Chapter 233 - The Ashen Isle ( Part 5)

The demonic fleet faded beyond the horizon.

One after another, the black ships disappeared into the fog covering the ocean like a shroud. Their crimson marks were consumed by the grey haze, leaving only the raging waves to bear witness to their presence.

Ashen Isle became eerily silent.

Too silent.

Silence oppressive enough to feel, heavy enough to taste in the air, whispers of things lurking just out of sight and mind.

The battlefield was littered with broken weapons, unconscious demons, torn trees, and rifts that extended like veins on the blackened ground. Ruins of the old days stood silently, their symbols glowed faintly with their leftover power.

Jennie stood amidst the ruins. Her silvery white hair fluttered gently with the breeze while her golden eyes were focused on the distant horizon where the demonic fleet vanished.

The five Divine Swords of Jennie hovered around her back – Excalibur, Leviathan, Tempest, Eclipse, and Gram. The lights emitted by the Divine Swords danced softly, creating shadows upon the broken battlefield.

The captured demon was still kneeling some several meters away from her, surrounded by Rudy and Snow. The head of the demon was bowed down while its body was trembling with the fear it could hardly contain.

Jennie continued to stare at the ocean.

"The Demon Generals are measuring me."

She said quietly – her voice barely more than the whisper. Yet somehow, it echoed through the battlefield.

Rudy nodded. Her golden eyes were thoughtful, analytical.

"They wanted to see how powerful you have become."

The face of Snow remained grim. His nine tails were swishing behind him, and small ice crystals were forming and dissolving around his paws.

"And now they know."

Jennie did not reply.

She looked towards the ruins. The demons came here because of the ruins. Azrael came here because of the ruins. The dimensional route had been cut because of the ruins. And the demonic fleet attacked them because they wanted to see the power of her swords.

Everything started with this island.

But then –

Vibration passed under their feet.

Jennie narrowed her eyes, tensing her body.

"What is that?"

Tremors rippled under their feet. They were barely noticeable in the beginning – subtle and almost imperceptible like the heartbeats of a sleeping giant hidden deep under the ground. However, the tremors slowly gained in intensity.

The captured demon immediately looked terrified. His eyes widened in fear, and his body was shaking uncontrollably.

Rudy noted it instantly. Her voice was sharp.

"You know something."

"No!"

The demon shook its head frantically.

The vibrations became more intense.

Boom!

A crack appeared on the battlefield. It tore the black sands apart and a faint crimson light emerged from beneath it.

Another crack appeared.

And another.

Ancient symbols started glowing underneath the black sands. They began spreading outward in concentric circles with a pulse which synchronized with Jennie’s heartbeat.

Jennie took a step backwards, her hand instinctively reaching for Excalibur.

"The ruins."

The ears of Snow lowered. His divine senses extended, searching the awakening power beneath them.

"They are activating."

The ground suddenly burst into light under their feet. It was blinding – flashes of crimson and gold illuminated the entire island. Dead trees cast long shadows, and the ruins glowed again with renewed life.

Massive formation appeared from under the ground.

It was not the same formation which Jennie used to create the dimensional route. This was older. Much older. The symbols were different – ancient and intricate, older than any language Jennie knew. Yet somehow, she understood them.

Seven circles around seven symbols of swords. Same system which they found in the ground. Same system engraved on the walls of the ancient chamber.

Rudy stared at it. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"That’s..."

Jennie finished the sentence for her.

"The original Divine Sword system."

The seven symbols began shining.

Five of them instantly reacted to the swords of Jennie.

Excalibur shone golden, and one of the symbols answered with similar shine. Leviathan pulsed with deep blue energy, and the second one answered. Tempest shone silver lightning, awakening the third symbol. Eclipse was casting shadows around, and the fourth one reacted in a similar way. Gram was burning with crimson flames, and the fifth one erupted with them.

Two of them remained dark and empty.

Rudy’s face was changing. She touched her chest where her Legendary Divine Mark was pulsing.

