Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 15 - Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two: What Was Sought

Royal Castle, Second Floor, Hallway

“Your Highness! Your Highness Theresia! Where are you?!” Liliana, the vice-commander of the Royal Guard, was riding her SMPS through the castle’s hallways, looking for the princess who’d gone missing shortly after the assault began.

So far, she had found not a trace of Theresia or the hamster she always rode.

Explosions were ringing out all over the castle, and Liliana was starting to fear that Theresia might be lost forever.

It’s like this again... she thought, overcome by her own powerlessness. I’m completely useless again...!

This wasn’t the first time she’d felt this way.

Liliana was close friends with Altimia and Integra.

Altimia was the first princess of Altar, the one chosen by The Primeval Blade to bear the title of Sacred Princess. Despite being younger than her, the girl also surpassed Liliana in swordfighting skill.

Integra was the Arch Sage’s favorite disciple, and she possessed magical talents that were said to be even greater than his had been, as well as intellect that allowed her to instantly untangle difficult dilemmas that left Liliana stumped.

They were immensely talented...unlike her.

Liliana was the daughter of the Celestial Knight and had some talents of her own, but she wasn’t nearly as special as her two friends.

She’d lost count of the number of times she’d wished to be as powerful as they were, and even becoming a Paladin had not changed that.

She’d joined the Royal Guard and proved she was more than worthy of that honor, but she still had yet to catch up to the achievements of her father and the more experienced knights. Even so, she’d continued striving onwards, hoping to one day gain enough power that she was satisfied.

However, the war had shown her just how far she still was from her goal. Her father and the other Paladins she looked up to, as well as many of the younger new recruits, had died while battling the devil army.

And after that, Liliana had become the vice-commander of the Royal Guard.

The position of commander was reserved for the Celestial Knight, and she was chosen for vice-commander because all of the Paladins stronger than her were gone.

She knew in her heart that she was unworthy of it, yet she had no choice but to take the post and lead the Royal Guard.

Her father and many of her comrades had died, leaving her with a heavy burden to bear. It was almost too much for her, but she refused to break under the strain.

She still had a now-fatherless little sister to look after.

She still had her comrades who had survived and were now overcome by immense grief.

She still had Altimia, a friend who knew the pain of losing a father just as well as she did.

And finally, she had the people of Altar, terrified of the prospect that the kingdom might fall.

As a knight, she couldn’t allow herself to break.

To protect what she had to protect, she took on the role of vice-commander and tried her utmost to fulfill her duty.

But though her heart was ready, reality reminded her time and again that the power she possessed simply wasn’t enough.

Liliana had been involved in many dangerous events since she became the leader of the Royal Guard — most notably the incident where her sister had almost been killed by countless worms and the now-infamous terrorist strike in Gideon.

Even the would-be tragedies happening right before her eyes were too much for her to handle alone.

As much as she wanted to protect what was dear to her, she was just not powerful enough to do it. This current assault was no different.

She had no means of defeating the attackers, nor could she easily locate the princess she had to protect.

Liliana dearly wished she had the power to at least do that much.

“If only Integra were here...” Her childhood friend was perhaps the smartest person in the kingdom. It was entirely possible that she could provide Liliana with some path to improvement.

“...No! I need to focus on what I can do right now...!” Liliana said, shaking her head. This was no time to be wishing for something that could never happen. Doing so would be nothing but escapism.

Liliana did her best to shake off those negative thoughts and give her all to the search.

As she galloped away, one of the paintings in the hallway was watching her.

◆◆◆

Royal Castle, Fourth Floor, Hallway

The fourth floor of the castle was the royal family’s living quarters. Because of this, its hallway was decorated with fancy furniture, paintings, plants, and well-made suits of armor.

Standing among them, there was a single Idea.

That’s thirteen. I’d say I took out most of the wiring, he thought.

He had blue-black skin and leathery wings, making him look like a hybrid of human and bat. He was Vespertilio Idea, otherwise known as King of Raids, Morter.

