Chapter 140: Kalosia’s Holy Land (10)

“This is the place,” Ketal said. Ketal and Rakuza arrived at the location Ketal had detected earlier, on the outskirts of the darkened plain. Rakuza looked around, puzzled. “Are you sure something’s here? I don’t sense anything.” Indeed, the area appeared completely empty. As a holy knight highly sensitive to the presence of evil, Rakuza felt absolutely nothing unusual here. He couldn’t help but question whether Ketal’s perception had been correct. However, Ketal nodded confidently. “It’s definitely here.” He knelt down and thrust his hand directly into the ground, as effortlessly as if pushing through soft cake. Then, with a powerful upward pull, the ground split open dramatically. It revealed a hidden passage descending underground. Rakuza’s eyes widened in shock. “What is this place...?” He quickly tried sensing again but still detected nothing. The tunnel was so perfectly concealed that without seeing directly, he’d have never believed it existed. “Interesting,” Ketal said with a pleased smile, clearly enjoying the discovery. “Shall we take a look?” “Y-yes, of course.” Together, they began to descend into the hidden passage. As they proceeded, Rakuza murmured uneasily, “It’s quite deep.” The passage seemed intentionally constructed to keep whatever happened within completely secret from the outside world. They continued moving forward cautiously. Suddenly, a tile beneath their feet clicked, followed immediately by a powerful explosion. Walking ahead, Ketal was entirely engulfed by the blast. “Ketal!” Rakuza shouted, panicked. However, moments later, Ketal calmly waved his hand, dispersing the smoke effortlessly. Not a scratch could be seen on his body. “It seems there are traps here,” Ketal remarked casually, seemingly amused. The trap had clearly been designed with lethal intent. “How entertaining.” “Is... it really that entertaining?” Rakuza was taken aback. Most people would find having their life threatened anything but amusing, yet Ketal genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself. “Let’s keep going,” Ketal said. “Got it.” They moved deeper into the tunnel, encountering numerous additional traps. Each time, Ketal effortlessly smashed through them bare-handed, leaving Rakuza to watch in stunned silence. Eventually, the tunnel opened into a large underground chamber. Two dark mages stood inside, clearly startled by the sudden intrusion. “What—Who are you?!” “Intruder!” Ketal glanced at Rakuza. “Do you recognize these two? I don’t remember seeing them.” “Yes,” Rakuza confirmed, quickly assessing their faces. “These two are Advanced dark mages. They appeared early in the invasion but vanished afterward. We assumed they had withdrawn from the battlefield.” Yet, here they were, secretly hiding underground. Rakuza grimaced at the realization. “Kill them!” shouted one of the dark mages as both immediately unleashed dark magic. Spheres of darkness surged toward them. Rakuza calmly swung his sword, cutting through the darkness with a blade of holy energy. The black spheres dissolved instantly. Realizing immediately they were outmatched, the dark mages panicked. “We can’t defeat them!” “Run!” They desperately attempted to cloak themselves in darkness to escape. Ketal moved swiftly. “You handle one of them.” “Okay,” Rakuza replied. He gripped his sword with both hands and approached the fleeing mage. “Great Kalosia, deliver your divine wrath upon this evil!” A pillar of radiant light erupted, immobilizing the dark mage. He screamed, trapped helplessly within the holy energy. Ketal’s approach was far less subtle. He simply charged forward, completely ignoring his opponent’s desperate counterattacks. Effortlessly breaking through, Ketal grabbed him roughly by the neck. “Argh—” “Oh, careful,” Ketal muttered, loosening his grip slightly. He realized he’d nearly snapped the man’s neck, though even now, breathing remained difficult. Ketal gazed back at Rakuza and said, “I’ve captured one of them. We can interrogate him back at the sanctuary.” “No.” Rakuza shook his head, looking grim. “That’s impossible.” “Why?” “See for yourself.” “Ah.... Argh...” The dark mages suddenly began groaning. Black energy seeped from their eyes like ink. “Oh... Great One... forgive us...” Those were their final words. With an explosion of darkness, both mages collapsed lifelessly to the ground, their bodies rapidly cooling. “A magical binding?” Ketal asked