The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 275

Extraneous Story 4.

The Forgotten War, The Spider Lord Subjugation Battle (4)

“They say that at the main peak of the Mountains of Madness, there is an ancient palace called Tensukyu, or Tensuk Castle.”

I sketched a mountain peak and a structure on the snow with a branch.

Yes, that’s what I was trying to do….

But I couldn’t. I could feel intensely hot gazes from both sides.

“Why? What’s wrong, Miria? And why have you been like that too, Miss Kassenna, since earlier?”

Almost simultaneously, Miria and Kassenna averted their gazes from me.

They didn’t forget to add a ‘hmph,’ a sound that surely has a deeper history than human language itself.

What are they so unhappy about?

Turning my head, hoping to receive support from my comrades, Rem said,

“Trash.”

“Trash, trash, you piece of trash. You need to commit suicide urgently,” PiPi said.

Valensidice said with his signature unpleasant sneer.

“A philanderer always pays the price for carelessly playing with his lower body.”

Why does it have to be like that?

Bart said.

“We don’t have time for this.”

As expected, Bart was the only reliable comrade after living in the world for so long. I decided to continue the explanation.

“There are countless spaces in Tensukyu, and one of them leads to the old throne. It’s said to be the place where the Spider Lord is sealed.”

“Are there any guards?”

“Lady Yeriserica said that in the future she saw, a Namdongja (Male Child) is already guarding the palace.”

“Namdongja… Oh, here comes Obonwi [one of the Spider Lord’s direct subordinates] again.”

“The Namdongja can freely manipulate the space of Tensukyu, she said. He can even turn it into a maze. He’s been guarding the palace since historical times, so it’s only natural that he has such power.”

“So, what are we going to do?”

“Using this key spider will open a dimensional gate directly connected to Tensukyu. From there, you guys lure out the Namdongja.”

A moment of silence.

Valensidice raised his left eyebrow.

“Are you saying we should play a deadly game of tag with an old noble?”

“Tag, tag, tag.”

“Hey, trash. Can’t you just take care of the Namdongja like you caught Jayunnyeo?”

“No. If the Namdongja feels threatened with death, there’s a risk he’ll distort the space itself and seal the castle. And why am I trash?”

Bart scratched his forehead.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I’ll find the secret chamber, the throne. And then I’ll break the seal of the Spider Lord.”

“Are you really going to do that?”

It took a great deal of effort to answer that question.

I thought I was fully prepared, but my hands were trembling. Just recalling that nightmare made me sweat.

But… this is the only way.

“The Spider Lord’s power isn’t complete yet. I’m going to break the seal when his power isn’t complete and fight him. That way, I can put him back to sleep for another thousand years.”

It was then that Miria, who had been silently protesting, sighed.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing right now?”

“Of course.”

“No, I don’t think so. Have you thought about who will stand against the King if you fail? I can’t shake the feeling that we’re bringing the end closer.”

Rem also clicked his tongue, clasping his hands behind his head.

“You know there are even rumors that the Magic City is waiting for the seal to be broken so they can test their power against the Spider Lord, right?”

What, how, where should I start?

Rather than describing my reason with grand rhetoric, wouldn’t it be better to convey my sincerity?

“We’re living in the twilight of the Golden Age. Will there ever be a time in the future when people with as much power as we have now gather in one place? A time when humanity is this united?”

“…….”

“It will definitely come. It will come, won’t it? But then the Abyss will also unite and swallow the world. Who can stop that? Even if we’re in that timeline.”

“…….”

“We have to do this now. The reason why I, and you all, have been given this power is definitely for this. It’s not a coincidence.”

I presented the basis for my judgment.

Finally, I convey my sincerity.

“More than anything, I want to give Aki, Nen, Mir… those children time to grow into the flames of a new era. Please, everyone, lend me your strength.”

Silence filled the cave.

Everyone’s minds were probably filled with the battle against the old King, a story only told in legends.

Aren’t the Lords of the Abyss the ones that the and the Holy Elmine Knights barely managed to defeat by uniting?

Rem, after exchanging glances with the other comrades, suddenly snorted.

“What, you could have just said that from the start. Why did you have to write such a long introduction?”

Looking at his comrades as if to confirm his meaning, they each expressed their agreement with gestures.

“If it’s for Aki, there’s no argument.”

