NOVEL NEXT Chapter 155
The Crown Prince Who Wants to Retire
58. Hell Gate! (2)
As the energies of Hell and Kariel clashed, the vibrations felt from below intensified.
But strangely, there was no reaction.
I couldn’t sense any power that should be present in a living being.
Just as I pondered this, the powers distorted by the impact began to get sucked into the cracks opened in the ground by the vibrations.
“What in the world is this?”
– Well… one thing’s for sure, Garum is not here.
At that, Kariel looked at Surth.
“Not here?”
– Right. If he were here, the Hell Gate wouldn’t be like this.
Surth spoke, gazing at the Hell Gate with gray energy flickering wildly.
– If he were around, the energy leaking from the Hell Gate would be permeating all objects in this place.
Surth’s words triggered a memory of an old book Kariel had read somewhere.
“Territory?”
– Exactly. That’s why he earned the title of Gatekeeper of Hell.
Wherever Garum is, that place becomes a land capable of producing Hell Gates.
This means that all things in the land where the Hell Gate arises are infused with his essence.
– Once a barrier is created, even the air transforms to resemble that of Hell. That’s Garum’s ability.
In an environment similar to Hell, Garum becomes stronger than any other entity.
Even Hel, called the Mistress of Hell, is evaluated as being inferior to Garum in pure physical might when in Hell.
– If Garum had fought in Hell instead of Asgard, he wouldn’t just be on par with the highest gods; he would have defeated them.
Such a being was heavily affected by his environment.
If such a being was underground, there should have been some influence on the Hell Gate opened here.
“So what does this phenomenon mean?”
At Kariel’s question, Surth shook his head, seeming to be clueless.
– We’ll find out if we go down.
Saying this, Surth smashed the ruins with his giant fist, widening the fissures. As Skoll and Agni helped, they broke through parts of the ground that were protected by Hell’s power, prompting Kariel to jump down without hesitation.
With a whoosh!
Before long, Surth and the summoned beings had settled around Kariel, illuminating the surroundings with fire energy.
Opening the Fire Symbol, Kariel floated in the air as she looked down into the underground.
A unique ambiance enveloped the ruins, reminiscent of something being enshrined, with green flames swirling around.
– This energy is…
As Surth’s eyes widened, he looked at Kariel, who glanced around with a ‘could it be?’ expression.
But Surth quickly shook his head.
The familiar energy, which felt very brief, was something he couldn’t be sure was Garum’s.
It had been too long since he experienced Garum’s essence during the Mythical Era, and Surth himself had lost much of his former strength after being sealed for such a long time.
– Hmm?
Seeing Surth react strangely again, Kariel frowned.
A strange feeling was wafting in from somewhere.
As she spread her essence, trying to discern whether it belonged to Garum or not, Surth slowly surveyed the area centered on the direction in which he had flinched.
Just then, a fortunate earthquake shook the entirety of the ruins.
Kuuung!
– Over there!
“I felt it too.”
This time, it seemed Kariel also sensed it and quickly moved in that direction.
However, despite her haste, finding it was no easy task.
The above ruins were already quite large, but the underground ruins were even bigger.
It was hard to imagine why such ruins had not been discovered until now.
“A ruin of this scale has gone unnoticed by adventurers?”
Kariel said with a puzzled expression.
The era of exploration had experienced several booms across the continent.
During that time, many ruins of the gods and relics had been uncovered.
Yet, finding a Hell Gate or underground ruins only now was bizarre.
– There are places that cannot be discovered unless specific conditions are met.
In response to Surth’s words, Kariel silently gazed at the ruins.
If her power and the powers of Hell had not clashed, she would have never known about these underground ruins.
Even the Hell Gate’s exact location had been elusive until the Roman Emperor and the Demon King intervened.
This meant that arriving here could only happen if particular conditions were satisfied.
As if to prove this point, as Kariel’s power began to fill the underground ruins, the fissures opened above started to seal once again.
Simultaneously, green flames ignited throughout the ruins, illuminating the surroundings brilliantly.
– It seems this place is arranged so that only “you” can enter.
A barrier made so only one possessing the power of the First Emperor could enter.
This sensation permeated throughout the underground ruins.
“This is the gods’… arrangement?”
– Just a prank. Do you think those guys would bother with ‘arrangements’?
Surth shook his head in disbelief.
The gods he had seen during the Mythical Era were neither merciful nor great.
The ‘Lord God’ they called their king was far removed from justice.
As Kariel surveyed the ruins, pondering the past, she suddenly felt a strange energy seeping into her heart.
Thump!
“Now I definitely know.”
Leaving behind the ruins that had collapsed over a long time, Kariel dashed in one direction.
There stood an ancient altar.
Time’s traces were evident throughout, but the altar retained its original form remarkably.
As she approached it, she slowly ascended the stairs.
Thump!
The enormous gem on the altar vibrated as Kariel got closer, creating a strange wave.
One side was surrounded by gray energy, while the other was encased in red, producing a peculiar oscillation that soon transformed into green energy, spreading outward.
– Is it Garum’s Soul Fragment?
Just then, a translucent window appeared before Kariel.
[You have found Garum’s Soul Fragment. You may ask one question as a reward.]
Staring blankly at the translucent window, which instructed her to ask herself anything she was curious about, Kariel pondered deeply.
There were still too many secrets she didn’t know.
But since she could only ask one question, it needed to be well thought out.
“Location of Garum.”
