By Zephyria 
I wandered through the tunnels to find the remaining missing Imperial Knights.
The Imperial Knights rescued from the stalagmites joined the search. Thanks to the increased manpower, finding the missing ones was a bit smoother, but those we found were no different from the first group.
A slight time lag in the loud, buzzing voices echoed through the tunnels.
“The Heavenly Demon’s return, Ten Thousand Demons’ blessings! The Divine Cult is invincible, Central Plains united!”
“The Heavenly Demon’s return, Ten Thousand Demons’ blessings! The Divine Cult is invincible, Central Plains united!”
What were they doing, coming from the continent to find the Central Plains? Their mouths gaped open, spitting out their cries with bloodshot eyes, looking as disgusting as the Demonic Cult members I saw in my past life.
The gazes of the knights watching them were equally awkward. If they had been closer, they might have joked, “You guys used to be like that too,” but the atmosphere was far from conducive to jokes.
Being called seniors or juniors was an affair within the Academy. If the difference in graduating classes exceeded three to four years, it was proper to use polite language with strangers. Moreover, they were all rescued individuals.
As someone who had lived as a Sword Master, I could only imagine the complex feelings of those who had always been rescuers, never the rescued, by strangers.
Among them, a red-haired knight coughed a dry cough, so I called Undine closer.
“Would you like some water?”
“Huh? Ah… Ah, yes. Thank you.”
[Hmm.]
Undine, stepping forward abruptly, accepted the thanks in place of me, hands clasped behind her back.
Is she imitating me?
I found her hopping around like an excited puppy meeting new people after a long time, and though it was amusing, I let her be.
Undine proudly offered a mouthful of water to each person, and the knights awkwardly accepted it.
I scanned the surroundings, kicking aside stray armor crabs with my feet. The tunnels were brightly lit even without Light Magic. Could I not just pull out the Imperial Knights bound by the Mana Stones as they were?
As I pondered, Hugh Benson grabbed one of the men beside him and asked in a friendly tone, “Senior. How are you feeling now?”
“It’s… bearable, more than I expected. So much so that I can hardly believe how much time has passed. My strength has weakened a bit, but if I weren’t a Sword Master, I would have just thought it was a bit stiff.”
“And your throat? Is it okay?”
“Huh? My throat… It does feel a bit hoarse. But considering how I was, it’s only natural, I suppose.”
Knowing how stiff Hugh Benson usually spoke, his words were surprising to me, but it was a great relief that the knights were unharmed.
I stopped eavesdropping and beckoned Gano Paquin over.
Gano Paquin was calmly examining the delirious knights. Though far away, he turned towards me as if he had eyes on the back of his head, immediately sensing my call.
“From your perspective, do their souls seem intact?”
“How could they be? It’s like the souls they should have are all held captive elsewhere. They’ve completely left their bodies. What remains here are incomplete fragments. Seeing as their bodies are alive, their souls must be nearby…”
“Fragments?”
“You said the Oasis stored fragments of your soul. What’s embedded in these guys’ bodies is similar. It came from another world, a small, isolated fragment. How did they manage to gather them all here?”
“Will they return if we find something like a Divine object?”
“Probably. According to the records, they tried to gather those souls to open the world again, but something went wrong.”
“…Do you see any Magic Circles here?”
I then turned to Mage Boulder and flinched. It was a sight difficult to look at directly. I could understand touching the wall with an ear or hand, but why was he licking the wall like a dog, as if expecting something to be there?
Mage Boulder, who had been enthusiastically licking the wall and sniffing with his nose, suddenly lifted his head.
“Uh, rather than a Magic Circle, it’s like plant roots, with mana connecting to each stalagmite from a central point. I’m not sure if this is a conditional voice message output, or if they’re using this shouting itself for something else. For now… on the left here.”
“Yes.”
“I wonder if there’s something inside this wall…”
I looked up at the ceiling once, then in the direction Mage Boulder pointed.
Gano Paquin, who had been standing some distance away, suddenly appeared beside Boulder and peered at the wall together. He avoided the spot Boulder had licked and touched the wall about two spans higher. He pondered for a moment, opened his mouth, then closed it again. I seemed to be the only one who noticed Gano Paquin stopping himself from sighing again.
“It’s a door. I’ll open it.”
“…Hmm.”
A door that wasn’t a door opened.
It was a large cavern. The stalactites hanging from above were long like spears but impossibly high, and the stalagmites on the floor were shattered and crushed as if something had broken them.
In the center stood a colossal black shield, like a piece of wall torn out and placed upright.
The shield, made of Ebony Wood, was adorned with colorful streamers and gold cords, just like the spears. Amidst the white, gleaming Mana Stone fragments above and below, the black object stood tall. The shield’s surface was polished to a sheen, well-oiled, and bore four deep, beast-like claw marks in the center.
