Chapter 270 - 264 : Behind The Gate

*Vooo*

As Sato pushed the gate open, the two doors moved inwards slowly while making a grating sound like a door that hadn't been opened in years.

Maybe due to that, the two sides of the gates, which acted as individual doors, didn't swing open but stopped halfway, forming an opening enough for 2 people to walk in but maybe due to poor lighting, most of the interior couldn't be made out. No matter the amount of force Sato applied, they refuse to fully open.

Realizing that there was no point in forcing them wide open, Sato walked through the opening, going past the doors and into the dark chamber.

"This is?"

As Sato stepped through the door, he felt the environment changing. This feeling wasn't that resulted from his location being changed by a teleport spell but instead was an inherent change in the environment. The mana here was much thicker than in the labyrinth. It was even thicker than it was in the outside world. One could even 

"What could cause such high intensity of mana?" Sato exclaimed as he took a deep breath of the refreshing air, feeling his internal organs being cleansed and strengthened by an unknown force.

Mana was the basis of all life in Infinite Realm. The plants took in mana and this made them different from the ones in the real world, turning them into better materials and nutrition for mankind to survive on.

The cause of the evolution of animals to beasts was also a result of mana, showing its ability to affect one's genetic sequence. These beasts were a whole lot stronger than their wild animal ancestors, making them almost a whole different species.

Apart from its ability to influence the structure of life, mana also had some impressive features on people. This was especially so for the players. In a mana-rich zone, it was believed that learning spells and HP and MP recovery would be much faster than elsewhere. While this didn't sound like much, it was actually a godly feature. This was because, ignoring cool-downs, such a property would enable players to constantly cast their spells to their heart's content. It was in no way an overstatement to say that such zones were training holy lands, especially for mages as they would be able to come in contact with the elements much quicker and also recover their mana at a much faster pace than elsewhere. It was still advantageous for the physical classes since they could recover their stamina faster. In summary, lands with high mana intensity were highly desired by all kinds of players.

Apart from the mana concentration, the lighting in the hall was far different from that back outside.

Ever since he had stepped into the [Labyrinth of Helios], Sato noticed that the lighting was dim and the absence of a true light source could be associated with this. For an average human being, while they would still be able to make their way out in this environment, long-term exposure would undoubtedly affect their vision and ruin their eyesight. If this wasn't a game, Sato would have experienced the same. While he was still able to manage the bad lighting, it still affected Sato's skills as in an environment where one could barely make out their surroundings, engaging in an intense battle was far too risky. This was one of the reasons Sato retreated when he encountered the 3 shadow monsters.

However, the lighting issue wasn't the same here. Blue flame torches were hanging on the walls by the side of the hall, illuminating the hall with their brilliance. Apart from that, there was a large luminescent cobalt crystal that hung from the ceiling. 

While it was called a crystal, this was simply in regards to the object's structure. It was in no way the same as those pebbles that were used as jewelry. Its size was comparable to some of the larger boulders Sato had seen on the [Staircase to Zolstice]. An estimated measurement placed the crystal at a width of 8 metres! As for its height, this was indiscernible since a majority of the crystal was lodged into the ceiling. However, the crystal surely exceeded 2 metres as this was the height of the exposed part.

With the illumination from both the flame torches and the crystal, the entire hall was well-lit, to the point that Sato could see more than 15 feet away from himself clearly; a distance that was originally difficult outside.

The hall was no less than 150 metres in length and 80 metres in width. By the two sides of the wall were five 20 metres tall columns that reached up to the ceiling like spears aimed at the heavens. They acted as a form of support beam for the ceiling and on these columns were a bunch of miniature luminous blue gems in-laid within them that offered a bit of lighting to the place. The gems followed a specific pattern that added a sense of aesthetic beauty to the columns.

On the walls behind the columns were murals and carvings of ancient gods, demons, and spirits. The theme occasionally changed from a battle zone to a slaughter fest and then a pious depiction. It was as if the murals were describing a certain story or maybe even a personal experience. Sadly though, Sato had no interest in these murals.

This wasn't to say that there weren't precious to him as they might be able to offer him some hints on the Caventry's origin. The point here was that from the beginning since he stepped into the hall, apart from the luminous(luminescent) crystal on the ceiling that managed to attract his attention for a while, Sato's eyes had only been directed in front of him. 

Right in front of Sato, at the other end of the hall, was a majestic throne that towered at a height of 10 metres, dwarfing Sato's figure like an adult dwarfed a child. The throne held exquisite patterns, carvings and designs fit for an emperor's throne. However, unlike the throne of an emperor, there was no regal feeling attached to it. On the contrary, the throne exuded an overbearing heinous aura that seemed to swallow the light in the hall. 

This aura wasn't like the evil aura from the black Jade gate but felt like the aura of a bloodthirsty savage; the same aura one would feel from the hands of a man who had bathed in the blood of thousands. This was the aura of a killer and not your average one, but of one who had walked the battlefield alone, slaying all who came before him till his eyes went red from the death and blood. The aura of one who had washed his hands with the blood of thousands upon thousands of creatures, both man and monster, and had participated in the drinking of this same blood that came from various races. This was the aura of a true-born killer, a harbinger of death, destruction, slaughter, and bloodshed. This was the aura of the emperor of Carnage.

And seated right on the throne, was the utter personification of that being.

[[ System notification :

You have encountered the guardian of the first sector; Emperor of carnage and bloodlust, [Blood king Varg].

]]