A loud sound of massive wings cutting through the clouds echoed in my ears.
At first, it was difficult to keep my balance.
Even though I secured my body onto the saddle placed on the griffin’s back, I was tossed around every time it flapped its wings.
From the dizzying height, the land below looked as if it were a painting, and the clouds seemed close enough to touch if I reached out my hand.
Every time I caught sight of the distant ground beneath my feet, I felt a slight twisting sensation in my stomach, but I quickly grew accustomed to it.
The scenery of Blackmore looked different when viewed from above.
An endless expanse of dark forest suddenly transitioned into ashen wastelands, and beyond that, a thick fog hovered.
Our destination, Kalmas, lay there.
‘The spire of Arcasia…’
I silently gazed downward and lost myself in thought.
The spire of Arcasia, known as the lost magic tower, is said to be the ruins of a great spirit mage once celebrated as the Dark Lord in ancient times.
It’s located deep within what is known as the Great Labyrinth, a place beyond the boundary, often called the cradle of the dreadful strange beings.
When a particular location is infested with the strange, its structure and nature become warped, losing its original form, turning into a space of endless chaos and darkness.
Such places are commonly called labyrinths, but there are special cases.
When a place not only becomes infested by the strange but evolves into the strange itself, calling it a mere labyrinth becomes ambiguous.
Its danger is so extreme that it’s called the Great Labyrinth, but in truth, such a place is effectively a ‘Realm.’
As expected, the number of such places on the continent is few, and if they do exist, they are typically hidden in remote and uninhabited regions.
The spire of Arcasia, said to contain the ancient scripture, is no exception.
The reason we’re venturing into such a horrifying place is, of course, due to the effectiveness of the Rune of Space.
All runes have their own characteristics, but the Rune of Space is unparalleled.
In particular, it harmonizes exceptionally well with other runes because the concept of space itself is the basic foundation for all beings.
Of course, manipulating the origins of space consumes a great deal of spirit but the versatility more than makes up for it.
It also pairs exceedingly well with magic; with sufficient spirit and practice, one can even transfer spell formations directly in front of an opponent.
‘We’re here.’
As I quickly flew on the griffin, I saw the massive pillars in the distance.
They were the Chains of Order, the only access route to Kalmas.
The griffin, which had been soaring through the sky, descended in height and landed right in front of me.
Arkan descended first, followed by me, Adina, and then Rudine.
“Are we just going to cross like this?”
“Yeah, what’s the problem?”
“I thought you’d be dragging us in one by one, so this is a surprise.”
“Well, why bother? We’ve got you and me, 3rd Lord. What else do we need?”
Yeah, that’s true.
While I’m a runesmith, Arkan is a living strategic weapon on her own.
“Step aside.”
She slowly approached the pillar and lifted her hand. As her hand touched the pillar’s surface, dark light surged forth like a whirlpool, similar to the last time we crossed into Kalmas.
Clang! Crackle!
A multitude of dazzling visual effects burst around the pillar, and a foul smell, like decaying corpses, gradually filled the air.
Whoosh!
The passage opened, revealing a barren land bathed in dim light beyond.
Arkan glanced at me with a grin.
“Shall we go in, 3rd Lord?”
…
Damn, here we are again.
I reluctantly stepped over the threshold and crossed the passage.
*
It has been a few days since we entered Kalmas.
So far, the scenery has been a relentless repetition of the black sky cloaked in darkness, jet-black rocks, and a desolate terrain.
We walked endlessly within the shrouded darkness. Breathing was arduous due to the distinctive putrid smell, but the bigger issue was the complete inability to discern any direction ahead.
“…It’s to the left over there.”
Like last time, Adina, with her spirit eyes activated, was in charge of guiding the way. She diligently managed the path quite calmly, likely due to her previous experience crossing into Kalmas.
What has changed though, is that the deeper we ventured, the more unidentified beastly creatures began to appear.
Kiiiek—!
The monsters beyond the boundary were all consumed by the strange, making their forms indistinguishable, and their emanating momentum was fearsome.
