The back of the Zieghart First Patriarch rose above the melting remnants of golden flames.
Though the surroundings were blurry as if looking down a deep well, the ancestor's figure was as clear as if outlined.
Having seen it often, his back now felt familiar.
The ancestor wasn't fighting anyone. He was smiling and chatting with people who seemed to be his companions, without even drawing his sword.
This is different from usual.
When seeing the First Patriarch's memories before, he was always fighting someone, his expression frozen in seriousness.
But now, the ancestor wore a small smile as he examined the hole under the zelkova tree that had brought me to this world. It was very different from the memories I'd seen before.
The forest is also extremely bright.
The first floor when the ancestor was present looked different from now.
While the forest terrain itself was the same, it was as bright as midday, and no monsters were visible.
After making a rectangular hole, the ancestor stood up. As he walked through the forest giving instructions, magicians and shamans began drawing geometric magic circles or spell formations on the yellow earth.
Among the robed magicians was the small-statured female magician I had seen in the memory of the cave where I obtained the Sea Spirit Flower.
After giving instructions to everyone, the ancestor stood in the center of the forest and began drawing an unknown pattern on the ground with his sword.
Is he engraving a formation with his sword?
Since Zieghart swordsmen have the Sword Domain, I thought they might be able to engrave sword formations using mana like magicians or shamans.
A subtle smile bloomed on the faces of the people, including the ancestor. It was a smile as if they were expecting something.
Woooong!
As I quietly watched the ancestor's sword formation, my heart suddenly pounded heavily.
The eight Rings of Fire naturally resonated, beginning to engrave the formation the ancestor had drawn into my mind.
The flaming sword formation extending from the ancestor's sword transmitted intense heat not only to the earth but also into my mental world.
The moment the ancestor completed the barrier and lifted his sword from the ground, golden flames flared up before my eyes once again. It meant it was time to return.
I furrowed my brow as I watched the storm of flames devour my vision.
The ending is different too.
In the memories I'd seen before, the ancestor always looked at me at the end, but now he was turning his back and returning to his companions.
It meant that this memory was different from before, as I had initially suspected.
I closed my eyes, recalling the sword formation the ancestor had drawn in my mind.
* * *
Raon calmly opened his eyes. No more flames rose from beneath the pure white hole.
-Where did you go off to again!
Wrath furrowed his brow as if asking what Raon had been up to.
-I don't know where you keep wandering, leaving your body behind!
'I went to meet the ancestor for a bit.'
-Ancestor? Is that ancestor of yours a tourist? Why do you seek him out everywhere you go!
'Maybe he has a wandering habit.'
He lightly waved his hand and cast his gaze into the white hole.
'According to the flame's memory, this place was created by the First Patriarch and his companions.'
Though I don't know if the Sword Saint made this his tomb, the one who first created this land was the Zieghart First Patriarch.
The martial artist that Lisurn said the Sword Saint respected seems to have been the Zieghart ancestor.
'However...'
Their times wouldn't have overlapped.
I don't know exactly how long the Zieghart First Patriarch lived, but the Sword Saint was born much later. I'm not sure how they could have been connected.
"What are you doing, not going in?"
Burren approached from behind and tilted his head.
"We need to go back."
"Huh? After coming all this way?"
Krein widened his eyes as if to ask what Raon meant.
"There's something I need to confirm."
Raon dusted off his dirt-covered hands and headed towards the place where the ancestor had engraved the barrier, following the memory.
The forest was still dark, but the memory was so vivid that finding the place wasn't difficult.
'The barrier isn't visible.'
Even with the torchlight, the barrier the ancestor had drawn with his sword was completely gone. Then again, if it had remained, that would have been strange too.
Raon placed his hand on the ground and operated the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
He drew out pure flames and traced the exact form of the sword formation the ancestor had engraved.
Woooooong!
His heart resonated. His chest pounded just as it had when he saw the ancestor's barrier. The ancestor's sword formation was still alive within this land.
'However...'
It has changed.
The flow of the ancestor's sword formation had changed from when it was first engraved.
Much time had passed, so the barrier might have disappeared or the flow of mana might have become tangled, but this was different.
