"Look, the temple's up ahead."
Diego was the first to point forward, making everyone lift their heads.
Over there, in their sight, stood a grand and majestic structure.
In short, it was a pyramid—or rather, it was a structure shaped like a pyramid—narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, built with sharp, well-defined edges.
It had four sides, where the one facing the city entrance was broader, while the one on the opposite side was relatively narrower, looking like an enormous throne. A staircase ran straight up the front, leading to a grand door at the very top that stood out so much that anyone would instinctively lift their head to gaze at it, just like looking up at a god.
"So that's why they call it a temple, huh?"
Standing before the massive pyramid-like structure, Riezel muttered to himself.
At the same time, the others were also staring at the towering door at the top, talking among themselves.
"Looks like that's the entrance to the temple..." Axel remarked.
"Why did they put the entrance all the way up there, though?" Diego asked, sounding confused.
"None of the other buildings in this city are built like that. If I had to guess, making the entrance so high up probably wasn't a common architectural style back when people were still living here." Kaiser mused thoughtfully.
"Not surprising." Raven said calmly. "Back when divine authority stood above royal authority, putting the entrance at the highest point was certainly a way to emphasize the ruler's status, their prestige, and even their god's supremacy."
As Raven spoke, he stepped forward, seemingly ready to ascend the staircase to the top, but the moment he reached the stairs, he couldn't take another step forward.
Why?
Simple.
Evidently, an invisible barrier had stopped him as he had run into some kind of wall—forget stepping through it, he couldn't even push a single finger past it.
"A barrier, huh?"
Raven stepped back and looked at Diego.
"Yes, should be." Diego nodded. "Our magicians confirmed there's a barrier surrounding the temple. We just couldn't see it until now."
Raven nodded as well, then turned to Riezel and Nibald.
"What do you two think about this barrier?"
When it came to specialized fields, it was only natural to seek answers from experts—and of course, in the field of magic, the two people Raven just addressed were undoubtedly among the best.
Nibald needed no introduction.
He was a well-known grandmaster in the world of magic, and although he wasn't even a Tactical-Class Magician, he had reached the pinnacle of Combat-Class Magic. If he couldn't figure out the nature of the temple's barrier, then there probably weren't many people in this world who could.
As for why Raven included Riezel in his question?
It was mainly because Riezel had already made it clear to everyone present that his expertise in magic was far beyond what anyone had imagined.
Riezel's past feats alone were enough to leave an impression—not to mention the fact that he had used multiple magic at the scale of Tactical-Class Magic while dealing with the Autonomous Guardians.
He possessed compatibility with the Imaginary System, allowing him to effortlessly infiltrate the heavily guarded Mavros family's main residence with space magic.
He could use large-scale teleportation magic to open a portal between the Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon and Bessare's training field, enabling free passage between them easily.
He had also cast dozens of support magic on his unexpectedly powerful attendant, significantly boosting her strength.
All of these feats undoubtedly left a lasting impression on Raven.
Riezel, who was younger than most of his own children, had completely changed the way Raven saw him.
At the very least, Nibald, a renowned grandmaster in the world of magic, had personally admitted that he couldn't do any of those things—in fact, he couldn't even imagine attempting them, let alone claim to have witnessed such capabilities before.
Because of that, Raven's perception of Riezel had undergone a complete transformation, causing the impression he had of Riezel when they first met to be nothing compared to what it was now. He now believed that Riezel, as the youngest Sword Saint in history, might also be the youngest great magician in history.
In other words, Raven was convinced that Riezel's mastery of magic was on par with Nibald's.
It was under this subconscious recognition that Raven not only asked Nibald for his opinion but also sought Riezel's.
Nevertheless, it was still Nibald, the esteemed grandmaster in the world of magic, who answered Raven's question.
"Hmm, the way its magical energy fluctuates and its structural composition doesn't seem to match any tactical-class magic barrier I know of..."
