Ethan nodded in understanding. He sheathed his sword and walked with Risa, following an elder who had approached him.

Right after Ethan and Risa entered the city, more soldiers arrived to help restore the condition of the wounded warriors and elders. All of them still looked shaken by what had happened.

Inside the city, Ethan and Risa walked along the main street that connected one district to another.

Ethan's attention shifted to the citizens. They kept staring at him with intimidating eyes.

"Ignore them. They're not used to seeing outsiders," the elder said.

"I don't mind."

They kept walking until Ethan and Risa suddenly stopped when they saw a palace with red walls, a grand structure more than enough to leave anyone stunned and speechless.

"Welcome to the Blood Palace. Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you in the throne hall," the elder added.

Ethan agreed with a serious look. He and Risa climbed the steps to reach the top of the Blood Palace, and Ethan felt familiar with the design of the structure.

This design and everything about it… it looked like a ziggurat.

They continued climbing the stairs, following the tribe elder. When they reached the top, Ethan saw another building that was wider but had the same red walls.

This was where the Queen of the Blood-Cursed Tribe lived and ruled. Many palace guards walked around, and when they saw Ethan, their expressions immediately turned sharp and unfriendly.

Ethan ignored them. His goal was to enter the palace and meet their leader to complete the Blood-Cursed side quest.

The palace doors opened, revealing a woman sitting cross-legged on her throne. She wore entirely red clothing with a red iron crown resting on her head.

Just a few steps inside, the elder and Risa immediately knelt and bowed in obedience.

Ethan became the only one who didn't kneel. He would not kneel to anyone and hand over his dignity.

"So, you're the outsider who holds Lord Gor's Sword?"

"This is the Bloodblade Ashura," Ethan explained.

"To you, maybe. To me, it's Lord Gor's Sword."

"Come here," the woman said.

She looked left and right, noticing the elder was still kneeling and Risa as well.

So Ethan stepped forward toward the throne, walking along the red carpet stretched out before him.

Soon, he stopped at a comfortable distance, not too close but not too far. The queen stood up from her throne, lifting her slender leg as she descended the stairs.

Ethan briefly noticed some wrinkles on the corners of her eyelids, signs that she was older than him. Even so, he respected her without bowing or kneeling.

The elder and Risa, who had been kneeling behind him, began approaching Ethan. They stood behind him as he faced the Queen of the Blood-Cursed Tribe directly.

I need to be careful. The Queen of the Blood-Cursed Tribe doesn't look like someone who can be challenged easily.

"What do you intend to do in our city?" the woman asked.

Ethan pointed toward Risa. The queen looked shocked after hearing Ethan's explanation. She never expected that one of her people had traveled through the floors with an outsider.

It wasn't a bad thing. The woman was amazed by Risa's courage.

"This is related to the Bloodblade Ashura," Ethan explained.

He extended his hand and summoned the Bloodblade Ashura, which appeared and floated in front of his face.

Everyone looked shocked, from the elders to the queen, even the ordinary soldiers.

A historic moment happened again. For the first time in hundreds of years, Lord Gor's Sword had returned to the land of the Blood-Cursed Tribe.

"T-This… is Lord Gor's Sword!" the woman said.

Right when one of them tried to touch the sword, Ethan grabbed it first with quick reflexes.

His appearance changed, the red tattoos on his hands and face appeared, and his black hair turned red.

[Mode Ashura Activated]

A burst of power surged so violently that it shocked everyone. Many of them grew alert, preparing their magic spells or weapons.

"Hold!" the woman commanded, making everyone stop their attacks.

The Queen of the Blood-Cursed Tribe asked Ethan to extend his sword forward. It looked like she was about to do something Ethan didn't understand.

Using her magic, she channeled her blood power into the sword. Slowly, the sword began to glow bright red again.

The most certain change Ethan felt was the weight of the sword. It suddenly felt light, far lighter than when he first obtained the Bloodblade Ashura.

"What did you do?" Ethan asked.

"I only gave the final touch to Lord Gor's Sword, something every king and queen of this tribe must do whenever they meet that sword."

[Rune of Teleportation Installed]

[The Bloodblade Ashura and the Rune's owner are now linked]

"A teleportation rune?"

The woman began explaining why it was always an outsider who obtained Lord Gor's Sword instead of a tribe member.

It all came from destiny. Outsiders had the ability to wield the Bloodblade Ashura.

But hundreds of years had passed, kings replaced kings, queens replaced queens.

Fortunately, today was the era of Queen Ayana, giving her the chance to witness Lord Gor's Sword.

"My father once said that if an outsider holds the sword, then he becomes part of our tribe. The teleportation rune will be useful to you," Queen Ayana said.

"He also told stories about the relocation of our scattered people on the lower floors. Since none of us can defeat the floor bosses anymore, the only option is to rely on outsiders."

Ethan was stunned. Her words were exactly the same as the note Lord Gor had left for each tribal leader on the lower floors.

He instinctively looked at Risa, asking her to show the forty-nine red teleportation tokens she had obtained from the chiefs on every floor.

Queen Ayana gasped when she saw the many red teleportation tokens Risa had gathered solely to activate the magic portals between floor fifty and each tribal chief's floor.

"You plan to relocate the tribe members?" Ayana asked.

"Yes. That's why we came here."

The woman smiled brightly. There would be many great achievements in her reign. Of course Queen Ayana would help Ethan and Risa.

"Order the soldiers to clear the city square. We will open forty-nine magic portals there," Queen Ayana commanded, and the elders and palace soldiers obeyed.

"You two don't need to worry. I will help you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

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