A wave of light spilled from the end of the tunnel.
As they reached the end of the passage, the dark stone was stripped away, and a brilliant world came into view. Soon, the last remnants of the underground world disappeared as they stepped through the cave exit and emerged into a vast, open space.
Hum!
A refreshing breeze swept over their faces as a strong light momentarily blinded their eyes.
Stepping down, Gillion was completely captivated by the sweeping view before him. Raina remained unconscious on his back, with Hirano just a few steps behind.
Before them lay an unimaginably vast cenote. The enclosed underground world had suddenly opened into a colossal circular basin beneath a restricted sky. Towering cliffs surrounded the enormous hollow on every side, rising hundreds of meters into the air before finally curling inward and giving way to the blue canopy that appeared far above their heads. Looking up from the bottom, the massive opening resembled a giant eye gazing down upon the earth. A faint layer of clouds had formed near the ceiling, spiraling around the upper opening, while a series of descending rays of light shone down like golden ribbons.
As the demons descended a small hill leading down, a few seconds later, Atlin and Lilit also emerged from behind. The two dragons looked around, their approach much more leisurely. Sensing something, both of their heads simultaneously turned toward the upper cliff. Their eyes narrowed, then, as if not having looked at all, they looked away.
"…This is underground?" Gillion asked in disbelief. In his eyes, this was like a small world. He found it hard to believe that they had missed such a massive space before descending.
Old man Hirano nodded, his eyes never straying from the view.
Every single one of them remained transfixed by the breathtaking scenery.
It wasn't uncommon for a Secret Realm to generate such a beautiful sight, but as if by magic, whenever anyone arrived, they would always lose their breath. It was almost like a kind of rule, a rule determining that those visiting should all take a moment to breathe and enjoy the view. Such an unscientific conjecture was absurd, but many who had experienced it unconsciously believed it to be true.
Ahead, countless waterfalls poured down over the surrounding cliffs like a series of silver ribbons, cascading endlessly into the lake below, contrasting with the golden light. Their combined roar echoed throughout the enormous hollow, creating a heavy yet peaceful rhythm. Near the outer edge, lush grasslands stretched across the gently sloping terrain. Ancient trees grew in scattered clusters, while an abundance of colorful wildflowers swayed peacefully beneath the mist drifting in from the falls.
Everything felt strangely untouched—or at least, it would have, if not for the large number of people already gathered around and scattered through the outer ring of grassy fields.
There were about twenty groups, each set up a decent distance apart. Some were waiting, while others had already tried and were just resting.
Their gaze passed over the numerous groups of scattered adventurers and naturally drifted toward the center of the basin. There, an enormous lake rested like a polished mirror, reflecting both the sky above and the towering cliffs that surrounded it from all sides. The crystal-clear water was so calm that the cascading waterfalls scarcely disturbed its surface, presenting an almost unnatural stillness.
Gillions eyes turned.
At the heart of that lake stood a solitary island. It was neither exceptionally large nor small, yet it naturally drew everyone's attention. Covered in dense forest, the island featured four distinct paths, each aligned perfectly with one of the cardinal directions.
And at the dead center of this small island rose a colossal structure…
The Trial Pillar pierced straight toward the sky, reaching far past the upper opening of the cenote and into the open sky. Countless mysterious carvings spiraled around its stone surface, while an indescribable, ancient aura quietly permeated the entire world below.
It stood there, waiting…
-
"That's the Trial Pillar?" Gillion asked, quickly adjusting the slipping Raina.
Old Man Hirano nodded. "It should be. Those runes are a kind of natural script unique to worldly creations. It can't be man-made."
Gillion looked over, confused.
Hirano shook his head in an disappointed, elderly-like sort of way. "You're aware that runes are linked to language, correct? The human rune system, the elven rune system, the dwarven rune system—these are all things born from the interpretations of the thoughts and visualizations from each race. For example, the rune representing 'fire' will naturally be born after the word representing fire is created and used, then form a link with the unformed rune in the unseen, then bloom with the power of fire. When a new language is formed, each word, perhaps each symbol, is like planting a seed. These seeds use their language to unify the visualization of the interpreters to create a unique rune with a unique power. The more people that use the language, the more powerful the rune system based on it is, but those that use the rune system don't necessarily need to know the language, and those that know the language might not know about the runes."
