The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 691- Capital Of The Ancient Kingdom & Clues About The Seven Gods (3)

This was the heart of the Ancient Kingdom, a place that was the center of politics, culture, military power, and technology. A place with an entire civilization’s worth of history buried beneath it.

Reinhardt slowly surveyed the city.

"Everyone, be extremely careful. There is a high probability the demons have already discovered our position and laid traps to disorient and weaken us."

The knights nodded their heads. No one doubted his words. After all, the deeper they ventured into the Tainted Lands, the clearer it became that the demons were deliberately hiding.

This was unlike them. Their actions suggested that they were either planning something or biding their time.

Given all the unexpected occurrences this past month, it was most likely true.

The heroes gave their instructions.

"Maintain formation at all times."

"Scouting teams move in pairs."

"If any anomaly occurs, report immediately."

The knights quickly got into teams and maintained their formation. Several detection and defensive skills were cast.

On top of that, Reinhardt also summoned Eidolon Seraphi and made each knight hold one of her fragments.

Despite all preparations, Reinhardt still felt uneasy. His Divine Trait, [Celestial Harmony], had been warning him of danger ever since they entered the ruins.

This feeling had become stronger now that they were here in the capital. That said, despite the dangers, they could not retreat. Because Reinhardt could feel it. Deep within this ruined capital lay the answers they had been searching for.

The truth behind the Ancient Era, the Empire, the Seven Gods, and the Organization. Perhaps even the origin of the demons themselves.

Reinhardt slowly looked toward the deepest part of the ruined city.

.

.

Deep within the darkest regions of the Tainted Lands, Astaroth slowly opened his eyes.

Those crimson eyes that held endless malice would give chills to anyone looking directly at them.

Then, as if stirred by his presence, the shadows in the distance trembled. Then one by one, countless pairs of eyes opened throughout the cavern.

The scene was so terrifying that it was utterly nightmarish.

Astaroth rose from his throne and gazed below. A sea of demons stretched as far as the eye could see.

Hundreds of thousands. Perhaps more. Low ranking demons filled the frontlines like an endless tide. Behind them stood middle ranking demons.

Further back, high ranking demons gathered in terrifying numbers. And among them stood figures whose presence alone distorted the surrounding air... Demon Generals.

One after another. Each possessed power capable of threatening kingdoms. The overwhelming army radiated malice powerful enough to suffocate ordinary beings.

Seeing this, Astaroth nodded. A look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Above him, the cocoons hanging on the ceiling had all ruptured, and the beings that came from within were now standing in front of him.

"Good. The preparations are complete."

At that moment, a green light flashed in the darkness, and the figure of Duvessa materialized.

Unlike Astaroth’s overwhelming demonic presence, she appeared calm and elegant, almost regal. Her emerald eyes reflected the sea of demons before settling upon the Eighth Heavenly King.

"The Organization’s preparations have concluded. Victor Voss has completed his transformation. The researchers under him have also accepted the Aether Factor."

Astaroth remained silent.

Duvessa continued, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "That man truly is a genius, isn’t he? To think a human could study our genetic factors to such a degree."

Saying that, she placed her gaze back on Astaroth, a strange light flickering within them. "I’m sure the Greater Ones would love to have him as a subordinate. Speaking of which, will they be making their move?"

The question hung in the darkness. Duvessa’s emerald eyes quietly observed Astaroth, trying to gauge his reaction or determine something from him.

Astaroth shifted his eyes away and glared at Duvessa.

For a brief moment, the atmosphere in the cavern became tense. Two powerful auras clashed, with neither trying to back down.

The atmosphere shuddered, and demonic energy clashed, producing visible black lightning effects.

"Hmph." Astaroth coldly snorted. "Don’t ask questions that you should not know. It’s for your own good."

"Alright... alright. No need to get so defensive." Duvessa dropped the issue. Though suspicions flashed in her eyes, it was for an instant and disappeared quickly before Astaroth could notice.

The latter folded his arms and sat back on his throne. "Just tell me. How useful are those fellows?"

Duvessa answered calmly. "In terms of potential... they are no less than your Demon Generals."

