Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Arelioth’s Pass.

It was a vast passageway that cut through both the Ashti Canyon and the Breve Mountain Range. It almost looked like it was an artificial formation— as if it was carved out of the earth by magic or some kind of giant blade. And from her current aerial viewpoint, Noele could see why that had been postulated to be the case.

A massive scar tore through the landscape. A deep divot that spanned over a thousand miles, digging down hundreds of feet into the earth. The surface of the soil and the rocks had clearly flattened out over time due to erosion, but the blonde girl wouldn’t have been surprised if the ground had been a charred mess thousands of years ago. Which... it supposedly was.

It was said that Arelioth’s Pass used to be guarded by the Five Grand Revenants. They were powerful undead that had lurked the passageway for millennia until they were defeated by the First Lich King Ar’elith— before he had been either a lich or a king. He had then harnessed the magic of those five undead to become the legendary monster he was known as today.

...a monster that was killed in a single slash by Amelia. Noele shook her head. It was hard for her to take Ar’elith as a threat seriously considering how easily he was defeated by the blonde girl’s mentor.

Well, she hadn’t been there to see the event play out herself. But she had heard about what happened from Amelia, and it didn’t exactly paint a flattering image for the First Lich King. So while Noele was afraid of the destruction he could cause... she wasn’t as worried as either Garron or Saros.

They descended down into the entrance to Arelioth’s Pass, carried by Guardian Angel Z357. Throughout the entire journey, he had not said a single word. He had simply listened, following the directions Saros gave him— which was quite a difficult task considering how much the gnome was screaming.

Noele wanted to judge, but she couldn’t. She remembered how terrified she was during her first trip with Amelia. Certainly, Guardian Angel Z357 moved significantly slower than the blonde girl’s mentor. But just because one experience was less bad than the other, didn’t mean that both experiences weren’t absolutely traumatic.

“I-I’m... never... doing... that... again...” Saros panted as he leant against a nearby rock.

Garron stumbled forward, but surprisingly, he fared better than the Gnome Inventor. Maybe it was because of the nature of his Class— or perhaps it was because he had already experienced what a trip with Amelia felt like. Either way, he managed to steel himself and clear his throat.

“So— where is this [Necromancer]?” he asked, sweeping his gaze over Arelioth’s Pass.

“We don’t know,” Noele said as she stepped forward. She drew both her blades, nodding back at the staggering Saros. “We just know that Tristan Devon was headed for Arelioth’s Pass to find a phylactery.”

The Steel Tank furrowed his brows. “A phylactery? Isn’t that where a Lich King’s soul is stored?”

“Lich Lords too,” Saros finally said, dusting himself down. “I have no fucking clue where it is, though. Don’t go asking me to find everything— I’m just as lost as you lot.”

Noele frowned. This was going to be difficult. Arelioth’s Pass was not a small place. If there was a phylactery buried away somewhere here, they would never be able to find it. They had a better chance locating Tristan Devon’s tracks.

“Hey, uh, Guardian Angel Z357,” the blonde girl said stiffly as she glanced back at the angel. “Do you think you’d be able to...” she trailed off.

She blinked as she stared at him. He had his wings spread wide, and he was hovering a foot in the air. His twelve eyes were rapidly darting around in all directions before focusing back down to the entrance of Arelioth’s Pass.

“Is something wrong?” Noele asked apprehensively.

Both Saros and Garron exchanged a worried glance. But Guardan Angel Z357 didn’t give an immediate response. He slowly descended to the ground as he mentally transmitted his thoughts.

This location... I have been here before.

The blonde girl blinked. “You have?”

It was the site of the first battle, he said as he lowered his head. When the first rift opened and poured forth a deluge of its essence into the world.

“What... happened?” Noele asked hesitantly. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to hear the answer to that question. But still, she listened, even as she chewed her lower lip.

But I am doing this to further that objective, the angel kept telling himself. However, he was starting to find it hard to believe those words. He was considering just flying off right here and now, but he decided to stay for a while longer.

Instead of leaving, he flew higher up into the sky, indulging the gnome’s previous request without a word. The three adventurers blinked, breaking off from their discussion as they watched the angel spread his wings wide. He swept his gaze over his surroundings as his twelve eyes danced on his face.

Guardian Angel Z357 scanned the area for a moment. And he noticed something particularly odd. That was—

Arelioth’s Pass was completely empty.

The path was barren of life. There was no dense foliage growing over the dead rocky surface. He saw no fauna nesting anywhere in this landscape. He detected animals and monsters wandering the edges of Arelioth’s Pass, but none dared step foot into this scarred earth.

It seemed odd, at first. But then the angel started to pick up traces of a twisted essence. A familiar essence. It was so weak, he hardly even noticed it until he focused. His twelve eyes shimmered as Eyes of the Beholder activated. And with that Technique, he saw—

Strands of the Void— motes and ribbons of its essence wisping off the landscape.

It was such a minute amount of the Void’s essence. Guardian Angel Z357 was certain he never would have noticed it if he never stepped foot here in Arelioth’s Pass. Was this just residual power from the rift over ten thousand years ago? Or was it something else?

He didn’t know. But he searched the landscape for where the Void’s essence was the strongest. He stiffly turned as his twelve eyes narrowed. And the three adventurers must have finally noticed that something was amiss.

“Uh, is something wrong?” Noele called out.

But Guardian Angel Z357 ignored her. Instead, he flapped his wings behind his back once, taking off into the distance.

Target found, he said as he spotted the blotch in the distance— invisible to the naked eye, but very clearly visible to his Eyes of the Beholder right now. Perhaps his decision to stray away from the World System’s directive was the right decision after all.

And with that thought, he left the three adventurers behind.

—--

“Wait, where are you going?” Noele shouted, but the angel didn’t respond.

She just watched as he left them behind, flying deeper into Arelioth’s Pass. He strayed from the main passageway. For whatever reason, he seemed to fly for one of the side crevices that spiked out into the nearby mountains.

And he was fast. The three adventurers wouldn’t be able to keep up with him, even if they could fly.

Saros groaned, shaking his head. “Great— just great. What do we do now?”

“Where is the angel going?” Garron asked, but no one had an answer for him.

Noele lowered her head, glancing between her two companions, then looking down at herself. She pursed her lips, before opening her mouth.

“I...” she started.

But a loud screech interrupted her. Blinking, the blonde girl looked up to see a group of figures congregating just up ahead. Her eyes narrowed as she saw their thin ivory limbs. Skeletons— dozens of them armed with weapons. And leading the group, standing at the very front, was a juggernaut ghoul.

“Those are... undead?” Noele frowned. She braced herself, drawing her blade. “That means we’re on the right track— get ready!”

The undead charged, and the three adventurers raised their weapons. They battled on, even as Guardian Angel Z357 left them behind, flying for something else in the distance.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.