Chapter 252
The Flame of the Order (6)
“How about we talk without your hand on that axe?”
The voice came from the Pharaoh mask perched on the beetle’s back, belonging to Kheph, the 14th king of the Sandstorm Dynasty.
“What hand?”
“The right hand on your belt. That axe next to it makes me quite uneasy.”
Not wanting to risk losing his head again, Dalen chuckled and removed his hand from his belt.
“Better?”
“Much better. I feel more at ease now.”
“It’s not like you’d actually die if that beetle got damaged.”
“But the sensation is eerily similar to real death. Having experienced it once, I can assure you it’s terrifying.”
Dalen nodded, understanding the sentiment. It’s like how people who’ve been through love and heartbreak feel more pain watching a breakup scene in a drama.
Death might be similar in a way—it’s a farewell to life, after all.
“Anyway, it’s been a while for both of us. Your power now seems to brush against the divine. And the tree you serve… it seems to have regained much of its strength.”
[What? Me?]
“Yes, you, the tree. New sprouts are emerging from the severed stump. Though the rotten parts have fallen away and a hard shell covers it, pain and scars are part of growth.”
The Pharaoh mask clicked its pincers like a punctuation mark. It was odd to see the beetle’s pincers move.
“However, this is an anomaly that shouldn’t have occurred… a series of strange events. The end is approaching faster, and the jester of fate hasn’t invaded the Sandstorm Dynasty’s domain.”
“The jester of fate… you mean Enaxagous?”
“Correct. Can you read the celestial signs?”
Dalen shook his head. To him, celestial signs and fate were just the ramblings of fortune-tellers.
Of course, he didn’t say that out loud. The Sandstorm Dynasty was as skilled in divination as they were in soul alchemy.
No need to offend them when he was here for help. The Pharaoh mask offered a brief explanation.
“The celestial signs are nothing special. Just the subtle whispers of the stars. According to them, when the end approaches, the heralds of doom will gather from the north, south, east, and west.”
[North, south, east, and west? You mean those evil gods?]
“Yes. From the north comes the Palace of Ruin, from the east the Palace of Illusions. From the south, the Land of the Dead and the Great Dragon Temple rise, and from the west…”
“The Interstellar Throne approaches.”
“You said you couldn’t read them, yet you already know?”
Dalen shrugged. It was just lore he’d heard a few times from beyond the monitor.
The game’s difficulty wasn’t just because the enemies were strong.
The stinginess with lore explanations, meant to enhance realism, was also a major factor in the difficulty spike.
The crises in the mid-to-late game were already tough, and to prepare properly, you had to uncover and interpret hidden legends and myths.
The celestial signs or astrology the Pharaoh mask just recited were part of that. It was roughly about which paths the five evil gods would take in the game’s final stages.
“According to the celestial signs, Enaxagous, the master of the Interstellar Throne, approaches from the western edge of the continent. It’s our old homeland, where I, my ancestors, and descendants still rest.”
The jewel eyes spun around. Dalen watched the spinning, like a computer loading cursor, and stroked his chin.
“So, it hasn’t moved that way either.”
The Temomron and the Dragon God had already moved, and it was clear that Lapilem was active across the eastern sea.
Only Enaxagous and Suum remained unaccounted for. Suum, who had been beaten in the north, was one thing, but it made no sense for the one who had been eyeing the continent for over a thousand years to be silent.
”…I’ll deal with it later.”
Whatever the case, the immediate priority was escaping the Dragon God’s encirclement.
The rest could be pondered while descending into the labyrinth.
Sensing that Dalen had something to say, the Pharaoh mask stopped spinning and its eyes gleamed. It spoke.
“Anyway, this isn’t why you summoned me, is it? Speak, Guardian of the Tree. Since you’ve treated our guest well, we’ll do our best to accommodate you.”
“Great. Then I’d like you to open a path.”
“A path?”
The Pharaoh mask tilted its head. Dalen pointed upward with his finger.
“The Dragon God has surrounded the ground and sky. So, we need a path underground.”
“It seems fine if you lead a few through… but how many are you planning to bring?”
“Let’s see. About tens of thousands?”
”…Tens of thousands walking over graves?”
Is that a problem? The finger pointing upward subtly shifted to rest on his belt.
“You said grave robbing was fine before. Can’t we just pass through?”
”…”
“I thought the grave owners crossed the Nehakara River ages ago. We’ll pass quietly.”
”…Very well. I’ll inform the tomb guardian.”
Dalen smiled with satisfaction. Civilization does allow for conversation, after all.
Tap. Tap.
The soft echo of footsteps. The corridor of the underground ruins was dim.
But no one in the group lit a torch. None of them needed it to see in this level of darkness.
Each with their own magical glow in their eyes, they moved swiftly through the complex passages as if it were broad daylight.
