Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 139: The Sanctuary of Kalosia (9)

A few hours later, Rakza returned to the sanctuary with several wagons.

The wagons were filled with household goods and food supplies.

“Wow!”

The believers rejoiced.

They were already in a precarious situation, unable to wash their clothes and with limited food supplies.

This amount of aid was like a rainstorm after a drought.

“You’re back. Were there any problems?”

“Yes. There were some obstructions, but we managed to return without significant damage. It was costly, but… it was worth it,”

Rakza said with a smile.

Ketal muttered calmly.

“I see. That’s fortunate.”

The problem of supplies was resolved.

They could now endure until the dark domain surrounding the sanctuary disappeared.

The dark magicians, sensing this, launched their final assault.

“Ah…”

“Hmm.”

The faces of the holy knights turned pale.

Up until now, it seemed like a mere game compared to the countless monsters now charging across the plains.

Rakza shouted with a resolute expression.

“Everyone! Draw your swords! Pray to the great Kalosia! We will be victorious!”

“Yes!”

They all instinctively knew that this was the last stand.

The knights shouted loudly.

“For the great Kalosia!”

Boom!

The holy knights clashed with the monsters.

Waves of monsters poured in.

The holy knights joined forces to fend them off.

The number of monsters was several times more than before.

However, the battle progressed surprisingly smoothly.

The holy knights had undergone numerous invasions and now understood the monsters’ characteristics, making it easier to respond.

Moreover, after more than a month of life-and-death battles, their individual abilities had noticeably improved.

There were quite a few cases of second-rate holy knights reaching first-rate levels.

The holy knights took turns fighting the monsters, using the sanctuary’s barrier as a base.

But the most significant factor was Ketal’s presence.

Boom!

Every movement of Ketal’s body swept away the monsters.

Ketal moved his feet, and his body advanced like a tank.

The monsters that stood in his way were torn apart.

Pure numbers could never reach a high-level strongman.

The outcome was predetermined.

Even though the dark magician had tried every method to kill him and failed, he could do nothing.

Eventually, the dark magician gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Retreat!”

The monsters began to flee in panic.

The holy knights burst into cheers at the clear victory.

“Wow!”

“We won!”

The joy was even greater than before.

They believed that as long as they held out this time, they would have won.

This belief extended beyond the holy knights.

As they returned to the sanctuary, the believers rejoiced and cheered.

They held a small festival with the supplies they received.

Everyone relieved their worries and celebrated.

They had won.

It wasn’t certain yet, but everyone thought so in their hearts.

They enjoyed their victory and shouted the name of Kalosia.

“Hail the great Kalosia!”

And they cheered the name of the great holy knight who protected them.

“Hail Rakza!”

And they cheered Ketal’s name.

“Hail Ketal!”

The cheers spread throughout the territory.

Beer spilled, soaking the people.

Rakza watched with a smile.

He, too, had set aside his worries.

Rakza turned his head, intending to talk to the festival’s hero.

“…Hmm?”

At that moment, Rakza realized something.

The hero of the festival wasn’t there.

* * *

“Here you are.”

It wasn’t long before Rakza found Ketal while walking around the sanctuary.

Ketal was on the outer watchtower of the sanctuary, looking out over the plains.

“Why don’t you join the festival? Everyone would be happy if you did.”

“A festival, huh?”

“Yes. Why don’t you join us and enjoy the festival?”

Rakza said.

“Everyone wants to express their gratitude to you.”

“Hmmm.”

But Ketal had a vague expression.

“I think it’s too early to receive gratitude.”

“Really? I think it’s all over.”

They had enough supplies now.

At least, they had enough to last until the enemy’s domain disappeared.

The presence of Ketal ensured they could repel the monsters’ attacks without much difficulty, so it wasn’t a major issue.

“They’ll probably give up and leave soon. They can’t breach our sanctuary.”

“Do you really think so?”

Ketal had a curious smile on his face. Rakza was puzzled.

“What?”

“This is the number of dark wizards you told me about.”

Two superhuman-level dark wizards.

About a dozen first-class dark wizards.

Numerous second-class dark wizards.

That was the information Ketal had about the dark wizards.

“But when I actually arrived here, I saw very few dark wizards.”

One superhuman-level and maybe two or three first-class dark wizards.

That’s all Ketal saw.

Clearly, there were far fewer than the information he had received.

“Where did they all go?”

Ketal spoke with a hint of suspicion.

“If what you say is true, this should be their final assault. They should be using all their strength, yet they’re nowhere to be seen.”

Approximately one superhuman-level and nearly ten first-class dark wizards were missing.

“Could it be that they realized achieving their goal was impossible and retreated preemptively?”

“Would they retreat so easily after orchestrating such a large-scale plan?”

Ketal tilted his head.

