MAEPG: Episode 94
Episode 94 The Abyss Opens (1)
Immediately after the ritual to open the abyss took place,
The Church, which had been on high alert due to the Saintess's will, reacted instantly.
"Hurry! Finish preparations and assemble quickly!"
The Church's elites, who were on standby at the Roselia Cathedral, began to move as soon as the Saintess identified the epicenter of the incident.
"Sigh… It seems like the Immortal King has finally started to move."
"I expected him to do something while he was in hiding, but this is beyond my expectations. A ritual of this scale…"
"It must have been something he planned for a long time with those who followed him."
"I can't even imagine how long they've been preparing."
Archbishop Latiaus nodded in agreement with the Saintess's lament.
What they had been worried about while the Immortal King was in hiding had become a reality.
No, it could even be said that it was on a scale far beyond what they had imagined.
"The location of the ritual is deep in the wasteland of the southern part of the continent. There isn't even a temple nearby, so even if we arrive as quickly as possible, everything will be over."
"But we can't just sit back and do nothing. And since we've already prepared in advance, it won't take long. We might be able to find some clues."
The problem was getting to the location, which was in such a remote and uninhabited wasteland.
It was a long journey that would take at least a month if they traveled normally.
But the Main God Church wasn't so easily deterred.
"From Weira, the southern city of the Empire, which is the closest place we can reach with the gate… It'll take about half a day if we hurry."
They had already prepared for various scenarios and included those with blessings that would help with rapid movement in the standby personnel.
So that they could respond quickly to any situation.
And they were gathering at the gate room, having finished all preparations in less than an hour since the sudden incident occurred.
"The preparations are complete. Then I'll be going, Saintess."
"…I'll leave it to you, Archbishop Latiaus. I need to talk to the other forces quickly. …We haven't even finished the existing discussions, I wonder if I'll be able to get any sleep."
The Saintess saw Archbishop Latiaus off with a self-deprecating joke.
"Hahaha, I'll help you when I get back. Then you'll at least have time for a nap."
"…You promised? That you'll definitely come back and help me?"
Of course, those being dispatched this time were the Church's elites, trained to safely escape any dangerous situation.
But they didn't know what threats might be lurking there, considering they were dealing with those who had performed a large-scale ritual like this.
There might even be a trap set up for them.
"Of course. Then, I'll really be going now."
Archbishop Latiaus gently comforted the Saintess, who had a dark expression, and headed straight towards the gate.
She always felt guilty about sending others to dangerous places while she stayed safe, but they couldn't recklessly expose her to danger, so it couldn't be helped.
And so, Archbishop Latiaus, the Paladins, and the others entered the gate, leading a group of people.
They arrived at the temple closest to their destination through the gate, waited there for a moment…
“…Done. Let's go in.”
They entered the gate they had come out of.
It was a method to travel further by creating a virtual exit in the direction they wanted to go, using the blessing of 'Movement' through the gate as a medium.
There were limitations because of the distance and the number of people being transported, but thanks to that, they were able to minimize the distance to their destination.
“…I can feel the energy fluctuating here because of the ritual's influence. Let's hurry.”
The expressions of those who arrived in the middle of the southern wasteland hardened as they felt the fluctuating energy more vividly as they got closer.
Just as the Church members were about to receive help from someone with the blessing of 'Haste' to move quickly,
Gooo—!
From afar, in the direction they were headed…
A black pillar soared, connecting the earth and the sky.
Even though they were still quite a distance away, the black line, as if dividing the world, was clearly imprinted in their eyes.
“…Ah.”
“Archbishop, don’t tell me that’s…”
“The Pillar of the Abyss…”
It was a sign of the abyss opening, something they only knew from ancient texts.
“…Let’s move.”
They gritted their teeth and headed towards the place where the pillar had risen at an even faster pace.
They couldn’t just stand there and watch, even if it was already too late.
After traveling for about half a day, they finally arrived.
At the place where the ritual to open the abyss had begun.
The black pillar, which had soared as if to pierce the sky, was already gone, as if its power had been exhausted, but they continued moving and finally reached their destination.
Immediately after the ritual to open the abyss took place,
The Church, which had been on high alert due to the Saintess's will, reacted instantly.
"Hurry! Finish preparations and assemble quickly!"
The Church's elites, who were on standby at the Roselia Cathedral, began to move as soon as the Saintess identified the epicenter of the incident.
"Sigh… It seems like the Immortal King has finally started to move."
"I expected him to do something while he was in hiding, but this is beyond my expectations. A ritual of this scale…"
"It must have been something he planned for a long time with those who followed him."
"I can't even imagine how long they've been preparing."
Archbishop Latiaus nodded in agreement with the Saintess's lament.
What they had been worried about while the Immortal King was in hiding had become a reality.
No, it could even be said that it was on a scale far beyond what they had imagined.
