Chapter 188

Chapter 188: Memorial Portal. (1)

Step, step.

A group of knights walked into the canyon of Veritarun.

“……”

At the front was the Imperial Knights, led by Lucilis.

“Ugh, why is it so suffocating in here?”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

Behind them followed the Daphne Knights, with Hardin at the helm.

Kreee!

Crack!

Occasionally, low-level monsters appeared, but the moment they did, their necks were severed by Lucilis’ blade and they vanished.

When they reached the innermost part of the canyon, the large cave they had seen before came into view.

As they stepped inside, the space gradually widened until a vast underground cavity revealed itself.

“What… what is this?”

“My god…”

Wooooong!

At the center of the cavern, a swirling vortex emitted a dark crimson glow, twisting and pulsating endlessly.

As the Daphne Knights blinked in astonishment, Hardin crossed his arms and replied.

“What else? It’s a portal. Isn’t that right, Lucilis?”

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s a Memorial Portal.”

Lucilis let out a snort through his nose as he answered.

‘Memorial?’

‘What the hell is that?’

Seeing the unfamiliar expressions on everyone’s faces, he continued his explanation.

“It’s a portal that connects to a subspace where the Demonkind Veritarun was sealed. Inside… the final battle he fought is vividly re-enacted through magic.”

Hardin gave a slight nod.

‘The Memorial Portal—what a strange thing it is.’

Because… he had also experienced the Memorial Portal back in the days of Varlach.

A terrifying space where enemies surged endlessly through an unending stretch of time.

Based on ancient illusion magic, it was a boundary realm—Liminal Space—developed and refined over and over again by the Empire’s top magicians.

At one time, it had even been used as a training ground for top-tier knights like Varlach, those once called ‘Sword Saints.’

In fact, right before the war against the Demonkind, when their physical condition had to be perfected in a short span of time, not only Varlach but also many of the family’s elite knights had trained in the Memorial Portal.

The problem was…

‘Because of that, we almost all went insane.’

Inside the Memorial Portal, time and space were utterly distorted, making it nearly impossible for an ordinary human mind to endure.

Even now, just recalling it made his molars clench tightly.

At that moment, Lucilis spoke.

“That creature must have spent around seventy years fighting inside the portal. Thanks to that, both its strength and spirit must be utterly worn down.”

“That must’ve been… hell.”

“I never really considered the plight of monsters, to be honest.”

A wrinkle formed between Hardin’s brows.

Just then, a voice from the past echoed in his mind.

---

Varlach Daphne, how about going on a journey with me someday? We’ll meet Sword Saints from all over the world and spar with them!

Forget it. Just go by yourself. You’re the only one excited about that.

Hardin slowly closed his eyes and opened them again before replying to Lucilis with a sigh.

“I agree. Whatever's inside this portal… definitely deserves to taste hell.”

With the explanation finished, Lucilis raised his hand and gave the order.

“We proceed as planned. All personnel, enter the portal in the designated order!”

“Yes, sir!”

Their voices echoed thunderously through the underground cavity.

Lucilis briefly met Hardin’s gaze, gave a slight nod, and stepped forward.

“Then, I’ll see you inside.”

“Yes.”

Crackkkk!

Lucilis, the Imperial Knights, and the elite troops were sucked into the portal one by one.

Once everyone except the Daphne Knights had vanished—

“Y-Young Master…”

Gulp.

The Daphne Knights looked at Hardin with nervous faces.

Shiiing!

Hardin unsheathed the sword from his waist and spoke.

“...Let me say one thing before we go.”

“What is it?”

“You probably already know this from what I told you on the way, but what's in there are monsters. Filthy strong, fearless… and damn near unkillable.”

A heavy air settled over them.

The tension on the knights’ faces deepened.

‘We have to fight monsters…’

‘I’m seriously wondering if I’ll die in there.’

Monsters.

