"Yeah. That's Hanzal Kaizer. The Kaizer."
"Well done, Master," Yosul said, clapping a hand against the old man's shoulder.
Or rather, he tried to. Being much shorter, his congratulatory pats landed somewhere around Kaizer's back instead.
Leena stepped forward. "Let's go."
Erik nodded and glanced behind him. Veinar and Heisen were already waiting, weapons ready.
The four of them began walking toward the subdued giant, but Yosul stepped in front of them, his expression serious.
"My best guess? That thing was the guardian of the relic," he said. "Whatever's inside… shouldn't be stronger than the giant. But if it looks bad—you retreat. Got it?"
All four nodded.
"Alright. I'll go with you up to the gate."
Yosul took the lead, and they climbed up the fallen beast's back until they stood before the strange door embedded in its nape.
It wasn't what they expected.
The "gate" was not some ancient slab of stone or arcane seal—it looked like a door from a palace: tall, elegant, and inlaid with golden patterns. Smooth, untouched by time. Luxurious.
"So… how do we open this thing?" Heisen asked, eyeing the surface.
"Well, if brute force doesn't work…" Veinar murmured.
He stepped closer and closed his eyes, extending both palms toward the door.
A few seconds passed in silence.
Then he spoke.
"Yes. I can see it."
Everyone turned toward him.
"Vice-Captain, this is tricky," Veinar said, brow furrowed. "I've only read about this in old books. It's called a Dimension Gateway. The only way to open it is by pouring mana directly into the door."
"Dimension Gateway?" Yosul repeated.
"It's a type of astral construct—an entrance created using Astral Magic to link one space to another."
"Astral Magic…?" Yosul's eyes narrowed. "That hasn't been used in… what, centuries?"
"Five hundred years," Veinar confirmed. "No one's been born with Astral Magic since before the Great Cataclysm. Which means whoever built this… built it before that."
"So you think the temple—or what's left of it—is behind this?" Yosul asked.
Veinar nodded. "If it's anywhere, it's beyond this door."
"…Alright. Then let's—"
"But," Veinar cut in, raising a hand. "There's a problem."
Yosul sighed. "Of course there is. What now?"
"There's a spell sealed into the doorway—one I don't fully understand. It changes the destination every time the door is opened and closed."
"What?" Erik asked.
"Yeah," Veinar shrugged. "Even I don't know how it works. But once it closes, the location it leads to shifts—so if we lose the connection, we may never find it again."
Yosul exhaled sharply. "Great."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then Erik stepped forward. "Okay. So we keep it open."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"If Veinar keeps the door open from this side, we'll still have a way out, right? As long as the mana keeps flowing, the connection stays stable."
Veinar considered this, then gave a small nod.
"Exactly. But it'll drain me."
Yosul let out another deep breath and bent over, bracing his hands on his knees.
He stayed like that for a few seconds.
Then stood.
"Alright. Veinar, keep the door open. Erik, Leena, Heisen—you three go in and find whatever's behind this as fast as possible. Veinar, create a spirit so we can maintain communication."
"On it," Veinar said. With a flick of his hand, a small spirit bird shimmered into existence. It perched on Erik's shoulder.
Then Veinar knelt before the door, placing both hands against the surface. Mana began to pulse from his palms, glowing softly as the doorway responded.
"I've established a link," Veinar said. "But I have to keep feeding it constantly. The moment I stop… this thing will close."
Erik nodded. "Got it."
"If I can't hold it any longer," Veinar added, his tone sharp, "I'll warn you. Whatever you're doing at that moment—drop it and run back to the gateway. No arguments."
Erik, Leena, and Heisen all nodded firmly.
The door began to hum.
And slowly, it opened itself.
A radiant beam of light burst from the door as it creaked open. Behind it shimmered a white wall of pure energy—bright, humming softly like the breath of a sleeping world.
"Alright, listen up," Veinar said, sweat already beading on his brow. "We can open the door again if needed. Don't risk anything stupid in there. Got it?"