An entirely different energy had seeped into the ancestor's barrier.
'Could it be that the Sword Saint...'
No.
This can't be the Sword Saint's energy.
An energy overflowing with malice that only someone who has lived as a shadow could know. It was the sinister mana I knew better than anyone.
Raon bit his lip as he removed his hand from the darkened ground.
'You again?'
Derus Robert.
* * *
A space shrouded in gray fog.
A middle-aged man holding a gold-rimmed teacup lifted a book with his left hand.
As he carefully opened the book, a martial artist in a black night suit sprang from the shadows.
"Lord Delphros."
The martial artist in the night suit hurriedly bowed his head.
"We have a problem."
"Calm down."
The man called Delphros lightly waved his hand.
"Speak calmly, Sabi."
"Ah, yes."
Sabi nodded and straightened his posture.
"What is the problem?"
"Most of the key figures have arrived on the second floor as planned. However, the movement of one group is a bit strange."
"One group?"
Delphros lowered the book slightly. He looked down at Sabi with eyes visible above the text.
"It's, it's the Light Wind division of Zieghart."
Sabi couldn't meet Delphros' eyes and swallowed dryly.
"Even though the Void Sword division has gone down to the second floor, those guys are still staying on the first floor."
"The reason?"
"I don't know. And..."
He bit his lip as he continued.
"There are no injured among them."
"Not just Raon Zieghart, but all of them?"
"Yes..."
"Does that make sense?"
Delphros lowered the book and raised his gaze.
The first floor of the tomb is designed to consume stamina and aura and create minor injuries.
With countless monsters and traps embedded, it was hard to believe there were no injuries at all.
"It, it's true."
Sabi shook his head with trembling eyes.
"To be precise, they did get injured, but they healed immediately so it was meaningless."
"There should have been Bella's Flower or Lempan's Poison among the poisons, how..."
"They had antidotes for those poisons."
"You don't mean they had Pellen and Roseren Leaves?"
"They had quite a quantity of those too, even sharing them with other injured people..."
"Nonsense!"
"I, I don't want to believe it either, but it's true."
He bit his lip and bowed.
"Haa..."
Delphros reached out and gripped the teacup. It vibrated roughly as if about to shatter.
"Still, fighting monsters in the darkness and avoiding traps must have consumed a lot of stamina and aura. Their mental fatigue must have deepened too, so if we push them a bit more on the second floor..."
"About that..."
Sabi clicked his tongue and raised his gaze.
"Those guys don't seem to be tired at all."
"What do you mean by..."
"The Light Wind division went beyond just dealing with approaching monsters; they actively sought out monsters to fight. There were even some who were laughing while fighting..."
He sighed as if he had seen mad dogs obsessed with battle.
"There are many forces stronger than them, but I've never seen such madness before..."
"They sought out fights? Are they really mad dogs?"
Delphros furrowed his brow as he ran his hand through his hair.
Darkness, enhanced monsters, traps, pitfalls, and even poison. All of these are meant to fatigue the human psyche and body.
Even the continent's top masters would inevitably feel stressed, so it was absurd to hear they fought while enjoying themselves.
Moreover, they should be after the Sword Saint's legacy, so it was incomprehensible that they sought out monsters to fight. It made him wonder if they really had rabies.
"Wh-what should we do?"
Sabi clicked his tongue as if he couldn't handle the situation himself.
"Send them to the 'Red Place' on the second floor."
"The Red Place? But Raon Zieghart likely has strong resistance to flames..."
"It's fine."
Delphros picked up his teacup leisurely again, drawing a sardonic smile.
"Because no matter how high his resistance, it's useless against those flames."
* * *
Glenn stood in the clearing at the entrance of North Grave Mountain where he had sparred with Raon, gazing at the gently flowing sky.
"Head of House."
Chad approached from behind Glenn and bowed.
"We've tracked the Light Wind division's movements."
"Hmm, what are the children up to?"
Glenn calmly turned around. He seemed to be trying to maintain a composed expression, but his eyes trembled slightly.
"They reportedly saved a village being attacked by martial artists searching for the tomb, then headed towards the Sword Saint's tomb."
Chad lowered his chin slightly while looking into Glenn's eyes.