"Why are they activated?"

Jennie did not know.

Suddenly, she noticed something else. Line of ancient writing appeared in the middle of the formation. The symbols were different from those which they found in the walls—they looked older and more primal, but somehow, Rudy was able to read them.

She followed the words with her eyes.

"The road of the King..."

She stopped. Her golden eyes opened wide.

"...opens only when the five blades return."

Jennie’s eyes opened wide. "What?"

The formation erupted all of a sudden.

A black pillar of energy was launched into the sky. It pierced the clouds and illuminated the grey sky with its dark shine. Clouds over Ashen Island started spinning, and in just a few seconds, a big vortex appeared and continued spinning faster and faster.

Ocean was starting to retreat from the island. Water started withdrawing, exposing the ancient stone passages that were submerged for centuries. Seabed itself seemed to be splitting apart, and more crimson light was rising from it.

A huge vortex appeared in the distance. It was much bigger than any portal Jennie saw before—it was bigger than the dimensional route she created. Its edges were shining black fire, and inside the depths of it, a whole landscape was taking form.

Rudy fell back. "Jennie!"

Jennie caught her arm. "Stay close!"

Snow spread his wings. Divine energy enveloped his body, and icy spikes appeared around his paws.

The vortex was growing. Wind was howling, and the ground was shaking. And then something appeared in it—something which they have never seen before.

Mountains. Black mountains towering beyond the horizon, and their peaks were piercing the crimson sky like broken teeth of ancient gods. Dark forests breathing with evil life. Ancient constructions carved in the sides of the mountains—fortresses, towers and even cities which existed for millennia.

Jennie was staring. She saw nothing like that before.

The captured demon lowered his head. He whispered.

"Impossible..."

Rudy looked at him. "What?"

The demon was trembling. "The gate..."

Jennie looked at him. Her golden eyes were sharp.

"What gate?"

"The Ashen Gate."

His eyes were full of terror—not of Jennie, but of what was happening around them.

"It was supposed to be sealed."

Jennie’s face became hard. "Then why it is open?"

The demon looked at the five Divine Swords floating behind her. His voice was breaking.

"Because you came."

Silence.

Jennie was staring at him. The demon was continuing, his words falling out in a hurry.

"The ancient system is reacting to the Divine Swords. It is built for reaction to them—for the King and his blades. When the five blades synchronize..."

He swallowed hard.

"...the gate is waking up."

Rudy looked toward the portal. Her voice was quiet. "So these ruins were not just a trap."

"No."

Snow’s ears twitched. "Then we should not go."

Jennie looked at him.

Snow was continuing. "This may be another trap."

"It is."

Jennie approached the portal. Air around it was freezing cold—so cold that it could numb her fingers and sting her eyes. There was something strange about the gateway. Not evil. Not quite.

Ancient. Like something that was waiting for them for a very long time.

Rudy was looking at her. "You are still going?"

"Lilia is there."

Jennie’s voice was quiet but firm.

"That is enough."

Rudy smiled. It was a warm smile—the smile of someone who has already made her decision.

"I knew you would say that."

Snow sighed. "Of course you did."

Jennie was looking at the captured demon. Her voice was calm but commanding.

"Stay here."

The demon was confused. "What?"

Jennie pointed at the ruins. "If the gate closes, you will tell us how to open it again."

The demon swallowed. "And if I refuse?"

Jennie’s five swords were floating behind her. They were shining, making her shadow on the ground.

The demon immediately lowered his head. "I’ll cooperate."

Rudy laughed. "Good choice."

Jennie turned toward the portal.

It was freezing around the place. The vortex was filled with dark energies, and there, in the center of it, the Demon Continent awaited them. It was not right somehow. Maybe not evil, but Ancient.

Like something that waited for them for too long.

Jennie walked through the portal.

Everything changed.

For a moment, there was nothing around except the dark void. The silence, lack of any light source, absence of any kind of ground. The feeling of eternal fall.

