Chapter 97: Guards

Stiel went to where Sian was fighting. If she was right, everyone was probably there. There was no sound coming from the battleground, meaning that the fight was nearly over. Stiel relaxed as she walked. She knew there was no way for Sian to lose.

“As I expected…”

Stiel sighed in satisfaction as she saw the scene. It was a mountain when she was teleported away, but there was now a huge and deep hole where Sian and a bunch of figures that looked like Granines were scattered around.

“Haha, you did a heck of a work again. I think we should call this place the Sian Mountain Range now. Haha.”

“You’re here. Is my brother okay?”

Sian looked tired, but he asked for his brother first.

“Hehe. Who do you think you are talking to? Your brother is safe.”

“That’s a relief… Thank you, Miss Stiel.”

Stiel laughed, “It’s your brother. I definitely have to take good care of him.”

“Doesn’t it feel good to do some exercise?” Stiel spoke as she thought about Sian who was hacking away with his new powers at the mountains and skies.

“It wasn’t that easy. Look.”

Sian showed her a ragged sword. It was his weapon, Chrona-Phon. There was a huge crack in it.

“So, they really were strong.”

“I can’t shape it anymore… Ugh. I should use it more carefully. I can’t find any other thing like this.”

“Right, where did you get that anyway?” Stiel asked. The black sword that could withstand Sian’s power had the strength and durability that was on par with the artifacts that Stiel had.

“This? Oh… uhm…”

Sian then began explaining how he got the weapon. Stiel looked disgusted.

“Ugh… so you mean that sword is made with dough that has people mixed into it? You have terrible taste.”

“…”

“Chrona-Phon? I think Con-Tian Mix might be a better name.”

Sian looked like he was slightly bothered by what Stiel said, but he took a good look at his sword and shook his head.

“I’m using this sword anyway. You were going to try to take it as yours if I threw it away, right?”

“Oops.”

“I knew it.”

Stiel then changed the subject quickly.

“So… are they all dead?”

“No. I tried, but they won’t die. They even came back to life even when I crushed their heads, so I just crushed their arms and legs. They can’t die, so the situation is not over yet,” Sian explained and Stiel looked down to see the figures wiggling from below.

“What about the other Granines other than the three?”

“They helped those three when they were getting beaten up. They don’t die either. I just crushed their bones for now.”

“Oh, right. Talking about that…”

Stiel then explained what she found after she saved Rian.

“That’s weird.”

“Isn’t it? Let’s take a look. It might give us a hint.”

“Sure. I don’t think it’s going to end like this. But I can’t leave them here either…”

Sian looked down at the Granines moving about.

“Are you afraid they’ll start moving again?”

“Yeah. It should be okay until we return, but still…”

Sian then jumped down. He then stacked the three Granines who couldn’t move and placed his Chrona-Phon on top of it.

“There, they won’t move for a while. They might regenerate, but it will take time for them to recover enough strength to move this sword.”

“You sure are smart sometimes.”

“Is that a compliment? Anyway, let’s make it quick.”

“Wait. Let’s make sure.”

Stiel then struck the side of a hole. The mountain next to the hole began crumbling down and the dirt fell down on the Granines, covering them up instantly.

“This will buy us more time.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Sian and Stiel then moved to the place where Rian was fighting a while ago.

They arrived and saw the skeletons trying to reassemble themselves with red energy radiating around them.

“I guess there really is something there.”

“Yeah. I wonder what it is.”

Sian shook his head. “We’ll see once we take a look. Where is it?”

“Hm… I heard it was beyond the headless body or something…”

“There are too many bodies like that.”

“Wait. It was about there… oh, it’s that one!”

Sian and Stiel ran up to a body lying in front of a cliff and found an opening beyond it. Then they found something glowing in red that was covered in dirt.

“It looks smooth.”

Stiel spoke as she saw a smooth red wall, but it wasn’t a wall. There were particles. Red particles were placed in a line that blocked Sian and Stiel’s path. They examined it and found a few of the particles that had broken off and fallen out.

“There are some particles here… Sian, why are you so quiet?”

“…”

Sian was glaring at the wall.

“Is this something weird? I don’t feel anything.”

“Don’t touch it.”

“Huh?”

Stiel knew Sian would not say something like that so quickly, so she backed away.

“Why? What is it?”

“Let’s get out.”

“What?”

Sian took her hand and dragged her out back to the cliff area.

“Don’t we have to go past that red wall to see what’s in there?”

Sian didn’t answer and began focusing energy on his both hands. A space in his hands began to distort and dark energy radiated from within. Stiel was surprised at such a vast amount of energy being gathered, but Sian then waved it around like a windmill. Then the mountain in front of them began crumbling down.

After the mountain was destroyed and the dust cloud subsided, Stiel got to see what was inside.

“…Is this…?”

“This was the red wall that you saw back there.”

Stiel could not believe her eyes.

<…Where is this?>

Rodeval was dreaming. No, it wasn’t a dream. He was experiencing an old memory. A memory that came from the ancient times.

<Krrr….>

<Is this the owner of the memory?>

Rodeval spoke to himself as he looked around. He was not a Granine in this memory. He was a larger but weaker four-legged living being. He was good at surviving and became stronger. The horn on its head grew, one by one. Then it became six. It was now strong enough to rule the continent. But it did not lay its guard down. It was more careful in choosing who to fight and who to eat. Then it realized it was time to become something more than a Six-Horn; the time of ascension was its most vulnerable time period. It needed to hide, but that was not possible. Thus, it decided to make a being that needed it. It had the power to do it.

It spat out a blob of spit at the middle of a mountain. It wasn’t an ordinary spit. Its purpose was to cage <Something> that made living beings move. It then took its own tailbone and used magic on it. The tailbone was shaped and muscles were placed on top of it, while the veins and flesh came on top. The creation was satisfying. It was going to revive if power was provided. It was weak, but it looked good enough to become a guard. It knew how to reproduce, so that was good as well.

Then, when it was almost time to go to the next step, it ordered one thing into the new creation. To work as a guard.

<You will earn great power and lifeforce if I’m attacked. Protect me with that power.>

It was the purpose for the creation and thus it was never allowed to disobey. It was carved within the bones and souls so that it would not disappear.

That was the end of the memory. There was no telling of what happened to that being.

Rodeval felt empty.

<We were born just to guard…>

Granine, a powerful race.

But his race was a mere guard that some Harijan created to protect itself.

This was the reason why his people became mad. It was because Harijan’s body was attacked that they reacted for their purpose.

Then Rodeval was given another memory.

<That being was successfully reborn into another being. Leaving its husk for us to protect for thousands of years…>

<Dragona… the Seven-Horned ruler of Sky Mountain.>

Rodeval was confused by the sudden memory that was sent to him.

<Who is it?>

<Come here. We don’t have time.>

Rodeval was then pulled out from his dreams. He was chained, but it was not enough to hold him down. There was no more madness surrounding him.

Rodeval took off the chains and jumped out of the building. He then began running toward the voice that called out to him.

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