Chapter 28 : [Gehenna Festival] I
(Note: Again, again, and again. I always forgot to give the pictures of the characters. You can open the comment section to see)
"DIE!" shouted the skinny young man.
Dozens of fireballs sped toward Oliver, who was still lying helpless on the ground. His eyes flashed with fear and resignation.
The spectators also closed their eyes, afraid to witness the bloody scene that was about to unfold.
*WHOOSH
The dozens of fireballs that were about to strike Oliver suddenly vanished in an instant.
"HAH?!" the skinny young man screamed in shock as his attack disappeared without a trace.
The skinny young man seemed to sense something and turned toward the VIP box where Van was seated.
Seeing Van's glowing red eyes staring at him, the skinny young man was filled with terror.
*BOOM
*BOOM
*BOOM
A series of loud explosions echoed throughout the capital of the Avalon Kingdom. The explosions were so powerful that they caused the [Colosseum] to shake violently.
"AHH!"
Suddenly, a massive barrier enveloped the entire [Colosseum].
'A level S barrier!' Van thought as he observed the barrier surrounding the [Colosseum].
"What's happening?!" grandfather shouted, holding Olivia's hand.
"Grandpa, look!" Olivia pointed toward the arena.
Next to the skinny young man, a red portal appeared.
From the portal emerged an old, bald man with a white beard and a patch over his right eye.
"Master!" the skinny young man exclaimed joyfully, as if he had just seen his savior.
Van's eyes widened when he saw who had stepped out of the portal.
'You've got to be kidding me. Why did it have to be him?!' Van thought, clenching his fists.
The old man is Sargan, one of the [6 Hell Officers] from the [Gehenna Cult].
Although not on par with the [7 Hell Princes], the strength of the [6 Hell Officers] was only slightly below that of the [7 Hell Princes].
If every kingdom had its own hierarchy, the [Gehenna Cult] also had its own structure.
At the top, of course, was our beloved Demon King, the [Gehenna Demon King], followed by the [7 Hell Princes], the [6 Hell Officers], the [72 Ars Goetia], and the ordinary members.
Unlike ordinary beings who had to train to become strong, members of the [Gehenna Cult] had an instant way to gain power.
A contract with a demon from [Hell].
In this world, [Hell] was the dwelling place of demons, while [Heaven] was the home of angels and [Gods].
What happened to evil people who died? They would become servants or slaves of demons.
What about good people who died? Who knows, we'll see.
'Sargan. His contracted demon is Sargatanas,' Van thought.
According to ancient records, Sargatanas had the power to brainwash and read minds. He could also unlock any door, transport people to distant places, and observe the surroundings. (Source: Wiki)
*TIK
Sargan snapped his fingers, and Van suddenly felt as if his head was about to split open.
'Sargan, you bastard! He's trying to control our minds. It hurts, damn it! I'll make him pay a hundred times over in the future!' Van thought, clutching his head and cursing Sargan in his heart.
Van then activated the [World Treasure], and a ring appeared in his hand. He quickly put it on.
As soon as Van wore the ring, a cool sensation enveloped his mind, and the pain in his head vanished.
Van looked around and realized that everyone had been controlled by Sargan, except grandfather, Sebastian, Olivia, and Arthur.
'Maybe Grandpa is protecting Olivia, and Sebastian is protecting Arthur,' Van thought, remembering that he was standing far away from both of them.
"John, take that boy and get him out of the capital," Sargan ordered the skinny young man.
"Yes, Master," John replied, then grabbed the unconscious Oliver.
"Van, go after him!" grandfather commanded.
Van nodded and leaped directly from the VIP box, chasing after John.
Seeing Van pursuing John, Sargan frowned in displeasure.
"Damn cockroach," Sargan muttered, hurling a black flame toward Van.
*SLASH
A shadowy knight suddenly appeared and intercepted the black flame.
In an instant, the shadow knight vanished.
"My, my. You killed my [Shadow Knight]. It took a lot of [Mana] to summon him," grandfather said, holding a sword that emitted a dense black light.
"That skill is [Thousand of Shadow Knights], isn't it?" Sargan asked with a slight smile.
"Yes, you're right. It's a weaker version of [101 Shadows]. My skill can only summon [Shadow Knights]," grandfather replied.
"[101 Shadows]. An annoying skill," Sargan said, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't be so pessimistic. The [Shadow] I summoned is ranked 16th," grandfather retorted, charging toward Sargan.
Facing grandfather's attack, Sargan remained motionless.
Just as grandfather was about to swing his sword, Sargan snapped his fingers, and a spectator suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Tch," grandfather clicked his tongue in frustration and halted his attack.
However, the spectator suddenly pulled out a dagger from his pocket and attempted to stab grandfather.
Fortunately, grandfather managed to leap back and avoid the attack.
"Wilhem Black, it's not me who will fight you, but them," Sargan said with a wide grin, snapping his fingers again.
All the spectators suddenly appeared in the arena, surrounding grandfather.
"[Gehenna Cult] bastards. You're all cowards, just like your [Gehenna Demon King]," grandfather spat.
Hearing the [Gehenna Demon King] being insulted, Sargan's eyes turned cold.
"Silence! Do not insult our [God]!" Sargan said coldly.
The spectators, who had been silent until now, suddenly charged at grandfather, swarming him like ants surrounding an elephant.
*WHOOSH
Sebastian appeared beside grandfather, holding dozens of needles in his hand.
"What about Olivia?" grandfather asked with concern.
"I asked Arthur to take her to a safe place," Sebastian replied.
"Arthur?" grandfather asked, confused.
"Van's knight guard," Sebastian answered briefly.
"I see. By the way, do you have a way to handle this?" grandfather asked, glancing at the spectators charging toward them.
"Help me throw these needles. Make sure they hit," Sebastian said, handing some of the needles to the old man.
Grandfather and Sebastian then threw the needles at the spectators.
The spectators who were hit by the needles suddenly lost their mobility and collapsed in the arena.
"Impressive trick, [War Machine]," Sargan remarked.
"I'm retired," Sebastian replied.
- - - - -
Meanwhile, Van continued to chase after John, who was carrying Oliver.
'That bastard! I'll make him regret being born!' Van thought.
John finally reached the entrance of the [Colosseum] and passed through the barrier without any issues.
'It seems only the [Gehenna Cult] can pass through that barrier. Unfortunately for you, you used [Mana] to create it,' Van thought, activating his [Void Eye].
[Void Eye: An eye inherited from the Aurelius bloodline. It can cause an object to lose access to [Mana]. Its power can be developed depending on the user.]
A gap appeared in the barrier as Van stared at it with his glowing red eyes. Without hesitation, Van slipped through the gap before it closed again.
'Ugh, it hurts. I pushed myself too hard using this eye today,' Van thought.
After successfully escaping the barrier isolating the [Colosseum], Van immediately ran after John.
His eyes also scanned the surroundings, where chaos reigned due to the attacks by the [Gehenna Cult].