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    Chapter 332: Hell (3)


    A grotesque and twisted ce, to the point where even hell might seem kind.


    How did the Barbarians survive in such a space?


    Ketal answered simply.


    “Barbarians are resilient. They don’t die easily from most things. Wounds heal at a rapid rate too.”


    [I know about that.]


    The Tower Master was aware of the regenerative powers of the Barbarians.


    Even when their hearts were pierced, their limbs torn to shreds, or their entire bodies impaled, they survived.


    Not only that, but they regenerated those wounds.


    No, it wasn’t mere regeneration.


    [It wasn’t regeneration, but closer to reversal. It wasn’t an ordinary power.]


    “They’ve got a lot of strange traits mixed in. They don’t die so easily, that’s all.”


    “But ording to what I’ve heard from the Tower Master, the Barbarians of the White Snowfield have… a very direct way of thinking.”


    “You can just say they’re uneducated. Even those tough guys drop like flies in there, though.”


    It was a mystery.


    Unlike animals, humans take years just to learn to walk and run on their own.


    To be effective fighters, at least twenty years are needed.


    Even with their bizarre powers, it seemed impossible for the Barbarians to survive in that ce.


    Ketal answered the question simply.


    “There isn’t much entertainment in there.”


    Theck of distractions.


    So what would Barbarians do for enjoyment?


    The answer wasn’t hard to guess.


    “They don’t understand the necessity of contraception, so they have a lot of children. And the pregnancy period is short. The growth rate is abnormally fast too.”


    They gave birth just one month after conceiving.


    Their children could be significant fighters in about five years.


    This was how the Barbarians managed to survive, even when Ketal wasn’t around.


    “…Are they even human?”


    Helia murmured with a groan.


    A one-month pregnancy and a five-year timeline to bebat-ready?


    It was iprehensible based on their understanding of biology.


    Ketal couldn’t answer that they were human because, in truth, they weren’t.


    [Why did they change like that? As far as I know, the first Barbarians who entered the White Snowfield were ordinary humans.]


    “I don’t know. That’s how they were when I met them.”


    Ketal shrugged, though he had his suspicions.


    “As you said, it’s a dangerous ce. Grotesque and alien. Survival is nearly impossible. Yet the Barbarians survived.”


    […Did they evolve to adapt to the environment?]


    “Probably.”


    The White Snowfield was a ce of extreme cold where humans could not survive.


    To adapt to such a ce, the Barbarians evolved to match the environment.


    The result was that they were no longer something one could call human.


    “The Barbarians who came outside are nothingpared to the stronger ones. They possess bizarre things that can’t be exined with conventional logic.”


    “…I see.”


    [But there’s something I’m curious about.]


    “What is it?”


    [Do you also have such powers?]


    Do you have something bizarre as well?


    Ketal fell silent at the question.


    After a brief pause, his lips opened.


    “I don’t not have it.”


    The strange power he possessed.


    He had used it against the Elders.


    And against the enemy in the final quest.


    But he hadn’t used it sinceing outside.


    [Do you not use it anymore?]


    “Because I am human.”


    Ketal hummed softly.


    “I belong to this world. I won’t use such things anymore.”


    At that, both Helia and the Tower Master recognized Ketal’s obsession.


    They quietly changed the subject.


    “So, the White Snowfield is such a ce.”


    A ce so strange that even hell seemed kind byparison.


    Neither the surface, the heavens, nor hell—a twisted space.


    That was the Forbidden Land.


    Once again, they realized this truth.


    Ketal spoke lightly.


    “It’s a sealed ce, after all. Even if the seal is slowly loosening, we still have time. We need to focus on the present.”


    [You’re right. If we don’t deal with this damned hell, the surface will be destroyed.]


    With that, the conversation ended.


    Ketal stroked his chin.


    Talking about the White Snowfield brought back memories of that ce.


    ‘Come to think of it.’


    Ketal had told his tribe that if they wanted to follow him, they needed to kill the Elders.


