238th
Deep Valley Abyss, Erebor 238 – Deep Valley Abyss, Erebor #8
The primordial flame.
As far as I remember, it was something like Elfriede’s strongest ultimate skill.
A spell with a long casting time of over ten minutes, it fires small spheres into the air like fireballs, a basic fire attribute spell.
But its power was incomparable to that of a fireball, and was it so powerful that it could burn everything it touched?
Ghhhhhh-!!
The giant of Ulgart, who had been looking at it with laughter, finally began to scream.
Elf, this is, this is, ah, euah, euaaaah-!
It was clear that the guy was being cooked to a crisp, screaming in agony. It must be painful. Is there anything more horrible than being burned alive?
The only problem was that I, who was pressed down by the guy’s palm, also seemed to be melting in this terrible heat.
Fire, fire, we have to put out the fire!
Wow, wow-.
Then there was a sound like a huge fan shaking the whole place.
I wasn’t sure, but I could tell that this giant’s huge wings were moving busily.
Of course, Elfriede’s ultimate skill was so vicious that it couldn’t be put out with just a little wind.
Kyaaaa-!! Is this the flame of Surtr!? A life-sucking technique, Elf, this is the flame of your life! You won’t live long either-!! Quickly, collect the flame-!!
“Haa, haa… Fireball-.”
Pavabavat-.
The sound of numerous flame grenades hitting the giant is loud.
Just as Hippolyte and I are working our joints to the limit, Elfriede is probably doing her best in this situation.
Whether it was effective or not, the palm that had been pressing down on my body like a roof was moved to the side, and at the same time, there was a thud and the giant body collapsed.
Only then was I able to release the tension in my clenched jaw and take a deep breath.
It’s fortunate that I invested a lot of stamina stats a while ago, otherwise I would have just turned into a flat rat cannon.
“Huh, nothing much. Samaritan, are you hurt anywhere?”
I continued to breathe heavily, and Hippolyte, who was also struggling to push up her palm, seemed to have lost all momentum.
Sweat was running down her forehead, but she looked relaxed, unlike someone who had gone through the same hardships as me, and I could tell that there was still a long distance between us.
In the first place, Hippolyte could have easily avoided the guy’s palm attack. I think he held on together with me to prevent me from being flattened. In fact, that would be true.
“Ha, Subal.”
I had many feelings, but for now, I was glad that I survived.
The huge body, burning brightly, eventually burns away all the muscles, flesh, feathers, etc., leaving only white bones behind.
While the pungent and strange smell of coal vibrated all around and made me feel dizzy, Hippolyte and I, who were relatively unharmed, were helped up by Elfriede and Antiope.
“Huh, what, what is it? It’s over already?”
Did she hit her head when she fell from the giant’s shoulder? Antiope, who had a large bump on her forehead, blinked as she came to her senses after a few slaps on my cheek.
There doesn’t seem to be any major injuries.
However, Elfriede’s condition was not good.
“Ugh, haa… .”
Even if we keep talking to him, he can’t even answer and just gasps for breath.
The red pupils are dilated, and the cheeks and forehead are really boiling as if on fire.
Hippolyte, who was placing her palm on Elfriede’s forehead, spoke relatively calmly.
“Your magic power is running wild. This is what happens when you use your skills beyond your limits. Do you have any holy water left?”
At Hippolyte’s words, I took a glass bottle out of the bundle I was carrying on my shoulder.
All the high-grade holy water bottles I had spent several gold coins on were broken or lost, so in the end, this was the only one left.
Hippolyte uncorked it and sprayed the white, glowing liquid inside onto Elfriede’s forehead.
Chiiik-.
Then, white smoke rises in puffs, as if water had been sprinkled on a well-heated grill.
Thanks to that, Elfriede’s condition, which had been so miserable that she felt like she was out of breath just a moment ago, has eased up a bit.
“flaw….”
“Your condition has improved a lot. However, it is only temporary. We should quickly take you to the infirmary. The abyssal beings must have noticed us due to the battle just now. We need to quickly find the dimensional gate or something and get out of here.”
Ssuk-.
Hippolyte carried Elfriede, who was still unconscious, on her shoulders and approached the huge chair again.
Then, in the midst of the blazing flames, a strangely glowing thing like a magic spell could be discovered.
If you look at the lines drawn in a circular manner like a whirlpool, anyone who sees it will think that it is a dimensional gate.
“Elf, this looks like the dimensional portal you were talking about. Can you activate it?”
“…Mercury-.”
A magic circle of whirlpools emitting light with a whoosh, accompanied by Elfriede’s small mumbling.
Soon we were all enveloped in a bright light and we could no longer see anything.
*
*
*
When we came to, we were in darkness.
However, instead of an abyss at the bottom where nothing can be seen, it appears to be something similar to the inside of a room with a small, burning fire.
A fireplace and a bed.
And even a bookshelf filled with old, antique books.