Having finished his job of disrupting the magic distribution network in order to sabotage the castle’s defenses, he pulled his winged hands out of the wall. La Crima had given him the ability to sense magic, allowing him to easily find magic-based wiring even with his eyes closed.

With those old farts distracting the guards, this was a real piece of cake... Though, man — the security in this place isn’t working properly, but it’d sure be excessive if it actually did. It’s a good match for the ruins I worked in, he thought, reminiscing about the past.

Up until a few months ago, Morter had been pursuing treasure hunters in one of the ruins in Caldina. He actually made a living out of ambushing those who found any success there and taking their finds.

Morter always took his targets’ lives and treasures before they even realized he was there, making it a more lucrative “career” choice than one might expect.

However, those days ended when one treasure hunter he targeted turned out to be the sub-leader of I.F.

The man incapacitated Morter as though he was no more threatening than a baby, and as he was cowering in fear, the sub-leader told him, “Choose: die right here and now, or give up your humanity. I recommend the former.”

In spite of his advice, Morter picked the latter.

In Morter’s mind, living was always better than not. Even if he became a lowly slave, there might still come an opportunity for escape.

The man then treated Morter’s wounds before handing him off to La Crima. She turned him into Vespertilio Idea, and now he was attacking the Altarian royal castle.

These powers I’ve got aren’t even half bad, he thought. I’m even more satisfied than I was back when I was just King of Raids.

Actually using his powers in this castle showed him that he’d made the right choice back then.

He had been freed from his limiting human shell, and now he had been granted a form that made him feel all-powerful. He saw things he couldn’t see before and did things that used to be beyond him. The feeling of emancipation he derived from that was exquisite.

But what are those things, anyway...?

However, his new sight also showed him questions he would never have known to ask before.

Morter could sense three major sources of magic in this castle.

One was obviously a fellow Idea — Ignis — but he had no clue what the others were.

One was weaker than Ignis, but more intense than a standard Superior Job, and it was simply standing in one place in the castle.

The other magical signal was fluctuating between strong and weak, and it was slowly moving through the castle’s fourth floor — the one Morter was on.

He’d informed Zeta about these signals before they assaulted the castle, and she’d told him to go towards the fluctuating one while dealing with the security systems.

“Hm...?” Morter’s train of thought stopped short as he looked down towards the first floor.

The spider guy is dead, huh? There’s weak magic signals all around him... I guess someone broke the inventory inside his body. Well, that’s what I would’ve done if I had to kill him.

Fully grasping the nature of Aranea’s death, Morter didn’t show much of a reaction.

He also knew that Ignis was trapped, but he had no intention of going to help him.

Since he hadn’t been discovered yet and wasn’t actually ordered to help his fellow Ideas, such things were no skin off his nose.

And besides, Morter’s top priority was survival, followed by freedom. If he saw a way to seize that freedom, he would ignore his orders to seek it.

Though right now, he was on a leash of swords. Becoming truly free seemed impossible at the moment.

Well, we’re experimental animals, after all. There are flaws in our designs. This doesn’t really apply to the dumb bee, but the flame guy... He’s stronger than the rest of us, but with all the MP Boosters in him, he’ll die in no time.

As someone who used to “work” at some ruins, Morter was very familiar with the equipment implanted in Ignis.

MP Boosters were pre-ancient civilization items that greatly increased magic at the cost of life span, and since Ignis...or rather, Feuer Lazburn cared about nothing but magic, he had several of them implanted into him.

Morter guessed that he didn’t even have a year left — maybe a month, if he was lucky.

The item wasn’t the only problem, after all.

That psycho La Crima can modify people however she wants, but she knows almost nothing about biology or medicine. She only uses her Embryo’s powers to mix people with monsters and items. That’s why there are limits to what she can do.

Idea, La Crima’s Superior Embryo, allowed her to freely modify people as long as she had the materials. La Crima had no knowledge of the processes and techniques involved, but Idea did, and that allowed it to mass produce its hybrid monsters.

The Embryo could make La Crima’s designs work even if they were flawed, which was both a positive and a negative.

The stronger the Idea...the more combat-capable they are...the greater the risk of them destroying themselves.

