Chapter 191: The Curtain Draws ~ Lord of Sin

“Roar!!!…” The deafening, inhuman roar was filled with a strange sense of sorrow.

Sand and dust incessantly poured out from cracks in the ceiling, as the entire underground tomb continuously collapsed under the intense tremors. —After being sealed for two epochs, the tomb was finally making its last sound today.

“Aaaaahhhh!…” No longer could any trace of intelligence be found in its voice. The corpse, which was consumed by rage at its destruction, began to devastate, slaughter, and burn everything before its eyes.

The remnant wisps of the knight’s spirit had dissipated, leaving behind a wild and violent creature. It lashed out with a greatsword in its hands, unleashing a barrage of attacks in its wake.

Its wanton destruction seemingly caused the temperature to spike abruptly in an instant.

The phenomenon, which was caused by the reckless accumulation of magic energy, affected the entire tomb, leaving no area spared.

The stone statues began to crack, revealing the complex mechanisms inside in clear detail.

The launch of indiscriminate attacks by the mindless creature had come about just as the black knight had previously predicted.

“Crack, crack, crack…!!”  A strand of sunlight leaked through the cracks of the shattered roof.

Following that, the cracks spread rapidly and cascaded like falling dominoes before bringing the entire ceiling crashing down to the floor.

“I believe there are much more pressing matters at hand than daydreaming right now.”  Lin walked up to Ji Bai, who had been standing in place for a long time.

“Are your injuries better?”

“More or less.”

“If you don’t mind, could you bring another person along with you?”

“Put the sword away,” Said Lin in an expressionless tone, indicating it was not a request but a command.

“If you don’t wish to be targeted by that crazy knight, that is.”

“Oh.” Ji Bai placed [Tranquility] on his waist. As if conflicted over something, he was silent for a moment before stretching his hand over to Lin.

“There’s no need to go through all that trouble.” Lin shook her head expressionlessly.

“Hmm?”

“You just have to bend your waist.” After saying that, Lin began to recite a [spell].

一一一一一一一

Ji Bai had seemingly fallen deep into his thoughts with his head supported by his hands.

He had believed he had already outgrown the age of being coddled by his seniors.

Once a man has grown out of his infancy and left his mother’s care, he should be learning how to take care of both himself and his younger siblings.

‘Is it possible that my mental state is regressing as I get older?’  

‘Or rather, has my daily life been affected by the ‘influence’ without my notice?’ 

‘That won’t happen, right? Even if that’s the case, it shouldn’t cause me to regress to a child… right?’

Even if Ji Bai believed otherwise, he would not admit so.

‘As the saying goes, it’s not what’s on the outside that matters, but what’s in the heart. It is unwise to be obsessed with external appearance, I think.’   

This was the thought of a certain individual currently being held by Lin.

‘Mhm, this is also the same way I carried her before.’  

Ji Bai slightly swept his gaze towards her.

No matter how he scrutinized it, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that Lin’s normally perfect and impassive expression seemed to have a hint of smugness at that moment.

‘She must be doing it on purpose, right? There’s clearly an easier way to do this, but she had intentionally chosen to use strength-amplification [Magic] just to carry me in such an uncomfortable position?’

‘No matter how I look at it, this must be her way of getting back at me for earlier, isn’t it?’

“If you try to take advantage of me now, I’ll drop you.” Her flat tone, devoid of any emotions, sent a slight shiver down his spine.

“Oh.” Unwilling to engage her at the moment, Ji Bai gave a perfunctory reply. He could only silently pray for the mortifying scene to end as soon as possible.

“Destroy these stone candles.” Ji Bai eventually chose to raise such a request when they were up in the air. “Let him rest in peace.”

As he observed the undead knight causing indiscriminate destruction below, Ji Bai let out a sigh.

Lin remained silent, but responded by releasing a swift barrage of bats.

The bats dispersed in all directions and relentlessly struck the fragile supports holding the stone candles.

The six towering stone candles in the colosseum, lit with fierce flames, were felled like trees and reduced to rubble.

A raging inferno filled the entire cavern rapidly, causing the temperature to spike abruptly.

