Chapter 219: Outer Gods and Defying Heaven (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219: Outer Gods and Defying Heaven (3)
A deep passage, dark yet strangely illuminated enough to see the way ahead.
Walking through it, Alon suddenly had a thought.
‘...I never heard a single mention of a passage like this.’
Of course, it wasn't strange that he didn't know.
The game he had played, Psychedelia, followed the story from Elivan's perspective. It was only natural for there to be hidden settings the player was never made aware of.
However, what Alon found puzzling was something else.
This passage was pointing out a strange discrepancy in the lore of Psychedelia as he knew it.
‘...I recall there being a setting that the Horizon was a sort of sanctuary for the barbarians.’
He didn't know the details, of course.
In Psychedelia, the Northern Barbarians were nothing more and nothing less than 'enemies.' No detailed lore or backstories had ever been revealed.
Still, he vaguely remembered such a setting existing.
‘...If this place really connects to the Horizon, I doubt the barbarians would have left it alone.’
The thought that perhaps this place didn't lead to the Horizon at all flickered through his mind for a moment.
Then, Alon thought of Yutia, who had shown him this path.
‘Come to think of it, what was that order the Pope gave her?’
He hadn't asked further because he didn't want to put Yutia in a difficult position. But from the moment she introduced him to this passage, Alon had been curious.
Curious about what the Pope's order to her actually was.
‘I should ask her once I get out.’
With that thought, Alon continued forward until he eventually arrived at a massive cavern.
‘...Is this an altar?’
The moment he saw the structures built within the cavern, that word immediately came to mind. It felt incredibly ancient, yet at the same time, it exuded a sacred aura.
‘I’ll have to mention this to Yutia when I leave.’
Alon let out a small breath of admiration and continued past the altar.
After walking for a while longer, Alon saw light streaming in from afar, signaling the end of the cave. He quickened his pace.
And finally, when he reached the end.
“...So this is the Horizon.”
The words escaped his lips involuntarily.
He stood there, dazed, staring at the scenery before him.
Even Alon, who was generally indifferent to everything, couldn't help but let out a gasp of awe. It was a sight that commanded his attention.
It wasn't because there was anything flashy.
The landscape spread out before him consisted of the same gray sky typical of the North and the snow covering the earth beneath it. In the middle of that vast expanse sat a massive, dome-shaped building.
In truth, it was too stark to be called beautiful.
And yet, Alon felt the scenery was beautiful nonetheless.
As if he himself were the sky, the pure white snow covering the ground boasted an overwhelming horizon. It felt as though the earth and sky had been inverted.
Staring at the view as if possessed, Alon slowly took a step forward.
He headed toward the dome, leaving the very first footprints on the pristine white snow where no one else had walked.
‘...To be honest, I thought it might not be.’
Even while passing through the tunnel, he had considered the possibility that the Horizon might not be at the end of the path. It was such an easy shortcut that it felt more believable for it to be a lie.
‘I should get Yutia a gift or something.’
He felt a fresh wave of gratitude toward her.
Just then.
[Kyu?]
Blackie, who had been hiding in his shirt until a moment ago, suddenly poked his head out.
Hop!
He jumped straight down onto the snow.
With a soft thump, Blackie’s entire body was buried in the snow. Apparently unbothered by the cold, he was busy looking around at the snow surrounding him as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
‘Did Blackie always like snow?’
Meanwhile, Basiliora emerged this time.
[This is an incredibly strange place.]
“What do you mean by strange?”
[...Hmm. It is difficult to put into words. It is just a feeling.]
“A feeling?”
[Yes. It feels as though the space itself is fundamentally severed... That is why I came out to see for myself.]
“Ah. Is that why Blackie is acting so weird?”
Alon muttered as he watched Blackie start to eat the snow, then quickly scooped him back up.
[Kyu—]
He had already spent quite a bit of time walking, and he didn't want to keep Yutia waiting.
Tucking Blackie back into his shirt, Alon moved forward and stopped in front of the massive structure.
It was a giant dome.
A set of enormous doors stood wide open, as if inviting him inside.
[It is much worse in here.]
“Is it?”
[Yes. It does not seem particularly dangerous... but the feeling is bizarre, so stay on your guard.]
Alon nodded at Basiliora’s advice and cautiously stepped into the dark doorway.
The moment he entered, he was met with pitch-black darkness. However, the soft light from outside faintly illuminated the interior.
Relying on that dim light, he walked further in until he reached the center of the building, where the ceiling was open to the sky.
There stood a door.
It was a door so old that it looked like the hinges would creak the moment one turned the handle. It stood tall and solitary in the middle of the white snow.
Feeling a slight sense of doubt, Alon gripped the handle of the old door and turned it.
The moment he opened that door.
[You’ve come.]
A voice reached his ears.
* * *
Great Chieftain Ruraka.
He was beyond furious. No, he was seething with a rage that reached the heavens.
The cause was a single girl.
A girl who had invaded the barbarians' sanctuary.
With a fluttering smile, she had nonchalantly desecrated the sanctuary that the barbarians had protected for over a thousand years, severing every single incantation—
All because of that one girl.