Erik, Leena, and Heisen all nodded.
Leena jumped in first, vanishing into the light without a sound. Heisen followed. Erik gave the area one last glance, then stepped through after them.
Yosul remained beside Veinar, eyes locked on the glowing portal.
"Can you see anything?" he asked.
"As expected—no," Veinar replied. "Whatever's inside, it's cut off. Light's too dense. Magic too unstable."
Yosul sighed. "I'll be back in a sec."
He descended from the giant's back and walked toward where the old man stood.
"Master—" Yosul began, but his words halted mid-sentence. He scanned the sky past Oldman. As Yosul squinted, that's when he noticed far behind Kaizer, three dark shapes were cutting through the air.
"…What is that?" Yosul muttered.
Kaizer, along with Rud and Jake the other swordsmen, turned toward the sky.
"It's them," Kaizer said flatly. "The dragon riders."
The black-clad figures swooped lower, circling once before landing hard on the sand just few feet away. Dust flared. Wind pushed back cloaks. Five of them total.
They dismounted in silence, each carrying a blade across their back—a style not common in Runa.
The one in the center stepped forward. Unlike the others, his face wasn't uncovered—young, lean, but with eyes that didn't match the age. His steps were casual, but calculated.
He stopped a few paces from Yosul.
"Hmm… looks like only half your squad is here," the man said, eyeing the giant's nape. "I'm guessing the rest went through that door, huh?"
Then he sighed, frustrated. "Ughhh… why do I always mess up timing like this?"
Behind him, the other dragon riders dismounted.
"They're strong," Kaizer said calmly, eyes narrowing. "Especially the one in the center."
"Shit," Yosul muttered under his breath.
The man in the middle lifted his hand, addressing the two on his left.
"You two—handle the swordsmen." Then he turned to his right. "You two, after the blond one. Try not to kill him."
He pointed directly at Yosul.
Yosul straightened. "Prepare for battle!"
Rud and Jake drew their blades in perfect unison. Kaizer reached down and picked up his axe. Yosul's mana vibrated in the air around him like heat off desert stone.
The clash came swiftly.
The two dragon riders on the left rushed Rud and Jake with terrifying speed. The others bolted toward Yosul. Kaizer moved to intercept—
But before he could blink, the unmasked rider appeared right in front of him.
Fist met jaw.
Kaizer flew.
He crashed against the giant's back with enough force to shake it.
But before the dust could even settle, the dragon rider lunged again—boot aimed for Kaizer's ribs.
Kaizer dodged, twisted, and countered with a wide arc of his axe. The dragon rider wove around it, impossibly nimble. He struck again, a punch toward the side.
Kaizer caught his fist midair.
And crushed it.
The rider screamed as bone shattered. Kaizer didn't stop—he grabbed the man by the face and threw him over the giant's body like he was tossing a sack of hay.
Before the man could stand, Kaizer came crashing down from above and stomped him hard in the gut. Blood burst from the rider's mouth as he curled up in pain.
Kaizer turned away, casually spitting out one of his own teeth.
"How can someone hit that hard… and still be this weak?" he muttered.
But then—he felt it.
A shift in the air. An aura he hadn't sensed in years.
He turned.
The dragon rider was standing again—bent backward, his head nearly touching the ground. His body convulsed as a sickening series of cracks and snaps echoed through the canyon.
His organs were reorganizing. His bones reshaping.
Purple smoke coiled out from his arms and legs.
"You must be Kaizer," the rider rasped, head still upside down. "The legend, huh?"
Kaizer narrowed his eyes. "You know who I am. Then you know what I can do. Get out of here before I kill you."
The rider laughed—a dry, broken sound. "Kill me? You already failed once."
Kaizer's grip tightened on his axe.
"Tch… who the hell are you?"
Finally, the dragon rider straightened, his head rolling forward.
He smiled.
"Me?" he said, eyes gleaming with madness. "I'm the one who's going to kill you, you old geezer."