"They saved a village?"
"Yes. We thought they would go straight to the Demon Sword Master who has the map to the Sword Saint's tomb, but it seems they prioritized saving people first. They even helped villages outside Zieghart's territory."
He bowed his head with a faint smile, as if pleased with Raon's actions.
"Thanks to that, the Light Wind division's name is being praised in the villages around Zieghart's territory."
"My prediction was wrong. When Raon received that mission, I naturally thought he was after the Sword Saint's tomb."
Sheryl widened her eyes as she looked at Chad.
"Young Master Raon is likely after the Sword Saint's tomb. However..."
Roenn gently shook his head.
"His assigned mission was to scout Zieghart's territory. He simply prioritized saving people as per his mission."
He laughed softly, as if proud of Raon's actions.
"Even I would be a bit greedy for the Sword Saint's tomb, but to prioritize like that, he's quite an intriguing fellow."
Sheryl also curled her lips in admiration. The two exchanged glances, observing Glenn's reaction as they conversed.
"Ahem!"
Glenn cleared his throat and half-turned his upper body. He shook his head, stretching the corners of his mouth like elastic.
"He was given a mission, so of course he should do that much. It's nothing special."
Despite his words, Glenn's face had turned red with excitement and satisfaction.
"Hehe."
Sheryl and Roenn couldn't hide their smiles, finding Glenn's reaction amusing.
"However..."
Chad slowly raised his hand.
"The martial prowess of those who have entered the Sword Saint's tomb far exceeds normal levels. Not just the Six Kings and Five Demons, but even former generation masters have entered en masse after Young Master Raon went in. I'm not sure if it will be alright."
He furrowed his brow, seemingly worried not just about Raon and the Light Wind division, but the Void Sword division as well.
"Indeed, there were a few names I recognized among them."
Sheryl nodded, as if agreeing with Chad's words.
"Should I go check on them for a while?"
"There's no need for that."
Glenn shook his head firmly.
"But..."
"It will be dangerous. Whether it's traps or the Sword Saint's tomb itself, it would be stranger if it weren't dangerous. However, Raon went knowing those risks."
Until now, Raon has faced many dangerous situations, but most of them happened suddenly.
This time, he went knowing it was a dangerous place, so it's right for him to overcome the crisis on his own.
"We can't always help. This time, let's watch over him."
Glenn crossed his arms as if he had no intention of sending anyone. However, his shoulders were trembling slightly with worry.
"Understood."
Roenn and Sheryl quietly nodded as they observed him.
Meanwhile, Chad was clenching his fist tightly inside his sleeve.
'This is my chance.'
A chance to score points with my future lord!
* * *
Raon placed his hand on his left chest where the Ring of Fire was rotating. Inside his heart pulsing with flames, both joy and anger flared up simultaneously.
'As I thought, it was a trap.'
Now it was certain. This place is not the Sword Saint's tomb.
Initially, it might have been a space created by Zieghart's ancestor, but it had been changed into a space with unknown purpose by Derus Robert.
'Purpose, huh...'
I don't know what Derus is after.
He was such a deranged fellow that I could make a few guesses, but I couldn't be certain about any of them.
'However, no matter what...'
It won't go according to your plans.
If I hadn't known anything, it might have been different. But if this tomb itself was part of Derus's plan, I absolutely couldn't leave it be.
Whether or not the Sword Saint's relics were here, I would do whatever it took to ruin his plans.
"Let's go back."
Raon gestured to the Light Wind division standing behind him.
"Something seems to have changed."
Rimmer approached from the side, showing a faint smile.
"You look more excited than when we first came here?"
"Yes. I'm feeling a bit excited. But..."
Raon nodded and looked at Rimmer.
"Why have you been so quiet lately?"
"Quiet?"
"You've been just watching from behind without interjecting at all."
"Because you're the Division Leader."
Rimmer shrugged his shoulders.
"As the Vice Leader, I'm just following the Division Leader's orders."
He smiled, saying he was just doing what he had to do.
"You're being ridiculous!"
Martha shook her head.
"You're just hanging back because you're lazy!"
"Ah, was I found out?"