What form did the battle between gods and gods take?
Naturally, I recalled the fight between Jang Mu-hyeon and the Heavenly Demon. I had never seen a battle larger or grander than that. The battle, which I couldn’t fully take in, remained in my memory like the roar of shattering thunder.
The hand of the Ninth God, etched into my memory, was quite delicate. I heard Wesley Kiadris used a sword, so I wondered how he left such beast-like scars on a shield.
“This is yours too?”
“…Yes. It’s something I used.”
Gano Paquin bit his lower lip.
I watched as he placed his hand flat on the shield. He traced the scars on the shield with both hands, then leaned his forehead against it, muttering something akin to a prayer or incantation. But the shield didn’t budge.
Mage Boulder, who had been stepping forward cautiously, stopped, covering his mouth with both hands.
“Ugh…!”
“…What is it?”
“No, it’s like… it’s scratching my insides? It feels like it’s telling us not to come closer.”
Hearing this, Hugh Benson also pulled back, his head extended forward, swallowing a curse. Judging by the way his shoulders heaved, he was experiencing the same thing.
After some thought, I took a step forward. It was exactly like when I touched the spear before. I felt no resistance entering the shield’s vicinity.
I placed my hand on the shield without a word. This time, a sticky energy seeped between my fingers.
This time, it was night.
A pitch-black sky with not a single star. The quiet space, where the wind barely blew, was too empty to be of this world.
Would the first human appear in this memory too? I knew well that he and the child were different beings, and that the first human merely resembled my child. Yet, a ridiculously hopeful feeling arose.
Before I knew it, I was lying down. I realized it and sat up. I stood on my own two feet.
Then, a familiar face peeked out and shouted loudly.
[What is it! What’s here!]
[What? What do you mean, what’s here? I’ve only just finished creating the second moon.]
[No, look. There’s a little thing…]
It was Oasis. A broad smile spread across his pale, clear face. In the profound darkness, the sudden bright light was dazzling. I squinted, closing my eyes tightly, but he gestured wildly and shouted.
[A little thing? …Wow.]
I opened my eyes again.
Beside Oasis, the shape of a blue turtle peeking out was familiar. I was so startled I closed my mouth. The turtle, with its large, round eyes full of laughter, slowly examined me, or rather, the Ninth God.
Oasis, who roughly grabbed the newly born Ninth God’s wrist, laughed heartily and hopped around. I, not even half his height, struggled to keep up, quickly becoming breathless.
[Look! I found something fun!]
[Wait, wait, don’t, Spring Water! The baby’s hurting!]
I turned to look at the turtle following behind. It was smiling.
An inexplicable anger pounded in my chest. It wasn’t my emotion. I suppressed the urge to scream loudly and closed my mouth. I want to tear it all apart. This is unfair. This isn’t what I wanted.
I saw several other figures floating in the distance. The moment I tried to look closer, blood surged up in my throat again. I opened my eyes with a metallic scent.
Was this also a divine source I encountered? The pain that felt like it was scraping my insides was the same, but it seemed I didn’t shed bloody tears this time. The sweat-soaked cheeks were not as dirty as before.
I received concerned and puzzled gazes.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
I nodded once at Hugh Benson’s question. However, that was a question I should be asking.
The pain wasn’t as severe as the first time, but I didn’t know if my body had been split and reassembled. The shrunken shield was easily pulled out. I tossed it roughly onto the floor again. Mage Boulder quickly cast Clean Magic over it.
I quietly gazed at Gano Paquin. Perhaps concerned about the unfamiliar knights’ gazes, he gave a vague answer.
“This one… must have been a painless memory. Unlike the spear, there’s no way his… essence would be on the shield.”
“But strange memories keep being read.”
“Strange memories?”
Gano Paquin pondered for a moment, then bent down and placed his hand on the shield. The shield, now small enough to fit in his palm, was held loosely in the god’s hand. Let’s talk about it later. He understood without me saying it, so I remained quiet.
“For now, I’ll start melting the stalagmites for the knights. First, check your condition. Do your Breathing and regulating energy if you need to.”
“Yes.”
Boulder, wanting to see what the god was doing, scurried out behind him. The other knights followed suit. From behind, I could hear coughs, the sounds of them calling each other’s names, and the sounds of panicked scrambling.
And the only ones left by my side were the four who worried about me the most: Benjamin, Elvin, Hugh, and Leon. I briefly checked their complexions. It seemed they hadn’t been harmed this time either. I was contemplating whether it would be best to perform Breathing and regulating energy once and then move.
Amidst the commotion, Hugh Benson quietly asked, “Can we really trust that guy?”
“…Hmm?”
“He suddenly split apart while you were out of it.”
…What?
My gaze fell on the spot where the shield had been embedded. The lightless gold cords lay in a disordered circle. For some reason, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.