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"This place is… dangerous."
A deep voice resonated in the air, reaching the hearts of those gathered beside him.
When his words were said, nobody present voiced opposition, much less complaint. They all heeded his words and raised their vigilance.
The man had a regal bearing, one which only rulers had. And his large robes that could suffocate life were just as majestic. However, the people he traveled with weren't his subjects- they were his friends.
Every one of them had, at one point in time, encountered the man; and from then, their bonds grew with each adventure they undertook.
Though they were a bunch of misfits- varying between races, genders, and ages- they all had one similarity.
That is, the golden ring worn on their respective fingers.
It was a simple piece with a ruby gem embedded on the face, and an emblem engraved within.
An emblem that represented their group.
Not many knew of their names, much less of their achievements, but only someone who earned their organization's recognition would be bestowed one of such rings.
And right now, the group of people are doing what they are best at-
Adventuring.
After crossing all the regions of the continent, he led them to the only place they had yet to touch- the Western Region.
The scent of moss came from his back, where the forest they had just left was; and to his front was a luscious field.
The plains extended beyond what the naked eye could see, but his focus wasn't on the horizon. What held his undivided attention was an oddity within the center of everything.
It stood out like a sore thumb, as it didn't belong where a verdant field was.
In all his travels, he had seen many sights and had the capital to claim that nothing would surprise him anymore. However, he had never seen a Tomb- a place to honor the dead- in the utmost center of a land full of life.
How ironic.
A grand tomb built with infinite riches and a buried body was left in a place that nobody would search at.
However, the man wasn't tempted by the immaculate statues, or polished gems loitering the perimeter.
His purpose in this place was deeper, far deeper than any of his friends could sense.
And his sight was set on a treasure far more valuable than any worldly possession. That is an item with overwhelming power, the power to change the world.
Every time his spell focused on the tomb, his senses would be overwhelmed with reactions.
He knew that caliber of item was there.
However, just as his sense for the item was pinging, so was his sense of danger.
Within the walls of that tomb rested a power beyond anything he faced before. Perhaps for himself, it wouldn't be threatening. After all, he spent his first centuries learning the arts of this world and mastering it.
But to his peers, he could confidently say that entering would lead to certain death.
The longer his focus lingered on the place, the more assured he was of his prediction. And after a minute of pondering how to proceed, he reached a verdict.
"All of you wait here. I'll check it out first."
His friends reacted with grunts of approval and accepted his disparity of strength- but one person felt different.
It was a small girl who could pass off as a child.
Her blonde hair fluttered as the wind razed through the grass, and her clear eyes narrowed at him.
"I'm coming with you." she resolutely declared, as if it was an order rather than a suggestion.
The man knew she wasn't speaking because she thought her strength was on par with his. Rather it was because she had never left his side.
Ever since they met, the two of them traveled through thick and thin together; and it could be said that of their entire group, the two of them were the closest.
However, her opinion was curtly rejected.
"I won't be gone for long, and if it comes to it, it would be easier to escape by myself."
The small girl didn't reply to him, but he saw her pout and knew she was still unconvinced.
"It really is dangerous in there, so it would ease my mind knowing you would be here to protect the others."
The man's words weren't without reason.
Although the girl appeared as a child, she was the second strongest among them.
But despite that, she was nowhere near him.
And like this fact that the girl had accepted, she accepted his decision too.
With that, he made his way towards the Tomb.
The distance was great, but with his magic, he was easily able to maneuver through the sky and close the gap.
From the top, the Tomb consisted of five structures, having four located at the cardinal directions of the grandest.
It was easy to tell where the entrance was.
Once he landed before the center building, he took note of the pillars piercing the sky as they held the roof in place.
Simply put, it was a spectacle.
Far too detailed for a simple tomb.
After a quick appraisal of the architecture, he stepped forth to the stairs and descended into darkness.
He was right, the place was filled with dangers.
The man didn't even cover a meter before the first trap triggered.
Giant spiders fell from the ceiling and quickly surrounded him, spinning their sharp webs to suppress his movements.
However, mere spiders weren't his match.
A simple spell set them all on fire, and one by one, they all cried as they perished.
His journey continued like this; triggering a trap and then quickly overpowering his way through.
But the more he explored the tomb, the more he felt a strange feeling. It was as if his heart had moved somewhere along the way, and a nostalgic sense buried within him had breathed fresh air for the first time.
He racked his brain to recall if he had been here before, but regardless of how he did so, nothing came to his recollection.
Before he knew it, he had reached a portal, so he pushed those thoughts away and entered it.
A quick flash of darkness blurred his vision, and when it faded, he was in a new area.
This feeling was a familiar one that came with teleporting thus he knew he had reached a new floor.
There was no turning back now.
The man approached the pathways as he had done before, but now, the threats he faced were growing exponentially, and he was certain that the killing intent rushing over him could have killed his friend should she have chosen to come.
"-Kukukuku…"
A sinister laugh, filled with grinding teeth and anticipation, came from the abyss.
"It's been over a century since the last toy offered himself for me to play with…"
Although he couldn't see who spoke, from the tone, he could tell that the monster before him was a female. She spoke with a clear voice that betrayed the sinister feeling she emitted.
Yet that didn't hinder his movements.
He proceeded forth with a calm expression.
"I'm not here to plunder your treasures or kill you… I only came here for an item." he said, "If you hinder me, I will act accordingly."
His words were like thunder, echoing throughout the catacombs for kilometers, and filled with absolute confidence.
When he didn't get a reply, nor sensed any movement from the monster, he assumed she accepted his stance. Though it confused him, he didn't falter in his movements and kept on proceeding forward.
It was only when he reached a narrow bridge that the darkness began to recede.
Torches hung against the sides of the walls and the quality of space drastically changed.
If the places he passed by were a stone pathway littered with bones, then the area he was in now would be a lair resembling a person's home.
Two giant blood-red doors connecting the catacombs to a large building made of a waxy marble filled his view.
However, what caught his attention wasn't the grandiose palace.
His eyes narrowed in on a small, petite girl who he assumed was the monster residing in this tomb. She was a girl no older than what his friend appeared as, and her sparkling platinum hair rolled down her shoulders as she knelt towards him.
Her dark Victorian dress bloomed as it touched the floor, and upon looking closer, he could see her body trembling.
To say he was baffled by the sight was an understatement.
If he was surprised by the appearance of a tomb in the middle of the plains, then right now, he was completely stunned.
He was certain he had never met this girl before, as her appearance didn't match anything he encountered before.
But her actions spoke otherwise.
"I'm just here to take an item. You don't have to behave like this."
Despite his attempt to change the atmosphere set in place, it remained ineffective as the girl lowered her head further.
Now that he saw the girl wasn't hostile towards him, he was unable to keep his curiosity reined in.
"Is there a particular reason you're like this?"
However, instead of the girl rising to explain, she looked up at him with an avid smile. Two streams rolled from the corners of her crimson eyes and slid down her porcelain cheeks.
She gazed at him for a few minutes before taking a deep breath.
"For so long, we have remained to tend to our duties, doing what we were created to do." She said, "For centuries, I have waited on this floor for this day- the day when the Supreme Being returns."
Her words were filled with so much emotion that he found it hard to tell her that it was the first time he was meeting her.
But before he could begin to think of a way to approach this vulnerable girl, she spoke again. However, the words she spoke completely swept the rug from under his feet for the third time today.
Her words instantly cleared his muddled mind, and he remembered exactly why this place was so familiar. It was a place he had once called his home- and a name he once cast aside.
"Welcome back, Momonga-sama~!"
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