Volume 6, Chapter 51 – A Mad Existence

The sky outside Brinkat City, washed clean by the drizzle that lasted all day yesterday, was clear. The sunlight, not too dazzling, provided excellent visibility. Even races with poor eyesight could see things in the distance.

This meant that after only a few seconds, the workers building the checkpoint discovered the white fog blowing from the other side of the mountain range. The vast white expanse, like a giant wave formed by a sea of clouds, was attacking Brinkat City at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even the long-term residents of Brinkat didn’t know what was happening. Feeling instinctively uneasy, they put down their pickaxes and shovels, discussing reporting the matter to the higher-ups.

But Nola’s reaction was much faster than the workers’. The low horn signaling the end of work resounded through the wilderness, followed by the high-pitched signal to prepare for battle. Hundreds of workers hurriedly retreated with their tools, while soldiers stationed at the rear of the canyon took over the workers’ positions.

However, unlike the response yesterday, Nola didn’t choose to let ordinary soldiers go forward first this time. Instead, she leaped over the canyon herself, arriving between the forest and the corridor bridge—the traces left by the battle with the Crystal Golem yesterday hadn’t been repaired yet; one side of the corridor bridge had sunk deeply as if bitten.

At the same time, Fia also called Liti’s group back from the forest. The true form of Fog Demons was undead creatures. Dealing with undead creatures required not only powerful magic but also consuming one’s own life force to completely eradicate them. Except for Anastasia, who dabbled in holy magic, none of her companions, not even Claire, had learned holy magic. Especially Claire; if her magic were classified according to the magic system of the World Tree Continent, it could simply be categorized as dark magic.

Even though there were quite a few of these undead creatures, making them excellent for increasing magic power capacity, having to pay with life force was something she respectfully declined. Fia quickly led her companions out of the forest and met Nola, who was standing alone at the entrance of the corridor bridge.

Sticking the Flame Greatsword into the ground beside her, Nola stood alone in the open space, her purple cat eyes full of solemnity.

“The Fog Demons are coming! Come back quickly!”

“Fog Demons? You mean those white fogs in the sky? But didn’t Your Highness say those are undead—”

Anastasia frowned in confusion subconsciously, but Fia interrupted her.

“Anastasia, take Liti back to the checkpoint first. If possible, coordinate with the soldiers to eliminate the monsters running out of the forest. This time, the number cannot be solved by a few hundred soldiers alone.”

“Yes. Just right to test the training results of these few days. Please leave it to your subordinate.”

Elves had better senses in the forest than usual. Both Fia and Anastasia could hear the vibrations of the earth and wind, symbolizing a group of monsters running this way. Even if the number didn’t exceed the soldiers guarding the corridor bridge, it wasn’t far off.

“What about Sister? Are you staying here?”

“Mm. Fog Demons have flight capabilities; we have to stop them here. Go back quickly.”

Fia patted Liti’s head, urging Liti’s group to return quickly. However, while everyone obeyed Fia and walked toward the corridor bridge, Claire remained in place. She pursed her lips and looked deep into the forest, her clear and deep emerald eyes filled with intense worry.

Usually, Claire wouldn’t show such an expression. Sensing something strange, Fia tilted her head slightly.

“Claire? Is there something wrong in the forest?”

“I have a very bad feeling, as if a fall happened deep in the forest…”

Fall?

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“You mean a fall like the abyss?”

Claire nodded hesitantly.

“Mm. I often encountered this in Dragonfall in the past, so I’m sensitive to this special vibration. But this time I dare not be sure. First, the distance is too far. Second, it’s mixed with some other things, making it unfamiliar to me… I want to confirm it personally.”

“I understand. Claire, go back with Anastasia and the others first. Leave this place to me. If powerful monsters that even Anastasia can’t solve flank the checkpoint, I’ll rely on you then, Claire.”

“Fia be careful too.”

With worry that couldn’t be dissolved in her eyes, Claire softly agreed to Fia, then chased after Anastasia’s group ahead, returning to the checkpoint.

Could be a fall.

Frowning slightly, Fia became alert. Nola had said earlier today that the Crystal Golem, which only existed inside the Weeping Mountains, suddenly ran into the forest last night. She suspected the Illusion Barrier inside the Weeping Mountains might have loosened due to the earthquake or the aftershocks of her battle with Davis.

Leaving the former aside, the latter was absolutely impossible. Her strike killing Davis was indeed earth-shattering, but if it had loosened the Illusion Barrier, the monsters inside would have definitely run out on the same day, not waiting until now, a few days later. Moreover, neither Nola nor she felt the Illusion Barrier collapse at that time, which was enough to show the problem wasn’t with her.

But if it were a fall, it would seem reasonable. In the situation where a whole piece of land disappeared, even the most stable barrier would be destroyed. This fits both the current frequent earthquakes in the Weeping Mountains and the problem with the Illusion Barrier.