Because of that, Morter was very satisfied with his modifications.

The three main things he had been given were the magic-sensing ability, the power to create an unperceivable space, and a low-tier flying ability.

His modifications were minor compared to what the others had received, and because of this, he had yet to find a flaw in them.

I guess the only successes are me, the Ferrum that’s with La Crima all the time, and Cantus, I guess...? Wait, can you really call them successes when — hm...?

Morter looked down once again.

What’s that fiery old fart planning? He had noticed a change in King of Blaze’s magic signal. Feuer Lazburn was doing something, despite being trapped in a barrier.

As Morter tried to guess what it was, the castle began to shake.

“...Tch.” He clicked his tongue, making a sound for the first time since he had begun his job here.

Seriously, what the hell is he doing? Quiet though the click was, a moment after he did it, a sword was swung down at him.

“Hh...!” Morter jumped to dodge it, but he couldn’t evade his own confusion.

What? There was nothing here. I didn’t sense magic or see any knights. Is this like Zeta’s optical camouflage? But I — what is that?

His high-speed questions and thoughts were cut off by what he saw in front of him.

It was something that he knew was there. He’d seen it even before the attack, which made him even more confused.

He was facing the suit of armor decorating the hallway.

The armor had moved on its own to swing its sword at Morter.

...Is it a golem? No way — it wasn’t showing a single bit of magic. The armor had not only moved, it had also changed shape and increased in size.

And eventually, above its head appeared the words “Massacre Armor” — a monster name.

It was a phenomenon that Morter — no, most of mankind — had never seen before.

“...What the hell is this?!” Morter blurted out as he reflexively jumped away again.

A moment later, the wall behind him bit the empty space where he had just been standing.

The wall, its open maw filled with fangs, was now marked with the name “Bigmouth Wall.”

The changes didn’t end there.

The decorative plants transformed into twisted torture devices and received the title “Torture Plants.”

The framed paintings began to laugh and were named “Screaming Pictures.”

Mere objects that were never human or monster were transforming into malicious monsters and attacking him right before his eyes.

“...Man, this place is haunted as hell.” This security feature is in really bad taste. Or is this some Embryo’s doing? Morter thought as he prepared to battle the monsters.

It was a clash between unnatural beings, and a hidden lens on the ceiling was watching it all.

◇◇◇

Royal Castle, Underground Shelter

Beyond the last line of defense guarded by the Royal Guard, there lay the castle’s underground shelter.

Elizabeth and the others were heading deeper into it.

There were more than ten people in all, counting the bodyguards and maids, but that didn’t slow them down one bit. The passage was wide and tall enough to even let Magingears pass through without a problem.

In the lead was Marquis Findle — Altimia’s loyal confidant and the head of Altar’s intelligence department. Six of those with them were Royal Guards, who surrounded Elizabeth, Canglong, Milianne, and the maids to protect them.

“We’ve arrived,” said Findle. “For now, let us stay here and wait for our enemies to leave.”

He approached the large door at the end of the passage and operated the touch panel on the wall, causing the door to open up and reveal the deepest area of the palace...the royal shelter.

“This construction is quite durable,” Canglong noted, and rightfully so.

The place had been made by expanding a natural cavern, covering it in a thick layer of metal, and completely cutting it off from the surface. It also drew water from a source far beneath the castle and was equipped with a storage facility filled with a wealth of foods, all held in inventories that negated the effects of spoilage. Anyone in the shelter could survive for a very long time while waiting for rescue to finally arrive.

This was no doubt the safest place in the castle right now.

“I have never been here before,” said Elizabeth.

“That is because it’s only meant to be used in situations like this,” said Findle. “The attackers are few in number, so I believe the Masters from the city will be able to take care of them. There is a chance, though, that we might have to wait here until those who went to the peace conference return.”

Upon hearing his words, Elizabeth became downcast.

“A shelter... Where could Theresia be...?”

“Lady Grandria is looking for her right now. This shelter has observation equipment, so we will know when she brings Her Highness here and open the door for them.”

“Will Liliana be okay...?” asked Milianne.

