Chapter 53. Bloody Tears of the Underground Citadel

The crumbling stone wall turned back in time and looked like new. The broken door was restored, and the fragments and letters that had become dusty became clear again.
When a mural depicting the tragic moment of destruction they had suffered and the grudge for revenge appeared, the entire party hardened their faces.
Drip.
Blood to blood, death to death.
The words they had engraved on the wall turned red instantly and red liquid flowed down.
The stench of blood filled their nostrils.
While looking at the mural stained with blood, Delfino whispered like a moan.
“Lord of Light, how could this happen…?”
A dark and evil energy spread. The power of the demon was coloring the dungeon.
“At first, they prayed to god, but would the god intervene when only one human country has disappeared? Naturally, the name that the descendants of the exiled countries prayed to will have changed.”
Ivan murmured lowly.
“The demon lends his power equally for whatever purpose it is. The cost was also fair destruction, but it seems that they did not care. Or maybe they thought that was fine.”
It must have been an instant that the noble purpose of dreaming of rebuilding the country was blurred, and only the destruction of the enemy was desired. Living in such a harsh cave for decades must have only fueled their resentment.
Smack!
Ivan drew the sword, not the spear of the lost warrior. The spear was not very useful in such a narrow cave.
“Now that the dungeon has awakened, the demon worshipers must have noticed this place. We have to clear this place before they come, but it won’t be easy.”
Whoa-.
Delfino lit the bead of light brighter.
Before, they put up with the darkness to avoid the monster attacks, but now there is no need for that.
The brighter the ball of light shines, the more divine power it contains, and it will suppress enemies stained with demonic energy.
“Since it has become a dungeon, the broken trap must have been revived. We’ll have to look more closely than before.”
Spirits appeared around Irene. Wind and earth spirits began to roam around and warn them of suspicious things.
Delfino stood at the front to find a way, and Ferocious Tooth stood at the rear to prepare for an attack. So they formed a line and proceeded cautiously.
Tuk, tuk!
Flap flap!
All sorts of noises were heard from all directions. It gnawed at their minds and made their concentration blurry, but the group did not waver.
Shh.
Ivan stopped walking. Dark hostility and bitterness pierced his skin. As Irene pointed at a wall, Ivan swung his sword.
Whoosh!
The magical energy that flew through Ivan’s sword pierced the wall as it was. Then those who were hiding behind the thin wall appeared and rushed in.
“Glory of Ashkan!”
“Drink the enemy’s blood and tear off their flesh!”
The old ghosts with pale faces and worn-out clothes constantly shed tears of blood.
Guided by the magic of the dungeon, the remnants of the old ruined kingdom swung their weapons.
Ivan concentrated the magic on his wrist and pushed it forward. The bracelet he received from the Lizardman tribe instantly became a golden shield and blocked the enemy’s attack.
Tang!
The enemy’s sword struck the shield, but Ivan felt no shock. The golden shield showed performance beyond simply being easy to carry.
Tak!
Ivan firmly slammed his foot down and pushed it in front of him. The shock wave emitted from the shield, Shield Charge pushed the enemy back and made room for Ivan to swing his sword.
Ssk!
He cut off the heads of three enemies at once. Red blood splattered all over the place, but even that soon turned to dust and disappeared. It was the end of dead men made with dungeon’s magic without even having a rotten body.
Whi-.
Dust flew in the wind. The influence of the blade wind that flew over Irene’s beckoning. While Ivan took care of the three, each of his comrades seemed to have dealt with the same amount.
“There’s not much to it than I thought?”
Ferocious Tooth tilted his head, and Delfino said with a cross sign.
“It will be different the further you go inside. The evil demon’s energy is getting stronger. There is definitely something unusual waiting for us there.”
He then glanced at Ivan.
“More than that, are there really holy relics here? All I can feel is a gloomy magi.”
“To become a dungeon nucleus, it needs a decent amount of energy. Perhaps the relic is the dungeon energy.”
“…are you saying that the holy thing is corrupted?”
“The last treasure left by the exile, the prince who hid here with it. He held on to the holy relic and prayed to the god, but there was no result. Can’t you just picture the situation in your head?”
Kang!
The wall opened at an angle, and Ivan continued explaining as he blocked the flying arrows with his shield.
“It seems that the devil paid better than the god. Even if it’s not, there’s nothing you can do if they need urgent money. Is there anyone who doesn’t know that loan sharks are terrible? Still, when the situation is urgent, they will reach to them.”
Droop, snap!
Ivan stopped the working trap by destroying it. There were many terrifying traps aimed at people’s negligence. Still, it couldn’t avoid Ivan’s sharp eyes and experience and Irene’s sense of spirits.
It was a more complicated road problem than a trap. The underground fortress was like a labyrinth, so it was difficult to find a way. In his mind, he wanted to solve the dungeon quickly, but it took time.
Druck!
The floor is overturned, and the ceiling is opened. A trap awaits below, and vampire bats dyed with magi attack from above.
The eyes of Ferocious Tooth turned sharp, and he swung his sword. The flying vampire bats bounced off the wall and crashed into the wall. The vampire bats that were trying to break through the gap were also torn to shreds by Irene’s gesture.
In that way, they advanced through the traps and moved forward. They finally arrived at a place where a large door was blocking their way.
The group looked at the door with great vigilance. It was a completely different size than before.
“The inside is quite spacious? I guess this is the real one. I think we should take a rest here.”
When Irene, who had used his spirit to search ahead, said so, Ivan nodded his head.
