Tomb

“It’s real! The holy land existed!”

Victor was excited looking at the soaring entrance.

The door that appeared by breaking through rock as the mountain vibrated had Banteras’ emblem drawn on it.

The symbol of detestable Banteras royal family passed down to Avala’s descendants.

“This place is the ‘Den’ you mentioned, right?!”

“Probably only here. Because the door opened reacting to the artifact.”

“Hahaha, amazing! Making it impossible to even find without an artifact, thorough and meticulous! If not a single artifact remained in the world, this place would have been sealed forever!”

Victor didn’t even think this was a fake entrance Pernok opened.

Because Avala side scholars who peeked inside the interior shouted in unison.

“Murals!”

“Oh! They contain Banteras’ birth and destruction!”

“The inside is endlessly deep! There’s no better place as a warehouse!”

Avala’s descendants trying to find the holy land and solve the curse.

And power holders trying to gain specialness not born with using artifacts.

They began sending excited gazes to the entrance.

“Divide forces into squads and deploy in rotation!”

When the knight shouted, Pernok immediately objected.

“We must deploy all scholars and forces inside.”

“Not knowing what dangers lurk inside…”

“It’s a treasure warehouse. With calamity descending, where’s leisure to make traps or not? No, even if there are traps, they’re just junk designed by past humans. With mages and artifact knights, can’t we withstand that?”

Pernok looked back at Victor.

“The interior is wide and vast. Even dividing forces, we must deploy as many personnel as possible to confirm the interior.”

Victor, who was pondering, deployed three knights inside.

The knights came outside not long after.

“There are many branching paths inside.”

“Each path has murals.”

“When we lit oil, it connected all the way inside.”

Victor looked at Pernok.

Pernok snorted and said.

“See. The interior is vast. Plus the paths branching several ways probably distinguish armaments, treasure, food supplies and such. Have them check once more if there are markings like these.”

Pernok drew several emblems Banteras people used.

When the knights entered inside again and came out, they made surprised expressions.

“Markings exactly like these were drawn above the passages!”

A trap to mislead as a warehouse and lure enemies.

But those who didn’t live in that era and lacked the Knight King’s knowledge naturally couldn’t help but misunderstand.

“How many total branching paths?”

“Seven branches.”

Victor nodded.

“Make 7 squads of 10 people per squad, and position experienced mages and knights as each squad leader. And Pernok leads the vanguard.”

“Me?”

“You’re the investigation leader. Any of the 7 branching paths is fine. Figure out something and bring it. Until then, your companion remains here.”

Pernok frowned.

“What trick is this!”

“Just meaning I hope for safe return, no other meaning.”

“Coming this far, do you think I’d harbor other thoughts?”

“Seems the talk is over. Move immediately.”

When Victor clapped hands together, knights and mages formed squads.

They positioned one scholar each to each squad and finished heavy armament even wearing thick armor.

Pernok acted angry pretending to hold back laughter that tried to burst out.

‘They split more than expected.’

He didn’t think they’d all enter inside at once.

The more careful a person, the more cautiously they try to enter.

He judged they’d split forces into small numbers and deploy in rotation. And quality mages and knights were selected beyond expectations.

‘Watching from here is impossible.’

Whether inside or out, the moment he entered the fake entrance and activated the ‘device’, this entire mountain range would transform into hell.

Pernok hid his true intentions and irritably pushed people.

“Don’t forget the promise to divide what we each need.”

“Hahaha, of course. Though regrettable in this form, I’m starting to believe you’re not Banteras’ descendant. Because a descendant can’t be one who leads to sell ancestors’ treasure.”

Pernok looked between Victor and Kelt with furrowed brow.

Kelt had an uneasy expression toward soldiers watching closely beside him.

But he didn’t advise Pernok not to enter.

Because he’d already explained the method to escape hell.

“Phew, entering!”

Pernok entered the fake entrance leading 70 investigation soldiers.

Small pipes where oil flowed existed between wall surfaces.

Lighting fire showed murals carved deep inside.

Walking the passage that became bright noon, he listened to admiring scholars’ voices.

“Banteras’ birth! Is this fellow that Knight King!”

“The retainers beside him must be those called Triforce!”

“Oh, this black mass is calamity!”

“If Banteras lived, the continent would have unified as one…”

A knight approached beside Pernok.

“We didn’t come all this way to sightsee murals.”

“There are only murals, what do you want me to do?”

“The paths branch several ways. Wouldn’t there be dangerous places among them?”

