Chapter 268: Ragnarok (14)

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Clatter.

The Divine Thunder Sword, which had been rolling across the floor, returned to Carl’s hand through Spatial Grasp.

Having dispelled all of the Black Knight’s energy, Carl lightly swung his sword, slicing through the rising dust.

Tap, thud.

The Black Knight, buried beneath the pile of debris, slowly rose to its feet.

Unlike before, the direct hit had been too much to endure, and its armor—once brimming with demonic energy—was now badly crumpled.

Carl stepped forward slowly and stood in front of the Black Knight.

He had no intention of dragging out the fight.

Once the gate’s trial being conducted outside ended, it would be impossible to investigate this place.

Swish.

Spinning the sword in his hand, he slowly bowed forward.

What could be beyond this point that required a being like the Black Knight to guard the entrance?

Tap.

Carl and the Black Knight vanished simultaneously.

Boom! Crack! Thud.

A flurry of collisions shook the chamber.

Cracks spread across the walls and ceiling, groaning as though they might collapse at any moment.

Fragments of demonic energy and divine techniques scattered in all directions, etching the signs of battle with increasing intensity.

In the midst of it all, Queen, who had withdrawn to the rear, fed a potion to Second and channeled her internal energy into her.

“Damn it.”

Queen furrowed her brows deeply.

She knew death within the gate wasn’t true death.

But could she really brush off the sight of Second, who had always bickered with her, now hanging limp in such a powerless state?

Even after being given a top-grade potion, Second didn’t open her eyes, and Queen grit her teeth, pulling a small box from her chest.

Just as she was about to open it, a battered hand stopped her action.

“…Queen, are you insane?”

“Second!”

“That’s our spare life. The one Master gave us.”

Second let out a long breath, her face visibly drained.

Queen gently helped her sit up against the wall.

It had only just been moments since nearly every bone in her body, including her spine, had been shattered to pieces.

Even if she was now slowly recovering with the potion, the agony ravaging her body must have been immense.

“What the hell happened to get you this messed up? That was barely thirty seconds.”

“…Thirty seconds?”

Second narrowed her eyes.

“Ah, so that’s why you came in so late.”

“Late? No way…”

Could time be flowing at a different rate inside and outside?

If so, then there was definitely something beyond that needed guarding.

Crash!

At that moment, the Black Knight was flung backward and smashed into the ceiling.

As he fell with crumbling debris, Queen clicked her tongue.

“You’re recovered now, so you can be left alone, right?”

“Yeah. Hurry and go help Master.”

Second nodded weakly, coughing as she did.

Even with the White Tiger Divine Art, the power gap with the Black Knight had been overwhelming—just barely enough to hold out.

And in the end, even that had reached its limit, leaving her in this state.

Srrng.

As Queen drew her sword with a sharp look, the Black Knight, fallen from the ceiling, slowly lifted its head.

—That sword…

The one who had only attacked with mechanical consistency suddenly opened its mouth, staring at the sword in Carl’s hand.

Clatter.

—According… to the long-standing pact… verifying… the right to enter…

Its voice lagged unnaturally, as if it were not in a normal state, the words breaking and halting.

Carl looked at the Divine Thunder Sword in his hand and twisted his lips.

“You’re a bit slow to catch on. You saw me wield it and only now realize?”

Whatever the Black Knight was guarding, it was clearly something related to the ancient heroes.

Obtaining the Sword of Justice in the underground of the Imperial Palace must have been orchestrated by someone.

They must have foreseen he would eventually reach Ragnarok.

‘Either Justice, the original owner of this sword… or another hero, perhaps.’

The Black Knight withdrew its fighting spirit and slowly turned, stepping into the path opened deeper within the corridor.

Its back carried the air of beckoning him to follow, and just as Carl was about to move, Queen approached with Second in tow and whispered quietly to him.

“Master, it seems time flows more slowly inside this corridor.”

“So it is.”

Carl nodded.

Having fought the Black Knight himself, he had been puzzled at how Second couldn’t even last that brief moment.

If she had used the White Tiger Divine Art, she shouldn’t have fallen so helplessly.

But if the flow of time was different, it all made sense.

The Black Knight’s power was not to be taken lightly.

“Then we have a bit more leeway.”

It was a relief not to have rushed things and messed up.

Carl motioned for them to follow, and stepped forward, remaining wary of the Black Knight.

The passage stretched on for quite a while.

But the further in they went, the more noise began to ripple across the walls and ceiling, their shapes distorting shakily.

It meant this space itself had not been recognized by Ragnarok.

Someone had artificially constructed and was maintaining it.

‘Then beyond this must be…’

Could it be an ancient hero, or someone of equivalent existence?

“…Ugh.”

Queen and Second staggered, groaning.

Even for superhumans who had transcended normal humanity, the pressure pressing in from the surroundings was overwhelming.

“You two stay behind and secure the retreat path.”

“…Understood.”

If they insisted on tagging along, they’d only end up being a burden.

Queen and Second nodded with difficulty and stepped back.