They moved two days, slept one night, and moved two more days. They all had strong bodies, but there were full of signs of fatigue.
The party retreated back and prepared for the camp. They cleaned the surroundings and made a bed.
Tick, Tack!
First, Ivan made a small bonfire. Although it was underground, many people lived here a long time ago. So there was no problem making a fire because the ventilation holes were well made.
Irene muttered as she floundered in front of the flickering flame.
“It is definitely a fortress. This place is optimized to prevent intrusion from outside.”
Her expression is bad not only because she is tired. The situation of forcibly quitting smoking for several days was the problem.
Her tobacco wraps she stuffed into her tobacco pipe served to lessen the anxiety of losing her connection to the world tree. The psychological pressure was stronger than the general withdrawal symptoms.
Irene’s hand trembled. She inadvertently pulled out the tobacco pipe in her arms, looked down, and repeatedly endured it.
On the other side of her, Ferocious Tooth was rubbing his own tail, stained with blood and dust.
He did not speak, but the fact that he hadn’t washed for a long time seemed distressing.
Delfino, who had not seen the light, was also not at ease. The light of the sun, which illuminates the world, was to prove the existence of Arun. Not being able to face the light as a follower of Arun had the theological significance of moving away from grace.
To be honest, it was difficult for everyone to enter the cave and wander around like this for days.
Dealing with traps and enemies who never knew when to emerge in the thick darkness and insecurity was mentally tiring.
Tak!
Ivan pulled out a teapot and tea leaves from his inventory. It was fresh tea leaves brought from the fairy forest.
Delfino quickly accepted the task of making tea. He brewed the elven tea and served it to Irene.
“This will help.”
She took the mug without a word. Sipping and taking a sip, the slightly wrinkled forehead loosened.
“I miss the taste. It’s funny that I’m treated like a human being.”
The tea leaves from the fairy forest cleared their head with only the scent. It felt as if the fatigue accumulated from walking around the narrow and dark cave was dissipating a little.
‘I’m getting tired too. Thor, what should I do?’
Ivan, who had been muttering to himself as he drank the elven tea, suddenly hardened his expression and got up. Then he took the spear from his inventory and slammed it into the ground.
He was afraid that the cracked vessel would break again, yet he summoned the power of the thunder god he had been restraining himself for a long time.
“Thor!”
Crackle!
Bang!
Lightning that flowed through Ivan’s body spread in all directions. The sound of thunder echoed underground, amplified, and noisily hit their ears.
Surprised by Ivan’s sudden action, his colleagues grabbed their weapons and stood up.
“Ivan! Why did you do that?”
Ivan’s expression hardened at Delfino’s question.
A Lizardman, a warrior who is not afraid of death. An exorcist who fights the devil. And an elf who chose to stay away from the World Tree for the sake of her race.
They weakened too quickly. Their heart will never be weak. What’s more, Ivan prayed to Thor for no apparent reason. It’s total nonsense.
Ivan answered with that thought in mind.
“It’s only been a few days since we’ve been here. No matter how weak a human heart is, we can’t be so weak in such a short time. It’s the work of the demon.”
At those words, everyone suddenly came to their senses. Come to think of it, what were they doing a while ago? Was that natural?
As Delfino unleashed divine power to its fullest, the sound of glass shattering and the dark demonic energy were pushed away.
And the fatigue and mental pressure that had been holding them down until now disappeared in an instant.
“Since when?”
Delfino’s eyes widened. It was such a secret trick that even he, who had made fighting the devil his life’s work, couldn’t feel it. It was very upsetting.
Irene regained her composure relatively quickly.
She immediately pointed to the cause.
“Blood-stained writings and murals! I just thought it was bad because it was engraved on the walls, but it was polluting our mind little by little!”
That was the right reasoning. But is that really all? Ivan was quite resistant to mental attacks. Is the demon strong enough to defeat even him? Even though it was only a fragment realized by the power of the dungeon? Ivan’s head moved in a complicated way, and suddenly he came to a conclusion.
“They’ve already arrived. They made contact with the demon first.”
It’s called an underground fortress, but there can’t be only one entrance. Compared to those actively blocked by the demon, the demon worshipers would have easily entered the fortress. Rather, the demon might have attached a guide.
The power of the demon was felt more clearly. It seems that it wasn’t just because the distance got closer.
“There is no time to rest! They have begun the ritual!”
Dududuk!
Ivan bit grit his teeth and ran out. He broke the huge gate with tears of blood in the underground citadel at once and went inside.
Whoops!
A dark red flame was seen burning in the distance. It was very similar to what he had seen before.
Warlocks in black cloaks stood around it. Ivan tried to deal with them quickly, but a spear was stuck in front of him.
Shh!
Bang!
As Ivan flinched and stopped walking, someone walked through.
-Have you come all the way here, damn traitors!
The best knight who once defended the country, a hero who might have become a swordmaster. The prince of the ruined country cried so with eyes dyed in darkness.
“What do you mean a traitor! Get out of the way!”
-I couldn’t stop you from burning the royal castle, but I’ll stop you from burning this place!
“Damn it! The one who plays with fire is over there!”
Ivan couldn’t communicate with the prince of the ruined country. He was a corrupt person who had been stained with the power of the demon and a dead man who appeared led by the power of the dungeon.
What he saw was not Ivan but the traitors who had finally destroyed this place hundreds of years ago. The conversation is meaningless to beings trapped in the past.
-I will take back my country!
The prince of the ruined country cried so. An army of the dead followed him from all directions.