For us, who were walking through the abyss where there was nothing, this space filled with the scent of people gave us a sense of stability. But at the same time, it was enough to create anxiety.
Moreover, who on earth is that person sitting on the chair and wearing a robe?
“Who are you? Do you know anything about the silver rose?”
Hippolyta asked, her sword aimed. Then someone in white robes laughed in a low voice.
“I wanted to meet you at least once. That’s why I created this place where no one can interfere. In the abyss, releasing baits. I received a lot of help from Erebor.”
“I ask again, who are you?”
Hippolyte’s words were extremely cold.
He didn’t hide his blatant attitude of wanting to kill her if anything happened. However, the man sitting on the chair just quietly told his story.
But the surprising thing happened next.
“Do you know who I am? You Amazons are noisy. This is all Mars’s fault.”
A man in white robes raised his hand while sitting on a chair.
“Just be quiet for a moment.”
At the same time, a blast of electricity-like energy shoots out in all directions, striking Hippolyte, Antiope, and Elfriede.
“Eww, eww, aaaah-!”
The mighty Hippolyta fell to the ground as if she had been shot by a stun gun and began to tremble. Antiope and Elfriede did the same.
I knew it right away.
This guy is several times more dangerous than the giant monster we fought against in the dark.
My heart starts pounding loudly and I feel a tingling sensation as if the danger sensor on the back of my neck has broken down.
Shit, I’m screwed.
What the hell is going on?
While I was feeling very embarrassed, the man took off the robe he was wearing on his head.
The man’s head was covered in long, shining, platinum-blond hair that looked like white light.
The deep-set eyes were a golden color that was so bright it was blinding.
The neatly groomed beard and the slightly drawn wrinkles under the eyes also seem perfectly sculpted, giving off a creepy vibe.
Seeing that inhuman figure, I was reminded of Nox. However, this man was not Nox, the goddess of the night, but perhaps a different being.
And if my guess is correct, perhaps-.
“Are you-.”
“Alright. Between us, do we need an official statement? I’ve been watching you from up high, Sigress. The more I look at you, the more I can’t help but think of someone. That’s why I wanted to meet you in person.”
“That, that….”
It felt like my mind was going blank.
I used to think of gods as nothing more than powerful beings, but the man in front of me seemed to be on a whole other level.
I didn’t know what to say, and I thought that if I tried to offend her, my body would probably get fried.
“Do you have anything to say to me…?”
“Not really. I’m in a position where I shouldn’t say anything even if I have something to say. But, the toys you’ve been playing with lately seem quite dangerous.”
“A toy…?”
“I think it would be appropriate to warn you as an adult. Necromancy is prohibited from now on, Siegless.”
“Ah, necromancy… that’s what you mean.”
“I don’t know about others, but I can’t stand lies. You’d better not test my patience.”
I realized in an instant that the man in front of me had nothing to hide.
It wouldn’t be a lie if I said that this man was watching me.
“However, if you just take it away without any consideration, you will inevitably face opposition. I will give you a reward that you will like. You have dealt with the foreign god from a distant continent, so it is only natural that you receive a reward.”
“What’s the prize…?”
Phagejik-.
The man sitting on the chair disappeared with a loud electric shock.
While I was panicking and wondering what was going on, he came up to me and pressed his palm against my stomach.
Kkwaddeok-.
There is nothing more accurate than the expression ‘crumpling one’s palm’.
This man’s hand is now penetrating my stomach!
“Whoaaaaaaa-!”
I couldn’t help but scream at the strange sensation of my stomach and intestines being ripped apart by my palm.
It wasn’t painful, but it was like my eyes were spinning in a way I can’t explain.
“I guess it’s sealed. He worked hard to make the vessel, but he suppressed it in the end. Come to think of it, he was always a man with many worries and concerns.”
“Eww-!”
“Oh, I touched the wrong spot. Well, mistakes can happen.”
“Heeeeeee!”
“… It’s harder than I thought.”
“Whoaaaa-!”
There was nothing I could do but scream.
When I wondered when this horrible feeling would end, I came to my senses and found myself face down on the floor, on my hands and knees.
Pain that comes late.
The man who had been churning my stomach was sitting leisurely in his chair as if nothing had happened.
“Go to Delphi. Go there and accept your fate.”
“Delphi… .”
“That’s all I can say now. Now it’s your turn, Erebor. Do you have anything to say?”
The man’s eyes seemed to be staring over my shoulder. Who is behind my shoulder? As I was trembling with that thought, I heard a voice.
Not really-.
“Well, I suppose so. Anyway, I have finished what I had to say. Now, Erebor, do as you wish.”
Kwarrung-.
With a loud thunderclap, the man in the white robe disappeared from sight. Only the chair he was sitting on was burning as if struck by lightning.
It would actually be no different from being struck by lightning.
Is it over now? As I was feeling slightly relieved, I heard a voice behind me.
