Chapter 72: The Ritual (2)

Chapter 72: The Ritual (2)

The twisted space swallowed Dale and the other two whole.

When they came to their senses again, they found themselves in an underground place surrounded by worn stone.

Pale radiated a holy glow from his hands to illuminate the darkness then looked around.

Could this be the underground sewers?

The old stone walls and the floor had shallow filth flowing over them. It appeared to be the sewers running beneath Kaelum Castle.

Esther covered her nose with her fingers due to the foul smell and spoke in a nasal tone.

Theres no hole in the ceiling where we came in.

Pale responded.

It must be magic that distorts space.

Space distortion magic? Thats

Yes. Its a complex and advanced form of magic. Considering that its rarely handled even by the archmages at the Magic Tower it means our enemy is not to be underestimated.

Dale silently agreed.

Transferring incoming individuals to a different space is not a skill just anyone can master.

It was no coincidence that the inquisitors had trouble finding the lair of the demon worshippers.

Dale thought to himself,

It was good that we entered together.

He had anticipated such a situation to some extent, which is why he had wrapped his arms around Esther and Pales waists, ensuring they entered together.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

If they had come in separately, they might have ended up in completely different locations.

Pale murmured,

The other residents I dont see them. Did only we end up here?

If hes using people as sacrifices, hed bring them close immediately. On the other hand, intruders would be kept as far away as possible.

That would make it easier to weaken them.

And weakened prey is easier to hunt.

Lets move.

Yes, but which way do we go?

There were two paths. Forward and backward.

Which one would lead to their destination was unknown.

Dale attempted to detect the scent of blood. He was hoping to gauge the enemys location through it.

However, this filthy place had a very strong stench, and the smell of blood was thick throughout the place as the demon worshiper was doing something.

Dales sense of smell was of little use in this environment.

Pale and Esther were also deep in thought, struggling to come up with a viable plan.

Should we just leave it to chance?

If we lose our way, we might be too late. We could wander this maze forever.

Esther muttered thoughtfully.

Hmm. Losing our way. Losing our way Ah!

What is it, Esther?

At Esthers sudden clap, Pale and Dale turned their attention to her.

Esther looked at Dale and said,

Choose, Sir Dale. Do you want to go forward or back?

. Why do you ask? Are we deciding by majority vote?

Just answer for now.

Dale scratched at his helmet and shifted his gaze between the front and back of the canal.

However, he couldnt see any difference.

Both directions appeared equally grimy and dilapidated.

Dale responded to Esthers persistent questioning in the end.

I think forward might be better.

Great! Then lets head back!

?

Sister Esther?

Pale looked at her with a bewildered expression on his face and Esther explained,

Since we traveled together several times, Ive noticed something. Sir Dale tends to get lost even on familiar paths without his large wolf. Its quite incredible, really.

Could it be

So, wouldnt it make sense to choose the opposite of Sir Dales suggestion?

Pale who was mulling over the story stroked his chin and murmured, That sounds plausible.

What the hell?

Dale wanted to argue but the truth was it was time to make a choice whether to go forward or back.

Even if it was based on the flimsiest of reasons, once a direction was decided, it was best to follow through.

Then lets set off right away.

Hold on a moment. Before we do.

Dale called the two to a halt and pulled a cloth from his belongings.

He then wrapped the cloth around Esthers mouth.

The air here isnt good for the body. Pale, you should wrap a scarf around your nose and mouth too.

Eh? Oh, right.

. I can do it myself.

Was it just good luck?

Ridiculous as it seemed, a success was still a success.

Dale gripped his sword and warned,

There are many of them. Be cautious.

Yes.

Soon, the approaching enemy revealed itself.

Estherls face turned pale.

Rats?

It was a swarm of rats that was rushing toward them.

They were not just any rats, but monstrous ones that were almost the size of a humans thigh.

Their eyes shone a blood red and their teeth were sharply pointed. There were many of these monsters to the point where it was overwhelming.

The horde of rats filled the space in front, behind, and even the floors, ceilings, and walls, swarming towards them.

Esther muttered,

Id prefer the demon worshippers at this point.

If you dont want to be torn apart alive, get your act together and fight.

Dale immediately charged forward. Due to his unique fighting style, being too close to others could be more of a hindrance.

Raising his cursed sword vertically, Dale brought it down with full force.

Thud!

Squeak!

With a single stroke, he cleaved through a dozen rats. Yet, the horde was fearless.

Regardless of whether their comrades were crushed or not, they blindly rushed at Dale with bared teeth.

Sharp teeth clashed against Dales armor, but it was the teeth that ended up breaking.

The fangs of the beasts were not sharp enough to penetrate his enhanced armor.

No matter how extraordinary these rats might be, a rat was still a rat.

The real issue was their sheer number.

The rats who bred for generations in this old-looking sewer were now too numerous to count.

Dale slashed and slashed again, yet the swarm of rats showed no signs of abating.

Dale was undeterred. His cold heart which didnt beat endowed him with limitless stamina.

As he cleaved through the rats and absorbed their life force, he could continue fighting until every last one of them was dead.

No matter how numerous they were, they were not infinite.

The concern lay with Esther and Pale.

Grant your servants light.

Haa!

They were surprisingly holding their own in the fight.

Within the barrier erected by Esther, Pale swung a glowing mace infused with divine power with frantic fervor.

The issue was that, unlike Dale, these two were ordinary humans.

Humans are bound to tire, and divine power is not an infinite resource.

Eventually, they would be overwhelmed by the relentless tide of rats.

Both Esther and Pale seemed aware of this and gritted their teeth in frustration.

If only I had known, I would have learned some offensive miracles.

Hmm.

Leaving them to perish was not an option.

The swarm of rats needed to be dealt with swiftly.

But how?

The question was always the method.

Dale who lacked wide-range attack skills found himself at a disadvantage when facing multiple enemies.

Up to this point, he had methodically taken them down one by one. but it was clear that a change in strategy was necessary.

A skill that can eliminate many at once

Dale racked his brain and scoured his memories for any hint of a solution.

Eventually, his thoughts even drifted back to his days of gaming and he started searching for inspiration.

It was there that he stumbled upon a spark of an idea.

Is it possible?

It was a technique he had never attempted before. Since it was difficult just to think about.

Yet this was not the time for doubts. To eradicate this horde of rats and save his companions, he had to succeed.

Dale had a natural talent. He was a genius when it came to killing.

He decided to trust in his abilities.

Here goes.

He grasped the hilt of his cursed sword with both hands and extended it forward with determination.

Dale suddenly stopped in his tracks, and the swarm of rats sensed something amiss and froze as well.

Caught off guard by the abrupt silence, Esther and Pale turned their gazes toward Dale.

In the next moment, Dale began to spin in place.

He started off slowly but his pace rapidly increased until his own face became blurred with the speed.

As Dale spun, his cursed sword traced a vast circle in the air. A circle of death, a whirlwind of blades, a storm of swords.

This storm swept through the sewers and was literally grinding the horde of rats to pieces.