ALL NOVEL Chapter 236
Chapter 236. Chaos
“Is there a mage outside?”
“Did you call for me?”
The mage, who had been waiting at the door, entered at the king’s summons.
“You heard the story, right?”
“To some extent.”
“Prepare these people to participate in the ritual.”
“Understood.”
The mage cast a strange glance at Yoo Ji-han’s party before leaving the room again.
Even the mage, who had shown dissatisfaction right in front of them, did not oppose the news that they would be participating in the ritual.
Then Kim Si-hu spoke up.
“What is this ritual you speak of?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
The King of Kabuum smiled as he looked at Yoo Ji-han.
No matter where these people came from, they were from the same world as those who had angered him.
If they could just prove themselves in the manner of Kabuum, there was no reason not to believe them.
“Tuta.”
“……?”
“You will guide them. Their lives will depend on you.”
“Are you saying……”
“If these people die during the ritual, you should be prepared to die alongside them.”
“I understand.”
Tuta, without any further complaints, accepted the king’s will.
Yoo Ji-han realized from the conversation discussing their potential deaths that the ritual was not going to be a light affair.
“If you’re done speaking, you may leave.”
“One moment.”
Yoo Ji-han raised his hand to the king, who was demanding their exit.
“Have you ever heard the name Yoon Do-ha?”
“Yoon Do-ha? Who is that?”
“He’s a person who came from the same world as us.”
“I haven’t heard of him.”
Seeing Kabuum’s king shake his head, Yoo Ji-han clicked his tongue.
It seemed he truly was hard to find.
“Could you look for him within Kabuum?”
“Why should I help you?”
“We will participate in this ritual under the condition that you help us.”
“This is to prove that you are different from those scum….”
“To put it coldly, those who made past mistakes are humans unrelated to us, and it was wrong on your part to believe in those outsiders too much.”
“……”
“Since you requested something from us, we should receive something in return.”
Kabuum’s king kept his lips tightly sealed.
To openly point out the king’s mistakes in front of him, was something no Kabuum citizen would dare do.
“……Fine, I’ll help you.”
“You have my promise.”
“The king doesn’t speak twice.”
Kabuum’s king, who thoroughly honored everything he said, made Yoo Ji-han nod slightly.
‘This could be a good opportunity.’
It seemed like they might be able to turn this wrong encounter into a chance.
*
The ritual of Kallem takes place each time one of the Three Moons rises.
During the time the red moon rises, Kabuum becomes extremely busy preparing for the ritual.
This was because a special event was being held exclusively in Kabuum.
“We’re short on decorations!”
“Why are the dishes empty? Where is the food for the ritual?!”
“That guy ate it secretly!”
“You little!!”
This period is also one where those who had recently fought heal their relationships, helping each other in the preparations.
The citizens of Kabuum came together to assist with the ritual’s preparation.
“The king will personally attend today’s ritual!”
“Is that true?”
“Yes! Let’s prepare thoroughly and please our king!”
“Uooooo!”
Since the incident a year ago, the king of Kabuum had shown himself infrequently in official settings.
He hadn’t even attended the ritual held just a few months ago.
Many felt even more energized at the news that he would be attending the ritual.
“This way.”
As the atmosphere inside Kabuum grew more heated, Yoo Ji-han’s party followed Tuta.
They arrived at a large and wide circular arena with a ceiling that had been blown away.
Min Yu-ri looked at the people moving around and asked,
“Is this the place?”
“Yes.”
This was where the highlight of the ritual, held during the time of the rising red moon, would take place.
“Prepare yourselves.”
After waiting for about an hour in what looked like a waiting area,
the rough seating in the arena began to fill up with people.
As it grew a bit darker, there were hardly any empty seats left in the arena.
“The king is here!”
“Ooooh, it’s the king!”
In the special area decorated more extravagantly, the king of Kabuum appeared, and the crowd cheered.
To that, the king of Kabuum shouted energetically to the surroundings.
“Start the ritual!”
“Uwaaaaaaa!!”
Puuuuuu—!
As various musical instruments began to play, candles all over the arena were lit.
“The king is watching!”
