Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The situation had taken a grim turn.
The first person to break the long silence that followed the Northern demigod abbot’s announcement was the leader of the Church’s forces, Grand Paladin Cross Roland. “Listen, all. We wouldn’t be able to know how much has changed if we waste time standing here. Someone must have entered the gate already, don’t you think?”
“Naturally, the Church vows to continue upholding its rule of being fair and benign to all, and we hope that the rest of us takes that into account and remember the contents of the previous Royal Decree,” said the Grand Paladin Cross. As he was speaking, a lackadaisical, elderly man who was dressed as a priest quietly moved to the front of the Church’s fleet. This person was the Church’s demigod powerhouse; he was the reason why the Grand Paladin Cross could speak so cockily.
The other forces could see this, but they only sneered in response; some were even grinning openly. Their disgust was not without reason; this was because although the Church had said that they only came to Capital City to protect the civilians and prevent chaos, the number of personnel they had lead to the gate of light was larger than the Northern and Imperial forces combined. The Nothern and Imperial forces had only brought a combined total of 60 men with them to the gate of light, but the church had brought over two hundred.
Roland, the Paladin Grand Cross, noticed their expressions, but he paid them no mind because he was confident in the numbers he had behind him. Then, without issuing any orders, he yanked the rein of his steed and charged towards the gate!
The rest of the Church’s forces quickly followed, albeit a beat slower, muttering profanities in their minds as they hurried forward. The Nothern warriors and the Imperial forces followed suit, rushing towards the gate. Hundreds of fighters rushed towards the gate of light like the stampede at the start of a Black Friday sale. There were people on horses, people flying, people running, and people hopping; all were rushing towards the gate of light as though they had been possessed. It was pure chaos.
The one leading the stampede behind the Church’s forces was the Northern Demigod Abbot. Although he was old and wrinkled, he traveled an insane distance with every step he took. In two steps, he had reached the gate, passing everyone from the church, including Roland, in the time it took to blink once.
However, when he got to the gate, he froze, and his face fell. He could feel the remnants of Territory power from before, but now that he was right in front of the gate, he could tell that the Territory he had sensed earlier was, in fact, still in effect. When he got to the gate, he felt pressured by a sense of heaviness, and this caused him to stop.
As he was a Demigod-level fighter, the Northern abbot only felt a mild pressure. However, for those beneath his level, it was a completely different story. When Roland reached the range of the Territory, his warhorse neighed and refused to go forward, no matter how much Roland urged it to. The steed ignored its master and buckled its knees, going into what seemed to be a kneeling position.
“Is this the power of that mysterious Demigod-level fighter?” The Paladin Grand Cross, who was now forced to travel by feet, pondered as he tried to withstand the overwhelming feeling that seemed to be throttling him. His countenance was now sullen, but he was able to resist the urge to fall to his knees.
However, his head was forced to hang low, and a strange feeling of respect filled his heart; it was only in this manner that he was able to walk towards the gate, albeit slowly.
He was not the only one. When the rushing stampede reached the range of the Territory, everyone was forced to assume the same position. Even the sorcerers were forced to land. They walked slowly and respectfully like pilgrims entering a holy site. Not only could they not raise their heads, but they also could not speak! They could only use their silence to respectfully honor whoever owned the Territory.
Only the three people were able to walk forward properly, with their heads held high; they were the Northern abbot, a Priest from the Church, and a knight, who had a pair of Zweihänder strapped to his back. These were the demigod-level fighters from the three main forces.
The three demigods stood right in front of the gate. They glanced at each other cautiously, and after a few moments, the Northern abbot said, “Since everyone’s already ‘ere, whilst someobe already breaching beyond this gate with th’ dreems that they kin claim th’ treasure first… Perhaps we coon agree dat’ th’ rules cuid beh relaxed ah dis poin’, aye? ”
“You.. evil monk! Are you not above starting a war?” The elderly priest cried, with a voice so decrepit, it seemed like he was at his final moment of life. He despised the Martial Lodestar Monastery and the Northern abbot because their belief differed from the Church’s.
“Father Jonah, rest easy. The imperial army stands with the Church; we both aim for peace and order above all else,” said the middle-aged knight.
“Hmph. Then we shall see how far yer skills kin take ye,” the Demigod Abbot snapped derisively, then he dashed into the gate of light.
