Chapter 431
"You're kidding me." Lucia's eyes widened, a restrained gasp slipping from behind her mask.
Ian lowered his head again and looked at Diana. She stood frozen, her eyes wide behind the mask.
"You… saw it?" Her voice trembled as their eyes met.
Ian nodded without hesitation. Ian gave a calm nod. "I did."
"How?" Diana asked.
One corner of Ian's lips curled into a slight smirk. "I could tell you. But are you sure you want to hear it?"
Diana blinked, hesitating for a moment before slowly stepping up beside Lucia. She spoke hesitantly, her words barely strung together. "I already… know that you carry chaos within you… so… I suppose… just keep it between us…"
"Well, if word gets out, we'll know who to blame." Ian's offhand comment made Diana's voice deflate like a popped balloon. Still, she didn't stop moving toward him.
"When you say beyond, do you mean the void?" Lucia was the one to speak this time.
Ian lifted his gaze to the sky once more. "Yeah. It was the ashen abyss—just like the chaos spreading up there."The vision flashed across his mind again—an endless space filled with churning gray chaos. But it hadn't been just chaos. Something had been there, waiting in the center, watching him.
Like the other godlike entities of the void, it had no fixed form. It felt more like a massive nebula, too vast and surreal to comprehend. Still, it hadn't broken Ian's mind, even as they faced each other. It had merely overwhelmed his consciousness.
"Then… could it have been… the Primeval Wildness?" Diana, now standing beside Lucia, asked hesitantly.
Ian shrugged. "Maybe. I don't even know if seeing it is the right word."
The only thing Ian had perceived in that mirage-like vision was a massive, flickering eye. A pupil tore into the shape of a cross—not burning with madness or wild instinct, but filled with something else entirely. Deep, aching sorrow, tinged with regret.
Of course, he had only sensed it for a moment. The instant that eye looked down, it was like his consciousness was yanked down with it, spiraling into the dark.
"Still, thanks to that, I definitely got a good look at Inaskurgl."
"Dear god…" As Diana let out a shaky breath, Ian recalled the forest that had unfolded before him next.
Ruins littered the fog-choked terrain—remnants of what had once been a dark fairy settlement. And in the center, on what used to be a kind of temple altar, something massive crouched in the rubble. Its full form was unclear. But at the base, gleaming in the dark, were bright gray eyes—piercing, unmistakable.
"And I'm pretty sure it saw me, too."
That long, vertical slit of a gray pupil had looked directly at him.
—To think you enjoyed something that interesting all by yourself. I'm twice as offended, Friend.
Yog's dry voice slithered through the back of his mind. Of course, he was the only one who sounded relaxed. Lucia—and even Diana—were staring at Ian with wide, shocked eyes.
"Oh my…" Lucia finally breathed, as if Yog's whisper had snapped her out of it.
"So, what you're saying is—" Diana blinked slowly. "That thing might come running to kill you?"
"I don't think so. If anything—"
The essence I carry chose it.
Ian finished the thought silently, shrugging his shoulders. The moment he'd locked eyes with Inaskurgl, the bead of chaos essence within him had resonated as a quest triggered.
[The Hunt Begins.]
"If anything?" Diana pressed again, expecting him to finish the sentence.
"…Never mind. It's nothing." Ian simply shook his head. "Either way, it didn't seem like it was in any condition to move. Didn't look fully conscious. It seemed rather unstable."
Those flickering gray eyes were still vivid in his mind.
"You mean it's been consumed by madness?" Lucia asked.
"Maybe. Or if not, it's barely holding it back," replied Ian.
Diana let out a long, strained sigh. "So it really has fallen apart… I always thought that was just one of the more ridiculous rumors."
"If it's lost the ability to think rationally, doesn't that make it more likely to come after you directly?" Lucia asked again.
Diana, still staring off into the distance, slowly shook her head. "…No. If anything, that's exactly why it can't leave the center of the barrier."
She turned toward Ian and Lucia, her voice low and steady. "If it strays too far, it might not even be able to hold on to what's left of its mind. Its very existence might collapse. It must've known all along that this was where it would end up—it can't go mad in an instant."
Lucia blinked. "So, leaving the forest would mean becoming a slave to madness."
"Most likely. Either it'd become something unrecognizable, or crawl into a rift on its own. Who knows? Maybe it would tear open a new one entirely."
A cackling laugh flitted through Ian's mind just then.
—Told you, didn't I? Failures, all of them.
Yog's voice dripped with scorn.
—They broke free of mortality, sure. But they never became anything greater. Now they're being devoured by chaos—slowly, like being digested alive.
Ian thought back to the Vampire Empress in her true form. After she absorbed all the true blood in that golden tub, her mind nearly collapsed. She had stored her power elsewhere, not just for the sake of immortality, but because she couldn't bear the full weight of it.
As Lucia's brow furrowed in thought, Diana muttered under her breath. "The other archdemons must be in similar states. That's probably why none of them show themselves anymore."
"But then," Lucia turned slightly toward Ian. "Why did its servants retreat first?"
"They should've been desperately trying to stop you, Sir Ian. Even if this is the center of the domain, fighting you can only worsen its condition."
"That's…" Diana trailed off, falling silent as if at a loss for words.
—Maybe it wants your chaos, friend.
It was Yog who answered.
—It's trying to swallow the bead of chaos essence you carry, to patch over the cracks in its vessel.
As if she'd heard the whisper too, Lucia's eyes widened as she looked at Ian.
—Whether its soul can handle that is another matter… Then again, that might've already melted into chaos long ago. Maybe all that's left is instinct, desperately clinging to the shell.