“We are the valiant warriors of Kabuum!”
“Let us do Kabuum proud!”
Warriors of Kabuum, who had been waiting inside the arena, stepped into the center.
Each one heavily armed, their faces exuded seriousness.
Then, on the opposite side, someone began pushing a metal cage on wheels forward.
“Kiiiaaaaak!”
“Kyaaak!”
The creatures trapped inside the metal cage screamed.
They were all chaos creatures captured from outside Kabuum.
Their bodies were already covered in red blood.
However, the blood was not theirs, but that of the humans they had hunted.
“……”
“……”
The warriors of Kabuum stared sternly at the chaos.
Soon, a loud drumbeat sounded as the sturdy metal bars that blocked the chaos swung open.
“Kill them!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaak!”
The fierce warriors charged in, clashing with the screeching chaos.
Shrack! Shrack!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Blood and flesh erupted from all directions.
The arena, previously cleaned up for the ritual, became increasingly sullied.
“Don’t get excited—attack calmly!”
“I know!”
The beginning of the battle reflected the warriors of Kabuum gaining the upper hand.
It was clear they were not just participating in the ritual for no reason, as they pressed the unleashed chaos continuously.
“Kyaaak!”
However, with the chaos’ fervent counterattack, the tides began to turn.
The warriors of Kabuum started being pushed back gradually.
“Ughh!”
A warrior finally caught by the chaos screamed in agony as his arm was held tightly.
The horrific scene of a living human’s hand being gradually torn apart by a monster.
Yet the spectators cheered.
“He got caught!”
“What are you doing? Step on him quickly!”
“Is that all a Kabuum warrior can do!”
“U! U! U!”
Warriors losing their lives after a fierce struggle with the living chaos.
But the citizens did not sympathize with them.
In fact, they only fueled the atmosphere with cheers, making it more heated.
—Is this what a ritual is like?! It’s disgusting!
“Chirp chirp! I agree! Everyone must have lost their minds!”
—They should put some fruits and traditional dishes and just bow down instead!
Yoo Ji-han smiled bitterly as he watched the whining Sylph and Chilla.
The ritual known as the blood ritual in Kabuum, coinciding with the red moon.
In this arena, those who lost after fighting fiercely were offered as sacrifices on the altar.
“Offer the sacrifices on the altar!”
“The guardian deity of Kabuum will protect us!”
In the end, the bodies of the warriors who died at the hands of the chaos were collected by those wearing white masks.
They stacked the corpses neatly on the large, flat altar.
Tuta, who was beside Yoo Ji-han, said,
“I understand the discomfort. But during the rituals when the former king was alive, only warriors would brawl. Compared to that, this is relatively better.”
“Better, you say?”
Yoo Ji-han glanced at those watching the ritual in the waiting area.
Among them were families of the warriors currently engaged in the ritual.
“Louis! You’re finally becoming Kabuum’s fertilizer!”
“My daughter! I’m so proud of you……!”
The families, with tears welling up from seeing their sons and daughters die before them, were happy.
Rather than being sad, their pride in the dead was a slightly chilling sight for Yoo Ji-han’s group.
“This place is definitely another world.”
Lee Mi-a, observing the attitudes of those around her, felt again that they were in a different world.
It wasn’t just because the language barrier had vanished, allowing for free conversation.
The value system of Kallem was clearly different from that of Earth.
“Seven have already died.”
“Are we just going to keep watching?”
The chaos continued to consume the corpses of the fallen warriors after the battle.
Min Yu-ri and Kim Si-hu looked on with uncomfortable expressions.
It was the same in the subsequent rituals.
The warriors either died or were gravely injured, while the chaos ran wild.
“Chirp chirp! Captain!”
“Yes.”
“I’m really angry! Chirp!”
Crack!
Chilla, gripping the Handle of the Shield as if to crush it,
trained as a tanker to protect someone, was feeling immense rage watching those dying in the arena.
“Next is you.”
After about a dozen warriors fell alongside the chaos,
it was soon Yoo Ji-han’s party’s turn.
