Chapter 132: Legacy of the Iron Fist (1)

Ashen flames roared to life, fiercely wrapping around my fist. The fire writhed violently, as if it would consume everything in its path.

It was a bit of a brute-force approach, but I had no other choice. I had considered doing it the proper way, tracking down every sealing stone, like we had in my previous life, and opening the ruins step by step. But it was a waste of time.

I knew where the entrance was, and I had the power to break the seal. This wasn’t an exam where the process itself was being graded, like the finals. So, why bother with the textbook method? Moreover, if I just pointed out sealing stones one after another and flawlessly unraveled the puzzle, that would only raise more suspicion.

Even now, just finding the hidden entrance to the ruins without any clue had already earned me wary glances from Yurina. Doing anything more conspicuous would only make me look even more suspicious. No matter how much my party trusted me, even I knew that a flimsy excuse like “I heard it from Professor Baldwin” wasn’t enough to convince them.

Well, if I didn’t want suspicion, I shouldn’t have come here in the first place, I thought.

This was a choice I had made. I could either bumble around inefficiently to hide the truth about being a regressor or move efficiently, accepting the risk of suspicion. I chose the latter.

Besides, sooner or later, I was going to tell them the truth anyway. Even if I perfectly hid the fact that I was a regressor, it wouldn’t prepare me, or them, for the coming calamity. There was no point in clinging to that façade.

Of course, that did raise another thought. If I was going to reveal myself eventually, wouldn’t it be better to just confess outright now, the way I had to Professor Baldwin? I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. The truth was, I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared to bare everything about myself to my companions, my comrades from the previous life. If Senior Sophia heard me now, she’d probably click her tongue and call me an idiot. But unlike her, I wasn’t wise enough.

While my thoughts wandered, the flames around my fist flared even hotter. Iris and Yurina stared at me, faces pale as they sensed the overwhelming power surging in my hand.

Iris said worryingly, “D-Dale, a-are you sure that’s safe?”

“Everyone, fall back. Iris, put up a barrier,” I said.

“O-okay!”

With a tense face, Iris began chanting the protective spell. Once the party was enclosed in the shimmering white shield, I exhaled slowly.

“Mountain Breaker,” I said.

A monstrous impact shook the entire canyon. The cavern walls, solid rock that had stood for centuries, split apart and collapsed with a deafening roar. Beyond the shattered wall stood a massive iron gate, etched with intricate magical runes.

It had been a while. I smirked and placed my hand on its surface. The Primordial Flame surged forth, devouring the runes that sealed the gate. Minutes passed, and every last trace of the inscription was gradually reduced to ash.

Drained from expending so much mana in one go, I slumped onto a fallen boulder, catching my breath. My companions emerged cautiously from the barrier, scanning the wreckage around us.

“Is it over?”

“Yeah. You can come out now,” I replied.

Seeing the collapsed cavern wall, Berald muttered in awe, “Haah! I didn’t realize the Mountain Breaker I learned from you was literally a technique that could shatter mountains.”

“Now it’s your turn, Berald,” I replied.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

I pointed toward the massive, tightly shut gate. “Show us your magic again.”

Understanding immediately, Berald grinned. “Ah!Hah! Leave it to me!”

He strode to the gate, wedged his hands into the slight gap, and heaved. “Haaaaap!”

The iron groaned under the strain, warping as he forced it apart.

“UNLOCK!” he shouted.

The colossal gate shattered, revealing the hidden entrance to the ruins.

Yurina and Camilla pinched their brows, looking like they had headaches.

“It feels like everything I thought I knew about the world is being overturned,” Yurina said.

“Agreed.”

And so, our true exploration of the ruins began.

* * *

The golems inside ancient ruins typically fell into two categories: those crafted by human hands and those created by the hands of gods. Unless a ruin was man-made, almost every ruin harbored the latter, golems born of divine will.

Golems created by the gods, as they were called, had long been a mystery. Scholars debated endlessly about them. Some argued they were condensed from the excess mana pooled within ruins. Others claimed the ruins themselves possessed a will and created guardians to protect themselves. Yet others insisted that, just as living beings could become monsters or demons when tainted by the Demon God’s power, so too could inanimate matter be transformed into golems.

But theories were all that existed. To this day, no one had ever uncovered the true principle behind the creation of these golems. Even I, a regressor, didn’t know exactly how they were formed.

Still, I did know a few things about them. They formed naturally inside ruins, and once destroyed, they never reappeared. They attacked only intruders, never stepping beyond the ruin walls. They were never called golems like artificial constructs, but rather given a special name, Guardians. Last but not least, Guardians had an exceptionally high chance of dropping mana stones compared to monsters.

That was why, when Iris had told me Berald’s father needed an offering for his treatment, this ruin had immediately come to mind. There weren’t many ruins with Guardians. In fact, only a tiny fraction of ruins naturally birthed Guardians at all.

