Episode 96 The Abyss Opens (3)
When Heinrich, who had stored the holy sword in his stigma, opened the stone door of the sealed location and came out, it was the same place where he had first entered the trial.
He had gone through so many trials, but only a single door separated him from the outside.
'I knew it from the time the holy sword created a virtual world for the trial, but it's still amazing.'
He smiled contentedly, looking at the stigma on his palm.
'At this rate, I think I can even face a Paladin head-on and not lose.'
And "Blessing: Holy Sword", like his other abilities, was a skill that became stronger as he trained.
It meant that the power he had gained wasn't all he had.
"You're finally out."
A group of people were waiting to greet Heinrich as he opened the stone door and came outside.
"Good work, Sir Heinrich."
"Ah, Cardinal Donovan!"
It was the elites of the Church, including the Cardinal in charge of the Picaol Cathedral.
'How did they know I was coming out… No, that was a stupid thought.'
They weren't here to greet him.
An Arch-Lich had emerged from the abyss hole in the heart of the cathedral, there was no way the Church wouldn't know.
'It's only natural for them to be on guard. And since the spatial isolation from the holy sword's trial was lifted, they would have been able to detect it more clearly.'
They rushed over to prepare for any contingency, but the dark magic power inside disappeared before they could enter, so they were waiting in front of the entrance for now.
Just in case they interfered with Heinrich, who was in the middle of the trial.
"Hahaha, I thought it might be the case… You succeeded in becoming the owner of the holy sword!"
The Cardinal smiled brightly, looking at Heinrich's palm in surprise.
The reactions of the other clergy behind him were similar.
"To think he really succeeded."
"I heard the rumors. They said he's the holy knight who pierced the Immortal King's heart with his sword and defeated him…"
"For the owner of the holy sword to reappear at this time! This must be the Main God's will!"
Everyone showed a strong reaction to the holy sword that had reappeared after 300 years.
It was significant that the holy sword, the symbol of the hero, reappeared now that the Immortal King had returned and even the abyss had opened.
"This must be fate. So, Sir Heinrich. Didn't anything strange happen inside?"
Cardinal Donovan, who had been quietly nodding, asked Heinrich and glanced at the door he had come out of.
"Ah, the abyss showed abnormal symptoms after I pulled out the holy sword. And an Arch-Lich came out of it…"
"An Arch-Lich?"
"I was able to eliminate it because it couldn't do anything under the power of the holy barrier. It happened to be carrying its essence, so I was able to completely destroy it on the spot."
"As expected… Well, it's a relief that there weren't any problems."
He sighed lightly and then gestured towards the stone door with his chin, looking at the clergy gathered behind him.
High-ranking priests and holy knights started entering the stone chamber where the holy sword was sealed in an orderly fashion.
Heinrich looked at them with a puzzled expression, and the Cardinal smiled wryly and continued.
"Come to think of it, you wouldn't know about the commotion outside. You must have been surprised by the abyss's sudden reaction."
"Ah, y-yes… That's right."
Actually, he knew the situation outside better than anyone, but Heinrich just nodded with an ambiguous expression.
The Cardinal explained the situation to him with a serious expression.
The reason why such a thing happened in the abyss.
About the second abyss that opened on the continent, and their future countermeasures.
"Now that there's no holy sword, we'll have to manage that abyss hole more thoroughly. We'll install additional barriers and station some personnel there just in case."
The barriers that were currently deployed weren't lacking, but they needed to be more careful since an Arch-Lich had actually emerged.
"We're already short-staffed. Hahaha! This is really… ahem, it's a difficult situation."
It seemed like his true feelings slipped out, but he nonchalantly cleared his throat and led Heinrich outside.
"They'll take care of things here, so let's go back. You'll have a lot to do in the future."
There was no time to relax, considering the current situation.
After a brief rest, Heinrich immediately moved to the gate room to return to the Roselia Cathedral.
Wooong—
The gate slowly started to activate.
Heinrich looked at Cardinal Donovan, who had come to see him off, with a troubled expression.
"You must be very busy, you don't have to see me off personally."
It was a busy time.
He felt burdened by the fact that the Cardinal himself came to see him off.
"Haha, you're no longer an ordinary holy knight now that you've become the owner of the holy sword. This is nothing. And… I have something to tell you."
Well, his status would be different now.
Being the owner of the holy sword meant that he was the Main God's sword, representing this era.
"Something you want to tell me…?"
At his words, the Cardinal approached him with a serious expression and whispered in his ear.
Heinrich listened intently to his words, but…
"What I said before. You haven't forgotten, right?"
"…Yes?"
"About the Saintess. Hmm? Do you need me to explain again?"
"…No, I remember. Don't worry."
"Hmm, hmm, excellent! Then off you go!"
"…"
To the doting Cardinal Donovan, it didn't matter if he was the owner of the holy sword or not.
_____________________
"Welcome back, Sir Heinrich. I knew you could do it!"
Heinrich, who returned to the Roselia Cathedral, was immediately greeted by the Saintess, who welcomed him with a gentle smile.
After exchanging greetings, a light conversation followed.
"By the way, how is Cardinal Donovan?"