Not only that, they emerged in groups the deeper we ventured, which was honestly getting tiresome. Moreover, there were quite a few creatures with tricky and bizarre abilities that induced hallucinations or emitted poisonous mists.
At least there was one good thing.
“Ft.”
Thud!
As Arkan flicked her finger, a long, coiling beam of dark light spiraled out, piercing the eerie atmosphere like a ray of light.
A violet hue, unlike that of regular magic powered by magic force, painted the space.
Kaaazijiiik!
The spiraling beam carved a sleek curve and tore the monsters to shreds.
Even beasts of the minimum Ma grade were being torn apart each time she flicked her finger.
Compared to higher-tiered Catastrophe or Destruction-grade beasts, their tier is far lower, but Ma-tier monsters usually possess inherent properties against magic and have significantly increased resistance.
Their resilience to magic is naturally robust, yet they were torn apart in an instant in front of Arkan.
The speed at which her spell formations were unleashed was so fast that it appeared as though the formations were already completed before they were unleashed.
While other magicians calculate the spell formulas using incantations, intent, or Law Circles to use magic, she operates at a level where such calculations aren’t necessary.
The strength of a Grand Lord is well-known from the original story for being beyond comprehension, but I can’t help but be amazed each time I witness it.
“Thanks to her, it sure is convenient.”
With every attack from the beasts, all it took was for her to flick her finger, and they turned into corpses, making things incredibly easy.
Of course, I could step in too, but I need to conserve the power of runes in case something like a Destruction Grade monster appears like last time, in which case I’d have no choice but to handle it myself.
Adina at the front continued to lead the way, her purple eyes flashing as she chased after the faint traces of Sephirah, piercing through the thick dark aura.
“…Through that bush, to the right.”
“Do you actually see something?”
“Of course. The traces of light you mentioned are visible, but… will following them aimlessly really get us anywhere?”
“Well, the regions beyond the boundary are fixed, so…”
“What exactly does that mean?”
Typically, abnormalities exist within the rules of the world.
No matter how powerful the irregularity, it is ultimately subject to the rules of the world.
However, realms are different.
Realms are, quite literally, spaces with their own independent rules.
They are places where the rules of the world do not apply but instead impose their own unique rules on the world.
Kalmas is no exception.
Originally the realm of the World Tree of Light, Sephirah, Kalmas has been eroded by the beings of the Outer Sea, transforming into a realm of chaos.
In other words…
“This place itself is one enormous realm, one could say.”
Luckily, remnants of Sephirah still remain, and these remnants weave together like tangled threads, creating a path.
Only those who possess a spirit eye can see these traces, and by following them, one can reach the desired destination.
That is one of the rules of the ‘Realm’ of Kalmas, which is why Adina’s guidance is necessary.
“…You really do know a lot, don’t you, 3rd Lord?”
Arkan erupted into a somewhat exasperated chuckle after hearing the explanation.
I vaguely ignored her and kept walking.
That was when it happened.
“…There’s something ahead.”
Adina suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Dimly through the thick fog, a vague silhouette appeared. Initially, it seemed like a simple spire, but as we approached, its true nature was revealed.
The surface of the spire, reminiscent of black marble, was engraved with countless patterns, which writhed like black snakes crawling on the dark marble.
Occasionally, flashes of red light flickered between the patterns, as if the spire itself were breathing.
The pillars appeared as though their structures were twisted and bent unnaturally, like a broken skeleton.
Between them, cliff-like walls stretched towards the sky.
The top of the spire was obscured by the fog, but judging by its size, it must have pierced through the clouds and soared higher still.
Most bizarrely, the structure of the spire itself defied geometrical laws. Some parts appeared as if the interior had become the exterior and the exterior the interior—an illusion-causing structure that continued infinitely, rising vertically like a Möbius strip piercing the heavens.
It was an evident distortion of the world’s order, a form that perfectly embodied the term ‘chaos.’
The Great Labyrinth.
The Spire of Arcasia.
“…We’ve arrived.”
This was the place where the ancient scripture was sealed.
