Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 62: The Land of Ash [1]

The further they advanced along the road, the gloomier the leaves of the trees became. The once clear blue sky had turned gray and overcast. There was no longer any sign of life to be felt; the deathly silence was the only thing accompanying them in the solitude of the Land of Ash.

It was clear that all of them had already witnessed something related to Nemoria. To begin with, this was the place where Mitsuki had first appeared. Although there was a slight difference—Holylight looked surprisingly radiant, unlike the surrounding forests, which felt far too gray and unsettling.

"It’s all ready," Monar said. He placed a very large backpack on the ground, filled with all kinds of survival supplies. Then, he turned his attention to Mitsuki, who seemed especially thoughtful this morning. "You’ll have to carry this, Mitsuki. The heavier items are in my pack, so you won’t have to bear too much weight."

Mitsuki nodded and looked back at the road.

’To be honest, I don’t think I can carry that backpack. It’s almost as big as me, but I don’t have a choice. Besides, once we get off the carriage and head into the unknown, there won’t be any time to be pathetic.’

This was a serious matter that required seriousness. Mitsuki placed his hand on the backpack and steeled himself not to feel fear. He closed his eyes, promising himself that he wouldn’t die and that he would grow stronger.

Monar watched him seriously while Azel smiled casually, as if he were proud of Mitsuki.

And so, after a few more minutes, they reached the end of the road. The carriage came to an abrupt stop, and the horses neighed as they struck the ground with their powerful hooves. Marco calmed them down, and once everything was ready, it was time to begin their journey toward the heart of the tragedy.

Marco stood in front of the group and explained what they were going to do.

"From here on, Mountain and Monar’s familiar will stay behind to guard the carriage and the rest of the supplies. In case of any emergency—if it’s something life-threatening—we’ll return immediately. No matter what, it’s better to be safe than sorry."

Azel interrupted.

"Nothing’s going to happen, man, relax. You started this trip as a tantrum, so just treat it like a joke."

"Think of it as a walk in the park," Monar added. He tapped the ground twice, and something beneath the earth seemed to move. "We also have Ouro, who will protect us from the shadows. We’re well prepared."

Marco sighed, scratching his head. "Whatever. As for the porter, make sure you don’t fall behind. There are too many kinds of Ash Beasts with all sorts of abilities—if one of those things catches you, you’re as good as dead."

Mitsuki clenched his fist.

’Then I can’t let that happen,’ he thought, nodding in response to Marco’s words.

"Don’t forget to use the shield," Azel mentioned, prompting Monar to nod.

"Everyone stay still. The spell only lasts a few hours, so we’ll have to stop and prepare a new one from time to time. We don’t want the curse turning us into statues of ash."

’That’s right. Ellegaard used that spell on me when the Cinder Titan appeared. This is a good time to get everything ready.’

Monar extended his hand, and his dark wooden staff appeared. It didn’t have an elegant magical gem like Ellegaard’s staff, but it felt like a very ancient tool from the way the wood had been shaped over the years. Then Monar closed his eyes and whispered, bringing forth a gentle current of air that protected everyone with an invisible cloak of magic.

"It’s ready." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Marco nodded.

"Then let’s not waste any more time. Move out."

They all headed toward the forest where the road ended. It had indeed filled with enormous trees, about five or six meters tall, over the four hundred years since the catastrophe. The green leaves were darker than before, and the air they breathed grew heavy.

Mitsuki adjusted the backpack on his back—it was very heavy, but not something he couldn’t handle. Thanks to everything he had gone through in the past few weeks, the stats that had increased, and the physical training with Jeanne, he felt stronger and lighter.

’This is where it begins,’ he told himself.

Marco was the first to step into the forest where the road ended, as if making sure everything was safe. Mitsuki and the others followed while Mountain waved them off with a gentle gesture.

The group disappeared into the undergrowth.

***

Far from there, two people walked among the ruined structures of the village closest to the capital. The brick houses were falling apart, the roofs had large holes, and the ground beneath their feet had turned into ash dust. It was the worst version of the Mystery of Cinder they had encountered so far.

"There are no ash statues," Jeanne said as she ran her hand along a wall covered in ash. "There’s nothing."

Ellegaard frowned, annoyed.

"What the Heralds of the Shadow said can’t be true, but at this point, I’m not so sure."

It was normal to doubt when the evidence was right in front of them, but since they had arrived a few days ago, they hadn’t stopped finding strange things pointing toward the worst-case scenario. It seemed that all the ash statues in Holylight had disappeared at once, as if something had devoured them or erased them from the face of the world.

Ellegaard gripped her staff tightly and looked into the distance, toward the hills that made up the kingdom’s capital.

"Jeanne, we have to keep moving forward. If even a fraction of what those idiots said is true, then we just need to confirm it and tell the world."

The princess hesitated.

"Tell the world that the cause of our end has arrived? You really are cruel, aren’t you?"

Ellegaard’s expression twisted into something grim.

"A world where people are ignorant of their own fate is foolish. It’s better for them to know now than to face reality when the world is already ending. There will be panic, everyone will fall into conflict, but at least it will be because they know the truth."

Jeanne sighed. She placed a hand on the elf’s shoulder and said:

"Let’s rest for a bit, okay? I feel like you’ve been getting darker since what happened with Mitsuki, and this is only making it worse."

"I don’t need to rest, child. I—"

"I don’t care. We’re resting," Jeanne said, lifting Ellegaard by her sides as if she were a child.

"What?! Hey! Put me down!"