Ian let out a dismissive snort through his nose. Mad or broken, it didn't change the fact that the thing still held immense power. And it certainly wasn't going to just lie down and offer its neck.
"Or maybe," Diana, mistaking the silence for hesitation, spoke up again, her voice thoughtful. "Maybe the beasts acted out of instinct—to protect that deranged creature. The shadow beasts… they're its pets, after all."
Lucia turned slightly to glance at her. "Shadow beasts?"
"Inaskurgl began taming monsters at some point. Used them like hands and feet. The beastfolk weren't numerous enough, so it must've needed a way to bolster its strength. Of course—"
Diana's voice remained flat as she turned to the beast's corpse lying nearby. "They're completely different from what I remember. Back then, they still had their original forms. And there weren't so many. If I hadn't overheard what the Wolves were saying, I might not have recognized them either."
"I see." Lucia nodded and followed her gaze. "In any case, it's clear now that not all of his servants have left the forest."
"Yeah. Though I don't know why it left those particular beasts behind—" Diana's voice trailed off. She quickly lifted a finger to her mask and looked at Ian and Lucia before taking a few steps back.
Ian immediately realized why. Seren had appeared, just behind the black steed.
Her movements were slightly unsteady, her armor stained with blood. Thick, dark fluid clung to the edges of her visor—undeniably her own.
Yog let out a quiet chuckle.
—What a state she's in.
And yet, her dark blue eyes were calm—cool, even—restored to their usual composure.
Ian met her gaze and gave her a nod. "Are you all right? You looked injured earlier."
"Yes. I'm fine now." Seren hesitated briefly, then answered in a slightly sheepish tone and came to a stop. "I'm ashamed to have shown such a poor state, Agent of the Saint."
"What happened?" Lucia asked gently, her voice carrying just enough concern.
Seren turned her gaze to her, and Lucia added carefully, "It looked like something went wrong during your prayer."
So it wasn't something that happened mid-battle.
Ian realized it only then—and turned to look at Seren again.
"Well…" Seren spoke quietly, her voice low. "It was my mistake. I failed to account for the fact that this place lies within Inaskurgl's barrier. I assumed it hadn't sensed our presence… but I was wrong."
She placed one hand over the front of her chest plate. "The moment I opened the ritual, his chaos surged in. It only lasted a moment, but…"
Lucia's gaze shifted toward Ian—and even Diana, who had stepped back, turned to look at him as well.
—Looks like the spark hit her too, huh?
Ian clicked his tongue softly. Just like Yog had whispered, it must've happened while he was caught in the vision.
"Sounds like Inaskurgl was already on high alert. That would also explain why the warhorses mutated so quickly."
Seemingly unaware of the shift in mood, Seren bowed her head a little deeper. "It was careless of me. I've never entered this far into the barrier before, so I didn't consider all the risks."
"It happens." Ian finally spoke, flicking his eyes briefly to Lucia and Diana before continuing. "It's the first time for all of us."
"Thank you for your understanding, Agent of the Saint." Seren's voice was quiet with guilt, but then she straightened and added with more strength, "And thanks to you, we avoided a serious disaster. If you and your companions hadn't arrived when you did, the damage would've been devastating."
"No need to thank me." Ian shrugged lightly. "I was just holding up my end of the contract."
"You were truly impressive. To be honest, I was a little skeptical of the stories I'd heard. But after seeing it myself, I know now—there wasn't a single exaggeration."
Seren met his gaze, her dark blue eyes glinting faintly. "And you didn't even draw the dragon armament. And yet, just watching you swing that massive hammer… it was clear why they call you a Superhuman."
Knights, honestly…
Ian resisted the urge to let out a dry laugh. Whether it was knights or barbarians, the more reckless the feat, the more impressive it seemed to them.
"Speaking of which," Seren continued, "where is that hammer now? It didn't seem like something you'd just throw away."
Ian cleared his throat and smoothly changed the subject. "More importantly—how is His Highness?"
The question implied he already knew who her prayer had been for.
"Yes. Fortunately, it seems we weren't too late." Seren nodded, seemingly unaware of the subtext. "He's likely preparing to receive us as we speak."
In any case, she clearly had less experience than Sir Valtan. It wasn't just her voice that was young—she probably hadn't even become a divine knight until after the world had fallen apart.
Maybe that's why she was stationed at the fortress in the first place.
Ian brushed aside the unwelcome thought that surfaced and spoke again. "Do you know where we're heading?"
"Yes. We'll move out as soon as the situation is under control. On that note…" Seren hesitated for a moment before continuing. "There's something else I'd like to ask—if I may be so bold."
"Speak."
"Would you be willing… to lend me your steed for a short while?"
"My horse?" Ian's brow twitched faintly.
As if it understood, the black horse let out a low snort, its body still glistening with a sheen of sticky, blood-like sweat.
Seren raised a hand in its direction and explained, "We're short on carriers for the supplies."
Ian gave the horse a few taps on its flank. It snorted again and turned, beginning to walk. As it moved aside, the full view of the battlefield opened up before them.
—So that wasn't everything, huh? Can't believe I missed the whole of the show…
Ignoring Yog's lamenting whisper, Ian scanned the Wolves with his eyes. They were gathering scattered gear and supplies from all over the field and bringing them into one place. Luckily, more than half the bags still seemed intact. For those that had burst open or spilled, the Wolves were salvaging the contents and cramming them back into what bags remained.
Even so, there was far too much for the remaining group to carry on their own. And aside from Seren and his warhorse, they had no other mounts left.
"Fine. Take it with you." Ian finally nodded, then turned to Seren and added, "But let's hurry. That much blood is bound to attract something."
Seren bowed. "Yes, Agent of the Saint."