Chapter 201 – Horror in the Middle of the Forest

Chapter 201

 Horror in the Middle of the Forest

Date : Day 3 of Frostfall 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Ina led Jackey, Arianna, Holley, and Alvis through the northern area.

They were running. Or, at least, they were trying to. Their pace was considerably slower than usual. All of them were exhausted from the battle they had just endured. Their muscles screamed with every movement, their breathing was heavy, and their bodies desperately wanted them to stop.

But they couldn't. Not after hearing what was happening at the southern entrance.

Jackey was once again carrying Arianna on his back. This time, however, it was a normal back carry. There was no awkward positioning like before. Even so, Jackey's steps were heavy. He couldn't use his physical enhancement anymore. His Strong Legs had already been pushed to their limit.

There was simply nothing left for him to draw from his exhausted body.

A few minutes ago, they had encountered a militia member rushing toward them. The man had barely managed to explain what had happened. A gigantic monster made of flesh had appeared at the southern entrance. Hyoren, Elise, and Arad were fighting it.

After hearing that, they immediately rushed toward the southern entrance. Even though they were exhausted. Even though their bodies screamed at them to rest. They still continued.

Ina gripped her short sword tightly.

“A gigantic monster of flesh... How is that possible...?”

Her expression was grim.

Arianna, riding on Jackey's back, shook her head.

“It might be another ritual magic by the Voided Covenant. Even scholars in academies are often baffled by what they could do sometimes...”

Jackey adjusted Arianna on his back. His breathing was still heavy.

“Gigantic monster... Big bro, please be safe!”

They continued running. Their pace remained slow. But they didn't stop. After a while, the southern entrance finally came into view.

The militia were gathered behind the barricade. They were still watching the battlefield nervously.

Ina and the others quickly passed through the entrance. Then they stepped outside. And the sight that greeted them was terrifying.

The gigantic Flesh Golem stood in the distance.

Even from there, its grotesque form was unmistakable. An enormous humanoid mass made from countless pieces of flesh, bones, and corpses. A cloud of darkness surrounded it. The darkness itself seemed unnatural. Even from this distance, they could feel that it was some kind of curse.

Ina grimaced.

“What the hell is that...?”

Arianna didn't answer.

She immediately jumped down from Jackey's back. Her light-blue eyes began glowing—Aethell Sense. Her gaze swept across the battlefield. She saw Hyoren was perching on a gouged hole on the Flesh Golem's left hip.

“Leader seems to have destroyed an Aethell Core with that attack.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“But that monstrosity seems to still have one more on its chest.”

Jackey was still catching his breath. But the moment he heard that, he immediately unsheathed his twin axes.

“Let's help Big Bro!”

Ina tightened her grip on her short sword. Arianna prepared herself as well. They were about to move.

But something happened. The Flesh Golem's enormous fist struck Hyoren in the air. His body was launched high. He crashed onto the ground and rolled several times. Then, he didn't get up. 

The three of them shouted at almost the same time.

“Hyoren!”

“Big Bro!”

“Leader!”

They instinctively rushed forward. Even if they knew they couldn't reach him in time.

But before they could take more than a few steps—an explosive surge of Aethell suddenly filled the battlefield. They felt it and all three stopped.

It wasn't oppressive like the Flesh Golem's dark aura. It wasn't the sinister Aethell that had permeated the area ever since they entered the domain of the undead.

This was different. It was pure. And it was carried by a gust of wind which swept across the battlefield. The wind had a strange sense of purity. Almost sacred.

Then the Aethell began concentrating. It gathered around a single point. Around a certain silver-haired elf—Elise.

She stood in the battlefield with her Moonveil Bow drawn to its fullest. A brilliant green radiance enveloped her. The emerald light was so intense that even from their distance, they could clearly see it.

Then—for the briefest moment, something appeared behind Elise. A blurry figure with pointed ears. It looked almost as if the figure was embracing the silver-haired elf from behind. The image was indistinct. They couldn't make out its features.

But, before anyone could properly understand what they were seeing—it disappeared.

Even Jackey and Ina, who couldn't use Aethell Sense, had seen it. The three of them were left speechless.

Arianna stared at Elise. Her light-blue eyes widened. The sight before her was almost too amazing to describe.

She finally found a single word.

