NOVEL NEXT Chapter 644
Chapter 644: I Believed You Would Come. (1)
It was not merely darkness. The curtain was filled with a constantly writhing and swaying black energy.
As if thousands of souls were entangled, occasionally shapes that resembled faces flickered through that black energy. It felt like I could faintly hear a scream-like sound from someone.
Gahhhh…
The curtain breathed slowly, like a living being. It exuded a powerful吸引力, as if it would suck the very soul of anyone who looked at it.
“What… what is this?”
Jerome’s trembling voice broke the silence. His voice was tinged with a mix of fear and awe.
Others were silent, staring blankly at the curtain.
The energy emanating from the curtain was horrifying. Standing before it, the presence of Morbus we had faced earlier felt like a mere joke.
The gigantic black curtain stretched endlessly. Its overwhelming presence stifled the breath of those who gazed upon it.
The faces of those who had come here with light hearts, expecting only an ancient relic, lost all color.
They had never imagined they would encounter something so sinister and powerful.
Even Ghislaine’s usually confident expression flickered with confusion.
‘What on earth…’
I had never seen a sight like this even in the dreams of the Saint.
To think that a curtain of such massive energy existed at the center of the Forest of Monsters.
Jerome quickly ascended into the air. Now that Morbus had vanished, he could fly freely in the sky.
The view from above was even more shocking.
“Eh? Why does it look like this?”
The enormous black curtain hung like a gigantic dome. It was comparable in size to the capital of a kingdom.
As he flew higher, the curtain’s shape blurred as if it were disappearing into fog.
Amidst the towering trees and darkness of the Forest of Monsters, the black curtain blended seamlessly with its surroundings as if camouflaged.
Jerome muttered, as if speaking to himself.
“They said it was sealed… Is it hiding its form as well?”
When Jerome descended to the ground, he explained what he had seen. Everyone’s expressions turned serious.
When Ereness talked, I had taken her words somewhat lightly. After all, it had happened long ago, and I thought there might be some exaggeration.
But now, it felt like her account had been drastically downplayed.
Jerome swallowed hard and began to speak.
“So… if the myth that Ereness spoke of is true, then there really is a demon’s corpse here…”
Vanessa nodded her head.
“Isn’t this where the Salvation Society draws its source of power?”
“Y-yeah. The Saint has sealed it, so they can’t use its power like before.”
Tension washed over everyone’s faces.
Isn’t it said that even a portion of the demon’s thoughts spread throughout the world could birth powers like Gathros?
Just how powerful were those adversaries from a thousand years ago and the forces of the Salvation Society?
And how strong were the heroes and the Saint, who managed to thwart them?
As these thoughts flashed through my mind, a chill ran down my spine.
Belinda asked with a deeply troubled expression.
“I only knew that the Salvation Society’s goal was to find the adversary… but isn’t breaking this seal also part of their objective?”
Everyone nodded in heavy silence.
The energy emanating from the curtain was suffocating, and if it were to be fully released…
The Forest of Monsters would truly become a demon realm. The forests we had encountered until now would seem merely peaceful hills in comparison.
But that wasn’t all. If the seal were broken, the Salvation Society would gain even greater power.
Even now, it required tremendous sacrifice and time to try and bring down the Salvation Society. If those guys became even stronger… it was terrifying just to imagine.
Parniel gritted her teeth and struck the black curtain.
KA-THWOOOM!
Yet, the curtain showed no signs of change. An enraged Parniel continued to unleash divine power in her attacks.
BANG! BOOM! KA-THWOOOM!
Even against her formidable assaults, the curtain remained unfazed, seemingly mocking her as if saying that such feeble strength wouldn’t break through.
Ghislaine inspected the curtain with a serious expression and then attempted an attack.
KA-THWOOOM!
For a brief moment, the black smoke shook. The curtain didn’t tear or get pierced. After several attempts, the result remained the same.
After deep contemplation, Ghislaine decided to use the force of will and even invoked Dark’s amplification.
KA-THWOOOM!
With all her might directed at the curtain, a tiny gap appeared. But it was quickly filled and disappeared in black energy.
‘It’s hollow.’
In that fleeting moment, everyone peered into the gap, but they saw nothing. Just darkness filled the space.
Others took turns to attack as well. Yulien swung with all her strength, and Jerome and Vanessa poured all their mana into it.
But the black curtain stubbornly endured.
Jerome huffed and puffed, saying, “Should I… try using the forbidden magic?”
In truth, it was just a bluff. I had no actual intention of using it. Using it now would mean death.
Yet unexpectedly, Ghislaine nodded in agreement.
“Why not give it a quick try? That’s said to be contrary to the Salvation Society’s power.”
Belinda also chimed in.
“Surely, if it’s just a bit, it should be fine? If you stop right before dying.”
Vanessa’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. There were many rumors that it was spectacular magic among the mages. As a mage, she wanted to see it for herself.
Parniel, gritting her teeth, said, “Go ahead and try. We need to see what’s inside.”
She seemed quite angry. The possibility that the myth Ereness spoke of was true made her even more unsettled.
