Chapter 236

236th Episode

The Abyss of the Deep Valley, Erebore 236 – The Abyss of the Deep Valley, Erebore #6

Elpride was watching me, somewhat apathetically from afar, as I massaged the palms of Antiope and Hippolyte.

Even her spirit and stamina must have been drained by quite a bit. Massaging her hands would likely help somewhat.

After all, she’s the type who wouldn’t hesitate to order me to press on her back and waist all day; surely, she would enjoy a massage herself.

To not receive one in this instance must be excruciating for her.

Still, I feigned obliviousness and asked her directly.

“Do you need one too?”

“…No.”

Just as expected, a rather cold response came back. She’d likely bite her tongue before asking me, even if it meant her pride would cost her.

So I almost decided to ignore her, but then I realized how crucial Elpride’s fire magic would be in getting us out of this situation.

Without fire, we would have to rely solely on Elpride if we were in need of heat.

Hence, I figured it would be best to keep Elpride in the best condition possible.

Though it wasn’t exactly my preference, for the greater good, I had to suppress my own feelings.

“Hey, give me your hand.”

“….”

Instead of responding, Elpride merely glared at me in what could be called—defiance.

What a stubborn woman.

Here I was, humbling myself and trying to reconcile, yet she wouldn’t cooperate. What more could I do?

Just when I was about to retract my hand, convinced that Elpride remained Elpride wherever she was…

Swoosh.

At the very edge of my patience, she finally extended her hand toward me.

It was somewhat unexpected, causing my eyebrows to arch slightly in surprise. I even felt a fleeting desire to slap the back of her gloved hand as she presented it.

“You need to take off your gloves for a proper massage.”

“Well, you figure it out then.”

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

Is that so? Don’t underestimate me because of my past. Things have changed; my experience has grown.

Swoosh.

I gripped the tip of her middle finger’s glove and pulled gently.

It peeled off her hand like a sheet being pulled away, revealing her stark white palm resting on mine.

Her hand looked as though it glowed faintly in the darkness, meticulously manicured, free of any calluses, and silky smooth.

But for a fire mage, it was unexpectedly icy and chill, as if bl**d barely circulated through her extremities. Her hands and feet remained as cold as ice, which was still an unchanging feature.

Familiar palm lines.

Familiar temperature.

As I caressed her hand, old memories started surfacing without my conscious effort—like when I gave her her first massage, or the time I unintentionally pressed her hand too hard and ended up getting a headache-inducing thump.

Touching a woman’s palm that wasn’t that of a sister or a mother was, in fact, my first such experience. The tension and apprehension were palpable back then.

Even now, the touch of a woman’s hands caused some unease and tension, but to me, Elpride’s hand was no longer just that of a woman—it had become uniquely hers, simply because I had caressed it so often that it felt natural.

I could picture exactly how and where to massage her even with my eyes closed.

“What is it, why are you just sitting there?”

“Be quiet.”

I pushed her palm upward with both my thumbs, softly and carefully, recalling her preference for lighter strokes over deep pressure.

Stimulating the surface skin helps improve bl**d flow and energy circulation, warming even ice-cold extremities like hers.

Swoosh…

“….”

Swoosh…

“….”

Swoosh…

She finally couldn’t contain herself and let out a faint sound through her tightly pursed lips, a sign of the pleasurable stimulation spreading through her hand.

I smoothed her palm upward with my thumbs and continued, moving onto her wrist to massage it further.

Each stroke left traces of gentle warmth on the previously pale white hand, coloring it a delicate shade of pink.

Intrigued, I decided to continue until her entire hand glowed with a soft heat, carefully massaging her fingertips and the back of her hand as well.

The motion felt less like rubbing and more akin to caressing each finger like one might with a gentle tongue.

However, after a good while of this, Elpride suddenly pulled her hand away from mine.

According to my memory, she could typically endure a massage for over an hour, yet here she was, backing out after just a few minutes.

“Done?”

“Let’s go.”

“Hmm.”

Elpride opened her mouth as if to say something to me, but then closed her lips instead, opting to remain silent.

And just like that, we both let the moment pass without further words.

*

Our journey resumed smoothly, whether it was due to the efficacy of my massage or because Hippolyte and Antiope decided further delay wasn’t an option.

Gehak!

Any minor monsters in our path were swiftly dispatched by the combined force of Hippolyte’s sword and Antiope’s spear.

“Watch the ground carefully. We cannot afford to overlook even the smallest clue. To escape this abyss, it is necessary.”