“Beautiful...”

Something inside them changed. They no longer felt the need to rush forward.

It was almost instinctive. Almost as though they already knew.

Elise will save Hyoren.

And then—a brilliant green beam erupted from Elise's bow.

BOOM!

The Sacred Wind Arrow pierced straight through the Flesh Golem. The emerald beam tore through its enormous chest. It continued through the monstrosity and emerged from its back before shooting toward the sky.

For a heartbeat, everything was still. 

The Flesh Golem stopped moving. Then its enormous body began to tremble. Its flesh started losing its cohesion. Bones separated. Blood spilled. Countless pieces of flesh that had once been forcibly joined together began falling apart. 

The gigantic monstrosity that had appeared from the Still Forest was finally beginning to collapse.

***

The three of them stood in silence. They could only watch as the Flesh Golem slowly fell apart. 

Then—Elise collapsed.

Her body simply gave out. She had poured almost everything she had left into that final attack. Sacred Wind had consumed a massive amount of Aethell, on top of the countless Charged Magic Arrows she had fired throughout the battle.

Ina finally snapped out of her trance.

“They won their battle. But we need to save them!”

She immediately turned toward Arianna.

“Arianna, go check Elise. I will check Hyoren!”

Arianna nodded and rushed toward the collapsed elf.

Ina turned toward Hyoren. She immediately ran toward him. Jackey followed close behind, his face filled with worry.

Ina reached Hyoren.

Blood covered almost his entire body. His breathing was ragged. Yet he was still conscious.

His Berserker remained active. The crimson streaks across his body, the steam rising from him, and his bulging muscles were all proof of that.

His body couldn't move. But his dark eyes still followed Ina as she approached.

Ina grimaced.

If he didn't have Berserker...

She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened.

“Hyoren. Don't worry. I will save you.”

Hyoren tried to speak.

“Ina... what... about the Flesh... Golem...?”

Ina quickly shook her head.

“Sssh... It's fine. It's fine... Drink this first.”

She had already taken a high-grade potion from her storage bag. The green liquid sloshed inside the bottle. This was the highest-grade potion she had brought. She only carried two of them. They were the best healing potions that Oria, Akela's alchemist, could produce.

Ina looked toward Jackey.

“Jackey, help Hyoren sit.”

The Cat-clan Beastkin immediately nodded.

“Okay, Big Sis!”

He carefully helped Hyoren into a sitting position.

Hyoren groaned. Jackey immediately adjusted his position.

“Easy there, Big Bro.”

Ina crouched beside him. She helped Hyoren hold the potion and guided it toward his mouth.

“Please drink this, Hyoren.”

Hyoren slowly drank the healing potion.

The effect began to take hold. The wounds across his body slowly closed. His ragged breathing gradually became steadier. Ina finally released a relieved sigh.

***

Hyoren felt his body beginning to heal. His broken bones gradually mended, while the wounds covering his body slowly closed.

The healing potion Ina had given him was definitely high quality. His breathing became steadier. He finally felt capable of speaking again.

“Thank you, Ina...”

Hyoren tried to stand.

Ina immediately stopped him.

“Please rest, Hyoren. You were injured badly enough to kill you if you weren't using your Unique Skill.”

Hyoren smiled wryly. He flexed his fingers.

“Your potion healed me enough, Ina. I could at least move.”

He slowly stood. Then his gaze fell upon the enormous pile of flesh scattered across the battlefield.

“So... the Flesh Golem was defeated... Is it Elise?”

Ina nodded.

“Yeah, Hyoren...”

Hyoren looked around. Then he found her. Elise was lying on the ground nearby, with Arianna tending to her.

His eyes widened.

“What happened to Elise?”

He immediately moved toward her, ignoring the pain still running through his body.

Ina tried to stop him.

“Please don't move too quickly!”

But Hyoren didn't listen. Ina could only shake her head before following him.

Hyoren crouched beside Elise. His Magic Eyes immediately examined her condition. After seeing the result, his expression relaxed.

“So she just passed out because her Aethell was empty...”

He released a relieved breath.

“I'm glad...”

Arianna nodded with a soft smile.

“That's right, Leader. This is a sign of Aethell exhaustion.”

Hyoren heaved another relieved sigh.

“I'm truly glad...”

