Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Chapter 84.
The ground beneath their feet gave way.
As the earth crumbled beneath them, the three were swallowed by gravity pressing down on their entire bodies.
The Imperial Princess had no time to process the situation.
The moment she was about to scold Aiden for his rudeness in abruptly grabbing her, they were already falling.
A pitch-black abyss. A sickening sensation of her organs shifting assaulted the princess. A blade-like wind howled from below, raking over her entire body.
Just as the chilling terror threatened to overwhelm her, the only thing that steadied her nerves was the massive arm wrapped around her waist—Aiden's. The princess grimaced and clutched the safety strap tightly.
I'll definitely demand an explanation for this later, she vowed.
Meanwhile, Yuriel felt nothing but absolute security. With Aiden, incidents like this had become routine, and safety was practically guaranteed.
Besides, this was legal physical contact—no need to worry about prying eyes. She clung to him without hesitation, and his arm tightened around her in response. (Or maybe that was just her imagination.)
The three plummeted.
Just before they struck the undulating water's surface, Yuriel encased them in a holy barrier. Even with the aquatic transformation, a fall from this height would rupture an ordinary person's organs from the sheer impact.
SPLOOSH!
A towering column of water erupted as they plunged into the depths.
In the inky blackness where not an inch ahead was visible, Aiden unleashed his radiant aura, allowing them to see each other clearly.
Raphelia resembled a half-human, half-orca hybrid. Aiden took the form of a sea crocodile. Yuriel shimmered like a golden mermaid.
Before they could even catch their breath, a violent current seized them, dragging them toward an unknown destination.
The accelerating force grew until it finally robbed Yuriel and the princess of consciousness.
To Aiden, however, the dizzying speed posed no issue. If anything, he felt eerily calm—another reminder of how far he had grown.
His dynamic vision captured every fleeting bubble in an instant. Even in this dire situation, his cognitive abilities analyzed every variable and planned ahead.
He had long since transcended the bounds of humanity.
The ability points gained alongside his divinity equaled an entire year's worth of growth in the East.
This was natural progression—and the very reason he had chosen this route.
The underground waterway connecting the Imperial Capital to the Royal Capital condensed a week-long journey on horseback into a mere three hours.
No human could endure such velocity. Even with aquatic transformation, it was impossible.
Unless, of course, Aiden was involved.
By cradling the group and absorbing the impact with his own body, he could mitigate physical damage.
True, their speed would decrease—but it was still far faster than traveling by land.
And so, Aiden spent an entire day hurtling through the waterways.
A space swallowed by darkness.
In the void where not a sliver of light reached, an untimely glow began to rise.
Its source was a murky pool.
Faint at first, it gradually brightened until, the moment it breached the water's surface, the light erupted into the air.
It scattered across the ceiling, bleaching the surroundings white.
The colossal cavern, once shrouded in darkness, revealed its true form.
A towering ceiling. Jagged stalactites dripping turbid limestone water onto the ground below.
And settled over two centuries of miasma, hanging like a fog and reeking of pure corruption.
A paladin sensitive to the stench burst from the pool.
SPLASH!
A geyser erupted as Aiden soared before landing gracefully. He gently set down the princess and the saintess, whom he had tucked under each arm.
Yuriel was completely unconscious, but Raphelia had clung to at least half her senses.
The princess coughed violently, spitting out brackish water before glaring up at Aiden.
"...A warning would've been nice."
"I couldn't elaborate. My apologies."
This waterway was a route only accessible after completing an entire side episode. Aiden had exploited a loophole—and thus, disclosure was forbidden.
The princess frowned slightly.
"Is it always like this with you?"
"Occasionally."
"Your comrades must find it insufferable."
Everyone did.
Yuron, Deril, Yuriel, Zeras, Yona, Saya—everyone had demanded explanations at first. Eventually, they all just followed in silence.
Aiden nodded.
"I do hear complaints now and then."
His indifferent tone made the princess scoff as she pushed herself up. Then, in a subdued voice, she asked:
"You really couldn't have brought the royal guard, could you?"
"I wouldn't have been able to protect them in the waterway."
"So then—where exactly are we?"
"An underground cavern beneath the Royal Capital, connected to the labyrinth."
In other words, he had skipped every tedious step.
Crossing the border, infiltrating the capital, sneaking into the palace, descending into the depths undetected—
A third of the princess's plan had been dedicated to this process alone. Aiden had excised it entirely.
Objectively, Raphelia had no choice but to be pleased.
A subordinate who consistently delivered such results? Most rulers would tolerate a bit of willfulness.
Of course, Aiden wasn't her subordinate. Praising him felt awkward.
As the princess privately savored her satisfaction, Yuriel groaned and half-opened her eyes.
Aiden immediately moved to lift her.
"Are you awake?"
The princess snorted at the sight.
"Quite the difference in treatment."
Protocol dictated that the imperial family's safety took absolute precedence. Such care should've been directed at her first.
But she didn't mind. She despised being coddled anyway.
