With the Sword of Night and Flame now reinforced using an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, the Aging Untouchable stood no chance. One after another, Lucian cut them down with ease.
Nor were they the only Frenzied creatures wandering the valley.
Besides the familiar Frenzied Rats found throughout the Lands Between, goats, deer, even squirrels had all fallen victim to the Frenzied Flame.
There were simply too many of them.
Lucian temporarily abandoned the idea of exterminating every last one.
The Frenzied Flame carried by those small animals was weak, posing little threat.
Their primary objective remained sealing, or eliminating the Lord of Frenzied Flame. Everything else was merely cleanup along the way.
As long as they dealt with the stronger Frenzied creatures blocking their path, that would be enough.
Like the enemies now standing before them.
—
Standing before a grove of charred, lifeless trees, Lucian came to a halt.
The shadowy manor was now very close, yet another unexpected group of foes barred the way.
Among the trees wandered numerous Hornsent Inquisitors, each carrying a barbed candlestick as they patrolled the woods.
Unlike the Elder Inquisitor, these were ordinary inquisitors. They were considerably weaker.
Even so, as Tower Inquisitors, they were still among the Hornsent's elite.
Lucian was wondering why so many inquisitors had gathered in such a remote corner of the valley when he noticed the yellow glow burning within one of their eyes.
He raised an eyebrow.
So the inquisitors sent here to seal away the Frenzied Flame, and who had apparently succeeded in imprisoning its lord, had themselves been corrupted in large numbers.
Not exactly an impressive display of professional competence.
Ever since entering the valley proper, something had continued to bother him.
After fighting the Elder Inquisitor firsthand, he already had a good understanding of the inquisitors' strength.
They weren't weak.
But that was all.
Judging from the extensive scars of Frenzied Flame that covered the entire valley, the Lord of Frenzied Flame had unquestionably been stronger than the Elder Inquisitor.
A few large-scale bursts of Frenzied Flame would have overwhelmed him without much difficulty.
An Elder Inquisitor accompanied by a handful of ordinary inquisitors should never have been enough to suppress the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
No.
Forget the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
It felt like they would have struggled just to deal with the Aging Untouchable roaming the valley.
Yet somehow...
They had actually succeeded in sealing the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
It made no sense whatsoever.
Lucian stepped forward, triggering the corrupted inquisitors' vigilance.
Several Frenzied Burst incantations immediately tore through the air, leaving blazing trails as they shot straight toward him.
Seeing the familiar spell, Lucian smiled faintly.
Frenzied Burst.
He knew it all too well.
One of the longest-range attacks available, practically indispensable when exploring.
A curtain of light unfolded before the group.
The Frenzied Burst projectiles plunged into it and vanished completely, as though swallowed whole.
Watching the shimmering lake-light she had conjured, Irina couldn't help but marvel.
Against the Frenzied Flame...
This power truly was extraordinary.
To think someone of her current strength could completely block such a powerful Frenzied Flame incantation.
The Golden Arcs that followed, however, were another matter entirely.
Those could not be neutralized so effortlessly by lake-light.
Lucian casually waved his left hand.
A pale emerald force field materialized before the party.
Thops's Barrier made its combat debut.
The moment the Golden Arcs struck the barrier, every one of them was deflected, scattering harmlessly into the surrounding dead trees.
Lucian's figure blurred.
The next instant, he had already appeared in the middle of the inquisitors.
Looking around at the enemies surrounding him, he drew the Sword of Night and Flame.
If he remembered correctly...
Those who cast Frenzied Burst had advanced slightly further than those who merely wielded the Flame of Frenzy.
Unfortunately, every person who attempted to master the Frenzied Flame eventually lost the battle raging within themselves.
Without exception, every one of them succumbed to madness.
It seemed these inquisitors had at least tried to fulfill their duty.
In that case...
He would grant them a swift death.
The inquisitors closed in from all directions, unleashing Frenzied Flame incantations alongside their interrogation prayers.
Lucian didn't dodge.
He simply ran his left hand along the blade.
At once, the Sword of Night and Flame ignited.
An unprecedented inferno erupted skyward.
Even the waves of heat alone caused the surrounding temperature to skyrocket, setting the inquisitors' robes ablaze before the flames had even reached them.
Holding the blazing sword, Lucian swung it casually.
A tidal wave of fire surged outward, swallowing the corrupted inquisitors and every incoming attack alike.
When the sea of flames finally receded, the inquisitors, and the withered forest surrounding them, had vanished completely.
