Chapter 237

(2)

4.

“First, please take this.”

“What’s this? A talisman?”

“Yes, it’s called the Communication Talisman.”

Noa had just created this talisman.

She made it anticipating a future battle with Astevan.

“If by any chance you get swept into the Maze, inject magic power into this. Then we can communicate.”

It would be better not to fall in the first place, but no one knows what the future holds.

So it’s smart to have insurance for the unforeseen. Noa created the Communication Talisman with this reasoning.

“You’re telling me a piece of paper has that kind of power?”

“Whoa, that’s some mystical ability.”

Sven and Kadel, who received the talisman, looked intrigued. Meanwhile, the rest of the group didn’t seem particularly surprised.

After all, Noa had occasionally pulled out such fascinating items before.

“Then let’s move on to the Lord of the Abyss, Astevan.”

Astevan is the king of the Immortals.

A master of necromancy and curses, standing at the pinnacle of all undead monsters. Moreover, he boasts the highest rank among lords.

As soon as Noa finished her explanation, Kadel’s face went stiff as stone.

“A creature of such caliber must be dealt with, even without a prophecy.”

That was a perfectly reasonable reaction.

The Holy Nation publicly declares that creatures like the undead are its worst enemies.

Especially one standing at the pinnacle.

This is an archenemy that must be eradicated immediately.

“So, to summarize, that means he’s the king of the undead, right? Then isn’t he someone we can handle with Divine Power?”

As soon as Kadel muttered that, Ivella asked a question. Noa pondered briefly before shaking her head.

“Well, yes, but it’s a bit different.”

“How different?”

“First off, he’s ridiculously strong.”

Astevan is rank 1 among lords.

To prove this fact, he has almost perfect resistance to magic.

What’s more, he possesses a body that doesn’t take a scratch from a sword without an aura being wrapped around it.

“W-What? He’s a total monster!”

“No wonder he’s ranked 1 among lords.”

Following Ivella’s reaction, Delia also wore a tense expression, all because of the talk of strong magic resistance.

Then Ulan asked another question.

“Are there any other points to be careful about?”

“Of course. As you’ve seen several times, you need to be wary of the Curse of Immortality as well.”

The curse activates automatically when injured by Astevan or those under him.

If you don’t take action and leave it be, you’ll be consumed by the curse and turn into an undead. So you need to purify the curse before that happens.

“But you don’t need to worry too much. We have Laurea with us.”

After calming the anxious expressions of some of the group, Noa continued to speak.

“Finally, I’ve divided our group into three for the battle with Astevan.”

Here are the groupings:

[Group 1]: Ulan, Noa, Laurea

[Group 2]: Kadel, Sven, Fertisha

[Group 3]: Ian, Ivella, Delia

The reason for establishing these groups was simple.

To clearly define each person’s role and ensure smooth command.

“Especially since Astevan can interfere not only with the Master’s Domain, but also with the Transcendent Domain used by Ulan.”

I know this well from several battles in the original story. That’s why it’s essential to have a Master in each group.

Originally, we were meant to have two groups, but thanks to Ian gaining enlightenment and becoming a Master, we could make three groups.

“But, there’s something I don’t understand.”

“Is there a particular reason Ulan and Laurea are in the same group?”

Just then, Delia and Ivella raised their objections with a question. Their gaze was filled with a kind of cautious suspicion.

‘Of course that makes sense.’

To those two girls, Laurea was practically a rival. Plus, I heard there were situations in the Maze of Devouring that stirred jealousy.

However, this time was for a special reason.

So Noa nodded.

“Yeah, because to completely eradicate Astevan, the divine power of the Star is necessary.”

The divine power of the Star.

As soon as that phrase slipped out, Kadel and Ian’s expressions hardened. Moments later, Kadel shot back with fierce momentum.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Oh, that’s….”

I almost blurted that I played as Laurea many times.

But that couldn’t be the answer, so I was brainstorming what to say when suddenly.

“I told him.”

Laurea interjected.

