Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42: Epic Quest Triggered
The sun desperately tried to rise over the kingdom of Aethelgard, but its light never reached the royal plains.
Kaelen’s Dungeon Domain was no longer confined to the Whispering Woods. The suffocating canopy of violet, corrupted clouds was actively expanding, stretching across the sky like a massive, necrotic bruise. The Abyss was moving, and it was heading directly for the capital.
At the vanguard of the march was Kaelen, riding atop a massive, heavily armored Obsidian Behemoth—a Level 55 siege monster Elara had freshly synthesized from the remains of the Crimson Drakes.
Flanking him were his three generals, their bodies passively radiating the dark, beautiful aura of the Abyssal Trinity buff. Seraphina rode a corrupted nightmare steed, her Mythic-Tier Eclipse Breaker resting effortlessly across her saddle. Lyriel melted in and out of the shadows cast by the marching army, scouting the perimeter with terrifying speed. Elara rode behind Kaelen, her hands glowing with volatile alchemical formulas.
Behind them marched five thousand Void-iron armored Abyssal Brutes. Their heavy trench-maces dragged against the earth, creating a deafening, rhythmic scraping sound that echoed for miles.
"The capital’s outer settlements are completely abandoned, Master," Lyriel reported, dropping seamlessly from the branches of a dying tree to land beside his mount. "The refugees have flooded into Aethelgard. They have barred the grand gates and raised the Aegis Barrier."
"A desperate turtle hiding in its shell," Kaelen mused, his Level 68 void mana passively crushing the ambient air pressure around him. "They truly believe a wall of cheap light will save them from drowning."
"The Aegis Barrier is powered by the collective life force of the inner-city clerics," Seraphina added, her corrupted golden eyes fixed on the towering white walls of the capital looming on the horizon. "It is designed to withstand a multi-day siege from high-tier elemental magic."
"Then we won’t use elemental magic," he commanded smoothly. A dark, predatory smirk spread across his handsome face. "We will use absolute density."
Inside the capital city of Aethelgard, the atmosphere was a suffocating cocktail of sheer terror and fanaticism.
Millions of citizens were crammed into the inner districts, weeping and praying before hastily erected shrines. On the towering white battlements, the remaining Holy Knights and conscripted militia stood with trembling knees. They gripped their spears so tightly their knuckles turned white, staring out at the approaching wall of unnatural darkness.
Deep within the Grand Cathedral, the Supreme Pontiff stood at the epicenter of the Aegis Array. Hundreds of low-ranking clerics sat in concentric circles around him, aggressively burning their own mana pools to feed the massive, golden dome of light currently shielding the city.
"Hold the line!" the Pontiff wheezed, his ancient body trembling under the immense magical strain. "The Goddess protects the righteous! The Heretic’s monsters will break upon our holy light like water against stone!"
Cassius Valerius stood near the stained-glass windows, completely draped in heavy platinum armor. He looked out over the city walls, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
"They are here," Cassius whispered in sheer horror.
The encroaching darkness finally breached the city’s perimeter. The massive army of Abyssal Brutes didn’t charge or roar. They simply marched to the very edge of the golden Aegis Barrier and stopped in perfect, terrifying unison. freewebnovel.cσ๓
The silence that followed was infinitely worse than a battle cry.
From the center of the dark army, the massive Obsidian Behemoth stepped forward. Kaelen looked up at the towering golden dome shielding the capital, his violet eyes glowing with unadulterated malice.
"Seraphina," Kaelen’s deep voice rolled across the battlefield, amplified by his void aura so that every single trembling soldier on the city walls could hear him. "Show them the futility of their faith."
"By your will, Master," Seraphina replied, her voice dripping with dark devotion. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The fallen High Paladin spurred her nightmare steed forward, stopping mere inches from the shimmering golden barrier. The Holy Knights on the walls instantly recognized her golden hair and corrupted armor.
"It’s the Vanguard!" a Captain screamed from the battlements, tears of betrayal streaming down his face. "Seraphina the Pure! She has brought the demons to our doorstep!"
Seraphina didn’t even look up at them. She simply dismounted her steed and drew the Eclipse Breaker.
The Mythic-Tier greatsword immediately began to violently hum, reacting to the massive volume of holy mana radiating from the Aegis Barrier. Seraphina gripped the hilt with both hands and casually rested the razor-sharp, obsidian blade directly against the golden shield.
The reaction was instantaneous and catastrophic.
HSSSSSSSS.
The Eclipse Breaker didn’t try to shatter the barrier with blunt force. It began to aggressively, hungrily inhale it. The corrupted runes along the blade flared with blinding intensity as millions of points of holy mana were forcefully sucked out of the array and converted directly into physical stamina for Seraphina.
Inside the Grand Cathedral, the backlash was devastating.
"My core!" a cleric screamed, violently vomiting blood as his spiritual pathways were forcefully drained.
Dozens of clerics collapsed simultaneously, their bodies instantly turning into dried husks as the greatsword outside greedily devoured their life force. The golden dome over the city began to violently flicker and dim.
"Pour more mana into the array!" the Pontiff shrieked, his eyes wide with absolute panic. "Do not let it fall!"
Back at the gates, Seraphina’s muscles were trembling, completely overloaded with the massive influx of stolen energy.
"Master," Seraphina grunted, a manic, euphoric smile spreading across her face. "The blade is fully saturated. It requires a release."
He smoothly dismounted his Behemoth. He walked up behind his Vanguard, the Abyssal Trinity telepathic link perfectly syncing their movements. He wrapped his large, heavily muscled arms around her from behind, placing his hands directly over hers on the hilt of the greatsword.
"Then let us release it together," he whispered perfectly into her ear, sending a violent shiver of pleasure down her spine.
He channeled a massive, concentrated surge of his Level 68 void mana directly into the Eclipse Breaker, completely supercharging the devoured holy energy.
Together, the dark god and his fallen Paladin pulled the massive blade back and unleashed a devastating, horizontal cleave directly into the weakened barrier.
"Abyssal Annihilation."
CRASH.
The impact shattered the sound barrier. A hyper-dense shockwave of pure, corrupted kinetic energy violently erupted from the blade. The Aegis Barrier didn’t just break; it completely shattered like a fragile glass ornament.
The shockwave carried forward, slamming directly into the towering white gates of Aethelgard. The heavily reinforced mythril doors were instantly blown off their hinges, flying hundreds of feet into the city and violently crushing dozens of militiamen.
Inside the Cathedral, the massive crystal anchoring the array violently exploded, sending lethal shrapnel tearing through the remaining clerics. The Supreme Pontiff was thrown off his feet, his golden robes soaked in the blood of his own flock.
The capital’s impenetrable shield had fallen in a single strike.
[System Notification: Regional Defense Shattered.]
[Epic Quest Triggered: The Eclipse of Aethelgard.]
[Objective: Slay the Supreme Pontiff. subjugate the Royal Bloodlines. Claim the Capital.]
[Reward: Class Evolution - ’Abyssal Emperor’.]
He stood at the threshold of the shattered gates, the heavy dust and debris clearing to reveal the terrified, exposed streets of the holy city. He released his grip on Seraphina’s sword, stepping forward into the capital of his enemies.
He raised his hand and pointed into the heart of the city.
"Kill the men," he commanded, his voice cold, absolute, and utterly merciless. "Capture the noblewomen. Burn the Cathedral to the ground."
The five thousand Abyssal Brutes let out a deafening, blood-curdling roar and flooded into the city like a tide of black iron.