Anyway, the reason I had gone on this long mental lecture was simple. It was because a Guardian had appeared before us. A voice came out of the Guardian.

[Intruder detected. Intruder detected.]

Its entire body was formed of stone, towering roughly three meters tall. It was not the largest Guardian I had ever seen, but the sheer oppressive weight emanating from it far surpassed the golems we had faced during the finals.

Its eyes lit up with a sinister crimson glow.

[Initiating intruder elimination protocol.]

The first to notice it was Iris. “Dale…”

She turned to the others and said, “Everyone, move!”

Then she stretched out her arms desperately and chanted, “O’ Seven Gods! Protect your child!”

A wall of pure white light rose, blocking the Guardian’s path. However, the shield ripped apart like paper under the Guardian’s strike. The force of the broken spell sent Iris collapsing to her knees with a scream.

Camilla bit down hard on her lip. “Saintess! Damn it!”

Grunting, she charged straight at the Guardian. Her claymore, wrapped in a radiant white aura, carved through the air with a heavy roar as it came down at the monster. But the Guardian seemed prepared for it.

[Attack detected.]

[Counter-attack protocol activated.]

Scales of stone jutted out from the Guardian’s arm, firing off like a volley of rock shards toward Camilla.

Camilla twisted her claymore to shield herself, blocking the storm of stone. “Urgh!”

But in that instant, the Guardian’s massive hand closed around her waist. Her breath burst out in fragments, crushed under the sheer force of its grip.

“You bastard!” Berald kicked off the ground with a thunderous stomp and rushed to her aid. “Haaah!”

He conjured a sphere of mana in the air and hurled it. The blast struck the Guardian’s arm, smoke rising from the impact. Camilla slipped free and collapsed to the ground. The Guardian’s glowing red eyes turned toward Berald.

[Target priority shift.]

It charged forward, each step shaking the ruins. Then, its arm swung with brutal force.

“Ghhhk!” The blow struck Berald squarely, sending him flying like a pebble into the wall.

Yurina bit her lip hard. “Berald!”

She leaped in front of the Guardian and drew her sword, golden aura blazing along its blade. Then, she executed the Sun Sword Style Sixth Form: White Radiance. The condensed brilliance of the sun shot forward in a blazing strike.

One of the Guardian’s arms shattered, crumbling across the floor. But that was not enough to defeat it.

[Damage assessed.]

[Combat ability intact.]

It raised its remaining arm and aimed at Yurina. Mana gathered at its limb before blasting out a shell of pure force.

The blast sent her hurling back and tumbling across the floor. “Arghhh!”

Watching my companions fall one after another, I frowned. As I had thought, it was still too soon for them. After all, when I had first cleared these ruins, it had been more than ten years from now. Even if Yurina, Berald, and Iris were growing quickly compared to my past life, ten years was a gulf too wide to bridge so easily.

It was only natural. You couldn’t demand a child who just learned to walk to suddenly run. The Guardian within these ruins wielded power on par with at least a nine-eyed demonic monster. There was no shame in struggling against it.

The Guardian’s crimson gaze locked onto me.

[Analyzing the battlefield.]

[Target confirmed.]

Its massive frame barreled toward me.

[Analyzing target movement pattern.]

[insufficient data.]

[Extermination cannon preparing for guaranteed elimination.]

“Shut it,” I said.

I stepped forward and thrust out my sword. Flames like smoldering ash roared across the blade, cleaving the Guardian clean in half.

My party members gawked, faces pale with shock.

“Ah!”

“H-he took it down in one strike?”

“Dale…”

I glanced at them, weighing my thoughts. They indeed couldn’t handle enemies like this yet, but if I coddled them with endless reassurance, they would never grow. Sometimes, for true growth, the whip was more necessary than the carrot.

I let out a long sigh and turned to face them. “Sorry. Looks like I overestimated you.”

I clicked my tongue, shaking my head with disappointment. “Maybe we should just call off this expedition and head back. This ruin’s clearly beyond your abilities right now.”

Yurina’s face stiffened. “No.”

She braced on her sword like a staff, forcing herself to her feet. “I can still fight, Dale.”

The silver fire in his eyes burned with stubborn resolve. I gave a satisfied nod in response.

* * *

The party moved in perfect coordination under Yurina’s command, fighting a Guardian.

“Iris! Blessing, now!”

“Yes!”

“Berald, Camilla! Attract its attention!”

“Understood!”

“I won’t last long against it!”

A terrifying surge of mana exploded from Yurina’s body. “Haaaaa! I… can still do more!”

The ruins shook as though an earthquake had struck. Her sword, crackling with lethal power, came down at the Guardian. With a boom, the explosion hurled the Guardian back.

The others rushed in together, trampling the reeling Guardian with renewed fury.

“I’m joining in too!”

“Haaahhh!”

“Kill it! Smash that cursed pile of scrap metal to pieces, Camilla!”

Watching them, I crossed my arms and muttered under my breath, “Hmm! Maybe, I pushed them a little too well?”

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