Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 442 (Part 1):

“The Temple will have quite a headache. They need to rally people’s cooperation, but the countries they most need to persuade are all at odds with them.”

Even for the Temple, openly declaring something like, ‘The Demon King will appear. Follow us,’ wouldn’t be feasible. Or perhaps, it might be possible after all.

If they were the sort to care about shame, they wouldn’t have committed such misdeeds in the first place.

Sian picked up on Alea’s words.

“Yeah, they’ve only just noticed that the sacred barrier is on the verge of collapse, so their credibility is shot. What has the Temple been doing all this time?”

Weren’t they the ones who should’ve noticed first?

Of course, since it’s an event occurring at the very heart of the barrier’s uppermost layer, it would’ve been hard to detect without meticulous observation.

In fact, for something that was collapsing, the flow of divine power at the barrier’s outer edges was surprisingly stable.

Like water slowly rising before suddenly spilling over.

Heike muttered.

“They must’ve grown complacent. A thousand years have passed, after all.”

Over those thousand years, the Temple’s members had changed one by one.

High Priests live long lives, up to 150 years, but even they don’t live forever.

No matter how much holy power fills their bodies, they can’t escape the passage of time.

When you’re a shepherd and no wolves appear, it’s only natural to grow lax, even for those who exist to stand against evil.

They likely only knew of the Demon King War through oral traditions and records, living without any sense of urgency.

But nothing in this world lasts forever.

A change was bound to come someday. And even if it was a sudden upheaval, they had to face it.

Prepared or not.

“It’s fortunate they realized it before it fully collapsed.”

There was still some time.

Helmut narrowed his eyes.

“We’re here.”

At last, the hazy sacred barrier came into view in the distance.

Igrelle’s speed was astonishingly fast. The distance closed visibly.

Sian suddenly asked.

“Elaga, do you have any memories of the Demon King?”

[None. By the time I could clearly remember things, the sacred barrier was already in place.]

[I don’t have any clear memories either.]

Igrelle tilted its head slightly.

To the demonic beasts of the Forest of Roots, the Demon King was an unknown entity.

It was oddly irritating.

Though not human, even they, the rulers of their domains, didn’t call themselves kings.

Yet the Demon King felt like something looming above them.

A being that ruled over all evil. That ‘all’ included demonic beasts.

[It’s annoying.]

Elaga blurted out abruptly. Igrelle silently agreed.

Finally, the sacred barrier unfolded beneath Igrelle’s wings.

The uncomfortably intense holy power radiating from it was as strong as ever.

It was hard to believe this barrier was collapsing.

However.

“The flow of power isn’t uniform. The balance is broken.”

Helmut frowned, recalling the last time he passed through the sacred barrier.

Though the sacred barrier was powerful, so was the entity it sealed.

If the disrupted balance didn’t return to normal and continued to unravel…

The outcome was obvious.

The collapse was accelerating.

Igrelle picked up speed.

Wanting to finish their business and leave this place quickly, it had no desire to linger near the barrier.

“That’s…”

Helmut saw it before anyone else.

Like leaves being devoured by black rot, dark spots spread across the white sacred barrier.

No, the scattered perforations had now merged into a single hole.

A black circle.

Not perfectly formed yet, but gradually taking shape, it resembled a void of darkness swallowing everything.

Like black ink spreading across white paper, the paper would soon be entirely stained black.

A similar phenomenon was unfolding before their eyes.

Igrelle’s trembling was palpable.

[Ugh, it’s gotten bigger than before. Disgusting.]

Igrelle abruptly climbed higher.

It was the kind of reaction a human might have when fleeing from a cockroach.

Everyone hurriedly grabbed onto Igrelle’s feathers.

“Igrelle!”

Heike shouted her name as if scolding, and only then did Igrelle halt her ascent.

[Don’t overreact, idiot.]

Elaga snapped gruffly. But him, too, felt an odd sensation.

[Is this demonic energy? What is it? It’s demonic energy, but why does it feel so unsettling?]

Elaga’s fur bristled.

For a demonic beast, demonic energy should feel familiar and welcome. Yet, the black circle gnawing at the barrier triggered an immediate sense of repulsion.

It was different from their aversion to holy power. This was an instinctual rejection.

[This is close enough, right? Can you see it clearly? Humans and their terrible eyesight.]

Reluctantly, Igrelle circled the barrier’s center from a distance above.

The repulsion was stronger than the last time she saw it.

An instinctive urge to flee upward, not quite fear, but a deep discomfort.

Igrelle was one of the rulers of the Forest of Roots. She had rarely, if ever, felt fear in her life.

Now, everyone could see it clearly with their own eyes.

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