Chapter 181.

The territory occupied by the Nordic foreigners only extended as far as the Nordic Kingdom and parts of the surrounding northwestern kingdoms.

Seon-Hyeok heard that the western kingdoms still had power in reserve, as they had not yet been directly involved in the ongoing war.

However, when he finally reached the western portion of the continent, things were not as he had heard.

The demonic energy covering the world was so terrible that Seon-Hyeok wondered how anyone could live in it, and the cursed land was too lifeless to support crops.

The western lands Seon-Hyeok saw were literally the land of the dead.

Ahhhh!

Joon-Min suddenly screamed as he rode behind Lafayette. At the same time, Balmung began to violently emit its holy light.

The sacred aura pushed away the demonic energy, but it proved insufficient. Even after being repelled, the pervasive dark energy quickly rushed in again in a black haze, and the holy light capable of extinguishing even the giant banshee disappeared without much effect.

Heok. Heok.

Joon-Mins breaths turned ragged. It was as though he spent all of his energy in that brief period.

Shudder.

Balmung trembled, and it seemed it was lamenting its own lack of strength.

[Balmungs energy is the antithesis of demonic energy. Its natural it would be enraged by this level of it.]

Geheimnis explained the reason behind the Holy Swords, and its warriors, sudden reactions, and Seon-Hyeok quickly accepted the explanation.

Though not to the same degree as Joon-Min, Seon-Hyeok felt a similar way. The hostility and fighting spirit bubbling up from within was pushing him to expend all of his energy in an attempt to tear the unclean aura apart.

However, unlike Balmungs owner, Seon-Hyeok suppressed this impulse and remained in control.

I, Im sorry. I couldnt help myself.

Joon-Min belatedly realized his own mistake and apologized.

No, I get it.

Seon-Hyeok let out a quiet sigh as he saw the reddish gleam remaining in Joon-Mins eyes.

Lets back away for now. Considering the commotion we made, something will come.

The situation would be dire even if they were at full strength, and right now, it would be difficult to deal with any incoming threat.

Seon-Hyeok decided it would be better to leave the area than fight a losing battle.

Shriek!

His expectations proved correct. Something approached from a distance with an ominous scream. Moreover, it was not just one being. Tens, no, perhaps hundreds of cries could be heard, and Seon-Hyeok quietly retreated with his party.

Whew.

Dragon Fear protected the group from the demonic energy while Balmung was out of strength. Even the pervasive energy around them faltered at the dragons aura.

But this only applied to the energy directly surrounding the party. The land was still dense with demonic energy, and both the Holy Sword and its master struggled to recover in such an environment.

Seon-Hyeok fell deep into thought as he waited for the warrior to recover.

The information was wrong.

It was not just wrong, but egregiously so. If the news had spread that the western situation was so dire, the central and eastern kingdoms would not have remained so nonchalant.

This is what they hoped for.

Seon-Hyeok easily figured out what the Dark Lord of Nordic wanted.

Park Sang-Jin, the Dark Lord, was inducing the central and eastern kingdoms into a sense of complacency and optimism about the ongoing situation. Instead of uniting against a common threat, these kingdoms, in turn, placed all responsibility on the western kingdoms.

In fact, the Astoria Kingdom at the center of the continent cried out for help from all kingdoms, but none had committed any troops or offered their full-fledged support.

These kingdoms hoped that the westerners would put an end to the civil war out in their region. This was in spite of the fact that these western kingdoms were already on the brink of destruction.

We have to tell them.

Seon-Hyeok did not know how much time the dragon subspecies here had before being completely corrupted. However, even if it cost some time, he had to notify the central and eastern kingdoms of the truth.

Lafayette.

Lafayette immediately answered his call.

Tell me which of the kingdoms around here has a relatively strong influence over the surrounding kingdoms.

Lafayette replied after a moment of thought.

The Holy Kingdom has the most say among the central kingdoms, but I dont think theyll be of much help right now because of the turmoil there.

The Astoria Kingdom, having lost its leader due to assassins sent by the Dark Lord, was effectively in a state of civil war. The bishops previously in power continued to speak from their temples, but their opinions were disjointed, and the surrounding kingdoms naturally disregarded their opinions.

Was this planned

Seon-Hyeok now understood why the Dark Lord had the leader of Astoria assassinated among the various kingdoms he threw into chaos with his demonic creatures.

Aside from the Holy Kingdom, Iberia has a relatively strong influence around here.

Iberia?

Seon-Hyeok tilted his head in confusion, as he had not yet memorized all of the kingdoms names aside from the major powerhouses. Roland offered an explanation.

Its less a kingdom as it is a union of autonomous city-states towards the center and southern parts of the continent. Their autonomy has been recognized after paying significant tribute to the Holy Kingdom using their trade profits. They would be able to spread news of the current events faster than anyone else using their trade routes.

There was no further reason