Yoo Ji-han glanced sidelong at Tuta, who wore a calm face, and asked,
“If we lose, you’ll die too. Aren’t you worried?”
“Not really. I know your capabilities.”
“…….”
Without giving a proper reply, Yoo Ji-han stepped out into the waiting area.
As the unfamiliar outsider entered the arena, the spectators began to murmur.
“What’s this? Where did these guys come from?”
“I’ve never seen that face before. Their clothing is also unique.”
“An outsider is participating in the ritual? That’s absurd.”
“The king personally permitted it, they say.”
“If that’s the king’s will, then so be it.”
The unusual event of an outsider participating in the blood ritual.
While some citizens resented those unrelated to Kabuum taking part in the sacred ritual,
as news spread that it had the king’s approval, the uproar gradually subsided.
What the ruler decreed was indeed the will of Kabuum.
Clap!
Sitting in his special seat, the king of Kabuum stretched out one arm and announced the start of the ritual.
Drrrr—!
On the opposite side of Yoo Ji-han’s party, a new metal cage appeared.
Similar to the one before, it was a makeshift prison for the chaos.
There existed only a single entity inside the prison.
However, this chaos trapped within was vastly different in atmosphere from those that had appeared earlier.
“Kiigigig……”
A body and wings of a large mantis larger than an average person, and sharp claws akin to those of a bird of prey.
Its face bore grotesque teeth reminiscent of fish from the deep sea.
The creature, rampaging inside its cage, behaved unusually quietly compared to the others.
“Yikes!”
“Shh! Don’t make a sound!”
The warriors holding the cage with wheels approached, holding their breath.
More than fifteen warriors had lost their lives trying to capture the one currently trapped inside.
When the creature finally reached in front of Yoo Ji-han’s party,
“Begin.”
Boom!
As a large drum was struck, the door of the cage swung wide open.
The now-free chaos immediately spread its wings and flew forward.
“Chirp! Not happening!”
Bang!
The charge with its claws was blocked by Chilla’s shield.
Those very claws had effortlessly taken the lives of over ten humans!
Yet, the chaos, having only managed to leave a small scratch on the shield, recoiled in shock.
“Kikiigik!”
A barrage of Magic Arrows and spells poured down on the startled creature.
Attempting to evade the attacks while flapping its wings, the chaos grew increasingly irritated.
Boom!
Lee Mi-a dashed to the creature and began throwing punches in rapid succession.
Sensing the terrible strength in each of her punches, the chaos desperately tried to avoid her attacks.
“Kikiig?!”
Just then, the creature lost sight of Yoo Ji-han completely.
As it momentarily panicked at having completely missed his move,
“Here.”
Yoo Ji-han appeared behind the chaos and stabbed it in the neck with his sword.
Thwunk!
With a soft pudding-like squish caused by Kudi, the chaos’s body became soft.
Yoo Ji-han infused Kudi with the Sylph’s magic.
Tatata!
The magic flowing smoothly along the blade made from Drimium transformed into wind hooks that ensnared the chaos tightly as it tried to flee.
“Ooo……”
“Those outsiders aren’t half bad!”
As the onlookers marveled at their ability to suppress the powerful chaos,
Yoo Ji-han activated the sampling.
<—This is how to send that creature’s head flying to the king of Kabuum>
The result he desired soon unfolded as a blurry afterimage before his eyes.
With a violent spin, he accurately kicked the chaos in the head with the top of his foot.
Whooosh!
With a bursting sound, the head of the chaos separated from its body and soared upwards.
The head flew directly toward where the king of Kabuum was seated.
Thud!
The king of Kabuum caught the flying head in his hand.
The splattering droplets of blood stained his arm and expensive attire.
“Oh, no, this……”
“How dare they!”
As the royal body became tainted with the blood of a lowly being, the faces of his subordinates turned pale.
The atmosphere grew silent, then frigid.
“Ahahaha, ahahaha—!!”
However, the king of Kabuum instead laughed with satisfaction.
“Yes! You are definitely different from those scum!”
True nobles recognize true abilities.
Despite openly showing dissatisfaction at being thrown into such an uncomfortable situation,
the king of Kabuum could receive them with good cheer.