Chapter 483: – Descent

Chapter 483: Descent (1)

[Black Magic: Parasite]

[Druid’s Ritual: Rapid Growth]

Oliver cast Black Magic and the Druid’s Ritual simultaneously.

Immediately, the black magic in Oliver’s hand and the green natural energy stored in the branch erupted with a bright flash.

The black-green energy fused into the dark red branch, absorbing all the energy from the creature.

This was the effect of the Black Magic Parasite.

The branch absorbed not just the creature’s emotions, but its life force, its corpse, and even its soul. Fueled by the absorbed energy, the dark red branch rapidly grew, spreading its roots in all directions.

Shoooosh!

The roots spread from the branch, creating dents in the ground as they radiated outward, climbing up the walls and even reaching the ceiling, surrounding the entire space.

The thick roots continued to absorb nourishment, forming smaller roots that seized control of the creature.

But this was just the preparation phase.

[Black Magic: Frostbite]

[Ice Magic: Frozen Ground]

Using the rooted dark red branch as a medium, Oliver simultaneously cast a disease-related Black Magic and Ice Magic.

The combined magic emitted a fierce light, spreading through the dark red branch, injecting a toxic cold into every corner of the creature’s body.

Crackkkk…

The cold quickly spread along the roots, freezing the creature’s slimy, moist flesh down to the cellular level. Ice flowers formed on the surface, shining like a mirror.

In an instant, Oliver had seized Fen’s territory.

[You dare interfere with me?!]

Fen, alarmed, shouted. Right after, the shadows tied to Fen and the creature lunged at Oliver from all directions.

Fen intended to crush Oliver before he could pull any more tricks.

However, he was a step too late.

[Ice Forest Mirror Thunder]

As the creature and shadows closed in, Oliver chanted.

He added electric magic to the dark red branch, already infused with two types of disease-related Black Magic, one Druid ritual, and one Ice Magic, spreading it out in all directions.

The electric magic emitted a sharp blue light, flashing along the roots, spreading everywhere.

For a brief moment, the dark underground chamber was lit up.

Zzzzt! Crackle…

Electricity crackled along the icy surface like a writhing serpent, erupting with an ear-splitting pop and sending cold, white lightning surging right in front of Oliver.

…!!!

The raw power of the lightning turned many of the threatening creatures into icy dust in an instant.

Their bodies shattered under the impact and cold of the lightning.

Even the shapeless darkness appeared pierced, with large holes forming as if from bullet wounds.

The creatures halted, shocked by the speed and power of the lightning—an error that would be fatal for them… but even if they had moved, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of bursting bulbs echoed as disaster struck the underground chamber, lightning tearing through in all directions.

White lightning shot out from ice-coated mirrors, piercing the shapeless darkness and turning the solid creatures into icy powder as it swept through the space.

The overwhelming range, speed, and power of the attack erased the numbers and size of the creatures, wiping them out as if with an eraser.

It took only a few seconds.

The once numerous creatures were reduced to single digits, and the darkness was riddled with holes, failing to block the view of what lay beyond.

Thanks to this, Oliver could survey the area and check on his comrades’ conditions.

‘They’re closer than I thought.’

Oliver scanned the area around him where the darkness had receded.

As expected, the underground chamber was wide but not as vast as anticipated, and his comrades weren’t far off.

Almost close enough to touch?

Apparently, the thick darkness had distorted their senses. Quite interesting.

To think that merely limiting one’s vision in the dark could distort one’s senses this much. You’d need to have a profound understanding of darkness for that.

“Kyehahahahak!!”

A creature, terrified by the relentless assault of lightning, grabbed one of the subdued Pinkman as a shield.

Even those who couldn’t understand the creature’s language could tell it was a hostage situation, and Oliver, who could understand, knew even more so.

A Pinkman, resolute, spoke up.

“I-”

-Bang!

Before the Pinkman could finish, white lightning struck, turning the creature into icy powder without harming the Pinkman.

Oliver then made a request to everyone.

“Everyone, please stay where you are.”

Thanks to the receding darkness, Oliver’s voice reached everyone, and both Pinkman and even the Holy Knights froze in place.

Everyone understood that following Oliver’s instructions was the best course of action.

