Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 229

229. Trial of the Stars (5)

“Quiet,” Kawaro muttered, gazing at the silent underground reservoir.

Curie intensified the flames around her body.

As the darkness gradually receded, the shadows in the reservoir grew stronger.

It wasn’t just about being dark.

In fact, once you became strong enough to a certain extent, darkness was no longer a problem.

Enhanced eyesight allowed one to distinguish objects in pitch darkness with minimal light, and for Apostles [powerful beings with divine connections], opening or closing their eyes made little difference.

Of course, those with stealth abilities became even more secretive.

The reason Curie bothered to light the area was to find the web of darkness that Hyun-mu had laid.

These shadow webs, completely invisible in the dark, didn’t pose a problem for Apostles, but often injured the Familiars [subordinate creatures bound to an Apostle].

As the area lit up, the hidden shadow webs became visible.

They were all positioned in critical locations.

“Clear them all out.”

The Iron Blood Soldiers stepped forward, burning the webs with fire or cutting them with their weapons.

The shadow webs were particularly vulnerable to fire and easily severed.

“We’ve formed an alliance, but this level of resistance is disappointing.”

“No, we should be even more cautious,” Curie retorted to Kawaro’s relaxed tone.

“As soon as we allied, he immediately withdrew the monsters. He knew it was meaningless. It means they’ve been luring us, provoking us, and trying to exhaust our forces.”

“I suppose so. What other way does he have to resist?” Kawaro knew it too.

But he didn’t care.

It wasn’t just his arrogance. With overwhelming power, acting cautiously would only unnecessarily increase the damage.

That’s why he had chosen a blitzkrieg, using Itwaru as his vanguard.

Kawaro continued,

“What I mean is, now that there’s nowhere left to run, it’s strange that he’s not using any special tactics. What is he aiming for? A last stand?”

“We need to show him that some things are futile, no matter how hard you try.”

Kawaro passed the first reservoir and opened the door leading to the second reservoir.

The moment the rusty iron door creaked open, Kawaro showed strong vigilance and stopped Curie.

“I smell blood.”

“Blood?”

The smell of blood had been permeating the air all along.

There was no point in mentioning the smell of blood now.

But seeing Kawaro’s expression, Curie immediately gripped her weapon.

The Familiars of the Starving Star all had sensitive noses. Especially Kawaro.

“What kind of blood?”

“…It smells like Itwaru’s blood. He seems to have died here.”

It wasn’t just a slight spill; it was more like a bloodbath.

Other blood smells were strong, but Kawaro could distinguish them precisely.

Curie took a deep breath and shouted loudly towards the inside of the second reservoir.

“Come out!!”

The resounding shout shook the second reservoir.

The ghouls right behind her bled from all seven orifices and collapsed from the aftermath of the tremendous shout.

But there was no answer, no movement. Curie grabbed a small throwing spear and lit it.

The burning spear pierced the ceiling, illuminating the interior. And they could see the stark bloodbath in the middle of the reservoir.

Confirming that there was nothing there again, Curie slowly stepped inside.

In the center, what could be called Itwaru’s remains were scattered everywhere. The floor was filled with blood.

“It’s like he was butchered and filleted. Only blood remains, and it’s been cleaned up very neatly.”

“…….”

Kawaro said nothing.

He had no particular affection for Itwaru, nor anything resembling camaraderie. He was just a nuisance.

But the fact that an Apostle serving the same star had met such a miserable end shook him.

It was like a jumbled mix of anger, disgust, and fear, similar to seeing a human being eaten by an ant swarm.

Most of it was disgust.

“Curie, we need to settle things between ourselves after we catch him, but…”

“Yes. Even if I take him, I’ll lend him to you for a while,” Curie replied, as if understanding Kawaro’s feelings.

Kawaro left Itwaru’s remains behind and took a deep breath. He could smell the fragments of the star that he couldn’t miss, even in the thick scent of blood.