"The location of the ritual is deep in the wasteland of the southern part of the continent. There isn't even a temple nearby, so even if we arrive as quickly as possible, everything will be over."
"But we can't just sit back and do nothing. And since we've already prepared in advance, it won't take long. We might be able to find some clues."
The problem was getting to the location, which was in such a remote and uninhabited wasteland.
It was a long journey that would take at least a month if they traveled normally.
But the Main God Church wasn't so easily deterred.
"From Weira, the southern city of the Empire, which is the closest place we can reach with the gate… It'll take about half a day if we hurry."
They had already prepared for various scenarios and included those with blessings that would help with rapid movement in the standby personnel.
So that they could respond quickly to any situation.
And they were gathering at the gate room, having finished all preparations in less than an hour since the sudden incident occurred.
"The preparations are complete. Then I'll be going, Saintess."
"…I'll leave it to you, Archbishop Latiaus. I need to talk to the other forces quickly. …We haven't even finished the existing discussions, I wonder if I'll be able to get any sleep."
The Saintess saw Archbishop Latiaus off with a self-deprecating joke.
"Hahaha, I'll help you when I get back. Then you'll at least have time for a nap."
"…You promised? That you'll definitely come back and help me?"
Of course, those being dispatched this time were the Church's elites, trained to safely escape any dangerous situation.
But they didn't know what threats might be lurking there, considering they were dealing with those who had performed a large-scale ritual like this.
There might even be a trap set up for them.
"Of course. Then, I'll really be going now."
Archbishop Latiaus gently comforted the Saintess, who had a dark expression, and headed straight towards the gate.
She always felt guilty about sending others to dangerous places while she stayed safe, but they couldn't recklessly expose her to danger, so it couldn't be helped.
And so, Archbishop Latiaus, the Paladins, and the others entered the gate, leading a group of people.
They arrived at the temple closest to their destination through the gate, waited there for a moment…
“…Done. Let's go in.”
They entered the gate they had come out of.
It was a method to travel further by creating a virtual exit in the direction they wanted to go, using the blessing of 'Movement' through the gate as a medium.
There were limitations because of the distance and the number of people being transported, but thanks to that, they were able to minimize the distance to their destination.
“…I can feel the energy fluctuating here because of the ritual's influence. Let's hurry.”
The expressions of those who arrived in the middle of the southern wasteland hardened as they felt the fluctuating energy more vividly as they got closer.
Just as the Church members were about to receive help from someone with the blessing of 'Haste' to move quickly,
Gooo—!
From afar, in the direction they were headed…
A black pillar soared, connecting the earth and the sky.
Even though they were still quite a distance away, the black line, as if dividing the world, was clearly imprinted in their eyes.
“…Ah.”
“Archbishop, don’t tell me that’s…”
“The Pillar of the Abyss…”
It was a sign of the abyss opening, something they only knew from ancient texts.
“…Let’s move.”
They gritted their teeth and headed towards the place where the pillar had risen at an even faster pace.
They couldn’t just stand there and watch, even if it was already too late.
After traveling for about half a day, they finally arrived.
At the place where the ritual to open the abyss had begun.
The black pillar, which had soared as if to pierce the sky, was already gone, as if its power had been exhausted, but they continued moving and finally reached their destination.
________________________
Whoosh—
[As expected, they’ve all run away.]
Hans looked around as he slowly descended, floating in the air.
He was able to easily enter because there was a large hole in the ceiling of the underground ritual site.
‘Did they leave as soon as they finished their work… Well, it’s been several hours. They wouldn’t foolishly stay at the scene after attracting this much attention, right?’
He had to teleport to a place some distance away because the coordinates were unstable due to the violently fluctuating energy in this area.
He hurriedly flew here after that, but there was no sign of life at the scene.
Only the magic circles engraved everywhere for the ritual and bloodstains that seemed to belong to those who were sacrificed here remained.
They had prepared thoroughly and carried out their plan, as there were no other traces left.
‘What’s that?’
Except for one.
Something strange was detected by Hans’s senses, which could read the entire space.
Swoosh—
Something embedded between the floorboards was pulled out by his will and sucked into his hand.
‘A piece of metal?’
It was a metal fragment that looked like a broken part of a thin chain.
The only impurity left in this space, where everything was neatly cleaned up.
He didn’t know if it had any meaning, but he decided to keep it for now since it was the only clue.
‘It’ll be difficult to backtrack here because the energy is all messed up.’
It was difficult to do anything here because of the energy of the abyss itself and the aftereffects of something that seemed to have been pulled out from there.
[This is… ‘madness’. It wasn’t fully extracted because the gate to the abyss was incompletely opened.]
He hadn’t even considered this scenario, so he couldn’t gauge what kind of impact the madness that was starting to spread across the continent would have on the world.
But there would be a big change, different from now, in some way.