“Lady Grandria is the strongest knight in Altar. There is no need to worry about her.” Despite his reassuring words, Marquis Findle was overcome with anxiety. The situation wasn’t remotely favorable for them.

He had already been informed that one of the attackers was none other than King of Blaze himself. It was hard to be optimistic when dealing with a Superior Job, and Feuer had been given abilities that made him even more powerful than he had been before.

The Superiors and most of the rankers aren’t around, he thought. Mr. Figaro did not attend the peace conference, but neither has he returned yet. Lei-Lei and the new one, Hannya, haven’t been sighted either... I suppose we should be grateful that we at least have Xunyu.

Xunyu had separated herself from the children being escorted to the shelter so she could confront the intruders back on the surface.

At this very point in time, she was fighting her deadly battle against Zeta.

If only I had seen this coming... The fact that I did not merely highlights my shortcomings as head of intelligence. I will have to take responsibility for this once everything is over...

Findle’s expression as he pondered this was stern. This assault had caught him off-guard, and now the princesses and an honored guest were exposed to danger while the lady of the castle, Altimia, was away. This filled him with immense guilt.

I will truly have to think about letting Masters into the intelligence department. Though, that may be my last action as head of that department... But for now, I must protect Her Highness and Prince Canglong, he thought as he approached the control panel and activated the climate control, among other things.

Canglong watched him work as he realized something.

“Did this place exist before the castle was built?” he asked.

“You can tell?” Findle replied.

“Yes. The castle’s design has a focus on everyday convenience and aesthetics, while this place looks very unrefined. Also, for an Altarian facility that seems to be centuries old, this place has a lot of technology.”

“Well observed. This underground area has been here before the first king even built the capital, and we have been using it since his time.”

Hoping that some conversation might put the children at ease, Marquis Findle began to explain the history of this place.

“This land once belonged to a different country. Instead of Altea, there was an industrial city here which served as the capital of Adrasta — the expansionist nation led by Rockfell Adrasta.”

That was the name of perhaps the most well-known conqueror in history. Bearing the job of King of Kings, he was the strongest tian ever recorded, and it was said that he commanded enough power to conquer the west side of the continent with ease.

“It is thought that this underground facility was built as part of the capital’s fortifications in case of an attack, and since it was too difficult to dismantle, the first king of Altar chose to repurpose it instead, and he built a castle over it.”

“So that is why there is so much technology here.” With the exception of Legendaria, who were Adrasta’s allies, the King of Kings had conquered the entire west side of the continent. Due to this, he had access to many ruins containing the kind of technology that Dryfe was famous for in the current time.

“A few years after building his capital, the King of Kings vanished from history. However, the city remained, and after Adrasta split into many countries again, it became a highly sought-after piece of land, making it the center of many conflicts.”

The time of the King of Kings, the Draconic Emperor, and The Lynx would later be known as The Era of the Peerless Three.

It was believed that after the King of Kings’ disappearance and the end of the Draconic Emperor’s long life, the world would finally know peace, but that turned out to be absurdly wrong — the grand war that split the continent in two was merely replaced by many smaller wars.

Following the Draconic Emperor’s death, Huang He to the east was thrown into a civil conflict over who would take the throne. The remnants of Adrasta to the west who had served the King of Kings went on to fight among themselves for every scrap of authority they could get their hands on.

To those who knew their Earth history, the situation might’ve reminded them of what happened after the death of Alexander the Great.

The civil war in the east had weakened Huang He quite a bit, while the chaos in the west split that area into many countries.

Many nations that existed in the current day — such as Granvaloa — were forged during this time, and many more had been founded and vanished from history.

And as though they believed that taking Adrasta’s capital would make them the true successors to the King of Kings, the leaders of that time had relentlessly attacked it, all of them looking to claim it as their own. Eventually, everything but the underground area lay in ruins.

“However, after many battles...this land was eventually taken and secured by a certain individual.”

“You mean...?”

“The Evil. This place was the final home of The Evil, who was defeated by the first king of Altar and his allies.”