His gaze shifted toward the massive pile of flesh.

“So Elise delivered the finishing blow and destroyed the last Aethell Core, huh...”

He remembered the brilliant green light.

“Those emerald beams... That was her...”

Hyoren’s eyes returned to the silver-haired elf. He gently stroked her hair.

“Rest well, Elise...”

He stood again.

Despite the pain still lingering throughout his body, he walked toward the remains of the Flesh Golem.

Jackey and Ina followed him.

The moment Jackey reached the pile, he winced and pinched his nose.

“What is this?! Is this... flesh?”

Hyoren scanned the remains.

“Yeah, Jackey...”

His expression became grim.

“The Voided Covenant made that golem from flesh and somehow made it move with whatever evil and cursed magic they used.”

Ina covered her mouth with her hand.

“This is truly horrifying...”

Now that the Flesh Golem had lost its cohesion, the horror of its construction was even more apparent. 

Countless pieces of corpses were scattered across the ground. Some were intact. Some were not so. Human corpses. Other creatures as well. Bones and flesh from countless different beings were mixed together.

And in the middle of it all—there were five robed figures. All of them were dead.

“Those five were members of the Voided Covenant.”

Hyoren's gaze lingered on their bodies.

“They sacrificed themselves and fused with the Flesh Golem. They became its power sources... and its controllers.”

He shook his head.

“They even believed this was the result of a miracle of Noctynara.”

Hyoren's expression hardened.

“What delusional people...”

Ina shook her head.

“They were... unbelievable. They were... Crazy...”

Hyoren could only nod.

“Crazy, huh…”

He looked at the remains once more.

“Maybe that's the perfect way to describe them. They were insane.”

***

Hyoren looked up.

The abyss-like sky still remained above them. Despite the defeat of the Flesh Golem and the deaths of the five Voided Covenant members, the oppressive domain surrounding Riverville had not disappeared.

His dark eyes narrowed.

“So… killing those 5 Voided Covenant members and the Flesh Golem was not enough to dispel the Domain of the Undead?”

Arianna, having finished making sure Elise was safe, finally stood. She carefully dusted the surface of her deep-purple robe before looking upward once more.

“It seems so, Leader.”

She adjusted the brim of her wide hat.

“Either they still have more members… or they have another kind of power source.”

Hyoren slowly nodded.

“So our fight is not over yet…”

His gaze remained fixed on the unnatural sky.

“It seems we still need to find the source of the ritual magic.”

Ina and Arianna both nodded.

“Yes, Hyoren…”

“Sadly, yes, Leader.”

Hyoren closed his eyes for a moment.

I already used Berserker for close to 1 hour…

The thought of what awaited him after deactivating the skill lingered in the back of his mind.

And I couldn't deactivate it yet. Not before we're sure the Voided Covenant truly rooted…

His expression hardened.

It seems I need to pay more price after this…

He steeled himself before opening his eyes again.

His gaze swept across the battlefield. Then he spotted Arad. The older guard was standing nearby, speaking with another guard. From the appearance of the other man, it seemed to be the guard who had accompanied Ina earlier.

Hyoren began walking toward them. Ina followed beside him. As they approached, Hyoren could hear their conversation.

Arad was speaking first.

“Son. You are fine? I'm glad… How about your friend?”

The other guard nodded, though his expression was subdued.

“I'm fine, father. But Rick…”

His voice trailed off.

Arad didn't force him to continue. Instead, he quietly nodded.

“I see. He was a good kid… I will tell his family myself later.”

Ina, who had been listening curiously, finally spoke.

“Alvis, who is he?”

Hyoren was curious as well. He looked toward Arad.

“Arad, acquaintance?”

Both Arad and the other guard looked toward them.

Arad spoke first.

“Mister Hyoren… This is Alvis. My son.”

Alvis gave a small nod.

“Lady Ina, this is my father.”

Hyoren and Ina looked at each other.

A small smile appeared on both their faces. Even in this bleak atmosphere, the news about surviving family members was good. 

Hyoren turned toward Arad.

“Good for you, Arad. Your son is alive…”

He then looked at Alvis.

“And you, Alvis. You must be proud of your father. He was so skillful. He helped us defeat that monstrosity.”

Alvis immediately straightened. He gave a proper salute.

