Episode 317: The Altar (1)
Meeting Ruin in person, anyone would agree he was strikingly handsome. Yet, what caught Damian’s attention wasn’t Ruin’s looks, but his physique.
Ruin’s body was more formidable than any knight Damian had ever faced. Even the Empire’s greatest swordsman and the Blue Flame seemed ordinary in comparison.
As Damian examined Ruin’s body, he realized something crucial.
“He was killed in a coordinated attack.”
Lifting the thin fabric of Ruin’s clothing revealed a multitude of wounds—slashes and punctures from swords, spears, arrows, and other weapons.
“First, a longsword pierced his back. Then arrows struck his limbs. Finally, a spear tore through his abdomen.”
Damian retraced the steps of Ruin’s death through the scars.
“Astonishing. He didn’t die instantly despite such injuries. He clung to life for quite some time.”
Damian recalled what Milene had told him. She had said the Salvation Squad was responsible for Ruin’s death. These wounds must have been inflicted by their heroes.
“To withstand an assault from the Salvation Squad…”
Having fought the remnants of the first Holy Emperor, Damian knew well the strength of those heroes. Ruin had endured their onslaught.
“The higher the rank, the stronger a knight’s body becomes… but this is beyond the norm.”
Just then, something caught Damian’s eye. Ruin’s hands were tightly clutching something. To his surprise, it was a fragment of Erebus.
“A fragment?”
Startled, Damian spoke aloud without realizing it. It wasn’t strange for Ruin, the creator of Erebus, to possess a fragment. The problem was the artificial feel of it. It was clear someone had placed the fragment in Ruin’s hands after his death.
“What should I do with this…?”
Damian pondered over the fragment of Erebus. He wanted to take it, but it felt wrong to covet the belongings of the dead. Moreover, Ruin had held it so dearly.
“Then again, the dead have no use for it.”
Damian extended Erebus towards the fragment. It transformed into liquid and was absorbed by Erebus.
Crack.
As the fragment vanished, a strange sound emanated from Ruin’s body, like the shattering of a shell. Soon, Ruin’s body crumbled away.
Even Damian, usually unflappable, was taken aback. He wore a sheepish expression.
“The fragment’s power was preserving the body.”
Inadvertently, Damian had destroyed the remains of perhaps the greatest hero in history.
Suddenly, Damian felt dizzy. It was as if the ground beneath him was shaking, making it hard to stand. The world spun around him.
“Ugh.”
Clutching his head, Damian groaned. When the dizziness subsided, he found himself in a strange place. It was as if he were in a fog, with shallow water covering the ground.
“This isn’t reality. An illusion? But it’s too vivid for that.”
Damian looked around warily. Then, he heard footsteps nearby. Instinctively, he turned towards the sound and saw a man.
“Ruin…?”
Amazingly, Ruin was alive and moving, a sword in hand.
“Are you angry because I took your possession?”
Damian chuckled, but received no reply.
“Hey?”
Even when he asked again, Ruin simply stared at him with vacant eyes. Then, suddenly, Ruin raised his sword.
“Is this a challenge?”
Damian gripped Erebus, readying himself for the attack.
“It’s an honor to face a legend.”
Ruin assumed a stance, and Damian calmly analyzed his movements.
“His left foot is forward, but his weight is on the back. His sword arm is close to his body.”
In a split second, Damian absorbed countless details.
“He’s aiming for my torso.”
The moment Damian reached his conclusion, Ruin lunged forward, swinging his sword at Damian. Damian reacted instantly, deflecting Ruin’s attack with Erebus and preparing to counter.
But Ruin’s strike didn’t come from the expected angle.
His neck.
The sharp attack severed Damian’s neck.
“Gasp…!”
Damian awoke with a start, back in reality. He touched his neck, expecting it to be cut, but it was intact.
“I couldn’t even block a single strike?”
Damian was deeply shocked. He had never been outmatched in reading an opponent’s moves, even if he had been outclassed in physical ability or magic.
“This is one amusing human.”
A smile crept onto Damian’s lips. Since his return, he hadn’t faced such a complete defeat. For the first time in a long while, he felt a thrill of competition.
“How can I meet him again?”
As he pondered, his gaze fell on Erebus. On a whim, he focused his mind on it.
“Ugh!”
Moments later, Damian let out a cry. He touched his face, muttering to himself.
“My face was split in half.”
Once again, Damian had failed to read Ruin’s attack. Undeterred, he focused on Erebus again. The third time, too, he met a swift end.
But Damian didn’t give up, continuing to challenge Ruin.
