Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 131: The Sanctuary of Kalosia (1)

“Impressive.”

Ketal marveled at the sight.

A city bathed in light, surrounded by plains steeped in darkness.

It was a scene that seemed to come straight out of a painting.

Ketal watched with a smile, while Naplas’s face darkened.

“…The darkness has grown thicker.”

The darkness of the plains had deepened since he last left the sanctuary.

This indicated that the attacks of evil had intensified.

“That is the sanctuary of Lord Kalosia. We must reach that city.”

“How do we get there?”

Monsters roamed the darkness of the plains.

“Do we just smash through everything and advance?”

“Oh, no.”

Naplas hurriedly shook his head.

The plains were filled with evil monsters.

Their numbers were immense, and among them were some incredibly powerful creatures.

Even Ketal could be in danger if surrounded.

“So, we plan to sneak in.”

“Sneak in?”

Ketal was puzzled.

The plains were vast and lacked any structures to hide behind.

His confusion was quickly resolved.

Naplas and Heize closed their eyes and clasped their hands together, chanting softly.

“Lord Kalosia, please conceal our bodies within your illusion.”

A ripple.

A rippling darkness enveloped them.

“Oh.”

Ketal exclaimed in admiration.

Even though they were right in front of him, their presence had noticeably diminished.

It would be hard to detect them without exceptional sensory abilities like Ketal’s.

“Move carefully.”

“We can’t even speak?”

“That’s not necessary. Just don’t move excessively.”

“Understood.”

“Alright.”

Naplas nodded.

“Let’s go.”

They stepped into the dark plains.

They walked among the monsters.

All sorts of sinister energies brushed against their bodies.

The mere act of breathing tainted their lungs and twisted their minds with the horrific aura of evil.

Without the protection of Kalosia’s holy power, the dense darkness would have shaken their hearts. Heize gritted her teeth and took another step forward.

They continued to walk forward.

And when they reached about halfway, a monster began to approach them slowly.

Naplas spoke in a low voice.

“Everyone, stay still.”

Heize hastily nodded.

[Gruuu….]

A massive giant.

Its singular pink eye in the middle of its head blinked slowly.

The giant arrived right in front of them.

[Kraaa.]

The giant opened its mouth.

A thick, dark aura flowed out from its maw.

A nightmarish form stood before them, blinking its single eye.

Heize could barely breathe properly.

Naplas also gritted his teeth.

A horrifying visage that would instinctively evoke fear and drive anyone to distance themselves.

But Ketal stood facing the giant, smiling.

Blink.

The giant blinked its eye and soon walked away.

Heize collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out.

Naplas let out a sigh of relief.

And Ketal murmured.

“Impressive.”

“…Impressive?”

Naplas looked at Ketal with a perplexed expression.

The one-eyed giant.

It wasn’t something one could call impressive, even out of politeness.

“Indeed, impressive.”

But Ketal was sincere.

Although it had an unusual appearance, compared to the bizarre creatures of the snowy plains, it was quite unique and impressive.

“R-Really?”

Naplas had an incomprehensible look on his face.

Despite the minor incident, they continued forward.

And without further issues, they reached the vicinity of the sanctuary.

“Phew.”

With tension easing, Heize sat down on the ground.

Naplas also massaged his shoulders.

“What do we do now?”

“Wait a moment. Lord Kalosia, show our location hidden in your illusion to your servants.”

Naplas murmured softly.

Simultaneously, a pillar of light quietly descended.

“It’s done. Now they will see this pillar from the sanctuary and come to rescue us. We just need to wait.”

“Understood.”

With nothing else to do, Ketal watched the monsters roaming in the darkness.

Each one was unique and distinct, making them fascinating to observe.

However, no one came, no matter how much time passed.

Naplas frowned.

“Why aren’t they coming?”

“Could it be they didn’t see the pillar?”

“I don’t think so… but just in case, I’ll try again.”

As Naplas began to chant again, a wave of power spread out.

Thud…

“Ugh!”

Naplas instinctively surrounded himself with divine energy.

The huge waves of evil and divine power swept near the sanctuary.

Naplas’s eyes filled with shock.

“W-what!”

“Hmm?”

Ketal turned his gaze.

Even he could feel the intense waves.

“What’s happening?”

“…It’s an attack from evil.”

Naplas swallowed.

“It seems evil is attacking the sanctuary. That’s why they can’t come.”

“Oh.”

Ketal’s eyes lit up.

Naplas groaned.

“But these waves…”

The waves were so powerful that they had to protect themselves even from a considerable distance.

Naplas’s eyes darkened.

“…The leader of the dark magicians has stepped forward. It seems the Holy Knight is dealing with them.”

“…I see.”

Ketal murmured.

“So it means a superhuman-level dark magician and a superhuman-level Holy Knight are fighting.”

“Yes.”

Naplas nodded.

“It’s dangerous. We should wait quietly until someone from the sanctuary comes.”

Naplas tensed his whole body, focusing on the waves.

He didn’t notice the deep interest in Ketal’s voice.

Naplas and Heize waited quietly.

