Resolution
"What did you say?"
"Lady God Hand, the Knight of the Goddess, has come to the imperial capital seeking Sir Tiny."
A Blue Wing knight cautiously continued his report in the presence of the gathered group.
"The empire tried to bar her entry on a national level, but she persisted day and night for over a month. In the end, His Majesty approved..."
The words that followed didn't even register in their ears.
'What the fuck...'
It was news that twisted everyone's faces in dismay. Even the Sword Emperor clutched the back of his neck.
"His Majesty did? Hah, I'm already on edge, and now this..."
"Did the Holy Knight come alone?"
Jenas asked on behalf of his stunned lord.
"Pardon? Ah, yes. It seems she came by herself."
"Then it's probably not an official visit from the temple's perspective, my lord."
The response snapped the dazed group back to attention, but their expressions remained grim.
"Even so..."
The Sword Emperor glanced at the reporting knight, and Jenas quickly gestured for the subordinate to withdraw.
And soon enough.
"...The very fact that she's come to meet Tiny is suspicious. Even if it's not an official temple visit."
Jenas tilted his head at the Sword Emperor's words.
"But from what I know, the Holy Knight has always charged ahead like a berserker when purging the temple's enemies, without regard for front or back. Has she ever approached with such decorum?"
"Hm? Huh, true. Yeah, that's right..."
As the Sword Emperor pondered that, sinking into thought.
"I said that before, too."
Luna shot him a wronged look.
The Sword Emperor flinched, offering an awkward smile before shaking his head firmly.
"...Still, my answer remains the same. Even if there's the slimmest chance, we can't let Tiny get entangled with the temple."
"I agree."
Tiny scowled as he spoke up. So far, he'd only shared his regression secret with those he trusted implicitly. But there was no guarantee stray words hadn't reached the temple's ears unconsciously.
Of course, they had to inform those who needed to know, or their plans would stall—but still.
'If the temple suspects anything.'
- The one who traversed time, infringing on the Goddess's omnipotence.
The moment the temple defined Tiny that way, everything would unravel. It wouldn't just be assassination attempts; he'd earn the enmity of every Goddess Church believer.
'Enemy of the Goddess. Tch, no way in hell.'
His goal—to smash the Demon King's skull, etch his name in history, and make his fame echo to the heavens—could sink before it even began.
Of course, that didn't mean.
"We can't dodge them forever. We need to use the temple's power too, eventually."
They couldn't keep tiptoeing around the temple indefinitely. And there wasn't no solution at hand.
"If the name 'Knight of Glory' overshadows the temple, or if you grow strong enough to match them."
The Sword Emperor's two options both sounded viable. Impossible for an ordinary person, but for the current Tiny, neither was out of reach. With enough time, he was certain he'd achieve both someday.
Just.
"The problem is, we're not there yet."
"Obviously. Even if the temple's corrupt, the Goddess Church is still the continent's bedrock faith. Overpowering their name after thwarting a few demon worshippers a handful of times? Too soon."
"And if they lay low as expected, I won't have many chances to build more fame."
Of the two paths, the latter seemed more feasible since the first's timeline was unpredictable.
"It all hinges on how fast you get stronger..."
Tiny met the Sword Emperor's piercing glare with a confident smile.
"Won't take years. Honestly, if I just touch the Aura User realm, God Hand couldn't touch me."
The Holy Knight God Hand, blessed by the Goddess to live centuries. A monster who'd forgotten his own birth name after eons. But his edge came from supreme holy power atop the Aura User realm.
Whatever the constraints, his prowess had remained unchanged since his fame began. His pinnacle Aura User skills synergized with equal-tier holy magic yielded near-Aura Exceeder might.
That was the truth God Hand—Knight of the Goddess, Holy Knight—had proven for centuries.
Higher realms amplified gaps between peers, so conventionally, Tiny's boast sounded absurd.
But no one here doubted him.
"Yeah, if you're at Superior level and overwhelming Jenas, sure."
"My lord..."
Jenas looked wounded but didn't deny it. In recent spars, his North Wind had been useless. He'd edged early victories while Tiny adjusted, but losses piled up after.
