The city held not a single trace of life. Only death lingered here.
Caron couldn't help but frown at the foul dark mana that seeped through the entire place. It was an oppressive, suffocating force that seemed determined to burrow into his veins. Even for him, it was a strain to endure. He had no doubt that this dark mana belonged to Void.
Kyahhhhhh!
From all directions, grotesquely twisted demonic monsters came charging. Those consumed by Void's power had lost their original forms entirely, leaving behind nothing but murderous intent.
Graaahhh!
Caron's party took the lead, forcing a path forward. Four 8-Star knights slashed through the creatures without mercy. The aura wielded by knights of such mastery cut even the toughest of monsters as if they were nothing but paper. Shards of aura exploded in every direction.
Without hesitation, Caron summoned the sea, and from its surface countless moons fell like silver rain.
Behind the path carved by the 8-Stars, the Avengers followed.
"For our vengeance."
"In the name of our lord."
Hardened by their hatred, the Avengers knew no fear. They had already died once. Knights unafraid of death were a force beyond comparison.
"Run wild," Gratia said.
With a flick of her fingers, Gratia offered the knights mounts. From her endless mana, more than a hundred steeds appeared. A knight on horseback struck with far greater force—especially if the steed was a dragon–blessed warhorse. Their power would be multiplied beyond measure.
Every knight, Caron included, mounted up. Over them, Seria bestowed her blessing.
"O Light, grant your undefeated blessing to those who march toward you," Seria said.
The Grand Saintess' miracle wrapped itself around the knights—with overwhelming martial strength, the magic of dragons, and now a divine blessing, their charge became nothing short of lightning.
Craaaash!
Crack!
They thundered down the half–ruined main street, a perfect spearpoint piercing into the demonic monsters' core.
"...Ah," Shiker remarked as he trailed a step behind, taking in every sight.
These knights were astonishingly strong. Even in the face of Void, they felt no fear and stepped willingly into hell itself. The sight was almost awe–inspiring.
The other survivors felt the same. They simply stared in mute astonishment at the knights' relentless assault.
"We must not fall behind. Let us hurry," Shiker said.
He knew with certainty that leading them to the core was his final duty. That was why he had struggled to survive until now in this hellish world. The city held no other legacy—only the records engraved in the corrupted core.
The blue–eyed young man cutting down demonic monsters at the very front could only be the descendant of his kin. Shiker thought of Rael Leston, whose face had grown faint even in memory—the young hero who had left the Demon Realm swearing vengeance.
You kept your promise, Shiker thought.
The very existence of this youth, brimming with killing intent, was proof Rael Leston had crossed the Sea of Death and reached the continent.
Shiker wouldn't stop now. He drew on his mana and pressed forward so as not to fall behind these fearless knights.
"To the right!" he shouted, his voice ringing with power.
He wondered what he would have felt at this moment if Void hadn't stripped away his emotions. Would it have been joy that Rael's descendant had returned, or regret at the state of things?
I shall simply fulfill my duty, Shiker thought.
A stray thought crossed his mind—perhaps even this moment was a vision spun by Void's power. But he shook his head sharply, casting aside the unease.
It couldn't be an illusion. The youth's blue eyes, the deep hatred carved into them—those proved that this moment was real. So he would gladly act as the youth's guide. Bringing him to the core would be the only salvation for this cursed life.
I never even asked the young man's name, Shiker realized. They hadn't even exchanged introductions, but it hardly mattered.
"Do you see that massive temple ahead?" Shiker asked.
The young man nodded and answered, "Yes, I see it."
"That is the core of this place. Head straight there. If we can enter, we may be able to hold the corrupted servants at bay for a time," Shiker explained.
Caron nodded at his words, eyes fixed on the temple. He murmured, "Damn... That looks familiar."
He'd seen something like it before—in the illusion within Saint Kamael's tomb. The temple's design was alien, almost as if it didn't belong to this world, yet it was nearly identical.
The map of the Demon Realm engraved on the coffin and the strange metal named Raelnium—they were the legacy of this once–brilliant civilization.
"If we reach the temple, we'll learn something for sure," Caron muttered.
Shiker had already answered many of his questions—so many that his head felt ready to split. But one thing remained unchanged. Caron's burning hatred for the Demon Kings remained the same. That hatred, etched deep into his soul, still blazed without end.
And Caron gladly poured that hatred into Guillotine.
Shhhk!
A massive demonic monster's head fell with ridiculous ease, green blood spraying into the air. Even though the blood was laced with acid, it evaporated instantly under Caron's unleashed mana.
"Push forward! Anyone who falls behind will be left there!" Caron barked.
Reins in one hand, sword in the other, Caron led the charge, the old Imperial Guards and dark blue–armored knights thundering after him. Their furious assault tore through the city's center.
No one could stop them.
***
The knights' charge ended only when they reached their destination. Thousands of demonic monsters had tried to bar their way, but not a single knight bore any injury.
