Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 136: The Sanctuary of Kalosia (6)

Heize desperately spoke.

It was a misunderstanding.

She hadn’t done anything.

That barbarian didn’t come here to become a follower of Kalosia.

It probably had nothing to do with her either.

But no one believed her.

Someone chuckled and spoke.

“Come on. Are you saying that barbarian was wise and thoughtful from the beginning? One of the first people he met outside was you, and you expect us to believe that? Don’t be ridiculous. Where do you find a barbarian like that?”

“…….”

Heize couldn’t refute it.

It did seem more plausible that Heize had taught Ketal rather than the existence of an intelligent barbarian from the start.

Because of this, Heize was on the verge of losing her mind.

Ketal’s reputation improved day by day, and in proportion to that, Heize’s pain grew.

Heize walked beside Ketal with a face that looked like she was about to die.

Ketal had said he wanted someone to show him around the sacred grounds, and by unanimous choice, Heize was selected.

Every time people saw them walking together, the passing followers would look at them with pleased expressions.

‘Please, stop looking at us like that….’

Heize’s stomach twisted in real time.

As Ketal looked around, he muttered.

“Peaceful.”

The atmosphere was better than expected.

The expressions of the people weren’t too dark, and there was hope for the future.

“It is for now. As long as there’s no external interference, this is the usual atmosphere of our sacred grounds. And it’s all thanks to you, Ketal.”

Heize said.

It probably was quite a gloomy atmosphere before Ketal came.

But thanks to the presence of an outsider like Ketal, it had brightened up this much.

For that, Heize was genuinely grateful.

She bowed her head.

“Thank you very much for coming to help us.”

“I told you, I couldn’t ignore a friend in need.”

Ketal replied cheerfully.

Heize looked at Ketal’s face for a moment.

‘…Am I the one who’s wrong?’

What if she had misunderstood Ketal all along?

What if he really had come to help her out of pure goodwill?

Now, she was starting to get confused.

Everyone kept saying no, making her doubt if she was mistaken.

Heize’s eyes darkened.

Just as she was about to ask Ketal a question.

Whoosh.

Darkness rose.

“Hmm?”

Ketal turned his gaze.

The outskirts of the sacred grounds.

The darkened plain.

The darkness there suddenly thickened.

It spread slowly as if surrounding the sacred grounds.

The followers who were walking around let out groans at the clear sign of something abnormal.

Their faces turned pale.

Clang!

The holy knight on guard grabbed his weapons.

Rakza walked towards the outer wall of the sacred grounds with a hardened face.

Naplas followed behind him.

The atmosphere quickly became tense.

At that moment, Heize saw it.

The smile that spread on Ketal’s face as if he had been waiting for this.

Heize realized that it wasn’t her but the followers of the sacred grounds who had been wrong.

“They’ve come.”

Ketal’s voice was filled with deep joy.

* * *

“What’s happening?”

“They’ve come.”

When Ketal headed to the outskirts of the sacred grounds, Rakza was there with a hardened face, holding his weapon.

“It’s an invasion.”

The barrier of the sacred grounds wasn’t something that evil beings could easily break.

So they had gathered enough power for a full-scale attack.

Now was the time for that total assault.

Looking beyond the plain, Ketal murmured.

“There are many.”

Monsters visible up to the end of the plain.

And among them, black magicians could be seen.

Their number was ten times more than the combat personnel of the sacred grounds.

“I don’t see the Saintess, though.”

“The Saintess is maintaining the barrier, so she cannot participate in the battle.”

“It will be tough. What should I do now?”

“Move freely. If you participate in the battle, their leader will also move to stop you.”

“Got it.”

“Please be careful.”

[Roar!]

[Screech!]

While they were talking, the monsters reached right in front of them.

Rakza shouted with a stern face.

“Everyone! Draw your swords!”

Sching!

Swords were drawn in unison.

The holy knights, clad in shining silver armor, took their stances.

The priests also began to pray.

“This is the sacred ground of Kalosia! How dare those filthy remnants of evil invade!”

“No, they cannot!”

The holy knights shouted in unison.

Rakza glared.

“Everyone! For the honor of Kalosia! Risk your lives!”

“For Kalosia!”

The shout echoed beyond the sacred grounds.

Rakza charged forward.

The holy knights followed him.

Light and darkness began to collide.

“Oho.”

Ketal watched the scene with a smile.

“Impressive.”

The collision of light and darkness created a massive repercussion.

Humans serving the gods and monsters born of evil began to mix, risking their lives.

And surprisingly, the upper hand belonged to the god-serving humans, despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered.

“That’s divinity for you.”

The power believers received from their gods, divinity.

Divinity had an absolute advantage over beings of evil.

Massive monsters were swept away by the divine light.

Of course, due to the sheer number of monsters, the battle reached a stalemate, but that in itself was a testament to the power of divinity.

The holy knights wielded their power.

And the one who stood out the most, unsurprisingly, was Rakza.

‘He’s strong.’

