The Elemental Sword Demon King
Episode 56: The Ritual of Release
It was midnight arriving, after riding their horses all day, the group reached the entrance of Mine City.
Since all the members riding here were practically without rest, they were completely exhausted. However, it was impossible to rest without the burden they were carrying at the moment.
"It's Nano Mine City, it's like a ghost town."
The aura that descended from the horse, calmly muttered, "That's because several decades have passed since it became an abandoned mine. There shouldn't be any humans living here."
"Human, yes." Victoria narrowed her eyes staring deep into the darkness.
Wobbles of bluish-white light here and there near the ruins. They were low-level spirits floating around. For this kind of destruction, there were many evil spirits gathered. That's like how «Hutan Spirit» is at night.
On the other side of the abandoned city, still containing countless abandoned tunnels, a huge mine stood towering around him. The Nano Mine, once produced a large amount of spirit crystals, it was the Empire's largest mine.
During the war, spirit crystals were dug up and depleted, and it had not even been twenty years since it became an abandoned mine. Under the mine, a strategic-grade military spirit (Phoenix) was sleeping, sealed by the Eldant Knights back then.
"By the way, you better get away from her." Victoria glared at Tiana, who was firmly attached to Kaizo's arm.
"I don't want to, after all, Kaizo will protect me."
"You may be in a position to be protected. However, to begin with, what's with your contracted spirit? Since the elementalist might be hiding in an ambush, make it in a state where you can use it immediately."
"That's...." Tiana's words were extremely hesitant. He tightly closed his lips and suddenly turned around.
"I-It's not time yet. The contracted spirit of the Eldant royal family should not be summoned just like that. It's definitely different from your Salamander."
The ground where the four were standing suddenly shook violently.
"What is that?!"
"Earthquake!?"
"It seems we should hurry. I have a bad feeling." Victoria muttered softly, and in her palm, a spirit magic fire was lit.
Their destination is found instantly without even searching. In the deepest part of the main road that passed through the abandoned city, before the entrance of the mine was a gigantic grand temple.
It was a beautiful temple that used several gigantic stone pillars. Great temples of this scale only existed in the capital even in the Eldant Empire.
"How terrible is this,"
The grand temple, whose statues were destroyed, the spirit crystal encrusted on its stone pillars robbed that once comforted those spirits, had turned into an even tragic ruin to behold.
"It's so weird."
The one who was aware of the unusual phenomenon was Tiana, who had received training as Queen.
"What's so weird?"
"This temple, despite being in such ruins, shows the trail of someone who took pains to perform the ritual. Moreover, many times during these few months."
"Ritual ceremony?"
"Hm." Nodding at Victoria, who was frowning, with a serious face, Tiana knelt on the ground. It seemed like he was looking for footprints and traces of scratch marks and so on that were in the stone paving.
"This spirit energy, is probably a Ritual of Release. But it seems like it's a little bit much arranged."
"Ritual Release?" Kaizo groaned in a low tone.
It was because he remembered how the elementalist, who was also a male elementalist like Kaizo, attacked the academy and took out highly classified materials regarding the specifications of the seal.
(Is the boy really planning on releasing the sealed 'Phoenix' strategic class military spirit?)
(It is impossible for any elementalist to control 'Phoenix' individually. If that's the case, what's the goal?)
(After all, if the spirit seal was opened, it was certain that the surrounding cities would turn into scorched earth.)
"Did the seal almost come off?"
"No, it's still fine. This temple is not a superior «Temple of True» Light."
"Temple of light, what do you mean?"
"The great temple here, at best its purpose is to disguise the original temple that should be in an important place like mine. There are many magnificent temples built without the need to be on the ground to hide the existence of the original temple. Of course, that doesn't mean that this temple can't be used."
"That means there's a real temple somewhere?"
"Yes, most likely it was hidden deep within the mine."
Kaizo turned around and around the temple where the four of them were, there was a crowd of people writhing.
"Human? No, they...."
* ᛞᛟ ᛗ ᛚᛜ ᛞ ᛟ*
"Fire, light!"
Victoria recited the spell, and a spirit magic flame lit up in the empty space. The figure illuminated by the flame light was something that shocked him.
"W-What!?"
It was a crowd of skeletons holding rusty swords and sticks in their hands. From the gap of their bones, something like black fog was emitted out.
"What, is this spirit!?"
"The skeleton left behind seemed to be possessed by a low-level spirit." While muttering, Kaizo realized something.
Victoria slightly held the arm of Kaizo's uniform. Seeing that, Kaizo said, "You, incidentally, are you weak against horror things like this?"
"Bu-not that! Who do you think I am?!"
"You don't have to push yourself, watch out, wait."
"I-It's not something scary." Victoria, who hid her face while biting her lips, was a little funny.
"Anyway, it's weird."
Usually, the so-called low-level spirits do not have the same self-awareness. Even if there were rare times when they attacked humans, there should be no time when they formed groups like this.
"Kaizo, these guys, you know. Those who perform rituals here."
"Is that true?" Kaizo was surprised and turned around.
Tiana nodded and continued, "The skeletal movement is quite rough, but it's like a Ritual of Release."
"Don't tell me, a low-level spirit is performing an advanced Ritual of Release?" Kaizo stared at the approaching figure.
Now that he had mentioned it, he could see that the skeletons possessed by those spirits moved with a fixed order.
"No, such a thing is impossible! There must be practitioners who manipulate spirits."
"Well, does that mean these people won't come to attack us?" Victoria tightly gripped Kaizo's sleeve as she said that.
A group of skeletons climbed the temple steps, walking slowly.
*ᚠ ᛜ ᛟ ᛈ ᛋ ᛏᛒ ᛖᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚨ ᚱᚲ ᚹ ᚺ ᚾ ᛁ *
"Frozen ice net, translucent «Freeze Arrow»!"
The ice arrows, which were released by Aura, gathered and cut through a bunch of writhing skeletons. It was the elemental aero of a high-level demon ice spirit, «Fenrir».
To an elementalist, an enemy of this level was only a small toy. From the broken skeleton, a black fog gushed out and disappeared into the empty space.
"It's the spirit of darkness."
Suddenly, a flash appeared in Kaizo's mind.
(Don't tell me?!)
He directed his gaze to his left hand which was covered by his black leather gloves. A piercing-like pain flowed in his engraved spirit seal.
A terrifying explosive sound came from the direction of the mine.
"Don't tell me the battle has already started!?"
"Let's go, Kaizo!" Victoria rang her whip quickly, and began to run.
...
*Connected.....
*Note: This story is fictitious. If there is a similarity in the name of the character, the scene, or the story, it is a mere coincidence and there is no element of intentionality.