“I do want to see that stupid baby dragon grow up. At least he’ll be better than he is now.”

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

“What are you talking about? Aki has grown up so beautifully now. He’s already as tall as me. The baby dragon days are over.”

“Really?”

Kassenna spoke kindly to Miria for the first time, and Miria smiled broadly as if boasting about her child.

“That’s right. He speaks politely now too.”

“Wow, I want to see him.”

Tears welled up in my eyes for a moment, but it wasn’t time to shed tears yet.

I will shed these tears when the joy of victory is celebrated after everything is over.

Now is the time to fight the old god.

* * *

“Your Majesty, all troops have been deployed to the fortress of Seollyeong Fortress.”

The one who reported that was Duke Duren, the Frontier Lord of the North.

Duren had issued a conscription order to all the banner families in the North and brought even those soldiers.

Even so, the defense line of the wall was thin. The length of the wall was too long.

It would be different if the armies of the Central and Southern regions joined in time….

“Deployment, deployment, deployment.”

Said Sia, the Duke’s Sun Parakeet. The Duren family’s crest was a phoenix, and they had been raising Sun Parakeets since ancient times and distributing them to their members.

“Excellent. Commander, what is the state of Harbadonia?”

“Beacons have begun to rise from the front lines. The Abyss’s great army led by Hushingyeong has begun their advance all at once.”

“How long will it take?”

“Normally, it would take a day, but if they hurry, they could arrive in half a day.”

A despairing groan swept through the control room. The Emperor, who had been silently tapping the edge of the table, said,

“Any contact from Yonghyun?”

Almost simultaneously with that question, a messenger ran into the control room and knelt.

“Red smoke confirmed in the east! It’s a signal that Yonghyun has begun the main operation.”

Emperor Raida Aigin took a trembling breath and straightened his back.

“It will be a fight to see if we can hold out until Yonghyun finishes his work.”

* * *

At the northern end of Harbadonia lies the Mountains of Eternity, which undulate and stretch out without rest.

The name of that terrible land, which even beasts avoid, is the Mountains of Madness.

At the highest peak of that mountain range, the Palace of Eternity, built from the remains of a charnel house, quietly breathes.

Tensukyu (天手宮) [Palace of Heavenly Hands].

Tensukyu soared with the majesty befitting a lord who commanded the Three Thousand Worlds and with heavenly beauty.

But unlike its external beauty, the interior had become horrific.

In this eternal tomb, bones of unknown ages were scattered, and spiders were crushing skulls and greedily chewing on them everywhere.

Pale, long limbs, and smooth bodies without a single hair, monsters with a dozen eyes blankly blinking.

But originally, in this world, beings wearing human masks were more frightening than such simple monsters.

「Uninvited guests, I see. This is the abode of the Great King, and those who dare to set foot here will be punished by having their ankles cut off, regardless of their status.」

Namdongja Alcuta, the 5th in the Obonwi ranking, appeared, dragging along an ominous and eerie mist.

It was a mist like a spider web.

The light of the lamps was caught in that mist and could not move forward, like moths fluttering weakly, caught in a spider web.

「It is a meaningless resistance. Surrender. If you do so now, you will only be judged for one ankle.」

The Namdongja was taking the form of a young boy, and unlike the arrogant Shar’kas, he even gave off a polite feeling.

But it was only a difference in wording; the inner thoughts of seeing humans as less than insects would not be different.

Alcuta’s mist corrupted even the air, making it difficult to breathe.

Astringent, disgusting, and damp taste….

As that air entered my lungs, it felt like an unknown being was gripping my intestines.

“Okay, then!”

As my comrades scattered in five directions, I could see Alcuta sighing in the mist.

「It was a mistake to be polite to insignificant beings.」

Click, the sound of snapping fingers.

The mist vibrated and writhed like a living thing… and the surrounding scenery began to change.

Yes.

He’s changing the palace structure.

Just like Yeriserica said.

As the mist cleared, I could see a corridor adorned with dazzling decorations stretching forward.

The structures built for huge monsters, not humans, were so large that I wanted to turn away from the pillars and flagstones.

It was impossible to search such a place one by one.

“Come out, Ludien.”

I smashed the magic circle that was born and rotating on my palm.

Light butterflies, the Ludiens, flew up, scattering dazzling particles.

The number, 127.

“Hurry, to the Throne of the Abyss.”