The statement caused Astaroth to frown in astonishment. No less than Demon Generals. Such an evaluation was quite high praise, especially coming from a Heavenly King like Duvessa.

Astaroth sneered. "We shall see."

He shifted his eyes away and placed them on an item in his hand, a globe that showed a world within it. It was surrounded by smoke and periodically changed shape into something else.

"Tell them to prepare. The prey has entered our trap. Inform Beleth as well. There must be no mistakes."

His crimson eyes glowed ominously. The atmosphere instantly became oppressive. The surrounding demonic energy surged violently.

Astaroth slowly spread his arms. Then a cruel smile appeared on his face.

"Let humanity witness it. Let them witness the power of the demons."

ROAAAAAR...

In response, the countless demons beneath him erupted into deafening roars. Their sound shook the cavern and spread through the Tainted Lands like an ominous wave.

Further behind, at the back lines of the sea of demons, colossal shadows stirred. One... three... ten... more and more shadows appeared from the darkness.

Each one was larger than a mountain, and their presence was no weaker than the Nightmare of Baccarat. Perhaps even greater.

When they moved, the entire cavern shuddered. One by one, these ancient horrors that had been slumbering in the Tainted Lands for who knew how long stirred awake.

.

.

Back in the ruined capital, the Dawnbringers advanced deeper into the heart of Elarion.

"Is this the shrine?" Reinhardt questioned.

Before him stood a colossal structure. Even in its ruined state, it radiated an undeniable sense of sanctity and authority.

The shrine was built atop a raised circular foundation, supported by enormous pillars carved from a pale silver stone that had not fully decayed even after thousands of years.

Like a monument refusing to acknowledge the end of its era, the shrine stood defiant, refusing to collapse.

"This isn’t just any ordinary shrine." Erza walked up to him, her expression unusually serious.

Vanessa, beside him nodded. "I feel a strange connection. It feels familiar."

"Now that you said it, I feel the same." Brutus and the other heroes also frowned. "Something important was definitely stored here."

At this moment, a knight rushed forward and reported the findings.

"Report. Our team has been investigating the structure. So far, we know that the monument is made of some reinforced mineral composite. The material density far exceeds anything we have ever seen"...

"Although we don’t know what’s inside, from the make of the building, we are assuming that it’s a shrine. Additionally, we have also confirmed that the main entrance is sealed. There is some kind of mechanism involved. Our team is currently attempting to decipher it."

The knight pointed to the massive doors at the center of the shrine. It was so big that even giants could enter it easily. What’s more, the door was made entirely out of gold.

"Did you try brute-forcing the door open?" Sigurd questioned.

The knight hurriedly shook his head.

"The structure of the shrine is made in such a way that if the gate is forced open, the entire thing might collapse. Since there could be important items and information inside, we are currently trying to decipher the mechanism."

Reinhardt and the others stopped before the gate. The knights made a path for them.

"I see, a lock huh."

"It’s not an ordinary one." Erza placed her hand on the door.

The next instant, mana flowed across the surface of the gate, and glowing lines appeared on the golden door. They arranged and rearranged themselves, seemingly trying to form a pattern.

Seeing this, everyone’s eyes sharpened.

"It’s reacting to mana," Vanessa muttered.

"It doesn’t seem to be a seal," Brutus frowned.

The other heroes and knights tried their own way of opening the lock.

Looking at the glowing symbols and the interlocking patterns forming a complex structure, Reinhardt activated his [Eyes of Divine Clarity]. Instantly, all mystery was solved before him.

"I see, so this is a puzzle."

"A puzzle?!" Erza and the others looked at him.

Reinhardt nodded. "It’s a rotating alignment system. It requires multiple sequences to align together. When one layer is aligned, the next shifts. If you force it incorrectly, it resets everything."

Reinhardt’s words made them realize that they had been triggering a reset loop. Randomly imbuing their mana into the door would not solve the puzzle.

"Then let’s observe it carefully first."

The heroes gathered around the gate, studying the shifting structure.

Meanwhile, Reinhardt looked at the door and began solving the puzzle.