[You can only answer this question after gathering all fragments.]
The translucent window responded, giving Kariel a quest.
[Fully awaken Garum’s Soul Fragment. Then you can completely close the Hell Gates currently formed.
Rewards: 1. Location of the next Soul Fragment 2. Partial powers of Hell]
“What?”
As Kariel, taken aback, repeated the question, the translucent window appeared again.
[※Once all Soul Fragments are collected, you will know the location where Garum’s body rests.]
[※Your ability to close the Hell Gate grows stronger with Hell’s powers. (The more fragments you gather, the stronger the powers become.)]
“Soul Fragment, huh?”
Muttering, Kariel adopted a serious expression.
“Could it be there isn’t just one Hell Gate?”
Kariel pondered intensely, realizing that if the area where Garum’s Soul Fragment exists could turn into a place for Hell Gates to arise, then everywhere the scattered Soul Fragments were located could become potential Hell Gates.
Just then, another translucent window appeared.
[As the first Soul Fragment awakens, other fragments begin to be affected as well.]
As Kariel’s power began to significantly absorb, the giant gem started to tremble.
‘Resonance.’
Having experienced this phenomenon several times before, Kariel knew exactly what was happening.
It was a phenomenon that occurred when resonating with her summoned beings.
The problem was that this resonance didn’t come from her but was likely connecting with the other Soul Fragments, as the translucent window indicated.
Should she stop now?
Contemplating this, Kariel hesitated but ultimately felt she had no choice but to pour in her power.
It was an opportunity to completely close the Hell Gate, and she had to find Garum to stop the Demon King and the Roman Emperor.
Kariel continued to channel her power when the translucent window materialized once more.
[Please ask your question.]
At the window’s prompt, Kariel finally spoke out, having hesitated long enough.
“Objectives of the Demon King and the Roman Emperor.”
After much consideration, Kariel concluded that knowing the goals of her enemies would be paramount.
The Hell Gate could be dealt with once she located Garum.
So, understanding the enemy’s intentions was the best course of action.
[The Demon King aims to resurrect the ancient god, while the Roman Emperor seeks to manifest a portion of Hell on this land to awaken the goddess of death.]
“Resurrect a god?”
Kariel looked at Surth with a puzzled expression.
He shook his head as if he didn’t understand either.
According to his knowledge, gods vanish upon death. But now, that fact seemed poised to be shattered.
“Is that even possible?”
[It is possible if part of the powers that constituted the god meets specific conditions. However, there’s no guarantee that the god will be reborn in the same form as in the past.]
Upon hearing the response, Kariel wore an even more perplexed expression.
Why?
While she could comprehend the resurrection of a past existence, the reasoning behind wanting to resurrect them remained unclear.
“Why? What would be the purpose of resurrecting them?”
Despite Kariel’s inquiry, the translucent window stopped responding.
As if its task was complete, it vanished without a sound, leaving Surth to speak.
– I understand why the Roman Emperor is doing this.
“……Why?”
– Because it happened before.
Surth began recounting some of the events from the past.
Hell during the Mythical Era was not like it is now. It was a resting place where the dead would stay until their essence faded into the great flow, transformed into souls.
That was what Hell was referred to back then.
While it didn’t allow people to exit like a prison, it was described as a palace that provided peace and stability.
Therefore, some individuals believed in Hel, the goddess of Hell, and became warriors who feared not even death.
“Is the Roman Emperor trying to revive that place?”
– It seems so. But whether it will go as he hopes is another question.
Hell has already been fundamentally altered.
Could it revert to its original state just because a goddess was resurrected?
Furthermore, would the resurrected goddess even be the same as the one from the past?
There were no answers.
At least Hel still retained some fragment of her power within Hell.
Then who was the individual the Demon King wished to resurrect?
“What exactly is the Demon King…?”
– There’s one suspect I have.
Upon hearing Kariel’s words, Surth’s expression darkened compared to before.
“Is there another god linked to the afterlife?”
– Not a god of Hell. However, there is a god related to death.
Kariel tilted her head, uncertain as she awaited more details since she was not familiar with the entity.
Then Surth, wearing the most serious expression yet, declared.
– Odin.
“What?”
– The Lord God of the past. He is the god of death, also known by another title, the God of Demons.
Surth’s revelation caused Kariel’s expression to stiffen.
“The Lord God of the Mythical Era… was the God of Demons?”
– Correct.
“But Odin would have completely perished, right?”
– That’s certain. I confirmed that personally. However… if he left behind fragments of his soul within a relic, he may be able to resurrect in some form. But to be reborn as a god… even with Hell’s power, it would require a tremendous cost.
As Kariel listened, memories of her previous life brushed through her mind.
In that life, she had no information about Hell, only focused on blocking threats. Back then, the Demon King was a madman who took delight in slaughtering humans while disregarding the deaths of his subordinates until he was trapped by Glen.
What if that were not the case?
If he had already achieved all his objectives?
The God of Demons would be awakened, and with the Roman Emperor, who dominated the East Continent, Hell would have come forth as well.
“……There was no hope.”
Now, she realized how arrogant her past self had been to be satisfied with merely defending her empire.
Simultaneously, she understood why the gods had reincarnated her.
– Are you okay?
“……Yeah. For now… I’ll put my complicated thoughts aside and focus on closing that damn Hell Gate.”
Responding to Surth’s inquiry, Kariel declared as she began to pour all her strength into Garum’s Soul Fragment.