Watching Luna grow had drawn him to these sessions; spars with Tiny were the grindstone sharpening his teeth.
"If you learn Shadow Law, you could do it even sooner."
"I told you, that's a waste of talent, sis."
Luna smiled faintly despite her suggestion being shot down, pleased as punch.
After awakening his shadow mana affinity tied to his bloodline, Tiny had started calling her "sis" openly. She beamed every time.
'That's why she keeps saying weird shit...'
The Sword Emperor sighed at the sight.
"The issue is how long it'll take."
"Even training this hard, it'll be a few more years. Challenger's one thing, but breaching Aura takes real effort."
"Fair enough."
"'Real effort'... Hah..."
Jenas let out a dazed chuckle. A 15-year-old claiming superhuman status in years, and no one batted an eye. It still felt off—and fueled his fire.
Regression and monstrous talent aside, Jenas prided his own gifts and grind.
"I won't lose to you, Tiny. Never!"
As he steeled himself.
"I'll beat you there, old man."
"O-Old man...?"
Luna's interjection shattered his resolve in a whole other way. The Sword Emperor, watching the farce, sighed unwittingly.
"But God Hand's already in the capital. I can keep her from storming the mansion, but His Majesty's approval won't hold forever. We need a plan."
A dilemma no one could answer lightly.
Then, after agonizing head-scratching, Tiny spoke heavily.
"That... Death Knight incident. Any updates?"
The Sword Emperor tilted his head at the abrupt shift but replied promptly.
"Ah, I was gonna mention it. I asked Tiness casually, and he found ominous passages in ancient texts."
"Ominous...?"
"Said they cropped up often right before the ancient Demon Realm War. What about your past life?"
"This is insane..."
Tiny sighed in the hopeless mess.
'Knew it was bad, but...'
Did this happen in his past life too, unnoticed? He hoped so—but doubted it. The demon worshipper uprising wouldn't have been quelled so easily.
'Why? How? Did my changes backfire somehow?'
His mind tangled further, but answers evaded him. Dimensions, gods, demons—arcane even to modern archmages. No foundation, no guesses.
"Ah, shoulda studied more..."
Tiny grumbled self-reproachfully, then sighed under the group's stares.
"I was in the Great Labyrinth then, so I don't know pre-descent details. Told you about the demon worshippers too."
"Ah... Right."
The Sword Emperor sighed as Tiny gritted his teeth, resolute.
"Guess I have to go to the Great Labyrinth."
The sudden declaration stunned everyone.
"...What?"
"Suddenly, why?"
"What do you mean, Tiny? Out of nowhere."
Fair reactions. From Holy Knight to Death Knights, then bam—Great Labyrinth.
But Tiny was set.
"Too many variables. God Hand alone's a headache now. Better head to the Labyrinth, power up fast."
Silence fell briefly. Their blank stares screamed the same thing.
- What the hell?
Only then did Tiny realize he'd skipped steps.
"You know my growth thrives more on real fights with strong foes than drills."
Absurd to most, but his words? Nods all around.
"Yeah, that's why we've focused on spars."
"Life-or-death struggles beat spars. Battles on the razor's edge accelerate growth more."
Madness from anyone else. Even for him, no takers this time. Tiny elaborated.
"Future's diverged; unknowns keep piling. Slow-building over years risks too much. Better seize dangers, reclaim past strength ASAP."
"The Great Labyrinth?! Nonsense! Even I can't guarantee survival there. No one's ever!"
The Sword Emperor voiced era-common sense. Continent's west edge: Ma-yeok, another dimension sealed by incomprehensible transcendence. Enter only via the black pit underground. Vast, monster-infested maze of peril—that was the Great Labyrinth.
And its infamy wasn't just monsters.
"Impossible! Food and water rot there. Stay long, breathing gets hard. Hanging near the entrance a few days? Maybe. Training inside?!"
Jenas echoed logic.
"Right. Need artifacts or mages to preserve rations from demonic corruption. Guards for those. Separate escorts for supplies. More food needed. Escape before it runs out... Vicious cycle."
