Chapter 269. Payoff Secured (3)
"If I had come in here alone, I'd be in serious trouble right now. I mean—Saintess! How could a space like this exist beneath the sanctuary and the Holy Kingdom not know anything about it?" Caron asked.
"I-I told you earlier! I don't really know either!" Seria replied hastily.
"Ugh. Typical. Useless as always, huh?" Caron said.
Slice!
Caron grimaced as he cut down the Cerberus charging at him in a single, clean stroke. Perhaps because the creature had three heads, it provided some satisfying resistance as his blade tore through it.
"Caron, this is just an illusion, right? We won't die here?" Leo asked nervously.
"Leo," Caron called out.
"Yeah?" Leo replied.
"Your head's leaking red sauce," Caron said.
"...When did I even get hit?" Leo wondered.
"Hah..." Seria sighed, then channeled holy power into Leo's bleeding head. The flow of blood stopped immediately.
Caron kicked the decapitated Cerberus' body away and let out a long breath as he scanned their surroundings.
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"So we're not getting through this one easy, huh?" he remarked.
What had greeted them when they opened the underground door wasn't just another room—it was an entirely different world.
Caron couldn't say for sure whether it was built through ancient magic, but it was a remarkably realistic illusion.
Each time they cut down a demonic monster, the sensation felt disturbingly real—right down to the stench of blood clinging to their noses. And judging from the dazed look on Leo's face after getting knocked on the head, this place was virtually indistinguishable from reality.
Caron looked up at the sky and saw that there was no blue above. There was only a violet sky, and a sun that glowed gray instead of gold. The barren red land, with not even a single blade of grass in sight, told them exactly where they had ended up.
"...The Demon Realm," Caron muttered.
It was the land of demonic monsters. Caron wondered why in the world something like this was hidden inside the tomb of Saint Kamael.
"I can't even tell anymore if this is real or not," Seria said softly, kneeling down to examine the corpses of the demonic monsters scattered across the ground.
Ordinarily, she would likely have panicked in a situation like this—but after spending time with Caron, she had unintentionally grown tougher.
"Guillotine. Do you know anything about this place?" Caron asked.
If this illusion had been created by Rael Leston, perhaps Guillotine would know something.
But Guillotine's voice rang out boldly in Caron's mind. "Not a clue. This place isn't in my memory."
"You said you wandered the Demon Realm with the Founder," Caron said.
"I've been through the Realm of Slaughter, the Realm of Sloth, the Realm of Havoc... but I've never seen a place this ominous. It's revolting," Guillotine replied.
"Thanks for the honest review," Caron said.
"Don't mention it," Guillotine answered.
For all the bragging Guillotine had done about its journeys in the Demon Realm, it was proving spectacularly unhelpful now.
The moment they entered, the illusion had begun throwing demonic monsters at them. Caron wondered why Rael Leston created such a place in the first place—or if it even was Rael Leston who had made it.
Caron quietly spread his mana out, probing the surroundings for threats.
Slaying thirty monsters right at the beginning wasn't a big deal. He hadn't raised his comrades to be so weak that this would wear them down.
Still, there was one bit of good news—they knew exactly where they needed to go.
Caron pointed toward one direction and said, "Anyone can see we're being called over that way."
At the edge of a cliff stood a temple that looked as if it could collapse at any moment. With the violet sky looming behind it, the structure radiated an eerie, oppressive energy.
Caron didn't hesitate to add, "If it's begging us to come over, then we'd be rude not to go."
Other than that temple, there was nothing but desolate wasteland around them. So the group immediately set out toward it.
"Light shines upon us no matter where we are," Seria said.
Flash!
She cast a blessing over the group, and the suffocating pressure of the dark mana around them became slightly more bearable.
Caron and the others advanced, careful not to let down their guard.
"This place is vile," Leon muttered under her breath, and Caron silently agreed.
Not a single trace of life could be found. If there ever was such a thing as cursed land, this would be it. It felt like a realm composed purely of malice.
"Leon, this is the land we'll have to reach someday," Caron said. It was also the land where he would finally see his revenge completed. Clenching his fist lightly, he stepped forward.
