I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 659

Ian pulled on the reins. Moro twisted and slid to a stop.

Rumble...

They had stopped right before a stretch of ground littered with corpses. As Moro casually slipped a stray chunk of flesh into its mouth, Selim slowed as well and came to a stop behind them.

"Sir Ian, is this—" Lucia, who had already been staring at the scene ahead, looked at Ian. She pushed her mask up onto her head.

With his gaze sunken, Ian scanned the area and said, "Your guess is probably right, Lucy."

"The fluids are completely frozen. The corpses, too," Mev added, lifting her visor. She realized that the monsters in this area had been dead for quite some time.

Nodding, Ian stared into the darkness beyond, then glanced toward Moro’s head. "And it doesn't look like only monsters died here."

When he flicked the reins, Moro chewed once and broke into a light run. Though exchanging a puzzled look with Lucia, Mev tugged Selim’s reins and followed Ian.

It took only a few minutes for Lucia and Mev’s eyes to widen. Among the monster corpses strewn densely along the left, the outline of a massive ruin came into view.

"Did they kill a demon?"

"Probably," Ian answered as he pulled on the reins.

With his third eye open, he could see the traces of chaos still lingering in the area. He had followed the particularly large, vivid flicker of light.

"So the subjugation squad won!" Lucia exclaimed, then blinked. "But... what kind of battle leaves marks like that?"

The demon had been hacked up beyond recognition. Even so, the gaping hole blasted straight through its center was impossible to miss. It looked as though something had pierced it and exploded.

"It’s probably Miguel," Mev answered.

Receiving Lucia's gaze, she added, "Miguel did that. The barbarian warriors probably finished it."

"My goodness... The spell the Platinum Dragon engraved really is powerful enough to do that to a demon." Lucia finally let out a breath of admiration, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"Yet the demonic realm hasn’t collapsed, even with this thing dead," said Ian.

Far from smiling, he had slightly furrowed his brow as he glared into the darkness beyond. As Lucia and Mev looked at him, he shifted his gaze to the right.

"The source is that way, but the trail of corpses leads this way."

As Mev’s eyes narrowed, Lucia said, "Maybe they didn’t know the exact location of the source. Not everyone can sense the source of a demonic realm. Besides, plenty of monsters that fled the realm we destroyed must have flowed in here."

"So they took the wrong path," Mev muttered, her gaze turning to the darkness Ian was staring at. "The demonic realms are connected here. If they headed toward the boundary of another realm—"

"They’ll be fighting nonstop, without a chance to rest." The smile vanished from Lucia's face. She looked at Mev and Ian. "I don't feel the sacred fire yet... but I have a bad feeling."

"Then we'd better hurry." As soon as Ian said it, he snapped the reins. Moro surged forward as if it had been waiting for the command.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

As Selim followed behind, Ian looked past the ridge that was submerged in darkness. There was still no sign of the subjugation squad.

***

The sacred fire soaring above the brazier flickered, illuminating the surroundings. Nila, the holy beast blessed by Lu Entre, pulled the carriage carrying the brazier and moved forward.

Step— Step—

Around fifty elite barbarian warriors moved in two groups, surrounding the carriage as they advanced. Gripping weapons that scattered sparks, their gazes never left the darkness pressing in from all sides. And of course, they were not simply walking.

Screech! Screech!

Monsters charged in from every direction, bursting through the surging darkness—creatures of the void, warped beasts, and even the undead.

Screech—

Creatures that would never normally move as a pack were attacking together. Even as sacred flames scorched their flesh and sent them writhing in agony, they lunged forward with savage ferocity.

Crunch! Crack!

Though surrounded, the barbarian warriors neither feared nor retreated. They let out no shouts or battle cries, simply swinging their sparking weapons to meet the enemy. All the while, they made sure not to stray beyond the reach of the sacred fire’s light or let their formation break.

"Shit." However, Miguel, standing in the driver’s seat, wasn't looking at them. He was scanning the air, gripping the pulley of the repeating crossbow attached to his prosthetic hand.

