Morgina, who had been staring blankly at the suddenly torn Naraka, shouted "Hey, wait!" and chased after Criel.
*The depth... isn't that deep.*
Though Morgina scolded him from behind for doing something crazy again, Criel ignored her. The Abyss Seed was likely hoping they would waste time trying to attack Naraka conventionally, so why play along?
[No. I think you really are crazy.]
"I just implemented an efficient way to descend."
Criel recalled the structure of Naraka. True to its name, the deeper the corruption by the Abyss, the deeper Naraka became.
Therefore, the danger of Naraka varied according to its depth. As Criel had expected, the Naraka that had formed at the monastery was relatively shallow.
"Hmm."
"What is it?"
Criel touched the wall of Naraka. This stone wall, once part of the monastery, had been strangely distorted and grafted by the Abyss. Now it looked like an architectural chimera—a chaotic mosaic of garden trees, bricks, and stained glass.
Morgina raised her holy mace. Red light illuminated the darkness.
"The path splits in two."
"One leads to the core of Naraka, and the other leads to the main body of the seed."
They had stored the core and the seed separately. Criel speculated why the Abyss minion had made such a choice.
*Normal priests can't track the Abyss like I can.*
Criel's own ability to detect the Abyss was abnormal—an effect possible because Dark Knights were inherently close to the Abyss. Being on the "same side" made it easier to find.
If a Holy Knight with combat abilities similar to Criel's had been deployed here instead, they would likely still be wandering around the entrance of Naraka.
Recognizing the weak points in Naraka's surface layer and accurately destroying them to create shortcuts to the deeper levels was something only beings sensitive to the Abyss, like Dark Knights, could do.
"They split the path in two to buy time to escape while we attack the core of Naraka."
It meant they valued the main body of the seed more than the carefully created Naraka. Criel thought about the "Seven Demonic Weapons" that Morgina and Orishin had been talking about.
*This is something even I don't know about.*
The Seven Demonic Weapons didn't exist in the Tirnanog RPG. According to stories he had collected hoping they might provide clues for his return, the Seven Demonic Weapons were the final insurance left by the Demon King Valor, who had sensed his impending defeat by the heroes.
A familiar-sounding rumor accompanied this—that gathering all seven weapons would resurrect the Demon King.
*Seeing how the Abyss side is using them as tools for their own plans rather than resurrecting the Demon King, it seems there's no resurrection effect...*
What snapped Criel out of his thoughts was Morgina's voice.
"What should we do? Split up?"
Indeed, what mattered now wasn't the identity of the Seven Demonic Weapons but who would destroy what. Whatever the Seven Demonic Weapons were, they would be deeply bound to the Abyss, so they weren't items Criel could use anyway.
"I'll go after the seed and hold him off. Please take care of the core."
It was the obvious choice if he wanted to build Grace.
Executing those who betrayed the world and devoted themselves to the Abyss was itself an act that increased Grace.
***
Satranyak let out a scream-like shout.
"How!"
Though Naraka's depth wasn't great, it was still "Naraka"—a world of chaos and darkness worthy of its name. A realm of the Abyss where distorted space and fading senses threatened one's mind.
Yet that man had appeared before him less than 10 minutes after setting foot in Naraka.
"You're quite perceptive."
It was disappointing for Criel. Abyss minions often failed to properly detect him. On such occasions, Criel would grip his greatsword and greet them by removing their heads.
*Is it because of the Champion's mark?*
The mark he received from Morgina concealed his presence as a Dark Knight, but it also made him more noticeable to beings of the Abyss. Criel resolved to remove the mark next time he fought the Abyss, then pointed his greatsword.
"Fog of Grikenkos!"
From that moment, Satranyak's attack began. The darkness of Naraka was joined by fog created with demonic power.
The instinctive fear caused by darkness. The Fog of Grikenkos was magic that reflected that fear. It was illusion magic that manifested the fearful imaginings that unconsciously arise when looking into darkness, tearing apart enemies.
