By God, what cursed place is this, the poisonous swamp, the deformed creatures, the dying sick begging for help?!? How does a place like this exist?!? How does God allow this?!?
These people, why were they abandoned here? Criminals, people afflicted with illnesses of the mind, those born with deformities, or simply those unwanted by society, maybe because these people have nowhere to go.
That does not matter now. I crossed the precarious ghettos built into the walls of this hellish crack in the earth, I killed the poor sick things that got in my way and crossed a sea of black, plague-infected rats.
In addition, all of that for what? Only to find myself in a cave filled with fetid water with a demon made of leeches flinging parts of its body toward me.
I thought things would get better when I turned the demon to ashes, but I was wrong, as a gigantic dark swamp stretched out in front of me.
All I could see was nauseating purple water and the dim lights of torches in the distance, so, without much of a choice, I jumped into the swamp.
SPLASH!
Oh, God, the smell, the smell, I think I am going to vomit! I quickly lifted the front of my helmet and dumped the contents of my stomach into the polluted water, although I doubt that would make any difference here.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. You need to move on, Edric, you need to move on. What would your parents think if they could see you now?
-XXXXXX-
My disgust for this place only grows with every minute I stay here. Did Maiden Astraea and Garl Vinland truly come here to aid the afflicted?
Well, I highly doubt that, as this place is full of suffering. Hm… I doubt the Maiden became an archdemon, but if what the old woman told me is true, the two of them are somewhere deep in this valley.
Alternatively, maybe they died and I stepped on their corpses without realizing it, after all, that is what I stepped on until now.
I had the unfortunate curiosity to stomp the ground hard enough to push away the water, only to come face to face with a mass of decomposing corpses. No wonder the floor was so soft and creaking with every step.
-XXXXXX-
Bloody hell, more of these monstrous animals, mosquitoes the size of dogs, jellyfish that looked like shields and now slugs big enough to devour a human!
The constant rain falling over my head did not help. Greenish, stinky water made it difficult for me to see. I am deep in the earth, how is it possible for it to rain here?
Hm… Something further ahead caught my attention, a figure sitting on a rock on an islet.
I prepared my sword, shield, and approached cautiously. Talking to crazy people wearing rags almost caused my end; I do not want to repeat the same mistake.
"Greetings, stranger, I didn't expect to meet another person here!" I spoke as I approached the figure.
The figure quickly stood up and pointed a strange sword with a transparent blade in my direction. I had difficulty identifying her face thanks to my helmet and the rain obstructing my vision, but I identified her as a woman thanks to her physical size.
"Why, you're one of the sane ones, aren't you? I am Selen of the West." The golden-armored person spoke with a mixture of surprise and relief as she lowered her sword.
"Nice to meet you, Selen, My name is Edric and well, let's just say I don't know how long I will be considered sane. This place tests the limits of my mind. Now, could you tell me why you are here? I didn't expect to meet another person here."
"I seek my brother Garl Vinland, the knight who accompanied Saint Astraea on her travels. I believe they settled here. If you happen to see my younger brother, please tell me. I must share with him our father's last words."
I went silent with this information; she relates to one of the people I would probably kill soon. As much as this hurts my honor, I will have to focus on my own goals.
"Unfortunately I didn't see your brother, but I'm heading deeper into the valley, I'll return immediately if I find him, although the stories I've heard about the Saint and him worry me." I replied politely.
"These are nothing more than unflattering rumors about Saint Astraea. Did you meet that woman selling herbs? She claims that Saint Astraea is herself a Demon. This woman has no reason to lie. Surely she must be mistaken."
"Humph! Yes, I have met her before, although I do not believe she is that honest, judging by the price she charged for the herbs, however, her rumors seemed to stem from envy. Still, it's bizarre how people can live here."
"I agree, but I find something strange about this place. It's full of dirt, but at the same time it feels strangely pure." Selen responded mysteriously, extending her hand and allowing the rain to pool in her palm.
Pure? I wondered as I looked up, seeing the infinite darkness staring back at me. Hm… I do not see purity in this place, just corruption and decay, not unlike all the places I have visited recently.
Maybe Selen sees something I do not.
-XXXXXX-
"It's beautiful." I whispered, raising the glowing sword in front of my face, its transparent blade shinning with luminous blue magic.
The Holy Sword of Moonlight, one of the church's relics, as well as the oak spear I found earlier. How many saints lost their lives trying to save the people of this valley?
I know that I cannot be one thanks to the bloody path I have paved to this point. What am I doing? Those people did not deserve this! I am the invader who entered their little refuge!
