The Devil's Cage

The group of 50 riders rode like lightning and gale, a layer of faint radiance shining from their armor, lifting their weight a lot and even granting their horses magical powers.

The faint radiance was a spell unique to War God Temple, allowing the galloping horses to regenerate their stamina even during traveling.

To the believers of the God of War, a horse was the best partner they could ask for.

Some believers only picked one horse throughout their life and would even spend countless magical ingredients to prolong their horses' life span and power; Carl was one of them.

The horse Carl was riding was the one that he had been meticulously training and rearing since he was 15.

From the age of 15 to 20, Carl had never slept on a bed, sleeping on the grass with his horse. His horse was around him even when he trained in swordsmanship during the day, meal time included.

It was fair to say that Carl and his horse had developed a strong bond in the 5 years.

With the feeding of countless magical ingredients, the value of his horse would cause a dozen common families to go bankrupt overnight.

The reason why Carl could afford the rearing was because Carl originated from a traditional noble family in Sicar and he was also related to the viscount of Sicar, his mother being the younger sister of the viscount.

However, the reason Carl was able to become the commander of this elite rider group wasn't because of his uncle, it was his true strength that got him promoted.

He relied on the sword in his hand to fend off challenges from his fellow soldiers, who were not convinced of his strength.

After being ever-victorious, he was promoted to the commander of the riders.

A rich family background, a vast knowledge in every field, and having a self-contained inheritance.

This was the traditional noble family of the Northern Land.

As for their virtues, they weren't exactly noble but by no means despicable either.

As a believer of God of War, Carl had his own bottomline, therefore he split the Silver Sol he got from Borl to his men.

His men showed even more respect to Carl.

Powerful yet generous in giving to his men, no man would dislike a superior like Carl.

Therefore, when Carl gave the order to ride full speed ahead, not a single rider complained, despite maintaining the speed for almost 2 hours straight.

Suddenly, Carl straightened his bent over body and raised his hand.

All the riders following Carl in stopped, and none of them saying anything. They drew their swords, lit up their muskets, and watched the surroundings vigilantly, every one of them having a role to play in the group.

The pinewood forest on the icy land was quiet at noon.

The sunlight slightly hid behind the clouds, a layer of thin mist started to shroud this path to the outskirts of Mozaar once more.

Carl locked his gaze further ahead, feeling something was coming closer.

It was very subtle yet it emanated a very repulsive presence.

"Could it be those bastards from the dark trench?"

Carl gripped his sword tighty, the ruby at the crossguard shining brightly.

The icy land immediately felt hotter and it came from one's heart, like the boiling courage of a warrior going into battle.

The blood of the riders boiled at that very moment, seeming to have acquired endless courage from the warmth.

With the support from the extra courage, their strength and speed were enhanced to different extents. Their sight was also enhanced, the riders holding the muskets able to see clearer and farther.

Bang Bang Bang!

Without a second thought, the muskets were fired.

They didn't need to report the shot either because Carl granted them permission.

It was the best option that a veteran of the battlefield could provide, understanding that many unstable variables plagued the battlefield, things changing in a split second during conflict and it was something that could only be tempered through countless battles.

The burst of the fire powder sprayed the pellets out of the muzzle.

Even though the muskets the riders wielded weren't the heavy type, after being loaded with 2 ounces of fire powder, its firepower could rival a heavy musket that required 2.5 ounce of fire powder.

Plus, with the meticulous crafting from War God Temple, these muskets were better and more reliable than many others, not just in terms of firepower but its precision was also at the next level. It was loved by many, especially for its self-defense ability.

The muskets had never let their wielder down, including this time.

Pak!

Everyone heard the pellets hitting something and the following noise of the target falling to the ground, the riders even saw a blurry figure fall down further away.

Carl smiled, giving a big thumbs up to his men who fired and then waved in front.

Carl's aide led 5 riders forward to investigate the fallen target.

Carl and the others stayed back and formed a perimeter while they waited for results from their peers.

This wasn't some improvised commands though, it was done through shifts.

Carl and his aide played the part of leader every time and the other 5 riders took turns leading their own small group.