And so, they arrived at the temple. At the entrance stood two headless statues—one holding a sword, the other a spear.
"They're not going to move... Are they?" Leo asked cautiously.
Seria shook her head, then answered, "I don't sense any dark mana from them. They just... look heavily weathered. As if they've been eroded by time."
"The temple's architecture is nothing like what we see on the continent. I can't even identify the materials," Leon added, nodding in agreement.
Just as they said, the entire structure felt unfamiliar—as if it had come from an entirely different world.
"There must be a reason we were led here," Caron said quietly as he stepped into the temple.
The interior was dilapidated and bare. In the very center sat an empty throne. It was made of a metal Caron had never seen before—even he, someone well-versed in minerals, couldn't identify it.
"Maybe we should have brought a mage with us," Caron muttered.
There was far too little information. He moved slowly, scanning the room as he approached the throne. The ancient seat was layered with dust, so he brushed it off with his hand. Then, almost immediately, numerous blade scars carved into the throne began to reveal themselves.
"...Sword marks?" Caron remarked.
It wasn't difficult to analyze them. Those marks had clearly been made by the Oceanwolf Sword Arts.
But it wasn't the version currently in use by the Ducal Family of Leston. This was closer to the original, purer form—just like the sword arts Rael Leston had shown on the Plains of Rest not long ago.
Upon closer inspection, Caron realized the entire throne was covered with Rael's sword traces. He wondered what Rael had been trying to say.
While Caron frowned and examined the marks, Leon's eyes lit up. She said, "...It's a map."
"Looks like it," Caron replied.
The sword marks etched into the four sides of the throne resembled a drawing. Caron summoned Pluto and gave it a command. "Replicate this pattern."
Meow!
As Pluto swished its tail, black ink unfurled in midair. A moment later, a map appeared before them.
It was divided into four regions—east, west, south, and north. The eastern, western, and southern parts were mapped in great detail.
"The north is just a vague outline," Leon pointed out.
Indeed, the northern region was almost empty. No notes, no landmarks—only an X drawn right beneath it.
"A surprisingly thoughtful map," Caron said sarcastically.
For something carved with a sword, the craftsmanship was remarkable.
"Pluto, memorize this map," Caron said.
Meow.
This would be valuable when they eventually marched into the Demon Realm.
Caron looked around again, then said, "Just a map feels a bit lacking."
If this was truly the legacy of their ancestor, there had to be more.
Caron's eyes eventually landed on a section of the temple wall that had crumbled. Through the crack, a faint gray light was seeping in.
As he walked toward it, the landscape beyond the cliff came into view.
Ssshhhhh!
A massive black curtain of darkness loomed beyond. It was a void swallowing everything in sight.
The veil felt as if it was cleaving the world in two. And Caron couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—on the other side was watching him.
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This darkness didn't come from just any Demon King. It was denser, heavier, darker than anything he had encountered before.
"The Demon King of Void," Caron murmured.
There was no other explanation for such overwhelming dread and despair. That darkness could only belong to him.
Their final enemy lay beyond. That was for sure.
Caron didn't know how long he had stared into the veil, but...
"Caron!" Leon shouted.
"Caron, the dark mana is beginning to rampage!" Seria cried out.
His group's urgent voices rang out just as a flood of demonic monsters began to pour from beyond the curtain. Countless monsters howled and charged toward the temple without a second of hesitation.
The cliffside was soon drowned in black, a swarm of monsters screaming as they rushed through the cursed air.
Caron stood on the edge of the cliff, peering down at the dark tide. Then he smiled, just slightly, lifting one corner of his mouth.
"So many bastards to kill," he said. He thought this life was a blessed one indeed.
With so many enemies to cut down, boredom would never be a problem.
As Caron smiled, a voice echoed in his ears.
"One day, I'll return to this place."
It was a familiar voice.
"To where it all began."
At the edge of the cliff, a man stood, facing the curtain. Caron stared at his back in silence.
In the man's hand was a blade glowing faintly with gray light. It resembled Guillotine, but the aura within it felt different.
Fwoosh!