Near the end of the conflicts that ravaged the land now called Altar, two new people appeared on the world stage.

One was Azurite — a young shepherd who happened to unearth The Primeval Blade and be compatible with it, allowing him to rise as the Sacred King.

The other was The Evil. Born with that job, it was a mysterious being that history barely remembered.

While the Sacred King was having adventures all over the continent, The Evil was also growing stronger.

It was a living disaster, creating otherworldly monsters which struck fear into the hearts of all who encountered them.

Ultimately, The Evil took control of this city and was challenged by the Sacred King and his party. The battle took a heavy toll, but Azurite emerged victorious. That was the most famous story in Altar — the story of how their founding king defeated The Evil.

“After defeating The Evil, the founding king created his country and set this city as its capital,” Findle continued. “It’s said that there were various political and geopolitical reasons behind the decision to found a country in a place with such an ominous history. By the time he defeated The Evil, the first king already held power over multiple city-states, such as his queen’s hometown of Gideon and — if you don’t mind me inserting some family history here — the land owned by my ancestors. Presumably, they discussed what location would be best for the capital, but the founding king left behind a single sentence that seems to be relevant to this.”

“A...sentence?” Canglong asked.

After a brief silence, the marquis said, “‘The bearers must not abandon the god’s remains.’”

“God’s remains...?” Canglong echoed as he tilted his head. “Does that have anything to do with The Evil?” he asked. He was referring to the fact that the Superior Job grouping “The One,” which The Evil belonged to, was sometimes viewed as having god-like properties.

“What he meant by those words isn’t fully understood. That wasn’t passed down to us. However, there are records saying that the Tomb Labyrinth was created shortly after The Evil was defeated, so perhaps...”

“If ‘the bearers’ refers to the Altar bloodline — as in, the bearers of The Primeval Blade that defeated The Evil — then the old king’s proclamation would imply that Altea was built so that they would keep watch over The Evil’s grave... Is that what you wanted to say?”

“Yes. That is one of the theories.”

“A grave...? That’s terrifying...” said Milianne despite understanding them only partially.

“No need to worry,” said Marquis Findle. “If The Evil’s remains are in Altea, they would certainly not be here in this shelter. This place has been examined countless times, and no one has ever found a single trace of any curse or grudge. We are completely safe here.”

“Really? Phew...” Milianne said, thoroughly relieved.

“This is too complicated for me... You seem to understand it, though,” said Elizabeth, glancing at Canglong.

“Umm, this story brings to mind a few things. And hailing from Huang He as I do, I cannot help but be intrigued by a place that is related to the King of Kings.”

The Huang He Empire was the superpower that had stopped Adrasta’s advance.

It had lost a lot of land during the civil war that followed The Era of the Peerless Three, but it was still an empire that had existed long before the era had even begun. Of all the current major countries, only Legendaria was more ancient than Huang He.

“The opposition between the Draconic Emperor and the King of Kings is an incredibly important part of history,” Canglong said. The King of Kings from the west and the Draconic Emperor from the east...it was almost impossible to talk about one without mentioning the other.

“...That makes it all seem strange,” Elizabeth commented.

“Makes what seem strange?”

“That you, a person from Huang He, and I, who lives where the King of Kings did, would ever be married.” Canglong fell silent. Back when Elizabeth tried to address this during the Love-Duel Festival, he had chosen to avoid the question.

She’d thought of bringing it up during today’s tea party, but the attack had interfered, so she’d decided to do it now.

“Cang...I’ve made my decision,” she said. “I... I will become your wife.”

Despite the current situation, Elizabeth made her intentions known.

Or perhaps she did it because of the situation — for all they knew, this could be her last chance.

“Your Highness...”

“But I still do not know you nearly well enough.”

“...That is true.”

“I never even loved anyone before...” Elizabeth wasn’t yet ten years old. She was too young to have experienced anything like that. She got along very well with Canglong, but she never once felt anything “sweeter” for him. “But I still like having you as a friend. And since I do not dislike being with you, everything should turn out okay. I will eventually learn the things I do not know.”

