Chapter 657: Temar’s Fifth Tomb (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 657: Temar’s Fifth Tomb (1)
The light extending from Veil’s blade was gradually taking the shape of a ‘door.’ The speed at which the portal formed was directly proportional to the amount of spirit energy being injected into the sword.
Sandra gushed that this was the power of yearning, while Hedo stared back and forth between his sword and the door, a dazed expression on his face.
‘…Just as the Black Dragon Murakan said, is Veil truly an artifact connected to the Runcandels of old, or to Solderet?’
The longsword Hedo had obtained by chance long ago had the word ‘Veil’ engraved on its blade.
— You… that sword. Where did you get it?
— That’s a strange question, Black Dragon. And from what I heard from those who witnessed your power at the Gaifa Archipelago, you weren’t quite at this level back then.
— Take good care of that sword. It seems to be an item connected to my past. Let’s go, kid.
On the day Jin’s party first encountered Hedo at the Tower of White Night, Murakan had been struck by a sudden, painful headache the moment he saw Hedo’s sword, as if a forgotten memory was desperately trying to surface.
Even after escaping the Sota Desert, Murakan had tried repeatedly to recall his memories of the longsword Veil, but he had failed every time.
Because of this, the party had assumed Hedo’s sword was another artifact whose history had been manipulated. Naturally, no one had imagined that Veil would be the key to Temar’s tomb.
“I can’t fathom how this is happening,” Hedo said. “You used a massive amount of spirit energy when we fought, yet the sword never reacted like this.”
“It’s likely because the condition of being at Temar’s tomb wasn’t met,” Jin replied. “It seems that sword is the key. Where did you get it?”
“In my youth. I took it after slaying a monster in the Black Sea.”
“I’d like to hear the details later. Regardless, you’ve given us hope, Tower Keeper. Thank you.”
It had been a complete coincidence. Jin bringing Hedo along on this journey to the Caldran Snowy Plains had been nothing more than a whim.
But now, Jin began to think that if the sword truly shared a history with Runcandel, it might not have been a coincidence at all, but destiny.
“12th Flagbearer,” Hedo said. “Once the dimensional gate is complete, you intend to enter, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“I’m going in too!” Sandra declared.
“You cannot, Milady.”
“No, Sandra.”
Jin and Hedo spoke at the same time.
“Ugh, why not!?”
“We don’t know what’s inside,” Jin explained. “If the Hister survivor is alive in there, it’s possible they entered and couldn’t get back out.”
“I agree,” Hedo added. “This is a different matter from coming to the Caldran Snowy Plains together. If this door truly leads to Temar’s tomb, there’s no predicting what could happen inside. Escape might be impossible.”
“Then what about you, Jin? You’re the only one who can stand against Rosa. What if you die in there?”
“Temar’s tombs are legacies left by my god and my ancestors for the sake of Runcandel. I have never once been in danger while exploring them. Furthermore, I’ve always been able to exit whenever I wished using spirit energy.”
That was, of course, a lie.
Jin had nearly died at the hands of guardians in most of the tombs. In the fourth tomb, he and Valeria had been trapped, waiting endlessly because he had no idea how to leave.
But with Yuria absent, Sandra had no way of knowing he was lying.
And even if she did, Jin intended to go in alone regardless.
“My concern is what the Young Lady, the Demon Dragon, and I should do,” Hedo said. “We can’t predict how long this will take or what the situation is inside.”
“Based on my past experiences, I should be able to return to the human world within a day or two.”
“We can’t wait here for that long.”
“I know. You should head back. Unless Rosa herself shows up, I can most likely escape under any circumstances.”
“I’m not leaving you behind!”
“Sandra, please.”
Above all, while Jin had grown close to Sandra, she and Hedo were still affiliated with Zipple. He could not allow them into Temar’s tomb.
“Still, no! Even if the tombs have been good to you so far, this one might be hostile. Hedo and I would be a huge help. Besides, you’re already exhausted just from opening the door.”
As Sandra said, a tremendous lethargy washed over Jin now that the door was fully formed. Nearly all of his spirit energy had been consumed just to open it.
‘The spirit energy required seems to be several times greater than what Murakan used for the first tomb.’
Though his aura and mana remained, Jin wouldn’t be able to fight at full strength if he encountered a formidable opponent inside.
“And what about Runcandel’s 3rd Flagbearer? What if it’s not Rosa but the 3rd Flagbearer waiting for you when you return? You’d have to face her alone, exhausted, and in the middle of enemy territory!”