There was nothing special in this, even if Carl was a noble.

The God of War disliked a coward and the soldiers would never follow a coward into battle.

Carl's aide brought 5 riders into the mist, the mist rumbling fiercely and suddenly turning thick. The blurry view of the pine woods and paths disappeared altogether.

The mist came alive and jumped towards the remaining riders.

Carl's heart throbbed, quickly warning his men, "Heads up!"

A loud warning later, Carl held his sword tighter, the ruby on its crossguard shining brighter.

The rumbling mist immediately stopped in front of the group but a vine snuck through everyone's sight and headed to the hooves of Carl's horse quietly. After that, the vine jumped up like a venomous viper and went straight for Carl's back.

Carl did not notice the sudden attack at all, but his horse did. The horse jumped up with all four of its hooves and nimbly dodged the sudden attack.

Carl immediately went along with the motion and swung the sword out.

Kachak!

The vine was chopped down.

A spark of flame burned at the cut where the green sap gushed, the flame spreading with exceptional speed and the cut vine was burned into cinders in an instant. The other part with the roots was completely engulfed in fire.

Aaaaa!

Everyone was glad to hear the agonizing scream.

The first group of musket riders completed their reloads, and together with the second group, they pointed their musket at the source of the scream.

Carl touched his horse's neck with utmost gratitude.

It wasn't the first time his horse saved him, every single time just as critical and dangerous as the last.

Because of that, Carl liked to sleep with his horse and that was the reason why he was still single, despite already being 30 in age.

The horse, however, stomped its hooves when Carl touched its neck, trying to tell Carl its worries.

'Something is coming! Leave now!'

"What? What's wrong, Phernesa?"

The communication between Carl and his horse had always been smooth, yet in this particular moment, he couldn't hear what Phernesa was trying to tell him, feeling like his ear was ringing or someone else was blabbering in his ears.

'Something is coming! Leave now!'

Phernesa grew anxious, clearly feeling something horrifying was approaching, bearing malicious intent. Carl, who it shared a connection with, was affected by the presence despite the target not having shown up yet, but Phernesa couldn't do anything.

It neighed. It hoped that Carl could understand its warning.

"Phernesa, what are you trying to say?" Carl still couldn't hear his horse but it didn't stop him from realizing something was wrong.

However, unknowingly, he couldn't act properly or even give orders to his men, because he felt he was doing the right thing.

As for his previous behaviour?

It must be an illusion!

He must be overthinking!

That's right, overthinking!

"Huh? Hardar, why are you guys pointing your muskets at me?" Carl looked at his men in confusion.

His men were looking at him like a hungry tiger.

The swords and muskets were all pointed at him, yet none of the riders spoke, their faces hidden under their masks, showing ferocious smiles.

Carl tried to say something but Phernesa couldn't wait anymore, stomping powerfully and bringing its master away. It didn't gallop forward, or backward, instead it galloped to a hill and rode upwards.

The riders with the ferocious smiles did not chase Carl, changing their targets. They looked at their peers around them with a strong gaze, then…

The swords were raised and the muskets were fired.

Blood soaked the icy land, a thick mist gushing up and shrouding everything in an instant. After the mist scattered, a group of elite riders disappeared without a sign, no one knew what happened.

No!

Someone knew! Someone... some demon knew!

Bloody Mary, who hid underground, saw the whole process, frowning hard.

"There's something else in here?" Bloody Mary talked to itself.

The disappearance of the riders was not the handy work of that gaze from high above. In fact, when the gaze knew it would eventually encounter the riders, it went away.

However, after the gaze disappeared, something else took its place—something bloodthirsty.

This bloodthirsty something was not satisfied, not yet, still searching for Bloody Mary, but unfortunately it could not lock onto Bloody Mary's whereabouts.

"Blind," Bloody Mary commented.

Without a second thought, Bloody Mary reported everything it saw to its boss.

As for what came later, it would be his boss' new order.

Before that, it could lie down in the ground peacefully for now.

It might not be long, but a rest is a rest.

'Too bad there was no sun underground. If there was a cup of fruit juice, it would be awesome.

