novelraw Chapter 249 : Chapter 249
Chapter 249 : Chapter 249
Volume 4 – Final Chapter: Breaking the Gate, the Final Cog of Fate
The moment we stepped into the pitch-black stairway, the oil lamps along the corridor suddenly flared to life—as if some mechanism embedded in the floor had been triggered, rousing them from a century of slumber.
Yet despite the glow, the air remained cold—deathly cold, the kind of chill that crept beneath one’s skin.
After descending, I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waited for the others to arrive.
“Astrid, are you alright?” Teresa’s voice carried the gentle concern of an elder addressing her junior.
I shook my head, wordlessly assuring her that I was fine, and moved to stand by her side, silently matching her pace.
Seeing that I didn’t speak, Teresa didn’t press the matter. Perhaps the aftereffects of the bell’s resonance still lingered, making me seem a little dazed, detached.
Wenfu hid behind Teresa and Felicia, her ears twitching uneasily. For some reason, every time she looked at me, she felt a creeping sense of dread—like every hair on her body stood on end.
Maybe… maybe it’s just the cold, she tried to reassure herself.
“Mmhh…” Yimi, held in Felicia’s arms, stirred faintly and let out a soft groan.
“Yimi? Are you alright?” Teresa immediately went to check.
Yimi’s eyes fluttered open. Her head lolled weakly to the side as she glanced at Teresa, then at Felicia.
“...How’s Wenfu?”
“She’s perfectly fine.” Teresa smiled gently, stroking Yimi’s messy hair.
“Yimi! Yimi’s awake, nya!” The little cat’s tail swished with excitement, jumping slightly to show she was still alive and kicking.
Hearing Wenfu’s energetic voice, Yimi smiled faintly, then closed her eyes again, too exhausted to speak another word, drifting back into sleep in Felicia’s arms.
“Felicia, please take care of Yimi for now.”
“Of course. Isn’t that only natural?”
“Everyone… Thank you. Truly, thank you for staying with me through all this.” Teresa bowed deeply to the three of us.
“Ah—no, no! If anything, Wenfu’s been the one slowing everyone down…” Wenfu scratched her head sheepishly.
It wasn’t false modesty—just the truth.
“We’re teammates,” Felicia said with a smile. “Sharing life and death is part of that. And besides, coming to Ruglian was my own choice. I’ve wanted to purge this blight from Kaleburn for a long time. If anything, Teresa, it’s I who should thank you.”
“Thank you.” Teresa’s gaze swept over us—lingering briefly on me—before she spoke again, voice solemn.
“Teresa… you’re not actually our age, are you?” Felicia finally asked the question we all knew but never voiced.
“No,” Teresa admitted softly. “I wasn’t trying to hide it out of malice.”
“I knew it. If you were the same age as us, I think I’d be devastated.” Felicia chuckled.
To single-handedly shatter five barriers of Ruglian—something the entire Empire couldn’t accomplish—and to do so with such ease… if she truly were our peer, that would’ve been beyond comprehension.
I lifted my gaze toward Teresa but remained silent.
We continued down the seemingly endless underground passage. Teresa led at the front, Felicia carried Yimi at the back, and I walked in between them—my expression shifting ever so slightly, unnoticed by anyone.
The resonance from my soul grew stronger, clearer. It wasn’t manipulation or coercion—it was instinct. It didn’t make me feel less myself. On the contrary, I felt more real than ever before.
The air was silent, save for our footsteps echoing against the stone. Even the faint flicker of burning oil sounded vivid in the stillness.
Then Teresa stopped.
The corridor ended.
At the top of a narrow incline stood a massive iron door, marked with an etched hexagram.
She pulled at it—it didn’t budge. The metal was thick and immovable, like the will of a mountain.
Activating her Divine Appraisal, Teresa examined the structure. Once she understood it, she struck at each vertex of the hexagram, then kicked the door with all her strength.
The sigil dimmed. The door blasted off its hinges.
Light flooded in. Beyond lay a vast plain stretching toward the horizon. Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the canopy—but directly ahead, something immense blotted out the view.
A colossal fortress loomed in the center of the plain, shrouded in shadow, the only place untouched by light. A thick violet haze blanketed its skies.
“...Tensuo City.” Felicia’s voice trembled in awe.
The blackened stone walls gleamed with a sheen of Dark Oil, an alchemical coating that rendered the structure impervious to blade or flame.
Exquisite reliefs adorned its towers, priceless gems were embedded along its ramparts, and the battlements soared so high they vanished into the clouds. Ancient ballistae still stood proudly on its watchtowers, relics of an empire long gone. Only the imperial banners were missing.
Yet the city stood as it had four centuries ago—majestic and unyielding.
Legend said this human Holy City still existed within Ruglian, though most historians dismissed it as myth. The records agreed—it had been destroyed during the Demon War.
Even without ever having seen it before, Felicia instantly recognized it. This was the lost imperial capital—the Crown of Humanity, Tensuo City.
Beyond Tensuo Pass lay Tensuo City.