Leading the way, Dalen suddenly turned his head. He heard the sound of the ruins shifting in the distance.
Rumble…
“Are they expanding the passage?”
No matter how vast the Sandstorm Dynasty’s ruins were, expanding the passage was inevitable for a force of tens of thousands.
Fortunately, the tomb guardian of these ruins could manipulate all the facilities within. Beyond simple traps and doors, even the floors, ceilings, passageways, and room structures.
“Back then, it was quite a struggle.”
The ruins themselves had tried to swallow him whole, and he had nearly died fighting back with just his body.
In those days, when he didn’t know how to open domains, if not for the holy sword and the regenerative factor of dragon blood, he would have been buried in the stone crevices, never to be found.
In hindsight, it was somewhat amusing. Back then, he had fought tooth and nail to get inside the Order of the Holy Knights, and now he was using the underground passage to escape.
The ruins that once tried to kill him were now cooperating, expanding the escape route for him.
Rumble. Creak—
The sound of machinery echoed again. Dalen’s keen senses picked up the noise and vibrations beyond.
The rhythmic march of the holy knights and crusaders. The labored breaths in the scarce oxygen. The clicking of mechanical beetles ascending to the surface.
[――――――!!]
And above, the roars of dragons resonating from the surface.
The plan was simple.
The moment Commander Edgar deactivated the holy barrier, the dragons’ attention would naturally shift to the main base.
While they charged at the main base, the entire force of the Order of the Holy Knights would split, abandoning the main base to escape.
Dalen’s group, including Lucia and Farn, would head into the rift, while the rest of the Order would aim for beyond the barrier mountains.
The ruins’ guardian, who had accepted Dalen as its new master, would open the most efficient and safe path during this process.
“Dalen.”
“Yes?”
“Do we have enough time?”
It was Bjorn. Dalen nodded.
“We should have enough. They promised to buy us as much time as possible.”
“You mean the guardian statues? They’re impressive relics of an ancient civilization. But the enemy is a dragon. Not just any dragon, but a dragon legion.”
“The Order’s defense system is still operational, so it should be fine. The holy barrier needs the commander to maintain it, but some parts can run automatically.”
Above, the dragon’s roar echoed again. Bjorn twitched his beard and fell silent.
Dalen turned his head, mentally mapping out the black-and-white layout of the ruins.
“It might be a bit tight.”
In truth, he shared the same subtle anxiety. The assurance of having enough time was only on their side.
Honestly, he couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t be tracked at all.
Even with a small elite group, it was uncertain, let alone the main force of the Order, which numbered close to 100,000.
With such a large force, there were countless variables to consider, making it hard to be sure they could completely evade the dragon legion’s pursuit.
”…In any case, with the dragon legion growing stronger by the day, we can’t remain trapped inside the barrier mountains indefinitely.”
“Indeed. And relying solely on the holy barrier isn’t feasible, given the uncertainty of how long the commander can hold out.”
Lucia chimed in.
“Even if the main force is pursued, there’s no need to worry. The commander promised to join us as quickly as possible.”
Though his condition had deteriorated over the past few months, Edgar was undeniably the commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, who had guarded the rift for two centuries.
In his youth, he had not only defeated a prime blue dragon but also ascended to the sixth rank after losing an eye and an arm.
Even beyond the monitor, it was the same. Edgar Reinhardt was a formidable force, surpassing even the mightiest in the North, no matter the episode.
Yet, a subtle unease tickled the back of his mind. Why was that? Just as he shook his head to dispel the feeling, a voice interrupted.
“Sir Lucia. The captain of the knights—did he really say he would join the main force?”
“Yes. He said he would follow right after dismantling the holy barrier. He also advised us to keep moving without slowing down.”
“I see…”
A lukewarm response, for some reason. What was he thinking?
When he sent a covert signal, Felber responded with a low chuckle.
“Remember when we fought Cheongrin in the rift?”
“I do.”
It was the moment Dalen awakened his dragon blood, and when Felber fully harnessed the power of his domain.
Back then, Felber had disregarded his own safety, turning back Cheongrin’s timeline.
His body was already deteriorating, and the battle with Cheongrin was one they had to win, even at the cost of sacrifice.
“That wasn’t all. Sure, it was a sacrifice for victory, but not solely for that reason.”
“What do you mean?”
“When one reaches the twilight of life, a thought inevitably creeps in. How can I make the most meaningful use of the little time I have left?”
For a brief moment, the old man’s gaze flickered between two people. One was Dalen. The other was Tommy Valentino.
“I wanted to use my remaining life for you, with your bright future ahead, and for my disciple. I thought that would be the most meaningful way to bow out.”
”…”
“Perhaps the captain thinks the same way… It’s just a thought I had.”