Hardin had slaughtered more than he could count in his previous life, but to the rest of the knights here, they were like mythical beasts—figures out of legends.

It was only natural to fear the unknown.

Then Hardin continued.

“But at their core, those things are no different from Ghasts.”

“What?”

“Ghasts?”

“Yeah. Ghasts. They don’t die easy, and they don’t feel fear.”

“W-Well, that’s true…”

Mikkelsen scratched his forehead and answered, prompting a faint smile from Hardin.

“So don’t be afraid. If it’s Wave Swordsmanship… no, if it’s you lot, who survived all those insane drills I made you do—then those things in there won’t be anything special.”

His voice brimmed with confidence.

Even though he was Hardin, famed beyond compare, surely he didn’t know that much about monsters.

After all, in the Fabian Empire, monsters had been officially declared extinct for a long time.

But still…

‘Maybe it’s because he’s been through so much, but somehow… I feel like he might be right.’

‘Yeah, makes sense. We beat down Ghasts with wooden swords. Now that we’ve got real blades, we can take on something tougher.’

Thanks to Hardin’s words, the knights began to feel a flicker of confidence.

They had already overcome countless impossible odds… and it was always Hardin who turned those impossibilities into reality.

Just then, after a brief silence—

“Let’s gooo! These monsters aren’t worth a damn, so let’s smash through and grab a drink after! Hahaha!”

Beryl raised his sword high and let out a hearty laugh.

“H-Hell yeah!”

“Let’s do it!”

Mikkelsen and the rest of the Maw Unit quickly joined in agreement.

“If you’re going in alive, then count me in.”

“Ooh, free drinks?”

Manton and Jerry chuckled lightly as they joined in.

Just as the atmosphere had taken on a strangely excited tone—

Hardin flashed a grin and said,

“Alright, let’s head in!”

After all, it had been a while… since he last had the chance to joyfully beat the crap out of some damned monsters.

---

---

Kyaaaaah! Kyaaaaah!

“Kill those bastards!”

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

The sky had turned crimson.

Thick black smoke billowed upward into the air, and all around them lay corpses, broken arrows, shattered blades.

The very image of a brutal battlefield.

Amidst it all—

Grrrrrraugh!

“Aaaaagh!”

Monsters with violet bodies, shaped half-human and half-demon, charged across the field, slicing through soldiers and smashing them to pieces.

And then—

“……”

The Imperial Knights, soldiers, and Daphne Knights all looked on from a distance, their faces clouded with shock.

“Wh-What is this?”

“Holy crap… This is supposed to be an illusion?”

The Memorial Portal.

They’d been told it was all an illusion, and yet the scene before them… felt even more vivid, more real than reality itself.

While everyone stood there in a daze—

“Please… help me…”

A hoarse voice called out nearby, and Beryl’s eyes widened in disbelief.

A young conscript, drenched in blood, was reaching toward them with a desperate expression.

“W-Wait a second…”

Beryl hurried over and helped him up, pouring water into his mouth as the boy struggled to breathe.

Seeing Beryl clearly at a loss for what to do, Hardin spoke.

“Don’t bother. It’s just an illusion.”

“But… how? It even smells real, it feels real—”

Shk!

Hardin gently pushed the tip of his sword into the boy’s chest.

“Guhhh…”

The strength drained from the boy’s body, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Then—

Thump!

His body flopped over, and in moments, crumbled into gray ash and scattered into the air.

“Holy…”

“Told you. They’re all illusions.”

These beings… had probably been trapped here, reliving this battle again and again—thousands, tens of thousands of times.

Just as Hardin said this with a complex expression—

“Aaaaagh!”

Krkk! Krkk!

A nearby monster, one with four arms, brutally tore through a group of soldiers’ limbs.

Then it turned its gaze—and charged straight at them.

Tat!

Its speed was so great it seemed to vanish, leaving only the sound and afterimage in its wake.

It rushed toward Hardin, all four arms extending at once.

But—

Kyaaaaaah!