As he was looking around and grasping the situation, his gaze turned to the pit on the floor that had been emitting a strong presence.
Thick darkness, clinging to the giant magic circle below and writhing.
Its size was gradually decreasing due to the world’s restorative power, but it was still violently spewing out an ominous energy.
[Oh, this energy…]
It was a heavy, sticky energy that made him feel like his mind would break just by looking at it, the same energy he felt when he observed his insides with “Immortal Heart”.
‘Is it energy leaking from the abyss?’
And the moment Hans looked into it with “Abyssal Eye” to find out more…
He was able to understand the energy more deeply.
‘…This was the origin of the dark magic power contained in the heart.’
The dark magic power that had been endlessly gushing out from the Immortal King’s Heart was just a diluted version of the energy that had been densely compressed there.
‘It was nothing compared to this energy. The difference in concentration is this great.’
If dark magic power was just poison gas, this was a highly concentrated original solution.
A vicious energy that was even more terrifying than dark magic power, which was already notorious for being difficult to handle.
But…
‘…I think I can handle this directly.’
It felt strangely familiar, perhaps because it had the same origin as his heart.
Come to think of it, he was the Immortal King himself, who crawled out of the abyss, and he had “Abyssal Eye” and “Immortal Heart”.
It would be stranger if he couldn’t handle this!
‘Let’s do it.’
Hans slowly extended a hand and gently waved it in the air.
The abyssal energy that had been flickering around him started to move, following his fingertips, with extreme concentration in that gesture.
Ordinary people would be risking their lives just by breathing in this place, but it was no different from the air of his hometown to him.
‘I can’t breathe, though.’
Even while thinking such silly thoughts, he could feel himself becoming more accustomed to this energy, so he absorbed it as much as he could and stored it in his heart.
The abyssal energy was as dangerous as radioactive waste, but it was a power he couldn’t easily obtain, so it was a waste to just leave it alone.
[Hehehe… This could be quite a useful power if used well.]
The more difficult it was to handle, the greater its effect would be.
Hans, who had absorbed enough abyssal energy to satisfy him, looked around again with a contented mind.
Seeing the various magic circles surrounding the slowly closing abyss pit, he could tell how much effort they had put into this.
‘They must have worked on this for at least ten years. Even more, considering the sacrificial rituals performed throughout the continent…’
The ability to pull off something like this across the entire continent, the secrecy of operating in the shadows for a long time without being caught, the organizational power to encompass all of that.
Oath of Heaven’s Defiance was an organization with more power than he thought.
It could be said that they were the largest force in the shadows on the continent.
And that meant…
‘They’re exactly what I’m looking for.’
They were perfect as villains to support Hans, the main character.
They were essential for the smooth progression of the story.
‘I need to prioritize finding them. Let’s postpone gathering small fry for now.’
He would first try to track down those who escaped from here, and if that didn’t work, it would also be a good idea to find the master of the fledgling dark mage who performed the sacrificial ritual.
He would eventually reach their true identity if he followed the trail from there.
[Hmm?]
At that moment, while Hans was contemplating his next move,
He felt an energy from the abyss pit, which was writhing violently.
[Oh, this is another welcome event.]
He hadn’t met it in person, but he knew about it through the ‘experience’ given to him as information.
‘Another legacy.’
He could feel something much larger than the Arch-Lich Dwell that Heinrich had encountered emerging from below.
It hadn’t had a chance to escape from the boundary, drifting there because its connection with the deep abyss was too strong, but it seemed like it was naturally pulled up as that power started to weaken.
The abyss pit, writhing repeatedly, and the energy that was becoming increasingly clear.
Squirm—
And finally,
A part of that being emerged from the fluctuating abyss.
Splat!
But it was too large to be called just a part.
[Kraaaagh—!]
The air around them shook as the overwhelming giant twisted its body, as if even that large hole was too small.
Shiny black bones and teeth, a giant skull shaking violently, fierce purple eyes.
That being was…
‘Bone Dragon, Entracio.’
A giant dragon, made of only bones, was crawling out of the bottom of the abyss.
Whoosh—
[As expected, they’ve all run away.]
Hans looked around as he slowly descended, floating in the air.
He was able to easily enter because there was a large hole in the ceiling of the underground ritual site.
‘Did they leave as soon as they finished their work… Well, it’s been several hours. They wouldn’t foolishly stay at the scene after attracting this much attention, right?’
He had to teleport to a place some distance away because the coordinates were unstable due to the violently fluctuating energy in this area.
He hurriedly flew here after that, but there was no sign of life at the scene.
Only the magic circles engraved everywhere for the ritual and bloodstains that seemed to belong to those who were sacrificed here remained.
They had prepared thoroughly and carried out their plan, as there were no other traces left.
‘What’s that?’
Except for one.
Something strange was detected by Hans’s senses, which could read the entire space.
