Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"How is everyone holding up?"

Kishiar, who had halted his steps to scrutinize the stone, turned to the others as though he had made some kind of assessment.

"We previously stopped a little further from here. Roughly, that's the limit we can endure while the gods protect our bodies."

General Gino answered first. He appeared calm on the surface, but as he drew closer to the stone, his movements gradually slowed. This signified that he was experiencing a pressure strong enough to restrict the movements of a Swordmaster.

"I, well, my skin hurts a bit, but I think I can go a bit further."

"Same here. It feels like something is pricking my face, but I can endure it."

"I'm in the same boat."

After Kanna's response, Hinn and Gakane also chimed in. Since Hinn would obviously share the same opinion as her brother, the only one left was Yuder.

"Me too."

"I'm the same as you lot. It's rather unpleasant but bearable. If all five of us are experiencing the same thing, it's likely due to us being Awakeners."

Kishiar grinned, seemingly amused. Before moving forward, he glanced towards the Red Stone and then gave a brief order to General Gino.

"General, there's no need for you to follow us to the limit. Just stay there. The Cavalry and I will be back."

"...Understood."

They began to move cautiously. Now, the stone was so close that they could touch it if they fell.

As they got closer to the stone, the prickling pressure on their skin increased, and every step became incomparably heavier. It was like forcefully traversing the depths of a turbulent sea.

However, it was not so painful that they'd collapse, spilling blood. It was surprisingly bearable, to a startling degree.

"Everyone, halt."

Finally, when Kishiar declared it was okay not to proceed any further, they were only about ten steps away from the stone.

'That's the Red Stone.'

He hadn't expected to see it this close, in this way. Yuder quietly gazed down at the half-buried Red Stone and took a deep breath.

'It's just a stone... But let's not let our guards down.'

"It looks surprisingly ordinary."

Kishiar, while looking at the red stone, verbalized what everyone was thinking.

"Now then... Kanna Wand."

"Yes? Uh, yes."

Kanna, startled by her name being called out of the blue, responded. Kishiar gave her a gentle smile.

"Do you think you can read that stone using your ability?"

The shadow clone had effortlessly approached the stone that even the Swordmaster couldn't touch. Everyone held their breath as the shadow's fingertips were about to make contact with the stone.

Sizzle!

"Ah!"

However, when the hand touched the stone, a blindingly white light burst forth.

For the first time in his life, Yuder felt a strange energy trying to pierce his body. He quickly exerted his power, creating a barrier of water and air around everyone.

A fierce gust of wind blew, and gasps of surprise echoed around, but there was no time to react.

The energy, an enormous energy that felt as if it could engulf the entire world, was spreading out radially!

'This is......!'

Maintaining the barrier was challenging, but it was better than nothing.

Yuder gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and maintained his strength. He felt as if the energy moving around him and the new energy emanating from the stone were interlocking, pushing and trying to erode each other.

Despite his efforts to block the external energy, maintaining multiple barriers while focusing was a difficult task.

How long did he keep that up?

After a while, the pressure he felt through his skin suddenly decreased. Only then did Yuder withdraw the barrier and turn his gaze forward.

Gakane's shadow clone was still sitting in its place. However, starting from the hand that had tried to touch the red stone, half of its upper body seemed to have exploded, leaving it in a ragged state.

'Did the shadow clone explode?'

If the one there had been a real person, if it had been Kanna, what would have happened?

No, what would have been the outcome if the invisible force he had desperately blocked just now had pierced his body?

A horrifying imagination suddenly dried his lips. Yuder, seeing everyone with similar expressions, turned his gaze to Gakane.

"Gakane. Are you okay?"

"...I think, I'm okay."

Gakane's face was pale, but he didn't seem to have suffered from the damage his shadow had taken. With a slight wave of his hand, the half-disappeared shadow returned to the ground and came back to his side.

"... It's a good thing we tried touching it first. We almost had a person injured. But what was that barrier that blocked the front just now?"

Kishiar, who seemed to have seen the barrier even amid the bright light, turned his gaze towards Yuder. There was no point in hiding it if he already suspected who had done it.

"I did it. I thought it would be better than nothing."

"Wasn't your ability to apply attributes to weapons only?"

"... It's a utilization method I've recently realized. I haven't used it properly yet, but I exerted my strength desperately as it felt dangerous."

"What? Did Yuder do something?"

Yuder's answer was a bit forced, but it wasn't nonsensical. Indeed, there had been many instances in the past when he suddenly realized a new way to use his abilities.

'It was a good idea to think ahead in case something like this happened.'