Even though Riezel said he wanted to explore the ancient city, he didn't act immediately.
He glanced around and found that while the cave chamber was indeed large, there was surprisingly not a single Demon Beast Insect in sight.
One should know that these creatures could be seen everywhere outside this cave chamber, appearing at any time in swarms large enough to form a sea of insects, but here, not even one was present.
Needless to say, this was obviously because this place had these so-called Autonomous Guardians, who seemed to be the natural enemies of Demon Beast Insects. Because of this, since this cave chamber housed these Guardians, the Insects didn't dare to approach it.
In that case—
"We should head back to Bessare first."
Riezel finally made his decision.
"Back to Bessare?"
Raven hadn't expected Riezel to say this at all and was caught completely off guard.
Riezel didn't bother explaining, ignoring Raven's confusion as he cast the highest-tier teleportation magic right in front of him.
"Gate."
As soon as Riezel finished chanting the magic, a small black spot appeared in the air before him, quickly expanding as if staining the space around it and growing into a swirling void of dark magical energy before forming a circular, purple-black portal.
"What is... this..." Raven muttered, his body frozen in place.
It couldn't be helped that he reacted like this.
Because, on the other side of the portal, a faint yet familiar sound could be heard.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, as soon as Riezel felt the attendant contract connection between him and Lizbeth return to normal, a figure suddenly burst through the portal.
"Wha—?!"
Raven reacted instantly, raising Rebellion in alarm.
Let alone Raven, even Riezel was caught off guard—he was so stunned that, for a brief moment, he almost failed to react.
By the time Riezel snapped out of it, the figure had already reached him, but the familiar aura and the sensation of the attendant contract made him instinctively lower his guard, so without thinking, he raised his hands to welcome the figure.
In that instant, the figure dove straight into his arms.
"Master!"
A young and familiar voice rang out from Riezel's embrace, trembling with overwhelming joy and relief.
Evidently, the one who had come was none other than Lizbeth.
===
Time rewound to before Riezel cast 'Gate'.
As Riezel and Raven chased after the crystal, nearing the cave chamber where the ancient city lay, a heated discussion unfolded within the training field.
Everyone had gathered together, standing in the deep pit of the training field, their expressions grim.
Nibald was the first to speak, voicing what was on his mind.
"It's pretty much confirmed that the legendary Underground Demon Beast, Yarakulon, was here. Otherwise, the ground wouldn't be in this strange, muddy state. As far as I know, this kind of terrain change only happens when that demon beast moves underground."
"So what?" Diego didn't seem to grasp the severity of the situation. "What does that have to do with my father and the Lightning Sword Saint going missing?"
At this question, it wasn't Nibald who answered but Kaiser.
"Haven't you heard of Yarakulon's legend?" Kaiser's voice carried barely restrained emotion. "It could swallow an entire village or city whole when it surfaces."
Axel understood Kaiser's implications before Diego did.
"Elder Brother... Are you saying they got eaten by Yarakulon?" Axel blurted out in shock.
As soon as he said this, everyone's faces changed drastically, and amid this, the one to refute the claim wasn't anyone else but Lizbeth.
"No! Impossible!" Lizbeth said, her voice trembling. "I mean, my attendant contract hasn't been broken yet, so my master must still be alive!"
No one knew what happened to those swallowed by the Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon, but if someone got eaten by it, anyone would naturally assume they were dead.
Even though Lizbeth desperately denied it, her expression made it clear that she was terrified that what Kaiser and Axel had said might actually be true.
Regardless, Lizbeth still had a point.
Since the contract between her and Riezel was still intact, it meant he had to be alive, and Raven most likely hadn't died either.
However, the problem was—
"If they're still alive, then why did they mysteriously disappear?" Kaiser asked, frustrated. "Could Grandmaster Nibald be right? Were they actually caught up in some kind of abnormal space shift and disappeared because of that?"
"I think that's very likely..." Diego responded immediately. "We can't just assume they were eaten by Yarakulon just because it passed through here."
"You're right..." Axel nodded in agreement. "Maybe Yarakulon was just passing by Bessare and had nothing to do with them vanishing?"