The Sword Emperor nailed why it stayed unconquered demonic hell.
But.
"That's just 'for now.' I succeeded. Didn't I tell you?"
"You said post-Aura realization!"
"Got a substitute weapon now. You know."
"You could die! At your level, likely!"
"If needed, stake my life. What else to gain?"
His calm, resolute answer silenced them.
Then, heavily, the Sword Emperor spoke.
"Why go that far?"
"It's time."
"Why?! If the temple really wanted you bound or dead, God Hand wouldn't come solo! Visiting them could be an option."
He backpedaled his own words to dissuade Tiny.
But.
"...Just a hunch. Can't stay put."
"Hah... A hunch?"
"Yes."
Tiny's unwavering gaze met the Sword Emperor's incredulity.
"No! Absolutely not! Contradiction. Dodging slim worst-case for far riskier alternative? Can't allow it!"
"Forgot something?"
"What?"
"Grateful as I am, doesn't mean I need your permission."
"Hah..."
Their stares clashed like sparks in the air. Jenas and Luna looked worried, but Tiny held firm.
'Not pride. All for one goal. Just differing views.'
His instincts screamed: no more leisurely training.
Hard to explain a hunch, so he stated it bluntly. The Sword Emperor would understand.
And he did, stepping back.
"...To dodge God Hand, I'll contact Grid instead. Different style Aura User—better for you."
Still no Labyrinth. Tempting purely for training. Current Aura Users sans Sword Emperor: three. Estina spars = live target practice. Zerik forgets "hold back" once armed. Doesn't even try.
Weapon Master's arsenal would hone his Mana Body perfectly.
Yet Tiny stood ground.
"Can Selden—or the alliance—ignore temple influence? More than the empire?"
The unanswerable question. Tiny pressed.
"Need something from the Labyrinth too."
"Your Transcendent Weapon?"
"Yes."
The Sword Emperor groaned low at his tone.
"...Still too risky. Rumors say the core links to the Demon Realm."
"Not true."
"Hm?"
"If so, demons would've poured through. Descent wasn't like that."
"Ah..."
"Future sages concluded: low odds it's the Demon Realm. Or Ma-yeok so vile even demons can't pass."
"...Right. Makes sense. No clue which is worse."
Great Labyrinth: Demon King's foulest legacy from the ancient war, ceaselessly eroding the world. Vile enough demon worshippers believed demons won that war.
The Sword Emperor eyed Tiny gravely, no more dissuasion.
"Still defies common sense. Risking life on slim odds..."
A lament, then a short query.
"But you've lived that way, haven't you?"
"Yes."
His firm reply drew a wry nod.
"Reckless... Hah. No, that's what I lack—so I'll..."
Murky addition aside.
"I'll trust you once. You know survival there, right?"
The Sword Emperor conceded. Tiny smiled, nodding.
"Know it? I survived. Though now feels early..."
Relief at success—then Luna piped up.
"Me too. Go."
"What?"
"Dangerous place. Won't let you alone. Clan needs heir."
"What're you...?"
He gawked, baffled; then an unexpected ally.
"Take Luna too."
"What!?"
"She needs a trigger now. Meditation's fine, but unique trials stimulate better—especially for an assassin. Extreme combat over seclusion."
"But..."
"Boosts your survival odds. Unless your method's solo-only? Then I'll find alternatives—delay."
No counter left.
'Luna could manage...'
Her talents matched his old tricks. She'd be solid backup for his green self. Growth from the ordeal? Ideal.
Still, worry lingered.
"You sure? Lu—ack!?"
"Luna no. Sis."
"Ow! Seriously! Mana Blade pinch now!?"
Tiny yelped at her tiny black blade, but she nodded coolly.
"Your body's half-monster already. Normal won't cut it."
"That's not the point—!"
"Hm?"
"Never mind. Fine. Ngh."
Tiny turned away groaning. The Sword Emperor's pitiful stare stung worse than his side.
And so, Tiny and Luna's Great Labyrinth trip was set.