#94
The abyss opens (1)
Immediately after the ritual to open the abyss took place.
The reaction of the church, which had been tense recently in accordance with the saint’s will, was immediate.
“Hurry up! Let’s get ready and assemble quickly!”
The elite members of the religious order who had been waiting at the Roselia Grand Shrine began to move as soon as the saint identified the center of the situation.
“Haa… It seems like the Immortal King has started to make his move in earnest.”
“I expected you wouldn’t stay still while you were gone, but this is beyond my expectations. A ritual of this scale…”
“It must have been something he had been planning for a long time with those who followed him.”
“I can’t even imagine how long it took to prepare.”
Archbishop Latius, who was standing next to her, nodded in agreement at the saint’s words that were like lamentations.
The things we feared while the Immortal King was away became reality.
No, rather, it could be said that it happened on a scale far beyond what was expected.
“The ritual took place deep in the wasteland of the southern part of the continent. There is no temple nearby, so even if we get there as quickly as possible, everything will already be over.”
“But it’s not like we can just sit back and do nothing. And since we’ve already prepared in advance, it won’t take too long. Then we might be able to find some clues.”
Because the observed location was so remote and uninhabited, getting there itself was a problem.
A long distance move that could take at least a month if done the normal way.
But the members of the Jushin Church were not so easygoing.
“From the southern imperial city of Wayra, the closest place to the gate… if you hurry as much as possible, you should be able to get there in about half a day.”
They had already prepared for various scenarios, and had gathered those with blessings that would help them move quickly and placed them on standby.
So that we can respond quickly no matter what happens.
And less than an hour after the sudden outbreak, they were all ready and gathering at the gate room.
“You are all ready. Then I will go now, Your Majesty.”
“···Please take care of me, Archbishop Latius. I need to talk to the other forces quickly. ···The existing agreements haven’t even been concluded yet. Will I be able to sleep well like this?”
The saintess made a self-deprecating joke as she saw Archbishop Latius off.
“Hehehe, I’ll go and help you when I get back. Then, wouldn’t it be possible to buy some time to catch a nap?”
“···You promised? You’ll definitely come back and help me?”
Of course, those who were dispatched this time were the best of the sect, organized to be able to escape safely in any crisis situation.
But since they were the ones who performed such a large-scale ritual, no one could have known what kind of threat might be lurking there.
There might be a trap set for them.
“Of course. Well, let’s really go now.”
Archbishop Latius gently comforted the gloomy-looking saint and headed straight for the gate.
She always felt guilty about sending others to dangerous places, but as a follower of the Lord, she couldn’t just expose herself to danger, so it was inevitable.
In this way, the Archbishop and Paladins, including Latius, led a group of people and entered the gate.
They arrived at the temple closest to their destination through the gate, and after waiting there for a while…
“···Okay. You may go in now.”
I re-entered the gate I had come out of.
The blessing of ‘movement’ used through the gate was a way to create a virtual exit in the direction they wanted to go, allowing them to move further.
Although there were limitations because the distance was long and a large number of people had to be moved, thanks to that we were able to narrow the gap with the destination as much as possible.
“···I can feel the energy wavering due to the influence of consciousness here too. Let’s hurry up a bit.”
As the distance grew closer and the turbulent energy became more vivid, the expressions of those who arrived in the middle of the southern wasteland hardened.
The moment when the members of the sect were trying to get help from someone with the blessing of ‘shrinkage’ in order to move quickly.
Gooooo—!
Far away, in the direction they were going…
A black pillar rose up, connecting the earth and the sky.
Even though they were still a long way away, the black straight line that seemed to divide the world was clearly visible to their eyes.
“···iced coffee.”
“Archbishop, could that be···”
“The Pillar of the Abyss···.”
It was a sign of the opening of the abyss, now known only in literature and to few.
“···Let’s get moving.”
The group of evil spirits headed towards the place where the pillars were rising at a faster pace.
Even if it was already too late, it was something I couldn’t just sit back and watch.
For about half a day, the group continued toward their destination.
The black pillar that had risen as if it were going to pierce the sky had already disappeared as if it had lost its strength, but they were finally able to reach it after moving silently.
To the place where the ritual to open the abyss began.
***
Wheeing—
[As expected, they’ve all already run away.]
Hans looked around as he slowly descended, floating in the air.
There was a large hole in the ceiling of the ceremonial place located underground, allowing easy access inside.
‘You left as soon as the work was done… Well, it’s already been several hours. Those guys wouldn’t have foolishly stayed at the scene after causing continental aggro on this scale.’
Because the energy in this area fluctuated so violently and the coordinates were unstable, I had no choice but to teleport to a slightly further place.
After that, I flew all the way here, but there was no sign of anyone there.
All that remains are magic circles carved here and there for the ritual, and traces of blood that appear to belong to those sacrificed here.
There was no trace of any preparation or work done in advance.
‘That’s?’
Except one.
——————
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Hans’ sense of reading the space as a whole sensed something alien.