Once everyone had stopped, Oliver took control over the lightning that surrounded the area through the dark red branch. He detonated the lightning everywhere except the space where his comrades were, covering the remaining area with white lightning as if painting with it.

━━━━━━━━!!!

A thunderous sound beyond description roared through the underground, shaking the ground and flooding the entire space with blinding white light.

A moment later, echoes of ringing ears filled the air as the white world returned to its original colors.

The underground chamber, now frozen white, was littered with ice powder from vanished creatures, and not a single comrade had been harmed.

“This… is insane. A precision bombardment spell with such detail.”

Ricky, the captain of the battered Pinkman team, marveled at Oliver’s power.

Considering the urgent, life-threatening situation of the demonic ritual, his words sounded overly relaxed, but it was only a testament to how impressive Oliver’s display of skill was.

In reality, Oliver’s composite use of Black Magic, Rituals, and Magic was enough to upend academic understanding and, even to the layperson, the sheer power was staggering.

Like shooting bombs from a machine gun and only targeting the desired enemies. In one word, it was unreal.

But because of this, he had flipped the unfavorable situation in an instant.

“You’re flattering me.”

“I’m dead serious.”

“So am I.”

Oliver politely declined Ricky’s praise, and he wasn’t just being modest.

Because despite the powerful composite of Black Magic, Rituals, and Magic, he hadn’t been able to stop the demonic ritual in the center of the underground chamber.

Fwooom. Thump, thump, thump.

The immense bonfire, fueled by human corpses, was still burning, and those caught by the hair continued to beat drums and dance.

It wasn’t that Oliver hadn’t tried to attack the other side.

Initially, he’d aimed to take down the ritual along with the creatures, but it hadn’t worked.

He hadn’t even left a singe.

Just to be sure, Oliver tried to thwart the ritual again by firing lightning through the icy mirrors, but the twisted space consumed it along with the black smoke that curled from within.

Oliver turned to his comrades who stood staring blankly.

“It seems it’s difficult to stop this ritual by external force. Do any of you Holy Knights know how to halt it?”

None of the Holy Knights answered. Anselm, who had the most experience and served as their leader, stood silently, emotions swirling inside him.

It was surprising, but not shocking.

This was the first official instance of a demon being summoned since Ravely.

Demon summoning was something that belonged more to the realm of myth than reality.

And there was no way to prepare for something that existed only in myths.

‘But the church has been around for so long, it’s strange… or maybe not? The demonic tomes in their possession were incredibly complex as well. Could the one performing the ritual know?’

Oliver grew curious and manipulated the icy mirrors lying around. He launched white lightning toward a secluded corner.

The sound of tearing air rang out as the lightning struck nothingness.

The lightning blazed brightly and disappeared, revealing a shattered space where Fen had been hiding.

Having been hit by the lightning, Fen’s Warbonnet, along with the throne he had been sitting on, was reduced to white charcoal, while Fen’s face was covered in powdered ice.

He looked just like a chimney sweep.

But even in that state, Fen was in better shape compared to the shadow lying beside him. The shadow clearly was in far worse condition.

After exhausting its energy in battle, its body was critically low on life force and magic.

The disease-related Black Magic that had been inflicted through the Blood-Stained Dagger had worsened, altering its physical appearance. To make matters worse, part of its body had vanished after being hit by lightning.

It was in such a dire state that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if it crumbled to dust at any moment. This spoke volumes about how hard it had fought to protect Fen.

Yet Fen, whether unaware or uncaring, coldly addressed his shadow.

“You’re useless…”

The already weakened shadow fell limply under those words, and Fen then broke it down into a new creature.

Fen’s shadow, lacking any means to protest, stretched out a hand towards Oliver’s group for help, but was soon dissolved into molecules.

Strangely, everyone who witnessed it, including the Holy Knights, grimaced with a visceral sense of revulsion.

“What are you staring at? You were killing them just as brutally moments ago.”

Fen, having created a new shadow-creature, spoke up.

“They’re my creations! …And if I want to take them back, what’s the problem?”

In logic, there was nothing wrong with his statement. Creatures were made by sorcerers for specific needs; discarding them when they were no longer necessary was rational.

Even books on Black Magic advised using creatures temporarily and discarding them thereafter. If left too long, their self-awareness could grow, which might become dangerous.