Of course it was a lie. Meanwhile, Ian and Kadel, who were oblivious to this, asked in surprise.

“Huh? The Saintess did?”

“But information about the divine power of the Star is a top secret. It’s not something to be casually divulged….”

“Noa is the Hero of the Star. So I thought it was right for him to know.”

Laurea cut off Kadel’s words.

Then, with a bright smile, she added more to make sure no other words would come out.

“And in any case, we’ve decided to clarify all questions after the battle, so could you let this slide for now, even if you’re curious?”

“……Phew, fine. If the Saintess says so, I’ll let it go.”

What mattered right now was the battle ahead.

Kadel obediently accepted Laurea’s words, and Ian sealed his lips as well.

After all their questions were resolved.

“That’s all I have to say. I’ll give instructions via the Communication Talisman based on the situation.”

“Agreed. Then let’s move.”

Once the discussion was over, the group stood up.

They were heading towards the Eastern Jungle, where Astevan’s traces had been found.

5.

The center of the Eastern Jungle.

Ulan and the group arrived at their destination, leaving a forest turned to ash behind them. After a moment, they were left speechless by the scene before them.

“This place is….”

Ground completely devoid of trees, not even a blade of grass.

It was literally a desolate ruin.

Ulan turned to Delia, realizing it looked just like the path they had traversed.

“Was this place also within the bombing range?”

“No, this wasn’t.”

Delia shook her head.

Her duty was to carve a path to their destination, not to obliterate the jungle’s center.

So what the heck happened here?

As Ulan and the rest of the group fell into confusion, Fertisha’s voice came through.

“Oh! There’s a building over there!”

“A building?”

“Yes, the spirits told me.”

Fertisha pointed over the hill.

Since it didn’t look like a place where a building would be, the group approached with skepticism. And soon, it was confirmed to be true.

“It’s… really there?”

“Why is there a building in a place like this…?”

Just after crossing over the hill, buildings came into view that seemed to have endured countless ages.

There were quite a number of them.

Just counting the buildings that were immediately visible, their scale was comparable to that of a considerable city.

Ivella muttered curiously.

“Could it be that there was a nation here long ago?”

If it can boast this scale after so many years of weathering, then it surely must have been much grander when the buildings were intact.

There was even a thought that there might have been some unknown ancient civilization. However, Delia and Laurea thought otherwise.

“At least as far as I know, there wasn’t.”

“I think the same. If there had been a kingdom, there would’ve been records in the history books.”

From the start, the Eastern Jungle was a habitat of monsters.

There are no records of humans living here. So Ivella’s speculation didn’t make sense.

Noa nodded in agreement.

On the other hand, Ivella thought differently.

“Then if it’s not a country established by humans?”

“What do you mean?”

“Looking at it, it seems to be quite old. So could it be that fairies or other non-human races established this country?”

“That’s….”

It’s not impossible to consider.

Just a hundred years ago, the Eastern Jungle was an unknown area that didn’t permit human access. Delia nodded.

“Indeed, you have a point.”

“That’s right. Also, the buildings have a strangely unfamiliar appearance.”

Laurea too began to change her thinking.

The architectural style was something not commonly seen in empires, holy nations, or kingdom alliances.

As they were expressing their thoughts back and forth, Kadel, who had been scanning the surroundings for a while, suddenly narrowed his eyes and nodded.

“I see. That’s why it felt familiar….”

His tone suggested he figured out the identity of the architecture. Laurea asked with curiosity.

“Do you know something?”

“Yes, the architecture here is very similar to that of the Desert Order.”

“The Desert Order….”

“You’re talking about the cultists from the south?”

“That’s correct.”

Kadel nodded.

Before becoming the Paladin Master, he had been involved in various missions as a knight of Eloden. Suppressing the cultists in the desert was one of those missions.

“There have been a few operations to raid the Desert Order, and the buildings I saw back then had a similar appearance.”

So he was sure he remembered these details and ended his explanation. However, the group’s questions remained unanswered.

“But it would take more than a week by horse to reach the desert from here.”