The authority of the Church had been built on long-standing faith. It must not be shaken.
Now, Parniel wanted to delve deeper into the past than Ghislaine.
Jerome backed away with a pale face.
“Ah, come on. I was just joking…”
Jerome looked towards Yulien, seeking help. At least she should try to stop him…
Yulien turned her head, pretending she didn’t see. She simply gazed up at the sky in a strikingly cool pose.
Betrayed by everyone, Jerome finally snapped.
“Ah! If I use that, I’m dead! This is too much!”
As Jerome flailed about, everyone wore expressions of regret. The thought of using it just a tad and cancelling it before it became lethal seemed incredibly difficult.
“Haah, this is really frustrating.”
Ghislaine sighed slightly, feeling disappointed.
After coming this far, I had hoped to find a clue, but it seemed we were blocked by this curtain.
At least one thing was certain: there was something truly fearsome inside.
‘Is it indeed the energy of a demon?’
The tale that the source of such immense power had been sealed by the Saint did not seem like mere fantasy.
“Well… it’s not an entirely unreasonable story.”
Ereness must have known that Ghislaine and company wouldn’t be able to breach this overwhelming energy. Perhaps that’s why she hadn’t explained further.
“But still, it is impressive.”
To create such a gigantic curtain from merely remnants of energy. What method could have been used to seal it?
Was it possible because she was the Saint who could use the powers of all the goddesses? Questions spiraled in my mind.
After observing the curtain for a long time, Ghislaine finally sighed.
“Let’s go back.”
It seemed futile to stay here any longer; we wouldn’t uncover anything new.
We would go back, slowly explore the forest, and take our time to research this place.
Belinda asked, looking a bit uneasy, “If there’s truly something bad sealed here… it won’t be released, right?”
“Well, I don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon… but if the adversary were to resurrect, there might be a possibility.”
“Hmmm, we really must find that adversary.”
The Salvation Society had never stated they would break the seal here. But it was already known that they were looking for a king.
According to Ereness, this place was their holy ground. So surely, after finding their king, they would find some way to come here and use this energy.
What had once been thought of as simple myth or conspiracy now became reality.
In the end, the only option was to find and kill the adversary. That alone was the only way to quell the uncertainty.
It was clear that Ereness was hiding something, but her ultimate goal seemed to align with everyone else’s.
People stole glances at Yulien.
‘Well… she doesn’t seem like the adversary.’
‘If she were real, wouldn’t there have been some reaction?’
‘Ereness is also not entirely sure, isn’t she?’
If Yulien were truly the adversary that the Salvation Society was searching for, the black curtain would have shown some reaction upon contact with her.
Regardless, this place was said to be the source of the Salvation Society’s energy.
But when Yulien approached closely and attempted an attack, the black curtain remained entirely unresponsive.
Thus, everyone eased their minds a bit more. No matter how one looked at it, Yulien didn’t seem like the adversary.
“Alright, let’s head back now.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Jerome suggested.
“Let’s just fly. Vanessa and I can carry everyone. It’ll be faster, right?”
We had walked here thinking we might discover something, but there was no need for that on the way back.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Just as Jerome was about to channel his mana, Ghislaine said.
“Wait a minute.”
“Why?”
“I want to take one last look.”
Ghislaine turned back to the curtain. Suddenly, she felt uneasy about heading back. It felt like a thought that she shouldn’t return just yet.
It was an odd feeling. The divine power of the Saint that had settled in her mind seemed to urge her to act this way.
Ghislaine slowly approached the black curtain. Cautiously, she reached out her hand.
As her hand touched the writhing black energy, she felt an unexpected warmth.
She pressed a little harder with her hand. It felt as if it hit a solid wall and wouldn’t go any further.
“Hmm.”
Just as she sighed in disappointment and tried to withdraw her hand.
– Finally, you’ve come this far.
“Eh?”
A strange unfamiliar voice penetrated her consciousness.
‘This is…’
It was divine power. The Saint’s divine power, which had settled in her consciousness, responded.
It was so clear that it felt unreal, like a dream.
Ghislaine focused her mind. She had to confirm whether it was an illusion or not.
– I believed you would definitely come. Because you ‘promised’ us.
‘What? What does that mean?’
There was no doubt. It was the voice of the Saint she had heard in her dreams. But she couldn’t comprehend what it was saying.
She had never promised anyone that she would come here.
She was merely here to satisfy her own curiosity. If anything, her reason was to explore the Forest of Monsters.
Ghislaine concentrated even harder. Perhaps she could unravel the mystery of this curtain.
People looked at Ghislaine, whose face had turned serious.
“Young Master, what is…?”
Belinda’s face turned pale in an instant as she approached anxiously.
“Young Master!”
WHAM!
The black curtain suddenly convulsed. Hundreds of strands of black energy shot up like snakes, instantly enveloping Ghislaine’s body.
It was as if hundreds of black hands had burst forth from inside the curtain.
There was no time for anyone to react.
Those claw-like hands struck Ghislaine like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, they pulled him into the depths of the curtain, swallowing him whole.