Jigress.
I had a hard time even gathering my wits because of the oppressive feeling that was suffocating me. My vision was getting blurry, perhaps because my stomach was being directly stirred.
I, Erebor, have a rule. One of those who enter the Abyss must be offered as mine. Sigress, choose a woman from among them to be sacrificed.
Choose a woman to sacrifice?
I came to my senses at the sound of that voice.
Gugugugu-.
At the same time, a large vibration occurs and the structure of this cramped room changes.
What was revealed was a strange hook. A sharp hook hanging from a tall pole like a gallows, with quite familiar women on it.
“Delphin-?”
It must have been Delphina and her party members, Lily and Edwin. I felt dizzy seeing them hanging from the hook.
Offer one of those who came with you as a sacrifice, and I will let the rest go.
I slowly turned around and looked at the women lying trembling at my feet: Hippolyte, Antiope, and Elfriede.
Hippolyte and Elfriede had long since lost consciousness, and only Antiope was looking up at me with eyes stained with fear.
She didn’t faint even after being hit by that strong lightning. I wonder if it’s because she’s strong, or if the lightning bolt pattern drawn on her back gave her some resistance.
“Oh, no. I don’t like sacrifices. I, I’m going to sacrifice myself. Because I, I’m not the closest to you!”
I was just looking at it because I was surprised that I didn’t faint. It seemed like Antiope had taken my thoughts for granted.
Well, given the circumstances, it’s not surprising that you would panic. If it were me, I wouldn’t lie and would wet my pants.
“A sacrifice… .”
I have to sacrifice one of these to get out?
It was extremely absurd.
At the same time, I felt like something bad was slowly creeping up on me. I looked at Elfriede, who was unconscious and sweating.
When I think about how much I suffered because of that guy, there are times when I still wake up kicking the blanket away.
If I had to give up one of these, it would definitely be Elfriede.
But I couldn’t open my mouth easily. As I tried to move my tongue and throat to say something, the times I had spent with him began to flash before my eyes.
The first time you gave me pocket money.
It’s the same thing as when you successfully release a trap and get praised.
That’s why a brief moment of silence arose.
A low voice cuts through the silence.
You’re weak.
“yes?”
As expected, the gods of Hypox were wrong. You are not fit for the throne of God, Sigress.
“… Are you saying that Luna and I don’t get along?”
Well, but it struck me. If you had sacrificed one person, I would have trapped you in this abyss too.
Oddly enough-.
At that moment, a door that had been tightly shut in a corner of the room opened. Beyond it, all that could be seen was pitch-black.
Go. I can’t hold you any longer. I can’t leave for long either. The throne of hell that I unintentionally took on is busier than I thought.
Are you going to let me go like this?
There is no such thing as free favor in this world.
I felt anxious that if I kept slipping away like this, this dark being that had changed its mind might come and play tricks on me, saying, “I fell into a trap!”
So I rummaged through the pack I was carrying on my shoulder, hoping to bribe him.
“Thank you… Then, this is all I can give you in return-.”
What I took out was a voodoo doll that Luna had made in her own image.
That’s interesting. Alright, I’ll take it.
That ended my conversation with the dark shadow.
After I tied up the waists of my colleagues and Delphina and all the guys, I dragged them into the darkness.
When I came to my senses again, what I saw before my eyes was a dark cave with stalactites sticking out here and there and lizards scurrying around.
The glowing moss and the strangely luminous mushrooms are also quite familiar.
Because of this, I could tell that this was somewhere near the cave in the valley where I had met the skeleton knight.
Of course, that might not be the case, but either way, it was clear that we had escaped the bottom of the abyss or whatever it was.
“Did you get off?”
Antiope looked around, touching the bump on her forehead.
“Fuck, fuck-. What did I, what did I just see? Fuck-.”
As Antiope continued to curse as if she could not calm down, I too felt my heart pounding and my stomach churning.
“I thought you were going to lose.”
“It wouldn’t have been strange if we were all dead! Do we, do we even know who we just met? Oh, what the hell is this? Even if we told, no one would believe us!”
“Sval, I guess so.”
“The reaction, the reaction is so lukewarm! We have witnessed great beings! I can barely breathe…!”
“Anyway, since we survived, it’s okay. Let’s get out quickly. Pick these guys up.”
“You can’t understand how you can talk to such great beings so casually. You, what the… . They spoke to you as if they knew you well. This, this… .”
Antiope seemed quite shocked by what had just happened.
After all, this guy is a member of the Temple Knights who serve Jupiter. It would be strange for him not to turn away now that he has met the center he has served and prayed for.
Antiope, who had been mumbling to herself for a while, finally spoke to me in a small voice.
“Hey, that, Hassan… sir.”
[Work Review] Today I tried 4 consecutive shots…
It’s literally like diving into an opponent’s tower with your palace…
As a reaction, I might have to take a break from the well soon…ㅠㅠ….
