The Lancer's words immediately drew everyone's attention.
Both Kevin and Mikoto, who knew nothing about the situation, were understandably confused. However, the one who reacted the most was Noah.
"What? What did you say? We're inside the Forgotten Lands? Are you absolutely certain?"
"I wouldn't say that if I wasn't certain."
"Not that I doubt you or anything, but the Forgotten Lands of all places..."
The Pathfinder's expression was a mixture of skepticism and inner conflict. It was as though someone had just told him that his favorite belief had been a complete delusion.
Completely lost, Kevin quickly cut in before the conversation could go any further.
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on a second... What are you guys talking about? What do you mean by the Forgotten Lands?"
Jasmine turned to him, clearly appalled.
"You don't know?"
"Ah... um... is it something I'm supposed to know?"
"There's no one who doesn't know about the Forgotten Lands. Haven't you been playing attention in your classes? Or have you been living under a rock!?"
–Wait, what's with this sudden sense deja vu? Kevin thought in bewilderment.
"But then again, I suppose that information is part of distant history, so it's possible you haven't heard of it." Jasmine closed her eyes briefly. "Simply put, the Forgotten Lands are where the battle of the Gods took place."
"The battle of the... Gods?"
"Yes. Many years ago, long before humanity reached its current level of technological advancement and development, the Gods descended upon this world."
Her voice lowered slightly, taking on a more solemn tone.
"No one knows exactly why they fought, only that the conflict was catastrophic beyond measure. Continents were shattered, entire civilizations were erased, and the very laws of nature were twisted in ways we still don't fully understand."
"And this... happened here?"
"This place is one of the remnants of that war. A land abandoned by both Gods and men, left to decay for centuries. That's why it's called the Forgotten Lands, and its also the place where the Gods died."
The Gods died in this place?
Noah crossed his arms, frowning gravely.
"If this really is the Forgotten Lands, then this Fissures is far more danger than we initially thought. Tsk. Damnit. Why didn't I notice this earlier? There was signs everywhere."
"Hold on, I still don't understand something. You say this is the old battlefield of the Gods, right? Isn't it... I don't know, supposed to be non-existent?"
"It is non-existent."
"...?"
Question marks practically appeared over Kevin's head. Even the usually silent Mikoto seemed intrigued by the discussion.
Glancing between the two Slayers, Jasmine Lei let out a quiet sigh before explaining,
"As you may already know, Fissures are gates that lead into the Dark Dimension. Or rather, they take you into a piece of history. You can think of it as stepping into different pages of a story. Everything you see is simply a fragment of a lost narrative. In essence, it is a reconstruction of a past that no longer exists. The real Forgotten Lands were erased long ago, but their imprint remains within the Dark Dimension. Fissures latch onto these imprints and recreate them."
"So... we're basically walking through a memory?"
"Partially right. The Dark Dimension is also a shattered shard of reality but also an actual place too. Of course, you just have to find the right entrance to the stomach of the beast. I know this is a bit confusing but this is something beyond our understanding, so it can't be helped."
Seemingly recalling something, Jasmine smoothly added:
"Make sure to note that these fragments are not stable. They're influenced by residual mana, especially something as volatile as the Breath of the Gods. Over time, they've twisted into something hostile."
"Then the enemies we've been fighting..."
"Are manifestations. Distorted recreations of whatever once existed here. Which is why they are called Creatures of Darkness. They cannot come into being on their own and need to anchor themselves to something to exist, just like a shadow. Shades if you prefer."
A brief silence followed.
Kevin rubbed his aching temples and began to think.
It was a lot to take in.
Truthfully, everything she explained wasn't too difficult to understand. Before his transmigration, Kevin had been a top student who graduated early with honors, and he had spent plenty of time reading stories with similar concepts. So, for the most part, it all made sense.
The problem, however, was something else.
When he had first opened his eyes and realized he had transmigrated, the Deathmatch System had mentioned something about the Old Gods being dead. Even when he checked his Soul Ability, there had been a note about the Gods being deceased.
But why had they fought, and how exactly did they die? Checking his interface, Kevin narrowed his eyes:
Soul Ability: [Ars Requiem]
Soul Ability Description: [The Gods were once all-powerful, vast as the boundless skies, but now they are dead. From their fall were born seven forms of god-slaying, created by a Deamon of
Seven forms of god-slaying.
Created by a Deamon.
A Deamon of Unknown?
That single line bothered him more than anything else.
If the Gods were truly as powerful as Jasmine described, beings capable of shattering continents and distorting reality, then what kind of existence could create something meant to kill them?
And more importantly,
Why?
Something wasn't adding up.
If the Gods had died here, then that meant this battlefield wasn't just a graveyard but also an execution ground.
A faint chill ran down his spine.
Just then, an even more terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.
Wait... one hundred and twenty-eight people were transported into this world to participate in some kind of Death Game. Each of them awakened Unique Abilities and received a Summon.
Come to think of it, what kind of being would be powerful enough to accomplish all three of those tasks if not a God? If that was the case, then wasn't at least one God still alive?
But then why would the System state that all the Gods were dead if they weren't?
Was it a deliberate attempt to mislead the Players?
Unlikely.
The Gods were most likely truly dead, and what remained were only fragments of their power. Someone — or something — must have obtained that divine authority and used it to initiate a death game, pulling people from outside this universe for a hidden objective.
In the end, everything circled back to the mysterious Game Master.
Of course, Kevin had no idea how close, or how far, he was from the truth nor did he know to combat a hidden enemy. That said, overthinking wouldn't help him survive what was right in front of him and he needed all the strength he could get along some support.
That was all which could be done.
"Everyone. Get ready."
Jasmine's voice took Kevin out of his reverie. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, he stood up from the rock.
It was time to resume their dreadful journey.