Read Novel Full Chapter 586- Demonic City
Chapter 586: Chapter 586- Demonic City
"Someone who is regarded by Duvessa the Lord of Graves as dangerous, who is this man?"
Astaroth asked, intrigued.
"A knight of Solaris. A hero named Reinhardt Arcknight. He wields the abominable holy energy and is said to be the wielder of the class Divine Paladin."
Like the expression ’once bitten twice shy,’ Duvessa had done her investigation on this man and raised his ranking in her list of most dangerous humans.
"Holy energy, huh. It’s the abominable power of that... goddess. Very well, I shall investigate this man myself."
Astaroth’s mood soured. He then quickly changed the topic.
"Where are your forces? Why did you come alone?"
"Lord Astaroth, our armies are still in the Tainted Lands. We didn’t bring them as it would alert the Seven Kingdoms and the surrounding nations."
The one to answer was the huge Beleth. As a demon who had newly risen to the ranks, he had yet to stabilize his powers and knew his standing.
Astaroth dismissed it; he didn’t need the aid of their armies anyway. His forces, along with the tens of thousands of demons sealed here were enough.
Still, although he understood why the Eleventh and Twelfth Heavenly Kings didn’t show up as they were already dead.
But what about the Seventh?
Ever the crafty one, Duvessa understood what he was thinking about with a glance and spoke.
"It appears those winged lizards are proving more difficult opponents. The Seventh Heavenly King was recalled to support the main army of the Forces of Darkness."
While Beleth stood there puzzled, Astaroth and Duvessa exchanged a knowing glance.
As demons who had survived for hundreds of years, they knew certain secrets that the newborn demons didn’t.
"I see, in that case, it is up to us to destroy the resistance of the surviving humans and conquer Valdonia."
The three Heavenly Kings showed a mutual understanding.
"Destroying the kingdom above will collapse the balance of the current era. After that, we just need to leverage their weakness to topple one after another. However, the current generation of heroes might prove difficult to handle with just the three of us"...
"Which is why I propose placing our attention on a certain organization first. They are a rather interesting bucch of people."
Duvessa spoke, a smirk tugging on her lips.
"Interesting? How so?"
"As it turns out, the subject they are researching..."
.
Somewhere in Level One of Hollow Earth.
Quietly lying down in her bed was a woman with platinum-gold hair, pointed ears, and a graceful face.
She had a tall figure and ample curves. Coupled with her inherent noble aura, she was a beauty through and through.
The elf woman stared at the ceiling in a daze. Having lived a checkered life, if there was any other person in her shoes, they would have all lost their spirit.
However, even after suffering so much misfortune in her life, she did not give up. Although dazed, there was a spark in her eyes that refused to die down.
"The blood inside you is far too noble. You may not realize it now, but one day you will. Our ancestors, our land, and the blood flowing within you. You must not let humans taint it, for you are the last member of the royal family of Elfenheim."
The words her mother spoke that day, as blood dripped from her body were still clear in her memories. Even if not for herself, she had to keep living, enduring until she escaped this hellhole.
That’s right, even at this point, she was still thinking about escaping.
"I wonder how Lirae is doing?"
The shy little elf girl who had one day wandered into their forest and became a little sister-like existence for her.
She wondered how she was faring.
Was she able to escape those soldiers?
If she did, where was she now?
Was she living well?
It had been a year, and unease gnawed at her.
"I will escape from this place and find you."
Her dazed eyes focused in resolve.
She didn’t know what was going on, but there was unusual movement from the guards for the past few days.
The security around the place had laxed considerably.
This was a chance.
By now, she already knew the layout of Level One and the exit the guards used to get in and out of this place.
With others like-minded prisoners here, there was a decent possibility of them escaping.
With such hopes, the High Elf looked forward to the upcoming days, unaware of how the threads of fate would unfold.
.
.
The wind howled like a wounded beast across the plains. At the head of the galloping column rode Reinhardt.
His white cloak carrying the insignia of Temple of Light, fluttered violently behind him.
Around him, the knights of the order rode in tight formation, their horses breathing fiercely as they marched forward with relentless speed.
They had been riding like this for days. There were no pauses in between. No rest beyond what was absolutely necessary.
The situation was urgent.
On the day of the Summit when the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms and smaller nations gathered around a table to discuss the affairs of the world, unsettling news had arrived on their doorstep like a bolt from the blue.
All contact with the Kingdom of Lunaris had been severed. Messengers sent to the kingdom never returned. Mana communication arrays failed, and even merchant caravans had vanished.
It was as if an invisible curtain had descended over the entire kingdom, cutting it off from the rest of the world.
Why would Lunaris isolate itself from the rest of the world?
At first, it seemed like a refusal to attend the summit. But the longer the reports continued, the clearer the truth became.
Something had happened in Lunaris. Something huge to affect the entire country.
Reinhardt was no longer able to sit still. He was pinning his hopes on diplomacy, winning Cecilia through legal means.
However, when the news reached the summit, a sense of foreboding hit him. He was no longer willing to pin the hopes of success and failure of his plans on fate alone.
Cecilia, the High Elf Priestess whom he was searching for, was in the Kingdom of Lunaris. If something had truly gone wrong there, then he needed to get to her before anything else.
Since diplomacy failed, he could only rely on his strength now even if it meant storming into the kingdom.
The Queen understood his intention with just a glance in his eyes. However, she did not stop him. On the contrary, she aided him in every way she could.
She granted him the authority and mission to investigate Lunaris and learn why it closed its borders.
Reinhardt accepted the mission without hesitation and left on that very day.
Now, days later, they were already approaching closer to Lunaris.
The geography around them had changed, and along with that, the ominous feeling in his heart also intensified.
He could see dark clouds looming ahead, seemingly covering the entire horizon. Even the sunlight was unable to penetrate through the layers of churning dark clouds.
Furthermore, the closer they got, the heavier the atmosphere became.
Once they approached the borders of the kingdom, all conversation among the knights ceased.
Even the ones who loved to chatter zipped their mouths and observed their surroundings with a grim expression.
Reinhardt did not say anything and continued to ride ahead.
By now, the world around them had become dark. The air became viscous, suffocating to even breathe, and carried a faint metallic scent.
Scent that was much too familiar to knights, the scent of blood.
Above, the clouds twisted and churned unnaturally, raining down flakes of ash-gray corruption.
This scene, this change, it was too familiar to him.
Reinhardt slowed his horse.
Behind him, the knights gradually halted as well.
They had reached their destination.
Before them stood the Kingdom of Lunaris, or rather what remained of it.
Silence descended over the order, no one said a word. They could only open and close their mouths in a daze.
The Holy Knights and the high ranking knights were used to such a scene. However, for the new knights, squires, and recruits, the scene was too horrifying for them.
On their way over, they had passed by a destroyed fortress manned by no one. There were no soldiers, no patrols or guards on the watchtower. It was as if the entire station had been abandoned.
And now when they reached a town, the entire place was similarly empty.
They could see no one on the streets or inside the buildings. The place was lit by lamps, but there was no movement, only the chilling winds stirred, almost as if the entire place was a ghost town.
As Reinhardt and the Order of the Temple of Light trudged ahead, they investigated the place.
Burn marks scorched the ground in chaotic patterns. But it wasn’t fire.
Reinhardt dismounted from his horse and crouched down to touch the ground.