Satranyak knew well that an adult would not be overwhelmed by such magic. But to clear away the darkness and illuminate the fog, one would inevitably have to consume holy power.
*He must have already consumed considerable holy power breaking through Naraka. I'll make him use as much holy power as possible, then look for an opening...*
"A Mein, is it."
A calm murmur was heard. There was no fear of the suddenly narrowed vision or approaching illusions, not even hostility toward the Abyss.
"That's fortunate."
It was impossible to know what was fortunate. Satranyak instinctively prepared his next spell. It was a convulsive reaction similar to a cornered mouse biting a cat.
Even Satranyak couldn't understand this reaction. Clearly, the priest was a significant threat, but with the advantage of Naraka and proper use of his abilities, escaping should have been simple.
How many times had his emotions surged like this since ascending to the rank of Mein? At most, perhaps when he had an audience with a Great Demon—
The black knight pointed his greatsword.
Directly at his heart.
Neither the darkness of Naraka nor the Fog of Grikenkos seemed to mean anything to him. The shadow cast by the Abyss is fundamentally different from ordinary darkness. It is darkness that devours light. Ordinary light without the harmony of special abilities is simply consumed.
There could be no Holy Knight who could see through the darkness of the Abyss so naturally without holy power.
The moment he realized this, Criel's swinging blade filled Satranyak's vision.
***
A red color of Bloodlust, different from the eerie white of fighting spirit, clung to the greatsword's blade. The red trajectory remaining like an echo in the darkness was eliminating Satranyak's escape possibilities one by one.
*Sometimes it's easier to deal with a Mein than a Masu.*
The minions of the Abyss instinctively understand hierarchy. Demons obey Masu, and Masu obey Mein for this reason.
Then Mein obey demons. This raises a question.
Which hierarchy do I belong to?
If this world were still a game, I could simply answer "it depends on the level." That hierarchy would be applied differently depending on my level or skill corrections.
But now that it's reality?
The answer is "the Abyss hierarchy doesn't apply."
As a player character, the Dark Knight has the potential to defeat the Demon King and inherit his karma.
Apart from this potential, I didn't properly belong to the Abyss hierarchy. I would need to use Abyss-type skills to accumulate demonic energy and rise in rank, but unless I wanted to check myself into a psychiatric ward, there was no reason to use Abyss skills.
It was a kind of bug situation. I had maximum potential, but no accumulated Abyss demonic energy.
It seemed Mein could detect this "potential."
This was a characteristic very useful for me to exploit.
Perhaps because wisdom of the Abyss is only bestowed upon reaching the Mein stage, Masu cannot sense the Abyss potential inherent in the Dark Knight profession.
They just charge in if they think you're an enemy. If I had actively used Abyss-type skills and accumulated demonic energy, they would have been tamed immediately.
But Mein are different. As the saying goes, you see as much as you know—Mein instinctively detect the realm that Dark Knights can reach.
The moment I reveal my presence as a Dark Knight by using Bloodlust or Grudge, Mein feel the same pressure they feel from the Great Demons they serve.
"Grikenkos—!"
Plus, I was lucky this time. That Grikenkos he's desperately calling upon is the demon of illusion and wealth.
In other words, a mental magic specialist.
I've been desperately building up my Grace stat to overcome the Dark Knight skill debuffs.
A spell that couldn't even be properly completed due to pressure couldn't affect me.
***
The dead rose and walked the earth, and darkness given voice whispered despair. In the terrible darkness, the wondrous shadow of a Great Demon dwelling in the Abyss was cast.
Through the gap where illusions bewitched the five senses, condensed fire and lightning swirled. In the explosion and darkness, Satranyak hid himself again.
And all of this was meaningless. The red energy on the greatsword simply dismantled the elemental magic and returned it to nothingness.
The knight approached Satranyak slowly but surely.
Satranyak couldn't even dare to guess the identity of the man advancing as if mocking the power of the Great Demon.
"Who! Who sent you here! Kromnagha? Arhethet? Have you forgotten the pact of the Great Demons?"
The knight did not answer.