Only several human-shaped shadows remained etched into the rocks, where so much matter had been vaporized that they served as silent proof those figures had once existed.
Looking at the results of that casual strike, Lucian nodded in satisfaction before sheathing the Sword of Night and Flame.
The improvement from upgrading it from +7 all the way to +10 was obvious.
Previously, the sword could barely withstand carrying such overwhelming solar fire and had nearly melted under the strain.
Now...
Having become a true god-slaying weapon, the Sword of Night and Flame could even amplify the power of the sun ever so slightly.
That upgrade had absolutely been worth it.
After eliminating the inquisitors, Lucian also found another Scadutree Fragment nearby.
Once he confirmed there were no other spoils to collect, the group resumed their journey.
They were now only a short distance from the manor.
They would arrive very soon.
Along the way, every humanoid infected by the Frenzied Flame, whether inquisitor or Aging Untouchable, was systematically eradicated.
Areas where the Frenzied Flame had accumulated most heavily were likewise cleansed by Irina using the power of lakelight, washing away the corruption.
At last, the group reached the manor itself.
The estate rested at the bottom of a sunless ravine, hidden deep within a dense forest.
A tangled canopy of charred branches stretched overhead, casting the entire residence into perpetual gloom.
In front of the manor lay a shallow marsh.
Even the rippling water carried traces of the Frenzied Flame, its corruption spreading with every gentle wave.
Liliana pointed toward the manor.
"That's it."
"The Lord of Frenzied Flame is inside."
"He hasn't moved from that spot this entire time."
Melina gazed at the distant estate, her brow furrowing.
"Now that we're this close..."
"I can truly feel the strength of that presence."
"Perhaps this Lord of Frenzied Flame isn't nearly as weak as we originally assumed."
Lucian nodded.
Everything they had witnessed throughout the valley already pointed to that conclusion.
The vast scorched landscape left behind by the Frenzied Flame was proof enough that its owner was no ordinary foe.
Besides...
He was the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
No matter how weak he might be, he was still the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
Lucian looked toward the manor in the distance.
Only then did he notice an orderly row of "crows" perched before the estate.
Strangely...
Each of them possessed a glowing golden beak.
At first, Lucian thought they were some new species of creature standing guard before the manor.
But as he drew closer, he realized they were nothing more than a neatly arranged row of corpses.
There were more than a dozen of them.
Though each body differed in appearance, every single one had been posed in exactly the same way.
Someone had arranged them deliberately.
The emaciated corpses knelt upon the ground, their hands bound tightly before them. Their heads had been severed, and from each neck protruded a golden barbed spike, the very symbol of the inquisitors' interrogations.
It was those exposed golden spikes that Lucian had mistaken for the beaks of birds.
Seeing such a gruesome sight, Irina instinctively covered her mouth.
"How cruel..."
Lucian stepped closer for a better look.
The corpses all bore the Hornsent's distinctive mixed-grown horns.
They had clearly all been Hornsent.
Judging from their attire, they were probably servants who had once belonged to the manor.
Had they simply been executed alongside the Lord of Frenzied Flame when the inquisitors came to seal him away?
Exterminating everyone connected to the manor might have been understandable under the circumstances...
But was arranging the bodies into this really a necessary part of the procedure?
Looking at it this way, the inquisitors truly had a twisted sense of humor.
They hadn't been satisfied with killing them.
They had dragged the bodies outside and turned them into a macabre display.
The Hornsent civilization really was excessively brutal and blood-soaked.
Passing the rows of decapitated corpses, Lucian arrived before the manor's entrance and pushed open the heavy doors.
Dust billowed into the air.
The manor, sealed since the massacre long ago, finally welcomed visitors once more.
Though...
It did not welcome them.
If the dead here had any wish left, it would be that no one ever approached this place again.
The moment Lucian stepped inside, a voice echoed from deeper within.
"Turn back..."
"Do not approach... do not approach madness..."
Entering the abandoned manor, thick with dust, Lucian cautiously surveyed his surroundings, searching for the speaker.
He couldn't sense any living presence.
Then, looking ahead, he immediately understood.
Standing silently in the manor's grand hall beyond the staircase was a white phantom.
Its owner had long since died.
Only a lingering spirit sustained by stubborn conviction remained.
No wonder he hadn't sensed it at first.
Rather than approach the phantom immediately, Lucian first examined the manor itself.