Swoosh—
Something embedded between the floorboards was pulled out by his will and sucked into his hand.
‘A piece of metal?’
It was a metal fragment that looked like a broken part of a thin chain.
The only impurity left in this space, where everything was neatly cleaned up.
He didn’t know if it had any meaning, but he decided to keep it for now since it was the only clue.
‘It’ll be difficult to backtrack here because the energy is all messed up.’
It was difficult to do anything here because of the energy of the abyss itself and the aftereffects of something that seemed to have been pulled out from there.
[This is… ‘madness’. It wasn’t fully extracted because the gate to the abyss was incompletely opened.]
He hadn’t even considered this scenario, so he couldn’t gauge what kind of impact the madness that was starting to spread across the continent would have on the world.
But there would be a big change, different from now, in some way.
As he was looking around and grasping the situation, his gaze turned to the pit on the floor that had been emitting a strong presence.
Thick darkness, clinging to the giant magic circle below and writhing.
Its size was gradually decreasing due to the world’s restorative power, but it was still violently spewing out an ominous energy.
[Oh, this energy…]
It was a heavy, sticky energy that made him feel like his mind would break just by looking at it, the same energy he felt when he observed his insides with “Immortal Heart”.
‘Is it energy leaking from the abyss?’
And the moment Hans looked into it with “Abyssal Eye” to find out more…
He was able to understand the energy more deeply.
‘…This was the origin of the dark magic power contained in the heart.’
The dark magic power that had been endlessly gushing out from the Immortal King’s Heart was just a diluted version of the energy that had been densely compressed there.
‘It was nothing compared to this energy. The difference in concentration is this great.’
If dark magic power was just poison gas, this was a highly concentrated original solution.
A vicious energy that was even more terrifying than dark magic power, which was already notorious for being difficult to handle.
But…
‘…I think I can handle this directly.’
It felt strangely familiar, perhaps because it had the same origin as his heart.
Come to think of it, he was the Immortal King himself, who crawled out of the abyss, and he had “Abyssal Eye” and “Immortal Heart”.
It would be stranger if he couldn’t handle this!
‘Let’s do it.’
Hans slowly extended a hand and gently waved it in the air.
The abyssal energy that had been flickering around him started to move, following his fingertips, with extreme concentration in that gesture.
Ordinary people would be risking their lives just by breathing in this place, but it was no different from the air of his hometown to him.
‘I can’t breathe, though.’
Even while thinking such silly thoughts, he could feel himself becoming more accustomed to this energy, so he absorbed it as much as he could and stored it in his heart.
The abyssal energy was as dangerous as radioactive waste, but it was a power he couldn’t easily obtain, so it was a waste to just leave it alone.
[Hehehe… This could be quite a useful power if used well.]
The more difficult it was to handle, the greater its effect would be.
Hans, who had absorbed enough abyssal energy to satisfy him, looked around again with a contented mind.
Seeing the various magic circles surrounding the slowly closing abyss pit, he could tell how much effort they had put into this.
‘They must have worked on this for at least ten years. Even more, considering the sacrificial rituals performed throughout the continent…’
The ability to pull off something like this across the entire continent, the secrecy of operating in the shadows for a long time without being caught, the organizational power to encompass all of that.
Oath of Heaven’s Defiance was an organization with more power than he thought.
It could be said that they were the largest force in the shadows on the continent.
And that meant…
‘They’re exactly what I’m looking for.’
They were perfect as villains to support Hans, the main character.
They were essential for the smooth progression of the story.
‘I need to prioritize finding them. Let’s postpone gathering small fry for now.’
He would first try to track down those who escaped from here, and if that didn’t work, it would also be a good idea to find the master of the fledgling dark mage who performed the sacrificial ritual.
He would eventually reach their true identity if he followed the trail from there.
[Hmm?]
At that moment, while Hans was contemplating his next move,
He felt an energy from the abyss pit, which was writhing violently.
[Oh, this is another welcome event.]
He hadn’t met it in person, but he knew about it through the ‘experience’ given to him as information.
‘Another legacy.’
He could feel something much larger than the Arch-Lich Dwell that Heinrich had encountered emerging from below.
It hadn’t had a chance to escape from the boundary, drifting there because its connection with the deep abyss was too strong, but it seemed like it was naturally pulled up as that power started to weaken.
The abyss pit, writhing repeatedly, and the energy that was becoming increasingly clear.
Squirm—
And finally,
A part of that being emerged from the fluctuating abyss.
Splat!
But it was too large to be called just a part.
[Kraaaagh—!]
The air around them shook as the overwhelming giant twisted its body, as if even that large hole was too small.
Shiny black bones and teeth, a giant skull shaking violently, fierce purple eyes.
That being was…
‘Bone Dragon, Entracio.’
A giant dragon, made of only bones, was crawling out of the bottom of the abyss.
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