He pointed at the pillar. "Although I can't read any of the runes on that pillar, I can at least understand the central one: 'Fearlessness'. This means it's a kind of universal script that all living beings can read and understand. We call them the primordial runes. If I am not wrong, those smaller, encircling runes that cover the pillar should be from every rune system in Pillomal. But the true power of this pillar comes from that primordial rune, and a primordial rune can only be formed from the power of the world."
"Do you really think I don't know that? Who are you reciting that for, old man?!"
Hirano rolled his eyes and looked away, his hands still behind his back. Despite looking a bit like an aged scholar, he also seemed to be a little smug. Although Gillion could only see his back, he felt as if the old man had a strange smile.
Gritting his teeth, Gillion stomped his foot a few times, then stopped because Raina was about to fall again. After awkwardly fixing her with a few more shuffles, he looked away with a huff.
He cursed, then walked in the opposite direction, awaiting orders.
-
The serene and isolated world was anything but quiet.
Although the scenery resembled a hidden paradise, every now and then a loud rumble or sharp swish would echo from one of the countless cave entrances scattered throughout the surroundings. Looking around, everyone quickly realized that this underground world possessed far more than the single tunnel they had emerged from. After a quick observation, they discovered hundreds of holes and hidden passageways, all leading to different places.
Raina was unconscious, Gillion was distracted, and the Elderly Hirano seemed to be doing his own thing. But when Nodaba saw this, his brows furrowed.
He was thinking.
Some of the entrances rested halfway up the cliff walls, others disappeared into the grasslands below, while a few opened directly above the waterfalls. In addition, entering through the sky-eye was easily the best option, but for some reason, no one seemed to have taken this path. In short, this place almost seemed to have been intentionally designed to funnel people through the underground labyrinth.
Hirano stroked his beard. "…Quite a few paths converge here. But it's strange. This almost looks man-made, doesn't it?" His thoughts aligned with Nodaba's perfectly.
Gillion opened his mouth, about to say something, but…
Just then—BOOM!
A muffled explosion echoed from the mouth of a distant tunnel. This exit was large, extremely large, like a massive gate leading into nature's castle, only with its doors blown away and completely overtaken by greenery and covered in trees.
Not only Nodaba, but the two dragons and Gillion shot over a look.
They all felt it at the same time, causing their eyes to slightly widen.
What were these guys doing?
Tsk! How embarrassing!
A moment later, three figures burst out from the darkness. Two were locked in combat, and a third, a much smaller figure, was happily chasing from behind, cheering loudly. Her little voice rose over the sound of battle, sounding a little like a chirping oriole. "Go, go, go! The winner will be the real big brother! Hehehe! Fight, fight, go!"
This small child was Popo, one of the five dragons in the delegation, as well as the alleged little sister of the great and mighty Red Dragon Rifrit. After the initial collapse, Popo was stranded with Rifrit and Petik, but since then, these two have not stopped fighting.
The mischievous giggle of a child echoed through the underground world, attracting a lot of attention.
"They're over there!" Popo shouted happily, pointing ahead.
She also just so happened to point in the direction of Gillion and Raina.
Rifrit and Petik didn't even flinch; they just kept fighting.
Seeing this, Gillion was naturally attracted. With a single step, he flashed over, crossing what must have been a few kilometres in a blink. He reached Popo's side, crouched down to pat the small child on the head, then looked over and asked what was going on.
Popo blinked.
Who was this?
Did she know him?
What a weird uncle!
No, she didn't care; instead, her big sparkling eyes flickered towards the figure on his back, then, as if seeing something, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth—
"T-they-they-they! These two big brothers began fighting over little Popo! They said that because Mama let me out, it was big brother's duty to protect me. But after the fall, Big Brother Black said that Big Brother Red failed to protect me, and then, and then… uh~ I think I said something, and the two of them agreed, and then, I, erm, uh, uh… Hm! Yeah, yeah! They want to fight for Popo's rights as a woman or something? Something about protecting little Popo's flowers and not letting her get near the pervert with the spiky red hair? I can't remember… There was also the scary auntie with the long whip and the big guy with the broad chest, hm! Popo forgot! Tee-hee-hee-hee-he~" The more she talked, the darker Gillion's expression became.
