Chapter 210 - <17>
Four nights later, it appeared in the darkness that had already fallen.
At first, they thought it was just a large city, but its size was on a completely different scale from any of the other cities in Zeum they had seen. By the time they realized that the overwhelming city they were gazing upon was Shion, home of the Great Temple they sought, their destination was almost directly in front of them.
Beyond the massive city, a colossal mountain range loomed, pressing down upon them with a terrifying sense of pressure as they flew through the air. In the center of the city, which spread out in a huge semicircle from the mountains, a massive building stood with the mountain range at its back.
Floating in the darkness of the night, illuminated by countless blazing torches, it could be none other than the Great Temple of Darkness they were aiming for.
"So this is the Great Temple of Darkness…"
Ritz couldn't help but murmur the words. The sheer presence of the place was so beyond his imagination that no other words would come to mind. Towering at the intersection of all the highways, with the great mountain range behind it, its size and strange form were unlike anything he had ever seen before.
The massive temple was as large and sprawling as the royal castle in Sears. But what was truly breathtaking was its height.
And there was the indescribable, strange atmosphere the building exuded. It was an anomaly beyond compare to the great temples of the capital cities he had seen on his journey.
The great temple Ritz was most familiar with was the Main Temple of the Light Spirit King in Sears. The Main Temple of Light, built to evoke the image of light pouring down from the sky, was dazzlingly constructed with a great deal of glass and cut white stone, looking divine from every angle. The great temples in other countries were also magnificent, harmonious, and beautiful buildings, handcrafted by humans to represent the Spirit Kings they worshiped.
But this Great Temple was different.
There was no overall harmony; rough-hewn sections and intricately crafted parts were jumbled together, and everything about it was different from the great temples of the other Spirit Kings. To eyes accustomed to seeing beautiful and artistic main temples, it even appeared sinister.
As they drew closer, the strange construction of the Great Temple became more apparent.
The Great Temple had a rough three-tiered structure, with each level looking different, as if they served separate functions. To emphasize this disparity, a rather large plaza was built between each tier.
Looking at each level separately, one could say this massive tower was composed of three different types of buildings.
The lowest level, with an exterior that looked as if it had been roughly carved from rock, extended from the city like a hill. Its rugged, coarse construction was reminiscent of early royal castles or old, sturdy fortresses.
Above it stood a building made of stonework similar to that of the royal castle in Yuresla, as if it had been placed on top. It was as if a castle had been built on top of a fortress.
And at the very top was a beautiful building that appeared to be made of polished stone. The tower had a large central spire, surrounded by several smaller towers. The walls were perhaps coated with white earthen plaster, giving it a smooth impression.
But everything about it was colossal. The tower that soared at the summit, which had looked slender from a distance, was terrifyingly large up close. The top tower alone might have been as large as the Yuresla Royal Palace.
With its many pointed spires, just like the mountain range, the temple was like another great mountain range floating in the darkness.
"We've finally made it."
Edward, who had come up beside him at some point, clapped Ritz on the shoulder and said. Ritz nodded and peered down below. A great number of townspeople, who had come out at some point, were looking up from within the shadow cast by the flying ship, their faces contorted in terror as they shouted.
"The city's in a total panic."
He shrugged lightly. Franz, who had finally gotten to the point where he could stand and move around the ship, sighed beside him.
"Of course they'd be surprised. A thing this big is flying, after all."
He had a point. In this country, this was a taboo item known as Science, forbidden even more strictly than in other nations.
"Yeah. I'd be freaked out too if something like this came flying at me."
Ritz muttered as he stared at the Great Temple towering before them.
Anna was here. Kuchiba was here. And Orphe was here. They had finally caught up to Anna, who had been taken right before their eyes. Now that they had come this far, there was no need for impatience or regret.
All that was left was to go and get her.
"Well, what's the plan, Ed?"
He asked Edward beside him. Edward, staring straight ahead, answered.
