“Who do you think we are that to expect believing the nonsense you’re uttering. You’re an Imperial Knight, so you should know what chaos a single Gate can bring to its surroundings. And now you want to expect us to enter and wait for or death? think you really need someone to beat you till you see your great-great-grandfather.”

“That’s really what I’ve been instructed.”

“Enough of that Helena. We won’t be able to finish today if you keep complaining… Jackson, jump in first since you’re the last person I expect to die first. We’ll follow after.”

“I do not know if I should be happy or sad about that. I guess we’re going exploring.”

Unlike Helena who is very hesitant, Jackson did not question why I am not worried about going in a Gate. He seems to also notice that what in front of us is not the usual disaster we have come to known.

Without any care to what might occur, he stepped into the other side.

“We should follow next, Helena.”

“You both are really crazy. I have no choice, do I? It’s two to one in favour of the pro-Gate. But I am taking this guy with me. If anything bad happens inside, he will be the first one to die.”

“Yieee! But our Majesty did not mention anything me being included.”

“I bet he also did not mention anything about bringing you along. Since you’ve acted like a guide for us today, why not be a guide for us till the end. Another person won’t bother you that much, right V?”

“Help yourself.”

I gave up convincing her to leave the Imperial Knight alone. Demons or Devils, Arwen should be able to defend himself once we entered the Netherworld. If not, we will just need to explain it to Isaac and maybe do a lot more paperwork.

I always imagine how Netherworld looks like base on the monsters coming out of it through these gates. Never did I imagine an opportunity comes through with Isaac’s instructions. He never mentioned anything about this ground-breaking creation of Senior Jade. Makes me wonder if there are more things we do not know about.

Helena who was dragging Arwen along is the first one walk into the void. Making sure nothing is wrong before I left the land of Astrea, I followed soon after.

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A nauseating feeling followed by a sudden blackout hit me hard when my whole body walks past the Gate, but it was also quick to fade away. Although, I still needed time to compose myself to be able to stand straight.

“You guys finally caught up. We’ll be busy for a while.”

Tens of ugly and disembodied creatures welcomed us as soon as I opened my eyes. It was not as chaotic as I expected it to be. Except for the demons who become alerted because of us, the Netherworld is basically a dark tunnel illuminated by the light from the other end of the road.

“38 demons and no Devil type monster so far. With that amount, this is a good exercise. I’ll guess I’ll wear my gauntlets here.”

“It would be a problem if a Devil shows up here. Even with us three, it will be impossible to fight it, especially when there’s a lot of demons roaming around. Oi Knight just stays there since you’ll just be in the way.”

“Yes my Lord!”

They began preparing their equipment for the upcoming slaughter that will be happening any second now. The exit was still there, so escaping in case of an emergency is a possibility. However, I doubt we will have any problems.

Just like those two, I also took my sword from my bag while I wore only gloves for my hands. I do not need to wear my specialized armour for this fight.

“So this is the clean-up Isaac told him about.”

“How about we make this a competition? The person who kills the least amount of demons will need to slap Isaac in the face in the next time they are meeting him.”

“Deal!”

“This is stupid.”

Jackson proposed something irrelevant to our current situation. Helena was totally in it, but I could not care less as long as we finish quickly. Both of them immediately jump to the nearest enemy before they can even react to what was coming to them. That bet seems to make them unnecessarily serious for these demons.

Every single demon who meets the fist of Helena was left nothing but pulp while Jackson was doing the same with his enormous hammer. I am about to go in and slash some of them but decided not to join in because it will be too cramped to be moving around. So I return my sword to the dimensional bag and instead, picked up some throwing knives that are useful at a range.

I supported from the back by targeting the weak points of the demons who were able to sneak past them. I may have put too much force in my throws since every knife that hit, the demon disintegrated into the air.

It did not take long for the path to be clear of demons in the way. Now that we have a better view, the distance between our entrance and the end of the tunnel is rather short.

“Easy 9 kills for me.”

“13 plus one which V stole the last hit. You’re lost, Jack.”

“Tsk~ I would have a lot more if it wasn’t for Vaughn. I thought you don’t care about the bet?”

*Clap* “Let’s move on. There is still something up ahead.”

Our business here is not yet finished. I pushed them to walk forward making sure they will not start an argument again. If this place was more interesting, I may be the last person who will want to proceed.

Arwen, who we almost forgot, was following us at the back when we were done cleaning up this place. Now that the group is complete, it is time to see what lies ahead of the light.

…

“It has been a long journey, but welcome back.”

*slap*