However, it was too early to assert that the Weeping Mountains were constantly falling. The earthquakes and monsters running out of the barrier could also have other reasons. She had to confirm it personally.

“Hey, are these really Fog Demons?”

Nola’s voice sounded from the side. She was looking at the other end of the forest, her eyes showing obvious tension and surprise.

Fia followed Nola’s gaze. As expected, when the white giant wave-like Fog Demons left the range of the Illusion Barrier, they instantly returned to their original color—the transparent color unique to ghosts. Such a change surprised the Fog Demons themselves. Their advance speed slowed abruptly, and they even started infighting, creating a magnificent scene like tornadic clouds over the forest. It was just that the hissing sounds emitted by the ghosts when dying made it impossible to appreciate; there was only a chilling shudder in the heart.

Although the interior of the Weeping Mountains presented a desert like an ancient battlefield, the periphery was a solid dense forest. After these ghosts attacked each other, their negative life was canceled out by the life force inherent in the forest, naturally ushering in annihilation.

“What happened…”

Even her grip on the sword loosened. Nola, looking at the sky above the forest, let out a whimper from her throat. She often dealt with Fog Demons. Now that the Fog Demons suddenly turned into ghosts, the sudden change left her at a loss.

“Those Fog Demons are undead creatures.” Fia took a step forward, her tone exceptionally low. “It’s just that usually, confused by the Illusion Barrier, they treat themselves as Fog Demons. In reality, they are souls that have been dead for who knows how long.”

“You knew this long ago?”

“Mm.”

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Fia’s nod made Nola’s tail stand straight up instantly, and blame appeared on her face.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I saw you were acquainted with the Fog Demon. Besides, that Fog Demon didn’t realize he was undead either; he was proud of his identity as the strongest Fog Demon. I was worried that telling him the truth would drive him crazy.”

What Fia didn’t say was that there was another reason for not telling Nola. That was, once she told Nola that all creatures in the Illusion Barrier were confused by the barrier and were mostly undead creatures, Nola would figure out the reason why the Flame Greatsword glowed when approaching the Fog Demon, thereby realizing there was no problem with the Flame Greatsword, and that her Goddess wasn’t a real god.

Looking at the infighting “Fog Demons” in the distance, Fia exhaled lightly.

“Just like now, those low-level ghosts without much intelligence think each other is the enemy and start fighting.”

“T-Then does that mean when we entered the Weeping Mountains before, you said you were praying for the people who died in the mountains, but actually you were secretly using healing magic to purify these ghosts, so those ghosts retreated immediately upon seeing you advance?”

Nola’s mouth opened slightly, surprise written all over her face.

“None of this matters. That biggest Fog Demon is coming. He showed intelligence before; we can know how they ran out through him.”

“What?”

Just as Fia said, the small ghosts attacking each other suddenly stopped attacking, scattering to both sides as if welcoming their king. Then, a large ghost about five or six stories high emerged from the middle. This was also the first time Nola saw the true form of that seventh-rank Fog Demon—it was an elf with a sharp chin, prominent cheekbones, and narrow eyes. Its lower body presented the blurry shape unique to ghosts. If the body were dyed blue and a turban put on, Fia would definitely think this was a genie making a cameo appearance.

“That’s the Fog Demon’s true form? It… it’s rushing toward us!”

“Aren’t you a Holy Son? Why are you afraid?”

“Undead and Fog Demons are two different concepts. If it rushes toward the city regardless of everything, even I can’t avoid casualties.”

“If I can’t communicate, I’ll purify it. Ask it what happened in the mountains first—no, its appearance is abnormal. Step back, let me handle it.”

[Mana Vision] fed back to Fia that the elements on the Fog Demon appeared as a mass of black. This meant all elements were devoured and erased by it. This wasn’t a reaction a normal life should have. Or rather, except for Chaos, the element-depleted Wasteland, and the Abyss, nothing else presented such pitch-blackness. Even the higher-ranked Davis didn’t have a reaction like the Fog Demon.

Fia blocked Nola behind her, stepping forward herself, readying the enhanced [Fairy’s Protective Umbrella], ensuring she could purify the Fog Demon at any time.

“Oh oh! Isn’t this the elf who told me that wonderful riddle! Didn’t expect to meet you as soon as I came out of the forest. What a wonderful day!”

Accompanied by a cold wind mixed with a rotten smell, the five-story-high Fog Demon suddenly appeared in front of Fia. Floating on the treetops, looking down at Fia outside the forest, he crossed his arms, beaming with joy.

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“Since you posed the question, I’ve been thinking about the answer, but I haven’t figured it out until now. The heart craving for the answer made me break through the long confinement and come to this nature revealing vitality everywhere! This must be a fateful encounter! Quick, tell me the answer! What is the riddle’s solution!”