“Attacking the sanctuary must not have been easy for them. They would have made thorough preparations.”

A group of dark wizards worshipping the Demon King.

The Cradle of Darkness.

It had been a long time since they had shown themselves on such a large scale.

Moreover, it was an attack on a divine sanctuary.

The collapse of a divine sanctuary by evil forces would be a shocking event across the continent.

Considering the external repercussions, they had to succeed.

Therefore, they must have prepared thoroughly.

“Judging by their attack methods, it seems they anticipated a prolonged battle.”

They had isolated the entire sanctuary in a realm of darkness, cutting it off from the outside.

They came prepared to slowly wear down their enemies.

“And the longer the battle, the more variables arise.”

If the lord of the Barkan territory had decided to help the Kalosia Order, even at a great cost.

If the humans on the continent had united against the invasion of evil and provided a little more assistance.

Had that happened, they could have won even without Ketal.

“No, they didn’t even need to. Their attack wasn’t that strong.”

The dark wizards’ attack wasn’t that fierce. They could have repelled it without Ketal. There might have been significant damage, and perhaps the sanctuary would have been compromised, but the Kalosia Order could have held out on their own.

“They came expecting a prolonged battle, but made only minimal preparations?”

Ketal spoke with a doubtful tone.

Rakza’s expression gradually stiffened.

“Moreover, their methods were too stupid. They used various tactics to try to kill me.”

Creating a giant the size of a small hill.

Sending parasitic monsters to infest people’s minds.

Digging deep pits to bury him alive.

They used many methods to try to kill Ketal.

“But their methods of attacking the sanctuary were too simple.”

Summoning monsters for a simultaneous full-scale assault.

That was it.

They didn’t take any knights hostage, they didn’t brainwash anyone.

They didn’t even attempt a diversion before ambushing from above.

The dark wizards merely wasted their monsters.

It was as if their goal was just to draw attention.

“…That’s.”

Rakza swallowed his words.

Come to think of it, their attacks were indeed very simple.

They just sent monsters.

It was the same when he went to get supplies.

The dark wizards must have known he was moving to get supplies.

If he got supplies, they could hold out longer.

For dark wizards aiming for a prolonged battle, they should have stopped him.

Yet they showed no particular movement.

It was as if such things were no concern to them.

“Ah…”

Rakza swallowed hard.

Regaining his composure, he realized something was definitely off.

“You’re right. Something is strange.”

“Of course, it could end here as you said. But at the very least, it needs to be confirmed.”

“Yes.”

Rakza nodded hurriedly.

He looked at Ketal with admiration.

“Did you figure all this out on your own? Truly impressive.”

When one becomes intoxicated with victory, it’s hard to maintain composure and make the right judgment.

Everyone in the sanctuary thought it was over and were confident of victory.

Only Ketal remained composed and assessed the situation accurately.

“It’s nothing impressive. It just felt too uneventful for it to be over like this.”

“I understand.”

Rakza nodded.

“We need to confirm this. I’ll immediately inform the holy knights to prepare their equipment and ready themselves for battle.”

“Yes, it might be a good idea to scout over there.”

Ketal gazed at the realm of darkness.

The darkness enveloping the entire plain was still in place.

“It’s late today, so let’s take a look around tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

Rakza quickly moved.

He told the holy knights to stay calm and prepare for potential combat.

The holy knights were alarmed, but they followed Rakza’s orders.

The next day, Ketal and Rakza headed out to the plains.

“First, let’s look around.”

“Understood.”

The two scouted the plains together.

Rakza murmured,

“This is the first time I’ve done this.”

Rakza had always been in a position to protect the sanctuary, so this was his first time scouting the entire plain.

The dense and deep darkness tried to encroach upon them, but Rakza’s holy power blocked it.

“…I don’t see any monsters.”

The monsters that had roamed the plains before were nowhere to be seen, as if they were a mirage.

Rakza spoke with a puzzled expression,

“Could it be that they really retreated?”

“That’s possible, but let’s wait a moment.”

Ketal closed his eyes.

Rakza watched him, eyes widening in surprise.

He involuntarily took a step back.

“Oh…”

A strange sensation washed over Rakza’s entire body.

It felt like everything from his head to his toes was being exposed.

An extreme sense of detection spread across the entire plain.

“Found it.”

Ketal opened his eyes.

“There’s something hidden beneath the plains.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. It’s not far. We need to check it out.”

“…You can even detect things?”

Rakza was amazed.

The detection Ketal just displayed wasn’t ordinary.

The entire wide area fell under Ketal’s detection.

Such detection was impossible for anyone but a specialist in the art.

Rakza asked with pure curiosity,

“How do you handle the mystic arts to detect like that?”

“I just closed my eyes and focused my senses.”

“…Is that all?”

Ketal nodded.

Rakza was left speechless.