Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: The Abyss Opens (1)
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Right after the ritual to open the Abyss began.
The Church of the Main God, which had been on high alert in accordance with the Saintess's will as of late, reacted immediately.
"Hurry! Finish preparations and assemble!"
The church's elites, who had been on standby at the Roselia Cathedral under the Saintess's command after pinpointing the epicenter, sprang into action.
"Haa... It looks like the Immortal King has finally started making his move."
"We expected he wouldn't just sit idle while in hiding, but this exceeds our predictions. A ritual of this scale..."
"It must have been a long-planned scheme with those who followed him."
"We can't even guess how many years they've spent preparing."
Archbishop Latius, standing beside her, nodded in agreement at the Saintess's lament-like words.
The very scenarios they'd feared during the Immortal King's disappearance had come to pass.
No, it was fair to say they'd unfolded on a scale far beyond what anyone had anticipated.
"The ritual site is deep in the southern continent's wasteland. There's no nearby temple, so even if we rush there as fast as possible, everything will likely be over by the time we arrive."
"We can't just sit on our hands, though. And since we've prepared in advance, it won't take long. We might find some clues at least."
The observed location was so remote and devoid of human presence that heading there posed a problem in itself.
A normal journey would waste at least a month on long-distance travel.
But the Church of the Main God wasn't so easily daunted.
"From the southern imperial city of Weyra, the closest place we can gate to... if we hurry, we can arrive in about half a day."
Having prepared for various scenarios, they'd already gathered and assigned personnel with blessings that aided swift movement for rapid response.
No matter what happened, they could react quickly.
And less than an hour after the sudden incident erupted, they'd finished all preparations and were assembling in the gate room.
"Everything's ready. Then I'll be off, Saintess."
"...Please be careful, Archbishop Latius. I need to confer with the other factions quickly... We haven't even finished our prior discussions. Will I ever get a proper night's sleep at this rate?"
The Saintess waved off Archbishop Latius with a self-deprecating joke.
"Haha, I'll help once I'm back. That should buy you time for a nap at least."
"...You promised? You have to come back and help."
Of course, those being dispatched were the church's absolute elites, composed to ensure they could safely withdraw from any crisis.
But given the scale of the ritual, no one knew what threats might lurk there.
It could even be a trap targeting them.
"Of course. Well then, I'm really off now."
Archbishop Latius gently reassured the grim-faced Saintess and headed straight for the gate.
She always felt guilty sending others into danger while staying behind, but as followers of the Main God, they couldn't recklessly expose her to peril.
Thus, Latius and the archbishops and paladins led a contingent into the gate.
Arriving at the nearest temple to their destination via the gate, they paused briefly on site...
"...It's ready. Please enter."
...and reentered the same gate.
It was a method using the 'Transfer' blessing via the gate to create a virtual exit in the desired direction, allowing travel farther than usual.
There were limits, especially with so many people and such distance, but it narrowed the gap to the target considerably.
"...Even here, I can feel the energy shaking from the ritual's aftermath. Let's hurry."
As the distance closed, the churning energy felt more vivid, hardening the expressions of those who'd reached the heart of the southern wasteland.
The moment the church members sought aid from one with the 'Shrinking Earth' blessing to hasten their movement...
Goooo—!
Far off, in the direction they headed...
A black pillar connecting earth and sky erupted upward.
Though still far away, the jet-black line splitting the world etched itself clearly into their eyes.
"...Ah."
"Archbishop, that couldn't be..."
"The Pillar of the Abyss..."
It was the omen of the Abyss opening—a sign known now only in ancient texts, to few.
"...Let's move."
The group gritted their teeth and sped toward where the pillar had risen.
Even if they were too late, they couldn't just stand by.
Thus, after about half a day, they pressed on relentlessly toward their goal.
The black pillar that had pierced the heavens had already faded, exhausted, but they arrived at last in stoic silence.
At the site where the ritual to open the Abyss had begun.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Whoooosh—
[As expected, they've all fled already.]
Hans slowly descended from midair, surveying the surroundings while floating.
A massive hole in the ritual chamber's underground ceiling allowed easy entry.
