Chapter 53
Chapter 53. Ruins of the Age of the Gods
-Tuania.
-I figured you’d be here too.
Yul spotted Tuania in front of the submarine.
-Are you all right? People were worried. Matriarch Lancia, and your grandmother, too.
-I’m fine. I just, well, I’ve been training hard.
-You look like you’ve lost some weight.
Unlike before, her physique looked a bit sharper, her body lines more defined. And the ominous aura that used to spill out of her was now nowhere to be seen.
Instead, there was an illusion that a strange energy was flickering deep within her eyes.
Either way, unlike before, even her presence itself felt different.
-Alright, everyone, please board the submarine. I will be operating it.
Dr. Kowalski, the turtle they had seen earlier, gestured toward those waiting up front.
Various sea creatures boarded the submarine.
The interior was quite large and spacious, resembling a flying saucer, making it feel like stepping into a UFO spacecraft.
‘A takeoff and landing device capable of rapid submergence and surfacing… it’s like SF.’
The upper section was protected by glass, and the interior metal was made of a material he had never seen before. It was so solid it felt like nothing could break it, no matter what.
The civilization achieved by the immortal Turusains only seemed more astonishing the more one saw of it.
‘Even these ancient people perished. Just what in the world happened back then?’
There must have been events on a tremendous scale, but there was no way to learn about that lost history right now.
Yul looked over the occupants inside. The small number of elites selected this time stood out clearly. Among them, some were especially eye-catching.
Timur, the True Word Dragon Lord of the Sea Dragon Tribe.
Yalmuka of the Boundless Spear, the spear-horn squid.
Teller, the Swordfish Assault Sword.
Gehenna, the Conqueror of the North among the orcas.
Mujin, the Eight Trigrams Sage.
These were the figures known as powerful beings of the sea, collectively called the Great Powers.
This group, composed of multiple races, consisted only of those whose strength had already been proven.
-Yul, you’ve come as well.
-Oh. You brought your spear this time, right?
-Hello. The spear has been repaired.
Yul went in and greeted Yalmuka and Gehenna. Since the Hive incident, everyone had been busy and hadn’t had a chance to talk, but they were reunited here.
-Tuania, you’re here too.
-Hello, Lord Gehenna.
-Who is this?
-Nugh’s granddaughter. Strong enough to board this submarine.
-Is that so.
Yalmuka didn’t seem particularly interested in Tuania. Perhaps it was because they didn’t share the common ground of “spears.”
Yul wasn’t welcomed warmly by everyone either.
-I, along with the True Word Dragon Lord, know how strong the Hive was.
-We’ve fought it together once. It was monstrously powerful. Defeating such a creature is proof of ability in itself, but…… it’s dangerous to assume someone is reliable based on that alone.
The Sea Dragon Tribe’s True Word Dragon Lord and the Eight Trigrams Sage had heard that Yul defeated the Hive, but they didn’t fully trust him yet.
-Hmm…….
The swordfish ignored Yul. Rather than looking down on him for lacking strength, it seemed to have no interest in any creature other than itself. It was indifferent to the others as well.
Then, behind the waiting heroes, Dr. Kowalski boarded last. He entered the submarine and sat in the cockpit.
-Alright, heroes, we will now begin the pressurization process. Sudden movements are prohibited! Please remain still. If you need air, use the air bubbles above you.
-After pressurization is complete, you will descend to the ruins using this device. There is a magic that identifies passengers, so please do not resist.
A brief magical wave flowed through them, and identification was completed.
-Now, descending.
Gooooooo──.
The submarine moved without making any special noise, save for the mechanical sound of swallowing and exhaling silence.
The descent of the massive submarine.
Part of it was made of glass-like material, allowing them to see outside.
As the submarine descended, light began to disappear. It felt like being drawn into primordial darkness.
Is the inexplicable fear felt when descending into the deep sea an instinct?
Or is it fear because something truly exists down there?
‘I feel like I’ve passed through this area before.’
Thinking back, Yul realized that he had wandered around this area in the past, back when he was a jelly octopus.
Soon, in the deep sea, Yul saw massive concentrations of siphonophores.
‘Is this the same swarm of siphonophores I saw before?’
The natural environment that had been destroyed by the duel between the Sea God and the Lord of the Abyss had, over a few years, somehow been restored to its original state.
Only the colors were different. The Deep Sea creatures are emitting fluorescent light, unlike what they had before.
Yul looked around. These sea creatures were all of different species, with different appearances, yet they shared a similar atmosphere.
Fierce and savage, yet at the same time, each possessed a firm, unmistakable sense of self.
The silence broke. It was because the submarine had reached the bottom.
-Eh, you see the cracked seabed, right? The ground is unstable, so I’ll try to get as close as possible, but I can’t guarantee it.
Light emitted from the submarine illuminated the chaos before them.
‘It looks like an earthquake happened.’
The seabed plain was destroyed to an extent that couldn't be viewed as a typical earthquake.
It was the aftermath of the battle between Kaidron and Abysarion.
From within the fissures, a massive, heavy ruin revealed itself.
From the front of the ruin, a blue light was pouring out.
Dr. Kowalski brought the submarine as close to the ruins of the Age of the Gods as possible.
-Alright, everyone, each of you has been placed under magic. It’s a set of composite spells that allow you to move stably even in the deep sea. They operate in layers.
-First, a barrier against malicious light. You can’t see it, but it surrounds your bodies.
Thanks to the evolution of his Lithium Pressure Nerves, Yul could clearly see the radiation shielding. A sort of defensive barrier was wrapped around his body.
