Chapter 131: Kalosia’s Holy Land (1)

“This is impressive,” Ketal remarked, gazing at the city veiled in light and the surrounding plains cloaked in darkness. The scene looked like something out of a painting. While Ketal watched in fascination, Naflas’s face grew troubled. “The darkness has gotten worse...,” he said, realizing it was thicker than when he had left the holy land. The expanding darkness meant evil forces were pressing harder on the sacred city. “That place is Kalosia’s holy land,” Naflas continued. “We need to get into that city.” “How do we get over there?” Ketal asked him, noticing the plains swarming with monsters. “Should we just crush them and force our way through?” “N-no,” Naflas answered, shaking his head urgently. The creatures in those plains were powerful manifestations of evil, countless in number and dangerous in strength. Even Ketal might face trouble if he was surrounded. Instead, Naflas offered a plan. “We will sneak in without drawing attention.” “Sneak in?” Ketal repeated, dubious. “There’s nothing out there to sneak behind.” There wasn’t a single structure or boulder large enough to hide behind in that open expanse. Naflas and Hayes soon solved the mystery by closing their eyes and clasping their hands in prayer. “Kalosia, in the name of your divine illusion, conceal us from sight,” they murmured as a soft shimmer of darkness enveloped them. “Wow,” Ketal said, impressed. Although he could still see them clearly with his heightened senses, they were far less noticeable. Someone less perceptive might not even know they were there. “We need to move quietly and keep our voices low,” Naflas advised. “It doesn’t have to be total silence, just don’t make any sudden movements.” “Understood,” Ketal said, nodding. “Let’s go.” They set foot onto the dark plains and slipped between wandering monsters. Sinister energy brushed past their bodies like a foul wind, distorting the air around them. Merely breathing it in felt toxic, and it threatened to rattle their minds. Without Kalosia’s divine protection, Hayes and Naflas would have lost their composure under that oppressive darkness. Even with that protection, Hayes was gritting her teeth every time she took a step. They made steady progress, moving deeper into the dark field. At about the halfway point, a monster slowly approached. Naflas whispered, “Everyone, stay perfectly still.” Hayes managed a nervous nod. A massive giant lumbered toward them, its single pink eye blinking in the center of its forehead. When it reached them, it opened its mouth, and a thick wave of darkness rolled out. It was a monstrous sight, like something from the worst nightmares. Hayes could scarcely breathe, and even Naflas clenched his jaw at the creature’s hideous form. Most people would have recoiled in terror and fled. However, Ketal simply stood before it and smiled. The giant’s solitary eye flicked once more, and then it wandered away. Hayes collapsed to her knees, her legs trembling with relief, and Naflas exhaled in gratitude. “That was awesome,” Ketal murmured, his eyes gleaming. “You... think this is awesome?” Naflas asked him, baffled that Ketal would say such a thing about a single-eyed monstrosity. “I do think so,” Ketal said as he nodded earnestly. The monster looked weird, but he had seen far worse monsters in the White Snowfield. Compared to those ones, this one was unique and pretty interesting to him. “I see,” Naflas replied, still unable to understand Ketal’s perspective. They ran into a few more tense moments along the way but managed to approach the sacred city without any major incidents. At last, Hayes let out a sigh of relief and plopped down onto the ground, while Naflas massaged his weary shoulders. “So, what do we do next?” Ketal asked Naflas. “Give me a moment,” Naflas said. “Kalosia, reveal our hidden presence to those who serve you.” He whispered the prayer, and a pillar of light descended gently around them. “There,” Naflas said with a satisfied nod. “Once they see this beam from within the holy land, someone will come to help us. We just have to wait.” They all settled in. Ketal passed the time by marveling at the monsters roaming the darkness, each uniquely grotesque and fascinating in its own way. Yet, as the minutes ticked by, no one arrived to guide them. “Why aren’t they coming?” Naflas muttered, frowning. “Maybe they can’t see us,” Ketal suggested. “They should be able to,” Naflas insisted. “But I will try again just in case.” However, just as Naflas began to pray once more, a powerful shockwave rippled through the air. “Ugh!” On pure reflex, Naflas summoned his holy power. The clash of colossal evil and divine energy shook the area near the holy land. His eyes widened in shock. “W-what in the world!” he exclaimed. “Hm?” Ketal turned his head as well, sensing the same immense force. “What’s happening?” “It’s an attack,” Naflas replied, gulping nervously. “Evil is assaulting the holy land. That must be why they haven’t come to bring us inside.” “Oh?” Ketal’s eyes glowed with keen interest. Naflas let out a troubled groan. “But this shockwave is...” Naflas trailed off, feeling its crushing intensity. Even from this distance, the force compelled him to maintain his guard at full strength. His expression darkened. “It looks like the leader of the dark mages is attacking in person. Our holy knight must be fighting right now.” “I see,” Ketal murmured. “So it’s a battle between a Transcendent dark mage and a Transcendent holy knight.” Naflas nodded. “It’s too dangerous to do anything right now. We should stay here and wait for someone from the holy land to come for us.” He focused intently on the distant shockwaves, too absorbed to notice the growing curiosity in Ketal’s voice. Ketal, Hayes, and Naflas waited quietly until people finally arrived from the holy land. “Naflas! Hayes!” someone shouted. “Oh!” Hayes and Naflas perked up, relieved to see armored knights approaching with shields raised