They had only just entered the entrance hall, not even the main interior, and already several bookshelves lay collapsed beneath thick webs.
Books were scattered across the floor, buried beneath layers of ash.
Combined with the manor's enormous size and luxurious architecture, Lucian had already reached a conclusion.
Its master had clearly occupied a position of considerable status.
And judging from the countless books...
He had likely been a scholar.
The group entered the main hall and finally approached the white phantom that had spoken.
The spirit wore plain yet dignified robes.
Small mixed-grown horns protruded from his head.
At that moment, the Hornsent phantom slowly turned toward them.
"...Unexpected guests."
"Welcome."
"Please... heed my master's warning."
"My master, Midra, implores you..."
"Do not approach madness..."
Melina studied the spirit curiously.
She and Lucian had encountered many white phantoms throughout their journey.
But those spirits merely repeated the words they had spoken in life, never acknowledging those around them.
This was the first one that had initiated conversation.
Though its speech remained mechanical and hollow, it was undeniably unusual.
Lucian guessed the Hornsent had probably served as the manor's steward or butler.
After a moment's thought, he decided to see if he could gather some information.
"The master you mentioned... Midra."
"He's the owner of this manor, isn't he?"
"Was he the one who brought the Frenzied Flame here?"
The instant the phantom heard the words Frenzied Flame, a look of agony spread across its sorrowful face.
"The Frenzied Flame..."
"The source of madness..."
"So mad..."
"So terrifying..."
"So blasphemous..."
As he spoke, the phantom clutched his head with both hands, frantically scratching at it.
Watching the spirit's pain intensify, faint yellow light beginning to leak from its eyes, Lucian frowned.
The Frenzied Flame could indeed burn away souls.
But it wouldn't suddenly ignite one without cause.
Clearly...
This Hornsent had already come into contact with the Frenzied Flame while he was alive.
Somehow, he had suppressed it long enough for his soul to remain behind.
Now, hearing that forbidden name had reignited the lingering flame clinging to his spirit.
Lucian tried changing the subject, hoping to draw the phantom's attention elsewhere.
"Who is Midra?"
The mention of his master's name finally distracted the spirit.
After standing motionless for several seconds, the phantom slowly lowered his hands.
The yellow flames gradually faded.
Yet one side of his eye socket had already been burned away by the Frenzied Flame, leaving part of the spectral face permanently destroyed.
The Hornsent spoke sadly.
"My master..."
"Midra."
"He was a scholar of the ancient ruins..."
"And a revered sage of extraordinary standing."
"Here, in the valley below..."
"We lived far from conflict."
"My master devoted himself entirely to his research."
"But..."
"He came into contact with madness."
"That was the beginning of destruction."
"And the beginning of suffering."
As if unlocking long-buried memories, the phantom continued recounting his past.
Lucian had no idea why this spirit was different from the others.
Still, any information was valuable.
"Long ago..."
"My master lived here with his wife, Nanaya."
"In those days..."
"The valley was filled with blooming flowers."
"It was a beautiful hidden sanctuary."
"But everything changed..."
"When research specimens from the ancient ruins were brought here."
"During his studies..."
"My master came into contact with the Frenzied Flame."
"The Frenzied Flame..."
"The Frenzied Flame!"
"AAAHHH!"
The moment his memories reached the Frenzied Flame, the phantom ignited once more.
This time the blaze burned even fiercer than before.
Startled, Irina instinctively raised a hand, trying to suppress the flames.
Yet the lake-light that had worked unfailingly until now passed straight through the spirit without producing any effect.
Lucian stopped her with an outstretched hand and slowly shook his head.
"There's no saving him anymore."
Writhing in the agony of the soul-consuming fire, the phantom looked toward them, his voice trembling with tears.
"I..."
"I remember now."
"We..."
"Everyone in this manor..."
"We were all infected by the Frenzied Flame..."
"And we never even realized it."
"The corruption spread further and further..."
"But none of us noticed."
"Something..."
"Something hid in the shadows..."
"It quietly altered our perception."
"Only when the inquisitors broke into the manor..."
"Did I finally realize..."
"That I had already become something inhuman."
"That I had already fallen into madness."
Though his soul continued burning away, the phantom ignored the pain entirely.
Instead, he stared earnestly at Lucian and the others, pleading desperately.
"Please..."
"Turn back..."
"Do not touch madness..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Frenzied Flame completely engulfed his spirit.
The white phantom vanished from the manor without leaving behind even a trace.