctification period to offer prayers with the purest of hearts. To maintain this purity, we have prohibited all contact with the outside world. We apologize to you, our guests, but we cannot accommodate you.”
Kriel paused in thought. Beyond the door, he could feel the disgusting presence of the Abyss writhing. Though the voice answered like that of a pure priest, the being speaking was no priest. It was an Abyss demon that had devoured the priest’s memories.
Tap. Tap, tap.
Morgina nudged Kriel with her fingers. In her hand, she was now holding a mace wrapped in a red haze.
Kriel sighed and nodded his head in agreement.
***
“What in the—?!”
Satranak gasped in shock at the sight of the two figures bursting through the shattered door of the monastery. The corpse he had been controlling a moment ago had its head obliterated by a crushing blow from the mace, severing his connection to it.
The monastery’s doors were protected by powerful enchantments. Much of what Satranak had the corpse say was true. He had used sacred techniques designed for sanctification to erect a barrier that prevented entry into the monastery.
Yet, these two wandering priests disregarded the barrier entirely and barged in without hesitation. Then just as decisively, they destroyed the corpse.
The body had been a puppet under the personal control of a demon. By ordinary means, it was indistinguishable from the living.
Then that means…!
His presence had been discovered. Satranak felt a wave of deep dismay. Could it be that some of his worshippers had betrayed him?
He suppressed the confusion that surged within him. His master had bestowed an overwhelming blessing upon him, one that allowed him to seize control of this monastery and transform it into a domain of the Abyss.
The endless darkness of the Chasm would blind their eyes, and the vast space that was larger than reality itself would wear down their steps.
If these intruders truly were saints who came to kill him, they might banish the darkness of the Chasm with their divine power. They could breach the Chasm, reach its deepest depths, and destroy the core.
But such a task would take them a considerable amount of time.
Satranak snapped his fingers. The corpses of the priests became imbued with the dark magic of the Abyss. Although they were a hastily assembled force of mere monsters that were far from demons or even demonic beasts, the oppressive environment of the Abyss would suffice to hinder the saints’ progress.
Having completed these minimal preparations, he turned his gaze to the mummy with the blade. The demonic energy hadn’t yet fully absorbed the spirit of the body.
The blade protruding from the corpse was regaining its sharpness. Judging by the pace of the restoration, it would take approximately five minutes to complete.
“Only two saints have arrived so far. Escaping the Abyss within five minutes would be impossible for just the two of them.”
He decided the spirit was worth investing those five minutes.
It was a gamble, but a highly favorable one. Even if the saints were given fifty minutes instead of five, breaching the Abyss with only two individuals would be an almost insurmountable task.
***
“Receive the blessing of Eve Kaha!”
Morgina’s mace shattered the skull of an approaching undead creature. To think I had stepped forward as a champion of trial by combat to protect someone like her.
That crimson-glowing mace was a hallmark of the Eve Kaha Church’s unique divine arts. It was a technique that transformed one’s own blood, imbued with divine power, into a weapon.
If someone were to ask why there were no champions left in the Eve Kaha Church, they only needed to look at Morgina. How could anyone call a person swinging a mace in each hand like drumsticks on a battlefield a saintess?
“Where to next?”
Despite Morgina’s eccentric personality, her abilities were certainly extraordinary. If it weren’t for her, I’d have been grappling with the Abyss creatures by now.
When it came to pure destructive power, I held the advantage over Morgina. But in this case, it was a matter of compatibility.
Abyss creatures relentlessly regenerated unless destroyed by either divine power or Abyss energy equal to or greater than their own. While there were limits to this regeneration, it was a difficult task to exhaust those limits.
That was why, initially, I had planned to ignore the other Abyss creatures and head straight for the core.
With my unique Dark Knight skills, I could easily handle minor creatures, but I preferred to save those abilities for a single, decisive strike against the core.
However, with a saintess who could wield divine power as freely as Morgina, there was no need to avoid fighting the monsters. If she brought down her mace, the creatures would be obliterated. So why bother avoiding them?
Once all the monsters were thoroughly defeated, I focused my senses toward the Abyss. Ignoring the now-familiar temptations, I traced the presence of the Abyss further.
Beyond the darkness, I could feel the pulsating core of the Abyss.
“Let’s head toward the left corner first. The next five forks we encounter will all be traps.”
“And after that?”
I drew my sword. Up until now, thanks to Morgina, I had been able to advance with ease. It was about time I started pulling my weight.
“We need to go down. Breaking through will be faster.”
***
The blade in Kriel’s hand didn’t shimmer with the crimson energy of Morgina’s mace. What he was about to unleash was pure Fighting Spirit.
An eerie halo of light reminiscent of bare-bones began to gather along the blade. The light concentrated on the sword did not illuminate its surroundings; instead, it seemed to absorb even the last rays of light within the Abyss.
Gripping the greatsword in a reverse grip, Kriel aimed the pale tip of the blade at the bottom of the Abyss.
Then, he struck.
From the very tip to the hilt, the entire blade pierced through the Abyss in one swift motion. Thick, viscous darkness, like blood, erupted from the spot where the sword had driven in.
Kriel adjusted his grip on the sword and lifted it as if to make an upward slash.
A massive fissure etched itself across the Abyss. Without hesitation, Kriel flung himself into the shapeless, rippling darkness.
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