'They bolted the moment it was done... Well, it's been hours. No way they'd stupidly stick around after pulling continental-scale aggro.'
The area's wildly fluctuating energy had destabilized coordinates, forcing spatial transfer to a distant spot.
Even flying here in haste, the site was devoid of any signs of life.
All that remained were magic circles etched everywhere for the ritual and bloodstains from the apparent sacrifices.
Thoroughly prepared, they'd left no other traces.
'That?'
Except one.
Something incongruous registered in Hans's senses, which scanned space wholesale.
Swoosh—
Tucked in a floor tile's crevice, it emerged at his will, sucked into his hand.
'Metal fragment?'
It was a broken piece of thin chain.
The sole impurity in this impeccably cleaned space.
Unclear what it meant, but as the only clue, he pocketed it.
'Energy's too disrupted for backtracking here.'
The Abyss's energy and the aftermath of whatever emerged made analysis difficult.
[This... 'Madness'? The Abyss gate opened incompletely, so it wasn't fully extracted.]
Unforeseen, the shattered madness now spreading across the continent's impact was unpredictable.
But it would bring massive change unlike before.
Scanning the area, his gaze settled on the pit in the floor, radiating intense presence.
Thick darkness clung to the massive magic circle beneath his feet, writhing.
Shrinking slowly due to the world's restorative power, it still spewed ominous energy fiercely.
[Oh? This energy...]
Peering inside via the Immortal Heart, it matched the heavy, sticky, mind-shattering aura he'd felt before.
'Energy leaking from the Abyss.'
The moment Hans examined it closely with the Eye of the Abyss...
He understood the energy intimately.
'...So this is the origin of the black magic power nurtured in the heart.'
The infinite black mana from the Immortal King's heart was merely diluted remnants of this compressed force.
'That was nothing compared to this. The density difference is insane.'
If black mana was poison gas, this was hyper-concentrated essence.
More vicious than the already notorious black mana.
But...
'...I think I can handle this directly?'
Familiar, sharing the same source as his heart.
After all, he was the Immortal King risen from the Abyss itself, with Eye of the Abyss and Immortal Heart to boot.
Weirder if he couldn't!
'Let's try.'
Hans extended a hand slowly, gently sweeping the air.
With utmost focus, the rippling Abyss energy began following his fingertips.
Deadly even to breathe for ordinary folk, but to him, it was like home air.
'Can't inhale it, though.'
Growing accustomed amid idle thoughts, he drew it in fully, storing it in his heart.
Dangerous as radioactive waste, but such rare power was too valuable to waste.
[Kehuhu... This could be quite useful if wielded well.]
Tricky to handle, but potent in effect.
Satisfied after absorbing plenty, Hans surveyed anew with contentment.
The dense ritual arrays encircling the closing Abyss pit showed their dedication.
'At least a decade of effort minimum. More, factoring continent-wide sacrifice rituals...'
Capability for continent-spanning ops, stealth over years, encompassing organization.
The Oath of Reverse Heaven was stronger than expected.
Arguably the continent's largest shadow force.
And that meant...
'Perfect fit for what I wanted.'
Ideal casting for villainous supporting roles to bolster lead actor Hans.
Essential for smooth story progression.
'Prioritize hunting them. Delay gathering small fry.'
Track the escapees first; if not, find the novice black mage's sacrifice ritual master.
Follow the trail to their core eventually.
[Hm?]
As Hans pondered next moves...
A presence stirred from the wildly writhing Abyss pit.
[Oh ho, a pleasant surprise.]
No direct encounter, but known via informational 'experience'.
'Another legacy.'
Vastly larger than the Archlich Dwell Heinrich faced, something climbed from below.
Previously pinned by strong Abyss ties, now with weakening connection, it was drawn up naturally.
Writhing pit, sharpening presence.
Twitch—
And finally.
Fwoosh!
But that 'part' was enormous.
[Grroooaaar—!]
Twisting free as if the huge hole too narrow, its overwhelming bulk churned the air.
Gleaming black smooth bones and teeth, thrashing massive skull, flickering violet savage eyes.
That being was.
'Bone Dragon, Entrachio.'
The colossal skeletal dragon crawled from the Abyss's depths.