"Why did you make us wait for 30 minutes? Wasn't the original plan to rush in together and overwhelm them with numbers?"
"That was the initial plan."
Criel stared at the approaching main gate of the mountain monastery. He could feel dark, murky energy rippling from inside. If he opened the door to his soul right now and accepted the power of the Abyss, celestial vitality would surge through his body.
*Celestial? More like psychiatric ward.*
Criel laughed off his body's urging.
"The state inside the monastery is concerning. The Abyss's corruption appears to be quite advanced."
"Abyss corruption. You mean it's become an otherworld?"
Otherworlds—places where different principles apply. When supernatural power beyond a certain threshold saturates a limited space, transformation into an otherworld occurs.
Of course, not all otherworlds were created by the Abyss. Dragon nests or fairy realms existed independently of the Abyss.
However, in this era, the Abyss was by far the easiest power to cause otherworld transformation. Otherworlds created by the Abyss were called "Naraka."
"Sending too many people blindly into Naraka would be foolish. Everyone's an adult, so they wouldn't be entranced by the Abyss's illusions, but while wandering around Naraka, the culprit might escape."
Morgina's eyebrows twitched. Criel was essentially declaring he would ensure the adults wouldn't need to wander around Naraka for more than 30 minutes.
"So you were planning to destroy the core of Naraka by yourself?"
"I've done similar things before. Weren't you there with me?"
In the Western Front, Morgina had worked with Criel several times. When the army was trapped in an otherworld trap prepared by ancient dwarf automatons, Criel had gone alone to behead the mechanical general.
"You knight-obsessed lunatic..."
"This isn't chivalry—it's rational division of labor. I'm the one who can best track traces of the Abyss."
In truth, Criel didn't judge this Naraka exploration to be particularly dangerous. The monastery's holy power was masking the Abyss's presence well. In other words, the Abyss's presence was so faint that even the blessing of a monastery without notable holy artifacts could conceal it.
He figured 30 minutes would be enough to ignore the attacking demons and rush straight to find Naraka's core.
While pondering how to find the core faster, Criel felt the horn dagger at his waist vibrate. As soon as he drew the blade, Orishin spoke.
[Even I think rushing into Naraka alone is a bit crazy.]
Morgina thought this was the first sensible thing she'd heard.
***
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound of knocking with a heavy round door handle. There was no answer from inside.
Criel grabbed the door handle again and knocked more forcefully.
Then, movement was felt from inside.
"Who is it?"
Morgina's eyes turned to Criel. He tried to communicate with lip movements, then realized his helmet covered most of his face, so he simply raised his index finger to signal for silence.
"I am a wandering priest of Yv Caha, who covers the eyes of the dead with raven wings. I've come to borrow shelter for a while."
The voice beyond the door fell silent for a moment.
"Go away. Our monastery is currently sealed. This is a special prayer period to offer prayers with the purest hearts. To maintain purity, we've forbidden contact with the outside world, so I apologize to visitors."
Criel thought for a moment. Beyond the door, the disgusting presence of the Abyss was writhing. Though speaking like a pure priest now, the entity making that voice wasn't a priest but an Abyss demon that had devoured the priest's memories.
Tap. Tap tap.
Morgina poked Criel with her finger. She was already holding a mace wrapped in red haze.
Criel nodded with a sigh.
***
"What in the—?!"
Satranyak was shocked to see the pair of intruders smashing through the door. The corpse that had been under his control until just now lost its connection when its face was shattered by the following mace strike.
The monastery door had been protected by powerful spells.
What he had recited through the priest's corpse was half true. He had spread a barrier using holy magic used during special prayer periods to prevent intrusion into the monastery.
However, those two wandering priests had broken in without regard for the barrier and unhesitatingly destroyed the corpse.
It was a corpse that Satranyak himself had been controlling. Normally, it would be indistinguishable from a living person.
*Then...!*
His presence had been discovered. Satranyak felt deep bewilderment. Had some of his worshippers betrayed him?
Satranyak suppressed the confusion washing over him. His master had bestowed excessive grace upon him, allowing him to occupy this monastery and turn it into an Abyss domain.
The endless darkness of Naraka would blind their eyes, and the space, expanded beyond reality, would tire their steps.
If they were truly saints who had come to kill him, they could drive away Naraka's darkness with holy power. They would penetrate Naraka and reach its deepest part to destroy the core.
But that would take considerable time.
Satranyak snapped his fingers. Abyssal demonic energy possessed the priests' corpses. Though they were mostly just demons, not even demonic beasts let alone demonic humans—hastily assembled forces—with the Naraka environment added, they could at least slow down the saints.
After making these minimal emergency preparations, he looked at the mummy with a blade embedded in it. There was still time before the demonic weapon completely absorbed the corpse's soul.
The skeletal blade was filling up and recovering its sharpness. Judging from the speed, it would take about 5 minutes.
*Only two saints have arrived so far. That's ridiculously insufficient to escape Naraka within 5 minutes.*
Satranyak deemed this soul worth the 5-minute investment.
It was a gamble, but one with very high odds of success. Even if he gave them 50 minutes instead of 5, it would be difficult for just two people to conquer Naraka.
***
"Receive the blessing of Yv Caha!"
Morgina's mace shattered the skull of an approaching undead. *To think I stood as Champion in trial by combat to protect something like that.*
That mace wrapped in red light was a holy magic unique to the Church of Yv Caha—a technique that adds holy power to one's blood and recreates it in weapon form.
If anyone asked why the Church of Yv Caha currently had no Champion, they should look up at Morgina. How could someone holding a mace in each hand and drumming on skulls be called a saint?
"Where to next?"
Regardless of Morgina's personal character, her abilities were truly outstanding. If I had to fight these Abyss demons myself, I'd still be hacking away at them.
In terms of destructive power, I surpassed Morgina, but this was a matter of compatibility.
The Abyss would persistently regenerate no matter how many times it was destroyed unless affected by either the same Abyssal power—specifically, Abyssal power equal or superior to its own—or holy power. Though there were limits to regeneration, breaking through those limits was also work.
That's why I had initially planned to "head straight to the core without worrying about other Abyss demons."
Using Dark Knight skills to defeat mere demons, not even demonic humans, would be simple, but that was best saved for a single use before Naraka's core.
But with a saint who could use holy power like water, there was no need to avoid engagement with demons. When Morgina brought down her mace, demons were destroyed—why avoid them?
After confirming all demons were definitely defeated, I focused my senses toward the Abyss. Ignoring the now-familiar temptation, I traced the Abyss's presence.
I could feel Naraka's core pulsating beyond the darkness.
"First, go to the left corner. The five branching paths that appear after that are all traps."
"Then what?"
I drew my sword. Having advanced comfortably thanks to Morgina until now, it was about time I did some work.
"We need to go down. Breaking through would be faster."
***
The blade in Criel's hand didn't ripple with red energy like Morgina's mace. What he would use now was pure fighting spirit.
An eerie light reminiscent of white bones gathered on the blade. Rather than illuminating the surroundings, the light concentrated on the blade seemed to absorb what little light remained in Naraka.
Holding the greatsword in reverse grip, Criel aimed the white-tinged tip at Naraka's floor.
And struck down.
From tip to hilt, the entire blade penetrated Naraka in one breath. Thick darkness like blood spurted from where the blade had pierced. Criel adjusted his grip on the sword and lifted it up as if performing an upward slash.
A massive crack was engraved in Naraka. Without hesitation, Criel threw himself into the formlessly rippling darkness.