Chapter 200
Inside a carriage running on the road of Caladi.
Callias sat with his legs crossed, agonizing over the Catacomb.
‘The witch wouldn't have revealed her power.’
Veria's Catacomb.
Callias was not unaware of the reason she had been in hiding all this time.
The timing was ambiguous for her to suddenly reveal her power.
‘It is strange, though.’
The energy felt was definitely Corruption.
However, it wasn't that intense.
To Callias, who had fought the Undying Corruption, it was not a particularly impressive energy.
"Actually, I didn't feel it."
"Same here. Why would there be an energy of Corruption in the Catacomb in the first place..."
Esther spoke in a tone of utter disbelief. On the other hand, Ailey was slightly different.
"It can appear. The master of the Catacomb probably still exists."
"Huh? What do you mean? A master of the Catacomb..."
Just as Esther asked back.
Screech!
Clatter. Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.
The shaking carriage window shattered with a crash.
What thrust its head through the gap was the sharp teeth of a beast.
Crunch.
However, Callias, who had already reacted, formed Qi with his hand and pierced the beast's skull.
"This is... a demonic beast, right?"
[Royal Road Emergency Quest]
-Defeat the Witch's Demonic Beast!
A quest seen after a long time.
Seeing that it was the witch's demonic beast, it was undoubtedly Veria's doing.
But Callias was full of doubts.
‘Why on earth.’
Veria.
She was a woman who wished to be confined in the Catacomb herself and became corrupted there.
She was a witch with nothing full of vengeance, nor any faith in the gods.
A woman who merely existed until now just to seek the truth.
‘Why would a witch who has no need to reveal herself do such a thing.’
It was true that the Princess had entered the Catacomb a while ago. However, Veria was averse to people themselves, and even if they met, she was not soft enough to be taken down by the Princess.
Yet why on earth...
"The coachman is dead! Callias! Come out quickly!"
In front of the Royal Castle's gate.
All sorts of bizarre demonic beasts were bursting out from inside the castle walls.
"Not a moment of rest."
Demonic beasts like chimeras with human heads or attached arms were overall climbing or jumping down the castle walls and heading towards the civilian houses.
The residents screamed as they ran away, being bitten and torn to death.
Carpe's troops were hastily blocking the demonic beasts, but the situation was so sudden that the growing casualties were unavoidable.
Tap, tap tap.
"Lord! We've been looking for you for a while!"
It was Allen, Aron, and Orphin.
Perhaps they had fought their way here, their clothes were entirely splattered with the blood of demonic beasts.
"The situation is as you see it. Slay the demonic beasts and save the citizens."
"Yes! Where will you go, Lord..."
"I must go to where the demonic beasts are bursting out from, with the Saintesses. By this point, they'll all be gathering there anyway."
Swoosh, thud thud!
Arrows flying through the wind cut off the breath of the demonic beasts.
"Oryah!"
"This one looks like it lacks any bite!"
Familiar battle cries and voices.
It seemed there was no need to worry.
It was Serena and Aldo, Filo and Pupi.
"Seems like something fun happened?"
Added to that was the Saintess of the Shield, Junis.
Seeing her chuckling while holding her round shield, Callias's eyes naturally frowned.
Callias drew his sword and spoke to the soldiers desperately blocking the castle gate.
"Open the gate."
"Yes!? What do you mean right now..."
"If you open it now, the demonic beasts will pour out!"
"I won't say it twice. Open it."
"Y-yes, sir! Please!!"
Rattle!!
The pulleys holding it loosened and the castle gate opened wide.
Immediately.
All sorts of bizarre demonic beasts hanging on the gate poured out like a wave.
Their numbers were roughly in the hundreds.
Despair took root at the number of demonic beasts filling the sky and falling.
However.
"Like insects."
Along with a single word full of disgust.
Slaaaaash!
Suddenly, Callias's figure disappeared, and at the same time, the demonic beasts that filled the sky turned to ash and vanished.
"Gasp!"
Ssssss.
The soldiers were appalled at the sight of the demonic beasts falling and turning to ash, the knights admired it, and the Saintesses smiled.
"Let's pick up the pace."
Thud.
Soon, around Callias who struck his sword into the ground, dark shadows flickered and emerged.
Then immediately, his Ash Legion revealed itself.
All of them looked ready to kill the demonic beasts.
"Clean them up."
Rooooar!!
Along with the roaring battle cries of the Enhanced Troll Generals, a battlefield between the demonic beasts and the legion unfolded within the Royal Castle.
The legion's majesty of tearing, slashing, and crushing was a magnificent momentum that anyone could see.
"It's amazing every time I see it. Those are trolls, right? When did you even take trolls as subordinates?"
"It's just good luck."
Along with the amazed Esther, Ailey created a spear from a dead soldier's corpse and followed behind Callias.
‘Why is he so fast.’
He runs at a speed invisible to the eye.
Even when running together, if he disappeared for a moment and you noticed, the demonic beasts had already turned to ash.
The soldiers fighting the demonic beasts were bewildered, and seeing the Ash Legion appearing afterward, they shouted Callias's name.
‘This is the direction to the Catacomb... Ah.’
The Catacomb is underground, but Callias headed to the upper floors.
Wondering why, but then.
"Count!"
The Queen and other Masters dealing with the demonic beasts bursting into the corridor caught the Saintess's eye.
Through the Masters, the Queen ran out in a single stride and welcomed Callias.
"I will go to the Catacomb."
"Count, are you sure? The Catacomb is a maze. It would be better to attach soldiers to check the path first or just seal it off completely!"
"There is Corruption in the Catacomb. I will go and eliminate it."
"!!"
Corruption!
And Corruption beneath the Royal Castle?!
