Death Mountain (3)
"It was when we entered that place..."
The knight's voice trembled as he began his recollection.
One day prior, at the entrance to Death Mountain
The forbidden entrance to Death Mountain, a place no one dared approach, should have been silent. Instead, it buzzed with the clatter of armor and weapons.
"Sirka's never in any real danger... Bernard's just way too overprotective."
One knight grumbled, and the others nodded in agreement.
Calling their captain overprotected was downright bizarre in a nation like Haven, where strength ruled all. But to those who knew Bernard and Sirka's bond, it felt inevitable.
Bernard had practically raised Sirka himself.
She had appeared alone in the Black Domain as a child, and he had cared for her ever since—even now, as leader of the Hei Ye Regiment, his protective instincts hadn't faded.
No matter how strong the child, a parent's feelings made it natural.
And Sirka, their captain, treated Bernard like a grandfather and followed him obediently.
"Orders are orders, though. We find Sirka and bring her back safe."
The knight acting as vice-captain spoke gravely.
"Move out!"
The knights marched into Death Mountain as one.
It was always a treacherous place, but today an even chillier aura hung in the air.
As they delved into the mountainside, a cold wind began to howl.
The leaves on the trees clashed in the gusts, sounding like swords striking steel.
Clang! Clang-clang! Ching!
Sharp metallic echoes rang out from every direction.
Razor-edged leaves tore free from branches and whipped through the air, slicing into the knights' armor.
Ting! Ding! Click!
"Whew... True to Death Mountain."
The vice-captain leading the way muttered tensely.
His armor was already marred with tiny scratches.
"Stay sharp. The wind's fiercer than usual. And never remove your helmets. A moment's carelessness can cost your life here."
The knights nodded, proceeding even more cautiously into the depths.
Every step was deliberate, shields raised to fend off the flying leaves.
Ding... King... Whummm...
As the knights adapted to Death Mountain, their tension began to ease.
"How strong must Sirka be to stroll through a place like this unarmed?"
One knight murmured in awe.
Their captain was younger than them, but her power commanded true reverence.
"Hah, Sirka could treat this mountain like a walk in the park. She's probably napping somewhere. Once she dozes off, she sleeps for days."
"Yeah, three days is her minimum even normally."
"True. We'll probably get chewed out for waking her when we find her."
It was right then.
Rumble-rumble-rumble...
The ground suddenly began to shake.
"Wh-what is it?"
"An earthquake?"
Before the knights could react, the earth cracked open.
Crack! Crack-crack-crack!
The ground tore like paper—some spots surging upward, others sinking deep.
The mountain's very shape was changing before their eyes.
"Aaaagh!"
"Watch out!"
"Stick together! Don't scatter!"
The knights screamed, struggling to keep their balance as the ground heaved beneath them.
But the real danger was elsewhere. Everything on Death Mountain was sword-sharp.
Boom!
A knight lost his footing as the earth bucked, tumbling sideways. The instant his body hit a jagged rock edge—
Snap!
"Gaaah!"
"Roland!"
His comrades rushed to help, but the ground split again.
Sharp stone shards erupted from the fissure like a fountain.
Shoooosh!
"Urk!"
"Dodge!"
The fragments flew like arrows in all directions.
The knights raised shields, but Death Mountain's stones pierced even those.
Kang! Zzzip!
"My shield...!"
Worse still, the quake toppled trees.
Enormous trunks with blade-like branches tilted—
Crack! Boom!
"Above you!"
"Dodge! Trees falling!"
They thought dodging and blocking would hold, but then the earth itself began to writhe.
Groooar!
Like a living beast, the ground rippled in waves.
Uprooted boulders crashed like tidal waves, sweeping the knights away helplessly.
Thud! Boom!
"Urgh!"
One knight was hurled skyward by a massive rock, like being hit by a carriage.
His body impaled on a sharp tree—
Splurch!
"Ngh..."
The others fared no better.
Tossed by the churning earth, they collided everywhere, wounds opening.
"Help... me..."
"That's all I remember."
The knight finished his tale in a quivering voice.
His face was ashen, eyes still haunted by terror.
"When I came to, only we were dumped near the entrance... Like someone had deliberately thrown us out."
I listened in silence.
Why the hell is it activating already...?
Baekseol asked cautiously.
"What about the others...?"
"I don't know. Our comrades deeper in... they're still inside the mountain..."
His voice trailed off.
No one needed to say it. We all knew the fate of those left in Death Mountain's depths.
I decided to leave this place first.
If my suspicions were right, we needed to move fast.
"Thanks. Must've been tough."
As I turned to go, the knight grabbed me.
"Captain, if it's not too much... Can I tell you what I saw right before collapsing? I thought it was a hallucination, but maybe it helps..."
Desperation laced his voice.
Guilt and fear over lost comrades twisted his face.
"Speak."
I turned to face him.
He hesitated, then whispered shakily.
"Deep in the moving earth... faint, but I swear I saw a massive eye."
That confirmed it.
No way... It's already awakened?
I spun and strode out.
Baekseol followed, seizing my arm.
"Astra, you know something, don't you?"
I paused.
Should I tell the truth?
"...Yes. I have a theory."
I admitted partially.
"Is Sirka really in danger, then?"
"If I'm right..."
My voice turned ice-cold.
"Even Sirka's at risk. Or rather, especially Sirka."
Thump- thump- thump-
"Urgh... What the...?"
Sirka opened her eyes to find herself bound and in some dark underground chamber.
Cold iron chains shackled her wrists and ankles, linked to a massive stone pillar.
"What happened?"
She scanned her surroundings in confusion.
She remembered entering Death Mountain, seeing the terrain shift, turning back.
Nothing after that.
Thump- thump- thump-
"Where... am I? What the hell...?"
The relentless rhythm grated on her nerves.
Like a gigantic heartbeat, but laced with ominous malice.
"Gramps... must be worried."
Bernard's face flashed in her mind.
The only one treating her like true family since she became captain. He was probably pacing sleepless in the Black Domain right now.
Clank.
How much does this bastard underestimate me? If you're gonna kill me, do it already.
Rage blazed in Sirka's eyes.
Whoever chained her up like this and left her—she'd rip their limbs off until they begged for death.
As she strained to snap the chains, something felt off.
"What...? Why won't it break?"
She panicked.
Even without her assassination-focused ability, raw strength should shred these chains like paper.
But now, she felt powerless as a normal human.
"Raaagh!"
Sirka thrashed with a guttural roar.
Clank! Clink! Clank-clank! Clink-clink! Clank-clank!
The chains scraped the pillar with shrill shrieks.
Clank! Clink! Clank-clank! Clink-clink-clink! Clank-clank-clank!
The echoes filled the chamber.
But no matter how she struggled, the chains held firm, draining her energy instead.
Clank! Clink-clink! Clank-clank! Clink-clink-clink!
Vital and stubborn, Sirka kept yanking.
Blood dripped from deepening wrist wounds, but she ignored it.
Then—
"Kukukuk..."
A low chuckle echoed from the darkness.
Sirka froze, whipping her gaze toward it.
The shadows were too thick to make out a shape, but someone was there.
"Who the hell are you? Why can't I use my power?"
Her voice mixed wariness and fury.
She rattled her bloodied wrists, chains jingling.
"Kukukuk... You've finally woken, child. Do you believe in God?"