The stone statues, coffins and murals cracked and melted in the intense flame.

“T-Thank you.” A vague voice filled with fatigue and relief resounded in Ji Bai’s mind.

The raging flames lit up Ji Bai’s armor, causing it to radiate a brilliant silver light.

At the same time, an imperceptible silvery-dark light blended in with the dust and smoke rising into the air and infused itself into Ji Bai’s armor.

“Can’t you change the position?”

“You sure have a lot of demands.” Lin shot Ji Bai a cold glance as she controlled her wings.

‘Doesn’t this conversation give me somewhat of a deja vu??’

Ji Bai’s brows furrowed as he identified the source of the problem.

‘Forget it, I won’t think about this anymore.’

………………….

Howling cold wind brushed against Ji Bai’s red hot cheeks, clearing his mind up.

Taking into account the fact that the setting sun was half-hidden behind the mountains, he estimated that only an afternoon had passed from the time they had fallen into the ruins to the time they had found an exit.

He took a deep breath and organized the disordered and chaotic memories in his mind.

Inheriting someone’s memory fragments was an extremely perilous process.

Even if it was only a few significant fragments, they could push a normal person into madness. The mismatch between external and original memories would make them doubt their true identity, ultimately driving them completely insane.

“Yo, are the two of you in the middle of some noble pursuits?”

A familiar voice carrying somewhat ambiguous undertones interrupted Ji Bai’s thoughts.

A blue-haired teenager wearing a smile on his face slowly walked towards them through the snow and wind.

“You?”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, Mr. Knight, and you too, intriguing Vampire Lady.” Gordon’s eyes scanned past the pair and lingered briefly on Lin’s face. As he did so, his cryptic smile broadened.

“That’s right, have I interrupted your elegant pastime?”

Ji Bai was momentarily taken aback, before he realized he was still being carried by Lin, in a traditional princess-carry position.

‘To be carried like this as a grown man… I’m finished, my reputation will be in tatters from the gossip.’

Ji Bai quickly extricated himself from Lin’s grasp and pretended to admire the view as a way to conceal his previous embarrassment.

As if the matter did not concern her, Lin crossed her arms.

“Why are you here?”

“I found you two by following the smoke.” Gordon motioned at the thick, inextinguishable smoke coming out of the large hole nearby.

After finishing his words, he walked to the side of the abyss and stroked his chin.

“If it’s okay with you Mr Knight, can you tell me what happened here?”

“Do you have some sort of fabric on you? Like a wet towel or something.”

“?” Even though he was clueless of the meaning behind Ji Bai’s question, Gordon still took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.

“…Do you still need this handkerchief?” As a light perfume assailed his nostrils, Ji Bai slightly furrowed his brows.

‘An adult man is actually using perfume.” 

“No, you can hold on to it.”

“Okay.” After reaffirming the other party’s response, Ji Bai took out [Tranquility].

“Whoosh!” The handkerchief was blown downward by a  sudden gust of wind created by the swinging weapon.

‘Mhm, except for a trace of wrinkles in the center, it’s as good as new.’ 

If it wasn’t for the iron helmet covering his head, the others would have seen Ji Bai lose his composure at that moment.

‘Even though it was a bit lacking aesthetically, this sword was definitely the same  weapon that had pierced through the black knight’s armor in the ruins, wasn’t it?’

‘Why is it unable to cut through a handkerchief? Could it have been replaced with a counterfeit?’

‘Or is it possible that this handkerchief is a legendary equipment with a +15 enchantment?’

“Your sword is too blunt. I suggest you head to a blacksmith and sharpen it.” Gordon shot a glance at the somewhat dazed Ji Bai.

“…A moment ago, you asked me about what had happened here, right?” Ji Bai took a deep breath, wiped his blade and spoke after a moment of rest.

“Mhm? Yes.”

“Alright, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You understand that, right?”

Ji Bai had not forgotten the words the black knight had spoken to him in the ruins.

“Are you aware of any information about an octopus-like monster claiming to be a 5th-tier species?”

“…Are you talking about the Lord of Sins?” The expression in Gordon’s eyes suddenly grew serious.