NOVEL NEXT 361. Back to Hell
Krak-crackle!
The Horizon Gates spread out left and right, its center carefully guarded by a legion of Black Knights, who once guarded the Black Gate, allowing passage through the Dark Wall between Munirp and the Ink Dunes. Mages kept a careful eye over the massive slit through reality, their lips pried open, ready to utter a spell at any time.
Glenn dusted his clothes off, groaning. Pebble pushed his head into Glenn's shoulder, asking for pets. Glenn gave them without thinking, glancing back the way they had come from. The Ink Dunes shone black under the fiery sun. The 'jungle' plague hadn't reached that far yet, but he didn't doubt the vegetation of Thalorieth would eventually grow even near the Horizon Gates.
"Yes, yes, we've been cleared to—" Lucian was talking with one of the Black Knights, trying to secure safe passage. He had half a dozen documents rolled under his arm, which he showed one after the other. On Glenn's left, Sahro was playing with his prosthesis, flexing the black metal under the sunlight and comparing the material with Milena's robotic arms.
"Let me take a few photos of this..." She muttered as her robotic hands flashed with lights.
Nelg had chosen to return to their manor in King's Rise, while Emily and Lina enjoyed a well-earned break in the Thalorieth jungle, carefully watched over by Javier, Decimius, and every Pale Sons present. Glenn had offered the silent hunter to come with them, but he had refused. The Pale Sons' Prophet had things to prepare in light of their recent discoveries, apparently.
"I should have stayed in Thalorieth..." Liara whispered as she bit her nails. Whitey and Pebble were flying in the sky, playing around after they had worked to bring them here.
Glenn turned to her with a bright smile. "Giselle and Maron got it in the back, don't worry. Your talents are better used here."
"Look at that fool!" Diamanes exclaimed, uncaring for any onlookers. "He wanted you here just because he's down, Bad for you!"
Liara blushed, and she peered into Glenn's eyes. "Is that true?"
"Half of it is," he admitted. "But that stuff Nergal said concerns me. In the vision of the past, the First King and Ellaria the elf both mentioned leaving things to their Heirs. And besides the Black Heirs, I don't see who that would concern."
Liara grabbed his hand and clenched it in hers. Her skin was warm, rough from constant training with her sword and her spear. "Let's uncover what the Gods hid from us," she said.
Glenn nodded before walking up to Lucian and the Black Knight.
"Sir, I believe your words, but I need to wait for an officer," the Knight tried to explain. Lucian groaned and hid his face behind his stack of documents.
"I swear to the Gods that I'll reform this damned Black Knight Order the moment I rise on the throne," he promised, pushing his rolled document against the Knight's chest plate. The latter smiled apologetically but refused to let Lucian pass.
Glenn laughed, bewildered. "What's all that about, Lucian? Can't even be respected by your soldiers?"
The Crown Prince rolled his eyes and tapped the setting sun embroidered on his clothes, the symbol of Munirp. "These fools don't believe we are who we said we are! That's the first time in my entire life that this has happened! I'm so shocked I'm not even sure what to do, actually."
Glenn tapped his friend on the shoulder with a wicked grin. "Just let me take care of it. Even a Newborn Ruler doesn't have all the answers, right?"
Lucian shrugged, crossing his arms and waiting to see how Glenn would solve their ordeal. They could wait for an officer or someone who could read, unlike the Black Knight stopping their way in, or...
Glenn pressed a purple hand hissing with mist of the same color against the Knight's shoulder, smiling. The Knight's eyes stopped on the purple skin, audibly gulping. "D- Duke of the Stars?"
"Don't act like you didn't recognize me, friend," Glenn laughed. "You've been staring at my dragon since the moment we landed."
The Knight turned his head away, coughing awkwardly. "I-I don't see what you're talking about, Sir..."
Glenn sighed. "Anyway, what's the real reason you're stopping us? Who can be higher or equal in the chain of command to the Prince and a couple of Dukes?"
"I, uh, have not been authorized to share this information with you..." stammered the Knight, trying to look for an escape. Surprisingly, it came from the sky, shooting past both Whitey and Pebble and landing right before Glenn and the rest.
"Bahaha, my boys, how have you been?" Duke Noir roared, laughing broadly. Built like a bear and probably sharing family with one, Duke Noir was the Commander of the Black Knight Order. He was also known as the Iron Fist and was one of the four heroes of the War of Four Fronts that took place centuries ago. Redan had been one of them, as were Exan and Harriet.
"Alaric told me to watch over the Horizon Gates while you're in there, to make sure that no..." He licked his lips hungrily, "...roaches make their way in while you're there."
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Lucian sighed in relief. "That's what he chooses to do? I was curious how he'd act after I'd given him the news, but... Okay, that's great."
Duke Noir turned to Milena and winked at her. "Your grandpa' told me to make sure that the Seven Gods lackeys are also stopped from going in. A good idea, in my opinion! Munirp has the right to discuss with the demons first! The rest will come after, am I right? Bahaha!" He bellowed into a laugh, holding his stomach.
Milena exchanged an awkward smile with Liara. One of the main reasons the elf Queen was here, besides trying to understand what secret Nergal had hidden with the Beyond's Guardian, was to enter a commercial and maybe migration treaty with the demons. If before it had been a struggle to even discuss with them due to the war, now was the prime time to do so.
