Chapter 644
I Knew You’d Come (1)
It wasn’t just darkness. The veil was filled with writhing, undulating black energy.
Amidst that mass of darkness, which seemed like a tangled cluster of tens of thousands of souls, vague shapes resembling faces occasionally flickered past. There was even a faint sound almost like distant screams.
Gaaaah…
The veil breathed slowly, like a living being. It exuded a powerful pull, as if it could suck in the very souls of those who gazed upon it.
"W-What is this…?"
Jerome’s trembling voice shattered the silence. A mix of fear and awe trembled in his tone.
The others remained speechless, staring at the veil in a daze.
The energy radiating from it was terrifying. Standing before this ominous veil, even Morbus’s overwhelming presence from before felt almost trivial in comparison.
The enormous black veil stretched endlessly. Its overwhelming presence suffocated those who beheld it.
Those who had come here expecting nothing more than an ancient ruin, their faces drained of color.
They had never imagined they would face something so ominous and powerful.
Even Ghislain, who was always so confident, had a flicker of dismay pass across his face.
‘What in the world…?’
Not even in the Saintess’s dreams had there been a vision like this.
To think that such an immense veil of energy existed at the very heart of the Forest of Beasts.
Jerome hastily took to the air. With Morbus now gone, he was free to fly through the sky.
What he saw from above was even more shocking.
"Huh? Why does it look like that?"
A colossal black veil loomed like an immense dome, vast enough to rival the capital of an entire kingdom.
As he ascended even higher, the veil blurred into the mist, its form gradually fading into obscurity.
Amidst the towering trees and the darkness that filled the Forest of Beasts, the black veil blended perfectly with its surroundings, almost as if it had been camouflaged.
Jerome muttered to himself.
"They said it was sealed… but even its form is concealed?"
When he descended back to the ground and relayed what he had seen, everyone's expressions grew grim.
Even when Ereneth had told them about it, they had only half-believed her words. After all, it was an event from so long ago that they assumed there had been some exaggeration.
But now, seeing it with their own eyes, they felt as though her account had actually been understated.
Jerome swallowed hard and was the first to speak.
"So… if the myth Ereneth spoke of is true, then that means the Demon God’s corpse is really here…?"
Vanessa nodded.
"And this is also the source of the Salvation Church’s power, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah. At least the Saintess sealed it, so they can’t use its power as freely as before."
Tension spread across everyone’s faces.
Even a mere fragment of the Demon God’s lingering will was enough to create powerful beings like Gartros.
Just how powerful had the Adversary and the Salvation Church been a thousand years ago?
And what about the Hero, the Saintess, and their companions who had stopped them? How strong had they been?
As these thoughts flashed through their minds, a cold chill ran down their spines.
Belinda, her expression heavy with contemplation, spoke up.
"I thought the Salvation Church’s only goal was to find the Adversary… but what if releasing this seal is part of their plan too?"
Everyone nodded in grim silence.
The mere presence of this veil was enough to make it difficult to breathe. If it were to be fully unsealed…
The Forest of Beasts would truly become a Demonic Abyss. Compared to that, the forest they had known until now would seem like a peaceful garden.
And that wasn’t all. If the seal broke, the Salvation Church would gain even greater power.
Even now, bringing down the Salvation Church required immense sacrifice and time. If they grew even stronger… The mere thought was horrifying.
Parniel ground her teeth and struck at the black veil.
Kwaaaang!
Yet, the veil remained unchanged. Frustrated, Parniel unleashed her divine power and continued her assault.
Kwaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaaang!
Even her overwhelming strength did nothing to the veil. It was as if it were laughing at them, mocking their futile efforts.
Ghislain, his face tense, also tested an attack.
Kwaaaang!
For a brief moment, the black smoke rippled. But the veil neither tore nor split. No matter how many times he struck, the result was the same.
After a moment of contemplation, Ghislain invoked the Power of Will and even amplified it with Dark’s enhancement.
Kwaaaang!
With all his might, he attacked the veil, and for the briefest instant, a gap formed. But even that was swiftly swallowed by the surging black energy.
‘It’s empty inside.’
In that fleeting moment, everyone peered into the gap only to find nothing. Nothing but an abyss filled with darkness.
The others took turns attacking. Julien struck with his full force, while Jerome and Vanessa poured every ounce of their mana into their spells.
Yet the black veil stood unshaken.
Jerome exhaled sharply through his nose and muttered.
"Should I… try using forbidden magic?"
He was bluffing a little. He had no real intention of using it. Doing so would kill him.
But to his surprise, Ghislain nodded.
"Try it just a little. Maybe it’ll work. You said it’s the opposite of the Salvation Church’s energy, right?"
Belinda agreed.
"If you only use a tiny bit, it should be fine. Just stop before you die."
Vanessa’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. She had heard plenty about this forbidden magic from other mages, it was said to be something extraordinary. As a mage herself, she wanted to witness it at least once.
Parniel ground her teeth and spoke sharply.
“Hurry up and use it. We need to see what’s inside.”
She was clearly furious. The possibility that the myth Ereneth spoke of was real had grown significantly.
The authority of the Church was built on centuries of faith. That foundation could not be shaken.
