Chapter 67: Chapter 67 Hall of Fame.

As the world returns to its original state. Dust covered the entire space, raising a cloud of dust that covered every person's sight and cast a huge shadow that enveloped the ground, blocking the ray of warm sunlight that shone brilliantly on the clear sky above.

Hina, who got blasted away, despite having been protected using the equipment she received from the storm wolf, raised her body to a sitting position. She grabbed every nook of her body to ensure it was still intact and found no abnormality, all still connected.

The cloud of dust shortened her vision. She was curious about the result of the battle. However, there is something she needs to check first. She opened her status window to make sure the column of the party member disappeared from its place.

"Okay, that is good".

HIna also didn't receive the message of getting any experience from defeating the Raiju. It was her one-sided decision to disband her current party, for the one who fought the battle was Soma alone after witnessing those final attempts they came up with.

She put faith in Soma's victory and, at the last moment, disbanded the party so that the experience points would not get divided, and she didn't even have any regret in doing that.

The wind began to descend upon the cloudy place, carrying the dust into the vast atmosphere and making the visibility become more clear.

Hina warily took a step forward as she began to search Soma's whereabouts. As the ground became clear of dust, two shadow figures could be seen standing still on top of the destroyed ground, facing each other.

The figure of the human collapsed first as he lay unconscious on the ground, as for the huge shadow in front of it. It began to shine in silver before dissipating into thin air. Leaving only a huge Purple mana core lay on the ground.

Hina rushed her walking steps and brought herself beside Soma.

"Soma".

Dropped on her knees, Hina began to shake Soma's body gently to rouse his consciousness. She was afraid that there would be some aftereffect of the possessed state he was in. But contrary to her worry, Soma's body began to twitch as his eyes slowly opened and opened his mouth.

"...Hina?".

"Yes, It's me".

Hearing the voice of Soma washed away the anxious feeling that bottled up in her heart. Hina saw Soma struggling to raise his body, So she closed her distance between them before putting her hand behind him and helping him to straighten his torso.

"Thanks Hina".

"No problem".

Soma turned to glance before him and found a massive chunk of purple crystal, one meter in diameter, lying on the ground, asking to be picked.

"So we beat it, huh?".

"What are you talking about? You are the one who kills it".

"...I see".

The wind that brought change began to dissipate, carrying all of the dust that scattered across the space. It sweeps past the both of them, caressing their skin gently before returning to the clear sky. The mountain summit regains its view but with a difference because of the battle that unfolded just a moment ago.

Charred ground, the crater, the disappearance of the slope, and the huge twin door that stands imposingly in the middle of the space invite the curiosity of the two individuals.

Hina also turned her glance, for she noticed the appearance of the gate.

"What is that?".

"..I don't know".

Soma saw a massive door that stood two meters tall, plastered in black and red color with integrated decoration and carving that gave an eerie vibe. For the twin door appearance, there is a carving of two renowned entities of gods in Shinto believers who rule over the Sky: Raijin and his brother Fujin facing each other with their respective weapons on the gate.

[Hall of Fame]

As they admired the structure of the massive door, Soma's storage ring began to shine in gold light, and one of the items in his possession jumped out, floating in front of them, trying to give them a clue.

"The golden key, why is that?".

"Soma, look..".

Hina pointed her index finger forward as Soma followed it and found a small decorated gold keyhole on the surface of the gate. It seems they know what the key is used for.

Soma extended his right hand before grabbing the golden key in his hand. Then he tensed every muscle in his body and raised himself to stand up, followed by Hina beside him. However, when he tried to take a step forward, his feet turned soft and staggered as he almost dropped to the ground.

Luckily, Hina was prepared beside him and managed to catch him and bring one of his hands to her shoulder, helping him to walk.

"Thanks Hina".

"Don't mention it. Let's go, I will support you".

It seems the aftereffects from the earlier battle kicked in as Soma lost a significant amount of strength that, made him unable to walk. From his appearance, Hina found that there was nothing strange about him; his face looked vibrant, and there was not a single wound on his body. He is probably exerting all of his strength in the battle.

"Can you manage it?".

