Jason stepped forward and studied the woman closely. She was a tall woman, and Jason knew that if she stood at full height, then she would probably be at the same level as him. Her hands were raised to either side like she had been nailed to a cross, and her head was bowed as she stared at the ground. Her black hair fell over her face in a way that prevented him from seeing what she looked like, and her alabaster white skin was covered in burns and injuries that would’ve been bleeding if not for the fact that she was frozen in place. Her nails were painted with a black polish, but her clothes were torn and ragged in a way that barely hid her modesty. She was barefoot, and for some odd, almost unexplainable reason, Jason could feel a connection between him and this woman. The shadow Attributes within Jason’s body had been going crazy ever since Jason walked in here, and now that he was close to this woman, it almost felt like the shadow Attributes were urging him forward. Jason knew for a fact that this woman was the one who had been speaking to him using the shadows.
"She’s the wielder of the last Attribute of the Arcane Art of Shadows."
Jason spoke up with absolute certainty, and both Gina and Stella turned to him in surprise when they heard that. Stella knew what the Arcane Arts were, and she had heard stories about how useful the Attributes could be because they didn’t need any mana to be activated. But how in the world did someone wielding an Arcane Art get imprisoned in a place like this? Stella watched as Jason began walking towards the glass wall calmly, and even though she wanted to stop him since she knew that this could also be a trap, she had a feeling that she didn’t have the right to hold him back since this was such an important situation. Jason got closer to the glass wall, and he reached out to place his hand on it.
Phwoom!
But Jason quickly pulled his hand back when he felt an insane amount of magic flowing through the room! The magic gathered in the center of the glass wall before spreading out across the entire wall, and Jason watched in awe as a massive complex rune revealed itself.
’Holy shit, I can’t understand a single thing on here.’
Jason’s eyes were wide in shock as he looked over the rune that revealed itself! Jason had been studying runes for a long time now, and he knew that he was no longer a beginner when it came to understanding and recognizing runes! Even when he was looking at extremely complicated runes that were far above his level, Jason could still recognize some familiar symbols or markings on them, and he would at least be able to tell where the key stopped and where the foundation began, as well as the rune’s function, but right now, Jason didn’t even know what he was looking at! The Key, the foundation, and everything else about the rune were completely foreign to him! But Jason knew for a fact that this was the Aruna language! Someone had made this rune, and that meant there had to be some meaning behind each stroke!
[Rune Analysis] has been activated!
——
Rune Analysis
Rune Name: Cage of Eternity
Rune Grade: First Grade
Class Required: Indigo Class Rune Crafter or Higher
MP Required: 5,000,000 MP
Description: One of the most complicated runes ever crafted. This rune was created by the Indigo Class Rune Crafter Jucal Varga, a member of the undead race of Vympire and one of the oldest True Undeads alive today. The rune was crafted over the course of more than three hundred years, and it is one of only ten First Grade Runes ever created. According to the system’s data, Jucal had created the Cage as a result of his own boredom with reality and life. He wished to remain in stasis until the Primordial Expanse reached a new age, and since there were no seals that could contain the great power he wielded, he had created this cage to act as his temporary prison. The system is not aware of who the woman within the Cage of Eternity is, but the system is certain that she is not Jucal Varga.
The system believes that the current state of this floating city is a direct result of the [Cage of Eternity] rune. The Rune is known to work by freezing time within a set region in order to ensure no magical or physical force can actively interact with the world, and although the rune’s magic is meant to only work within the confines of the cage, the power of the rune was so strong that it spilled out into the rest of the castle and stopped the decay of the dead bodies or further destruction of the castle.
——
Jason read through the rune analysis with a look of disbelief on his face, and by the time he was done reading all of it, he was even more shocked than when he first saw the runes! This was a First Grade Rune! Jason couldn’t believe how complex it was! Jason had heard from Azrael that First Grade Runes were completely outside of mortal understanding, and it would take a long time for Jason to be able to get to the point where he could make one of them, but Jason never thought that they would be like this!
’So this is why the entire world feels like it was just attacked yesterday. The rune is keeping everything the same as the day it was created. Azrael, have you ever heard of a rune powerful enough to affect the world around it like this?’
Jason spoke to Azrael with a furrowed brow, and the large skeletal undead appeared from within Jason’s alternate dimension and turned to the runes with as much awe as could be shown on his skeletal face. For the first time in his life, Azrael was at a loss for words, and Jason couldn’t really blame him at all. This was just insane.
’I really don’t know what to make of this, my king. These runes do not even look like the Aruna language. I know they are no different from the same Aruna language that we use to make simpler runes, but they are just so... profound. It’s nearly enough to call them a different language entirely.’
Jason hummed in understanding, and then he called on another subordinate who was also a master Rune Crafter.
’Vana, get out here. What do you think about these runes?’
Vana, the former prisoner with the ability to reverse cause and effect, appeared from the Alternate Dimension and bowed his head to Jason respectfully. Even though Vana had been a fanatic when he was alive, Jason couldn’t deny that he was also one of the most gifted Rune Crafters he had ever seen. Vana was only an SSS Rank, but he had managed to improve his strength, agility, and durability to the point where he could last a few seconds against a TITAN Rank II like Jason. That wasn’t something just anyone was capable of! Jason told Vana to study the rune, and Vana turned to look at the large wall of glass with a critical look in his eyes. For a few seconds, Vana didn’t say anything, but then Vana spoke in absolute disbelief.
’I do not even know what I am looking at, my king.’
Jason couldn’t help but chuckle at the tone of Vana’s voice. The three men were all very gifted rune crafters, and yet they were all in complete awe of this one rune in front of them. Was this really the gap between them and an Indigo Class Rune Crafter? How in the world does someone become so good at Runes that they could create something like this?