Step.
At last, Caron's party set foot inside the massive temple.
Unlike the other ruined buildings in this desolate city, the temple had preserved its original form. Yet here, far more than anywhere else, the foul dark mana of Void pressed down upon them. It was so thick it seemed to claw at their lungs.
"...It's hard to breathe," Seria said, wincing as she scanned their surroundings. Sensitive to dark mana, she could feel its weight like chains.
There was not a single trace of life in this place.
Kyaaaahhh!
Outside, the demonic monsters' howls still rang out. They battered themselves against the temple as though ready to break in at any moment. But Shiker only gave a single nod to his kin.
At once, every one of them—except Shiker—kneeled in formation upon the stone floor.
"What are they doing?" Caron asked with a frown.
"They are fulfilling their final duty," Shiker replied, his voice as flat as stone.
"And that 'final duty' is... what, exactly?" Caron asked.
In the next moment...
Fwoosh!
Black light erupted from the kneeling warriors. It burst from their chests, intertwining into a vast web that in mere seconds spread across the temple entrance, sealing it in a mesh of shadow.
Shiker bowed deeply to his kin and said, "We will meet again in paradise."
The kneeling warriors gave faint smiles, placing both hands over their hearts.
Watching them, Seria whispered to Caron, "Their life is fading. It seems to be some kind of sealing ritual... and the temple is responding to their life energy."
Whoosh.
As if to prove her words, the temple shimmered faintly with a violet glow.
Caron couldn't understand it. He wondered why these people had fought for nearly thirty years, and yet chose this moment to give up their lives so willingly.
"This is a place where nothing makes sense, Commander," Beatrice said with a bitter smile. "But somehow... It doesn't feel unfamiliar."
"It doesn't feel unfamiliar?" Caron asked.
"That's the look of someone who has fought all their life and now stands at the very end. Everyone I've ever known wore that expression before they fell," Beatrice explained.
"Sounds like you're saying it to me," Caron replied.
"Yes. I'm glad you know," Beatrice said.
Sacrifice for a cause was noble, but Caron couldn't fully understand their feelings. Their story wasn't his, and so he could only watch from a step away.
"Come; we have to go deeper inside," Shiker said, his expression unchanged.
"Thirty years, you said, you fought alongside them?" Caron asked.
"As I told you, I have no emotions," Shiker answered.
"...Your face says otherwise," Caron replied, glancing at the grim distortion of Shiker's features.
"Is that how it seems to you? Then remember this—everything you see here is but an illusion. Do not hold it too close to your heart," Shiker said as he stared into Caron's eyes.
"With the stench of blood this thick? This is real," Caron said.
"That is the power of Void," Shiker began. "Illusion, stretched so far that it devours the boundaries of reality. It is the power you will soon face—never forget it."
Leaving his kneeling comrades behind, Shiker strode toward the temple's depths. Caron gave the warriors one last look, then followed in silence.
The deeper they went, the stronger the suffocating dark mana became—so foul it was almost unbearable.
"Owner," Guillotine growled in his mind. "This is no illusion. Be careful. Even you won't leave unscathed if you take this head-on."
Even Beatrice and the others were clutching their temples in pain.
"O Light, save us from corruption," Seria prayed, unleashing another burst of holy power. Without her, even 8-Star knights might have been crippled here. And even Gratia, a dragon, kept groaning at the pounding in her head.
"What god was once worshiped in this temple?" Seria asked Shiker while shielding them.
"No god," Shiker answered curtly.
"Then why build a temple at all?" Seria asked.
"Our god was the civilization we forged," Shiker replied.
"And this—" he gestured ahead, then continued, "—is the place where our sin was born. Our endless greed, our boundless arrogance... they created disaster."
He stopped before a colossal door wrapped in countless chains. The dark mana leaking from it was stronger than anywhere else. Its oppressive weight was almost choking.
None could say what lay beyond, but Caron knew instinctively that it was something terrible. And his companions clearly felt the same.
"There is only one way out," Shiker informed. "Destroy the core beyond this door. Only then can this place be erased."
"So it was a trap from the start?" Caron asked.
"Not a trap. It was fate. You came here by your own choice, and I only followed my own fate to bring you here," Shiker answered.
He closed his eyes, murmuring words in a tongue none could understand. A trace of dark mana seeped from him, answering the chant...
Clang!
The chains unraveled all at once.
Moments later...
Creeeeak...
The massive door opened, and a flood of violet light blazed forth. Something massive stirred within.
Inside was a cavern of impossible size, far too vast to exist within a temple's walls.
"Spatial distortion," Gratia muttered under her breath.
Before they could react...
Whoosh!
A colossal beast of violet light emerged from the depths.
"That is a beast born of Void," Shiker said quietly. "We call it the Void Walker."
And when Caron met its eyes, for the first time in his life, he felt fear beyond measure.