“I said. They’re criteria dividing each warehouse.”

“Well. Places like this always have something blocking intruders.”

The knight looked at one passage where blue-toned wind flowed out.

A fellow with good intuition.

That place was marked as treasure, but was actually a special place where traps activated.

Apparently this knight was the right person to activate the trap.

“Storage should have goods stored according to emblems. First, I’ll go toward treasure. Just one squad follow.”

“I’ll go. The rest examine passages separately.”

“Yes, Sir Charles.”

Before Pernok could say anything, they split into each path and entered.

Investigation leader in name only.

And this situation where particularly strong-looking Charles and 9 squad members followed.

As expected sequences continued as is, laughter he’d held back flowed out.

“What did you discover?”

“Discovering new history always feels good. Look there, doesn’t something sparkle?”

Charles stopped squad members and drew his artifact.

The moment he slowly entered the wider space, Charles’ eyes widened.

“An artifact?”

A long sword boasting white form alone where old weapons rolled at a place.

Charles noticed that long sword was an item superior to the artifact he possessed.

Those who possess artifacts can feel special flows other artifacts emit.

The white long sword was flowing an attractively intense flow.

“That’s an artifact upper knights used!”

“What?”

“Certain! When upper knights made artifacts, they used far superior materials than supply-type! Artifacts made that way reveal unique color according to upper knight’s talent! Especially pure white was said to be possessed by only a minority among upper knights! It’s fact I definitely confirmed through tradition!”

“Everyone stop!”

Charles quickly withdrew squad members back.

“Check for traps!”

He who barely suppressed excitement moves considering even possible situations.

Squad members examine even thread-like lines everywhere in space with old weapons.

But traps couldn’t be discovered.

“It’s fine!”

“Nothing!”

“Sir Charles! Here seems to be armament warehouse not treasure!”

Even the scholar helped, so Charles revealed desire without hesitation.

He gripped his own artifact in his right hand and walked to the white long sword.

Facing closely, the long sword’s flow boasted overwhelming flow compared to his own.

‘Artifacts recognize first gripped person as owner! The previous owner died, so if I grip this, I too possess an upper knight’s artifact!’

He was even resolved to let Victor’s rebuke flow in one ear.

Blue Cross Knights who received supply-type artifacts from Avala all knew Banteras’ knight system.

Knowing upper knights’ capability rivaled one-man armies, they couldn’t help but covet their artifacts.

Charles gripped the white long sword with a pounding heart.

That moment.

“Welcome to hell.”

Simultaneously with Pernok’s chilly voice, Charles’ everything was sucked into the long sword.

And white smoke that burst from the long sword swallowed all life.

Only Pernok alone leisurely escaped that place.

* * *

Keeeeaaa!

A sharp-edged woman’s sharp voice shook the mountain.

“…”

When untimely eeriness raised Victor’s doubt, white smoke flowed from the entrance.

In the blink of an eye, all directions were hazily covered like fog.

“What…”

When everyone puzzled, Kelt felt the time Pernok mentioned arrived.

“From now on, definitely follow what I say. That’s how you live.”

Before entering inside, Pernok told Kelt with firm voice.

“A dangerous thing that will make the entire mountain a battlefield sleeps inside. I’ll activate it. The harbinger is…”

Screams, fog.

And…

“Wh-what!”

“It’s ambush!”

Phantoms.

He said substantial-seeming phantoms wandering in fog.

“…Those cut by phantoms die as if really stabbed by swords. Skilled enough to shake off these phantoms don’t exist here. So you, when you see phantoms, don’t get caught by other bastards and definitely act like this.”

Kelt discovered shadows cast in fog.

Amid rampant screams, he focused only on that.

Swoosh!

As soon as he saw shadows flying while splitting fog, Kelt fell flat.

Then he whispered in Banteras’ ‘unique language’ Pernok taught.

“For our glory that will brilliantly shine, I offer my everything to nation and king.”

Kelt bowed his head.

Something chilly seemed to graze his back of the head.

When cold sweat poured like rain, screams in fog gradually began distancing.

When Kelt lifted and turned his head, what was visible was only corpses.

“The moment you declared you’re Banteras affiliated, phantoms chase those who aren’t. And definitely…”

Kelt looked at countless shadows sucked into the fake entrance.

“…Push them inside this entrance. From the moment they judge there are no enemies outside, fog disappears and the entrance is ‘sealed.'”

Fog was sucked into the fake entrance and drew a pure white curtain.

In an instant, the entrance was covered pure white, blocking even one breath from escaping outside.