Rakuza. “Yes,” Rakuza confirmed solemnly. “All dark mages from the Cradle of Darkness are bound by such restrictions.” Should they ever face capture or interrogation, their lives were immediately forfeit, consumed by darkness. This explained why the knights had never attempted to take any dark mages prisoner. “Then we will have to investigate on our own,” Ketal said decisively. “Yes.” They began thoroughly searching the underground chamber. Blankets and simple dried food scattered around indicated the dark mages had spent a considerable amount of time here. After searching a while longer, Ketal found a small bookshelf. He pulled out a book and skimmed through it. It was clearly a dark scripture dedicated to demonic worship. The Great Lord of Hell decreed thus: The land once belonged to us. Until vile beings from heaven descended, falsely claiming dominion over the world... “Hm.” Ketal smiled with mild amusement, slipping the book into his pocket. He decided to read it later when boredom struck. “Did you find anything important?” Rakuza asked him from behind. “No, nothing special.” Continuing their search, Ketal discovered a hidden room concealed behind a false wall. “This is it,” Ketal murmured as he pressed a hand against the wall. Bricks shifted aside, revealing a secret chamber. His eyes widened slightly in curiosity. “What is that?” “That...” Rakuza’s voice trailed off into a groan. A jet-black jewel floated silently in midair, emanating intense waves of evil energy. Without hesitation, Ketal approached and casually grabbed the jewel. “Ketal, wait! That’s dangerous!” Rakuza shouted in alarm. The jewel radiated concentrated evil. Merely standing close was hazardous; directly touching it could corrupt both body and mind. Yet, Ketal remained completely unaffected. “Why the concern?” “You... you’re fine?” Rakuza asked, stunned. “I don’t feel anything strange,” Ketal replied calmly. “I see...” Wondering if he’d misunderstood, Rakuza cautiously approached. Immediately, dizziness overwhelmed him, confirming that the jewel’s evil presence was indeed powerful. Reluctantly, Rakuza surrounded the jewel with divine energy, sealing its power. “Do you recognize what this is?” Ketal asked him. “Not precisely,” Rakuza replied uneasily. “We should take it to the Saintess for examination.” They returned quickly to the sanctuary, bringing the jewel with them. Shadranes greeted them at the church with her usual warm smile. “Oh, there you are! Everyone was looking for you both,” she said. “I see,” Rakuza replied gently, his affectionate gaze fixed briefly on the Saintess before quickly adopting a serious expression. “There’s something important we need to inform you about.” “Inform me?” Shadranes asked him curiously. They moved inside to a private room, where Rakuza carefully placed the jet-black jewel in front of her. Shadranes gasped softly, her expression tense. “What is this?” “I wasn’t sure,” Rakuza explained cautiously. “Do you know what it is?” “This is no ordinary dark jewel,” she murmured, frowning deeply. “Its energy is incredibly dense.” She examined the jewel closely, murmuring worriedly, “The dark magic here is immensely concentrated. Something like this alone could corrupt an entire village. Where did you find this?” Rakuza described the hidden underground chamber, causing Shadranes’s eyes to widen in shock. “There was a hidden chamber beneath the plains?” she said. “Yes. We must remain vigilant,” Rakuza replied. “I see,” she replied softly, troubled. “I will need time to thoroughly examine it. By tomorrow, I should have more answers.” “Understood.” Shadranes smiled reassuringly to ease their worries. “It’s probably nothing serious. The enemy’s attacks have already stopped, and we have plenty of supplies. Even if they’re plotting something, we can handle it. Don’t worry too much.” “That would be good,” Rakuza said softly. Shadranes left without further worry, taking the jewel with her. The next morning, she appeared again—but this time, her face was deathly pale. *** “No...!” Shadranes shouted. “Lady Shadranes!” Rakuza, who had been speaking with Ketal, immediately rushed over as Shadranes approached. Her body was trembling violently, her face filled with panic. “This is terrible! How could this happen? Oh, Kalosia—please help us!” “Lady Shadranes!” Rakuza firmly grasped her shaking arm, desperately trying to calm her. “Please, calm down!” Gradually, her trembling began to subside. When she was