Even amid this, Carl continued forward, chasing after the Black Knight.

—Why are you here? Did you choose the wrong world?

—You killed us… when there was no reason we had to die.

—O foreigner who belongs nowhere… you are fated to wander endlessly and meet a wretched end.

A voice, as though someone were whispering rapidly, echoed in his ears.

Carl immediately raised his internal energy to block out the sound, but the whispering voice turned into a scream, ringing directly inside his head.

—You!!!!!!!!!

—More than anyone else!!!!

—Will die!!!!!!!!!!

—A miserable death!!!!!!

It was a vicious condemnation and a declaration of death.

Carl let out a small laugh and operated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, scattering the power of absolute evil around him.

Fwoooosh!

Dark demonic energy surged, devouring the chilling aura in the surroundings.

The whispers could no longer be heard, and the pressure that had been constricting his body and the noise could no longer invade.

—……

The Black Knight, walking ahead, glanced back at Carl and then silently resumed walking.

And finally, the corridor came to an end.

……

There was a small clearing ahead, and the moment Carl stepped into it, he came to an abrupt halt.

Clatter.

Countless chains stretched toward the center.

All of them bound a single person, swaying precariously.

Unkempt hair, an emaciated body, and a stench that assaulted the nose.

It was clear at a glance that he wasn’t a participant of this round.

‘No noise?’

Carl narrowed his brow.

Unlike others he had met in previous trials, this man had no noise.

That could only mean he had retained his sanity.

As Carl took a step closer, the man groaned and slowly lifted his head.

“Who’s there…?”

His voice was dry and cracked, as if he hadn’t had water in days.

Carl could see the hollowness in the man’s eyes.

Judging by the wounds around them, someone had forcefully gouged them out.

“Who are you?”

“Water, please, water. Even just a single sip… please…”

The man pleaded desperately in the direction of Carl’s voice.

Carl looked at him for a moment, then stepped forward and took a water bottle from his subspace pouch.

Drip, drip.

As he poured the water over the man’s head, the man opened his mouth wide and began to gulp it down greedily.

When the bottle was finally empty, the man smacked his lips in disappointment.

“So why are you chained up here? And without any noise, unlike the others.”

“Hm, you don’t know me? Then that means the next Ragnarok has begun. Which faction are you from?”

“Human faction.”

“Have the heroes returned?”

“No.”

When Carl shook his head, the man clicked his tongue.

“They haven’t returned? None of them?”

“Yeah. All traces of the ancient heroes are gone.”

“Then how did you get in here?”

Clatter.

As Carl drew his sword, the man flinched and trembled.

“That aura… the Divine Thunder…”

……

He even knew about the Divine Thunder Sword.

That meant the man before him had been closely connected with the ancient heroes.

“Now answer my question.”

“…I am…”

The man took a deep breath, pulled tightly on the chains binding his limbs, and spoke in a firm voice.

“My name is Asael, the strongest porter on the surface. I was responsible for carrying the heroes’ burdens and spoils.”

“…Asael?”

Carl directed his question inward, toward Kylos within him.

Kylos, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth with a slightly surprised tone.

—Asael. He really was the heroes’ porter. He also participated in Ragnarok with us.

‘A porter like him entered Ragnarok?’

—That title of “strongest porter on the surface” wasn’t an exaggeration. Even though he carried the title of porter, he had reached the level of both Sword Master and Mage—he was a Magic Swordsman. He was a powerhouse who would be respected anywhere. But he admired the heroes so much, he gave up all honor and voluntarily became the lowest servant.

“Wait, wait. I hear a chatty voice. This harsh tone… could it be Kylos? Are you… are you Kylos’s apostle?”

“To be precise, I’m his successor. I’ve absorbed all of Kylos’s divinity.”

“Hah.”

Asael let out a hollow laugh.

“To have inherited the divinity of a demigod… You’re no ordinary being, then. …Wait a moment. That would place you in the demigod faction, not the human faction. That would make you our enemy, wouldn’t it? How did you even get in here?”

“I’ve also inherited the Sword of Justice.”

“Hmmm…”

Asael paused in thought, then gave a crisp answer.

“Then there’s no problem. Recognition from Lord Justice is more important than Kylos’s divinity anyway.”

—…His skills are real, but he’s always had a reputation for being fanatical about the heroes. I don’t know why he’s stuck here like this.

“That was an unavoidable choice. Without doing this, I wouldn’t have been able to remain here.”

Asael pulled on the chains more forcefully as he answered.

“The round of Ragnarok I participated in didn’t end properly. It would be more accurate to say it was indefinitely suspended. Kylos, you’d know what happened, wouldn’t you?”

—…That’s the mystery. For some reason, my memories of that Ragnarok have been erased. As if someone deliberately deleted them.

“Hm.”

Asael fell silent.

He stared into space as if deep in thought, his lips twitching as he muttered quietly.

“So then.”

Carl stood before him and slowly raised his energy.

As if to say he would resort to force if needed to get answers.

“What do you know?”

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