"This temple's construction… don't you find it distinctive?"
"What about it?"
"The lowest level looks like a fortress, the middle a castle, and the top a temple. What do you think?"
"I was thinking the same thing. So?"
As Ritz asked, Edward smiled.
"Then the matter is simple, is it not? Where is our destination?"
It dawned on him. If his and Edward's thinking was correct, then the most important part of the Great Temple was the top tower section—the temple itself. That meant the two levels below were unnecessary for the three of them.
"I see. Good idea."
"Yes. It is our only choice."
As he and Edward came to an agreement, Franz shook his head slightly.
"I don't understand at all."
True, they hadn't explained much.
"Anna and Kuchiba are in the Great Temple, right? Since Kuchiba is the High Priest."
"That's right."
"And to me and Ed, the top part looks like a temple."
"…Indeed."
Franz, peering at the Great Temple, nodded as well.
"So, the best plan is to raise this ship's altitude a bit more, ram it into the plaza between the middle and upper levels, and then head straight up. That's the idea."
He stated it plainly. Franz, who for a moment couldn't grasp the meaning of his words, finally understood and shot back in dismay.
"If we do that, the flying ship will be destroyed and we won't be able to get back!"
At Franz's almost shriek-like tone, Ritz couldn't help but laugh.
"This is no laughing matter!"
Franz said in a strained voice. Ritz clapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Even if we leave the ship, there's no chance we'd be able to ride it again."
"Why not?!"
"Do you think they'd handle this thing with care?"
At that, Franz looked as if he'd been struck dumb, at a loss for words. Even he could see that was unlikely.
"Besides, if this thing survives, Taisha burning down his house along with all his research on the flying ship would be meaningless. This thing is meant to be lost here."
At his definitive statement, Franz bit his lip in frustration. He understood Taisha's feelings, as well as the passion that compelled him to build it regardless.
"Then…"
Franz's words trailed off in confusion. He had probably realized there was no way back from here. Ritz looked up at the Great Temple towering before them.
"We have no choice but to move forward. We can't turn back now."
"But… Ritz…"
Franz's eyes seemed to ask if he intended to die. But right now, Ritz had no intention of dying whatsoever. As he remained silent and smiled, Edward clapped Franz on the shoulder.
"It is all right. There is no path behind us, but there is still a path ahead."
"Ahead?"
"Think about it. The god… who is he?"
Edward asked like a gentle teacher. Franz finally remembered and looked up.
"My master… sir."
"Exactly. Now, is your master the kind of person who would slaughter us all after we have reached him?"
"No…"
After a small denial, Franz looked up and shook his head forcefully.
"No! My master shouldn't be that kind of person."
"Then we must meet your master. So that we may all return to Yuresla safely."
Franz nodded at the calm Edward.
"Franz, can you use the Fire Dragon?"
When asked, Franz thought for a moment before looking back at him. There was a strength in his eyes that hadn't been there before. It was the strength called confidence.
"I don't know, but I'll try."
"Alright! We're counting on you. There are only three of us storming the enemy's stronghold, after all."
He said cheerfully. Franz, looking a little exasperated as usual, muttered.
"So reckless, as always."
"Well, yeah."
With a small sigh, Franz headed toward the central brazier where Sara-chan was.
"I'm counting on you, Sara-chan."
"Kii!"
With Sara-chan's enthusiastic reply, the flames suddenly roared to life, and the flying ship gradually began to gain altitude. Ritz grabbed the ropes for the vents that controlled direction and height. If he opened the three vents other than the one in front at the same time, the flying ship would descend while charging straight into the Great Temple. Seeing that the central bag had swelled to its limit, he yelled at Franz.
"Grab the bare essentials, get to the back of the ship, and get down! Put Sara-chan in the lamp, too!"
"Got it!"
Edward took up a position near Franz, who was hastily making preparations.
