In the afterglow of twilight, the rushing river and steep stone walls were painted in golden and rosy hues—a beautiful scene that seemed as fantastical as one could only see in oil paintings.
Several large, plump, almost pure white spirit jellyfish floated around, clinging to each other. Their tentacles danced like thin ribbons, as if they were attending a quiet, aristocratic ball.
"Don't touch them. Don't touch them. Usually, they won't actively attack us."
"If you see them turn red, that means you've provoked them. At that moment, the best thing to do is to quickly get away, and usually they won't chase after you."
Nidhogg confidently and boldly walked towards the spirit jellyfish, reminding Azan and Serpico, who knew almost nothing about them.
"What... what kind of creatures are these?" Azan helped Irina walk forward. The surprise in his heart reached its peak. "I am also a knight who has traveled all over the world, and I have never seen such creatures."
Although Serpico remained silent, his slightly opened eyes were constantly fixed on these spirit jellyfish, proving that he was also quite surprised and concerned at heart.
"These are the 'spirit jellyfish' mentioned earlier," Nidhogg said unhurriedly. "You, the Holy Iron Chain Knights, followed the prophecies of the Revelation in the Holy See and witnessed the Eclipse and the pool of blood."
"But I want to tell you that the complexity of this world is far greater than the prophecies suggest. Now you have seen the tip of the iceberg of this world's nature."
"This is what we are going to show Farnese. If you really want to go to her, you'd better adapt to a real world where you often see these creatures."
Hearing this, both Azan and Serpico fell into thought and for a long time didn't know what to say.
The blind girl Irina didn't understand what they meant by "Holy Iron Chain Knights," "Revelation in the Holy See," or "Eclipse and pool of blood."
She only knew that she heard the familiar sound of the river, and she also heard that there was a group of spirit jellyfish before them. This meant they were getting closer and closer to Castle Morne.
Thinking she would soon see her father, Irina was happy inside, but she felt anxious again when she thought about persuading her stubborn father to leave.
After a while, the four carefully skirted the riverbank where the spirit jellyfish gathered.
Azan and Serpico also followed the advice and never touched the spirit jellyfish, but curious observation was indispensable.
These spirit jellyfish did not take the initiative to attack them.
They safely arrived in front of the steep stone wall and looked around, but they didn't see the walls of Castle Morne, not even a decent road.
Just as Azan and Serpico were beginning to suspect something, Nidhogg directed his gaze at the steep stone wall before him.
It seemed that due to the erosion of flowing water, this stone wall was extremely smooth, translucent like jade.
Nidhogg felt suspicious, so he stepped forward and cautiously placed his hands on it. But it was indeed a solid stone wall to the touch, and no other strange situations arose.
He was slightly disappointed and was about to lower his hands, but the stone wall suddenly glowed. A cracking sound came from behind it, and a straight fissure split the stone wall into two stone doors.
Azan and Serpico behind were stunned.
They hadn't expected that a stone wall in the wilderness would have such a remarkable mechanism. Was this the "real world" Nidhogg wanted them to adapt to in advance?
Nidhogg seemed both surprised and unsurprised. With a push of both hands, the two not-heavy stone doors swung open. Everyone immediately saw another world beyond the stone doors.
It was an open plain between sparse forests and the ruins of raised walls. A road paved with square stone bricks led to a tall castle hidden in the night mist in the distance.
Everyone entered.
Then the stone doors behind them slammed back shut with a rumble, and the straight fissure disappeared, returning to a steep stone wall.
Azan looked back at the smooth stone wall, a little dazed. "Amazing. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed there was such a strange place in the world."
Serpico's surprise was no less than Azan's, but he didn't speak from the heart. He just carefully observed the unfamiliar terrain before finally looking at the tall castle beyond the forest and ruins.
"This is Castle Morne." Nidhogg looked at this familiar or unfamiliar scene and confirmed from memory that the castle in the distance was their goal.
When Irina heard this, she smiled happily. "That's great. My father should be in the city. I'll ask you further."
"Alright. Then let's go." Nidhogg took the lead.
Everyone hastily followed.
When they first arrived here, Azan and Serpico had no confidence in their hearts. Irina was a blind girl. Only Nidhogg's existence made people feel much calmer when they saw him.
The main thing was that Nidhogg was familiar with these strange sights and creatures. He was experienced at first glance, so it was easier for people to trust him unconsciously.
They walked along the stone brick path.
Not far in, Nidhogg suddenly raised his hand, asked everyone to stop, and said, "Listen."
Everyone listened carefully to the sound of the night wind. Besides the rustling of branches, they heard a sound both near and far.
Azan and Serpico were both battle-hardened people. Irina was a blind girl living by sound. The three quickly understood, under Nidhogg's reminder, that this was the sound of hooves.