Since she felt no hate for him, she could stay by his side. That should have made it possible for them to learn everything they needed.

Elizabeth’s sincere words filled Canglong’s heart with warmth as well as pain.

That was due to the profoundly heavy truth he was hiding from her.

Since it was something she would come to know the moment they arrived at the palace in Huang He, he thought that it would be best if he revealed it himself.

“...Your Highness, I...”

“Cang?”

“I am not actually hu...not a prin—” Before he could finish his sentence, though...

“Umm... Move away from the middle of the room. It’s dangerous.”

...Milianne cut him off.

“Hm? Milia? What do you mean? What’s dangerous?” Elizabeth asked.

“Umm... I don’t know. I just feel that it is. The middle of the room is dangerous.”

Her words made no apparent sense. She said it was dangerous, but nothing in the shelter seemed out of the ordinary.

However, they couldn’t bring themselves to ignore her warning, so they all walked to Milia’s side.

Canglong seemed to have something on his mind now.

Being interrupted didn’t bother him, but he couldn’t shake that there was something about Milia.

“Your Highness, who is this...?”

“I introduced her to you before the tea party. She is Liliana’s little sister and one of my friends.”

“Lady Grandria’s sister... Then she is... Could she be...?”

Canglong’s thoughts were cut off by a premonition of danger. He rushed to look at the middle of the room — specifically, the ceiling.

It had changed color, becoming visibly redder.

“An enemy!” A moment after Canglong cried out, the ceiling collapsed, and through the open hole rushed a flood of molten metal.

The maids yelped in fright, and the six Royal Guards stepped in the front to protect the rest.

As the sound and heat of boiling metal filled the shelter, a four-armed aberration descended through the hole.

“...Is this the place?” it muttered as it looked around. The creature was none other than Ignis Idea, otherwise known as King of Blaze, Feuer Lazburn.

“I-Is that King of Blaze?! But he was supposed to be trapped in a separation barrier...!” Marquis Findle began to panic, and for good reason.

The four-sided magical barrier should’ve been a major obstacle even to Superior Jobs, and it should’ve kept Ignis sealed for a good while.

Why was he here, then?

The answer was simple — the barrier was only four-sided.

“A hole in the ceiling... Did he melt everything under the surface?!” Between the surface and this shelter, there was a thirty-metel-thick layer of a metal not quite as strong as Mythical, but strong nonetheless. Made by the King of Kings — or, more specifically, the designers and followers who feared him — this shelter was the finest work of an era rife with war.

However, Ignis was able to melt through all of that merely by concentrating his firepower.

This completely unexpected break-in instantly transformed the shelter into a deadly prison.

This is bad...! Findle thought with a stern expression on his face. I need to make sure Her Highness, the prince, and Lady Grandria’s sister can escape! Ignis was surrounded by the Royal Guards, but he barely seemed to care about that. Instead, he looked around once again and said, “Where is the Arch Sage?”

It was a question that no one present would have expected to hear.

“What...?” Findle asked, thoroughly confused.

“Where is the Arch Sage?” Ignis repeated himself as though that was the only thing on his mind.

That was exactly the case, in fact — he had attacked the castle in search of the Arch Sage in the first place. The only reason he was even here in this shelter was because he’d sensed its presence and thought he might have finally found his target.

“You are well aware that he is already dead!” Findle angrily shouted. If the Arch Sage was alive, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad! he added, silently.

Despite Findle’s words, Ignis didn’t back down.

“I know. I heard of his supposed death even before I got this body. And I also heard that someone else now holds the title of ‘Magical Apex.’”

He hadn’t known that back when he’d met La Crima as a hermit, but once he’d returned to human civilization, the information was unavoidable.

As he was now, Ignis was fully aware of what happened in the world while he was away.

“But none of that matters.”

Even so, the flame remained unfazed.

“The Arch Sage is here. Defeating him will be proof that I am the ‘Magical Apex.’ I have no interest in Masters with that title. His death and succession is faked. I know he would go that far. He is alive somewhere. He is here. Thus, I will find him, defeat him, and prove what I must.”