I wish there were also some crashing waves."

…..

The wagon reached Sicar around afternoon after riding for a whole morning.

Rather than calling Sicar a city, it was more of a town in Kieran's view.

The only difference from a town was its walls were tall and thick, with a lot of patrol soldiers.

"As the hub between Edatine Castle and Mozaar, Sicar is very safe and also prosperous, but incomparable to Edatine."

Borl introduced the place after he returned to the carriage.

By mentioning Carl's name, the soldiers at the city gate did not bother them at all despite seeing the spoils on the roof and the captive, turning a blind eye.

"It seems like Sir Carl's name is much more useful than I thought. What a good person, I hope everything is fine with him."

Borl then knocked on the wooden window behind him

"Aschenkano, we will go to Anan Hotel, I've booked a room there."

"Alright, Mr. Borl."

It wasn't the first time Aschenkano was in Sicar, skillfully driving the wagon through the streets and alleys and heading to his destination.

"The owner of Anan Hotel is very generous and welcoming. The place left quite an impression on me since my last visit. That's why I booked an independent suit this time. We will stop here for a day to tidy up, sell the spoils, and replenish our supplies before we head out to Edatine. You can take a stroll in the city if you have nothing to do. As the transfer hub between Edatine and Mozaar, the market of Sicar is a must visit place for tourists. There's also a lot of good stuff on sale here, since not all are willing to travel to Mozaar."

Borl further introduced his plan and then took a bulging pouch from the hidden drawer in the carriage, giving it to Kieran.

It was gold, a hundred pieces to be exact.

Kieran got the precise information the moment he held it in his hand.

"Your spoils should be worth around 70 to 80 pieces, so consider this an upfront. After I deal with the captive, we will calculate everything again," explained Borl.

"Mm," Kieran nodded.

He wasn't worried about being scammed by Borl because Borl was no idiot.

Kieran put the pouch away and looked outside the wagon.

The streets in the city were rather neat, there wasn't any eyesore in sight and even the corners were packed, Kieran automatically shifting his gaze.

Many merchants came and went.

As the biggest hub between Edatine and Mozaar, Sicar lacked everything but merchants and goods. Camel cart after camel cart, merchant convoy after merchant convoy, plus a sea of merchants, filled the crowded streets. Armored soldiers were patrolling along the wagons, warning merchants who misplaced their goods and at the same time watching over the streets, prepared to move in case of anything.

Their man target wasn't the merchants, but the other sneaky bastards who mixed into the fray along with the wagons.

Wanted criminals, robbers, bandits, all were sought after by the soldiers.

As for the local gangsters?

The soldiers were obviously very lenient towards the locals. Kieran spotted a few pickpockets that swam in the sea of merchants and when they passed by the soldiers, they even greeted them politely.

Kieran didn't step in and be a busybody.

Every place had their own set of rules and he was happy to follow them, given that the locals kept a distance from his own rules.

"The wicked presence in the city is much less strong. It still lingers but it isn't as frightening as the misty state in the wilderness. But… something else has changed!"

Kieran looked up to the sky, the crowd in the city seeming to disperse the wicked presence. There was only a limited amount that lingered but it caught Kieran's attention.

In Kieran's eyes, this lingering wicked presence was more lively.

In short, the wicked presence in the wild felt dull and lifeless, but those in front of his eyes looked very alive! Like a very fresh fish.

"Sacrifice to a cult?" Kieran wondered.

After that thought, Bloody Mary reported what it saw to Kieran and the scenes appeared in Kieran's mind.

Kieran frowned.

It wasn't because Bloody Mary did a poor job, but because in his Transcendence [Tracking], the lingering wicked presence expanded twice its size in exponential speed visible to the common eyes.

After that, more wickedness from the wild was attracted to Sicar and quietly spread into the alleys.

The process was very fast but not entirely quiet.

It was just that other than Kieran, no one noticed the changes, including the War God Temple of Sicar.

In Kieran's eyes, that building was dazzling and shone brightly, but in complete silence.

Kieran squinted his eyes further when he saw the weird scene.