Unfortunately, Nibald shook his head, rejecting their guesses.
"When Yarakulon moves underground, it does soften the terrain, creating this eerie muddy state, but this condition is only temporary. It lasts at most a few days, or as little as a few hours before returning to normal."
If that weren't the case, a creature of its size constantly tunneling underground would permanently alter the terrain. If it had been roaming the land for as long as it had lived, large portions of the continent would have turned into uninhabitable, chaotic wastelands.
Yarakulon was an ancient demon beast that had existed for countless years—longer than any nation in history. Its movements were unpredictable, and it wandered the world at will. If every place it passed remained permanently muddy, the Akasha Continent would have sunk ages ago.
For this reason, after careful observation, Nibald could say with absolute certainty that Yarakulon must have just left this place not long ago. Judging from the way the mud had hardened, at the very least, when Riezel and Raven were fighting, it had been here.
As soon as everyone heard Nibald's explanation, they fell silent.
"N-No way..."
Lizbeth, not wanting to believe it, had her eyes grow wet.
If Yarakulon had been here when Riezel and Raven were fighting, then when they fell underground, did they come into contact with it?
And if they did, what exactly happened between them that led to their disappearance?
Just by thinking about it this way, everyone could come to the same conclusion—their disappearance was ninety percent linked to Yarakulon, which had been here at the time.
As soon as this thought crossed their minds, it wasn't just Lizbeth—Axel and Diego's expressions turned grim as well.
Kaiser took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
"No matter what, this is a serious matter. It's not just about the lives of two Sword Saints but also concerns all of Mavros Territory."
Kaiser said in a deep voice, his expression hardened.
"If Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon really appeared in this territory, then whether it rose to the surface to devour villages and cities or triggered the outbreak of Demon Beast Insects like in the rumors, either outcome would be disastrous."
"We have to quickly take action. Not only do we need to confirm the life and death of the two Sword Saints, but we also have to figure out the potential disaster that Yarakulon's presence in the territory might bring."
"I suggest that we form a special tracking unit immediately to hunt down Yarakulon."
Everyone present immediately agreed with Kaiser's proposal.
Nibald, however, let out a helpless sigh.
Tracking Yarakulon?
It was easier said than done.
Yarakulon was a prehistoric monster capable of evading all magic detection. If it were so easy to track, it wouldn't have survived this long. People had tried countless times to track it, but no one had ever succeeded since it could move freely underground and remain undetectable by magic.
Because of this, Nibald didn't have much hope for Kaiser's proposal.
Nevertheless, just because he didn't have hope, did that mean they could simply do nothing?
He was well aware that this wasn't just about the safety of Mavros Territory but also for the sake of the two missing Sword Saints, so they had to find a way to locate Yarakulon no matter what.
If something really happened to those two, things would get messy.
If Raven was harmed, war on the border would be inevitable.
If Riezel was harmed, the Frenzel family's head wouldn't sit still either.
If things reached that point, Jinas would undoubtedly plunge into chaos.
'It looks like I need to figure something out too...'
Nibald racked his brain, drawing from his knowledge, magic, and connections, desperately searching for a way to deal with the situation.
However, just as everyone present was preparing to take action, a black spot suddenly appeared in the space nearby. Over time, the black spot expanded rapidly, turning into a circular, purple-black portal in the blink of an eye.
"Wh-What is that?!"
"What the?!"
"Stay on guard!"
Seeing the portal, those who noticed it were immediately alarmed and quickly took defensive stances.
Nibald snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the portal.
Lizbeth, on the other hand, was different.
Her eyes had been red from crying, yet the moment the circular, purple-black portal appeared, her large, beautiful eyes widened, and her expression turned from sorrow to excitement.
At this moment, she sensed it—the moment that portal emerged, the vague attendant contract connection between her and her master suddenly became crystal clear.
"I-I can feel Master's presence!"
Lizbeth, without a second thought, shouted and dove straight into the portal.
"Miss Lizbeth?!"
"Wait!"
"Be careful!"
As Lizbeth entered the portal, everyone yelled in panic.