“Yes, Mister Hyoren! I look up to my father so much!”

Hyoren smiled and nodded. Then his expression became serious again. He looked toward Arad.

“Arad. The ritual is not done yet. We defeated the Flesh Golem, but the Voided Covenant might still be lurking in Still Forest.”

Arad tightened his grip around his steel spear.

“I know. I will become your guide.”

Alvis, standing beside him, also nodded.

“Let me help too!”

Hyoren nodded.

“Good. Alvis, right? Let's end this nightmare together.”

He then looked toward his party. Jackey. Arianna. Then at Ina, the Vice Guild Master of Akela.

“I know you're all tired.”

He inhaled slowly before continuing.

“But there is still one more thing we need to do.”

He exhaled.

“Let's go root out the Voided Covenant completely from Riverville Town.”

Arianna and Jackey nodded.

But Ina stepped closer. She reached out and touched Hyoren's arm. His muscle was still bulging unnaturally beneath the effects of Berserker. The crimson streaks remained visible across his body.

“But Hyoren…”

Her eyes carried concern.

“You were using Berserker… since when? The longer you keep it active, the higher the pain you will receive later, right?”

Hyoren gave her a small smile.

“Do not worry, Ina. I'm prepared to pay the price.”

His voice remained calm.

“I couldn't stop this before we make sure every Voided Covenant member is taken care of and the ritual is ended.”

Ina looked like she wanted to argue. But she knew Hyoren was right. After a brief silence, she finally nodded.

“Okay then…”

Her expression remained serious.

“But by the time we end this… you should deactivate it. And I will take care of you afterwards.”

Hyoren smiled.

“Thank you, Ina. Please do…”

His gaze then shifted toward Elise. She was still lying on the tarp, already covered in a blanket.

Hyoren's expression softened slightly. Then he looked toward Holley.

“Holley, could you take care of Elise? Bring her somewhere safe and protect her.”

Holley immediately saluted. He tightened his grip around his curved sword.

“Roger, Sir Hyoren! I will protect her with my life!”

Hyoren nodded.

“Thank you.”

His gaze then moved toward Jackey and Arianna.

The exhaustion was still obvious in both of them. Their faces and movements betrayed how much they had already endured.

“You two… Please work hard a bit more, okay?”

Jackey rested one of his axes against his shoulder.

“No worries, Big Bro! I'm tired. But I'm still able to whack some heretics!”

Arianna also nodded.

“Physically, I'm not really exhausted. And my Aethell recovered somewhat. I could help dealing with the Voided Covenant if there are still more of them in the forest.”

Hyoren could see the grim determination in both their eyes. He nodded.

“Okay then.”

He looked toward everyone.

“Let's do this.”

They nodded.

Hyoren then returned to the battlefield. His gaze fell upon the two weapons that had been thrown aside when the Flesh Golem struck him. Dawn Breaker and Étendard Sacré du Lys. He picked them up one after another and firmly gripped both weapons.

Then he turned toward Still Forest. The source of the ritual.

Hyoren briefly looked back at his party. At Arad. At Alvis. Then he faced the forest once more. Without another word, he started walking.

The nightmare that had befallen Riverville Town was not over yet. And Hyoren was going to end it.

***

Hyoren, Ina, Jackey, Arianna, Alvis, and Arad walked together. Their destination was Still Forest. 

The closer they came, the more eerie the surroundings became. Hyoren continued walking without slowing his stride, his dark eyes sweeping across the surroundings.

“Is the forest always this eerie?”

Arad, walking beside him, nodded.

“Yes, Mister Hyoren. It was always this… still…”

Hyoren nodded.

Still—that was perhaps the best word to describe the forest. The trees towered above them, and at first glance, they seemed to grow normally. But something was deeply wrong. They had no leaves. Their trunks looked almost like those of dead trees, their surfaces dull and lifeless despite the fact that the trees themselves remained standing.

There was no sound of a forest. No rustling leaves carried by the wind. No calls from creatures hiding between the trees. There wasn't even grass. No bushes. No small plants growing between the trees.

The ground was completely bare. It was almost as though every trace of life had been sucked out of the forest.

The group eventually arrived at the edge of Still Forest. This was where the Flesh Golem had emerged earlier. The path ahead told the story clearly. Trees had been broken and thrown aside, some of their massive trunks lying across the ground.