A surge of gray sword energy burst from the man's blade, sweeping through the approaching army.
It was awe-inspiring. Like a raging wave, it devoured the enemy forces in an instant.
The man, having cleared the battlefield with a single blow, slowly turned to face them. He spoke in a low, quiet voice.
"You are our last hope."
Caron's expression twisted as he saw the man's face—and in that moment, he forgot to breathe.
It wasn't Rael Leston.
"Please end this cursed cycle."
Fwoosh!
Another burst of gray light exploded from the man's body, enveloping Caron and his group.
As his vision blurred, Caron stared, desperate to imprint the man's face into his memory.
"Please."
That face... there was no doubt about it.
Me... Caron thought.
It was Caron Leston's own face.
***
"Caron, snap out of it," someone said.
"Hnnngh..."
Someone was shaking him. Caron let out a weak groan as he slowly regained consciousness. It seemed he had blacked out without realizing it.
"Where... are we?" Caron asked.
The strange world that had felt like a replica of the Demon Realm had long since vanished. As Caron rubbed his eyes and looked around, he found himself lying in the middle of a wide underground chamber.
"Owner, are you okay?" Guillotine asked.
"Other than a bit of a headache... nothing serious," Caron murmured. "By the way, Leo, did you see that man at the end?"
"...Man? What are you talking about, Caron?" Leo asked, frowning.
"So I really was the only one who saw him," Caron muttered. He needed time to gather his thoughts.
The man's words continued to echo in his ears.
"The place we came from. The cycle. The last."
Each phrase brought a new wave of headache. Caron wondered if that illusion had truly been created by his ancestor. If so, what had he been trying to show?
Was it something tied to my reincarnation? Caron thought.
He didn't know. To unravel this mystery, he would need to meet the World Tree. According to what Orion had relayed, the glacier crystal had been successfully infused into it, and the World Tree was rapidly regaining its life force.
The Southern Great Forest wasn't far from the southern border of the Holy Kingdom. Once they left the kingdom, they could head straight there.
"Where are we now?" Caron asked.
Seria answered softly, "This is where Saint Kamael's coffin rests. When I regained consciousness, we were already here."
She pointed toward a spot in the chamber, and there it was—a coffin that glowed with a soft, radiant light.
"Caron, there's something you should know," she added.
"Hmm?" Caron replied.
"That coffin... It's not the one kept by the Holy Kingdom. Saint Kamael's coffin was made of marble and buried behind the cathedral, not beneath the chapel," Seria explained.
"Caron, this coffin..." Leon began.
The material of the coffin was unusual. Caron extended a hand and let a stream of mana flow into it.
Whoosh!
The coffin, resonating with the power of Azure Mana, let out a clean, ringing hum.
"It's the same material as the throne from that illusion," Caron said.
It was an incredibly efficient mana-conductive metal. As Caron inspected it more closely, he spotted a line of text engraved into the surface.
"Saint Kamael leaves a gift for the Warrior to come. May the Radiant Light and the blessing of the North Sea guide you."
With a touch of mana, he scanned the inside of the coffin. As expected, it was empty.
Caron realized that the map of the Demon Realm and the unidentified metal were the rewards Rael Leston had left behind for his successor.
"What do we do with this coffin?" Leo asked.
Caron nodded without hesitation, then answered, "Obviously, we're going to rob it."
"So now you're a grave robber?" Leo teased.
"Grave robber? Don't be ridiculous. We're just claiming what's rightfully ours. We earned this with our own effort," Caron said.
With that, he infused mana into Guillotine. Without delay, he swung his blade down toward the coffin.
The blade—sharp enough to slice through even metal like pudding—struck the coffin with a piercing flash.
Clang!
The coffin repelled the aura-infused blade with a deafening clang. The recoil was so powerful it tore at Caron's grip, splitting the skin on his palm.
Eyes wide, Caron stared down at the coffin. Even with an aura that could now cut through dragonbone, Guillotine had left behind only the faintest scratch.
"Huh," Caron said.
It was a metal that could withstand the aura of an 8-Star knight.
"...What the hell is this thing?" Caron muttered.
At last, he had found his treasure.