"Ed, you ready?!"
"Any time."
"Alright, here we go!"
He opened all three ropes at once and simultaneously hit the deck. The ship, which had been ascending, suddenly reversed course and began to accelerate fiercely downwards and forwards.
The Great Temple rushed toward them at an incredible speed.
"We're going in! Brace yourselves!"
Immediately after he shouted, the flying ship crashed into the plaza between the upper and middle levels of the Great Temple.
With a thunderous, earth-shaking roar, the flying ship slid across the wider-than-expected plaza between the middle and upper tiers.
The paving stones of the plaza struck the ship's hull like a hail of pebbles.
Glancing sideways, he saw Franz desperately clinging to the lifeline, his face a mask of terror. He probably wouldn't fall.
Thinking that, he looked up and saw a wall rapidly approaching. This was going to be a serious impact.
"We're gonna hit! Keep your heads down!"
Before he could check if Franz was down, the flying ship slammed into the wall.
"Ugh!"
He clung to the ship, enduring the violent impact. The wall that had crumbled before them rained down into the ship in a fierce shower. At this rate, they would be buried in stone.
"Ed! Franz!"
He yelled amidst the heavy downpour of rocks. A reply came from the center of the ship. It seemed they were alive.
"Can you get out?"
He drew his greatsword, sheath and all, and held it above his head as a shield. Edward and Franz, holding their own belongings, stood up.
"I'm fine. Franz, how are you?"
"I can move."
The bag on top of Franz's head, which he had answered with, was completely unfazed by the assault of stone fragments. Come to think of it, that bag was filled with a large number of books. He never thought books could be used in such a way.
Dangling beneath the bag was Sara-chan's lamp. It seemed that preparing a sturdy lamp was the right choice, as you never know what might happen on a journey. But it would be impossible for Franz, who was not the most athletic, to get through this situation with one hand.
He snatched Sara-chan's lamp, which Franz was about to drop. Franz looked bewildered for a moment, but then remembered his own clumsiness and sighed softly. Ritz gave Franz's shoulder a firm pat.
"Ouch!"
He gestured with one hand at the grimacing Franz.
"Alright, let's go."
"Yeah…"
With a slightly apologetic smile for Franz, he leaped from a tear in the side of the ship onto the floor. The ground of the plaza was paved with sturdy-looking flagstones. It seemed that thanks to this, the ship had been able to slide this far without falling through to the floor below.
Franz, and then finally Edward, exited through the tear Ritz had made. While rubble still rained down lightly, the three of them silently looked up at the tower looming before them.
The tower, which had looked slender and delicately made from a distance, was terrifyingly large and sturdy up close. Even though the ship had crashed into it and punched a hole in its side, from an overall perspective, it was no bigger than a mouse hole.
But even a mouse hole was big enough to get inside.
They had to move forward as much as possible before the defenders of the Great Temple, who must be in a state of great confusion, arrived in droves. All three of them shared this thought.
Without a word, they made their way through the hole the ship had opened, dodging the rubble to get inside. Then, Ritz's ears, which were slightly better than a human's, caught the sound of something crackling.
He turned around to see that the burning charcoal left in the brazier Sara-chan had been in had begun to ignite the ship's wreckage.
The smell of burning gradually reached his nose. The fire was starting to spread.
At the same time, he heard the murmur of people. From outside. The soldiers guarding the temple must have noticed the commotion and were on their way.
"Well, looks like we've got company."
He muttered, anticipating that the situation was about to get hairy.
"You don't mean…"
"That's right. They're coming in droves. The enemy."
"!"
Franz's face instantly tensed.
Regardless of their feelings, the murmur of people soon swelled into a roar and rushed toward them. A low, drawn-out voice and a high-pitched, fast-talking one… It was the Giant Clan and the Goblin Clan. And there seemed to be a huge number of them.
It would be a bit of a hassle if they were all swarmed at once. But if they were to flee inside all at once, this unseen tower would be a bit too dangerous.