Then—

Her feet touched some stone floor.

Jennie opened her eyes.

There was Rudy next to her, with her dagger in hand and golden eyes constantly looking around searching for any signs of potential danger. Snow was standing further from them, his nine tails spreading around to keep the balance.

None of them said a word. All three just stared ahead.

The Demon Continent was laid out in front of them.

Giant black mountains surrounded everything, with their tops cutting crimson skies. Some of them were huge as ancient Gods’ bones – jagged, terrible and impossibly huge. Dark red rivers of unknown origin wound through the valleys, making an impression of veins full of blood.

The sky was permanently red. The sun, blue, the warmth – none of these things was present there. Only the dim red glow that seemed to be emanating from the clouds themselves as if the sky itself was on fire.

Behind those mountains, there was a forest. But calling it a forest sounded strange. The trees were gigantic there, with their black and gnarled trunks and twisted branches, which made one think of the fingers reaching up to the sky. There were trees with crimson leaves, rustling in the wind carrying the smell of ash and iron, and trees without any leaves at all.

Something moved in that forest. Something huge.

Jennie felt it. And another presence. And another. And another.

Her expression changed. "How many?"

Rudy turned to her. "How many what?"

"Powerful entities."

Jennie stared into the distance. Her divine abilities tried to detect anything in that darkness.

"I feel them."

She lowered her voice. "Thousands."

Snow’s expression grew darker. "More."

Jennie glanced around. In any direction, she could feel something – some weak presence or other one strong enough to make her Divine Swords shake. And somewhere beyond the mountains... there were powerful beings, whose strength she couldn’t even properly estimate.

This place was not the same as the human world. There were rare powerful entities in human countries. But here... they were everywhere.

As if this whole continent was created for the powerful.

Rudy suddenly grabbed her chest. "Ah!"

Jennie instantly turned to her. "Rudy?"

Rudy started retreating. Her Legendary Divine Mark was glowing. Not dimly. With violent power. Golden light burst through her clothes, and the mark beat like a heart.

Rudy clenched her teeth. "Something is wrong."

Jennie grabbed her shoulder. "What happened?"

"I do not know."

The light started growing stronger. The golden eyes of Rudy widened.

"It seems like... something is calling me."

Jennie’s five Divine Swords suddenly started shaking.

Excalibur. Leviathan. Tempest. Eclipse. Gram.

All of them simultaneously.

Jennie’s expression changed. "What?"

She had never seen them react like that even during the synchronization process. The blades shook with the power, their lights beating in rhythm with the mark of Rudy. The sound was not coming only from the blades.

It was coming from the land.

The whole Demon Continent seemed to react to their presence.

Snow suddenly turned his attention to the mountains. His fur rose, and his nine tails spread wide.

"Something is wrong here."

Jennie slowly turned around, looking in every direction. Corrupted forest. Black mountains. Ancient demon cities, visible beyond the valley – gigantic structures, carved directly in the mountainsides, black towers, demonic statues, ruined fortresses. Centuries-old civilization.

And at the same time... everything looked strangely familiar.

Jennie touched her chest. A little pain arose behind it – not sharp, but constant. As if some memory was trying to reach her consciousness.

Then she suddenly heard something. Not the voice. The resonance. Deep, ancient. Coming from somewhere distant.

One of her Divine Swords suddenly stopped shaking.

Eclipse.

Jennie looked at it. The black blade floated completely still, its shadows darkening.

Then...

Another resonance answered it. Somewhere far beyond the mountains. Beyond the corrupted forest. Beyond the ancient demon cities.

Something woke up.

Jennie’s golden eyes widened. Rudy looked toward the same direction, her mark glowing brightly.

Snow’s expression turned serious. "What was that?"

Jennie did not say anything. She could feel it. One of those vacant spots in the ancient system has responded. One of the seven Divine Sword resonances... awakened.

And somewhere in the heart of the Demon Continent... Genesis, the forgotten blade, realized that its King has returned.