Kawaro glared in the direction of the third reservoir and opened his mouth.

“He’s inside there.”

Curie could also feel the fragments of the star.

Apostles are instinctively drawn to each other. It was like a mysterious attraction that encouraged them to gather and complete the fragments.

The energy felt from above was clearly Ivanov’s.

But the other fragment was felt very close.

“It’s right behind the door.”

Kawaro stood in front of the door and answered.

The one with the star fragment is right behind the door. Kawaro was about to open the door when he suddenly felt something strange.

‘The smell of blood is too strong.’

The smell of blood was too intense, even though the fight hadn’t even started yet.

‘Did an internal conflict break out?’

It was possible.

The Cursed Ones [individuals twisted by dark magic] in the form of Kang Hyun-woo were clearly under the curse of ‘Division,’ which the Shattered Star, Gaul, often inflicted.

He didn’t know why the Shattered Star had intervened here, but Hyun-mu seemed to have somehow persuaded them to engage in battle.

But now they were in mortal danger.

In that case, it was possible that the Cursed Ones had turned their blades back to Hyun-mu.

Apostles had no qualms about killing the Cursed Ones, but Hyun-mu had to be captured alive, not killed. That much was certain.

“I’ll open it.”

When Kawaro hesitated, Curie stepped forward and reached for the door of the third reservoir.

Kawaro was about to tell her to wait, but stopped. If it was an internal conflict, all the better, but even if it was a trap, there was no reason to stop her.

Kawaro took a step back and watched Curie open the door.

Curie gripped her spear tightly, ready to thrust it as soon as the door opened, and tightened her grip.

But the door was stiff, as if it were locked.

“Is it locked?”

“It seems so. But I have the key.”

Curie scoffed at the ridiculous resistance, grabbed the door tightly, and instantly threw it open to the side. The thick iron door was torn apart like paper in an instant.

And at that moment, with a whooshing sound, a lukewarm liquid soaked her body.

“What is this?”

“Blood?”

The lukewarm, rotting smell of blood stung Kawaro’s nose.

The stench was so strong that it instantly numbed his sensitive sense of smell. Curie found traces of sealing behind the door.

It had even been welded to the floor to prevent blood from leaking out.

The blood was bubbling around Curie due to her temperature.

The blood flowed out of the third reservoir and soaked even the monsters in the second reservoir.

Thud.

At the sound of footsteps, Curie immediately threw her spear. But the moment she saw the face reflected in the flames on the spearhead, she narrowly diverted its trajectory.

The opponent she almost pierced through the neck in an instant.

It was Al-Hugin, the Apostle who had disappeared just before the war.

***

“That’s Al-Hugin?” Kawaro asked with a suspicious expression.

Al-Hugin staggered and collapsed in front of Curie.

Curie was flustered as to why Al-Hugin was here, but she checked his condition first.

He was barely clinging to life, and his whole body was already a mess.

He could die at any moment.

“Yes. It’s the Apostle Al-Hugin.”

Curie emphasized that he was an Apostle so that Kawaro wouldn’t have any unnecessary thoughts.

“Al-Hugin, Al-Hugin… I think I’ve heard the name. I heard he’s a schemer type, rare among the Stars of Conquest, but how did he end up like this?”

“…He’s just a kid who only knows how to scheme. He has the weakest power among us, and the Star of Conquest hasn’t given him a mission in decades, so he’s been desperate for achievements. Maybe he overdid it.”

The Apostles of the Star of Conquest wage internal wars whenever they get the chance, but it’s a kind of hobby.

When the star gives a mission, they don’t hesitate to line up against external enemies.

Moreover, the Apostles of the Star of Conquest have a fairly strong sense of camaraderie.

“Ah, I don’t care. Are you going to stay here? It’s very unsettling here. It’s obviously a trap set by Kang Hyun-woo, but it’s not good to stay.”

Kawaro dipped his finger in the blood on the floor, tasted it, and spat it out immediately.