Had I been born male, life would've been far more satisfying.
(Incidentally, Aiden could make that happen. But that was a matter for the future.)
Yuriel slowly blinked up at Aiden before coughing violently—a reaction to the layers of accumulated miasma.
Aiden spoke.
"You may purify it now."
Once they entered the labyrinth, holy power would need to be restrained. But here, it didn't matter.
Yuriel flushed slightly.
"Um, could you put me down first?"
Under the princess's gaze, she felt self-conscious.
Aiden set her down. The princess approached, an amused glint in her eyes.
"Would you have refused if it were a man holding you?"
Yuriel laughed awkwardly.
"How could I ever refuse my god? I only feel guilty toward Your Highness."
In a way, Yuriel had incited religious turmoil. She played a decisive role in Aiden's ascension to divinity.
If the princess called her a traitor, she'd have no defense.
Raphelia shook her head.
"It was what Vacheksar willed. Those who deny it should be groveling at my feet for their lives. Pay them no mind."
Yuriel knew the princess meant it. She was the only one whose words and heart aligned. Even without her mystic eyes (now lost), she wouldn't have needed to verify it.
Yuriel bowed slightly.
"I'm always grateful to you, Your Highness."
The princess smirked.
"Enough. Just purify this place already. I can barely breathe."
Yuriel immediately fired a holy orb into the air. The natural light source began devouring the violet haze. Even two centuries of decayed miasma were mere dust before such divine radiance.
The surroundings cleared.
Aiden turned to them.
"Let's move."
The princess and saintess fell in step behind him. The damp cavern floor exhaled a biting chill, but the princess's Heavenly Radiance enveloped them in a gentle warmth, preserving their body heat.
A power only the imperial family could wield—the essence of the sun.
Aiden had no need for it.
"Save it for yourselves."
He pressed onward. The cavern gradually narrowed as they walked.
The princess glanced at Yuriel.
"Do you know our destination?"
Yuriel shook her head slightly.
"Not in detail. But I was told it's the path to reclaiming the Solar Throne."
The princess studied Aiden's back with an unreadable gaze before replying.
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all I was told."
"And you followed him based on that?"
"Aren't you similar, Your Highness? Even in the past, you've always been..."
"Reckless?"
"More like... someone people naturally trust and follow."
One could call it the charisma of a ruler. The princess chuckled dryly.
"Had I his shoulders, it would've been even more so."
Yuriel smiled faintly.
"You're already more than enough."
"'Enough' doesn't exist. But anyway—"
The princess shifted the mood abruptly.
"You should know this too. We're heading into the Demon Realm."
Yuriel stared at her in surprise.
The princess continued calmly.
"You're aware of Atraksha, yes?"
Yuriel nodded.
"...The Moon God, and Your Highness's ancestor."
The imperial bloodline carried equal parts solar and lunar essence—though diluted over generations of intermarriage with humans.
The princess spoke slowly.
"His avatar slumbers in the Demon Realm. For two hundred years, it's been tormented as the demons' plaything."
That was the curse.
The Moon's avatar, defiled by demons. Freeing her would sever the chain of abominations.
No more flawed crown princes would be born.
Yuriel, unaware of the imperial family's dark history, struggled to grasp the full weight. The princess explained dispassionately.
By the time she finished, Yuriel's face was etched with horror.
The princess smiled bitterly.
"I killed my brother with my own hands."
"Y-Your Highness—"
Yuriel couldn't find the words.
The princess continued.
"Regardless, the labyrinth we're entering was once the palace where the Sun and Moon resided in the mortal realm."
380 years ago, Vacheksar and Atraksha had lived there together—in the Demon Realm.
And beneath the Royal Capital of Traphel lay a passage connecting the continent to the labyrinth.
A backdoor arranged by Vacheksar himself. Under normal circumstances, setting foot in the Demon Realm would've been impossible.
One could call it a deus ex machina crafted by a god.
The Sun needed a hero to compensate for his own powerlessness—to rescue the lover he'd been forced to abandon in the Demon Realm.
That was Aiden's role.
Yuriel silently drew a holy sigil.
The princess spoke again.
"Yet your god claimed three people would suffice for such a perilous journey."
She halted abruptly. The once-spacious cavern had narrowed to the point where even Aiden's massive frame had to crouch.
As he began deciphering the runes on a stone slab blocking their path, the princess addressed him.
"Well? You said you'd be certain once we arrived. If there's even a hint of doubt, we can turn back and return with the royal guard."
This was the entrance to the Demon Realm. One more step, and there would be no turning back.
Aiden answered in his usual calm tone.
"Unnecessary sacrifices, that's all it would be."
He pointed to the inscription on the slab.
"Shed your blood here."
The princess narrowed her eyes.
"Are you certain?"
"Do not doubt it."
His voice held not a trace of hesitation.
Aiden added:
"You will sit upon the throne."
"And you will ascend to godhood."
The princess drew a dagger across her palm. Aiden unleashed his divinity.
Divine power descended from the heavens.
And the three vanished without a trace.