Swoosh—

The monsters targeting them weren't just on the ground. As a pale shadow approached through the darkness, Miguel raised his prosthetic hand high.

Fwoosh!

Before he could fire, the surging holy flames burst forth instead. The ember priest standing to the left of the brazier had stretched out his hand. The flame swept away the gray harpy that was rushing in like an arrow.

Scree—

Now a writhing mass of flame, the harpy shrieked as it hurled away, briefly lighting up the darkness below. For an instant, the endless tide of monsters crawling forward was laid bare—only to be swallowed once more by shadow.

"Dammit.. Lu Entre..." Miguel muttered another low curse as he took in the sight. It was not simply because they were advancing while surrounded by hundreds of monsters. The greater problem was that they had lost their way.

I thought it was strange that there seemed to be more and more monsters...

Monsters born of a demonic realm usually guarded the source by instinct. The same was true of their leader. That was why, after forcing their way through the hordes and even killing the demon that appeared afterward, Miguel had been certain the source was nearby.

Screech—

Yet no matter how many monsters they cut down, the core of the demonic realm refused to show itself. Even its distinctive, ominous presence could still not be felt anywhere.

Was that demon bastard just patrolling its territory? Why the hell? Fuck...

Though the unanswered questions gnawed at him, Miguel gave no sign of it. Instead, he gave a small nod as his eyes met those of Askel, the centurion leading the vanguard.

There was no point in dwelling on it. They had no choice but to continue fighting and circling slowly until they found the source.

Askel returned the nod and slipped back among the warriors. By now, they all had to know they had lost their way.

Crunch! Crack!

Yet there was no sign of panic. They moved forward in silence, methodically cutting down the monsters that rushed at them. Each of them was a seasoned fighter, and with the blessing of the sacred fire upon them, they could keep this up for days on end.

More importantly, the leader of these creatures was already dead.

If we can just find the source before everyone collapses from exhaustion—

Miguel, who had been scanning the darkness, suddenly froze. From beyond the surging shadows, an unsettling purple light spread.

A demon?

Miguel's eyes widened to the tearing point at the massive silhouette revealed within. Only then did he realize they had stepped into another demonic realm—and worse, that the ruler of this region had been roaming its domain.

That was as far as the thought went.

"Everyone, be careful! A demon is—"

"--------!"

Before Miguel could finish shouting, a monstrous roar erupted, as though it were tearing the darkness itself apart. It was a bellow steeped in chaos, like countless beasts howling all at once.

"Urk?"

"Ugh—"

The sacred fire wavered, and the movements of the fighting barbarian warriors stiffened for a moment.

Crash! Smash!

Seizing that brief opening, several monsters lunged at the warriors.

"Kill them—"

"Move!"

Startled back to their senses, the warriors reacted on instinct. They hacked the monsters apart in an instant, then dragged their wounded comrades back toward the rear.

"Damn it... this is embarrassing..."

"I can still fight. This is nothing."

The injured warriors grumbled as they were hauled away. Contrary to their words, some had chunks torn from their necks, while others clutched abdomens ripped open through armor.

"My goodness!"

Priests moving alongside the carriage rushed forward at once. They pressed their hands to the wounds and recited prayers.

Sizzle—

Heat spread from the priests' hands, and the wounds closed as if cauterized. The warriors' faces twisted in terrible pain.

"Oh, Karha..."

Those still waiting their turn for treatment looked no better. And all the while, the battle raged on.

Miguel, however, kept his gaze fixed on the darkness beyond.

Grrrrr...

From within the purple haze spreading with the roar, the demon’s form came clearly into view. It was a monster with the heads of a bear, a reindeer, and a griffin on one body. Wings sprouted from behind its massive, ogre-like torso.

"Oh... shit..."

As the fading light washed over the creature, Miguel snapped back to himself and looked down at his prosthetic arm.

Whoosh...

Gritting his teeth, he focused. A dim golden shimmer gathered in the prosthetic’s grip, sketching the faint outline of a Mantra circuit.

"Still not enough."

That was all. The flickering glow faded without leaving a trace. It was only natural—he had used it just hours before.