"Anyway, enough words spoken! I'll watch your back, so go in without any worries!" Duke Noir slapped Glenn in the back violently, sending him a few meters away.
Glenn groaned and shook his head. "Damn demented geezer... No wonder all your Black Knight Order is filled with a bunch of idiots?"
"What did ya say, boy?!"
The young man hastily jumped into the Horizon Gates, narrowly dodging Duke Noir's angry fist. Lucian gave the old hero a nod and followed Glenn in, the rest of the team imitating them. Pebble and Whitey dove into the portal, roaring and shrieking.
Duke Noir scratched the top of his head, groaning. "Demented geezer, he said... Am I really that old?"
***
The sloshing and shaking in his stomach failed to make Glenn puke, but not from much. He stepped out onto the dry, harsh stone that covered most of the Beyond's realm. He blinked when he discovered fortifications manned by more Black Knights, all keeping watch on twenty-foot-tall walls of stone.
There were even some of Exan's power armor suits patrolling around, carrying large, unwieldy rifles covered in runes and enchantments. He glanced up and grimaced, finding those same disgusting, ominous eyes as large as moons filling the sky in its entirety.
The eyes trembled slightly, turning to look in his direction. Glenn almost took a step back, queasy, but he held the demonic gaze, staring back defiantly. Eventually, the eyes in the sky turned away, uninterested.
"Yeah, fuck you too," he muttered.
"You're insulting the demons' Newborn Rulers, you know that, right?" Diamanes questioned, smirking.
Glenn shrugged, not even bothering to entertain the question. He looked back, watching as all of his comrades came out of the Horizon Gates. Pebble and Whitey followed, grunting and shrieking in displeasure at the Beyond's atmosphere. Something in the air made it impossible for individuals below the Fourth Circle or Fourth Rank to survive, pressuring them until they either had a breakthrough or died.
"By the Gods, I hate this place," Milena cursed, her robotic arms going limp as if suddenly tired.
Liara winced, remembering the not-so-good moments they had spent in this world. That was where Glenn had died in Laurance's hands and came back to life thanks to Diamanes. And that whole adventure ended in her being tortured by Glenn's doppelganger under the orders of the Fallen Mother's Envoy, which hadn't been a great experience either.
"At least, this time we've got a more pleasant welcome," Lucian joked, waving at the Black Knights keeping watch. The soldiers didn't move, their halberds tightly clenched and their gazes focused on the distance.
Glenn turned his head to the side, his eyebrows rising. "Something's coming."
Sahro's hand calmly reached for the katana at his waist, but Lucian shook his head with a slight smirk. "Watch the pride of the kingdom in action."
The Black Knights turned at once in the direction of the danger, a sort of squid with limbs of stone moving freely. It was as tall as a house, and brought toxic fumes with its every move. Without hesitation, the Black Knights jumped at the creature and diced it into tiny cubes, flashes of Aura exploding past the monster. In a matter of seconds, the creature had been reduced to a pile of rocks on the ground.
Liara rubbed her chin, impressed. "Do you mind sharing the training method for the Black Knights? I think I might implement something similar for the military force of Thalorieth."
Lucian looked at her like she was insane and exploded in laughter. "Duke Noir personally oversees the training of every one of his Knights. And trust me when I say that you wouldn't put a respectable living being through such a hell."
"Guys, I've got the Observer ready," Milena called out, kneeling on the ground as she adjusted parameters on her Observer, the small high-magitech ball crafted by Exan acting as their live map, GPS, and communication device.
The digital map went up, humming with a soft blue hue. It depicted their immediate surroundings, probably around a kilometer radius, from what Glenn could see.
"I sort of remember where the Guardian's cave is. We could try looking there first?" She proposed, looking up at them.
None of them had anything to say about this good suggestion, and so they all jumped on their rides and followed Milena's directions. Glenn wanted to insult the entire world for giving Liara a mount for herself and forcing him to be stuck with Sahro and Lucian, but instead, he shut his mouth and refused to listen to Diamanes' mockeries.
They passed a few ruined castles and cities on the way, traces of the demons' past civilization. 'I know Munirp is trying to enter conversations with them, but if I remember correctly, the demons don't like humans very much. All because of the First King,' Glenn remembered. 'It's all adding up. The First King took Sevirox, the Demon King, and the Elven King, and they all fought the now-Dead God, killing him. The demons were punished with the Horizon Gates being sealed, the elves with their true natures, and...' He glanced at Whitey and Raijin, respectively Liara and Sahro's pets that had appeared out of nowhere once they'd broken through a certain level in their Mana and Aura. 'The elves lost access to their true powers and their spirits. If they're spirits. I don't even know what Raijin and Whitey truly are.'
'Sevirox was used to plug the Horizon Gates, and the First King's name was forgotten,' finished Diamanes with a disgusted tone. 'I'm sure the humans got it off light just because they're the main race to worship the Seven Gods.'
Glenn pressed his lips together. 'Maybe. For now, we don't have the whole story. Hopefully, the Guardian will be able to tell us more.'
But when they arrived at the Guardian's home, they only found a massive crater where the cave once was, filled with molten magma. Glenn scratched his chin, sighing.
"Well. That's unfortunate. Things can never be easy, can they?" He shook his head and stretched his limbs. "Time to pay the demon city a visit."