"…Yes. I heard he's quite old, but he's very healthy."
Heinrich answered with a wry smile, remembering his well-defined muscles despite his old age.
"Hehehe… I was worried because he's so busy after going to the Picaol Cathedral, but it seems like he's still exercising regularly. He used to be very fond of me when he was here."
A brief, casual conversation followed.
But the light atmosphere didn't last long, considering the current situation.
"You look very tired, Saintess. You must be very busy."
"Sigh— It's not easy because this incident is so large-scale."
The Saintess, with a dark expression, sighed deeply.
The biggest problem was the opening of the second abyss, but the sacrificial rituals performed throughout the continent were also a serious matter.
"Dozens of sacrificial rituals were activated simultaneously in various parts of the continent. From small farming villages to small cities on the outskirts."
It was a terrorist attack that targeted places where magical defenses were lax and security was weak.
And they were so well hidden that no one knew they existed before they were activated.
'It makes them seem even more impressive.'
Even if they targeted farming villages, it wasn't easy to target even a small city with a population of over a thousand, even if it was on the outskirts.
"The scale of the damage is still being investigated… but so far, tens of thousands of people have been confirmed dead. We don't know how much it will increase."
A state of emergency had been declared in every country on the continent due to the unprecedented massacre.
Of course, the targets were mostly commoners living in areas with poor public order, so the damage itself wasn't a big deal to the higher-ups.
'But the scale is so large that even the leaders can't help but be alarmed.'
Who could guarantee that such a threatening force wouldn't target them?
"…But the real problem is the reappearance of Immortal King Hans and the opening of the second abyss."
Information from those dispatched to the south was almost relayed to the cathedral in real time, and they were still investigating the scene.
"What came out of this abyss is 'madness'. But this time, it's different from the time of the Immortal King a thousand years ago."
Unlike the 'Immortal King's Heart', which fully descended upon the world, the madness that appeared this time was incompletely extracted.
Because of that, it couldn't maintain its form and was scattered throughout the continent…
"That's not a good sign at all. It might be even more troublesome than the Immortal King."
No major abnormalities had been discovered yet, but something that emerged from the abyss wouldn't have a positive impact on the continent.
Problems would start to appear gradually over time.
And tracking down evil had become much more difficult because of the madness that covered the world, so it was a bad situation for the Church in many ways.
"And above all, the Immortal King who caused all this…"
The Immortal King, riding a Bone Dragon, reappeared before the Church members.
He deliberately waited and then mocked them before leisurely leaving.
Leaving behind only one Death Breath from the Bone Dragon.
"…Fortunately, the damage wasn't that great. Those who were there weren't pushovers. It would have been dangerous if the follow-up attacks continued…"
The Immortal King just left.
"In other words, it shows how much he's looking down on us. He's enjoying it, as if he's giving us a chance to resist as much as we can."
The Saintess gritted her teeth, her expression so hardened that it was hard to remember her usual gentle appearance.
"Saintess…"
"Sigh— I got a bit excited. But this is good news. It's proof that this generation's Immortal King is that arrogant."
It was a weakness they could exploit, the fact that he prioritized his own amusement and looked down on his opponents, even when he had a chance to finish them off.
It was a typical mindset of the strong.
And a weakness that killed countless strong individuals.
"We'll take advantage of his carelessness. A moment of humiliation is nothing for the sake of the continent. We'll be the final victors."
Heinrich also enthusiastically agreed with the Saintess, who was strengthening her resolve with a serious expression, moved by her words.
"I'll help you, Saintess. With the help of the holy sword, we'll be able to eliminate him for sure this time."
"I believe in you, Sir Heinrich! You're the opponent of Immortal King Hans, chosen by the Main God!"
He felt motivated and filled with conviction.
Heinrich slowly nodded, making eye contact with the Saintess.
'…But she's still calling him Hans. He has a cool name, Hannibal Strauss. I should emphasize it more next time.'
While thinking about something else inwardly.
___________________
A stone chamber buried deep underground.
"Ugh…?"
A second change occurred in the stagnant air, following the previous one.
A pair of red eyes slowly glowed in the darkness.
"…What is this…?"
But his voice was still drowsy, as he was awakened by something strange that defied physical limitations.
Something eerie that ignored the fact that it was completely sealed and no outside air could enter was stimulating him.
'…Ah, right.'
And once he woke up, he felt the anomaly he had felt before again.
It seemed like something was wrong with the clan.
'I have to get up.'
Both the unidentified situation currently unfolding and the incident that happened in the clan weren't ordinary matters.
It was a serious matter that required him to get up and confirm it himself.
So he tried to muster his strength to get up from his seat.
"I really…"
No, he only thought about it, but it didn't translate into action.
His body fidgeted as if trying to get up.
But…
"…I have to, ugh—"
He yawned unconsciously, and his body slumped again.
Of course, he wasn't falling back asleep.
The energy stimulating him was too annoying for that.
His body, which had been in hibernation, was slowly activating.
It wasn't time for him to move yet…
But it wouldn't be long.
And so, the Sacred Blood of Brokoslack—
Awakened from his long slumber.