He had no intention of listening to them. In his mind, the Arch Sage still being alive was pure fact — and even if it wasn’t, Feuer would not stop until he found his target despite that.

It seemed like madness, but it was not. This was simply the logical end point of the thought processes of someone who’d dedicated his entire life to defeating and surpassing the Arch Sage.

He’d decided upon his reason for existence, and for the sake of that reason, he wouldn’t bend, change, or limit himself.

He was a man who’d killed people just to gain the levels he needed to be that much closer to the Arch Sage.

He was a man who’d abandoned his humanity just to gain vast reserves of magic.

That was normal for him, and his entire system of values revolved around it.

At this point, he wasn’t able to stop until he defeated the Arch Sage.

“...Is that one of Altar’s princesses?” For the first time, Ignis said something that had nothing to do with the Arch Sage.

He was obviously pointing at Elizabeth.

“The Arch Sage is the kingdom’s chief adviser. If I kill her, that should bring him here, shouldn’t it? I feel like someone told me that. Was it Zeta? La Crima? Or...who was it, again?”

“You wretch...!” Findle shouted, overcome by rage. “I won’t let you touch her! With the ruler absent, it is our duty to protect the princesses of Altar!”

“Then call the Arch Sage.”

“I cannot call the deceased! But I will call something that can defeat you!” Marquis Findle declared as he manipulated the control panel on the wall. “I will show you why I accompanied everyone to this shelter, and why this place is called the safest in the castle!”

With those words, he pressed the “activate” button on the keyboard.

A moment later, a coffin rose up from a part of the floor.

Nearly ten metels tall, it almost reached the ceiling of the shelter, and when it opened up, a metallic leg colored red and gold stepped out of it.

It belonged to a giant golem.

“O creation of my ancestor, King of Colossi, Emet Findle I! O guardian idol of the royal family! The time has come for you to awaken! Stand tall and protect your princess and your kingdom!” This creature was security “equipment” installed into this shelter. Dating back to before the city was known as Altea, this weapon had even been deployed during the battle in which the Sacred King defeated The Evil.

Created by the first Azurite’s brother-in-arms, King of Colossi, this was a legendary golem that had pulverized many monsters and weathered many blows as the primary tank in the Sacred King’s party.

Made of the Mythical metal, Hihi’irokane, this was the Golem Bellcross.

It was the kingdom’s strongest magic weapon, entrusted to the descendants of Emet Findle I and permitted to be used only when the castle was under attack. This golem could easily be called the castle’s final defender.

Not saying a word, Ignis briefly glanced at the majestic construct.

“Target set! Bellcross, attack!” Findle ordered, and the metal giant charged.

When it came close to Ignis, Bellcross swung its enormous, hammer-like fist. A moment later, there was the sound of a fluid landing on the surface of the shelter.

It sounded as though Ignis had been crushed and pulverized, his blood splattering the walls...

“Piece of scrap. Don’t get in my way.”

...but that wasn’t the case at all.

The splattering sound was actually the sound of the drops of Bellcross’s molten arm falling down to the floor.

Ignis was holding up one of his four arms.

And on each of its fingers, there was an orb of light.

These five balls of immense flame created enough heat to melt the Mythical metal.

“Wh...what...?!” Seeing the arm of the strongest golem in the world — his heritage — be melted away with such ease left Findle dumbfounded, but it didn’t end there.

After making the orbs on his fingers vanish, Ignis raised all four of his arms to the sky.

His pose made it look like he was going to begin some kind of juggling act, but instead, new orbs of light began to coalesce in his hands.

They appeared, then multiplied — from one, to two, to four, to eight...

“A-Are those...? They cannot be!” The orbs, each of which carried unfathomable amounts of heat, were all the ultimate skill of King of Blaze — Fixed Star.

It was the same skill that had completely failed him back when he used it against the Arch Sage.

However, he had been able to summon far, far fewer back then.

A grand total of sixty-four Fixed Stars now floated around Ignis, and this absurd number didn’t even make a dent in his total power.