Runcandel’s 3rd Flagbearer, Luntia Runcandel.
Ronil had mentioned that she had personally led a pursuit team to this area to hunt down Valeria. Luntia hadn’t shown herself yet, but the party guessed she would likely be among the reinforcements arriving soon.
As Jin took a step toward the door, Sandra threw herself at it first.
Hedo moved to block her but quickly realized there was no need.
Thump—!
“Ugh!”
As Sandra neared the portal, a shockwave erupted from it, violently repelling her. She tried again and again, but the result was the same.
“Dammit, what is this…! Hedo, you try! See if it repels you too.”
The same thing happened to Hedo. He managed to reach the door with his superhuman strength, but the moment his hand touched the threshold, he could go no further, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
“I believe forcing our way through might damage the door, Milady. Please give up,” he said.
For Jin, however, there was no such reaction.
“12th Flagbearer.”
Jin turned to look at Hedo.
“If possible, try to stall for at least three days inside the tomb. That will give us enough time to return and request help from Kinzelo.”
Hedo had concluded that using their Leader’s dimensional gate was the best option. Jin immediately agreed.
“Understood. I’ll do that if I can.”
“Also, when you return to this cave, release as much energy as you can. We’ll use that as a signal to have the Leader open a dimensional gate for you.”
“Your mind works remarkably fast for a man of your appearance, Tower Keeper,” Sandra remarked. “That’s a good plan. I feel a little better now.”
“I will have Orgal on standby as quickly as possible,” Hedo said. “I wish you luck.”
“Jin!”
Just as Jin nodded his farewell and turned to enter the door, Sandra rushed forward and hugged him.
“Remember this: if by some chance your comrades return to Tikan alive without you… I will kill every last one of them, no matter what it takes.”
The fact that she wasn’t joking made Jin’s head throb for a moment, but he managed a small smile.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As soon as Jin stepped through the door, the light that had formed from the longsword Veil winked out.
Sandra stared blankly at the spot where Jin had vanished, and Hedo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
*
Just as when he had entered Gliek’s abyss, the subspace of Temar’s fifth tomb was nothing but a murky, hollow darkness.
“Valeria!”
He shouted her name, but not even an echo returned.
Whether it was because his heart was racing or for some other reason, Jin did not feel the usual sense of comfort he felt within Solderet’s subspaces.
‘Unlike the other tombs, I don’t feel any spirit energy guiding me. There are no signs of damage from Zipple or anyone else, so there must be another reason.’
He had no choice but to start moving.
[Mya!]
Shuri emerged from the red jade. Jin immediately mounted the cat and began to search the vast, dark expanse.
Time flowed differently in a subspace. From what Jin had experienced, time in the human world passed much faster.
‘Where are you, Valeria…!’
After an hour of fruitless searching, just as his anxiety was about to peak, Shuri stopped and pointed forward with her paw.
[Mya, myamya!]
Something transparent and glass-like was emitting a faint light, on the verge of winking out. As he drew closer, Jin recognized it as a fragment of mana.
Specifically, a fragment of ‘Record Magic.’
<In this direction…>
‘A trace left by Valeria…!’
His heart began to pound. Record Magic wasn’t just for viewing the past; it could also be used to leave markers like this one.
‘Judging by how faint it is, it’s either old, or she barely managed to create it with what little mana she had left.’
Most importantly, the fact that the magic still lingered meant its caster was still alive.
Only then could Jin finally breathe a sigh of relief.
‘She isn’t dead. My teacher is definitely still inside this subspace.’
Shuri broke into a full sprint, following the direction indicated by the Record Magic. Hope swelled in Jin’s chest at the thought that he would soon be able to save her.
However, as he advanced, he felt an unpleasant energy growing stronger—and it wasn’t Valeria’s mana.
It was the energy of Chaos. It was massive, and its purity was on a completely different level from what he had felt back on the Caldran Snowy Plains.
As they neared the source of the Chaos, the subspace was no longer just desolate darkness. Traces of a fierce battle became visible.
The space around them was filled with cracks and distortions, all of them seemingly carved by a destructive style of swordsmanship.
Finally reaching the source, Jin came face-to-face with a woman.
It wasn’t Valeria.
[It’s been a long time… Youngest.]
Luntia Runcandel.
The woman Jin faced was none other than his second eldest sister.