Even I, an outsider, was struck with awe.
Humans, though short-lived, had built this miracle through knowledge and perseverance—a monument to authority and civilization.
And yet, its creators were long dead. The ages had turned, and the city now belonged to another race.
Still, amidst my wonder, I caught a familiar scent. My instincts whispered that everything—every answer I sought—awaited inside that fortress.
The Demon King. Ifan.
The truth of the Demons. And the fate of my kin.
In my memories, the Goldenwood Village had been slaughtered by demons. Most of my kind perished—but strangely, the Sacred Tree of the Elves did not wither. Its leaves remained, faint but living.
That meant they still existed—somewhere.
I clenched my fist. I had to find Ifan. I had to ask her—what she had done to us.
If she truly was the one who opened the gate to the demons—who had slaughtered our people—then even if she was once my sister-in-arms…
“Teresa?”
“Mm? What is it?”
Wenfu’s voice snapped her back from her darkening thoughts. Her eyes cleared slightly.
“N-nya, it’s nothing.” Wenfu bit back the words ‘Your eyes just now looked terrifying.’
“The Demon King… is that the true cause behind all this?” Wenfu murmured, her feline instincts screaming danger at the fortress ahead.
“Most likely.” Teresa’s gaze didn’t waver from the city.
While the others stared at the fortress in awe, I focused on a specific point above the gate—as if I could see someone standing there, waiting for me.
I took a deep breath. My heart pounded.
Now—this moment—my emotions mirrored Teresa’s. But not because this was the end.
No—because it was the beginning.
So I wasn’t really me, after all...
Looking at my palm, I saw countless tangled lines crossing through it—threads leading somewhere I had never been able to see before.
My eyes, colored like the moonlit violet sky, gleamed with transcendence. Nothing in this world could hold my gaze anymore.
“Thank you all for coming this far,” Teresa said. “But from here on, leave it to me.”
She didn’t want them involved any further. They were, after all, still students—brave, but far from strong enough to face century-old demons.
It was time for the Elf War Goddess to cleanse this land.
“What are you saying? I’m not letting my teammate charge ahead alone.” Felicia raised an eyebrow.
“W-Wenfu can be useful too!”
Yimi, awake now, nodded silently. Her eyes said everything—she wouldn’t be left behind.
She, too, needed to know what had become of her kin.
“...Felicia, Astrid, please watch over Yimi and Wenfu.” Teresa sighed, realizing she couldn’t dissuade them.
“The demons in Tensuo are ancient. Even one of them could overwhelm you. So listen carefully—don’t fight recklessly. Stay behind me at all times.”
Everyone nodded—except me.
When she finished speaking, Teresa looked toward the fortress—so far away, yet close enough to feel its pulse.
Ifan...
I’m coming.
Let our feud end today.
Before the towering gates, Teresa raised her bow, Floral Whisper: Eternal Renewal, and loosed an arrow toward the upper battlement. The luminous shaft struck the barrier and bounced away harmlessly.
As expected, the city was shielded.
She unsheathed her blade, sending leaves whirling toward the gate in a storm—but every blow was repelled. Not a single mark remained.
Even without the barrier, it was doubtful that anyone could breach this fortress once hailed as humanity’s greatest bastion.
“It’s clear,” I spoke at last, “that ordinary means won’t break through.” My voice carried a hint of intent—as if guiding her toward something.
Our eyes met. She hesitated, sensing something strange in my tone.
“Yes. You’re right.”
Though I had been acting oddly since yesterday, Teresa still trusted me—unconditionally.
“Have you truly made up your mind?” My voice was calm, but the weight behind it wasn’t my own.
“Once this gate opens, there may be no going back,” I warned quietly.
If she hadn’t led us here—if she hadn’t brought me to this point—perhaps I could’ve continued being the Astrid she once knew. But now that I understood what I really was...
There was no turning back.
“Astrid, that’s something you should say to me before battle. If I didn’t have that resolve, I wouldn’t have made it this far.” Teresa’s tone was steady, though uncertainty flickered beneath it.
In that instant, the world dimmed.
A deep-black halberd appeared in her hands—its presence alone distorted the air. Cataclysmic power pulsed from its edge.
I stepped back slightly, my gaze softening.
It was all fate. Just as it was fated that I would one day know the truth of who I was.
The gears of destiny had already reached their final turn.
Teresa breathed heavily, gripping her weapon. She had lost count of how many times she had wielded [Sacred Oblivion], that divine, rule-breaking armament.
Each time granted her new insight—no, new memory. And each time, the fear deepened.
Was this weapon truly hers? Or something planted within her long ago?
And the fact that she, of all people—the one capable of breaking barriers—had reached Ruglian’s core... was that coincidence, or design?
She swung the halberd. The weapon that could destroy everything—including its own wielder—fell.
BOOM!
No defense, no barrier, no magic could withstand it.
In a single strike, the gate and its shield shattered.
Tensuo City—the human Holy Fortress—was left with a gaping wound.
And from within... something ancient began to stir.