“Besides, the cultists have never left the desert, right? So how could they have built a structure this scale here?”

As Ivella and Laurea countered one after the other, Kadel gave an awkward smile in response.

“I don’t know the exact details either. All I know is that these buildings look quite similar to those of the Desert Order.”

After he finished answering, the group resumed their conversation about the identity of these buildings, hoping to resolve their lingering questions.

But the conversation didn’t last long.

“Ulan.”

It was the Spirit of the Abyss that suddenly emerged through Fertisha’s shadow, appearing with a somewhat tense expression to give a warning.

“I feel the Power of the Abyss.”

“Where from?”

“From beneath the ground. Be careful!”

As soon as that short warning finished.

Countless hands erupted from the dry ground of the ruins. Hands of the fallen, composed of rotten flesh and bones.

[Graaah!]

A horrifying roar shook the area.

In an instant, hundreds of undead revealed themselves. But there was no need to fret.

Because Laurea was there.

“Divine Being.”

With a brief prayer, pure white starlight enveloped the area. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of undead vanished from existence.

Woosh!

They scattered like dust.

This was the holy spell of purification activated through the Saintess’s prayer. Ordinary undead wouldn’t stand a chance.

“There’s no need to waste energy fighting these minions.”

After finishing her prayer, Laurea smiled.

A response that provided heartwarming reassurance to anyone who heard it. Ulan’s group also smiled quietly. However, not everyone was smiling among the group.

“…It’s not over yet.”

It was the Spirit of the Abyss.

With a noticeably serious expression unlike usual, Ulan immediately asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The power of the Abyss surging from below is still very much alive. So don’t let your guard down.”

But haven’t we eliminated all the undead?

Does that mean there’s something more down there?

Just at that moment, a sudden change occurred.

Rumble!

With a loud roar, the ground shook.

Caught unprepared, the group staggered. As the ground cracked beneath them, they began to sink.

“Everyone, come over here!”

Delia quickly recognized the gravity of the situation and set up a protective spell against potential impacts.

After a while.

Beyond the violently cracked ground, an incredible sight unfolded. It was a swamp of unfathomable corpses.

[Graaah!]

[Grruh! Graaah!]

Thousands, tens of thousands of undead.

A number several times greater than all the undead they had faced until now combined. Meanwhile, a hole appeared in the middle of the swamp of the undead.

A cave-like entrance.

“That… that’s…!”

Noa’s eyes widened.

Because she knew what that was.

‘Astevan’s Magic Palace!’

At first glance, it might seem similar to a maze, but in reality, it was completely different. A Magic Palace is closer to a castle than a maze.

The royal castle inhabited by the Lord of the Immortals.

In other words, a kind of boss stage.

‘The only similarity to a maze is…’

The unstable flow of magic within the palace often causes spatial distortions.

In other words, if they just rashly enter without a plan, there’s a high chance they’ll end up scattered like the last time in the Maze of Devouring.

So Noa shouted in haste.

“Everyone, step back!”

She deemed it wiser to form a strategy before acting rashly.

However, her call came a moment too late.

Because the moment Noa became aware of the palace’s existence, someone dashed in ahead of everyone else.

“…Huh?”

A warrior clad in Magic Armor.

It was Ulan.

Without hesitation, he drove his axe into the ground and charged through the swamp of undead. It was clear he was heading straight for the palace.

“W-Wait a second…!”

For a moment stunned, Noa quickly grasped the situation and stretched out her hand. But Ulan wasn’t the only one to charge.

“For the glory of the Saintess!”

Kadel swung his sword of light and took off running.

Seeing this, the other members of the group began to rush toward the palace as well. The reckless charge left Noa dumbfounded.

“What was the point of entrusting me with leadership if you’re just going to charge like this?!”

But the response was silence.

The members were already headed toward the Magic Palace.

In disbelief at the situation, Noa trembled.

But with no options left, she immediately dashed to follow the group.

To the Magic Palace where Astevan resides.

To the castle swarming with undead.

54. Lord of the Immortals