The same sensation as before. Now, it was a feeling that no longer seemed particularly strange. Once again, he had entered someone else's body.

Massive hands and a height that looked down upon others—he had become a Barbarian.

The place was an altar, the same one he had been at before. But this time, the altar's fire was lit, and he was surrounded by countless members.

The owner of the body he'd entered was staring at someone.

Her figure was familiar. He was certain he had seen her in a memory, one of those past recollections.

Was she a former commander of the Watch? He still couldn't understand why the commander of the Watch was a Barbarian.

She was kneeling at the altar, bowing her head and fervently reciting something.

It was a picture of piety and tranquility beyond anything in the world. In contrast, those watching her were filled with anxiousness on their faces.

And then, someone spoke to him.

"Gaius... Don't you hear something?"

"... She's in the middle of the ritual. Quiet."

The owner of this body—Gaius—replied calmly. But Erich could clearly sense it. The owner of this body was also feeling intense anxiety.

- Thoom!

The altar room shook. They all realized it. Something was advancing toward them.

- Thump. Thump.

Through the faces of the nervous members, the commander, serene as ever, stood up.

"The ritual is over."

Gaius—or rather, Erich—could tell for sure. Something about her had changed.

He hesitated for a moment. There was a strange sense of incongruity emanating from her. But only for a moment.

- Crash!

The door blocking the altar shattered, kicking up clouds of dust. Simultaneously, the members drew their swords. But the commander stood before them and spoke.

"Gaius. Go north with the others."

"... What?"

The burning question he held was conveyed to Erich. And now, right before their eyes, an army of dead had appeared.

They gleamed with white light from their eyes, staring at the members.

"Commander."

"Tiberius..."

Unlike the previous members, the commander didn't seem particularly startled. Instead, she only responded to his appearance with anger.

- Woong.

At the same time, the commander's eyes flashed violet. The eyes of a Swordmaster. What she possessed was the same as the eyes Erich had.

"Gaius. The ritual is over, and now there's only one thing you must do."

"... Order me."

"Survive. Head north and survive—by any means necessary."

Gaius furrowed his brow. After a brief moment of contemplation, he gestured to the others and traded a few words.

Once he sent everyone off, Gaius drew a longsword from his waist. On the blade, there was a vivid rose engraved.

Those who received his orders quickly headed to the back of the altar. They worked some mechanisms and created a small passage to escape through the cavern.

And Tiberius merely watched the scene. Suddenly, he let out a laugh.

"Kuhuhu. Commander, what's the point of that now? The Lord of Winter will soon awaken. When that happens, all your struggling will be meaningless."

"No? That can't be."

- BAAANG!

At that moment, radiant light started pouring from the commander's body. At the same time, the cold radiating from the dead vanished as if it were being purified.

What now covered the altar was the flame emanating from her.

"Because He has descended."

Gaius widened his eyes in shock at her. Did she always have such power? But Tiberius seemed just as surprised.

"... When did you gain such strength?"

"I told you. He has descended."

The commander then drew her sword. Instantly, her blade was cloaked in blue aura.

- Whoosh.

With a hissing sound, scarlet flames flared up angrily.

"... Kaladia."

Tiberius flinched at the scene, but soon the sword he drew was coated with white frost—the same power surrounding the dead.

And then, unseen on his face, the white glow flashed from his eyes.

Chilling frost spreading around and the burning heat of the flames now enveloped the altar.

At the same time, Gaius blankly watched the spectacle. A fight between beings who had reached superhuman heights.

Caught between them, even Gaius—or rather, Erich—felt overwhelmed.

- BAANG!

As the two swords collided, a sonic boom erupted. From it, shockwaves pounded down.

- Clatter!

Not just the dead, but even Gaius, who stood there, was thrown against the wall by the force.

Gaius collapsed and stared at their battle with both eyes. And that was....

[Erich!]

It happened in an instant.

The memory faded, and in the empty altar, only Erich and Hrung-ga remained. He was soaked in cold sweat and looked terrible.

[... What exactly did you see?][Should I say, what did I see... or what did I experience...?]

Erich hesitated to answer. He looked around. Only then did the scene finally come into focus.

The bones of fallen members and fragments of the dead. And someone kneeling before the altar.

'... So this is Kaladia.'

Erich flipped the black cloak draped over Kaladia's remains.

There, the commander's badge gleamed. Erich scanned over what he'd just seen in the memory and the remnants left on the altar.

Then, like piecing together a puzzle, he speculated. The members here had performed some kind of ritual, an invocation to summon the One they spoke of.