Clicking his tongue, Miguel lifted his head again, only to stiffen once more.

The demon had disappeared without a trace. He realized it had taken flight when purple light blazed from the darkness high above.

"Everyone, watch out! It's coming again!"

Miguel shouted as he raised his hands to cover his ears, never taking his eyes off the demon circling overhead. There was no telling when it might dive straight down at them.

"--------!"

Instead of charging, the demon unleashed another roar. A wave of purple chaos surged forward with the darkness.

Miguel’s eyes widened, not because of the wave itself.

Fwoosh...

The sacred fire was flickering, its glow wavering dangerously.

So that’s its real aim

As Nila shifted restlessly, looking ready to bolt, Miguel snapped his head around.

Clatter, thud!

Two priests stationed beside the brazier were frantically throwing more firewood into the flames. Their expressions were grim—the sacred fire refused to surge, no matter how much fuel they fed it.

Sliding his right hand toward his waist beneath his cloak, Miguel shouted, "Alec! Monger!"

Both priests turned to look at him.

Striding toward the brazier, Miguel raised the dagger in his right hand. "Let's do it!"

With their lips pressed tight, the two priests nodded and drew their daggers from their waists. Miguel locked the hilt into his prosthetic hand and stepped up to the brazier. The other two followed, taking their places across from each other, blades clenched in their grips.

"Burn away the profane darkness—"

"O blazing passion that consumes—"

"Lu Entre, please!"

Each murmured their prayer under their breath as they thrust their right hands forward. Vivid red blood streamed down their palms.

Sizzle...

Droplets fell one by one into the brazier. The moment they vanished into the flames, the holy fire flared violently upward. Even Miguel could feel the heat now, white beginning to bleed into the red blaze.

Fwoosh—

The light, which had been shrinking dangerously, swelled outward once more, illuminating the surroundings. Monsters caught within it shrieked as they writhed on the ground or stumbled back in panic.

Crunch! Crack!

The barbarian warriors did not let the opening pass. With every blow they struck, the sparks scattering from their weapons grew paler.

"Hold your ground! Don't get excited!"

"Maintain formation!"

The two centurions, Askel at the front and Volber at the rear, shouted their orders. Sweat gleamed on the warriors’ faces as they advanced. It was not only the heat of the sacred flames pressing down on them.

Grrrrr...

They could feel the demon’s gaze circling through the darkness above. It was not that the creature could not enter the light. It was simply watching, unwilling to endure the pain. However, once its patience ran out, it would charge in regardless.

"-------!"

Purple light boiled out of the darkness, followed by another thunderous roar. A wave of chaos, steeped in darkness, swept over the formation. This time, however, the sacred fire did not waver as it had before.

"Damn it..." Miguel clenched his fist until it trembled, his expression darkening. It was not just the burning in his hand. The holy fire was continuing to turn whiter.

"Stop!" Grinding his teeth, Miguel pulled his right arm back. They had to stop the sacred fire from turning completely white. Without an Apostle present, they had no way to control a sacred flame driven mad.

The two priests, who had withdrawn their arms, staggered, panting. Their right hands were red and blistered, no different from Miguel’s.

Even as he stumbled, Miguel looked toward the demon as it slipped back into the darkness.

"Just come already, you bastard," he muttered.

For now, it was enough. But if the roars continued a few more times, the sacred fire would be extinguished. All he could do was hope the demon’s patience would fail first. Only then would they have a fighting chance.

Crunch! Crack—

Even as the advance pressed on and the fighting raged without pause, Miguel scanned the darkness. His expression twisted sharply.

"Fuck."

On the far side, purple light flared once more. That cursed beast was far more patient than its appearance suggested. Then again, patience was a predator’s virtue. A creature born from three predators fused into one would possess it in excess.

"------!"

However, the roar that followed was not the demon’s.

Miguel froze, not just because the battle cry was familiar, but because of what it carried.

Swoosh—

The heat riding the cry washed over him. A heartbeat later, a red haze spread through the ranks of the barbarian warriors.