We saved time by using the Aurora Curtain and arrived at the eastern village. Leaving Arash behind to defend the village, only eight of us ultimately set out for Azrael's shrine: Mash, Fujimaru, myself, Jeongmil, Juwan, Samjang, Tawara Tota, and Bedivere.
"Whoa, that's a huge cliff! I never heard about this, Master! Can I be honest?"
"My legs are shaking, Mash!"
"Of course. This is a desperate defensive instinct. If I relax, I might collapse and not be able to get back up!"
The path to Azrael's shrine was far from ordinary. The terrain was brutally harsh, with massive cliffs, and dangers abounded from beasts escaping the Lion King's wasteland and mindless lost ones.
Originally, we planned to travel comfortably using the Aurora Curtain, but for some reason, whenever we tried to open it, someone interfered, making it impossible to open near Azrael's shrine. We had no choice but to open it as close as possible and walk the rest of the way.
"Ugh~! Let me ride that Black Cloud too!!"
"No, you walk a bit."
I lightly refused Samjang's request and rode the Black Cloud, circling around to deal with the beasts attacking the climbing party.
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
Whoosh!!
A beast killed by Zaphkiel's long rifle fell into the darkness below the ravine and disappeared.
"Seriously... they're so annoying!!!"
[Skill: Evil Eye's Mystic Eyes activated]
[Skill: Ruler's Authority activated]
Using Evil Eye's Mystic Eyes, I freely manipulated the Demon King's daggers with Ruler's Authority to handle the enemies, then threw a dagger at the last remaining beast.
Thwack!!!!!
With a sound of something bursting, the beast and the Demon King's dagger fell into the ravine below.
"Come back."
[Skill: Libereco activated]
Immediately, the Demon King's dagger returned to me as if reversing time. I snatched it and stored it in my inventory, then said to the party,
"Hang in there a bit longer. We're advancing faster than expected. At this rate, we should arrive by tonight."
"Ah! I see it, Yuseong-ssi. That temple over there is Azrael's shrine. But...."
"Hmm. So the Founder is displeased after all. To prepare a gatekeeper like that...."
[Multiple magical energy responses detected. These are spirit-type! And there's one big one!]
"We can't enter the shrine without defeating that."
"Then I'll take care of it!"
[Skill: Holy Ray activated]
I used Holy Ray and began raining holy attacks indiscriminately on the spirits.
—Kreeeeeeek!!!!
The spirits vanished with screams under numerous holy attacks, and the big one took a bit longer to deal with, but we managed to take them all down.
"Phew, that's all handled. Let's go."
We then ascended to Azrael's shrine.
[Is this Azrael's shrine?... No particularly strange reactions...]
"You wouldn't know unless you experience it firsthand... There's an immense pressure here right now!?"
An overwhelming pressure that I could never overcome, even if I exerted all the dignity of the constellations I possess.
No magical reactions, no signs of Servants, no sounds, no life signals at all. Yet, my whole body trembled... my life, my soul kept shaking.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
[Exclusive skill: The Fourth Wall exerts its power to the limit]
Then, the trembling of my soul gradually stopped, and with a sensation like standing on water's surface, my mind grew cold and clear.
"...Let's keep going, Ritsuka-sama, Yuseong-ssi. Ahead is the Founder's domain, unknown even to us. We don't know what might happen. Stay on maximum alert———"
Swish!
"!"
Ting!!!
I 'perceived' a giant sword suddenly appearing and swinging towards me, immediately blocking it with my divine relics, the Fire Dragon Annihilation Sword and the Flame Fire Dragon Sword.
"———Savior walking under the night sky."
"Ugh———!"
"...!"
Upon hearing that voice, Jeongmil and Juwan immediately prostrated themselves.
"———Savior walking under the night sky. You who follow magecraft. And you who are not human. Your voices have reached me. I acknowledge your desire to save the era, with my sword. However———all who set foot in my shrine must die without exception. But since I have invited you now, as one who has invited a guest, I should show myself...."
Thump, thump!
Someone walks out of the darkness... no, can you call that walking? Can you even call that existence alive? After all, that is... death itself...
"Welcome to my shrine. I am the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i Sabbah."
"...Phew... that's one hell of a rough welcome..."
I drew my divine relic, the Fire Dragon Annihilation Sword, and aimed it at the Old Man of the Mountain... at the death staring at me.
As everyone panicked at that action, I glared at the death approaching me.
[Fable: The One Who Changes Fate rejects his own fate]
[Fable: The One Who Opposes the Netherworld confronts the death before him]
The two fables glared at the Old Man of the Mountain, wildly exerting their dignity, and in response, the Old Man's dignity... no, the death grew even stronger.
[All your fables exert their dignity!]
"I... won't die. I... won't yield to death either. I'll keep living... because that's... who I am... Got your answer?"
"......Good, answer received."
With those words, the death targeting my neck vanished in an instant.
"Now, tell me... the purpose of your visit..."
"Ha, acting like you don't know when you already do..."
Though exasperated by the Old Man of the Mountain's words, I began to explain why we had come this far.
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