If this were inside the Illusion Barrier, Fia would continue her previous view, treating the Fog Demon as comic relief. But this was outside the forest, and the Fog Demon exuded the aura of Chaos. She could no longer speak to the Fog Demon in a relaxed tone.

She lowered her voice, asking deeply.

“If you want to know the answer, answer two questions for me first.”

“Answer questions first? Hmm… makes sense. I am the one asking for a favor. Ask. As long as you let me know the answer, I will tell you everything I know.”

The Fog Demon maintained his posture of crossing arms and puffing out his chest, waiting for Fia to ask.

Mentally seems normal enough.

Fia breathed a sigh of relief slightly.

“First, how did you run out of the Weeping Mountains? Previously, monsters inside the Illusion Barrier never came out.”

“This, hiss …” Seeming to ponder an extremely profound problem, the Fog Demon sucked in a breath of cold air, his hand stroking his chin. “Good question. Why was the past me unwilling to come out of the mountains… Even though the outside world is better, and the Illusion Barrier didn’t imprison me. As long as I wanted to come out, I could come out anytime. Why did I only come out today…”

“The Illusion Barrier has no effect of confining monsters?”

Fia asked this question to Nola. However, Nola was also full of shock. In her cognition, monsters not coming out of the Weeping Mountains was a matter of course; she had never delved into the reason. Now hearing the Fog Demon say the Weeping Mountains had no binding effect on monsters, she naturally felt incredible, even having a feeling of buzzing in her brain.

“I never asked the Fog Demon. I always thought the Illusion Barrier would bind high-ranking monsters like them.”

If the Illusion Barrier had no binding effect from the beginning, then monsters coming out of the mountains would be natural. The problem was, when first meeting the Fog Demon, he showed a strong desire for the outside world. Why didn’t he come out before?

“What exactly was it… It felt like I would die as soon as I left the barrier. The air inside the barrier was fresh and clean, while the outside was annoying. But now this air, phew —makes one happy. I’m such a fool… Oh oh oh! I know! It must be something inside the barrier confusing me, making me feel the outside world is dangerous and staying inside the barrier is comfortable. The barrier must have modified my cognition, so I didn’t come out!”

By the end, madness had emerged in the Fog Demon’s voice. Even his expression became incomparably hideous, and a sharp sense of danger surrounded his whole body.

At this point, even Nola noticed the Fog Demon’s state was abnormal.

“Something’s wrong with him, Fia. He might be bewitched by something.”

“Of course I know.”

Making a silencing gesture to Nola, Fia asked further.

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“Then why come out at this specific time? Did the cognition-modifying effect of the Illusion Barrier disappear?”

“No, no, no, no. I just received guidance from the Lord Goddess. That Lord Goddess suddenly summoned me, granting me new life. Now I feel stronger than before, as if no one is my match. Haha! I can finally go find my clansmen! I will become an unprecedented Fog Demon. I want to let my clansmen witness my power; everyone must bow at my feet!”

“The Goddess isn’t in the Weeping Mountains at all; you are lying!”

Nola glared angrily, causing the flames on the Flame Greatsword to rise with a poof .

But the Fog Demon just spread his hands indifferently.

“You were just discarded as a pawn, that’s all. That Lord Goddess hiding under the golden light screen summoned me personally, spoke to me face to face, and granted me the power to leave the Illusion Barrier. What a respectable Lord. Poor Holy Son, presumably the Goddess lost faith in you, so she chose me. Now I am the Holy Son.”

“Hmph, how could a Holy Son be an undead like you? Take a good look at your own body!”

“Undead? I am a noble Fog Demon…”

Under Nola’s angry rebuke, the Fog Demon’s neck twisted at an angle impossible for humans. He looked down at his body. Then, the whole person seemed to petrify. His body was motionless, making no sound.

“Transparent body… seems indeed different from before… Fog Demons should be white; transparent like this can only be ghosts… The forest withered all the way here; only undead do that… So I am a ghost? Impossible. How could there be such a thing? I am a noble Fog Demon, impossible to be a ghost. Impossible… impossible!”

The trembling voice became increasingly high-pitched. In the end, it turned into a roar from the soul. A layer of black slime emerged from the inside out on the Fog Demon’s semi-transparent body, making it look as if it had a physical form. His eyes turned red, staring angrily at Fia and Nola.

“It must be you! You must be playing tricks! How could I be a filthy undead! You must have turned me into this!!!”

“He’s completely crazy!”

“Isn’t it all because you reminded him! ¹ yeah fool. You go deal with those small ghosts around; leave this to me.”

“God knows how strong he is. This thing slandered the Goddess; I want to kill him with my own hands!”

“…Suit yourself.”

Dividing the work quickly—or rather, not dividing it—Nola lifted the greatsword and was the first to charge at the pouncing Fog Demon.