Is this what I trained for all my life? I remember growing up hearing stories of the honored knights of the Ceolbeald family and now I find myself doubting those stories.
After all, they brought prosperity to Boletaria through their victories on the battlefield, in other words, they conquered neighboring lands and brought hundreds of slaves to the kingdom, forcing them to work for their conquerors, and we achieved prosperity through the blood and suffering of others.
Now I understand why the servants in our manor looked so unhappy, they were not servants, I was just too young to realize it. In addition, look where it got us! A mad king has brought ruin to the world! What is the point of so much abundance if everything will fall apart in one day?
I wonder if my ancestors regretted what they did. I wonder if they even questioned the motive for their actions, as I am doing now.
Your parents must be disappointed, Edric, that is, if they are still alive. Who knows how far the mist spread?
-XXXXXX-
"You're not going back, are you? I will not allow any harm to come to dear Astraea. May you rot in the depths of this swamp." The silver knight spoke. His disdainful voice echoed off the cave walls.
My fears came true, for Astraea had become an archdemon and Garl Vinland her guardian.
All this to alleviate the suffering of the poor people in the valley, the sick worshiped the Saint as a goddess without knowing that she slowly sucked their souls from their bodies.
I am sorry, Selen, but your brother has become my enemy. I raised the Holy Sword of Moonlight with both hands and charged through the cave, ignoring the sick that screamed Astraea's name in a ceaseless frenzy, and came face to face with Garl who blocked a narrow passage with his shield.
"How dare you persist in invading our refuge? You abandoned us a long time ago, what right do you have? We live humble lives, leave us alone!" Garl exclaimed, standing firm in his position.
"I don't understand what you say! We've never met before!" I replied, preparing myself for combat.
"It's not just you, you ignorant fool! You, God, and the world, we have all been abandoned here, forgotten to rot!"
"I'm sorry for everything that happened, but the world is in danger, I need the Demon Soul to prevent the end of it. The being you worship is no different from the cruel God who abandoned you here!"
"Humph! At least the Old One answers our prayers!" Garl exclaimed before swinging his large hammer towards me.
It took me by surprise; I did not expect him to move so quickly. Was this his natural strength or something more? Absurd pain replaced these thoughts as my armor and flesh sunk in my body, and my bones turned to dust.
I felt my feet leave the ground as I fell toward the cursed swamp below.
"Dive to your death… And let the acid melt the flesh from your bones!" Garl Vinland spoke, standing at the edge of the passage and watching me fall.
Acid, what does he mean…
"AAAHHH!" I screamed and screamed as I felt the worst pain of my life.
It was indescribable, an agonizing pain, anything would be better than this. I struggled to stand and make the pain stop, but something grabbed my arms and legs, pinning me to the floor.
"AAAHHH! What?"
Amid the searing pain that coursed through my body, I saw what pinned me to the ground, a type of deformed fetus with a swollen face with bone spikes protruding from the stumps where its hands should be.
As if the pain of my slowly melting flesh was not enough, the fetuses stabbed me with their bones while letting out a deafening cry.
"AAAHHH! RELEASE ME, ACURSED CREATURES!" I screamed as I struggled, but more of those fetuses came out of the water and held me down as they stabbed me.
"Do you understand, now, the pain and suffering they endured?" Garl Vinland asked, watching me from the edge of the passage.
"PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I begged with all my might, but all Garl did was turn his back on me.
"You covetous one, let this be known. We will defend our hearts and our homes until the death."
"NO, NO, NO, DON'T GO! I DO ANYTHING! PLEASE HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I PROMISE I WILL NEVER COME BACK! I PROMISE I WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE! BUT DON'T ABANDON ME HERE, PLEASE!"
However, there was no response, all I could do was scream, my screams echoed through the cave amidst the clamor of the sick and the piercing of my flesh, turning into a sickening cacophony as I melted into nothingness.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU COWARD! COME HERE AND FACE ME! WHERE IS YOUR HONOR? THIS IS HOW YOU ACHIEVE YOUR VICTORIES!"
No response, I continued screaming, hoping for anything, begging for help, crying for mercy, throwing insult after insult, but it did nothing to lessen my pain or silence my screams.
Eventually, my armor turned into a molten paste that encountered my exposed flesh.
My mind went into shock as the acid turned my flesh into red goo and hit every nerve in my body. Nothing, I did not feel anything, it was a pain so great that the human body could not measure it.
I could not scream, the noises around me became muffled, and the only thing I could focus on was the hiss of my body melting as the vapor resulting from the process floated around me.
