I Became the Dark Knight in the Game - Chapter 73: The Ritual (3)

He shifted his left foot behind his right to do a half-turn. Then he moved his right foot behind his left to do another half-turn.

The movement, which was unfamiliar at first, was quickly mastered to a surprising degree. Dale spun around like a top.

Dale’s sword drew circles following his motion and the rats that came into contact with these circles turned into mere splatters of blood.

In the shortest amount of time, Dale had discovered and perfected a technique to slaughter his enemies most efficiently.

A storm of blades swept through the sewers, making any form of resistance meaningless.

The sheer number of rats proved to be insignificant.

In Dale’s path lay only the grotesque remains of rat carcasses and scattered bones with nothing left but rats gasping their last breaths and parts of their bodies severed.

“Squeak….”

The flock of rats also slowed down.

A survival instinct that lay dormant even in these fearless creatures was awakened upon witnessing this storm.

Moreover, could it just be a feeling?

Dale’s spinning and forward momentum were rapidly increasing.

The swarm of rats hesitated, yet retreat was not an option for them.

Soon the rats regained their fighting spirit and blindly rushed at Dale, like moths to a flame.

Only to become part of the growing pile of corpses.

Had they been clad in sturdy armor or had tougher hides, such a head-on assault might have slowed Dale’s advance.

But for the rats, with their only strength in numbers, there was only one possible outcome.

Annihilation.

And just like that, the storm passed. Now there were no living rats in the sewers.

At least, not in this part of it.

The lineage of rats that had proliferated and grown in size over generations was severed today.

It was indeed a fortunate turn of events for the residents of Kaelum Castle.

Only then did Dale stop spinning. He leaned on his sword planted in the ground and turned to survey the devastation he had wrought.

The corpses of rats were densely packed and they stretched out for the length of a football field.

It was a scene that could only be described as a massacre.

Dale felt a sense of satisfaction with what he had achieved.

Not bad for a first try.

He was filled with a strange sense of pride for having realized a technique that seemed more fitting for a video game than real battle.

Dale turned to Esther and Pale before scattering black mist around them.

The mist absorbed the life force from the rat carcasses before transferring it to Dale.

The life force of each rat was negligible, but when amassed in such numbers, it became a significant amount.

Esther and Pale stared at Dale with dazed expressions on their faces.

“What on earth was that just now?”

“Spinning around with a weapon in hand. I never even considered such a tactic.”

Esther asked with a worried look on her face,

“Aren’t you dizzy? Don’t you feel sick?”

“Not really. I’m fine.”

“Um, well, that’s a relief then.”

At the moment when Pale and Esther stood dumbfounded by the absurd display of skill Dale had shown,

Rumble.

The underground sewers vibrated once. The filth accumulated on the floor rippled, and crumbs fell from the aged walls.

The vibration soon subsided.

However, the ominous aura carried in the air grew denser.

Pale said with a hardened expression.

“It seems it has begun. We need to hurry.”

“Yes.”

Now that it was clear they were on the right path, the three quickened their pace.

Fortunately, there were no more attacks after the swarm of rats.

Dale thought as he felt the unpleasant atmosphere around him.

We’re getting closer to him.

They had now really approached nearby. All that was left was to kill the hunched-back man and stop the ritual he was trying to conduct.

Dale, who had been running with that thought in mind, had to stop abruptly.

At the junction where two paths merged, he encountered a figure he had never anticipated.

Pale opened his mouth.

“…Sir Talos?”

Talos who was battered and bruised stood there with three inquisitors in tow.

He was just as taken aback.

“Pale? You disappeared suddenly, and now why are you here? No, more importantly, why are you with this person? Don’t tell me you’ve allied with a heretic?”

As Talos’s eyes widened in disbelief, Pale broke out in a cold sweat.

He had not expected to encounter him here and in such a manner.

But this was not the time for quarreling.

Dale asked,

“This is no time for idle chatter. Do you know what’s happening right now?”

Talos furrowed his brows for a moment before responding.

“I’m aware that some demon worshippers are preparing some accursed ritual.”

“It’s not just any ritual. They’re trying to resurrect Ganiagos.”

“…What did you just say?”

Talos froze; the story was far beyond his expectations.

“Ganiagos is definitely…. Are you saying they’re bringing back a dead demon? That’s impossible.”

“How so? If it weren’t for such a ritual, do you think they would use the entire residents of the city as sacrificial offerings?”

“……”

Talos appeared to be deep in thought. Yet, he must also instinctively feel it.

That Dale’s assertion was touching on the truth. It was just hard for him to readily accept it.

When the conversation stopped, Pale who sensed an opportunity quickly asked,

“Did you notice the anomaly and come straight here, Sir Talos?”

Talos nodded his head.

“Yes. When I left the castle, I found all the residents under some spell, and following them led me to a hole. Entering it brought me here.”

“Where are the other inquisitors?”

“We got separated. It seems the space in this sewer is distorted.”

Talos gestured with his thumb to the inquisitors behind him.

“Wandering through the sewer, I encountered a few fellow inquisitors, and after fighting through hordes of rats, we ended up here.”

“Ah. So, Sir Talos, you also fought the rats.”

“Also? Sister Esther, did you fight the rats as well? You seem quite unharmed for such an encounter.”

Esther and Pale looked at Dale with awkward expressions on their faces.

They were at a loss for words on how to explain Dale’s solo feat of grinding down an entire swarm of rats.

Breaking the tense atmosphere, Dale spoke up.

“There’s no time for idle chatter. We must go and prevent the resurrection at once.”

“So, the resurrection of the demon is…”

Before Talos could finish, Pale interjected.

“Even if it’s not the resurrection of a demon, it’s best to prevent any ritual in advance.”

Esther added her voice to the mix.