And when she revealed her reason for trespassing into the sanctuary, his fury boiled over until he nearly lost consciousness.
To the barbarians, the sanctuary was as precious as their own lives. It was a place where entry was permitted only once in a lifetime, reserved solely for great warriors. They could only enter during the grand ritual to receive their Seal.
Yet the girl before him had trampled upon this place, which every barbarian cherished more than life itself, just to use it as a 'shortcut.'
She had crushed countless incantations that had been maintained for over a millennium.
There was no more room for patience.
The barbarians charged at her as one. Ruraka was no different.
Originally, he had many questions for the girl. How she had discovered the sanctuary, and how she had so easily broken spells that even the greatest shamans could not unravel. Furthermore, he should have been cautious.
But the moment those words left the girl's mouth, Ruraka abandoned himself to his rage. Losing all semblance of leadership over his people, he swung his axe and charged.
And the result...
“....”
...confronted him in the most horrific form possible.
“Ah—”
Ruraka let out a low, hollow groan.
It had happened in an instant.
His vision was filled not with the gray earth, but with a land made of blood. The accumulated snow had absorbed the blood and melted, turning the ground into a muddy, viscous swamp. The bright red snow that hadn't yet melted froze in the mountain's chill, forming grotesque icy stalks.
And in the center of it all.
There stood the girl.
The one who had turned the gray earth into a sea of blood with just a few casual gestures. The one who had crushed countless compatriots into bloody pulp in a heartbeat.
In a world dyed entirely in crimson, the girl, whose eyes glowed redder than the blood itself, stood there with an air of cold arrogance.
“....”
Ruraka grit his teeth.
He could feel it through his skin—the terror of death that had colored his kin who were pouring out their rage just moments ago. No one was an exception. Even the chieftains leading the barbarians felt awe and terror at the power the girl had displayed.
“Ugh—”
Ruraka was the same.
The hand holding his weapon trembled. He tried to calm it, but his body was already beyond his control. All he could do was carefully shift his eyes to look ahead once more.
And there, the girl still stood.
She looked comfortable, even relaxed. But that very incomprehensible attitude dragged the barbarians even deeper into the abyss of fear.
“...Turtur.”
“Give the command, Great Chieftain.”
“Blow the black horn flute.”
Ruraka had finally made his choice.
His adjutant, Turtur, whose eyes widened for a moment at the command, did not hesitate.
“Understood.”
He pulled the black horn flute from his robe and blew into it.
Woooooooooooon—!!!!
A sound so loud it seemed to shake the entire vast snow mountain. With it, the fear that had dominated the barbarians just moments ago began to fade.
Ruraka also cast off the fear weighing him down and spoke toward Yutia, who was still standing there leisurely.
“I’ll make you regret not stopping us.”
The moment he spoke, it suddenly plummeted from the sky.
KABOOOOM—!!!!
Heaven and earth vibrated.
The snowflakes covering the ground soared into the air, creating a blizzard. The swampy ground, muddy with the blood of the barbarians, was hidden by the shattered earth and rising snow.
And then, the figure revealed itself.
[Heh—]
A black-skinned Outer God who had descended to the North months ago and had been secretly hiding its presence.
[You have called for me.]
Undying Neltar.
Horns sprouted from his head like a demon's. His four arms and four legs were each massive in their own right.
At that voice, thick with amusement, Ruraka bowed his head respectfully.
“That is correct, Great Outer God. I wish to use the authority granted to me in exchange for the sacrifices, here and now.”
[Very well. What is your request?]
“Kill that girl.”
There was no hesitation.
Neltar immediately asked back, sounding intrigued.
[To use my authority on something so trivial... are you certain?]
“Yes.”
[Well, it is the authority I bestowed upon you, so I shall not question it. However—]
The corners of the black-skinned Outer God's mouth curled up grotesquely.
[If you wish to borrow my strength again, you must offer five thousand living sacrifices, just as you did before.]
“It shall be done.”
[Heh—]
Strength.
Five thousand.
Living sacrifices.
Horrific words were exchanged, but the conversation ended with a short sentence: I look forward to it.
Immediately after, as Neltar’s gaze turned toward Yutia, a very faint trace of regret flickered across Ruraka’s face.
This was an authority obtained by offering the captured soldiers and knights of Calliban as living sacrifices. He hadn't expected to use it on the girl before him.
But Ruraka did not regret summoning the Outer God at this moment.
Because he had seen it with his own eyes.
The power of an Outer God that far surpassed human cognition—the power that had erased one of Calliban’s outposts, where thousands were stationed, with a single punch.
Thus, Ruraka simply watched. He watched Neltar, who was deliberately taking leisurely steps filled with anticipation, as if he had discovered a new toy.
[Now then, I have no particular grudge against yo—]
However.
[A-aga—]
Neltar, who had arrived before the girl, could not finish his sentence.
At that moment, a question formed in Ruraka’s mind.
“...?”
He saw it.
The incomprehensible entity he was certain would erase the girl before him from the world without a trace—
[W-why... why are you here...?]
...had begun to tremble in absolute terror.