    The Barbarians who made it outside hadn’t killed the Elders, but they had left them near death.


    The three Elders were locked in a stalemate.


    That fight had continued from when Ketal entered the White Snowfield to when he left.


    ording to the words of the rat and snake, that fight had supposedly started before creation itself.


    But the Barbarians had managed to leave one of the Elders barely alive.


    ‘There might be some change in their fight.’


    Ketal quietly pondered.


    After finishing their reconnaissance, they moved together.


    Hell wasn’t thatrge.


    It was about the size of one of the four continents.


    Large enough, but small enough that warriors of their caliber could search the entire ce in a matter of days.


    But no matter how far they moved, nothing revealed itself.


    They needed to make a choice.


    [Do we retreat, or do we press deeper and take the risk?]


    After a brief moment of consideration, the answer came immediately.


    “We go deeper.”


    They couldn’t back down now.


    It had already been some time since hell had begun colliding with the surface.


    They had to uncover what was being nned.


    Helia reached out her hand.


    “Bell of Heaven.”


    With a briefmand, a golden bell appeared in her hand.


    Ketal’s eyes lit up with interest.


    “A holy relic.”


    “I am the Saint of the Sun God. I can use all of His holy relics.”


    Until now, they hadn’t used it for fear of provoking the demons.


    But with their decision made, there was no longer any reason to hold back.


    Helia rang the bell.


    Chime.


    A soft ringing sound resonated, spreading golden waves through hell.


    The range was vast—so vast that it allowed them to perceive a quarter of hell’s territory.


    As she organized the information the bell revealed, Helia’s eyes suddenly widened.


    “…What?”


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    [What is it?]


    “I sense… divinity.”


    “Hm?”


    [What?]


    Divinity in hell?


    It was an unexpected im.


    Helia let out a strained sigh.


    “…The goddess is here.”


    “Oh?”


    Ketal''s eyes shone brightly as the Tower Master looked flustered.


    [The goddess is here?]


    “The Goddess of Wrath. I can feel her divinity. I''m certain.”


    [If Ketal’s right, the gods were supposed to be attacking Hell. Is she still here, fighting alone?]


    “No, I don’t think so. The goddess is alone. There’s no way even a god woulde to Hell by themselves. And… her divine power is weak. Very weak.”


    If a being like a god had descended, Helia should have noticed immediately.


    But until she used the holy relic, she hadn’t realized anything.


    That meant something was off.


    Helia’s gaze turned cold.


    “…It seems she’s hiding from the demons. It looks like she needs help.”


    “Then we’ll go help her immediately.”


    Ketal spoke, his eyes gleaming.


    His heart was pounding in excitement.


    A god hade here.


    That could only mean one thing.


    ‘I’ll be able to see the god’s true form!’


    He had seen Federica’s true form before, but she was too distant to examine in detail.


    Moreover, the passage had opened only slightly, so he couldn’t see everything.


    Helia nodded.


    “Let’s move.”


    They quickly moved toward the location where the divine energy was emanating.


    The distance was significant.


    With an ordinary pace, it would take days.


    But they were among the strongest on the surface.


    Even while staying cautious, they covered the distance in an instant.


    At this rate, they would meet the goddess within minutes.


    But then—


    A thunderous explosion erupted in the distance.


    Something massive with an overwhelming speed broke through the sound barrier and hurtled toward them.


    Ketal quickly turned and thrust his fist forward.


    Crack.


    A massive projectile the size of a house collided with his fist.


    Ketal clenched his hand and swung to the side.


    The projectile ricocheted and crashed into the ground of Hell.


    Boom!


    “It’s heavy.”


    Ketal shook his fist.


    The weight was considerable.


    Helia frowned.


    “Is this finally an attack?”


    Rumble!


    Explosions echoed again and again.


    They saw it: the sky was covered in pitch-ck projectiles.


    All of them were aimed at the group.


    * * *


    [Magic Shield.]


    “Radiance of the angels.”


