Banished to the Abyss After Defying the Author-Chapter 19: City of Gold and Ash

The horizon changed before the land did.

Noah narrowed his eyes.

Clouds parted around something vast—stone towers piercing the sky, walls stretching like the spine of a sleeping titan.

He straightened slightly on Nyx’s back.

"Is that... Kurugshetra?"

Even from a day’s distance, its silhouette dominated the world.

Nyx’s hooves thundered against the earth.

"It must be. I have heard of it from the others. The most prosperous kingdom."

Prosperous.

Noah studied the scale again.

Walls thick enough to swallow armies. Spires touching low clouds. Golden reflections glinting even from leagues away.

"You can see it from a full day out," he murmured. "Impressive."

The wind shifted.

A tremor in nearby brush caught his attention.

"Nyx."

The unicorn’s horn flickered faintly.

"Fire into that patch."

A beam of light tore through the bushes.

A man stumbled out, masked, sword raised—laughing.

"Well now... looks like fortune smiles today!"

More figures emerged, blades glinting.

Noah stepped down from Nyx calmly.

"What do you want?"

The leader grinned and pointed his sword lazily.

"All your gold."

Noah regarded them for a moment.

Then he opened a portal in front of them.

Gold spilled out.

At first, their laughter grew louder. Hands scooped greedily.

Then the coins didn’t stop.

The pile rose.

And rose.

The men sank waist-deep.

Then chest-deep.

Coins flowed like a metallic avalanche—thick, heavy, endless.

"Stop! Stop it!"

Noah tilted his head.

"Didn’t you ask for all of it?"

They struggled, but the more they thrashed, the faster the coins poured. Gold swallowed their movements like quicksand.

Noah mounted Nyx again.

"I have infinite money," he said mildly. "Good luck."

Nyx resumed running.

For a while, only the wind answered.

Then Nyx’s voice returned quietly.

"Will that not cause problems?"

"It will not affect me."

"That is not what I meant."

Noah glanced down slightly.

"If that much gold appears in one place... people will ask questions."

Silence stretched between them.

Noah looked ahead.

"It’s not a big deal."

Yet his fingers tightened faintly on the reins.

The next morning, Kurugshetra loomed fully before them.

Walls rising hundreds of meters. Gates wide enough for giants. Everything gleamed.

Gold. Stone. Crystal.

Too much gold.

They passed through the gate.

Eyes followed them.

Not curious.

Afraid.

"Nyx... why are they staring?"

"Perhaps because of me," Nyx replied. "Most unicorns here belong to Solaris buyers."

Noah scanned the streets.

Gold buildings. Polished roads.

But the air felt... heavy.

Not vibrant.

Muted.

Prosperity without warmth.

They stopped before a grand structure carved with ornate sigils.

CONTRACTED PASS GUILD.

Noah stepped inside.

Empty.

Dust lingered in sunlight.

"Is anyone here?"

Silence.

He stepped back out and approached a nearby man.

He grabbed his wrist lightly.

"You. Why is this guild closed?"

The man’s face drained of color.

"Great God... please don’t kill us."

Noah blinked.

"Great God?"

"You are not the Great God?"

"No."

Relief flooded the man instantly. He even patted Noah’s shoulder casually.

"Ah! Good. I thought—"

Noah stepped away from the touch.

"I asked you two questions, Who is this GREAT GOD and why the CONTRACTED PASS GUILD is closed?"

The man straightened.

"My name is Quin. I am a merchant."

Noah stared.

"I did not ask your biography."

Quin smiled faintly.

"In Kurugshetra, we introduce ourselves first. Then we speak."

Noah inhaled slowly.

"My name is Noah. I am a traveler."

"Good," Quin nodded. "As for the Great God... perhaps we should speak privately."

Nyx followed silently as Noah walked beside the merchant.

They moved into narrower streets.

Gold still lined the walls.

But cracks showed beneath the shine.

Windows shuttered early.

Conversations hushed as they passed.

Noah studied the mood carefully.

Prosperity... layered over fear.

And that word echoed again in his mind.

Great God.

Could someone be using my sealed authority?

He looked up instinctively—then remembered.

No clairvoyance.

No passive sight.

Just deduction.

Just instinct.

He exhaled slowly and followed Quin into the alleyways of Kurugshetra.

The air felt heavier with every step.

The alley narrowed until even the sky disappeared.

Quin slowed his steps.

"Now we are alone."

The tone shifted.

Noah felt it before he heard it—the faint tremor of breath behind walls, the scrape of metal shifting in shadow.

Boots stepped out from darkness.

One.

Two.

Ten.

Men emerged in a half-circle. Blades drawn. Eyes sharp.

Nyx’s voice brushed against Noah’s mind.

"They’ve surrounded us."

Noah exhaled softly.

Of course they had.

He looked at Quin.

"This is why I dislike mortals," he said calmly. "You stand in front of something you do not understand and still choose greed."

Quin laughed.

"Greed? No. Opportunity." He gestured around. "You are surrounded. Give us everything."

"Everything?" Noah’s gaze drifted briefly toward the golden rooftops visible at the alley’s end. "Your kingdom bleeds gold from its walls and you still crave more."

A few of the men shifted uncomfortably.

Noah’s eyes flickered to their weapons.

There.

A faint pulse.

Divinity.

Small. Fragmented. Almost accidental.

They don’t even know what they’re holding.

One man lunged.

The blade cut through air where Noah had stood.

Noah moved only a fraction—then struck.

His fist connected with the attacker’s chest.

The sound was not loud.

But the body ruptured from within—scattering into ash and fragments against the alley walls.

The divine blade clattered to the ground.

Silence.

Noah bent, picked it up, and examined its edge.

A weak glow traced the metal.

"Low divinity," he murmured. "But sufficient."

He lifted the sword and aimed it lazily at the remaining men.

"I could cut you in half with this."

They were trembling now.

Quin’s voice cracked.

"Di... divinity? What are you talking about?"

Noah smiled faintly.

"You truly do not know what you wield?"

Their eyes darted between the sword and Noah.

Nyx’s breathing had stilled completely.

The alley felt smaller.

He tilted the blade slightly, and its faint glow reflected in their widening eyes.

"Interesting," Noah continued softly. "A kingdom of gold. Divine weapons in mortal hands. And yet... you think this is about money."

He stepped forward.

One step.

No one moved.

Gold dust drifted faintly in the air between them.

Noah’s smile did not widen.

But it did not fade either.