At this point, Parniel was more eager than Ghislain to uncover traces of the past.
Jerome took a step back, his face turning pale.
“Ah, come on. I was just saying it as a joke…”
He shot a pleading look at Julien, hoping he would step in and stop this madness.
But Julien merely turned his head away, pretending not to notice. He stood there, gazing at the sky in a picture-perfect pose, as if completely uninvolved.
Feeling betrayed by everyone, Jerome finally snapped.
“Ah! I told you I’ll die if I use that! You guys are too much!”
As Jerome threw a fit, the others looked disappointed. They had thought he could simply use just enough magic to test it and stop before it became fatal but it seemed that wasn’t an option.
“Hah, this is frustrating.”
Ghislain sighed regretfully.
After coming all this way, he had expected to find some clues. Instead, they were blocked by this impenetrable veil.
At the very least, one thing was certain, something truly terrifying lay beyond.
‘Is it really the Demon God’s energy?’
The tale that the Saintess had sealed such an immense source of power no longer seemed so far-fetched.
“Well… it’s not exactly inconsistent with what we know.”
Ereneth must have known that Ghislain and his party wouldn’t be able to pierce through this overwhelming energy. That might have been why she hadn’t bothered explaining further.
“Still, this is incredible.”
For remnants of power alone to form such a massive veil… What kind of method had been used to seal it?
Could it have been possible only because the Saintess wielded the power of all goddesses? Questions kept piling on top of one another.
After staring at the veil for a long while, Ghislain let out a sigh.
“Let’s head back for now.”
Sitting here indefinitely wouldn’t reveal anything new.
He decided to return, clear the forest step by step, and study this place gradually over time.
Belinda, looking somewhat uneasy, asked,
“If something truly dangerous is sealed in there… There’s no chance it’ll be released, right?”
“Well, not anytime soon… But if that so-called Adversary were to resurrect, it could be possible.”
“Hmm… I guess we really do need to find that Adversary.”
The Salvation Church had never openly stated their intention to break this seal. However, it was already a known fact that they were searching for their King.
According to Ereneth, this place was their holy land. Once they found their King, they would undoubtedly come here to harness this energy.
What had once seemed like mere myth and conspiracy was now becoming reality.
In the end, the only solution was to find and kill the Adversary. That was the only way to eliminate this looming threat.
It was clear that Ereneth was hiding something, but at least their ultimate goal remained the same.
The group stole a glance at Julien.
‘Well… he doesn’t seem like the Adversary.’
‘If he really was, wouldn’t this thing have reacted by now?’
‘Even Ereneth isn’t certain.’
If Julien was truly the Adversary the Salvation Church was searching for, the black veil should have shown some kind of response to his presence.
After all, this was said to be the very source of their power.
But even when Julien approached and struck at the veil, it remained utterly unresponsive.
This put everyone somewhat at ease. No matter how they looked at it, Julien wasn’t the Adversary.
"Alright, let’s head back," Ghislain said.
Jerome quickly made a suggestion.
"Let’s just fly back. Vanessa and I can carry everyone. It’ll be faster that way."
They had walked here in case they stumbled upon something important, but there was no need to do the same on the way back.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Just as Jerome was about to gather his mana, Ghislain spoke.
"Wait a second."
"Huh? What for?"
"Let me take one last look."
Ghislain turned back toward the veil. Now that they were about to leave, he felt an odd sense of unease. A strange feeling told him that simply walking away would be a mistake.
It was an eerie sensation almost as if the divine power lingering in his mind was urging him to act.
Slowly, Ghislain approached the black veil and cautiously reached out his hand.
As his fingers brushed against the writhing black energy, an unexpected warmth spread through his palm.
He pressed his hand forward with more force, but it was as if he had hit a solid wall his hand could go no further.
"Hm."
Just as he was about to pull away with a disappointed sigh—
—You’ve finally made it here.
"Huh?"
A foreign voice suddenly echoed in his consciousness.
‘This is…’
It was divine power. The Saintess’s divine energy, which had taken root in his mind, was reacting.
It wasn’t a dream, yet the voice rang clearly in his head.
Ghislain focused all his attention. He needed to determine whether this was real or just an illusion.
—I knew you’d come. Because we made a ‘promise’.
‘What? What promise?’
There was no doubt. It was the voice of the Saintess, the same one he had heard in his dreams. But he had no idea what she was talking about.
He had never promised anyone that he would come here.
His only reason for coming was personal curiosity. If anything, it was part of his plan to reclaim and develop the Forest of Beasts.
Ghislain sharpened his focus. Perhaps this was the key to uncovering the secret behind the veil.
The others watched him with growing concern.
"Young Master, is something…?"
Belinda’s voice wavered as she cautiously approached him, only for her face to suddenly drain of color.
"Young Master!"
Fwoooosh!
The black veil suddenly surged violently. Hundreds of black tendrils shot up like serpents and wrapped around Ghislain in an instant.
It was as if countless black hands had burst out from the veil.
No one had time to react.
Like bolts of lightning, the shadowy limbs lashed out, swallowing Ghislain whole—
—And then, in the blink of an eye, they dragged him into the depths of the veil.