C657
The light extending from the sword blade gradually transformed into a door-like shape.
The speed at which the door formed was exactly proportional to the infusion of shadow energy.
Sandra trembled with excitement, believing it was the power of her desires, while Hedo stared in bewilderment at his sword and the door.
"...Is it true that Bale is related to the old Runcandel or Solderet, as the Black Dragon Murakan once said?"
The word "Bale" was engraved on Hedo's sword blade, which he had obtained by chance long ago.
"You... where did you get that sword?"
"You're asking a strange question, Black Dragon. From those who have experienced your battle prowess in the Gaifa Islands before, I've heard it wasn't exactly like that."
"Keep that sword safe. It seems to be related to this Murakan. Come on, kid."
When the group first encountered Hedo at the White Tower, Murakan suffered a brief headache upon seeing Hedo's sword, as if a forgotten memory had resurfaced.Even after escaping the Sota Desert, Murakan continued trying to recall memories related to the sword but failed every time.
Due to this, the group assumed Hedo's sword was also an object whose history had been manipulated. But, of course, no one could have imagined that Bale would intertwine with Temar's tomb in this way.
"I don't know the reason. You used a great deal of shadow energy when you fought me in the past, and there was no reaction at that time."
"Probably because the positional condition of Temar's tomb wasn't met. It seems the sword is the key to opening the tomb. Where did you get that sword?"
"I obtained it by defeating a monster in the Black Sea when I was younger."
"I'd like to hear more details about that later. Anyway, thanks to your sword, we have hope, Tower Guardian. Thank you."
Coincidence, it was almost pure coincidence that Jin brought Hedo to the Kaldran snowfield this time. However, Jin thought that if his sword had a story about Runcandel, it might not be a coincidence but fate.
"Twelfth Flagbearer. When the portal is complete, do you intend to enter it?"
"Yes."
"I will enter too!"
"No, my lady."
"You cannot go, Sandra."
Both Jin and Hedo spoke at the same time.
"Why not?"
"We don't know what might happen inside. If the Histor survivor is alive, she might have entered and never come out."
"I agree. This is a different matter from when we arrived at the Kaldran snowfield. If this door leads to Temar's tomb, we can't predict what will happen inside. It could mean that escaping is impossible."
"What about you, Jin? You are Rosa's only opponent. What if you enter alone and die?"
"Temar's Tomb is a tribute that my god and ancestors left for Runcandel. I have wandered these tombs and never been in danger. Also, I've always been able to escape through the shadow energy when I wanted."
Of course, this was a lie.
Jin had almost died at the hands of guardians in most of the tombs, and in the fourth, he didn't know how to get out and had to wait endlessly with Valeria.
However, since Euria wasn't here now, Sandra had no way of confirming the truth. Even if it was confirmed, Jin planned to enter alone.
"We can't wait here during that time. We don't know how long it will take or what the situation will be, so we have to think about what to do, my lady, the demon dragon, and I."
"Based on my experience so far, I might return to the human world in one or two days."
"We can't wait here that long."
"I know, so please return. As long as Rosa doesn't come in person, I can escape in any situation."
"I won't leave you alone!"
"Sandra, please."
First of all, although Jin had become very close to Sandra, she and Hedo were clearly Zipple people.
Jin couldn't take them to Temar's tomb.
"Even so, you can't go alone. Although it was friendly before, this tomb could be hostile to Jin. Hedo and I can be of help. Moreover, just opening the door has exhausted Jin."
When the door was fully formed, Jin felt a great exhaustion, as Sandra had said. Jin consumed all his shadow energy just by opening the door.
I think the amount of shadow energy used is several times more than Murakan used in the first tomb."
Although Jin had aura and mana, he wouldn't be able to fight with full strength if he encountered a tough opponent inside.
"And what about the third Flagbearer of Runcandel? It's a problem even if there's a third Flagbearer, not Rosa when you return. You have to deal with the Third Flagbearer alone in a tired state, right in the middle of enemy territory."