The waiting time was a series of horrors.

I could hear it….

Sometimes from far away.

Sometimes not far away.

The sound of something exploding, the screams of tearing monsters, the sound of something heavy falling….

As soon as one sound was heard, the structure of the palace changed with a snap of the fingers.

Click.

At one point, I even moved to the space where Kassenna was cornered.

「You are…….」

No sooner had my heart leaped than Alcuta snapped his fingers, and the space changed again.

「I smell the blood of Jayunnyeo. I have grasped the whole story of this matter.」

Click.

From then on, the structure of the palace became a jumbled maze, causing confusion in my head.

Click. The front becomes the back, click, the top becomes the bottom….

「This is the space that the King entrusted to me.」

Damn it. This Namdongja is trying to drive me out of the palace.

Sweat poured down like rain.

Hurry, Ludien. Please hurry.

The moment the seal’s chamber closes, all the efforts so far will be in vain.

「Nothing can exist here without my permission!」

Click.

Now I had to move my body too.

A mural of spiders weaving countless humans into spider webs and eating them alive rushed right in front of me.

The entire palace was moving like a living thing to eliminate foreign substances.

Click.

Hurry.

Hurry.

Hurry up.

Click.

I saw one Ludien flying from afar, but no sooner had I done so than the space changed again.

Is this the basement……?

Because it was a space of utter darkness, the Ludien that landed on my shoulder, cutting through the darkness, was all the more vivid.

「What are you plotting here?」

Click.

Again, the sound of snapping fingers.

As the space changed again, I was automatically separated from the Ludien sitting next to me.

「Ah, the purpose is unclear, but it would be good to isolate you from that evil art.」

As expected of an old noble, his senses are incredibly good….

But I won.

What I had the Ludiens find out was the spatial coordinates. The spatial coordinates of the location of the King’s secret chamber.

“Ludien, open the dimensional gate!”

When I opened the dimensional space, I saw a welcome face in the newly changed space.

“Rain?”

Miria, her face flushed from running around in a hurry, was exhaling white breath.

「Dimensional gate? How!」

After the battle with Zerniks, I had been studying dimensional magic to maximize the power of Bell Curias.

“Did you find the location?”

Now that I have grasped the spatial coordinates so accurately, traversing a short distance is no problem.

And Yeriserica said.

There is only one room that Alcuta cannot control, and that is the Spider Lord’s secret chamber.

The passage to the secret chamber can be controlled at will, and the door can be closed, but the internal space cannot be manipulated.

Before Alcuta could change the space, I threw myself into the open dimension. To tell the truth, I was thrown.

At that moment, I was pushed by Miria, who amplified her leg strength and quickly narrowed the distance….

A sensation of sinking into a lukewarm swamp covers my whole body.

As I escaped from that disgusting feeling, a vast space unfolded, overwhelming my vision.

The old King’s palace (御殿) [Goten – a traditional Japanese palace or residence].

The pillars with a circumference that seemed to require thirty strong men to join hands stretched high to a roof that could not be seen.

“Miria, why did you come with me!”

“Why, you ask! I was dumbfounded. Did you think I was going to let you go alone?”

“Well…….”

“If you die, I die too.”

At the end of the orderly rows of pillars, I could see a spider-legged throne.

It was truly disgusting that the spider legs on the back of the high and distant throne were wriggling like living creatures.

And three swords were stuck in the backrest, emitting light.

“This is not the time to argue. Let’s go.”

As we ran side by side towards the throne, Miria murmured blankly.

“Sharillion……?”

Shirepang seemed more impressed than Miria, exhaling even more intensely than usual.

“Sharillion?”

“The True Holy Sword Sharillion! All twelve Supreme Holy Swords currently used by the Payqueliers were manufactured by imitating the True Holy Swords. And Shirepang is a replica of Sharillion.”

“What about the other two?”

“Probably… the long sword is Ribelden and the katana is Galadiel. The Holy Swords used by the chief warrior Alkaios. He used two swords alone, they say.”

Did Karen Den use three True Holy Swords as sealing wedges….

Am I really doing something irreversible?

No, no. The Obonwi are already waking up. It was only a matter of time.

“Miria, step back.”

After wiping my trembling hands, shivering with chills and cold sweat, on my hem several times, I put my hands together and faced the truth.

“Asura Silhonkyung [Asura’s Aura].”

