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Chapter 103: The Temple Destroyed by God Strike
After Kurtz and his party left the allied forces' camp, they travelled west along an ancient road.
The air carried the metallic tang of recent battles mixed with acrid magic and blood, clear signs that the allied forces had suffered repeated defeats, retreating all the way back to the Elf Kingdom. But the further west they went, the scent faded, replaced by the cleaner smell of untouched wilderness.
Along the way, Kurtz saw many villages destroyed by monsters, their broken walls and scattered belongings telling silent stories. Among them were human settlements; their familiar architecture stirred something uncomfortable in his chest.
Serie walked at the front, holding a special map crafted by elven cartographers. The parchment was covered in intricate symbols and script, a gift from the Elf King to guide their journey. Compared to their initial aimless wandering months ago, their destination was now clear, and proper navigation would allow them to take efficient shortcuts through dangerous terrain.
Kurtz had suggested using the remaining teleportation array on the stone tablet to transport everyone to the Dwarf Ruins, which would save considerable travel time. Unfortunately, Serie rejected this without hesitation.
The magic residue on the holy relic remained highly unstable. If the teleportation went wrong, everyone could be crushed by spatial forces, a risk not worth taking. She had risked using the teleportation array to save Kurtz before, but now they didn't need such measures.
"According to the route on the map, we only need to travel about half the usual distance to reach Godfall Land," Serie said.
The elven maps were written in archaic script, and only Serie could read them, making her their guide.
Kurtz quickened his pace and came beside her. "Are some places along this route particularly dangerous?"
"Yes, we'll have to pass through several monster lairs," she replied matter-of-factly.
"We have to go deep into monster lairs? That sounds... exciting." Eric's voice came from behind, slightly breathless.
He was carrying everyone's luggage, his forehead glistening with sweat despite the cool morning air. He had requested this burden himself, claiming he wanted to use it for physical conditioning, though Kurtz suspected it was more about proving himself useful.
"There shouldn't be too many monsters left. Don't worry," Kurtz offered reassuringly.
As the sun descended toward the horizon, everyone made camp in an abandoned village. This settlement had once belonged to the Dwarves but had been abandoned for some reason. Only broken walls and crumbling foundations remained.
Eric built a bonfire from scattered debris, while Norn prepared their evening meal. Olivia flew overhead, scouting for any monsters in the area.
After darkness settled, everyone took turns on watch duty. In the early days of their travels, when there were fewer people, Kurtz and Serie would cast enhanced detection spells and sleep soundly, confident in their magical early warning system.
That confidence had lasted until they were caught off guard by a creature with naturally concealed magical presence. Since then, they maintained traditional vigilance.
The next day, everyone packed and continued westward through increasingly wild terrain. As they progressed deeper into untamed lands, they entered a dense forest where an oppressive aura permeated the air. The surroundings felt wrong, putting everyone immediately on guard.
"Be careful, there's a trace of magic here," Serie warned, her eyes scanning the shadowy spaces between ancient trees.
"Do you need me to fly above the canopy to gather information?" Olivia asked, her wings beginning to spread.
"It's fine. Let this guy use his detection magic instead."
At Serie's words, Kurtz immediately cast his spell, then raised his hand to signal everyone to halt. The magical circle in his palm pulsed with alarming activity.
"Something is approaching. Multiple contacts." His whisper carried urgent tension.
On the detection circle, dozens of small red dots converged on their position from all directions.
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, monsters burst from the forest with predatory hunger.
"There are so many monsters here?" Eric exclaimed, genuinely startled. They hadn't encountered a single creature along their previous path. He had assumed that all the continent's monsters had been gathered by the Demonic forces for the war effort.
"Don't be surprised. It's normal for some monsters to be left behind," Serie said with characteristic calm. "Prepare for battle."
Kurtz stepped to the front, magic already gathering around his hands. "I'll clear the path. Follow my lead."
Everyone readied themselves, muscle memory taking over.
The monsters let out ear-piercing howls and rushed toward them from every direction—a coordinated assault of pack intelligence.
Kurtz and Serie simultaneously released volleys of Light Arrows, and the first wave of charging monsters was instantly pierced, their forms dissolving into ash before they hit the ground.
Olivia cast the sacred magic of her people, weaving Kurtz's Disconnect spell into the working. The combination purified the creatures so thoroughly that not even dust remained.
Norn, Eric, and Somo were not to be outdone, each displaying their own refined combat techniques to dispatch the remaining threats with swift efficiency.
After just a few minutes, the last monster fell under Norn's blade, its body turning to ash like the others.
"As expected," Kurtz mused, watching the final remnants scatter on the wind. "Trying to sever the connection between monsters and the Goddess by killing them individually is completely unrealistic. We still need to address this at the source."
Even after the Demonic Race had gathered such a terrifying army, stragglers like these remained scattered across the continent. The sheer number of monsters in this world was staggering.
Serie put away her magic and nodded curtly. "We need to pick up the pace. There should be an abandoned temple ahead. The residual divine power there should deter most monsters; it can be a safe shelter."
Everyone resumed their march, pushing deeper into the ancient forest.
The woodland was far vaster than they had imagined, and it wasn't until the sun began setting that they finally glimpsed the temple ruins deep within the forest's heart.
Most of the temple's towering stone pillars had collapsed long ago, but the main structure remained relatively intact. Even from the broken architecture, one could sense the temple's original grand scale.
But it was the circular gap at the very top that drew every eye, a perfect hole punched clean through the ancient stone, as if someone had erased that portion.
"What could have caused that? This hole looks similar to—?" Norn asked, looking up at the unnatural opening.
"You guessed correctly," Serie confirmed. "This is the aftermath of a God Strike."
"Then the entire temple should have been reduced to dust," Eric said, confusion in his voice. "Why is there still such a large section of the building remaining?"
If a God Strike had truly hit this place, the temple should no longer exist at all. He remembered that the Dwarf Ruins had been completely annihilated under such an attack, leaving only a deep crater.
"Because this was the temple of the Fertility Goddess. It had the blessing of accumulated faith power," Olivia explained.
Despite being only a few hundred years old, she had become a member of the Thirteen Council early due to her exceptional talent, though she had been born after this particular war.
"The race that worshipped the Fertility Goddess was completely wiped out from this world by our Skywing Clan," she continued with disturbing matter-of-factness. "Even their temple was utterly destroyed by the God Strike, leaving only these ruins."
"Completely wiped out an entire race?" Eric stared at Olivia with undisguised shock.
In his mind, Miss Olivia had always seemed so gentle and approachable. That she would casually discuss such wholesale slaughter was deeply unsettling.
"It's true. Although I was born later and didn't participate, the head of their strongest warrior is still displayed in our clan's museum as a trophy."
Eric gave two nervous laughs and wisely chose to remind himself never to upset her.
The more Eric thought about it, the more he questioned what the hell was wrong with these people.
[End of Chapter]