The Ether's Heart Awakens
The soft thud of boots echoed as Arteon stepped into the ancient temple.
A cold stone scent rushed into his nostrils.
“I never imagined there would be such a structure beneath the lake.”
Even the water level had dropped due to the conditions, and the building itself hadn’t risen to the surface.
Arteon cautiously surveyed the interior of this seemingly impossible place.
“……”
He extended his hand toward the faded murals covering the walls.
Just in case there were traps, but there didn’t seem to be any right away.
“This is…… what kind of picture is this?”
The moon and stars.
And patterns resembling flowing water waves engraved throughout the walls.
What stood out was that the murals on the walls still retained a faint metallic sheen.
‘……We should hurry.’
He had no exact information about the temple.
If the water inside the lake rose again, he would have to move deeper inside.
Arteon took another step into the temple.
Thud, thud.
The ceiling was high and grand, and a droplet falling somewhere made a “drip, drip” sound as it hit the floor.
Arteon was careful not to let his guard down, feeling as if time flowed differently inside the temple than outside.
But then.
“……?”
He saw the massive stone statues standing on either side.
Armored statues wielding weapons, each over four meters tall, radiating a menacing aura as if they were alive.
A chill ran down Arteon’s spine.
“……No way.”
Yet one must say that unlucky premonitions never failed.
Krrrrrurrr!
Strong vibrations erupted around the statues, and dust poured from the ceiling.
And just as if waiting.
Whoosh!
The blades of halberds dropped from both sides slammed into the floor.
Kwaaang!
Avoiding the two statues’ attacks, Arteon immediately drew the short wooden rod at his waist and injected mana.
Pacang!
Iglis revealed its original form and unleashed a sharp aura.
But the statues weren’t just two.
Whoosh!
Arteon quickly dodged the attack of another statue falling above his head.
Whoosh!
At the same time, he pulled up mana.
“……?”
As he had felt when using Iglis moments ago.
‘This temple……’
Something seemed to be interfering with the flow of mana.
Arteon’s brows furrowed at the somewhat interrupted mana flow.
Of course, he had no time to stand still.
Tap, tap!
Four statues surrounded Arteon.
Each one seemed to possess considerable power.
‘Their movements are simple.’
They felt more like golems than living beings.
“Kweeeeer!”
At that moment, a stone statue holding a large axe-shaped weapon roared loudly.
It lifted its right foot and brought it down vertically toward Arteon.
Kwaaang!
Cracks spread across the floor, and the stone pillars began to shake.
Arteon, thrown off balance for a moment, was surrounded by the statues swinging their weapons simultaneously.
‘Now……!’
He cleverly slipped between the falling weapons above his head, leaped up from his spot.
Kwaaaang!
Four weapons stabbed into the ground where Arteon had stood.
Arteon stepped on their weapons and.
Pat!
He stomped on the arm of the axe statue on the left and struck the creature’s head hard.
Crack!
Sharp metallic sounds accompanied flying debris.
Parts of the stone face broke, scattering fragments.
Whoosh!
The creature swung its arm roughly, flinging Arteon away.
Tap!
Arteon landed after an acrobatic flip, furrowing his brows.
It was an attack infused with quite a bit of mana.
‘It’s not completely destroyed……’
Without using aura, complete destruction seemed impossible.
But……
“These creatures…… have some sort of formation……”
The feeling was strange—they attacked him while opening the path deeper inside.
Arteon’s eyes narrowed for a moment.
His past life.
The soldier who came here was just an ordinary soldier who couldn’t even use mana properly.
Yet he would have fought these statues head-on while obtaining Ether’s Heart.
‘……Doesn’t matter if I just run away?’
But why?
He felt as if he shouldn’t simply leave.
If he defeated all these creatures here……
‘It feels like something else will happen.’
If it was just a trap, so be it.
But Arteon decided to trust his own abilities.
Even if it might be a waste of effort.
“Better than leaving something suspicious later.”
Uuuuuuung!
When he pulled mana to the extreme, despite the interference in mana control, aura formed on Iglis’s blade.
And……
“From now on, things will be different.”
“Kweeeeer!”
“Kweeeer!”
Arteon charged straight at the statue rushing toward him.
Kwa kwa kwoong!
He deflected the weapons swinging from above and moved downward, quickly swinging his spear.
Crack crack!
Unlike before, the sound of metal tearing echoed through the temple.
Along with that, thick lines cracked across the statue’s leg hit by the spear.
Krrring!
The destroyed-legged statue collapsed to the floor.
Even though he had used aura, he hadn’t destroyed it in one strike.
“Hah!”
Whoosh!
Arteon leaped and swung his spear hard, shattering the head of the leg-lost statue.
Kwaaaang!
“One.”
Arteon quickly assumed a stance and looked at the three statues in front of him.
Three stone statues gleaming with blue light, staring at him.
Each one’s single strike was powerful enough to be at least mid-third star level.
But Arteon shook his head.
“Simple movements like that won’t even graze my body.”
The statues weren’t fools to fall for such simple provocations.
“Kweeeeer!”
“Kweeeeer!”
“Kwaaaar!”
The three statues rushed toward Arteon simultaneously and swung their weapons.
And in response to their attacks.
Pat!
Arteon’s figure moved like sliding, diving into the statues.
Thud! Kwa kwa kwoong! Kwa kwa kwa kwoong!
His spear swung at speeds too fast for the eye to follow, beginning to destroy the statues’ bodies.
Kwoong! Kuku kwoong! Hoot hoot hoot! Kwoong!