“Hey, sister, look! There’s something over there!”

As we advanced, we discovered something enormous lying on the floor.

“What is this? Samaritan, what do you make of it?”

To Hippolyte’s question, I furrowed my brow, unsure.

“It looks like a feather, and a really enormous one.”

“Is it a feather?”

Hippolyte inspected the feather on the floor, seemingly unfazed by its size.

“A feather this big… It must be from an incredibly large bird. Perhaps the summoning circle we encountered earlier summoned this colossal bird?”

Mentally picturing an enormous bird capable of shedding such a feather, the idea was undeniably terrifying.

However, as we ventured further into the darkness, I had to concede my initial hypothesis might be wrong.

The first thing that caught my eyes was something akin to an enormous wall.

A vast, featureless plain, dark enough to obscure all features, yet here stood what appeared to be a towering barrier.

Our encounter with this unexpected wall left us momentarily baffled.

“Hey, you mage. Can you light this area above? There might be a way up.”

With a flickering flame, Elpride formed a ball of fire at the tip of her wand.

“Fireworks of Flame—”

I was familiar with this. It was an illumination spell used by Elpride in dark places, creating a burst of light that illuminated the vicinity for a few moments.

Phewoooosh.

The fire burst upward, from the tip of Elpride’s wand, reaching as high as the towering cliffs above.

Pang!

When the flame exploded with a resounding sound, bathing the surroundings in light, all words escaped us as we froze in shock.

What we thought to be a cliff was actually an enormous throne.

The chair’s height must have exceeded thirty meters. And seated upon this colossal throne was a shackled figure of indescribable size.

Humanoid in shape, but its skin was peeled raw, exposing a horrifying expanse of red muscle tissue, which was poorly covered by iron plating.

On the creature’s back rested wings equal in size to its massive body, with feathers that were only partially intact, adding to its fearsome appearance.

A colossal angel.

The first image that came to mind was this.

“Is this… a titan imprisoned in Erebore?”

“Sis, I don’t think so. Titans are supposedly locked in Tartarus, not Erebore.”

Antiope and Hippolyte appeared just as puzzled by the creature’s identity as I was.

What was clear, however, was that whatever this creature was, getting involved with it could only spell trouble.

Fortunate it seemed to be sleeping; otherwise, should it awaken and wreak havoc, the outcome would be disastrous.

Its sheer size was unreal, defying the very notion of reality.

Had we crossed some boundaries with this scenario?

While surveying the colossal body, I noticed something peculiar beneath the chair, between its legs.

Sshhh.

However, as I tried to investigate further, the illumination spell that Elpride had cast dissipated, leaving us in the dark once again. We’d have to get closer for a better look.

“Where are you going, Samaritan?”

“Over there, there’s something. I saw it glistening between its legs.”

“Wait.”

Just as I began moving towards it, Hippolyte halted me with a concerned look, pressing her palm against my forehead, as if doubting my sanity, even shining a torchlight into my eyes.

“Your mind seems sound enough, but your speech is erratic.”

Swish! It wasn’t that I lacked eloquence; I never anticipated this kind of misinterpretation.

“Anyway, there’s something strange there. I didn’t imagine it.”

Convinced by my persistence, we all advanced toward the space between the giant’s legs.

Upon reaching the middle where the monster’s towering legs stood, like pillars binding this colossal throne, we found a curious, pulsating luminescence.

Luminous letters.

On closer inspection, they were not words glowing but fireflies. Small glowing insects arranged in certain patterns to form letters.

Gate of Dimensions

The Gate of Dimensions…?

This was strange indeed.

But just then, Elpride’s face brightened.

“This… this is Edwin’s mark. The Gate of Dimensions. He must have opened a dimensional gate somewhere on these walls.”

“Gate of Dimensions?”

Antiope responded to this.

“A spell that bends the space between magical circles to create a portal? You’re telling me your party member could use such magic, which even the knights have only one person capable of performing?”

“Edwin is a former court scholar. Nevertheless, there must be a ritual somewhere on this wall. He’s definitely left through it.”

“Alright, then, we’ll search the area. What does the dimensional circle look like?”

“You’ll feel it glow when you touch it.”

“Well then, we’d better invest some time. Nonetheless, it’s a significant breakthrough.”

The mood of everyone brightened upon discovering a possible lead in the darkness, proving my eyes hadn’t misled me.