Kelt looked around.

Corpses that couldn’t respond to phantoms in time sprawled in terrible form.

“Even inside that fake entrance, there’s a method heading to the truth. So don’t worry about me and come to the ‘real’ entrance.”

Kelt, who snapped to his senses, recalled Pernok’s words and headed west of the mountain range.

* * *

“The entrance is blocked!”

Knights urgently shouted.

Forces that entered the fake entrance faced phantoms before even calming surprised hearts.

“Cut them all down!”

There was no time to grasp what happened.

When Victor’s order fell, soldiers moved in perfect order.

The interior was deep and wide enough to accommodate even hundreds more.

They seemed to sufficiently cope with phantoms.

“At this rate it’ll be close.”

It was simultaneous with a familiar voice.

Click.

A chilly sound made spines go stiff.

“Aaaaak…!”

It occurred in the blink of an eye.

Soldiers’ footing broke and fell into endless darkness below.

Formation collapsed instantly, and phantoms covered those remaining.

Mages and knights laboriously prepared breakthroughs.

“This way!”

To join subordinates who entered first, Victor began running to the 7 branching paths.

That moment, something swift attacked.

Clang!

A knight immediately reacted, but was blocked by black bracelets.

“Good that they’re solid.”

“Pernok!”

As soon as Victor widened eyes, Pernok’s both arms moved smoothly.

Hard to think movements of one whose mana and magic were sealed by bracelets.

Those who didn’t know Ataka’s power panicked at Pernok’s abnormal appearance and activated artifacts.

Pernok clashed black bracelets against roughly sweeping artifacts.

Bang!

As soon as bracelets shattered to pieces, Pernok released mana.

Ataka overlaid with mana sublimated to Mana Reinforcement, and when physical enhancement type magic combined, all movements explosively accelerated.

Bom boom boom!

It was a narrowing passage.

If rear mages wildly fired elemental types, Victor and knights would sweep away together.

While mages could neither do this nor that, phantoms swept the rear.

In the melee, Pernok’s various magics easily cooked knights’ artifacts.

Scrape!

The knight’s neck was cut and blood spouted like a fountain.

Splitting red blood drops, Pernok shot at Victor.

“There was no holy land from the start. This is a tomb.”

Two knights pushed crossing artifacts.

Pernok leaned back to avoid the sharp blade and blocked the artifact’s elements that followed with opposite property magic.

“These phantoms multiply by sucking your life. They disappear only when you die.”

“K-kill him!”

Victor fled back shouting. But there was no path there either.

Because all sorts of traps poured from the seven branching paths.

From those who first lifted upper knight’s artifact with Pernok, to those who entered other paths, all died.

Those remaining continued laborious fights inside but that too didn’t last long.

Krrrrrk!

The fake passage restructured to the optimal place to kill intruders faster.

“B-break through!”

“Escort Master!”

Though survivors desperately moved, they couldn’t escape traps.

Amid all making despairing expressions, only Pernok contesting knights lightly avoided traps like child’s play.

“Unable to properly command scared of these traps, how dare you mock my subordinates and tried to escape the curse.”

This wasn’t the trap Pernok waited for.

The true danger would begin from ‘that’ starting now.

And to fight it, he had to increase cards.

“Foolish and stupid bastards. Thanks to you, I gained a method to fight.”

A mighty army that might have killed him instead if Pernok executed frontal combat.

Avala’s believers.

Over 500 people’s spiritual power.

Mana and magic left by level 3, 4 combat mages.

Using this place’s traps to drive them into pits and easily obtained desired power.

Boom!

Pernok, who beat a knight to death together with artifact, met eyes with Victor.

Pernok smiled.

And at the dizzily swirling mana, Victor turned pale.

* * *

Commotion was heard.

Who is it?

Who disturbs that person’s rest?

Krrrrrk!

A giant who guarded one place for long years finally rose.

He was the guardian protecting the tomb and the true danger Pernok guarded against.

Triforce.

Three swords who believed in the Knight King.

They died in death matches against calamity, but only one remained with lingering attachment and dwelt in an artifact enshrined here.

Regret of not protecting the Knight King in life.

The grudge from that began having substance like current phantoms, and eventually manifested through artifacts to possess power like substance.

Though that couldn’t contain even one-tenth of power in life.

That momentum and fury extended to the tomb.

[Unauthorized one came to a place honoring rest.]

The true danger left in the tomb.

He who was once called the most vicious knight finally gripped an artifact across years.