slightly calmer, Rakuza spoke in a soothing tone. “What happened? Did you find something about the jewel?” “Yes.” Shadranes nodded quickly, still pale-faced. “What did you discover?” “That jewel... It’s both a gateway and a medium for reversal,” she explained shakily. “Reversal?” Rakuza asked her, clearly confused. She took a deep breath and continued to explain, her voice still trembling slightly. “The jewel acts as a medium. Its extremely dense dark energy has the power to reverse the laws of this world.” “And what exactly does that mean?” Rakuza still couldn’t fully grasp what she meant, prompting Shadranes to bite her lip anxiously. “Rakuza, you know about the corruption of believers, right?” “Yes, it’s a well-known phenomenon.” Believers who faithfully served their deity received divine power proportional to their faith and strength. But if those faithful individuals turned their backs on their god and instead worshipped darkness, their divine power would be corrupted, turning directly into dark energy. It was only natural, considering gods and demons were like two sides of the same coin—light and shadow. “This jewel embodies precisely that concept,” Shadranes continued. Rakuza still looked uncertain, prompting her to shout in frustration. “This jewel represents the very concept of divine power turning into dark magic! Inside it are the souls and bodies of dozens of corrupted believers! Can’t you imagine what would happen if it were activated?” Rakuza’s eyes widened as understanding finally dawned. “Divine energy would instantly turn into dark energy... That’s the reversal?” “Exactly,” Shadranes whispered, biting her lip nervously again. “If activated, the jewel will reverse the very nature of divine energy in this entire area.” Rakuza gasped as the full implications became clear. “Then our holy land itself—” “Yes, Rakuza.” Shadranes interrupted urgently. “Our sanctuary itself would transform into a place of evil.” The sacred ground of Kalosia would cease to be holy, becoming instead a sanctuary dedicated to darkness. A great evil would descend upon this land—darkness thicker and deeper than any they had known. Finally grasping the severity of the situation, Rakuza’s face went pale. “How can this be...?” “All their previous attacks were merely diversions!” Shadranes cried desperately. “Their true aim was never to destroy us outright, but to corrupt our holy land and turn it into their new base—a foothold from which to invade this world!” Shadranes raised her head and shouted in anguish, “Oh, Kalosia! Why would you subject us to such a terrible trial?!” “Has Kalosia truly remained silent?” Rakuza demanded anxiously. Such grave evil unfolding near the god’s sacred ground should surely have prompted their god to intervene or at least deliver a divine revelation. However, Shadranes’s expression only darkened further. “Our god said nothing! I’ve prayed repeatedly, but they remain silent!” “How can that be?” Faced with imminent corruption of their sacred land, their god’s silence seemed incomprehensible. Panic and confusion overwhelmed them both, a chaotic blend of fear and bewilderment. In the midst of their panic, only Ketal remained composed, smiling in quiet amusement. “Well, I figured things wouldn’t end so boringly,” Ketal remarked calmly. “How about we calm down first. What’s our next move?” “The jewel must be destroyed,” Shadranes said urgently. “An active ritual is surely taking place right now, centered around that jewel. We must disrupt and halt it immediately.” “Do you know the location?” Ketal asked her. “Yes. I’ve traced the jewel’s dark magic—it led me straight to the source,” she replied quickly. “Then it’s simple. Rakuza, let’s head to the site of the ritual immediately.” “Yes,” Rakuza agreed swiftly, nodding firmly. “Lady Shadranes, please remain here to protect the sanctuary. We don’t know what other moves they might attempt.” “I understand. Please... protect Kalosia’s holy land.” She clasped her hands tightly in fervent prayer. Ketal and Rakuza swiftly departed, heading directly to the location the Saintess had indicated. With Ketal leading the way, they easily broke through every obstacle that stood between them and the hidden ritual chamber underground. Throughout the journey, Ketal continued to smile leisurely, seemingly unfazed by the gravity of the situation. When they finally reached the bottom of the underground passage, a dark mage was already waiting for them.