Nara Shikamaru returned to the caravan swiftly after receiving intelligence from Temujin and Kazewai, regrouping with Team Ten.
Once back, he immediately reported to Elder Kahiko what had occurred inside the mobile fortress—the enemy movements, Haido's intentions, and, most importantly, the matter concerning the Stone of Gelel.
"Elder," Shikamaru asked, gaze sharpening, "what exactly is the Stone of Gelel? Why would Haido go so far to obtain it?"
Kahiko sighed. "I will explain everything later. But first, we must deal with our next 'guest.'"
Thanks to the information obtained earlier, the group had already laid out a trap and easily eliminated the rogue beastman.
Only one enemy remained—the blond, red-eyed young knight named Temujin. Elder Kahiko had explicitly ordered that he must not be killed.
Inside a quiet cave, Elder Kahiko examined Temujin carefully.
After some time, he exhaled deeply. "As I thought… you are a descendant of the royal bloodline."
"Royal family? What are you talking about?" Akimichi Chōji scratched his head in confusion.
"Didn't I tell you before? Our people once founded a vast empire. Long ago, the royal family sailed away with the final Stone of Gelel and the Book of Gelel. This boy is one of their descendants."
Kahiko then began recounting the history of his clan.
"Many years ago, our civilization prospered thanks to a high-energy ore. No one knew where it came from, but once the vein was discovered, our ancestors refined and crystallized it. They named the mineral Gelel."
"An enormous empire rose on the power of the Gelel Stone."
His expression grew troubled as he continued.
"With its power, they created wells that never dried up, livestock that grew overnight, crops that never failed, and even performed research on halting biological aging."
Kahiko gave a bitter laugh.
"But nothing in this world is without cost. The very power that brought prosperity eventually led us to ruin."
"As people fought over the Stone's power, hatred spread. Wars ignited—vast, catastrophic wars fueled by Gelel's might. In the end… the empire was destroyed."
"Only a handful of our youths survived. Our ancestors sealed the Gelel veins deep underground and vowed never to awaken the stones again."
"Then why didn't you destroy them?" Yamanaka Ino asked.
"Only the royal family can destroy the Stone," Kahiko replied. "Once they were gone, all we could do was guard the seal for generations… until the memory faded into legend."
Temujin clenched his fists.
"Forget it? Erase it? Impossible."
His eyes were firm.
"With what you've said, my decision is made. I will obtain the Stone—no matter what."
"Did you even listen to Elder Kahiko?" Ino snapped coldly.
"Hmph. Power is just power. How it's used depends on its wielder."
Temujin rose to his feet, defiance burning in his gaze.
"Lord Haido needs that power to build an ideal nation—one without conflict. When my village was attacked and my parents died, Lord Haido took us in. He saved us. I will fulfill his dream."
Before anyone could react, Temujin suddenly surged with strength.
The ropes binding him snapped, and he vaulted behind Elder Kahiko, pressing a short blade to the old man's neck.
"You were pretending to be restrained," Shikamaru muttered, expression hardening.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio immediately moved to surround him, but Temujin barked,
"Don't move. The sword has no eyes."
He pushed the blade closer to Kahiko's throat, emphasizing the threat.
"Now—tell me where the Gelel vein is."
"I will not," Elder Kahiko replied calmly.
Temujin's grip tightened.
Temujin stared at Elder Kahiko with a tense, conflicted expression. His jaw tightened.
He already knew what he was about to do—and he hated himself for it—but there was no turning back.
A flash bomb suddenly burst at his feet, flooding the area with blinding light.
In that moment of disorientation, Temujin reached out, grabbed a nearby young girl, and held her hostage—using her as leverage to force Elder Kahiko's cooperation.
From behind, Nara Shikamaru and the others caught sight of Temujin fleeing into the distance and immediately took off in pursuit.
…
"This is where the vein is."
Standing atop a cliff overlooking an ancient, mist-shrouded ruin, Temujin finally allowed a smile to form.
Threatening Elder Kahiko with the girl had worked—Kahiko had revealed the location.
Temujin loathed the method, and now that it had served its purpose, he loosened his grip on the child.
"I'm sorry… for what I did earlier."
After that brief apology, he transmitted the Gelel vein's coordinates directly to the Mobile Fortress.
Far away, within the fortress, Haido let out a triumphant laugh.
"Hah! As expected of Temujin!"
Instantly, he ordered the entire mobile fortress to redirect toward the coordinates.
Within the ruins, fragments of ancient structures lay scattered across the ground. Temujin and Elder Kahiko walked deeper until they reached a vast hall. Strange fūinjutsu-like diagrams were etched across the floor, and the arched ceiling formed a half-dome above them.
"This is the ruin," Elder Kahiko said quietly.
Then, without warning, he drew a dagger from his robes.
"Drink!"
He lunged.
But Temujin—swift and well-trained—twisted aside. The blade sliced only air before Temujin countered with a sharp kick, sending the elder crashing back.
"Hmph! Do you really think you can defeat me like that?" Temujin scoffed.
Kahiko coughed twice but still smiled faintly.
"Heh… it doesn't matter. I've already accomplished what I needed."
Temujin froze.
A thin line of blood marked his forearm—just a scratch, but enough for Kahiko's plan.
"The array beneath us was once used for ancient summoning rituals," Kahiko said. "This place must never be activated again. With your blood… we can perish together."
Gripping the dagger with both hands, Kahiko thrust it downward toward the center of the sigil.
But an invisible force suddenly blasted the blade away with a violent clang.
Two blows in swift succession struck Kahiko's body, sending him sprawling.
Haido had arrived.
He strode into the hall, murder in his eyes.
Embedded on the back of his right hand was a Gelel Stone, glowing with an eerie green light. The impact that stopped Kahiko's strike had come from it.
Raising his hand, Haido gathered more of that emerald energy, directing its lethal focus at the elder.