With a calm stance, Hardin countered with the Wave Swordsmanship technique, Sea Turtle, one of the Manjo Second Style defensive forms.

It fully absorbed the creature’s furious onslaught.

And the counterattack that followed—

“Kegh?!”

Slaaaash!

Sliced the monster’s limbs into dozens of fragments, scattering them into the air.

Violet blood sprayed everywhere, and the scent of Black Lotus stung sharply at his nose.

Hardin spoke in an indifferent tone.

“The only real things in here… are the monsters. So don’t waste your thoughts on ‘this kind of stuff.’”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

As Beryl nodded, the knights one by one gripped their swords tighter.

Lucilis, who had been silently watching the scene for a moment, shifted his gaze and shouted.

“Advance!”

“Yes, sir!”

Lucilis and the Imperial forces began their march forward.

‘The monsters aren’t as strong as expected. It’d be best to wrap this up quickly before those people… clumsily get involved.’

Regardless of what the higher-ups thought, from Lucilis’ perspective, Hardin and the Daphne Knights were nothing more than unwelcome guests.

Besides—

‘That way, there will be fewer casualties.’

It was clear that, as knights, they were on a different level… so there was no need to let unnecessary losses pile up.

“Lucilis, you shouldn’t rush too far ahead. It might be better if we advance slowly together—”

Just as Hardin’s voice came from behind,

Lucilis replied without even turning around.

“Do hurry and keep up.”

Taah!

With Lucilis in the lead, the Imperial Knights picked up their pace.

Kiiieeeek!

Krkrrrk!

Monsters who had been battling the illusions began turning their attention and attacks toward them one by one.

‘Sooner or later, those things will begin to distinguish between the illusions and the real ones. Before that happens… I have to clear them out as fast as possible.’

And, to some extent, Lucilis’ judgment was correct.

Crack-crash! Crack!

Kieeek!

Each time he and his subordinates swung their swords, monsters were knocked away, their bodies torn to pieces.

On top of that—

KABOOM! KABAAAAM!

“Fireball!”

“Dodge it!”

Imperial mages trailing just behind them supported with elemental magic, sweeping the frontlines clean.

Even—

“Aaaagh!”

“P-Please spare me!”

The illusions in human form were caught up in it as well.

The center path was clearing fast, and their advance grew increasingly swift.

A faint smile appeared on Lucilis’ lips as he swung his sword.

‘As I thought, we didn’t need their help.’

Monsters or not, they were just slightly stronger beasts.

Nothing to fear.

But just when everything was going so confidently—

“Aaaaagh!”

Crack!

A scream rang out from one side.

Turning his head, Lucilis saw a knight standing, blood streaming from his shoulder.

“…What happened?”

“Apologies, Deputy Commander. I let my guard down because the monster came in harder than expected…”

Lucilis sighed deeply and replied.

“Do not let your guard down. You’re on an important mission.”

“It wasn’t carelessness… it’s just, that thing moved so strangely I couldn’t respond properly…”

As the subordinate replied with a hint of fear, Lucilis firmly grabbed his shoulder and said,

“Save your excuses for later. Stop the bleeding with a potion and fall back in line at once.”

“Ah… y-yes, sir!”

As the knight nodded, Lucilis let out a sigh and gave the next command.

“Do not slow down! We drive straight into the enemy’s heart!”

“Yes, sir!”

At that moment, far behind the front line—

“Hmmm. They’re overexerting themselves.”

Hardin muttered while stroking his chin, prompting Beryl to ask,

“Overexerting? They still seem to have plenty of stamina left.”

“They don’t understand how terrifying monsters really are. What makes these things dangerous… isn’t just a matter of strength or weakness.”

“Grrrm… is that so?”

Well, let’s just wait and see for now.

That guy’s probably pushing forward because of his pride…

‘But it won’t be long before they’ll absolutely need our help.’

A sharp smile curved at the edge of Hardin’s lips.