And indeed, at the end of the stone road, in a place hidden by the forest, a horse suddenly appeared.
A knight in black armor, holding a huge flail, sat on the horse, wrapped in a jet-black cloak. Seeing everyone, he galloped towards them, clearly not with good intentions.
「Night's Cavalry」
"Night's Cavalry, who roam the highways at night, riding funeral horses. In the past, they were led by the 'Dusk-Eyed Queen' and were the grim reaper for all warriors, knights, and heroes."
Nidhogg, having activated his Spectral Sight, quickly absorbed this information and was not surprised. No wonder there was roaming Night's Cavalry in his memory.
However, he learned for the first time that the owner of the Night's Cavalry was the "Dusk-Eyed Queen," Maliketh. He rarely read in-game text and didn't pay attention to these details. He just killed.
If there were no accidents after Castle Morne, Nidhogg would soon be able to meet this "Dusk-Eyed Queen" Maliketh. But now he would first fight one of his subordinates.
"Is it an enemy?" Azan asked nervously.
He and Serpico raised their double-headed iron rod and longsword respectively.
"It's indeed an enemy. I'll deal with it." Nidhogg headed towards the Night's Cavalry. "Just protect Irina."
Serpico didn't mind. His previous duty was to protect Farnese. Now he had to replace her with Irina.
Azan felt a little uncomfortable. He was the main combat force in the Holy Iron Chain Knights most of the time, but now he was squeezed behind Nidhogg. It still felt a bit strange.
But, thinking that this was to protect the weak women and children around him, as a knight, he felt relieved.
Now, Azan and Serpico were naturally concerned about the upcoming battle.
Generally speaking, cavalry fighting infantry certainly has an advantage. But in the end, it was Nidhogg who made this move. They always felt they would see something different.
Irina couldn't see what was happening at all. When she heard that some enemy had intercepted them along the way and Nidhogg had gone to meet the enemy, she could only worry, concerned for Nidhogg's safety.
Clop, clop, clop—!
In an instant, the Night's Cavalry had already ridden out before Nidhogg.
He swung his flail, with three spiked iron balls, and silently hurled it at Nidhogg's head!
If this hit an ordinary person's head, their brains would surely burst.
Nidhogg drew Bloodhound's Fang. He didn't even need a sword skill. He nimbly dodged the nearby flail, and then his curved sword struck the flank of the galloping black horse.
The dark horse under the Night's Cavalry was clearly not mortal. It was cut by the sword and stunned on the spot, but it didn't even let out a hiss of pain. It turned, following the Night's Cavalry's instructions.
CRASH—!
This time, the dark horse suddenly rose on all fours and leaped into the air, quickly and accurately descending upon Nidhogg like Tarzan.
At the same time, the flail in the Night's Cavalry's hands was also ready to swing.
However, just before landing, Nidhogg slightly turned and backflipped. After landing, Nidhogg suddenly vanished from the spot!
Bloodhound's Step!
FWOOSH—!
Nidhogg instantly reappeared before the Night's Cavalry. Bloodhound's Fang instantly slashed the horse's head. With a crunch, it cut into the flesh and released a spray of blood!
The black horse suddenly fell to the side, dissolving into a cloud of dust and scattering. The Night's Cavalry, seated atop, fell to the ground.
Nidhogg understood perfectly well that the Night's Cavalry were a single entity with man and horse. If you dealt with the horse, the man fell to the ground. If you couldn't deal with it quickly, the horse would revive.
This was somewhat similar to his relationship with Torrent.
Therefore, Nidhogg charged forward, stepped on the Night's Cavalry's breastplate, and used the immense strength befitting an LV92 (Mid-Rank Apostle) to firmly press down on the Night's Cavalry, preventing him from rising. Then Bloodhound's Fang slashed his throat!
FWOOSH—!
Suddenly, the Night's Cavalry's head flew out from within his helmet, rolling down the stone road like a ball!
His body, holding the flail, suddenly went limp and stopped moving.
After a while, the Night's Cavalry, like his horse, vanished in a flash of starlight, leaving behind two relics for Nidhogg.
「Weapon」 Nightrider Flail (Skill: Spinning Chain)
"A pitch-black flail with three striking heads. The impact at the point of strike is very effective for causing bleeding, but one must be very agile to use it."
「Ash of War」 Iron Wall
"Concentrate your strength on the shield to temporarily fortify its hardness and resist more powerful attacks. Can be used with all shield-type weapons."
This Night's Cavalry flail was nothing. He hardly needed this weapon. If he needed to cause bleeding, his current Bloodhound's Fang was sufficient.
However, this Iron Wall Ash of War—Nidhogg had a brass shield in hand without a skill. And he had an item that could grant skills—the Whetstone Knife. Wasn't this a coincidence?
Soon, Nidhogg used the Whetstone Knife to complete the transformation, applying the Iron Wall Ash of War as a skill to his shield.