As he pondered what to do, Franz suddenly looked up.
"The flying ship's bags…"
"What?"
"The gas in the flying ship's bags… it's still safe…"
Not understanding, he looked at Franz. Franz looked back and forth between Edward and Ritz.
"That gas burns, right?"
"Yeah."
As he nodded, Franz looked up at the remains of the ship in front of them. The four small gas bags attached to the flying ship were still full.
"Taisha died in a huge explosion from that gas."
Franz's muttered words made him understand what he was trying to say.
"…So, if we expose that gas directly to the flames, it'll cause a massive explosion."
"Yes. But if even one explodes, I think they'll all ignite at once. It might be a huge explosion."
"So we draw the enemy in, and then…"
Edward nodded, finishing Franz's trailing sentence.
"If we detonate it all at once, we can block the entrance to this tower for a while."
"Yes."
The three of them turned their gazes inside the tower. For now, there was no sign of a large number of enemies attacking from inside. If they could just defend this spot, they could buy some time.
"For now, let's get inside the tower and lie in wait. No point if we get blown away too."
He patted Franz's shoulder, then turned on his heel and entered the tower from inside the collapsed wall. Ritz was aware that it was his job to be the first to check for danger.
Climbing over the rubble, he entered the tower to find it frighteningly quiet and clean.
As he stood there, stunned by the sight, he heard Edward murmur from behind him.
"This is magnificent."
"Yeah."
He nodded and looked at Franz. Franz was looking up at the inside of the tower, speechless. The ship hadn't just broken through the outer wall. It had also broken through the wall on the opposite side of the room that followed.
Beyond that second broken wall, a polished corridor made of what appeared to be pure white stone stretched on, and from its end, a brightly shining staircase was visible. To look so massive even from this distance, just how big was it?
The staircase was enveloped in a dazzling light, as if it were emitting the light itself.
"That staircase is transparent."
He couldn't help but mutter at the beautiful yet strange sight.
"Is it made of glass…?"
As he continued to talk to himself, he sensed Edward let out a deep breath beside him.
"Impossible, with our country's technology."
As he stood there stunned, he realized that the voices of a large group of people were approaching from behind.
"Crap, no time for sightseeing. We gotta deal with this first."
He shook his head and slapped his cheeks to psyche himself up. Otherwise, he felt he'd be mesmerized by the incredible sight. It seemed the other two were the same; Edward pressed the bridge of his nose and sighed, while Franz shook his head vigorously.
"Franz, can you do it?"
He asked just as the shock began to wear off. Franz slowly took a breath.
"I'm fine."
His eyes were fixed on the broken flying ship.
"Counting on you."
If they could fend off the enemies from outside here, the only remaining enemies would be inside. Their numbers were unknown, and they were at a considerable disadvantage not knowing the internal structure, but with a staircase right in front of them, it seemed they could somehow make it if they went straight for it.
Their destination was the top of this grandiose staircase. The god must be at the top.
After all, according to the combined legends of all the demi-human races, the god resides atop a great mountain range that soars high into the heavens.
"We'll draw the enemy in and then go for it all at once!"
He said cheerfully, and the tense-faced Franz nodded gravely.
For Franz, who had poor eyesight, Ritz, with his keen eyes and ears, focused on the presence outside. Eventually, a few of them, fearfully but as if they had made up their minds, poured into the interior of this never-before-seen airship. That was the signal for the Giant Clan and Goblin Clan to start climbing over the ship.
Now was the only time.
"Franz!"
He called his name sharply. Franz nodded and thrust out his dominant hand.
"Go! Flame Arrow!"
Several arrows of fire shot from Franz's palm, spinning and scattering sparks as they plunged straight toward their target.
"It hit!"
The moment Franz said this happily, his vision was dyed crimson, and a blast wave far more violent than he had imagined erupted before him.