Rimmer chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Rimmer.
'He's different from usual.'
Rimmer's eyes weren't playful, but revealed a serious gaze.
Unlike Martha's words, it seemed he wasn't being lazy, but trusting me as the Division Leader.
'It's a bit burdensome.'
Not just the Light Wind division, but with Rimmer also showing unilateral trust, a warm feeling began to return to the heart that had been burning with revenge.
His trust felt not like a burden, but like faith.
'Right. Now is not the time to get excited.'
Raon calmed his mind and turned around. He shook his head, pointing at the glittering entrance to the second floor under the zelkova tree.
"I don't know what's down there."
As he said this, he put up a thick aura barrier to prevent sound from leaking.
"From now on, think of this place not as the Sword Saint's tomb, but as enemy territory. Be wary of everything that approaches. Even if it's someone from our own Light Wind division."
Thanks to Rimmer, he had the courage to properly lead everyone. He spoke the words he had thought in his head.
"What do you..."
Burren furrowed his brow as if he couldn't understand.
"Understood."
"Yes."
Martha and Runaan didn't ask questions. They nodded simultaneously as if they would follow no matter what was said.
"It's complicated to explain. Just know that this place isn't a tomb, but a location contaminated by outside forces. It's better to think of it as a dungeon full of hostility."
Raon explained briefly and turned around again.
"Keep my words in mind and follow me."
He took a short breath and threw himself into the white hole.
Woooong!
As when first entering the tomb, the weight disappeared from his body, and he fell into an endless space.
The only difference from the first time was that the surroundings were bright, not dark.
How much time had passed? He felt his feet touch the ground. Unlike the first floor, it was hard. It felt like stepping on a large rock or metal.
The first sight he saw after opening his eyes was a bubbling wave of lava surging up.
A blood-red wind filled with fire seeds and a haze rising from intense heat filled the air.
Lava zone. It was a land of scorching heat, with temperatures so high it was suffocating.
"Wh-what is this!"
Burren furrowed his brow as he looked around.
"We just came through a dark forest, and now it's lava?"
He shook his head as if dumbfounded.
"Haa, at least it's brighter here."
Despite her words, Martha gritted her teeth as she wiped sweat from her forehead.
"Ugh..."
Runaan stuck out her tongue, her face suddenly tired.
"I hate the heat..."
She created ice with cold energy and rubbed it against her cheek, but the round ice quickly melted into lukewarm water.
"L-lava?"
"Why on earth is there a volcano underground?"
"I don't know what's going on."
"I'm already exhausted. What kind of person was this Sword Saint anyway!"
The martial artists who had entered before the Light Wind division, as well as those who followed after, couldn't close their mouths, seemingly shocked by the lava zone.
"First, let's assess the terrain and move. Rather than looking for a way down, let's find a safe route to move around here..."
It was when Raon was about to tell the Light Wind division their objective.
Kugugugugugu!
The lake-like lava pit rippled as if an earthquake had struck, then erupted in a massive explosion.
Puoooooong!
Above the lava that surged like a tidal wave, a majestic wing that looked as if it had been torn from the side of the World Tree rose up.
From the center of the seemingly endless wing, a blue light flashed, and a golden beak burning with flames let out a majestic roar that seemed to constrict the chest.
The phoenix. The spirit beast and sacred creature said to live eternally in flames revealed its immense presence, sweeping away the waves of lava.
"Ah..."
Astonishment filled the eyes of everyone present at the sight of the phoenix's flames, which could melt even lava.
"It's, it's a phoenix!"
"And not just any ordinary one..."
"That's on the level of a dragon!"
"R-run away!"
Both the martial artists who had arrived first and those who lagged behind stepped back in terror.
"Uh..."
"That's a phoenix? Not a red dragon?"
"This is in-insane..."
"How are we supposed to catch that..."
Even the Light Wind division trembled with pale lips, bewildered.
However, only one person.
Raon curled up the corners of his mouth as he watched the phoenix spewing blood-red flames as if enraged.
'After searching for so long, it was here all along.'
My hot prey.
As he was licking his lips, Wrath jumped up.
-Phoenix roast! You've finally developed a taste for it!
'...'