Chapter 729: Treasure Hunt II
CH729 Treasure Hunt II
***
"This must be Mortis—the ancestral burial ground of House Skywalker." Saul said solemnly. "Which means these are likely their most honoured and revered ancestors."
"They must have fought to their deaths defending this place." Alex remarked quietly as he crouched before a cluster of skeletons scattered across the floor rather than placed respectfully upon the shelves.
Unlike the preserved corpses lining the catacombs, these dead had clearly never received proper burial rites.
Alex and Saul continued following the trail of bones through the increasingly complex network of underground tunnels.
Another half hour passed.
By then, Alex was beginning to wonder just how vast and deep the underground structure beneath Anakor’s mountain range truly was.
Then suddenly, they entered a noticeably different section of the subterranean complex.
"This place..." Saul muttered as he examined the tunnel walls and surrounding soil structure. "It’s old. Much older than Mortis."
Alex studied the rougher architecture around them thoughtfully.
"Did the Skywalkers discover this place first... then later build the tunnels connecting Mortis to it?" He wondered aloud.
In many treasure-hunting stories from his previous life, this was often how such discoveries happened.
One civilisation would uncover the ruins or treasures of an even older era, then secretly construct pathways leading to it—both to conceal the discovery and to allow discreet access for worship, study, or preservation.
Following the newly discovered path deeper underground, Alex and Saul eventually came upon a lone skeleton slumped before a massive stone door.
Judging by the posture of the remains, the individual had clearly died protecting the entrance... or whatever lay beyond it.
"Now what?" Saul asked as he studied the ancient stone door that looked as though it had remained sealed for well over a century.
"Well, we can’t exactly return empty-handed after coming this far." Alex replied. "We should at least find out what’s behind it."
According to every treasure-hunting cliché from his previous life, the door would probably open to reveal absolutely nothing worthwhile.
Still, actually opening the mysterious ancient door was part of the adventure itself.
The real problem, however, was figuring out how.
"How exactly do we open you...?" Alex muttered thoughtfully.
There were no visible keyholes.
Nor could Alex sense any Talismanic structure or hidden magical formation protecting the entrance.
If there was a mechanism involved, then it was likely physical rather than magical.
The only notable feature on the stone door were countless scars carved deeply across its surface, resembling marks left behind by sword strikes.
Saul traced a hand over several of the grooves.
"Looks like someone tried forcing their way through." He observed. "But whatever this stone is made from, it must be incredibly durable."
It was the most reasonable conclusion.
Yet Alex instinctively felt otherwise.
Something nagged faintly at the back of his mind, telling him Saul’s interpretation was wrong.
At first, he couldn’t understand why.
Then suddenly, realisation struck him.
’Sword marks on an ancient stone door... Damn it, Alex.’ He thought inwardly. ’How did you forget such a classic martial arts trope?’
Phantom Sight!
Alex channelled mana into his Truth-Seeker Eyes, pushing their ocular capabilities to the limit as he carefully examined every single mark etched into the stone surface.
Then he activated the pseudo post-cognitive ability of his eyes, attempting to reconstruct the scene that had created those marks in the first place.
At the same time, Alex fed the images, deductions, and reconstructed movements into OmniRune by allowing the Mage A.I. access to his memories and observations.
OmniRune, through its simulation function, immediately began processing the information in real time, recreating the possible sequence of events that had produced the sword marks on the stone door.
Eventually, Alex and OmniRune managed to reconstruct a phantom image of the original swordsman who had created the markings.
As it turned out, numerous people had struck the door over the years.
However, none of them had managed to overwrite the very first set of marks etched into the stone.
Saul had been correct in one regard.
Whatever material the door was forged from was monstrously durable.
Alex was fairly certain that even a Saint would struggle to damage it.
At the very least, judging from the attack Saul had used earlier to pulverise the Crypt Spider Queen’s head, the BattleBane guild master’s full-strength strikes likely wouldn’t even leave visible scratches on the door, much less break it open.
By now, Alex had become certain of how the entrance was meant to be opened.
He focused entirely on the phantom swordsman reconstructed before his eyes.
He observed every minute movement—every shift in posture and the angle of the blade... every strike that had carved each mark into the ancient stone.
