Soldiers and the Game

Completely covered in Black Spots, as though he wore a suit of pitch-black armor, Baron Kangwa had sensed the aura of Sefirah Castle flicker nearby and immediately hidden in the shadows to pursue it.

But the moment he turned a corner, he found himself in a peach grove. The road behind him had vanished.

The baron's dwindling reason told him that he had fallen into an enclosed space created by someone else. It was just like when MI9 and the Church of Steam had trapped him before. To escape, he would either have to break through by force or find an exit.

He tried force first, condensing a dark greatsword in his hand and hacking fiercely at his surroundings.

This was a Black Knight's Blade of Spirit and Flesh. It could corrode flesh, extinguish souls, and cut through barriers, rendering the defenses of any creature harboring fallen thoughts useless. It was a Black Knight's core Beyonder Ability, born of the Fallen domain.

Unfortunately, this artificial space was not alive, and its strength far exceeded the baron's expectations. Even a true Demigod of the Numinous Episcopate had struggled to break through it. How could a false Black Knight who could barely use Demigod abilities thanks to Underworld Contamination fare any better?

After swinging his greatsword at empty air for some time, the baron's expression grew increasingly deranged. Even the Black Spots could not conceal the twisted look beneath them.

At last, he stopped his futile assault and followed a path through the grove toward the foot of the mountain.

Before long, the baron arrived at a small village beneath the mountain, dark greatsword in hand.

People moved through the fields, plowing and working, while the old folk and children chatted and played in contentment.

But on closer inspection, they were not