“That’s right. Now is the time to cooperate.”

Talos let out a grunt and then glanced at Dale before speaking.

“Just this once.”

With the addition of the inquisitors, their group had grown to seven.

Although Talos and the other inquisitors were not keen on collaborating with Dale, they were not foolish enough to squabble in such circumstances.

The party quickly made their way through the sewer tunnels.

There were no more swarms of rats, no demon worshipers, and no enemies to block their path.

“Ah, over there.”

After a long walk, Esther pointed ahead.

The end of the passage came into view where a gloomy light leaked from its end.

The air was thick with an ominous scent that anyone could sense.

Each person clenched their weapon with a tense expression.

“I’ll lead the way.”

Dale who was gripping his sword cautiously moved forward.

Upon reaching the end of the passage, he could take in the sight that lay before them.

This place is…

A cavern. A huge hemispherical cavity that makes you wonder how on earth such a space could have been created underground.

In this cavern, the dazed city’s residents sat at intervals.

The floor was covered in blood up to the ankles, with unknown characters densely engraved on the crimson surface.

The letters were so small, dark, and packed together that they resembled swarms of tiny insects.

It was a spine-chilling sight.

The hunched-back man seemed to be oblivious to anything else due to the ritual and he was fiddling with something in the middle of the cavern.

He was guarded by other demon worshipers.

In the midst of this, the moment the party entered the cavern, the worshipers’ gazes simultaneously snapped towards them.

Even the hunched-back man who was deeply engrossed in his task lifted his head.

“Ah, you’ve arrived not a moment too soon. How curious, though. You still have those two with you. I was sure I had sent a gift your way?”

Dale replied.

“If you’re referring to the swarm of rats, they’ve all been killed.”

“Hmm?”

As if this was an unexpected turn of events, the hunched-back man let out a groan mixed with frustration.

However, he quickly composed himself and shrugged.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. The outcome will be the same anyway. Now that all the ingredients are gathered here, let’s begin.”

With those words, the hunched-back man closed his eyes and began to chant.

The characters not in blood started to emit light at the same time.

The residents who had been sitting in a daze suddenly let out screams filled with agony.

“Ugh, Ughhh!”

“Aaah!”

The ritual had begun. A formidable power started converging towards the hunched-back man.

“We must stop this!”

“Yes!”

Talos and the inquisitors immediately attempted to obstruct the hunched-back man.

They reckoned that disrupting the one conducting the ritual could halt the process.

However, the masked worshipers were not standing idly by.

Although the nature of the space made it difficult to freely wield magic, their numbers were not to be underestimated.

Dale, Esther, and Pale also joined the fight but the resistance was fierce.

As the plan was reaching its climax, the worshipers resisted with their lives on the line.

Amidst the surrounding chaos, the hunched-back man hummed a tune under his breath while chanting the spell.

It was as if he found the situation so enjoyable that he couldn’t help but relish it.

The light emanating from the characters grew increasingly intense and the residents’ screams also grew louder.

Their forms visibly withered and their life force was rapidly draining away.

At the same time, an unsettling energy filled the entire space. Dale and the others had the illusion that the air grew even heavier.

By now, Talos instinctively knew for certain.

An entity that should never reappear was attempting to resurrect in this world.

We must stop it.

By any means necessary. The ritual had to be stopped, no matter the sacrifice required.

In that case…

Talos identified the most viable solution. His chilling gaze settled on the residents, who were screaming in agony.

Swish.

He drew a concealed sword from beneath his robe.

Instead of pointing his sword at the hunched-back man, Talos aimed it at a villager writhing in pain.

Esther saw that and she exclaimed in shock.

“Wa-Wait, Brother Talos. What are you doing?”

Talos responded coldly.

“For the greater good, some sacrifices must be made. If their intent is to use these people as offerings to summon demons, then killing them all to nullify their value as sacrifices is all that’s needed.”

“What are you saying!”

Esther’s face turned pale with horror. She remembered something Harkin had mentioned before.

A gruesome tale of an inquisitor who had burned down an entire village suspected of demon worship.

She had thought it was merely a terrible rumor.

Esther had faith in her fellow brothers and sisters of the church.

Yet, that horrific story seemed to be unfolding once again before her eyes.

Talos said without blinking.

“They would prefer a merciful death over becoming sacrifices to a demon and suffering anyway. Look at them, aren’t they in agony?”

With those words, Talos raised his sword.

And without a moment’s hesitation, he was about to strike down when suddenly,

Thud!

Someone seized Talos’s arm.

“…. What do you think you’re doing?”

Talos scowled at the dark knight who had appeared before him out of nowhere.

Dale glanced down at the residents below.

Ironically, the person Talos was about to strike was the elderly man whom the middle-aged woman had earlier begged for help.

Dale said calmly.

“I made a promise.”

“What foolishness… We’re out of time!”

Talos cast a frantic look at the hunched-back man before turning his gaze back to Dale.

“You know as well as I do! There’s no other way left! Let go of me this instant!”

But Dale refused to release him.

Killing innocent residents to stop demons.

One must not disregard means for the sake of ends.

Perhaps it would be different if they were undead, but people shouldn’t do that. At least, that’s what Dale had learned from his grandfather.

As always, he was merely following those teachings. It was by living in this way that Dale survived in this world.

Besides…

“In this space, killing the sacrifices hardly matters anymore. It’s already too late.”

“What did you say?”

“The ritual is complete.”

At that moment, the hunched-back man clapped his hands. Then he shouted in a playful tone.

“Complete!”

The light erupting from the characters engraved in blood filled the space with increasing intensity.

An ominous aura swirled around the hunched-back man.

Now, a dead demon was about to be resurrected in the old underground sewers beneath Kaelum Castle.