Soul of Searing Steel

“Anos Abyss?” Joshua repeated the words in a low voice. “Is that some canyon? How come I never heard of that place?”

It was rare for Joshua to fail as one who had transmigrated. While he was unfamiliar with many settings in the Mycroft Continent, he would not forget any information regarding any information regarding huge factions such as the Church of Seven Gods.

“My mistake. It’s not a canyon.” Roland smiled begrudgingly, shaking his head as he noticed the issue. “Not many know about the place even within the Church itself, let alone the Northern Empire…”

Then, sweeping a glance at their surroundings, the holy knight frowned. “Before that… The smell here is too pungent. Let’s go up.”

Indeed, the dungeon was not a place to chatter—neither Joshua nor Artanis objected, and the five of them went upstairs to the Church Sanctuary.

The mages led by Moore had already left. Joshua could hazily feel the dimensional ripple left behind after they traveled through the portal.

Since the warrior had entered extreme tier, his sight had become more sensitive. Now, apart track energy flow and Flames of Life, he could also see fissures across dimensions, just like he did at the bottom of the volcanic mountain of Great Ias when he saw the natural portal to Illgner.

Of course, the warrior was now even acutely aware than before. It was almost the same as having the [All Seeing Eye] in his preexistence. If he had the chance to have a stroll around the Abyss and slay a few Eye Demons, he would be able to collect all the ingredients needed for the [Omniscience Ritual]. Then, all darkness and trickery would have nowhere to hide before him.

There were not many devotees here in the Church this early in the day, but the knights appeared to be busy—perhaps due to the cultists who were interrogated earlier.

Avoiding the more crowded areas, Joshua and others found an empty room. After everyone found a chair to sit, Roland started to explain everything.

“I’ll start with the cultists, and I’ll be brief,” the holy knight said with a tight frown, seemingly unable to forget those cultists he had just cross-examined. “Miss 03 had caught more than twenty cultists before this, and they had all belonged to the Cult of Pestilence. As everyone would know, that particular cult had allied themselves with the Pentashade dragons. That’s why we’ve basically confirmed that their here to avenge the beasts.”

Joshua nodded. He shared the opinion since there was no reason the cultists would travel more than half a world to this desolate corner, even if it was to spread panic and plague. It would hence be much more logical if they assumed that they were here to seek vengeance for the Pentashade.

“However, the bunch that I’ve interrogated just now weren’t from the Pestilence Cult,” Roland continued. “They were members of an old blood-sacrifice sect from the West Mountains, here in Moldavia because they’ve heard the call from their God, or some sort of ‘revelation’ from an archdemon from the abyss.”

“Revelation?” Artanis had responded before Joshua could, the old clergy’s face filled with anxiety. “What’s the content?”

“I’m not sure. The ones we’ve caught were just pawns, here to scout out the city.”

Roland shook his head. He had subjected the cultists to extreme duress but they could not tell much—they really seemed to know nothing. Still, the holy knight’s expression soon changed from annoyance to a smile. “It was unlucky for this bunch since they did not know that their ‘colleagues’ had come by earlier and raised our vigilance. Otherwise, they would definitely have waited longer to wait out the storm.”

“We can’t be careless.” Artanis was unexpectedly stern; his tone was really grave. “Any demon that could deliver revelations possess the power to bypass the seal over the Abyss and send messages through. Those are genuine demons that could be considered warlords even within the Abyss, and if they really did hold machinations for Moldavia…”

Artanis then paused, turning behind to glance at Joshua who was sitting upright.

—It’s not like they could do much…

Recently, there was that archdemon’s clone in the Imperial Capital had been transported here in its full form. For the evil cultists, it was an equivalent to the descent of their deity, but it had still been beaten into a pulp by the fellow who was sitting right in front of them now.

“Either way, safety first.” The old clergy brusquely ended the topic, stroking his white beard. “We’ve got the gist of the cult problem. The Pentashade is still out for Joshua’s blood despite their failed assassination attempts, and several other sects are snooping around for some reason… Let’s talk about the Anos Abyss now.”

“True,” the warrior nodded in agreement. “I’m very curious about this place the Church of Seven would send one Supreme knight and an entire monk regiment. What sets it apart?”

“The Anos Abyss isn’t a canyon or on the continent, for that matter. It’s actually an eastern part of the Distant Sea, filled with violent storms throughout the year and curious oceanic flow, as well as countless maelstroms and undercurrents. Even the most weathered seamen could never grasp its behavior, which is why not many had ventured there, making it largely anonymous.”

Roland’s answer was clear and crisp. It was not some intelligence that had to be kept hidden, which was why he spoke freely. “It’s named after its founder, and the undercurrents surged so violently, so hazardously that it was like being in the Abyss.”

“But now it had become true to its name,” the holy knight said, his expression dead serious and his tone heavy in emphasis. “A dimensional fissure that leads towards the Abyss had appeared in its heart.”

Almost seventy years ago, a dimensional crack that connects a layer of the southern sea lane and the Abyss had appeared. It was so unusually small that no creatures could pass through it, although the forces between the two worlds would slip over the other. If a Church fleet had not happened to be hurrying along those parts and discovered the creatures that had been corrupted, mankind would have noticed the phenomenon a lot later.

Although the connection between the Abyss and the Mycroft Continent had been completely sealed by the Sage in the last age, leaks would gradually form after a millennium however powerful the sealing magic had been.

The Anos Abyss was a case in point. Furthermore, with the minuscule dimensional tear located at the deepest part of a dangerous sea, it was punishing to even find it, much less seal or destroy it. Therefore, the Church could only retreat station people at nearby isles and fortify them.

“Due to the corruption of the Abyssal force, that part of the sea had become an abnormality similar to the [Plagued Land]. The Church’s stationing personnel over the place is therefore similar to Joshua’s family guarding the seal in Moldavia.”

As Roland spoke, everyone paid silent attention—apart from Joshua, whose expression seemed to change slightly as he appeared to remember something. Nonetheless, he held his tongue and paid attention to what the holy knight was saying.

“If there weren’t divine spell protection, most creatures would easily be harmed by the Abyssal force… Despite that, it would still be a problem in the long run. That’s why usually several knight regiments take turns to patrol the area. The Church had even suppressed news regarding the phenomenon to prevent panic.

With that, Roland sighed as if coming back to attention.

“Perhaps I’m being paranoid too,” he then added disinterestedly. “Perhaps the Commander and Sister Saya were simply away temporarily due to the Draconic Plague.”

It was at this moment that Roland suddenly remembered that the black-haired man in front of him was a noble of the Empire, the Liege of the Northern Lands. Even if Joshua did care about the Distant South and the Church it would be impossible for him to turn the tides—even with portals, the distance of an entire continent was just too long.

—Perhaps, it’s time I returned.

Roland could not help thinking. Even if the Church did not need his combat capability right now, the holy knight wanted to weather the storm alongside his brethren.

Meanwhile, Joshua did not notice Roland’s sudden change in attitudes. He merely lowered his head and touched his own chin, as if reminiscing.

One of the Three Great Doorways to the Abyss… Vortex of the Abyssal Sea. The warrior thought subtly and inwardly. So it’s called the Anos Abyss right now, huh.