Swish—
Something that had been stuck between the cracks in the flooring came out according to his will and was sucked into his hand.
‘A piece of metal?’
It was a piece of metal that appeared to be a broken piece of a thin chain.
The only impurity left in this space where everything is neatly organized.
I don’t know what this means, but it was the only clue I had, so I decided to keep it.
‘Because the energy is all messed up, it seems like it’ll be difficult to even backtrack from here.’
It was difficult to do anything here because of the abyss’ own energy and the aftereffects of something that seemed to have been pulled out of there.
[Is this… ‘Madness’? Perhaps because the Abyss Gate was opened incompletely, it couldn’t be taken out completely.]
Since this kind of situation was not even anticipated in the first place, it was impossible to estimate what kind of impact the madness that began to spread across the continent would have on the world.
But one way or another, there will be a big change, something different from now.
His gaze, which had been scanning his surroundings to assess the situation, turned to the hole in the floor that had been emitting a strong presence since a while ago.
A thick darkness that squirms, pressed against the giant magic circle beneath your feet.
It was slowly shrinking in size due to the world’s resilience, but even then, it continued to violently spit out an ominous aura.
[Wow, this energy···.]
It was the heavy, sticky, dizzying feeling I felt when I looked inside the “Immortal Heart.”
‘Is this the energy that came out of the abyss?’
And the moment Hans looked into it with the “eyes of the abyss” to find out more…
He was able to understand that energy in more detail.
‘···This was the origin of the black magic contained in the heart.’
The black magic that had been endlessly pouring out from the Immortal King’s heart was nothing more than the energy that had been tightly compressed there being diluted.
‘That was nothing compared to this energy. The difference in concentration is this great.’
If black magic was just a poison gas, this was a highly compressed liquid.
A vicious aura that goes one step further than the already notorious black magic.
however···.
‘···I think I can handle this myself?’
It felt somehow familiar, perhaps because the heart and its source were the same.
If you think about it, isn’t he the immortal king himself who crawled out of the abyss, and who also has the “Eye of the Abyss” and the “Immortal Heart”?
Rather, it is stranger that he cannot handle this!
‘Let’s try.’
Hans slowly reached out one hand and waved it gently in the air.
With that gesture filled with extreme concentration, the abyssal energy that had been rippling around him began to slowly move along his fingertips.
If it were an ordinary person, simply breathing in this place would have been life-threatening, but to him, it was just like the air of his hometown.
‘I can’t breathe, though.’
Even as he was having such pointless thoughts, he felt himself becoming more and more accustomed to this energy, so he sucked it up and stored it in his heart.
The abyssal energy was far more dangerous than radioactive waste, but it was not a power that could be easily accessed, so wouldn’t it be a shame to leave it alone?
[Kuhehe… This, if used well, seems like it could be a pretty useful power.]
As difficult as it is to handle, its effectiveness will also be excellent.
Hans, who had absorbed enough of the abyssal energy to his satisfaction, looked around again with a satisfied heart.
Looking at the various magical circles surrounding the slowly closing abyss, I could tell how much effort they had put into this.
‘This must have taken at least 10 years of work. If you consider the sacrificial rituals that were performed all over the continent, it’s probably even more…’
The ability to carry out such acts across the entire continent, the stealth that allowed them to operate for so long without being detected, and the organizational power that encompasses it all.
The Oath of Reverse was an organization with greater power than expected.
At this level, it could be said that it is the largest force on the continent among the shadow forces.
And that means…
‘These guys fit exactly the criteria I was looking for.’
It was said that he was a very suitable choice for a supporting villain role to assist the lead actor, Hans.
To the extent that casting is absolutely necessary for the smooth progression of the story.
‘We should prioritize finding them. Let’s put off gathering the rags like we are doing now.’
First, it would be a good idea to track down the guys who ran away from here, and if that doesn’t work, then find the master of the young warlock who performed the sacrificial ritual.
If you follow the tail up from there, you will eventually reach the truth.
[hmm?]
At that moment, Hans was wondering how to move forward.
I felt an energy coming from the abyssal pit that was beginning to shake violently.
[Oh, this is another welcome thing.]
Although I had never met him in person, he was someone I knew through ‘experience’ given to me as information.
‘Another legacy.’
Heinrich felt something much larger than the Acrich Dwell he had encountered rising from below.
Until then, the connection with the deep abyss was so strong that the one drifting on the edge had no chance to come out, but as that strength began to weaken, it seemed that he was naturally sucked up.
The abyssal pit that is constantly shaking, and the energy that is felt more and more clearly.
Wriggle—
And finally.
A part of that being emerged from the turbulent abyss.
Phew!
But it was too huge to be called a part.
[Kuuuuuuu——!]
The air around it shook as the overwhelmingly large body twisted and squeezed through the large hole as if it were too narrow.
The sleek, black bones and teeth, the massive skull shaking violently, and the ferocious, purple-tinged eyes.
That existence.
‘Bone Dragon, Entracio.’
A giant dragon, made of nothing but bones, was crawling out of the bottom of the abyss.
