Read Novel Full Chapter 177: Wake of Diligence (1)
Chapter 177: Wake of Diligence (1)
Five small reconnaissance units had been sent out to look for the Apostle’s corpse.
Or, at the very least, traces of his existence so they may find out what happened to him.
Luke, the leader of one of these groups, an up-and-coming holy knight, whistled as he trudged his way over broken branches and dead leaves.
He was currently leading his group of ten toward the edge of a Terracotta Scar, where the last signal from [Stay Safe] had been received.
Luke was serious and mission-focused, but even he was growing bored with the arduous trek they endured.
There was nothing out this far from the capital save for a few villages.
There was also that cultist village that the Celestian government didn’t even acknowledge in the census, the one they were marching toward...
Kyler, one of two scouts, sighed, then asked:
"Do you think what they say is true?"
Luke looked over his shoulder and replied:
"You mean about the Scar?"
Kyler replied:
"Yeah. Do you believe Goddess Celestia herself cleaved from the heavens and tore the continent asunder?"
Reed, the other scout, chimed in:
"Of course she did, numbnuts!"
Luke smiled at Kyler and said evenly:
"There’s no other explanation..."
Luke wanted to sigh, but kept it in his mind.
’And if someone had one, they’d be tried for heresy...’
He’d grown tired of the endless worship of the gods and goddesses, who did nothing for him in turn.
It wasn’t that he doubted their existence, but it was because he was sure of their existence that the inaction while their world was being bled dry pissed him off to no end...
Fyre, an archer in the group, raised her bow and sent a few arrows off into the darkness.
After her shot flew, the cry of a beast sounded. Then, it started running toward them.
Fyre shot one more arrow, then spoke up:
"I don’t know much about the Dark Forest, but are the beasts usually this strong?"
Fyre could one-shot most Emergent beasts under the class of Monster.
So, for something to survive her shot and then some in an area known to be populated by weak Nascent beasts, it was odd to say the least.
Reed looked around while using his sensing ability, then added:
"You’re right... something is off."
The rest of the scouting party tensed a little, but Luke calmed them down.
"It’s probably nothing. Let’s stay focused on our mission."
Although even as Luke carried on, he couldn’t help but ruminate on that fact...
At a young age, Luke had fled Akkuron. And, in his journey to Celestia, had traveled the Dark Forest.
His experience here was one of the main reasons he was sent out as a scout.
However, back then, he was much weaker than he was currently, yet he survived with ease.
’This place has changed...’
Changes like this didn’t happen randomly.
They all knew it, which is why the idea spooked them.
After all, it suggested a strong force had come into the area and dominated it...
And there were four unaccounted-for Dungeons of Vice.
While it was impossible to confirm if this was truly the result of one of those monsters, Luke began to ruminate.
’Well, it’s not Sloth, I can rule them out.’
’So, is it Gluttony, Lust, or Greed...’
If a Vice was truly to blame for an Apostle’s sudden disappearance, Luke hoped it was Lust...
As Luke thought of the Vice, he looked south toward where his brother, though not by blood, was leading a campaign against Envy.
If they were on schedule...
’The attack should happen in the next few days.’
His brother, the Hero of Virtue, Humility, would be facing a terrifying foe, Envy. The Vice with the highest known potential.
’Good luck, Obeisant.’
A few more minutes passed, and the group’s usual banter continued.
They chatted about theories about the Lost Expanse, who the next Apostle would be, and what Akkuron’s new weapon was.
Among other things.
But eventually, all their small talk was stifled when they neared the forest’s edge and were greeted by...
"A rose field?"
Luke looked forward and saw a plethora of roses littering the ground beneath the dark canopy, blooming despite their lightless situation.
A faint scent lingered in the air...
It wasn’t the sweet fragrance a rose field would typically give off...
Kyler took out his twin daggers and said:
"Blood. Lots."
Reed added:
"But no hostiles nearby."
Luke gulped, but forced himself to remain calm.
For he was the leader, and that was his duty.
Though it was clear that all the factors presented so far were pointing toward a terrible foe in their path.
They could potentially be walking to their deaths, into the maw of the same foe that had killed the Apostle.
Luke swallowed his unease and gave a confident order as he stomped his sabaton into the roses.
"Remain resolute."
Then he began to trudge toward the unknown, the group hesitantly following.
Kyler especially looked as if he wanted to flee, but such a desertion would get him killed...
It was a slow march, one where they expected the unexpected.
Luke prayed to hear a bird’s squawk, but heard nothing.
As usual, the gods ignored him.
They pushed forth, and a smell started to reach Luke’s nose.
It was a smell he remembered all too well from the slums of Akkuron. The smell of a rotting and decaying corpse.
’But why is it so strong?’
Luke gulped as he continued to march over the roses.
Eventually, the edge of the forest came into view.
But each step toward that edge made the smell worsen. And once they reached it...
They saw something that was beyond unexpected.
Something so horrific that it was beyond even the most pessimistic man’s imagination.
They’d found carnage.
"By Celestia..."
"By the thirteen gods!"
A few averted their eyes and vomited.
A few began to step away.
Others quietly cried.
Before them lay dozens of bodies at the forest’s edge.
But that wasn’t all...
Off in the distance, they could see the edge of a village.
There, they spotted a mound of dead bodies stacked atop one another. Many of them were small and feeble.