The Ancient Wraiths of Pandemonium and Dark Moon's Evolution
Just as the bizarre ancient dimensional isolation magic circle that had activated in the palace audience chamber had nullified ordinary mana interference, the stone statues lining this ashen ruin and the grotesque monsters among them were effortlessly scattering any strikes of conventional elemental magic.
This was a space of absolute power where the standardized spell formulas so familiar in the world of Arhen simply did not apply.
Without turning his gaze toward Freya, the silver-haired imperial princess standing at his back, Yushin issued his order in a low but resolute voice.
"Freya, don't stray a single step from behind me."
"Yes, Yushin...!"
Freya nodded without hesitation and pressed herself close behind him. From the thick grimoire cradled in her arms, a soft holy light began to bloom, and the princess's golden eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
It wasn't as though Yushin had no other way out. But the very instant he tried to draw mana up from the depths of his dantian, the magic sword Dark Moon sheathed at his waist roared furiously and trembled, as if responding to its master's will.
Vuuuuum—!
This was no mere warning hum. The jet-black blade spewed red and black mist, baring its edge like a ravenous beast. Even though Yushin hadn't gripped the hilt, Dark Moon's ego was already bristling with killing intent toward the enemies lurking in the air around them.
The moment Yushin recalled that ordinary mana held no purchase in this space, a lightningbolt intuition struck through his mind. What Dark Moon was reacting to so frenziedly was not made of stone, nor was it some simple magical device.
It was a mass of wraiths — the grudges and bloodlust of dying ancient prisoners, rotting and festering, forcibly stitched together into form. A cursed residue that had clung to the bottom of this dimension for thousands of years, feeding on hatred and growing fat upon it.
Clack!
The instant Yushin seized Dark Moon's hilt, the colossal congregation of wraiths drifting through the air recoiled in instinctive terror. As though recognizing, for the first time in its existence, an absolute predator it had never encountered before, the monster of dark-red misty form shuddered minutely and froze solid with fear.
The magic sword Dark Moon was, in truth, the one and only natural enemy of beings that devoured and consumed souls and wraiths whole.
"Freya, I've found our way through. Please cover me with support magic."
Without a shred of doubt, Freya clasped her hands together and unfolded the grimoire as if in prayer.
"Leave it to me, Yushin! High-tier enhancement magic that strengthens allies is my specialty — far better than attack spells!"
From Freya's fingertips, sacred lines of mana woven of white and gold bloomed upward and gently enveloped Yushin's entire body.
Viiiinnnng!
Amplified speed, maximized reaction time, reinforced magic resistance, and the blessing of physical enhancement. The flawless, airtight support befitting a supreme support mage honed Yushin's nervous system razor-sharp in real time.
Yushin kicked off the ground with explosive acceleration and raised Dark Moon low. Then, toward the grotesquely towering giant wraith-statue, he split the air and brought down a single, unwavering, cleaving stroke from above.
Skaaag—!
"Movement... halted... Ughaaaaak!"
From within the split statue came a tearing scream, and fluid of wraith-stuff, black as blood, erupted like a fountain. Where Dark Moon's jet-black trajectory had passed, what collapsed before even solid rock did were the ancient wraiths struggling to hold their form.
Ssssaaak!
The lingering echoes of the dark-red vengeful spirits spiraled into a vast whirlpool and were greedily sucked into the body of Dark Moon's blade. Stripped of every wraith within, the statue slumped forward powerlessly, leaving nothing but an empty shell.
KWAAANG!
The moment the massive statue, drained of all its wraith-energy, shattered and crashed to the floor, ominous stirrings surged up in unison from the dozens of ancient statues sprawled across every corner of the ruin. Frozen shadows warped and twisted, and the sigils on the broken altars flashed blood-red as they began to awaken, one by one.
Grrrrrr...!
Dozens of wraith-monsters surrounded Yushin and Freya, their eyes gleaming crimson. But the answer to victory was already crystal clear.
Dark Moon writhed in Yushin's grip with delight. For beings animated by wraiths and vengeful souls, the edge of this magic sword spelled not opposition but merely a rich harvest of sustenance.
Tatadak!
Yushin's new form moved like lightning, cutting straight across the heart of the ruin.
Chwaaaaak! KWANG!
Each time Dark Moon carved a massive black half-circle through the air, several wraith-monsters were cleaved in two by a single stroke and devoured into the blade.