"What do you mean there's Corruption in the Catacomb! Stop talking nonsense, Count!"
"That's right! What kind of nonsensical talk is that, saying there's Corruption at the bottom of the Royal Castle! If so, does that mean Her Highness has been living right above where Corruption resides all this time!?"
Judge Gerard. The Black Knight LeViden strongly retorted.
"Then how would you explain these bizarre demonic beasts popping out?"
"That is..."
As they firmly shut their mouths, the Queen asked in a worried tone.
"Is it related to the Princess?"
"...I don't know yet."
But it probably isn't unrelated.
Because the witch was not originally someone who would cause trouble.
"It will be fine. Whether the Princess awakened the Corruption, or she was corrupted herself, from today onwards, nothing will come out of the Catacomb."
At Callias's firm resolution, the Queen smiled faintly and offered her hand.
"Then please take this."
"This is..."
It was a necklace with a small, dark green, rectangular gemstone attached to it.
"Please cherish it thinking it's me. Because this will likely save your life at least once. Grand Duke Chloe?"
"I will follow your command, Your Highness."
"Please lead the Royal Knights and clear the way for the Count. Make the path he's heading to a little easier."
"Understood."
At that moment, Fire Demon Karina knelt.
"Your Highness, I too will join the Count and punish the evil forces residing in the Catacomb!"
Meaning she wanted to go with Callias.
But he shook his head.
"The Saintesses and I are enough."
"So he says. The rest of you should do your best to secure the safety of the citizens and deal with the demonic beasts that have spread throughout the capital."
"We will obey..."
A moment later.
Beneath the Royal Castle.
Callias, standing at the entrance of the Catacomb, passed through the corridor reeking of blood and saw the broken iron bars and iron doors.
There were many demonic beasts with multiple limbs, and the horrifying sound of something tearing at flesh seemed to echo from somewhere.
Looking at the entrance of the Catacomb, Chloe shook her head and said.
"Will you be alright? The Catacomb is more vast than you think. It's not called a Labyrinth for nothing. If you lose your way, it won't be easy to get out."
"Grand Duke Chloe."
"Speak, Count."
"Do you know what is most important in battle?"
"Why that all of a sudden... Of course, it's swordsmanship."
"It's not a wrong answer."
"Then what do you think it is?"
"Knowing the way."
His swirling purple energy spread out like a ripple from beneath his feet.
From the entrance of the Labyrinth, Callias, who detected dead ends and remains lying on the floor through the gently spreading ripples, made the word 'getting lost' meaningless.
On top of that.
"Go."
Even the Ash Legion.
With them there to thoroughly search the entire Labyrinth just in case, why would they be needed?
"I will go ahead. Too many people in the Labyrinth is rather a hindrance."
"W-wait a moment! Hu... haha."
Without even a gap to stop them, the Saintesses and Callias disappeared into the Labyrinth.
"What do we do?"
"We go too. Taking this opportunity to figure out the Labyrinth and report the truth to Her Highness isn't a bad thing. This happened because we were ignorant of the Catacomb, so making sure this never happens again is the priority. As for the rest..."
He will take care of it.
* * *
The Labyrinth on the 4th underground floor of the Catacomb.
Amidst the dizzying expanse of space and the gaps between bizarre demonic beasts.
Two women were facing each other.
"You're truly a crazy bitch."
"That's the first time I've heard that in my life. Why?"
The person in front of the robed woman was a Princess wearing the clothes of the Duchy.
Princess Rebecca.
Her clothes were all torn or covered in blood, and she had suffered severe injuries with her intestines spilling out.
Of course, the one who made her that way was the master of this vast Labyrinth.
The Witch of the Catacomb.
"How did you know? No one should know that I'm alive."
"Why would you think that?"
"Because everyone who came in here died."
There was no way a secret could leak out.
That was what she was saying.
But Rebecca let out a sneer.
"What's so funny?"
"Because someone made it out alive. Isn't that why I came to find you?"
"Who?"
"I met him once before."
Flick. A gold coin flicked from her thumb.
The witch's face, who snatched it, crumpled fiercely.
"Goblin. That son of a bitch."
Goblin's gold coin.
The witch seemed to have a clue, as she cursed at the goblin for a while.
"I am very interested in you. The witch who corrupted herself, Veria."
The witch who corrupted herself.
At the word 'herself', the witch's gaze became a bit more serious.
"What do you want? I hate noisy things."
The witch, who pocketed the gold coin, gestured to withdraw the demonic beasts that were drooling at Rebecca.
The beasts that had been rushing at her like animals disappeared as if dead at a single command from the witch.
Confirming that sight, Rebecca only then managed a weak smile and said.
"Let me meet God."
God.
It was not a word to be taken lightly from the mouth of a dying woman.
The witch's eyes narrowed.
Since it didn't seem like she was spouting nonsense.
"...The reason?"
"Because only then can I become corrupted."
At Rebecca's confident attitude as if she had spoken the correct answer, the witch's purple lips drew an intrigued arc.
"Why do you desire corruption?"
"To challenge."
Challenge.
A laugh bloomed from the witch at those words.
"What an absurd statement. Do you really believe those words?"
"Didn't you believe that too?"
Corrupting oneself to challenge God.
Rebecca was saying that, and...
"That is the correct answer."
The witch, throwing off her robe, thrust her sword with a satisfied smile.
Stab.
A groan leaked from Rebecca as her heart was pierced.
"Urk..."
"Go meet them. Slap the faces of those high and mighty bastards. If you do, you'll be 'forsaken' immediately, just as you wish."
God's forsaking is synonymous with corruption.
If you desire corruption yourself.
God will cast you out.
They will gladly turn you into a weapon, and only then will you escape mortality.
"I will become corrupted and gain the opportunity to challenge."