to guard them. “You’re here!” one of the knights said. “We are! I’m glad you’re still alive!” Naflas answered. “Hahaha! It’s good to see you, Hayes,” the guard said, turning his gaze to Hayes. “Yes. It’s great to see you,” Hayes replied. Though they were happy to reunite, there was no time to celebrate. One knight quickly urged them forward. “The enemy has begun its offensive. The holy knight is holding them off right now, so we need to get you inside immediately.” “Okay. Hayes, let’s go,” Naflas said. Under the knights’ protection, they headed for the city. Along the way, one knight glanced around as if looking for someone. “By the way, Naflas,” he asked. “If you’ve come back, that means you found someone to help us, correct?” “That’s right,” Naflas replied. “I found a remarkable individual.” “Then why are there only two of you...?” the knight asked him, puzzled. “What?” Naflas looked around, confused. It was just him, Hayes, and the knights. Then his eyes went wide as Ketal was nowhere in sight. He had vanished at some point without a word. “Hey, Ketal? Where are you?” Naflas called out, his startled voice echoing in the air. After a moment’s hesitation, he slowly turned in the direction of those raging shockwaves of evil and divine power. At the edge of his vision, where the clash of darkness and holy energy rumbled on, something told him that was where Ketal had gone. *** Rumble... A thunderous crash rang out as evil and holy power collided. A colossal monster charged forward, its ghastly jaws gaping wide. “Graaah!” It was an enormous monster with multiple mouths, flailing its massive arms widely as it rushed its target. Slamming its huge body down, it tried to crush its prey beneath its weight. Light vanished beneath the monster’s bulk. “Graah!” Convinced it had destroyed its foe, the monster roared in triumph—only to feel a sharp burst of pain from beneath its body. “Grah?” That was the monster’s final word. Blinding light exploded beneath it. The radiant force obliterated the monster’s huge form, not even leaving dust behind. As the light subsided, the figure of a man emerged. Blond hair fluttered around his brow, and his brown eyes fixed on the next threat. A twisted cackle filled the air as a dark mage, cloaked in darkness, brandished his staff. “Ka-ka-ka-ka!” he laughed gleefully, and more monsters bounded forward to join the attack. “Graaah!” “Screee!” These monsters looked like abominations that had no place in the human world, each strong enough that even an Advanced warrior would have to fight at full strength to survive. Yet, dozens of them charged all at once, determined to kill the lone holy knight. The knight gripped his sword tightly, his expression grim. Holy light flared around his blade. He swung, unleashing a shimmering slash that tore through the monsters. Bodies split apart and collapsed in a matter of moments. “Ka-ka-ka-ka!” the dark mage howled with mad glee, bearing a crooked grin. “You’re strong indeed. It’s no wonder you’ve lasted this long against our onslaught. It’s strange to see a mere dog of the god wielding such power.” “Silence,” the knight snapped, glaring at the dark mage with undisguised contempt. “Why is the Cradle of Darkness attacking our holy land?” “All is part of our grand design,” the dark mage replied with a low, sinister chuckle. “You wouldn’t understand. Kalosia is nothing but another stepping stone on the path to a greater future, so stop struggling and die quietly.” He punctuated his mockery with a surge of darkness. A thick black wave raced toward the knight. The holy knight raised his sword with both hands, calling upon the power granted to those who serve the divine. Boom! Light and darkness crashed, each force so powerful that neither side could easily overcome the other. The dark mage let out a sharp laugh. “Even without the scripture’s blessing, you fight me to a standstill. You’re truly formidable,” he commented, then added in a cunning tone. “How about using that power for us? Don’t you realize it’s pointless to serve a god who won’t even grant you the scripture, while I—” “Be silent,” the knight retorted. He made it clear he had no interest in hearing the rest. Cling! Divine light gathered in ever greater intensity around the holy knight’s blade. Recognizing the threat, the dark mage also concentrated his dark energy. A hulking monster loomed beside him, large enough that even this holy knight couldn’t defeat it easily. The knight’s expression darkened. I have to finish this. Even as they fought, the monsters were continuing their assault on the sacred city. He couldn’t afford to drag this out—not while the city stood vulnerable behind him. Yet, the dark mage clung stubbornly to life, drawing the fight out and putting the holy land in ever greater danger. Kalosia, please grant me the strength I need. Resolving himself, the knight prayed silently. He prepared to charge, determined to fight to the bitter end. Tension crackled in the air as both sides readied to clash again. Suddenly, a flicker of confusion crossed the dark mage’s face. “Huh?” The holy knight also noticed something was off. They realized, almost too late, that someone else had been watching them from nearby. “W-who’s there?!” the dark mage demanded, recoiling in alarm. Even though this figure was standing right beside them, the dark mage hadn’t sensed a thing. Either the stranger had completely concealed himself or had arrived so quickly that even the dark mage’s detection skills were useless. “Who are you?!” the dark mage shouted. “Ah, you’ve noticed me. I was hoping to enjoy the show a bit longer,” the stranger replied, sounding disappointed. In the space between light and darkness, a man with ashen hair let it blow gently in the wind. It was Ketal, a faint smile playing on his lips as if this chaos were no more than a passing amusement. “I’m just an outsider,” he said lightly. “How about you two finish what you were doing and pretend I’m not here?”