The Flesh Golem had simply bulldozed through everything in its path. And because of that destruction, a strangely straight path had been carved directly into the forest.

Hyoren smiled wryly.

“Arad, it seems your guide was not really needed…”

He pointed forward with his spear.

In the distance, he could already see it. A tower. The ancient tower that had been constructed by the eccentric noble several centuries ago.

“It seems the Voided Covenant truly made that tower their base of operation…”

His eyes followed the path created by the Flesh Golem.

“The path of that Flesh Golem goes straight to that tower.”

Arad tightened his grip around his steel spear.

“That seems like it, Mister Hyoren.”

Hyoren nodded.

His gaze remained fixed on the straight path ahead. The crimson haze continued to obscure his vision somewhat, the effect of Berserker. But his mind remained clear.

I need to finish this soon.

The longer he kept Berserker active, the greater the price waiting for him afterward would become. He couldn't afford to prolong it unnecessarily.

His gaze shifted around the forest.

Trees were broken everywhere. Some had fallen completely. Others had been snapped in half. The Flesh Golem had truly gone straight through the forest without stopping.

As he checked in details, there were no monsters. No living dead. No corpses walking around. No skeletons. Not even the shadow of an enemy.

The forest remained exactly as its name suggested—still. Silent. Eerie. But still nevertheless.

Hyoren looked at everyone.

“Everyone. The path looks clear. There is no sign of undead…”

He tightened his grip around Étendard Sacré du Lys.

“But we still need to be careful…”

Ina unsheathed her short sword.

“We understand, Hyoren. We will not become complacent.”

Arianna gripped her staff.

“Let's destroy the source of this ritual magic, Leader.”

Jackey twirled his axe before resting it against his shoulder.

“I'm tired. But my instinct is still sharp, Big Bro! I will whack any heretics if they're still around!”

Meanwhile, Arad and Alvis both nodded.

Their steel spears were firmly gripped in their hands. They were ready to follow Hyoren and end this nightmare.

Hyoren smiled.

Then he turned toward the path. He began walking. The others followed behind him. 

Together, they entered the path carved through Still Forest. Toward the middle of the silent forest. Toward the ancient tower built by an eccentric noble centuries ago.

And perhaps, toward the source of the ritual magic.

***

They continued walking along the path carved through Still Forest.

Everyone remained alert as they carefully stepped around the fallen tree trunks scattered across their path. Some were massive. Others had been snapped apart entirely.

The destruction left behind by the Flesh Golem was unmistakable. Deep marks had been carved into the ground where its massive feet had passed. The earth itself had been crushed beneath its weight.

The closer they came to the tower, however, the more Hyoren felt something strange.

This is…

His steps continued without stopping as he tried to understand what he felt.

I know this feeling…

His dark eyes shifted toward Arianna.

“Arianna. What do you think?”

Arianna looked ahead toward the tower, her steps still steady.

“Yes, Leader. This forest… was enveloped by Dark Aethell.”

She adjusted the brim of her wide-brimmed hat.

“I could see the cursed Aethell from ritual magic by the Voided Covenant was truly concentrated in the middle of this forest. It felt horrifying and sick. But…”

Her words trailed off.

Hyoren nodded.

“Yeah…”

His expression became slightly more serious.

“Underneath the cursed Aethell… there is somewhat… sacred Dark Aethell…”

He knew this feeling. He had felt it before. When he met Noctynara. That cold and logical sensation. Yet beneath that coldness was something else. Something sacred. Something pure. Something that carried a strange sense of compassion despite its darkness. It was a peculiar sensation.

Both corrupted and sacred feelings existed at the same time. Yet they were distinct.

The cursed sensation was on the surface. But behind it—the sacred presence remained untouched. Uncorrupted.

Hyoren looked toward the tower. It had grown larger as they approached.

“It seems… there is more about this forest than just the Voided Covenant.”

Arianna's light-blue eyes remained locked onto the tower. She slowly nodded.

“That might be right, Leader.”

Hyoren quickened his stride. The others followed.

Soon, the trees began to thin. And finally, they arrived at a clearing in the middle of Still Forest. Just before the towering structure.

The ancient tower stood before them.