Oh, God, please help me!
I managed to free one of my hands and lift it toward the ceiling of the cave, I opened and closed it weakly and watched as it crumbled into nothing.
The pieces of armor turned into a silvery liquid that slowly dripped onto my chest. My skin burned like paper, turning charcoal black before falling off like leaves, exposing muscles, veins, and nerves that snapped like ropes soon after.
In the end, I felt nothing, as my hand was nothing more than bones that soon broke and fell into my chest.
Oh, God, please help me!
Speaking of my chest, I saw my ribs exposed to everyone. My legs melted and separated from my body, spreading my organs on the floor, slowly dissolving them, my heart, lungs, stomach, intestines and so much more.
Sometimes one of the fetuses that stabbed me would tear out pieces of my organs and fumble to remove them from their bones, removing even more pieces of organs from my body.
Oh, God, please help me!
Eventually, I melted enough for the acid to get to my face, it was hard to think, I could not speak, smell, or hear, and I think my eyes melted, as I could not see.
For the first time since I started this journey, I regretted using souls to strengthen myself. I would have died a long time ago if I was still a normal human being, but I would not have such mercy now.
Oh, God, please save me…
-XXXXXX-
"GASP!" I woke up suddenly with my lungs begging for air, but I struggled as soon as I felt water entering my nose and mouth.
I noticed the distorted environment around me as something dragged me away. Was I underwater? I got my answer when a fish swam close to my face.
Wasting no time, I tried to reorient myself while being swept away by the current.
My lungs burned as I tried to find a way out, I moved my arms and legs with what little energy I had left and swam towards one of the riverbanks, grabbing a rock and dragging myself to the surface.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!" I coughed with all my might as the water gave way to air in my body.
I crawled on my hands and knees as I took in huge lungfuls of air, then rolled onto my side and lay on my back, hoping the pain I felt would go away.
By the Gods, Edric! However, what idea was that? You are not tied to the Nexus, who knows what will happen when you die?
"But you did the right thing, didn't you? You made sure Zero and Dito stayed on the right path to the fortress." A voice in the back of my mind spoke.
Yes, but Zero and Dito are not normal humans, they would be able to survive the fall.
"Are you sure of this, Zero was helpless when she came back to life. Who knows what would happen to her? In addition, Dito did not possess the toughness acquired on the battlefield and in hundreds of agonizing deaths; he did not have the determination to go to the end. You did the right thing."
"What is right and wrong depends on your point of view; you can do dozens of small good deeds, but nullify them all by committing an atrocity."
"You have a heart of gold, what happened in the valley was a tragedy, you lost control, but the knight and the saint made their choices, don't let that take your eyes off the good you did for the world."
What good have I done for the world? I raised my hand towards the cloudy sky with the sun's rays shining faintly through the clouds. I found myself inside a cave for a moment, surrounded by deformed fetuses as my body slowly turned to pulp.
Oh, god, please help me!
I am melting, I am melting, I am... Then everything went back to normal, the screams disappeared, the phantom pain went away, and all I felt was the bone-chilling cold.
I let my hand fall to my side as my teeth chattered frantically; it was cold, very cold. I stood up on shaky legs, grunting in pain with every small movement.
"Come on, Edric, you need to move forward, one step at a time." Then I retrieved my sword, shield from the riverbank, and conjured a miracle of healing with my talisman.
The wounds disappeared, but the mental fatigue remained. Leaving that aside, I analyzed my surroundings, looking for any landmarks.
I was on the bank of a partially frozen river, surrounded by snow-covered pine trees and with a cloudy sky above me.
I took my spyglass out of my bag and looked for anything of note; luckily, I spotted the walls of Four's fortress on top of the mountains amid the blizzard.
I also spotted smoke coming from somewhere in the general direction of the fortress. Hm... There must be a village nearby; maybe they can tell me how to get to the fortress. That is if the invaders and gargoyles have not gotten to them first.
I walked towards the smoke without much of a choice but stopped shortly when a freezing wind blew towards me, knocking snow from the trees onto me.
I rubbed my body, trying to warm myself, but I did not get satisfactory results, so I took out my catalyst and conjured a flame, driving away the cold and returning to my previous objective.
"So what will you do when this is all over?"
"I will return home."
"And then?"
"And then? Then I will take a long hot bath; eat the greatest feast of all... I will hug my father and mother, tell them how much I love them, and beg for forgiveness for having fled our home to risk myself in the mist that consumed Boletaria."
"And then?"