As we carefully examined the walls of the colossal throne, I stumbled upon something carved in a strange pattern, unmistakably letters.

Is this the Gate of Dimensions?

They didn’t seem to be magic runes or sorcery-related; they were merely letters.

Keeper of the Task, Gnosis Augeias – and three. This place seals the inter-dimensional monster, Nephilim. The third failure. Deep Record Erased -.

The latter part was blurred, unreadable text.

“Antiope, see anything?”

“No, nothing here.”

“This will take time. Mage, can you relight the area using that earlier illumination spell?”

“It’s not difficult.”

Fwoosh, fwwwoosh…

Once again, the fire ascended upwards before exploding with a bang.

Just as I was gazing at it, I couldn’t help but be startled.

Flash!

The colossal eyes of the figure seated in the chair shone a piercing crimson. Weren’t they closed a moment ago?

d*mn it, I’ve done it now.

Krrrrr, chhhhr…

Worse still, the chains and armor binding its body began shrieking in protest.

I realized that the beast was waking from its slumber or some form of containment, possibly intending to attack us.

Grrraaaaa…!!

Its mouth, resembling that of a crawfish, opened sideways, revealing numerous sharp, double-jawed teeth inside in a grotesque display.

Kaching, Kaching-!

More alarmingly, it managed to break free of the chains enveloping its body.

Gaaaah-!!

A giant of at least fifty meters loomed over us, screaming deafeningly.

The noise was so deafening that the serene quiet of the darkness we were in just moments ago seemed preferable now.

“You, Mage! It woke because of you! Hurry up and apologize to it! Why would you wake up a sleeping creature?”

“Is this the time to argue that? Are you crazy? We should escape or fight it, now!”

Paaaaaat!

At that moment, the beast spread its wings wide to both sides.

The already colossal beast appeared even more massive with its wings spread, making it feel like an entire apartment building was looming over us, sending shivers down our spines.

“We can’t let this stand, we need to defeat it!”

“Alright, I’ll handle the right side! Mage, prepare your strongest magic!”

“You didn’t have to say that, I already planned to.”

Yet, Hippolyte, Antiope, and Elpride appeared ready to fight this monstrous giant. Can humans really battle something the size of an apartment building?

Their bold confidence was somewhat admirable, from another perspective.

Gaaaahhhhhh-!!!

As if to rupture our ear drums, the mysterious giant beast roared with ferocious power and, soon after, vigorously flapped its wings to leap high above us.

Paaaaaat…

Just one flap.

The sheer force of that single wing beat created a typhoon-like gust of wind so strong it felt like being an ant caught in a hurricane.

Fortunately, I was able to avoid being swept away by firmly grounding my two legs and tightening my jaw, but the storm was undeniably terrifying.

“…Is he gone? Has he flown away?”

Hippolyte, regaining her stance, looked upward in anticipation.

While Antiope grumbled petulantly.

“Ugh, if I had known this would happen, I would have tied a rope around his legs. Then we could have ascended with him, right?”

What? d*mn, it was unnecessarily nerve-wracking.

Is this it then?

Yet just as I thought that, a creeping sensation of cold dread ran down my neck.

“…Oh.. here it comes…!”

“Coming? Samaritan, what do you mean by ‘coming’?”

“sh*t! It’s coming down from above! Again!”

“What the hell are you talking about—”

“Again, it’s coming again! sh*t!”

“This is a time to trust Hassan! He’s surprisingly good at sensing things!”

Elpride appeared to trust my warning, discarding her previously regained calm and crouching, ready to move at any moment.

Her stance must’ve reawakened the vigilance of Hippolyte and Antiope, who also gripped their weapons tightly.

As we all stood on high alert, the moment came.

Kaaaaaang!

A flash appeared in front of us once more. A missile might be a better description for the speed.

The collision of the enormous body with the ground sent out a much more powerful wind pressure and shockwave than the earlier wings’ flapping.

“Grghhhh…!”

A scream involuntarily escaped my throat due to the tremendous force of the storm.

Once the storm cleared, my dark-adapted eyes caught a bizarre sight—a monster holding an enormous streetlamp.

Street lamp?

Odd, even with my description, it seems impossible to imagine.

Based on the strange blue light glowing from the object resembling a staff in its hand, it seemed like a streetlamp was the only term that applied.

Of course, its length was proportionate to the monster’s size, rendering it grotesque.

“That guy didn’t flee but went to fetch a weapon! Sister, indeed we need to fight!”

[Author’s Note] There are two more chapters…

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