Read Novel Full Chapter 587- Demonic City (2)
Chapter 587: Chapter 587- Demonic City (2)
As he touched the dark ash like substance, he realized what it was. His expression darkened.
This thick tar like substance was none other than demonic corruption.
When demonic energy in the surroundings reaches a certain level, it is able to tamper with the natural laws.
What they saw here in this village was mid to late level contamination.
Demonic energy powerful enough to eat away at the land and all life.
This realization must have also struck the other knights as they exchanged a grim look.
"Commander..." Bob spoke but stopped midway.
There was no need to; they all knew what they must do.
The Holy Knights unsheathed their swords, each using skills to purify the corruption that had spread with them and their comrades.
With this level of contamination, even the knights had to take measures.
While the Holy Knights like Bob, Marcus, and Delicia instructed the order, Reinhardt walked around the town.
The place in front of him lay in ruins. Buildings collapsed into rubble, entire districts destroyed or buried. Overturned wagons, shops with their wares sprawled around the ground littered the road.
But the most disturbing thing was the corruption.
Reinhardt could see it through his [Eyes of Divine Clarity].
Below the ground, black veins spread across the earth like a disease, creeping through the soil and corrupting the mana veins.
Once the mana veins were corrupted, life would cease from this land. Rivers would turn pitch black, and all the flora and fauna would die.
Before long, this place would be no different than Tainted Lands.
"What happened here? Where are all the... townspeople?"
The new members of the order looked around in confusion.
But neither the knights nor Reinhardt said anything.
The same question gnawed at all their minds.
Given the conditions of the town, they could all tell that it had been attacked. However, why was there no one here, not even a single corpse?
Reinhardt ordered the order to mount their horses and continued charging deeper into the Kingdom of Lunaris.
Now this was no longer just about the High Elf. Whatever occurred in Lunaris, he needed to investigate it thoroughly.
A demonic outbreak of this scale.
He always had a feeling that Lunaris was going down a dark path with their policies and laws that were biased against demi humans and exploited the weak.
Demons loved negative energy, and what Lunaris was doing, their Hollow Earth was in line and taste with the demons.
He believed that if there was any kingdom out of the Seven most vulnerable to fall at the hands of the demons, it was Lunaris.
And today, he could see that his prediction had come true.
If Lunaris was really attacked by the Forces of Darkness, and judging by the state of things, it appeared that they were too late.
Reinhardt slowly lifted his gaze toward the distant capital city of Lunaris.
Even from miles away, his Divine Trait [Celestial Harmony], which makes him highly sensitive to mana, was triggering warnings to him.
"Mount your horses," Reinhardt ordered.
His calm voice in this dire moment was like a beacon of light, guiding and purging all their anxiousness. The knights of the Temple of Light followed his commands without any hesitation.
"Move out!"
Reinhardt climbed back onto his horse, gripping the reins tightly as his eyes burned with resolve.
Whatever transpired in this kingdom, he needed to get to the bottom of it. And if the High Elf Priestess was still somewhere in Lunaris, he needed to find her.
The thunderous sound of hooves could be heard as the knights of the Temple of Light marched ahead, straight towards the heart of the calamity.
The deeper Reinhardt and his order advanced into Lunaris, the heavier the world seemed to become.
Towns, cities, and villages, they had all transformed into ghost towns. Not a single soul remained, only absolute silence.
As for the spreading corruption, the concentration became denser the deeper into the kingdom they headed.
The density was not any weaker than the Tainted Lands.
By now, the Holy Knights and the high-ranking knights had to periodically cast [Purify] and [Holy Light] to purge the demonic energy latching onto them.
Bob and the others’ expressions became increasingly solemn.
No one spoke unless necessary.
Even the horses snorted uneasily, sensing the danger lingering in the air.
Before long, they drew closer to the capital of Lunaris.
And by the time the city finally came into view... everyone stopped.
"What is that?"
There was no other way to say what was in front of them.
The beautiful capital of Lunaris, an architectural marvel of ancient knowledge and abundance.
The city which was once known as the entertainment capital of the world, now lay in ruins.
The towering walls still stood, though many sections had been blasted apart. Buildings turned into rubble, and streets cluttered with empty wagons and shops.
Although the scene was unusual, none of it drew their attention.
Their focus was on the thing covering the city.
A colossal dome of darkness encased the entire capital like a monstrous egg.
It shimmered faintly with dark unsettling colors, and veins pulsed around its edges as if the entire thing was alive.
The solid substance covering the city like a bubble was none other than condensed demonic energy so dense that the air around it visibly warped.
From within the dome, an oppressive pressure poured outward in endless waves.
The new recruits instinctively stepped back.
Reinhardt couldn’t blame them; after all, the demonic energy here was overwhelming, thick, suffocating, and ancient.
It gave one the illusion of staring into an abyss nest.
While others looked at the scene before them with grim expressions, Reinhardt activated the [Eyes of Divine Clarity] and studied the thing in front of them.
And the information he received made his brows twitch.
This thing before them that gave them the illusion of staring into an abyss nest turned out to be an actual Abyss Nest, though in its embryonic form.
Something that you could only see deep inside the Tainted Lands.
From Reinhardt’s memories, he recalled the events and images of what transpired when humanity launched their assault to reclaim the Tainted Lands.
The events that were now known as Bloody Rain where seventy percent of the entire expedition force that was made up of knights from all across the Seven Kingdoms and smaller nations were wiped out.
The remaining thirty percent either were left with deep traumas or became influential figures of the current era like Reinhardt.
In any case, from those memories, the current Reinhardt recalled witnessing the thing that birthed the demons.
The colossal Abyss Nest bigger than cities themselves.
When those things moved, it reaped life like grass.
Don’t assume that Abyss Nest was only capable of spawning monsters. No, that thing was very much alive and mobile.
A fully mature Abyss Nest was even comparable to Heavenly Kings in terms of strength and defense.
In that expedition, the allied force was surrounded by tens of those things and were culled down like helpless lambs.
The thing had left a deep impression on him, which was why the current Reinhardt could swiftly recall what the thing in front of them was.
Seeing an Abyss Nest being born in front of him made Reinhardt’s hair stand on end.
"If this continues spreading, it will swallow the entire region."
"Commander, what is that thing?"
He was just about to answer their question when suddenly his eyes narrowed, and he turned his head to look somewhere.
He had noticed something.
They were not alone.
In the distant plains, he spotted some movements.
Looking closely, he noticed the presence of a large group of people, people that were not native to this kingdom.
However, they were not demons either. From the banner they carried and their armor, it was obvious that they were knights.
It looks like other kingdoms also sent their knight orders to investigate Lunaris’ unusual movement.
Well, it was obvious, given this kingdom’s status. The sudden isolation was bound to draw attention.
"Let’s go." Reinhardt ordered, leading his knights towards the other group.
As the Temple of Light approached closer, the other knight order also sensed them.
Although they were alert, they were not too surprised.
"Commander, they seem to be from the Order of the Crimson Knights."
Bob spoke from his side.
While it was only natural to be cautious of another knight order, one that belonged to a different country, the situation was different now.
As knights protecting the realm and fighting the demons, it made them allies.
However, Bob knew more than that, especially the strange connection their Commander had with the Commander of the Crimson Knights.
Had it been any other knight order from Nocturnium, Bob wouldn’t have said anything.
However, the one before them was the Crimson Knight Order led by the famous Crimson Knight.
What’s more, based on previous incidents, the two commanders had a record of fighting each other at first sight whenever they met.