CHAPTER 087
Boom.
“Ahhhh!”
Bang, thud!
The knights climbing the hill covered in thick green grass were soon thrown to the ground.
They hadn’t even reached halfway up the hill, let alone the top.
Sir Jacob, who had already failed four times, struggled to his feet and sprinted back up the hill.
His sturdy legs, twice the size of an average man’s, wobbled and lost strength, causing him to slide back down.
Lying on the muddy ground, out of energy, he panted heavily.
Sir Peter, famous across the empire for his mountain-climbing skills, scurried up the hill like a nimble squirrel.
However, he too tumbled down the hill like a falling leaf.
Exhausted, he lay sprawled on the ground, unable to even catch his breath.
The same fate befell Earl Corald, Sir Timothy, and Sir Derek.
The relatively small hill mercilessly tossed aside the knights of Heltered, renowned not just in the empire but across the continent.
“The hill seems tireless.”
“It absorbs the energy of those trying to climb it, making it even stronger as the knights attempt to ascend.”
Barrel and Esperal, watching the knights from behind, wore dark expressions.
The moving hill.
It was the first gate to the underground world.
There were two gates to the underground world.
The official gate, where the ancient gods had imprisoned the Great Demon King and the monsters for thousands of years, was hidden in the Ether River that separated the mythical life world from the human world.
The gate could be opened with a key hidden in the treasure vault of the Heltered Underground Museum, but it was extremely dangerous.
Absorbing the light of Lumen Savior, the Great Demon King, and monsters were trying to break out. Opening the gate with the key would unleash a horde of monsters that would devastate the human world.
The other gate was at the very top of the hill that Emperor Maxwell and the knights were trying to climb.
According to legend, the god of the river, who was initially responsible for the gate to the underground world, had hidden a part of the gate on the hilltop to secretly meet the daughter of the Great Demon King.
The hill was covered with herbs that prevented monsters from breathing, allowing only the river god to enter and exit freely.
The moment Maxwell became the master of the Musatre Sword, Esperal teleported the emperor and his party to the moving hill at the end of the Ether River.
“Is there really no other way? Didn’t you say you were in charge of the barrier?”
Timothy, supporting his father who had sprained his ankle, asked as he sat him on the grass. All the knights’ eyes turned to Esperal.
Esperal sighed and shook his head.
“The hill is a creature created by the river god before crossing the Ether River. According to the treaty agreed upon by the ancient gods and the elves, we cannot touch creatures sanctified by the gods.”
“Didn’t you say we’re running out of time? With the pride of the best knights on the continent, we will definitely climb and open the gate!”
“Your Majesty, we will open that gate for you!”
Sir Jacob and Sir Peter charged up the hill, wielding their twin axes and maces.
Their force was so tremendous that the ground shook as they ran.
“Your Majesty, it looks like they’re finally going to make it!”
Sir Derek, forgetting the pain in his injured shoulder, cheered.
“Sir Peter is almost at the top!”
Earl Corald, holding his son’s hand, raised his voice to encourage the two knights.
They were indeed the best partners who had roamed the battlefield together.
The strong Sir Jacob cut through the tree roots and weeds obstructing the path with his twin axes, clearing the way for Sir Peter.
When rocks rolled down midway, Sir Peter used Sir Jacob’s shoulder to jump over the rocks and land safely beyond them.
Although Sir Jacob was swept away by the rocks and tumbled down the hill, Sir Peter, with his help, reached the top of the hill.
As success seemed within reach, everyone watched with bated breath.
“Ahhh!”
The moment Sir Peter set foot on the summit, he was flung straight up and then fell vertically.
The hill created rough waves of grass, instantly sweeping him away.
Tree roots and weeds entangled and bound his wrists and ankles, the steep slope was as slippery as ice, insects with poisonous stingers attacked, rocks attacked randomly, and the giant waves of grass swallowed and spat out intruders—the hill was ever-changing.
The moving hill mocked the intruders and perfectly blocked the path to the summit.
“Your Majesty, we must find another way. Reaching the summit of the hill is impossible.”
The injured knights, with gloomy faces, bowed their heads to the emperor.
The emperor, who had been thrown down by tree roots and weeds when he nearly reached the summit, slowly raised his head.
His eyes, deep in thought, gleamed sharply as he stared at the haughty hill growling at them.
He picked up his crimson longsword again and spoke in a controlled voice.
“It may be impossible to reach the summit. However……”
The emperor gripped the sword’s hilt with both hands and slashed diagonally through the air.
“There’s no need to reach the summit. We can bring the summit down!”
The emperor ran towards the hill at terrifying speed and swung the Musatre Sword.
Forged with the blood of the gods, the sword could cut down even deities, and it ruthlessly tore through the lower part of the hill.
