FWOOSH—!
Two swift horses thundered forward like lightning, one ahead, one behind, plunging into the horde of underworld monsters like twin bolts of black fire.
The monsters that reacted seemed to go mad, lunging at them, trying to bite and drag them down. They surged like a rising tide, wave after wave surrounding them.
However, whether Nidhogg or the skeleton knight, both were seasoned warriors who had killed many monsters.
They were not afraid of this situation at all. They didn't even worry about each other's safety. They simply killed!
FWOOSH—!
The skeleton knight's longsword strike was so fast it was impossible to see clearly. In its afterimage, the monsters blocking the path were cleaved into eight pieces, as if bursting apart simultaneously. Limbs and bones flew into the air, then fell like raindrops.
He raised his shield high before him. The splattering blood painted it red, obscuring the rose crest. But upon the shield, an even redder flower of thorns bloomed!
Nidhogg was also unstoppable. Not only could Torrent keep pace with the dark horse ahead, but the Golden Halberd in his hand was even more fierce and cleaving, shattering monster bodies and raising clouds of bloody mist!
Before the charge, Nidhogg had also deliberately used the Golden Halberd's skill—Golden Vow. It attached a holy light to him and the skeleton knight, enhancing their attack and defense for a certain period.
Honestly, when Nidhogg used Golden Vow, he wasn't entirely sure. He had thought about some not-so-optimal mechanics.
The skeleton knight appeared to be an undead being walking the Demon Path of Hell. Golden Vow seemed too much like a holy light buff.
In some settings, casting a light buff on an undead creature would not only not buff it but would actually damage it.
Nidhogg had been worried that using Golden Vow might severely harm the skeleton knight and provoke him.
Fortunately, such confusion did not occur. The skeleton knight was indeed buffed by Golden Vow.
With the buff, they rode like the wind, carving a bloody path through the monsters at lightning speed. They broke through the intersection between the surface and deep layers of the astral world and charged into the depths.
Upon reaching the depths of the astral world, Nidhogg quickly felt the light converge until they were completely swallowed by darkness.
From all directions came dense, writhing sounds, but he couldn't see anything.
Both Nidhogg and the skeleton knight produced the crystals Flora had given them. These could emit light in the depths of the underworld, illuminating the area until the magic contained within was exhausted.
The crystal light dispersed, and Nidhogg could finally see what those blurry shadows around him were.
They were short monsters with one head and two legs, looking quite strange.
They were scattered all over the strange rocks, their eyes wide open, as if they had seen something incredible.
"Imps." The skeleton knight held his crystal and looked around, explaining, "They are small, agile, and vicious monsters. Don't let them hit you in the face. Besides that, they aren't too much of a threat."
Then he thought for a moment and said, "I see. I know where we are in the depths of the astral world."
Nidhogg couldn't help but be surprised. "Don't you fight in the depths of the astral world almost every night? Why do you seem not to know this place?"
"That's because every time you cross the intersection, the 'realm' you enter changes. It's like there are countless entrances and exits between the underworld and this place," the skeleton knight said as he rode on.
"Have you ever read Dante's Divine Comedy?"
"I haven't read it, but I've heard a little about it." Nidhogg rode Torrent and slowly followed. He could guess what the skeleton knight wanted to say.
Even in such darkness, Torrent was as fearless as his master.
And indeed, the skeleton knight continued, "In the Divine Comedy, Dante depicts his journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise."
"Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise are divided into nine levels each. Depending on their different sins or blessings, people are assigned to different levels after death to suffer or enjoy bliss."
"The deep 'realms' of the astral world are this kind of enchanted place, similar to that."
"In the depths of the astral world lie vast bodies of consciousness, inhabited by various beings far beyond those on the surface. They are often the gods, angels, and demons mentioned in the stories of the real world. Their existence creates different worlds."
"The one we've burst into this time is one of them—the 'Dark Realm of Qliphoth.' A dark region where countless dark creatures gather. I didn't expect that inviting you here for the first time would land us in such a place."
The Dark Realm of Qliphoth?
Nidhogg remembered this place. He still had an impression of it. That group of beastly spirits that had attacked the Village of Irog—they built their nests in the depths of this dark realm.
Originally, things were fine. It was unlikely that the beastly spirits in the depths of the underworld would enter the real world to attack human villages. Not until the Eclipse of the Dark Eagle was born, and the Holy Eagle of the Tower of Conviction was reborn in the flesh, did the deep astral world and the real world increasingly intersect.
At that time, the beastly spirits living in the dark realm could directly ignore the surface of the astral world, easily enter the real world from the dark realm, burn, kill, and plunder, and then return to the dark realm after succeeding.
It was impossible for an ordinary human army to deal with such a horde of beastly spirits, which had a nest in the dark realm, capable of attacking, retreating, and defending.
Unexpectedly, Nidhogg and the skeleton knight had made a mistake this time and burst into this dark realm.
The skeleton knight rode forward and began to accelerate. "The specters ahead are just appetizers. It doesn't matter if you kill them or not. Let's go deeper."
"Alright." Nidhogg naturally had no objection.
These ghosts and specters were also interesting. When they saw the fast horses, they all jumped and fled, like a flock of scattered pheasants.
Afterward, the further they advanced, the narrower the surroundings became, and the atmosphere grew more oppressive and dense.
Soon, they passed through a valley and saw a river that seemed motionless, without waves.
But Nidhogg only needed to look down to see countless floating specters drifting beneath the calm river.
They formed a tide, like soulless fish swimming downstream into the depths.
"This is one of the underworld rivers," the skeleton knight said. "Be careful not to fall into the water. Once they sense that you and I are in the water, they will awaken from this dazed state, like jackals trying to drag you into the depths."
Just as Nidhogg was about to agree, he saw the skeleton knight suddenly grab his reins, stop his horse, and raise his hand to halt him. Then he pointed his sword tip forward and gestured for him to look.
He looked and saw a strange horse standing by the river.
The horse's back was covered in bumps like a toad's. It looked quite disgusting and ugly.
It had also noticed Nidhogg and the skeleton knight. It raised its head and looked at them with strange, horizontal pupils.