It was poisonous blood. Some monsters have a skill called Toxic Blood, which fills their blood with poison.

But this blood was particularly vile and full of mana.

Kawaro had never seen blood so full of mana, even though it had leaked out of the body.

“Go first. I’ll check on this guy’s condition for a moment and then go.”

Kawaro made a dumbfounded expression.

“Are you crazy? Abandoning the star’s mission to save a dying piece of trash?”

Flames shot out from Curie’s eyes.

“Trash? You wouldn’t know what camaraderie or comradeship is. Al-Hugin is the youngest among us. He’s not someone who should die like a dog.”

“This is inside a trap set by that bastard Kang Hyun-woo! It’s not good to be in this blood for long!”

The monsters, who were Familiars of the Starving Star, were already weakening as they were soaked in blood. The weaker ones were even trembling.

The Iron Blood Soldiers were still maintaining a solid formation, but they had extinguished their flames to prevent the blood from boiling. In other words, they couldn’t exert their full power.

Curie made a tired expression.

“What’s the problem? I’m letting you capture Kang Hyun-woo. Why don’t you lead the way like a corrupt official who rushes to anything that looks like food?”

“No, what the hell…”

Kawaro glared at Al-Hugin.

That guy himself is a trap.

It was clear that Kang Hyun-woo was trying to separate him and Curie.

Staying together with Curie here would be the right answer, but his nature didn’t want to do that at all.

“Ah, I see, you’re thinking of attacking together with your comrade after I catch Hyun-woo. Do you think I’ll let that happen?”

Kawaro took a step towards Al-Hugin.

At that moment, Curie gripped her spear, and the Iron Blood Soldiers immediately aimed their weapons at the monsters of the Starving Stars.

It was a touch-and-go situation.

“Kawaro, don’t move rashly. Al-Hugin is on the verge of death right now. He could die if he just falls over.”

“So what?”

“How many of us remember the ‘Previous Era’? There won’t be even fifty left in the whole world now.”

“You’re talking romantically.”

“Even if they are Familiars of other stars, I felt like a precious history book was being torn apart each time they disappeared. A history that no one will remember the moment it’s torn.”

“You’ve been fighting for too long and forgotten everything, Curie. Our goal is to tear up all those history books and leave only one! You and I will eventually merge into a single fragment!”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? That’s our goal…”

“Can’t we just live like this? No one else among us needs to die. Why do we have to see an ending that’s already been determined to be a bad ending?”

Kawaro was speechless.

What Curie was saying was more than just resistance; it was even rebellious.

But Curie continued calmly.

“We have a ‘promise.’ Now that the end has stopped, there’s a way to live without ever reaching a conclusion. We’ve already been living like that for decades.”

Kawaro’s face twisted horribly, then he clicked his tongue as if he couldn’t believe it, and dozens of expressions flashed across his face in an instant.

He never thought that Curie, of all people, would be thinking like this.

He gritted his teeth and glared at Curie, then let out a long sigh.

“Yeah, because it’s the Star of Conquest. I forgot for a moment.”

“Kawaro.”

“The guys from the Star of Conquest only want endless war. You probably think that you’re not much different now or after everything is over.”

“That’s not it.”

“But I’m not. I’m going to see the ending. In my cozy and prosperous harem.”

Kawaro turned his back on Curie.

“The alliance ends here. Take Al-Hugin and get lost. I’ll kill you if I see you again.”

“…Okay.”

It was fortunate for Kawaro that Curie was giving up on the mission on her own.

But he couldn’t understand why he felt so bad.

Kawaro decided to direct this surging anger towards a suitable opponent, Kang Hyun-woo.

At that moment, something happened that no one expected.

Curie was focusing her attention on Kawaro, and Kawaro was focusing on the inside of the third reservoir.

No one was paying attention to Al-Hugin.

Al-Hugin took out a dagger from his hand, which had been blurred with blisters, and instantly plunged it into Kawaro’s side.