Again, light forms a great shape, illuminating the darkness brilliantly.

The dragon with three heads descended, completely clearing the darkness of the secret chamber.

While interpreting the sealing formation with Bell Curias, I stored Karen Den’s knowledge in my head.

“Asura, pull out the wedges!”

The moment Asura grabbed the hilts of Sharillion, Ribelden, and Galadiel, the language of the gods suddenly unfolded in front of my eyes, intricately overlapping in three layers.

[Identifying the source…….]

[MT-0, Karen Den-nim. Verified.]

– Transferring control of the logic system.

No sooner had that language appeared than a flash of light burst out, and sparks flew from Asura’s sword-wielding hand.

Asura let out a painful roar, but he had already pulled out the three swords from the backrest.

The moment the Holy Swords were pulled from the throne.

Kkiririk…….

The sealing formation began to rotate precisely, as if a lock was being unlocked with a key.

At the same time, a disgusting mist gushed out blackly from the gap where the Holy Swords had been inserted.

It was fortunate that Asura wrapped his body around me and Miria; it was so hot that it would have melted our flesh in an instant.

And the gap.

The physical gap had already turned into a dimensional gap.

The gap slowly grew, now reaching the high ceiling of the palace.

Ah, that madness.

The ruler of that primitive frenzy.

A transcendent being that blurs all light and makes even darkness and mist lie flat.

Is he waking up from a thousand years of sleep and trying to return to this world again!

I could feel Miria’s hand, clasped in mine, trembling.

Maybe it’s my trembling.

As we caught our breath, we felt the vast presence pressing down on our entire bodies.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang……!

Along with the sound of chains breaking, the first thing that popped out of the gap was a leg.

I don’t know if I should call it a leg, but at first glance, it looked like a spider’s leg, but it was formed by people.

It was a nightmare shape of thousands of people woven together, wriggling disgustingly like worms and groaning.

Gurgle…….

Corpses, bones, and half-dead revenants that had leaped over the ages from the cosmic cemetery poured out sticky.

Ah, panic is rampant, madness explodes, and fear boils.

Breathing is distorted.

The hairs on my body stand on end.

Shirepang emitted an explosive light in hostility, but even that light seemed faint in the face of overwhelming darkness.

The King, who had been forgotten along with the legend that he had destroyed the whole world, was tearing off the deck of the seal and returning to his throne.

In the face of that absolute fear.

I put my hands together again. I was putting my hands together and praying. Earnestly, desperately.

Now let me end this fight, my hundred-year journey of life, here.

“Rain, something’s wrong!”

It was at that moment.

The dimension at my feet tore apart, and countless spider webs soared up like snakes.

“!”

Immediately, I had Asura’s light cut off those spider webs, but, no, what is this……?

I doubted my eyes.

No sooner had they been cut than both ends stuck together again sticky. As if a wound was healing.

This is… ultra-high-speed regeneration?

No way.

Spider webs regenerate at ultra-high speed?

In a moment of panic, I tried to push Miria away, and Miria also tried to push me away. That’s why the two ended up holding hands.

The same judgment in a moment of crisis….

Before I could finish that thought, the spider webs wrapped around our bodies and Asura and dragged us down into the dimensional rift.

* * *

「I am overjoyed to see you again, my lord.」

Namdongja Alcuta knelt politely, too gracefully, on one knee.

「I am lacking, and the palace has been defiled, so please punish this disloyalty.」

The devil’s gaze, which caressed the dimension and made the desolate moonlight tremble, reached Alcuta.

A human form sprouted above the head of the hideous monster that was groaning terribly.

It was Ashuron, even more elegant, beautiful, and brilliant than the old nobles, a figure who swallowed the world.

「Thank you for pretending to be played by the foolishness of the devils, Alcuta.」

Alcuta bowed his head even further.

「Everything is as per your Majesty’s prophecy. I have only acted as you said.」

「Where are the other rabble?」

「There seems to be a sorcerer who irreverently handles the Abyss. He opened a space and ran away far away.」

「What about Jayun?」

「Following your Majesty’s will, Hushingyeong is currently leading the army and attacking the irreverent wall.」

Ashuron raised the corners of his mouth with satisfaction. Even in that appearance, heavenly beauty was embedded.

「Now, let’s start again. The banquet of frenzy. I will dye the Three Thousand Worlds with my colors once again.」