Chapter 466: The Abyss Unleashed (3)
But the auras of the Ultras were suffocating.
"Two SS+ ranks... and one whose aura just brushes SS."
I commented calmly as I scanned our enemies.
"Your senses are truly sharp... Frey Starlight."
Sitting front and center was the infamous Lord of the Ultras, dressed in formal wear and that same luxurious coat... his beloved sword by his side.
"Gavid Lindman."
Behind him stood a masked youth around our age. Though his face was hidden, his crimson eyes peered through the gaps and never left Snow.
Just the sight of him was enough to trigger killing intent.
It was V.
And the third figure... made a cold smile creep unconsciously across my face.
A grotesquely massive figure wrapped in black bandages .. none other than the cursed half-demon, Gvardiol, his sly grin fully intact.
"Well, well... welcome to my humble stage, dear guests from the Empire."
Oddly enough, Gvardiol took the lead, speaking instead of Gavid.
"A fine delegation indeed. The former Temple director, Bloodmader. The Hero of the Empire, Snow Lionheart. And you..."
He turned to me with particular interest.
"Frey Starlight. They call you the Black Death on our side. You’re famous, you know. Hehehe."
He chuckled.
But Bloodmader stepped forward, towering before him.
They were the same size, true—but Gvardiol’s power far surpassed his.
That monster had already broken into SS+.
"You brought us here just to sing praises of our heroes, Ultras lord? If that’s the case, then I believe fists would be a far better choice than words."
"Hold your horses, old man. You’re rushing things. Isn’t your generation supposed to be more... composed?"
Gvardiol laughed, standing chest-to-chest with Bloodmader, as if the two were seconds away from throwing hands.
But then ..
"That’s enough, Gvardiol. We didn’t come here to play games."
Interrupting from behind, Gavid Lindman finally stood and cut the tension with a cold, clipped tone.
"Champions of the Empire... I’ve come here today not as your enemy ..but as your mercy. I came to offer you a choice."
He raised a hand in front of Bloodmader and spoke with grim finality.
"Surrender. Don’t start a doomed war that will lead only to your annihilation. If you do, I promise... those of you deemed worthy will be allowed to live."
For a moment... silence reigned.
Then Snow Lionheart stepped forward, his multicolored Aura flaring violently ..each hue a reflection of the elements gifted to him.
"Is that really all you have to say, Lord of the Ultras? And here I thought you had something worthwhile to offer... but what came out of your mouth just now was nothing more than a hollow threat."
"Look at where you’re standing. You’re on the battlefield. Do you honestly think that someone who came all this way, prepared to die, would just fall to their knees at the sound of your pathetic words?"
Snow’s fury was unmistakable ..and his Aura reflected it.
But his pressure was immediately countered when V’s body ignited in terrifying black flames, evening the scales in an instant.
"Don’t be so eager to die, Snow Lionheart. And don’t interrupt the Supreme Authority when he speaks. Lord Gavid Lindman hasn’t finished yet."
And indeed, Gavid hadn’t.
Closing his eyes for a moment, the Lord of the Ultras opened them again, revealing a strange darkness swirling within.
"Tell me, Imperial Hero... who do you think you’re fighting in this war? The Ultras?"
I already understood what Gavid was getting at. But I chose to let him continue—there was no point in hiding the truth any longer.
"You wanted something interesting? Fine ... here it is."
Raising a single finger to the sky, Gavid Lindman made a declaration that echoed across the world.
"The gates sealed by your First Hero, Kazes Valerion, have been opened once more. There’s nothing left separating us from Hellmond... the land of demons."
There it was.
The moment he spoke those cursed words, I saw Snow and Bloodmader’s faces turn to a grave ... completely unable to process what they’d just heard.
"Even if you somehow manage to defeat the Ultras—what then? Do you really think that would be the end of it?"
Gavid laughed at our foolishness.
"No. That won’t be the end. Because your true enemy isn’t the Ultras... it’s the ones above. The Ten High Seats ... and the Demon King himself."
"Beings who could erase insignificant creatures like us with a mere snap of their fingers. So tell me ..what exactly do you hope to accomplish by waging a war you’ve already lost?"
It hit hard. That much was clear—even Bloodmader snapped.
"Lies! You’re lying!"
"Lying? And why would I do that?"
Gavid smirked.
"Everything I’ve said is truth. You’ll come to face those horrors soon enough."
And just like that—I realized Gavid had succeeded.
Even if only slightly...
He’d shaken our morale.
But he hadn’t broken it.
"We will not surrender," Snow said with steel in his voice, despite everything he had just heard.
"Just like our ancestors fought until their dying breaths... so will we. Even if the gates of Hell open right before our eyes."
"How naive... Imperial Hero."
Gavid sighed, seemingly disappointed by our ignorance.
Then .. with a flick of his sword ..everything changed.
"If you’re that desperate to die... then die! Right here, right now!"
At his words, the platform beneath us trembled violently. It felt like an earthquake—but it wasn’t.
The sea around us began to churn ..as something stirred beneath it.
Not something... many things.
Monsters ..horrid creatures of the nightmare ..surged from the depths like a curse summoned from the abyss.
Snow and Bloodmader both flinched in genuine shock ..they hadn’t sensed them at all.
From nothingness, the nightmare beasts had emerged. Their numbers were staggering.
So many, in fact, that they immediately attacked the Imperial fleet from behind—striking when no one was prepared.
Surrounded by tentacles and writhing limbs .. we knew then, without doubt, we had been completely deceived.
"You cowards!!! Dogs will always be dogs!"
Bloodmader roared in rage.
He had made a critical mistake .. believing the Ultras would respect custom and spare the envoys.
He had been far too naïve.
With the Ultras’ trio before us...
And the nightmare monsters at our back...
We were completely surrounded.
It was a position no one would envy.