Everything in this world was born from chaos. If Britannia is the crystallization of order, then its counterpart—chaos—also condensed into a world: Purgatory.
Compared to Purgatory, even the Demon Realm, which embodies the source of dark power, could be called scenic!
No wonder the Demon Clan, despite their dark magic and astonishing self-regeneration, still can't live in Purgatory and have to make do with the slightly gentler Demon Realm.
After entering Purgatory using Merlin's secret art, Charles couldn't help that reaction.
A jet of fire suddenly shot out of the ground, making Ban step back.
Charles sighed. "So why did you insist on coming along? Don't trust me?"
Ban just smiled without answering, his expression clearly saying he was here now and it was too late to argue.
Right before they set out, Ban insisted on going with Charles. Given Ban's immortality, if anyone was suited to accompany Charles, it was him.
But in Purgatory, "the more the merrier" doesn't apply; an extra person might only be extra baggage.
Still, Ban stuck to it, so Charles let him come!
Charles understood Ban's thinking. He saw himself as Meliodas's closest friend, yet all he'd ever seen was Meliodas's joking façade—he'd never noticed his pain.
"What kind of best friend is that!" Ban blamed himself and resolved to do something for Meliodas.
It was also to repay Charles for resurrecting Elaine. Ban had noticed something: Charles never said how they'd return from Purgatory, but he did mention wanting to witness the Demon King's power.
He keenly sensed they might have to face the Demon King to bring Meliodas back.
Ban didn't know how strong one of this world's two gods truly was, but he'd seen how strong Chandler was. And Chandler was only half of the Original Demon—one who had once been defeated by the Demon King.
By that measure, even if Charles was stronger than Chandler, safety was far from guaranteed against the Demon King.
So he had to come. In the worst case, his immortal body might buy Charles and Meliodas a chance to escape.
Charles didn't know Ban had steeled himself for sacrifice, but he could feel the man's resolve. Nothing stops a man who's decided—so Charles didn't waste breath trying to talk him out of it.
Charles took out the compass and, after the spinning needle settled, said, "That way. Stay close. Getting separated here would be a nightmare!"
Ban nodded and quickened his pace to follow.
After trekking who knows how long, both of them gained a clearer understanding of Purgatory's harshness—especially Charles. What he'd seen on a screen in his past life didn't capture even a tenth of the reality.
This is a world of extreme disorder. Not only the terrain and environment, but time and space themselves are scrambled.
One minute they were trudging through a volcano strewn with lava, the next they faced a black storm in a dead desert, and beyond that was a snowbound peak.
It wasn't just that the weather changed too fast and too extreme; here, one's sense of time dulls to the limit.
After all, most of the time you can't see the sun rise and set—the clearest marker of time's passage.
Worst of all, day and night in Purgatory shift with no pattern—sometimes day lasts only a few minutes, followed by nights that stretch for weeks.
Most troublesome of all is the slicing of space itself. Charles discovered this only when, mid-march, the compass needle suddenly swung to a different direction.
In the original course of events, Ban's luck was considered good for finding Meliodas after only a few hundred years!
Another danger in Purgatory is the life that dwells here.
Purgatory is lethal—even the Demon Clan can't live here. But life is full of miracles; even Purgatory has birthed its own forms of life.
Besides the Demon King, two other kinds of beings live here.
One kind is the souls that fell in from outside. After Purgatory's cruelty erases all their hope and reason, they're corroded by the darkness and turn into black, beast-like creatures.
These dark monsters have no reason left, only instinct, roaming and clashing endlessly through Purgatory.
Charles and Ban were attacked by them several times. Though not especially strong, they were at Blue Demon–class power.
Their frenzied assaults were a real headache.
Charles had wanted to try purging Purgatory's dark energy and restoring them, but not everyone has the iron will of Ban and Meliodas—able to come back even after becoming a monster.
Their souls were already thoroughly twisted; once Charles separated the dark energy from them, their lives ended as well.
The other kind are native species born of Purgatory—mostly all sorts of exotic beasts.
To survive Purgatory's extremes, the natives evolved all kinds of abilities.
Take Hawk, for example. He's a Purgatory beast who can talk and possesses powerful immortality. Every time he dies, he sheds his old body like a snake and is reborn.
That's why the Demon King chose him to watch Meliodas.
Hawk's brother, Wild, could even wound the Demon King by burning his own life. The problem is, even after burning his life force, he still only resurrects—the ability's practically cheating.
Of course, not all Purgatory creatures have such broken abilities. Most adapt in simpler ways.
Like the creature Charles and Ban were currently chasing—a biped with pink fur mottled with black spots.
It was fast—fast enough that Charles had to get serious to catch it. Its attack power wasn't high, but it struggled with astonishing strength.
To withstand Purgatory's brutal climate, its vivid coat had impressive resistances across the board; with a bit of processing, it would make top-quality armor.
Its bones were unbelievably tough, perfect materials for weapons. Its blood, muscles, and viscera brimmed with energy, useful for concocting potions.
For all its severity, Purgatory is a land of plenty. Even the rocks—any that remain intact in this environment are high-grade materials.
Hunting, mining, foraging—Charles was like a Don't Starve player, happily busy while tracking Meliodas.
Following the trail like that, one day Charles and Ban came upon a dinosaur-like dark monster—and the compass needle settled, pointing straight at it.
They had finally found Meliodas's soul!
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