Above the completely destroyed statues turned to rubble.
“……Hoo.”
Arteon let out a small breath and looked at the floor.
“Is it over?”
Thinking they might move again, he muttered without lowering his guard.
And at that moment.
Ku gu gu gu gu gu gu gung!
Strong vibrations started from the destroyed positions of the four statues, and something began to stir.
Arteon quickly retreated and raised mana to guard.
Paat!
A blue glowing object the size of a fist rose from the rubble of the destroyed statue, emitting a faint light and floating upward.
And……
Paat!
A blue sphere moved rapidly toward the inner sanctum.
Arteon’s gaze followed it, and behind the door far away, a door that had been sealed slowly began to open with a creak.
“It’s telling me to follow……?”
Before the door, Arteon watched the slowly circling sphere and moved his feet.
The blue sphere entered the door as if confirming that Arteon was coming.
“……”
Arteon moved to the newly opened door.
Inside the room where intense golden light burst forth.
Soon, following the blue sphere into the room, Arteon stepped in.
Hooch!
The erupting golden light engulfed Arteon.
***
Northern winds that felt like they would bite into the flesh blew.
Inside the flapping tent.
A man silently packing his luggage there turned his gaze at the voice coming from nearby.
“Arteon?”
“Yes, it seems he’s the one who made a tremendous contribution in reclaiming Elbarphiel Lake this time. I heard he’s going to be in the special unit with Isikled this time.”
A brief silence followed.
But soon Lukeel turned his head nonchalantly as if it didn’t matter and continued packing his luggage.
“Is that so…… Even Captain Isaac is the same; everyone seems to be interested in that soldier.”
A cynical response.
The indifference of someone who had watched battlefields for a long time.
Yet the soldier beside him immediately added.
“But, there aren’t soldiers in the north who could follow Sir Lukeel, right?”
It was a comment meant to change the somewhat subdued atmosphere.
“Lieutenant.”
A dry voice flowed from Lukeel’s mouth.
The soldier called lieutenant quickly answered.
“Yes, Sir Lukeel.”
“This expedition isn’t about worrying about superior-inferior relationships.”
His voice was low, but it carried weight.
Isikled.
Now, after gaining Helikel Canyon and Elbarphiel Lake, the most urgent place for the empire.
If they couldn’t secure it, even advancing into the north, they would have to constantly worry about the rear.
Moreover, as they were heading to an unfamiliar land, the supply of supplies was bound to be an issue.
“This battle can solve those problems at once. If outstanding warriors join, that’s good. But……”
His eyes grew cold.
A sharp gaze that was different from an ordinary soldier naturally flowed into his eyes.
Lukeel continued.
“I hope the rumors and his abilities are matched.”
The soldiers lowered their heads.
In the north, rumors were usually exaggerated.
Everyone spoke of miraculous stories, but most were illusions.
Soon, preparations to leave were complete, and Lukeel slowly stood up and left the tent.
His long shadow stretched as his armor clashed.
“I’m leaving for Isikled right now.”
At the moment the command fell, the gathered soldiers outside saluted in unison with their right fists to their left chests.
Their voices echoed.
“Steel Heart!”
Behind those soldiers, Lukeel merely moved silently toward the new battlefield where he was needed.
***
Paaaaat!
Arteon instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes from the intense light enveloping all directions.
But soon, the light slowly receded, revealing the scene inside the room.
A vast empty space.
In the center, a raised platform made of red stone stood.
And there, a golden sphere the size of a human face floated in the air.
“……Ah.”
Arteon let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
In his memories, the legendary……
“Ether’s Heart.”
With one glance, he could tell this was it.
But……
‘This…… has that much power?’
It wasn’t a small amount of power, but the feeling was different from what he had expected.
Or, had he grown too strong to compare with this power now?
But soon, Arteon noticed something.
Written below the platform.
Due to the traces of time, half…… no, most of it was damaged, and only a few words remained here and there.
Arteon lowered his head and squinted his eyes.
“……Blue…… key…… to obtain true power…… what?”
Arteon muttered in a low voice, furrowing his brows.
The remaining words were too few for him to fully understand the sentence’s meaning.
Just as Arteon was about to say something with a dissatisfied expression.
Uuuuuuung!
“……?”
The blue sphere that had guided him suddenly swirled and was immediately sucked into Ether’s Heart.
Whoiiiiing!
Blue and golden light collided, creating intense vibration.
Along with that, the spreading aura caused Arteon to instinctively step back.
‘What……’
What was happening?
But that question was momentary.
p>The thing combining with intense momentum erupted into a brilliant light that seemed to tear the entire room apart.
Paaaaat!
The exploding light spread, and Arteon covered his eyes with his arms, but the pressure of the massive force crushed his entire body.
Like a gale, all dust in the room was swept up, and the patterns engraved on the platform began to break one by one.
And when that momentum slowly subsided.
“……”
Arteon took a breath and looked at what was in front of him.
“……What is this.”
Completely different from the golden light he had seen earlier, a brilliant silver light.
As if purifying itself, the light was colder than gold and more overwhelmingly clear.
And what was important was.
“The power…… has been amplified.”
It was an aura that couldn’t be compared to the strong momentum the golden light had emitted earlier.
Arteon’s pupils shook greatly.
Maybe the blue sphere generated by destroying the statue……
“No way……”
This…… was the real Ether’s Heart?
Arteon, gazing at the shimmering silver Ether’s Heart, slowly moved his feet toward it without realizing.