-Second, do you see the air bubbles above your heads? This is the air provided by the submarine that you can breathe. They will move naturally to follow you. It’s separate by each race, and each provides one hour of breath.
Just as Kowalski said, air bubbles gathered above each of their heads. The Sea Dragon Tribe’s bubble was especially large, and in Yalmuka’s case, there was no air bubble at all.
And the pressurization process had already been handled inside the submarine.
-Ah, there, Orca Yul. The weapon you brought appears to be made of Krelsite. Is that correct?
-That’s right.
-Then, please keep it a bit away from your body. You won’t receive the submarine’s buff effects.
-…….
So a weapon imbued with anti-magic power had drawbacks like this.
-And finally, third. If external factors put the submarine in danger, I will immediately call for a return. Anyone who fails to return within the time limit will have to make their way back under their own power.
Calling it a self-powered return was one thing, but in practice, it was almost the same as being told to die…….
-All of these magical buffs originate from the submarine. If the submarine is destroyed, the magic placed on you will be dispelled as well, so please keep that in mind.
-So, in other words, we have to protect this machine. Got it. In that case, I’ll go out first!
The first to leave the submarine was Yalmuka, the spear-horn squid. After him, the other heroes disembarked one by one.
-Good, let’s move. Doctor, we’ll be back in one hour.
-Heh. Very well, then. Go on.
As the True Word Dragon Lord Timur spoke first and set off, the Eight Trigrams Sage Mujin followed behind him.
-Let’s go, Tuania.
-Yeah.
Yul followed after them together with Tuania.
Even though they weren’t moving, pressed right up against the seabed, massive rocks jutted upward, blocking their path.
After pushing through the rising rocks, they arrived before the ruins of the Age of the Gods. Those who had set out first were already standing at the entrance of the enormous fortress.
-We’ve reached the entrance.
It was the first time Yul heard the voice of the swordfish, Teller. It was a voice devoid of emotion.
Yalmuka’s voice followed.
-The front is blocked by sea creatures.
Strangely twisted seaweed was tangled around the entrance of the ruins, tightly bound like chains.
As everyone spoke, the Eight Trigrams Sage stepped forward.
-Hoho. Well then, stand aside for a moment. I’ll try to take care of this.
-The Eight Trigrams Sage himself is stepping in? Fine.
The turtle Mujin stepped up personally. He swung his flexibly bending foreflipper and struck straight ahead.
-Hah!
Thump!
It looked like a powerful blow had landed, yet the seaweed strands were completely unharmed. Seeing that, Yalmuka sneered.
-Old man, you’re useless.
-Hmph. Just wait a moment. I’ll show you my true Eight-Trigram Fist.
Before the bristling Mujin could act, Teller stepped in front of him.
-Eight Trigrams Sage, these seaweed strands should be dealt with by cutting, not striking. I’ll handle it.
-Hey now. I’d just realized that myself and was about to deal with it……. You’re making this old man feel slighted.
-I only pursue efficiency. I am faster.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
With the blade attached to his head, the swordfish sliced through the enormous seaweed strands in an instant. The cut surfaces were so clean they seemed to have been severed by a sword.
-Let’s go.
Once they went inside, it felt as though they had been completely cut off from the outside.
‘The architectural style of the ruins is completely different too.’
It was clearly distinct even from the Turusain ruins Yul had seen before.
-Hm? The magic waves are dispersing. Mantras used internally within the body are activated, but mantras emitted outward are extremely restricted.
As the swordfish who had entered first spoke, Yalmuka replied from behind.
-Huh? You’re right. Weak magic, like magic signals, seems to get through, but the moment the signal gets even a little stronger, it can’t be transmitted.
For some reason, inside the ruins of the Age of the Gods, mantras could not be emitted outward.
Yul also tried using mantras or magic, but it was of no use. Once the output of magic reached a certain level, anything directed outward was immediately blocked.
‘Then even the Mantra of Communication won’t work.’
-What about the buffs we’re receiving from the submarine?
-Those seem to be working.
-Hm. That’s fortunate. It seems that once magic moves a certain distance away from the user, its output drops.
A bizarre environmental condition. Gehenna stepped forward.
-We orcas can communicate not only through magic signals, but also through ultrasonic waves, so we’ll handle communications.
-Oh, that’s a relief.
The expedition advanced, and soon they discovered a massive hall at the center.
-That’s an enormous statue.
-Who in the world carved this?
There stood a gigantic statue with the body of a human and a head closer to that of an octopus.
‘What? Is that a Ktazar?’
Yul thought the statue resembled the same species as Arktar he had seen before.
The octopus-headed statues were placed in twelve directions, encircling the entire hall, all gazing toward the empty center.
It felt like there should originally have been something there, but now it was completely vacant.
Around the hall, there were several paths leading downward.
-An extremely unusual style. Is this some kind of temple?
-There are too many entrances.
-From here on, how about splitting up to explore?
As Mujin, who had been leading, casually suggested that, everyone agreed.
-It looks like we should divide into two teams.
-That sounds good. And it would be best if each team had an orca.
-For communications?
-Ah, I see. Then, Yul, how about coming with me?
-Sounds good.
Yalmuka approached Yul first.
Since the orcas would each go separately, Yul ended up being separated from Gehenna and Tuania.
-Hoho. Then shall you go with this old man, Conqueror of the North?
-Fine.
Gehenna seemed to harbor no particular ill feelings toward Mujin of the Turtle Kingdom and joined him naturally.
Team One consisted of Yul, the spear-horn squid Yalmuka, and the swordfish Teller.
Team Two consisted of the orca Gehenna, Tuania, the turtle Mujin, and the Sea Dragon Tribe’s Timur.