Thud—! Boom—!
The 8th Platoon Leader, convinced that the vibration ringing out was a signal from the Commander, stretched out her arm to launch another attack.
But Flynn, who had been quietly gauging the tremors, stepped in and blocked her.
“Wait. This vibration feels like a signal.”
“Isn’t the Commander signaling he’s down there? We need to press harder from above.”
“No, not that kind of signal...”
One short, one long. Again, one short, two long.
“A... Woo...”
As Flynn muttered, focusing on the rhythm, the 8th Platoon Leader, who had been watching him closely, realized there was meaning in the vibration. She immediately shifted her stance and listened along with him.
The tremors rang again, one short, one long.
“A.”
After several repetitions, the ground suddenly fell silent, as if nothing had happened.
Flynn and the 8th Platoon Leader looked at the still earth beneath their feet, then turned to each other and said,
“AWAY.”
A brief silence hung between them before Flynn broke it.
“It seems there was a message earlier... Roughly, it’s telling us to move away from here.”
“Probably...”
Just then, a chill rose from beneath their feet.
As the pit below grew cold enough to seep into their bones, both widened their eyes, spun on their heels, and ran. The others, who had gathered after hearing the noise, saw them fleeing and instinctively scattered from the pit as well.
“Everyone, back!”
The 8th Platoon Leader whipped up a fierce gust of wind, forcing nearby members to retreat. Flynn too raised a barrier toward the pit as he backed away. Their sudden actions made everyone at the search site scatter in unison, convinced something was about to happen.
Only Delua, still hovering in the air, shouted alone,
“What’s going on!?”
Everyone within a certain radius around the pit had evacuated.
Yet, even after a long while, the deep pit remained still. As nothing happened, tension gave way ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) to restlessness. Amid the growing commotion, 1st Battalion members who had scattered flew back in haste, calling out to the platoon leader and Flynn,
“What happened!?”
“Don’t come closer.”
The 8th Platoon Leader gestured sharply for them to stay back.
At that moment, the vibration returned from the unresponsive ground. This time, however, the rhythm was irregular, and the intensity incomparably stronger.
Suddenly, the mana detectors Flynn had set up began blinking frantically, detecting abnormal mana from every direction. And the more the tremors shook, the more terrifying mana surged upward, rippling through the air.
Those stationed nearby scrambled to raise barriers against the strange currents. But the 1st Battalion members and Flynn, who knew this mana all too well, cried out toward the depths with moved expressions,
“Commander—!”
Kwaaaaaang—!
Massive ice fragments erupted from the pit like a volcanic blast, slicing through the members retreating to either side.
The destructive surge carved through the earth in a straight line, freezing it solid, and split the cliff in front clean in half, creating a terrifying ice ravine. The barren wasteland was cleaved like Moses’ miracle.
Steam and dust churned violently, then drifted aside. At last, two figures emerged from the underground gap.
Thud—!
Through the haze, one thrust his greatsword into the ground, caught his breath, and released the arm of the person he had been half-dragging. That person collapsed immediately.
The 8th Platoon Leader and her unit rushed toward them. Pushing through the wavering steam, they saw Hugo—leaning heavily on his greatsword, gasping for breath—and Liner Molten, the 9th Battalion Commander, collapsed at his feet and wheezing harshly.
Behind them, the pit was sealed with ice, hollowed like a cave. Its depth was staggering; the darkness swallowed all sight, making it impossible to guess how far down they had been.
And inside, no one else was visible.
“Are you two alright?”
The 8th Platoon Leader, wary of the air seeping out of the pit, cautiously addressed the two utterly spent men.
Her unit hurried to support Hugo and Liner. Liner, half-conscious, was lifted up. Seeing the 8th Platoon Leader’s worried face, he muttered with a grimace,
“We survived...”
Hugo’s surging mana had been felt even by Delua. But instead of rejoicing in his safe return, she had to worry about herself first.
The stickiness dripping down her philtrum had become twin streaks. As her focus wavered, the enormous masses of earth suspended in the air began trembling, loose grains falling. Sensing the shift, members below lifted their heads.
Realizing she’d hit her limit, Delua scrunched her face and shouted with all her strength,
“Everyone, clear out below!!”
At her cry, the massive floating earth poured down like a waterfall. Nearby members scattered in panic, and the 6th Battalion, who had been supporting Delua, abandoned their posts and rushed toward their commander atop the crumbling mass.
Amid the chaos, the 8th Platoon Leader shot into the air, raised a barrier, and shouted to Hugo,
“Commander, move!”
The 1st Battalion hurried to drag the Commander and the 9th Battalion Commander away. But unlike Liner, who was hauled off, Hugo didn’t budge. Breathing steadier after gulping fresh air, he gripped his greatsword’s hilt instead of evacuating.
The ground rumbled. A massive magic circle spread beneath them, and thick ice pillars erupted, crossing diagonally.
The 8th Platoon Leader and the 6th Battalion, startled by the sheer size of the rising pillars, instinctively pulled back. Delua, caught in the collapsing mass, flinched as a shard of ice brushed past her nose and tumbled clumsily backward.
The pillars interlocked into an impregnable fortress, catching the avalanche of earth and rock. Members crouched against the frozen walls, shielding their heads, then scrambled to safety with comrades’ help as the falling slowed.
The site was left in ruins, but disaster was narrowly averted.
When the threatening pillars finally stilled, the 6th Battalion members rushed to find their commander, buried somewhere atop the collapsed mass.
Delua lay sprawled across the half-settled mound, panting as she stared at the brutal ice spike that had erupted beside her.
“Battalion Commander, are you alright?”
Her members approached. Exhausted, she quickly wiped the glorious nosebleed from her philtrum with the back of her hand.
Then, glaring at the razor-sharp tip of the pillar, she wondered if the Commander had done it knowing she was there.