But Kaladia, even after obtaining divine power, was defeated by this Tiberius.

[... Hrung-ga. Have you ever heard the names Kaladia, Tiberius, or Gaius?][No. First time hearing them.][Really?]

Erich's focus shifted to Tiberius. One with white glowing eyes, capable of leading the dead to annihilate the Watch, and probably a servant of someone.

'Wait, white glowing eyes?'

A deep shadow crossed Erich's face. Those who became Swordmasters often possessed their unique eyes.

And as he had seen before, those eye colors varied greatly.

There was someone in the Watch capable of emitting white light from their eyes. But he shook his head low.

'No. He doesn't awaken that power until much later.'

But then... The figure named Tiberius was far too ancient a figure. If he were alive now, he surely wouldn't look human.

Plus, there remained another unexplained matter.

'There's no body for Gaius.'

Gaius' sword was clearly marked with a rose. Yet among the remains here, none held such a sword.

[Looks like you're searching for something.][Something that should be here isn't.][...?]

Whatever Hrung-ga said, this was a crucial matter. Clearly, even in the distant past, an army of dead had risen.

But even though the Watch fell, they failed to ravage the Empire. Why? He had to know.

'... If I figure it out, maybe we can stop the dead as in the past.'

But as Erich diligently chased the traces of the light, he found no more. The trail ended here.

[Not sure what it was, but, Erich, it looks like the Goddess wanted to show you something and you alone.][... Goddess?][Yes. And judging by your pale face, you're trying to fit what you saw to your current knowledge, right?][Well, something like that.]

Hrung-ga stroked his chin and smirked.

[Erich. The Goddess is unknowable. My kind have devoted their lives to understanding her will. There's a saying we share:][...?][You don't need to know.][What...?]

Erich stopped thinking and stared intently at Hrung-ga. "You don't need to know"? What kind of nonsense was that?

[Just what it means. Searching is pointless. In the end, the Goddess will lead us as she intends.][Hmm. So the outcome is already set?][Yes. You catch on quick. That's why there are those called shamans, to peek at that set future.]

Hearing Hrung-ga's words, Erich closed his eyes. Maybe he was right. After all, she had shown him the past with this overwhelming power.

She wouldn't withhold the answer.

[You don't need to know. That seems to be what the god—or Goddess—wants from me right now.][Exactly.]

A small smile appeared on Erich's lips. For someone who'd spent most of his life as commander of the Watch, to find the advice of a mere Barbarian helpful—it was truly ironic.

He slowly walked forward and knelt by the Barbarian commander's remains.

"... Stupid gods."

Erich muttered and stood up. But at that moment, he felt a strange sense of incongruity.

Hrung-ga's body had gone rigid.

[Hrung-ga?]

Erich called out to him. But there was no response. Then, he sensed something off about the space itself.

It was as if even the motes of dust floating in the air had frozen in place—a bizarre sensation.

'Something's wrong.'

Erich instinctively rested his hand on his sword. At last, a foreboding feeling overtook him.

Although this was centuries in the past, it was also where the army of the dead had triumphed. He had overlooked the possibility of a lurking trap.

- Crack!

Suddenly, the sound of something shattering, and the surroundings began to tremble. Before he could do anything, cracks started forming all over the altar room.

'Cracking?'

It was odd. Fissures were showing up in empty air. Even as he witnessed it, he found it hard to believe.

- Rumble

The shaking intensified, and the fractured space started scattering tiny flecks of dust.

- Crunch. Crack!

Beyond the collapsing space, stark white traces appeared. They grew, eventually reaching Erich's feet.

'... Damn it!'

But, no matter who he was, escaping a space trembling and collapsing like this was nearly impossible.

- Bang!

The collapsing space, centered on a sonic boom, finally transformed into a space of pure white. Erich stared at the space in silence. There was nothing there.

Only he himself remained.

'... What is this?'

His eyes gazed beyond this infinite white expanse. Or perhaps it was infinitely vast, or maybe little more than a small room—he couldn't tell. The only thing certain was...

'This is a peculiar feeling.'

There was no sensation. No sense of moving his body. No pain from the battle before. He could feel nothing at all.

But then—

- Flicker.

A small flame bloomed in midair. Erich stared silently at the flame. The resplendent fire flickered gold.

"This is..."

Only then did Erich understand what the dazzling flame was.

He didn't need anyone to say it; it struck him as instinctively as if he were a living creature.

And he murmured,

"... Inscensus, god of fire and humanity."

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Winter is coming!Also, the Winds of Winter never came...Tsk...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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