"I will ask forgiveness from the slaves who still live and free them, then I will end the persecution of witches, showing that they are not demons and I will destroy the Society of the Soul, putting an end to their conspiracies."
"And the church, will you not tell them that the God they worship and the Devil they hate are the same being?"
"No, I had my faith shaken and I couldn't use my miracles when I discovered this, I don't want this to happen to other people. Furthermore, that would be a futile effort, the church has cemented its power throughout the kingdom, and not even I can put an end to something this big without being hunted down as a heretic."
"He, you can defeat an army of demons and save the world, but you can't deal with a bunch of old, hard-headed men."
"Ironic, isn't it?"
My conversation with my conscience ended as soon as I saw the village. I walked down a small snow-covered road and stopped to read the sign next to me.
"Welcome to the Village of Helheim! Intoner Four welcomes you to the Land of Mountains! We hope you have a great stay!"
Hm... Looks like a nice place. Nevertheless, my relief disappeared as soon as I set foot in the village or its remains.
Ruined wooden houses surrounded me, some burned and others with their walls and roofs destroyed.
I prepared my sword and shield as I walked through the center of the village, engaging my senses and focusing on my surroundings.
A disturbing silence took over the village, there was no noise, not even from insects or larger animals like pigs and chickens. As if that was not enough, the red snow around me gave me a hint as to what happened here.
However, where were the bodies? I abandoned this line of thought when I glimpsed something moving behind a house, I also saw shadows moving behind the ruins, I estimated twenty individuals in total.
"So, will you come out of your hiding places or will I have to get you out of there?" I asked, stopping my walk.
"SSSCCCRRREEE!"
Something jumped from one of the rooftops and dove towards me; I turned my body to the left and thrust my sword upwards, piercing the mysterious figure.
I noticed that she was an extremely pale and thin woman, with empty eyes and half of her face missing. She wore new clothes reduced to rags and tried to scratch my helmet with the nails on her right hand, as she did not have her left arm.
I held her high in the air, with my sword piercing her chin and exiting the top of her head, eventually the woman stopped moving and went limp.
I lowered my sword, letting her body slide off the blade, and watched her carefully. Scratches and bite marks covered her body as muscle and bone protruded from the stump of her left arm.
I saw this before, people who had their souls drained and lost their sanity, having their bodies possessed similar to draglings.
A cacophony of grunts and growls echoed through the village as its reanimated inhabitants emerged from their houses. They were in a similar situation to the dead woman in front of me, covered in mortal wounds but still standing and walking.
The first of the draglings wasted no time in charging toward me, raising an ax above its head as it grunted incoherently.
He never finished his swing, as I separated the arm holding the ax from his body and chopped his head off with two swift blows, causing the decapitated body to fall to the ground as the head rolled away.
This agitated the remaining draglings who advanced like a bunch of lunatics, using anything as weapons, sticks and stones, kitchen knives, axes and pickaxes.
I could not call it a fight, because I killed my enemies with ease, I cut off their arms, legs, and heads before they reacted, I covered their bodies with deep cuts, painted the snow red, and pierced their hearts, knocking their lifeless bodies on the floor.
All the draglings I faced in Boletaria had some combat experience, as they were soldiers of the kingdom or slave warriors before losing their souls; they maintained their combat skills and thanks to that, they knew how to use swords, spears, and crossbows.
However, these people were normal people with no training, rushing forward without thinking while throwing sloppy, easy-to-dodge blows. I feel bad about how quickly I fought my way through them.
I blocked a stab with my shield as I watched the woman force the knife towards me.
Were you a loving mother? Taking care of the children and preparing dinner while your husband worked.
I pushed my shield to the side, causing the woman to lose her balance and creating an opening for me to pierce her heart.
I kicked the woman's body away and spun my body, blocking an ax from a tall, strong man, probably a lumberjack.
In addition, you, were you a father who went to work every day? I believe that his wife's smile and his children's laughter made the tiredness of work disappear.
The steel of our weapons meeting filled the air with sparks, but I overcame him and ripped his ax from his hands, chopping his head off shortly afterward.
Suddenly, small figures jumped out of the snow around me and grabbed my body, trying to get past my armor with their tiny nails and teeth.
Oh, the children were here all the time... I found it strange that only adults attacked me. I watched the small creatures as their futile attempts to take me down failed.
Finally, you, the little ones, you did not even get the chance to grow up and see the world. Did you all loved playing in the snow?
The remaining draglings approached. They probably believed I could not move, but they could not have been more wrong.