Following his crushing defeat, Feuer had polished his ability to control many of these Fixed Stars at the same time. The only thing he’d needed to achieve this was greater magic reserves, and he now had more than any tian could dream of.

Because of that, the number and power of his Fixed Stars far exceeded what he had been capable of before. It was almost not worth comparing.

“Fixed Star Rain.” The miniature suns fell like a meteor shower.

The surrounding space was drowned in white light, the air itself warped, and after a momentary flash, Bellcross disappeared without a trace.

Altar’s ultimate guardian, older than the country itself, had vanished, and its enemy had barely even exerted any effort.

“I’ll ask again.” Ignis thought nothing of the immense power he just displayed or the object he just melted into nothing. “Where is the Arch Sage?” The strongest wielder of fire magic just repeated his desire once more.

“Marquis Findle! Take the young ones!”

“We will buy time!” The moment Bellcross melted, the six Royal Guards rushed to action.

They faced Ignis to protect Elizabeth and the others, knowing full well that they had no chance against a creature that had melted a golem made of Mythical metal.

Still, they believed that they could give the others more time to run away, even if it was just for a moment.

“Noble knights...forgive me.” With these words, Findle overcame the shock of seeing Bellcross destroyed and rushed to the panel to open up the shelter’s door. They had fled here for safety, but now, this chamber held nothing but death. Their only hope was to return to the surface.

But if the defense on the surface fell... No, you cannot think about that! No matter what state the surface was in, it was better than staying here and burning to death.

The heavy door of the shelter began to open, but Ignis noticed that they were trying to escape and pointed his four arms straight at Findle.

“We will not allow that!” a Royal Guard shouted, rushing to prevent his attack by slicing at Ignis’ arms.

The blades didn’t penetrate past the tough skin, but they did leave shallow cuts.

We aren’t powerless against him! If he can be hurt, then... the knights thought, believing that they actually had a chance, however slim.

In that way, they were like their fellow Royal Guards who faced Aranea on the surface.

However, there was a major difference between Aranea and Ignis.

“Prominence Aura,” Ignis said, causing the air surrounding him to heat up rapidly.

At that moment, the Paladins who were close to Ignis saw their blades melt away before their eyes. Their armor liquefied on their bodies, fusing with their skin.

“GHAAAAAGHHH!” Even if they tried to continue fighting, any weapons they brought close to Ignis melted away like snow.

Prominence Aura was a skill that created a superheated territory around the caster that acted as defensive-offensive armor strong enough to melt metal, but dealt no damage to the caster himself. For someone who could control sixty-four Fixed Stars at once, managing this much heat was no challenge whatsoever.

While Aranea’s poison could be negated with Elixirs, merely approaching Ignis meant death. Even fighting from a distance wasn’t an option since the immense heat would vaporize any projectiles and magics coming towards him.

A walking Sun that matched Superiors, a being that moved towards his objective and burned everything in his wake.

This was Ignis Idea.

“Your Highness...please run!”

“Marquis Findle! Forget about us! Please flee this place!”

“...Very well!” As the shelter’s door opened up, Marquis Findle pressed something on the control panel.

He activated the sprinkler system. It had been installed in case of fires caused by cooking and other such activities.

Once it was on, its programming quickly reacted to the immense heat.

Nozzles emerged all over the shelter and sprayed at Ignis, causing a loud, roaring steam explosion.

All the water instantly vaporized and spread at a rapid rate, blowing everything away.

Neither Ignis nor the knights could possibly remain unscathed by the searing water vapor. The pressure of the explosion limited their movements, while the steam flooding the air made it difficult to see.

“Your Highness! Prince Canglong! Hurry...!” Findle used the opportunity to rush the children through the door.

But when they tried to go...

“Elizabeth!”

...Canglong called his fiancée by name for the first time ever, and then shoved her away with a desperate look on his face.

A split second later, a beam fired out of the wall of steam and pierced his chest.

The sound of flesh evaporating echoed throughout the shelter, followed by the thud of the young boy collapsing to the floor.

“Cang...?” His fiancée’s voice was drowned out by the roar of flames.

This tragedy was observed by a device hidden among the sprinklers.