The Third Flagbearer of Runcandel, Luntia Runcandel.
Ronil said she herself led the pursuit team and chased Valeria, but they had yet to see Luntia.
The group speculated that she might be among the reinforcements expected to arrive.
When Jin tried to enter the door, Sandra rushed in that direction first.
Hedo immediately tried to stop her but soon realized it wasn't necessary.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
A shockwave occurred when Sandra approached the door, bouncing her back.
"Damn it, what is this...! Hedo, see if it bounces you back too."
The same happened to Hedo when he tried to approach with superhuman strength.
As soon as he touched the door, he could no longer advance, as if blocked by a wall.
"I have a feeling there might be problems with the door if I keep pushing, milady. Desist."
However, Jin didn't experience the same phenomenon at all.
"Twelfth Flagbearer."
Jin looked back at Hedo.
"If possible, stay inside the tomb for at least three days. That way, we can return and ask for help from Kinzelo."
Hedo concluded that using the dimensional portal of the leader was the best option for now, and Jin immediately agreed.
"Understood. Please make sure to do so."
"Also, when we come out of the tomb, if we return to this cave, release all possible energy. We will use that as a signal to ask the leader to open the dimensional portal."
"Despite your appearance, it seems your brain processes information very quickly, Tower Guardian. It seems like a good idea. That would give me more peace of mind."
"I'll put Orgal on standby as soon as possible. Good luck."
"Jin!"
When Jin was about to enter the door, Sandra hugged him and said:
"Remember this: if by chance only your companion returns alive to Tikan, I will do whatever is necessary to kill that person."
Jin's head immediately throbbed, realizing that Sandra wasn't joking, but he still smiled and replied:
"I'll keep that in mind."
As soon as Jin entered the door, the light forming from Bale disappeared.
Sandra stared for a while at the spot where Jin had vanished, and Hedo patted her shoulder.
-----------
In Temar's fifth tomb, the darkness was so dense it felt like being in Glyek's abyss.
"Valeria!"
Even when Jin shouted Valeria's name, there was no echo.
Jin didn't have the same feeling of comfort he had in the other tombs, and he wondered if it was due to anxiety or something else.
Unlike the tombs I've passed through in the past, I don't feel the shadow energy guiding me.
There are no traces of damage caused by Zipple or other forces.
Is there another reason?
He had no choice but to explore the tomb by himself.
[Nyaah!]
Shuri emerged from the ruby, and Jin immediately began searching the vast desert of the subspace on Shuri's back.
The flow of time in the subspace was different from the human world. Jin had experienced time flowing much faster in the human world.
Where are you, Valeria...?
After an hour of searching with no progress, Jin started to feel uneasy.
Then, Shuri stopped walking and pointed with her front paw.
[Nya, nyaah!]
There was something transparent shining like crystal, emitting a faint light that was about to fade.
Jin recognized it as a mana fragment taking the form of a window.
It was a fragment of "Record Magic."
<In this direction...><These are the traces left by Valeria...>Jin's heart began to race.
The Record Magic not only served to find past records but also to leave marks like this one.
Either it's very old, or it was left in a state where there was almost no mana left, given how faint the trace is.
Above all, the fact that the magic remained meant that the caster was still alive.
Only then could Jin breathe deeply for the first time.
She's not dead...
Definitely, my master is still in this subspace.
Jin's heart filled with the conviction that he could save her.
However, as he followed the direction indicated by Valeria's mana fragment, he felt an unpleasant energy approaching instead of Valeria's magic.
It was pure and enormous chaos energy, qualitatively incomparable to what he had felt in the Kaldran snowfield.
As he approached the source of the chaos, the subspace not only displayed desolate darkness but also battle traces.
There were cracks and distortions all over the space, as if caused by destructive sword strikes.
Finally, Jin found himself face to face with a woman who wasn't Valeria.
[It's been a while... my younger brother.]
It was Luntia Runcandel, his second elder sister.
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