    Buzzzzz.


    A massive surge of magic and divine power enveloped them.


    It was the saintess of the Sun God and the Tower Master’s shield—an absolute defense that even those hailed as heroes would struggle to scratch.


    However—


    Boom-boom-boom!


    The projectiles pounded relentlessly against the shield.


    Cracks began to spread with an ear-piercing screech.


    The projectiles held the power to break their defenses.


    That meant one of two things:


    [Demons of rank, several of them.]


    Or a weapon equivalent to hundreds of such demons.


    The Tower Master and Helia reinforced the shield.


    Yet the bombardment continued, threatening to erase the space itself.


    [This is getting annoying.]


    They could defend while moving, but they were on their way to the hidden goddess.


    They couldn’t continue while under this assault.


    That’s why Ketal spoke up.


    “I’ll take care of this.”


    [We leave it to you.]


    Ketal nted his feet.


    Crunch.


    The ground of Hell shattered as his bodyunched toward the direction of the projectiles.


    Even Helia would have struggled to keep up with his speed.


    Shortly after, an earth-shaking explosion rang out.


    Boom!


    A part of Hell copsed.


    ck mountains crumbled as the projectiles were crushed.


    Helia let out a groan.


    “…I’ve heard stories, but that’s monstrous power.”


    [They say he defeated Necronovix. He’s beyond your and my understanding.]


    “At this rate, even the Sun God might lose.”


    [Is it eptable for a servant of the Sun God to say such things?]


    “The Sun God isn’t that petty.”


    While they exchanged light banter, the bombardment stopped.


    The attackers were preupied dealing with Ketal and could no longer focus on the group.


    “Shadow of Light Robe.”


    Helia spread her hands.


    A robe of mingling light and shadow enveloped them.


    [A holy relic.]


    “With this robe, demons won’t be able to detect us. However, if the surface bes dirty, the effect will quickly fade. We must move swiftly.”


    They hurried toward the goddess’s location.


    Soon, they reached their destination.


    It was a cave.


    “The divine power ising from inside.”


    They entered the cave.


    After following the path for a short while, they found a small chamber.


    There, someone in the shape of a woman sat silently, her head bowed.


    Helia’s expression darkened.


    “Mesereka…”


    The Goddess of Wrath.


    Mesereka.


    It was her.


    [Hmm.]


    The Tower Master groaned.


    Mesereka was hiding her power perfectly.


    Yet her divinity was palpable.


    It was enough to make one instinctively kneel and offer prayers.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    This was a god’s true form.


    Mesereka gave no reaction, as if she were recovering her strength.


    Helia slowly approached.


    “Lady Mesereka, I am here.”


    Her voice was calm as she neared.


    But even then, Mesereka showed no response.


    Helia moved closer, now within arm’s reach.


    “…Lady Mesereka?”


    Feeling something was wrong, Helia reached out and gently touched Mesereka’s shoulder.


    Thud.


    Mesereka’s body copsed limply.


    Helia’s face hardened.


    “…Hold on.”


    [W-Wait.]


    As Mesereka fell, her hair shifted, revealing her body.


    And they saw it.


    The wound shed across Mesereka’s chest.


    “……!”


    [Wait.]


    Shock reverberated through the chamber.


    But before they couldprehend the situation, a voice rang out.


    “So you’vee. I wasn’t sure… but it all went ording to n.”


    A low male voice.


    Footsteps echoed from deeper within the cave.


    The figure soon revealed himself.


    A gaunt man holding a sword.


    The Tower Master was aghast.


    [How!]


    Helia quickly expanded her divine senses to scout the area.


    With the holy relic, she should have detected any demon hiding.


    It could only have been an extremely weak, nameless demon if something had escaped her search.


    At that thought, a single existence shed through the Tower Master’s mind.


    [No way!]


    He quickly raised his hand to cast a spell.


    But the man had already reached him before he could activate his magic.


    Without any resistance, the Tower Master’s skull was neatly severed from his body.


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