「Weapon」 Brass Shield +2 (Ash: Iron Wall)
Finally, he checked his quest panel. The progress that had been stuck for so long finally began to move.
「Quest」 Golden Tree (Growth: 10%)
Killing the Night's Cavalry had increased progress by 5%, which was actually a little.
On the other hand, seeing Nidhogg simply and cleanly deal with the Night's Cavalry, both Azan and Serpico were shocked.
Especially when they saw Nidhogg vanish in an instant, then appear in an instant, killing the Night's Cavalry and his dark horse, instantly ending the battle.
They had never seen such fast and brutal swordsmanship. Their shock could not be hidden.
Although they knew Nidhogg was terrifyingly strong when they fought him months ago, at this moment they renewed their impression of Nidhogg.
This was no longer terrifyingly strong. This was simply inhuman movement. Such swordsmanship—they had never heard of or seen it.
Of course, Nidhogg's opponent, the Night's Cavalry, was also not what humans should be. That type of battle, where man and horse united, leaped into the air, and smashed the ground, was frightening.
At this moment, Azan and Serpico looked at each other, both secretly terrified.
They knew in their hearts that in the battle months ago, Nidhogg had completely held back, allowing them to survive. Not to mention Serpico's recent hasty sneak attack, which was like a child playing before him.
Azan and Serpico felt increasingly fortunate that Farnese's matter could be resolved peacefully through negotiation, rather than fighting Nidhogg. That was truly good.
They really didn't want a monster like Nidhogg to become their enemy. It wouldn't help them.
Although they were members of the Holy Iron Chain Knights of the Holy See, they were far from being as pious and devoted as the followers of the Holy See. They had no intention of fighting pagans to the death for their faith.
Irina listened to the strange silence around her. Fearing something had happened to Nidhogg, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is Nidhogg injured?"
Azan was momentarily stunned, then remembered Irina couldn't see the battle. So he explained, "Nidhogg is fine. The enemy is dealt with."
Irina breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and said, "Then let's go quickly."
"Alright," Azan agreed.
Soon, the four gathered together again.
"Follow this road, and you will see the main gate of Castle Morne." When Nidhogg saw everyone coming, he didn't explain who the Night's Cavalry was or his battle, so he pointed ahead.
At that moment, Irina remembered something and reminded everyone: "Speaking of the main gate of Castle Morne, later we must be careful. We have a giant golem guardian protecting the city gates in Castle Morne."
"The golem guardian is a product of an ancient ruined civilization and is susceptible to certain enchantments. If my father doesn't command it, this golem guardian will use the bow and arrow in its hand to attack anyone who tries to approach Castle Morne."
"That group of misbegotten also successfully passed by the golem guardian and entered Castle Morne, confusing my father. But soon their leader, the Lion Misbegotten, led the rebellion."
"In short, my father told me that the golem guardian is very terrifying. We must be careful, especially not to be hit by the golem's arrow—even a chariot can be easily destroyed."
"A giant golem guardian?" "A golem's arrow?" "A chariot can be easily destroyed"?
Azan and Serpico listened to the description but had no impression. Although Nidhogg remembered its appearance.
This golem guardian was not the naive earthen golem guarding near the Spirit Tree Pavilion. It was a huge monster, like a wicker man, closer to the forbidden creatures of the Island of Fairies.
Of course, such a golem guardian was not without weaknesses. Because Nidhogg was calm at this time.
Soon, the four walked along the stone road towards the outer forest. From a distance, the tall and towering Castle Morne appeared under the moonlight—it was so majestic and magnificent, yet so lonely.
However, everyone was of course drawn to the golem guarding the gate, almost as tall as the city gate itself.
By this point, Azan and Serpico had gained a more accurate understanding of the meaning of the word "giant" in Irina's description of the "giant golem."
This... this was simply a legendary giant!
"You stay here. I'll deal with the golem guardian." Nidhogg repeated the same thing. "Come back when you see it fall and disappear."
Azan and Serpico had no desire to fight this enormous creature at all.
But hearing this from Nidhogg, Azan still couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright alone?"
"No problem."
Nidhogg whistled and immediately summoned Torrent. He neatly mounted his horse. This move left Azan and Serpico looking stunned.
Ever since Nidhogg had finished talking about the "real world," Azan and Serpico had witnessed a series of previously unseen scenes one after another.
At this moment, seeing him summon a horned horse out of thin air, both were momentarily stunned, then quickly accepted reality.
So what if they didn't accept it? Pretend it's all invisible?
The fact was that the world was actually as Nidhogg had said, and only now was he showing them the tip of the iceberg.
Nidhogg rode Torrent, squeezed his horse's flanks, and galloped like a silver light in the night, heading towards the gates of Castle Morne, and also catching the eye of the golem guardian.
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