I believe it is time to end this. These people have suffered enough. I easily freed myself from the children's grip, grabbed my talisman, and cast Wrath of the Gods.
There was a blinding light and a deafening boom accompanied by a small earthquake, and then everything went silent.
I found myself in the center of a crater, surrounded by the broken corpses of my enemies as snow fell from the sky and what was left of the ruins crumbled around me.
"I'm sorry, I hope you find peace." I murmured bowing and clasping my hands in prayer.
With that done, I continued on my way, crossing the village until I reached the entrance to a mine, looking up, I saw that the mine was carved into the wall of the mountain where Four's fortress was located.
So this was a mining village, it reminds me of Stonefang. Maybe one of the tunnels will take me to the fortress, and if they do not, I will dig my way in.
I stored my sword, shield in my bag, and removed a pair of Iron Knuckles, equipping one in each hand, and a Pickaxe. Then I entered the mine, with the Augite of Souls on my waist lighting the way.
-XXXXXX-
"Get out of the way!" Zero shouted, pushing Dito aside and jumping in the opposite direction of the disciple, avoiding the gigantic foot that tried to crush her.
"So, do you have any idea what the hell this thing is?" Dito asked nervously, rushing to Zero's side and observing the giant in front of him.
"I don't know and I don't care, I'll kill him like everyone else and… AAAHHH!" Zero exclaimed, but stopped her speech and cried out in surprise when an armored hand shot out of the fortress floor and grabbed her leg tightly.
"Fuck, shit!" Zero shouted angrily, slashing the hand repeatedly with her sword as it pulled her down.
Suddenly, another hand shot out of the ground, this one holding a pickaxe, and stuck the tool against the fortress' courtyard, using it as a support to pull something up.
"AAAHHH!" With a cry of effort, Edric jumped out of a hole dug in the fortress's courtyard, throwing earth and stone everywhere as he created a cloud of dust.
"Holy shit, he turned into one of those things!" Dito shouted with strange happiness and a big smile on his face, running towards Edric and trying to pierce him with his spear.
However, he stopped in his tracks as Edric threw the pickaxe towards him, hitting the disciple in the forehead with the flat part of the tool.
Then Edric returned to Zero who still struck his arm and punched the Intoner in the foot with his Iron Knuckle, causing her to stop her attack.
"Fuck, what was that idea?" Zero demanded, jumping back as she grabbed her injured foot.
"I'm the one who should ask. What were you ignorant fools planning to do? Don't you know the difference between an enemy and an ally?" Edric asked, crawling out of the hole.
"Well, I'm sorry for thinking you were one of the undead when you burst out of the ground and grabbed my leg! What should I do, welcome you? Oh, the thing that grabbed my leg was the guy who fell off a bridge into the frozen river; it's good to know you're okay!" Zero replied sarcastically.
"At least I..."
"If the couple is done fighting, how about we focus on the bigger problems here?!?" Dito shouted, pointing at the approaching figure.
The trio turned around, only to come face to face with a gigantic being, whose shoulders and head towered above the fortress walls.
Black bandages made of a latex-like material covered the being from head to toe, highlighting its muscles while collars covered in metallic spikes adorned its wrists, shins, and neck.
The being had three muscular arms, similar to the rest of its body, two on the right side and one on the left side.
The upper right arm held a huge iron maiden by a chain, with the torture tool open, revealing an interior full of metallic spikes.
Strangely, the iron adornment on top of the maiden represented the face of a certain Intoner who ruled the mountains.
The lower right arm held the handle of a huge hot iron, with the number IV inside a ring of scalding red metal that distorted the air with its heat.
His left arm held a long whip that the giant dragged along the ground; the whip was larger than the giant by many meters. With its length covered in metallic hooks, perfect for tearing flesh.
Finally, the only part of the giant that the bandages did not cover was his eyes, forced open by a quartet of hooks in each socket, leaving them glassy, red, and watery, and his smiling mouth, gagged by an iron bar.
"What, in the name of whatever God you worship, did you get into while I was gone?" Edric demanded, drawing his Blueblood Sword and Adjudicator's Shield.
"Well, a lot has happened." Ditto muttered nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"So, do you have any idea what this thing is?" Zero asked Edric, stopping next to the knight and pointing at the giant with his sword.
"Unfortunately no, I don't know of such a creature."
"Perfect, that was all I needed to hear to make my day better!" Zero responded with palpable sarcasm.
"RRROOOAAAARRR!" The giant roared, tired of waiting, and advanced toward the trio, making them assume a fighting stance.
END OF CHAPTER