The two remaining demigods gave each other a meaningful, albeit complicated, glance. The Demigod Knight’s gaze seemed to contain a question, but the Demigod Priest silently shook his head in answer. After that, he turned to the gate and vanished into the light.
The Demigod Knight turned back and glanced at the men who were trudging over to the gate and mumbled in his mind, ‘Count yourself lucky, all of you.’
He had planned to join forces with the Church and massacre everyone else present! After that, he could do some backdoor deals with the Demigod Priest, but the latter had declined his offer.
The others did not know how lucky they were to escape an abrupt death.
By the time, the others entered the secret realm, Baiyi and the barbarians had already reached the ruins. From the outside, the structure really did seem that it was indeed the Archmage’s magus lab. It was the size of a small town; no one knew why he had made it so big.
“This place is ancient and foreboding,” said Huskar as he picked up a broken brick from the ground. Before he could get a good grip on the brick, it shattered into fine sand, which then ebbed out from between his fingers.
Baiyi turned back to stare into the horizon and muttered quietly, “They’re here.”
“The people who want to snatch your thing?” Zar’Zar quickly asked.
“Yes and no,” Baiyi replied vaguely.
“Have you gotten the thing you wanted?” Huskar asked.
Baiyi did not reply; he just shook his head sideways. The barbarians were not sure if that meant he had not gotten it yet or if that meant that he was unsure he could get it.
He stood there and pondered deeply, calculating the risks and benefits of his next move. After a short while, he raised his head. “My brothers! Will you be honored to witness a great ceremony with me?”
“Of course! I love great fun!” Char’Char cheered. Huskar and Zar’Zar nodded respectfully. In Harrogath, there were many important events that barbarians would ask their friends to attend, such as marriages and rites of passage. They believed that Baiyi was planning important and grand, so they were delighted to witness it.
“Very good! Now, a few of these visitors aren’t necessarily friends…” Baiyi murmured as he raised his right hand, then he snapped his fingers.
The ruin instantly disappeared, and a gigantic castle rapidly emerged from beneath the earth. In only moments, the castle had fully emerged, right in front of them.
The castle was black and massive. It resembled those castles one would find in fantasy video games; inside these castles, great evils could be found, and treasures would be hidden in the castles’ forbidden rooms.
The three Divine Warriors were stunned silent, and after a few moments, they speechlessly turned to face Baiyi.
“Don’t worry, my brothers! This is where our ceremony will take place. Please, come in!” Baiyi said as he flew over to the enormous doors of the castle. As soon as he landed in front of the 165 foot tall black door, it began to open up all on its own, as though it were welcoming him in.
He brought the barbarians with him into the castle, and the door shut slowly behind them. Then, everywhere went silent again.
As the Fifth Walker strolled through the Ancient Rohlserlian castle, the Assassin Walker asked him a question, in the Void. “Hey, Doofus, what are you trying to do?”
‘I want to—’ Baiyi thought, a little maliciously, but he answered with a serious reply. “Can’t you tell? I want to play a game.”
“Play a game? With these three barbarians? In a place with no one? And a game for four guys?” Her reply contained a hint of terror and traces of contempt.
“No way! Of course, it’s a game for those visitors who have bad intentions!” Baiyi exclaimed, almost speechless at her conclusion.
“Enlighten me on its necessity,” the Scholar Walker interjected.
“Well, there is no reason why he should not flee as soon as he gets the Book of Servitude,” the Charlatan Walker elucidated; he seemed to have correctly guessed Baiyi’s intentions. The Charlatan Walker continued to speak. ” But, Sir First Walker had gone through a lot just to create such a stage for this, even going as far as inviting so many visitors! If the main character were to leave the party early, that would be wasting the opportunity to have a good show — especially when this show, if successful, would help him in building his academy!”
“Just stay curious, all of you,” Baiyi said to the Void’s inhabitants as he led the barbarians to the center of the castle, deep within the palace.
At that same time, all the outsiders vying for the treasure had come in through the gate. As soon as the last person came through the gate of light, the gate closed and dissipated into thin air; in the aftermath of its disappearance, it seemed as though it was never there in the first place.
After marveling at how barren the secret dimension was, the crowd of outsiders soon realized that they were now stuck in the middle of nowhere alone, with no way to get back to their organizations. They were now lost in this wasteland!
An ordinary person would have burst into tears if they were suddenly tossed to the middle of nowhere, but only those who wielded significant power had arrived there; so none of them lost control over their emotions.