And strangely, as he watched the phantom’s back, Alex felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
A certain individual surfaced within his mind.
’That’s impossible...’ He instinctively rejected the thought.
Even so, Alex had already deciphered the sequence of sword forms needed to recreate the markings.
Still visibly confused, he drew the Draconic Baton in its longsword configuration and began replicating the movements.
He executed them so naturally that Saul briefly forgot this was supposedly Alex’s first time performing the sequence.
Instead, only one word came to mind as he watched the youth move.
Natural.
Even afterward, Saul couldn’t properly explain why that particular word had surfaced in his thoughts.
Eventually, Alex completed the eighteenth strike against the stone door.
Rumble—!
The ancient door suddenly trembled before slowly sliding open, revealing the secrets hidden beyond it.
Inside lay a hidden vault.
Armours.
Artefacts.
Ancient weapons.
Locked chests.
Treasures gathered across generations.
Contrary to Alex’s earlier cliché expectations, there truly was treasure hidden behind the mysterious door.
And at the very far end of the vault rested two items positioned prominently above all others, clearly signifying their importance.
One was a seal token.
The other... was a sword embedded within a stone pedestal.
"The Skywalker Seal..." Saul smiled faintly. "We found it."
Alex walked towards the end of the vault, stopping before the two most important items within the chamber.
However, contrary to Saul’s expectations, Alex’s attention wasn’t drawn to the Seal they had come for.
Instead, his gaze locked onto the sword.
’...So that’s how it is. The Skywalkers inherited your legacy in some form.’ Alex thought as he stared at the blade.
Saul stepped beside him, noticing how the youth completely ignored the Seal in favour of the sword embedded within the stone pedestal—a weapon with a plain, militaristic design that prioritised practicality over aesthetics.
Suddenly, Saul’s eyes widened in recognition.
"This...!" He inhaled sharply. "This must be the Skywalker Sword!"
Alex glanced sideways at him.
"The sword is famous?" He asked.
"Yes." Saul nodded immediately. "It is one of the most famous swords on the continent. The weapon is passed down together with the Seal to every Patriarch of House Skywalker."
He continued solemnly.
"Legend says only those with Skywalker blood can wield it. In fact, some even claim that the ability to wield the sword is itself a focal requirement for becoming Patriarch of the Skywalker family."
"Is that so...?" Alex muttered thoughtfully.
Then, beneath Saul’s stunned gaze, Alex reached towards the sword.
Saul’s expression changed drastically.
"What are you doing?!" He grabbed Alex’s arm in alarm. "Forget pulling it out—people without Skywalker blood lose their minds the moment they touch that sword!
"It has driven many powerful warriors insane after they tried to seize it from fallen Skywalker Patriarchs in battle. That’s one of the reasons the weapon became so infamous!"
Alex didn’t answer.
Calm Madness! All-Weapon Intent!
An eerie smile spread across his face.
Without hesitation, he brushed Saul’s hand aside and firmly gripped the sword’s hilt.
Saul immediately retreated several steps, expecting the weapon to retaliate violently.
But nothing happened.
Instead, Alex’s smile widened further as he slowly pulled the sword free from the stone pedestal.
Ring~~~
A resonant hum echoed throughout the vault the moment the blade left its sheath-like prison.
Even though Saul wasn’t a swordsman, he instinctively understood what that ringing represented.
Joy.
No... Elation!
The sword itself was rejoicing.
"How is this possible...?" Saul muttered in disbelief.
Unable to stop himself, he asked,
"Are you... a descendant of House Skywalker?"
Alex chuckled softly.
"That’s not it." He shook his head. "Before this blade became the heirloom of House Skywalker, it belonged to someone else."
His gaze lingered on the weapon with unmistakable familiarity.
"The original master who built this place. Someone who could arguably be called a teacher of mine..."
Alex raised the sword slightly.
"The one and only—"
"Sword Emperor."
***
AUTHOR’S RAMBLINGS
Did anyone think the sword was going to be related to Merlin when you saw Sword in the pedestal and Alex confirmed the wielder might be one of his teachers?
Did you also get the other movie references I threw in when writing the arc?
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Anyway, the second volume is almost coming to a close. A couple of arcs to go.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, review or on discord.
See you in the next Chapter.