Holding a magic crystal like it was some kind of measuring device, Nibald walked around the temple's perimeter before furrowing his brows.
"It hasn't been tested yet, so I can't say for sure, but judging by its composition alone, this barrier isn't just a simple barrier but a composite multi-layered barrier with multiple attributes and a variety of functions."
A composite multi-layered barrier!
It might not have been the highest tier of barrier magic, but it was certainly one of the most complex, versatile, and difficult to break.
Barriers of this type were constructed through incredibly intricate and demanding methods. Unless specific conditions were met, opening, dispelling, or even damaging them was virtually impossible.
Such barriers also tended to possess multiple effects.
For example, the strategic-class magic barrier, Light of Heaven, which enveloped the royal palace in the royal capital, Yeluvia, was also a composite multi-layered barrier that not only had a prohibit-magic effect but could also withstand external attacks. It was known that even if a Strategic-Class Magic were to strike it, it would still hold strong.
Beyond that, Light of Heaven had other functions as well, but in any case, the important thing was that composite multi-layered barriers were undoubtedly an absolute pain to deal with.
Moreover, the barrier enveloping the temple was not just any magic barrier but an ancient magic barrier passed down from a long-lost civilization. No one knew how many years it had persisted, yet it still remained intact, proving just how formidable it was.
Riezel stepped forward, reaching out to press his hand against the invisible barrier, and the moment he made contact, he understood something.
"Seems like the barrier can suppress the effects of magic." Riezel blurted out, making everyone turn to look at him.
"Suppress the effects of magic?" Nibald asked before immediately arriving in front of Riezel. "Are you sure, Sir Brynhart?"
"Yeah..." Riezel let go of his hand before shrugging. "My teleportation magic is completely ineffective. I can't teleport inside this barrier at all."
Yes, he couldn't teleport inside the barrier.
Earlier, as soon as Raven detected the presence of the barrier, Riezel had already tried using 'Greater Teleportation', but the barrier had interfered with the magic, stopping the teleportation.
Shortly after that, he used 'God's Eye', trying to send an invisible magic eye through the barrier to observe inside, but that failed as well.
Next, Riezel secretly cast several other magic spells toward the temple, only for them all to fail as well. Such outcomes completely confirmed for him that this barrier could suppress the effects of magic, preventing any magic from passing through and reaching the inside.
"In that case, we can't use magic to dispel the barrier..."
Nibald's frown deepened as if he found the situation troublesome.
"Pretty much."
Riezel agreed with Nibald's assessment.
Magic probably wasn't the right way to break this barrier, so even if Riezel used Decomposition Magic, which could directly work against magic and break it down into nothing, it might not be effective.
Since the barrier suppressed magic, Decomposition Magic would likely be neutralized before it could even take effect. Just like how water could put out a fire, but the fire could also evaporate water, when two opposing forces that counteracted magic collided, the usual outcome was mutual negation, where neither side could overpower the other.
Lizbeth, who had been listening with a confused expression, seemed to understand a little after hearing Riezel's words.
"S-So that means... the only way left is to break the barrier with physical force...?"
As soon as Lizbeth timidly said this, everyone at the scene silently turned to look at her.
"D-Did I say something wrong?! S-Sorry!"
Lizbeth instantly panicked, her eyes welling up with tears.
Seeing her like this, everyone's hearts somehow melted on the spot.
If they had to put it into words—
'So cute!'
'Super cute!'
'Soooo cute!'
All the knights present were more or less screaming like this in their hearts.
Even Kaiser, Axel, and Diego felt their hearts skip a beat as they stared straight at Lizbeth as if they were about to be enlightened on the spot despite being straight as an arrow.
Only the ever-straightforward Raven, after hearing Lizbeth's words, spoke up without hesitation.
"If that's the case, then this is going to be simple."
As Raven spoke, he raised Rebellion.
Needless to say, when it came to raw physical attack power, within Jinas, Rebellion was second to none—no one dared to claim first place over it.