Pusuuuk!
Gorged on wraiths, Dark Moon's blade had grown visibly longer and heavier than before — by more than a handspan, plainly obvious even to the naked eye. The jet-black demonic aura flowing along the black blade had deepened further still, pressing down heavily upon the air of the space as though swallowing all surrounding light.
"Yushin... the aura pouring off that sword is so sinister, and so immense..."
Freya's gaze had come to rest on the tip of Dark Moon's blade, which still pulsed with the lingering blue and red afterglow. In her golden eyes, steady until only moments ago, a rare trace of deep wariness had surfaced.
Yushin steadied his breath and smiled gently.
"It's not a wicked sword, so don't worry too much, Freya."
At least, so long as he could maintain perfect control over it, it was safe. As if responding to Yushin's heart, Dark Moon quietly settled, drawing its overflowing bloodlust deep into the core of the blade.
And in that very moment, the calm notification of the system entity Yurang-i rang through his mind.
[ By absorbing the vast essence of ancient wraiths, your equipment is evolving. ]
[ The magic sword Dark Moon has risen to D-rank! ]
At last, the magic sword Dark Moon had reached D-rank.
Yushin calmly slid Dark Moon back into its sheath at his waist and looked at Freya.
"I've cleared out all the dangerous ones for now. But more than anything, I think we need to figure out just what this place is."
Only then did Freya let out a breath of relief and take a step closer to Yushin's side.
"Before that... you've been calling me 'Princess' all this time, and it feels so stiff and distant. Just call me Freya, please."
Yushin smiled as he looked at her reddening cheeks.
"As you wish, Freya."
At the tender sound of her name, Freya's face lit up with a happiness brighter than anyone's in the world.
"Heheh, that's much better. I'll call you Yushin from now on, too."
It was a small, tender exchange, but the tension that had hung in this desolate and perilous ruin melted away as gently as snow.
Yushin brushed his fingertips over the collapsed statues and the remnants of the magic circle etched into the floor. This was no place where wraiths had merely gathered of their own accord.
It was an eternal prison and quarantine zone, meticulously engineered by someone using transcendent ancient magic.
"Freya, that banishment circle that dragged us from the palace to this place... did it resemble the palace's guardian barrier at all?"
Freya shook her head, as if searching her memory.
"No, not at all. Its fundamental structure is completely different from the modern magic formulas the Empire uses today. If anything... it resembles records I once saw in ancient grimoires from before the founding, thousands of years ago."
"Records still survive?"
"Not the exact formula, but I remember the name quite clearly. In those old documents, this place was called... Pandemonium — the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons."
Pandemonium. An abyssal prison where countless demons, vengeful spirits, and abandoned prisoners were locked away forever, rotting through eternity.
Yushin gazed at the engravings on a broken stone pillar and fell deep into thought.
"Why the palace was built in that geographically indefensible, ambiguous location — all the pieces are finally falling into place."
Freya nodded.
"Yes... The palace is the heart of the Empire, and at the same time, it was a colossal seal — erected to press down upon and forever plug the entrance to this vast Pandemonium from above."
"And the key capable of breaking through that colossal seal... was me, the Dimensional Wanderer, all along."
Yushin took Freya's slender hand and clasped it warmly.
"Freya, I'm truly sorry for dragging you into such mortal danger because of me. But I take responsibility — I will bring you back to the palace safely, I swear it."
Freya wrapped both of her hands around his, her golden eyes sparkling beneath her violet flower-ribbon hairpin as she smiled sweetly.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Yushin. Haven't we already promised to share our future together? I'll be your strength until the very end, by your side."
At that sacred, tender confession, Yushin's heart plummeted with a heavy thud.
But before the sweet warmth between them could fade, the earth began to groan once more from the deep darkness of Pandemonium.
Vuuuuum—!
The ancient rune circles on the floor blazed blood-red, and from the abyss at the far end of the ruin, the presence of colossal ancient demonic beasts of an entirely different order began to stir.
Yushin drew Dark Moon once more, curling the corner of his mouth upward.
"They don't give us a moment's rest. Freya — let's carve our way through and get out in one go."
"Yes, Yushin!"
The brilliant abyssal breakthrough of Yushin, wielding the magic sword Dark Moon, and of Princess Freya, weaving her supreme support magic, was at last raising its curtain in earnest.