Soon, people from the sanctuary came.

“Lord Naplas! And Lord Heize!”

“Oh!”

Naplas and Heize were overjoyed.

Armored knights arrived, holding shields to protect them.

“You’ve come!”

“Yes! You survived! Thank goodness!”

“Hahaha!”

“It’s been a while, Lord Heize!”

“Yes. It’s good to see you.”

They rejoiced in their reunion, but there was no time to celebrate leisurely.

The knights quickly escorted them.

“The enemies have begun their attack. The Holy Knight is fighting them. Let’s get inside quickly.”

“Yes, Heize. Let’s go in.”

They were escorted towards the sanctuary.

“By the way, Lord Naplas.”

The knight looked around with a puzzled expression.

“If Lord Naplas is here, it means you found someone to help us, right?”

“Yes. I found an excellent person.”

“…Then why are there only two of you?”

“Hmm?”

Naplas was bewildered.

Only the two of them?

He turned his head.

Naplas’s eyes widened.

“…Huh?”

Ketal was nowhere to be seen.

He had disappeared at some point.

“W-what? Ketal?”

His confused voice echoed in vain.

Naplas halted.

He then turned his gaze, as if realizing something.

At the end of his gaze, the waves of evil and divine power were spreading.

* * *

Rumble!

Evil and divine forces clashed.

A huge monster bared its hideous maw.

[Raaaargh!]

It was a massive monster with multiple mouths.

It swung its arms wildly and charged.

It threw its massive body to crush its enemies.

The light was buried under the giant’s bulk, hiding its form.

[Raaaargh!]

The monster roared in victory, convinced it had killed its enemy.

And at that moment, the monster felt intense pain beneath it.

[Raaah?]

That was the last sound the monster made.

Light exploded.

Screeeeech!

A massive light obliterated the monster’s body, leaving no trace.

As the light slowly subsided, the figure of a man appeared.

Blond hair fluttered.

Brown eyes focused on his enemy.

“Hahaha!”

A dark magician, shrouded in darkness contrasting with the knight, burst into grotesque laughter and swung his staff.

[Raaaargh!]

[Kaaargh!]

And the monsters charged.

Horrific creatures, seemingly impossible to exist in this world, each one of them strong enough to require a top-tier fighter to face them at full strength.

Dozens of them charged at the knight, intending to kill him.

The knight gripped his sword with a resolute expression.

A great light emanated from him.

He swung his sword.

Boom!

The holy blade swept through the area.

The bodies of the charging monsters were sliced into pieces and fell.

“Hahahahaha! As expected, you’re strong!”

The dark magician laughed madly.

His twisted smile widened.

“To think you’d survive our attack! For a dog of the gods to have such power! It’s truly strange!”

“Shut up.”

The knight spat out the words harshly.

He glared at the dark magician with a contorted face.

“…Why are you targeting our sanctuary from the cradle of darkness?”

“It’s all part of a grand plan.”

The dark magician chuckled.

“A plan so grand that you cannot comprehend it. Kalosia is merely a stepping stone for the great strides.”

So just die quietly.

With a mocking tone, darkness surged forward.

Something black and dense charged.

The Holy Knight gripped his sword with both hands.

A light descended upon him, bestowed by his faith.

Boom!

Light and darkness collided.

A perfect standoff.

Neither side easily gaining the upper hand.

The dark magician laughed.

“To fight me like this without even wielding the Holy Scripture. You’re truly strong.”

The dark magician spoke in a slightly admiring tone.

“Why not use that power for us? Do you think it’s worth serving a god who doesn’t even grant the Holy Scripture to his followers?”

“Shut up.”

The Holy Knight dismissed the words as not worth listening to.

Screeeeech!

A fierce light surrounded the Holy Knight’s sword.

An intense divine power, different in both quantity and density than before.

The dark magician laughed as he gathered darkness.

A monstrous creature began to raise its head.

A monster so powerful that even the Holy Knight couldn’t easily defeat it.

The Holy Knight’s face darkened.

‘I have to defeat him…’

Even in this situation, the monsters were attacking their sanctuary.

He needed to defeat this dark magician quickly to go and help, but the magician was persistently holding on.

Their sanctuary was becoming increasingly endangered.

A look of determination appeared on the Holy Knight’s face.

‘Kalosia, please grant me strength.’

He prepared to charge at the dark magician with a resolute determination.

The tension was palpable, the moment of clash imminent.

“…Huh?”

The dark magician’s expression changed.

The Holy Knight realized it too, belatedly.

At some point, a presence had been watching the battle from beside them.

“W-who is that!”

The dark magician stepped back in panic.

The figure was right beside them, yet he hadn’t noticed.

It meant that either the figure had completely hidden their presence, or they had approached so quickly that he couldn’t perceive them.

The dark magician shouted in alarm.

“Who are you!”

“Oh, did I get caught? I was hoping to enjoy the show.”

The figure muttered regretfully.

Between light and darkness, gray hair fluttered.

Barbarian Ketal smiled faintly.

“I’m just an outsider. Why not ignore me and continue what you were doing?”