"Yeah,,"

"Need some potion?".

"No need. There is no injury whatsoever. I am just tired, that's all".

"Okay".

With each step they took, Soma, in a weakened state, could do nothing unless he leaned into HIna's shoulders, sharing the weight of his heavy body and the burdens of his heart. Their footsteps were in sync. She patiently guides Soma while they share each other's warmth. They also do not forget to collect the mana core on the ground before continuing.

In HIna's mind, she was feeling relief upon the safety of Soma, who faced the mighty Rank-S monster alone despite being possessed by a mysterious entity. But, she could feel that the entity didn't have any malicious intention to bring harm upon him, which she felt thankful for. Because no matter what happened, Soma's safety was her top priority.

"We have arrived".

Soma uttered those words while they stood in front of the eerie massive door. Its structure and bold carving invoke a feeling of awe the closer he looks. Soma, with the golden key in his hands, inserted the key into its keyhole. With a metallic click, the key smoothly slid inside the waiting lock. With a gentle twist, the mechanism responded with a slight pressure he put in his finger.

As waiting for the cue, the stilled door began to twitch as a gap between it widened, emitting a bright light that blinded the two of them. It subsided as the inside of the door revealed.

Soma and Hina exchange looks, with a slight nod entering the interior inside. The interior was filled with a Japanese-style room, a vast room with a high ceiling and a thick pillar supporting it, and tatami mats plastered across the floor.

In the innermost room, there are also two humongous figures of the statue, of the God of thunder on the right and the god of wind on the left, that stood on the elevated floor, for they could see dozens of stairs. Below them, a small altar was erected, and on top of that small altar resided two pieces of equipment that looked normal but exuded a mysterious power contained within.

"Soma, this place?".

"Yeah".

In between two altars, there is a colossal magic circle with its intrigued symbol, which they believe is the ticket for them to come home.

"Hina, let's check the equipment first?".

".. Okay".

They went to the right side, to where the equipment that stood on top of the altar from the Raijin god statue.

"This..".

Soma's heart began to throb, sending an elated feeling across his being. The equipment in front of him was a set of a pair of gauntlets and a pair of boots that had a purple color with its white lining across it, giving it a touch of elegance.

"Wow, Hina, could you please?".

"I'm prepared".

Hina, who already put the glasses on, saw the details of the equipment only to knit her brows.

[Raijin gauntlets(Legend):?????]

[Raijin Boots(Legend):?????]

"What happened?".

"I can't read the description of the equipment".

"What about the rank of the equipment?".

Hina, turning her glance beside her and witnessing a rare excited face of Soma, began to chuckle.

"Fufu, It was Legend-rank".

"...Legend?!".

Soma's mind turned blank as the words escaped Hina's mouth, entered his ears, and halted his thought progress.

His escaping thought began to return as his body was shaken by Hina by his side, who realized that Soma was in a daze.

"Are you okay? You blanked for a moment".

"..Ahh, I am okay. Let's collect the equipment first". Sёarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Fufufu, sure".

Hina, pleased, seeing Soma's unusual expression on his face, helped him to reach out to the equipment, storing it inside his storage ring. Then, they do the same to the other equipment, but Soma decides that the equipment will belong to Hina. She retaliated at first, but seeing Soma was so persistent about it, she gave up.

"Thank you, Soma. I will use this to protect you".

"Don't mention it. Well, if that time comes, please do so".

"I will, absolutely".

The two of them stand in front of the magic circle painted on the wooden floor using black ink. They took their first step and put their respective feet inside.

[Congratulations to the challengers who reach the end]

[The teleportation magic will be commences and will send you to the outside world]

[The teleportation commences. Sending the challenger outside]

The magic circle began to shine in blinding white.

"Finally".

"Yeah".

Hina and Soma sigh in relief, seeing the translucent window appear before their eyes, notifying them of the outside world.

Soma, who saw the notification, felt the tension in his body loosened, and his mind collapsed because the burden from the fight still affected him.

"Hina, Please take care of me".

"Hmm? Eh? Soma?".

His mind was shrouded with darkness as his body went limp in Hina's embrace.