He didn't know what the hell this little girl was talking about, but for some reason, he seemed to understand that this red dragon was allowing his little sister to hang out with bad people, so Petik wanted to teach him a lesson!
Something like that… maybe?
He shook his head.
An instant later, there was one more muscular uncle cheering for Petik.
Standing a distance behind, the old man just shook his head in helplessness. Although Gillion couldn't understand what the little girl was saying, he understood. It seemed as if Petik was angry that Rifrit let his little sister be approached by some street thugs, and he used this as an excuse to attack...
What a helpless guy!
The old man could only lament the whims of youth!
Although, neither 'young man' could really be considered a youth…
-
Boom!
Immediately afterward—
"Stop running, you damn lizard!"
"I'm not running from you, damn cloud!"
Rifrit and Petik had exploded out of the tunnel almost shoulder to shoulder. Both looked miserable. Their robes were torn, dust covered their hair, and fresh bruises decorated nearly every exposed inch of skin. The moment they exited the tunnel, the two immediately resumed fighting.
One man grabbed the other's hair, and they quickly turned into a tumbleweed of terror that rolled through the surroundings like an unstoppable hurricane.
As they exchanged blows, fire and black clouds spewed out every now and then, creating a rather ominous appearance. That was, if not for the shrew-like style both grown men were using to fight.
Boom!
Rifrit threw a heavy punch that slammed into Petik's eye, and Petik's body dissolved into a cloud of black mist before snapping around the hand and reforming right before he returned the strike. Bang! A loud thud rang out, which was similar to the sound of a man striking an anvil.
"You're too damn hard! How can you stiff lizards even find a date!"
"I'm too hard!? Ha! This coming from the guy who's more slippery than a loach!"
"What did you say!"
"You heard it, damn pretty boy!"
"Scale-head! If I cut off your tail, will it regrow!?"
"I don't know about that, but if I rip off your third leg, do you think it will start spewing black gas!?"
"Ha!"
"Ha!!"
Roar!
Buzz!
While still engulfed in the scuffle, Petik flicked his wrist. Dozens of black playing cards immediately flew into the air, adding to the spiraling storm.
Hum!
The cards rapidly expanded until each one was nearly as large as a shield, then they began rotating around them. One depicted a spear, another a wolf, and a third carried the image of countless chains. Suddenly, the golden illustrations came alive. A black spear thrust outward from one card, its size no different from a regular spear, tearing toward Rifrit. Rifrit, sensing it, scoffed, then pulled Petik directly before its advance. With a slurry of curses, Petik dematerialized his body, letting the spear blast through. But despite passing through and still striking Rifrit, it only managed to create a few sparks.
"So damn durable!"
With a turn of his mind, the card depicting the chains, alongside a few smaller cards that were all orbiting about their intertwined figures, began to materialize nails, rope, chains, and cloaks.
They erupted at one another, and a giant spectral black wolf lunged from behind.
Rifrit felt his face twitch, and after doing his best, he dodged most of the incoming chains. He then swung his foot down in an attempt to crush the black wolf that materialized through the darkness element of this damn demon!
Boom!
Just as he had partially succeeded, one of the enormous cards folded around him like a wall before being ripped apart by brute force. This created a cloud of smoke, and the two hotheads immediately disappeared beneath another cloud of dust.
Meanwhile, Popo bounced happily up and down nearby.
"Big Brother! Hit him harder! No! Mister Big Demon Brother, punch Big Brother! Oh! Oh! Throw another explosion! Ah! I can't see anymore!"
For some reason, she seemed to be enthusiastically cheering for both sides equally.
Whoooosh!
But then, as if feeling something, she stopped.
Shutter!
A blue streak suddenly descended from high above.
Boom!
The ground shook. Before either young man understood what had happened, two slender hands had already shot over and firmly grabbed them by the ears.
"…Hm?"
"…Ah?"
Trili, the big sister, smiled pleasantly. "What are you two doing?"
Neither could answer, because she was already dragging both of them across the grass.
In their minds, they could only wonder: where did this big boss come from? She couldn't have fallen from the sky, right?
-
Meanwhile, in the sky, Petra was squatting at the rim of the sky eye, looking down at the island and trial pillar with a strange expression.
A single maid stood behind her, looking down with equal parts interest.
* * *