“Goliathsgrave!” Eder gasped, his breath escaping in an icy mist. His eyes were fixed on the towering mountain range, its jagged peaks framing a V-shaped mountain pass—the entrance to Goliathsgrave.
Merari swallowed hard.
“It…” he stammered, staring at the lifeless black mountain, its soil barren and devoid of even the smallest trace of life. A heavy air of desolation and misery lingered over the land, prompting some of them to tighten their grips on their weapons.
A thick fog covered the mountain pass, obscuring what lay beyond it.
As their ship came to a stop, Asher and the others disembarked into a smaller boat, rowing toward the dark shore of the Goliathsgrave. The moment they stepped onto the blackened soil, their expressions became slightly apprehensive.
“After two weeks, we are finally here,” Alex, who stood behind Asher murmured softly.
Without a word, Asher glanced at him and began walking toward the fog-covered mountain pass. His steps were neither fast nor slow but with each step, he was getting closer to the foggy mountain pass at a considerable pace.
Eder exchanged glances with the other knights before they all followed him. It took them two grueling weeks to navigate through the Red Sea and now, they stood upon a land very few dared to tread. If they could claim something from this forsaken palace and return, their standing in the spirit would forever change.
After all, there was also a hierarchy in the spirit world. Those that did great in the mortal world naturally, had a place for themselves in the spirit world. But knights like Eder and the others, whose lords were still alive, had no sea of glory waiting for them. They lived like commoners in the afterlife, their spirits at rest but not truly at peace.
Life in the spirit world was relatively peaceful and lacked the constant strikes like how things were in the mortal world. Yet, in order to rise in power, one had to seek out dangerous lands. Because of this, many spirits had met their eventual demise!
Asher came to a stop before the mountain pass.
“I thought you were going to return?” he said, glancing over his shoulder at the knights.
Eder stepped forward, resting a firm hand on Asher’s shoulder. “We shall escort you through the mountain pass. Consider it an act of gratitude.”
Without waiting for a reply, he strode past him and the other knights followed.
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As the other knights walked past him, Asher’s eye met with Jed’s, prompting him to squint his eyes after the ponytail knight had walked past him.
‘He doesn’t harbour good intentions toward me,’ Asher mused.
With slightly furrowed brows, he walked into the mountain pass and after a few steps into the fog, he discovered the silhouette of Alex and the other knights, prompting an eyebrow raise.
“They’ve come to welcome us. Draw your swords!” Eder’s voice rang out as he reached out for his spear and brandished it.
From behind, Asher gazed at the glowing fiery eyes that seemed to pierce through the fog.
There were countless pairs of them!
Grr! Grr!
Their chorus of growls fell into his ears, blending with the sharp sound of the knights’ swords leaving their scabbards. Alex instinctively retreated toward Asher, while the other knights ran toward the approaching threat.
Just when the knights were a few meters away from the beasts, the creatures opened their jaws and unleashed flames like an actual flamethrower!
The sudden inferno caught the knights off guard. Mahil and Mushi barely escaped with severe burns, while the others were able to deflect the flames.
“Mahil, Mushi!” Their eldest, Merari rushed toward his brothers.
At that moment, the fog parted, revealing their attackers—massive grey wolves with burning eyes and razor-sharp claws. Their fangs blared as they lunged at the knights in great numbers.
The knights fought fiercely, their extraordinary skill and experience on full display.
But in the face of the endless fire-breathing wolves, they seemed to be struggling to hold their ground.
Eventually, the knights faltered when Jesiah was ambushed by four wolves at once and lost his footing.
A wolf sank its teeth into his hand, another clamped down the other, while a third drove its claws into his back, sending him crashing to the ground. The wolves did not let this opportunity go as more rushed him, but just then, a violent gust of wind blasted them away, sending some several meters away, while others slammed hard against the mountain wall.
Above Jesiah’s bloodied form, Alex hovered with his wings spread wide. A glance and one could see that the fallen knight was close to his deathbed and they had only just reached the entrance to Goliathsgrave!
With this, Eder now understood why many dreaded this place!
“Fall back!”
He roared, slamming his spear into the ground. Bolts of lightning crackled across the earth, electrocuting a dozen wolves until they couldn’t move. But before their bodies could stop twitching, more wolves stepped on these weak wolves, lunging toward him with their vicious fangs bared.
Eder unleashed his force in a sweeping arc, slaying the wolves in one move. But then—a flicker of orange light reflected from the corner of his eyes. Fire!
Before he could react, it was already before him.
But at that instant, a towering ice wall shot up, blocking the flames. Eder stared at it, the sound of his heart booming in his ear—he had seen true death’s gaze a breath before.
Asher sprinted past him and swung his sword upward. Jagged ice erupted from the ground, splitting the battlefield into two with some dead wolves lying impaled atop the frozen spikes. With a swift thought, tall ice spikes rose up from the black soil, piercing through the oncoming wolves.
He closed the distance between him and David, whose body had transformed. Not only had he taken his monstrous form, but his muscles had swollen to an even greater size than he had seen before. It seemed as if the more the blood was around, the stronger he became!
David ripped the wolves apart with his bare hands, his saw-like teeth shredding through their flesh. He moved with the speed of a predator and the raw strength of a saintly knight, he was bulldozing through the wolves—but with every strike, his injuries mounted.
Then—
“Awoo!”
A chilling howl echoed from behind.
Asher turned, his eyes widening. Hundreds more wolves poured into the valley!
“My God! This land truly is a grave for men.” Merari gasped. He glanced at his sword and then at where they had come from.
Seeing the army of fire-breathing wolves, Asher wished he had his elite Grand Aegis Infantrymen with him but alas, he was with a bunch of knights who…
Were not loyal to him!