It looked simple, yet majestic. It was three or perhaps four stories tall, and the structure was surprisingly sturdy. Even after centuries, it still stood proudly.

But the tower itself wasn't what made everyone widen their eyes. It was what surrounded it.

There was no enemy. No undead. They couldn't detect any members of the Voided Covenant either. Instead, they found something far more horrifying.

Ina slowly lowered her short sword. Her cat ears flattened against her head.

“This is… horrible…”

Arianna could only cover her mouth with both hands.

“I expected something bad. But this is…”

Jackey had completely lost his usual energy. Even his normally spiralled tabby-cat tail had gone completely still.

“Big Bro…”

His voice was quiet.

“What is this…”

Arad and Alvis also fell silent. Neither of the two guards could find words. The sight before them was simply too horrifying.

Hyoren tightened his grip around both his weapons. His dark eyes hardened.

Then he shouted angrily. Not toward any particular person. But toward the sight that had greeted them. Toward the people responsible for it.

“Voided Covenant!”

His dark eyes swept across the clearing.

The crimson haze that still clouded his vision made everything slightly blurred around the edges. But it did not stop him from understanding what he was seeing.

In fact, it almost made the sight worse.

Because even through the haze, Hyoren could clearly see what the Voided Covenant had done to create both the Domain of the Undead and the Flesh Golem.

His gaze first settled on the ritual magic.

It was still ongoing…

The Runic Array for the Domain of the Undead was still ongoing. Five interconnected circles of Runic Array had been carved across the clearing. They were arranged around the area, each array connected to another through faint lines of Aethell.

But the connections did not stop there. All five arrays seemed to extend toward the ancient tower standing behind them. The runic arrays were still glowing. Their light pulsed rhythmically. Once. Twice. Again. Each pulse carried a faint surge of Dark Aethell through the interconnected formations.

The Domain of the Undead was still active. The ritual magic had not ended.

But the Runic Arrays themselves were not what made Hyoren's blood run cold.

His gaze shifted toward the center of each circle. There stood a tall cross. And tied to each one were two girls. They had been crucified directly onto the crosses. Their bodies hung motionlessly. There were five ritual circles. Two girls on each.

Ten innocent girls in total. Ten lives sacrificed to start the ritual.

Hyoren's expression hardened.

They were already dead… 

He closed his eyes briefly.

They didn’t become Living Dead… Maybe because they were part of the ritual magic…

From their condition, he didn't need to ask whether they were still alive. They were already dead. Their bodies remained there only as part of the ritual. A silence settled over the group.

But the horror did not end there.

Hyoren's eyes slowly moved across the clearing.

And then he saw the wagons. Scattered throughout the area were numerous large wagons. Caged wagons. The kind used to transport prisoners. Or slaves. Each one was large enough to hold more than ten people.

His eyes narrowed.

One. Two. Three. He stopped counting. 

There were simply too many to count…

More than dozens of wagons were scattered around the clearing.

And all of them are empty…

Empty, that fact was perhaps the most horrifying part. Because the answer to where all those people had gone was already standing before them.

Hyoren's gaze finally moved farther ahead.

Directly in front of them. At what appeared to be the beginning of the devastation left behind by the Flesh Golem. There was another Runic Array.

Unlike the five surrounding formations, however, this one was already inert. Its glow had disappeared. Whatever ritual had been performed there was already over.

But the ground surrounding it told a different story.

A massive pool of blood had spread across the clearing. It had soaked into the earth. It had splattered across the surrounding ground. There was far too much of it.

Hyoren stared silently.

This wasn't blood from a few sacrifices…

It wasn't the blood of several people. The sheer scale of it made that impossible. There had been dozens. Perhaps hundreds. The amount of blood was almost incomprehensible.

And suddenly, the enormous Flesh Golem they had fought made a terrible kind of sense. Its massive body. Its countless pieces of flesh. The human arms. The legs. The faces. The bones. The bodies of other creatures mixed together into one grotesque mass. The blood covering the ground matched its scale.

Hyoren's grip tightened around his weapons.

The clearing had become the answer to a question he had never wanted answered. The Flesh Golem hadn't simply appeared. It had been made.

And judging from the sheer scale of the blood before him, the Voided Covenant had paid for its creation with an unimaginable number of sacrifices.