Even the 300-year-old elf Barrel had never seen such swordsmanship from a human.
The emperor’s sword cut through the hill’s critical points as if slicing through hundreds of enemies.
In the blink of an eye, the hill knelt, its waist bent, then its head fell forward.
Thud, thud…….
The summit of the hill fell to the ground as if a giant had crashed headfirst.
The ground beneath the emperor and the knights shook violently like an earthquake.
As the dust and dirt settled, the summit of the hill lay at their feet.
And in the middle, a circular stone gate appeared.
The emperor knelt and placed one foot next to the stone gate.
His knights cheered in awe and pride for their lord.
Even Esperal, who had witnessed the emperor's outstanding intellect and swordsmanship, let out a gasp of admiration.
Only the emperor's face remained expressionless and cool as he sheathed his sword.
“Now, only the emperor and one person chosen by the emperor can pass through this gate.”
Before Esperal could finish speaking, all the knights surrounding the emperor simultaneously knelt on one knee.
“Your Majesty, please allow us to accompany you to the underground world!”
They all made the same request, pledging their loyalty.
Timothy, too, looked up at the emperor with a desperate expression.
As Emperor Maxwell maintained his silence, looking at his loyal subjects one by one, a sneering voice came from behind him.
“Do you think the swords and axes you wielded against humans, and the experience you gained fighting lower-tier beasts and monsters, will be useful against the creatures of the underground world? You will only be a burden to the emperor. The moment you pass through the gate, you will become food for the monsters.”
A frail boy, whose stature didn’t even reach the emperor's shoulder, walked up close.
Facing the emperor, Caligo lifted his chin and spoke.
“Take me with you. If you want to retrieve the Light of Arabelle's Soul... choose me. Only I can help you.”
The knights immediately began to protest against Caligo's proposal.
“No, Your Majesty. He is no different from the monsters of the underground world! He will betray you.”
“Indeed. This creature tried to steal Your Majesty’s body. He surely has ulterior motives.”
Ignoring them, Caligo curled one corner of his mouth into a smirk and looked at Esperal.
“The elf here knows it too. No one else can help you in the underground world but me. I have studied and spied on the underground world for a thousand years to rescue Princess Ermiore. Without me, you will lose your way the moment you pass through this gate. Instead of rescuing Arabelle, you will die and never escape the underground world.”
Esperal and Barrel, knowing Caligo was right, remained silent.
The emperor stared piercingly into Caligo’s clear eyes and asked coldly.
“What is your condition? You must want something in return for helping me. Do you seek the light of Princess Ermiore as well?”
Caligo responded with an inscrutable smile.
“Let’s say that I do.”
Although he did not trust the creature in front of him, the emperor knew he had no choice, as Caligo had said.
Moreover, there was no time to think deeply and weigh the options.
He had five days.
In five days, the human world would become a realm of monsters, which also meant the Light of Arabelle's Soul would extinguish in five days.
As the emperor nodded, his subjects had no choice but to comply.
“The moment the gate to the underground world opens, time will stop for five days.”
Esperal whispered to the emperor.
This was a promise the emperor had received from the ancient gods and elves as a condition for sealing the gate to the underground world.
If he placed the net made from the hair of the ancient gods on the opposite gate leading to the underground world, they would stop time in the human world for five days.
Stopping time in the human world required an enormous amount of energy, a significant risk for the weakened ancient gods.
However, they knew better than anyone that they had to help Emperor Maxwell stop the Great Demon King of the underground world. They had no other alternatives left.
The Lumen Saviors had gathered their light and bestowed it upon Princess Ermiore, allowing her body to endure for over a thousand years.
But Arabelle had no light now.
Unlike Princess Ermiore, Arabelle's body was destined to rapidly decay.
Stopping time in this world offered hope that Arabelle's death could be temporarily halted, to which the emperor agreed.
By now, the sun was beginning to set.
Emperor Maxwell and Caligo stood before the stone gate, looking at Esperal.
Esperal placed a finger to his lips and chanted an incantation, causing a strong wind to blow and scatter his silver hair.
His eyes became shrouded in a mist, revealing sharp black claw-like markings.
The setting sun reflected off the claw markings engraved on his eyes and fell beneath the stone gate.
“Emperor Maxwell, there are nine gates you must pass through. The hourglass around your neck will tell you the time in the human world.”
Esperal’s voice faded into the wind.
An identical black marking appeared on the stone gate, and as the black claws etched a circle like clock hands,
Creak,
As the claws etched a circle on the stone gate like clock hands, it began to open.
“Now!”
Before Esperal’s words finished, Emperor Maxwell threw himself through the opening gate.
The stone gate swallowed the emperor and Caligo in an instant, then shut firmly.
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