Every time he swung his golden sword, the monsters were sliced apart.

Even without wielding a scripture, his power was evidently above Aquaz.

Honestly, it was quite impressive.

A scene only imagined was unfolding right before his eyes.

Ketal whistled, feeling very satisfied.

‘That’s enough watching.’

It was time to move.

Ketal took a step.

His body moved to the outskirts of the sacred grounds.

[Groooar!]

[Uwaaah!]

Monsters, having spotted Ketal, charged at him with grotesque screams.

Ketal leisurely raised his fist.

* * *

“Huff!”

Rakza swung his sword.

The arm of a charging monster was sliced off like a sponge.

The monster tried to scream in pain, but the sword plunged into its mouth.

Rakza muttered quietly.

“Kalosia.”

Ziiing!

Light exploded.

The monster’s body vanished without a trace.

[Uwaah!]

Monsters tried to grab Rakza as he fell.

Rakza swung his sword in all directions while descending.

Blades of light rained down, slicing the monsters apart.

But new monsters quickly filled the space.

Rakza’s expression darkened.

‘There are too many.’

The number of monsters was twice that of the previous total assault.

They could hold out for now, but how long the holy knights’ stamina would last was uncertain.

Rakza quickly turned his gaze to find Ketal, intending to warn him in advance.

“…What?”

And he doubted his eyes.

Monsters were being literally torn apart by Ketal’s hands.

* * *

“Quite a variety, makes for good viewing.”

Muttering, Ketal lightly moved his foot.

The monster he kicked exploded.

Boom!

But it didn’t end there.

The wind stirred by his kick swept through the front lines.

Dozens of monsters were incapacitated.

[Kaaaah!]

A monster fell from the sky towards Ketal’s head.

It was one that fed on brain matter through the ears.

Ketal waved his hand as if annoyed.

The monster’s body exploded.

He stepped forward, swung his arms, and shouldered through.

With ordinary, light movements, monsters died like insects.

“There are too many, though.”

Ketal stepped forward with an annoyed look.

Crack.

The ground beneath him collapsed.

The collapsing earth surged forward like a claymore.

The monsters’ bodies were incredibly tough.

Simple fragments of ordinary earth would mean nothing to them.

But the monsters struck by the fragments ended up with holes.

The speed was such that even the tough bodies of the monsters couldn’t withstand it.

Boom!

The shower of earth fragments incapacitated dozens of monsters simultaneously.

An empty space formed in an instant.

Ketal smiled with satisfaction.

“No way.”

And Rakza, watching the scene, groaned.

‘…Is that even possible?’

Ketal was stronger than Rakza himself.

Even at the minimum, that power would rank among the top tier of superhumans.

For a warrior of that caliber, sheer numbers meant nothing.

But that didn’t mean he could effortlessly take down hordes of monsters.

No matter how strong one was, exerting wide-ranging power was no easy feat.

The magician, Adamanth, invoked the dominion of nature after a considerable incantation. The alchemist, Arkamis, swept through the entire area by expanding her entire domain.

Even magicians and alchemists found it challenging, so for physical fighters, it was even more so.

Typically, they would eliminate their enemies one by one.

But not Ketal.

He was simply swinging his arms and stomping the ground, exerting widespread influence.

A warrior was exhibiting a display of power that even magicians found difficult.

Rakza doubted his eyes.

It felt like his sense of common sense was being overturned.

And amidst this, the battle continued.

Each time Ketal moved, dozens of monsters fell, rapidly tipping the battlefield in Kalosia’s favor.

The holy knights watching this were greatly impressed.

“How is such power possible?”

Having such a man fighting on their side raised the morale of the holy knights even higher. They gripped their swords with renewed strength.

Thus, the battlefield increasingly favored Kalosia.

And finally, the forces of evil began to move.

“Hmm?”

Ketal, advancing while tearing through the monsters, paused.

He quickly swung his hand.

The approaching darkness was blocked by his hand and exploded.

Ketal smiled.

“So, you’ve come.”

“You crazy barbarian!”

The leader of the dark magicians appeared, spitting curses.

“How dare you interfere with us!”

“Life rarely goes according to plan.”

Ketal replied leisurely.

The dark magician gritted his teeth.

“…Barbarian Ketal. We know of you. Our enemy!”

“You know of me, huh. Hmm. Must have a connection with the demons.”

Ketal narrowed his eyes.

“Did you hear from Ashetiar? Or perhaps Butler? I’d like to know.”

“Dare to speak the names of the great demons so carelessly!”

“Doesn’t seem like you’re inclined to answer. Well, no matter. I’ll hear it directly from your mouth.”

Ketal shrugged lightly.

The dark magician flinched for a moment at the movement but then shouted aggressively, as if refusing to admit his fear.

“…You’ll regret meddling in our plans!”

At that declaration, Ketal laughed.

“There have been plenty who told me that.”

The number of beings who told him he’d regret it on the white snowfield was more than he could count on both hands.

And none of them kept their word.

“Go ahead and try. I’ll enjoy the show.”