Moreover, with the Dark Abyss Sword Style, if Raven went all out, purely in terms of physical attack power, not just the people here—even across the entire Akasha Continent, there might not be more than three people who could compare to him.
Even Riezel had to admit that if he didn't use Sun Breathing or enhance himself with magic, purely in terms of physical attack power, he probably couldn't match Raven, proven by the battle at Bessare's training field.
Even though Riezel's Flaming Thunder God had struck Raven, even that still couldn't overpower Raven's final strike, so in the end, Riezel had to activate Divine Meloe's one-minute invincibility just to get out unscathed.
Since that was the case, this job was naturally best left to Raven.
As for himself—
"Copy."
Just as Raven was about to strike the temple's barrier, Riezel silently cast this magic, and in that instant, an illusion that looked exactly like him appeared and took his place where he had originally been.
Following this, Riezel cast 'Complete Invisibility', vanishing from sight before using 'Message' to contact Lizbeth.
"Lizbeth, can you hear me?"
Riezel's voice rang directly in Lizbeth's head, startling her.
"Calm down, don't be scared. I'm using magic to talk to you. Just stay as you are and listen."
Hearing this, Lizbeth quickly calmed down, showing an attentive expression.
Noticing Lizbeth calming down, Riezel continued.
"I gotta leave for a bit, and the me next to you is just an illusion I made with magic. If the barrier gets broken by Marquis Mavros, lead my illusion into the temple. If the barrier stays up and someone tries to talk to me, just find a way to brush them off. Got it?"
Lizbeth really wanted to ask Riezel what exactly he was planning to do, not because she wanted to pry but because she was worried he might be heading into danger without taking her along.
However, realizing that Riezel had already made up his mind, Lizbeth understood that whatever she said wouldn't change anything, so she kept silent, listening to him.
"I'll leave this to you, Lizbeth. I know you can handle it."
And just like that, Riezel seemed to vanish completely.
Lizbeth could feel through their attendant contract that Riezel had suddenly left, appearing somewhere far away.
Nonetheless, since she couldn't stop him, all she could do was glance at the illusion beside her and pray.
'Please be careful, Master...'
===
At the same time, in another part of the ancient city, the shadowy figure that had recently appeared at the city entrance showed up once again, emerging in a secluded corner at the city's deepest reaches.
A watchtower stood there, pressed up against the city wall—its location was so remote that one might wonder why the city's designer had even bothered to build such a tall structure in this spot.
In haste, the shadowy figure slipped inside the tower and made their way straight to the top floor, entering a completely empty room where windows didn't even exist.
No, it was not completely empty since there was a magic circle lying on the floor, buried under a layer of dust—so faint that without careful inspection, it would be almost impossible to notice.
After stepping inside, the shadowy figure walked right up to the magic circle and positioned themself at its center.
In the next second, they started murmuring under their breath, chanting some kind of magic.
*Zing—*
As their chant echoed through the room, the magic circle on the ground slowly began to glow as if an invisible hand was tracing its patterns with light, making the intricate symbols gradually take shape and become more distinct.
"Oh, Great God..."
Kneeling within the magic circle, the shadowy figure spoke in a neutral voice filled with deep reverence—it was unclear whether they were male or female.
"Punish those who dare to defile this sacred city again... Cleanse them of their sins..."
As the shadowy figure prayed, their prayer seemed to take effect as the glow of the magic circle intensified, growing brighter and brighter.
*Rumble—*
Suddenly, the entire ancient city's ground trembled, with the tower at its epicenter.
Just as the tremors were about to intensify and faint waves of magical energy began rippling through the air, a voice suddenly rang out from behind the shadowy figure.
"Guess I wasn't wrong. You were the one who showed up after we entered this city and have been watching us the whole time, right?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the shadowy figure's body stiffened before immediately springing to their feet.
In that instant, the magic circle on the ground dimmed, making everything fall silent once more.