Viewing it from that angle, Fen’s actions were rational, logical, and correct.

Yet, something about it felt off. It was hard to put into words.

“Do you think you’ve won?!”

Fen shouted at Oliver, breaking his thoughts.

“Do you think you’ve won just because you’re stronger?! …If only I had brought my greatest work, you’d be nothing but a snack!!”

“Is he insane…”

“What a brat.”

“And he’s supposed to be a ‘Finger’?”

A few Pinkman expressed their disgust at Fen’s outburst.

Such words were unfitting for an elite ‘Finger’ in a situation where the outcome had already been decided.

Yet, interestingly enough, Fen was being completely sincere.

“What exactly is this ‘greatest work’ of yours?”

“That is-”

“-That’s not important right now!”

Anselm interrupted the conversation between Fen and Oliver, pointing his longsword at Fen.

“Stop the ritual immediately. If you don’t, I will sever your head.”

Despite his damaged sword and injured body, Anselm issued the warning with intimidating authority, holding back only to prevent further complications.

But Fen merely sneered.

“As expected of a Holy Knight. How blinded by the light you are… Most of you don’t even know anything… A ritual can be started, but you can’t stop it.”

“He’s telling the truth.”

Oliver confirmed Fen’s emotion, sharing it with the others.

Everyone showed expressions of shock and despair. A bomb was right beside them, and it couldn’t be stopped.

Despite the dire circumstances, Oliver felt it wasn’t all bad.

He had been willing to stop the ritual, but if it’s impossible, observing it to satisfy his curiosity was still an option. It’s not like he had a choice.

“Why can’t it be stopped?”

Oliver asked Fen, who surprisingly offered an answer.

“…Because that’s how rituals work. Have you really met a demon and still don’t know?”

“No, I don’t.”

Oliver’s response prompted those nearby to stare at him. A Black Mage who had met a demon.

“Rituals are just the minimum requirement. The true core of demon summoning lies in catching the demon’s attention.”

“Oh.”

Oliver unintentionally let out a sigh of wonder. The subject was just that fascinating.

So the method of performing the ritual, or the offerings, wasn’t the most important thing, but just a minimum condition.

The knowledge he’d acquired from a rare demonic tome now seemed worthless.

Yet he wasn’t angry. Failure was a part of learning, and right now, Fen’s words were simply too intriguing.

It made sense. After all, there had been far more unsuccessful demon summonings, even with proper rituals and offerings. Fen’s explanation tied everything together.

The ritual is the minimum requirement. What truly matters is catching the demon’s attention.

This gave rise to a new question.

“Then why has this demon taken an interest in this place?”

“There are several reasons.”

Fen, standing on his charred throne, spoke confidently.

“This land is a land of sin. A place born of blood and greed, where the Red Ones were sacrificed to create the mana stone mine.”

“…”

“Second, the offering. That girl lying over there—Lily—was once a princess of a once-prosperous tribe. Now it’s a nameless, destroyed people.”

Oliver gazed at the girl lying on the great drum. Her belly was grotesquely swollen, resembling an expectant mother’s, while the rest of her body was emaciated and shriveled.

“And, of course, there’s an item here that aids in demon summoning.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, don’t mind that. The most important reason is the third one, aren’t you curious about that?”

“I am.”

Fen pointed at himself.

“The third reason is me, because the Prince is here.”

“…What prince are you referring to?”

“The Prince of Hell… So enough of this, reveal yourself!”

Fen screamed.

Immediately, the noise around them ceased, and the air stilled, creating an eerie sensation.

The dancing Red Ones all stopped, frozen in place.

A chill ran down Oliver’s spine as he sensed the danger, and despite knowing it was futile, he tried to fire white lightning.

Zzzzt!

But before Oliver could activate his magic, the Red Ones all suddenly knelt, and the cold that had been mingled with emotions, magic, and natural energy shattered around them, as darkness engulfed the surroundings once again.

It felt as though the space itself had shattered and they had been transported to an entirely new dimension.

In this place, the only light came from the bonfire.

The kneeling Red Ones began to pray, clasping their hands as they muttered an incomprehensible chant, while the girl lying like a corpse on the large drum suddenly thrashed about, screaming as if cursing the world.