A strong opponent meant there was much for Damian to learn. Since his return, he had rarely encountered anyone worth learning from.
That’s why he was so eager to fight Ruin.
“Huff, huff…”
How many times had they clashed? Even though it wasn’t a real battle, Damian felt his energy draining.
“Now I understand why Milene was so wary.”
Damian murmured, looking at Erebus. He wanted to continue fighting, but there were other matters to attend to.
He put away Erebus and stepped out of the rift, heading towards where Valhard was.
“Hey, wake up.”
Valhard, deep in slumber, was rudely awakened by a kick.
“Who dares disturb the sleep of Lord Valhard?”
Furious at being disturbed, Valhard jumped up, looking around with an angry expression.
“It’s me.”
“Ah, Lord Damian.”
Recognizing Damian, Valhard immediately bowed his head.
“But what brings you here? Weren’t we supposed to rest until morning?”
“I found something interesting. I need you to take a look.”
“What?”
Confused, Valhard followed Damian. Upon discovering the rift, his eyes widened in shock.
“What is this?”
“I brought you because I don’t know.”
Valhard entered the rift with Damian, and was once again astonished.
“This is an artificial dimension!”
“Artificial dimension? Is it like the hidden world?”
“Completely different. The hidden world is just a space borrowed from the earthly dimension. But this… this is a completely new creation!”
Valhard looked around with trembling eyes, his gaze eventually landing on seven statues.
”…”
He stared at them, entranced. Damian approached and asked,
“What’s so surprising about those?”
“Those… those are the remains of the Demon Kings!”
Valhard was so shocked he forgot to use formal language.
“The remains of the kings the demons worshipped during their reign over the earth! I never imagined they’d still exist…”
Being young, Valhard knew little of that era, but he had heard countless stories about the Demon Kings from his elders.
Monsters even the mighty dragons feared.
Their power was so immense that humans revered them as ancient gods.
“Damian! This is the altar! We’ve found it before the demons!”
“That’s good news.”
“Good? It’s fantastic! The altar itself is incredibly valuable! And with the remains of the Demon Kings here…”
Valhard could barely contain his excitement. Discovering the altar was one thing, but finding the remains of the Demon Kings was another.
“Are those remains really that significant?”
“Absolutely! Absorbing these remains grants the power of a Demon King! The demons will be desperate to get their hands on them!”
Not only demons, but even dragons would find immense value in them. The remains of such transcendent beings could be crafted into incredible artifacts.
“I need to take these remains to the hidden world! The elders will know how to use them!”
Valhard’s mind was filled with plans to utilize the Demon Kings’ remains.
“With these, I won’t need to rely on Damian Haxen’s power!”
Valhard was more thrilled by the prospect of independence from Damian than by the discovery itself.
“I’ve suffered too much to let him go easily! I’ll make him pay for treating a dragon like a slave!”
As Valhard reveled in his thoughts, Damian spoke in a nonchalant voice.
“Demons are after it? Perfect. I was planning to use it as bait anyway.”
Valhard froze at those words.
”…What are you talking about?”
“Why act surprised? I told you, we’re going to use this altar to lure the demons.”
“Why would you do something like that?”
Valhard’s question was met with a look of disdain from Damian.
“Because that’s the only way to draw out Vahel.”
“Why would you do something so reckless… Do you not understand the value of this altar?”
“My goal is to kill Vahel and Dorgo. I don’t care what happens to this altar.”
Damian’s voice was firm, and Valhard’s face turned pale as he realized he was serious.
If he couldn’t take the Demon King’s remains to the otherworld, Valhard would be stuck dealing with Damian’s whims indefinitely.
And that wasn’t all. If things continued like this, they’d be fighting demons alone. That was the last thing he wanted.
“I can’t allow this!”
“Huh? I wasn’t asking for your permission.”
Damian drew Erebus, and Valhard flinched, his voice trembling.
“W-what are you doing?”
“This.”
Damian swung Erebus toward the rift.
The aura blade from Erebus sliced through the rift, tearing away the barrier concealing the artificial dimension.
Thanks to that, Valhard could see it.
The aura blade released by Damian Haxen soared into the sky, culminating in a spectacular explosion.
“Da-Damian Haxen! You madman! Do you even realize what you’ve done?”
Valhard shouted, grabbing Damian by the collar. Damian glanced outside and spoke.
“Ah, they’re coming.”
He was looking at the night sky, where countless dimensional gates were opening.
“Valhard, I’ll forgive you for speaking out of turn.”
Damian released his grip on Valhard’s collar.
“So get ready to fight.”